Contemporary Incidence of Cognitive Impairment or Dementia in Patients undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the high prevalence of cognitive impairment or dementia post coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the incidence of cognitive impairment or dementia post-CABG in contemporary practice is currently unclear. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the incidence and associated risk factors of cognitive impairment or dementia in patients post-CABG. METHODS: A systematic search across three databases (PubMed, SCOPUS and Embase) was conducted for studies published in or after 2013 that reported cognitive impairment or dementia post-CABG. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression by risk factors were performed to determine their influence on the results. RESULTS: This analysis included 23 studies with a total of 2620 patients. The incidence of cognitive impairment or dementia less than one month, two to six months, and more than twelve months post-CABG was 35.96% (95%CI: 28.22-44.51, I2=87%), 21.33% (95%CI: 13.44-32.15, I2=88%) and 39.13% (95%CI: 21.72-58.84, I2=84%), respectively. Meta-regression revealed that studies with more than 80% of the cohort diagnosed with hypertension were significantly associated with incidence of cognitive impairment or dementia less than one-month post-CABG. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrates a high incidence of cognitive impairment or dementia in patients post-CABG in contemporary practice, particularly less than one month post-CABG. We found that hypertension was a significant risk factor in the short term (less than one month) follow-up period for cognitive impairment or dementia post-CABG. Future research should be done to assess strategies to reduce cognitive impairment post-CABG. .

Left ventricular systolic function assessed by standard and advanced echocardiographic techniques in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Aim of the study was to perform a systemic review and meta-analysis of the current case-control studies based on the assessment of the left ventricular (LV) systolic function with standard and advanced echocardiographic methods. Materials and methods: Objectives of the study, methods of statisticalanalysis, literature search strategy, inclusion andexclusion criteria, and outcome measurementswere defined according to Cochrane Collaborationsteps, 13 including recommendations for metaanalysisof observational studies in epidemiology (MOOSE). Results: A total of 850 papers were collected. Of those, eight papers (10 groups) including 174,442 SLE patients and 45,608,723 controls with heart failure (HF), 20 papers including 1,121 SLE patients and 1,010 controls with an evaluated LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and eight studies (nine groups) including 462 SLE patients and 356 controls with a measured LV global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) met the predefined inclusion criteria. HF rate in SLE patients was 2.39% (4,176 of 174,442 patients with HF), and SLE patients showed a 3.4 times higher risk for HF compared to controls. SLE patients had a lower LVEF compared to controls. LVGLS was more impaired in SLE patients compared to controls, irrespective of two-dimensional or three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography. Conclusion: Heart failure rate in SLE patients is high, and SLE patients showed a 3.4 times higher risk in patients with SLE compared to controls. LV systolic function, as measured by LVEF and LVGLS, is significantly affected in SLE patients, and LVGLS potentially represents a new tool for the early assessment of LV function.

Use of wearable technology in cardiac monitoring after cryptogenic stroke or embolic stroke of undetermined source: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Prolonged cardiac monitoring after cryptogenic stroke or embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) is necessary to identify atrial fibrillation (AF) that requires anticoagulation. Wearable devices may improve AF detection compared to conventional management. We aimed to review the evidence for the use of wearable devices in post-cryptogenic stroke and post-ESUS monitoring. METHODS: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and clinicaltrials.gov on 21 July 2022, identifying all studies that investigated the use of wearable devices in patients with cryptogenic stroke or ESUS. The outcomes of AF detection were analysed. Literature reports on electrocardiogram (ECG)-based (external wearable, handheld, patch, mobile cardiac telemetry [MCT], smartwatch) and photoplethysmography (PPG)-based (smartwatch, smartphone) devices were summarised. RESULTS: A total of 27 relevant studies were included (two randomised controlled trials, seven prospective trials, 10 cohort studies, six case series and two case reports). Only four studies compared wearable technology to Holter monitoring or implantable loop recorder, and these studies showed no significant differences on meta-analysis (odds ratio 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74-7.48, I 2 = 70%). External wearable devices detected AF in 20.7% (95% CI 14.9-27.2, I 2 = 76%) of patients and MCT detected new AF in 9.6% (95% CI 7.4%-11.9%, I 2 = 56%) of patients. Other devices investigated included patch sensors, handheld ECG recorders and PPG-based smartphone apps, which demonstrated feasibility in the post-cryptogenic stroke and post-ESUS setting. CONCLUSION: Wearable devices that are ECG or PPG based are effective for paroxysmal AF detection after cryptogenic stroke and ESUS, but further studies are needed to establish how they compare with Holter monitors and implantable loop recorder.

Effects of sex on clinical outcomes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Singapore.

Introduction: Despite the growing recognition that sex can affect the presentation and outcomes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), this relationship is understudied in Asians. Therefore, we aimed to explore sex differences in Asian patients with HCM. Method: A total of 295 consecutive patients diagnosed with HCM were recruited from a tertiary cardiology centre from 2010 to 2017 over a mean of 3.9±2.7 years. We evaluated the effects of sex on the outcomes of HCM in Asian patients. Results: HCM patients were more commonly men (72%). Women were older and had more comorbidities, including hypertension and atrial fibrillation. On transthoracic echocardiography, the indexed left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes were similar, but more women had more-than-moderate mitral regurgitation and had a smaller left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT). Women more commonly had findings of obstructive physiology with significant LVOT obstruction, defined as >30 mmHg at rest. The use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators was similar across sexes. On multivariable analysis, women were found to be more likely to develop progressive heart failure requiring admission (hazard ratio [HR] 2.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-4.71, P=0.021) but had a lower rate of all-cause mortality (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.19-0.70, P=0.003). Conclusion: Women diagnosed with HCM were older, had more comorbidities and were more likely to develop heart failure while men had a higher risk of all-cause mortality.