An Electronically Delivered Patient-Activation Tool for Intensification of Medications for Chronic Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: The EPIC-HF Trial.

BACKGROUND: Major gaps exist in the routine initiation and dose up-titration of guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMT) for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Without novel approaches to improve prescribing, the cumulative benefits of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction treatment will be largely unrealized. Direct-to-consumer marketing and shared decision making reflect a culture where patients are increasingly involved in treatment choices, creating opportunities for prescribing interventions that engage patients. METHODS: The EPIC-HF (Electronically Delivered, Patient-Activation Tool for Intensification of Medications for Chronic Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction) trial randomized patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction from a diverse health system to usual care versus patient activation tools-a 3-minute video and 1-page checklist-delivered electronically 1 week before, 3 days before, and 24 hours before a cardiology clinic visit. The tools encouraged patients to work collaboratively with their clinicians to "make one positive change" in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction prescribing. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with GDMT medication initiations and dose intensifications from immediately preceding the cardiology clinic visit to 30 days after, compared with usual care during the same period. RESULTS: EPIC-HF enrolled 306 patients, 290 of whom attended a clinic visit during the study period: 145 were sent the patient activation tools and 145 were controls. The median age of patients was 65 years; 29% were female, 11% were Black, 7% were Hispanic, and the median ejection fraction was 32%. Preclinic data revealed significant GDMT opportunities, with no patients on target doses of ß-blocker, sacubitril/valsartan, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. From immediately preceding the cardiology clinic visit to 30 days after, 49.0% in the intervention and 29.7% in the control experienced an initiation or intensification of their GDMT (P=0.001). The majority of these changes were made at the clinician encounter itself and involved dose uptitrations. There were no deaths and no significant differences in hospitalization or emergency department visits at 30 days between groups. CONCLUSIONS: A patient activation tool delivered electronically before a cardiology clinic visit improved clinician intensification of GDMT. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03334188.

Electronic Health Records and Heart Failure.

Increasing the global adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) is transforming the delivery of clinical care. EHRs offer tools that are useful in the care of heart failure ranging from individualized risk stratification and decision support to population management. EHR tools can be combined to target specific areas of need such as the standardization of care, improved quality of care, and resource management. Leveraging EHR functionality has been shown to improve select outcomes including guideline-based therapies, reduction in adverse clinical outcomes, and improved cost-efficiency. Central to success is participation by clinicians and patients in the design and feedback of EHR tools.

An Electronically delivered, Patient-activation tool for Intensification of medications for Chronic Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction: Rationale and design of the EPIC-HF trial.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) benefits from initiation and intensification of multiple pharmacotherapies. Unfortunately, there are major gaps in the routine use of these drugs. Without novel approaches to improve prescribing, the cumulative benefits of HFrEF treatment will be largely unrealized. Direct-to-consumer marketing and shared decision making reflect a culture where patients are increasingly involved in treatment choices, creating opportunities for prescribing interventions that engage patients. HYPOTHESIS: Encouraging patients to engage providers in HFrEF prescribing decisions will improve the use of guideline-directed medical therapies. DESIGN: The Electronically delivered, Patient-activation tool for Intensification of Chronic medications for Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction (EPIC-HF) trial randomizes patients with HFrEF to usual care versus patient-activation tools-a 3-minute video and 1-page checklist-delivered prior to cardiology clinic visits that encourage patients to work collaboratively with their clinicians to intensify HFrEF prescribing. The study assesses the effectiveness of the EPIC-HF intervention to improve guideline-directed medical therapy in the month after its delivery while using an implementation design to also understand the reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of this approach within the context of real-world care delivery. Study enrollment was completed in January 2020, with a total 305 patients. Baseline data revealed significant opportunities, with <1% of patients on optimal HFrEF medical therapy. SUMMARY: The EPIC-HF trial assesses the implementation, effectiveness, and safety of patient engagement in HFrEF prescribing decisions. If successful, the tool can be easily disseminated and may inform similar interventions for other chronic conditions.

The landscape of pharmacogenetic testing in a US managed care population.

PURPOSE: Little is known about how many insured patients receive pharmacogenetic testing. We describe trends of single-gene pharmacogenetic testing in a US managed care population, and demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who received a test. METHODS: We leveraged a random sample of nearly 11 million patients from a data set of paid medical and pharmacy claims to identify patients with at least one claim indicating receipt of at least one of these single-gene pharmacogenetic tests: CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, VKORC1, UGT1A1, and HLA class 1 typing. RESULTS: From 1 January 2013 to 30 September 2017, 5712 patients received at least one pharmacogenetic test (55% female; mean age = 43 years). The median number of tests per patient was 3 (mean = 2.7, max = 12); 54% were processed through Managed Medicare/Medicaid, while 45% were processed through commercial insurance. The total number of pharmacogenetic tests received more than doubled from 2013 (n = 1955) to 2015 (n = 4192), then decreased slightly in 2016 (n = 3946). The most common test was CYP2C19 (n = 4719), and "long-term (current) use of other medications" was the most common diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Pharmacogenetic testing through patients' insurance was low, but more than doubled from 2013 to 2016. This study highlights the need to better understand utilization patterns and insurance coverage for pharmacogenetic tests.

Integrating the Practical Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model With Best Practices in Clinical Decision Support Design: Implementation Science Approach.

BACKGROUND: Clinical decision support (CDS) design best practices are intended to provide a narrative representation of factors that influence the success of CDS tools. However, they provide incomplete direction on evidence-based implementation principles. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe an integrated approach toward applying an existing implementation science (IS) framework with CDS design best practices to improve the effectiveness, sustainability, and reproducibility of CDS implementations. METHODS: We selected the Practical Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) IS framework. We identified areas where PRISM and CDS design best practices complemented each other and defined methods to address each. Lessons learned from applying these methods were then used to further refine the integrated approach. RESULTS: Our integrated approach to applying PRISM with CDS design best practices consists of 5 key phases that iteratively interact and inform each other: multilevel stakeholder engagement, designing the CDS, design and usability testing, thoughtful deployment, and performance evaluation and maintenance. The approach is led by a dedicated implementation team that includes clinical informatics and analyst builder expertise. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating PRISM with CDS design best practices extends user-centered design and accounts for the multilevel, interacting, and dynamic factors that influence CDS implementation in health care. Integrating PRISM with CDS design best practices synthesizes the many known contextual factors that can influence the success of CDS tools, thereby enhancing the reproducibility and sustainability of CDS implementations. Others can adapt this approach to their situation to maximize and sustain CDS implementation success.

The Learning Healthcare System and Cardiovascular Care: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

The learning healthcare system uses health information technology and the health data infrastructure to apply scientific evidence at the point of clinical care while simultaneously collecting insights from that care to promote innovation in optimal healthcare delivery and to fuel new scientific discovery. To achieve these goals, the learning healthcare system requires systematic redesign of the current healthcare system, focusing on 4 major domains: science and informatics, patient-clinician partnerships, incentives, and development of a continuous learning culture. This scientific statement provides an overview of how these learning healthcare system domains can be realized in cardiovascular disease care. Current cardiovascular disease care innovations in informatics, data uses, patient engagement, continuous learning culture, and incentives are profiled. In addition, recommendations for next steps for the development of a learning healthcare system in cardiovascular care are presented.

Impact of a Telehealth and Care Management Program on All-Cause Mortality and Healthcare Utilization in Patients with Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Telehealth has the potential to improve chronic disease management and outcomes, but data regarding direct benefit of telehealth in patients with heart failure (HF) have been mixed. The objective of this study was to determine whether the Health Buddy Program (HBP) (Bosch Healthcare, Palo Alto, CA), a content-driven telehealth system coupled with care management, is associated with improved outcomes in Medicare beneficiaries with HF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 623 Medicare beneficiaries with HF offered HBP enrollment compared with a propensity score-matched control group of Medicare beneficiaries with HF from the Medicare 5% sample. Associations between availability of the HBP and all-cause mortality, hospitalization, hospital days, and emergency department visits were evaluated. RESULTS: Beneficiaries offered enrollment in the HBP had 24.9% lower risk-adjusted all-cause mortality over 3 years of follow-up (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63-0.89; p = 0.001). Patients who used the HBP at least once (36.9%) had 57.2% lower mortality compared with matched controls (HR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.31-0.60; p < 0.001), whereas patients who did not use the HBP had no significant difference in survival (HR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.78-1.19; p = 0.69). Patients offered the HBP also had fewer hospital admissions following enrollment (Δ = -0.05 admissions/quarter; p = 0.011), which was primarily observed in patients who used the HBP at least once (Δ = -0.10 admissions/quarter; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The HBP, a content-driven telehealth system coupled with care management, was associated with significantly better survival and reduced hospitalization in Medicare beneficiaries with HF. Prospective study is warranted to determine the mechanism of this association and opportunities for optimization.

Visual analysis of biological data-knowledge networks.

BACKGROUND: The interpretation of the results from genome-scale experiments is a challenging and important problem in contemporary biomedical research. Biological networks that integrate experimental results with existing knowledge from biomedical databases and published literature can provide a rich resource and powerful basis for hypothesizing about mechanistic explanations for observed gene-phenotype relationships. However, the size and density of such networks often impede their efficient exploration and understanding. RESULTS: We introduce a visual analytics approach that integrates interactive filtering of dense networks based on degree-of-interest functions with attribute-based layouts of the resulting subnetworks. The comparison of multiple subnetworks representing different analysis facets is facilitated through an interactive super-network that integrates brushing-and-linking techniques for highlighting components across networks. An implementation is freely available as a Cytoscape app. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate the utility of our approach through two case studies using a dataset that combines clinical data with high-throughput data for studying the effect of ß-blocker treatment on heart failure patients. Furthermore, we discuss our team-based iterative design and development process as well as the limitations and generalizability of our approach.

Biomarkers Correspond with Echocardiographic Phenotypes in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Secondary Analysis of the RELAX Trial.

Background: Little is known about the relationship between structural phenotypes in in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and cardiac biomarkers. We used cluster analysis to identify cardiac structural phenotypes and their relationships to biomarkers in HFpEF. Methods and results: Latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to echocardiographic data including left atrial enlargement (LAE), diastolic dysfunction (DD), E/e', EF≤55%, and right ventricular dysfunction from 216 patients enrolled in the RELAX trial. Three structural phenotypes were identified. Phenotype A had the most grade II DD. Phenotype B had the most grade III DD, worst LAE, elevated E/e' and right ventricular dysfunction. Phenotype C had the least DD and moderate LAE. Phenotypes B and C had prevalent atrial fibrillation (AF). Phenotype B patients had increased carboxy-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (CITP), cystatin-c (CYSTC), endothelin-1 (ET1), NT-proBNP, and high-sensitivity troponin I (TNI). Type A had the next highest CITP and CYSTC levels while Type C had next highest NT-proBNP. Conclusions: Structural HFpEF phenotypes demonstrated different characteristics including cardiac biomarkers. These findings may help explain phenotype-specific differences in natural history and prognosis, and they may represent phenotype-specific pathophysiology that could be amenable to targeted therapy.

Implementation of clopidogrel pharmacogenetic clinical decision support for a preemptive return of results program.

PURPOSE: To describe our experiences implementing and iterating CYP2C19 genotype-guided clopidogrel pharmacogenetic clinical decision support (CDS) tools over time in the setting of a large health system-wide, preemptive pharmacogenomics program. SUMMARY: Clopidogrel-treated patients who are genetically predicted cytochrome P450 isozyme 2C19 (CYP2C19) intermediate or poor metabolizers have an increased risk of atherothrombotic events, some of which can be life-threatening. The Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium provides guidance for the use of clopidogrel based on CYP2C19 genotype in patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Our multidisciplinary team implemented an automated, interruptive alert that fires when clopidogrel is ordered or refilled for biobank participants with structured CYP2C19 intermediate or poor metabolizer genomic indicators in the electronic health record. The implementation began with a narrow cardiovascular indication and setting and was then scaled in 4 primary dimensions: (1) clinical indication; (2) availability across health-system locations; (3) care venue (e.g., inpatient vs outpatient); and (4) provider groups (eg, cardiology and neurology). We iterated our approach over time based on evolving clinical evidence and proactive strategies to optimize CDS maintenance and sustainability. A key facilitator of expansion was socialization of the broader pharmacogenomics initiative among our academic medical center community, accompanied by clinician acceptance of pharmacogenetic alerts in practice. CONCLUSION: A multidisciplinary collaboration is recommended to facilitate the use of CYP2C19 genotype-guided antiplatelet therapy in patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Evolving clopidogrel pharmacogenetic evidence necessitates thoughtful iteration of implementation efforts and strategies to optimize long-term maintenance and sustainability.

Barriers and facilitators of the use of clinical informatics resources to facilitate pharmacogenomic implementation in resource-limited settings.

Objective: Understand perceived barriers to and facilitators of using clinical informatics applications for pharmacogenomic (PGx) implementation in resource-limited settings. Materials and Methods: We conducted a qualitative research study using a semi-structured interview guide informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Interview questions assessed CFIR contextual determinants related to: electronic health record (EHR) infrastructure; clinical informatics personnel and resources; EHR integration of PGx test results; PGx clinical decision support (CDS) tools; institutional resources; and partner receptivity. Transcripts were coded and analyzed to identify themes. Results: We interviewed 24 clinical informaticists and executive leaders working in rural or underserved health care settings in Montana (n = 15) and Colorado (n = 9) and identified three major themes: (1) EHR infrastructure limitations, (2) insufficient supporting resources, and (3) unique contextual considerations for resource-limited settings. EHR infrastructure limitations included limited agency related to EHR build and interoperability concerns. Theme 1 highlighted challenges associated with integrating structured data into the EHR and inadequate vendor support. Theme 2 included limited familiarity with PGx across the care team, cost concerns, and allocation of non-financial resources. Theme 3 highlighted perceptions about the clinical utility of PGx within rural and underrepresented populations. Potential facilitators, such as being able to act nimbly, were found to coexist among the reported barriers. Discussion and Conclusion: Our results provide insight into the clinical informatics infrastructure in resource-limited settings and identify unique considerations for clinical informatics-facilitated PGx implementation. Future efforts in these settings should consider innovative partnerships and strategies to leverage facilitators and minimize barriers associated with integrating PGx CDS applications.

Patient-Level Exposure to Actionable Pharmacogenomic Medications in a Nationally Representative Insurance Claims Database.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of exposure to pharmacogenomic medications is well established but little is known about how long patients are exposed to these medications. AIM: Our objective was to describe the amount of exposure to actionable pharmacogenomic medications using patient-level measures among a large nationally representative population using an insurance claims database. METHODS: Our retrospective cohort study included adults (18+ years) from the IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus for Academics claims database with incident fills of 72 Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium level A, A/B, or B medications from January 2012 through September 2018. Patient-level outcomes included the proportion of days covered (PDC), number of fills, and average days supplied per fill over a 12-month period. RESULTS: Over 1 million fills of pharmacogenetic medications were identified for 605,355 unique patients. The mean PDC for all medications was 0.21 (SD 0.3), suggesting patients were exposed 21% (77 days) of the year. Medications with the highest PDC (0.55-0.89) included ivacaftor, tamoxifen, clopidogrel, HIV medications, transplant medications, and statins; with the exception of statins, these medications were initiated by fewer patients. Pharmacogenomic medications were filled an average of 2.8 times (SD 3.0, range 1-81) during the year following the medication's initiation, and the average days supplied for each fill was 22.3 days (SD 22.4, range 1-180 days). CONCLUSION: Patient characteristics associated with more medication exposure were male sex, older age, and comorbid chronic conditions. Prescription fill data provide patient-level exposure metrics that can further our understanding of pharmacogenomic medication utilization and help inform opportunities for pharmacogenomic testing.

Ventricular Arrhythmias Associated With Over-the-Counter and Recreational Opioids.

BACKGROUND: Epidemic increases in opioid deaths prompted policies limiting access to prescription opioids in North America. Consequently, the over-the-counter opioids loperamide (Imodium A-D) and mitragynine, the herbal ingredient in kratom, are increasingly used to avert withdrawal or induce euphoria. Arrhythmia events related to these nonscheduled drugs have not been systematically studied. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we sought to explore opioid-associated arrhythmia reporting in North America. METHODS: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS), and Canada Vigilance Adverse Reaction (CVAR) databases were searched (2015-2021). Reports involving nonprescription drugs (loperamide, mitragynine) and diphenoxylate/atropine (Lomotil) were identified. Methadone, a prescription opioid (full agonist), served as a positive control owing to its established arrhythmia risk. Buprenorphine (partial agonist) and naltrexone (pure antagonist), served as negative controls. Reports were classified according to Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities terminology. Significant disproportionate reporting required a proportional reporting ratio (PRR) of ≥2, ≥3 cases, and chi-square ≥4. Primary analysis used FAERS data, whereas CAERS and CVAR data were confirmatory. RESULTS: Methadone was disproportionately associated with ventricular arrhythmia reports (PRR: 6.6; 95% CI: 6.2-7.0; n = 1,163; chi-square = 5,456), including 852 (73%) fatalities. Loperamide was also significantly associated with arrhythmia (PRR: 3.2; 95% CI: 3.0-3.4; n = 1,008; chi-square = 1,537), including 371 (37%) deaths. Mitragynine demonstrated the highest signal (PRR: 8.9; 95% CI: 6.7-11.7; n = 46; chi-square = 315), with 42 (91%) deaths. Buprenorphine, diphenoxylate, and naltrexone were not associated with arrhythmia. Signals were similar in CVAR and CAERS. CONCLUSIONS: The nonprescription drugs loperamide and mitragynine are associated with disproportionate reports of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia in North America.

A machine learning evaluation of patient characteristics associated with prescribing of guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure.

Introduction/background: Patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) are consistently underprescribed guideline-directed medications. Although many barriers to prescribing are known, identification of these barriers has relied on traditional a priori hypotheses or qualitative methods. Machine learning can overcome many limitations of traditional methods to capture complex relationships in data and lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the underpinnings driving underprescribing. Here, we used machine learning methods and routinely available electronic health record data to identify predictors of prescribing. Methods: We evaluated the predictive performance of machine learning algorithms to predict prescription of four types of medications for adults with HFrEF: angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACE/ARB), angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), evidence-based beta blocker (BB), or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA). The models with the best predictive performance were used to identify the top 20 characteristics associated with prescribing each medication type. Shapley values were used to provide insight into the importance and direction of the predictor relationships with medication prescribing. Results: For 3,832 patients meeting the inclusion criteria, 70% were prescribed an ACE/ARB, 8% an ARNI, 75% a BB, and 40% an MRA. The best-predicting model for each medication type was a random forest (area under the curve: 0.788-0.821; Brier score: 0.063-0.185). Across all medications, top predictors of prescribing included prescription of other evidence-based medications and younger age. Unique to prescribing an ARNI, the top predictors included lack of diagnoses of chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or hypotension, as well as being in a relationship, nontobacco use, and alcohol use. Discussion/conclusions: We identified multiple predictors of prescribing for HFrEF medications that are being used to strategically design interventions to address barriers to prescribing and to inform further investigations. The machine learning approach used in this study to identify predictors of suboptimal prescribing can also be used by other health systems to identify and address locally relevant gaps and solutions to prescribing.

Sustained Effect of Clinical Decision Support for Heart Failure: A Natural Experiment Using Implementation Science.

OBJECTIVES: In a randomized controlled trial, we found that applying implementation science (IS) methods and best practices in clinical decision support (CDS) design to create a locally customized, "enhanced" CDS significantly improved evidence-based prescribing of ß blockers (BB) for heart failure compared with an unmodified commercially available CDS. At trial conclusion, the enhanced CDS was expanded to all sites. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the real-world sustained effect of the enhanced CDS compared with the commercial CDS. METHODS: In this natural experiment of 28 primary care clinics, we compared clinics exposed to the commercial CDS (preperiod) to clinics exposed to the enhanced CDS (both periods). The primary effectiveness outcome was the proportion of alerts resulting in a BB prescription. Secondary outcomes included patient reach and clinician adoption (dismissals). RESULTS: There were 367 alerts for 183 unique patients and 171 unique clinicians (pre: March 2019-August 2019; post: October 2019-March 2020). The enhanced CDS increased prescribing by 26.1% compared with the commercial (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17.0-35.1%), which is consistent with the 24% increase in the previous study. The odds of adopting the enhanced CDS was 81% compared with 29% with the commercial (odds ratio: 4.17, 95% CI: 1.96-8.85). The enhanced CDS adoption and effectiveness rates were 62 and 14% in the preperiod and 92 and 10% in the postperiod. CONCLUSION: Applying IS methods with CDS best practices was associated with improved and sustained clinician adoption and effectiveness compared with a commercially available CDS tool.

An extensive ß1-adrenergic receptor gene signaling network regulates molecular remodeling in dilated cardiomyopathies.

We investigated the extent, biologic characterization, phenotypic specificity, and possible regulation of a ß1-adrenergic receptor-linked (ß1-AR-linked) gene signaling network (ß1-GSN) involved in left ventricular (LV) eccentric pathologic remodeling. A 430-member ß1-GSN was identified by mRNA expression in transgenic mice overexpressing human ß1-ARs or from literature curation, which exhibited opposite directional behavior in interventricular septum endomyocardial biopsies taken from patients with beta-blocker-treated, reverse remodeled dilated cardiomyopathies. With reverse remodeling, the major biologic categories and percentage of the dominant directional change were as follows: metabolic (19.3%, 81% upregulated); gene regulation (14.9%, 78% upregulated); extracellular matrix/fibrosis (9.1%, 92% downregulated); and cell homeostasis (13.3%, 60% upregulated). Regarding the comparison of ß1-GSN categories with expression from 19,243 nonnetwork genes, phenotypic selection for major ß1-GSN categories was exhibited for LV end systolic volume (contractility measure), ejection fraction (remodeling index), and pulmonary wedge pressure (wall tension surrogate), beginning at 3 months and persisting to study completion at 12 months. In addition, 121 lncRNAs were identified as possibly involved in cis-acting regulation of ß1-GSN members. We conclude that an extensive 430-member gene network downstream from the ß1-AR is involved in pathologic ventricular remodeling, with metabolic genes as the most prevalent category.

Heart rate as an early predictor of severe cardiomyopathy and increased mortality in peripartum cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Delays in diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) are common and are associated with worse outcomes; however, few studies have addressed methods for improving early detection. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that easily accessible data (heart rate [HR] and electrocardiograms [ECGs]) could identify women with more severe PPCM and at increased risk of adverse outcomes. METHODS: Clinical data, including HR and ECG, from patients diagnosed with PPCM between January 1998 and July 2016 at our institution were collected and analyzed. Linear and logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between HR at diagnosis and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at diagnosis. Outcomes included overall mortality, recovery status, and major adverse cardiac events. RESULTS: Among 82 patients meeting inclusion criteria, the overall mean LVEF at diagnosis was 26 ± 11.1%. Sinus tachycardia (HR > 100) was present in a total of 50 patients (60.9%) at the time of diagnosis. In linear regression, HR significantly predicted lower LVEF (F = 30.00, p < .0001). With age-adjusted logistic regression, elevated HR at diagnosis was associated with a fivefold higher risk of overall mortality when initial HR was >110 beats per minute (adjusted odds ratio 5.35, confidence interval 1.23-23.28), p = .025). CONCLUSION: In this study, sinus tachycardia in women with PPCM was associated with lower LVEF at the time of diagnosis. Tachycardia in the peripartum period should raise concern for cardiomyopathy and may be an early indicator of adverse prognosis.

Pharmacogenetic testing among patients with depression in a US managed care population.

Actionable drug-gene pairs relevant to depression treatment include CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 with specific antidepressants. While clinical use of pharmacogenetic testing is growing, little is known about pharmacogenetic testing for depression treatment in managed care. We determined the incidence of single-gene CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 testing following a new depression episode among US managed care patients, and described characteristics and antidepressant use of patients receiving tests. We used paid medical and pharmacy claims for patients from commercial health plans in the US. For adult patients with a new depression episode from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2018, we identified covered claims for single-gene CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 pharmacogenetic tests and antidepressant fills. Fewer than 1% (n = 1795) of the depressed cohort (n = 438,534) received a single-gene CYP2D6 or CYP2C19 test through their insurance within 365 days of their earliest depression episode. The percentage of patients who received a test nearly tripled from 0.2% in 2013 to 0.5% in 2014 before plateauing at 0.4% from 2014 to 2017. Among the patients who received a single-gene CYP2D6 or CYP2C19 test and filled an antidepressant within 365 days of their depression diagnosis, up to 30% may have had their initial antidepressant informed by the test result. Our findings describe the use of antidepressants before and after pharmacogenetic testing, which is clinically relevant as pharmacogenomic testing becomes more common in clinical practice. Our study also emphasizes the need for procedure and billing codes that capture multiple-gene panel tests to be more widely implemented in administrative databases.

Association Between Coffee Intake and Incident Heart Failure Risk: A Machine Learning Analysis of the FHS, the ARIC Study, and the CHS.

BACKGROUND: Coronary heart disease, heart failure (HF), and stroke are complex diseases with multiple phenotypes. While many risk factors for these diseases are well known, investigation of as-yet unidentified risk factors may improve risk assessment and patient adherence to prevention guidelines. We investigated the diet domain in FHS (Framingham Heart Study), CHS (Cardiovascular Heart Study), and the ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) to identify potential lifestyle and behavioral factors associated with coronary heart disease, HF, and stroke. METHODS: We used machine learning feature selection based on random forest analysis to identify potential risk factors associated with coronary heart disease, stroke, and HF in FHS. We evaluated the significance of selected variables using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis adjusted for known cardiovascular risks. Findings from FHS were then validated using CHS and ARIC. RESULTS: We identified multiple dietary and behavioral risk factors for cardiovascular disease outcomes including marital status, red meat consumption, whole milk consumption, and coffee consumption. Among these dietary variables, increasing coffee consumption was associated with decreasing long-term risk of HF congruently in FHS, ARIC, and CHS. CONCLUSIONS: Higher coffee intake was found to be associated with reduced risk of HF in all three studies. Further study is warranted to better define the role, possible causality, and potential mechanism of coffee consumption as a potential modifiable risk factor for HF.

The Addition of a Defibrillator to Resynchronization Therapy Decreases Mortality in Patients With Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) due to nonischemic etiology eligible for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) benefit from an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). BACKGROUND: It is uncertain whether CRT with an ICD (CRT-D) compared to without an ICD (CRT-P) is associated with a survival benefit in patients with nonischemic etiologies of HFrEF. METHODS: Analyses of the COMPANION (Comparison of Medical Therapy, Pacing, and Defibrillation in Heart Failure) trial were performed, using Cox proportional hazards modeling stratified by HFrEF etiology of nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) or ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality (ACM), and secondary outcomes were the combination of cardiovascular mortality or heart failure hospitalization and sudden cardiac death. RESULTS: Among patients randomized to CRT (n = 1,212), 236 (19.5%) died, 131 and 105 in the CRT-P and CRT-D arms, respectively. The unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for CRT-D versus CRT-P were both 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65 to 1.09) for ACM, with a significant device-etiology interaction (pinteraction = 0.015 adjusted; pinteraction = 0.040 unadjusted). In patients with NICM (n = 555), CRT-D versus CRT-P was associated with reduced ACM (adjusted HR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.86), while patients with ICM (n = 657) did not exhibit a between-device reduction in ACM (adjusted HR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.77 to 1.44). The effects of CRT-D versus CRT-P on sudden cardiac death (advantage CRT-D) and cardiovascular mortality or heart failure hospitalization (no difference between CRT-P and CRT-D) were similar between the 2 HFrEF etiologies. CONCLUSIONS: COMPANION patients with NICM exhibited a decrease in ACM associated with CRT-D but not CRT-P treatment, whereas patients with ICM did not.