Effects of SGLT2 Inhibitors on Cardiac Mechanics in Hispanic and Black Diabetic Patients.

Background: Clinical trials demonstrating improved cardiovascular outcomes with SGLT2 inhibitors have often had limited representation from Black and Hispanic populations. While the mechanisms of action are not well known, ethnicity- or gender-based receptor physiology may render SGLT2 inhibitors a better agent in certain populations over others. Methods: A medical records query yielded diabetic patients initiated on SGLT2 inhibitors between 2013 and 2020. Patients with coronary artery disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and heart failure were excluded. Transthoracic echocardiographic studies (TTE) before and after starting SGLT2 inhibitors were analyzed, and post-processing left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) analysis was also performed on each echocardiographic study. Univariate outliers and patients with missing data were excluded. Results: Among 94 patients with TTE (mean age 60.7 years; 68% Hispanics, 22.3% Blacks; median follow up of 7 months), there were significant improvements in the mean LV GLS (-15.3 vs. -16.5; p = 0.01), LV mass (LVM) (198.4 ± 59.6 g vs. 187.05 ± 50.6 g; p = 0.04), and LV mass index (LVMI) (100.6 ± 26.6 g/m2 vs. 94.3 ± 25.4 g/m2; p = 0.03) before and after initiating SGLT2 inhibitors but no significant change in the ratio (MV E/E') of peak early diastolic mitral flow velocity (E) and spectral pulsed-wave Doppler-derived early diastolic velocity from the septal mitral annulus (E') (12.5 ± 5.7 vs. 12.7 ± 4.8; p = 0.38). Changes in HbA1c (r2 = 0.82; p = 0.026), LVM (r2 = 0.20; p = 0.04), and LVMI (r2 = 0.20; p = 0.04) were found to be independently associated with changes in values of LV GLS on follow-up echocardiograms, when compared to the pre-medication LV GLS number. Conclusion: Non-White diabetic patients receiving SGLT2 inhibitors against a backdrop of other cardioprotective medications demonstrate significant improvements in LV remodeling and LV GLS, driven in part by an improvement in glycemic control. Large, prospective studies are needed to explore the differences in the therapeutic actions of SGLT2 inhibitors among different populations.

Impact of right ventricular failure on the outcomes of acute inferior wall myocardial infarction.

Aim: Right ventricular failure (RVF) complicates 30-50% of cases with inferior wall myocardial infarctions (IWMI). Large-scale studies exploring the recent trends in morbidity and mortality of IWMI with RVF in the context of improved reperfusion strategies are currently lacking. Materials & methods: The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to query the National Inpatient Sample of 2018-2019 to yield IWMI admissions and stratified based on presence of RVF. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results: Out of the 182,485 weighed hospital admissions for IWMI, 1005 patients (0.6%) also had RVF. Patients with both IWMI and RVF had significantly higher mortality than patients with IWMI and no RVF (p < 0.001). Conclusion: RVF in patients with IWMI is an independent predictor of poor outcomes.

What is this article about? Right ventricular failure (RVF) refers to a condition in which the right ventricle is unable to pump blood to the left side of the heart. Up to 30­50% of patients with heart attacks, commonly known as acute myocardial infarction, affecting the back or the inferior wall of the heart (IWMI) can develop RVF. Research studies assessing the outcomes of patients with IWMI and RVF were done either in a small number of patients or done during the time when the current standard of acute myocardial infarction care was not the standard of care. Therefore, we conducted a study to assess the clinical outcomes of patients with IWMI and RVF in contemporary times.What are the results? We found that among all patients with IWMI, only about 0.6% had evidence of RVF. However, these patients were older and much more likely to have a higher burden of chronic medical problems and were less likely to have received angioplasty to open blocked arteries when compared with patients with IWMI and no RVF. Patients with IWMI and RVF were noticed to have a higher rate of death during hospitalization.What do the results mean? Patients with IWMI and RVF, when compared with patients with IWMI and no RVF, had significantly higher rates of various complications and death.

Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of right ventricular failure: A state of the art review of mechanical support devices.

The function of the right ventricle (RV) is to drive the forward flow of blood to the pulmonary system for oxygenation before returning to the left ventricle. Due to the thin myocardium of the RV, its function is easily affected by decreased preload, contractile motion abnormalities, or increased afterload. While various etiologies can lead to changes in RV structure and function, sudden changes in RV afterload can cause acute RV failure which is associated with high mortality. Early detection and diagnosis of RV failure is imperative for guiding initial medical management. Echocardiographic findings of reduced tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (<1.7) and RV wall motion (RV S' <10 cm/s) are quantitatively supportive of RV systolic dysfunction. Medical management commonly involves utilizing diuretics or fluids to optimize RV preload, while correcting the underlying insult to RV function. When medical management alone is insufficient, mechanical circulatory support (MCS) may be necessary. However, the utility of MCS for isolated RV failure remains poorly understood. This review outlines the differences in flow rates, effects on hemodynamics, and advantages/disadvantages of MCS devices such as intra-aortic balloon pump, Impella, centrifugal-flow right ventricular assist devices, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and includes a detailed review of the latest clinical trials and studies analyzing the effects of MCS devices in acute RV failure.

Test Retest Reproducibility of Organ Volume Measurements in ADPKD Using 3D Multimodality Deep Learning.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Following autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) progression by measuring organ volumes requires low measurement variability. The objective of this study is to reduce organ volume measurement variability on MRI of ADPKD patients by utilizing all pulse sequences to obtain multiple measurements which allows outlier analysis to find errors and averaging to reduce variability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to make measurements on multiple pulse sequences practical, a 3D multi-modality multi-class segmentation model based on nnU-net was trained/validated using T1, T2, SSFP, DWI and CT from 413 subjects. Reproducibility was assessed with test-re-test methodology on ADPKD subjects (n = 19) scanned twice within a 3-week interval correcting outliers and averaging the measurements across all sequences. Absolute percent differences in organ volumes were compared to paired students t-test. RESULTS: Dice similarlity coefficient > 97%, Jaccard Index > 0.94, mean surface distance < 1 mm and mean Hausdorff Distance < 2 cm for all three organs and all five sequences were found on internal (n = 25), external (n = 37) and test-re-test reproducibility assessment (38 scans in 19 subjects). When averaging volumes measured from five MRI sequences, the model automatically segmented kidneys with test-re-test reproducibility (percent absolute difference between exam 1 and exam 2) of 1.3% which was better than all five expert observers. It reliably stratified ADPKD into Mayo Imaging Classification (area under the curve=100%) compared to radiologist. CONCLUSION: 3D deep learning measures organ volumes on five MRI sequences leveraging the power of outlier analysis and averaging to achieve 1.3% total kidney test-re-test reproducibility.

Clinical outcomes and the impact of valve morphology for transcatheter aortic valve replacement in bicuspid aortic valves: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is present in approximately 0.5%-2% of the general population, causing significant aortic stenosis (AS) in 12%-37% of affected individuals. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is being considered the treatment of choice in patients with symptomatic AS across all risk spectra. AIM: Aim Our study aims to compare TAVR outcomes in patients with BAV versus tricuspid aortic valves (TAV). METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane trials. Studies were included if they included BAV and TAV patients undergoing TAVR with quantitative data available for at least one of our predefined outcomes. Meta-analysis was performed by the random-effects model using Stata software. RESULTS: Fifty studies of 203,288 patients were included. BAV patients had increased 30-day all-cause mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 1.23 [1.00-1.50], p = 0.05), in-hospital stroke (OR = 1.39 [1.01-1.93], p = 0.05), in-hospital and 30-day PPI (OR = 1.13 [1.00-1.27], p = 0.04; OR = 1.16 [1.04-1.13], p = 0.01) and in-hospital, 30-day and 1-year aortic regurgitation (AR) (OR = 1.48 [1.19-1.83], p < 0.01; OR = 1.79 [1.26-2.52], p < 0.01; OR = 1.64 [1.03-2.60], p = 0.04). Subgroup analysis on new-generation valves showed a reduced 1-year all-cause mortality (OR = 0.86 [CI = 0.75-0.98], p = 0.03), despite higher in-hospital and 30-day PPI (OR = 0.1.21 [1.04-1.41], p = 0.01; OR = 1.17 [1.05-1.31], p = 0.01) and in-hospital AR (OR = 1.62 [1.14-2.31], p = 0.01) in the BAV group. The quality of included studies was moderate-to-high, and only three analyses presented high heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: TAVR is associated with comparable outcomes in patients with BAV and TAV. Careful selection of BAV cases by preprocedural assessment of valve anatomy and burden of calcification, pre- and post-procedural dilation, and implementing newer generations of valves may improve the safety and efficacy of TAVR in BAV patients.

Nationwide Analysis of the Outcomes and Mortality of Hospitalized Infants with Concomitant Diagnosis of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) generally causes milder illness in the pediatric population. However, infants represent a higher-risk population with evolving symptomatology and severity. There is a paucity of large population-based data on the impact of COVID-19 on hospitalized infants. STUDY DESIGN: In this large cohort study, the National Inpatient Sample database was queried for all infant hospital admissions between January and December 2020 in the United States, with and without a diagnosis of COVID-19 based on ICD-10-CM U07. The mortality and morbidity of infants with and without COVID-19 were evaluated. Parent-reported race and outcomes were also analyzed. RESULTS: A weighted total of 3,754,236 infants who were hospitalized were identified, of which 4,265 patients (0.11%) had a concomitant diagnosis of COVID-19. Infants with COVID-19 had similar mortality and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation utilization. Infants with concomitant COVID-19 had a higher rate of respiratory failure, congestive heart failure, acute kidney injury, and coagulopathy. Compared with Caucasian infants and Asian infants, Hispanic and African American infants were more likely to have COVID-19 hospital admissions than hospitalizations without COVID-19 diagnosis. Patients with lower median household income represented the majority of the COVID-19 hospitalization. The infants with COVID-19 were more likely to have Medicaid or Medicare insurance and less likely to have private insurance. CONCLUSION: In this large cohort of hospitalized infants with COVID-19, the infection was associated with complications, including respiratory failure and endotracheal intubations but not associated with a higher risk for mortality. Infants from racial minorities and lower socioeconomic strata carry the highest burden of COVID-19 infection. KEY POINTS: · Infants with COVID-19 represent a higher-risk group with evolving symptomatology and severity.. · Infants with COVID-19 had similar mortality rates and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation utilization as those without COVID-19.. · Racial minorities and lower socioeconomic strata carry the highest burden of COVID-19 infection..

Clinical Quality Control of MRI Total Kidney Volume Measurements in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Total kidney volume measured on MRI is an important biomarker for assessing the progression of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and response to treatment. However, we have noticed that there can be substantial differences in the kidney volume measurements obtained from the various pulse sequences commonly included in an MRI exam. Here we examine kidney volume measurement variability among five commonly acquired MRI pulse sequences in abdominal MRI exams in 105 patients with ADPKD. Right and left kidney volumes were independently measured by three expert observers using model-assisted segmentation for axial T2, coronal T2, axial single-shot fast spin echo (SSFP), coronal SSFP, and axial 3D T1 images obtained on a single MRI from ADPKD patients. Outlier measurements were analyzed for data acquisition errors. Most of the outlier values (88%) were due to breathing during scanning causing slice misregistration with gaps or duplication of imaging slices (n = 35), slice misregistration from using multiple breath holds during acquisition (n = 25), composing of two overlapping acquisitions (n = 17), or kidneys not entirely within the field of view (n = 4). After excluding outlier measurements, the coefficient of variation among the five measurements decreased from 4.6% pre to 3.2%. Compared to the average of all sequences without errors, TKV measured on axial and coronal T2 weighted imaging were 1.2% and 1.8% greater, axial SSFP was 0.4% greater, coronal SSFP was 1.7% lower and axial T1 was 1.5% lower than the mean, indicating intrinsic measurement biases related to the different MRI contrast mechanisms. In conclusion, MRI data acquisition errors are common but can be identified using outlier analysis and excluded to improve organ volume measurement consistency. Bias toward larger volume measurements on T2 sequences and smaller volumes on axial T1 sequences can also be mitigated by averaging data from all error-free sequences acquired.

Ankylosing spondylitis substantially increases health-care costs and length of hospital stay following total hip arthroplasty - National in-patient database study.

Introduction: The outcome following major arthroplasty surgeries in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has tremendously improved over the past decades, due to substantial amelioration in the medical therapies and sophistication of available surgical modalities. Although various studies have already demonstrated the complication rates and challenges faced in AS patients undergoing THA, there is a substantial paucity of data on the actual healthcare burden associated with this disease, and the diverse factors which may affect it. Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (on the basis of ICD-10 CMP codes), patients undergoing THA between the years 2016 and 2019 were identified. These patients were then classified into two categories: group A: patients with a known diagnosis of AS; and group N: those without. The details regarding demographical information, associated co-morbidities, data pertaining to patients' hospital admissions including expenditure incurred, length of stay and complications encountered, were compared. In addition, propensity-score matching was performed to identify a 1:1 matched sample of THA patients without AS. Results: Overall, 367,890 patients underwent THA; among whom, 501 (0.14%) were known AS patients (group A). Group A included a substantially higher proportion of patients belonging to younger age group (58.6 ± 13.4 versus 65.9 ± 11.4 years; p < 0.001), male sex (67.1% in group A vs 44.1% in group N; p < 0.001), and Asian ethnicity (p < 0.001). Group A patients had a substantially higher risk for longer duration of hospital stay (p < 0.03) and higher overall healthcare expenditure incurred (p < 0.001). As compared to group N, AS patients had a significantly higher risk for developing post-operative anemia [21.8% (group A) vs 11.8% (group N); p < 0.02]; and higher rate of periprosthetic infections [2.4% (group A) vs 1.0% (group N); p < 0.007]. Conclusion: Patients with AS require a significantly longer duration of hospital stay and higher admission-related expenditure following THA, as compared to the general population. These enhanced early health care-associated costs can be attributed to higher complication rates in AS patients. AS patients are prone to higher rates of anemia and peri-prosthetic infections during the early post-THA period.

Role of Influenza Vaccination in Cardiovascular Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Influenza vaccination has shown great promise in terms of its cardioprotective effects. The aim of our analysis is to provide evidence regarding the protective effects of influenza vaccination in patients with cardiovascular disease. We conducted a systematic literature search to identify trials assessing the cardiovascular outcomes of influenza vaccination. Summary effects were calculated using a DerSimonian and Laird fixed effects and random effects model as odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all the clinical endpoints. Fifteen studies with a total of 745,001 patients were included in our analysis. There was lower rates of all-cause mortality [odds ratio (OR) = 0.74, 95% CI 0.64-0.86], cardiovascular death (OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.59-0.92), and stroke (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.57-0.89) in patients who received the influenza vaccine compared to placebo. There was no significant statistical difference in rates of myocardial infarction (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.69-1.21) or heart failure hospitalizations (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 0.85-1.31) in the 2 cohorts. In patients with cardiovascular disease, influenza vaccination is associated with lower all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, and stroke.

Early Coronary Angiography in Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Without ST-Segment Elevation: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Comparative Analysis of Studies.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has a high mortality rate. Unlike ST-elevation myocardial infarction, the results of performing early coronary angiography (CAG) in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients are controversial. This study aimed to compare early and nonearly CAG in this population, in addition to the identification of differences between randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies conducted in this regard. A systematic search in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library was performed to identify the relevant studies. Random-effect meta-analysis was done to calculate the pooled effect size of early versus nonearly CAG outcomes in all studies in addition to each of the RCT and observational subgroups of the studies. The relative risk ratio (RR), along with its 95% confidence interval (CI), was used as a measure of difference. A total of 16 studies including 5234 cases were included in our analyses. Compared with observational cohorts, RCT studies had patients with higher baseline comorbidities (older age, hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease). Random-effect analysis revealed a lower rate of in-hospital mortality in the early-CAG group (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.65-0.97; P = 0.02); however, RCT studies did not find a statistical difference in this outcome (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.83-1.23; P = 0.91). Moreover, mid-term mortality rates were lower in the early-CAG group (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.98; P = 0.02), mostly due to observational studies. There was no significant difference between the groups in other efficacy and safety outcomes. Although early CAG was associated with lower in-hospital and mid-term mortality in overall analyses, no such difference was confirmed by the results obtained from RCTs. Current evidence from RCTs may not be representative of real-world patients and should be interpreted within its limitation.

Using Biceps Tendon Autograft as a Patch in the Treatment of Massive Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears Improves Patient-reported Outcome Scores: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: To review the clinical studies describing the use of ipsilateral biceps tendon autograft for bridging irreparable massive rotator cuff tears (MRCTs). Methods: A systematic review was conducted of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, and Scopus databases using search terms "massive rotator cuff tear," "irreparable rotator cuff tear," and "long head of the biceps tendon." Only clinical human studies in which the biceps tendon was used as a bridging graft in MRCTs were included. All review studies, technique papers, and studies describing the use of biceps tendon as superior capsular reconstruction equivalent or rotator cable were excluded. Results: A total of 45 studies were initially identified, of which only 6 studies met the inclusion criterion. All studies were retrospective in nature, with a total of 176 patients. All studies reported a clinically significant improvement in postoperative functional outcomes, although this was not compared to a control group in all the studies. Pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) in 4 studies, and all reported an improvement in postoperative VAS ranging from 5 to 6 points. One study reported an improvement in pain scale from Japanese Orthopedic Association from 13.1 to 22.5 (9 points). One study did not report a VAS score as this study was published before the VAS score was developed. All the reported studies saw improvements in range of motion. Conclusions: The use of the long head of the biceps tendon as an interposition/bridging patch to augment the MRCT repair can reduce the VAS score, improve elevation and external rotation, and improve clinical and functional outcomes. Level of Evidence: IV, systematic review of Level III and IV studies.

A Comparison of COVID-19 and Influenza-Associated Myocarditis: A Nationwide Study in the United States.

We aimed to compare the characteristics and outcomes of adult patients hospitalized with myocarditis and either concomitant corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or influenza, and elucidate clinical predictors associated with adverse outcomes in both groups. The study used the national inpatient sample (NIS) from 2019 to 2020 to identify 27,725 adult myocarditis hospitalizations, of which 5840 had concomitant COVID-19 and 1045 had concomitant influenza. After propensity score matching, the in-hospital mortality from myocarditis was significantly higher in COVID-19 compared to influenza. Patients with myocarditis and COVID-19 were more likely to have cardiovascular comorbidities and be older than those with influenza-associated myocarditis. Predictors of mortality were also different in both groups.

Nationwide Analysis of Cardiac Arrest Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on the chain of survival following cardiac arrest. However, large population-based reports of COVID-19 in patients hospitalized after cardiac arrest are limited. The National Inpatient Sample database was queried for cardiac arrest admissions during 2020 in the United States. Propensity score matching was used to match patients with and without concurrent COVID-19 according to age, race, sex, and comorbidities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of mortality. A weighted total of 267,845 hospitalizations for cardiac arrest were identified, among which 44,105 patients (16.5%) had a concomitant diagnosis of COVID-19. After propensity matching, cardiac arrest patients with concomitant COVID-19 had higher rate of acute kidney injury requiring dialysis (64.9% vs 54.8%) mechanical ventilation >24 hours (53.6% vs 44.6%) and sepsis (59.4% vs 40.4%) compared to cardiac arrest patients without COVID-19. In contrast, cardiac arrest patients with COVID-19 had lower rates of cardiogenic shock (3.2% vs 5.4%, P < 0.001), ventricular tachycardia (9.6% vs 11.7%, P < 0.001), and ventricular fibrillation (6.7% vs 10.8%, P < 0.001), and a lower utilization of cardiac procedures. In-hospital mortality was higher in patients with COVID-19 (86.9% vs 65.5%, P < 0.001) and, on multivariate analysis, a diagnosis of COVID-19 was an independent predictor of mortality. Among patients hospitalized following a cardiac arrest during 2020, concomitant COVID-19 infection was associated with significantly worse outcomes characterized by an increased risk of sepsis, pulmonary and renal dysfunction, and death.

Cost and Early Complication Analysis Following Total Hip Arthroplasty in Parkinson's Disease Patients: A Propensity-matched Database Study.

Background: Parkinson's Disease is a well-known neuromuscular disorder, which affects the stability and gait of elderly patients. With the progressive increase in the life span of patients with PD, the problem of degenerative arthritis and the consequent need for total hip arthroplasty (THA) in this cohort are rising. There is paucity of data in the existing literature regarding the healthcare costs and overall outcome following THA in PD patients. The current study was planned to assess the hospital expenditure, details regarding hospital stay, and complication rates for patients with PD, who underwent THA. Methods: We investigated the National Inpatient Sample data to identify PD patients, who underwent hip arthroplasty from 2016 to 2019. Using propensity score, PD patients were matched 1:1 to patients without PD by age, gender, non-elective admission, tobacco use, diabetes, and obesity. Chi-square and T-tests were used for analyzing categorical and non-categorical variables, respectively (Fischer-Exact test was employed for values<5). Results: Overall, 367,890 (1927 patients with PD) THAs were performed between 2016 and 2019. Before matching, PD group had significantly greater proportion of older patients, males, and non-elective admissions for THA (P<0.001). After matching, PD group had higher total hospital costs, longer hospital stay, greater blood loss anemia, and prosthetic dislocation (P<0.001). The in-hospital mortality was similar between the two groups. Conclusion: Patients with PD undergoing THA required greater proportion of emergent hospital admissions. Based on our study, the diagnosis of PD showed significant association with greater cost of care, longer hospital stay, and higher post-operative complications.

Effect of BMI on patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The relationship of body mass index (BMI) and an "obesity paradox" with cardiovascular risk prediction is controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare the associations of different BMI ranges on transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) outcomes. METHODS: International databases, including PubMed, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, were systematically searched for observational and randomized controlled trial studies investigating TAVI outcomes in any of the four BMI categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese with one of the predefined outcomes. Primary outcomes were in-hospital, 30-day, and long-term all-cause mortality. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) or standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for each paired comparison between two of the BMI categories. RESULTS: A total of 38 studies were included in our analysis, investigating 99,829 patients undergoing TAVI. There was a trend toward higher comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia in overweight patients and individuals with obesity. Compared with normal-weight, patients with obesity had a lower rate of 30-day mortality (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.25-0.72, p < 0.01), paravalvular aortic regurgitation (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.44-0.91, p = 0.01), 1-year mortality (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.24-0.96, p = 0.04), and long-term mortality (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.51-0.94, p = 0.02). However, acute kidney injury (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.30, p = 0.01) and permanent pacemaker implantation (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.05-1.50, p = 0.01) odds were higher in patients with obesity. Noteworthy, major vascular complications were significantly higher in underweight patients in comparison with normal weight cases (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.07-2.46, p = 0.02). In terms of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), patients with obesity had higher post-operative LVEF compared to normal-weight individuals (SMD 0.12, 95% CI 0.02-0.22, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest the presence of the "obesity paradox" in TAVI outcomes with higher BMI ranges being associated with lower short- and long-term mortality. BMI can be utilized for risk prediction of patients undergoing TAVI.

Effect of Averaging Measurements From Multiple MRI Pulse Sequences on Kidney Volume Reproducibility in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND: Total kidney volume (TKV) is an important biomarker for assessing kidney function, especially for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). However, TKV measurements from a single MRI pulse sequence have limited reproducibility, ± ~5%, similar to ADPKD annual kidney growth rates. PURPOSE: To improve TKV measurement reproducibility on MRI by extending artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically segment kidneys on T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and steady state free precession (SSFP) sequences in axial and coronal planes and averaging measurements. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective training, prospective testing. SUBJECTS: Three hundred ninety-seven patients (356 with ADPKD, 41 without), 75% for training and 25% for validation, 40 ADPKD patients for testing and 17 ADPKD patients for assessing reproducibility. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: T2-weighted single-shot fast spin echo (T2), SSFP, and T1-weighted 3D spoiled gradient echo (T1) at 1.5 and 3T. ASSESSMENT: 2D U-net segmentation algorithm was trained on images from all sequences. Five observers independently measured each kidney volume manually on axial T2 and using model-assisted segmentations on all sequences and image plane orientations for two MRI exams in two sessions separated by 1-3 weeks to assess reproducibility. Manual and model-assisted segmentation times were recorded. STATISTICAL TESTS: Bland-Altman, Schapiro-Wilk (normality assessment), Pearson's chi-squared (categorical variables); Dice similarity coefficient, interclass correlation coefficient, and concordance correlation coefficient for analyzing TKV reproducibility. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In 17 ADPKD subjects, model-assisted segmentations of axial T2 images were significantly faster than manual segmentations (2:49 minute vs. 11:34 minute), with no significant absolute percent difference in TKV (5.9% vs. 5.3%, P = 0.88) between scans 1 and 2. Absolute percent differences between the two scans for model-assisted segmentations on other sequences were 5.5% (axial T1), 4.5% (axial SSFP), 4.1% (coronal SSFP), and 3.2% (coronal T2). Averaging measurements from all five model-assisted segmentations significantly reduced absolute percent difference to 2.5%, further improving to 2.1% after excluding an outlier. DATA CONCLUSION: Measuring TKV on multiple MRI pulse sequences in coronal and axial planes is practical with deep learning model-assisted segmentations and can improve TKV measurement reproducibility more than 2-fold in ADPKD. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

COVID-19, Heart Failure Hospitalizations, and Outcomes: A Nationwide Analysis.

Heart Failure (HF) patients are at a higher risk of adverse events associated with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Large population-based reports of the impact of COVID-19 on patients hospitalized with HF are limited. The National Inpatient Sample database was queried for HF admissions during 2020 in the United States (US), with and without a diagnosis of COVID-19 based on ICD-10-CM U07. Propensity score matching was used to match patients across age, race, sex, and comorbidities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of mortality. A weighted total of 1,110,085 hospitalizations for HF were identified of which 7,905 patients (0.71%) had a concomitant diagnosis of COVID-19. After propensity matching, HF patients with COVID-19 had higher rate of in-hospital mortality (8.2% vs 3.7%; odds ratio [OR]: 2.33 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.69, 3.21]; P< 0.001), cardiac arrest (2.9% vs 1.1%, OR 2.21 [95% CI: 1.24,3.93]; P<0.001), and pulmonary embolism (1.0% vs 0.4%; OR 2.68 [95% CI: 1.05, 6.90]; P = 0.0329). During hospitalizations for HF, COVID-19 was also found to be an independent predictor of mortality. Further, increasing age, arrythmias, and chronic kidney disease were independent predictors of mortality in HF patients with COVID-19. COVID-19 is associated with increased in-hospital mortality, longer hospital stays, higher cost of hospitalization and increased risk of adverse outcomes in patients admitted with HF.