Practical guide on left atrial appendage closure for the non-implanting physician: an international consensus paper.

A significant proportion of patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation (AF) and are in need of thromboembolic protection are not treated with oral anticoagulation or discontinue this treatment shortly after its initiation. This undertreatment has not improved sufficiently despite the availability of direct oral anticoagulants which are associated with less major bleeding than vitamin K antagonists. Multiple reasons account for this, including bleeding events or ischaemic strokes whilst on anticoagulation, a serious risk of bleeding events, poor treatment compliance despite best educational attempts, or aversion to drug therapy. An alternative interventional therapy, which is not associated with long-term bleeding and is as effective as vitamin K anticoagulation, was introduced over 20 years ago. Because of significant improvements in procedural safety over the years, left atrial appendage closure, predominantly achieved using a catheter-based, device implantation approach, is increasingly favoured for the prevention of thromboembolic events in patients who cannot achieve effective anticoagulation. This management strategy is well known to the interventional cardiologist/electrophysiologist but is not more widely appreciated within cardiology or internal medicine. This article introduces the devices and briefly explains the implantation technique. The indications and device follow-up are more comprehensively described. Almost all physicians who care for adult patients will have many with AF. This practical guide, written within guideline/guidance boundaries, is aimed at those non-implanting physicians who may need to refer patients for consideration of this new therapy, which is becoming increasingly popular.

Feasibility, safety and effectiveness of prednisolone and vitamin B1, B6, and B12 in patients with post-COVID-19-syndrome (PreVitaCOV) - protocol of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre trial in primary care (phase IIIb).

BACKGROUND: After infection with SARS-CoV-2 a relevant proportion of patients complains about persisting symptoms, a condition termed Post-COVID-19-syndrome (PC19S). So far, possible treatments are under investigation. Among others, neurotropic vitamins and anti-inflammatory substances are potential options. Thus, the PreVitaCOV trial aims to assess feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of treating patients in primary care with prednisolone and/or vitamin B1, B6 and B12. METHODS: The phase IIIb, multi-centre randomised, double-blind, and placebo-controlled PreVitaCOV trial has a factorial design and is planned as a two-phase approach. The pilot phase assessed feasibility and safety and was transformed into a confirmatory phase to evaluate effectiveness since feasibility was proven. Adult patients with PC19S after a documented SARS-CoV-2 infection at least 12 weeks ago are randomly assigned to 4 parallel treatments: prednisolone 20 mg for five days followed by 5 mg for 23 days (trial drug 1), B vitamins (B1 (100 mg OD), B6 (50 mg OD), and B12 (500 µg OD)) for 28 days (trial drug 2), trial drugs 1 and 2, or placebo. The primary outcome of the pilot phase was defined as the retention rate of the first 100 patients. Values of ≥ 85% were considered as confirmation of feasibility, this criterion was even surpassed by a retention rate of 98%. After transformation, the confirmatory phase proceeds by enrolling 240 additional patients. The primary outcome for the study is the change of symptom severity from baseline to day 28 as assessed by a tailored Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) total score referring to five symptom domains known to be typical for PC19S (fatigue, dyspnoea, cognition, anxiety, depression). The confirmatory trial is considered positive if superiority of any treatment is demonstrated over placebo operationalised by an improvement of at least 3 points on the PROMIS total score (t-score). DISCUSSION: The PreVitaCOV trial may contribute to the understanding of therapeutic approaches in PC19S in a primary care context. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT: 2022-001041-20. DRKS: DRKS00029617. CLINICALTRIALS: gov: F001AM02222_1 (registered: 05 Dec 2022).

Aetiology, secondary prevention strategies and outcomes of ischaemic stroke despite oral anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the aetiology, subsequent preventive strategies and outcomes of stroke despite anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: We analysed consecutive patients with AF with an index imaging-proven ischaemic stroke despite vitamin K-antagonist (VKA) or direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) treatment across 11 stroke centres. We classified stroke aetiology as: (i) competing stroke mechanism other than AF-related cardioembolism; (ii) insufficient anticoagulation (non-adherence or low anticoagulant activity measured with drug-specific assays); or, (iii) AF-related cardioembolism despite sufficient anticoagulation. We investigated subsequent preventive strategies with regard to the primary (composite of recurrent ischaemic stroke, intracranial haemorrhage, death) and secondary endpoint (recurrent ischaemic stroke) within 3 months after index stroke. RESULTS: Among 2946 patients (median age 81 years; 48% women; 43% VKA, 57% DOAC), stroke aetiology was competing mechanism in 713 patients (24%), insufficient anticoagulation in 934 (32%) and cardioembolism despite sufficient anticoagulation in 1299 (44%). We found high rates of the primary (27% of patients; completeness 91.6%) and secondary endpoint (4.6%; completeness 88.5%). Only DOAC (vs VKA) treatment after index stroke showed lower odds for both endpoints (primary: adjusted OR (aOR) (95% CI) 0.49 (0.32 to 0.73); secondary: 0.44 (0.24 to 0.80)), but not switching between different DOAC types. Adding antiplatelets showed higher odds for both endpoints (primary: aOR (95% CI) 1.99 (1.25 to 3.15); secondary: 2.66 (1.40 to 5.04)). Only few patients (1%) received left atrial appendage occlusion as additional preventive strategy. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke despite anticoagulation comprises heterogeneous aetiologies and cardioembolism despite sufficient anticoagulation is most common. While DOAC were associated with better outcomes than VKA, adding antiplatelets was linked to worse outcomes in these high-risk patients. Our findings indicate that individualised and novel preventive strategies beyond the currently available anticoagulants are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN48292829.

[Cardiac diagnostics after ischemic stroke or transitory ischemic attack]. / Rationale kardiale Diagnostik nach ischämischem Schlaganfall oder TIA.

Stroke is the most common cause of permanent disability and one of the most common causes of death. Cardio-embolic strokes are associated with a poor prognosis and a high risk of recurrence compared to other stroke etiologies. The most common source of cardiac embolism is atrial fibrillation which must be quickly identified to optimize secondary stroke prevention. A structured evaluation after ischemic stroke includes taking the medical history, a physical examination, 12-lead ECG recording, rhythm monitoring for 72 h, transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography, if an atrial embolic source of stroke is suspected. Extended cardiac work-up (e. g., MRI/CT, prolonged rhythm monitoring) should be performed in selected patients based on diagnostic findings.

Cross-sectional study on patients' understanding and views of the informed consent procedure of a secondary stroke prevention trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Improving understanding of study contents and procedures might enhance recruitment into studies and retention during follow-up. However, data in stroke patients on understanding of the informed consent (IC) procedure are sparse. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among ischemic stroke patients taking part in the IC procedure of an ongoing cluster-randomized secondary prevention trial. All aspects of the IC procedure were assessed in an interview using a standardized 20-item questionnaire. Responses were collected within 72 h after the IC procedure and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Participants were also asked their main reasons for participation. RESULTS: A total of 146 stroke patients (65 ± 12 years old, 38% female) were enrolled. On average, patients recalled 66.4% (95% confidence interval = 65.2%-67.5%) of the content of the IC procedure. Most patients understood that participation was voluntary (99.3%) and that they had the right to withdraw consent (97.1%); 79.1% of the patients recalled the study duration and 56.1% the goal. Only 40.3% could clearly state a benefit of participation, and 28.8% knew their group allocation. Younger age, higher graduation, and allocation to the intervention group were associated with better understanding. Of all patients, 53% exclusively stated a personal and 22% an altruistic reason for participation. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas understanding of patient rights was high, many patients were unable to recall other important aspects of study content and procedures. Increased attention to older and less educated patients may help to enhance understanding in this patient population. Actual recruitment and retention benefit of an improved IC procedure remains to be tested in a randomized trial.

Dynamic risk assessment to improve quality of care in patients with atrial fibrillation: the 7th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference.

AIMS: The risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) and its complications continues to increase, despite good progress in preventing AF-related strokes. METHODS AND RESULTS: This article summarizes the outcomes of the 7th Consensus Conference of the Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET) and the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) held in Lisbon in March 2019. Sixty-five international AF specialists met to present new data and find consensus on pressing issues in AF prevention, management and future research to improve care for patients with AF and prevent AF-related complications. This article is the main outcome of an interactive, iterative discussion between breakout specialist groups and the meeting plenary. AF patients have dynamic risk profiles requiring repeated assessment and risk-based therapy stratification to optimize quality of care. Interrogation of deeply phenotyped datasets with outcomes will lead to a better understanding of the cardiac and systemic effects of AF, interacting with comorbidities and predisposing factors, enabling stratified therapy. New proposals include an algorithm for the acute management of patients with AF and heart failure, a call for a refined, data-driven assessment of stroke risk, suggestions for anticoagulation use in special populations, and a call for rhythm control therapy selection based on risk of AF recurrence. CONCLUSION: The remaining morbidity and mortality in patients with AF needs better characterization. Likely drivers of the remaining AF-related problems are AF burden, potentially treatable by rhythm control therapy, and concomitant conditions, potentially treatable by treating these conditions. Identifying the drivers of AF-related complications holds promise for stratified therapy.

Sex differences in catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: results from AXAFA-AFNET 5.

AIMS: Study sex-differences in efficacy and safety of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed first AF ablation outcomes on continuous anticoagulation in 633 patients [209 (33%) women and 424 (67%) men] in a pre-specified subgroup analysis of the AXAFA-AFNET 5 trial. We compared the primary outcome (death, stroke or transient ischaemic attack, or major bleeding) and secondary outcomes [change in quality of life (QoL) and cognitive function] 3 months after ablation. Women were older (66 vs. 63 years, P < 0.001), more often symptomatic, had lower QoL and a longer history of AF. No sex differences in ablation procedure were found. Women stayed in hospital longer than men (2.1 ± 2.3 vs. 1.6 ± 1.3 days, P = 0.004). The primary outcome occurred in 19 (9.1%) women and 26 (6.1%) men, P = 0.19. Women experienced more bleeding events requiring medical attention (5.7% vs. 2.1%, P = 0.03), while rates of tamponade (1.0% vs. 1.2%) or intracranial haemorrhage (0.5% vs. 0%) did not differ. Improvement in QoL after ablation was similar between the sexes [12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) physical 5.1% and 5.9%, P = 0.26; and SF-12 mental 3.7% and 1.6%, P = 0.17]. At baseline, mild cognitive impairment according to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was present in 65 (32%) women and 123 (30%) men and declined to 23% for both sexes at end of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Women and men experience similar improvement in QoL and MoCA score after AF ablation on continuous anticoagulation. Longer hospital stay, a trend towards more nuisance bleeds, and a lower overall QoL in women were the main differences observed.

[Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale after Ischemic Stroke]. / Verschluss des persistierenden Foramen ovale nach ischämischem Schlaganfall.

Secondary prevention of otherwise cryptogenic stroke in patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been a matter of debate over nearly three decades. Main issues were that data essentially derived from case-control-studies for a long period and that results from the randomized controlled trials CLOSURE-I, PC Trial and RESPECT, which were published in 2012 and 2013, were interpreted in different ways. The likewise not blinded randomized controlled trials REDUCE, CLOSE and DEFENSE-PFO, which were published in 2017 and 2018, consistently demonstrated superiority of interventional PFO closure compared to secondary stroke prevention with antiplatelet therapy in patients 18 to 60 years with cryptogenic stroke and moderate to severe atrial right-to-left shunt. Consecutively, the German Society of Cardiology, the German Society of Neurology and the German Stroke Society published joint recommendations strongly recommending interventional PFO closure in these patients. This review article briefly summarizes current scientific knowledge. Furthermore, open questions regarding secondary prevention in otherwise cryptogenic stroke patients with PFO are discussed.

MRI-Guided Thrombolysis for Stroke with Unknown Time of Onset.

BACKGROUND: Under current guidelines, intravenous thrombolysis is used to treat acute stroke only if it can be ascertained that the time since the onset of symptoms was less than 4.5 hours. We sought to determine whether patients with stroke with an unknown time of onset and features suggesting recent cerebral infarction on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would benefit from thrombolysis with the use of intravenous alteplase. METHODS: In a multicenter trial, we randomly assigned patients who had an unknown time of onset of stroke to receive either intravenous alteplase or placebo. All the patients had an ischemic lesion that was visible on MRI diffusion-weighted imaging but no parenchymal hyperintensity on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), which indicated that the stroke had occurred approximately within the previous 4.5 hours. We excluded patients for whom thrombectomy was planned. The primary end point was favorable outcome, as defined by a score of 0 or 1 on the modified Rankin scale of neurologic disability (which ranges from 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) at 90 days. A secondary outcome was the likelihood that alteplase would lead to lower ordinal scores on the modified Rankin scale than would placebo (shift analysis). RESULTS: The trial was stopped early owing to cessation of funding after the enrollment of 503 of an anticipated 800 patients. Of these patients, 254 were randomly assigned to receive alteplase and 249 to receive placebo. A favorable outcome at 90 days was reported in 131 of 246 patients (53.3%) in the alteplase group and in 102 of 244 patients (41.8%) in the placebo group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 2.36; P=0.02). The median score on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days was 1 in the alteplase group and 2 in the placebo group (adjusted common odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.17 to 2.23; P=0.003). There were 10 deaths (4.1%) in the alteplase group and 3 (1.2%) in the placebo group (odds ratio, 3.38; 95% CI, 0.92 to 12.52; P=0.07). The rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was 2.0% in the alteplase group and 0.4% in the placebo group (odds ratio, 4.95; 95% CI, 0.57 to 42.87; P=0.15). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute stroke with an unknown time of onset, intravenous alteplase guided by a mismatch between diffusion-weighted imaging and FLAIR in the region of ischemia resulted in a significantly better functional outcome and numerically more intracranial hemorrhages than placebo at 90 days. (Funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Program; WAKE-UP ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01525290; and EudraCT number, 2011-005906-32 .).

Personalized management of atrial fibrillation: Proceedings from the fourth Atrial Fibrillation competence NETwork/European Heart Rhythm Association consensus conference.

The management of atrial fibrillation (AF) has seen marked changes in past years, with the introduction of new oral anticoagulants, new antiarrhythmic drugs, and the emergence of catheter ablation as a common intervention for rhythm control. Furthermore, new technologies enhance our ability to detect AF. Most clinical management decisions in AF patients can be based on validated parameters that encompass type of presentation, clinical factors, electrocardiogram analysis, and cardiac imaging. Despite these advances, patients with AF are still at increased risk for death, stroke, heart failure, and hospitalizations. During the fourth Atrial Fibrillation competence NETwork/European Heart Rhythm Association (AFNET/EHRA) consensus conference, we identified the following opportunities to personalize management of AF in a better manner with a view to improve outcomes by integrating atrial morphology and damage, brain imaging, information on genetic predisposition, systemic or local inflammation, and markers for cardiac strain. Each of these promising avenues requires validation in the context of existing risk factors in patients. More importantly, a new taxonomy of AF may be needed based on the pathophysiological type of AF to allow personalized management of AF to come to full fruition. Continued translational research efforts are needed to personalize management of this prevalent disease in a better manner. All the efforts are expected to improve the management of patients with AF based on personalized therapy.

Angiotensin II-antagonist in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (ANTIPAF) trial.

BACKGROUND: Unlike antiarrhythmic drugs, the safety and beneficial effects of angiotensin II receptor blockade (ARB) in patients with structural heart disease is well established. The clinical efficacy of ARBs to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF) so far only has been shown in patients with structural heart disease. Here, we report the primary outcome of the Angiotensin II-Antagonist in Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (ANTIPAF) trial, which investigated the effect of olmesartan medoxomil compared with placebo on AF burden in patients with paroxysmal AF without structural heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: The ANTIPAF trial was a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial analyzing the AF burden (percentage of days with documented episodes of paroxysmal AF) during a 12-month follow-up as the primary study end point. Four hundred thirty patients with documented paroxysmal AF without structural heart disease were randomized to placebo or 40 mg olmesartan per day. Concomitant therapy with ARBs, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and antiarrhythmic drugs was prohibited. Patients were followed using daily transtelephonic ECG (tele-ECG) recordings independent of symptoms. The intention-to-treat population of the trial encompassed 425 patients (placebo group, n=211; olmesartan group, n=214). A total of 87 818 tele-ECGs were analyzed in these patients during follow-up (placebo group, 44 888 ECGs; olmesartan group, 42 930 ECGs). Thus, a mean of 207 tele-ECGs were recorded per patient. The primary end point (AF burden) was not different between the 2 groups (P=0.770). Secondary outcome parameters, including quality of life, also were not different. In particular, time to first AF recurrence, time to persistent AF, and number of hospitalizations were not different between the 2 groups. The time to prescription of recovery medication (amiodarone) was the only parameter showing an intergroup difference, with earlier prescription of amiodarone in the placebo group (P=0.022). CONCLUSIONS: One year of ARB therapy per se does not reduce the number of AF episodes in patients with documented paroxysmal AF without structural heart disease. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00098137.

Intrinsic resistance of oligodendrocytes to prion infection.

Within the CNS, the normal form of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is expressed on neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. The contribution of these cell types to prion replication and pathogenesis is unclear. To assess the role of oligodendrocytes, we expressed PrP(C) under the control of the myelin basic protein (MBP) promoter in mice lacking endogenous PrP(C). PrP(C) was detected in oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells but not in neurons and astrocytes. MBP-PrP mice never developed scrapie after intracerebral, intraperitoneal, or intraocular challenge with scrapie prions. Transgenic brains did not contain protease-resistant prion protein and did not transmit scrapie when inoculated into PrP(C)-overexpressing indicator mice. To investigate whether prion spread within the CNS depends on oligodendrocytic PrP(C), we implanted PrP(C)-overexpressing neuroectodermal grafts into MBP-PrP brains. After intraocular prion inoculation, none of the grafts showed spongiform encephalopathy or prion infectivity. Hence oligodendrocytes do not support cell-autonomous prion replication, establishment of subclinical disease, and neural spread of prions. Prion resistance sets oligodendrocytes aside from both neurons and astrocytes.

Interferon-gamma differentially modulates the release of cytokines and chemokines in lipopolysaccharide- and pneumococcal cell wall-stimulated mouse microglia and macrophages.

During bacterial infections of the CNS, activated microglia could support leucocyte recruitment to the brain through the synthesis of cyto- and chemokines. In turn, invading leucocytes may feedback on microglial cells to influence their chemokine release pattern. Here, we analyzed the capacity of interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) to serve as such a leucocyte-to-microglia signal. Production of cyto- and chemokines was stimulated in mouse microglia cultures by treatments with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative Escherichia coli or cell walls from Gram-positive Streptococcus pneumoniae (PCW). IFNgamma presence during the stimulation (0.1-100 ng/mL) modulated the patterns of LPS- and PCW-induced cyto- and chemokine release in a dose-dependent, potent and complex manner. While amounts of TNFalpha and IL-6 remained nearly unchanged, IFNgamma enhanced the production of IL-12, MCP-1 and RANTES, but attenuated that of KC, MIP-1alpha and MIP-2. Release modulation was obtained with IFNgamma preincubation (treatment of cells before LPS or PCW administration), coincubation and even delayed addition to an ongoing LPS or PCW stimulation. Together the changes observed for the microglial chemokine release under IFNgamma would shift the chemoattractive profile from favouring neutrophils to a preferential attraction of monocytes and T lymphocyte populations--as actually seen during the course of bacterial meningitis. The findings support the view of activated microglia as a major intrinsic source for an instant production of a variety of chemokines and suggest that leucocyte-derived IFNgamma could potentially regulate the microglial chemokine release pattern.