Evaluation of risk factors for long-term atrial fibrillation development in patients undergoing typical atrial flutter ablation: a multicenter pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Atrial flutter (AFL) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are the most commonly detected supraventricular arrhythmias and share similar pathophysiological mechanisms. After the successful ablation of AFL, AF frequently occurs in the long-term follow-up. As emphasized in some studies, certain mechanisms seem to predispose to the development of AF in AFL patients, and approximately 20% of these patients have accompanying AFL. PURPOSE: We aimed to analyze independent risk factors that predict the development of AF in patients who underwent typical AFL ablation. METHODS: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional, and retrospective study. A total of 442 patients who underwent typical AFL ablation at three different centers between January 1, 2018 and January 1, 2022 were included retrospectively. After the ablation procedure the patients were divided into those who developed AF and those who did not. The patients were followed up for an average of 12 (4-20) months. In the post-procedural period, atrial arrhythmias were investigated with 24­h Holter and ECG at 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months and then at 6­month intervals thereafter. RESULTS: Overall, AF developed in 206 (46.6%) patients in the long-term follow-up. Age, hypertension (HT), obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), previous cerebrovascular accident (CVA), left atrium anteroposterior diameter, severe mitral regurgitation, hemoglobin, blood glucose, and HbA1c values were found to be significant in univariable analysis. According to multivariable analysis, HT (p = 0.014; HR: 1.483 [1.084-2.030]), OSAS (p = 0.008; HR: 1.520 [1.117-2.068]) and previous CVA (p = 0.038; HR: 1.749 [1.031-2.968]) were independently associated with the development of AF in AFL patients who underwent ablation procedure. CONCLUSION: In the present study, we found that HT, OSAS, and previous CVA were independently correlated with the development of AF in the long-term follow-up of patients who underwent typical AFL ablation. We consider that AFL patients with such risk factors should be followed up closely following cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for the development of AF.

Efficacy of atrial fibrillation predictors including MVP ECG risk score compared between single or bilateral internal thoracic artery use.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common complication after Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG). Despite advanced treatment methods, primary prevention is crucial. Many factors have been investigated as markers for AF, but further research is required. CABG is currently superior to Primary Coronary Intervention (PCI) in some cases due to Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD)- Internal Thoracic Artery (ITA) anastomosis. However, graft choice for non-LAD vessels is still controversial. Our study compared the incidence of arrhythmia between patients with single ITA or bilateral ITA (BITA). METHODS: The study included 84 isolated CABG patients. The patients were divided into two groups: single ITA and BITA. Patients who developed AF were recorded and compared. RESULTS: 73.8%(n = 62) of the patients were male and 26.2%(n = 22) were female. While single ITA was used in 48.8%(n = 41) of the patients, BITA was used in 51.2%(n = 43). AF was detected in 15.5%(n = 13) of the patients. AF was observed in 5(12.2%) patients in the single ITA group and 8(18.6%) in the BITA group. 76.9%(n = 10) of the patients with AF rhythm had Diabetes Mellitus (DM)(p = 0.011). Biphasic P wave, length of P wave duration, and total Morpholog-Voltage-P Wave ECG (MVP ECG) score height were statistically significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: The development of AF was similar in both groups. The presence of DM, high blood glucose levels, and ECG findings can detect a predisposition to postoperative AF. MVP ECG risk score is effective as an AF marker and can be used in surgical patient groups.

Prognostic value of serum albumin in heart failure patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Aim: There is a lack of data about the association between admission serum albumin levels and long-term mortality in heart failure (HF) patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-D). We aim to investigate this connection in HF patients with CRT-D. Methods: The study population consisted of 477 HF patients with CRT-D. The cohort was divided into three groups according to albumin values, and the relationship between these groups and long-term mortality were evaluated. Results: Long-term all-cause mortality (HR: 3.32, 95% CI: 2.12-6.84), appropriate (HR: 4.44, 95% CI: 2.44-8.06) and inappropriate (HR: 2.95, 95% CI: 1.88-6.02) shocks were higher in the low albumin group. Conclusion: Low albumin levels are associated with the long-term mortality and appropriate shock treatment in HF patients with CRT-D.

[Box: see text].

Prognostic value of pulmonary artery diameter/aorta diameter ratio in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND: The ratio of pulmonary artery diameter (PAD) to ascending aortic diameter (AoD) has been reported to be a prognostic marker in several lung diseases; however, the usefulness of this tool in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is unknown. Here, we aimed to determine the long-term prognostic value of the PAD/AoD ratio in patients with APE. METHODS: A total of 275 patients diagnosed with APE at our tertiary care center between November 2016 and February 2022 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of long-term mortality and their PAD/AoD ratios were compared. RESULTS: Long-term mortality was observed in 48 patients during the median follow-up of 59 (39-73) months. The patients were divided into two groups for analysis: group 1, consisting of 227 patients without recorded mortality, and group 2, consisting of 48 patients with documented mortality. A multivariate Cox regression model indicated that the PAD/AoD ratio has the potential to predict long-term mortality (HR: 2.9116, 95% CI: 1.1544-7.3436, p = 0.023). Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that there was no discernible difference in discriminative ability between the simplified pulmonary embolism severity index (sPESI) and PAD/AoD ratio (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.679 vs. 0.684, respectively, p = 0.937). The long-term predictive ability of the PAD/AoD ratio was not inferior to the sPESI score. CONCLUSIONS: The PAD/AoD ratio, which can be easily calculated from pulmonary computed tomography, may be a useful parameter for determining the prognosis of APE patients.

The Association between Exercise-Induced Ventricular Premature Contractions and Long-Term Mortality in Patients without Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: The treadmill exercise test is widely used to determine cardiovascular risk and mortality. Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) are frequently observed during exercise stress testing. The literature on the role of PVCs observed during treadmill exercise testing in predicting prognosis is controversial. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the clinical results of PVCs seen during exercise testing in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease confirmed by coronary angiography (CAG). Methods: The study population consisted of 1624 consecutive patients who were considered high risk according to the Duke treadmill risk score and had no significant stenosis on CAG from January 2016 to April 2021. The primary endpoints of the study were long-term all-cause mortality of patients who had PVCs during the exercise test or during the resting phase. Results: Long-term mortality was observed in 53 of the 1624 patients after a mean follow-up of 47 months. PVCs were observed in 293 (18.7%) patients without long-term mortality, and in 24 (45.3%) patients with long-term mortality (p < 0.001). The model adjusted for all covariates showed that the presence of PVCs in the recovery phase [p < 0.007, hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) 2.244 (1.244-4.047)] and advanced age [p < 0.001, HR (95% CI) 1.194 (1.143-1.247)] were associated with long-term all-cause mortality. Conclusions: PVCs observed during treadmill exercise testing and the recovery phase were related to long-term mortality in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease.

Effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on right ventricular function in heart failure patients: Updated meta-analysis of the current literature.

BACKGROUND: There is some discrepancy in current studies concerning the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter type 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on right ventricular (RV) functions in heart failure (HF) patients. Hence, this meta-analysis was focused on determining the impact of SGLT2i on RV functions in such individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two independent investigators searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library for articles of interest. To analyze heterogeneity, Higgins' I2 as well as prediction intervals and Egger's test were used to assess heterogeneity. The Newcastle-Ottawa standard ratings approach was used to assess the quality of observational studies. The ROBINS-I risk of bias algorithm was used to assess bias risks of randomized studies. RESULTS: This meta-analysis evaluated 8 studies in total. Over the follow-up time frame, patients who used SGLT2i had substantially lower systolic pulmonary artery pressure and higher tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion values (mean difference [MD] = -5.23 [-7.81; -2.66] and, MD = 1.47 [1.01; 1.93]; P <0.01, respectively). There was no significant difference in RVS' values between follow-up and baseline (MD = 1.54 [-0.19; 3.26]; P = 0.08). However, as compared to the baseline period, fractional area contraction values were substantially larger at the end of the follow-up (MD = 5.52 [4.23; 6.82]; P <0.01). CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis assessing the impact of SGLT2i on RV function in HF patients. Our findings suggest that SGLT2i may improve RV performance in HF patients.

Fibrinogen and D-dimer variances and anticoagulation recommendations in Covid-19: current literature review

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a newly described virus responsible for the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), named by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February/2020. Patients with Covid-19 have an incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) of 15.9-29% and sepsis is observed in all deceased patients. Moreover, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is one of the major underlying causes of death among these patients. In patients with DIC, there is a decrease in fibrinogen and an increase in D-dimer levels. Some studies have shown that fibrinogen and one of its end products, D-dimer, might have a predictive value for mortality in patients with non-Covid sepsis secondary to complications of DIC. Therefore, anticoagulation, considering its mortality benefits in cases of non-Covid sepsis, may also have an important role in the treatment of Covid-19. METHODS We reviewed the literature of all studies published by April 2020 on patients infected with Covid-19. Our review was limited to D-dimer and fibrinogen changes and anticoagulation recommendations. RESULTS Anticoagulation therapy can be started following the DIC diagnosis in Covid-19 patients despite the bleeding risks. In addition, the current evidence suggests a routine use of anticoagulation, particularly in patients with higher D-dimer levels (> 3.0 μg/mL). CONCLUSION Covid-19 is a systemic, hypercoagulable disease requiring more studies concerning treatment. Aanticoagulation is still an issue to be studied, but D-dimer rise and disease severity are the indicative factors to start treatment as soon as possible.

RESUMO INTRODUÇÃO O coronavírus da síndrome respiratória aguda grave 2 (SARS-CoV-2) é o vírus responsável pelo surto recentemente batizado de doença pelo coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pela Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) em fevereiro/2020. Os doentes com Covid-19 têm uma incidência de síndrome de dificuldade respiratória aguda (SDRA) de 15,9-29% e sepse é observada em todos os pacientes que vêm a óbito. Além disso, a coagulação intravascular disseminada (DIC) é uma das principais causas subjacentes de morte entre esses pacientes. Em pacientes com DIC, ocorre com uma diminuição do fibrinogênio e um aumento dos níveis de dímero D. Alguns estudos mostraram que o fibrinogênio e um dos seus produtos finais, o dímero D, podem ter um valor preditivo para a mortalidade em pacientes com sepse não relacionada à Covid-19 decorrente de complicações da DIC. Portanto, a anticoagulação, considerando seus benefícios quanto à mortalidade na sepse não relacionada à Covid-19, pode também ter um papel importante no tratamento da Covid-19. MÉTODOS Realizamos uma revisão de todos os estudos publicados até abril de 2020 sobre pacientes infectados com Covid-19. A nossa revisão limitou-se a alterações no dímero D, nos fibrinogênios e recomendações de anticoagulantes. RESULTADOS A terapêutica anticoagulante pode ser iniciada após o diagnóstico de DIC em pacientes com Covid-19 apesar dos riscos de hemorragia. Além disso, a evidência atual sugere o uso rotineiro da anticoagulação, principalmente em pacientes com níveis mais elevados de dímero D (> 3, 0 µg/mL). CONCLUSÃO A Covid-19 é uma doença sistêmica e hipercoagulável que requer mais estudos em relação ao tratamento. A anticoagulação ainda é uma questão a ser estudada, mas o aumento de dímeros D e a gravidade da doença são os fatores indicativos para o início do tratamento o mais rápido possível.

COVID-19 and acute myocarditis: current literature review and diagnostic challenges

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION In the current literature, there has been an upsurge of cases of COVID-19-induced acute myocarditis. In this case-based review, we aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, imaging findings, and in-hospital course of acute myocarditis. In addition, the limitations of the myocarditis diagnosis were discussed since only fulminant myocarditis cases have been mentioned in the current literature. METHODS We performed a review of the literature of all patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19-induced acute myocarditis using the databases of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane. RESULTS 16 case reports were found to be related to COVID-19-induced acute myocarditis. We observed that the ECG findings in most of the COVID-19 patients were non-specific, including diffuse ST-segment elevation, non-specific intraventricular conduction delay, sinus tachycardia, and inverted T-waves in anterior leads. Echocardiographic findings of COVID-19-induced acute myocarditis patients ranged from preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) without segmental abnormalities to reduced LVEF with global hypokinesia. Interestingly, a few patients with COVID-19-induced acute fulminant myocarditis were steroid-responsive and had an amelioration with glucocorticoid and immunoglobulin therapy. CONCLUSION Despite the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, a limited number of cases has been shared in the current literature. There are a lot of difficulties in the differential diagnosis of acute myocarditis in the context of COVID-19.

RESUMO INTRODUÇÃO Na literatura atual, houve um aumento dos casos apresentados com doença coronavírus de 2019 (COVID-19) induzida por miocardite aguda. Nesta revisão baseada em casos, buscamos descrever as características clínicas, achados de imagem e curso hospitalar de miocardite aguda. Além disso, as limitações em relação ao diagnóstico de miocardite foram discutidas, uma vez que apenas casos de miocardite fulminante foram mencionados na literatura atual. MÉTODOS Fizemos uma revisão da literatura de todos os pacientes diagnosticados com miocardite aguda induzida por COVID-19 com a utilização das bases de dados PubMed, Embase e Cochrane. RESULTADO Dezesseis casos relatados estão relacionados com a miocardite aguda induzida pela COVID-19. Observamos que os achados de ECG na maioria dos pacientes com COVID-19 não eram específicos, incluindo elevação difusa do segmento ST, atraso não específico da condução intraventricular, taquicardia sinusal e ondas T invertidas em pistas anteriores. Os resultados ecocardiográficos de doentes com miocardite aguda COVID-19 variaram entre a fração de ejeção ventricular esquerda preservada (LVEF) sem anomalias segmentais e a LVEF reduzida com hipocinésia global. Curiosamente, alguns pacientes com COVID-19 induzidos à miocardite aguda fulminante eram sensíveis aos esteroides e tinham uma melhoria com glucocorticoides e terapia com imunoglobulina. CONCLUSÃO Apesar da pandemia de COVID-19 em todo o mundo, um número limitado de casos tem sido compartilhado na literatura atual. Há muitas dificuldades para o diagnóstico diferencial de miocardite aguda no contexto da COVID-19.