Redo transcatheter aortic valve replacement in degenerated transcatheter bioprosthesis (TAV-in-TAV).

INTRODUCTION: With the expanding indications of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to younger and low-risk patients, the life expectancy of patients currently undergoing TAVR will likely outlive the durability of transcatheter bioprosthesis. Consequently, the number of failed transcatheter bioprosthesis requiring surgical valve explant or redo TAVR is expected to increase. AREAS COVERED: The aim of this review is to provide an updated overview of redo TAVR for treating degenerated transcatheter bioprosthesis, focusing on pre-procedural planning, potential challenges of coronary reaccess during TAVR-in-TAVR and main outcomes of TAVR explant and redo TAVR. EXPERT OPINION: Patient-tailored device selection and individualized implantation height should be carefully assessed during the index TAVR procedure (weighting between pacemaker avoidance and the potential risk of coronary occlusion in future TAVR-in-TAVR). Future prospective studies comparing safety and clinical outcomes between redo TAVR vs TAVR explant are eagerly awaited.

Impact of Baseline Anemia in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Prognostic Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is currently the treatment of choice for patients aged ≥75 years with severe aortic stenosis. Preoperative anemia is present in a large proportion of patients and may increase the risk of post-procedural complications. The purpose of this prognostic systematic review was to analyze the impact of baseline anemia on short- and mid-term outcomes following TAVR. A computerized search was performed on PubMed and Web of Science databases for studies published between January 2013 and December 2022. Primary outcomes were 30-day need for transfusion, acute renal failure, 30-day and mid-term mortality, and readmission during the first year post-TAVR. Data were analyzed via random effects model using inverse variance method with 95% confidence intervals. Eleven observational studies met our eligibility criteria and included a total of 12,588 patients. The prevalence of baseline anemia ranged between 39% and 72%, with no relevant sex differences. Patients with preprocedural anemia received more blood transfusions [OR: 2.95 (2.13-4.09)]), and exhibited increased rates of acute kidney injury [OR:1.74 (1.45-2.10)], short-term mortality [OR: 1.47 (1.07-2.01], and mid-term [OR: 1.89 (1.58-2.25)] mortality following TAVR compared with those without anemia. Baseline anemia determined an increased risk for blood transfusion, acute kidney injury, and short/mid-term mortality among TAVR recipients.

EURObservational Research Programme: a bibliometric assessment of its scientific output.

AIMS: Given the lack of reliable observational data, a network of volunteer centres, and standardized methodological procedures, the European Society of Cardiology EURObservational Research Programme (EORP) was set up to provide a better understanding of real-world cardiovascular care and outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the scientific impact of EORP using a bibliometric approach. METHODS AND RESULTS: We collected data for each individual publication and for each individual journal with at least one EORP publication. Bibliometric indicators evaluating research performance were categorized into those evaluating EORP publications (publication-based indicators) and those assessing the journals where those papers were published (journal-based indicators). During the first ∼11 years since its inception, we found that EORP produced 189 publications, with most published in journals in the first quartile (60.9%) or the second quartile (33.5%) of the Web of Science Journal Citation Report. The total number of citations to EORP publications was 9630 (average citation per publication of 51, h-index of 54, and 29 EORP publications with ≥100 citations). Of EORP publications, 20 had an Altmetric Attention Score >50 and 9 had a score >100. A total of 52 EORP papers have been cited 65 times in ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines between 2013 and 2021. CONCLUSION: EORP registries have contributed to impactful scientific knowledge. The high-quality metrics highlight the relevance of the EORP international cardiovascular registries to the academic community. Efforts are needed to support this, and other programmes aimed at delivering real-world evidence from independent patient data of cardiovascular care and outcomes across multiple geographies.

Assessment of the ESC quality indicators in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a systematic review.

AIMS: To help improving quality of care in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) set 20 quality indicators (QIs). There is a need to compile and summarize QI availability, feasibility, and global compliance in real-world registries. METHODS AND RESULTS: A systematic review of PubMed and Web of Science was conducted including all original articles reporting the use of the ESC QIs in AMI patients. Methods and reporting follow the guidelines of the PRISMA Statement and the protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020190541). Among the 220 screened citations, 9 studies met the inclusion criteria after full-text review. Among these 9 studies, there were 11 different cohorts. Patients were recruited from three different continents (31 countries). The number of QIs assessed ranged from 6 to 20, with 5 studies (56%) reporting data for at least 75% of the 20 QIs. There were room for improvement in terms of data availability (i.e. domain 6 measuring patient's satisfaction), feasibility (i.e. difficulties to find all data for composite QIs in domain 7), and attainment (i.e. high levels of compliance with the percentage of reperfused ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients, but low levels for a timely reperfusion). CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review has shown that it is possible to measure most QIs in existing registries, and that there is room for improvement in terms of data availability, feasibility, and levels of attainment to QIs. Our findings may influence the design of future registries to capture this information and help in QIs definition updates.

Respuesta al ECG de septiembre de 2019 / Response to ECG, September 2019

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Old teaching tools should not be forgotten: The value of the Lewis ladder diagram in understanding bigeminal rhythms.

As medical education evolves, some traditional teaching methods often get forgotten. For generations, the Lewis ladder diagram (LLD) has helped students understand the mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias and conduction disorders. Similarly, clinicians have used LLDs to communicate their proposed mechanisms to their colleagues and trainees. In this article, we revisit this technique of constructing the LLD and demonstrate this process by describing the mechanisms of various bigeminal rhythms.

ECG de septiembre de 2019 / ECG, September 2019

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Atypical advanced interatrial blocks: Definition and electrocardiographic recognition.

The diagnosis of advanced interatrial block (A-IAB) is done by surface ECG analysis when the P-wave ≥120 ms with biphasic (±) morphology in leads II, III and aVF. In this brief communication, we advance a new concept involving atypical patterns of A-IAB due to changes about the morphology or duration of the P-wave. It remains to be determined its real prevalence in different clinical scenarios, and whether these atypical ECG patterns should be considered as predictors of atrial fibrillation/stroke.

Actualización de la muerte súbita cardiaca: epidemiología y estratificación del riesgo / Update of sudden cardiac death: Epidemiology and risk stratification

En este artículo comentamos varios aspectos de la muerte súbita, relacionados con la medicina legal. En primer lugar, se exponen los aspectos epidemiológicos y las enfermedades asociadas a la muerte súbita. Más tarde, se discute la cadena de eventos que llevan a las arritmias finales a desencadenar la muerte súbita y sus aspectos legales. Se hace un estudio comparativo de las arritmias finales responsables de la muerte súbita en pacientes: 1) con infarto agudo; 2) ambulatorios sin cardiopatía evidente y 3) con insuficiencia cardiaca evidente, y también se comparan las diferencias de incidencia de cardiopatía isquémica, trombosis coronaria aguda e hipertrofia ventricular isquémica (AU)

In this article, a discussion is presented on the following aspects of sudden death, related to legal medicine. The epidemiological aspects and diseases associated with sudden death are discussed first. This is followed by presenting the chain of events leading to the final arrhythmias triggering sudden death, and the legal aspects of this. This is a comparative study of the final arrhythmias responsible of sudden death in patients with: 1) acute myocardial infarction; 2) with no apparent heart disease; and 3) with heart failure. A comparison is also made between the incidence of ischaemic heart disease, acute coronary thrombosis, and left ventricular hypertrophy (AU)

Asociación entre las características de la onda P y la fibrilación auricular en el estudio REGICOR / Analysis of the association between electrocardiographic p-wave characteristics and atrial fibrillation in the REGICOR Study

Introducción y objetivos: La fibrilación auricular (FA) es la arritmia más frecuente en la práctica clínica. Nuestro objetivo es determinar la asociación entre la duración de la onda P y el bloqueo interauricular (BIA) avanzado y la FA. Métodos: Estudio de casos y controles anidado en una cohorte (REGICOR: Registre Gironí del COR) emparejada por edad y sexo. Entre 1999 y 2005 se realizaron 2 estudios transversales en los que participaron 9.380 individuos; entre 2009 y 2013 se invitó a todos los participantes a un segundo examen. Se seleccionó a los participantes de 25-79 años que participaron en el segundo examen. Dos observadores determinaron la duración y la morfología de la onda P para determinar la presencia de BIA (ausencia, parcial o avanzado). Resultados: La mediana de seguimiento fue 7,12 años. Se incluyó a 80 participantes que sufrieron FA y 160 controles. La duración de la onda P y la presencia de BIA se asociaron con la FA. Al considerar simultáneamente las 2 variables, solo la duración de la onda P (≥ 110 ms) se asoció con la aparición de FA. Las odds ratio de FA para la duración de la onda P entre 110-119, 120-129 y ≥ 130 ms frente a < 110 ms fueron 5,33 (IC95%, 1,74-16,33), 5,08 (IC95%, 1,73-14,90) y 5,44 (IC95%, 1,95-15,15) respectivamente. Conclusiones: La duración de la onda P ≥ 110 ms aumenta el riesgo de FA. No parece que el BIA avanzado aporte un riesgo adicional al de la duración de la onda P (AU)

Introduction and objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia. P-wave duration and interatrial blocks (IAB) have been reported to be associated with AF. Our aim was to determine the individual and combined association of P-wave duration and advanced IAB morphology with AF. Methods: We designed an age-, sex-, and survey-matched case-control study nested in a population-based cohort (REGICOR: REgistre GIroní del COR). Two different surveys recruited a total of 9380 participants from 1999 to 2005; all participants were invited to a second examination between 2009 and 2013. For the present study, we selected participants aged 25 to 79 years with follow-up through the end of the study. All electrocardiograms were analyzed by 2 observers to determine P-wave duration and morphology (normal, partial, or advanced IAB). Results: The median follow-up was 7.12 years. Eighty participants presented with AF, had a legible baseline electrocardiogram, and were included in the study, along with 160 controls. P-wave duration and the presence of partial or advanced IAB were associated with AF. When P-wave duration and morphology were considered together, only P-wave duration (≥ 110 milliseconds) showed an independent and strong association with AF. The odds ratio for AF of P-wave duration between 110-119, 120-129 and ≥ 130 milliseconds vs < 110 milliseconds were 5.33; 95%CI, 1.74-16.33, 5.08; 95%CI, 1.73-14.90 and 5.44; 95%CI, 1.95-15.15, respectively. Conclusions: A P-wave longer than 110 milliseconds increases the risk of AF. Advanced IAB morphology did not seem to provide an additional AF risk beyond that of P-wave duration (AU)

Analysis of the Association Between Electrocardiographic P-wave Characteristics and Atrial Fibrillation in the REGICOR Study.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically significant cardiac arrhythmia. P-wave duration and interatrial blocks (IAB) have been reported to be associated with AF. Our aim was to determine the individual and combined association of P-wave duration and advanced IAB morphology with AF. METHODS: We designed an age-, sex-, and survey-matched case-control study nested in a population-based cohort (REGICOR: REgistre GIroní del COR). Two different surveys recruited a total of 9380 participants from 1999 to 2005; all participants were invited to a second examination between 2009 and 2013. For the present study, we selected participants aged 25 to 79 years with follow-up through the end of the study. All electrocardiograms were analyzed by 2 observers to determine P-wave duration and morphology (normal, partial, or advanced IAB). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 7.12 years. Eighty participants presented with AF, had a legible baseline electrocardiogram, and were included in the study, along with 160 controls. P-wave duration and the presence of partial or advanced IAB were associated with AF. When P-wave duration and morphology were considered together, only P-wave duration (≥ 110 milliseconds) showed an independent and strong association with AF. The odds ratio for AF of P-wave duration between 110-119, 120-129 and ≥ 130 milliseconds vs < 110 milliseconds were 5.33; 95%CI, 1.74-16.33, 5.08; 95%CI, 1.73-14.90 and 5.44; 95%CI, 1.95-15.15, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A P-wave longer than 110 milliseconds increases the risk of AF. Advanced IAB morphology did not seem to provide an additional AF risk beyond that of P-wave duration.

Interatrial block and atrial arrhythmias in centenarians: Prevalence, associations, and clinical implications.

BACKGROUND: Data are lacking on the characteristics of atrial activity in centenarians, including interatrial block (IAB). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of IAB and auricular arrhythmias in subjects older than 100 years and to elucidate their clinical implications. METHODS: We studied 80 centenarians (mean age 101.4 ± 1.5 years; 21 men) with follow-ups of 6-34 months. Of these 80 centenarians, 71 subjects (88.8%) underwent echocardiography. The control group comprised 269 septuagenarians. RESULTS: A total of 23 subjects (28.8%) had normal P wave, 16 (20%) had partial IAB, 21 (26%) had advanced IAB, and 20 (25.0%) had atrial fibrillation/flutter. The IAB groups exhibited premature atrial beats more frequently than did the normal P wave group (35.1% vs 17.4%; P < .001); also, other measurements in the IAB groups frequently fell between values observed in the normal P wave and the atrial fibrillation/flutter groups. These measurements included sex preponderance, mental status and dementia, perceived health status, significant mitral regurgitation, and mortality. The IAB group had a higher previous stroke rate (24.3%) than did other groups. Compared with septuagenarians, centenarians less frequently presented a normal P wave (28.8% vs 53.5%) and more frequently presented advanced IAB (26.3% vs 8.2%), atrial fibrillation/flutter (25.0% vs 10.0%), and premature atrial beats (28.3 vs 7.0%) (P < .01). CONCLUSION: Relatively few centenarians (<30%) had a normal P wave, and nearly half had IAB. Our data suggested that IAB, particularly advanced IAB, is a pre-atrial fibrillation condition associated with premature atrial beats. Atrial arrhythmias and IAB occurred more frequently in centenarians than in septuagenarians.

The Diagnosis and Clinical Implications of Interatrial Block.

Impaired interatrial conduction or interatrial block is now well-documented but is not described as an individual electrocardiographic (ECG) pattern in the majority of ECG literature. In fact the term atrial abnormality has been adopted to encompass both left atrial enlargement (LAE) and interatrial block. In this paper, we maintain that interatrial blocks and atrial enlargement are separate entities, and that interatrial blocks, similar to other types of blocks at sinoatrial, AV junctional, and ventricular level, exhibit a specific ECG pattern that may present first, second, and third degree types of conduction block. The third degree or advanced interatrial block (A-IAB) is frequently associated with atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF/AFl), and constitutes a true newly-described syndrome.