Inference of a causal relation between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and hypertension using mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND: It is known in some studies that higher the LDL-C, the greater the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, studies of the causal effects between LDL-C and hypertension are limited by their observational study design, and genetic epidemiology studies of associations between LDL-C and hypertension are lacking, as are studies using data for Koreans. In this study, we confirmed the causal effect of LDL-C on hypertension using Korean chip data. METHOD: The epidemiology and genotype data were collected from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study conducted by the Korea National Institute of Health and covered 20,701 subjects. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with LDL-C were selected (p-value < 5 × 10- 8) from the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium database, and Mendelian randomization analysis (MRA) was performed with counted genetic risk scores and weighted genetic risk scores (WGRSs) for 24 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. RESULT: The assumptions for MRA were statistically confirmed, and WGRSs showed a strong association with LDL-C. Interestingly, while the relationship between LDL-C and hypertension was not statistically significant in the observational study, MRA study demonstrated that the risk of hypertension increased as LDL-C increased in both men and women. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study confirmed that the relationship between LDL-C and hypertension is greatly influenced by genetic information.

High-Sensitivity Troponin I Assay for Differential Diagnosis of New-Onset Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

PURPOSE: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) caused by ischemic heart disease is associated with higher mortality and requires immediate diagnosis. Recently, novel methods to diagnose non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin have been applied. We compared the clinical utility of high-sensitivity troponin I (hS-TnI), delta troponin I, and other traditional methods to diagnose NSTEMI in patients with ADHF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze patients with ADHF who underwent hS-TnI evaluation of 0-2-h protocol in our emergency department. Patients were grouped according to a diagnosis of NSTEMI. RESULTS: A total of 524 ADHF [ADHF with NSTEMI, n=109 (20.8%)] patients were enrolled in this analysis. The mean values of hS-TnI (ng/mL) in the ADHF with and without NSTEMI groups were 2.44±5.60 and 0.25±0.91, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that regional wall-motion abnormality, T-wave inversion/hyperacute T wave, and initial and delta hS-TnI were predictive factors for NSTEMI. Laboratory values related to cardiac biomarkers, including hS-TnI [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval, CI): 2.18], and the delta hS-TnI [OR (95% CI): 1.55] were significant predictors of NSTEMI. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for electrocardiographic abnormalities, initial hS-TnI, and delta hS-TnI were 0.794, 0.802, and 0.773, respectively. CONCLUSION: For diagnosis of suspected NSTEMI in patients with ADHF, initial hS-TnI assay has similar predictive value as ischemic changes on electrocardiogram and superior predictive value than delta hS-TnI calculated by the 0-2-h protocol.

Incidence, Risk Factors, and Prediction of Myocardial Infarction and Stroke in Farmers: A Korean Nationwide Population-based Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to determine the incidence and risk factors of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in farmers compared to the general population and to establish 5-year prediction models. METHODS: The farmer cohort and the control cohort were generated using the customized database of the National Health Insurance Service of Korea database and the National Sample Cohort, respectively. The participants were followed from the day of the index general health examination until the events of MI, stroke, or death (up to 5 years). RESULTS: In total, 734 744 participants from the farmer cohort and 238 311 from the control cohort aged between 40 and 70 were included. The age-adjusted incidence of MI was 0.766 and 0.585 per 1000 person-years in the farmer and control cohorts, respectively. That of stroke was 0.559 and 0.321 per 1000 person-years in both cohorts, respectively. In farmers, the risk factors for MI included male sex, age, personal history of hypertension, diabetes, current smoking, creatinine, metabolic syndrome components (blood pressure, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). Those for stroke included male sex, age, personal history of hypertension, diabetes, current smoking, high γ-glutamyl transferase, and metabolic syndrome components (blood pressure, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). The prediction model showed an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.735 and 0.760 for MI and stroke, respectively, in the farmer cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Farmers had a higher age-adjusted incidence of MI and stroke. They also showed distinct patterns in cardiovascular risk factors compared to the general population.

Ionized calcium level at emergency department arrival is associated with return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: Calcium level is associated with sudden cardiac death based on several cohort studies. However, there is limited evidence on the association between ionized calcium, active form of calcium, and resuscitation outcome. This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of ionized calcium in predicting resuscitation outcome in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: We analyzed the Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium data (KoCARC) registry, a web-based multicenter registry that included 65 participating hospitals throughout the Republic of Korea. The patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest over 19 years old and acquired laboratory data including calcium, ionized calcium, potassium, phosphorus, creatinine, albumin at emergency department (ED) arrival were included. The primary outcome was successful rate of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and the secondary outcomes were survival hospital discharge and favorable neurological outcome (cerebral performance category 1 or 2) at hospital discharge. RESULTS: Eight-hundred and eighty-three patients were enrolled in the final analysis and 448 cases (54%) had ROSC. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, ionized calcium level was associated with ROSC (odds ratio, 1.77; 95% CI1.28-2.45; p = 0.001) even though calcium level was not associated with ROSC (odds ratio, 0.87; 95% CI 0.70-1.08; p = 0.199). However, ionized calcium level was not associated with survival discharge (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% CI 0.72-1.36; p = 0.948) or favorable neurologic outcome (odds ratio, 0.45; 95% CI 0.03-6.55, p = 0.560). CONCLUSION: A high ionized calcium level measured during cardiopulmonary resuscitation was associated with an increased likelihood of ROSC.

Intra-arrest transoesophageal echocardiographic findings and resuscitation outcomes.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The relationship between echocardiographic findings of intra-arrest TEE and resuscitation outcomes was not clearly identified. We assessed echocardiographic findings observed in intra-arrest TEE and its relationship with resuscitation outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective observational study analysed adult patients with non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who underwent TEE during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the emergency department. Patients were grouped according to the presence of specific TEE findings with cardiac arrest. Resuscitation outcomes were compared between groups. RESULTS: The study enrolled 158 patients (108 males, median age: 72.5 years), 40 (25.3%) patients (TEE positive group) had specific TEE findings including possible causes of cardiac arrest in 31 (19.6%) and the sequela of cardiac arrest in 9 (5.7%) while 118 (74.7%) patients (TEE negative group) had no specific TEE findings. In the TEE positive group, TEE identified possible causes of cardiac arrest including aortic dissection in 19 (47.5%), pulmonary embolism in 8 (20.0%), cardiac tamponade in 4 (10.0%), and the sequela of cardiac arrest including intracardiac thrombi in 9 (22.5%) patients. No patients in the TEE positive group and 7 patients (5.9%) in the TEE negative group survived to hospital discharge. Return of spontaneous circulation rates were 27.5% and 39.8% in the TEE positive and TEE negative groups, respectively (p = 0.16). CONCLUSION: Intra-arrest TEE identifies specific findings related to causes of cardiac arrest. Presence of specific findings is associated with poor resuscitation outcomes.

Trend in the Prevalence of Non-Daily Smoking and Their Relationship with Mental Health Using the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Non-Daily Smoking (NDS), which is increasingly prevalent worldwide, has not yet attracted as much attention as has daily smoking in Asia. The aims of this study were to identify trends in the prevalence of NDS and to compare characteristics by age, gender, and mental health indicators such as depression, suicidality, and alcohol consumption in South Korea. METHODS: We included 33,806 adults (aged ≥19 years) who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) from 2010 to 2015. The dataset includes self-reported medical history and questionnaires that explore depression, suicidality, and alcohol use, which are known to be highly related to smoking. We divided the respondents into four groups according to smoking status: Never Smoking (NS, N = 20,270); Past Smoking (PS = 6835); Daily Smoking (DS = 5927), who reported smoking every day; and Non-Daily Smoking (NDS = 774), who reported that they sometimes smoke. RESULTS: Increased NDS prevalence is observed in most age groups in both male and female adults despite the prevalence of total smoking and daily smoking gradually decreasing. Depression and suicidality were significantly more prevalent in the NDS than the NS group (Depression Odds ratio, OR = 1.72, 95% Confidence interval, CI = 1.31-2.26; Suicidality OR = 3.14, 95% CI = 1.40-7.02). NDS is also associated with a higher frequency of binge drinking and alcohol use disorder than NS (OR = 4.17, 95% CI = 3.49-4.99). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that more concern is warranted for NDS given the increasing prevalence and characteristics of poor mental health in NDS respondents.

Comparison between urban and rural mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a nationwide longitudinal cohort study in South Korea.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the risk associated with interhospital transfer of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and clinical outcomes according to the location of the patient' residence. DESIGN: A nationwide longitudinal cohort. SETTING: National Health Insurance Service database of South Korea. PARTICIPANTS: This study included 69 899 patients with AMI who visited an emergency centre from 2013 to 2015, as per the Korea National Health Insurance Service database. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: The clinical outcome of a patient with AMI was defined as mortality within 7 days, 30 days and 1 year. RESULTS: Clinical outcomes were analysed and compared with respect to the location of the patient's residence and occurrence of interhospital transfer. We concluded that the HR of mortality within 7 days was 1.49 times higher (95% CI 1.18 to 1.87) in rural patients than in urban patients not subjected to interhospital transfer and 1.90 times higher (95% CI 1.13 to 3.19) in transferred rural patients than in non-transferred urban patients. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce health inequality in rural areas, a healthcare policy considering regional characteristics, rather than a central government-led, catch-all approach to healthcare policy, must be formulated. Additionally, a local medical emergency delivery system, based on allocation of roles between different medical facilities in the region, must be established.

Descriptive analysis of prevalence and medical expenses of cancer, cardio-cerebrovascular disease, psychiatric disease, and musculoskeletal disease in Korean firefighters.

BACKGROUND: Firefighters are exposed to many dangerous working conditions. Many studies have identified the risk of disease for firefighters, but only a few studies have addressed the medical expenses of firefighters, which represents a concrete scale of disease. Our purpose in this study was to determine the medical expenditures of firefighters to assess the overall scale of disease in Korea. We focused on cancer, mental disorders, cardio-cerebrovascular disease, and musculoskeletal disease, the prevalence of which was expected to be high in firefighters. METHODS: This study utilized National Health Insurance Service data. We targeted firefighters, police officers, and government officials. We classified disease based on the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems codes. We compared prevalence by the age-standardized prevalence rate, considering standard distribution of the population. Medical expenditure of disease was defined as outpatient fees, hospitalization fees, and drug costs. Total medical expenditures were calculated by the sum of those 3 categories. RESULTS: The age-standardized prevalence of cancer, mental disorders, and cardiovascular disease in firefighters was slightly higher than or similar to that of government officials and police officers (no significant difference). However, medical expenditures for stomach cancer, mental disorders, and most cardio-cerebrovascular diseases were higher in firefighters than in others. In particular, firefighters spent 12 times more money for ischemic heart disease than did government officials. Of musculoskeletal diseases, lumbar disc disorder had the highest expenditures among firefighters. CONCLUSIONS: The age-standardized prevalence of most of diseases of firefighters was not as high as in the other groups, but the medical expenses of firefighters were much higher than those of government officials and police officers.

Prediction Model for Massive Transfusion in Placenta Previa during Cesarean Section.

PURPOSE: Recently, obstetric massive transfusion protocols have shifted toward early intervention. This study aimed to develop a prediction model for transfusion of ≥5 units of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) during cesarean section in women with placenta previa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cohort study including 287 women with placenta previa who delivered between September 2011 and April 2018. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to test the association between clinical factors, ultrasound factors, and massive transfusion. For the external validation set, we obtained data (n=50) from another hospital. RESULTS: We formulated a scoring model for predicting transfusion of ≥5 units of PRBCs, including maternal age, degree of previa, grade of lacunae, presence of a hypoechoic layer, and anterior placentation. For example, total score of 223/260 had a probability of 0.7 for massive transfusion. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test indicated that the model was suitable (p>0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was 0.922 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.89-0.95]. In external validation, the discrimination was good, with an AUC value of 0.833 (95% CI 0.70-0.92) for this model. Nomogram calibration plots indicated good agreement between the predicted and observed outcomes, exhibiting close approximation between the predicted and observed probability. CONCLUSION: We constructed a scoring model for predicting massive transfusion during cesarean section in women with placenta previa. This model may help in determining the need to prepare an appropriate amount of blood products and the optimal timing of blood transfusion.

Guideline-directed therapy at discharge in patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the relationship between guideline adherence for recommended therapy on discharge and relevant 60-day and 1-year clinical outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction and atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: Of 5625 acute patients with HF in the Korean Acute Heart Failure registry, 986 patients with HF and documented AF were analysed. Guideline adherence scores were calculated for the prescription of ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, ß-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and anticoagulants. RESULTS: In patients with HF with AF, there was a significant trend of reduced 60-day and 1-year mortality rates and the composite end point with guideline adherence. According to the Cox proportion hazard model, poor adherence was associated with a significantly higher risk of 60-day mortality (HR 4.75; 95% CI 1.77 to 12.74) and the composite end point (HR 2.36; 95% CI 1.33 to 4.18) compared with good adherence. Furthermore, poor adherence was associated with a significantly higher risk of 1-year mortality compared with moderate (HR 1.64; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.33) and good adherence (HR 2.34; 95% CI 1.39 to 3.97) and with a higher risk of the 1-year composite end point compared with good adherence (HR 1.58; 95% CI 1.07 to 2.33). CONCLUSION: Better adherence to guidelines was associated with better 60-day and 1-year prognoses in patients with HF with AF.

Effect of chest compression on skeletal chest injuries: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Reports indicate that chest compression may induce skeletal chest injuries. We aimed to assess the factors associated with skeletal chest injuries and the probability of skeletal chest injuries following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients who were successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest. METHODS: This retrospective analysis used data from adult patients who were successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest. Skeletal chest injuries were assessed by chest computed tomography images. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with skeletal chest injuries and a cubic spline was fitted to visualize the predicted probability of skeletal chest injuries. RESULTS: Among 274 patients (mean age: 62.6 years, 180 males), 185 (68%) had skeletal chest injuries. Patients with skeletal chest injuries were older in age (66.4 ± 12 vs 54.7 ± 17 years, P < 0.001), had a higher frequency of prehospital CPR (78.9 vs 66.3%, P = 0.024), and had a longer CPR duration (26.3 ± 19.4 vs 21.5 ± 14.8 minutes, P = 0.022). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age and CPR duration were associated with skeletal chest injuries [odds ratio (OR): 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.08, P < 0.001 for age; OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04, P = 0.006 for CPR duration). The probability of skeletal chest injuries was higher in patients over 60 years of age than those in patients under 60 years. CONCLUSION: In our study, advanced age and CPR duration were factors associated with a greater risk of skeletal chest injuries in adult patients who were resuscitated after cardiac arrest.

The Trend in Incidence and Case-fatality of Hospitalized Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients in Korea, 2007 to 2016.

BACKGROUND: The trend in the incidence of hospitalized acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the difference between regions has not been reported in Korea since 2010. Thus, we aimed to inspect recent trends and regional differences in the incidence of AMI and case-fatality between 2007 and 2016. METHODS: Data from the medical utilization cohort from 2002 to 2016 were analyzed. New incidence of AMI was identified by checking the diagnosis code, duration of admission, type of test, treatment, and medication. Age-standardized incidence rate by gender, age group, and resident region was calculated from 2007 to 2016. Cumulative case-fatality rate was calculated until 3 years. RESULTS: Age-standardized incidence of hospitalized AMI decreased from 53.6 cases per 100,000 person-years in 2007 to 38.9 cases in 2011. Thereafter, the incidence gradually increased to 43.2 cases in 2016. The trend by gender and age groups was also similar to the total trend. The regional age-standardized incidence was the highest in Daegu (50.3 cases per 100,000 person-years) and the lowest in Sejong (30.2 cases), which were similar to the ischemic heart disease mortality in these regions. The 7-, 30-, and 90-days and 1- and 3-years average case-fatality over 10 years were 3.2%, 6.9%, 9.9%, 14.7%, and 22.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although case-fatality continuously decreased from 2007 to 2016, hospitalized AMI incidence decreased from 2007 to 2011 and gradually increased from 2011 to 2016, with marked disparity between regions. Effective preventive strategies to decrease AMI incidence are required to decrease cardiovascular disease mortality in Korea.

Shorter defibrillation interval promotes successful defibrillation and resuscitation outcomes.

AIM: Current cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines recommend performing defibrillation every 2 min during resuscitation. This study aimed to compare the rate of successful defibrillation using 1- and 2-min defibrillation intervals. METHODS: Twenty-six pigs were randomly assigned to 1- or 2-min interval groups. After inducing ventricular fibrillation (VF), we observed pigs for 2 min. Thereafter, basic life support was initiated with a 30:2 compression-to-ventilation ratio for 8 min. Defibrillation was performed with an energy of 2 J/kg at 10 min after VF and was repeated every 1 or 2 min according to randomization. Advanced cardiac life support, including continuous chest compression with ventilation every 6 s and intravenous injection of 1 mg epinephrine every 3 min, was performed until the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or until 20 min after VF induction. Haemodynamic parameters and baseline arterial blood gas profiles were compared between groups. ROSC, 24 -h survival, and the neurologic deficit score (NDS) were evaluated at 24 h. RESULTS: Haemodynamic parameters during resuscitation and baseline arterial blood gas profiles did not differ between groups. ROSC was more frequently observed in the 1-min interval group (p = 0.047). Time to ROSC was not different between groups (p = 0.054). The 24 -h survival was higher (p = 0.047) and NDS at 24 h was lower (92 ±â€¯175) in the 1-min interval group than in the 2-min interval group (272 ±â€¯190) (p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Defibrillation success and resuscitation outcomes were superior when using a 1-min defibrillation interval in animal models of cardiac arrest.

Prognostic Effect of Guideline-Directed Therapy Is More Noticeable Early in the Course of Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: There have been few studies to evaluate the prognostic implications of guideline-directed therapy according to the temporal course of heart failure. This study assessed the relationship between adherence to guideline-directed therapy at discharge and 60-day clinical outcomes in de novo acute heart failure (AHF) and acute decompensated chronic heart failure (ADCHF) separately. METHODS: Among 5,625 AHF patients who were recruited from a multicenter cohort registry of Korean Acute Heart Failure, 2,769 patients with reduced ejection fraction were analyzed. Guideline-directed therapies were defined as the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor II blocker (ARB), ß-blocker, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. RESULTS: In de novo AHF, ACEI or ARB reduced re-hospitalization (hazard ratio [HR], 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34-0.95), mortality (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.69) and composite endpoint (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.36-0.77) rates. Beta-blockers reduced re-hospitalization (HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.41-0.95) and composite endpoint (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.47-0.90) rates. In ADCHF, adherence to ACEI or ARB was associated with only mortality and ß-blockers with composite endpoint. CONCLUSION: The prognostic implications of adherence to guideline-directed therapy at discharge were more pronounced in de novo heart failure. We recommend that guideline-directed therapy be started as early as possible in the course of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Immediate multivessel intervention versus culprit-vessel intervention only in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel coronary disease: data from the prospective KAMIR-NIH registry.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of immediate multivessel coronary intervention (MVI) remain controversial in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel disease (MVD). This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of immediate MVI compared with culprit-vessel intervention only (CVI-O) in diverse subgroups with STEMI and MVD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared immediate MVI (n=260) and CVI-O (n=931) regarding 1-year major adverse cardiac event rates for cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), and repeat revascularization in 1191 STEMI patients with MVD using data from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction-National Institutes of Health registry (2011-2015). High-risk patients and those who underwent a staged procedure were excluded from the analysis. Furthermore, propensity score matching and stratified subgroup analyses were performed. RESULTS: Immediate MVI and CVI-O groups had similar 1-year major adverse cardiac event rates [7.7 vs. 8.9%, hazard ratio (HR): 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50-1.47, log-rank P=0.5628]. No difference was found between the groups in terms of the 1-year rate of cardiac death (2.9 vs. 1.3%, HR: 2.24, 95% CI: 0.75-6.67) or recurrent MI (2 vs. 1.5%, HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 0.45-4.44). However, repeat revascularization occurred less frequently in the immediate MVI group than in the CVI-O group (2.0 vs. 5.7%, HR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.13-0.90, log-rank P=0.0142). These findings were found to be consistent across a broad spectrum of subgroups. CONCLUSION: Compared with CVI-O, immediate MVI did not improve 1-year net clinical outcomes in stable STEMI patients with MVD. The only benefit found was a reduced repeat revascularization in immediate MVI.