Association of Body Mass Index with Outcomes in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Analysis from the (JoFib) Registry.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) accounts for the majority of arrhythmias affecting adults. It is associated with an increased mortality and various complications. Obesity being a major risk factor of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including AF has always been connected to the overall burden of AF, but its role in the development of AF complications remains unclear. Our study aims to evaluate the impact of obesity on the complications of AF in Jordanian patients to establish a proper prognosis since studies regarding this topic in the Middle East are scant. Methods: This study analyzed data from the Jordanian AF study (JoFib), which enrolled Jordanians with AF. Clinical characteristics were compared among patients who developed complications and those who did not. A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with AF complications development. Results: 1857 patients were enrolled. There was no significant difference in BMI value between patients who developed complications and those who did not. Male sex, old age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and higher risk scores were associated with increased odds of developing complications. The oral anticoagulant use was found to be protective. Smoking had no significant effect on odds of complications. Conclusion: The study concludes that increased BMI is not significantly associated with a reduced risk of developing AF complications. Further research with longer follow-up and larger sample sizes is needed to confirm these results.

Statin Eligibility according to 2013 ACC/AHA and USPSTF Guidelines among Jordanian Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: The Impact of Gender.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate statin eligibility among Middle Eastern patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who had no prior use of statin therapy, according to 2013 ACC/AHA and 2016 USPSTF guidelines, and to compare statin eligibility between men and women. This was a retrospective multicenter observational study of all adult patients admitted to five tertiary care centers in Jordan with a first-time AMI, no prior cardiovascular disease, and no prior statin use between April 2018 and June 2019. Ten-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score was estimated based on ACC/AHA risk score. A total of 774 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 55 years (SD ± 11.3), 120 (15.5%) were women, and 688 (88.9%) had at least one risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Compared to men, women were more likely to be older; had a history of diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia; and had higher body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoproteins. Compared to women, men were more likely to have a higher 10-year ASCVD risk score (14.0% vs. 17.8%, p = 0.005), and more men had a 10-year ASCVD risk score of ≥7.5% and ≥10%. The proportion of patients eligible for statin therapy was 80.2% based on the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines and 59.5% based on the USPSTF guidelines. A higher proportion of men were eligible for statin therapy compared to women, based on both the 2013 ACC/AHA (81.4% vs. 73.5%, p = 0.050) and USPSTF guidelines (62.0% vs. 45.2%, p = 0.001). Among Middle Easterners, over half of patients with AMI would have been eligible for statin therapy prior to admission based on the 2013 ACC/AHA and USPSTF guidelines, with the presence of gender gap. Adopting these guidelines in clinical practice might positively impact primary cardiovascular preventive strategies in this region.

Prevalence, Clinical Characteristics, and Risk Among Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease in the Young Jordanian Population.

PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) among the young population in Jordan. We examined the risk factors that might be involved in disease incidence. Clinical characteristics, patients' living standards, and various other risk factors were considered to conduct the study. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted at King Abdullah University Hospital. Data were collected from patients who visited this hospital between January 2013 and December 2017. Only young Jordanian adults of age <50 years were included in this study. The data of 358 patients were purposively collected and analyzed (as per the determined inclusion criteria), where information related to their baseline characteristics, clinical characteristics, and related biochemical assays was reviewed. RESULTS: This study showed a high prevalence of IHD among young males in Jordan. It also revealed that increased age, smoking, hypertension, unfavorable lipid profile, and obesity were the major possible risk factors for the occurrence of disease. These patients were initially diagnosed with either unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction. Initial WBCs count, particularly monocytes differential, was high in about one-third of patients, besides cardiac biomarkers. CONCLUSION: The high incidence of IHD was noticed among young individuals. We suggest that more efforts should be instigated for reducing the high prevalence of IHD by adopting a healthy lifestyle, preventive attitude, and nutritious food intake.

An observational study of the occurrence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) among jordanian patients: Identifying the influence of Ramadan Fasting.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) tend to face several health issues during the Holy month of Ramadan, due to the change in dietary patterns. This study aims to investigate the influence of fasting during Ramadan on the occurrence of ACS. METHODS: The study followed a retrospective observational design, and was conducted in King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH) of Jordan, during the period of June 06, 2016 to Aug 08, 2016 and May 27, 2017 to July 27, 2017. Data was collected from a sample of 226 male and female patients, aged between 20 and 80 years with major diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. Therefore, this is a case series of ACS patients. RESULTS: Findings of the study indicated that, Ramadan fasting is insignificantly related to the occurrence of ACS, since no significant difference was found in the incidence of hypertension (65%), diabetes (51.7%), unstable angina (56.6%) and coronary artery disease (CAD) (57.6%) findings during and after Ramadan respectively. Similar, findings were attained for patients' final diagnosis which had normal Kidney Function Test (KFT) (72.5%), platelets (91.5%), and Ejection Fraction (EF) (64.6%). Also, no significant difference was found between patients' smoking status (61.0%), hospital stay (89.8%) and discharge rate (96.9%). CONCLUSION: The study concluded that there is an insignificant association of Ramadan fasting on the cardiac patients and occurrence of acute coronary syndrome.

The effectiveness of early position change postcardiac catheterization on patient's outcomes: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Nurses play a substantial role in maintaining patient homeostasis postcardiac catheterization. Patients frequently complain of back pain and discomfort as a result of the prolonged bed rest postcatheterization. AIM: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of early position change postcardiac catheterization on reducing patients' pain and discomfort. SETTINGS: The study was conducted at two cardiac units in a university hospital in Jordan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 120 patients were used in the study, 60 patients in each of the two groups-control and intervention. METHODS: The randomized controlled trial design was used. Data were initially collected 1 hour after sheath removal postcardiac catheterization. After that, the protocol was applied to the interventional group. RESULTS: Early position change 1 hour after sheath removal after cardiac catheterization was found to be effective in reducing back pain as compared with the control group (P < .001). Also, the study intervention was found to be effective in reducing urinary discomfort (X2 = 50.83, P < .001), and increasing comfort level (X2 = 120, P < .001). However, although participants in the intervention group were less likely to have constipation and hematoma than those in the control group, this outcome was not statistically significant at P > .05. CONCLUSION: Early position change 1 hour after sheath removal postcardiac catheterization has significant positive effects on patient outcomes by reducing the intensity of back pain and urination problems and increasing patients' comfort level without increasing incidents of vascular complications such as bleeding and hematoma.

Coronary artery bypass as a treatment of stent dislodgement: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Stent dislodgement is a known complication during coronary angiography. Different methods are used to retrieve it including open heart surgery. CASE PRESENTATION: A 71 year-old male with stable angina was scheduled for elective coronary angiography. Angiography showed two significant stenosis: one in the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) and one in the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Upon deployment of the right coronary stent, it got lodged and the cardiologist was unable to retrieve it. The patient started to experience angina and his ECG showed ST segment elevation in the inferior leads. Emergency CABG was performed. CONCLUSION: Stent dislodgement is a rare but serious complication. Most cases are treated by interventional methods; however, CABG is still needed in some cases.