Age- and sex-stratified normal values for circulatory and ventilatory power during ramp exercise derived from a healthy Japanese population.

Circulatory power (CP) and ventilatory power (VP), obtained by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX), have been suggested to be excellent prognostic markers for heart failure. However, the normal values of these parameters in healthy Japanese populations remain unknown; thus, we aimed to investigate these values in such a population. A total of 391 healthy Japanese participants, 20-78 years of age, underwent CPX with a cycle ergometer with ramp protocols. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate, oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]O2) at peak exercise, and the slope of minute ventilation ([Formula: see text]E) versus carbon dioxide ([Formula: see text]CO2) ([Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope) were measured. CP was calculated by multiplying the peak [Formula: see text]O2 and SBP values, and VP was calculated by dividing the peak SBP value by the [Formula: see text]E versus [Formula: see text]CO2 slope. For males and females, the average CP values were 6119 ± 1280 (mean ± standard deviation) and 4775 ± 914 mmHg·mL/min/kg, respectively (p < 0.001). The average VP values for males and females were 8.0 ± 1.3 and 6.9 ± 1.3 mmHg (p < 0.001). CP decreased with age in both sexes. VP increased with age in females, with no significant change in males. We calculated the normal values for CP and VP in a healthy Japanese population. The results can contribute to the evaluation of patients' CPX results as a reference.

Usefulness of the predicted percentage ventilatory efficiency for carbon dioxide output during exercise in patients with chronic heart failure.

The ventilatory efficiency for carbon dioxide output ([Formula: see text]CO2) during exercise, as measured by the minute ventilation vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope ([Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope), is a powerful prognostic index in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). This measurement is higher in women than in men, and it increases with age. This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of the predicted value of the percentage [Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope (%[Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope) as a prognostic index in patients with CHF. A total of 320 patients with CHF and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 45% (male, 85.6%; mean age, 64.6 years) who underwent symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise tests using a cycle ergometer were included in the study. The %[Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 was calculated using predictive formulae based on age and sex. Cardiovascular-related death was defined as the primary endpoint. The mean follow-up duration was 7.5 ± 3.3 years. Of 101 patients who died during the study period, 75 experienced cardiovascular-related deaths. The average [Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope was 32.8 ± 8.0, and the average %[Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope was 119.6 ± 28.2%. The cumulative incidence of cardiovascular-related death after 10 years of follow-up were 44.7% (95% CI 34.4-54.6%) in patients with %[Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope > 120 and 15.0% (95% CI 9.4-21.8%) in patients with %[Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope ≤ 120. The multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that a %[Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope > 120 was an independent predictor of cardiovascular-related death (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.24; 95% confidence interval 1.65-6.67; p < 0.01). The %[Formula: see text]E vs. [Formula: see text]CO2 slope can be used for risk stratification in patients with CHF and an LVEF < 45%.

Study Design of the Japanese Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation Registry (J-CARRY)　- Protocol for a Prospective, Multicenter, Open Registry.

Background: Guidelines for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) highly recommend cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on the basis of abundant evidence of its effectiveness. However, the current understanding and dissemination of CR in Japan are far from sufficient. Methods and Results: The Japanese Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation Registry (J-CARRY) is an academic society-led prospective multicenter observational registry conducted by the Registration and Facility Accreditation System Committee of the Japanese Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation. Data are collected prospectively using an electronic data capture system. Items related to patients' clinical background and CR, as well as mortality and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, will be collected in all cases. This Registry started in May 2014, and the number of participating medical institutions is expected to increase to >30; the targeted number of cases exceeded 3,000 per year as of April 30, 2022. Focusing on late Phase II data collection is a novel and significantly different approach compared with previous studies. The results of this study are currently under investigation. Conclusions: J-CARRY will provide real-world data regarding the current status and prognosis of CVD in patients who undergo Phase II CR in Japan.

Associations of body mass index and hospital-acquired disability with post-discharge mortality in older patients with acute heart failure.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of hospital-acquired disability (HAD) on all-cause mortality after discharge according to the body mass index (BMI) in older patients with acute decompensated heart failure. METHODS: We included 408 patients aged ≥ 65 years who were hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure and had undergone an acute phase of cardiac rehabilitation at the Sakakibara Heart Institute between April 2013 and September 2015 (median age: 82 years, interquartile range (IQR): 76-86; 52% male). Patients were divided into three groups based on BMI at hospital admission: underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5 to 25 kg/m2), and overweight (≥ 25 kg/m2). HAD was defined as a decrease of at least five points at discharge compared to before hospitalization according to the Barthel Index. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 475 (IQR: 292-730) days, and all-cause mortality during the follow-up period was 84 deaths (21%). According to multivariate Cox regression analysis, being underweight (HR: 1.941, 95% CI: 1.134-3.321,P = 0.016) or overweight (HR: 0.371, 95% CI: 0.171-0.803,P = 0.012), with normal BMI as the reference, and HAD (HR: 1.857, 95% CI: 1.062-3.250,P = 0.030) were independently associated with all-cause mortality. Patients with HAD exhibited a significantly lower cumulative survival rate in the underweight group (P = 0.001) and tended to have a lower cumulative survival rate in the normal weight group (P = 0.072). HAD was not significantly associated with cumulative survival in the overweight group (P = 0.392). CONCLUSIONS: BMI and HAD independently predicted all-cause mortality after discharge in older patients with acute decompensated heart failure. Furthermore, HAD was significantly associated with higher all-cause mortality after discharge, especially in the underweight group.

Psoas Muscle Volume and Attenuation are Better Predictors than Muscle Area for Hospital Readmission in Older Patients after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether the psoas muscle volume (PMV) and its muscle attenuation (MA) are associated with hospital readmission after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). METHOD: We included 113 older patients with aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI at Sakakibara Heart Institute (mean age 85 ± 5 years, 69% women). We measured PMV and psoas muscle area (PMA) as well as total muscle area (TMA) at the third lumbar vertebra using preoperative computed tomography (CT) images. The crude values of the PMV, PMA, and TMA were normalized by dividing by height squared. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 724 days (interquartile range: 528-730 days), and there were 25 all-cause readmissions during the follow-up period (22% of all patients). In the multivariate Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, and EuroSCORE II, the PMV and its MA and crude PMA were significantly associated with all-cause readmission [HR: 0.957 (0.930-0.985), p = 0.003, HR: 0.927 (0.862-0.997), p = 0.040], whereas the PMA and TMA and each MA were not (all p > 0.05). The groups with low PMV and MA had significantly higher incidences of all-cause readmission than that with high PMV and MA (log-rank test: p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: PMV and its MA measured from preoperative CT images were independent predictors of all-cause readmission in TAVI patients.

Hospitalization-Associated Disability After Cardiac Surgery in Elderly Patients　- Exploring the Risk Factors Using Machine Learning Algorithms.

Background: Hospitalization-associated disability (HAD) is associated with prolonged functional decline and increased mortality after discharge. Therefore, we examined the incidence and risk factors associated with HAD in elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Japan. Methods and Results: We retrospectively examined 2,262 elderly patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery at Sakakibara Heart Institute. HAD was defined as a functional decline between time of admission and discharge measured by the Barthel Index. We analyzed clinical characteristics using machine learning algorithms to identify the risk factors associated with HAD. After excluding 203 patients, 2,059 patients remained, of whom 108 (5.2%) developed HAD after cardiac surgery. The risk factors identified were age, serum albumin concentration, estimated glomerular filtration rate, Revised Hasegawa's Dementia Scale, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide, vital capacity, preoperative Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score, operation times, cardiopulmonary bypass times, ventilator times, length of postoperative intensive care unit stay, and postoperative ambulation start day. The highest incidence of HAD was found in patients with an SPPB score ≤9 and in those who started ambulation >6 days after surgery (76.9%). Conclusions: Several risk factors for HAD are components of frailty, suggesting that preoperative rehabilitation to reduce the risk of HAD is feasible. Furthermore, the association between HAD and a delayed start of ambulation reaffirms the importance of early mobilization and rehabilitation.

Ventilatory efficiency during ramp exercise in relation to age and sex in a healthy Japanese population.

BACKGROUND: The current understanding of ventilator efficiency variables during ramp exercise testing in the normal Japanese population is insufficient, and the responses of tidal volume (VT) and minute ventilation (V̇E) to the ramp exercise test in the normal Japanese population are not known. METHODS: A total of 529 healthy Japanese subjects aged 20-78 years underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing using a cycle ergometer with ramp protocols. VT and V̇E at rest, at anaerobic threshold, and at peak exercise were determined. The slope of V̇E versus carbon dioxide (V̇CO2) (V̇E vs. V̇CO2 slope), minimum V̇E/V̇CO2, and oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) were determined. RESULTS: For males and females in their 20 s, peak VT (VTpeak) was 2192 ± 376 and 1509 ± 260 mL (p < 0.001), peak V̇E (V̇Epeak) was 80.6 ± 18.7 and 57.7 ± 13.9 L/min (sex differences p < 0.001), the V̇E vs. V̇CO2 slope was 24.4 ± 3.2 and 25.7 ± 3.2 (p = 0.035), the minimum V̇E/V̇CO2 was 24.2 ± 2.3 and 27.0 ± 2.8 (p < 0.001), and the OUES was 2452 ± 519 and 1991 ± 315 (p < 0.001), respectively. VTpeak and V̇Epeak decreased with age and increased with weight and height. The V̇E vs. V̇CO2 slope and minimum V̇E/V̇CO2 increased with age, while conversely, the OUES decreased with age. CONCLUSIONS: We have established the normal range of VT and V̇E responses, the V̇E vs. V̇CO2 slope, the minimum V̇E/V̇CO2, and the OUES for a healthy Japanese population. Some of these parameters were influenced by weight, height, sex, and age. These results provide useful reference values for interpreting the results of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in cardiac patients.

The use of geographical analysis in assessing the impact of patients' home addresses on their participation in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation: a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Geographical analysis is becoming a powerful tool for evaluating the quality of medical services and acquiring fundamental data for medical decision-making. Using geographical analysis, we evaluated the impact of the distance from patients' homes to the hospital on their participation in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (OCR). METHODS: All patients hospitalized for percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, valvular surgery, congestive heart failure, and aortic diseases were advised to participate in an OCR program after discharge. Using the dataset of our cohort study of OCR from 2004 to 2015 (n = 9,019), we used geographical analysis to investigate the impact of the distance from patients' homes to hospital on their participation in our OCR program. RESULTS: Patients whose road distance from home to hospital was 0-10 km, 10-20 km, and 20-30 km participated more in OCR than those whose road distance was ≧ 30 km (OR 4.34, 95% CI 3.80-4.96; OR 2.98, 95% CI 2.61-3.40; and OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.61-2.23, respectively). Especially in patients with heart failure, the longer the distance, the lesser the participation rate (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Using geographical analysis, we successfully evaluated the factors influencing patients' participation in OCR. This illustrates the importance of using geographical analysis in future epidemiological and clinical studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000028435.

Multidisciplinary Cardiac Rehabilitation and Long-Term Prognosis in Patients With Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves health-related quality of life and exercise capacity in patients with heart failure (HF). However, CR efficacy in patients with HF who are elderly, frail, or have HF with preserved ejection fraction remains unclear. We examined whether participation in multidisciplinary outpatient CR is associated with long-term survival and rehospitalization in patients with HF, with subgroup analysis by age, sex, comorbidities, frailty, and HF with preserved ejection fraction. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study was performed in patients hospitalized for acute HF at 15 hospitals in Japan, 2007 to 2016. The primary outcome (composite of all-cause mortality and HF rehospitalization after discharge) and secondary outcomes (all-cause mortality and HF rehospitalization) were analyzed in outpatient CR program participants versus nonparticipants. RESULTS: Of the 3277 patients, 26% (862) participated in outpatient CR. After propensity matching for potential confounders, 1592 patients were included (n=796 pairs), of which 511 had composite outcomes (223 [14%] all-cause deaths and 392 [25%] HF rehospitalizations, median 2.4-year follow-up). Hazard ratios associated with CR participation were 0.77 (95% CI, 0.65-0.92) for composite outcome, 0.67 (95% CI, 0.51-0.87) for all-cause mortality, and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.67-0.99) for HF-related rehospitalization. CR participation was also associated with numerically lower rates of composite outcome in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction or frail patients. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient CR participation was associated with substantial prognostic benefit in a large HF cohort regardless of age, sex, comorbidities, frailty, and HF with preserved ejection fraction.

Hospital-Acquired Functional Decline and Clinical Outcomes in Older Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the relationship between hospital-acquired functional decline and the risk of mid-term all-cause death in older patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).Methods and Results:In total, 463 patients (mean age 85 years, interquartile range [IQR]: 82, 88) undergoing elective TAVI at Sakakibara Heart Institute between 2010 and 2018, who were followed up for 3 years, were enrolled in the study. Hospital-acquired functional decline after TAVI, which was defined by at least a 1-point decrease on the Short Physical Performance Battery before discharge compared to the preoperative score, was assessed. A total of 113 patients (24.4%) showed hospital-acquired functional decline after TAVI, and 50 (11.3%) patients died over a mean follow-up period of 1.9±0.8 years. Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that hospital-acquired functional decline was significantly associated with all-cause mortality (log-rank test, P=0.001). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, hospital-acquired functional decline was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (OR 2.108, 95% CI 1.119-3.968, P=0.021) independent of sex, body mass index, advanced chronic kidney disease, and preoperative frailty, as assessed by the modified essential frail toolkit. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-acquired functional decline is associated with mid-term all-cause mortality in older patients following TAVI. Trajectory of functional status is a vital sign, and it is useful for risk stratification in older patients following TAVI.

A large-scale cohort study of long-term cardiac rehabilitation: A prospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the therapeutic effect of long-term cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and no large-scale survey of cardiovascular outcomes after long-term CR is reported. METHODS: This cohort study included 9981 patients undergoing CR from 2004 to 2015. Patients who had supervised CR were divided into three groups according to CR duration: up to acute phase (until discharge, Phase I group), up to recovery phase (≤150 days, Phase II group), and up to maintenance phase (>150 days, Phase III group). Using propensity score matching, mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were compared among the groups. RESULTS: Follow-up period was 4.9 ± 3.0 years. Adult patients were divided into three groups (Phase I group: n = 4649, Phase II group: n = 3271, and Phase III group: n = 731). After propensity score matching, the risk of death and MACE was extremely lower in Phase III group than in Phase I or Phase II group (death: HR 0.47, P < 0.01, HR 0.64, P < 0.01, and MACE: HR 0.48, P < 0.01, HR 0.70, P < 0.01). Most patients in Phase II group had better survival than those in Phase I group. Subpopulations of female patients and those with dyslipidemia, smoking history, coronary artery bypass graft, or heart failure had better survival in Phase III group than in Phase II group. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term supervised CR for patients with cardiovascular diseases is more effective than short-term CR.

Active Participation in Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Is Associated With Better Prognosis After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery　- J-REHAB CABG Study.

BACKGROUND: There is little evidence regarding the effect of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on exercise capacity or the long-term prognosis in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). This study aimed to determine whether participation in outpatient CR improves exercise capacity and long-term prognosis in post-CABG Japanese patients in a multicenter cohort.Methods and Results:We enrolled 346 post-CABG patients who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing during early (2-3 weeks) and late (3-6 months) time points after surgery. They formed the Active (n=240) and Non-Active (n=106) CR participation groups and were followed for 3.5 years. Primary endpoint was a major adverse cardiac event (MACE): all-cause death or rehospitalization for acute myocardial infarction/unstable angina/worsening heart failure. Peak oxygen uptake at 3-5 months from baseline was significantly more increased in Active than in Non-Active patients (+26±24% vs. +19±20%, respectively; P<0.05), and the MACE rate was significantly lower in Active than Non-Active patients (3.4% vs. 10.5%, respectively; P=0.02). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that participation in outpatient CR was a significant prognostic determinant of MACE (P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This unique study showed that a multicenter cohort of patients who underwent CABG and actively participated in outpatient CR exhibited greater improvement in exercise capacity and better survival without cardiovascular events than their counterparts who did not participate.

Effects of Phase II Comprehensive Cardiac Rehabilitation on Risk Factor Modification and Exercise Capacity in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome　- Results From the JACR Registry.

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is categorized as a Class I recommendation in guidelines for the management of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, nationwide studies on CR in patients with ACS remain limited in Japan. Methods and Results: The Japanese Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation (JACR) Registry is a nationwide, real-world database for patients participating in CR. From the JACR Registry database, we analyzed 924 patients participating in Phase II CR in 7 hospitals between September 2014 and December 2016. The mean age of patients was 65.9±12.0 years, and 80% were male. The prevalence of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-STEMI (NSTEMI), and unstable angina pectoris (UAP) was 58%, 9%, and 33%, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, current smoking, and a family history was 55%, 27%, 67%, 21%, and 10%, respectively. Among the entire CR cohort at baseline, 96%, 78%, and 92% were treated with aspirin, ß-blockers, and statins, respectively. After CR, the values of body mass index, the lipid profile, and exercise capacity significantly improved in the STEMI, NSTEMI and UAP groups. Conclusions: In the JACR Registry, a high rate of guideline-recommended medications at baseline and improvements in both coronary risk factors and exercise capacity after CR were observed in patients with ACS.

Cost-Effectiveness of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Medical costs associated with cardiovascular disease are increasing considerably worldwide; therefore, an efficacious, cost-effective therapy which allows the effective use of medical resources is vital. There have been few economic evaluations of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), especially meta-analyses of medical cost versus patient outcome. METHODS: The target population in this meta-analysis included convalescent and comprehensive CR patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), the status most commonly observed postmyocardial infarction (MI). Here, we evaluated medical costs, quality-adjusted life year (QALY), cost-effectiveness, mortality, and life year (LY). Regarding cost-effectiveness analysis, we analyzed medical costs per QALY, medical costs per LY, and the incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR). We then examined the differences in effects for the 2 treatment arms (CR vs. usual care (UC)) using the risk ratio (RR) and standardized mean difference (SMD). RESULTS: We reviewed 59 studies and identified 5 studies that matched our selection criteria. In total, 122,485 patients were included in the analysis. Meta-analysis results revealed that the CR arm significantly improved QALY (SMD: -1.78; 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.69, -0.87) compared with UC. Although medical costs tended to be higher in the CR arm compared to the UC arm (SMD: 0.02; 95% CI: -0.08, 0.13), cost/QALY was significantly improved in the CR arm compared with the UC arm (SMD: -0.31; 95% CI: -0.53, -0.09). The ICURs for the studies (4 RCTs and 1 model analysis) were as follows: -48,327.6 USD/QALY; -5,193.8 USD/QALY (dominant, CR is cheaper and more effective than UC); and 4,048.0 USD/QALY, 17,209.4 USD/QALY, and 26,888.7 USD/QALY (<50,000 USD/QALY, CR is costlier but more effective than UC), respectively. Therefore, there were 2 dominant and 3 effective results. CONCLUSIONS: While there are some limitations, primarily regarding data sources, our results suggest that CR is potentially cost-effective.

Physical performance as a predictor of midterm outcome after mitral valve surgery.

The usefulness of performing physical function assessments for evaluating clinical outcomes after all cardiac surgeries has been reported. However, no studies have evaluated the relationship between physical function and prognosis in patients undergoing cardiac open surgery with mitral valve regurgitation (MR). This study investigated whether physical assessment, such as the short physical performance battery (SPPB), could predict unplanned readmission events in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery due to MR. SPPB could predict unplanned admission events in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery due to MR. This retrospective study included 168 patients who underwent mitral valve surgery. SPPB was performed 1.6 ± 1.1 days before surgery. The primary endpoint was unplanned readmission. The mean follow-up period was 762 ± 480 days, mean age was 73.8 ± 6.3 years, and 43% of the patients were women. Of the study patients, 46 required unplanned readmissions; 29 of these patients required readmissions within 1 year. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that SPPB was independently associated with the primary endpoint. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis showed that SPPB had an area under the curve of 0.71, with an optimal cutoff of 11. The study patients were stratified into SPPB 12 or SPPB ≤ 11 groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the event-free rate was significantly lower in the SPPB ≤ 11 group (hazard ratio 3.8, 95% confidence interval 2.1-7.0; p < 0.001). SPPB was a useful tool for predicting unplanned readmission in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery due to MR.

Right ventricular dysfunction is associated with exercise intolerance and poor prognosis in ischemic heart disease.

Right ventricular (RV) function is a prognostic factor in ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients, although its correlations with exercise capacity and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) efficacy are unknown. We aimed to clarify how RV function was associated with exercise tolerance and efficacy of phase II CR in IHD patients. We retrospectively analyzed 301 consecutive IHD patients who underwent phase II CR. We defined RV dysfunction using a combination of RV fractional area change < 35%, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion < 1.6 cm, and systolic velocity < 10 cm/s. Exercise capacity was assessed using cardiopulmonary testing. The relation between RV function and exercise capacity was analyzed. The all-cause death and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were evaluated by survival curve. The RV dysfunction group (n = 121) showed impaired left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function before CR contrary to the normal RV function group (n = 180). The presence of RV dysfunction significantly reduced %AT by 4% and %Peak[Formula: see text] by 9% before CR, but increases the degree of improvement in %Peak[Formula: see text] with CR, independent of LV systolic and diastolic function. Univariate analysis demonstrated that previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was negatively associated with all-cause deaths and MACE. Adjusted for previous CABG, poor prognosis correlated with coexisting LV and RV dysfunction (hazard ratio [HR] 3.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-13.53, P = 0.03) and RV dysfunction alone (HR 3.08, 95% CI 1.01-9.37, P = 0.05). In IHD patients, RV dysfunction is associated with exercise intolerance before CR and increased MACE risk, independent of LV function. The CR was effective in patients with RV dysfunction.

Hair and fingernail cortisol and the onset of acute coronary syndrome in the middle-aged and elderly men.

Cortisol levels in hair and fingernail samples could represent hormone levels that have accumulated over the past weeks and months. In this study, by using retrospective indexes, the associations between cortisol and the onset of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were investigated among middle-aged and elderly men. We measured hair/fingernail cortisol levels in 73 ACS patients and 93 healthy controls; hair and fingernail samples for ACS patients were collected within a few weeks after the onset of ACS. The results indicated the patients exhibited significantly higher cortisol levels in their hair and fingernails compared with the healthy controls. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusting for the traditional cardiovascular risk factors for ACS, high levels of hair or fingernail cortisol were associated with two- to three-fold increased risk of ACS, compared with low levels. We demonstrated that cortisol exposure over a relatively long period, assessed by hair and fingernail samples, was associated with the onset of ACS.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Protects Against the Expansion of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Virtually no reports on the effects of exercise in patients with a small abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) exist. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 1515 patients with a small AAA before surgery at 2 high-volume hospitals in Tokyo, Japan, from April 2004 to September 2015. A carefully modified cardiac rehabilitation program without excessive blood pressure elevation during exercise was prescribed to 50 patients with an AAA. Using propensity score matching, mortality and clinical outcomes, including AAA expansion rate, were compared between 2 groups: rehabilitation group and nonrehabilitation group. The background characteristics of the rehabilitation group (n=49) and the nonrehabilitation group (n=163) were almost identical. The risk for AAA repair was much lower in the rehabilitation group after matching (before matching: hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.25-0.72; P=0.001; and after matching: hazard ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.50; P<0.001). AAA expansion rate was slower in the rehabilitation group (before matching: rehabilitation versus nonrehabilitation group, 2.3±3.7 versus 3.8±3.4 mm/y [P=0.008]; after matching: rehabilitation versus nonrehabilitation group, 2.1±3.0 versus 4.5±4.0 mm/y [P<0.001]). Elevation of blood pressure during exercise was positively correlated with AAA expansion rate after the rehabilitation program (r=0.569, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac rehabilitation protects against the expansion of small AAAs and mitigates the risk associated with AAA repair, possibly because of the decreased elevation of blood pressure during exercise. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: upload.umin.ac.jp. Unique identifier: UMIN000028237.