Characteristics of Patients with Heart Failure and Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease (Stages 4-5) Not Undergoing Renal Replacement Therapy (ERCA-IC Study).

BACKGROUND: Despite the frequent coexistence of heart failure (HF) in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), it has been understudied, and little is known about its prevalence and prognostic relevance. METHODS: A retrospective study of 217 patients with advanced CKD (stages 4 and 5) who did not undergo renal replacement therapy (RRT). The patients were followed up for two years. The primary outcome was all-cause death or the need for RRT. RESULTS: Forty percent of patients had a history of HF. The mean age was 78.2 ± 8.8 years and the mean eGFR was 18.4 ± 5.5 mL/min/1.73 m2. The presence of previous HF identified a subgroup of high-risk patients with a high prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities and was significantly associated with the composite endpoint of all-cause hospitalization or need for RRT (66.7% vs. 53.1%, HR 95% CI 1.62 (1.04-2.52), p = 0.034). No differences were found in the need for RRT (27.6% vs. 32.2%, p = 0.46). Nineteen patients without HF at baseline developed HF during the follow-up and all-cause death was numerically higher (36.8 vs. 19.8%, p = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with advanced CKD have a high prevalence of HF. The presence of previous HF identified a high-risk population with a worse prognosis that required close follow-up.

Quality of Life in Older Patients after a Heart Failure Hospitalization: Results from the SENECOR Study.

Background: Information about health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in heart failure (HF) in older adults is scarce. Methods: We aimed to describe the HRQoL of the SENECOR study cohort, a single-center, randomized trial comparing the effects of multidisciplinary intervention by a geriatrician and a cardiologist (intervention group) to that of a cardiologist alone (control group) in older patients with a recent HF hospitalization. Results: HRQoL was assessed by the short version of the disease-specific Kansas Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12) in 141 patients at baseline and was impaired (KCCQ-12 < 75) in almost half of the cohort. Women comprised 50% of the population, the mean age was 82.2 years, and two-thirds of patients had preserved ejection fraction. Comorbidities were highly prevalent. Patients with impaired HRQoL had a worse NYHA functional class, a lower NT-proBNP, a lower Barthel index, and a higher Clinical Frailty Scale. One-year all-cause mortality was 22.7%, significantly lower in the group with good-to-excellent HRQoL (14.5% vs. 30.6%; hazard ratio 0.28; 95% confidence interval 0.10−0.78; p = 0.014). In the group with better HRQoL, all-cause hospitalization was lower, and there was a trend towards lower HF hospitalization. Conclusions: The KCCQ-12 questionnaire can provide inexpensive prognostic information even in older patients with HF. (Funded by grant Primitivo de la Vega, Fundación MAPFRE. ClinicalTrials number, NCT03555318).

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing a Multidisciplinary Intervention by a Geriatrician and a Cardiologist to Usual Care after a Heart Failure Hospitalization in Older Patients: The SENECOR Study.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of older patients after a heart failure (HF) hospitalization is poor. METHODS: In this randomized trial, we consecutively assigned 150 patients 75 years old or older with a recent heart failure hospitalization to follow-up by a cardiologist (control) or follow-up by a cardiologist and a geriatrician (intervention). The primary outcome was all-cause hospitalization at a one-year follow-up. RESULTS: All-cause hospitalization occurred in 47 of 75 patients (62.7%) in the intervention group and in 58 of 75 patients (77.3%) in the control group (hazard ratio, 0.67; 95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 0.99; p = 0.046). The number of patients with at least one HF hospitalization was similar in both groups (34.7% in the intervention group vs. 40% in the control group, p = 0.5). There were a total of 236 hospitalizations during the study period. The main reasons for hospitalization were heart failure (38.1%) and infection (14.8%). Mortality was 24.7%. Heart failure was the leading cause of mortality (54.1% of all deaths), without differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: A follow-up by a cardiologist and geriatrician in older patients after an HF hospitalization was superior to a cardiologist's follow-up in reducing all-cause hospitalization in older patients. (Funded by Beca Primitivo de la Vega, Fundación MAPFRE. CLINICALTRIALS: gov number, NCT03555318).

Prognostic Implications of Chronic Heart Failure and Utility of NT-proBNP Levels in Heart Failure Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and prognostic value of chronic heart failure (CHF) in the setting of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has seldom been studied. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence and prognosis of CHF in this setting. METHODS: This single-center study included 829 consecutive patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection from February to April 2020. Patients with a previous history of CHF were matched 1:2 for age and sex. We analyze the prognostic value of pre-existing CHF. Prognostic implications of N terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels on admission in the CHF cohort were explored. RESULTS: A total of 129 patients (43 CHF and 86 non-CHF) where finally included. All-cause mortality was higher in CHF patients compared to non-CHF patients (51.2% vs. 29.1%, p = 0.014). CHF was independently associated with 30-day mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 2.3, confidence interval (CI) 95%: 1.26-2.4). Patients with CHF and high-sensitivity troponin T < 14 ng/L showed excellent prognosis. An NT-proBNP level > 2598 pg/mL on admission was associated with higher 30-day mortality in patients with CHF. CONCLUSIONS: All-cause mortality in CHF patients hospitalized due to SARS-CoV-2 infection was 51.2%. CHF was independently associated with all-cause mortality (HR 2.3, CI 95% 1.26-4.2). NT-proBNP levels could be used for stratification risk purposes to guide medical decisions if larger studies confirm this finding.

Surface respiratory electromyography and dyspnea in acute heart failure patients.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Dyspnea is the most common symptom among hospitalized patients with heart failure (HF) but besides dyspnea questionnaires (which reflect the subjective patient sensation and are not fully validated in HF) there are no measurable physiological variables providing objective assessment of dyspnea in a setting of acute HF patients. Studies performed in respiratory patients suggest that the measurement of electromyographic (EMG) activity of the respiratory muscles with surface electrodes correlates well with dyspnea. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that respiratory muscles EMG activity is a potential marker of dyspnea severity in acute HF patients. METHODS: Prospective and descriptive pilot study carried out in 25 adult patients admitted for acute HF. Measurements were carried out with a cardio-respiratory portable polygraph including EMG surface electrodes for measuring the activity of main (diaphragm) and accessory (scalene and pectoralis minor) respiratory muscles. Dyspnea sensation was assessed by means of the Likert 5 questionnaire. Data were recorded during 3 min of spontaneous breathing and after breathing at maximum effort for several cycles for normalizing data. An index to quantify the activity of each respiratory muscle was computed. This assessment was carried out within the first 24 h of admission, and at day 2 and 5. RESULTS: Dyspnea score decreased along the three measured days. Diaphragm and scalene EMG index showed a positive and significant direct relationship with dyspnea score (p<0.001 and p = 0.003 respectively) whereas pectoralis minor muscle did not. CONCLUSION: In our pilot study, diaphragm and scalene EMG activity was associated with increasing severity of dyspnea. Surface respiratory EMG could be a useful objective tool to improve assessment of dyspnea in acute HF patients.

Prolonged QT Interval in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Prevalence and Prognosis.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of a prolonged QT interval in SARS-Cov2 infection is not well known. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the presence of a prolonged QT on admission is an independent factor for mortality in SARS-Cov2 hospitalized patients. METHODS: Single-center cohort of 623 consecutive patients with positive polymerase-chain-reaction test (PCR) to SARS Cov2, recruited from 27 February to 7 April 2020. An electrocardiogram was taken on these patients within the first 48 h after diagnosis and before the administration of any medication with a known effect on QT interval. A prolonged QT interval was defined as a corrected QT (QTc) interval >480 milliseconds. Patients were followed up with until 10 May 2020. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients (9.8%) had prolonged QTc and only 3.2% had a baseline QTc > 500 milliseconds. Patients with prolonged QTc were older, had more comorbidities, and higher levels of immune-inflammatory markers. There were no episodes of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation during hospitalization. All-cause death was higher in patients with prolonged QTc (41.0% vs. 8.7%, p < 0.001, multivariable HR 2.68 (1.58-4.55), p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Almost 10% of patients with COVID-19 infection have a prolonged QTc interval on admission. A prolonged QTc was independently associated with a higher mortality even after adjustment for age, comorbidities, and treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. An electrocardiogram should be included on admission to identify high-risk SARS-CoV-2 patients.

Clinical significance of Candida colonization of intravascular catheters in the absence of documented candidemia.

In order to assess the significance of Candida colonization of intravascular catheters (IVC) in patients without documented candidemia, we retrospectively reviewed all Candida-positive IVC tip cultures over a 4-year period. Cases were defined as those with a culture yielding ≥15 colony-forming units of Candida spp. that either did not have blood cultures (BC) taken or had concomitant BC negative for Candida. Patients were followed up until death or 8 months after discharge. Risk factors for poor outcome following IVC removal (death, candidemia, or Candida-related complication) were analyzed. We analyzed a total of 40 patients. Overall mortality was 40.0%, with no death directly attributed to Candida infection. Twenty-two patients received antifungal therapy at the time of IVC removal. Only 1 patient developed a metastatic complication (chorioretinitis) attributable to transient candidemia (2.5% of the global cohort and 3.7% among those with concomitant BC). There were no cases of subsequent candidemia. In the multivariate analysis, the use of antifungal therapy did not show any impact on the risk of poor outcome. The risk of invasive disease in patients with isolated IVC colonization by Candida seems to be low. Nevertheless, the initiation of systemic antifungal therapy should be carefully considered in such context.