Aims
The aim was to describe the prevalence, characteristics, and outcome of patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) developing left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction or pulmonary ...congestion by applying different criteria to define the population.
Methods and results
In patients with MI included in the Swedish web‐system for enhancement and development of evidence‐based care in heart disease (SWEDEHEART) registry, four different sets of criteria were applied, creating four not mutually exclusive subsets of patients: patients with MI and ejection fraction (EF) < 50% and/or pulmonary congestion (subset 1); EF < 40% and/or pulmonary congestion (subset 2); EF < 40% and/or pulmonary congestion and at least one high‐risk feature (subset 3, PARADISE‐MI like); and EF < 50% and no diabetes mellitus (subset 4, DAPA‐MI like). Subsets 1, 2, 3, and 4 constituted 31.6%, 15.0%, 12.8%, and 22.8% of all patients with MI (n = 87 177), respectively. The age and prevalence of different co‐morbidities varied between subsets. For median age, 70 to 77, for diabetes mellitus, 22 to 33%; for chronic kidney disease, 22 to 38%, for prior MI, 17 to 21%, for atrial fibrillation, 7 to 14%, and for ST‐elevations, 38 to 50%. The cumulative incidence of death or heart failure hospitalization at 3 years was 17.4% (95% CI: 17.1–17.7%) in all MIs; 26.9% (26.3–27.4%) in subset 1; 37.6% (36.7–38.5%) in subset 2; 41.8% (40.7–42.8%) in subset 3; and 22.6% (22.0–23.2%) in subset 4.
Conclusions
Depending on the definition, LV systolic dysfunction or pulmonary congestion is present in 13–32% of all patients with MI and is associated with a two to three times higher risk of subsequent death or HF admission. There is a need to optimize management and improve outcomes for this high‐risk population.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects 20-30% of the general adult population. NAFLD patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at an increased risk of advanced fibrosis, which puts ...them at risk of cardiovascular complications, hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver failure. Liver biopsy is the gold standard for assessing hepatic fibrosis. However, its utility is inherently limited. Consequently, the prevalence and characteristics of T2DM patients with advanced fibrosis are unknown. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to evaluate the prevalence and severity of NAFLD in patients with T2DM by recruiting participants from primary care, using the latest imaging modalities, to collect a cohort of well phenotyped patients.
We will prospectively recruit 400 patients with T2DM using biomarkers to assess their status. Specifically, we will evaluate liver fat content using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); hepatic fibrosis using MR elastography and vibration-controlled transient elastography; muscle composition and body fat distribution using water-fat separated whole body MRI; and cardiac function, structure, and tissue characteristics, using cardiovascular MRI.
We expect that the study will uncover potential mechanisms of advanced hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD and T2DM and equip the clinician with better diagnostic tools for the care of T2DM patients with NAFLD.
Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT03864510. Registered 6 March 2019, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03864510 .
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), including potent P2Y12 inhibition after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is recommended in clinical guidelines. However, bleeding complications are common, ...and associated with worse outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess incidence of bleeding events with a clopidogrel-based compared to a ticagrelor-based DAPT strategy, in a real world population. Secondary aims were to assess ischemic complications and mortality.
We identified 330 consecutive STEMI patients with a clopidogrel-based and 330 with a ticagrelor-based DAPT strategy. Patientś medical records were searched for bleeding and ischemic complications, over 6 months follow-up.
The two groups were well balanced in baseline characteristics, age (69 years inboth groups), sex (31% vs 32% females), history of diabetes (19% vs 21%), hypertension (43% in both) and MI (17% vs 15%). There was no difference in CRUSADE bleeding score (28 vs 29). After discharge, there were more than twice as many bleeding events with a ticagrelor-based compared with a clopidogrel-based strategy (13.3% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.005). Bleeding events included significantly more severe bleeding complications (TIMI major/minor 5.8 vs 1.0, p = 0.001) during the ticagrelor-based period. There was no significant difference in the composite of death, MI or stroke (7.8% vs 7.1%, p = 0.76).
In this observational study, a ticagrelor-based DAPT strategy was associated with significantly more bleeding complications, without any significant change in death, MI or stroke. Larger studies are needed to determine whether bleeding complications off-sets benefits with a more potent DAPT strategy in older and more comorbid real-life patients.
Interventions promoting adherence to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (exCR) are important to achieve positive physical and psychological outcomes, but knowledge of the added value of behavioral ...medicine interventions for these measures is limited. The aim of the study was to investigate the added value of a behavioral medicine intervention in physical therapy (BMIP) in routine exCR on psychological outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) versus routine exCR alone (RC).
A total of 170 patients with coronary artery disease (136 men), mean age 62.3 ± 7.9 years, were randomized at a Swedish university hospital to a BMIP plus routine exCR or to RC for four months. The outcome assessments included HRQoL (SF-36, EQ-5D), anxiety and depression (HADS), patient enablement and self-efficacy and was performed at baseline, four and 12 months. Between-group differences were tested with an independent samples t-test and, for comparisons within groups, a paired t-test was used. An intention-to-treat and a per-protocol analysis were performed.
No significant differences in outcomes between the groups were shown between baseline and four months or between four and 12 months. Both groups improved in most SF-36 domains, EQ-VAS and HADS anxiety at the four-month follow-up and sufficient enablement remained at the 12-months follow-up.
A BMIP added to routine exCR care had no significant effect on psychological outcomes and HRQoL compared with RC, but significant improvements in several measures were shown in both groups at the four-month follow-up. Since recruited participants showed a better psychological profile than the general coronary artery disease population, further studies on BMIP in exCR, tailored to meet individual needs in broader patient groups, are needed. Trial registration number NCT02895451, 09/09/2016, retrospectively registered.
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•What is already known - Interactive patient education, referred to as Heart School, is an important part of cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction and it has been ...associated with improved outcomes.•What this study adds - The provision of professional interpreters at follow-up visits improved Heart School attendance among foreign-born patients. Attending Heart School was associated with better fulfillment of treatment goals in all patients.•How this study might affect research, practice, and policy – Recommendation to provide professional interpreters for foreign-born patients to improve quality and outcomes.
Interactive patient education, referred to as Heart School (HS), is an important part of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after myocardial infarction (MI), which has been associated with improved outcomes. Little is known about HS attendance among foreign-born patients. The aims were to assess; 1) HS attendance in foreign-born versus native-born patients, 2) the association between the provision of professional interpreters and HS attendance, and 3) secondary prevention goal attainment after MI based on HS attendance.
The provision of professional interpreters during post-MI follow-up was assessed by a questionnaire sent to all 78 Swedish CR sites. Patient-specific data was retrieved from the SWEDEHEART registry. The association between the provision of professional interpreters and HS attendance was estimated with logistic regression models. HS attendance and attainment of secondary prevention goals by country of birth were investigated.
In total, 8377 patients < 75 years (78 % male) were included. Foreign-born (19.8 %) had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and were less likely to attend HS (33.7 vs 51.3 %, p < 0.001), adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.59 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.52–0.68), compared with native-born patients. CR centers providing professional interpreters had higher HS attendance among foreign-born (adjusted OR 1.55, 95 % CI 1.20–2.01) but not among native-born patients. Attending HS was similarly associated with improved secondary prevention goal attainment in both groups.
Despite similar positive association between HS attendance and attainment of secondary prevention goals, foreign-born patients attended HS less often. With the provision of professional interpreters, HS attendance increased in foreign-born patients.
Aims
Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is a heart condition mimicking acute myocardial infarction. TS is characterized by a sudden weakening of the heart muscle, usually triggered by physical or emotional ...stress. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of pharmacological interventions on short‐ and long‐term mortality in patients with TS.
Methods and results
We analysed data from the SWEDEHEART (the Swedish Web System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence‐based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies) registry, which included patients who underwent coronary angiography between 2009 and 2016. In total, we identified 1724 patients with TS among 228 263 individuals in the registry. The average age was 66 ± 14 years, and 77% were female. Nearly half of the TS patients (49.4%) presented with non‐ST‐elevation acute coronary syndrome, and a quarter (25.9%) presented with ST‐elevation myocardial infarction. Most patients (79.1%) had non‐obstructive coronary artery disease on angiography, while 11.7% had a single‐vessel disease and 9.2% had a multivessel disease. All patients received at least one pharmacological intervention; most of them used beta‐blockers (77.8% orally and 8.3% intravenously) or antiplatelet agents aspirin (66.7%) and P2Y12 inhibitors (43.6%). According to the Kaplan–Meier estimator, the probability of all‐cause mortality was 2.5% after 30 days and 16.6% after 6 years. The median follow‐up time was 877 days. Intravenous use of inotropes and diuretics was associated with increased 30 day mortality in TS hazard ratio (HR) = 9.92 (P < 0.001) and HR = 3.22 (P = 0.001), respectively, while angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and statins were associated with decreased long‐term mortality HR = 0.60 (P = 0.025) and HR = 0.62 (P = 0.040), respectively. Unfractionated and low‐molecular‐weight heparins were associated with reduced 30 day mortality HR = 0.63 (P = 0.01). Angiotensin receptor blockers, oral anticoagulants, P2Y12 antagonists, aspirin, and beta‐blockers did not statistically correlate with mortality.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that some medications commonly used to treat TS are associated with higher mortality, while others have lower mortality. These results could inform clinical decision‐making and improve patient outcomes in TS. Further research is warranted to validate these findings and to identify optimal pharmacological interventions for patients with TS.
Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of heart failure. Left ventricular adverse remodeling is common post-MI. Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between reduced myocardial strain ...and the development of adverse remodeling. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with fast-strain encoding (fast-SENC) or feature tracking (FT) enables rapid assessment of myocardial deformation. The aim of this study was to establish a head-to-head comparison of fast-SENC and FT in post-ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, with clinical 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (2DEcho) as a reference.
Thirty patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention for STEMI were investigated. All participants underwent CMR examination with late gadolinium enhancement, cine-loop steady-state free precession, and fast-SENC imaging using a 1.5T scanner as well as a 2DEcho. Global longitudinal strain (GLS), segmental longitudinal strain (SLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and segmental circumferential strain (SCS) were assessed along with the MI scar extent.
The GCS measurements from fast-SENC and FT were nearly identical: the mean difference was 0.01 (2.5)% (95% CI - 0.92 to 0.95). For GLS, fast-SENC values were higher than FT, with a mean difference of 1.8 (1.4)% (95% CI 1.31-2.35). Tests of significance for GLS did not show any differences between the MR methods and 2DEcho. Average strain in the infarct-related artery (IRA) segments compared to the remote myocardium was significantly lower for the left anterior descending artery and right coronary artery culprits but not for the left circumflex artery culprits. Fast-SENC displayed a higher area under the curve for detecting infarcted segments than FT for both SCS and SLS.
GLS and GCS did not significantly differ between fast-SENC and FT. Both showed acceptable agreement with 2DEcho for longitudinal strain. Segments perfused by the IRA showed significantly reduced strain values compared to the remote myocardium. Fast-SENC presented a higher sensitivity and specificity for detecting infarcted segments than FT.
Aims
Ischaemic coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of mortality globally due to sudden death and heart failure (HF). Invasive coronary angiography (CAG) is the gold standard for ...evaluating the presence and severity of CAD. Our objective was to assess temporal trends in CAG utilization, patient characteristics, and prognosis in HF patients undergoing CAG at a national level.
Methods and results
We used data from the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry. Data on all patients undergoing CAG for HF indication in Sweden between 2000 and 2018 were collected and analysed. Long‐term survival was estimated with multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for differences in patient characteristics. In total, 22 457 patients (73% men) with mean age 64.2 ± 11.3 years were included in the study. The patients were increasingly older with more comorbidities over time. The number of CAG specifically for HF indication increased by 5.5% per calendar year (P < 0.001). No such increase was seen for indications angina pectoris and ST‐elevation myocardial infarction. A normal CAG or non‐obstructive CAD was reported in 63.2% (HF‐NCAD), and 36.8% had >50% diameter stenosis in one or more coronary arteries (HF‐CAD). The median follow‐up time was 3.6 years in HF‐CAD and 5 years in HF‐NCAD. Age and sex‐adjusted survival improved linearly by 1.3% per calendar year in all patients. Compared with HF‐NCAD, long‐term mortality was higher in HF‐CAD patients. The risk of death increased with the increasing severity of CAD. Compared with HF‐NCAD, the risk estimate in patients with a single‐vessel disease was higher hazard ratio (HR) 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20–1.41; P < 0.001, a multivessel disease without the involvement of left main coronary artery (HR 1.72; 95% CI 1.58–1.88; P < 0.001), and with left main disease (HR 2.02; 95% CI 1.88–2.18; P < 0.001). The number of HF patients undergoing revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) increased by 7.5% (P < 0.001) per calendar year. The majority (53.4%) of HF‐CAD patients were treated medically, while a minority (46.6%) were referred for revascularization with PCI or CABG. Compared with patients treated with PCI, the proportion of patients treated medically or with CABG decreased substantially (P < 0.001).
Conclusions
Over 18 years, the number of patients with HF undergoing CAG has increased substantially. Expanded utilization of CAG increased the number of HF patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass surgery. Long‐term survival improved in all HF patients despite a steady increase of elderly patients with comorbidities.
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