Aims
It has been proposed that an increase of myocardial adiposity is related to left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. The specific roles of myocardial steatosis including epicardial fat and ...intramyocardial fat for diastolic function are unknown in those patients suffering heart failure (HF) with reduced (HFrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). This study aims to determine the complex relationship between myocardial adiposity in patients with HFrEF or HFpEF.
Methods and results
Using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), myocardial steatosis was measured in 305 subjects (34 patients with HFrEF, 163 with HFpEF, and 108 non‐HF controls). We also evaluated cardiac structure and diastolic and systolic function by echocardiography and CMRI. Patients with HFpEF had significantly more intramyocardial fat than HFrEF patients or non‐HF controls intramyocardial fat content (%), 1.56 (1.26, 1.89) vs. 0.75 (0.50, 0.87) and 1.0 (0.79, 1.15), P < 0.05. Intramyocardial fat amount (%) was higher in HFpEF women than in men 1.91% (1.17%, 2.32%) vs. 1.22 (0.87%, 2.02%), P = 0.01. When estimated by CMRI (left ventricular peak filling rate), echocardiographic E/e′ level, or left atrial volume index, intramyocardial fat correlated with LV diastolic dysfunction parameters in HFpEF patients, and this was independent of age, co‐morbidities, body mass index, gender, and myocardial fibrosis (standardized coefficient: β = −0.34, P = 0.03; β = 0.29, P = 0.025; and β = 0.25, P = 0.02, respectively).
Conclusions
Patients with HFpEF had significantly more intramyocardial fat than HFrEF patients or non‐HF controls. Independent of risk factors or gender, intramyocardial fat correlated with LV diastolic dysfunction parameters in HFpEF patients.
Background
Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence rates in 1 year after cryoballoon ablation catheter (CBCA) are still high. We purposed to identify strong predictors for AF recurrence after the ...successful CBCA procedure and develop a new scoring system based only on pre‐procedural parameters.
Methods
In the derivation phase, a systematic review and meta‐analysis identified the strong predictors of AF recurrence after the CBCA. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) was used to create the new scoring system. The second phase validated the new scoring system in the cohort population.
Results
A meta‐analysis including 29 cohort studies with 16196 participants confirmed that persistent AF, stroke, heart failure, and left atrial diameter (LAD) >40 mm were powerful predictors for AF recurrence after the CBCA procedure. The HeLPS‐Cryo (heart failure 1, left atrial dilatation 1, persistent AF 2, and stroke 2) was developed based on those pre‐procedural predictors. It was validated in 140 patients receiving CBCA procedures and revealed excellent predictive performance for 1‐year AF recurrence (AUC = 0.8877; 95% CI = 0.8208 to 0.9546). The HeLPS‐Cryo score of ≥3 could predict 1‐year AF recurrence with sensitivity and specificity of 78.9% and 87.9%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 66.7%, and the negative predictive value was 93.1%.
Conclusion
The HeLPS‐Cryo score can help the physician estimate the probability of 1‐year AF recurrence after the successful CBCA procedure. Patients with HeLPS‐Cryo score <3 are good candidates for the CBCA procedure.
Prediabetes, an intermediate stage between normal blood sugar levels and a diabetes mellitus diagnosis, is increasing in prevalence. Severe prediabetes is associated with a similar risk of ...complications as diabetes, but its relationship with peripheral arterial disease remains underexplored.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 36,950 adult patients, utilizing electronic medical records from the National Taiwan University Hospital between 2014 and 2019. We employed multivariable Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test to analyze major adverse limb events (MALE) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in relation to normal glucose regulation (NGR) and prediabetes.
During the 131,783 person-years follow-up, 17,754 cases of prediabetes and 19,196 individuals with normal glucose regulation (NGR) were identified. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed an increased incidence of both MALE and MACE in individuals with prediabetes. (log-rank p = 0.024 and < 0.001). Prediabetes exhibited a significant association with an elevated risk of MALE (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.26 95% CI 1.10-1.46, p = 0.001) and MACE (aHR 1.46 1.27-1.67, p < 0.001). Furthermore, in individuals with prediabetes, the elevation in the risk of MALE commenced before HbA1c levels surpassed 5.0% (for HbA1c 5.0-5.5%: aHR 1.78 (1.04-3.04), p = 0.036; HbA1c 5.5-6.0%: aHR 1.29 1.06-1.58, p = 0.012; aHbA1c 6.0-6.5%: aHR 1.39 1.14-1.70, p < 0.001). Similarly, the onset of increased MACE risk was observed when HbA1c levels exceeded 5.5% (for HbA1c 5.5-6.0%: aHR 1.67 1.39-2.01, p < 0.001; HbA1c 6.0-6.5%: HR 2.10 1.76-2.51, p < 0.001). Factors associated with both MALE and MACE in prediabetes include advanced age, male gender, higher body mass index, and a history of heart failure or atrial fibrillation.
We demonstrated higher susceptibility to MALE and MACE in prediabetes compared to normoglycemic counterparts, notwithstanding lower HbA1c levels. Complications may manifest at an earlier prediabetes trajectory. Intensive lifestyle modification may improve the prognosis of severe prediabetes.
Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, significantly improves cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients; however, the mechanism is unclear. We hypothesized that ...empagliflozin might have beneficial effects on cardiac function, structure, adiposity, and myocardial diffuse fibrosis. This prospective study enrolled 35 patients (48.6% men, age 63.5 ± 9.7 years) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from June 1, 2017, to November 31, 2018. The patients received an SGLT2 inhibitor (empagliflozin 25 or 12.5 mg/d) for 6 months in addition to stable oral hypoglycaemic treatment. All patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) before and after empagliflozin treatment. Left ventricular (LV) function and structure were quantified using cine CMRI. Cardiac adiposity was defined based on pericardial fat and intracardiac triglyceride contents, whereas myocardial diffuse fibrosis was indicated by extracellular volume (ECV). The statistical significance of parameter changes was assessed using paired t-test and stepwise multiple linear regression. There were no significant differences in LV function and structure changes. Cardiac adiposity and diffuse fibrosis indices were also not different before and after empagliflozin treatment. Concerning clinical parameters, only a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure (by 6.4 mmHg) was observed (p = 0.013). Stepwise multiple linear regression revealed that worse baseline MRI parameters were associated with better improvements. Intracardiac triglyceride content decrease was inversely associated with baseline intracardiac triglyceride content (p < 0.001). Pericardial fat changes were negatively correlated with baseline pericardial fat (p < 0.001) and ECV changes (p = 0.028). ECV changes were inversely associated with baseline ECV (p < 0.001), baseline LV ejection fraction (p < 0.001), and LV mass index changes (p = 0.020). This study demonstrated that 6 months of empagliflozin treatment did not significantly improve the LV function, structure, adiposity, and diffuse fibrosis in patients with T2DM. Further, the beneficial effects of empagliflozin treatment might be more evident in patients with worse baseline LV substrate and structure.
The glycemic continuum often indicates a gradual decline in insulin sensitivity leading to an increase in glucose levels. Although prediabetes is an established risk factor for both macrovascular and ...microvascular diseases, whether prediabetes is independently associated with the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF), particularly the occurrence time, has not been well studied using a high-quality research design in combination with statistical machine-learning algorithms.
Using data available from electronic medical records collected from the National Taiwan University Hospital, a tertiary medical center in Taiwan, we conducted a retrospective cohort study consisting 174,835 adult patients between 2014 and 2019 to investigate the relationship between prediabetes and AF. To render patients with prediabetes as comparable to those with normal glucose test, a propensity-score matching design was used to select the matched pairs of two groups with a 1:1 ratio. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the cumulative risk of AF between prediabetes and normal glucose test using log-rank test. The multivariable Cox regression model was employed to estimate adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for prediabetes versus normal glucose test by stratifying three levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The machine-learning algorithm using the random survival forest (RSF) method was further used to identify the importance of clinical factors associated with AF in patients with prediabetes.
A sample of 14,309 pairs of patients with prediabetes and normal glucose test result were selected. The incidence of AF was 11.6 cases per 1000 person-years during a median follow-up period of 47.1 months. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the risk of AF was significantly higher in patients with prediabetes (log-rank p < 0.001). The multivariable Cox regression model indicated that prediabetes was independently associated with a significant increased risk of AF (HR 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.11-1.39, p < 0.001), particularly for patients with HbA1c above 5.5%. The RSF method identified elevated N-terminal natriuretic peptide and altered left heart structure as the two most important risk factors for AF among patients with prediabetes.
Our study found that prediabetes is independently associated with a higher risk of AF. Furthermore, alterations in left heart structure make a significant contribution to this elevated risk, and these structural changes may begin during the prediabetes stage.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Glycemic variability (GV) is associated with risk of micro- and macrovascular diseases. However, whether the GV ...can increase the risk of AF remains unknown.
The cohort study used a database from National Taiwan University Hospital, a tertiary medical center in Taiwan. Between 2014 and 2019, a total of 27,246 adult patients with T2DM were enrolled for analysis. Each individual was assessed to determine the coefficients of variability of fasting glucose (FGCV) and HbA1c variability score (HVS). The GV parameters were categorized into quartiles. Multivariate Cox regression models were employed to estimate the relationship between the GV parameters and the risk of AF, transient ischemic accident (TIA)/ischemic stroke and mortality in patients with T2DM.
The incidence rates of AF and TIA/ischemic stroke were 21.31 and 13.71 per 1000 person-year respectively. The medium follow-up period was 70.7 months. In Cox regression model with full adjustment, the highest quartile of FGCV was not associated with increased risk of AF Hazard ratio (HR): 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-1.29, p = 0.148 or TIA/ischemic stroke (HR: 1.04, 95% CI 0.83-1.31, p = 0.736), but was associated with increased risk of total mortality (HR: 1.33, 95% CI 1.12-1.58, p < 0.001) and non-cardiac mortality (HR: 1.41, 95% CI 1.15-1.71, p < 0.001). The highest HVS was significantly associated with increased risk of AF (HR: 1.29, 95% CI 1.12-1.50, p < 0.001), total mortality (HR: 2.43, 95% CI 2.03-2.90, p < 0.001), cardiac mortality (HR: 1.50, 95% CI 1.06-2.14, p = 0.024) and non-cardiac mortality (HR: 2.80, 95% CI 2.28-3.44, p < 0.001) but was not associated with TIA/ischemic stroke (HR: 0.98, 95% CI 0.78-1.23, p = 0.846). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significantly higher risk of AF, cardiac and non-cardiac mortality according to the magnitude of GV (log-rank test, p < 0.001).
Our data demonstrate that high GV is independently associated with the development of new-onset AF in patients with T2DM. The benefit of maintaining stable glycemic levels to improve clinical outcomes warrants further studies.
Background Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a severe complication in patients with type 2 diabetes. Glycemic variability (GV) is associated with increased risks of developing microvascular and ...macrovascular diseases. However, few studies have focused on the association between GV and PAD. Methods and Results This cohort study used a database maintained by the National Taiwan University Hospital, a tertiary medical center in Taiwan. For each individual, GV parameters were calculated, including fasting glucose coefficient of variability (FGCV) and hemoglobin A1c variability score (HVS). Multivariate Cox regression models were constructed to estimate the relationships between GV parameters and composite scores for major adverse limb events (MALEs) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). Between 2014 and 2019, a total of 45 436 adult patients with prevalent type 2 diabetes were enrolled for analysis, and GV was assessed during a median follow-up of 64.4 months. The average number of visits and time periods were 13.38 and 157.87 days for the HVS group and 14.27 and 146.59 days for the FGCV group, respectively. The incidence rates for cardiac mortality, PAD, and critical limb ischemia (CLI) were 5.38, 20.11, and 2.41 per 1000 person-years in the FGCV group and 5.35, 20.32, and 2.50 per 1000 person-years in HVS group, respectively. In the Cox regression model with full adjustment, the highest FGCV quartile was associated with significantly increased risks of MALEs (hazard ratio HR, 1.57 95% CI, 1.40-1.76;
<0.001) and MACEs (HR, 1.40 95% CI, 1.25-1.56;
<0.001). Similarly, the highest HVS quartile was associated with significantly increased risks of MALEs (HR, 1.44 95% CI, 1.28-1.62;
<0.001) and MACEs (HR, 1.28 95% CI, 1.14-1.43;
<0.001). The highest FGCV and HVS quartiles were both associated with the development of PAD and CLI (FGCV: PAD HR, 1.57;
<0.001, CLI HR, 2.19;
<0.001; HVS: PAD HR, 1.44;
<0.001, CLI HR, 1.67;
=0.003). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significantly higher risks of MALEs and MACEs with increasing GV magnitude (log-rank
<0.001). Conclusions Among individuals with diabetes, increased GV is independently associated with the development of MALEs, including PAD and CLI, and MACEs. The benefit of maintaining stable glycemic levels for improving clinical outcomes warrants further studies.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Obesity commonly accompanies T2DM, and increases the risk of AF. However, the dose-relationship between body ...mass index (BMI) and AF risk has seldom been studied in patients with diabetes.
This cohort study utilized a database from National Taiwan University Hospital, a tertiary medical center in Taiwan. Between 2014 and 2019, 64,339 adult patients with T2DM were enrolled for analysis. BMI was measured and categorized as underweight (BMI < 18.5), normal (18.5 ≤ BMI < 24), overweight (24 ≤ BMI < 27), obesity class 1 (27 ≤ BMI < 30), obesity class 2 (30 ≤ BMI < 35), or obesity class 3 (BMI ≥ 35). Multivariate Cox regression and spline regression models were employed to estimate the relationship between BMI and the risk of AF in patients with T2DM.
The incidence of AF was 1.97 per 1000 person-years (median follow-up, 70.7 months). In multivariate Cox regression, using normal BMI as the reference group, underweight (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.25-1.87, p < 0.001) was associated with a significantly higher risk of AF, while overweight was associated with significantly reduced risk of AF (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73-0.89, p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed AF risk was highest in the underweight group, followed by obesity class 3, while the overweight group had the lowest incidence of AF (log-rank test, p < 0.001). The cubic restrictive spline model revealed a "J-shaped" or "L-shaped" relationship between BMI and AF risk.
Underweight status confers the highest AF risk in Asian patients with T2DM.
Background
Common carotid artery total occlusion is rare but can be associated with a variety of neurological symptoms due to inadequate cerebral perfusion. The treatment includes bypass surgery, ...endarterectomy, and endovascular revascularization.
Case presentation
Herein, we report two cases of common carotid artery total occlusion treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, and review the literature.
Conclusion
Both of our cases were successfully treated with endovascular revascularization for common carotid artery total stenosis. Endovascular therapy provided an alternative treatment. Further large clinical study for comparing the safety and efficiency in surgical and endovascular treatment may be required.
Level of evidence
Level 4, Case Series.
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