Carotid sinus syndrome is a cause of syncope and falls in the elderly that is frequently overlooked because of different reasons, nevertheless it might be present in up to 40% of subjects older than ...80 years. Its physiopathology is not clear even if it has many common points with neutrally mediated syncope. Its main feature is that the trigger for the symptoms is the stimulation of the neck’s baro-receptors. The diagnosis is usually clinical and the carotid sinus massage confirms it by reproducing the symptoms when it induces longer than three second asystole or blood pressure drops higher than 50 mmHg. Its treatment has many controversial points and the options are limited when it comes to the vasodepressor variety. In the cardio-inhibitory variety, the most accepted treatment is a pacemaker implant, nonetheless, the recurrence rates still high.
IMPORTANCE: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a public health issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there are few large studies enrolling individuals from multiple endemic ...countries. OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk and predictors of major patient-important clinical outcomes in patients with clinical RHD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Multicenter, hospital-based, prospective observational study including 138 sites in 24 RHD-endemic LMICs. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were cause-specific mortality, heart failure (HF) hospitalization, stroke, recurrent rheumatic fever, and infective endocarditis. This study analyzed event rates by World Bank country income groups and determined the predictors of mortality using multivariable Cox models. RESULTS: Between August 2016 and May 2022, a total of 13 696 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 43.2 years and 72% were women. Data on vital status were available for 12 967 participants (94.7%) at the end of follow-up. Over a median duration of 3.2 years (41 478 patient-years), 1943 patients died (15% overall; 4.7% per patient-year). Most deaths were due to vascular causes (1312 67.5%), mainly HF or sudden cardiac death. The number of patients undergoing valve surgery (604 4.4%) and HF hospitalization (2% per year) was low. Strokes were infrequent (0.6% per year) and recurrent rheumatic fever was rare. Markers of severe valve disease, such as congestive HF (HR, 1.58 95% CI, 1.50-1.87; P < .001), pulmonary hypertension (HR, 1.52 95% CI, 1.37-1.69; P < .001), and atrial fibrillation (HR, 1.30 95% CI, 1.15-1.46; P < .001) were associated with increased mortality. Treatment with surgery (HR, 0.23 95% CI, 0.12-0.44; P < .001) or valvuloplasty (HR, 0.24 95% CI, 0.06-0.95; P = .042) were associated with lower mortality. Higher country income level was associated with lower mortality after adjustment for patient-level factors. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Mortality in RHD is high and is correlated with the severity of valve disease. Valve surgery and valvuloplasty were associated with substantially lower mortality. Study findings suggest a greater need to improve access to surgical and interventional care, in addition to the current approaches focused on antibiotic prophylaxis and anticoagulation.
Documenting the patterns of oral anticoagulation therapy (OAT) is essential to prevent thromboembolic complications of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).
To report the patterns of OAT according ...to age and thromboembolic risk in patients included in CARMEN-AF, a nationwide registry of NVAF in Mexico, an upper middle-income country.
There were 1,423 consecutive patients ≥18 years old and with at least one thromboembolic risk factor enrolled in the CARMEN-AF Registry at their regular clinical visit during a three-year period. They were analyzed according to 1) age, 2) AF type, and 3) CHA
DS
-VASc score.
Overall, 16.4% of patients did not receive antithrombotic treatment, 19.4% received antiplatelet drugs (APD), 29.2% vitamin K antagonists (VKA), and 34.6% direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC). With increasing age, the proportion of subjects treated with VKA decreased significantly from 36.2% in subjects <65 years to 22.5% in those ≥75 years old (
<0.0001). Concomitantly, an increase in both APD and no antithrombotic treatment was observed with increasing age. DOAC were prescribed equally among all age groups (34.2% in <65, 36.0% in 65-74, and 33.9% in ≥75). According to the type of AF, VKA use was more common in patients with permanent AF (32.7%). A lower use of DOAC was observed in high thromboembolic risk subjects (33.6% in CHA
DS
-VASc ≥2) compared with the moderate risk group (41% in CHA
DS
-VASc = 1).
VKA use for NVAF in Mexico decreased in relation to increasing age. The proportion of DOAC therapy was the same in all age groups. Nevertheless, elderly patients with high thromboembolic risk received a suboptimal thromboprophylaxis. These data could help to improve gaps in the implementation of global guidelines.
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02334852.
CARMEN-AF is a nationwide multi-centric registry seeking to bridge the data gap on anticoagulation therapy for NVAF in Mexico.Elderly patients are more prone to receive suboptimal OAT for NVAF.DOAC were less frequently used in high thromboembolic risk patients (CHA
DS
-VASc ≥2).
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of stroke and systemic embolism. Several studies have suggested that female AF patients could have a greater risk for stroke. There is ...scarce information about clinical characteristics and use of antithrombotic therapies in Latin American patients with nonvalvular AF.
To describe the gender differences in clinical characteristics, thromboembolic risk, and antithrombotic therapy of patients with nonvalvular AF recruited in Mexico, an upper middle-income country, into the prospective national CARMEN-AF Registry.
A total of 1423 consecutive patients, with at least one thromboembolic risk factor were enrolled in CARMEN-AF Registry during a three-year period (2014–2017). They were categorized according to Gender.
Overall, 48.6% were women, mean age 70 ± 12 years. Diabetes, smoking, alcoholism, non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, and obstructive sleep apnea were higher in men. Most women were found with paroxysmal AF (40.6%), and most men with permanent AF (44.0%). No gender differences were found in the use of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) (30.5% in women vs. 28.0% in men). No gender differences were found in the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) (33.8% women vs 35.4% men).
CARMEN-AF Registry demonstrates that in Mexico, regardless of gender, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated. No gender differences were found in the use of VKA or DOAC.
The Mexican Registry of Atrial Fibrillation (ReMeFa) is the first national multicenter registry with one-year clinical follow-up on the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) in newly diagnosed ...patients.
To describe the demographics and treatment modalities for rhythm control (RC) strategy or heart rate (HR) control in patients with AF treated by cardiologists. A secondary objective was to prospectively evaluate the status of AF according to the chosen strategy; sinus rhythm in RC and mean ventricular rate at rest ≤ 80 bpm in HR, as well as the incidence of clinical outcomes at 12 month follow-up.
ReMeFa was a multicenter, prospective, descriptive study. We included adults with documented AF. We excluded those with AF secondary to reversible causes, undergoing pulmonary vein ablation, pacemaker or defibrillator users, with a life expectancy of less than one year, or with physical or mental impediments to meet the protocol objectives. Data were collected at baseline and at 6 and 12 months.
We registered 1,201 subjects and 1,193 were eligible for evaluation: 40% were on RC strategy and 60% on HR control. In the RC strategy, the drugs most commonly used were class III antiarrhythmics (64%), beta-blockers (25%), and digoxin (24%). In HR control strategy, the drugs used were digoxin (69%), class III antiarrhythmics (59%), and beta-blockers (56%). Compared with those on HR control, patients in RC strategy were younger (64 ± 14 years), in sinus rhythm (55%) and with paroxysmal AF (60%) at baseline. Patients in HR control were older (68 ± 13 years), with non-paroxysmal AF (91%), valvular disease (42%), heart failure (35%), left ventricular dysfunction (33%), and diabetes (25%). At one year follow-up, a 3% incidence of ischemic stroke was observed in the HR control group, significantly higher than the 1% observed in the RC strategy (p = 0.041).
ReMeFa registry results offer a current and comprehensive perspective on management strategies in Mexican patients with AF. The RC strategy provided better control of the arrhythmia as compared with the HR control strategy and it was associated with a lower rate of ischemic stroke. Nonetheless, current strategies of treatment of AF are not satisfactory.
Knowing the real impact of atrial fibrillation in the stroke, the Sociedad Mexicana of Electrofisiología y Estimulación Cardiaca (SOMEEC) had the initiative to develop a multidisciplinary meeting of ...experts the with the purpose to update the available scientific evidence from clinical practice guidelines, meta-analyses, controlled clinical trials, and complementing with the experience and views of a group of experts. To meet this goal, SOMEEC gathered a group of specialists in the area of cardiology, electrophysiology, neurology and hematology that given their experience in certain areas, they share the scientific evidence with the panel of experts to leave open a discussion about the information presented in this article. This document brings together the best scientific evidence available and aims to be a useful tool in the decision to use of new oral anticoagulants in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and ischemic heart disease, or relating to the management of patients with stroke or renal failure, and even those that will be submitted to elective surgery and invasive procedures. In the same, they handled comparative schemes of follow-up and treatment which simplifies the decision making by the specialists participants.
PDF
