Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk for mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the benefit of homocysteine-lowering therapy remains ...controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of homocysteine-lowering therapy on the long-term outcomes of patients with CAD and its interaction with the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genotype. The study sample included 492 patients with early-onset CAD who were genotyped for the C677T mutation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene or screened for elevated homocysteine from January 1997 to December 2002. Folic acid ≥400 μg/day with or without additional B vitamins was administered at the attending physicians' discretion. There was no difference between treated (n = 140) and untreated patients in age, gender, or prevalence of coronary risk factors. Forty-six patients (9%) died during a median follow-up period of 115 months. Treatment was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality in patients with homocysteine levels >15 μmol/L (4% vs 32%, p <0.001) but not in patients with lower levels (5% vs 7%, p >0.05). On Cox regression analysis, the following factors were independently associated with all-cause mortality: vitamin therapy (hazard ratio 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.11 to 0.98, p = 0.046), elevated homocysteine level (hazard ratio 3.5, 95% confidence interval 1.31 to 9.43, p = 0.013), and older age (hazard ratio 1.1, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.14, p <0.0001 for an increment of 5 years). The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genotype was not associated with outcomes. In conclusion, long-term folate-based vitamin therapy was independently associated with lower all-cause mortality in patients with CAD and elevated homocysteine levels. This association was not observed in patients with lower homocysteine levels.
Surgical treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) remains challenging, especially in cases of perivalvular destruction and poor clinical presentation. We evaluated the outcomes of surgery for simple ...(isolated leaflet involvement) versus complex (perivalvular involvement) primary left-sided native valve endocarditis. From 2005 to 2019, a total of 128 consecutive patients (age 57.7 ± 14.2 years) with IE were surgically managed. Study end points were operative and late mortality and freedom from recurrent infection and reoperation for recurrent endocarditis. Patients were categorized as having simple IE (n = 91) versus complex IE (n = 37) based on the preoperative imaging and/or intraoperative findings. Valves involved were aortic in 39% (n = 50), mitral in 46% (n = 59), or both (11%, n = 14). The operative mortality was 11.7% (n = 15), and 9 of them (60%) presented with shock or multiorgan failure. A critical preoperative state was the only independent risk factor for early mortality (odds ratio 7.43, p <0.01). The overall survival was 81.9%, 74.8%, 58%, and 52% at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. Long-term survival was similar between simple and complex groups (p = 0.29). Chronic renal failure was the only independent risk factor for late mortality (hazard ratio 2.44, p = 0.02). Freedom from re-endocarditis was 95.2%. None of the patients underwent reoperation because of recurrent endocarditis. Mitral valve repair was performed in 30.7% of all cases with mitral valve involvement. None of them had significant mitral regurgitation or recurrent endocarditis on follow-up. In conclusion, surgery for IE in the setting of complex perivalvular involvement is associated with a low rate of recurrent endocarditis or reoperation and comparable long-term survival to patients with isolated leaflet involvement. Mitral valve repair was feasible and durable in a significant proportion of patients even in the presence of endocarditis.
The study sought to examine the effect of coronary artery disease (CAD) on mortality in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
CAD is common in the TAVR population. ...However, there are conflicting data on the prognostic significance of CAD and its treatment in this population.
The authors analyzed 1,270 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing TAVR at 3 Israeli centers. They investigated the association of CAD severity (no CAD, nonsevere CAD i.e., SYNTAX score (SS) <22, severe CAD SS >22) and revascularization completeness (“reasonable” incomplete revascularization ICR i.e., residual SS <8; ICR residual SS >8) with all-cause mortality following TAVR using a Cox proportional hazards ratio model adjusted for multiple prognostic variables.
Of the 1,270 patients, 817 (64%) had no CAD, 331 (26%) had nonsevere CAD, and 122 (10%) had severe CAD. Over a median follow-up of 1.9 years, 311 (24.5%) patients died. Mortality was higher in the severe CAD and the ICR groups, but not in the nonsevere CAD or “reasonable” ICR groups, versus no CAD. After multivariate adjustment, both severe CAD (hazard ratio: 2.091; p = 0.017) and ICR (hazard ratio: 1.720; p = 0.031) were associated with increased mortality.
Only severe CAD was associated with increased mortality post-TAVR. More complete revascularization pre-TAVR may attenuate the association of severe CAD and mortality.
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The application of the CHA2DS2-VASC score as a novel risk stratification tool for predicting outcome in clinical applications other than atrial fibrillation and stroke prevention has been previously ...examined. However, its usefulness in a population of patients with coronary artery disease after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been explored. We investigated 12,785 consecutive patients who underwent PCI in a tertiary medical center from April 2004 to August 2014 (mean follow-up 6.5 years) and computed the CHA2DS2-VASC score on their index PCI. We assessed the relation between the CHA2DS2-VASC score and clinical outcomes (for example, all-cause mortality and mortality or myocardial infarction) at 1 and 5 years. The mean CHA2DS2-VASC score was 3.7 ± 1.7, 59.1% of patients obtained a score of 3 to 5. Both the primary and secondary outcomes at 1 and 5 years were significantly more frequent as the CHA2DS2-VASC score increased. Overall, the mortality rate after PCI was 10 times higher for patients with a CHA2DS2-VASC score of 5 compared with a score of 1 at both 1-and 5-year follow-up. The CHA2DS2-VASC score predicted all-cause mortality and death or nonfatal myocardial infarction in a significant (p <0.001, C-index 0.73 and 0.72) and linear fashion. In conclusion, the CHA2DS2-VASC score can be used as a simple and effective tool to predict long-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing PCI.
Despite recent progress in coronary artery disease treatment, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains a very high-risk medical condition. Whether recent patients' outcomes, ...following implementation of the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) STEMI guidelines have improved, is yet unclear.
The study was based on a prospective detailed registry of 2004 consecutive patients with STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). We compared trends during two different time periods (2006-2012 vs. 2012-2018). Endpoints included mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE: death, repeat myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization and coronary artery bypass surgery) at 1 month, 1 and 2 years. Rates of transradial interventions have risen significantly (67.3 vs. 42.0%; P < 0.01), as have rates of prasugrel administration (69.8 vs. 4.5%; P < 0.01) and use of drug eluting stents (75.5 vs. 56.5%; P < 0.01). Both at 1 and at 2 years, MACE was significantly lower in the later period (11.6 vs. 20.9%; P < 0.01 and 18.9 vs. 25.4%; P < 0.01 respectively), whereas mortality was only significantly lower after 1 year (5.8 vs. 8.6%; P = 0.02). Cox regression identified the later period (2012-2018) to independently and favorably impact MACE (hazard ratio, -0.69; 95% CI, 0.56-0.85; P < 0.01) but not mortality (hazard ratio, -0.76; 95% CI, 0.54-1.05; P = 0.09).
Among patients treated with pPCI for STEMI, adoption of the contemporary evidence-based treatments is associated with better MACE derived outcomes, following the inception of the 2012 ESC guidelines. Nonetheless, the long-term mortality was marginally (but not significantly) lower, which indicates an unmet need for further improvement.
Transfemoral aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a guideline-recommended treatment option for patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. Women and men present with different baseline characteristics, ...which may influence procedural outcomes.
This study sought to evaluate differences between women and men undergoing transfemoral TAVR across the globe during the last decade.
The CENTER (Cerebrovascular EveNts in patients undergoing TranscathetER aortic valve implantation with balloon-expandable valves versus self-expandable valves)-collaboration was a global patient level dataset of patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR (N = 12,381) from 2007 to 2018. In this retrospective analysis, the study examined differences in baseline patient characteristics, 30-day stroke and mortality, and in-hospital outcomes between female and male patients. The study also assessed for temporal changes in outcomes and predictors for mortality per sex.
We included 58% (n = 7,120) female and 42% (n = 5,261) male patients. Women had higher prevalence of hypertension and glomerular filtration rate <30 ml/min/1.73 m2 but lower prevalence of all other traditional cardiovascular comorbidities. Both sexes had similar rates of 30-day stroke (2.3% vs. 2.5%; p = 0.53) and mortality (5.9% vs. 5.5%; p = 0.17). In contrast, women had a 50% higher risk of life-threatening or major bleeding (6.7% vs. 4.4%; p < 0.01). Over the study period, mortality rates decreased to a greater extent in men than in women (60% vs. 50% reduction; both p < 0.001), with no reductions in stroke rates over time.
In this global collaboration, women and men had similar rates of 30-day mortality and stroke. However, women had higher rates of procedural life-threatening or major bleeding after TAVR. Between 2007 and 2018, mortality rates decreased to a greater extent in men than in women.
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