Texas Heart Institute Journal最新文献

Background: Data on race-related differences in the clinical outcomes of Takotsubo syndrome are limited, particularly for Black patients. This study aimed to assess whether race and sex may have an additional impact on the inpatient mortality of patients with Takotsubo syndrome.

Methods: A total of 4,628 patients from the United States' National Inpatient Sample from 2012 to 2016 were identified; propensity score analysis revealed a similar propensity score between Black patients (n = 2,314) and White patients (n = 2,314), which was used to balance observed covariates. Sex and age distributions were identical between the 2 groups. The groups were also similar in baseline characteristics, including cardiovascular risk factors. White patients were compared with Black patients on in-hospital outcomes and inpatient mortality. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to measure the difference in mortality based on race and sex.

Results: Compared with White patients, Black patients had a higher percentage of in-hospital complications, including cerebrovascular accidents (4.9% vs 2.5%, P ≤ .01), acute kidney injury (25% vs 19%, P ≤ .01); longer lengths of stay (8 vs 7 days, P ≤ .01); and higher inpatient mortality (6.1% vs 4.5%, P < .01). When analysis was conducted with race and sex combined, inpatient mortality was higher among Black men than among White women (odds ratio, 2.7 [95% CI, 1.80-3.95]; P ≤ .01).

Conclusion: This study showed that Black patients with Takotsubo syndrome have higher in-hospital complications and inpatient mortality rates. When race and sex were combined, inpatient mortality was significantly higher among Black men than among either White men and women or Black women.

Background: Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension have quality-of-life limitations, decreased exercise capacity, and poor prognosis if the condition is left untreated. Standard exercise testing is routinely performed to evaluate patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension but may be limited in its ability to monitor activity levels in daily living.

Objective: To evaluate the validity of the commercial Fitbit Charge HR as a tool to assess real-time exercise capacity as compared with standard exercise testing.

Methods: Ambulatory pediatric and adult patients were enrolled and given a Fitbit with instructions to continuously wear the device during waking hours. Patients underwent a 6-minute walk test, cardiopulmonary exercise test, and a 36-Item Short Form Health Survey on the day of enrollment and follow-up. Twenty-seven ambulatory patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension were enrolled, and 21 had sufficient data for analyses (median age, 25 years [range, 13-59 years]; 14 female participants).

Results: Daily steps measured by the Fitbit had a positive correlation with 6-minute walk distance (r = 0.72, P = .03) and an inverse trend with World Health Organization functional class. On the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, 77% of patients reported improvement in vitality (P = .055). At follow-up, there was a strong correlation between number of steps recorded by Fitbit and role limitations because of physical problems (r = 0.88, P = .02) and weaker correlations with other quality-of-life markers.

Conclusion: The findings of this pilot study suggest activity monitors may have potential as a simple and novel method of assessing longitudinal exercise capacity and activity levels in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Further study in larger cohorts of patients is warranted to determine which accelerometer measures correlate best with outcomes.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Early detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease are crucial for patient survival and long-term health. Despite advances in cardiovascular disease biomarkers, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease continues to increase worldwide as the global population ages. To address this problem, novel biomarkers that are more sensitive and specific to cardiovascular diseases must be developed and incorporated into clinical practice. Exosomes are promising biomarkers for cardiovascular disease. These small vesicles are produced and released into body fluids by all cells and carry specific information that can be correlated with disease progression. This article reviews the advantages and limitations of existing biomarkers for cardiovascular disease, such as cardiac troponin and cytokines, and discusses recent evidence suggesting the promise of exosomes as cardiovascular disease biomarkers.

The clinical approach to undifferentiated shock in critically ill patients should be revised to use modern, point-of-care tools that are readily available. With the increasing availability of 2-dimensional ultrasonography and advanced Doppler capabilities, a quick, simplified, and integrated stepwise approach to shock using critical care echocardiography is proposed. Evidence supports the feasibility and usefulness of critical care echo-cardiography in enhancing diagnostic accuracy for shock, but there is a lack of systematic application of the technology in patients with undifferentiated shock. The proposed approach begins with the use of noninvasive ultrasonography with pulsed-wave Doppler capability to determine the flow state by measuring the velocity time integral of the left ventricular outflow tract. This narrative review explores the use left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral, velocity time integral variation, limited visceral organ Doppler, and lung ultrasonography as a systematic approach for patients with undifferentiated shock.