Assessing if Transcatheter Edge to Edge Repair (TEER) with Mitraclip™ in patients with moderate to severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and cardiogenic shock (CS) improves outcomes compared to medical management alone.
A single-center, retrospective study was performed in an urban tertiary referral center.
Rush University Medical Center, United States.
Adult patients presenting with CS and moderate to severe MR between 2012 and 2021 were included.
Undergoing Mitral TEER with Mitraclip versus medical management alone.
Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as cardiovascular death, heart failure admission, stroke, and myocardial infarction assessed at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year. The secondary outcome was a change in New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification at 30 days and 6 months.
There were 28 patients included in the medical management and 33 in the mitral valve TEER groups. There was a decreased MACE in the intervention group at 30 days (24.2 % vs. 46.4 %, p ≤0.001) and 6 months (27 % vs. 75 %, p = 0.002), though not at 1 year (29.4 % vs. 41.7 %, p = 0.42). At 30 days, more patients in the mitral valve TEER group improved to NYHA classes I/II compared to medical management alone (10 [35.7 %] vs. 16 [50 %], p = 0.043). There were no differences in NYHA classes I/II at 6 months (7 [43.7 %] vs. 13 [54.2 %], p = 0.63).
Mitral valve TEER using the Mitraclip™ system improves mid-term cardiovascular compared to medical management alone in patients with CS but does not improve mortality.
Climate change impacts food systems, causing nutritional deficiencies and increasing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Regulatory frameworks like the European Farm-to-Fork Strategy aim to mitigate these effects, but current EU food safety regulations inadequately address health risks from poor diet quality and contaminants.
Climate change adversely affects food quality, such as nutrient depletion in crops due to higher CO2 levels, leading to diets that promote chronic diseases, including CVD. Women, because of their roles in food production and their unique physiological responses to nutrients, face distinct vulnerabilities. This review explores the interplay between climate change, diet, and cardiovascular health in women. The review highlights that sustainable diets, particularly the Mediterranean diet, offer health benefits and lower environmental impacts but are threatened by climate change-induced disruptions. Women's adherence to the Mediterranean diet is linked to significant reductions in CVD risk, though sex-specific responses need further research.
Resilient agricultural practices, efficient water management, and climate-smart farming are essential to mitigate climate change's negative impacts on food security. Socio-cultural factors influencing women's dietary habits, such as traditional roles and societal pressures, further complicate the picture.
Effective interventions must be tailored to women, emphasizing education, community support, policy changes, and media campaigns promoting healthy eating. Collaborative approaches involving policymakers, health professionals, and the agricultural sector are crucial for developing solutions that protect public health and promote sustainability.
Addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change to food quality and cardiovascular health in women underscores the need for integrated strategies that ensure food security, enhance diet quality, and mitigate environmental impacts.
Acute heart failure necessitates intensive care, and arterial catheterization is a commonly performed invasive procedure in the intensive care unit (ICU). We aimed to investigate the association between arterial catheterization and outcomes in acute heart failure patients without shock.
We utilized MIMIC-IV database records for acute heart failure patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from 2008 to 2019. Employing doubly robust estimation, we examined the relationship between arterial catheterization and outcomes, including 28-day, 90-day, in-hospital mortality, and ICU-free days within 28 days.
Of 6936 patients identified, 2078 met inclusion criteria; 347 underwent arterial catheterization during their ICU stay. We observed no significant difference in 28-day mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.61, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.31–1.21, P = 0.155), though catheterization was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality (OR: 0.41, 95 % CI: 0.14–0.65, P = 0.02). No significant effects were observed on 90-day mortality or ICU-free days within 28 days.
Our findings suggest that arterial catheterization is not associated with 28- and 90-day mortality rates in acute heart failure patients without shock but is linked to lower in-hospital mortality. Additional research and consensus are required to determine the appropriate utilization of arterial catheterization in patients.
Cancer survivors face an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular disease mortality (CVDm) compared to the general population. Allostatic load (AL), a composite score reflecting cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune markers, assesses the cumulative impact of chronic stress and life events. Increased AL in cancer patients is linked to up to a 30 % higher CVD risk. We hypothesized that cancer diagnosis and therapy contribute to increased AL, mediating the association between cancer survivorship and CVDm.
This retrospective cohort study analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data linked with the National Death Index (NDI) from 1988 to 2019. Cancer survivorship (yes vs. no), AL, and CVDm were the exposure, mediator, and outcome variables, respectively. Mediation analyses adapted to survival outcomes were performed.
Among 14,416 participants, cancer survivors <65 years-old exhibited a 41 % higher associated CVDm risk. High AL mediated 5.4 %, 8.9 %, and 3.6 % of the effect for all adults, 18–64 years, and ≥65 years, respectively. Black patients <65 years-old had an 84 % higher associated CVDm risk, with AL mediating 9.2 %, 5.8 %, and 12.6 % for all adults, 18–64 years, and ≥65 years, respectively. White patients showed a 20 % higher associated CVDm risk, with AL mediating 4.4 %, 2.8 %, and 5.7 % for all adults, 18–64 years, and ≥65 years, respectively.
Increased CVDm risk among cancer survivors, particularly in Black individuals, is associated with higher AL mediation. These disparities may stem from social determinants of health.
Cardiac allografts suffer diastolic dysfunction early post-heart transplantation (HTx) due to ischemic injury, however the natural course of diastology recovery post HTx remains unknown (Tallaj et al., 2007 [1]). We retrospectively reviewed 60 adult HTx patients between 2015 and 2021 at a single site. Invasive hemodynamics and echocardiograms were obtained at 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-HTx. RA strain by 2D feature tracking was compared to intracardiac pressure measurements. In all patients, we observed normalization of RV and RA filling pressures by post-operative week 12 and recovery of diastolic dysfunction by month 6. There was an inverse correlation between RV end-diastolic pressure and RA contractile (r = −0.192, p < 0.05) and reservoir (r = −0.128, p < 0.05) functions in the allograft. As the post-transplant care paradigm shifts away from invasive procedures, right atrial indices should be included in imaging-based allograft surveillance studies.
Climate change has been associated with adverse cardiovascular health, prompting interest in climate mitigation strategies while improving access for cardiovascular patients. We estimated greenhouse gas and air pollution savings from telehealth use in cardiology.
Using cardiology telehealth visits at a large academic medical center from July 2020 to March 2024, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions saved were calculated using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency modeling software. Savings were converted into real-world comparators and differences were assessed by cardiology subspecialty and patient insurance status.
Over 45 months, 14,828 telehealth visits among 9942 patients resulted in savings of 484,152 kg of CO2, 5225 kg of CO, 243,491 g of NOx, and 9091 g of PM2.5 with the total carbon saved equivalent to planting 9070 tree saplings over ten years. CO2 emissions saved per visit (kg) differed significantly by payor (Self-pay 24.99, Medicare 19.67, Medicaid 19.54, Private 17.85, Other 17.37, p = 0.004) and by subspecialty (Interventional 23.79, General 19.08, Heart Failure 18.86, Electrophysiology 17.81, Adult Congenital 16.59, p < 0.001).
Carbon emission and air pollution savings from telehealth in cardiology were substantial, with an estimated 19.06 kg of CO2 saved per visit and total savings over 45 months equivalent to planting over nine thousand trees.
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) may induce electromagnetic interference (EMI) affecting implanted cardiac devices, including more novel subcutaneous implantable cardiac defibrillators (S-ICDs).
In this case series, the authors retrospectively reviewed courses of 6 patients with S-ICDs who underwent LVAD implantation at a single center.
Of the 6 patients reviewed, 4 experienced inappropriate ICD shocks, of which 3 resulted from EMI. Five of the 6 patients ultimately had S-ICD therapies disabled.
Due to EMI resulting in inappropriate shocks and improved tolerability of malignant arrhythmias, deactivation or removal of S-ICDs should be considered in patients undergoing LVAD implantation.
There is inadequate awareness of the effect of food on the bioavailability of dronedarone. We report results from two phase 1 studies assessing the effect of food on dronedarone's bioavailability.
Study 1; single-center, open-label, randomized study in healthy adults (males and females). Study 2; single-center, open-label, randomized study in healthy males.
Study 1; a single 400-mg oral dose of dronedarone (marketed formulation) in fed (high-fat [47.4 g] meal) and fasted states. Study 2; a single 800-mg oral dose of dronedarone (two 400-mg tablets) after fat-rich (37.3 g) and low-fat (5.3 g) meals, and after fasting.
Pharmacokinetic parameters including maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the curve from time 0 to last measurable time (AUClast) were assessed for dronedarone and its active N-debutyl metabolite.
Twenty-six participants were included in Study 1 and nine in Study 2. In Study 1, administration of 400 mg dronedarone with a high-fat meal vs. fasted state resulted in 2.8-fold and 2.0-fold increases in Cmax and AUClast, respectively. In Study 2, administration of 800 mg dronedarone with a fat-rich or low-fat meal vs. fasted state resulted in 4.6-fold and 3.2-fold increases in Cmax, respectively, and 3.1-fold and 2.3-fold increases, respectively, in AUClast. Results for the N-debutyl metabolite were similar to dronedarone. No adverse events were considered related to dronedarone.
With food, the bioavailability of dronedarone is markedly increased. In clinical practice, dronedarone should be administered with a complete meal to maximize drug absorption.