Cardiology journal最新文献

Background: The presence of locomotive disorders may negatively impact the outcome of cardiac surgeries. This retrospective study aimed to assess the effect of preoperative diagnosis of locomotive disorders requiring the continuous use of orthopedic devices on postoperative rehabilitation and stable sternum adhesion.

Material and methods: The study included 122 patients who underwent cardiac surgery, with 68 patients in the study group having a musculoskeletal disorder and 54 patients in the control group without such disorders. Preoperative demographic, clinical, and laboratory data as well as postoperative rehabilitation and sternum adhesion were evaluated.

Results: The results showed that patients in the study group had lower levels of calcium (p < 0.001), vitamin D (p < 0.001), and creatine kinase (p = 0.022) prior to the surgery. In the early postoperative period, 8 patients from the study group and 4 from the control group required reoperation due to sternal instability (p = ns). In the late postoperative period, sternal instability was present in 2 patients from the study group and 3 from the control group (p = ns). The survey study revealed a significantly better (p = 0.029) evaluation of postoperative rehabilitation among the study group patients.

Conclusions: Overall, the results indicated that a preoperative locomotive disorder has no significant impact on sternal instability in the early or late postoperative periods. However, patients with such disorders have a better understanding of the importance, purpose, and course of rehabilitation after cardiac surgery and exhibit lower levels of calcium, vitamin D, and creatinine.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a global problem that stimulates research on markers associated with the diagnosis and course of the disease. Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) is a receptor for interleukin-33 and is associated with increased mortality rates in HF patients. Malnutrition in HF is also connected with inflammation and is associated with worse prognosis. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sST2 concentration and the nutritional status of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Material and methods: 138 patients with HFrEF were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Nutritional status was assessed using Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT). The mean age was 53.6 ± 10.8 years.

Results: In the group with sST2 > 32.9 ng/mL, the GNRI score was higher and the associated risk of malnutrition was more common (29% vs. 12%; p = 0.011). Coherently in the group with sST2 > 32.9 ng/mL the median CONUT score was worse (2 [IQR 1-3] vs. 1 [IQR 0-2]; p = 0.0016) and the risk of malnutrition defined by this tool was also more prevalent (p = 0.0079). This relationship was independent of the concentration of natriuretic peptides, age and sex.

Conclusions: According to available research, this research is the first study showing that sST2 concentration is related with nutritional status in HFrEF patients. sST2 may help to evaluate the necessity for nutritional intervention in HFrEF patients.

Background: The importance of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests is especially important in the context of coronavirus disease 2029 (COVID-19) because it can significantly influence survival outcomes. The objective of this meta-analysis was to examine the primary outcomes of bystander CPR during the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.

Methods: A search was conducted in the PubMed Central, Scopus, and EMBASE databases, as well as the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials database, up to December 10, 2023. In cases where the value of I² was greater than or equal to 50% or the Q-test indicated that the p-value was less than or equal to 0.05, the studies were considered to be heterogeneous. Sensitivity assessment was performed using the leave-one-out methodology. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO with the ID number CRD42023494912.

Results: Twenty-five articles were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled analysis showed that bystander CPR frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic was 38.8%, compared to 44.8% for the pre-pandemic period (odds ratio: 1.04; 95% confidence interval: 0.93-1.16; p = 0.48).

Conclusions: The article's conclusions indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced a reduction in bystander CPR compared to the pre-pandemic period, but this difference was not statistically significant. Further research is recommended to understand attitudes, including the fears of witnesses, before performing CPR on patients with suspected or confirmed infectious diseases. The study highlights the importance of bystander intervention in emergency situations and the impact of a pandemic on public health response behaviors.

Introduction: Revascularization of nonculprit arteries in patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is now recommended based on several trials. However, the optimal therapeutic strategy of nonculprit lesions remains unknown. Murray law-based Quantitative Flow Ratio (μQFR) is a novel, non-invasive, vasodilator-free method for evaluating the functional severity of coronary artery stenosis, which has potential applications for nonculprit lesion assessment in STEMI patients.

Material and methods: Patients with STEMI who received staged PCI before hospital discharge were enrolled retrospectively. μQFR analyses of nonculprit vessels were performed based on both acute and staged angiography.

Results: Eighty-four patients with 110 nonculprit arteries were included. The mean acute μQFR was 0.76 ± 0.18, and the mean staged μQFR was 0.75 ± 0.19. The average period between acute and staged evaluation was 8 days. There was a good correlation (r = 0.719, P < 0.001) between acute μQFR and staged μQFR. The classification agreement was 89.09%. The area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve for detecting staged μQFR ≤ 0.80 was 0.931.

Conclusions: It is feasible to calculate the μQFR during the acute phase of STEMI patients. Acute μQFR and staged μQFR have a good correlation and agreement. The μQFR could be a valuable method for assessing functional significance of nonculprit arteries in STEMI patients.

Background: This study examines how the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicts coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalization, severity, length, and mortality in adult patients.

Methods: A study was done using a retrospective, single-center, observational design. A total of 400 patients who were admitted to the Ziv Medical Center (Safed, Israel) from April 2020 to December 2021 with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 through RT-PCR testing were included in the analysis. Two complete blood count laboratory tests were conducted for each patient. The first test was administered upon admission to the hospital, while the second test was conducted prior to the patient's discharge from the hospital or a few days before their death.

Results: Four hundred patients were included in the study, 206 males (51.5%) and 194 females (48.5%). The mean age was 64.5 ± 17.1 years. In the group of cases, there were 102 deaths, and 296 survivors were recorded, with a fatality rate of 25.5%. The median NLR was 6.9 ± 5.8 at the beginning of hospitalization and 15.1 ± 32.9 at the end of hospitalization (p < 0.001). The median length of hospital stay was 9.4 ± 8.8 days. NLR in the fatality group was 34.0 ± 49.9 compared to 8.4 ± 20.4 in the survivor group (p < 0.001). Comparison between the NLR at the time of admission of the patient and before discharge/death was 6.9 ± 5.8 vs. 15.1 ± 32.9 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The analyses conducted revealed a statistically significant correlation between the NLR and the severity, mortality rates, and the duration of hospitalization. The consideration of NLR should commence during the initial phases of the disease when assessing individuals afflicted with COVID-19.