JAMA cardiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Health Status Benefits of Transcatheter vs Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis at Intermediate Surgical Risk: Results From the PARTNER 2 Randomized Clinical Trial.
In patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) at intermediate surgical risk, treatment with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) results in similar 2-year survival. The effect of TAVR vs SAVR on health status in patients at intermediate surgical risk is unknown. ⋯ Among intermediate-risk patients with severe AS, health status improved significantly with both TAVR and SAVR through 2 years of follow up. Early health status improvement was greater with TAVR, but only among patients treated via transfemoral access. Longer term follow-up is needed to assess the durability of quality-of-life improvement with TAVR vs SAVR in this population.
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Women with acute myocardial infarction (MI) undergoing mechanical reperfusion remain at increased risk of adverse cardiac events and mortality compared with their male counterparts. Whether the benefits of new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) are preserved in women with acute MI remains unclear. ⋯ New-generation DES are associated with consistent and durable benefits over 3 years in women presenting with acute MI. The magnitude of these benefits appeared to be greater per increase in severity of acute coronary syndrome.
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Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition with sildenafil compared with a placebo had no effect on the exercise capacity or clinical status of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in the PhosphodiesteRasE-5 Inhibition to Improve Clinical Status and Exercise Capacity in Diastolic Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (RELAX) clinical trial. Metabolic impairments may explain the neutral results. ⋯ Our study provides a potential mechanism for the effects of sildenafil that, through adverse effects on mitochondrial function and endoplasmic reticulum stress, could have contributed to the neutral trial results in RELAX. Short-chain dicarboxylacylcarnitine metabolites and asparagine/aspartic acid could serve as biomarkers associated with adverse clinical outcomes in HFpEF.
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High-intensity statins are recommended following myocardial infarction. However, patients may not continue taking this medication with high adherence. ⋯ Many patients filling high-intensity statins following a myocardial infarction do not continue taking this medication with high adherence for 2 years postdischarge. Interventions are needed to increase high-intensity statin use and adherence after myocardial infarction.
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The randomized clinical trials comparing nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) vs warfarin largely focused on recruiting high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation with more than 2 stroke risk factors, with only the trials testing dabigatran or apixaban including few patients with 1 stroke risk factor. Despite this, regulatory approvals of all NOACs have been based on stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation with 1 or more stroke risk factors. ⋯ In this Danish cohort study of patients with atrial fibrillation and a single stroke risk factor, there was no difference between NOACs compared with treatment with warfarin in terms of the risk of having an ischemic stroke/systemic embolism. For "any bleeding," this was lower for treatment with apixaban and dabigatran compared with warfarin. These data do not allow for a definitive statement of the comparative effectiveness or safety of NOACs because of the possible residual confounding that was unmasked with falsification outcomes.