The American journal of cardiology
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Review Meta Analysis
Meta-Analysis of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure as a Therapy of Atrial Fibrillation in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a significant health care problem for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as a therapy for OSA is underused, and it is unknown if CPAP might reduce rates of AF. We systematically reviewed the published reports on CPAP use and risk of AF. ⋯ In metaregression analysis, benefits of CPAP were stronger for younger, obese, and male patients (p <0.05). An inverse relationship between CPAP therapy and AF recurrence was observed. Results suggest that more patients with AF also should be tested for OSA.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Clinical Outcome and Cost Analysis of Sutureless Versus Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With Propensity Score Matching Analysis.
Surgical sutureless and interventional transcatheter aortic valve prostheses are nowadays extensively adopted in high-risk elderly patients. An explorative analysis was carried out to compare the clinical outcome and costs associated to these approaches. Since 2010, a total of 626 patients were distributed between transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI; n = 364) and sutureless (n = 262) groups. ⋯ In conclusion, the patients in the "gray zone" record a satisfying clinical outcome after sutureless surgery and TAVI. Patients in the sutureless group endure more hospital complications, but TAVI entails a higher follow-up mortality. On the costs aspects, TAVI technologies are more expensive, and it reflects on higher overall hospital costs.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of Outcomes of Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Using a Minimally Invasive Versus Conventional Strategy.
Some centers, mostly in Europe, have demonstrated the feasibility of a minimally invasive strategy (MIS; i.e., local anesthesia and conscious sedation, performed in the cath laboratory without transesophageal echocardiography guidance). Nonetheless, the experience of MIS for TAVI using both commercially available valves is lacking in the United States. We, therefore, retrospectively studied all transfemoral TAVI cases performed at our institution between March 2011 and November 2014 to assess the safety and efficacy of MIS. ⋯ At a median follow-up of 230 days, no significant difference in survival rate was detected (89% vs 88%, p = 0.9). On average, MIS was associated with remarkable cost saving compared with CS ($16,000/case). In conclusion, TAVI through MIS was associated with a shorter postprocedural hospital stay, lower costs, and similar safety profile while keeping procedural efficacy compared with CS.