The American journal of cardiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Natriuretic Propeptides as Markers of Atrial Fibrillation Burden and Recurrence (from the AMIO-CAT Trial).
Natriuretic peptides are established plasma markers of systolic heart failure, but their usefulness for the evaluation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. We examined mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients undergoing ablation for AF. A subpopulation of 102 patients (median age 60 [52;65], 82% male) from the AMIO-CAT trial (Recurrence of arrhythmia following short-term oral AMIOdarone after CATheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study) undergoing ablation for paroxysmal (n = 55) or persistent (n = 47) AF was studied. ⋯ In conclusion, AF was associated with higher plasma concentrations of MR-proANP and NT-proBNP than sinus rhythm. Moreover, AF burden was associated with subsequent concentrations of both MR-proANP and NT-proBNP. The results suggest that natriuretic propeptide measurement reflects functional cardiac dysfunction during AF, and that AF burden should be included in biochemical assessment of left ventricular dysfunction.
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Bibliometric analyses can help researchers and research funding agencies determine which areas of medicine need appropriate research attention. Citation classics of several specialties and subspecialties have been published; however, a literature search did not turn up any in the field of valvular heart disease (VHD). The main objective of this analysis was to overcome this paucity by identifying the top 100 cited articles in VHD and to assess their characteristics. ⋯ Most of the articles in the top 100 list were published in high-impact journals, with about a third of the articles published in Circulation (n = 27). Our study also reveals that the current focus of researchers in the field is on transcatheter aortic valve replacement, and therefore, funding in this area is likely to result in impactful studies. In conclusion, our study highlights the characteristics of high-impact articles in the field of VHD, and this information may be useful for investigators planning to conduct studies in this area of medicine in the future.
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Multicenter Study
In-Hospital Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease on Dialysis from a Large National Database.
The outcomes of patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis (chronic kidney disease stage 5 on dialysis [CKD 5D]) who undergo transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are not well described due to the exclusion of this group in randomized trials. We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample database and compared clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes for patients with CKD 5D versus those without CKD 5D (nondialysis group) who underwent TAVI in 2011 to 2014 in the United States. The study population included 1,708 patients (4%) with CKD 5D and 40,481 patients (96%) without CKD 5D who underwent TAVI. ⋯ Patients with CKD 5D were more likely to have congestive heart failure (16% vs 11.7%, p <0.001), diabetes with chronic complications (19% vs 5.4%, p <0.001), hypertension (86.5% vs 79.3%, p <0.001), and peripheral vascular disease (34.5% vs 29.4%, p <0.001), but were less likely to have atrial fibrillation (38.6% vs 44.8%, p <0.001) and chronic pulmonary disease (27.5% vs 33.6%, p <0.001). In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in the dialysis group (8.2% vs 4%; adjusted odds ratio 2.21, 95% confidence interval1.81 to 2.69, p <0.001) after adjusting for age, gender, co-morbidities, and hospital characteristics in a robust multivariate regression model. In conclusion, patients with CKD 5D who undergo TAVI have a higher in-hospital mortality than those without CKD 5D.
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Initiation of a Multidisciplinary, Rapid Response Team to Massive and Submassive Pulmonary Embolism.
Pulmonary embolism (PE) can result in rapid clinical decompensation in many patients. With increasing patient complexity and advanced treatment options for PE, multidisciplinary, rapid response teams can optimize risk stratification and expedite management strategies. The Massive And Submassive Clot On-call Team (MASCOT) was created at our institution, which comprised specialists from cardiology, pulmonology, hematology, interventional radiology, and cardiac surgery. ⋯ Thirteen percent (n = 9) experienced a major bleed with no intracranial hemorrhage. Survival to discharge was 89% (64% with massive PE and 93% with submassive PE). In conclusion, multidisciplinary, rapid response PE teams offer a unique coordinated approach to patient care.
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Observational Study
Outcomes of Nonagenarians Admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit by the Elders Risk Assessment Score for Long-Term Mortality Risk Stratification.
There are limited data on outcomes of older adults admitted to cardiac intensive care units (CICU), and there are no data on outcomes after admission to the CICU in nonagenarians. Our purpose was to identify whether the Elders Risk Assessment (ERA) index could risk stratify older adults after CICU admission. We retrospectively identified 453 nonagenarians admitted to the CICU between 2004 and 2013. ⋯ ERA score of 16 or greater and ERA score of 9 to 15 were both associated with increased risk of mortality compared with the reference (score 4 to 8): hazard ratio 2.00, 95% confidence interval 1.37 to 2.90, p = 0.003, and hazard ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 2.08, p = 0.02, respectively. In conclusion, nonagenarians admitted to CICU experience reasonable outcomes. The ERA score effectively risk stratifies nonagenarians admitted to the CICU and may help with identification of vulnerable patients at risk of adverse outcomes.