The American journal of cardiology
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Conflicting data exist regarding the associations between on-site surgical backup and outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Thus, we sought to assess the impact of such a backup on periprocedural outcomes of primary PCI using data from the Polish National Registry of PCI. From 2014 to 2016 data on 66,707 patients presenting with STEMI undergoing primary PCI from 154 centers were collected. ⋯ The periprocedural mortality (1.60% vs 1.09%; p <0.001) was lower in patients from centers with on-site cardiac surgery and both on-site surgical backup (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.618 [0.517; 0.738]; p <0.001) and the mean number of PCIs by operator per year (odds ratio per 10 [95% confidence interval], 0.990 [0.984; 0.996]; p = 0.001] were independent predictors of periprocedural death. In conclusion, results of our study suggest that periprocedural mortality in patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI is lower in centers than without on-site cardiac surgical backup. Whether this effect on mortality is attributable to such backup itself and/or whether surgical backup is a marker of overall better medical care and adherence to professional guidelines, this needs clarification in further studies.
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Malignancy is a common cause of pericardial effusions. The findings, immediate safety and longer-term outcomes of pericardiocentesis are less well defined. We reviewed the cases of all patients with malignancy that underwent pericardiocentesis at our institution over a 10-year period. ⋯ Patients with either lymphoma or chronic leukemia had better survival than those with carcinoma or sarcoma (median survival 102 vs 12 weeks, p < 0.0001) with a 46% vs 3% 5-year survival, p < 0.0001). Echoguided pericardiocentesis with extended pericardial catheter placement is safe and effective in cancer patients with pericardial effusions. However, overall outcomes are poor in cancer patients with pericardial effusions that required drainage, particularly in those with carcinoma or sarcoma.
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The effectiveness of dissemination of public-access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) has been well established for adults, but not for children at the population level. We obtained out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data between January 2005 and December 2014 from a nationwide OHCA registry of Japan. Our study subjects were OHCA cases aged 6 to 17, involving attempted resuscitation by emergency medical service personnel or by bystanders. ⋯ Accordingly, the 1-month survival with favorable neurological outcome improved significantly (5.3% in 2005 and 9.0% in 2014, p for-trend <0.001). In multivariable analysis, receiving shocks by a public-access AED was significantly associated with improved outcomes (adjusted odds ratio 2.13, 95% confidence interval 1.43 to 4.15; p <0.001). In conclusion, the significant increase in receiving shocks by a public-access AED was followed by a substantial improvement in patient outcomes after OHCA in school-age children in Japan.
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Nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been proposed as an alternative to vitamin K antagonists in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients but the comparative benefits between NOACs and optimally anticoagulated patients is unknown. We estimated the absolute benefit in clinical outcomes rates of real-world effect of NOACs in optimally anticoagulated AF patients with acenocoumarol. We included 1,361 patients stable on acenocoumarol with time in therapeutic range of 100% and 6.5 years of follow-up. ⋯ Apixaban showed the highest extended estimated Net Clinical Benefit 2.64 (95%CI 2.34 to 2.96). In conclusion, in optimally acenocoumarol anticoagulated AF patients, estimated reductions in all clinical outcomes with various NOACs are evident, with the best effectiveness and safety profile with apixaban. Indeed, the estimated effect with "real world" NOACs would probably be higher than that seen in phase-III clinical trials.