International journal of cardiology
-
Review Meta Analysis
Remote preconditioning and major clinical complications following adult cardiovascular surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis.
A number of 'proof-of-concept' trials suggest that remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) reduces surrogate markers of end-organ injury in patients undergoing major cardiovascular surgery. To date, few studies have involved hard clinical outcomes as primary end-points. ⋯ Pooled data from pilot trials cannot confirm that RIPC has any significant effect on clinically relevant end-points. Heterogeneity in study inclusion and exclusion criteria and in the type of preconditioning stimulus limits the potential for extrapolation at present. An effort must be made to clarify the optimal preconditioning stimulus. Following this, large-scale trials in a range of patient populations are required to ascertain the role of this simple, cost-effective intervention in routine practice.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Monotherapy with the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab versus ezetimibe in patients with hypercholesterolemia: results of a 24 week, double-blind, randomized Phase 3 trial.
Efficacy and safety of alirocumab were compared with ezetimibe in hypercholesterolemic patients at moderate cardiovascular risk not receiving statins or other lipid-lowering therapy. ⋯ Alirocumab demonstrated significantly greater LDL-C lowering versus ezetimibe after 24 weeks with the lower 75 mg Q2W dose sufficient to provide ≥ 50% LDL-C reduction in the majority of the patients. Adverse events were comparable between groups.
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Impact of short-term mechanical circulatory support with extracorporeal devices on postoperative outcomes after emergency heart transplantation: data from a multi-institutional Spanish cohort.
We sought to investigate the potential impact of preoperative short-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) with extracorporeal devices on postoperative outcomes after emergency heart transplantation (HT). ⋯ Patients bridged to emergency HT on short-term MCS are exposed to an increased risk of postoperative complications and mortality. In our series, preoperative bridging with VA-ECMO resulted in comparable post-transplant outcomes to those of patients transplanted on conventional support.
-
Tissue prolapse (TP) is sometimes observed after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but its clinical significance remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between TP volume on optical coherence tomography (OCT) after PCI and underlying plaque morphologies and the impact of TP on clinical outcomes. ⋯ TP volume on OCT was related to plaque morphologies and instability, and post-PCI myocardial injury, but not to worse 9-month outcomes.