Journal of the American Heart Association
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We sought to identify patient and surgical factors associated with time to hospital discharge in patients undergoing complete repair for tetralogy of Fallot. ⋯ Postoperative hospital stay after complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot is in part determined by patient and operative factors. Some (eg, surgical strategy for the symptomatic neonate) may be modifiable. These results may impact patient counseling, choice of surgical approach, and postoperative care.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Self-Reported Smoking, Urine Cotinine, and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Findings From the PREVEND (Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease) Prospective Cohort Study.
We aimed to compare the associations of smoking exposure as assessed by self-reports and urine cotinine with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and determine the potential utility of cotinine for CVD risk prediction. ⋯ Smoking status as assessed by self-reports and urine cotinine is associated with CVD risk; however, the nature of the association of urine cotinine with CVD is consistent with a dose-response relationship. The ability of urine cotinine to improve CVD risk assessment is similar to that of self-reported smoking status.
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Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease; however, outcomes in individual patients vary. Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a bone marrow-derived signaling molecule associated with adverse cardiovascular and renal outcomes in many populations. We characterized the determinants of suPAR in African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus and assessed whether levels were useful for predicting mortality beyond clinical characteristics, coronary artery calcium (CAC), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). ⋯ In African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus, suPAR was strongly associated with mortality and improved risk discrimination metrics beyond traditional risk factors, CAC and hs-CRP. Studies addressing the clinical usefulness of measuring suPAR concentrations are warranted.