Singh, Vikas

Introduction: The data regarding use of different Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) devices in TAVR is limited. The present study was performed to analyze the complications and outcomes of different MCS in TAVR. Methods: The subjects under study were obtained from Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for the years 2011-12 using ICD-9-CM procedure codes for TAVR and MCS. The use of MCS was divided into Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), percutaneous ventricular assist devices (PVADs) including Impella and TandemHeart, Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support and cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP) using ICD-9-CM codes. The incidence of in-hospital mortality and occurrence of procedure related complications were analyzed. Results: Out of total 1794 TAVR procedures, MCS was utilized in 190 (10.6%) procedures. CBP was the most commonly utilized 136 (71.6%) followed by IABP 36 (18.9%), ECMO 14 (7.4%) and 4 (2.1%). In-hospital mortality was highest with use of IABP (36.6%), followed by ECMO (14.3%), CBP (9.6%) and PVAD (0%) with p-value <0.01. The incidence of complications was similar in IABP and PVAD (100% each) followed by ECMO (85.7%) and CBP (59.4%) with p-value <0.01. Conclusion: Being retrospective in design, the present study has no information regarding indications and individual patient related variables in which each of the MCS devices used. Overall, CBP was observed as the most extensive used MCS modality with less mortality (9.6%) and least complications (59.4%).

ABSTRACTFibrinolytic therapy is still used in patients with ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when the primary percutaneous coronary intervention cannot be provided in a timely fashion. Management strategies and outcomes in transferred fibrinolytic‐treated STEMI patients have not been well assessed in real‐world settings. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2008 to 2012, we identified 18 814 patients with STEMI who received fibrinolytic therapy and were transferred to a different facility within 24 hours. The primary outcome was in‐hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included gastrointestinal bleeding, bleeding requiring transfusion, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), length of stay, and cost. The patients were divided into 3 groups: those who received medical therapy alone (n = 853; 4.5%), those who underwent coronary artery angiography without revascularization (n = 2573; 13.7%), and those who underwent coronary artery angiography with revascularization (n = 15 388; 81.8%). Rates of in‐hospital mortality among the groups were 20% vs 6.6% vs 2.1%, respectively (P < 0.001); ICH was 8.5% vs 1.1% vs 0.6%, respectively (P < 0.001); and gastrointestinal bleeding was 1.1% vs 0.4% vs 0.4%, respectively (P = 0.011). Multivariate analysis identified increasing age, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, and ICH as the independent predictors of not performing coronary artery angiography and/or revascularization in patients with STEMI initially treated with fibrinolytic therapy. The majority of STEMI patients transferred after receiving fibrinolytic therapy undergo coronary angiography. However, notable numbers of patients do not receive revascularization, especially patients with cardiogenic shock and following a cardiac arrest.

Background: Contemporary data regarding percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect/patent foramen ovale (ASD/PFO) are lacking. We evaluated the current trends in utilization of ASD/PFO closure in adults and investigated the effect of annual hospital volume on in‐hospital outcomes. Methods: We queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between the years 2001 and 2010 using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐9‐CM) procedure code for percutaneous closure of ASD/PFO with device. Hierarchical mixed effects models were generated to identify the independent multivariate predictors of outcomes. Results: A total of 7,107 percutaneous ASD/PFO closure procedures (weighted n = 34,992) were available for analysis. A 4.7‐fold increase in the utilization of this procedure from 3/million in 2001 to 14/million adults in 2010 in US (P < 0.001) was noted. Overall, percutaneous ASD/PFO closure was associated with 0.5% mortality and 12% in‐hospital complications. The utilization of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) increased 15 fold (P < 0.001) during the study period. The procedures performed at the high volume hospitals [2nd (14–37 procedures/year) and 3rd (>38 procedures/year) tertile] were associated with significant reduction in complications, length of stay and cost of hospitalization when compared to those performed at lowest volume centers (<13 procedures/year). Majority (70.5%) of the studied hospitals were found to be performing <10 procedures/year hence deviating from the ACC/AHA/SCAI clinical competency guidelines. Conclusions: Low hospital volume is associated with an increased composite (mortality and procedural complications) adverse outcome following ASD/PFO closure. In the interest of patient safety, implementation of the current guidelines for minimum required annual hospital volume to improve clinical outcomes is warranted. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.