Citations

BACKGROUND: Current clinical guidelines emphasize the significance of rhythm control with catheter ablation but lack guidance on the timing of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation relative to the diagnosis time. We aim to investigate the latest evidence on the impact of diagnosis to ablation time (DAT) on clinical outcomes after AF ablation. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials through August 2024. Pairwise, prognostic, and reconstructed time-to-event data meta-analyses were conducted using R V. 4.3.1. Our primary end point was time to first AF recurrence, with secondary end points of all-cause mortality, tamponade, stroke, and heart failure. RESULTS: Our cohort included 23 studies with 43 711 patients. Shorter DAT was significantly associated with reduced AF recurrence across both paroxysmal and persistent AF subgroups ( P <0.01). There was a significant decrease in benefit for paroxysmal AF over time and a slight decrease in benefit for persistent AF over time. However, the benefit remained significant in both over time. DAT per year was significantly associated with a 10% increased risk of AF recurrence. Reconstructed Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that DAT >1 year was significantly associated with a 70% increased risk of AF recurrence in paroxysmal AF and 30% in persistent AF. DAT ≤1 year was significantly associated with decreased all-cause mortality ( P <0.01) and showed a trend toward an association with a lower incidence of stroke ( P =0.08). However, there was no significant difference in heart failure between DAT ≤1 year and DAT >1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Early ablation is more beneficial in paroxysmal AF, with a notable decrease in benefit over time, while in persistent AF, the benefit remains significant but slightly decreases over time. Shorter DAT was significantly associated with decreased all-cause mortality and showed a trend toward an association with a lower incidence of stroke. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php? ; Unique identifier: CRD42024525542.

Background: Naples prognostic score (NPS) is a recently developed tool for assessing inflammatory and nutritional status. It is commonly used to evaluate cancer patients. Purpose: We aimed to investigate the impact of NPS on clinical outcomes in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). Methods: We comprehensively searched PubMed, WOS, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and CENTRAL through June 2024. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis pooling dichotomous data using risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). All analyses were performed using R V. 4.3.1. Results: We included five studies with a total of 12,785 patients. Comparing high NPS (3-4) to low NPS (0-2), high NPS (3-4) was significantly associated with an increased incidence of overall mortality (RR: 2.21, 95% CI [1.85, 2.65], P < 0.01), shock (RR: 1.85, 95% CI [1.33, 2.57], P < 0.01), acute kidney injury (RR: 1.54, 95% CI [1.15, 2.08], P < 0.01), left ventricular thrombus (RR: 2.93, 95% CI [1.44, 5.94], P < 0.01), and no-reflow (RR: 1.35, 95% CI [1.17, 1.57], P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between high NPS (3-4) and low NPS (0-2) regarding in-hospital mortality (RR: 1.82, 95% CI [0.99, 3.37], P = 0.06). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis highlights the importance of evaluating inflammation and malnutrition status in STEMI and shows that routine blood tests can provide prognostic insights. NPS can help predict different clinical outcomes in STEMI patients undergoing PPCI. While it does not affect in-hospital mortality, its simplicity and accessibility make it useful for clinical risk assessment and long-term prognosis. Further studies are needed to investigate its predictive value further.

Background: Current clinical guidelines emphasize the significance of rhythm control with catheter ablation but lack guidance on the timing after diagnosing atrial fibrillation (AF). Purpose: We aim to investigate the latest evidence on the impact of diagnosis to ablation time (DAT) on AF recurrence, all-cause mortality, stroke, and heart failure (HF) after AF catheter ablation. Methods: We comprehensively searched PubMed, WOS, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and CENTRAL through February 2024. We conducted a pair-wise and prognostic systematic review and meta-analysis with a reconstructed time-to-event data meta-analysis. All analyses were performed using R V. 4.3.1. PROSPERO ID: CRD42024525542. Results: With the inclusion of 22 studies, our cohort comprised a total of 42,101 patients. Regarding pair-wise meta-analysis, shorter DAT was significantly associated with a decreased incidence of AF recurrence across paroxysmal and persistent AF subgroups. Moreover, DAT ≤ one year was significantly associated with a decreased incidence of all-cause mortality (RR: 0.73 with 95% CI [0.59, 0.92], P< 0.01) with a trend toward lowering the risk of stroke (RR: 0.80 with 95% CI [0.62, 1.03], P= 0.08). However, there was no significant difference between DAT ≤ one year and DAT > one year in HF. Regarding adjusted prognostic meta-analysis, longer DAT was significantly associated with an increased risk of AF recurrence (P < 0.01). Our reconstructed Kaplan Meier showed that DAT > one year was significantly associated with a 50% increase in the risk of AF recurrence compared to DAT ≤ one year (HR: 1.50 with 95% CI [1.42, 1.58], P< 0.00001) over 60 months follow-up. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis strongly underscores the critical importance of a short DAT in significantly reducing AF recurrence and all-cause mortality, with a trend toward lowering stroke risk, though no significant impact on HF was observed. Early ablation proves beneficial not only for patients with paroxysmal AF but also for those with persistent AF. These findings suggest that minimizing DAT can markedly improve AF outcomes, warranting further investigation to optimize treatment strategies.

Abstract Background While the cardioprotective effects of glucagon-like peptide -1 (GLP-10) agonists are well-documented in diabetic patients, their impact on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obesity without diabetes mellitus remains debated. Purpose This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to investigate the effects of GLP-1 on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obesity without diabetes mellitus. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizing RCTs were retrieved by systematically searching PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Cochrane through December 26th, 2023. Dichotomous data were pooled using risk ratio (RR) and continuous data using mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results We included 19 RCTs with a total of 32,884 patients. There was no difference between GLP-1 agonists and placebo regarding cardiovascular mortality (RR: 0.85, 95% CI [0.71- 1.01], P= 0.07). However, GLP-1 agonists significantly decreased the incidence of all-cause mortality (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.94, p &lt; 0.0001), non-cardiovascular mortality (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.96, p = 0.02), and myocardial infarction (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.87, p &lt; 0.0001). Also, GLP-1 agonists significantly increased the incidence of any adverse events (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.16, p &lt; 0.0001), with no difference regarding the incidence of serious adverse events. Conclusion GLP-1 agonists not only demonstrated substantial benefits in reducing cardiovascular risks, including all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction, but also effectively promoted weight loss and improved lipid profiles and blood pressure control. However, their use is accompanied by a higher incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects and heterogeneity in outcomes, highlighting the need for individualized treatment approaches.

Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested that pre-treatment of coronary artery calcification with rotational atherectomy (RA) prior to stent deployment can enhance procedural success, but this does not necessarily translate into improved clinical outcomes. Recently, the Orbital Atherectomy (OA) system has been introduced into clinical practice to enhance lesion preparation. Purpose Our study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of both RA and OA as pre-treatment strategies before stent deployment in patients with coronary artery calcification. Methods We conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. These were identified through systematic PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane searches until January 2024. Dichotomous data were pooled using risk ratio (RR), and continuous data were pooled using mean difference (MD), both with a 95% confidence interval (CI), using Stata version 17. Results Our analysis included eleven studies encompassing 81,873 patients. No significant difference was observed between RA and OA in terms of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (RR: 0.81 with 95% CI [0.64, 1.02], P= 0.07). However, OA was significantly associated with a decreased incidence of all-cause mortality (RR: 0.60 with 95% CI [0.52, 0.70], P&lt; 0.01), target vessel revascularization (TVR) (RR: 0.43 with 95% CI [0.22, 0.82], P= 0.01), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (RR: 0.78 with 95% CI [0.62, 0.97], P= 0.03), and fluoroscopy time (MD: -3.93 with 95% CI [-7.39, -0.48], P= 0.03). There was no significant difference between RA and OA in cardiac death (RR: 2.65 with 95% CI [0.94, 7.51], P= 0.07), target lesion revascularization (TLR) (RR: 0.57 with 95% CI [0.23, 1.41], P= 0.22), myocardial infarction (RR: 0.79 with 95% CI [0.62, 1.01], P= 0.06), stent thrombosis (RR: 0.33 with 95% CI [0.09, 1.23], P= 0.10), stroke (RR: 0.76 with 95% CI [0.57, 1.01], P= 0.06), re-admission (RR: 0.76 with 95% CI [0.48, 1.19], P= 0.23), vessel closure (RR: 0.78 with 95% CI [0.18, 3.33], P= 0.74), procedural duration (MD: -5.43 with 95% CI [-21.71, 10.84], P= 0.51), length of hospital stay (MD: 0.21 with 95% CI [-0.47, 0.90], P= 0.54), and contrast amount (MD: -3.68 with 95% CI [-9.37, 2.01], P= 0.21). Conclusion Both RA and OA as pre-treatment strategies before stent deployment demonstrate similar outcomes for numerous cardiovascular events. However, OA is associated with lower rates of all-cause mortality, TVR, CABG, and fluoroscopy time.

Abstract Background Pulsed‐field ablation (PFA) has emerged as an innovative alternative to radiofrequency (RF) and cryoablation because it selectively targets myocardial tissue. Thus, we aim to estimate the efficacy and safety of PFA versus thermal ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Methods A systematic review and meta‐analysis were retrieved from PubMed, WOS, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and CENTRAL through September 2023. We used RevMan V. 5.4 to pool dichotomous data using risk ratio (RR) and continuous data using mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). PROSPERO ID: CRD42023480321 Results We included 17 studies with a total of 2255 patients. PFA was significantly associated with a decreased incidence of AF recurrence (RR: 0.66 with 95% CI [0.51, 0.87], p = .003). However, there was no significant difference between PFA and thermal ablation in arrhythmia recurrence (RR: 0.92 with 95% CI [0.74, 1.46], p = .42). PFA was significantly associated with decreased total procedure time (MD: −15.15 with 95% CI [−20.23, −10.07], p < .00001), decreased heart rate change (MD: −7.39 with 95% CI [−12.16, −2.62], p = .002), decreased phrenic nerve palsy (RR: 0.38 with 95% CI [0.15, 0.98], p = .05), and reduced esophageal lesions (RR: 0.09 with 95% CI [0.01, 0.69], p = .02). On the contrary, PFA was significantly associated with increased pericardial tamponade (RR: 6.14 with 95% CI [1.43, 26.33], p = .01). Conclusion PFA was significantly associated with decreased AF recurrence, total procedure time, heart rate change, phrenic nerve palsy, esophageal lesion, and increased incidence of pericardial tamponade compared with thermal ablation.

Introduction: Increasingly, catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has been utilized for rhythm control and to improve quality of life (QoL). Data are limited on patient-centered ablation outcomes in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objective: To examine clinical outcomes and QoL following AF ablation in CKD patients from a large patient-reported outcomes (PRO) database. Methods: All patients undergoing AF ablation (2013-2016) at our center were enrolled and assessed for outcomes using automated PRO surveys (baseline, 3 and 6 months after ablation, every 6 months thereafter). This analysis captured data at 1- and 3-year follow-up. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min using the 2021 CKD-EPI equation. The atrial fibrillation symptom severity scale (AFSSS) was used as the main measure for QoL assessment. In addition, data were collected on clinical improvement by patient report, AF burden, and healthcare utilization. Results: A total of 488 patients were identified (66% male, mean age 68.5, 56.2% persistent AF). QoL was significantly improved from baseline median (IQR) AFSSS of 14 (6-19.5) to 3 (0-9) at 1-year and 4 (0-9.5) at 3-year; P≤0.0001 for both. About 90% of patients reported improvement in their overall AF-related symptoms both at 1- and 3-year follow up. The proportion of patients in AF at the time of completion of the baseline survey was 51.2%, and this decreased to 6.2% at 1-year and 9.7% at 3-year follow up (P<0.0001 for both). AF burden was significantly reduced at 1-year and 3-year including frequency and duration of episodes (P<0.05 for both), with associated decrease in ER visits and hospitalizations; P<0.0001 for all comparisons. The proportion of patients on antiarrhythmics decreased from 61.8% at baseline to 35.6% and 22.7% at 1-year and 3-year, respectively (P<0.0001 for both). Conclusions: In a large AF-specific PRO system, catheter ablation for AF was associated with a significant improvement of QoL in most patients with CKD; with a decrease in AF burden and healthcare utilization.