Citations

Background: In recent years, catheter ablation has emerged as a sustainable, first-line therapy for the management of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Given the rise of the “obesity paradox” theory in atrial ablation outcomes, we sought to study the effect of BMI on patients undergoing structural VT ablation. Purpose: To assess the outcomes of VT ablation, specifically VT recurrence, in patients with elevated vs. normal BMI. Methods: Clinical characteristics and demographic data were collected for VT patients who underwent ablation at Mayo Clinic Rochester from 2012-2022. Patient BMI was classified as non-obese (<30 kg/m2), obese (30-40 kg/m2), and morbidly obese (≥40 kg/m2). The endpoint was a composite of initial monomorphic VT recurrence and repeat ablation after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities. Results: A total of 399 patients underwent 508 ablations. 51.4% of ablations had a BMI <30, 39.2% were between 30-40, and 9.4% were ≥40. There was a greater prevalence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus in morbidly obese patients (p <0.01). Morbidly obese individuals also had a significantly increased rate of general anesthesia during ablation and long VT cycle lengths. The Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrates no statistically significant differences in time to VT recurrence among the three BMI groups (p = 0.324). Neither morbid-obesity (aHR= 1.20; CI = 0.94-1.56, p = 0.14) nor nonmorbid-obesity (aHR = 0.92; CI = 0.76-1.10, p = 0.4), compared to non-obesity was a significant independent predictor of VT recurrence or repeat ablation on multivariate regression after adjusting for age, sex and comorbidities. Conclusion: There was no significant association between BMI groups and VT recurrence or repeat ablation, and no difference in complications. We did not find the obesity paradox to be relevant for VT ablation in our patient population. Further study would be needed with larger samples to corroborate these findings.

Introduction: Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a potentially life-threatening genetic heart disease. Patients with LQTS may also have co-existent mental health illnesses that may benefit from psychiatric medications. However, because many of these medications have QT-prolonging potential (www.crediblemeds.org), many of these patients receive suboptimal mental health care. Objective: To evaluate the frequency, management, and incidence of breakthrough cardiac events (BCEs) in patients with LQTS and concomitant mental health issues treated with psychiatric medications. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on patients cared for in Mayo Clinic's Windland Smith Rice Genetic Heart Rhythm Clinic between 2000 and 2024 focusing on patients with LQTS and a concomitant psychiatric diagnosis requiring medication with known, possible or conditional risk of torsades de pointes (TdP). Electronic medical records were reviewed for data. BCEs were defined as LQTS-triggered syncope, seizures, appropriate ICD therapy, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), or sudden cardiac death (SCD). Patients with missing information were excluded. Results: Overall, 195 /1899 LQTS patients [10%, 86 (43%) with LQT1, 83 (42%) with LQT2, and 16 (8%) with LQT3] had a concomitant psychiatric diagnosis requiring medication [150 female (76%), mean age at diagnosis 27 ± 18 years, median follow-up time 6.6 years (IQR 2.9-13)]. The most common psychiatric conditions were depression (71%), anxiety (62%), and ADHD (9%). The mean duration of therapy was 3.36 +/- 3.48 years and the most common medications used were fluoxetine (26%), sertraline (14%), and escitalopram (11%). There was no significant difference in QTc after starting the first psychiatric medication when compared to baseline (473 ± 33 vs 474 ± 35 ms, p=0.6). Prior to their LQTS diagnosis and while therefore untreated, 61/195 (31%) had at least 1 LQTS-associated cardiac event. This occurred in the setting of a psychiatric drug in 7 patients (11%). Following LQTS diagnosis and treatment, 14/195 patients (7%) have experienced a non-lethal BCE of which only 3/14 (21%) while on psychiatric medications. Conclusions: Although avoidance of medications with known QT-prolonging potential is prudent, attention to patient’s overall well-being besides just their LQTS must be given. After correct diagnosis and treatment, LQTS patients with concomitant mental health issues may be safely and effectively treated with medications known to prolong QTc.

Background: Exercise stress testing uses metabolic equivalents of tasks (METs) to measure the energy cost of activities, aiding in the assessment of exercise capacity and cardiovascular health. Despite its significance, the correlation between calf muscle pump function (CPF) and exercise stress testing remains unexplored. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between CPF and peak METs as determined by cardiopulmonary treadmill exercise stress testing. Methods: The study included adults who underwent exercise cardiopulmonary stress testing and venous plethysmography at Mayo Clinic between April 2017 and March 2020. The protocols other than Bruce, Mayo, Modified Naughton, and Naughton protocols were excluded. The CPF ejection fraction (EF) was calculated per leg based on refill volumes post-exercise as a percentage of passive drain refill. The classification of CEAP (Clinical-Etiology-Anatomy-Pathophysiology) was utilized to better understand chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Results: A total of 155 patients who underwent both exercise stress testing and venous plethysmography were included, with a mean age of 61.31 ± 14.03 years, and 84 (54.2%) were male. The peak measured METs for normal, unilaterally reduced, and bilaterally reduced CPF were 8.5 (2.5), 7.3 (2.1), and 7.1 (2.4), respectively (p=0.004, Figure 1). Multiple linear regression models were developed with METs as the outcome to determine if CPF was an independent predictor of METs on cardiopulmonary exercise stress testing. IIn model 1, the following independent variables were included: resting heart rate, peak heart rate, peak systolic blood pressure, recovery heart rate at minute 1, and worst EF (Table 1). In model 1, with only exercise parameters, lower EF was associated with lower METs (p=0.03). In a second analysis, variables identified as statistically significant with METs in the initial model were included, along with CEAP class (model 2) and CCI (model 3) (Table 2). In model 2, CEAP class 3 or higher was associated with decreased METs on the exercise stress test. This correlation implies that individuals with moderate to severe CVI may influence exercise capacity, demonstrating the interconnectedness of the cardiovascular system. Moreover, in model 3, the CCI, a predictor for mortality, was not significantly associated with METs. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that more severe CVI (CEAP class and reduced CPF) was associated with reduced exercise capacity after accounting for other factors.

Background: According to the American Cancer Society, there are currently over 18 million adult cancer survivors in the US, and by 2030, that figure is estimated to rise to over 22 million. While this is positive, more and more survivors are now at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hypothesis: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the association between cancer survivors and cardiovascular event. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases from inception until March 2024 using appropriate Mesh terms for ‘Cancer’, and ‘cardiovascular risk’. Pooled risk ratios (RR) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using random effects models. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of nine studies with 1,209,168 people (Cancer survivor: 140697 and non-cancer: 1068471) were included in our study. The mean follow-up duration was 12.4 years. The risk of cardiovascular events was seen in all cancer survivors (RR: 1.69, 95%CI: 1.31-2.08, P <0.05). The cardiovascular risk was statistically significant in patients with leukemia (RR: 1.71, 95%CI: 1.54-1.88), lung cancer (RR: 1.99, 95%CI: 1.38-2.6) and lymphoma (RR: 1.65, 95%CI: 1.29-2.01), and comparable in breast cancer (RR: 1.22, 95%CI: 0.98-1.46), colorectal cancer (RR: 1.13, 95%CI: 0.89-1.37), prostate cancer (RR: 1.08, 95%CI: 0.99-1.17) and thyroid cancer (RR: 0.96, 95%CI: 0.57-1.35). Conclusion: Our study showed that overall cancer survivors had significant risk for cardiovascular events; mainly leukemia, lung cancer, and lymphoma patients had a significant result. Early identification, continuous monitoring, and proactive management strategies are essential to mitigate the long-term cardiovascular effects of cancer treatments.

Background: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a multifactorial complication following repair of Stanford Type A aortic dissection (TAAD) with an alarmingly high incidence, varying from 20 to 77%. Postoperative AKI following life-threatening disease tends to be much more complex. However, the exact role of postprocedural AKI in the prognosis of patients undergoing TAAD repair has not been elucidated. Aims: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of postprocedural AKI in patients undergoing TAAD repair. Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality with several secondary endpoints. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using Review Manager software. Statistical significance was set at p <0.05. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed for all outcomes. Results: Our analysis included 21 studies comprising 10396 patients. Patients with AKI exhibited a significantly higher risk of 30-day mortality (RR=3.98; 95% CI: 3.04-5.22; p<0.00001; I 2 =57%), stroke (RR= 2.05; 95% CI: 1.68-2.50; p<0.00001; I 2 =32%), dialysis requirement (RR= 32.9; 95% CI: 10.39-104.24; p<0.00001; I 2 =90%) (Figure 1), cardiovascular complications (RR= 2.85; 95% CI: 1.65-4.92; p<0.0002; I 2 =85%), sepsis (RR= 4.92; 95% CI: 2.62-9.24; p<0.00001; I 2 =64%), and re-exploration for bleeding (RR=2.46; 95%CI: 1.79-3.39; p<0.00001; I 2 =58%) compared to those without AKI (Figure 2). Conclusion: Patients with AKI demonstrated a significantly increased risk of mortality, stroke, need for dialysis, sepsis, postoperative cardiovascular complications, and re-exploration for bleeding. Further prospective studies are required to better understand the prevention strategies and long-term effects on prognosis of AKI post-repair for TAAD.

Background: The research on the outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement with balloon-expandable valves (BEV) and self-expanding valves (SEV) are limited. Hypothesis: This study aims to compare the clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of BEV and SEV at short-term (30 days), mid-term (1 year), and long-term (>1 year) endpoints. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to April 25, 2024, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Random-effect model (DerSimonian–Laird method) was used to pool the risk ratios (RR), mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for binary and continuous outcomes, respectively. Results: A total of 11 RCTs comprising 4,325 patients (2,295 BEV, 2,030 SEV) were included. At short-term, the risk of cardiovascular (RR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.36-0.87) and all-cause mortality (RR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.35-0.81) were lower in the BEV group. However, no differences were noted between the two treatment modalities in longer follow-ups despite the lower risk of moderate to severe paravalvular leak (PVL) among BEV patients. The risk of stroke was comparable between two groups across all three follow-up endpoints, albeit a limited number of studies suggesting the BEV group showed a greater risk of clinical valve thrombosis in mid-term and long-term assessments. The need for permanent pacemaker implantation was lower in BEV arm in short-term (RR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.37-0.87) and mid-term (RR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.64-0.94). Yet, this difference was not observed in long-term follow-ups. Conversely, the SEV group had a larger effective orifice area with lower mean transvalvular pressure gradient from short-term (MD: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.07-0.26 and MD: 3.71, 95% CI: 2.64-4.78, respectively) to long-term (MD: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.17-0.32 and MD: 3.73, 95% CI: 3.19-4.27, respectively) periods. Conclusions: BEV is associated with reduced risk of clinical outcomes at short-term; however, most differences diminish in longer evaluations, except for moderate to severe PVL. Conversely, SEV is linked to better hemodynamic outcomes and a lower risk of clinical valve thrombosis across all follow-up durations.

Introduction: The cardio-kidney-metabolic pathway has a crucial role in ASCVD, motivating development of the PREVENT equation. There is a need for external validation of the PREVENT equation and assessment of its performance in independent cohorts to assess generalizability across diverse populations. Aim: To compare predictive performance of the PREVENT equation with previously developed risk calculators; pooled cohort equations (PCE), and QRISK3. Methods: We used data from 500k participants of the United Kingdom Biobank (UKB). ASCVD was defined as the composite outcome of fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, and stroke. We ascertained demographic and clinical covariates required to calculate ASCVD risk, using the base model of PREVENT, PCE, and QRISK3, at the time of recruitment. Those with a diagnosis of ASCVD at the time of recruitment or missing data on age, sex, or ethnicity were excluded. We used the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and calibration plots for analysis. Results: Of 459,681 participants (mean age 56.3±8.1 years, 44.4% male, and 94.7% White), 24,514 (5.4%) participants had a new diagnosis of ASCVD during a 10-year follow-up. The median [interquartile range] of estimated 10-y ASCVD risk was 3.7% [1.9% - 6.1%] for PREVENT, 5.6% [2.4% - 11.3%] for PCE, and 8.0% [3.9% - 13.8%] for QRISK3 (Figure 1A). The calibration slope (95% CI) was 1.71 (1.66 – 1.76) for PREVENT, 0.64 (0.63 – 0.66) for PCE, and 0.66 (0.64 – 0.67) for QRISK3 (Figure 1B). The AUC for ASCVD prediction was 0.741 (0.738 - 0.744) for PREVENT, 0.744 (0.741 – 0.747) for PCE, and 0.751 (0.749 – 0.755) for QRISK3 (Figure 1C). Conclusion: In the UKB cohort, the PREVENT equation underpredicted while the PCE and QRISK3 overpredicted ASCVD risk, with a similar discrimination. Consequently, fewer individuals would be eligible for primary prevention with statins, based on the actionable thresholds of 7.5% or 10% when considering ASCVD risk based on PREVENT. Therefore, the external application of the PREVENT equation requires recalibration and context-specific interpretation.

Introduction: The prevalence and prognostic significance of PVC and NSVT in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), especially in patients with normal or mildly decreased LV function, are not well known and were investigated in the current study. Methods: We included 192 patients with definite and probable CS with LVEF>35%, no prior history of VT/VF or sudden cardiac death, who underwent up to 48 hours of Holter monitoring. They were followed retrospectively for the composite endpoint of sustained VT/VF, advanced heart failure therapy, and all-cause mortality. We performed multivariable analysis for the association of PVC burden and NSVT with the composite endpoint. Covariates were considered if they were present in at least 95% of the study sample and were significantly associated with the composite endpoint in univariable analysis. Results: The median PVC burden in the overall population was 0.3% (IQR 0.02-2.5%) and 36 (18.8%) patients had a PVC burden ≥5%. Sixty-two (32.3%) patients had NSVT detected during monitoring. The PVC burden and prevalence of NSVT in patient subgroups are shown in Figures 1 and 2. A total of 33 (17.2%) patients experienced one of the composite endpoints at a median follow-up of 3 years. In the multivariable analysis (Figure 3), PVC burden ≥5% versus <5% (HR 3.96 [1.19, 5.97], p-value <0.01) and presence of NSVT (HR 4.55 [2.09, 9.94], p-value <0.01) were associated with the composite outcome. Conclusion: Our results suggest that a high PVC burden and the presence of NSVT carry isolated prognostic value in CS. In addition, ventricular ectopy does not appear to be an indicator of disease activity based on abnormal uptake on PET scan.

Introduction: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cardiomyopathy. People with HCM are at risk of cardiac arrest. ACC/AHA guideline-supported indications for ICD placement include cardiac arrest or VT, family history of sudden cardiac death in a close relative ≤50, massive septal hypertrophy (MSH - septal thickness ≥30mm), apical pouch, and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT). Methods: People attending any Mayo Clinic site on > 1 occasion who underwent ICD placement for HCM who had documented cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) results were included in the study from time of ICD placement to last device interrogation. Outcome was incidence rate of first appropriate shock. Multivariable cox regression was used to examine the association between septal thickness and shock rate, controlling for current age, sex and secondary vs primary prevention device. An interaction term for association between septal thickness and each ICD indication in turn was incorporated into regression, and stratum specific estimates produced using linear computation. Results: 326 people were included in the study, of whom 50 experienced at least one appropriate ICD shock over 1,487.95 person years (incidence rate 3.36 per 100 person years, NNT 29.76 per year). MSH was strongly associated with shock rate (HR 2.29 [1.19 to 4.40], p=0.013). In people without MSH, there was a 50% reduction in shocks where a subjective measure (syncope or family history of sudden cardiac death) was present (table 1). In this cohort, NSVT resulted in a threefold increase in incidence of shock (HR 3.15 [1.446 to 6.47], p=0.003). In the presence of MSH, there was a four-fold increase in shock rate in people who underwent ICD insertion for family history of sudden cardiac death or for syncope (table 2). There was no difference in shock rates in people with NSVT prior to ICD placement based on septal thickness (HR 0.76 [0.21 to 2.74], p=0.679). There was strong evidence of interaction between NSVT and MSH on shock rates (LR χ2 =6.94, p=0.008), such that presence of both risk factors did not increase shock rate. Concurrent presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) >15% on CMR and MSH was associated with a significant increase in shock rate (3.58 [1.43 to 8.98], p=0.006). Conclusion: MSH is a helpful indicator of who will benefit from ICD placement among people with a pre-existing indication for a device, particularly among those with a more subjective indication for a device.