Citations

Background The prognosis of left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) remains elusive despite its recognition as a clinical entity for >30 years. We sought to identify clinical and imaging characteristics and risk factors for mortality in patients with LVNC. Methods and Results 339 adults with LVNC seen between 2000 and 2016 were identified. LVNC was defined as end‐systolic noncompacted to compacted myocardial ratio >2 (Jenni criteria) and end‐diastolic trough of trabeculation‐to‐epicardium (X):peak of trabeculation‐to‐epicardium (Y) ratio <0.5 (Chin criteria) by echocardiography; and end‐diastolic noncompacted:compacted ratio >2.3 (Petersen criteria) by magnetic resonance imaging. Median age was 47.4 years, and 46% of patients were female. Left ventricular ejection fraction <50% was present in 57% of patients and isolated apical noncompaction in 48%. During a median follow‐up of 6.3 years, 59 patients died. On multivariable Cox regression analysis, age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02–1.06), left ventricular ejection fraction <50% (HR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.17–4.80), and noncompaction extending from the apex to the mid or basal segments (HR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.21–3.68) were associated with all‐cause mortality. Compared with the expected survival for age‐ and sex‐matched US population, patients with LVNC had reduced overall survival ( P <0.001). However, patients with LVNC with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and patients with isolated apical noncompaction had similar survival to the general population. Conclusions Overall survival is reduced in patients with LVNC compared with the expected survival of age‐ and sex‐matched US population. However, survival rate in those with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and isolated apical noncompaction was comparable with that of the general population.

AbstractBackgroundThe improved life expectancy observed in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has made age‐related cardiovascular complications, including arrhythmias, a growing health concern.HypothesisWe describe the temporal trends in frequency of various arrhythmias and assess impact of arrhythmias on hospitalized HIV patients using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS).MethodsData on HIV‐related hospitalizations from 2005 to 2014 were obtained from the NIS database using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD‐9) codes. Data was further subclassified into hospitalizations with associated arrhythmias and those without. Baseline demographics and comorbidities were determined. Outcomes including in‐hospital mortality, cost of care, and length of stay were extracted. SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was utilized for analysis. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify predictors of arrhythmias among hospitalized HIV patients.ResultsAmong 2 370 751 HIV‐related hospitalizations identified, the overall frequency of any arrhythmia was 3.01%. Atrial fibrillation (AF) was the most frequent arrhythmia (2110 per 100 000). The overall frequency of arrhythmias increased over time by 108%, primarily due to a 132% increase in AF. Arrhythmias are more frequent among older males, lowest income quartile, and nonelective admissions. Patients with arrhythmias had a higher in‐hospital mortality rate (9.6%). In‐hospital mortality among patients with arrhythmias decreased over time by 43.8%. The cost of care and length of stay associated with arrhythmia‐related hospitalizations were mostly unchanged.ConclusionsArrhythmias are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized HIV patients. AF is the most frequent arrhythmia in hospitalized HIV patients.

Ultrasound guided venous access Is important to minimize pneumothorax and unnecessary incisions in patients undergoing device implant.

The impact of coronavirus disease, 2019 (COVID-19), has been profound. Though COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system, it has also been associated with a wide range of cardiovascular (CV) manifestations portending extremely poor prognosis. The principal hypothesis for CV involvement is through direct myocardial infection and systemic inflammation. We conducted a systematic review of the current literature to provide a foundation for understanding the CV manifestations and outcomes of COVID-19. PubMed and EMBASE databases were electronically searched from the inception of the databases through 27 April 2020. A second literature review was conducted to include major trials and guidelines that were published after the initial search but before submission. The inclusion criteria for studies to be eligible were case reports, case series, and observation studies reporting CV outcomes among patients with COVID-19 infection. This review of the current COVID-19 disease and CV outcomes literature revealed a myriad of CV manifestations with potential avenues for treatment and prevention. Future studies are required to understand on a more mechanistic level the effect of COVID-19 on the myocardium and thus provide avenues to improve mortality and morbidity.

Background: There are limited data on acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) stratified by chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages. Objective: To assess clinical outcomes in AMI-CS stratified by CKD stages. Methods: A retrospective cohort of AMI-CS during 2005–2016 from the National Inpatient Sample was categorized as no CKD, CKD stage-III (CKD-III), CKD stage-IV (CKD-IV) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). CKD-I/II were excluded. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality, use of coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and mechanical circulatory support (MCS). We also evaluated acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute hemodialysis in non-ESRD admissions. Results: Of 372,412 AMI-CS admissions, CKD-III, CKD-IV and ESRD comprised 20,380 (5.5%), 7367 (2.0%) and 18,109 (4.9%), respectively. Admissions with CKD were, on average, older, of the White race, bearing Medicare insurance, of a lower socioeconomic stratum, with higher comorbidities, and higher rates of acute organ failure. Compared to the cohort without CKD, CKD-III, CKD-IV and ESRD had lower use of coronary angiography (72.7%, 67.1%, 56.9%, 61.1%), PCI (53.7%, 43.8%, 38.4%, 37.6%) and MCS (47.9%, 38.3%, 33.3%, 34.2%), respectively (all p < 0.001). AKI and acute hemodialysis use increased with increase in CKD stage (no CKD–38.5%, 2.6%; CKD-III–79.1%, 6.5%; CKD-IV–84.3%, 12.3%; p < 0.001). ESRD (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.25 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.21–1.31]; p < 0.001), but not CKD-III (OR 0.72 [95% CI 0.69–0.75); p < 0.001) or CKD-IV (OR 0.82 [95 CI 0.77–0.87] was predictive of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: CKD/ESRD is associated with lower use of evidence-based therapies. ESRD was an independent predictor of higher in-hospital mortality in AMI-CS.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) adversely affect the outcomes in the patients of heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction, however there are limited data exploring such an association in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Hypothesis: AF is associated with worse outcomes in HFpEF. Methods: We included all the patients with the primary diagnosis of HFpEF from the national inpatient sample (NIS) database (2012-2014) using ICD-9 codes. Exposure of interest was AF. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and secondary outcomes were rates of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), syncope, cardiogenic shock, embolic stroke, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), acute kidney injury (AKI), passive hepatic congestion, ventricular fibrillation (V fib) and flutter, ventricular assist device (VAD), AICD, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), intra-aortic balloon placement (IABP) placement and heart transplantation. Hospitalization cost was also studied. Results: Our study cohorts included 26,51,970 patients of HFpEF with AF and 37,44,101 patients of HFpEF without AF. AF cohort had more numbers of older patients and less female representation. In-hospital mortality was more in AF cohort. Similarly, the odds of SCA, cardiogenic shock, embolic stroke, passive hepatic congestion, Vfib and flutter, AICD and CRT placement were higher in AF cohort. The odds of syncope, AMI and AKI were lower in AF cohort as compared to non-AF cohort. While the odds of heart transplantation and VAD and IABP use remained comparable between the study cohorts, AF cohort incurred greater of cost of hospitalization. Conclusion: AF in HFpEF patients is associated with increased in-hospital mortality and cardiogenic shock and should be aggressively treated for improved outcomes.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the procedural safety and outcomes of high power (HP) versus conventional power (CP) radiofrequency (RF) ablation during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Methods: A systematic search was used via MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases between 01/1998 and 05/2020 for studies comparing the safety and efficacy between HP and CP during RF ablation for PVI using contact-force catheters (ThermocoolSmartTouch or TactiCath). The search terms used were “AF” AND “catheter ablation” OR “radiofrequency ablation”. Results: From eight comparative observational studies, we developed a cohort of 992 patients (478 in the HP and 514 in the CP group). The median maximum energy output used in the HP group was 50W vs 35W in the CP group. There was a statistically significant difference noted in acute pulmonary vein reconnection (APVR) in the HP group compared to the CP groups at16% vs 32.6%, respectively (RR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.33 - 0.86, P = 0.01). Freedom from arrhythmia at 12 months follow-up was also significant and found to be 87.8% of cases in the HP group versus75.2% of cases in the CP group (RR: 0.46, 95%CI: 0.32 - 0.65, P <0.01). The mean RF ablation time was 20.1 minutes in the HP group vs 39.6 minutes in the CP group (P <0.01). The mean total procedural time was 103.5 minutes in the HP group compared to 135 minutes in the CP group (P <0.01). Two patients in the CP group experienced severe adverse events (1 cardiac tamponade and 1 myocardial infarction). No serious AEs were found in the HP group. Non-serious AEs (groin complications, pericardial effusion, and phrenic nerve injury) were reported in 0.35% and 0.51% of cases in the HP and CP group, respectively. Conclusion: This study suggests that HP PVI ablation can be associated with better ablation outcomes by reducing the rate of acute and late PV reconnection and atrial arrhythmia recurrence, with similar safety profiles, and shorter procedural times. These findings merit evaluation in a randomized controlled trial.

AbstractIntroductionThe need for transparency in financial relationships in the healthcare system, has culminated in Open Payments database, managed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Since its inception in 2013, the trend in such payments to physicians practicing cardiac electrophysiology was not examined.Methods and ResultsPayment information reported to CMS from January 2013 to December 2018 was obtained from the publicly available Open Payments data set using the online query tool. The data were analyzed by an individual provider and by state. An in‐depth analysis of payments in the year 2018 payments was performed. From 2014 to 2018, there was an 18% increase in the total number of payments reported from 88 877 payments in 2014 to 105 000 in 2018. Despite the increase in the total number of payments reported, the average payment steadily decreased over time, resulting in an overall reduction in the total amount of payments from 2014 to 2018 ($34.9 million to $28.2 million). Payments to the top 5% of individual recipients have also decreased over this time. In 2018, 2888 unique providers received reportable payments, a total of 105 000 payments, with a median payment amount of $1378 (interquartile range: $165–$5781). The majority of these payments were for food and beverage (82%) and travel/lodging (10%). The top five payers include Boston Scientific, Medtronic Vascular, Abbott Laboratories, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Biotronik.ConclusionAmong cardiac electrophysiologists, there is increased reporting of payments in the Open Payments program over time, with a notable decrease in the payment amount.