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Purpose@#The incidence and prognostic implications of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are controversial, especially for Korean patients. Furthermore, the pattern of antithrombotic therapy for these patients is unknown. The present study sought to identify the impact of AF on Korean patients undergoing TAVI and demonstrate the status of antithrombotic therapy for these patients. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 660 patients who underwent TAVI for severe AS were recruited from the nationwide K-TAVI registry in Korea. The enrolled patients were stratified into sinus rhythm (SR) and AF groups. The primary endpoint was all-cause death at 1-year. @*Results@#AF was recorded in 135 patients [pre-existing AF 108 (16.4%) and new-onset AF 27 (4.1%)]. The rate of all-cause death at 1 year was significantly higher in patients with AF than in those with SR [16.2% vs. 6.4%, adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 2.207, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.182–4.120, p=0.013], regardless of the onset timing of AF. The rate of new pacemaker insertion at 1 year was also significantly higher in patients with AF than in those with SR (14.0% vs. 5.5%, adjusted HR: 3.137, 95%CI: 1.621–6.071, p=0.001).Among AF patients, substantial number of patients received the combination of multiple antithrombotic agents (77.8%), and the most common combination was that of aspirin and clopidogrel (38.1%). @*Conclusion@#AF was an independent predictor of 1-year mortality and new pacemaker insertion in Korean patients undergoing TAVI.
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Background@#Transcutaneous lower eyelid approaches are associated with a risk of postoperative scarring depending on the distance between the incision line and the lower eyelid margin. The lower eyelid crease of Caucasians corresponds to a ridge-shaped fold in young Asians. However, this relationship has not been sufficiently evaluated in the latter. The authors, therefore, investigated the location of the scar and the lower eyelid crease or ridge to find the optimal location for the incision line. @*Methods@#This study included 60 out of 139 patients who underwent inferior orbital wall reconstruction through a lower eyelid skin incision between July 2019 and June 2020. According to the location of the scar, the patients were classified into three groups: group A ( ≥ 2 mm above the lower eyelid crease or ridge), group B (within the lower eyelid crease or ridge to 2 mm above the lower eyelid crease or ridge), and group C (within the lower eyelid crease or ridge to 2 mm below the lower eyelid crease or ridge). At 6 or 12 months after surgery, the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) score was obtained, the distance between the lower eyelid margin and the scar (DMS) and the distance between the margins of the peripheral pupil and the lower eyelid (DMPE) were measured, and the occurrence of ectropion was evaluated. @*Results@#Group B had the lowest POSAS score (A: 22.7 ± 8.0, B: 20.9 ± 2.4, C: 32.5 ± 4.1, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that the DMS was positively correlated with the POSAS score (p < 0.001) and that the risk of DMPE widening increased as the DMS decreased (p = 0.029). None of the patients had ectropion. @*Conclusion@#When using the transcutaneous approach for inferior orbital wall reconstruction, the optimal incision site is within the lower eyelid crease or ridge to 2 mm above the lower eyelid crease or ridge.
ABSTRACT
No abstract available.