Relationships between the COVID-19 lockdown, socioeconomic factors and acute coronary syndrome hospitalisations in France.

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with an overall drop in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) hospitalizations. Additionally, there is a well-known association between ACS and socioeconomic status. This study aims to assess the COVID-19 effect on ACS admissions in France during the first national lockdown and investigate the factors associated with its spatial heterogeneity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we used the French hospital discharge database (PMSI) to estimate ACS admission rates in all public and private hospitals in 2019 and 2020. A negative binomial regression explored the nationwide change in ACS admissions during lockdown compared with 2019. A multivariate analysis explored the factors associated with the ACS admission incidence rate ratio (IRR, 2020 incidence rate/2019 incidence rate) variation at the county level. RESULTS: We found a significant but geographically heterogeneous nationwide reduction in ACS admissions during lockdown (IRR 0·70 [0·64-0·76]). After adjustment for cumulative COVID-19 admissions and the ageing index, a higher share of people on short-term working arrangements during lockdown at the county level was associated with a lower IRR, while a higher share of individuals with a high school degree and a higher density of acute care beds were associated with a higher ratio. CONCLUSIONS: During the first national lockdown, there was an overall decrease in ACS admissions. Local provision of inpatient care and socioeconomic determinants linked to occupation were independently associated with the variation in hospitalizations.

Low-dose corticosteroid therapy for cardiogenic shock in adults (COCCA): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a life-threatening condition characterized by circulatory insufficiency caused by an acute dysfunction of the heart pump. The pathophysiological approach to CS has recently been enriched by the tissue consequences of low flow, including inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and alteration of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The aim of the present trial is to evaluate the impact of early low-dose corticosteroid therapy on shock reversal in adults with CS. METHOD/DESIGN: This is a multicentered randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with two parallel arms in adult patients with CS recruited from medical, cardiac, and polyvalent intensive care units (ICU) in France. Patients will be randomly allocated into the treatment or control group (1:1 ratio), and we will recruit 380 patients (190 per group). For the treatment group, hydrocortisone (50 mg intravenous bolus every 6 h) and fludrocortisone (50 µg once a day enterally) will be administered for 7 days or until discharge from the ICU. The primary endpoint is catecholamine-free days at day 7. Secondary endpoints include morbidity and all-cause mortality at 28 and 90 days post-randomization. Pre-defined subgroups analyses are planned, including: postcardiotomy, myocardial infarction, etomidate use, vasopressor use, and adrenal profiles according the short corticotropin stimulation test. Each patient will be followed for 90 days. All analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. DISCUSSION: This trial will provide valuable evidence about the effectiveness of low dose of corticosteroid therapy for CS. If effective, this therapy might improve outcome and become a therapeutic adjunct for patients with CS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT03773822 . Registered on 12 December 2018.

[Impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la charge des patients atteints d'insuffisance cardiaque chronique en France]. / Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the burden of chronic heart failure patients in France.

CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic in France has led to the implementation of containment measures, limiting medical activity to urgent care. Heart Failure (HF) patients should have particularly been concerned. During the pandemic, movement restrictions and fear of contamination could have worsened HF patients. METHODS: We conducted two dedicated anonymous questionnaire completed at the end of the first lockdown period in France about the HF patients'symptoms and the cardiologists'pratice. In parallel, data from the SNDS (Système National des Données de Santé) were collected concerning the practices of cardiologists. RESULTS: Regarding HF patients, 1156 participated and filled the questionnaire. 53% were men, aged 61± 15 yo in men and 53±12 yo in women; 13% declared feeling bad during the pandemic period. 36% declared they had more dyspnea, 14% more oedema, 45% a gain of weight and 57% were more tired. 45% of patients declared having spent more than 4 weeks without any appointment with a medical doctor. Regarding Cardiologists, they proposed to perform a remotely follow-up (teleconsultation including visio, phone call management) in 23% of cases. In parallel, data from the SNDS showed that 19% of cardiologist used teleconsultations. CONCLUSION: Through this original survey, it emerges that despite the HF patients being more symptomatic, cardiological follow-up was difficult and challenging. We suggest that during pandemic, teleconsultations could improve the efficiency and quality of care, reduce demands on patients, and reduce healthcare costs.

Vaccination for Respiratory Infections in Patients with Heart Failure.

Bronchopulmonary infections are a major trigger of cardiac decompensation and are frequently associated with hospitalizations in patients with heart failure (HF). Adverse cardiac effects associated with respiratory infections, more specifically Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza infections, are the consequence of inflammatory processes and thrombotic events. For both influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations, large multicenter randomized clinical trials are needed to evaluate their efficacy in preventing cardiovascular events, especially in HF patients. No study to date has evaluated the protective effect of the COVID-19 vaccine in patients with HF. Different guidelines recommend annual influenza vaccination for patients with established cardiovascular disease and also recommend pneumococcal vaccination in patients with HF. The Heart Failure group of the French Society of Cardiology recently strongly recommended vaccination against COVID-19 in HF patients. Nevertheless, the implementation of vaccination recommendations against respiratory infections in HF patients remains suboptimal. This suggests that a national health policy is needed to improve vaccination coverage, involving not only the general practitioner, but also other health providers, such as cardiologists, nurses, and pharmacists. This review first summarizes the pathophysiology of the interrelationships between inflammation, infection, and HF. Then, we describe the current clinical knowledge concerning the protective effect of vaccines against respiratory diseases (influenza, pneumococcal infection, and COVID-19) in patients with HF and finally we propose how vaccination coverage could be improved in these patients.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Led to a Small Increase in Changed Mentality Regarding Infection Risk without Any Change in Willingness to Be Vaccinated in Chronic Diseases Patients.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients' perceptions regarding infection risk and vaccination in subjects suffering from chronic diseases. A prospective observational multicentric study conducted from December 2020 to April 2021 in three French University Hospitals. Patients with chronic diseases were proposed to complete a questionnaire regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infectious risk knowledge and vaccination. A total of 1151 patients were included and analyzed (62% of which were people with diabetes). The COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness of infectious risks by 19.3%, significantly more in people with diabetes (23.2%, from 54.4% to 67.0%, p < 0.01) when compared to the other high-risk patients (12.5%, from 50.5% to 56.8%, p = 0.06). Respectively, 30.6% and 16.5% of patients not up-to-date for pneumococcal and flu vaccines reported wanting to update their vaccination due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By contrast, the proportion of patients against vaccines increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (6.0% vs. 9.5%, p < 0.01). The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a small increase in awareness regarding the risks of infection in patients with chronic diseases, including people with diabetes, but without any change in willingness to be vaccinated. This underlines the urgent need to sensibilize people with diabetes to infection risk and the importance of vaccination.

Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Era of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Registry of the French Group of Acute Cardiac Care.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to report clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection who were referred for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during the peak of the pandemic in France. METHODS: We included all consecutive patients referred for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-STEMI (NSTEMI) during the first 3 weeks of April 2020 in 5 university hospitals (Paris, south, and north of France), all performing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. RESULTS: The study included 237 patients (67 ± 14 years old; 69% male), 116 (49%) with STEMI and 121 (51%) with NSTEMI. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-associated ACS was 11% (n = 26) and 11 patients had severe hypoxemia on presentation (mechanical ventilation or nasal oxygen > 6 L/min). Patients were comparable regarding medical history and risk factors, except a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus in SARS-CoV-2 patients (53.8% vs 25.6%; P = 0.003). In SARS-CoV-2 patients, cardiac arrest on admission was more frequent (26.9% vs 6.6%; P < 0.001). The presence of significant coronary artery disease and culprit artery occlusion in SARS-CoV-2 patients respectively, was 92% and 69.4% for those with STEMI, and 50% and 15.5% for those with NSTEMI. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in the same percentage of STEMI (84.6%) and NSTEMI (84.8%) patients, regardless of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but no-reflow (19.2% vs 3.3%; P < 0.001) was greater in SARS-CoV-2 patients. In-hospital death occurred in 7 SARS-CoV-2 patients (5 from cardiac cause) and was higher compared with noninfected patients (26.9% vs 6.2%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this registry, ACS in SARS-CoV-2 patients presented with high a percentage of cardiac arrest on admission, high incidence of no-reflow, and high in-hospital mortality.

CONTEXTE: Notre étude avait pour but d'établir les caractéristiques cliniques et les résultats de patients infectés ou non par le SRAS-CoV-2 qui ont été orientés en raison d'un syndrome coronarien aigu (SCA) pendant la phase aiguë de la pandémie en France. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Nous avons inclus dans l'étude tous les patients consécutifs qui ont présenté un infarctus du myocarde avec sus-décalage du segment ST (STEMI) ou sans sus-décalage du segment ST (NSTEMI) au cours des 3 premières semaines d'avril 2020 et qui ont été orientés vers 5 hôpitaux universitaires (situés à Paris, ainsi que dans le sud et le nord de la France), tous en mesure de réaliser des interventions co-ronariennes percutanées primaires. RÉSULTATS: L'étude comprenait 237 patients (âge : 67 ± 14 ans; proportion d'hommes : 69 %); 116 (49 %) présentaient un STEMI et 121 (51 %), un NSTEMI. La prévalence d'un SCA associé à une infection par le SRAS-CoV-2 s'établissait à 11 % (n = 26), et 11 patients étaient en hypoxémie grave (nécessitant une ventilation artificielle ou l'administration d'oxygène par voie nasale à un débit de plus de 6 l/min) à leur arrivée. Les patients présentaient des antécédents médicaux et des facteurs de risque comparables, à l'exception du fait que la prévalence du diabète était plus élevée chez les patients infectés par le SRAS-CoV-2 (53,8 % vs 25,6 %; p = 0,003). Ces derniers avaient plus souvent subi un arrêt cardiaque à leur admission (26,9 % vs 6,6 %; p < 0,001). Chez les patients infectés par le SRAS-CoV-2, une coronaropathie importante et une occlusion de l'artère coupable ont été observées chez respectivement 92 % et 69,4 % des patients présentant un STEMI, et chez 50 % et 15,5 % des patients présentant un NSTEMI. Une intervention coronarienne percutanée a été effectuée dans les mêmes proportions chez les patients subissant un STEMI (84,6 %) que chez ceux présentant un NSTEMI (84,8 %), sans égard à la présence ou à l'absence d'une infection par le SRAS-CoV-2, mais les cas de non-reperfusion (no-reflow) ont été plus fréquents chez les patients infectés que chez les autres patients (19,2 % et 3,3 %, respectivement; p < 0,001). Sept patients infectés par le SRAS-CoV-2 sont morts à l'hôpital (5 de cause cardiaque), ce qui représente un taux de mortalité plus élevé que chez les patients non infectés (26,9 % vs 6,2 %; p < 0,001). CONCLUSIONS: Dans le cadre de cette étude, le SCA survenu chez les patients infectés par le SRAS-CoV-2 était associé à un fort pourcentage d'arrêt cardiaque à l'admission, à une fréquence élevée de cas de non-reperfusion et à un taux élevé de mortalité hospitalière.

A New Requirement for Publication: Access to Effective Drugs for Ethical Reasons, The Example of Heart Failure.

The past decade has witnessed the publication of many trials in the field of heart failure, several of which have demonstrated that new drugs could potentially reduce major cardiac events and sometimes even decrease total mortality. Most medical practitioners have experimented with withdrawal of the drug under investigation, having no knowledge of what the patient had received, consistent with a blinded design. In some such cases, the patient's clinical status may be rapidly compromised after withdrawal, suggesting (i) that the patient had been receiving the active drug and (ii) that the drug under investigation might exert beneficial effects. The patients should receive early benefit from the drug, but they are left most often without this beneficial treatment not only until the trial results are complete but also until after the guidelines are updated and after the reimbursement (months to years after the results). Here, we propose that the study sponsor should plan from study conception that all participating patients (regardless of whether they are in the placebo or active drug group) will have access to the drug upon trial completion-once safety is verified and until the results are known. Nowadays, it is not conceivable to submit the results of a large trial for publication without approval from a suitable ethical committee. Similarly, the access to the effective drug should be considered as a requirement for clinical research, not only for ethics committee approval, and for the registration of the trial in an international database until publication.

One train may hide another: Acute cardiovascular diseases could be neglected because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is likely to have significant implications for the cardiovascular care of patients. In most countries, containment has already started (on 17 March 2020 in France), and self-quarantine and social distancing are reducing viral contamination and saving lives. However, these considerations may only be the tip of the iceberg; most resources are dedicated to the struggle against COVID-19, and this unprecedented situation may compromise the management of patients admitted with cardiovascular conditions. AIM: We aimed to assess the effect of COVID-19 containment measures on cardiovascular admissions in France. METHODS: We asked nine major cardiology centres to give us an overview of admissions to their nine intensive cardiac care units for acute myocardial infarction or acute heart failure, before and after containment measures. RESULTS: Before containment (02-16 March 2020), the nine participating intensive cardiac care units admitted 4.8±1.6 patients per day, versus 2.6±1.5 after containment (17-22 March 2020) (rank-sum test P=0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: We confirm here, for the first time, a dramatic drop in the number of cardiovascular admissions after the establishment of containment. Many hypotheses might explain this phenomenon, but we feel it is time raise the alarm about the risk for patients presenting with acute cardiovascular disease, who may suffer from lack of attention, leading to severe consequences (an increase in the number of ambulatory myocardial infarctions, mechanical complications of myocardial infarction leading to an increase in the number of cardiac arrests, unexplained deaths, heart failure, etc.). Similar consequences can be feared for all acute situations, beyond the cardiovascular disease setting.