Effectiveness of ICD therapy in real clinical practice. The Olomouc ICD Registry.

BACKGROUND: Clinical parameters linked to a low benefit of ICD implantation and increased mortality risks are needed for an individualized assessment of potential benefits and risks of ICD implantation. METHODS: Analysis of a prospective registry of all patients hospitalized from 2009 to 2019 in a single centre for a first implantation of any type of ICD. RESULTS: A total of 2,681 patients were included in the registry. Until the end of follow-up (38.4 ± 29.1 months), 682 (25.4%) patients died. The one-year mortality in all patients, the one-year CV mortality, the three-year mortality in all patients, and the three-year CV mortality were 7.8%, 5.7%, 20.6%, and 14.8%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference when the subgroups were compared according to the type of cardiomyopathy. No significant difference was found between primary and secondary prevention and between the types of devices. Male gender, age ≥ 75 years, diabetes mellitus, and atrial fibrillation were associated with a significantly increased mortality risk. CONCLUSION: In an analysis of a long-term follow-up of 2,681 ICD patients, we found no mortality difference between patients with ischemic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and in the device type. A higher mortality risk was found in men, patients older than 75 years, diabetics, and those with atrial fibrillation.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-II-receptor antagonists and angiotensin-receptor blocker/neprilysin inhibitor utilization in heart failure patients: Sub-analysis of a nation-wide population-based study in the Czech Republic.

AIMS: Sub-analysis of a retrospective nation-wide observational analysis of heart failure (HF) epidemiology reported to the Czech National Registry of Reimbursed Health Services between 2012 and 2018 aimed at angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin-II-receptor antagonists (ARB) and angiotensin receptor blocker/neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) use. METHODS AND RESULTS: ACEi and ARBs were generally used in 87.6% of all HF patients in 2012 (n=154 627); 84.5% in 2013 (n=170 861); 83.5% in 2014 (n=186 963); 81.6% in 2015 (n=198 844); 80.1% in 2016 (n=205 793); 78.0% in 2017 (n=212 152) and in 76.7% in 2018 (n=219 235). In a sub-analysis of patients with a medical procedure and/or examination using an I50.x ICD code accounted for in the given year, ACEi and ARBs were generally used in 99.3% in 2012 (n=63 250); 96% in 2013 (n=62 241); 95.2% in 2014 (n=64 414); 93.3% in 2015 (n=65 217); 91.8% in 2016 (n=65 236); 90.1% in 2017 (n=65 761) and in 88.6% in 2018 (n=66 332). In 2018, the majority of patients with HF were prescribed ramipril (n=49 909; 17.5%) and perindopril (n=44 332; 15.5%). The mostly prescribed ARBs in 2018 were telmisartan (n=18 669; 6.5%); losartan (n=13 935; 4.9%) and valsartan (n=4 849; 1.7%). In 24.5% of cases, ACEIs and ARBs were prescribed in a fixed combination with another drug. ARNI became gradually more prescribed from 2018 (n=9 659 in November 2020). CONCLUSION: In an analysis of ACEIs, ARBs and ARNIs utilization in all patients treated for heart failure in the given year in the whole country, we found a comparable rate of drug prescription in comparison with specific heart failure registries. This indicates a good translation of current standard of care into common clinical practice. Ramipril and perindopril remained the mostly prescribed ACEIs and telmisartan became the mostly prescribed ARB. Since 2018, ARNIs began to be widely prescribed.

Monitoring the dynamics of clinical and laboratory markers of chronic heart failure during 12 months of sacubitril/valsartan treatment.

AIM: Treatment with sacubitril/valsartan (S/V) significantly improves cardiovascular morbidity, mortality, quality of life and prolongs the survival of chronic heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction. The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in ejection fraction, NT-proBNP and glomerular filtration after 12 months of sacubitril/valsartan treatment. METHODS: 30 patients (28 men) with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, functional classes NYHA II-III, EF LK < 40%, NT-proBNP (> 450 ng/l), with glomerular filtration > 0.5 ml/s/1.73 m2, with a potassium < 5.4 mmol/l were classified in the study. S/V treatment was started at systolic blood pressure > 100 mmHg. Ejection fraction, glomerular filtration rate and NT-proBNP values were compared before treatment and after 12 months of S/V treatment. The number of hospitalizations and deaths was also monitored. RESULTS: During 12 months of S/V treatment there was a significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (median initial 26.3%, after treatment 36.3%, difference 7.5%, p.

Beta-blockers utilization in heart failure patients: Sub-analysis of a nation-wide population-based study in the Czech Republic.

AIMS: Sub-analysis of a retrospective nation-wide observational analysis of heart failure (HF) epidemiology reported to the Czech National Registry of Reimbursed Health Services between 2012 and 2018 aimed at beta-blockers (BBs) utilization. METHODS AND RESULTS: The beta-blockers were generally used in 81.8% of all patients treated for HF in 2012 (n=52 140); 81.8% in 2013 (n=53 058); 83.1% in 2014 (n=56 221); 82.1% in 2015 (n=57 421); 83.3% in 2016 (n=59 187); 82.2% in 2017 (60 058) and in 81.4% in 2018 (n=60 966). In 2018, the majority of patients treated for HF were prescribed metoprolol (22 974; 30.7%) and bisoprolol (21 001; 28%). Carvedilol was prescribed in 7 331 patients treated for HF (9.8%), nebivolol in 5 392 HF patients. Despite its primary indication, betaxolol was used in 2 341 patients treated for HF (3.1%). All other beta-blockers were used in less than 1% of HF patients. In some of the mostly used BBs, their prescription in patients treated for HF changed in the last years (metoprolol 32.4% in 2012, 30.7% in 2018; bisoprolol 20.3% in 2012, 28% in 2018; carvedilol 18.3% in 2012, 9.8% in 2018; nebivolol 2.5% in 2012, 7.2% in 2018; betaxolol 4.2% in 2012, 3.1% in 2018). CONCLUSION: In an analysis of beta-blockers utilization in all patients treated for heart failure in the given year in the whole country, we have found only slightly lower amount of drug prescription in comparison with specific heart failure registries. This indicates a good translation of current standard of care into common clinical practice. Metoprolol remained the mostly prescribed drug. The prescription of bisoprolol and nebivolol has increased at the expense of carvedilol.

Factors underlying elevated troponin I levels following pacemaker primo-implantation.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac troponins are routinely used as markers of myocardial damage. Originally, they were only intended for use in diagnosing acute coronary syndromes; however, we now know that raised serum troponin levels are not always caused by ischemia. There are many other clinical conditions that cause damage to cardiomyocytes, leading to raised levels of troponin. However, the specificity of cardiac troponins towards the myocardium is absolute. Our work focuses on mechanical damage to the myocardium and on monitoring the factors that raise the levels of cardiospecific markers after primo-implantation of a pacemaker with an actively fixed electrode. AIMS: (i) To determine whether the use of a primo-implanted pacemaker with an electrode system with active fixation will raise troponin levels over baseline. (ii) To assess whether troponin I elevation is dependent on procedure complexity. METHODS: We enrolled 219 consecutive patients indicated for pacemaker primo-implantation; cardiospecific marker values (troponin I, CKMB, myoglobin) were determined before the implantation procedure and again at 6- and 18-h intervals after the procedure. We monitored duration of cardiac skiascopy, number of attempts to place the electrode (active penetration into the tissue) and intervention range (single-chamber versus dual-chamber pacing), and we assessed the clinical data. RESULTS: The average age of the enrolled patients was 78.2 ± 8.0 years (median age, 80 years); women constituted 45% of the group. We implanted 128 dual-chamber and 91 single-chamber devices with an average skiascopic time of 38.6 ± 22.0 s (median, 33.5 s). Troponin I serum levels increased from an initial 0.03 ± 0.07 µg/L (median, 0.01) to 0.18 ± 0.17 µg/L (median, 0.13) and 0.09 ± 0.18 µg/L (median, 0.04) at 6 and 18 h, respectively. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001 or P < 0.001). We confirmed a correlation between troponin increase and duration of skiascopy (P < 0.001). We also demonstrated a correlation between increased troponin I and number of attempts to place a pacemaker electrode (penetration into the tissue) at 6 h (P < 0.001) post-implantation. CONCLUSION: We detected slightly elevated troponin I levels in patients with primo-implanted pacemakers using electrodes with active fixation. We demonstrated a direct correlation between myocardial damage (number of electrode penetrations into the myocardium) and troponin I elevation, as well as between complexity (severity) of the implantation procedure (indicated by prolonged skiascopy) and raised troponin I. The described phenomenon demonstrates the loss of the diagnostic role of troponin I early after pacemaker primo-implantation in patients with concomitant chest pain.

3D reconstruction of TMJ after resection of the cyst and the stress-strain analyses.

The aim of this article is 3D analysis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) patient, who underwent surgery, during which the right TMJ was resected along with the ramus of mandible and consequently the joint was reconstructed with subtotal replacement. The main goal is to give a suitable formulation of mathematical model, which describes the changes of stresses in TMJ incurred after the surgery. The TMJ is a complex, sensitive and highly mobile joint which works bilaterally so each side influences the contralateral joint and because of this the distribution of the stresses is changed in the healthy joint as well. Detailed knowledge about function these are necessary for clinical application of temporomandibular joint prosthesis and also help us estimate the lifetime of the prosthesis a possibilities of alteration in the contra lateral joint components. The geometry for the 3D models is taken from the CT scan date and its numerical solution is based on the theory of semi-coercive unilateral contact problems in linear elasticity. This article provides medical part with case report, discretion of treatment, than the methods of mathematical modeling and his possibilities are described and finally results are reported.