Telephone-Based Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Optimization in Navajo Nation: The Hózhó Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Underutilization of guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is a major cause of poor outcomes. For many American Indian patients receiving care through the Indian Health Service, access to care, especially cardiology care, is limited, contributing to poor uptake of recommended therapy. Objective: To examine whether a telehealth model in which guideline-directed medical therapy is initiated and titrated over the phone with remote telemonitoring using a home blood pressure cuff improves guideline-directed medical therapy use (eg, drug classes and dosage) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in Navajo Nation. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Heart Failure Optimization at Home to Improve Outcomes (Hózhó) randomized clinical trial was a stepped-wedge, pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial conducted from February to August 2023. Patients 18 years and older with a diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction receiving care at 2 Indian Health Service facilities in rural Navajo Nation (defined as having primary care physician with 1 clinical visit and 1 prescription filled in the last 12 months) were enrolled. Patients were randomized to the telehealth care model or usual care in a stepped-wedge fashion, with 5 time points (30-day intervals) until all patients crossed over into the intervention. Data analyses were completed in January 2024. Intervention: A phone-based telehealth model in which guideline-directed medical therapy is initiated and titrated at home, using remote telemonitoring with a home blood pressure cuff. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was an increase in the number of guideline-directed classes of drugs filled from the pharmacy at 30 days postrandomization. Results: Of 103 enrolled American Indian patients, 42 (40.8%) were female, and the median (IQR) age was 65 (53-77) years. The median (IQR) left ventricular ejection fraction was 32% (24%-36%). The primary outcome occurred significantly more in the intervention group (66.2% vs 13.1%), thus increasing uptake of guideline-directed classes of drugs by 53% (odds ratio, 12.99; 95% CI, 6.87-24.53; P < .001). The number of patients needed to receive the telehealth intervention to result in an increase of guideline-directed drug classes was 1.88. Conclusions and Relevance: In this heart failure trial in Navajo Nation, a telephone-based strategy of remote initiation and titration for outpatients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction led to improved rates of guideline-directed medical therapy at 30 days compared with usual care. This low-cost strategy could be expanded to other rural settings where access to care is limited. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05792085.

Decentralization and Integration of Advanced Cardiac Care for the World's Poorest Billion Through the PEN-Plus Strategy for Severe Chronic Non-Communicable Disease.

Rheumatic and congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathies, and hypertensive heart disease are major causes of suffering and death in low- and lower middle-income countries (LLMICs), where the world's poorest billion people reside. Advanced cardiac care in these counties is still predominantly provided by specialists at urban tertiary centers, and is largely inaccessible to the rural poor. This situation is due to critical shortages in diagnostics, medications, and trained healthcare workers. The Package of Essential NCD Interventions - Plus (PEN-Plus) is an integrated care model for severe chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) that aims to decentralize services and increase access. PEN-Plus strategies are being initiated by a growing number of LLMICs. We describe how PEN-Plus addresses the need for advanced cardiac care and discuss how a global group of cardiac organizations are working through the PEN-Plus Cardiac expert group to promote a shared operational strategy for management of severe cardiac disease in high-poverty settings.

Health Disparities, Clinical Trials, and the Digital Divide.

In the past few years, there have been rapid advances in technology and the use of digital tools in health care and clinical research. Although these innovations have immense potential to improve health care delivery and outcomes, there are genuine concerns related to inadvertent widening of the digital gap consequentially exacerbating health disparities. As such, it is important that we critically evaluate the impact of expansive digital transformation in medicine and clinical research on health equity. For digital solutions to truly improve the landscape of health care and clinical trial participation for all persons in an equitable way, targeted interventions to address historic injustices, structural racism, and social and digital determinants of health are essential. The urgent need to focus on interventions to promote health equity was made abundantly clear with the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, which magnified long-standing social and racial health disparities. Novel digital technologies present a unique opportunity to embed equity ideals into the ecosystem of health care and clinical research. In this review, we examine racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials, historic instances of unethical research practices in biomedical research and its impact on clinical trial participation, and the digital divide in health care and clinical research, and we propose suggestions to achieve digital health equity in clinical trials. We also highlight key digital health opportunities in cardiovascular medicine and dermatology as exemplars, and we offer future directions for development and adoption of patient-centric interventions aimed at narrowing the digital divide and mitigating health inequities.

Medicaid Expansion And Outpatient Cardiovascular Care Use Among Low-Income Nonelderly Adults, 2012-15.

Adults with lower socioeconomic status have a disproportionately higher burden of cardiovascular disease. Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, which went into effect January 1, 2014, in adopting states, led to an expansion of health insurance coverage for low-income adults. To understand whether Medicaid expansion was associated with increased access to outpatient cardiovascular care in expansion states, we examined Medicaid Analytic eXtract administrative claims data for nonelderly adult beneficiaries from the period 2012-15 for two states that expanded Medicaid eligibility (New Jersey and Minnesota) and two states that did not (Georgia and Tennessee) and calculated population-level rates of cardiovascular care use. There was a 38.1 percent greater increase in expansion states in the rate of beneficiaries with outpatient visits for cardiovascular disease management associated with Medicaid expansion relative to nonexpansion states. This was accompanied by a 42.9 percent greater increase in the prescription rate for cardiovascular disease management agents. These results suggest that expansion of Medicaid eligibility was associated with an increase in cardiovascular care use among low-income nonelderly adults in expansion states.

Projected Change in the Burden of Excess Cardiovascular Deaths Associated With Extreme Heat by Midcentury (2036-2065) in the Contiguous United States.

BACKGROUND: Climate change is causing an increase in extreme heat. Individuals with cardiovascular disease are at high risk of heat-related adverse health effects. How the burden of extreme heat-associated cardiovascular deaths in the United States will change with the projected rise in extreme heat is unknown. METHODS: We obtained data on cardiovascular deaths among adults and the number of extreme heat days (maximum heat index ≥90 °F [32.2 °C]) in each county in the contiguous United States from 2008 to 2019. Based on representative concentration pathway trajectories that model greenhouse gas emissions and shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) that model future socioeconomic scenarios and demographic projections, we obtained county-level projected numbers of extreme heat days and populations under 2 scenarios for the midcentury period 2036 to 2065: SSP2-4.5 (representing demographic projections from a "middle-of-the-road" socioeconomic scenario and an intermediate increase in emissions) and SSP5-8.5 (demographic projections in an economy based on "fossil-fueled development" and a large increase in emissions). The association of cardiovascular mortality with extreme heat was estimated with a Poisson fixed-effects model. Using estimates from this model, the projected number of excess cardiovascular deaths associated with extreme heat was calculated. RESULTS: Extreme heat was associated with 1651 (95% CI, 921-2381) excess cardiovascular deaths per year from 2008 to 2019. By midcentury, extreme heat is projected to be associated with 4320 (95% CI, 2369-6272) excess deaths annually, which is an increase of 162% (95% CI, 142-182) under SSP2-4.5, and 5491 (95% CI, 3011-7972) annual excess deaths, which is an increase of 233% (95% CI, 206-259) under SSP5-8.5. Elderly adults are projected to have a 3.5 (95% CI, 3.2-3.8) times greater increase in deaths in the SSP2-4.5 scenario compared with nonelderly adults. Non-Hispanic Black adults are projected to have a 4.6 (95% CI, 2.8-6.4) times greater increase compared with non-Hispanic White adults. The projected change in deaths was not statistically significantly different for other race and ethnicity groups or between men and women. CONCLUSIONS: By midcentury, extreme heat is projected to be associated with a significantly greater burden of excess cardiovascular deaths in the contiguous United States.

Cardiovascular Disease Burden and Outcomes Among American Indian and Alaska Native Medicare Beneficiaries.

Importance: American Indian and Alaska Native persons face significant health disparities; however, data regarding the burden of cardiovascular disease in the current era is limited. Objective: To determine the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease, the burden of comorbid conditions, including cardiovascular disease risk factors, and associated mortality among American Indian and Alaska Native patients with Medicare insurance. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a population-based cohort study conducted from January 2015 to December 2019 using Medicare administrative data. Participants included American Indian and Alaska Native Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older enrolled in both Medicare part A and B fee-for-service Medicare. Statistical analyses were performed from November 2022 to April 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures: The annual incidence, prevalence, and mortality associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF), and cerebrovascular disease (stroke or transient ischemic attack [TIA]). Results: Among 220 598 American Indian and Alaska Native Medicare beneficiaries, the median (IQR) age was 72.5 (68.5-79.0) years, 127 402 were female (57.8%), 78 438 (38.8%) came from communities in the most economically distressed quintile in the Distressed Communities Index. In the cohort, 44.8% of patients (98 833) were diagnosed with diabetes, 61.3% (135 124) were diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, and 72.2% (159 365) were diagnosed with hypertension during the study period. The prevalence of CAD was 38.6% (61 125 patients) in 2015 and 36.7% (68 130 patients) in 2019 (P < .001). The incidence of acute myocardial infarction increased from 6.9 per 1000 person-years in 2015 to 7.7 per 1000 patient-years in 2019 (percentage change, 4.79%; P < .001). The prevalence of HF was 22.9% (36 288 patients) in 2015 and 21.4% (39 857 patients) in 2019 (P < .001). The incidence of HF increased from 26.1 per 1000 person-years in 2015 to 27.0 per 1000 person-years in 2019 (percentage change, 4.08%; P < .001). AF had a stable prevalence of 9% during the study period (2015: 9.4% [14 899 patients] vs 2019: 9.3% [25 175 patients]). The incidence of stroke or TIA decreased slightly throughout the study period (12.7 per 1000 person-years in 2015 and 12.1 per 1000 person-years in 2019; percentage change, 5.08; P = .004). Fifty percent of patients (110 244) had at least 1 severe cardiovascular condition (CAD, HF, AF, or cerebrovascular disease), and the overall mortality rate for the cohort was 19.8% (43 589 patients). Conclusions and Relevance: In this large cohort study of American Indian and Alaska Native patients with Medicare insurance in the US, results suggest a significant burden of cardiovascular disease and cardiometabolic risk factors. These results highlight the critical need for future efforts to prioritize the cardiovascular health of this population.

Enrollment of Older Patients, Women, and Racial and Ethnic Minority Individuals in Valvular Heart Disease Clinical Trials: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Inadequate representation of older patients, women, and racial minority individuals in cardiovascular clinical trials limits both the generalizability of trial findings and inclusivity in access to novel therapies and therapeutic strategies. Objective: To report on temporal trends in the representation of older patients, women, and racial and ethnic minority individuals in clinical trials studying treatments for valvular heart disease. Evidence Review: All published clinical trials enrolling more than 100 adults with any valvular heart disease published between 2005 and 2020 were included after searches with PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov. Data on age, sex, race, and ethnicity reported in the included studies were collected. Trials were assigned to 4 time periods based on the publication date, and temporal trends were analyzed in the representation of older patients, women, and racial and ethnic minority individuals. Findings: A total of 139 clinical trials with 51 527 participants were identified. Of these trials, 103 (74%) investigated aortic valve disease and the remainder mitral valve disease. Overall, 63 trials (45.3%) enrolled patients only in Europe, 24 (17.3%) only in North America, and 19 (13.7%) in multiple geographical regions. The weighted mean (SD) age of enrolled patients was 68.4 (11.4) years, increasing nonsignificantly from 61.9 (5.9) years in 2005-2008 to 72.8 (9.6) years in 2017-2020 (P = .09 for trend). The overall proportion of women enrolled in valvular heart disease trials was 41.1%, with no significant changes over time. Data on race and ethnicity of trial participants were reported in 13 trials (9.4%), in which trial-level representation of American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander patients ranged from 0.27% to 43.9%. There were no significant temporal trends noted in the enrollment of racial and ethnic minority populations. The representation of women in clinical trials was positively associated with enrollment rates of older patients and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Conclusions and Relevance: This review found that over the past 2 decades, women and racial and ethnic minority individuals have remained underrepresented in North American valvular heart disease clinical trials. Further work is needed to improve the reporting of race and ethnicity data and address barriers to trial enrollment for older patients, women, and racial and ethnic minority individuals.

Racial Differences in Presentation and Outcomes After Peripheral Arterial Interventions: Insights From the NCDR-PVI Registry.

BACKGROUND: We assess the rates of device use and outcomes by race among patients undergoing lower extremity peripheral arterial intervention using the American College of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Data Registry-Peripheral Vascular Intervention (PVI) registry. METHODS: Patients who underwent PVI between April 2014 and March 2019 were included. Socioeconomic status was evaluated using the Distressed Community Index score for patients' zip codes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with utilization of drug-eluting technologies, intravascular imaging, and atherectomy. Among patients with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data, we compared 1-year mortality, rates of amputation, and repeat revascularizations. RESULTS: Of 63 150 study cases, 55 719 (88.2%) were performed in White patients and 7431 (11.8%) in Black patients. Black patients were younger (67.9 versus 70.0 years), had higher rates of hypertension (94.4% versus 89.5%), diabetes (63.0% versus 46.2%), less likely to be able to walk 200 m (29.1% versus 24.8%), and higher Distressed Community Index scores (65.1 versus 50.6). Black patients were provided drug-eluting technologies at a higher rate (adjusted odds ratio, 1.14 [95% CI, 1.06-1.23]) with no difference in atherectomy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.91-1.05]) or intravascular imaging (adjusted odds ratio, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.88-1.22]) use. Black patients experienced a lower rate of acute kidney injury (adjusted odds ratio, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.72-0.88]). In Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-linked analyses of 7429 cases (11.8%), Black patients were significantly less likely to have surgical (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.17-0.96]) or repeat PVI revascularization (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.30-0.59]) at 1 year compared with White patients. There was no difference in mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [0.8-1.4]) or major amputation (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.5 [95% CI, 0.8-7.6]) between Black and White patients. CONCLUSIONS: Black patients presenting for PVI were younger, had higher prevalence of comorbidities and lower socioeconomic status. After adjustment, Black patients were less likely to have surgical or repeat PVI revascularization after the index PVI procedure.

Association between racial residential segregation and Black-White disparities in cardiovascular disease mortality.

BACKGROUND: Racial residential segregation is associated with racial health inequities, but it is unclear if segregation may exacerbate Black-White disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. This study aimed to assess associations between Black-White residential segregation, CVD mortality rates among non-Hispanic (NH) Black and NH White populations, and Black-White disparities in CVD mortality. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed Black-White residential segregation, as measured by county-level interaction index, of US counties, county-level CVD mortality among NH White and NH black adults aged 25 years and older, and county-level Black-White disparities in CVD mortality in years 2014 to 2017. Age-adjusted, county-level NH Black CVD mortality rates and NH White cardiovascular disease mortality rates, as well as group-level relative risk ratios for Black-White cardiovascular disease mortality, were calculated. Sequential generalized linear models adjusted for county-level socioeconomic and neighborhood factors were used to estimate associations between residential segregation and cardiovascular mortality rates among NH Black and NH White populations. Relative risk ratio tests were used to compare Black-White disparities in the most segregated counties to disparities in the least segregated counties. RESULTS: We included 1,286 counties with ≥5% Black populations in the main analysis. Among adults aged ≥25 years, there were 2,611,560 and 408,429 CVD deaths among NH White and NH Black individuals, respectively. In the unadjusted model, counties in the highest tertile of segregation had 9% higher (95% CI, 1%-20% higher, P = .04) rates of NH Black CVD mortality than counties in the lowest tertile of segregation. In the multivariable adjusted model, the most segregated counties had 15% higher (95% CI, 0.5% to 38% higher, P = .04) rates of NH Black CVD mortality than the least segregated counties. In the most segregated counties, NH Black individuals were 33% more likely to die of CVD than NH White individuals (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.33, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Counties with increased Black-White residential segregation have higher rates of NH Black CVD mortality and larger Black-White disparities in CVD mortality. Identifying the causal mechanisms through which racial residential segregation widens disparities in CVD mortality requires further study.

Association of Prescription Co-payment With Adherence to Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist and Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor Therapies in Patients With Heart Failure and Diabetes.

Importance: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and heart failure (HF) prevalence are rising in the US. Although glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) improve outcomes for these conditions, high out-of-pocket costs may be associated with reduced medication adherence. Objective: To compare 1-year adherence to GLP1-RA and SGLT2i therapies by prescription co-payment level in individuals with T2D and/or HF. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used deidentified data from Optum Insight's Clinformatics Data Mart Database of enrollees with commercial and Medicare health insurance plans. Individuals aged 18 years or older with T2D and/or HF who had a prescription claim for a GLP1-RA or SLGT2i from January 1, 2014, to September 30, 2020, were included. Exposures: Prescription co-payment, categorized as low (<$10), medium ($10 to<$50), and high (≥$50). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was medication adherence, defined as a proportion of days covered (PDC) of 80% or greater at 1 year. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between co-payment and adherence, adjusting for patient demographics, medical comorbidities, and socioeconomic factors. Results: A total of 94 610 individuals (mean [SD] age, 61.8 [11.4] years; 51 226 [54.1%] male) were prescribed GLP1-RA or SGLT2i therapy. Overall, 39 149 individuals had a claim for a GLP1-RA, of whom 25 557 (65.3%) had a PDC of 80% or greater at 1 year. In fully adjusted models, individuals with a medium (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.58-0.67) or high (AOR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.44-0.51) co-payment were less likely to have a PDC of 80% or greater with a GLP1-RA compared with those with a low co-payment. Overall, 51 072 individuals had a claim for an SGLT2i, of whom 37 339 (73.1%) had a PDC of 80% or greater at 1 year. Individuals with a medium (AOR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.63-0.72) or high (AOR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.63-0.72) co-payment were less likely to have a PDC of 80% or greater with an SGLT2i compared with those with a low co-payment. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of individuals with T2D and/or HF, 1-year adherence to GLP1-RA or SGLT2i therapies was highest among individuals with a low co-payment. Improving adherence to guideline-based therapies may require interventions that reduce out-of-pocket prescription costs.

Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Inequities in Access to Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion.

Background Inequitable access to high-technology therapeutics may perpetuate inequities in care. We examined the characteristics of US hospitals that did and did not establish left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) programs, the patient populations those hospitals served, and the associations between zip code-level racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic composition and rates of LAAO among Medicare beneficiaries living within large metropolitan areas with LAAO programs. Methods and Results We conducted cross-sectional analyses of Medicare fee-for-service claims for beneficiaries aged 66 years or older between 2016 and 2019. We identified hospitals establishing LAAO programs during the study period. We used generalized linear mixed models to measure the association between zip code-level racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic composition and age-adjusted rates of LAAO in the most populous 25 metropolitan areas with LAAO sites. During the study period, 507 candidate hospitals started LAAO programs, and 745 candidate hospitals did not. Most new LAAO programs opened in metropolitan areas (97.4%). Compared with non-LAAO centers, LAAO centers treated patients with higher median household incomes (difference of $913 [95% CI, $197-$1629], P=0.01). Zip code-level rates of LAAO procedures per 100 000 Medicare beneficiaries in large metropolitan areas were 0.34% (95% CI, 0.33%-0.35%) lower for each $1000 zip code-level decrease in median household income. After adjustment for socioeconomic markers, age, and clinical comorbidities, LAAO rates were lower in zip codes with higher proportions of Black or Hispanic patients. Conclusions Growth in LAAO programs in the United States had been concentrated in metropolitan areas. LAAO centers treated wealthier patient populations in hospitals without LAAO programs. Within major metropolitan areas with LAAO programs, zip codes with higher proportions of Black and Hispanic patients and more patients experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage had lower age-adjusted rates of LAAO. Thus, geographic proximity alone may not ensure equitable access to LAAO. Unequal access to LAAO may reflect disparities in referral patterns, rates of diagnosis, and preferences for using novel therapies experienced by racial and ethnic minority groups and patients experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage.

Inequities in Access to Structural Heart Disease Interventions.

This Viewpoint discusses the structural barriers to care that exist for patients of racial and ethnic minoritized and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups and proposes solutions to address the inequities in health care delivery.

Characteristics of Clinical Trial Sites for Novel Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Valvular Therapies.

Importance: Racial and ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients have been underrepresented in randomized clinical trials. Efforts have focused on enhancing inclusion of minority groups at sites participating at clinical trials; however, there may be differences in the patient populations of the sites that participate in clinical trials. Objective: To identify any differences in the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic composition of patient populations among candidate sites in the US that did vs did not participate in trials for novel transcatheter therapies. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional analysis used Medicare Provider Claims from 2019 for patients admitted to hospitals in the US. All clinical trials for transcatheter mitral and tricuspid valve therapies and the hospitals participating in each of the trials were identified using ClinicalTrials.gov. Hospitals with active cardiac surgical programs that did not participate in the trials were also identified. Data analysis was performed between July 2021 and July 2022. Exposures: Multivariable linear regression models were used to identify differences in racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic characteristics among patients undergoing cardiac surgery or transcatheter aortic valve replacement at trial vs nontrial hospitals. Main Outcome and Measures: The main outcome of the study was participation in a clinical trial for novel transcatheter mitral or tricuspid valve therapies. Results: A total of 1050 hospitals with cardiac surgery programs were identified, of which 121 (11.5%) participated in trials for transcatheter mitral or tricuspid therapies. Patients treated in trial hospitals had a higher median zip code-based household income (difference of $5261; 95% CI, $2986-$7537), a lower Distressed Communities Index score (difference of 5.37; 95% CI, 2.59-8.15), and no significant difference in the proportion of patients dual eligible for Medicaid (difference of 0.86; 95% CI, -2.38 to 0.66). After adjusting for each of the socioeconomic indicators separately, there was less than 1% difference in the proportion of Black and Hispanic patients cared for at hospitals participating vs not participating in clinical trials. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study among candidate hospitals for clinical trials for transcatheter mitral or tricuspid valve therapies, trial hospitals took care of a more socioeconomically advantaged population than nontrial hospitals, with a similar proportion of Black and Hispanic patients. These data suggest that site selection efforts may improve enrollment of socioeconomically disadvantaged patients but may not improve the enrollment of Black and Hispanic patients.

Presence of sinus rhythm at time of ablation in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing pulmonary vein isolation is associated with improved long-term arrhythmia outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Adverse structural and electrical remodeling underlie persistent atrial fibrillation (PersAF). Restoration of sinus rhythm (SR) prior to ablation in PersAF may improve the underlying substrate, thus improving arrhythmia outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the presence of SR at time of ablation is associated with improved long-term arrhythmia outcomes of a limited catheter ablation (CA) strategy in PersAF. METHODS: Patients with PersAF undergoing pulmonary vein isolation at our institution from 2014-2018 were included. We compared patients who presented for ablation in SR (by cardioversion and/or antiarrhythmic drugs [AADs]) to those who presented in AF. Primary outcome of interest was freedom from atrial arrhythmias (AAs) on or off AADs at 1 year after single ablation. Secondary outcomes included freedom from AAs on or off AADs overall, freedom from AAs off AADs at 1 year, and time to recurrent AF. RESULTS: Five hundred seventeen patients were included (322 presented in AF, 195 SR). The primary outcome was higher in those who presented for CA in SR as compared to AF (85.6% vs. 77.0%, p = 0.017). Freedom from AAs off AAD at 12 months was also higher in those presenting in SR (59.0% vs. 44.4%; p = 0.001) and time to recurrent AF was longer (p = 0.008). Presence of SR at CA was independently associated with the primary outcome at 12 months (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.08-2.90) and overall (OR 1.89; 95% CI 1.26-2.82). CONCLUSIONS: Presence of SR at time of ablation is associated with improved long-term arrhythmia outcomes of limited CA in PersAF.

Telemedicine may increase visit completion rates in postpartum patients with preeclampsia.

Postpartum cardiovascular (CV) evaluation of women with preeclampsia is recommended to screen for and treat modifiable risk factors to reduce lifetime CV risk. However, attendance at in-person postpartum obstetric and cardiology clinic visits is low. The aim of this study was to compare the completion rate of new patient telemedicine visits to in-person office visits for patients with preeclampsia referred for postpartum hypertension management and CV risk assessment at a single center. There were 236 unique new patient visits scheduled during the study period. The average age was 30.3 years, 73.7% patients were Black, and 56.7% had Medicaid insurance. The completion rate was 32% for in-person clinic visits and 70% for telemedicine visits. Women who did not complete an office visit were more likely to be Black (87% vs. 56%, p < 0.01) and younger (29.1 vs. 31.4 years, p = 0.04) compared to those who completed a visit. Notably, this difference was not seen with telemedicine visits. Telemedicine may provide a novel opportunity to improve the care for blood pressure management and CV risk reduction in a vulnerable population at risk of premature CV disease.

Association Between Community-Level Violent Crime and Cardiovascular Mortality in Chicago: A Longitudinal Analysis.

Background Violent crime has recently increased in many major metropolitan cities in the United States. Prior studies suggest an association between neighborhood crime levels and cardiovascular disease, but many have been limited by cross-sectional designs. We investigated whether longitudinal changes in violent crime rates are associated with changes in cardiovascular mortality rates at the community level in one large US city-Chicago, IL. Methods and Results Chicago is composed of 77 community areas. Age-adjusted mortality rates by community area for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and coronary artery disease from 2000 to 2014, aggregated at 5-year intervals, were obtained from the Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Vital Records. Mean total and violent crime rates by community area were obtained from the City of Chicago Police Data Portal. Using a 2-way fixed effects estimator, we assessed the association between longitudinal changes in violent crime and cardiovascular mortality rates after accounting for changes in demographic and economic variables and secular time trends at the community area level from 2000 to 2014. Between 2000 and 2014, the median violent crime rate in Chicago decreased from 3620 per 100 000 (interquartile range [IQR], 2256, 7777) in the 2000 to 2004 period to 2390 (IQR 1507, 5745) in the 2010 to 2014 period (P=0.005 for trend). In the fixed effects model a 1% decrease in community area violent crime rate was associated with a 0.21% (95% CI, 0.09-0.33) decrease in cardiovascular mortality rates (P=<0.001) and a 0.19% (95% CI, 0.04-0.33) decrease in coronary artery disease mortality rates (P=0.01). There was no statistically significant association between change in violent crime and stroke mortality rates (-0.17% [95% CI, -0.42 to 0.08; P=0.18]). Conclusions From 2000 to 2014, a greater decrease in violent crime at the community area level was associated with a greater decrease in cardiovascular and coronary artery disease mortality rates in Chicago. These findings add to the growing evidence of the impact of the built environment on health and implicate violent crime exposure as a potential social determinant of cardiovascular health. Targeted investment in communities to decrease violent crime may improve community cardiovascular health.

Predictors of telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States-an analysis of a national electronic medical record database.

Telemedicine utilization increased significantly in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is concern that disadvantaged groups face barriers to access based on single-center studies. Whether there has been equitable access to telemedicine services across the US and during later parts of the pandemic is unclear. This study retrospectively analyzes outpatient medical encounters for patients 18 years of age and older using Healthjump-a national electronic medical record database-from March 1 to December 31, 2020. A mixed effects multivariable logistic regression model was used to assess the association between telemedicine utilization and patient and area-level factors and the odds of having at least one telemedicine encounter during the study period. Among 1,999,534 unique patients 21.6% had a telemedicine encounter during the study period. In the multivariable model, age [OR = 0.995 (95% CI 0.993, 0.997); p<0.001], non-Hispanic Black race [OR = 0.88 (95% CI 0.84, 0.93); p<0.001], and English as primary language [OR = 0.78 (95% CI 0.74, 0.83); p<0.001] were associated with a lower odds of telemedicine utilization. Female gender [OR = 1.24 (95% CI 1.22, 1.27); p<0.001], Hispanic ethnicity or non-Hispanic other race [OR = 1.40 (95% CI 1.33, 1.46);p<0.001 and 1.29 (95% CI 1.20, 1.38); p<0.001, respectively] were associated with a higher odds of telemedicine utilization. During the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore, utilization of telemedicine differed significantly among patient groups, with older and non-Hispanic Black patients less likely to have telemedicine encounters. These findings are relevant for ongoing efforts regarding the nature of telemedicine as the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

Primary Care Appointment Completion Rates and Telemedicine Utilization Among Black and Non-Black Patients from 2019 to 2020.

Objective: To understand how differences in primary care appointment completion rates between Black and non-Black patients changed in 2020 within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and when telemedicine utilization peaked. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the electronic health record from January 1 to December 31, 2020, among all adults scheduled for a primary care appointment within a large academic medical center. We used mixed-effects logistic regression to estimate adjusted appointment completion rates for Black patients compared with those for non-Black patients in 2020 as compared with those in 2019 within four time periods: (1) prepandemic (January 1, 2020, to March 12, 2020), (2) shutdown (March 13, 2020, to June 3, 2020), (3) reopening (June 4, 2020, to September 30, 2020), and (4) second wave (October 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020). Results: Across 1,947,399 appointments, differences in appointment completion rates between Black and non-Black patients improved in all time periods: +1.4 percentage points prepandemic (95% confidence interval [CI]: +0.8 to +2.0), +11.7 percentage points during shutdown (95% CI: +11.0 to +12.3), +8.2 percentage points during reopening (95% CI: +7.8 to +8.7), and +7.1 percentage points during second wave (95% CI: +6.4 to +7.8) (all p-values <0.001). The types of conditions managed by primary care shifted during the shutdown period, but the remainder of 2020 mirrored those from 2019. Discussion: Racial differences in appointment completion rates narrowed significantly in 2020 even as the mix of disease conditions began to mirror patterns observed in 2019. Conclusions and Relevance: Telemedicine may be an important tool for improving access to primary care for Black patients. These findings should be key considerations as regulators and payors determine telemedicine's future.