[Analysis of the Risk Factors Associated with Minor Bleeding in Patients with Venous Thromboembolism during Treatment with Direct Oral Anticoagulants].

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are safe and efficacious when compared to warfarin for patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, bleeding is a major side effect of anticoagulant therapy in VTE patients. Discontinuation of the DOACs associated to adverse events such as bleeding. The HAS-BLED score predicts warfarin-associated hemorrhage. However, little is known about risk factors for DOAC-associated minor bleeding in VTE patients. We aimed to identify risk factors for minor bleeding in VTE patients that were treated with edoxaban, rivaroxaban, or apixaban. We retrospectively evaluated the data of 212 VTE patients who received treatment with a DOAC. The study endpoint was defined as the occurrence of minor bleeding. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors that were significantly associated with minor bleeding. A total of 36 (17.0%) patients experienced minor bleeding, with rates of 15.7%, 0%, and 21.3% for edoxaban, rivaroxaban, and apixaban, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, bleeding history or predisposition [odds ratio (OR) 6.083, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.131-17.364, p=0.001] and cancer (OR 6.397, 95% CI 2.858-14.317, p<0.001) were significantly associated with minor bleeding. Bleeding history or predisposition and cancer were the most important risk factors for DOAC-induced minor bleeding in VTE patients in this study. To continue anticoagulant therapy of the DOACs, further management systems by minor bleeding risk factors for patients with VTE will be required.

The Association between Fever and Prognosis in Lung Cancer Patients with Bone Metastases Receiving Zoledronic Acid.

Zoledronic acid is an established agent used in the management of metastatic bone disease. The administration of zoledronic acid improves overall survival (OS) of lung cancer patients with bone metastases receiving chemotherapy. However, it is currently unknown whether zoledronic acid-induced fever is associated with OS. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between zoledronic acid-induced fever and prognosis in lung cancer patients with bone metastases. We retrospectively analyzed 98 lung cancer patients with bone metastases who had received zoledronic acid. The end point outcome measure was OS. Multivariate analyses were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for OS due to fever after adjusting for covariates. In multivariate analysis, white blood cell (WBC) count, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, fever, chemotherapy, and hypercalcemia were independent prognostic factors, with HRs of 2.834 for WBC count (<10 × 103/µL vs. ≥10 × 103/µL, p < 0.001), 3.044 for LDH level (<250 vs. ≥250 IU/L, p < 0.001), 0.603 for fever (<37.0 vs. ≥37.0°C, p = 0.039), 0.481 for chemotherapy (chemotherapy not administered vs. administered, p = 0.006), and 2.453 for hypercalcemia (<11.0 vs. ≥11.0 mg/dL, p = 0.001). Zoledronic acid-induced fever was the most important prognostic factor in this cohort of lung cancer patients with bone metastases.

Effects of dual-chamber pacing on regional myocardial deformation in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the effects of dual-chamber pacing (DDD) on regional myocardial deformation, as determined by echocardiographic strain and strain rate (SR) imaging, in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). METHODS AND RESULTS: Fourteen patients (11 men, 3 women; mean age 55 +/-16 years) who had been on long-term DDD (mean period 7.4 +/- 2.1 years) underwent strain and SR imaging. Before and after DDD, the peak strain (%) and SR (s(-1)) during systole were assessed in 8 segments in 4 left ventricular (LV) walls. With DDD turned on, peak strain and SR were significantly increased in the basal anteroseptal (strain -10.2 +/- 6.8 to -1.0 +/- 6.4, p<0.005; SR -0.76 +/- 0.46 to 0.05 +/- 0.58, p<0.001) and septal segments (strain -11.2 +/- 8.9 to -2.2 +/- 7.7, p<0.005; SR -0.85 +/- 0.54 to -0.19 +/- 0.75, p<0.05), but not in the basal posterior (strain -15.0 +/- 13.0 to -13.4 +/- 9.2, p=NS; SR -1.37 +/- 0.57 to -1.93 +/- 0.65, p=NS) and lateral segments (strain -18.1 +/- 10.2 to -15.7 +/- 5.6, p=NS; SR -1.33 +/- 0.68 to -0.84 +/- 0.88, p=NS). These findings were associated with a modest, but significant, change in the LV pressure gradient (24 +/- 12 mmHg to 14 +/- 7 mmHg, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with HOCM, DDD appeared to produce myocardial lengthening in the basal septum during systole, which may have implications for the mechanism of reducing LV outflow obstruction during DDD.

Usefulness of tissue Doppler imaging for demonstrating altered septal contraction sequence during dual-chamber pacing in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Dual-chamber pacing reduces left ventricular (LV) outflow obstruction in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC), the mechanism of which lies in pacing-induced paradoxic septal motion. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) could demonstrate changes in the septal contraction sequence during dual-chamber pacing in patients with HC. TDI was performed in 16 patients (5 women; mean age 63+/-11 years) who underwent dual-chamber pacing for 7.6+/-2.1 year. With and without pacing, the time to peak systolic myocardial velocity was measured from the basal, mid, and distal segments in the 4 different LV walls. Without pacing, there was almost no longitudinal segmental asynchrony. During pacing, however, marked longitudinal segmental asynchrony appeared, especially in the anteroseptal wall (from p=NS to p<0.01 by analysis of variance) and the ventricular septum (from p<0.05 to p<0.01), with the time to peak velocity extremely prolonged at the distal segments. This was associated with a modest but significant decrease in the LV pressure gradient (from 20+/-8 to 14+/-7 mm Hg, p<0.01). In patients with obstructive HC, altered septal contraction sequence accounts for the reduced LV outflow obstruction during dual-chamber pacing, which was clearly demonstrated by TDI.

Acute effects of diltiazem on regional left ventricular diastolic filling dynamics in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as assessed by color kinesis.

BACKGROUND: The effect of calcium antagonists on regional left ventricular (LV) filling dynamics in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is not well known, so the present study evaluated the results of echocardiography with color kinesis (CK) analysis during diltiazem infusion. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nineteen patients (16 men, 3 women; mean age 55+/-15 years) underwent echocardiography with CK analysis during intravenous diltiazem (10 mg/2 min). Using the quantitative CK software the LV short-axis image was divided into 6 segments and the percent endocardial expansion at the early, mid- and late-diastolic filling time was averaged for all segments, with the standard deviation of the mean used as an index of diastolic asynchrony (asynchrony index). The regional mean filling time was also measured for the corresponding segments. As global diastolic parameters, the global filling time, peak filling rate, and the time-to-peak filling were calculated. After the administration of diltiazem, the asynchrony index was decreased for all three diastolic filling times. Diltiazem shortened the mean filling time overall, especially in the posterior and lateral wall segments. These findings were associated with significant improvement in the CK-derived global diastolic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Diltiazam has a favorable effect on LV diastolic asynchrony, which may account for the acute changes in global LV relaxation.