Uplift modeling to identify patients who require extensive catheter ablation procedures among patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Identifying patients who would benefit from extensive catheter ablation along with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) among those with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) has been a subject of controversy. The objective of this study was to apply uplift modeling, a machine learning method for analyzing individual causal effect, to identify such patients in the EARNEST-PVI trial, a randomized trial in patients with persistent AF. We developed 16 uplift models using different machine learning algorithms, and determined that the best performing model was adaptive boosting using Qini coefficients. The optimal uplift score threshold was 0.0124. Among patients with an uplift score ≥ 0.0124, those who underwent extensive catheter ablation (PVI-plus) showed a significantly lower recurrence rate of AF compared to those who received only PVI (PVI-alone) (HR 0.40; 95% CI 0.19-0.84; P-value = 0.015). In contrast, among patients with an uplift score < 0.0124, recurrence of AF did not significantly differ between PVI-plus and PVI-alone (HR 1.17; 95% CI 0.57-2.39; P-value = 0.661). By employing uplift modeling, we could effectively identify a subset of patients with persistent AF who would benefit from PVI-plus. This model could be valuable in stratifying patients with persistent AF who need extensive catheter ablation before the procedure.

The Prognostic Impact of In-Hospital Major Bleeding and Recurrence of Myocardial Infarction during Acute Phase after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Myocardial Infarction.

AIM: Both recurrent myocardial infarction (ReMI) and bleeding events after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were reportedly associated with increased mortality. To date, the prognostic impact of these events on subsequent outcomes in East Asians is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of bleeding or thrombotic events during acute phase on subsequent mortality and time-dependent change of the impact in patients with AMI undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHOD: We conducted a prospective, multicenter, observational study of patients with AMI (n=12,093). The patients who did not undergo emergent PCI were excluded. In addition, the patients registered before 2003 were excluded because the data of bleeding severity was not obtained. Eligible patients were divided into two groups based on the occurrence of major bleeding within 7 days of PCI, and the same approach was performed for ReMI within 7 days of PCI. The endpoint of this study was all-cause death. We assessed the impact of major bleeding and ReMI, which occurred within 7 days of index PCI, on the subsequent clinical outcomes up to 5 years. RESULTS: A total of 6,769 patients were found to be eligible. All-cause death occurred in 898 (13.3%) patients during a median follow-up period of 1,726 [511-1,840] days. After adjustment for multiple confounders, major bleeding in 7 days from index PCI was independently associated with higher 30-day and 30-day to 1-year mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 2.06 [1.45-2.92] p＜0.001, OR: 2.03 [1.28-3.15] p=0.002), whereas ReMI was not (OR: 1.93 [0.92-3.80] p=0.07, OR: 0.81 [0.24-2.03] p=0.68). Major bleeding and ReMI did not affect mortality between 1 and 5 years (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.32 [0.77-2.26] p=0.31, HR: 0.48 [0.12-1.94] p=0.30). CONCLUSION: Major bleeding in 7 days from admission was independently associated with higher 30-day and 1-year mortality but not during 1-5 years. ReMI did not affect mortality in all phases. We should be more concerned about bleeding event during acute phase after PCI.

Pathophysiological insights into machine learning-based subphenotypes of acute heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

OBJECTIVE: The heterogeneous pathophysiology of the diverse heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) phenotypes needs to be examined. We aim to assess differences in the biomarkers among the phenotypes of HFpEF and investigate its multifactorial pathophysiology. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of the PURSUIT-HFpEF Study (N=1231), an ongoing, prospective, multicentre observational study of acute decompensated HFpEF. In this registry, there is a predefined subcohort in which we perform multibiomarker tests (N=212). We applied the previously established machine learning-based clustering model to the subcohort with biomarker measurements to classify them into four phenotypes: phenotype 1 (n=69), phenotype 2 (n=49), phenotype 3 (n=41) and phenotype 4 (n=53). Biomarker characteristics in each phenotype were evaluated. RESULTS: Phenotype 1 presented the lowest value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitive C reactive protein, tumour necrosis factor-α, growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15, troponin T and cystatin C, whereas phenotype 2, which is characterised by hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy, showed the highest value of these markers. Phenotype 3 showed the second highest value of GDF-15 and cystatin C. Phenotype 4 presented a low NT-proBNP value and a relatively high GDF-15. CONCLUSIONS: Distinctive characteristics of biomarkers in HFpEF phenotypes would indicate differential underlying mechanisms to be elucidated. The contribution of inflammation to the pathogenesis varied considerably among different HFpEF phenotypes. Systemic inflammation substantially contributes to the pathophysiology of the classic HFpEF phenotype with cardiac hypertrophy. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN-CTR ID: UMIN000021831.

ß-blockers may be detrimental in frail patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of ß-blocker in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains to be determined. We aimed to clarify the association between the use of ß-blocker and prognosis according to the status of frailty. METHODS: We compared prognosis between HFpEF patients with and without ß-blockers stratified with the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), using data from the PURSUIT-HFpEF registry (UMIN000021831). RESULTS: Among 1159 patients enrolled in the analysis (median age, 81.4 years; male, 44.7%), 580 patients were CFS ≤ 3, while 579 were CFS ≥ 4. Use of ß-blockers was associated with a worse composite endpoint of all-cause death and heart failure readmission in patients with CFS ≥ 4 (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.43, 95% CI 1.10-1.85, p = 0.007), but was not significantly associated with this endpoint in those with CFS ≤ 3 (adjusted HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.71-1.26, p = 0.719) in multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. These results were confirmed in a propensity-matched analysis (HR in those with CFS ≥ 4: 1.42, 95% CI 1.05-1.90, p = 0.020; that in those with CFS ≤ 3: 0.83, 95% CI 0.60-1.14, p = 0.249), and in an analysis in which patients were divided into CFS ≤ 4 and CFS ≥ 5. CONCLUSIONS: Use of ß-blockers was significantly associated with worse prognosis specifically in patients with HFpEF and high CFS, but not in those with low CFS. Use of ß-blockers in HFpEF patients with frailty may need careful attention.

The efficacy and safety of adaptive servo-ventilation therapy for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

It is unclear whether adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) therapy for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is effective. The aim of this study was to investigate the details of ASV use, and to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ASV in real-world HFpEF patients. We retrospectively enrolled 36 HFpEF patients at nine cardiovascular centers who initiated ASV therapy during hospitalization or on outpatient basis and were able to continue using it at home from 2012 to 2017 and survived for at least one year thereafter. The number of hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) during the 12 months before and 12 months after introduction of ASV at home was compared. The median number of HF hospitalizations for each patient was significantly reduced from 1 [interquartile range: 1-2] in the 12 months before introduction of ASV to 0 [0-0] in the 12 months after introduction of ASV (p < 0.001). In subgroup analysis, reduction in heart failure hospitalization was significantly greater in female patients, patients with a body mass index < 25, and those with moderate or severe tricuspid valve regurgitation. In patients with HFpEF, the number of HF hospitalizations was significantly decreased after the introduction of ASV. HFpEF patients with female sex, BMI < 25, or moderate to severe tricuspid valve regurgitation are potential candidates who might benefit from ASV therapy.

P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy after complex percutaneous coronary intervention: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

It remains unknown whether the recent trend of short dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy can simply be applied to patients undergoing complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy vs. conventional DAPT in patients undergoing complex PCI and non-complex PCI (PROSPERO: CRD42022335723). Primary endpoint was the 1-year Net Adverse Clinical Event (NACE). Among 5,323 screened studies, six randomized trials fulfilled the eligibility criteria. A total of 10,588 complex PCI patients (5,269 vs. 5,319 patients) and 25,618 non-complex PCI patients (12,820 vs 12,798 patients) were randomly assigned to P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy vs. conventional DAPT. In complex PCI patients, P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy was associated with a lower risk of NACE than conventional DAPT [Odds ratio (OR) 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-0.91, P = 0.003], whereas in non-complex PCI patients, P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy was associated with a trend toward lowering the risk of NACE (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.72-1.02, P = 0.09). This meta-analysis across randomized trials demonstrated that a strategy of short DAPT followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy reduces the risk of 1-year NACE in patients undergoing complex PCI.

Medications for specific phenotypes of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction classified by a machine learning-based clustering model.

OBJECTIVE: Our previously established machine learning-based clustering model classified heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) into four distinct phenotypes. Given the heterogeneous pathophysiology of HFpEF, specific medications may have favourable effects in specific phenotypes of HFpEF. We aimed to assess effectiveness of medications on clinical outcomes of the four phenotypes using a real-world HFpEF registry dataset. METHODS: This study is a posthoc analysis of the PURSUIT-HFpEF registry, a prospective, multicentre, observational study. We evaluated the clinical effectiveness of the following four types of postdischarge medication in the four different phenotypes: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARB), beta blockers, mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonists (MRA) and statins. The primary endpoint of this study was a composite of all-cause death and heart failure hospitalisation. RESULTS: Of 1231 patients, 1100 (83 (IQR 77, 87) years, 604 females) were eligible for analysis. Median follow-up duration was 734 (398, 1108) days. The primary endpoint occurred in 528 patients (48.0%). Cox proportional hazard models with inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting showed the following significant effectiveness of medication on the primary endpoint: MRA for phenotype 2 (weighted HR (wHR) 0.40, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.75, p=0.005); ACEi or ARB for phenotype 3 (wHR 0.66 0.48 to 0.92, p=0.014) and statin therapy for phenotype 3 (wHR 0.43 (0.21 to 0.88), p=0.020). No other medications had significant treatment effects in the four phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning-based clustering may have the potential to identify populations in which specific medications may be effective. This study suggests the effectiveness of MRA, ACEi or ARB and statin for specific phenotypes of HFpEF. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN000021831.

Clinical trajectories and outcomes of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction with normal or indeterminate diastolic function.

BACKGROUND: We recently reported that nearly half of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) did not show echocardiographic diastolic dysfunction (DD), but had normal diastolic function (ND) or indeterminate diastolic function (ID). However, the clinical course and outcomes of patients with HFpEF with ND or ID (ND/ID) remain unknown. METHODS: From the PURSUIT-HFpEF registry, we extracted 289 patients with HFpEF with ND/ID at discharge who had echocardiographic data at 1-year follow-up. Patients were classified according to the status of progression from ND/ID to DD at 1 year. Primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death or HF rehospitalization. RESULTS: Median age was 81 years, and 138 (47.8%) patients were female. At 1 year, 107 (37%) patients had progressed to DD. The composite endpoint occurred in 90 (31.1%) patients. Compared to patients without progression to DD, those with progression had a significantly higher cumulative rate of the composite endpoint (P < 0.001) and HF rehospitalization (P < 0.001) after discharge and at the 1-year landmark (P = 0.030 and P = 0.001, respectively). Progression to DD was independently associated with the composite endpoint (hazard ratio (HR): 2.014, 95%CI 1.239-3.273, P = 0.005) and HF rehospitalization (HR: 2.362, 95%CI 1.402-3.978) after discharge. Age (odds ratio (OR): 1.043, 95%CI 1.004-1.083, P = 0.031), body mass index (BMI) (OR: 1.110, 95%CI 1.031-1.195, P = 0.006), and albumin (OR: 0.452, 95%CI 0.211-0.969, P = 0.041) were independently associated with progression from ND/ID to DD. CONCLUSIONS: More than one-third of HFpEF patients with ND/ID progressed to DD at 1 year and had poor outcomes. Age, BMI and albumin were independently associated with this progression. UMIN-CTR ID: UMIN000021831.

Individual acute-phase bleeding and thrombotic risk balance assessment in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Individualized treatment approach based on pre-procedural precise risk balance assessment between bleeding and thrombosis would be desirable for patients with myocardial infarction (MI) undergoing emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in this ultra-short dual antiplatelet therapy era. We aimed to develop and validate a quick thrombosis/bleeding risk-balance assessment tool. Methods: We developed and validated a novel thrombosis/bleeding risk-balance assessment tool using individual patient data from the prospective multicenter MI registry. Individual risks of thrombosis and bleeding within 7 days of the index PCI were estimated using a multinomial logistic regression model. The model was developed in the derivation cohort (4554 patients enrolled during 2003-2009) and validated in the validation cohort (2215 patients during 2010-2014). Results: A total of 6769 patients (66 ± 12 years, 5175 men) were eligible in this analysis. Predictive performance of the multinomial logistic regression models for bleeding and thrombosis assessed by calibration plots was good both in the derivation and validation cohorts. The net predicted probability (NPP) was defined as predicted probability of bleeding event (%) - predicted probability of thrombotic event (%). The NPP successfully stratified patients into those with a higher risk of bleeding than thrombosis and those with a higher risk of thrombosis than bleeding. This finding was consistent between the derivation and validation cohorts. Conclusions: We have established the risk balance assessment model for bleeding and thrombosis. Pre-procedural quick and precise assessment of the risk balance may help a decision making of procedural strategy and antithrombotic regimens in STEMI/non-STEMI patients undergoing PCI.

Electrocardiographic characteristics for the prediction of under-sensing in implantable loop recorders.

Background: Under-sensing (US) in implantable loop recorders (ILRs) interferes with the accurate diagnosis of arrhythmia, but there is little information available on the details of US of ILRs. The aim of this study was to clarify the frequency of US in patients with ILRs and to investigate the predictors of US in ILRs prior to implantation. Methods and Results: We studied 46 consecutive patients implanted ILR. During the mean follow-up period of 499 ± 363 days, 15 events of US were observed in five patients. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between patients with and without US. In standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), QRS complex amplitude in anterolateral chest leads (V2 to V5) were significantly lower in patients with than without US (V2: 0.88 [0.66, 1.22] mV vs. 1.67 [1.23, 2.29] mV, p = .010 V3: 1.25 [1.00, 1.26] mV vs. 1.90 [1.41, 2.29] mV, p = .013; V4: 1.14 [0.96, 1.38] mV vs. 1.93 [1.65, 2.64] mV, p = .023; V5: 0.57 [0.50, 0.75] mV vs. 1.60 [1.20, 1.98] mV, p = .011, respectively). ROC curve analysis showed that cut-off values of 1.30 mV of QRS complex amplitude in V2, 1.26 mV of that in V3, and 0.75 mV of that in V5 had moderate accuracy for predicting US (V2: sensitivity 68%, specificity 100%, area under the curve [AUC] 0.86; V3: sensitivity 85%, specificity 80%, AUC 0.85; V5: sensitivity 98%, specificity 80%, AUC 0.85, respectively). Conclusions: US was observed in 10.9% patients with an ILR. QRS complex amplitude in anterolateral chest leads (V2 to V5) on ECG might be useful for predicting US in patients with ILRs.

Change in Nutritional Status during Hospitalization and Prognosis in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

The impact of changes in nutritional status during hospitalization on prognosis in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains unknown. We examined the association between changes in the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and prognosis during hospitalization in patients with HFpEF stratified by nutritional status on admission. Nutritional status did and did not worsen in 348 and 349 of 697 patients with high GNRI on admission, and in 142 and 143 of 285 patients with low GNRI on admission, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed no difference in risk of the composite endpoint, all-cause death, or heart failure admission between patients with high GNRI on admission whose nutritional status did and did not worsen. In contrast, patients with low GNRI on admission whose nutritional status did not worsen had a significantly lower risk of the composite endpoint and all-cause death than those who did. Multivariable analysis revealed that worsening nutritional status was independently associated with a higher risk of the composite endpoint and all-cause mortality in patients with low GNRI on admission. Changes in nutritional status during hospitalization were thus associated with prognosis in patients with malnutrition on admission, but not in patients without malnutrition among those with HFpEF.

DR-FLASH Score Is Useful for Identifying Patients With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Who Require Extensive Catheter Ablation Procedures.

Background Modification of arrhythmogenic substrates with extensive ablation comprising linear and/or complex fractional atrial electrogram ablation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI-plus) can theoretically reduce the recurrence of atrial fibrillation. The DR-FLASH score (score based on diabetes mellitus, renal dysfunction, persistent form of atrial fibrillation, left atrialdiameter >45 mm, age >65 years, female sex, and hypertension) is reportedly useful for identifying patients with arrhythmogenic substrates. We hypothesized that, in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, the DR-FLASH score can be used to classify patients into those who require PVI-plus and those for whom a PVI-only strategy is sufficient. Methods and Results This study is a post hoc subanalysis of the a multicenter, randomized controlled, noninferiority trial investigating efficacy and safety of pulmonary vein isolation alone for recurrence prevention compared with extensive ablation in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (EARNEST-PVI trial). This analysis focuses on the relationship between DR-FLASH score and the efficacy of different ablation strategies. We divided the population into 2 groups based on a DR-FLASH score of 3 points. A total of 469 patients were analyzed. Among those with a DR-FLASH score >3 (N=279), the event rate of atrial arrhythmia recurrence was significantly lower in the PVI-plus arm than in the PVI-only arm (hazard ratio [HR], 0.45 [95% CI, 0.28-0.72]; P<0.001). In contrast, among patients with a DR-FLASH score ≤3 (N=217), no differences were observed in the event rate of atrial arrhythmia recurrence between the PVI-only arm and the PVI-plus arm (HR, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.61-1.89]; P=0.795). There was significant interaction between patients with a DR-FLASH score >3 and DR-FLASH score ≤3 (P value for interaction=0.020). Conclusions The DR-FLASH score is a useful tool for deciding the catheter ablation strategy for patients with persistent atrial fibrillation. Registration URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03514693.

Relationships of Atrial Fibrillation at Diagnosis and Type of Atrial Fibrillation During Follow-up With Long-Term Outcomes for Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background: Few data are available regarding the impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) at diagnosis and type of AF during the follow-up period on long-term outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods and Results: In all, 1,697 patients diagnosed as HFpEF between March 2010 and December 2017 were included in this study. At enrollment, 698 (41.1%) patients had AF. Over a median follow-up of 1,017 days, there were no significant differences between patients with and without AF in the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause death or admission for heart failure. However, those with AF had a higher risk of stroke (HR 1.831; P=0.003). Of 998 patients with sinus rhythm at enrollment, 139 (13.9%) developed new-onset AF. Predictors of new-onset AF were pulse, hemoglobin, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, and B-type natriuretic peptide. Compared with sinus rhythm, paroxysmal AF had a similar risk for all-cause death, admission for HF, and stroke; persistent AF had a lower risk of all-cause death (HR 0.701; P=0.015), but a higher risk for admission for HF (HR 1.608; P=0.002); and new-onset AF had a lower risk for all-cause death (HR 0.654; P=0.040), but a higher risk of admission for HF (HR 2.475; P<0.001). Conclusions: In patients with HFpEF, long-term outcome may differ by type of AF. Physicians need to consider individual risk with regard to AF type.

Loop Diuretic Use is Associated With Adverse Clinical Outcomes in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients With Low Volume Status.

To investigate the difference in the prognostic impact of loop diuretics in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) based on plasma volume status, a total of 3,364 survivors of AMI who were registered in the large database of the Osaka Acute Coronary Insufficiency Study (OACIS) were studied. Plasma volume status was assessed by the estimated plasma volume status (ePVS) that was calculated based on a weight- and hematocrit-based formula at discharge. The endpoint was a composite endpoint of all-cause death and rehospitalization due to heart failure for 5 years. During a median follow-up period of 1.9 years, 90 and 223 patients had events in the groups with low ePVS (

Pre-infarction Angina: Time Interval to Onset of Myocardial Infarction and Comorbidity Predictors.

Aims: As part of efforts to identify candidates for patient education aimed at decreasing mortality from acute myocardial infarction, we investigated the prevalence of pre-infarction angina and its predictors among comorbidities in patients who were hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter observational registry of MI patients from 1998 to 2014 (N = 12,093). The present study investigated the prevalence of pre-infarction angina and its predictors among comorbidities with a logistic regression model. Pre-infarction angina was defined as chest pain/oppression observed within 1 month before the onset of MI but which lasted <30 min. Results: After excluding 976 (8.1%) patients with missing data on pre-infarction angina, 11,117 patients [66.4 ± 12.0 years, 9,096 (75.2%) male] were analyzed. Of these, 5,428 patients (48.8%) experienced pre-infarction angina before the onset of MI, while 5,689 (51.2%) experienced sudden onset of acute MI. Most patients experienced the first episode of angina >6 h before the onset of MI, while 15% did so ≤6 h before. Patients with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, or a family history of MI had a higher probability of pre-infarction angina than those without. Elderly patients and those with a history of cerebrovascular disease were less likely to experience pre-infarction angina. Conclusions: Almost half of MI patients in our registry experienced pre-infarction angina before MI onset. Patients with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, or a family history of MI had a higher probability of experiencing pre-infarction angina than those without.

Minimal subphenotyping model for acute heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

AIMS: Application of the latent class analysis to acute heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) showed that the heterogeneous acute HFpEF patients can be classified into four distinct phenotypes with different clinical outcomes. This model-based clustering required a total of 32 variables to be included. However, this large number of variables will impair the clinical application of this classification algorithm. This study aimed to identify the minimal number of variables for the development of optimal subphenotyping model. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study is a post hoc analysis of the PURSUIT-HFpEF study (N = 1095), a prospective, multi-referral centre, observational study of acute HFpEF [UMIN000021831]. We previously applied the latent class analysis to the PURSUIT-HFpEF dataset and established the full 32-variable model for subphenotyping. In this study, we used the Cohen's kappa statistic to investigate the minimal number of discriminatory variables needed to accurately classify the phenogroups in comparison with the full 32-variable model. Cohen's kappa statistic of the top-X number of discriminatory variables compared with the full 32-variable derivation model showed that the models with ≥16 discriminatory variables showed kappa value of >0.8, suggesting that the minimal number of discriminatory variables for the optimal phenotyping model was 16. The 16-variable model consists of C-reactive protein, creatinine, gamma-glutamyl transferase, brain natriuretic peptide, white blood cells, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride, clinical scenario classification, infection-triggered acute decompensated HF, estimated glomerular filtration rate, platelets, neutrophils, GWTG-HF (Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure) risk score, chronic kidney disease, and CONUT (Controlling Nutritional Status) score. Characteristics and clinical outcomes of the four phenotypes subclassified by the minimal 16-variable model were consistent with those by the full 32-variable model. The four phenotypes were labelled based on their characteristics as 'rhythm trouble', 'ventricular-arterial uncoupling', 'low output and systemic congestion', and 'systemic failure', respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The phenotyping model with top 16 variables showed almost perfect agreement with the full 32-variable model. The minimal model may enhance the future clinical application of this clustering algorithm.

Long-Term Outcomes and Clinical Predictors of Mortality Following Occurrence of Stent Thrombosis.

Background Stent thrombosis (ST) remains a significant medical issue. In particular, longer-term mortality and clinical predictors after ST occurrence have yet to be elucidated. Methods and Results This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study. A total of 187 definite ST cases from January 2008 to December 2017 were enrolled, and the long-term clinical outcomes were investigated. The primary outcome measure was the cumulative mortality after ST occurrence. In addition, independent predictors of mortality were assessed. Among the stent types causing ST, bare-metal stent, first-generation drug-eluting stent, second-generation drug-eluting stent, and third-generation drug-eluting stent comprised 31.0%, 19.3%, 36.9%, and 6.4% of cases, respectively. Median duration from stent implantation to ST was 680.5 (interquartile range, 33.8-2450.5) days. Cumulative mortality was 14.6%, 17.4%, 21.2%, 24.4%, and 33.8% at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 years, respectively. The cumulative mortality did not significantly differ by type of stent, and mortality of late ST was higher than that of early ST and very late ST; however, it did not reach statistical significance after the multivariate analysis. Independent predictors of mortality were hemodialysis (hazard ratio [HR], 7.80; 95% CI, 3.07-19.81; P<0.001), culprit lesions in the left main trunk (HR, 8.14; 95% CI, 1.71-38.75; P=0.008), culprit lesions in the left coronary artery (HR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.10-6.96; P=0.030), and peak creatine kinase (HR, 1.017; 95% CI, 1.011-1.022; P<0.001). Conclusions The 10-year cumulative mortality after ST reached 33.8%. Close follow-up is thus mandatory for patients with ST, especially with hemodialysis, culprit lesions in the left main trunk and left coronary artery, and high peak creatine kinase.

Phenotyping of acute decompensated heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

OBJECTIVE: The pathophysiological heterogeneity of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) makes the conventional 'one-size-fits-all' treatment approach difficult. We aimed to develop a stratification methodology to identify distinct subphenotypes of acute HFpEF using the latent class analysis. METHODS: We established a prospective, multicentre registry of acute decompensated HFpEF. Primary candidates for latent class analysis were patient data on hospital admission (160 features). The patient subset was categorised based on enrolment period into a derivation cohort (2016-2018; n=623) and a validation cohort (2019-2020; n=472). After excluding features with significant missingness and high degree of correlation, 83 features were finally included in the analysis. RESULTS: The analysis subclassified patients (derivation cohort) into 4 groups: group 1 (n=215, 34.5%), characterised by arrythmia triggering (especially atrial fibrillation) and a lower comorbidity burden; group 2 (n=77, 12.4%), with substantially elevated blood pressure and worse classical HFpEF echocardiographic features; group 3 (n=149, 23.9%), with the highest level of GGT and total bilirubin and frequent previous hospitalisation for HF and group 4 (n=182, 29.2%), with infection-triggered HF hospitalisation, high C reactive protein and worse nutritional status. The primary end point-a composite of all-cause death and HF readmission-significantly differed between the groups (log-rank p<0.001). These findings were consistent in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated the feasibility of clinical application of the latent class analysis in a highly heterogeneous cohort of patients with acute HFpEF. Patients can be divided into 4 phenotypes with distinct patient characteristics and clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN000021831.

Abdominal obesity, and not general obesity, is associated with a lower 123I MIBG heart-to-mediastinum ratio in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between general obesity or abdominal obesity (abdominal circumference of ≥85 cm in men and ≥ 90 cm in women) and the heart-to-mediastinum ratio (HMR), a measure of cardiac sympathetic innervation, on cardiac iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy (MIBG) in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has not been clarified. METHODS: A total of 239 HFpEF patients with both MIBG and abdominal circumference data were examined. We divided these patients into those with abdominal obesity and those without it. In the cardiac MIBG study, early phase image was acquired 15-20 min after injection, and late phase image was acquired 3 h after the early phase. A HMR obtained from a low-energy type collimator was converted to that obtained by a medium-energy type collimator. RESULTS: Early and late HMRs were significantly lower in those with abdominal obesity, although washout rates were not significantly different. The incidence of patients with early and late HMRs <2.2 was significantly higher in those with abdominal obesity. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that abdominal obesity was independently associated with early HMR (standardized ß = -0.253, P = 0.003) and late HMR (standardized ß = -0.222, P = 0.010). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that abdominal obesity was independently associated with early (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval {CI}] = 4.25 [2.13, 8.47], P < 0.001) and late HMR < 2.2 (OR [95% CI] = 2.06 [1.11, 3.83], P = 0.022). Elevated BMI was not significantly associated with low early and late HMR. The presence of abdominal obesity was significantly associated with low early and late HMR even in patients without elevated BMI values. CONCLUSION: Abdominal obesity, but not general obesity, in HFpEF patients was independently associated with low HMR, suggesting that visceral fat may contribute to decreased cardiac sympathetic activity in patients with HFpEF. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN000021831.