Prognosis of CRT-treated and CRT-untreated unselected population with LBBB in Stockholm County.

AIMS: Left bundle branch block (LBBB) might be the first finding of cardiovascular diseases but also the prerequisite for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The prognosis for patients with LBBB and the implications of CRT in an unselected real-world setting are the focus of our study. METHODS AND RESULTS: A central electrocardiogram (ECG) database and national registers have been screened to identify patients with LBBB. Predictors of HF and the use of CRT were identified with Cox models. The hazard ratios (HRs) of death, cardiovascular death (CVD), and HF hospitalization (HFH) were estimated according to CRT use. Of 5359 patients with LBBB and QRS > 150 ms, median age 76 years, 36% were female. At the time of index ECG, 41% had a previous history of HF and 27% developed HF. Among 1053 patients with a class I indication for CRT, only 60% received CRT with a median delay of 137 days, and it was associated with a lower risk of death [HR: 0.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36-0.57], CVD (HR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.35-0.63), and HFH (HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.48-0.66). The age of over 75 years and the diagnosis of dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were predictors of CRT non-use, while having a pacing/defibrillator device independently predicted CRT use. CONCLUSION: In an unselected LBBB population, CRT is underused but of great value for HF patients. Therefore, it is crucial to find ways of better implementing and understanding CRT utilization and characteristics that influence the management of our patients.

Antipsychotic treatment patterns in Alzheimer's disease patients with agitation: a cohort study using the UK clinical practice research datalink.

OBJECTIVES: There is a lack of robust epidemiological evidence on antipsychotic (AP) use in patients with agitation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Authors studied AP use in patients with AD and agitation and compared their use with patients with other or no neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, included patients with AD between January 1st, 2015, and December 31st, 2017. AP use was compared between patients with agitation, other types of NPS and no NPS. RESULTS: There were 24,464 patients with AD, median follow-up of 1.1 years (interquartile range [IQR] 0.5-2.1), and median age 83 years (78-88). A larger percentage of patients with agitation (n = 2432) were prescribed APs (38.2%) than other NPS (n = 13,076, 20.4%) and no NPS (n = 11,816, 12.2%). Compared to patients with no NPS, adjusted hazard ratios for AP use were 3.45 (95% CI 2.86-4.17) for patients with agitation and 1.31 (95% CI 1.19-1.44) for patients with other NPS. Among users of APs, the treatment discontinuation rate at six months was 44.8% in patients with agitation (other NPS 57.1%; no NPS 63.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AD and agitation were frequently prescribed APs and for long periods in routine clinical practice in the UK. The high real-life usage of APs suggests that physicians prefer using APs for the treatment of agitation despite recommendations against their long-term use. These data support a need for AP therapies that better address known safety concerns with currently used APs to treat agitation in elderly patients with AD.

Outcome after osteochondroplasty and relative neck lengthening for patients with healed Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease: a retrospective cohort study of patients with hip-deformities treated with osteochondroplasty and relative neck lengthening.

AIMS: Our main objectives were to evaluate the effect of surgery using self-assessed health scores. Secondary objectives were to correlate outcome with grade of deformity (Stulberg classification I-V) or age at surgery and whether additional periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is beneficial for patients with concurrent acetabular dysplasia. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort and in part a cross sectional study using a planned clinical and radiological follow-up of patients. All patients with healed Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) treated with osteochondroplasty and relative neck lengthening using surgical hip dislocation, with or without periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) were included. A total of 39 patients were identified and invited to participate (29 males and 10 females) of which 32 accepted.Radiographic assessment and Stulberg classification were obtained. The Nonarthritic Hip Score (NAHS), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) and the VAS scale of EQ-5D-5L were used. RESULTS: The majority of the patients experienced improvement (74%, n = 27) and 21 patients (78%, n = 27) found the surgery worthwhile. Preoperative Stulberg II and III patients (83% improvement) showed better results than Stulberg IV and V patients (56% improvement) (n = 27, p = 0.121). There was significantly better patient-satisfaction for those younger than 29 years of age (⩽18 years old (92%), 19-28 years old (89%), ⩾29 years old (67%), x2(2) = 8512, n = 27, p = 0.022) and a negative correlation for age at onset of LCPD and mHHS (r = -0.420, p = 0.046, n = 23). Patients with concurrent acetabular dysplasia (n = 19), 82% (9 of 11) improved after additional PAO compared to 63% (5 of 8) who were not operated on with PAO. CONCLUSION: This procedure is worthwhile in selected cases except for severe deformity (Stulberg IV and V) and patients >28 years of age.

Is one month treatment with dabigatran before cardioversion of atrial fibrillation sufficient to prevent thromboembolism?

AIMS: The use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients undergoing elective direct current (DC) cardioversion of non-acute atrial fibrillation (AF) can potentially shorten the time from initiation of anticoagulation treatment to cardioversion, compared with warfarin. The safety of this strategy needs to be investigated. Data from subgroup analysis from clinical trials with DOAC do not clarify whether 4-week treatment with DOAC is sufficient to prevent thromboembolism (TE) after cardioversion. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the incidence of TE in anticoagulant naive patients converted after one month's pre-treatment with dabigatran. METHODS AND RESULTS: We scrutinized the medical records of 631 patients where dabigatran had been used prior to elective DC cardioversion. Transoesophageal echocardiography was rarely performed. Thromboembolism within 30 days of cardioversion was the primary endpoint. A total of 570 patients were naive to OAC when dabigatran was initiated. The mean age in this group was 64.2 ± 11 years and 31.7% were women. The mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 2.0 ± 1.5. The dose of dabigatran was 150 mg b.i.d. in 94% of the patients. The median time from initiation of dabigatran to cardioversion was 32.0 ± 15 days. In 91% cardioversion resulted in sinus rhythm. During the 30-day follow-up, three TE occurred for an incidence of 0.53% (0.18-1.54). CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study from clinical material, we found a low incidence of TE when dabigatran was used as TE prophylaxis in association with elective cardioversion. These results indicate that dabigatran is a safe alternative strategy to warfarin during cardioversion in patients with AF.