Detection of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy by automated data extraction from electronic health records.

AIMS: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), a progressive and fatal cardiomyopathy, is frequently misdiagnosed or entails diagnostic delays, hindering patients from timely treatment. This study aimed to generate a systematic framework based on data from electronic health records (EHRs) to assess patients with ATTR-CM in a real-world population of heart failure (HF) patients. Predictive factors or combinations of predictive factors related to ATTR-CM in a European population were also assessed. METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective unstructured and semi-structured data from EHRs of patients from OLV Hospital Aalst, Belgium (2012-20), were processed using natural language processing (NLP) to generate an Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model database. NLP model performance was assessed on a random subset of EHRs by comparing algorithm outputs to a physician-generated standard (using precision, recall, and their harmonic mean, or F1-score). Of the 3127 HF patients, 103 potentially had ATTR-CM (age 78 ± 9 years; male 55%; ejection fraction of 48% ± 16). The mean diagnostic delay between HF and ATTR-CM diagnosis was 1.8 years. Besides HF and cardiomyopathy-related phenotypes, the strongest cardiac predictor was atrial fibrillation (AF; 72% in ATTR-CM vs. 60% in non-ATTR-CM, P = 0.02), whereas the strongest non-cardiac predictor was carpal tunnel syndrome (21% in ATTR-CM vs. 3% in non-ATTR-CM, P < 0.001). The strongest combination predictor was AF, joint disorders, and HF with preserved ejection fraction (29% in ATTR-CM vs. 18% in non-ATTR-CM: odds ratio = 2.03, 95% confidence interval = 1.28-3.22). CONCLUSIONS: Not only well-known variables associated with ATTR-CM but also unique combinations of cardiac and non-cardiac phenotypes are able to predict ATTR-CM in a real-world HF population, aiding in early identification of ATTR-CM patients.

Innovative Device-Based Strategies for Managing Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a major cause of hospitalizations in older adults, leading to high mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs. To address the persistent poor outcomes in ADHF, novel device-based approaches targeting specific pathophysiological mechanisms are urgently needed. The recently introduced DRI2P2S classification categorizes these innovative therapies based on their mechanisms. Devices include dilators (increasing venous capacitance), removers (directly removing sodium and water), inotropes (enhancing left ventricular contractility), interstitials (accelerating lymph removal), pushers (increasing renal arterial pressure), pullers (decreasing renal venous pressure), and selective drippers (selective intrarenal drug infusion). Some are tailored for chronic HF, while others focus on the acute setting. Most devices are in early development, necessitating further research to understand mechanisms, assess clinical effectiveness, and ensure safety before routine use in ADHF management. Exploring these innovative device-based strategies may lead to improved outcomes and revolutionize HF treatment in the future.

Cardio-renal-metabolic syndrome: clinical features and dapagliflozin eligibility in a real-world heart failure cohort.

AIMS: The Cardiovascular Outcomes Retrospective Data analysIS in Heart Failure (CORDIS-HF) is a single-centre retrospective study aimed to (i) clinically characterize a real-world population with heart failure (HF) with reduced (HFrEF) and mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF), (ii) evaluate impact of renal-metabolic comorbidities on all-cause mortality and HF readmissions, and (iii) determine patients' eligibility for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is). METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a natural language processing algorithm, clinical data of patients diagnosed with HFrEF or HFmrEF were retrospectively collected from 2014 to 2018. Mortality and HF readmission events were collected during subsequent 1 and 2 year follow-up periods. The predictive role of patients' baseline characteristics for outcomes of interest was assessed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to determine if type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) impacted mortality and HF readmission rates. The European SGLT2i label criteria were used to assess patients' eligibility. The CORDIS-HF included 1333 HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50% (413 HFmrEF and 920 HFrEF), who were predominantly male (69%) with a mean [standard deviation (SD)] age of 74.7 (12.3) years. About one-half (57%) of patients presented CKD and 37% T2D. The use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) was high (76-90%). HFrEF patients presented lower age [mean (SD): 73.8 (12.4) vs. 76.7 (11.6) years, P < 0.05], higher incidence of coronary artery disease (67% vs. 59%, P < 0.05), lower systolic blood pressure [mean (SD): 123 (22.6) vs. 133 (24.0) mmHg, P < 0.05], higher N-terminal pro-hormone brain natriuretic peptide (2720 vs. 1920 pg/mL, P < 0.05), and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate [mean (SD): 51.4 (23.3) vs. 54.1 (22.3) mL/min/1.73 m2 , P < 0.05] than those with HFmrEF. No differences in T2D and CKD were detected. Despite optimal treatment, event rates for the composite endpoint of HF readmission and mortality were 13.7 and 8.4/100 patient years. The presence of T2D and CKD negatively impacted all-cause mortality [T2D: hazard ratio (HR) = 1.49, P < 0.01; CKD: HR = 2.05, P < 0.001] and hospital readmission events in all patients with HF. Eligibility for SGLT2is dapagliflozin and empagliflozin was 86.5% (n = 1153) and 97.9% (n = 1305) of the study population, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified high residual risk for all-cause mortality and hospital readmission in real-world HF patients with LVEF < 50% despite GDMT. T2D and CKD aggravated the risk for these endpoints, indicating the intertwinement of HF with CKD and T2D. SGLT2i treatment that clinically benefits these different disease conditions can be an important driver to lower mortality and hospitalizations in this HF population.

Serial Non-Invasive Myocardial Work Measurements for Patient Risk Stratification and Early Detection of Cancer Therapeutics-Related Cardiac Dysfunction in Breast Cancer Patients: A Single-Centre Observational Study.

Serial transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) assessment of LVEF and GLS are the gold standard in screening Cancer Therapeutics-Related Cardiac Dysfunction (CTRCD). Non-invasive left-ventricle (LV) pressure-strain loop (PSL) emerged as a novel method to quantify Myocardial Work (MW). This study aims to describe the temporal changes and longitudinal trajectories of MW indices during cardiotoxic treatment. We included 50 breast cancer patients with normal LV function referred for anthracycline therapy w/wo Trastuzumab. Medical therapy, clinical and echocardiographic data were recorded before and 3, 6, and 12 months after initiation of the chemotherapy. MW indices were calculated through PSL analysis. According to ESC guidelines, mild and moderated CTRCD was detected in 10 and 9 patients, respectively (20% CTRCDmild, 18% CTRCDmod), while 31 patients remained free of CTRCD (62% CTRCDneg). Prior to chemotherapy MWI, MWE and CW were significantly lower in CTRCDmod than in CTRCDneg and CTRCDmild. Overt cardiac dysfunction in CTRCDmod at 6 months was accompanied by significant worse values in MWI, MWE and WW compared to CTRCDneg and CTRCDmild. MW features such as low baseline CW, especially when associated with a rise in WW at follow-up, may identify patients at risk for CTRCD. Additional studies are needed to explore the role of MW in CRTCD.

T Cell and Antibody Response Following Double Dose of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine in SARS-CoV-2 Naïve Heart Transplant Recipients.

Introduction: Preliminary studies have suggested a low post-vaccination antibody response against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in heart transplant(HTx)recipients. Although many studies have focused on the role of antibodies in vaccine-induced protection against SARS-CoV-2, the role of T cell immunity is less well characterized. To date, data regarding seroconversion and T cell response after mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients undergoing HTx are scarce. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the specific memory humoral and cellular responses after two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine in HTx recipients. Methods: Blood was drawn from heart transplant (HTx) recipients at two pre-specified time points after the first and second vaccine doses to measure both the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody response against the spike protein and the SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cell response. Results: Our study included 34 SARS-CoV-2 naïve HTx recipients (mean age, 61 ± 11 years). The mean time from transplantation to the first vaccine dose is 10 ± 10 years. Subgroup analysis (n = 21) demonstrated that after the first vaccine dose, only 14% had antibodies and 19% had a SARS-CoV-2-reactive T-cell response, which increased to 41% and 53%, respectively, after the second dose. Interestingly, 20% of patients with no antibodies after the second dose still had a positive SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cell response. The percentage of patients with positive S-IgG antibody titers was significantly higher 5 years after transplantation (18% 0-5 years post-TX vs. 65% 5 years post-TX, p = 0.013). Similarly, 5 years after heart transplantation, the percentage of patients with a T cell response was significantly higher (35% 0-5 years post-TX vs. 71% 5 years post-TX, p = 0.030). Conclusions: In SARS-CoV-2 naïve HTx recipients, post-vaccination antibody titers but also SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell response are low. Therefore, the protection from SARS-CoV-2 that is generally attributed to vaccination should be regarded with caution in HTx recipients.

Hemodynamic Response to Acute Volume Load and Endomyocardial NO-synthase Gene Expression in Heart Transplant Recipients.

A pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) >18 mm Hg following volume load has been proposed as a partition value for the detection of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. As hemodynamic changes in filling pressures (FP) have been attributed to a nitric oxide (NO)-mediated rightward shift of the pressure-volume relationship, we investigated the hemodynamic response to volume load in heart transplant recipients (HTx) and examined the role of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) gene expression on diastolic function changes. Methods: In 36 HTx, FPs were measured before and after volume load, following which Starling curves were constructed using PCWP and cardiac index (CI). Patients were categorized into those with normal (group A, n = 21) and abnormal hemodynamics (group B, n = 15, PCWP >15 mm Hg at rest or >18 mm Hg following volume load). For the establishment of the potential role of NO, endomyocardial iNOS gene expression level was measured. Results: Except for PCWP (P < 0.001) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (P < 0.001) no differences in age, baseline characteristics, and ejection fraction were observed between both groups, and volume load significantly increased PCWP in both groups (group A: P < 0.001 and group B: P < 0.001) without any change in heart rate. Interestingly, volume load significantly increased CI in group A (P < 0.001) but not in group B (P = 0.654), and the Starling curves revealed a higher CI at any given PCWP in group A together with significantly higher iNOS gene expression (P = 0.009). Conclusions: In HTx, volume load increases FP and unmasks the presence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Interestingly, following saline load group B shows a blunted Starling response, with higher PCWP and lack of CI increase at any given PCWP. The higher iNOS gene expression level in group A suggests a potential role of NO as mediator of diastolic function.

Utilizing longitudinal data in assessing all-cause mortality in patients hospitalized with heart failure.

AIMS: Risk stratification in patients with a new onset or worsened heart failure (HF) is essential for clinical decision making. We have utilized a novel approach to enrich patient level prognostication using longitudinally gathered data to develop ML-based algorithms predicting all-cause 30, 90, 180, 360, and 720 day mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a cohort of 2449 HF patients hospitalized between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2017, we utilized 422 parameters derived from 151 451 patient exams. They included clinical phenotyping, ECG, laboratory, echocardiography, catheterization data or percutaneous and surgical interventions reflecting the standard of care as captured in individual electronic records. The development of predictive models consisted of 101 iterations of repeated random subsampling splits into balanced training and validation sets. ML models yielded area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) performance ranging from 0.83 to 0.89 on the outcome-balanced validation set in predicting all-cause mortality at aforementioned time-limits. The 1 year mortality prediction model recorded an AUC of 0.85. We observed stable model performance across all HF phenotypes: HFpEF 0.83 AUC, HFmrEF 0.85 AUC, and HFrEF 0.86 AUC, respectively. Model performance improved when utilizing data from more hospital contacts compared with only data collected at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings present a novel, patient-level, comprehensive ML-based algorithm for predicting all-cause mortality in new or worsened heart failure. Its robust performance across phenotypes throughout the longitudinal patient follow-up suggests its potential in point-of-care clinical risk stratification.

Recurrent Episodes of Fluid Retention in a Patient with Heart Failure and Chronic Kidney Disease: The Additional Value of Implantable Monitoring Systems.

The additional role of continuous monitoring of filling pressures and impedance in heart failure patients with chronic kidney disease remains undetermined. In this case report, the effects of diuretic therapy and renal replacement therapy by hemodialysis upon right ventricular filling pressures and impedance are described in a patient with end-stage heart failure and end-stage chronic kidney disease (grade 5). We demonstrated that unloading of the heart by hemodialysis partly restored the blunted Frank-Starling relationship.

Circulating SERPINA3 improves prognostic stratification in patients with a de novo or worsened heart failure.

AIMS: We investigated the prognostic relevance of serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade A member 3 (SERPINA3) in patients admitted with a de novo or worsened heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS: In the first stage, 83 HF-related left ventricular (LV) transcripts were examined in patients with congestive cardiomyopathy (CCMP, n = 44) who died within 5 years and compared with age-matched and haemodynamically matched CCMP survivors (n = 39) and controls with normal LV function (n = 17). Among 14 differentially expressed transcripts, myocardial gene and circulating SERPINA3 levels were up-regulated in non-survivors vs. survivors (2.40 ± 3.66 vs. 0.36 ± 0.22 units, P < 0.01 and 334.7 ± 138.7 vs. 228.2 ± 83.1 µg/mL, P < 0.01, respectively). While no significant transmyocardial gradient was detected, cytokine stimulation of human endothelial cells induced SERPINA3 secretion. In an independent validation cohort with a de novo or worsened HF (n = 387), circulating SERPINA3 levels > 316 µg/mL were associated with increased all-cause mortality {hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 2.4 [1.5-3.9], P = 0.0002} and its composite with unplanned cardiovascular readmission [HR (95% CI): 2.0 (1.2-3.3), P = 0.004]. Patients with elevated SERPINA3 levels and elevated either N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide or ST2 showed worse freedom from both endpoints. In a multivariate analysis, including established clinical risk factors, SERPINA3 remained independent predictor of all-cause mortality together with age, gender, ST2, glomerular filtration, and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. CONCLUSION: In patients with a de novo or worsened HF, increased SERPINA3 levels > 316 µg/mL are associated with increased mortality or unplanned cardiac readmission. Elevated SERPINA3 levels on top of established clinical predictors appear to identify a subgroup of HF patients at higher mortality risk. Prospective studies should further validate its value in prognostic stratification of HF.

Validation of Coronary Angiography-Derived Vessel Fractional Flow Reserve in Heart Transplant Patients with Suspected Graft Vasculopathy.

Cardiac transplant-related vasculopathy remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in heart transplant (HTx) recipients. Recently, coronary angiography-derived vessel fractional flow reserve (vFFR) has emerged as a new diagnostic computational tool to functionally evaluate the severity of coronary artery disease. Although vFFR estimates have been shown to perform well against invasive FFR in atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, data on the use of vFFR in heart transplant recipients suffering from cardiac transplant-related arteriopathy are lacking. The aim of the presented study was to validate coronary angiography-derived vessel fractional flow reserve to calculate fractional flow reserve in HTx patients with and without cardiac transplant-related vasculopathy. A prospective, single center study of HTx patients referred for annual check-up, undergoing surveillance coronarography was conducted. Invasive FFR was measured using a motorized device at the speed of 1.0 mm/s in all three major coronary arteries. Angiography-derived pullback FFR was derived from the angiogram and compared with invasive FFR pullback curve. Overall, 18,059 FFR values were extracted from the FFR pullback curves from 23 HTx patients. The mean age was 59.3 ± 9.7 years, the mean time after transplantation was 5.24 years [IQR 1.20, 11.25]. A total of 39 vessels from 23 patients (24 LAD, 11 LCX, 4 RCA) were analyzed. Mean distal vFFR was 0.87 ± 0.14 whereas invasive distal FFR was 0.88 ± 0.17. An excellent correlation was found between invasive distal FFR and vFFR (r = 0.92; p < 0.001). The correlation of the pullback tracing was high, with a correlation coefficient between vFFR and invasive FFR pullback values of 0.72 (95% CI 0.71 to 0.73, p < 0.001). The mean difference between vFFR and invasive FFR pullback values was -0.01 with 0.06 of SD (limits of agreements -0.12 to 0.13). In HTx patients, coronary angiography-derived FFR correlates excellently with invasively measured wire-derived FFR. Therefore, angiography derived FFR could be used as a novel diagnostic tool to quantify the functional severity of graft vasculopathy.

Vessel Fractional Flow Reserve and Graft Vasculopathy in Heart Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) remains the Achilles' heel of long-term survival after heart transplantation (HTx). The severity and extent of CAV is graded with conventional coronary angiography (COR) which has several limitations. Recently, vessel fractional flow reserve (vFFR) derived from COR has emerged as a diagnostic computational tool to quantify the functional severity of coronary artery disease. PURPOSE: The present study assessed the usefulness of vFFR to detect CAV in HTx recipients. METHODS: In HTx patients referred for annual check-up, undergoing surveillance COR, the extent of CAV was graded according to the criteria proposed by the international society of heart and lung transplantation (ISHLT). In addition, three-dimensional coronary geometries were constructed from COR to calculate pressure losses using vFFR. RESULTS: In 65 HTx patients with a mean age of 53.7 ± 10.1 years, 8.5 years (IQR 1.90, 15.2) years after HTx, a total number of 173 vessels (59 LAD, 61 LCX, and 53 RCA) were analyzed. The mean vFFR was 0.84 ± 0.15 and median was 0.88 (IQR 0.79, 0.94). A vFFR ≤ 0.80 was present in 24 patients (48 vessels). HTx patients with a history of ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICMP) had numerically lower vFFR as compared to those with non-ICMP (0.70 ± 0.22 vs. 0.79 ± 0.13, p = 0.06). The use of vFFR reclassified 31.9% of patients compared to the anatomical ISHLT criteria. Despite a CAV score of 0, a pathological vFFR ≤ 0.80 was detected in 8 patients (34.8%). CONCLUSION: The impairment in epicardial conductance assessed by vFFR in a subgroup of patients without CAV according to standard ISHLT criteria suggests the presence of a diffuse vasculopathy undetectable by conventional angiography. Therefore, we speculate that vFFR may be useful in risk stratification after HTx.

Low MicroRNA-126 Levels in Right Ventricular Endomyocardial Biopsies Coincide With Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in Heart Transplant Patients.

Endothelium-enriched microRNAs (miRs) are involved in the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Recently, serum-derived miR-126-3p and -5p, known endothelial microRNAs with a crucial function in angiogenesis and re-endothelialization, provided additional predictive power for cardiac allograft vasculopathy in addition to clinical predictors. However, their myocardial expression in and relationship with CAV are still unknown. Our study aim was to investigate the expression of endomyocardial microRNA-126-3p and microRNA-126-5p levels in heart transplant recipients and their relationship with allograft vasculopathy. METHODS: We studied 39 heart transplant recipients, 21 with proven allograft vasculopathy (CAV+) and 18 without allograft vasculopathy (CAV-) with serial coronary angiograms. Additionally, 8 patients with end-stage native coronary artery disease (CAD) were added to the study to investigate disease specificity of the microRNA signature. The mRNA levels of miR-126-3p and miR-126-5p were determined by qRT-PCR in the right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies obtained at baseline and during routine follow-up. RESULTS: MiR-126-3p levels were significantly lower in the CAV+ group compared to the CAV- group at follow-up, while miR-126-5p levels were unaltered. This was in stark contrast to native CAD patients in whom miR-126-3p and -5p levels were significantly higher. qPCR levels of miR-126 targets are differentially regulated in CAV versus ischemic cardiomyopathy and are influenced by the administration of immunosuppressive agents in endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide evidence for a distinct microRNA signature in heart transplantation patients with allograft vasculopathy. In contrast to CAD patients, lower miR-126-3p levels coincide with the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy. Further studies in a larger patient population are warranted to determine if the serial measurement of myocardial microRNA-126 products could help in risk assessment and early detection of CAV.

Treatment of Diuretic Resistance with a Novel Percutaneous Blood Flow Regulator: Concept and Initial Experience.

Diuretic resistance in acute heart failure is a common clinical problem, and it is associated with adverse outcomes. Effective therapies are still lacking. The Doraya catheter, a temporary intravenous flow regulator placed in the inferior vena cava below the level of the renal veins, is a novel device designed to target renal and cardiac congestion, thereby improving diuretic response. A first-in-man clinical study is currently ongoing.

Natriuretic Peptide Processing in Patients with and Without Left Ventricular Dysfunction.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between corin expression and circulating brain natriuretic peptide in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.Circulating levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) can be an indicator of LV dysfunction. The 32-amino-acid BNP is cleaved by corin, a cardiac serine protease, from its108-amino-acid pro-brain natriuretic peptide (proBNP) precursor.This study included 25 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) and LV dysfunction and 44 heart transplant recipients with normal LV function who underwent diagnostic left and right heart catheterization. Blood samples were used to determine the ratio of plasma proBNP/BNP levels, and LV endomyocardial biopsies were used to determine the expression of NPPB, which encode BNP and corin, respectively, by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.Patients with DCMP revealed worse hemodynamic profiles and higher plasma proBNP and BNP levels than those of the transplant recipients. Myocardial NPPB expression was higher and CORIN expression was lower in the DCMP patients than in the transplant recipients. CORIN expression significantly correlated with NPPB expression (r = -0.585; P < 0.001), ejection fraction (EF; r = 0.694; P < 0.01), LV end-diastolic pressure (r = -0.373; P < 0.05), and indexed end-diastolic LV volume (r = -0.452; P < 0.001). In addition, the plasma proBNP/BNP levels inversely correlated with the CORIN expression (r = -0.362; P < 0.005).Decreased myocardial CORIN expression and the corresponding higher levels of circulating unprocessed proBNP in DCMP may partly account for the relative BNP resistance observed in patients with LV dysfunction.

The impact of drop-out in cardiac rehabilitation on outcome among coronary artery disease patients.

Background The effect of adherence to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on outcome is not clear. Therefore, we aimed to assess the impact of drop-out for non-medical reasons of CR on event-free survival in coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods A total of 876 patients who attended CR after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) were included. Drop-out was defined as attending ≤50% of the training sessions. A combined endpoint of all-cause mortality and rehospitalization for a cardiovascular event was used to specify event-free survival. Differences in clinical characteristics were assessed and parameters with p < 0.10 were entered in a multiple Cox regression analysis. Results A total of 15% died or had a cardiovascular event during a median follow-up period of 33 months (interquartile range 24, 51). Overall, 17% dropped out before finishing half of the program. Patients who withdrew prematurely had a risk twice as high for a cardiovascular event or death (hazard ratio 1.92, 95% confidence interval 1.28-2.90) than those who attended more than half of the sessions. Both ACS (2.36, 1.47-3.58) and PCI (2.20, 1.22-3.96), as primary indicators for CR, were associated with an adverse outcome and also a prior history of chronic heart failure (CHF) remained negatively associated with event-free survival (3.67, 1.24-10.91). Finally, the presence of hyperlipidemia was independently related to a worse outcome (1.48, 1.02-2.16). Conclusions Drop-out for non-medical reasons was independently associated with a negative outcome in CAD. Therefore, underlying factors for drop-out should gain more attention in future research and should be taken into account when organizing CR.

Comorbidities and Psychosocial Characteristics as Determinants of Dropout in Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Despite the clear benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), a considerable number of patients drop out early. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, we wanted to evaluate dropout in CR with a special focus on comorbidities and psychosocial background. METHODS: Patients who attended CR after acute coronary syndrome, cardiac surgery, or heart failure (N = 489) were prospectively included. Dropout was defined as attending 50% of the training sessions or less (n = 96 [20%]). Demographic and clinical characteristics, exercise parameters, and psychosocial factors were analyzed according to dropout, and those with a trend toward a significant difference (P < .10) were entered in a multivariate logistic model. RESULTS: The presence of a cerebrovascular accident (4.18 [1.39-12.52]) involved a higher risk of dropout, and a comparable trend was seen for the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2.55 [0.99-6.54]). Attending the training program only twice per week also implicated a higher risk of an early withdrawal (3.76 [2.23-6.35]). In contrast, patients on ß-blockers were less likely to withdraw prematurely (0.47 [0.22-0.98]). Singles were more likely to drop out (2.89 [1.56-5.35]), as well as those patients who were dependent on others to get to CR (2.01 [1.16-3.47]). Finally, the reporting of severe problems on the anxiety/depression subscale of the EuroQOL-5D questionnaire involved a higher odds for dropout (7.17 [1.46-35.29]). CONCLUSIONS: Neither demographic characteristics nor clinical status or exercise capacity could independently identify patients who were at risk of dropout. The presence of comorbidities and a vulnerable psychosocial background rather seem to play a key role in dropout.

Should MRAs be at the front row in heart failure? A plea for the early use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in medical therapy for heart failure based on clinical experience.

The brand new 2016 ESC guidelines for the treatment of acute and chronic heart failure continue to give a prominent place to mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in the treatment of chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). In the prevention of HF hospitalization and death, a class I, level of recommendation A, is given to MRAs for patients with HFrEF, who remain symptomatic despite treatment with an ACE-inhibitor and a beta-blocker and have an LVEF below 35 %. This recommendation is primarily based on two landmark trials, the RALES trial (for spironolactone) and the EMPHASIS-HF trial (for eplerenone). A crucial question is, however, why MRAs are advised only in "third place," i.e., after optimal up-titration of ACE-inhibitors and beta-blockers. We wonder whether MRAs could not or should not be given earlier in the treatment of HFrEF, namely before or together with the up-titration of ACE-inhibitors and beta-blockers. Several arguments to support this plea are described in this short paper.

Acalculous cholecystitis and tamponade: an unusual combination?

Although pericardial effusion is a well-known feature of Churg-Strauss syndrome, cardiac tamponade has rarely been encountered. The present report describes a case of Churg-Strauss syndrome that presented as an acute cholecystitis and was complicated by tamponade. Histopathological exam of both pericardium and gall bladder was conclusive for Churg-Strauss syndrome.