Intracoronary thrombolysis in ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite restoration of epicardial blood flow in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), inadequate microcirculatory perfusion is common and portends a poor prognosis. Intracoronary (IC) thrombolytic therapy can reduce microvascular thrombotic burden; however, contemporary studies have produced conflicting outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjunctive IC thrombolytic therapy at the time of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) among patients with STEMI. METHODS: Comprehensive literature search of six electronic databases identified relevant randomised controlled trials. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACE). The pooled risk ratio (RR) and weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% CI were calculated. RESULTS: 12 studies with 1915 patients were included. IC thrombolysis was associated with a significantly lower incidence of MACE (RR=0.65, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.82, I2=0%, p<0.0004) and improved left ventricular ejection fraction (WMD=1.87; 95% CI 1.07 to 2.67; I2=25%; p<0.0001). Subgroup analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in MACE for trials using non-fibrin (RR=0.39, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.78, I2=0%, p=0.007) and moderately fibrin-specific thrombolytic agents (RR=0.62, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.83, I2=0%, p=0.001). No significant reduction was observed in studies using highly fibrin-specific thrombolytic agents (RR=1.10, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.96, I2=0%, p=0.75). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in mortality (RR=0.91; 95% CI 0.48 to 1.71; I2=0%; p=0.77) or bleeding events (major bleeding, RR=1.24; 95% CI 0.47 to 3.28; I2=0%; p=0.67; minor bleeding, RR=1.47; 95% CI 0.90 to 2.40; I2=0%; p=0.12). CONCLUSION: Adjunctive IC thrombolysis at the time of primary PCI in patients with STEMI improves clinical and myocardial perfusion parameters without an increased rate of bleeding. Further research is needed to optimise the selection of thrombolytic agents and treatment protocols.

Prognostic benefit of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in heart failure: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The prognostic role of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure (HF) remains uncertain, with guideline recommendations largely based on a single trial. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the prognostic impact of AF ablation in patients with HF. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for RCTs comparing 'AF ablation' versus 'other care' (medical therapy and/or atrioventricular node ablation with pacing) in patients with HF. Primary endpoints were ≥1-year mortality, HF hospitalization and change in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects modelling. Results: Nine RCTs (n = 1462) met inclusion criteria. Compared to 'other care', AF ablation significantly reduced ≥1-year mortality (relative risk [RR] 0.65; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.49-0.87) and HF hospitalization (RR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.51-0.81). AF ablation demonstrated significantly greater improvement in LVEF (mean difference [MD] 5.4; 95% CI, 4.4-6.4), 6-min walk test distance (MD 21.5 meters; 95% CI, 4.6-38.4) and quality of life as measured by Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score (MD 7.2; 95% CI, 2.8-11.7). Meta-regression analyses showed the beneficial impact of AF ablation on LVEF was significantly blunted by higher prevalence of ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis demonstrates AF ablation is superior to 'other care' in improving mortality, HF hospitalization, LVEF and quality of life in patients with HF. However, the highly selected study populations in included RCTs and effect modification mediated by etiology of HF suggests these benefits do not uniformly apply across the HF population.

A Caseating Tricuspid Mass in an Adult With Eisenmenger Syndrome Secondary to Aorto-Pulmonary Window.

We present the case of a 55-year old Caucasian man with Eisenmenger syndrome secondary to uncorrected aorto-pulmonary window, whose clinical course has been complicated by recurrent cerebral abscesses and dynamic tricuspid annular caseation with probable pulmonary embolization. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Efficacy and safety of catheter ablation for Brugada syndrome: an updated systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) may experience recurrent ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Catheter ablation is becoming an emerging paradigm for treatment of BrS. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of catheter ablation in BrS in an updated systematic review. METHODS: We comprehensively searched the databases of Pubmed/Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to 11th of August 2021. RESULTS: Fifty-six studies involving 388 patients were included. A substrate-based strategy was used in 338 cases (87%), and a strategy of targeting premature ventricular complex (PVCs)/ventricular tachycardias (VTs) that triggered ventricular fibrillation (VF) in 47 cases (12%), with combined abnormal electrogram and PVC/VT ablation in 3 cases (1%). Sodium channel blocker was frequently used to augment the arrhythmogenic substrate in 309/388 cases (80%), which included a variety of agents, of which ajmaline was most commonly used. After ablation procedure, the pooled incidence of non-inducibility of VA was 87.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 73.4-94.3; I2 = 51%), and acute resolution of type I ECG was seen in 74.5% (95% CI [52.3-88.6]; I2 = 75%). Over a weighted mean follow up of 28 months, 7.6% (95% CI [2.1-24]; I2 = 67%) had recurrence of type I ECG either spontaneously or with drug challenge and 17.6% (95% CI [10.2-28.6]; I2 = 60%) had recurrence of VA. CONCLUSION: Catheter ablation appears to be an efficacious strategy for elimination of arrhythmias or substrate associated with BrS. Further study is needed to identify which patients stand to benefit, and optimal provocation protocol for identifying ablation targets.

The Fried Frailty Phenotype in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Frailty is an increasingly recognized marker of poor surgical outcomes in cardiac surgery. Frailty first was described in the seminal "Fried" paper, which constitutes the longest-standing and most well-recognized definition. This study aimed to assess the impact of the Fried and modified Fried frailty classifications on patient outcomes following cardiac surgery. METHODS: The PUBMED, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases were searched from January 2000 until August 2021 for studies evaluating postoperative outcomes using the Fried or modified Fried frailty indexes in open cardiac surgical procedures. Primary outcomes were one-year survival and postoperative quality of life. Secondary outcomes included postoperative complications, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), total hospital LOS, and institutional discharge. RESULTS: Eight eligible studies were identified. Meta-analysis identified that frailty was associated with an increased risk of one-year mortality (Risk Ratio [RR]:2.23;95% confidence interval [CI]1.17 -4.23), postoperative complications (RR 1.78;95% CI 1.27 - 2.50), ICU LOS (Mean difference [MD] 21.2 hours;95% CI 8.42 - 33.94), hospital LOS (MD 3.29 days; 95% CI 2.19 - 4.94), and institutional discharge (RR 3.29;95% CI 2.19 - 4.94). A narrative review of quality of life suggested an improvement following surgery, with frail patients demonstrating a greater improvement from baseline over non-frail patients. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty is associated with a higher degree of surgical morbidity, and frail patients are twice as likely to experience mortality within one-year post-operatively. Despite this, quality of life also improves dramatically in frail patients. Frailty, in itself, does not constitute a contraindication to cardiac surgery.

Anteroposterior Versus Anterolateral Electrode Position for Direct Current Cardioversion of Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: Data regarding optimal electrode positioning for direct current cardioversion (DCCV) of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been inconsistent. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically compare the efficacy of anteroposterior (AP) versus anterolateral (AL) electrode placement for DCCV of AF. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing AP versus AL electrode positioning in patients undergoing DCCV for AF. Primary endpoints were first-shock success and overall DCCV success. Subgroup analysis was performed by defibrillator waveform (monophasic versus biphasic). Meta-regression analyses were performed to assess for significant moderators. RESULTS: Twelve (12) RCTs, including a total of 2,046 patients, met inclusion criteria. Neither first-shock success (relative risk [RR] 0.92; 95% CI 0.79-1.07; p=0.28) nor overall DCCV success (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.96-1.05; p=0.78) were significantly different with AP versus AL electrode positioning. The mean number of shocks (mean difference [MD] 0.3, 95% CI -0.4 to 0.9), energy level of first successful shock (MD 3 joules; 95% CI -20 to 27) and cumulative energy delivered (MD 39 joules; 95% CI -168 to 246) were similar in AP versus AL arms. In subgroup analysis of six RCTs using biphasic defibrillators, improvement in first-shock success (RR 0.85; 95% CI 0.69-1.03; p=0.10) and overall DCCV success (RR 0.97; 95% CI 0.93-1.01; p=0.09) with AL electrode positioning did not reach statistical significance. Meta-regression analyses identified older age, higher body mass index, and longer AF duration as significant moderators favouring AL electrode positioning. CONCLUSIONS: Pooled analysis of randomised data overall does not show a significant difference in efficacy between AP versus AL electrode positioning. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses suggest that, in contemporary practice with use of biphasic defibrillators, there may be a subset of AF patients in whom AL electrode positioning improves efficacy of DCCV.

Catheter Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia in Ischaemic Versus Non-Ischaemic Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: There are differences in substrate and ablation approaches for ventricular tachycardia (VT) in ischaemic (ICM) and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (NICM). OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing clinical and procedural characteristics/outcomes of VT ablation in ICM versus NICM. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for comparative studies reporting outcomes of VT ablation in patients with ICM and NICM. Primary outcomes were acute procedural success, VT recurrence and long-term mortality. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects modelling. RESULTS: Thirty-one (31) studies (7,473 patients; 4,418 ICM and 3,055 NICM) were included. Patients with ICM were significantly older (67.0 vs 55.3 yrs), more commonly male (89% vs 79%), had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (29% vs 38%) were less likely to undergo epicardial access (11% vs 36%) and were more likely to require haemodynamic support during ablation (relative risk [RR] 1.30; 95% CI 1.01-1.69). Acute procedural success (i.e. non-inducibility of VT) was higher in the ICM cohort (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.05-1.15). Recurrence of VT at follow-up was significantly lower in the ICM cohort (RR 0.77; 95% CI 0.70-0.84). Peri-procedural mortality, incidence of procedural complications and long-term mortality were not significantly different between the cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: NICM and ICM patients undergoing VT ablation are fundamentally different in their clinical characteristics, ablation approaches, acute procedural outcomes and likelihood of VA recurrence. VT ablation in NICM has a lower likelihood of procedural success with increased risk of VA recurrence, consistent with known challenging arrhythmia substrate.

Slow gait speed is associated with worse postoperative outcomes in cardiac surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is associated with poorer outcomes in cardiac surgery, but the heterogeneity in frailty assessment tools makes it difficult to ascertain its true impact in cardiac surgery. Slow gait speed is a simple, validated, and reliable marker of frailty. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of slow gait speed on postoperative cardiac surgical patients. METHODS: PubMED, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases were searched from January 2000 to August 2021 for studies comparing slow gait speed and "normal" gait speed. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were composite mortality and major morbidity, AKI, stroke, deep sternal wound infection, prolonged ventilation, discharge to a healthcare facility, and ICU length of stay. RESULTS: There were seven eligible studies with 36,697 patients. Slow gait speed was associated with increased likelihood of in-hospital mortality (risk ratio [RR]: 2.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.87-2.87). Additionally, they were more likely to suffer from composite mortality and major morbidity (RR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.38-1.66), AKI (RR: 2.81; 95% CI: 1.44-5.49), deep sternal wound infection (RR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.59-1.98), prolonged ventilation >24 h (RR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.48-2.63), reoperation (RR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.05-1.82), institutional discharge (RR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.61-2.69), and longer ICU length of stay (MD: 21.69; 95% CI: 17.32-26.05). CONCLUSION: Slow gait speed is associated with poorer outcomes in cardiac surgery. Frail patients are twofold more likely to die during hospital admission than nonfrail counterparts and are at an increased risk of developing various perioperative complications.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of cervical metastases in oral maxillary squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Management of the node-negative neck in oral maxillary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), encompassing the hard palate and upper alveolar subsites of the oral cavity, is controversial, with no clear international consensus or recommendation regarding elective neck dissection in the absence of cervical metastases. AIM: To assess the occult metastatic rate in patients with clinically node negative oral maxillary SCC; both as an overall metastatic rate, and a comparison of patients managed with an elective neck dissection at index surgery, compared to excision of the primary with clinical observation of the neck. METHODS AND RESULTS: A systematic review was performed by two independent investigators for studies relating to oral maxillary SCC and analysed according to PRISMA criteria. Data were extracted from Pubmed, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCOPUS via relevant MeSH terms. Grey literature was searched through Google Scholar and OpenGrey. Five hundred and fifty-three articles were identified on the initial search, 483 unique articles underwent screening against eligibility criteria, and 29 studies were identified for final data extraction. Incidence of occult metastases in patients with clinically node negative oral maxillary SCC was identified either on primary elective neck dissection or on routine follow up. Meta-analyses were performed. Of 553 relevant articles identified on initial search, 29 were included for analysis. The pooled overall rate of occult metastases in patients initially presenting with clinically node-negative disease was 22.2%. There is a statistically significant effect of END on decreasing regional recurrence demonstrated in this study (RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.24, 0.59). CONCLUSION: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest elective neck dissection for patients presenting with hard palate or upper alveolar SCC, even in a clinically node negative neck.

Electrophysiologic and electroanatomic characterization of ventricular arrhythmias in non-compaction cardiomyopathy: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Non-compaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) is a form of structural heart disease prone to ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and sudden cardiac death. Non-compacted myocardium may harbor VA substrate, though some reports suggest otherwise. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the electrophysiologic (EP) features of VA in NCCM. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of case reports, case series, and observational studies. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-five cases of NCCM from studies between 2000 and 2020 were included. Mean age was 34 ± 20 years, mean left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction was 42 ± 15% with two cases having late gadolinium enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging. The LV apex was the most common non-compacted segment (86%); 10% involved the right ventricle (RV). Antiarrhythmic failure was documented in 16 cases, of which 50% failed more than one agent. Only 23% of monomorphic VAs localized to regions of non-compaction on electrocardiogram. Most frequently, VAs localized to the RV outflow tract (n = 21), posterior fascicle (n = 19), and anterolateral LV apex (n = 9). All cases with apical exits arose from the non-compacted myocardium. On EPS, 83% of sustained VTs were due to re-entry, 17% due to focal mechanism. Catheter ablation was performed in 39 cases, with 7 requiring more than 1 procedure. Acute VA non-inducibility was achieved in 82% and VA-free survival was reported in 85% over a mean follow-up of 24 months. CONCLUSION: The majority of VAs in NCCM arise remotely from non-compacted myocardium, and non-re-entrant mechanism seen in ~1/5th of sustained VTs. Catheter ablation outcomes appear favorable. Further study is needed to understand the pathophysiology of VA in NCCM.

Renal Denervation for the Management of Refractory Ventricular Arrhythmias: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the efficacy of renal denervation (RDN) in patients with refractory ventricular arrhythmias (VA) or electrical storm (ES). BACKGROUND: Although catheter ablation is efficacious for the treatment of structural heart disease ventricular tachycardia (VT), there are proportion of patients who have refractory VT despite multiple procedures. In this setting, novel adjunctive therapies such as renal denervation have been performed. METHODS: A systematic review of published data was performed. Studies that evaluated patients undergoing RDN for VA or ES were included. Outcome measures of VA, sudden cardiac death, ES, or device therapy were required. Case reports, editorials, and conference presentations were excluded. Random effects meta-analysis was conducted to explore change or final mean values in the study outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 328 articles were identified by the literature search. Seven studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review, with a total of 121 pooled patients. The weighted mean age was 63.8 ± 13.1 years, ejection fraction 30.5 ± 10.3%, 76% were men, 99% were on a beta blocker, 79% were on amiodarone, 46% had previously undergone catheter ablation, and 8.3% had previously undergone cardiac sympathetic denervation. Meta-analysis demonstrated a significant effect of RDN in reducing implantable cardiac defibrillator therapies, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of -3.11 (p < 0.001). RDN also reduced the number of VA episodes (SMD -2.13; p < 0.001), antitachycardia pacing episodes (SMD -2.82; p = 0.002), and shocks (SMD -2.82; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: RDN is an effective treatment for refractory VAs and ES, although randomized data are lacking.

Prognostic impact of atrial fibrillation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important arrhythmia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic review of published literature to: (a) assess the incidence of AF in HCM and (b) examine the impact of AF on risk of thromboembolism, heart failure, sudden death and mortality in HCM. METHODS: Search of all major databases (Pubmed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science) was performed to April 2020 using the search terms "atrial fibrillation" AND/OR "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy" in the title or abstract. 51 of the 1,565 citations met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Using random-effects modelling, the estimated pooled prevalence of AF amongst 21,887 HCM patients (36 studies) was 22.3% (95%, 19.9-24.8) and the pooled incidence of AF was 2.5 cases per person-years (95% CI 1.9-3.0). 15,444 patients from 28 studies were included in analysis of outcome data (mean age was 49.9 years; 32.7% female; mean LVEF 69%). Over a median follow up duration of 6.9 years (range 2.8-11.7 years), AF, compared to sinus rhythm (SR), was associated with significantly increased risk of thromboembolism [relative risk (RR) 7.0; 95% CI 4.6-10.7; I2 = 57%], heart failure (RR 2.8; 95% CI 1.6-4.6; I2 = 82%), sudden death (RR 1.7; 95% CI 1.3-2.3; I2 = 0%), and all-cause mortality (RR 2.5; 95% CI 1.8-3.4; I2 = 69%). CONCLUSIONS: AF is highly prevalent in patients with HCM. The presence of AF is associated with major adverse clinical outcomes. These findings suggest that both, aggressive screening and treatment of AF, are likely to have major prognostic impact on outcomes in HCM. Incidence, prevalence and prognostic impact of AF in HCM. In this systematic review, AF incidence was 2.5 cases per-person years, prevalence was 22.3%. AF in HCM was associated with a seven-fold increased risk of thromboembolism, 2.8-fold increased risk of heart failure, 1.7-fold increased risk of sudden death and 2.5-fold increased risk of all-cause mortality.

Contact Force and Ablation Index.

Radiofrequency ablation of arrhythmias depends on durable lesion formation. Catheter tip-tissue contact force (CF) is a key determinant of lesion quality; excessive CF is associated with major complications, whereas insufficient CF increases the risk of electrical reconnection and arrhythmia recurrence. In recent years, CF-sensing catheters have emerged with the ability to directly measure CF and provide operators with real-time feedback. CF-guided ablation has been associated with improved outcomes in observational studies. However, randomized controlled trials have not shown any reduction in procedural durations, fluoroscopy exposure, incidence of major complications, or long-term arrhythmia recurrence with use of CF-sensing catheters.

Catheter ablation versus medical therapy for treatment of ventricular tachycardia associated with structural heart disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and comparison with observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation (CA) is an established therapeutic modality for ventricular tachycardia (VT). OBJECTIVE: We compared the clinical outcomes of CA for VT vs medical therapy from all previously performed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and compared these to contemporary observational studies. METHODS: A comprehensive database search through to August 2018 identified 8 eligible studies enrolling 797 patients. RESULTS: In RCTs, VT recurrence and electrical VT storm were significantly reduced in the CA group vs medical therapy group (relative risk [RR] 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-0.95, P = .01; RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.51-0.94, P = .02, respectively) at a mean follow-up of 22 months. All-cause or cardiac-specific mortality did not differ significantly (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.67-1.27, P = .62; RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.54-1.26, P = .37, respectively). In 4 observational studies, including 3065 patients with a mean follow-up of 18.2 months, VT recurrence and mortality were significantly lower as compared to the RCTs (28.6% vs 39%, P < .001; 13.2% vs 18%, P = .01, respectively) despite greater incidence of electrical storm (33.2% vs 17%, P < .001), higher prevalence of nonischemic substrate (46.4% vs 3.6%, P < .001), and lower rate of implanted ICDs (68% vs 94.7%, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Meta-analysis of RCT data shows that CA is superior to medical therapy for predominantly postinfarct, scar-related VT in terms of VT recurrence and electrical VT storm, with no reduction in mortality. Real-world observational studies also demonstrate significant reduction in VT recurrence and mortality, despite a sicker cohort, demonstrating replicability and translation of RCT data in the real world.