Circulating microvesicles across a population with various degree of cardiovascular burden are associated with systolic blood pressure.

Circulating microvesicles (MVs) have been studied in heterogeneous, divergent, and rather small patient populations with cardiovascular risk . Therefore, we measured endothelial (EMVs), platelet (PMVs) and erythrocyte (RMVs) MVs in patients with divergent cardiovascular risk. We then compared them to coronary artery disease (CAD) and healthy subjects and identified independent MVs' predictors. We enrolled consecutive patients from our Cardiology, Hypertension, Diabetic, Rheumatic, and Nephrology Outpatient Units with MVs measurements. Central blood pressure (BP) was measured by either applanation tonometry or Mobil-O-graph device, while MVs by a standardized flow cytometry protocol. We studied 369 participants with increased cardiovascular risk: 63 with high cardiovascular risk (47 diabetes mellitus type II/DM and 16 end-stage renal disease/ESRD), 92 with chronic inflammatory disorders and 73 with untreated essential hypertension/UEH. We further included 53 subjects with CAD and 87 otherwise healthy individuals. All MVs were lower in patients with increased cardiovascular risk compared to CAD, showing predictive value with high sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, PMVs and EMVs were increased in patients with cardiovascular risk compared to healthy individuals. DM and ESRD patients had increased EMVs versus UEH and chronic inflammatory disorders. In the whole study population, RMVs were associated only with history of essential hypertension. In multivariate analysis, systolic BP predicted PMVs. Aage, systolic BP, and DM predicted EMVs. In a large population of patients with divergent cardiovascular risk, MVs are independently associated with systolic blood pressure.

Cardiorenal multimorbidity in hospitalized cardiology patients: The Hellenic Cardiorenal Morbidity Snapshot (HECMOS) study.

PURPOSE: Cardiovascular disease is commonly accompanied by renal dysfunction. Multimorbidity in hospitalized patients impacts unfavorably on prognosis and hospital stay. We aimed to illustrate the contemporary burden of cardiorenal morbidity across inpatient cardiology care in Greece. METHODS: The Hellenic Cardiorenal Morbidity Snapshot (HECMOS) used an electronic platform to collect demographic and clinically relevant information about all patients hospitalized on March 3, 2022, in Greece. The participating institutions covered all levels of inpatient cardiology care and most of the country's territories to collect a real-world, nation representative sample. RESULTS: A total of 923 patients (men 68.4%, median age 73 ± 14.8 years) were admitted to 55 different cardiology departments. 57.7% of the participants were aged >70 years. Hypertension was highly prevalent and present in 66% of the cases. History of chronic HF, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease was present in 38%, 31.8%, 30%, and 26%, respectively. Furthermore, 64.1% of the sample exhibited at least one of these 4 entities. Accordingly, a combination of ≥2 of these morbid conditions was recorded in 38.7%, of ≥3 in 18.2%, whereas 4.3% of the sample combined all 4 in their medical history. The most common combination was the coexistence of heart failure-atrial fibrillation accounting for 20.6% of the sample. Nine of 10 nonelectively admitted patients were hospitalized due to acute HF (39.9%), acute coronary syndrome (33.5%), or tachyarrhythmias (13.2%). CONCLUSION: HECMOS participants carried a remarkable burden of cardio-reno-metabolic disease. HF in conjunction with atrial fibrillation was found to be the most prevalent combination among the studied cardiorenal nexus of morbidities in the whole study population.

The burden of atrial fibrillation and heart failure in hospitalized patients: A real-world survey in a nationwide snapshot.

PURPOSE: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are common and commonly coexisting cardiovascular diseases in hospitalized patients. We report the absolute number and interrelation between AF and HF, assess the daily burden of both diseases on the healthcare system, and describe the medical treatment in a real-world, nationwide conducted snapshot survey. METHODS: A questionnaire was equally distributed to various healthcare institutions. Data on the baseline characteristics, prior hospitalizations, and medical treatments of all hospitalized patients with AF and HF at a predefined date were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Seventy-five cardiological departments participated in this multicenter Greek nationwide study. A total of 603 patients (mean age, 74.5 ± 11.4 years) with AF, HF, or the combination of both were nationwide admitted. AF, HF, and the combination of both were registered in 122 (20.2%), 196 (32.5%), and 285 (47.3%) patients, respectively. First-time hospital admission was recorded in 273 (45.7%) of 597 patients, whereas 324 (54.3%) of 597 patients had readmissions in the past 12 months. Of the entire population, 453 (75.1%) were on beta-blockers (BBs), and 430 (71.3%) were on loop diuretics. Furthermore, 315 patients with AF (77.4%) were on oral anticoagulation, of whom 191 (46.9%) were on a direct oral anticoagulant and 124 (30.5%) were on a vitamin K antagonist. CONCLUSION: Hospitalized patients with AF and/or HF have more than one admission within a year. Coexistence of AF and HF is more common. BBs and loop diuretics are the most commonly used drugs. More than three-quarters of the patients with AF were on oral anticoagulation.

Artificial intelligence-based mining of electronic health record data to accelerate the digital transformation of the national cardiovascular ecosystem: design protocol of the CardioMining study.

INTRODUCTION: Mining of electronic health record (EHRs) data is increasingly being implemented all over the world but mainly focuses on structured data. The capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) could reverse the underusage of unstructured EHR data and enhance the quality of medical research and clinical care. This study aims to develop an AI-based model to transform unstructured EHR data into an organised, interpretable dataset and form a national dataset of cardiac patients. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: CardioMining is a retrospective, multicentre study based on large, longitudinal data obtained from unstructured EHRs of the largest tertiary hospitals in Greece. Demographics, hospital administrative data, medical history, medications, laboratory examinations, imaging reports, therapeutic interventions, in-hospital management and postdischarge instructions will be collected, coupled with structured prognostic data from the National Institute of Health. The target number of included patients is 100 000. Natural language processing techniques will facilitate data mining from the unstructured EHRs. The accuracy of the automated model will be compared with the manual data extraction by study investigators. Machine learning tools will provide data analytics. CardioMining aims to cultivate the digital transformation of the national cardiovascular system and fill the gap in medical recording and big data analysis using validated AI techniques. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study will be conducted in keeping with the International Conference on Harmonisation Good Clinical Practice guidelines, the Declaration of Helsinki, the Data Protection Code of the European Data Protection Authority and the European General Data Protection Regulation. The Research Ethics Committee of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Scientific and Ethics Council of the AHEPA University Hospital have approved this study. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed medical journals and international conferences. International collaborations with other cardiovascular registries will be attempted. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05176769.

One-Year Outcomes in Anticoagulated Atrial Fibrillation Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights From the Greek Antiplatelet Atrial Fibrillation Registry.

ABSTRACT: GReek-AntiPlatElet Atrial Fibrillation registry is a multicenter, observational, noninterventional study of atrial fibrillation patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Primary endpoint included clinically significant bleeding rate at 12 months between different antithrombotic regimens prescribed at discharge; secondary endpoints included major adverse cardiovascular events and net adverse clinical events. A total of 647 patients were analyzed. Most (92.9%) were discharged on novel oral anticoagulants with only 7.1% receiving the vitamin K antagonist. A little over half of patients (50.4%) received triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT)-mostly (62.9%) for ≤1 month-whereas the rest (49.6%) received dual antithrombotic therapy (DAT). Clinically significant bleeding risk was similar between TAT and DAT [Hazard ratio (HR) = 1.08; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.66-1.78], although among TAT-receiving patients, the risk was lower in those receiving TAT for ≤1 month (HR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.25-0.99). Anticoagulant choice (novel oral anticoagulant vs. vitamin K antagonist) did not significantly affect bleeding rates ( P = 0.258). Age, heart failure, leukemia/myelodysplasia, and acute coronary syndrome were associated with increased bleeding rates. Risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and net adverse clinical events was similar between ΤAT and DAT (HR = 1.73; 95% CI, 0.95-3.18, P = 0.075 and HR = 1.39; 95% CI, 0.93-2.08, P = 0.106, respectively). In conclusion, clinically significant bleeding and ischemic rates were similar between DAT and TAT, although TAT >1 month was associated with higher bleeding risk.

Endothelial Microvesicles Circulating in Peripheral and Coronary Circulation Are Associated With Central Blood Pressure in Coronary Artery Disease.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial microvesicles (EMVs) have emerged as markers of endothelial injury. However, little is known about their levels in the coronary circulation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesized that ACS patients exhibit a more pronounced increase of EMVs both in the peripheral and coronary circulation when compared with CAD. We also investigated possible associations of EMVs with markers preclinical target organ damage. METHODS: We enrolled consecutive eligible patients undergoing coronary angiography. Blood samples were collected from the stem of the left coronary artery and the femoral artery. ΕMVs were measured by a standardized flow cytometry protocol. Central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) was measured invasively and patients' history was recorded. RESULTS: CAD patients exhibited increased levels of EMVs compared with controls. When patients with ACS and stable CAD were compared, the former had significantly increased EMVs in both coronary and peripheral circulation. Importantly, both ACS and CAD patients exhibited increased levels of EMVs in the coronary circulation compared with periphery. In addition, EMVs were associated with cSBP. CONCLUSIONS: EMVs emerge as novel markers of ongoing underlying vascular damage, further augmenting the vicious cycle of inflammation and thrombosis mainly in ACS but also in stable CAD.

Atrioventricular nodal dysfunction secondary to hyperparathyroidism.

The relationship of hyperparathyroid-associated hypercalcemia with clinical significant bradyarrythmias still remains controversial. We present a 66-year-old patient with dizziness, headache and paroxysmal 2:1 atrioventricular block. A 24-hour Holter report revealed symptomatic intermittent 2(nd) degree (2:1) atrioventricular block with a mean heart rate of 46 bpm. A 2D echocardiogramm showed normal ejection fraction and there was no valve dysfunction or calcification. The biochemistry results showed elevated serum calcium level, low phosphate level, elevated serum parathyroid hormone level and normal serum levels of potassium, magnesium and sodium. The urine calcium excretion was 390 mg/24 h. A coronary angiography was performed and revealed no critical lesions. The patient continued to have symptoms despite of the treatment of hypercalcemia and a DDDR pacemaker was implanted. He had a Sestamibi-scan of the neck, that was suggestive of parathyroid adenoma, and parathyroidectomy was performed. The presuming mechanism is the degeneration of AV node due to calcium deposit.

Immunoadsorption in lupus myocarditis.

Reduction of pathological autoantibodies may be useful in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). On the other hand clinically manifested myocarditis in SLE, though uncommon, may be life-threatening and its pathogenesis has been ascribed to autoimmunity. The aim of this study is to present a rare case of a patient with severe lupus myocarditis, where immunoadsorption (IA) was evaluated as rescue therapy. A case of SLE with initial manifestation of myocarditis is reported in a 29-year-old male who presented with arthritis, fever, lymphadenopathy, joint swelling and morning stiffness. Laboratory evaluation revealed increased antinuclear antibody (ANA), slightly decreased complement and positive anticoagulant panel. From the above clinical and laboratory features, criteria of SLE seemed applicable. During his hospitalization, the patient developed pericardial effusion and cardiogenic shock. Although pericardiotomy was performed and was treated with immunosuppressive agents, plasmapheresis and supported with current medications, his clinical condition remained critical with an ejection fraction of 20%. At this point it was decided to receive IA onto staphylococcal protein A. After 6 sessions with IA and concomitant immunosuppression, the patient responded well, his condition improved and was dismissed with an ejection fraction of 50%. Fulminant lupus myocarditis is a severe and rare situation lacking a satisfying specific therapy available today. In our presented case, IA in addition to immunosuppressive therapy was beneficial. Considering the benefits of our case and the current knowledge, it might be useful to clarify the open question in scale pilot studies.