Intravenous iron therapy for heart failure and iron deficiency: An updated meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Heart failure (HF) patients frequently exhibit iron deficiency, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Although various trials have been conducted, it is uncertain if intravenous (IV) iron replenishment improves clinical outcomes in HF patients with iron deficiency. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from inception till 15 September 2023 to retrieve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared IV iron therapy with placebo or standard of care in patients with HF and iron deficiency. Clinical outcomes were assessed by generating forest plots using the random-effects model and pooling odds ratios (ORs) or weighted mean differences (WMDs). Fourteen RCTs with 6651 patients were included. IV iron therapy showed a significantly reduced incidence of the composite of first heart failure hospitalization (HHF) or cardiovascular (CV) mortality as compared with the control group (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.58 to 0.92). The IV iron therapy resulted in a trend towards lower CV mortality (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.76 to 1.01), 1-year all-cause mortality (OR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.71 to 1.02), and first HHF (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.51 to 1.05), and an improved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (MD = 4.54, 95% CI: -0.13 to 9.21). Meta-regression showed a significant inverse moderating effect of baseline LVEF on the first HHF or CV death. In patients with HF and iron deficiency, IV iron therapy reduced the incidence of composite of first HHF or CV mortality. There was a trend of lower overall CV and 1-year all-cause mortality, first HHF, and improved LVEF with IV iron therapy.

Clinical Outcomes with Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Patients with Cardiac Sarcoidosis: A Systematic Review and Proportional Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is an inflammatory condition that can present with heart failure (HF). Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is known to improve clinical outcomes for patients with left bundle branch block in the general HF population. However, data about the outcomes of CRT in CS is limited. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed/Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from inception to February 2024 to identify studies that reported clinical outcomes following the use of CRT in patients with CS. Data for outcomes was extracted, pooled, and analyzed. OpenMetaAnalyst was used for pooling untransformed proportions along with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Five studies with a total of 176 CS patients who received CRT were included. The pooled incidence for all-cause mortality was 7.6% (95% CI: -3% to 18%), for HF-related hospitalizations 23.2% (95% CI: 2% to 43%), and for major adverse cerebral and cardiovascular events 27% (95% CI: 8% to 45%) after a mean follow-up of 60.1 (±48.7) months. The pooled left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 34.28% (95% CI: 29.88% to 38.68%) demonstrating an improvement of 3.75% in LVEF from baseline LVEF of 30.58% (95% CI: 24.68% to 36.48%). The mean New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class was 2.16 (95% CI: 1.47 to 2.84) after CRT as compared to the baseline mean NYHA of 2.58 (95% CI: 2.29 to 2.86). CONCLUSION: Although improvements were observed in LVEF and mean NYHA, mortality was high in CS patients with CRT.

Enhancing WHO Prescription writing guideline adherence through an educational intervention - a quality improvement study of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

BACKGROUND: Prescription writing is an important component of healthcare delivery and can directly influence patient safety and treatment outcomes. Prescription errors are common in developing countries because of the lack of national guidelines. This two-cycle clinical audit assessed the impact of educational interventions on improving prescription writing practices. METHODS: A cross-sectional prospective clinical audit was conducted in the Out Patients Department (OPD) of the District Head Quarters (DHQ) Hospital in Bhimber, Azad Jammu, and Kashmir. A total of 100 randomly selected prescriptions were reviewed for each cycle from July to August 2023. We recorded compliance with WHO guidelines for prescription writing before and after the educational intervention. Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 25.0 were used for statistical analysis. Categorical variables were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: An improvement in compliance was observed during the 2nd audit cycle, after the educational intervention. The greatest improvement was observed in documenting the allergic status of patients (62%) and the direction of drug administration (40%). We also observed improvements in the treatment duration (>10%), patient weight, physician registration number, diagnosis, and follow-up advice. The legibility of prescriptions also improved during the 2nd audit cycle. CONCLUSION: This study shows that integrating an educational intervention into a clinical audit can improve prescription writing practices and ultimately result in better quality of care for patients.

Temporal Trends in the Outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Zotarolimus Eluting Stents Versus Everolimus Eluting Stents: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

INTRODUCTION: Long-term follow-up results of various trials comparing Zotarolimus eluting stents (ZES) with Everolimus eluting stents (EES) have been published recently. Additionally, over the last decade, there have been new trials comparing the ZES with various commercially available EES. We aim to conduct an updated meta-analysis in light of new evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to provide comprehensive evidence regarding the temporal trends in the clinical outcomes. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase. RCTs comparing ZES with EES for short (<2 years), intermediate (2-3 years), and long-term follow-ups (3-5 years) were included. Relative risk was used to pool the dichotomous outcomes using the random effects model employing the inverse variance method. All statistical analysis was conducted using Revman 5.4. RESULTS: A total of 18 studies reporting data at different follow-ups for nine trials (n = 14319) were included. At short-term follow-up (<2 years), there were no significant differences between the two types of stents (all-cause death, cardiac death, Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), target vessel myocardial infarction, definite or probable stent thrombosis or safety outcomes (target vessel revascularization, target lesion revascularization, target vessel failure, target lesion failure). At intermediate follow-up (2-3 years), EES was superior to ZES for reducing target lesion revascularization (RR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.05-1.58, p < 0.05). At long-term follow-up (3-5 years), there were no significant differences between the two groups for any of the pooled outcomes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: ZES and EES have similar safety and efficacy at short, intermediate, and long-term follow-ups.

Safety and Outcomes with Direct Oral Anticoagulants Versus Vitamin-K Antagonists in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a subtype of pulmonary hypertension characterized by organized thrombi inside the pulmonary vasculature, leading to an increase in pulmonary artery pressure. CTEPH is seen in about 3-4% of patients with acute pulmonary embolism and is associated with poor outcomes. Apart from surgical intervention, lifelong anticoagulation is the mainstay of CTEPH management. Traditionally, CTEPH is managed with vitamin-K antagonists (VKA); however, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are recently gaining popularity. However, the current literature comparing DOACs versus VKAs in CTEPH has inconsistent results. An electronic search of the major bibliographic databases was performed to retrieve studies comparing DOACs versus VKAs in CTEPH patients. For dichotomous outcomes, the odds ratio (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model to generate forest plots. Statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05. Ten studies were included with 3936 patients (1269 in the DOAC group and 2667 in the VKA group). Treatment with DOAC was associated with no statistically significant difference in the risk of all-cause mortality (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.35-1.71; P < 0.53), venous thromboembolism (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.59-2.40; P = 0.63), major bleeding (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.38-1.22; P = 0.20), and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.80-1.86; P = 0.37). Our analysis demonstrates that DOACs are noninferior to VKAs in terms of their safety and outcomes profile in CTEPH. Further trials are needed to evaluate more robust evidence and to compare additional outcomes.

Optical coherence tomography-guided versus angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a high-resolution imaging modality, guides stent implantation during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, OCT-guided PCI safety and efficacy data is limited. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing OCT-guided PCI to Angiography-guided PCI from inception to August 2023. A random-effects model was used to pool risk ratios (RRs), mean differences (MDs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for clinical endpoints. Results: Our analysis included 5,139 patients from 11 studies. OCT-guided PCI resulted in a higher minimum stent area (MD = 0.35 [95 % CI, 0.21-0.49]; p < 0.00001), significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality (RR = 0.56 [95 % CI, = 0.32-0.99]; p = 0.04), stent thrombosis (RR = 0.56 [95 % CI, 0.32-0.96]; p = 0.04), stent malapposition RR = 0.79 [95 % CI, 0.71-0.88]; p = < 0.0001) and major edge dissection (RR = 0.47 [95 % CI, 0.34-0.65]; p = <0.00001). However, no statistically significant difference was observed for all-cause mortality (RR = 0.71; p = 0.06), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [RR = 0.80; p = 0.10], myocardial infarction (MI) [RR = 0.84; p = 0.16], target lesion revascularization (TLR) [RR = 0.94; p = 0.68], and target vessel revascularization (TVR) [RR = 0.91; p = 0.52]. Conclusion: OCT-guided PCI led to an increased MSA and decreased cardiovascular mortality, stent thrombosis, stent malapposition, and major edge dissection. The incidence of all-cause mortality, MACE, MI, TLR, and TVR remained comparable across the two groups.

Age-related disparities in complications among women with peripartum cardiomyopathy.

INTRODUCTION: While the exact pathogenesis of peripartum cardiomyopathy, a potentially life-threatening condition, is still unknown, its incidence is rising globally. We sought to understand the differences in outcomes and complications based on age. METHODS: Records from the 2016-2020 National Inpatient Sample were used for our study. The sample consisted of females diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy that required hospitalization care. They were divided into two age-based cohorts: 15-29 years and 30-40 years. We evaluated differences in in-hospital complications between the two groups using multivariable regression. RESULTS: The analysis consisted of 20520 females diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy, of whom 57.3 % were in the 30-40 years cohort and 42.7 % in the 15-29 years group. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes and lipid disorder was higher among women aged 30-40 years (p < 0.01). These patients also demonstrated higher odds of reporting acute ischemic stroke (aOR 1.354, 95 % CI 1.038-1.767, p = 0.026) while having a reduced risk of cardiogenic shock (aOR 0.787, 95 % CI 0.688-0.901, p < 0.01) as compared to those aged 15-29 years during their hospitalisation with PPCM. No statistically significant differences were noted for events of acute kidney injury (aOR 1.074, 95 % CI 0.976-1.182, p = 0.143), acute pulmonary oedema (aOR 1.147, 95 % CI 0.988-1.332, p = 0.071) or in-hospital mortality (aOR 0.978, 95 % CI 0.742-1.290, p = 0.877). CONCLUSION: Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a serious condition that requires appropriate care and management. Our study linked cases of ages 30-40 years with increased odds of acute ischemic stroke but lower odds of cardiogenic shock.

TriClip G4: A game-changer for tricuspid valve regurgitation treatment.

Tricuspid valve regurgitation, or TR, is a difficult-to-manage condition. In addition to EVOQUE, percutaneous annuloplasty, and surgical repair, the TriClip G4 system has been added to the interventional therapeutic choices for TR. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the TriClip G4 device to treat patients with symptomatic, severe TR who have received optimal medication therapy but are at intermediate or higher risk of surgery. This review attempts to offer a thorough examination of the procedural features, learning curves, results of the device and compares the TriClip G4 system to other interventional therapies for TR. TriClip G4 has shown to have promising results in pivotal clinical trials, be cost-effective, and improve the quality of life of patients. Furthermore, it has its unique advantages against other conventional techniques and devices.

Clinical Outcomes With Once-Weekly Insulin Icodec Versus Once-Daily Insulin Glargine U100 in Insulin-Naïve and Previously Insulin-Treated Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

AIMS: The once-weekly insulin icodec, a new basal insulin analog, may positively support a reduction in injection frequency and improve adherence to therapy in type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of insulin icodec compared with those of once-daily glargine U100. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library from inception till September 2023. Data about clinical outcomes in both groups were extracted. Forest plots were generated using the random-effects model by pooling odds ratios (ORs) and mean differences (MDs). RESULTS: Five randomised controlled trials and 2019 individuals with T2DM were included. In the pooled analysis, time in range was significantly higher (MD = 4.35; 95% CI: 1.65 to 7.05; p = 0.002) in the icodec group than in the once-daily glargine group. The HbA1c levels were significantly reduced (MD = -0.13; 95% CI: -0.24 to -0.03; p = 0.02) in the weekly icodec group compared with those in the once-daily glargine group. The weight gain was significantly less in the glargine group than in the weekly icodec group (MD = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.78; p = 0.03); however, in the subgroup analysis, this change became statistically insignificant in both insulin-naïve and previously insulin-treated individuals. The results were comparable across two groups for fasting plasma glucose levels, hypoglycaemia alert (Level 1), clinically significant (Level 2) or severe hypoglycaemia (Level 3), and adverse events. CONCLUSION: Insulin icodec was associated with a reduction in glycated haemoglobin levels and higher time in range, with a similar safety profile as compared to insulin glargine U100. However, further evidence is still needed to reach a definitive conclusion.

Association between psoriasis and atrial fibrillation: A Systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis is a prevalent inflammatory skin condition characterized by erythematous plaques with scaling. Recent research has demonstrated an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in patients with psoriasis; however, current evidence on atrial fibrillation (AF) risk in psoriasis is limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed on major bibliographic databases to retrieve studies that evaluated AF risk in patients with psoriasis. The DerSimonian and Laird random effects model was used to pool the hazard ratios (HR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Subgroup analysis was conducted by dividing the patients into mild and severe psoriasis groups. Publication bias was assessed by visual inspection and Egger's regression test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Seven studies were included, with 10,974,668 participants (1,94,230 in the psoriasis group and 10,780,439 in the control group). Patients with psoriasis had a significantly higher risk of AF [Pooled HR: 1.28; 95 % CI: 1.20, 1.36; p < 0.00001]. In subgroup analysis, patients with severe psoriasis [HR: 1.32; 95 % CI: 1.23, 1.42; p < 0.00001] demonstrated a slightly higher risk of AF, although statistically insignificant (p = 0.17), than the mild psoriasis group [HR: 1.21; 95 % CI: 1.10, 1.33; p < 0.0001]. Egger's regression test showed no statistically significant publication bias (p = 0.24). CONCLUSION: Our analysis demonstrated that patients with psoriasis are at a significantly higher risk of AF and hence should be closely monitored for AF. Further large-scale and multicenter randomized trials are warranted to validate the robustness of our findings.

Clinical Outcomes With Nurse-Coordinated Multidisciplinary Care in Patients With Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommend nurse-inclusive multidisciplinary care for patients with heart failure (HF). However, there is no meta-analysis that focuses specifically on the impact of nurse-coordinated multidisciplinary care. Considering this literature gap, we conducted this review that seeks to systematically synthesize the current evidence available regarding the impact of nurse-coordinated multidisciplinary care on clinical outcomes in patients with HF. A comprehensive search was done using PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE from inception till July 2023 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing nurse-coordinated multidisciplinary care with usual care in adult patients (>18 years) with acute or chronic HF. Data about all-cause mortality, HF-related hospitalizations, and all-cause hospitalizations was extracted, pooled, and analyzed. Forrest plots were generated using the random effects model. A total of 30 RCTs were included in the analysis with a total of 7950 HF patients. Our pooled analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in all-cause mortality in HF patients who received nurse-coordinated multidisciplinary care (RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.72-0.88, P = 0.0001). Similarly, there was a significantly lesser risk of HF-related hospitalizations (RR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.45-0.71, P = 0.00001) and all-cause hospitalizations (RR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.70-0.87, P = 0.0001) among HF patients with nurse-coordinated multidisciplinary care as compared to the usual care. Nurse-coordinated multidisciplinary care significantly reduces the risk of all-cause mortality, HF-related hospitalizations, and all-cause hospitalizations in HF patients' posthospital discharge.

Clinical Outcomes With Furosemide Versus Torsemide in Patients With Heart Failure: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Despite potential advantages of torsemide over furosemide, <10% of the patients with heart failure (HF) are on torsemide in clinical practice. Prior studies comparing furosemide to torsemide in patients with HF have shown conflicting findings, regarding hospitalizations and mortality. We aimed to pool all the studies conducted to date and provide the most updated and comprehensive evidence, regarding the effect of furosemide vs torsemide in reducing mortality and hospitalizations in patients with HF. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of the PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library and Scopus from inception till June 2023, for randomized and nonrandomized studies comparing furosemide to torsemide in adult patients (>18 years) with acute or chronic HF. Data about all-cause mortality, HF-related hospitalizations and all-cause hospitalizations was extracted, pooled, and analyzed. Forest plots were created based on the random effects model. A total of 17 studies (n = 11,996 patients) were included in our analysis with a median follow-up time of 8 months. Our pooled analysis demonstrated no difference in all-cause mortality between furosemide and torsemide groups in HF patients (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.75-1.29, P = 0.89). However, torsemide was associated with a significantly lesser incidence of HF-related hospitalizations (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54-0.99, P = 0.04), and all-cause hospitalizations (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73-0.98, P = 0.03), as compared to furosemide. Torsemide significantly reduces HF-related and all-cause hospitalizations as compared to furosemide, with no difference in mortality. We recommend transitioning from furosemide to torsemide in HF patients who are not attaining symptomatic control.