Addition of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors to beta-blockers has a distinct effect on hispanics compared with african americans and whites with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: a propensity score-matching study.

BACKGROUND: There are currently no data on the efficacy of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) in Hispanic patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We aimed to investigate the effect of adding ACEis to beta-blockers on mortality and hospitalization for HF exacerbation in patients with HFrEF stratified by race/ethnicity. METHODS AND RESULTS: From Montefiore Medical Center's 3 large hospitals, 618 consecutive patients with HFrEF (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] <35%) who were on a beta-blocker were retrospectively identified. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on whether or not they were on an ACEi for 24 consecutive months. Propensity score matching including all baseline characteristics was performed and patients were then categorized into 3 groups: African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites/Caucasians. We evaluated 2-year all-cause mortality and 2-year hospitalization for HF exacerbation. Of 618 patients, 66% were categorized as ACEi and 34% as no-ACEi. Four hundred twenty-seven patients were matched 2:1 between the ACEi and no-ACEi groups. After matching, overall 2-year mortality and hospitalization rates were similar between ACEi and no-ACEi (12.4% vs 17.8%, hazard ratio [HR] 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38-1.16; P = .14; and 8.1% vs 9.5%, HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.44-1.60; P = .6; respectively). After stratifying patients based on race/ethnicity, ACEi demonstrated a lower 2-year mortality compared with no-ACEi in Hispanics (9.8% vs 28.4%, HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.13-0.87; P = .018) but not in African Americans (17.0% vs 11.8%, HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.34-2.65; P = .91) or Whites (9.2% vs 10.3%, HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.29-2.74; P = .83). Two-year hospitalization was not different between ACEi and no-ACEi in Hispanics, African Americans, or Whites (all P = NS). In multivariate analysis, ACEi therapy was an independent predictor of lower 2-year mortality (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12-0.89; P = .028) in Hispanics only. CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective propensity-matched study of patients with HFrEF who were on a beta-blocker, ACEi therapy was associated with greater mortality reduction in Hispanic patients compared with African Americans and Whites. These findings need to be confirmed in large national studies that include a significant fraction of Hispanic patients.

Thrombocytopenia is an independent predictor of mortality in pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Established prognostic factors for pulmonary hypertension (PH) include brain natriuretic peptide, troponins and hemodynamic measures such as central venous pressure and cardiac output. The prognostic role of thrombocytopenia, however, has yet to be determined in patients with PH. The aim of this study was to evaluate effect of thrombocytopenia on mortality in patients with PH. METHODS: 521 patients with severe PH, defined by a pulmonary artery systolic pressure >60 mm Hg on transthoracic echocardiography and a platelet count measured within one month after diagnosis were enrolled from three hospitals of Montefiore Medical Center. The cohort was divided into two groups: mild thrombocytopenia to a normal platelet count (platelet count 100,000-450,000 per uL); and moderate to severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count <100,000 per uL). Inpatient and social security death records were used to determine 1-year all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Mean age was 70.3 ± 15.6 with 40% of patients being male. Overall mortality at 1 year was 30.7%, with increased mortality in PH patients with mild thrombocytopenia compared to those with moderate to severe thrombocytopenia (46.5% vs. 27.0%, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, moderate to severe thrombocytopenia remained an independent predictor of mortality (HR 1.798, 95% CI 1.240-2.607, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate to severe thrombocytopenia is an independent predictor of higher mortality in patients with severe PH. These findings may support the use of thrombocytopenia as a useful prognostic indicator in patients with severe PH.

Publication trends in noninvasive cardiovascular imaging: 1991-2011: a retrospective observational study.

The last twenty years have seen an explosive growth in cardiovascular disease research. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the characteristics of published research in the field of non-invasive cardiovascular imaging research from 1991-2011. Our aims were to determine: (1) the origin of the studies (international or from the U.S.) (2) differences in funding sources for U.S. publications and (3) if there has been an evolving trend pertaining to the mode of imaging. We evaluated characteristics of original research articles from Circulation, Circulation cardiovascular imaging, Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), Journal of the American College of Cardiology cardiovascular imaging, Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine for the years 1991-91, 2001-02 and 2010-11. To establish trends for contributions for U.S. based studies and proportions of U.S. based studies receiving NIH funding in the study period, data was compared using a chi-square test. A two sided p value of less than or equal to 0.05 was used as the threshold for significance. Differences in modes of imaging under study were made by comparing average number of publications between the data sets in the study period using a t-test analysis. A total of 5431 studies were reviewed; 594 studies were selected as per the standardized abstraction criteria. U.S. based publications outnumbered international publications; its' share declined from 77% in 1991-92 to 57% in 2010-2011 (p<0.0001). Funding for U.S. publications by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remained static (1991-92: 40%; 2001-02: 49%; 2010-11: 42%). A decline was seen in the investigation of echocardiography (47%, p=0.44); cardiac computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging studies grew 6.5 times (p=0.002) and 7-fold (p=0.01) respectively. Nuclear cardiology imaging fell by more than 50% (p=0.02). The last twenty years have seen a globalization of research in non-invasive cardiovascular imaging with a shift in focus towards investigation of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The decline in U.S. based publications coupled with a stasis in NIH funding may call for increased federal support for non-invasive imaging research.