The Impact of Basal Septal Hypertrophy on Outcomes after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND: The role of basal septal hypertrophy (BSH) on preprocedural transthoracic echocardiography in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is unknown. METHODS: Medical charts and preprocedural transthoracic echocardiograms of 378 patients who underwent TAVR were examined. The association between BSH and the primary composite outcome of valve pop-out, recapture, embolization, aborted procedure, conversion to open procedure, new conduction disturbance, or need for permanent pacemaker ≤30 days after TAVR was evaluated. Patients with preexisting pacemakers were excluded. Sensitivity analyses were performed varying the definition of BSH. RESULTS: Of 296 TAVR patients (78.3%) with interpretable images, 55 (18.6%) had BSH at a median of 40 days (interquartile range, 19-62 days) before TAVR. Age and sex were similar among those with and without BSH. BSH patients received postdilation more frequently (BSH+ vs BSH-: 41.8% vs 29.9%, P = .04). A total of 50 individuals (16.9%) received pacemakers within 30 days, and 128 (43.2%) developed conduction disturbances (with left bundle branch block most common), without differences between groups. BSH was unrelated to the primary outcome on multivariate analysis (adjusted odds ratio BSH+ vs BSH-, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.42-2.11; P = .88). CONCLUSIONS: In this convenience sample of TAVR recipients at a large academic medical center, patients with BSH were more likely to receive postdilation. BSH was not associated with procedural or conduction outcomes after TAVR in patients without preexisting pacemakers.

Metformin Use in Practice: Compliance With Guidelines for Patients With Diabetes and Preserved Renal Function.

IN BRIEF Several contraindications limit the use of metformin, most notably the risk of lactic acidosis. This article reports on an examination of a population of patients with diabetes with preserved renal function to evaluate provider compliance with guidelines on metformin use and to identify factors that contributed when practice diverged from recommendations. It found that metformin was withheld from approximately one-third of these patients because of 1) an existent contraindication to metformin, 2) patient behavior or preference, or 3) provider preference or bias based on patient or personal factors. Although providers generally follow current recommendations for the use of metformin, deviations from guidelines in practice are common.

Diabetes connected health: a pilot study of a patient- and provider-shared glucose monitoring web application.

BACKGROUND: Real-time sharing of blood glucose results with providers could improve communication and lead to more timely medication titration. New technology platforms are available to support the delivery of innovative models of care delivery. METHODS: In the Diabetes Connected Health (DCH) pilot study, patients with diabetes received access to an online application that stored and graphed glucose readings uploaded from a standard glucometer. Both patients and providers had access to this Web site, where data could be viewed, analyzed, and discussed. To examine the impact of the DCH program, we assessed adoption of the program, patient and provider satisfaction, frequency of use, and changes in glucose levels over a period of 3 months. RESULTS: The mean age of the 7 pilot participants was 51 (range 35-65). Participants sent in an average of 50 readings in Month 1 and 38 readings in Month 3 and made, on average, 6 comments in Months 1 and 12 comments in Month 3. The mean blood glucose range decreased in Month 3 versus Month 1 (141.1 and 146.5, respectively). Self-reported HbA1c fell from 6.8% at the start of the study to 5.8% at the end. Five/seven participants described the site as excellent or good. Qualitative data analysis highlighted key benefits of the program as well as areas for improvement. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study of a shared glucose monitoring Web application was well received by patients. Programs like this may lead to improvements in the quality of clinical care delivered to people with type 2 diabetes.