Prognosis after Implantation of Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Korean Patients with Brugada Syndrome

Purpose

Our study aims to analyze prognosis after implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation in Korean patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS).

Materials and Methods

This was a retrospective study of BrS patients implanted with an ICD at one of four centers in Korea between January 1998 and April 2012. Sixty-nine patients (68 males, 1 female) were implanted with an ICD based on aborted cardiac arrest (n=38, 55%), history of syncope (n=17, 25%), or induced ven tricular tachyarrhythmia on electrophysiologic study in asymptomatic patients (n=14, 20%). A family history of sudden cardiac death and a spontaneous type 1 electrocardiography (ECG) were noted in 13 patients (19%) and 44 patients (64%), respectively.

Results

During a mean follow-up of 59±46 months, 4.6±5.5 appropri ate shocks were delivered in 19 patients (28%). Fourteen patients (20%) experienced 5.2±8.0 inappropriate shocks caused by supraventricular arrhythmia, lead failure, or abnormal sensing. Six patients were admitted for cardiac causes during follow-up, but no cardiac deaths occurred. An episode of aborted cardiac arrest was a significant predictor of appropriate shock, and the composite of cardiac events in the Cox pro portional hazard model [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) was 11.34 (1.31-97.94) and 4.78 (1.41-16.22), respectively]. However, a spontaneous type 1 ECG was not a predictor of cardiac events.

Conclusion

Appropriate shock (28%) and inappropriate shock (20%) were noted during a mean follow-up of 59±46 months in Korean BrS patients implanted with an ICD. An episode of aborted cardiac ar rest was the most powerful predictor of cardiac events.     

EMBASE search strategies for identifying methodologically sound diagnostic studies for use by clinicians and researchers

Background

The recurrence of cardiac events in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (VF) excluding patients with the Brugada syndrome is unclear since this entity remains present in previous studies.

Methods

Since 1992, 18 patients (72% male) with idiopathic VF out of 455 ICD implants were treated with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The mean age at first ICD implantation was 42 ± 14 years. Brugada syndrome, as well as other primary electrical diseases (e.g. long QT), were systematically excluded in all patients by the absence of the typical electrocardiogram (ST elevation in the right precordial leads) at rest and/or after pharmacological tests (ajmaline, flecainide, or procainamide). Recurrence of cardiac events was prospectively assessed.

Results

During a mean follow-up period of 41 ± 27 months, VF recurrence with appropriate shock occurred in 7 patients (39%) covering a total of 27 shocks. The median time to first appropriate shock was 12 ± 9 months. There were no deaths. In the electrophysiological study, 39% of patients were inducible, but inducibility failed to predict subsequent arrhythmic events. Forty-four percent of patients suffered 21 inappropriate shocks, which were caused by sinus tachycardia, atrial arrhythmias or lead malfunction.

Conclusion

Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation patients have a high recurrence rate of potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias, excluding patients with the Brugada syndrome or other known causes. ICD prevents sudden cardiac death but inappropriate shocks remained a major issue in this young and active population.     

Incidence of appropriate cardioverter-defibrillator shocks and mortality in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators with ischemic cardiomyopathy versus nonischemic cardiomyopathy at 33-month follow-up

Introduction

The aim of the study was to investigate at long-term follow-up the incidence of appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks and of all-cause mortality in patients with ICDs with ischemic cardiomyopathy versus nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Material and methods

ICDs were implanted in 485 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and in 299 patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, all of whom had coronary angiography. Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Follow-up was 965 days in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy versus 1039 days in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (p not significant). The ICDs were interrogated every 3 months to see if shocks occurred.

Results

Appropriate ICD shocks occurred in 179 of 485 patients (37%) with ischemic cardiomyopathy and in 93 of 299 patients (31%) with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (p not significant). All-cause mortality occurred in 162 of 485 patients (33%) with ischemic cardiomyopathy and in 70 of 299 patients (23%) with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

The incidence of appropriate ICD shocks was not significantly different at 33-month follow-up in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy versus nonischemic cardiomyopathy. However, patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy had a significantly higher incidence of all-cause mortality than patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (p = 0.002).     

Implantable Cardioverter-defibrillator Utilization and Its Outcomes in Korea: Data from Korean Acute Heart Failure Registry

BackgroundThere are sparse data on the utilization rate of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and its beneficial effects in Korean patients with heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).MethodsAmong 5,625 acute heart failure (AHF) patients from 10 tertiary university hospitals across Korea, 485 patients with reassessed LVEF ≤ 35% at least 3 months after the index admission were enrolled in this study. The ICD implantation during the follow-up was evaluated. Mortality was compared between patients with ICDs and age-, sex-, and follow-up duration matched control patients.ResultsAmong 485 patients potentially indicated for an ICD for primary prevention, only 56 patients (11.5%) underwent ICD implantation during the follow-up. Patients with ICD showed a significantly lower all-cause mortality compared with their matched control population: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) = 0.39 (0.16–0.92), P = 0.032. The mortality rate was still lower in the ICD group after excluding patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy (adjusted HR [95% CI] = 0.09 [0.01–0.63], P = 0.015). According to the subgroup analysis for ischemic heart failure, there was a significantly lower all-cause mortality in the ICD group than in the no-ICD group (HR [95% CI] = 0.20 [0.06–0.72], P = 0.013), with a borderline statistical significance (interaction P = 0.069).ConclusionFollow-up data of this large, multicenter registry suggests a significant under-utilization of ICD in Korean heart failure patients with reduced LVEF. Survival analysis implies that previously proven survival benefit of ICD in clinical trials could be extrapolated to Korean patients.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01389843","term_id":"NCT01389843"}}NCT01389843     

Cardiac troponin and C-reactive protein for predicting all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease: A meta-analysis

Elevated serum levels of cardiac troponin and C-reactive protein are associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, the relationship between these two biomarker levels and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease remains unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis to quantify the association of cardiac troponin and C-reactive protein levels with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Relevant studies were identified by searching the MEDLINE database through November 2013. Studies were included in the meta-analysis if they reported the long-term all-cause or cardiovascular mortality of chronic kidney disease patients with abnormally elevated serum levels of cardiac troponin or C-reactive protein. Summary estimates of association were obtained using a random-effects model. Thirty-two studies met our inclusion criteria. From the pooled analysis, cardiac troponin and C-reactive protein were significantly associated with all-cause (HR 2.93, 95% CI 1.97-4.33 and HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.14-1.29, respectively) and cardiovascular (HR 3.27, 95% CI 1.67-6.41 and HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.10-1.28, respectively) mortality. In the subgroup analysis of cardiac troponin and C-reactive protein, significant heterogeneities were found among the subgroups of population for renal replacement therapy and for the proportion of smokers and the C-reactive protein analysis method. Elevated serum levels of cardiac troponin and C-reactive protein are significant associated with higher risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Further studies are warranted to explore the risk stratification in chronic kidney disease patients.     

Cardiac signal extraction in patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators

According to the guidelines the indication for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) implantation is based on the ejection fraction. However, only a fraction of patients with implanted ICD shows live threatening arrhythmic events followed by adequate shocks. For this reason, further research is needed to find a more sensitive risk stratificator for patients prone to ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Unfortunately, standard prospective studies are time consuming.An alternative approach is to perform retrospective studies on patients with already implanted ICDs. So far, an implanted ICD is an exclusion criterion for Magnetic Field Imaging (MFI) studies. To overcome this problem several Blind Source Separation (BSS) algorithms have been tested to find out whether it is possible to separate the disturbances from the cardiac signals, in spite of the extreme difference in amplitude. Not all the methods are able to separate cardiac signal and disturbances. Temporal Decorrelation source Separation (TDSEP) is found to be superior both from a separation and performing point of view.For the first time it is possible to extract cardiac signals from measurements disturbed by an ICD, offering the possibility for a QRS-fragmentation analysis in patients with already implanted ICDs.     

Clinical Characteristics and Impact of Diabetes Mellitus on Outcomes in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation

Purpose

Studies have shown that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including atrial fibrillation (AF); however, the clinical characteristics and prognostic impact of DM in patients with nonvalvular AF have not been well understood in China.

Materials and Methods

Included were 1644 consecutive patients with nonvalvular AF. Endpoints included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, stroke, major bleeding, and combined endpoint events (CEE) during a 1-year follow-up.

Results

The prevalence of DM was 16.8% in nonvalvular AF patients. Compared with non-diabetic AF patients, diabetic AF patients were older and tended to coexist with other cardiovascular diseases. Most patients with DM (93.5%) were eligible for anticoagulation, as determined by CHADS₂ scores. However, only 11.2% of patients received anticoagulation. During a 1-year follow-up, the all-cause mortality and CEE rate in the DM group were significantly higher than those of the non-DM group, while the incidence of stroke was comparable. After multivariate adjustments, DM was still an independent risk factor for 1-year all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR)=1.558; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.126-2.156; p=0.007], cardiovascular mortality (HR=1.615; 95% CI 1.052-2.479; p=0.028), and CEE (HR=1.523; 95% CI 1.098-2.112; p=0.012), yet not for stroke (HR=1.119; 95% CI 0.724-1.728; p=0.614).

Conclusion

DM is a common morbidity coexisting with nonvalvular AF and is associated with an increased risk of 1-year all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and CEE. However, no increased risk of stroke was found during a 1-year follow-up in patients with AF and DM.     

Effects of 600 mg versus 300 mg Loading Dose of Clopidogrel in Asian Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Long-Term Follow-Up Study

Purpose: The optimum loading dose of clopidogrel has not been established in Asian patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Our aim was to evaluate the impact of different clopidogrel loading doses on short- and long-term clinical outcomes in Asian STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI. Materials and Methods: We studied 691 STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI, loaded with 600 mg (n=381) or 300 mg (n=310) of clopidogrel. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), defined as a composite of all-cause death, reinfarction, or target vessel revascularization (TVR). Results: Baseline clinical and peri-procedural characteristics were mostly comparable between the 600 mg and 300 mg groups. There were no differences in 1 month MACEs as well as all-cause death, reinfarction, TVR, and stent thrombosis between the two groups. After a median follow-up of 921 days, MACEs [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for the 600 mg group 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80-3.97, p=0.153], all-cause death (adjusted HR for the 600 mg group 0.97, 95% CI: 0.50-1.88, p=0.928), reinfarction (adjusted HR for the 600 mg group 1.03, 95% CI: 0.55-1.91, p=0.937), and TVR (adjusted HR for the 600 mg group 1.36, 95% CI: 0.68-2.69, p=0.388) did not differ between the two groups. These results were reliable even after analysis of propensity score-matched population, and were also constant among various subgroups. Conclusion: A 600 mg loading dose of clopidogrel did not result in better short- and long-term clinical outcomes in Asian STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.     

Age-related differences in asthma outcomes in the United States, 1988-2006

BackgroundRelatively little is known about the effect of age on asthma outcomes in adults, particularly at a national level.ObjectiveTo investigate age-related differences in asthma outcomes in a nationally representative, longitudinal study.MethodsWe analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) with linked mortality files through 2006. Adults with physician-diagnosed asthma were identified and were divided into 2 age groups: younger adults (17-54 years of age) and older adults (55 years or older). The outcome measures were both cross-sectional (health care use, comorbidity, and lung function) and longitudinal (all-cause mortality).ResultsThere were an estimated 9,566,000 adults with current asthma. Of these, 73% were younger adults and 27% older adults. Compared with younger adults, older adults had more hospitalizations in the past year, more comorbidities, and poorer lung function (eg, lower forced expiratory volume in 1 second) (P < .05 for all). During a median follow-up of 15 years, significant baseline predictors of higher all-cause mortality included older age (≥55 vs <55 years old: adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 6.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.15-14.54), poor health status (fair and poor vs excellent health status: adjusted HR, 10.07; 95% CI, 3.75-27.01), and vitamin D deficiency (vitamin D level <30 vs ≥50 nmol/L: adjusted HR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.05-4.58), whereas Mexican American ethnicity (adjusted HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.14-0.65) was associated with lower mortality. Controlling for age, asthma was not associated with increased all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.99-1.65).ConclusionOlder adults with asthma have a substantial burden of morbidity and increased mortality. The ethnic differences in asthma mortality and the vitamin D–mortality link merit further investigation.     

Positive follow-up blood cultures identify high mortality risk among patients with Gram-negative bacteraemia

ObjectivesThe role of follow-up blood cultures (FUBCs) in the management of Gram-negative bacteraemia (GNB) is poorly understood. We aimed to determine the utility of FUBCs in identifying patients with increased mortality risk.MethodsAn observational study with a prospectively enrolled cohort of adult inpatients with GNB was conducted at Duke University Health System from 2002 to 2015. FUBCs were defined as blood cultures performed from 24 hours to 7 days from initial positive blood culture.ResultsAmong 1702 patients with GNB, 1164 (68%) had FUBCs performed. When performed, FUBCs were positive in 20% (228/1113) of cases. FUBC acquisition was associated with lower all-cause in-hospital mortality (108/538, 20%, vs. 176/1164, 15%; p 0.01) and attributable in-hospital mortality (78/538, 15%, vs. 98/1164, 8%; p < 0.0001). Propensity score–weighted Cox proportional hazards models revealed that obtaining FUBCs was associated with reductions in all-cause (hazard ratio (HR) 0.629; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.511–0.772; p < 0.0001) and attributable mortality (HR 0.628; 95% CI, 0.480–0.820; p 0.0007). Positive FUBCs were associated with increased all-cause mortality (49/228, 21%, vs. 110/885, 11%; p 0.0005) and attributable mortality (27/228, 12%, vs. 61/885, 7%; p 0.01) relative to negative FUBCs. Propensity score–weighted Cox proportional hazards models revealed that positive FUBCs were associated with increased all-cause (HR 2.099; 95% CI, 1.567–2.811; p < 0.0001) and attributable mortality (HR 1.800; 95% CI, 1.245–2.603; p 0.002). In a calibration analysis, a scoring system accurately identified patients at high risk of positive FUBCs.ConclusionsRates of positive FUBCs were high and identified patients at increased risk for mortality. Clinical variables can identify patients at high risk for positive FUBCs. FUBCs should be considered in the management of GNB.     

Frailty for predicting all-cause mortality in elderly acute coronary syndrome patients: A meta-analysis

BackgroundFrailty has been identified as a risk factor for mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between frailty and all-cause mortality outcome in patients with ACS.MethodsPubmed and Embase databases were searched up to September 26, 2018 for the observational studies evaluating the association between frailty and all-cause mortality in elderly ACS patients. Outcome measures were in-hospital death, short-term all-cause mortality (≤6 months),and long-term all-cause mortality (≥12 months).The impact of frailty on all-cause mortality was summarized as hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the frail versus nonfrail patients.ResultsA total of 9 cohort studies involving 2475 elderly ACS patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that ACS patients with frailty had an increased risk of in-hospital death (HR 5.49; 95% CI 2.19–13.77), short-term all-cause mortality (HR 3.56; 95% CI 1.96–6.48), and long-term all-cause mortality (HR 2.44; 95% CI 1.92–3.12) after adjustment for confounding factors. In addition, prefrailty was also associated with an increased all-cause mortality (HR 1.65; 95% CI 1.01–2.69).ConclusionsThis meta-analysis demonstrates that frailty independently predicts all-cause mortality in elderly ACS patients. Elderly ACS patients should be assessed the frailty status for improving risk stratification.     

Diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in heart failure patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillator or cardiac resynchronisation therapy

IntroductionImplantable cardioverter defibrillators register various types of arrhythmias. Thus they can be exploited to better identify patients with atrial fibrillation episodes and increase the proportion of patients who may benefit from implementation of pharmacological prophylaxis of thromboembolic events, most of which are asymptomatic. The aim of the study was to assess of the frequency, symptoms and predisposing factors for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation episodes in patients with an implanted implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) based on the analysis of intracardiac electrocardiograms (EGM/IEGM) records.Material and methodsThe study included 174 consecutive outpatients with heart failure, sinus rhythm and an implanted cardioverter defibrillator and cardiac resynchronisation therapy with defibrillator. Follow-up visits with analysis of IEGM records occurred every 3 months. During a mean follow-up of 20 months, 901 visits were carried out. One hundred forty-seven patients had at least 1 year of follow-up.ResultsAtrial fibrillation episodes in the study group occurred in 54 (31.0%) patients and 71.4% were asymptomatic. Predisposing factors were: history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (37.0% vs. 13.3%, p < 0.001), atrioventricular conduction abnormalities (42.6% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.002), intraventricular conduction abnormalities (59.3% vs. 40.8%, p = 0.02) and more severe mitral regurgitation (7.4% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.04). Chronic renal disease was a risk factor for death in the study group. No stroke occurred during the study.ConclusionsEpisodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in patients with systolic heart failure and implanted cardioverter-defibrillator systems are quite common. The majority of the episodes recorded in the study were asymptomatic.     

Influence of Prevalent and Incident Atrial Fibrillation on Post-Trial Major Events in ALLHAT

Aims

Limited information is available on long-term antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapy effects on hypertensive patients with atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL) compared to those without. AF/AFL at baseline or during the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) (mean follow-up 4.9 years) markedly increased risk of stroke, heart failure, CHD, and all-cause mortality. We aimed to determine if AF/AFL continued to impact outcomes during post-trial follow-up (mean 3.8 years).

Efficacy and harms of convalescent plasma for treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionWe systematically reviewed benefits and harms of convalescent plasma (CP) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.Material and methodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies assessing CP effects on hospitalized, adult COVID-19 patients were searched until November 24, 2020. We assessed risk of bias (RoB) using Cochrane RoB 2.0 and ROBINS-I tools. Inverse variance random effect meta-analyses were performed. Quality of evidence was evaluated using GRADE methodology. Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, clinical improvement, and adverse events.ResultsFive RCTs (n = 1067) and 6 cohorts (n = 881) were included. Three and 1 RCTs had some concerns and high RoB, respectively; and there was serious RoB in all cohorts. Convalescent plasma did not reduce all-cause mortality in RCTs of severe (RR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.33–1.10) or moderate (RR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.09–3.86) COVID-19 vs. standard of care (SOC); CP reduced all-cause mortality vs. SOC in cohorts (RR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.49–0.91). Convalescent plasma did not reduce invasive ventilation vs. SOC in moderate disease (RR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.47–1.55). In comparison to placebo + SOC, CP did not affect all-cause mortality (RR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.48–1.16) or clinical improvement (HR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.82–1.40) in severe patients. Adverse and serious adverse events were scarce, similar between CP and controls. Quality of evidence was low or very low for most outcomes.ConclusionsIn comparison to SOC or placebo + SOC, CP did not reduce all-cause mortality in RCTs of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Convalescent plasma did not have an effect on other clinical or safety outcomes. Until now there is no good quality evidence to recommend CP for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.     

Differential predictive value of depressive versus anxiety symptoms in the prediction of 8-year mortality after acute coronary syndrome

Objective Both depression and anxiety have been associated with poor prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, certain symptoms and how they are measured may be more important than others. We investigated three different scales to determine their predictive validity. Methods Patients with ACS (N = 598) completed either the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS-A, HADS-D; n = 316) or the Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (n = 282). Their all-cause mortality status was assessed at 8 years. Results During follow-up, 20% (121/598) of participants died. Cox proportional hazards modeling showed that the HADS-D was predictive of mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04-1.19), and this association remained significant after adjustment for major clinical/demographic factors, whereas the HADS-A (HR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.85-1.09) and the Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (HR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.91-1.08) were not. The following depression items from the HADS-D predicted mortality: "I still enjoy the things I used to enjoy" (HR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.05-1.82), "I can laugh and see the funny side of things" (HR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.11-1.96), "I feel as if I am slowed down" (HR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.24-2.22), and "I look forward with enjoyment to things" (HR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.08-1.72). Conclusions Depressive symptoms related to lack of enjoyment or pleasure and physical or cognitive slowing, as measured by the HADS-D, predicted all-cause mortality at 8 years ACS patients, whereas other depressive and anxiety symptoms did not. Whether symptoms of distress predict prognosis in ACS seems to be dependent on the measures and items used.     

Higher Long-Term Mortality in Patients with Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction than ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction after Discharge

PurposeThis study aimed to compare mortality rates after discharge between the patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and those with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and identify each mortality risk factors in these two types of myocardial infarction.Materials and MethodsBetween 2011 and 2015, 13105 consecutive patients were enrolled in the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction-National Institute of Health registry (KAMIR-NIH); 12271 patients with acute myocardial infarction met the inclusion criteria and were further stratified into the STEMI (n=5828) and NSTEMI (n=6443) groups. The occurrence of mortality and cardiac mortality at 3 years were compared between groups, and the factors associated with mortality for NSTEMI and STEMI were evaluated.ResultsThe comparison between these two groups and long-term follow-up outcomes showed that the cumulative rates of all-cause and cardiac mortality were higher in the NSTEMI group than in the STEMI group [all-cause mortality: 10.9% vs. 5.8%; hazards ratio (HR), 0.464; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.359–0.600, p<0.001; cardiac mortality: 6.6% vs. 3.5%, HR, 0.474; 95% CI, 0.344–0.654, p<0.001, respectively). In the NSTEMI group, low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; <40%), no percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), old age (≥65 years), and low hemoglobin level (<12 g/dL) were identified as risk factors for 3-year mortality. In the STEMI group, old age, low glomerular filtration rate (<60 mL/min/1.73 m²), low LVEF, high heart rate (>100 beats/min), no PCI, and low hemoglobin level were identified as the risk factors for 3-year mortality.ConclusionThe NSTEMI group had higher mortality compared to the STEMI group during the 3-year clinical follow-up after discharge. Low LVEF and no PCI were the main risk factors for mortality in the NSTEMI group. In contrast, old age and renal dysfunction were the risk factors for long-term mortality in the STEMI group.     

Comparing marginal structural models to standard methods for estimating treatment effects of antihypertensive combination therapy

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Due to time-dependent confounding by blood pressure and differential loss to follow-up, it is difficult to estimate the effectiveness of aggressive versus conventional antihypertensive combination therapies in non-randomized comparisons. METHODS: We utilized data from 22,576 hypertensive coronary artery disease patients, prospectively enrolled in the INternational VErapamil-Trandolapril STudy (INVEST). Our post-hoc analyses did not consider the randomized treatment strategies, but instead defined exposure time-dependently as aggressive treatment ([greater than or equal to]3 concomitantly used antihypertensive medications) versus conventional treatment ([less than or equal to]2 concomitantly used antihypertensive medications). Study outcome was defined as time to first serious cardiovascular event (non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, or all-cause death). We compared hazard ratio (HR) estimates for aggressive vs. conventional treatment from a Marginal Structural Cox Model (MSCM) to estimates from a standard Cox model. Both models included exposure to antihypertensive treatment at each follow-up visit, demographics, and baseline cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure. The MSCM further adjusted for systolic blood pressure at each follow-up visit, through inverse probability of treatment weights. RESULTS: 2,269 (10.1%) patients experienced a cardiovascular event over a total follow-up of 60,939 person-years. The HR for aggressive treatment estimated by the standard Cox model was 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.87-1.07). The equivalent MSCM, which was able to account for changes in systolic blood pressure during follow-up, estimated a HR of 0.81 (95% CI 0.71-0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Using a MSCM, aggressive treatment was associated with a lower risk for serious cardiovascular outcomes compared to conventional treatment. In contrast, a standard Cox model estimated similar risks for aggressive and conventional treatments.     

Prevention of implantable-defibrillator shocks by treatment with sotalol. d,l-Sotalol Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators often receive adjunctive antiarrhythmic therapy to prevent frequent shocks. We tested the efficacy and safety of sotalol, a beta-blocker with class III antiarrhythmic effects, for this purpose. METHODS: In a multicenter trial, patients were stratified according to left ventricular ejection fraction (< or =0.30 or >0.30), randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with 160 to 320 mg of sotalol per day (151 patients) or matching placebo (151 patients), and followed for 12 months. Kaplan-Meier analyses of the time to an event were performed. Three end points were used: the delivery of a first shock for any reason or death from any cause, the first appropriate shock for a ventricular arrhythmia or death from any cause, and the first inappropriate shock for a supraventricular arrhythmia or death from any cause. RESULTS: Compliance with double-blind treatment was similar in the two groups. There were seven deaths in the placebo group and four in the sotalol group. As compared with placebo, treatment with sotalol was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause or the delivery of a first shock for any reason (reduction in risk, 48 percent; P<0.001 by the log-rank test), death from any cause or the delivery of a first appropriate shock (reduction in risk, 44 percent; P=0.007), or death from any cause or the delivery of a first inappropriate shock (reduction in risk, 64 percent; P=0.004). Sotalol also reduced the mean (+/-SD) frequency of shocks due to any cause (1.43+/-3.53 shocks per year, as compared with 3.89+/-10.65 in the placebo group; P=0.008). In the sotalol group, the reduction in the risk of death from any cause or the delivery of a first shock for any reason did not differ significantly between patients with ejection fractions of more than 0.30 and those with ejection fractions of 0.30 or less. CONCLUSIONS: Oral sotalol was safe and efficacious in reducing the risk of death or the delivery of a first defibrillator shock whether or not ventricular function was depressed.     

Long-Term Outcomes of Complete Versus Incomplete Revascularization for Patients with Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease and Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Drug-Eluting Stent Era

We aimed to investigate that complete revascularization (CR) would be associated with a decreased mortality in patients with multivessel disease (MVD) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). We enrolled a total of 263 patients with MVD and LVEF <50% who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stent between March 2003 and December 2010. We compared major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular accident (MACCE) including all-cause death, myocardial infarction, any revascularization, and cerebrovascular accident between CR and incomplete revascularization (IR). CR was achieved in 150 patients. During median follow-up of 40 months, MACCE occurred in 52 (34.7%) patients in the CR group versus 51 (45.1%) patients in the IR group (P=0.06). After a Cox regression model with inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighting using propensity score, the incidence of MACCE of the CR group were lower than those of the IR group (34.7% vs. 45.1%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-0.95, P=0.03). The rate of all-cause death was significantly lower in patients with CR than in those with IR (adjusted HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29-0.80, P<0.01). In conclusion, the achievement of CR with drug-eluting stent reduces long-term MACCE in patients with MVD and reduced LVEF.

Graphical Abstract

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