Differences In All-cause Death Research Articles

Comparative Data of Procedural and Midterm Outcomes in Patients Who Underwent Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure Between the WATCHMAN FLX and WATCHMAN 2.5 Devices - Insight From the OCEAN-LAAC Registry.

Limited data are available regarding clinical outcomes after percutaneous left atrial appendage closure using WATCHMAN FLX (WM-FLX) and WATCHMAN-2.5 (WM2.5) devices in Asian patients.Methods and Results: Data of 1,464 consecutive patients (WM-FLX, n=909; WM2.5, n=555) were extracted from a Japanese multicenter registry, and clinical data were compared between the 2 groups. No in-hospital deaths, periprocedural stroke, or device embolization occurred. Procedural success was significantly higher in the WM-FLX than WM2.5 group (95.8% vs. 91.9%; P=0.002) owing to the lower incidence of periprocedural pericardial effusion (0.55% vs. 1.8%; P=0.021). No significant differences in all-cause death, postprocedural stroke, and device-related thrombus were observed between the 2 groups. However, the cumulative bleeding rate at 1 year was substantially lower in the WM-FLX group (7.8% vs. 16.4%; P<0.001). Landmark analysis of bleeding events highlighted lower bleeding rates in the WM-FLX than WM2.5 group within the first 6 months (6.4% vs. 14.8%; P<0.001), with comparable bleeding rates over the 6- to 12-month period (1.5% vs. 3.2%, respectively; P=0.065). This study demonstrated higher early safety and lower 1-year bleeding rates in the WM-FLX than WM2.5 group. The lower bleeding events with WM-FLX are likely due to multiple factors other than purely difference in devices, such as postprocedural drug regimen.

Antiviral medications for preventing cytomegalovirus disease in solid organ transplant recipients.

The risk of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in solid organ transplant recipients has resulted in the frequent use of prophylaxis to prevent the clinical syndrome associated with CMV infection. This is an update of a review first published in 2005 and updated in 2008 and 2013. To determine the benefits and harms of antiviral medications to prevent CMV disease and all-cause death in solid organ transplant recipients. We contacted the information specialist and searched the Cochrane Kidney and Transplant Register of Studies up to 5 February 2024 using search terms relevant to this review. Studies in the Register are identified through searches of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, conference proceedings, the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) Search Portal, and ClinicalTrials.gov. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs comparing antiviral medications with placebo or no treatment, comparing different antiviral medications or different regimens of the same antiviral medications for CMV prophylaxis in recipients of any solid organ transplant. Studies examining pre-emptive therapy for CMV infection are studied in a separate review and were excluded from this review. Two authors independently assessed study eligibility, risk of bias and extracted data. Summary estimates of effect were obtained using a random-effects model, and results were expressed as risk ratios (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) for dichotomous outcomes and mean difference (MD) and 95% CI for continuous outcomes. Confidence in the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. This 2024 update found four new studies, bringing the total number of included studies to 41 (5054 participants). The risk of bias was high or unclear across most studies, with a low risk of bias for sequence generation (12), allocation concealment (12), blinding (11) and selective outcome reporting (9) in fewer studies. There is high-certainty evidence that prophylaxis with aciclovir, ganciclovir or valaciclovir compared with placebo or no treatment is more effective in preventing CMV disease (19 studies: RR 0.42, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.52), all-cause death (17 studies: RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.92), and CMV infection (17 studies: RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.77). There is moderate-certainty evidence that prophylaxis probably reduces death from CMV disease (7 studies: RR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.78). Prophylaxis reduces the risk of herpes simplex and herpes zoster disease, bacterial and protozoal infections but probably makes little to no difference to fungal infection, acute rejection or graft loss. No apparent differences in adverse events with aciclovir, ganciclovir or valaciclovir compared with placebo or no treatment were found. There is high certainty evidence that ganciclovir, when compared with aciclovir, is more effective in preventing CMV disease (7 studies: RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.60). There may be little to no difference in any outcome between valganciclovir and IV ganciclovir compared with oral ganciclovir (low certainty evidence). The efficacy and adverse effects of valganciclovir or ganciclovir were probably no different to valaciclovir in three studies (moderate certainty evidence). There is moderate certainty evidence that extended duration prophylaxis probably reduces the risk of CMV disease compared with three months of therapy (2 studies: RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.35), with probably little to no difference in rates of adverse events. Low certainty evidence suggests that 450 mg/day valganciclovir compared with 900 mg/day valganciclovir results in little to no difference in all-cause death, CMV infection, acute rejection, and graft loss (no information on adverse events). Maribavir may increase CMV infection compared with ganciclovir (1 study: RR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.65; moderate certainty evidence); however, little to no difference between the two treatments were found for CMV disease, all-cause death, acute rejection, and adverse events at six months (low certainty evidence). Prophylaxis with antiviral medications reduces CMV disease and CMV-associated death, compared with placebo or no treatment, in solid organ transplant recipients. These data support the continued routine use of antiviral prophylaxis in CMV-positive recipients and CMV-negative recipients of CMV-positive organ transplants.

Anticoagulation for Patients With Concomitant Atrial Fibrillation and End-Stage Renal Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Concomitant atrial fibrillation and end-stage renal disease is common and associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Although oral anticoagulants have been well established to prevent thromboembolism, the applicability in patients under long-term dialysis remains debatable. The study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of anticoagulation in the dialysis-dependent population. An updated network meta-analysis based on MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library was performed. Studies published up to December 2022 were included. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban 2.5/5 mg twice daily), vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), and no anticoagulation were compared on safety and efficacy outcomes. The outcomes of interest were major bleeding, thromboembolism, and all-cause death. A total of 42 studies, including 3 randomized controlled trials, with 185 864 subjects were pooled. VKAs were associated with a significantly higher risk of major bleeding than either no anticoagulation (hazard ratio [HR], 1.47; 95% CI, 1.34-1.61) or DOACs (DOACs versus VKAs; HR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.64-0.84]). For the prevention of thromboembolism, the efficacies of VKAs, DOACs, and no anticoagulation were equivalent. Nevertheless, dabigatran and rivaroxaban were associated with fewer embolic events. There were no differences in all-cause death with the administration of VKAs, DOACs, or no anticoagulation. For dialysis-dependent populations, dabigatran and rivaroxaban were associated with better efficacy, while dabigatran and apixaban demonstrated better safety. No anticoagulation was a noninferior alterative, and VKAs were associated with the worst outcomes.

Intravascular ultrasound-guided versus angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention in acute coronary syndromes (IVUS-ACS): a two-stage, multicentre, randomised trial

Intravascular ultrasound-guided percutaneous coronary intervention has been shown to result in superior clinical outcomes compared with angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention. However, insufficient data are available concerning the advantages of intravascular ultrasound guidance for patients with an acute coronary syndrome. This trial aimed to investigate whether the use of intravascular ultrasound guidance, as compared with angiography guidance, improves the outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention with contemporary drug-eluting stents in patients presenting with an acute coronary syndrome. In this two-stage, multicentre, randomised trial, patients aged 18 years or older and presenting with an acute coronary syndrome at 58 centres in China, Italy, Pakistan, and the UK were randomly assigned to intravascular ultrasound-guided percutaneous coronary intervention or angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients, follow-up health-care providers, and assessors were masked to random assignment; however, staff in the catheterisation laboratory were not. The primary endpoint was target vessel failure, a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target vessel revascularisation at 1 year after randomisation. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03971500, and is completed. Between Aug 20, 2019 and Oct 27, 2022, 3505 patients with an acute coronary syndrome were randomly assigned to intravascular ultrasound-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (n=1753) or angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (n=1752). 1-year follow-up was completed in 3504 (>99·9%) patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 70 patients in the intravascular ultrasound group and 128 patients in the angiography group (Kaplan-Meier rate 4·0% vs 7·3%; hazard ratio 0·55 [95% CI 0·41-0·74]; p=0·0001), driven by reductions in target vessel myocardial infarction or target vessel revascularisation. There were no significant differences in all-cause death or stent thrombosis between groups. Safety endpoints were also similar in the two groups. In patients with an acute coronary syndrome, intravascular ultrasound-guided implantation of contemporary drug-eluting stents resulted in a lower 1-year rate of the composite outcome of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or clinically driven revascularisation compared with angiography guidance alone. The Chinese Society of Cardiology, the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China, and Jiangsu Provincial & Nanjing Municipal Clinical Trial Project. For the Mandarin translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Azvudine for the Treatment of COVID-19 in Pre-Existing Cardiovascular Diseases: A Single-Center, Real-World Experience.

COVID-19 can lead to adverse outcomes in patients with pre-existing diseases. Azvudine has been approved for treating COVID-19 in China, but the real-world data is limited. It is aimed to investigate the efficacy of Azvudine in patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing cardiovascular diseases. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 and pre-existing cardiovascular diseases are retrospectively enrolled. The primary outcome is all-cause death during hospitalization. Overall, 351 patients are included, with a median age of 74 years, and 44% are female. 212 (60.6%) patients are severe cases. Azvudine is used in 106 (30.2%) patients and not in 245 (69.8%). 72 patients died during hospitalization. After multivariate adjustment, patients who received Azvudine a lower risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio: 0.431; 95% confidence interval: 0.252-0.738; p=0.002) than controls. Azvudine therapy is also associated with lower risks of shock and acute kidney injury. For sensitivity analysis in the propensity score-matched cohort (n = 90 for each group), there is also a significant difference in all-cause death between the two groups (hazard ratio: 0.189; 95% confidence interval: 0.071-0.498; p<0.001). This study indicated that Azvudine therapy is associated with better outcomes in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases.

Myocardial bridging in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a risk factor for myocardial fibrosis.

Myocardial bridging (MB) is common in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). There are sparse data on the impact of MB on myocardial fibrosis in HCM. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between MB and myocardial fibrosis in patients with obstructive HCM. In this cohort study, retrospective data were collected from a high-volume HCM center. Patients with obstructive HCM who underwent septal myectomy and preoperative cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) were screened from 2011 to 2018. Finally, 492 patients were included in this study, with an average age of 45.7years. Of these patients, 76 patients had MB. MB occurred mostly in the left anterior descending artery (73/76). The global extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was correlated with the degree of systolic compression (r = 0.33, p = 0.003). Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that the degree of systolic compression was an independent risk factor for LGE (β = 0.292, p = 0.007). The LGE fraction of basal and mid anteroseptal segments in patients with severe MB (compression ratio ≥ 80%) was significantly greater than that in patients with mild to moderate MB (compression ratio < 80%). During a median follow-up of 28 (IQR: 15-52) months, 15 patients died. Kaplan-Meier analysis did not identify differences in all-cause death (log-rank p = 0.63) or cardiovascular death (log-rank p = 0.72) between patients undergoing MB-related surgery and those without MB. MB with severe systolic compression was significantly associated with a high extent of fibrosis in patients with obstructive HCM. Concomitant myotomy or coronary artery bypass grafting might provide excellent survival similar to that of patients without MB. Identification of patients with severe MB and providing comprehensive management might help improve the prognosis of patients with HCM.

Baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and glycosylated hemoglobinA1c predict adverse outcomes in patients with chronic coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

IntroductionThis study explored the ability of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to predict adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular outcomes in patients with chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). MethodsIn total, 4083 consecutive patients with CCS undergoing PCI were investigated throughout 2013 at a single center. The primary endpoint was all-cause death at the 5-year follow-up. Hs-CRP and HbA1c data were collected on admission. ResultsThe highest quartile of hs-CRP had a significantly increased the risk of all-cause death, with an adjusted HR of 1.747 (95 % CI 1.066–2.863), while, there was no difference in all-cause death among the groups of HbA1c after adjustment, with an adjusted HR of 1.383 (95 % CI 0.716–2.674). The highest quartiles for hs-CRP and HbA1c in the study population had a significantly increased risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), with an adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of 1.263 (95 % confidence intervals [CI] 1.032–1.545) for hs-CRP and an adjusted HR of 1.417 (95 % CI 1.091–1.840) for HbA1c. Remarkably, the incidence of all-cause death and that of MACCE were significantly increased when both hs-CRP and HbA1c were elevated (HR 1.971, 95 % CI 1.079–3.601, P = 0.027 and HR 1.560, 95 % CI 1.191–2.042), P = 0.001, respectively). Addition of hs-CRP and HbA1c to conventional risk factors significantly improved prediction of the risk of all cause death (net reclassification index 0.492, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement 0.007, P = 0.011) and MACCE (net reclassification index 0.160, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement 0.006, P < 0.001). ConclusionsHs-CRP and HbA1c can serve as independent predictors of MACCE in patients with CCS undergoing PCI. Furthermore, a combination of hs-CRP and HbA1c could predict all cause death and MACCE better than each component individually.

5 Year Survival with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Compared to Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery in Patients with Diabetes and Multivessel Disease

BackgroundCoronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is preferred over percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with diabetes (DM) and multivessel disease (MVD). However, it is unclear whether CABG confers a survival advantage. MethodsPatients with DM and MVD undergoing either PCI (with drug-eluting stents) or CABG within 90-days of cardiac catheterization between 01/05/2009-03/29/2019 in Alberta, Canada were included. The study excluded patients with previous revascularization or other cardiac interventions. We examined death and death or myocardial infarction (MI) 5-years post revascularization via linkage with vital statistics death registry and hospitalization data. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance baseline characteristics between PCI and CABG groups and then compared the survival difference with Cox proportional hazards model. ResultsAmong 4803 patients, 2941 (61.2%) had PCI and 1862 (38.8%) had CABG. PCI recipients were more likely to be female, younger, to have higher body mass index, present with ST-elevation MI or lesser extent of MVD than CABG patients. At 5-years there was no significant difference in the death rate or the death/MI rate between two groups (Death, PCI: 3.2, CABG 3.6 events per 100 person-year, p=0.16) and (Death/MI PCI: 5.1, CABG 4.7 events per 100 person-year, p=0.35). Adjusting for confounding factors did not change the associations of PCI vs CABG (Death HR: 0.96, 95% CI 0.73, 1.24) and (Death/MI HR: 1.16 95% CI 0.92, 1.45). ConclusionNo significant difference in all-cause death or death/MI was found between revascularization strategies, providing guidance on selection for patients with DM and MVD.

Pericardiocentesis versus pericardial window surgery in malignant pericardial effusion: trends and clinical outcomes

Abstract Backgrounds Pericardial effusion (PE) is often an obstacle to cancer treatment and a life-threatening factor. Although cancer survival has improved over the past two decades, an appropriate treatment method for PE in cancer patients has not yet been established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the temporal trends and clinical results in the method of drainage of PE. Methods Between 2003 and 2022, 744 consecutive patients with malignant PE who underwent pericardial drainage were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided according to the time of pericardial drainage (Period 1: 2003-2012, Period 2: 2013-2022) and initial drainage method (pericardiocentesis vs. window surgery). The rates of all-cause death and redo pericardial drainage for recurrent PE were compared according to the drainage methods. Results In comparison with Period 1, there was an increasing number of patients who underwent pericardial drainage in Period 2 (235 vs. 509). However, the proportion of window surgery decreased (21.7 vs. 14.9%, P=0.029). The median survival time of patients was improved (4.4 vs. 6.3 months, log-rank P&amp;lt;0.001). There was no significant difference in all-cause death and 30-day mortality (24.4 vs. 18.6%, P=0.171) after drainage between surgery and pericardiocentesis groups. The window surgery group had a significantly lower incidence of redo pericardial drainage than the pericardiocentesis group (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26–0.91, P=0.022). In Period 1, there was no significant difference in redo pericardial drainage between window surgery and pericardiocentesis (HR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.35–1.74, P=0.540). However, the window surgery group had significantly lower redo pericardial drainage than the pericardiocentesis group in Period 2(HR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.12–0.91, P=0.024). Conclusions The window surgery was safe in cancer patients. As cancer survival rates improve, surgery showed benefits in reducing redo pericardial drainage. Pericardial window surgery could be preferred over pericardiocentesis in patients who expected longer life expectancy.

Abstract 16541: Early Aortic Valve Replacement in Symptomatic Normal-Flow, Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis: A Propensity Score-Matched Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is a class I indication for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS). However, there is little evidence of the benefit of early AVR in symptomatic patients with normal-flow, low-gradient (NFLG) severe AS. Hypothesis: Early AVR has benefit in patients with NFLG severe AS Methods: Two-hundred eighty-one patients diagnosed with symptomatic NFLG severe AS (stroke volume index ≥ 35 mL/m 2 , mean transaortic pressure gradient &lt; 40 mmHg, peak transaortic velocity &lt; 4 m/s, and aortic valve area &lt; 1.0 cm 2 ) between January 2010 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 121 patients aged 75.1 ± 9.8 years (including 63 women) who underwent early AVR within three months after index echocardiography were compared with 121 patients who received conservative care. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death and heart failure hospitalization. Results: During a median follow-up of 21.9 months, 48 primary outcomes (18 in the early AVR group and 30 in the conservative care group) occurred. The early AVR group presented a significantly lower incidence of primary outcomes (hazard ratio [HR], 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29-0.93; P = 0.028); specifically, there was no significant difference in all-cause death (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.23-1.16; P = 0.110), although the early AVR group showed a significantly lower incidence of hospitalization for heart failure (HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.19-0.95, P = 0.037). Subgroup analyses supported the main findings. Conclusions: An early AVR strategy may benefit guard against a composite outcome of death or hospitalization for heart failure in symptomatic patients with NFLG severe AS. Future randomized studies must confirm our findings.

Chronic systemic glucocorticoid therapy is associated with increased risk of major vascular complications and cardiac tamponade after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

TAVI-related complications, such as conduction disturbances, vascular complications or death may be related to increased inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to elucidate the efficacy and safety of the systemic glucocorticoid therapy regarding the adverse events after TAVI deployment. We conducted a systemic search of PubMed, a reference list of relevant articles, and Medline. The main efficacy outcomes of interest were all-cause death, cardiac and non-cardiac death, permanent pacemaker implantation (PPM), new left bundle branch block (LBBB), stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI). Safety endpoints were major vascular complications, major bleeding events, and cardiac tamponade. A total of 7 studies including data from 3439 patients with a median follow-up was 30 days. Systemic glucocorticoid compared to the control group were associated with an increased risk of non-cardiac death (Relative Risk [RR] 5.90 95%CI [2.95; 11.80], P<0.001) major vascular complications (RR 1.78, 95%CI [1.22 - 2.61], P=0.003) and cardiac tamponade (RR 3.42, 95%CI [1.69 - 6.92], P<0.001). However, there were no differences in all-cause death, cardiac death, new LBBB, stroke, MI, or major bleeding events (all P values >0.05). Glucocorticoid therapy before the TAVI procedure was associated with an increase in non-cardiac death, major vascular events and cardiac tamponade. There were no differences in the risk of all-cause death, cardiac death, PPM or LBBB, stroke, or MI.

Two-Year Outcomes of Valve-in-Valve Using New-Generation Transcatheter Devices Compared With Redo-SAVR

Few studies have compared the clinical outcomes between valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV-TAVR) with new-generation valves and re-operative surgical aortic valve replacement (Redo-SAVR). We compared the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent ViV-TAVR with those of patients who underwent Redo-SAVR at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center between 2015 and 2021. New-generation valves were used for ViV-TAVR. A propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis was performed to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics. The primary end point was all-cause mortality at 30days and 2years. In-hospital procedural and clinical outcomes were also compared between the groups. A total of 256 patients (140 who underwent ViV-TAVR and 116 who underwent Redo-SAVR) were eligible for PSM. In the unmatched cohort, patients in the ViV-TAVR group were older and had more co-morbidities than those in the Redo-SAVR group. After PSM, there were no significant differences in all-cause death between the ViV-TAVR and Redo-SAVR groups at 30days (3.9% vs 2.6%, p=0.65) or 2years (6.5% vs 7.8%, p=0.75). The incidences of stroke and heart failure rehospitalization were similar at 30days and 2years. The cumulative complication rates during hospitalization were significantly lower in the ViV-TAVR group than in the Redo-SAVR group (11.7% vs 28.6% p=0.015). The long-term outcomes of ViV-TAVR using new-generation valves were similar to those of Redo-SAVR, although ViV-TAVR was associated with lower rates of in-hospital complications.

Lipoprotein(a) is a new prognostic factor in patients with psoriasis and coronary artery disease: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundThe prognostic value of lipoprotein (Lp) (a) in patients who have suffered from coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been fully studied, and the results are inconsistent. This study was conducted to evaluate whether increased Lp(a) concentrations cause differences in clinical adverse outcomes in patients with psoriasis who have already suffered from CAD.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with psoriasis and CAD between January 2017 and May 2022 in our hospital. The clinical records were collected, and comparisons were made between patients in the low Lp(a) and high Lp(a) groups. Cox proportional hazard analysis and log-rank tests were used to evaluate the association between variables.ResultsAmong 295 patients, 148 patients were in the low Lp(a) group, and 147 were in the high Lp(a) group. These two groups did not differ significantly in age, gender or body mass index. Compared with the low Lp(a) group, the levels of platelet counts (P = 0.038) and high sensitivity C reactive protein (P = 0.012) were higher in the high Lp(a) group. Patients in the high Lp(a) group had higher total cholesterol levels (P = 0.029) and lower triglyceride levels (P = 0.037). Among the whole cohort, clinical adverse events were not correlated with Lp(a) concentrations after a median follow-up of 3 years. However, in the subgroup analysis, there were significant differences in all-cause death (log rank P = 0.036) and rehospitalization (log rank P = 0.037) between the two groups in patients with diabetes; a difference in rehospitalization (log rank P = 0.042) was also found between the two groups in men.ConclusionsIn patients with psoriasis and CAD, high levels of Lp(a) were related to a poor prognosis, especially in patients with diabetes and in men. These results will provide valuable information for the risk stratification of patients with psoriasis and CAD.

Aspirin versus LMWH for VTE prophylaxis after orthopedic surgery.

Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is often used to prevent perioperative venous thrombosis after surgery, but aspirin is also recommended by academics. Studies were searched in electronic databases until February 24, 2023. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the safety and efficacy of aspirin and LMWH for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in patients after orthopedic surgery. The outcomes were death from any causes, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), etc. This study was registered with INPLASY, number 202320117. Six randomized controlled trials enrolled 13,851 patients with postoperative joint surgery. The risk of DVT was comparable between the two groups when aspirin was combined with mechanical devices (RR 0.61 [95% CI 0.27-1.39], I² = 62%, P = 0.24). No significant differences in all cause death, PE, wound infection, and wound complication were found between the aspirin and LMWH groups. In this meta-analysis, the mortality rate was comparable between the aspirin and LMWH groups. However, aspirin alone had a higher risk of DVT than LMWH. Based on the results of this meta-analysis, we suggest aspirin combined with mechanical devices for VTE prophylaxis in patients after orthopedic surgery.

Low-to-moderate dose statins improve the functional outcome of acute ischemic stroke with conventional medication treatment.

Low-to-moderate dose statins (LMDSs) are more commonly used among Asian acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients in clinical practice. However, the correlation between the LMDS use and prognosis has not been evaluated in AIS patients with conventional medication treatment alone. This study aimed to investigate the influence of LMDS on the prognosis of AIS patients and how prognosis and potential prognostic factors interact with different statin doses. This retrospective cohort study included AIS patients who were admitted within 7 days after symptom onset and received conventional medication treatment alone from November 2019 to November 2020 in the Neurology, Department of West China Hospital, Sichuan University. From a total of 782 initial patients, a final cohort of 327 patients was included in the study. These patients were divided into three groups based on statin doses: non-statin (48 patients), LMDS (152 patients), and high-dose statin (HDS) (127 patients). The follow-up period was 3 months after the onset of stroke and the primary outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale (mRS) score of 0 to 2 at 3 months, secondary outcomes were hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and death within 3 months. Stratified analysis was also conducted to test the robustness of the relationship between the use of different statin doses and functional outcomes in various subgroups. Compared with non-statin therapy, both LMDS therapy and HDS therapy were associated with good functional outcomes [odds ratio (OR) =3.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13-12.01, P=0.0309; OR =3.45, 95% CI: 1.06-11.26, P=0.0402, respectively] and a lower risk of HT (OR =0.30, 95% CI: 0.11-0.86, P=0.0253; OR =0.36, 95% CI: 0.13-0.99, P=0.0488, respectively). However, there was no significant difference in all-cause death within 3 months among the three groups (OR =0.84, 95% CI: 0.29-2.46, P=0.7468; OR =0.76, 95% CI: 0.26-2.22, P=0.6104). Additionally, no significant differences were observed between LMDS therapy and HDS therapy regarding good functional outcomes at 3 months (OR =0.94, 95% CI: 0.50-1.77, P=0.8411) and the occurrence of HT (OR =1.19, 95% CI: 0.47-3.02, P=0.7093). The results of the relationship between different statin doses and 3-month good functional outcome were consistent after interaction tests. Our findings provide evidence for the benefit and safety of LMDS therapy in AIS patients with medication treatment alone. LMDS therapy is associated with favorable impacts on 3-month functional outcomes and a reduced risk of HT compared to non-statin therapy. There were no significant differences in achieving 3-month good functional outcome, the risk of HT or death within 3 months were observed between LMDS and HDS therapy in our study. Further studies with prospective design and larger sample sizes are necessary to validate our results.

Oral Azvudine for hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing conditions: a retrospective cohort study.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, the number of associated deaths continues to increase, especially among those with pre-existing conditions. Azvudine is recommended as a priority treatment for patients with COVID-19, but its efficacy in patients with pre-existing conditions is unknown. This is a single-centre, retrospective cohort study between December 5, 2022 and January 31, 2023 in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in China to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Azvudine in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing conditions. Patients with Azvudine and controls were propensity score-matched (1:1) for age, gender, vaccination status, time from symptom onset to treatment exposure, severity at admission, concomitant treatments initiated at admission. The primary outcome was a composite outcome of disease progression, and the secondary outcome was each of these individual disease progression outcomes. The univariate Cox regression model was used to estimate a hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for each result between the groups. We identified 2118 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 during the study period, with a follow-up of up to 38 days. After exclusions and propensity score matching, we included 245 Azvudine recipients and 245 matched controls. Azvudine recipients had lower crude incidence rate of composite disease progression outcome compared with matched controls (7.125/1000 person-days vs. 16.004/1000 person-days, P=0.018). There was no significant difference in all-cause death between these two groups (1.934/1000 person-days vs. 4.128/1000 person-days, P=0.159). Azvudine treatment was associated with significantly lower risks of composite disease progression outcome compared with matched controls (HR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27-0.89, P=0.016). A significant difference in all-cause death was not found (HR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.15-1.36, P=0.148). These findings indicate that Azvudine therapy showed substantial clinical benefits in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and pre-existing conditions, and should be considered for this population of patients. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 82103183 to F. Z., 82102803, 82272849 to G. D.), National Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (Grant Nos. 2022JJ40767 to F. Z., 2021JJ40976 to G. D.), Huxiang Youth Talent Program (Grant Nos. 2022RC1014 to M.S.) and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (Grant Nos. TC210804V to M.S.).

Duration and clinical outcomes of dual antiplatelet therapy following percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome: A multicentre "real-world practice" registry-based study.

The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) ought to be determined taking into account individual ischaemic or bleeding events risks. To date, studies have provided inconclusive evidence on the effects of prolonged DAPT. We sought to evaluate the long-term outcomes of this strategy following percutaneous revascularization in the context of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Retrospectively from four centers in Madrid, we identified 750 consecutive ACS patients, divided in two groups of DAPT duration: <13 months and >13 months, with a mean follow-up of 48 months. Patients with DAPT > 13 months had a higher non-adjusted incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (11.6% vs. 17.3%) and new revascularization (3.7% vs. 8.7%). Differences in all-cause death, cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis and stroke were non-significant. There was no difference in the incidence of major bleeding (7.4% vs. 6.3%). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that the independent risk predictors of MACE were age (HR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02-1.06, p < 0.001) and multivessel disease (HR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.32-3.95, p = 0.003), whereas the independent protective predictor was normal hemoglobin (HR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.78-0.98, p = 0.022). In this real-world registry cohort of ACS patients treated with PCI and 1 year of DAPT in Spain, we report a trend of increased rate of MACE and new revascularization not associated with TVR in patients with longer DAPT. Our findings support the need for future randomized controlled trials to confirm or refute these results.

Immediate versus staged complete revascularisation in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome and multivessel coronary disease (BIOVASC): a prospective, open-label, non-inferiority, randomised trial

In patients with acute coronary syndrome and multivessel coronary disease, complete revascularisation by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with improved clinical outcomes. We aimed to investigate whether PCI for non-culprit lesions should be attempted during the index procedure or staged. This prospective, open-label, non-inferiority, randomised trial was done at 29 hospitals across Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. We included patients aged 18-85 years presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction or non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome and multivessel (ie, two or more coronary arteries with a diameter of 2·5 mm or more and ≥70% stenosis based on visual estimation or positive coronary physiology testing) coronary artery disease with a clearly identifiable culprit lesion. A web-based randomisation module was used to randomly assign patients (1:1), with a random block size of four to eight, stratified by study centre, to undergo immediate complete revascularisation (PCI of the culprit lesion first, followed by other non-culprit lesions deemed to be clinically significant by the operator during the index procedure) or staged complete revascularisation (PCI of only the culprit lesion during the index procedure and PCI of all non-culprit lesions deemed to be clinically significant by the operator within 6 weeks after the index procedure). The primary outcome was the composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, any unplanned ischaemia-driven revascularisation, or cerebrovascular events at 1 year after the index procedure. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and unplanned ischaemia-driven revascularisation at 1 year after the index procedure. Primary and secondary outcomes were assessed in all randomly assigned patients by intention to treat. Non-inferiority of immediate to staged complete revascularisation was considered to be met if the upper boundary of the 95% CI of the hazard ratio (HR) for the primary outcome did not exceed 1·39. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03621501. Between June 26, 2018, and Oct 21, 2021, 764 patients (median age 65·7 years [IQR 57·2-72·9] and 598 [78·3%] males) were randomly assigned to the immediate complete revascularisation group and 761 patients (median age 65·3 years [58·6-72·9] and 589 [77·4%] males) were randomly assigned to the staged complete revascularisation group, and were included in the intention-to-treat population. The primary outcome at 1 year occurred in 57 (7·6%) of 764 patients in the immediate complete revascularisation group and in 71 (9·4%) of 761 patients in the staged complete revascularisation group (HR 0·78, 95% CI 0·55-1·11, pnon-inferiority=0·0011). There was no difference in all-cause death between the immediate and staged complete revascularisation groups (14 [1·9%] vs nine [1·2%]; HR 1·56, 95% CI 0·68-3·61, p=0·30). Myocardial infarction occurred in 14 (1·9%) patients in the immediate complete revascularisation group and in 34 (4·5%) patients in the staged complete revascularisation group (HR 0·41, 95% CI 0·22-0·76, p=0·0045). More unplanned ischaemia-driven revascularisations were performed in the staged complete revascularisation group than in the immediate complete revascularisation group (50 [6·7%] patients vs 31 [4·2%] patients; HR 0·61, 95% CI 0·39-0·95, p=0·030). In patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome and multivessel disease, immediate complete revascularisation was non-inferior to staged complete revascularisation for the primary composite outcome and was associated with a reduction in myocardial infarction and unplanned ischaemia-driven revascularisation. Erasmus University Medical Center and Biotronik.

Clinical study on the classification of renal artery involvement and comparison of renal function and prognosis of Stanford type B aortic dissection after thoracic aortic endovascular repair

Objective: To investigate the different types of renal artery involvement in Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAD) and the comparison of clinical effecacy after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study included 330 patients with TBAD and renal artery involvement treated with TEVAR from June 2002 to September 2021 in General Hospital of Northern Theater Command of the PLA. According to aortic CTA image, unilateral renal artery involvement conditions were divided into 5 types: the true lumen type (renal artery opening completely from the true lumen), false lumen type (renal artery opening completely from the false lumen), double lumen type (renal artery opening from the true and false double lumen), compression type (renal artery opening connected with the true lumen, but the renal artery opening was extremely squeezed by the inner membrane), open type (renal artery opening with intimal tear). There were seven types of bilateral renal artery involvement: true-true type (true lumen-true lumen type), true and false type (true lumen-false lumen type), true-double type (true lumen-double lumen type), true-opening type (true lumen-opening type), false-false type (false lumen-false lumen type), false-compression type (false lumen-compression type), double-double type (double lumen-double lumen type). The primary observation index of this study was the comparison of postoperative renal function and the incidence of clinical adverse events of different types of renal artery involvement. One-way ANOVA test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and paired sample rank sum test were used to compare postoperative renal function between different types of bilateral renal artery involvement. The Chi-square test or Fisher's exact probability test were used to compare the near and long term adverse events between different types of bilateral renal artery involvement. Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the all-cause mortality of patients with severe renal functional injury and non-severe renal functional injury before surgery. Results: The average age of the patients included in this study was (53±11) years, including 276 males (83.6%) and 54 females (16.4%). There were statistical difference in the level of serum creatinine (preoperative:H=18.686, P=0.005, postoperative:H=18.101, P=0.006) and cystatin C (preoperative:H=17.566, P=0.007, postoperative:H=10.433, P=0.016), pre-and post-operative, between the seven groups of TBAD patients with different renal artery involvement types (P<0.05), and the false-false type group shown the worst kidney function. However, no statistically significant differences were shown when comparing their pre- and post-operative change values (P>0.05). The 30-day follow-up result showed that there were statistically significant differences in the incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury (χ2=15.623, P=0.007), aorta-related adverse events (χ2=15.523, P=0.010), and intraoperative endoleak (χ2=17.935, P=0.004) among the seven groups, and the false-false group was the highest (2/9, 5/9 and 5/9, respectively). In terms of long-term follow-up results, there were statistically significant differences in all-cause death (χ2=14.772, P=0.011) and non-aortic death (χ2=15.589,P=0.008) among the seven groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with worse pre-operative renal function showed higher long-term all cause death (17.7% vs. 4.8%, P=0.009). Conclusions: For TBAD patients with renal artery involvement, there were differences in renal function among different types, and TEVAR showed no significant effect on renal function in TBAD patients. The long-term all cause death was higher in patients with worse renal function pre-operative.

High triglyceride-glucose index is associated with poor cardiovascular outcomes in Chinese acute coronary syndrome patients without diabetes mellitus who underwent emergency percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents.

Previous research has supported the association between the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) and the incidence and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. However, the association between the TyG index and the prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) without diabetes mellitus (DM) who underwent emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DESs) has not been thoroughly investigated, and these patients may easily be neglected. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between the TyG index and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in Chinese ACS patients without DM who underwent emergency PCI with DES. The total number of ACS patients without DM who underwent emergency PCI with DES for this study was 1650. Ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) ×fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL)/2] is the formula used to calculate the TyG index. According to the TyG index, we classified the patients into two groups. The frequency of the following endpoint events was calculated and compared between the two groups: all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), non-fatal ischemia stroke, ischemia-driven revascularization and cardiac rehospitalization. After a median of 47 months of follow-up [47 (40, 54)], 437 (26.5%) endpoint events were recorded in total. The TyG index was further demonstrated to be independent of MACCE by multivariable Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.493; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.230-1.812; p<0.001). The TyG index≥7.08 group had a considerably greater incidence of MACCE (30.3% vs. 22.7% in the TyG index<7.08 group, p<0.001), cardiac death (4.0% vs. 2.3% in the TyG index<7.08 group, p=0.047), and ischemia-driven revascularization (5.7% vs. 3.6% in the TyG index<7.08 group, p=0.046) than the TyG index<7.08 group. Between the two groups, there was no discernible difference in all-cause death (5.6% vs. 3.8% in the TyG index<7.08 group, p=0.080), non-fatal MI (1.0% vs. 0.2% in the TyG index<7.08 group, p=0.057), non-fatal ischemic stroke (1.6% vs. 1.0% in the TyG index<7.08 group, p=0.272), and cardiac rehospitalization (16.5% vs. 14.1% in the TyG index<7.08 group, p=0.171). For ACS patients without DM who received emergency PCI with DES, the TyG index might be an independent predictor of MACCE.