Society Of Cardiology Research Articles

European Society of Cardiology 0/1-hour algorithm (high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T) performance across distinct age groups

BackgroundTo determine if the European Society of Cardiology 0/1-hour (ESC 0/1-h) algorithm with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) meets the ≥99% negative predictive value (NPV) safety threshold for 30-day cardiac...

Building apatient-centred nationwide integrated cardiac care registry: intermediate results from the Netherlands.

This paper presents an overview of the development of an integrated patient-centred cardiac care registry spanning the initial 5years (September 2017 to December 2022). The Netherlands Heart Registration facilitates registration committees in which mandated cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons structurally evaluate quality of care using real-world data. With consistent attendance rates exceeding 60%, avaluable network is supported. Over time, the completeness level of the registry has increased. Presently, four out of six quality registries show over 95% completeness in variables that are part of the quality policies of cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery societies. Notably, 93% of the centres voluntarily report outcomes related to open heart surgery and (trans)catheter interventions publicly. Moreover, outcomes after implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and pacemaker procedures are transparently reported by 26centres. Multiple innovation projects have been initiated by the committees, signalling ashift from publishing outcomes transparently to collaborative efforts in sharing healthcare processes and investigating improvement initiatives. The next steps will focus on the entire pathway of cardiac care for aspecific medical condition instead of focusing solely on the outcomes of the procedures. This redirection of focus to acomprehensive assessment of the patient pathway in cardiac care ultimately aims to optimise outcomes for all patients.

A machine learning approach to classifying New York Heart Association (NYHA) heart failure

According to the European Society of Cardiology, globally the number of patients with heart failure nearly doubled from 33.5 million in 1990 to 64.3 million in 2017, and is further projected to increase dramatically in this decade, still remaining a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. One of the most frequently applied heart failure classification systems that physicians use is the New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification. Each NYHA class describes a patient’s symptoms while performing physical activities, delivering a strong indicator of the heart performance. In each case, a NYHA class is individually determined routinely based on the subjective assessment of the treating physician. However, such diagnosis can suffer from bias, eventually affecting a valid assessment. To tackle this issue, we take advantage of the machine learning approach to develop a decision-tree, along with a set of decision rules, which can serve as additional blinded investigator tool to make unbiased assessment. On a dataset containing 434 observations, the supervised learning approach was initially employed to train a Decision Tree model. In the subsequent phase, ensemble learning techniques were utilized to develop both the Voting Classifier and the Random Forest model. The performance of all models was assessed using 10-fold cross-validation with stratification.The Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Voting Classifier models reported accuracies of 76.28%, 96.77%, and 99.54% respectively. The Voting Classifier led in classifying NYHA I and III with 98.7% and 100% accuracy. Both Random Forest and Voting Classifier flawlessly classified NYHA II at 100%. However, for NYHA IV, Random Forest achieved a perfect score, while the Voting Classifier reported 90%. The Decision Tree showed the least effectiveness among all the models tested. In our opinion, the results seem satisfactory in terms of their supporting role in clinical practice. In particular, the use of a machine learning tool could reduce or even eliminate the bias in the physician’s assessment. In addition, future research should consider testing other variables in different datasets to gain a better understanding of the significant factors affecting heart failure.

Guideline versus clinician recommended duration of dual antiplatelet therapy following acute coronary syndrome (ANZACS-QI 78).

The recommended duration of dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT) following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) for patients without atrial fibrillation varies from 1 month to 1 year depending on the balance of risks of ischaemia and major bleeding. Patients on DAPT with a high risk of gastrointestinal bleeding are also recommended to receive a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Our aim was to audit current practice against the 2020 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guideline recommendations. One hundred consecutive ACS patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention discharged from Middlemore Hospital and without atrial fibrillation in the first quarter of 2023 were studied. ANZACS-QI ischaemic (I) and bleeding (B) risk scores were calculated, with patients categorised in four groups based on ESC recommendations-low I/low B risk, low I/high B, high I/low B and high I/high B. Guideline and clinician recommended duration of DAPT and prescription of PPI were compared. All patients were planned for DAPT at discharge and 91% a PPI. Up to four out of five ACS patients could have been planned for shorter DAPT durations based on the ESC guideline recommendations. Over half of included patients (53%) had a high bleeding risk, yet 85% of these patients received 12 months of DAPT despite ESC recommendations of 1-3 months. There was a divergence between clinical practice and the recommendations of the 2020 ESC guidelines. We discuss these results in relation to the updated August 2023 ESC guidelines, which have reaffirmed a 12-month duration of DAPT as the default position.

Diagnostic and classification criteria of heart failure in the practice of doctors at the prehospital stage

The article deals with an overview of heart failure with an emphasis on identification criteria and models of its classification based on literary sources from the MEDLINE database on the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar platforms. The subjective and objective signs of chronic heart failure accor­ding to the Framingham Heart Study using the methods of clinical epidemiology and presented with modern data in the international guidelines are shown. Clinical manifestations of acute heart failure in patients with myocardial infarction are outlined. In chronological order, the hemodynamic classification of heart failure is reproduced with the definition of systolic and diastolic dysfunction as markers for ranking patients in practical work. Based on the materials of international guidelines developed by the experts of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, Heart Failure Society of America, Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, the diagnostic indicators of cardiac decompensation are summarized. Given the modern perception, the diagnostic value of the left ventricular ejection fraction has been proven for determining heart failure phenotypes. The classification of heart failure of the New York Heart Association plays a significant role in determining the functional class; this was reflected in the article. Based on the provisions of international guidelines, the importance of natriuretic peptides as potential biomarkers of acute and chronic heart failure is proved. The advantages of assessing the structural and functional parameters of the heart in patients for detecting the preclinical stage of heart failure, association with clinical events and control of treatment are described. An update version of heart failure classification is presented with the identification of four stages and highlighting their characteristics. According to this classification, a relevant preventive measure is to shift the therapeutic focus to the initial stages of diseases that trigger heart failure.

QUALITY OF CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: RESULTS OF THE FIRST 3 MONTHS OF THE QUALITY IN CARDIOLOGY (QIC) PROJECT

Abstract Background Assessing the quality of care is the first step for improve the management of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACCA) recently defined a set of quality indicators (QI) of care for AMI. Aim To evaluate the quality of care of patients admitted to the Cardiology ward of our first level hospital for an AMI using the ESC ACCA QI. Methods QiC project is a prospective quality improvement study in real–world practice on all patients admitted to our ward for an AMI from 1.5.2023 to 30.4.25 with six–monthly audit activities. Case record forms were filled in by doctors during admission and were attached to the patient’s discharge letter. Thirty–day mortality was assessed by telephone interviews. The ESC ACCA QI include 18 main and 8 secondary QI on centre organization, reperfusion and invasive strategy, risk assessment, antithrombotic treatment, secondary prevention discharge treatments, and patient experience. For each IQ was evaluated the percentage of QI assessable and attained. Results A total of 78 patients were admitted for AMI in our Cardiology Department in the first 3 months. No one patient denied consent, one died during hospitalization, 7 patients had to be transferred to another hospital, and 3 patients did not have their record form filled in. The median age of the 67 patients discharged alive was 66 (IQR 58–75) years, 45 (67.2%) were males, 35 (52.2%) had a ST–segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 32 (47.8%) a non–ST–segment myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The percentages of non–assessment, non–attainment and attainment for each QI are reported in the Figure: the degree of non–assessment of the 26 QI ranged from 0 to 22% and the degree of QI attainment from 25 to 100%. Conclusions Quality of care for acute myocardial infarction can be measured in the majority of patients admitted to our Cardiology Department using the ESC ACCA quality indicators. Although most quality indicators are met in our patients, a large room for improvement is present in the reperfusion and invasive strategy (mainly in timely reperfusion of STEMI patients) and in the patient’s satisfaction (discharge letter sent to patient).

QUALITY OF CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH ACUTE HEART FAILURE: RESULTS OF THE FIRST 3 MONTHS OF THE QUALITY IN CARDIOLOGY (QIC) PROJECT

Abstract Background Assessing the quality of care is the first step for improve the management of patients with acute heart failure (AHF). The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recently defined a set of quality indicators (QI) of care for AHF. Aim: To evaluate the quality of care of patients admitted to the Cardiology ward of our first level hospital for an AHF using the ESC QI. Methods QiC project is a prospective quality improvement study in real–world practice on all patients admitted in our ward for an AHF from 1.5.2023 to 30.4.25 with six–monthly audit activities. Case record forms were filled in by doctors during admission and were attached to the patient’s discharge letter. The ESC QI include 12 main and 4 secondary QI on structural framework, patient assessment, initial treatment, and assessment of patient health–related quality of life. For each QI was evaluated the percentage of QI assessable and attained. Results A total of 39 patients were admitted for AHF in our Cardiology Department in the first 3 months. One patient denied consent, one died during hospitalization, 5 patients had to be transferred to another hospital, and 7 did not have their record form filled in. The median age of the 25 patients discharged alive was 76 (IQR 64–83) years, 17 (68.0%) were males, 3 (12.0%) had a preserved, 1 (4.0%) mildly reduced, and 21 (84.0%) reduced ejection fraction. The percentages of non–assessment, non–attainment and attainment for each QI are reported in the Figure: the degree of non–assessment of the 16 QI ranged from 0 to 16% and the degree of QI attainment from 12 to 100%. Conclusions The quality of care for acute heart failure can be measured in the majority of patients admitted to our Cardiology Department using the ESC quality indicators. Although the majority of quality indicators are met in our patients, a large room for improvement is present in the domain of the patient assessment (mainly in completeness of blood tests and cardiac rehabilitation programme), of the initial treatment (SGLT2 inhibitor prescription), and of the assessment of patient health–related quality of life.

From Trendelenburg to PERTs: Evolution in the Management of Massive Pulmonary Embolism.

Massive pulmonary embolism (MPE) is a serious condition affecting the pulmonary arteries and is difficult to diagnose, triage, and treat. The American College of Chest Physicians (AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) have different classification approaches for PE, with the AHA defining three subtypes and the ESC four. Misdiagnosis is common, leading to delayed or inadequate treatment. The incidence of PE-related death rates has been increasing over the years, and mortality rates vary depending on the subtype of PE, with MPE having the highest mortality rate. The current definition of MPE originated from early surgical embolectomy cases and discussions among experts. However, this definition fails to capture patients at the point of maximal benefit because it is based on late findings of MPE. Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams (PERTs) have emerged as a fundamental shift in the management of MPE, with a focus on high-risk and MPE cases and a goal of rapidly connecting patients with appropriate therapies based on up-to-date evidence. This review highlights the challenges in diagnosing and managing MPE and emphasizes the importance of PERTs and risk stratification scores in improving outcomes for patients with PE.

Clinical practice guidelines for the care of girls and women with Turner syndrome.

Turner syndrome (TS) affects 50 per 100 000 females. TS affects multiple organs through all stages of life, necessitating multidisciplinary care. This guideline extends previous ones and includes important new advances, within diagnostics and genetics, estrogen treatment, fertility, co-morbidities, and neurocognition and neuropsychology. Exploratory meetings were held in 2021 in Europe and United States culminating with a consensus meeting in Aarhus, Denmark in June 2023. Prior to this, eight groups addressed important areas in TS care: (1) diagnosis and genetics, (2) growth, (3) puberty and estrogen treatment, (4) cardiovascular health, (5) transition, (6) fertility assessment, monitoring, and counselling, (7) health surveillance for comorbidities throughout the lifespan, and (8) neurocognition and its implications for mental health and well-being. Each group produced proposals for the present guidelines, which were meticulously discussed by the entire group. Four pertinent questions were submitted for formal GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) evaluation with systematic review of the literature. The guidelines project was initiated by the European Society for Endocrinology and the Pediatric Endocrine Society, in collaboration with members from the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, the European Reference Network on Rare Endocrine Conditions, the Society for Endocrinology, and the European Society of Cardiology, Japanese Society for Pediatric Endocrinology, Australia and New Zealand Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Latin American Society for Pediatric Endocrinology, Arab Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, and the Asia Pacific Pediatric Endocrine Society. Advocacy groups appointed representatives for pre-meeting discussions and the consensus meeting.

Individualising Antithrombotic Strategies for Acute and Chronic Coronary Syndromes.

For patients presenting with acute or chronic coronary syndromes, current guideline recommendations and expert consensus provide a range of options for antithrombotic treatment. The European Society of Cardiology 2023 guidelines on the management of acute coronary syndrome emphasise the need to assess the risk of both ischaemic events and bleeding. Those with high bleeding risk warrant particular consideration of the duration and intensity of antithrombotic therapy combinations. A joint consensus of experts takes a similar approach, informed by two network meta-analyses that appraised all available antithrombotic treatments within or after the 12 months following coronary revascularisation and/or acute coronary syndrome and individual participant data from six trials. In this article, four case studies are used to illustrate how these guidelines and expert consensus recommendations can be applied in clinical practice.

Frailty according to the 2019 HFA-ESC definition in patients at risk for advanced heart failure: Insights from the HELP-HF registry.

Frailty is highly prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF), but a concordant definition of this condition is lacking. The Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (HFA-ESC) proposed in 2019 a new multi-domain definition of frailty, but it has never been validated. Patients from the HELP-HF registry were stratified according to the number of HFA-ESC frailty domains fulfilled and to the cumulative deficits frailty index (FI) quintiles. Prevalence of frailty and of each domain was reported, as well as the rate of the composite of all-cause death and HF hospitalization, its single components, and cardiovascular death in each group and quintile. Among 854 included patients, 37 (4.3%), 206 (24.1%), 365 (42.8%), 217 (25.4%), and 29 (3.4%) patients fulfilled zero, one, two, three, or four domains, respectively, while 179 patients had a FI < 0.21 and were considered not frail. The 1-year risk of adverse events increased proportionally to the number of domains fulfilled (for each criterion increase, all-cause death or HF hospitalization: hazard ratio [HR] 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27-1.62; all-cause death: HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.46-2.02, HF hospitalizations: subHR 1.21, 95% CI 1.04-1.31; cardiovascular death: HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.45-2.15). Consistent results were found stratifying the cohort for FI quintiles. The FI as a continuous variable demonstrated higher discriminative ability than the number of domains fulfilled (area under the curve = 0.68 vs. 0.64, p = 0.004). Frailty in patients at risk for advanced HF, assessed via a multi-domain approach and the FI, is highly prevalent and identifies those at increased risk of adverse events. The FI was found to be slightly more effective in identifying patients at increased risk of mortality.

Advances in Clinical Cardiology 2023: A Summary of Key Clinical Trials.

Over the course of 2023, numerous key clinical trials with valuable contributions to clinical cardiology were published or presented at major international conferences. This review seeks to summarise these trials and reflect on their clinical context. The authors collated and reviewed clinical trials presented at major cardiology conferences during 2023 including the American College of Cardiology (ACC), European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EuroPCR), European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), American Heart Association (AHA), European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), TVT-The Heart Summit (TVT) and Cardiovascular Research Technologies (CRT). Trials with a broad relevance to the cardiology community and those with potential to change current practice were included. A total of 80 key cardiology clinical trials were identified for inclusion. Key trials in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and antiplatelet management such as HOST-IDEA, T-PASS and STOP-DAPT3 were included in addition to several pivotal interventional trials such as ORBITA 2, MULTISTARS-AMI, ILUMIEN-IV, OCTIVUS and OCTOBER. Additionally, several trials evaluated new stent design and technology such as BIOSTEMI, PARTHENOPE and TRANSFORM. Structural intervention trials included long-term data from PARTNER 3, new data on the durability of transcatheter aortic valve intervention (TAVI), in addition to major new trials regarding transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention from TRISCEND II. Heart failure (HF) and prevention covered several key studies including DAPA-MI, STEP-HF, ADVOR, DICTATE HF and CAMEO-DAPA. In cardiac devices and electrophysiology, several trial exploring novel ablation strategies in atrial fibrillation (AF) such as PULSED AF and ADVENT were presented with further data evaluating the efficacy of anticoagulation in subclinical AF in NOAH-AFNET 6, FRAIL AF and AZALEA-TIMI 71. This article presents a summary of key clinical cardiology trials published and presented during the past year and should be of interest to both practising clinicians and researchers.

Reclassification of CADILLAC risk score with lung ultrasound at admission in patients with STEMI in a one-year follow-up

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): JC-M received Original Research Projects Grant from the Catalan Society of Cardiology and LR-S received Scholarship for Training and Research from the Association of Ischemic Heart Disease and Cardiological Critical Care of the Spanish Society of Cardiology. Introduction Lung ultrasound (LUS) has emerged as a valuable diagnostic and prognostic tool in heart failure (HF) and shows promise in risk stratification for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during the acute phase. Current risk stratification scales for STEMI primarily rely on the Killip scale to assess the severity of heart failure (HF) upon admission. However, these scales were developed before the widespread use of LUS, and as a result, LUS findings have not been incorporated into any existing risk stratification scales for STEMI. Purpose To assess the potential improvement in prognostic predictive value achieved by incorporating LUS findings into a current risk score for STEMI. Methods In a prospective multicenter cohort study, an independent operator conducted LUS, and offline B-line counting was performed upon admission. Patients were categorized as having wet lung (at least one site with ≥3 B-lines) or dry lung based on LUS results. The CADILLAC score was calculated, and patients were classified as either low risk (≤2 points) or medium/high risk (&amp;gt;2 points). We evaluated the Net Reclassification Index (NRI) and conducted a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) comparison based on the prediction of a composite endpoint which included death, hospitalization for HF, acute coronary syndrome, or stroke within one year following revascularization. Results The CADILLAC score was computed for 353 patients after excluding those admitted with Killip IV. Among these, 216 (61.2%) had a low-risk score (≤2), and 137 (38.8%) had a medium-high score. LUS significantly reclassified CADILLAC results, resulting in an absolute NRI of 12.4%. ROC comparison of models comprising CADILLAC and CADILLAC + LUS demonstrated that the addition of LUS significantly improved the accuracy of predicted risk (0.722 vs. 0.770, p=0.05). Conclusion The inclusion of LUS findings in the CADILLAC score enhances its prognostic capacity.Figure 1

Prognostic evaluation of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction according to lung ultrasound in the acute phase

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): JC-M received an Original Research Projects Grant from the Catalan Society of Cardiology and LR-S received Scholarship for Training and Research from the Association of Ischemic Heart Disease and Cardiological Critical Care of the Spanish Society of Cardiology. Introduction Lung ultrasound (LUS) has emerged as a useful diagnostic and prognostic tool in heart failure (HF) and has shown promise in risk stratification for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the acute phase. These studies consistently indicate that the degree of pulmonary congestion, assessed by the number of B-lines on LUS, is significantly associated with a worse prgnosis during hospitalization and short-term follow-up in STEMI patients. However, this prognostic value has mainly been evaluated during hospital admission or a few days after discharge without a long-term follow-up. Purpose To assess the prognostic value of LUS at one year in patients admitted for STEMI. Methods In a prospective multicenter cohort study involving STEMI patients, an independent operator performed LUS during the first 24 hours after revascularization and offline B-line counting was conducted. LUS results were assessed both as a categorical [wet (at least one site with ³3 B-lines)/dry lung] and continuous variable (total number of B-lines). The primary endpoint was a composite of death or hospitalization for HF, acute coronary syndrome, or stroke within one year. Results A total of 173 patients were included. The composite endpoint occurred in 13.7% of the patients over a median follow-up of 368 days. LUS was able to predict the composite outcome with hazard ratios (HR) of adjusted hazard ratios of 4.85 (95% CI 2.79-8.43) for having a wet lung and 1.13 (95% CI 1.09-1.18) for each B-line. After and adjustment for sex, age, chronic kidney disease, previous atrial fibrillation, Killip class and left ventricular ejection fraction HR was 1.72 (95% CI 0.91-3.28) for having a wet lung and 1.06 (95% CI 1.00-1.11) for each B-line. Conclusion Detecting B-lines on LUS predicts adverse events at one year in STEMI patients.Kaplan-Meier curves

Impact of clinical frailty scale on short and long term outcome in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements None. Background As recently outlined in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on acute coronary syndrome (ACS), scarce data still exits about the prognostic role of frailty to guide clinical decision-making for patients with ACS. Purpose To assess the potential predictive value of frailty both for short, and long term all-cause mortality, in a contemporary ACS population. Methods All consecutive admissions due to ACS, from 01/01/2019 to 31/12/2021, were retrospectively reviewed from an internal database of a tertiary cardiac center in Salerno (Italy). Logistic and Cox proportional regression analysis were performed in order to assess the contribution of frailty on 30-days and long term mortality. Frailty was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and patients were classified as non frail (CFS 1-4), and frail (CFS 5-9). Both logistic and Cox regression analysis were adjusted for age, gender, GRACE risk score, comorbidity burden, defined by the Charlson comorbidity score (CCS), and all other relevant covariates associated with outcomes of interest in the univariate analysis. In order to estimate the survival rates during the follow-up, a Kaplan Meyer analysis was carried out and differences between the CFS groups were assessed using the log-rank test. Robustness of the results were assessed through an internal validation procedure with bootstrapping. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software version 25.0 (SPPS Inc., Chicago, Illinois) and R version 4.0.5 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results 1366 patients were identified. The median age was 68 (58-77). Of these patients, 1087 (79,6%) were classified as non-frail (CFS 1-4), and 279 (20,4%) as frail (CFS 5-9). 120 (8,8%) and 140 (11,2%) deaths occurred, respectively, during the first 30 days from admission, and during long term follow-up (median follow-up time: 15 months; IQR: 10-24). After multivariate regression analysis the CFS was associated with both short and long-term mortality (OR: 1,6, 95% CI: 1,34-1,91; p&amp;lt;0,001 and HR: 1,37, 95% CI: 1,18-1,58; p&amp;lt;0,001, Fig. 1). Patients with CFS ≥ 5 showed significant higher mortality rate during long term follow-up (p&amp;lt;0.001; Fig.2). Conclusions The CFS is a strong predictor of both short and long-term mortality in patients affected by ACS also after comprehensive adjustment for baseline differences in other risk factors.Fig. 2

Vasodilators for acute heart failure. A systematic review of randomized clinical trials with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Danish Cardiovascular Academy Novo Nordisk Foundation. Background Acute heart failure (AHF) is an increasing public health concern with limited evidence for current treatments, such as vasodilators. Recent studies have shown mixed results regarding the efficacy of vasodilation in AHF, leading to downgraded recommendations in European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2021 guidelines. Method We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to assess vasodilator therapy's effectiveness in managing AHF. The search for relevant studies was conducted without restrictions across the major databases: Medline, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The study protocol was published and registered at PROSPERO, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. We included RCTs that compared vasodilators to standard care, placebo, no-intervention, or co-interventions. Our primary outcome was all-cause mortality, while secondary outcomes included serious adverse events (SAEs), tracheal intubation and length of hospital stay. Systolic blood pressure difference was an exploratory outcome. We assessed the risks of bias in individual trials using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. Results We included 46 RCTs comprising 28,374 patients with AHF. Meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis showed that vasodilators did not reduce the risk of all-cause mortality (risk ratio (RR) = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.90 to 1.03; I2 = 0%; P = 0.26). However, meta-analysis showed evidence of a beneficial effect of vasodilators in reducing the need for tracheal intubation (RR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.99; I2 = 55.05%; P = 0.04). No evidence of a difference was seen in the risk of SAEs (RR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.97 to 1.06; I2 = 0%; P = 0.50) or length of hospital stay (Mean difference (MD) = -0.28, 95% CI: -0.73 to 0.16; I2 = 69.84%; P = 0.28). Finally, a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure (MD = -6.26, 95% CI: -8.06 to -4.46; I2 = 90.51%; P &amp;lt; 0.01) was demonstrated. Conclusion In patients hospitalised with AHF, vasodilator therapy did not result in a reduction of all-cause mortality, SAEs or length of hospital stay. However, the need for tracheal intubations was significantly decreased.Forest plot of all-cause mortalityForest plot of Tracheal intubation

STEMI antiplatelet pretreatment strategy - national multicenter registry experience

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements None. Background/Introduction Antiplatelet therapy is the cornerstone treatment for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) including aspirin and a potent P2Y12 inhibitor (P2Y12i) is recommended as the default strategy. However, the timing of DAPT remains controversial: European Cardiology Society (ESC) guidelines ceased recommending pretreatment with P2Y12i in STEMI, based on ATLANTIC trial results. Purpose This study aims to evaluate the effect of DAPT with potent P2Y12i pretreatment DAPT in STEMI patients, comparing with DAPT with clopidogrel and aspirin only pretreatment. Methods We have analyzed the antiplatelet pretreatment strategy results of a retrospective cohort of 2283 STEMI patients, from a multicenter national registry, from 2011 till 2019. We compared 3 groups: DAPT with potent P2Y12i, DAPT with clopidogrel and aspirin only. Primary endpoints were death, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including reinfarction, heart failure, sustained ventricular arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock, mechanical complication and stroke, and successful PCI. Safety endpoint was major hemorrhagic events between different strategies. Results A total of 2283 STEMI patients where included, with a mean age of 66±13 years and 27% (n=627) were female. The population was divided in 3 groups, according with pretreatment strategy: DAPT with potent P2Y12i, DAPT with clopidogrel and aspirin only. 334 patients undergone DAPT with potent P2Y12i, and 86% (n=296) had a successful PCI, 21% (n=69) had a MACE and 9% (n=31) died in hospital. The group of patients submitted to DAPT with clopidogrel were 1815, and 80% (n=1448) had a successful PCI, 29% (n=527) had a MACE and 11,5% (n=209). The group pretreated only with aspirin were 124 patients, of which, only 14% (n=17) had a successful PCI, 38% (n=47) had a MACE and 39% (n=49) died. Regarding safety outcomes, 1,5% (n=5) patients with DAPT with potent P2Y12i had a significant hemorrhage, comparing with 3% (n=53) of patients with DAPT with clopidogrel and 3% (n=4) of aspirin only group of patients. There was a statistically significant higher rate of successful PCI with DAPT with potent P2Y12i (p&amp;lt;0,05 OR 2), a statistically significant lower number of MACE (p&amp;lt;0,05 OR 0,6) and in hospital deaths (p=0,04 OR 0,67), comparing with DAPT with clopidogrel and aspirin only groups. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of hemorrhagic events (p=0,7). According to our retrospective multicenter national registry, pretreatment with potent P2Y12i is associated with better results, namely higher rate of successful PCI, less MACE and in hospital death, contrary to recent trials. Our study has some bias: the pretreatment with DAPT was standard of care during the registry, and the choice for aspirin only strategy might be due to higher risk patients, as the choice was not randomized.Antiplatelet treatment comparison

Autopsy of all young sudden death cases is important to increase survival in family members left behind.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important public health problem worldwide, accounting for an estimated 6-20% of total mortality. A significant proportion of SCD is caused by inherited heart disease, especially among the young. An autopsy is crucial to establish a diagnosis of inherited heart disease, allowing for subsequent identification of family members who require cardiac evaluation. Autopsy of cases of unexplained sudden death in the young is recommended by both the European Society of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Overall autopsy rates, however, have been declining in many countries across the globe, and there is a lack of skilled trained pathologists able to carry out full autopsies. Recent studies show that not all cases of sudden death in the young are autopsied, likely due to financial, administrative, and organizational limitations as well as awareness among police, legal authorities, and physicians. Consequently, diagnoses of inherited heart disease are likely missed, along with the opportunity for treatment and prevention among surviving relatives. This article reviews the evidence for the role of autopsy in sudden death, how the cardiologist should interpret the autopsy-record, and how this can be integrated and implemented in clinical practice. Finally, we identify areas for future research along with potential for healthcare reform aimed at increasing autopsy awareness and ultimately reducing mortality from SCD.

Results of the Russian Society of Cardiology survey "Chronic heart failure. Unsolved issues"

Aim. To analyze the readiness of the professional medical community for changes in the classification and implementation of novel approaches to heart failure (HF) treatment based on an online survey.Material and methods. Anonymous online survey of physicians on the official website of the Russian Society of Cardiology (www.scardio.ru) "Chronic heart failure. Unsolved issues" was held from September 30 to October 4, 2023. The survey involved 1015 doctors with an average length of work &gt;10 years, mainly cardiologists (n=810, 83,2%).Results. The majority (n=591, 58,2%) of respondents considered it necessary to identify the HF prestage in the classification, similar to prediabetes or prehypertension, while only 2,2% (n=22) of respondents did not consider it necessary to indicate the HF risk in the classification. Simplifying the HF classification based on the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values with the identification of only two gradations of LVEF &lt;50% and LVEF ³50% was supported by 60,3% (n=612) of specialists.The majority (80,8%) of respondents supported increasing the time of admission of a patient with HF to 30 minutes to ensure the healthcare quality. According to the survey, only 32% of respondents have the ability to determine the brain natriuretic peptide level in patients with HF without restrictions, which indicates insufficient material security for the implementation of clinical guidelines in practice. Quadruple therapy is prescribed to every patient with HF by only 37% of respondents who took part in the survey, which may indicate clinical inertia regarding following the guidelines.Conclusion. In general, the survey demonstrated high awareness of physicians about the problem of HF and readiness to assess the risk and diagnose HF at preclinical stages, as well as a positive attitude towards changing the classification.

Cardiovascular Risk Profile in Master Paralympic Athletes, a High-Risk Undertreated Population: A Cross-Sectional Longitudinal Study.

Recently, European Society of Cardiology (ESC)validated aprediction model to estimate 10-year fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease risk (CVDR) in individuals (aged 40-60 years) without previous cardiovascular disease or diabetes(ESC-SCORE2)and to provide indications for treatment. At present, data describing the CVDR in Paralympic athletes (PAs) are scarce and inconsistent. Therefore,we sought to assess the prevalence of risk factors in PAs to estimate their CVDR through SCORE2. Weenrolled 99 PAs aged ≥40 y.o., who participated at 2012-2022 Paralympic Games, competing in 22 different sport disciplines classified according to sport type (power, skills, endurance and mixed) and disabilities: spinal cord injuries (SCI) and non-SCI. CVDR factors,anthropometric measurements and blood samples were collected. Among the 99 PAs (78% males, mean age 45.7±4.7 y.o.), 52.5% had SCI; 54% were dyslipidemic and 23% were smokers. According to ESC-SCORE2, 29% had high and 1% very-high CVDR. Women (compared to men) and endurance (compared to other sport) exhibited better CV profile. SCI showed no differences when compared with non-SCI for CVDR, excepted for a lower HDL and lower exercise performance.None of the dyslipidemic athlete was on pharmacologically treatment, despitethe altered lipid profile had already been detected at younger age. PAs are a selected population, presenting a high CV risk profile, with 30% showing either high or very-high CVDR according to ESC-SCORE2. Dyslipidemiawas the most common risk factor, underestimated and undertreated, emphasizing the need for specific preventive strategies in this special setting of athletes.