Payam Dehghani

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique opportunity for researchers to use pragmatic methods to obtain information about the virus and promptly disseminate the findings for healthcare providers to utilize them. One such approach to studying patients who presented with COVID-19 and ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) was the development of the North American COVID-19 STEMI (NACMI) registry. By leveraging social media and communication platforms such as WhatsApp, cardiologists across North America initiated the development of the NACMI registry within 14 days—an accomplishment which was unfathomable pre-pandemic. This was followed by ethics approval through a centralized Institutional Review Board, which led to patient consent being waived, and the use of a single coordinating center (Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation) responsible for sites, database, and analysis. The NACMI findings were published rapidly across various media, including high-profile cardiovascular journals. Early results demonstrated an elevated mortality rate, disproportionality based on race, and angiographic differences showing unique mechanistic differences in the etiology of STEMI due to COVID-19. Additionally, NACMI provided early evidence that vaccination for COVID-19 reduced the risk of mortality in those with COVID-19 and STEMI. NACMI provided a framework for informing cardiologists early on regarding the optimal treatment of STEMI in patients with COVID-19. The lessons learned may be valuable for developing policy in future pandemics to treat patients using real-world application and routinely collected variables.

BACKGROUND: The MINT trial (Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion; N=3504) randomized patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and hemoglobin ≤10 g/dL to liberal (maintain hemoglobin ≥10 g/dL) or restrictive (maintain hemoglobin ≥8 g/dL) red blood cell transfusion. The results suggested a benefit on 30-day death or MI with a liberal transfusion strategy. The effect of transfusion in patients with acute MI undergoing revascularization is unclear. METHODS: In this prespecified analysis of the MINT trial, patients who underwent revascularization (n=1002) before randomization but during index hospitalization were compared with those who did not (n=2442). The primary outcome was 30-day death or MI; secondary outcomes included 30-day death, recurrent MI, the composite of death, recurrent MI, ischemia-driven unscheduled revascularization, or readmission for ischemic cardiac diagnosis, heart failure, and cardiac death. Multivariable log-binomial regression was used to determine the relative risks of the primary and secondary outcomes by transfusion strategy for revascularized and nonrevascularized patients with interaction terms. RESULTS: Patients undergoing revascularization were younger, more often female, and had fewer comorbidities than those who did not. There was no significant interaction between revascularization and assigned transfusion strategy for any outcome except cardiac death. Compared with liberal transfusion, restrictive transfusion increased the risk of 30-day cardiac death among nonrevascularized patients (relative risk, 2.45 [1.58–3.81]) but not among revascularized patients (relative risk, 0.97 [0.59,–1.60]; interaction P =0.006). CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of the MINT trial, revascularization did not alter the effect of the randomized transfusion strategy on 30-day death or MI. The hypothesis-generating finding that a restrictive transfusion strategy was associated with an increased risk of cardiac death among patients with anemia and acute MI who do not undergo revascularization requires confirmation. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02981407.

Background: Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy(CRT) is a key treatment for heart failure (HF) in acquired heart disease, but its benefits in adults with congenital heart disease and a systemic right ventricle (sRV) remain unclear. This study aimed to assess whether CRT improves outcomes in patients with sRV. Methods: This analysis was part of an international, retrospective study of data from 33 centers including patients >18years with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) following atrial switch operation and congenitally corrected TGA (ccTGA). The primary endpoint was overall survival. The secondary endpoint was a composite of death, hospitalization for HF, heart transplant, mechanical support, ventricular tachycardia/ICD therapies. Results: We identified 105 out of 1,721 patients(3.5%) who underwent CRT. Median follow-up after CRT implant was 4.6 [1.6-8] years. There was no overall QRS improvement (157±37 Vs 153±31 ms; p=0.2), which was limited to those with previous pacing (167±35 Vs 154± 28 ms; p=0.002). Following CRT, there was no significant change in B-type natriuretic peptide values, peakVO ₂ , tricuspid regurgitation severity by echocardiography. CRT complications occurred in 10 (9.5%), though there were usually minor. Patients with CRT were propensity-matched to controls according to age, sex, morphology (ccTGA/TGA), presence of complex disease, previous HF admission and sRV dysfunction at baseline. At univariable analysis, CRT (OR 4.02-95% CI:1.48-10.89; p=0.006), older age, and moderate to severe sRV dysfunction at baseline were predictive of death. By multivariable analysis, CRT (OR 2.1-95% CI:1.2-3.8; p=0.008), age (OR 1.03-95% CI:1.01-1.06; p=0.001) and moderate to severe sRV dysfunction (OR 2.5-95% CI:1.3-4.4; p=0.002) were independently associated with poorer outcome. After matching using only patients with subpulmonary ventricle pacing as controls, overall survival was still worse in CRT group (p=0.0057). Conclusion: In this retrospective study in the largest population thus far described with a sRV, CRT implant was not associated to improved survival, even after controlling for key confounders. Further studies with randomization are required to improve the selection of candidates with a sRV most likely to derive benefit from CRT, elucidate the optimal timing, and assess alternative strategies.

Hemodynamic parameters are frequently used in patients with cardiovascular disease to assess cardiac function, monitor disease progression, propose interventions, and determine prognosis. However, they require extensive resources, including specialized equipment and trained personnel, to measure with accuracy and precision. Wearable devices such as wristwatches have been shown to assess heart function, such as heart rate and detection of irregular heart rhythms. These wearable devices have also evolved to measure hemodynamic variables in a noninvasive, dynamic, and rapid manner. However, there is limited research on the accuracy of these wearables for hemodynamic function. This review assesses wearable devices and their utility compared with a clinical reference standard for hemodynamic assessment and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of such devices. Limited studies have found that wearable devices can demonstrate strong correlations when assessing cardiac output, stroke volume, systolic blood pressure and timing intervals, and pre-ejection period. Reproducibility studies in similar clinical conditions are needed, and many of the wearable devices have not received FDA/Health Canada approval, restricting their clinical use. Our review summarizes the current research landscape of wearable devices and hemodynamic assessment and proposes a framework for future research applications.

BACKGROUND: Patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and systemic right ventricle often confront significant adverse cardiac events. The prognostic significance of invasive hemodynamic parameters in this context remains uncertain. Our hypothesis is that the aortic pulsatility index and hemodynamic profiling utilizing invasive measures provide prognostic insights for patients with TGA and a systemic right ventricle. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter cohort study encompasses adults with TGA and a systemic right ventricle who underwent cardiac catheterization. Data collection, spanning from 1994 to 2020, encompasses clinical and hemodynamic parameters, including measured and calculated values such as pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, aortic pulsatility index, and cardiac index. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and cardiac index values were used to establish 4 distinct hemodynamic profiles. A pulmonary capillary wedge pressure of ≥15 mm Hg indicated congestion, termed wet, while a cardiac index 2 signified inadequate perfusion, labeled cold. The primary outcome comprised a composite of all-cause death, heart transplantation, or the requirement for mechanical circulatory support. RESULTS: Of 1721 patients with TGA, 242 individuals with available invasive hemodynamic data were included. The median follow-up duration after cardiac catheterization was 11.4 (interquartile range, 7.5–15.9) years, with a mean age of 38.5±10.8 years at the time of cardiac catheterization. Among hemodynamic parameters, an aortic pulsatility index P P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A low aortic pulsatility index (<1.5) and the cold/wet hemodynamic profile are linked with an elevated risk of adverse long-term cardiac outcomes in patients with TGA and systemic right ventricle.