Comparison of Mortality, Length of Stay, and Hospitalization Costs of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Cardiac and Non-Cardiac Disease

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to global healthcare systems. As the pandemic unfolded, it became evident that certain groups of individuals were at an elevated risk of experiencing severe disease outcomes. Among these high-risk groups, individuals with pre-existing cardiac conditions emerged as particularly vulnerable. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the length of stay, mortality, and costs of COVID-19 patients with and without a history of cardiac disease. Design: This retrospective study was conducted in Jam Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from March 21, 2021, to March 21, 2022. All patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized during this period were included. Results: A total of 500 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, with 31.6% having a history of cardiac disease and 68.4% without any cardiac disease. Patients with cardiac disease were significantly older (median [range] age, 69.35 [37 - 94] years) compared to non-cardiac patients (54.95 [13 - 97] years) (p Conclusion: Patients with cardiac disease who are hospitalized with COVID-19 have a higher mortality rate, longer hospital stays, greater disease severity, ICU admission, and higher costs. Therefore, improved prevention and management strategies are crucial for these patients.

Pursuing meaningful end-points for stem cell therapy assessment in ischemic cardiac disease

Despite optimal interventional and medical therapy, ischemic heart disease is still an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although not included in standard of care rehabilitation, stem cell therapy(SCT) could be a solution for prompting cardiac regeneration. Multiple studies have been published from the beginning of SCT until now, but overall no unanimous conclusion could be drawn in part due to the lack of appropriate endpoints. In order to appreciate the impact of SCT, multiple markers from different categories should be considered: Structural, biological, functional, physiological, but also major adverse cardiac events or quality of life. Imaging end-points are among the most used-especially left ventricle ejection fraction(LVEF) measured through different methods. Other imaging parameters are infarct size, myocardial viability and perfusion. The impact of SCT on all of the aforementioned end-points is controversial and debatable. 2 D-echocardiography is widely exploited, but new approaches such as tissue Doppler, strain/strain rate or 3 D-echocardiography are more accurate, especially since the latter one is comparable with the MRI gold standard estimation of LVEF. Apart from the objective parameters, there are also patient-centered evaluations to reveal the benefits of SCT, such as quality of life and performance status, the most valuable from the patient point of view. Emerging parameters investigating molecular pathways such as non-coding RNAs or inflammation cytokines have a high potential as prognostic factors. Due to the disadvantages of current techniques, new imaging methods with labelled cells tracked along their lifetime seem promising, but until now only pre-clinical trials have been conducted in humans. Overall, SCT is characterized by high heterogeneity not only in preparation, administration and type of cells, but also in quantification of therapy effects.

Stem cell therapies in cardiac diseases: Current status and future possibilities

Cardiovascular diseases represent the world’s leading cause of death. In thisheterogeneous group of diseases, ischemic cardiomyopathies are the mostdevastating and prevalent, estimated to cause 17.9 million deaths per year.Despite all biomedical efforts, there are no effective treatments that can replacethe myocytes lost during an ischemic event or progression of the disease to heartfailure. In this context, cell therapy is an emerging therapeutic alternative to treatcardiovascular diseases by cell administration, aimed at cardiac regeneration andrepair. In this review, we will cover more than 30 years of cell therapy in cardiology,presenting the main milestones and drawbacks in the field and signalingfuture challenges and perspectives. The outcomes of cardiac cell therapies arediscussed in three distinct aspects: The search for remuscularization byreplacement of lost cells by exogenous adult cells, the endogenous stem cell era,which pursued the isolation of a progenitor with the ability to induce heart repair,and the utilization of pluripotent stem cells as a rich and reliable source ofcardiomyocytes. Acellular therapies using cell derivatives, such as microvesiclesand exosomes, are presented as a promising cell-free therapeutic alternative.

Acute Cholecystitis Mimics Ischemic Cardiac Disease: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Chest pain and shortness of breath are typical indicators of cardiac problem and may lead to life threatening conditions. Nevertheless, these symptoms may also be associated with a non-cardiac condition clinically such as cholecystitis. We have reported 4 cases in a period of 6 months wherein the patients presented with cardiac-like symptom show ever;they were subsequently diagnosed with non-cardiac problems. Two patients presented with severe chest pain and shortness of breath mimicking angina pectoris. They were admitted to the intensive care unit for emergency management. The ECG findings were normal. There were two other patients who also presented with severe chest pain and shortness of breath with ST segment elevation during the ECG examination. The abdominal ultrasound in all the 4 patients showed typical features of acute calculus cholecystitis. All patients were young (30 - 36 years of age) females who were obese (BMI ranging from 30 - 34). Cholecystectomy was performed which led to improved symptoms postoperatively and ECG changes became normal.

Simultaneous operation for cardiac disease and gastrointestinal malignancy

AIM: To investigate the safety of performing simulta-neous cardiac surgery and a resection of a gastrointes-tinal malignancy. METHODS: Among 3664 elective cardiac operations performed in adults at Kagoshima University Hospi-tal from January 1991 to October 2009, this study reviewed the clinical records of the patients who un-derwent concomitant cardiac surgery and a gastroin-testinal resection. Such simultaneous surgeries were performed in 15 patients between January 1991 and October 2009. The cardiac diseases included 8 cases of coronary artery disease and 7 cases with valvular heart disease. Gastrointestinal malignancies included 11 gas-tric and 4 colon cancers. Immediate postoperative andlong-term outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Postoperative complications occurred in 5 patients(33.3%), including strokes(n = 1), respiratory failure requiring re-intubation(n = 1), hemorrhage(n = 2), hyperbilirubinemia(n = 1) and aspiration pneu-monia(n = 1). There was 1 hospital death caused by the development of adult respiratory distress syndrome after postoperative surgical bleeding followed aortic valve replacement plus gastrectomy. There was no car-diovascular event in the patients during the follow-up period. The cumulative survival rate for all patients was 69.2% at 5 years. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous procedures are accept-able for the patients who require surgery for both car-diac diseases and gastrointestinal malignancy. In par-ticular, the combination of a standard cardiac operation, such as coronary artery bypass grafting or an isolated valve replacement and simple gastrointestinal resection, such as gastrectomy or colectomy can therefore be safely performed.

Epidemiological and Clinical Study of Cardiac Diseases in the Pediatric Department of the University Hospital Gabriel Touré(UH GT), Bamako (Mali)

Introduction: Children’s heart disease is a major public health problem in developing countries and especially in Mali. The purpose of our work was to determine frequency, different types of heart disease and their short term evolution in the pediatric department. Methods: We performed a retrospective study among children aged 0 to 15 years, hospitalized in the pediatric department from January to December 2015 and whose diagnosis was confirmed using trans-thoracic echocardiography. Results: We included 103 cases of heart disease out of a total of 8613 admissions in the pediatric department, giving an hospital prevalence of 1.2%. Mean age was 4.1 years (from 1 day to 15 years) and children under 5 years were the most affected with 73.80% of cases. Male predominance was noted (sex ratio = 1.2). Respiratory distress was the most common circumstance of discovery (93.20%). Cardiac murmur and tachycardia were the most common cardiac signs with respectively 88.35% and 83.50%. Congenital heart disease accounted for 70.87% and was dominated by ventricular septal defect (VSD) with 30.13%. Acquired heart disease (29.13% of the sample) was dominated by mitral regurgitation (MR) with 56.67%. Mortality rate was 31.9% for congenital heart disease and 11.1% for acquired heart disease. Conclusion: children’s heart disease is responsible for high mortality. Early detection improves the management of this pathology, which remains frequent.

A New Method for Cardiac Diseases Diagnosis

The objective of this work is to perform automatic diagnosis using a non invasive method which consists on the bioimpedance signal processing. Bioimpedance signal (BIS) represents the aorta impedance variation during the heart cycle activity. BIS is detected by mean of two electrodes located at the level of the ascendant aorta. Automatic diagnosis method consists on preparing, first, a data base with a set of cepstral parameters of different BIS according to normal case and different cardiac diseases. This data base is composed from n classes Yk corresponding to n diseases. The classification of anonymous individuals is based on the determination of Fisher distance between anonymous disease and class Yk using Fischer formula. Our method permits to calculate seven relevant cepstral parameters. The application of Fisher method has allowed us to perform the diagnosis of five anonymous cases. The major interest of this method is its especially useful for the exploration of cardiovascular system anomalies for emergency cases, children, elderly and pregnant women who can’t support surgical operations especially at the level of the heart.

Interest of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients with Heart Disease in a Cardiology Department in Senegal

Cardiac rehabilitation helps improve the prognosis and quality of life for patients with heart disease. To show its interest in the African context, in the management of heart disease, a prospective study was carried out. Its objective was to evaluate the effects of physical rehabilitation on cardiac function. Methods: Patients were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of cardiovascular rehabilitation by cardiovascular, biological, and echocardiographic parameters including the size of the heart chambers, the kinetics of the walls, and the systolic function of the ventricles. Results: The study involved 12 patients, 67% of whom were men. After cardiac rehabilitation, the mean hemodynamic constants had not been significantly modified. However, a significant decrease in Total-Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol and triglyceride levels was noted. Mean fasting blood sugar decreased from 1.25 ± 0.48 g/L to 0.92 ± 0.18 g/L and glycated hemoglobin from 7.72% ± 0.01% to 6.45% ± 0.008%. The echocardiographic parameters studied showed an improvement in the dilation of the heart chambers in 8.33% of the patients, the normalization of the ejection fraction of the left ventricle in 16% patients, the improvement of the kinetic disorders in 16% of patients and recovery of right ventricular systolic function in all patients. Conclusion: Cardiac rehabilitation as a secondary preventive measure for cardiovascular disease has contributed significantly to improving the clinico-biological parameters of the disease.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease-associated fibrosis and cardiac dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease(MASLD),particularly in the presence of liver fibrosis,increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,but the nature of the cardio-hepatic interaction in the context type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)is not fully understood.AIM To evaluate the changes in cardiac morphology and function in patients with T2DM and MASLD-associated liver fibrosis.METHODS T2DM patients with MASLD underwent a medical evaluation that included an assessment of lifestyle,anthropometric measurements,vital signs,an extensive laboratory panel,and a standard echocardiography.Liver fibrosis was evaluated using two scores[Fibrosis-4(FIB4)and Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-Fibrosis Score(NFS)],and subjects were classified as having advanced fibrosis,no fibrosis,or an indeterminate risk.The correlations between structural and functional cardiac parameters and markers of liver fibrosis were evaluated through bivariate and multiple regression analyses.Statistical significance was set at P<0.05.RESULTS Data from 267 T2DM-MASLD subjects with complete assessment was analyzed.Patients with scores indicating advanced fibrosis exhibited higher interventricular septum and left ventricular(LV)posterior wall thickness,atrial diameters,LV end-systolic volume,LV mass index(LVMi),and epicardial adipose tissue thickness(EATT).Their mean ejection fraction(EF)was significantly lower(49.19%±5.62%vs 50.87%±5.14%vs 52.00%±3.25%;P=0.003),and a smaller proportion had an EF≥50%(49.40%vs 68.90%vs 84.21%;P=0.0017).Their total and mid LV wall motion score indexes were higher(P<0.05).Additionally,they had markers of diastolic dysfunction,with a higher E/e’ratio[9.64±4.10 vs 8.44(2.43-26.33)vs 7.35±2.62;P=0.026],and over 70%had lateral e’values<10 cm/second,though without significant differences between groups.In multiple regression analyses,FIB4 correlated with left atrium diameter(LAD;β=0.044;P<0.05),and NFS with both LAD(β=0.039;P<0.05)and right atrium diameter(β=0.041;P<0.01),Moreover,LVMi correlated positively with age and EATT(β=1.997;P=0.0008),and negatively with serum sex-hormone binding protein(SHBP)concentrations(β=-0.280;P=0.004).SHBP also correlated negatively with LAD(β=-0.036;P<0.05).CONCLUSION T2DM patients with markers of MASLD-related liver fibrosis exhibit lower EF and present indicators of diastolic dysfunction and cardiac hypertrophy.Additionally,LVMi and LAD correlated negatively with serum SHBP concentrations.

Analysis of Cardiac Functional Status and Factors Influencing Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Combined Heart Disease

Objective:To investigate the cardiac function of pregnant women with complicated heart disease during pregnancy and the factors influencing the adverse pregnancy outcome.Methods:A total of 162 cases of pregnant women with complicated heart disease admitted to the Beijing Anzhen Hospital from October 2021 to December 2023 were selected to compare the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with complicated heart disease at different levels of cardiac function and to analyze the single and multi factors leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with complicated heart disease.Results:Among 162 pregnant women with combined heart disease in pregnancy,the highest percentage of heart disease type was congenital heart disease(80/49.38%),and the lowest percentage was other(9/5.56%);the overall incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with combined heart disease in pregnancy with cardiac function grades of 3–4 cardiac function(30/68.18%)was higher than that in pregnant women with combined heart disease in cardiac function grades of 1–2(40/33.90%)(P=0.000);age,marital status,hypertension,and past history of all pregnant women were not statistically significant(P>0.05);gestational age,type of heart disease,and cardiac function grading were statistically significant(P<0.05),and these factors were all independent risk factors for adverse pregnancy resolution in pregnant women with combined heart disease(P<0.05).Conclusion:The overall incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes was higher in pregnant women with heart disease than in those with heart disease grades 1–2,and the number of pregnancies,the type of heart disease,and heart function grades were all independent risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with heart disease.

Effectiveness of Atorvastatin Combined with Trimetazidine in the Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease in the Elderly and Their Effect on Cardiac Function

Objective:To analyze the effect of atorvastatin combined with trimetazidine in the treatment of elderly coronary artery disease and the effect on patients’cardiac function.Methods:60 cases of elderly coronary artery disease patients were divided into 2 groups by randomization method,and all of them received conventional symptomatic treatment,while atorvastatin was added to the control group and trimetazidine was combined with atorvastatin in the observation group,and the clinical indexes were compared.Results:After treatment,the angina attack,cardiac function indexes,and inflammatory factor levels of the observation group were better than those of the control group(P<0.05),and the differences in adverse reactions between the two groups were not significant(P>0.05).Conclusion:Combined treatment of coronary heart disease in the elderly with atorvastatin and trimetazidine can positively reduce angina symptoms,improve cardiac function,and reduce inflammatory reactions,and the effect is definite.

Application Effect of Blended Education Strategy Based on the Learning Pass Platform in Phase III Cardiac Rehabilitation of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Objective:To explore the application effect of the blended education strategy based on the Learning Pass platform in the phase III cardiac rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease.Methods:90 patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease in the Department of Cardiology of our hospital from January 2019 to January 2021 were selected and divided into the control group and the experimental group according to the method of randomized numerical table,with 45 cases in each group.Both the experimental group and the control group received pre-discharge cardiac rehabilitation education by conventional means.The control group received education and supervision information via WeChat after discharge,while the experimental group joined the Learning Pass platform to receive online and offline hybrid education and supervision,with online as the mainstay and offline as a supplement.The disease cognitive level,self-management skills,quality of life,medication adherence,and emotional status of the two groups were compared.Results:The disease cognitive levels in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group(P<0.05);the scores of the experimental group in terms of quality of life,self-management skills,and medication adherence were significantly higher than those of the control group(P<0.05);and the scores of anxiety and depression in the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The blended education strategy based on the Learning Pass platform has a significant application effect in phase III cardiac rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease.It can improve patients’disease cognitive level,self-management skills,and quality of life,and provide a basis for improving patients’prognosis.

Association of cardiac disease with the risk of post-lung transplantation mortality in Chinese recipients aged over 65 years

The current organ allocation rules prioritize elderly and urgent patients on the lung transplantation(LT)waiting list.A steady increase in the threshold at which age is taken into consideration for LT has been observed.This retrospective cohort study recruited 166 lung transplant recipients aged≥65 years between January 2016 and October 2020 in the largest LT center in China.In the cohort,subgroups of patients aged 65–70 years(111 recipients,group 65–70)and≥70 years(55 recipients,group≥70)were included.Group D restrictive lung disease was the main indication of a lung transplant in recipients over 65 years.A significantly higher percentage of coronary artery stenosis was observed in the group≥70(30.9%vs.14.4%in group 65–70,P=0.014).ECMO bridging to LT was performed in 5.4%(group 65–70)and 7.3%(group≥70)of patients.Kaplan–Meier estimates showed that recipients with cardiac abnormalities had a significantly increased risk of mortality.After adjusting for potential confounders,cardiac abnormality was shown to be independently associated with the increased risk of post-LT mortality(HR 6.37,P=0.0060).Our result showed that LT can be performed in candidates with an advanced age and can provide life-extending benefits.

Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis of Cardiac Rehabilitation Research for Coronary Heart Disease Patients

Objective: This study visualizes and analyzes the current status, hotspots, and frontiers of cardiac rehabilitation for patients with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) over the past decade (2012.01-2022.12), and explores the future development trend and research direction of the CR for CHD patients in China. Methods: Relevant literature was searched, screened and downloaded from the Web of Science (WOS) database, and bibliometric and visualization analyses were performed using CiteSpace VI software. Results: Through the search and screening of related literature, 2443 English articles were finally included. Among them, most of the Chinese publishers were mainly universities and had less connection with each other, while the foreign publishers were mainly universities and medical institutions in the United States and Europe, and had close connection with each other. The research content of Chinese scholars mainly focuses on the assessment of patients’ life and psychological status, as well as the assessment of cardiac function. Foreign research focuses on physical training assessment, disease perception, etc. Conclusion: Through visualizing relevant research with CiteSpace VI software in the form of a knowledge map, the research frontiers and trends in the field of cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease patients in China and abroad can be discovered more intuitively. Compared with foreign research, the development of cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease patients in China is relatively slow and insufficient, and institutions lack cooperation. In the future, China should accelerate the connection between regions in the field of cardiac rehabilitation and develop a cardiac rehabilitation model suitable for coronary heart disease patients in China with its own characteristics.

Femoral Access with Ultrasound-Guided Puncture and Z-Stitch Hemostasis for Adults with Congenital Heart Diseases Undergoing Electrophysiological Procedures

Aims:Although the application of ultrasound-guided vascular puncture and Z-stitch hemostasis to manage femoral access has been widely utilized,there is limited data on this combined application in adult congenital heart disease(ACHD)patients undergoing electrophysiological(EP)procedures.We sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided puncture and postprocedural Z-stitch hemostasis for ACHD patients under-going EP procedures.Methods and Results:The population of ACHD patients undergoing transfemoral EP pro-cedures at the University of Zurich Heart Center between January 2019 and December 2022 was observed and analyzed.During the study period,femoral access(left/right,arterial/venous)was performed under real-time ultrasound guidance.At the end of the procedure,a single Z-stitch was performed at the puncture site.We eval-uated the incidence of in-hospital complications associated with femoral access puncture in this population.Among 101 patients who had a total of 147 previous ipsilateral vascular punctures(mean 1.5 per person),100 patients underwent successful femoral vascular access for EP procedures.The median age of the patients was 47±15 years and 34(34%)were male.Z-stitches were performed after the procedure in 100 patients with 303 femoral vascular accesses(mean 3 punctures per person).No patient developed vascular puncture relevant inguinal hematoma,pseudo aneurysm,arteriovenousfistula,venous or arterial thrombosis.Conclusion:In ACHD patients undergoing EP procedures,optimal femoral access management can be achieved with ultra-sound-guided puncture and postprocedural Z-stitch hemostasis.

Application Effect of Blended Education Strategy Based on the Learning Pass Platform in Phase III Cardiac Rehabilitation of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Objective:To explore the application effect of the blended education strategy based on the Learning Pass platform in the phase III cardiac rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease.Methods:90 patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease in the Department of Cardiology of our hospital from January 2019 to January 2021 were selected and divided into the control group and the experimental group according to the method of randomized numerical table,with 45 cases in each group.Both the experimental group and the control group received pre-discharge cardiac rehabilitation education by conventional means.The control group received education and supervision information via WeChat after discharge,while the experimental group joined the Learning Pass platform to receive online and offline hybrid education and supervision,with online as the mainstay and offline as a supplement.The disease cognitive level,self-management skills,quality of life,medication adherence,and emotional status of the two groups were compared.Results:The disease cognitive levels in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group(P<0.05);the scores of the experimental group in terms of quality of life,self-management skills,and medication adherence were significantly higher than those of the control group(P<0.05);and the scores of anxiety and depression in the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The blended education strategy based on the Learning Pass platform has a significant application effect in phase III cardiac rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease.It can improve patients’disease cognitive level,self-management skills,and quality of life,and provide a basis for improving patients’prognosis.

Fabry Disease: Update, Focusing on Heart Disease by Multimodal Imaging

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal accumulation disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (Gal A), resulting in excessive storage of glycosphingolipids, particularly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). This leads to cellular dysfunction in various organs, with cardiovascular compromise being the major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of FD focusing on its genetic, epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects. This study explored the genetic mutations associated with FD, its epidemiology, clinical phenotypes, cardiac manifestations, diagnostic approaches, and current treatment options. Background: FD is caused by mutations in GLA on the X chromosome, with over 1000 identified variants. Neonatal screening and specific studies have shown an increased incidence of FD. The clinical presentation varies between classic and late phenotypes, with cardiac involvement being a major concern, particularly in late-onset FD. Purpose: This study aimed to summarize the current knowledge on FD, emphasizing cardiac involvement, diagnostic modalities, and treatment options. Methods: A literature review of relevant studies on FD, including genetics, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, and treatment options, was conducted. Results: Cardiac manifestations of FD included left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden death. Diagnostic approaches such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging play crucial roles in the early detection and monitoring of cardiac involvement. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and emerging treatments have shown promise in managing FD, although challenges remain. Conclusions: FD remains a challenging condition in cardiology, with under-diagnosis being a concern. Early detection and specific therapy are essential to improve patient outcomes. Echocardiography and cardiac MRI are valuable tools for diagnosis and follow-up. Despite the advances in treatment, accessibility remains an issue. More research is needed to deepen our understanding of FD and to improve therapeutic strategies.

In-hospital outcomes in COVID-19 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by severity of obesity:Insights from national inpatient sample 2020

BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases independently of other risk factors.However,data on its effect on cardiovascular outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)hospitalizations with varied obesity levels is scarce.Clinical management and patient care depend on understanding COVID-19 admission results in NAFLD patients with varying obesity levels.AIM To study the in-hospital outcomes in COVID-19 patients with NAFLD by severity of obesity.METHODS COVID-19 hospitalizations with NAFLD were identified using International Classification of Disease-10 CM codes in the 2020 National Inpatient Sample database.Overweight and Obesity Classes Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ(body mass index 30-40)were compared.Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events(MACCE)(all-cause mortality,acute myocardial infarction,cardiac arrest,and stroke)were compared between groups.Multivariable regression analyses adjusted for sociodemographic,hospitalization features,and comorbidities.RESULTS Our analysis comprised 13260 hospitalizations,7.3% of which were overweight,24.3% Class Ⅰ,24.1% Class Ⅱ,and 44.3% Class Ⅲ.Class Ⅲ obesity includes younger patients,blacks,females,diabetics,and hypertensive patients.On multivariable logistic analysis,Class Ⅲ obese patients had higher risks of MACCE,inpatient mortality,and respiratory failure than Class Ⅰ obese patients.Class Ⅱ obesity showed increased risks of MACCE,inpatient mortality,and respiratory failure than Class I,but not significantly.All obesity classes had non-significant risks of MACCE,inpatient mortality,and respiratory failure compared to the overweight group.CONCLUSION Class Ⅲ obese NAFLD COVID-19 patients had a greater risk of adverse outcomes than class Ⅰ.Using the overweight group as the reference,unfavorable outcomes were not significantly different.Morbid obesity had a greater risk of MACCE regardless of the referent group(overweight or Class Ⅰ obese)compared to overweight NAFLD patients admitted with COVID-19.

Coronary artery disease and heart failure:Late-breaking trials presented at American Heart Association scientific session 2023

The late-breaking science presented at the 2023 scientific session of the American Heart Association paves the way for future pragmatic trials and provides meaningful information to guide management strategies in coronary artery disease and heart failure(HF).The dapagliflozin in patient with acute myocardial infarction(DAPA-MI)trial showed that dapagliflozin use among patients with acute MI without a history of diabetes mellitus or chronic HF has better cardiometabolic outcomes compared with placebo,with no difference in cardiovascular outcomes.The MINT trial showed that in patients with acute MI and anemia(Hgb<10 g/dL),a liberal transfusion goal(Hgb≥10 g/dL)was not superior to a restrictive strategy(Hgb 7-8 g/dL)with respect to 30-day all-cause death and recurrent MI.The ORBITA-2 trial showed that among patients with stable angina and coronary stenoses causing ischemia on little or no antianginal therapy,percutaneous coronary intervention results in greater improvements in anginal frequency and exercise times compared with a sham procedure.The ARIES-HM3 trial showed that in patients with advanced HF who received a HeartMate 3 levitated left ventricular assist device and were anticoagulated with a vitamin K antagonist,placebo was noninferior to daily aspirin with respect to the composite endpoint of bleeding and thrombotic events at 1 year.The TEAMMATE trial showed that everolimus with low-dose tacrolimus is safe in children and young adults when given≥6 months after cardiac transplantation.Providing patients being treated for HF with reduced ejection fraction(HFrEF)with specific out-of-pocket(OOP)costs for multiple medication options at the time of the clinical encounter may reduce‘contingency planning’and increase the extent to which patients are taking the medications decided upon.The primary outcome,which was cost-informed decisionmaking,defined as the clinician or patient mentioning costs of HFrEF medication,occurred in 49%of encounters with the checklist only control group compared with 68%of encounters in the OOP cost group.

IgG4 Coronary Arteritis Presenting as a Cardiac Pseudo-Tumour

We report on an unusual case presenting with a cardiac pseudo-tumour on echocardiogram, which corresponded to a large soft tissue mural thickening around the mid-right coronary artery. There were similar but not as thick mural lesions around other parts of the coronary arteries. The so-called “pigs-in-a-blanket” sign on computed tomography (CT) scan was pathognomonic of IgG4 coronary arteritis. The IgG4 level was grossly elevated at more than 10 times the upper limit of normal. Positron emission tomography (PET)-CT scans with 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG) and 68Ga-Fibroblast Activation Protein Inhibitor (FAPI) were performed to assess the extent of organ involvement of the IgG4-related disease. The patient was treated with 8 injections of rituximab with good serological response. However, the coronary arteritis findings on CT scan remained unchanged.