Time-varying association between herpes zoster infection and subsequent occurrence of stroke

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the shape of the time-varying relationship between herpes zoster infection, nominally shingles, and the occurrence of stroke. Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Using the Italian Health Search Database, a cohort of patients aged ≥18 years who were registered between 2002 and 2021 was selected. In this cohort, a nested case-control analysis was used to model the time-varying distance (in months) between the dates of shingles and post-herpetic stroke, using a regression cubic spline, based on the odds of the occurrence of stroke compared with those without shingles. Results: The dataset comprised 42,513 cases (51.1% males; mean age [stanndard deviation {SD}]: 71.0 [11.8] years) and 425,124 related controls (51.1% males; mean age [SD]: 70.9 [12] years). In the first 12 months following shingles diagnosis, a rapid increase in the risk of stroke was observed, reaching an odds ratio of 1.31 (95% confidence interval: 1.21-1.41); subsequently, there was some risk reduction and a new symmetric increase within the first 4.2 years of follow-up, thus shaping a bimodal distribution. Then, a new increase in the stroke risk was reported, although less steep, which was followed by a regular risk reduction (still 10% higher compared with those without shingles), resulting in a right-skewed relationship between the time from the shingles diagnosis and the occurrence of stroke. This association was no longer statistically significant 13.1 years after shingles diagnosis. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the risk of post-herpetic stroke has a short- and long-term association according to a risk continuum relationship. These findings confirm the relevance of vaccination coverage for herpes zoster

Antithrombotic management of patients with acute coronary syndrome and atrial fibrillation undergoing coronary stenting: a prospective, observational, nationwide study

Objective The aim of the study was to assess current management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing coronary stenting.Design Non-interventional, prospective, nationwide study.Setting 76 private or public cardiology centres in Italy.Participants Patients with ACS with concomitant AF undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Primary and secondary outcome measures To obtain accurate and up-to-date information on pharmacological management of patients with AF admitted for an ACS and undergoing PCI with stent implantation.Results Over a 12-month period, 598 consecutive patients were enrolled: 48.8% with AF at hospital admission and 51.2% developing AF during hospitalisation. At discharge, a triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT) was prescribed in 64.8%, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in 25.7% and dual antithrombotic therapy (DAT) in 8.8% of patients. Among patients with AF at admission, TAT and DAT were more frequently prescribed compared with patients with new-onset AF (76.3% vs 53.8% and 12.5% vs 5.3%, respectively; both p<0.0001), while a DAPT was less often used (11.2% vs 39.5%; p<0.0001). At multivariable analysis, a major bleeding event (OR: 5.40; 95% CI: 2.42 to 12.05; p<0.0001) and malignancy (OR: 5.11; 95% CI: 1.77 to 14.78; p=0.003) resulted the most important independent predictors of DAT prescription.Conclusions In this contemporary registry of patients with ACS with AF treated with coronary stents, TAT still resulted as the antithrombotic strategy of choice, DAT was reserved for high bleeding risk and DAPT was mainly prescribed in those developing AF during hospitalisation.Trial registration number NCT03656523

B-blockade with nebivolol for prevention of acute ischaemic events in elderly patients with heart failure

Objectives: This subanalysis of the Study of the Effects of Nebivolol Intervention on Outcomes and Hospitalisation in Seniors with Heart Failure (SENIORS) investigates whether treatment with nebivolol, a ß-blocker with nitric oxide-releasing properties, can provide additional benefits besides its effects on heart failure (HF), by reducing cardiac ischaemic events in patients with HF of ischaemic aetiology. Design: A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial of nebivolol in 2128 elderly patients. Patients and interventions: For this analysis, data were extracted for 2128 elderly (=70 years) HF patients in whom coronary artery disease (CAD) was the underlying aetiology (68.2%; 717 placebo-treated patients and 735 assigned to nebivolol). Main outcome measures: The main endpoint was the composite of cardiac ischaemic events at 2 year follow-up: death/hospitalisation for myocardial infarction, unstable angina or sudden death, as originally identified in the case report form. Results: At follow-up, nebivolol treatment was associated with a one-third reduction in the risk of ischaemic events, the composite endpoint occurring in 15.9% of placebo and 10.7% of nebivolol-treated patients (HR 0.68; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.90; p=0.008). This effect was independent of age, gender and ejection fraction. No difference in this composite endpoint was observed in the subgroup of patients of non-ischaemic aetiology. Conclusions: Nebivolol was effective in reducing cardiac ischaemic events in patients with HF of ischaemic aetiology. The prevention of ischaemic events can be an additional beneficial effect of ß-blockade in HF patients with underlying CAD

Documento di consenso ANMCO/SIC/SICI-GISE/SICCH: Stratificazione del rischio in chirurgia cardiaca e per l'impianto transcatetere di valvola aortica specifico per il paziente anziano

Aortic stenosis is one the most frequent valvular diseases in developed countries, and its impact on public healthcare resources and assistance is increasing. A substantial proportion of elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis is frequently not eligible for surgery because of advanced age, frailty and multiple comorbidities. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) enables the treatment of very elderly patients at high or prohibitive surgical risk considered ineligible for surgery and with an acceptable life expectancy. However, a significant proportion of patients die or do not achieve an improvement of quality of life in the short to medium-term follow-up. It is important to determine: 1) whether and how much patient frailty influences the procedural risk; 2) whether quality of life and the individual patient survival are influenced by aortic valve disease alone or by other associated factors; 3) whether a geriatric specialist intervention to evaluate and correct other diseases with their potential or already evident disabilities can improve the results of TAVI, in particular patient quality of life. Consequently, in addition to risk stratification with conventional tools, a number of factors including multimorbidity, disability, frailty and cognitive function should be considered in order to assess the expected benefit of TAVI. Preoperative optimization through a multidisciplinary approach with a Heart Team can counteract the multiple damage (cardiac, neurological, muscular, respiratory, renal) that can potentially worsen the reduced physiological reserves characteristic of frailty. The systematic implementation into clinical practice of multidimensional assessment instruments of frailty and cognitive function for screening and exercise, and the adoption of specific care pathways should facilitate this task

[ANMCO position paper on sacubitril/valsartan in the management of patients with heart failure]

Sacubitril/valsartan, the first-in-class angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), is the first medication to demonstrate a mortality benefit in patients with chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) since the early 2000s. Sacubitril/valsartan simultaneously suppresses renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation through blockade of angiotensin II type 1 receptors and enhances the activity of vasoactive peptides including natriuretic peptides, through inhibition of neprilysin, the enzyme responsible for their degradation. In the landmark PARADIGM-HF trial, patients with HFrEF treated with sacubitril/valsartan had a 20% reduction in the primary composite endpoint of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization, a 20% lower risk of cardiovascular death, a 21% to 20% lower risk of a first heart failure hospitalization, and a 16% to 20% lower risk of death from any cause, compared with subjects allocated to enalapril (all p<0.001).Following the trial, new international guidelines endorsed sacubitril/valsartan as a class I recommendation for the management of patients with HFrEF who remain symptomatic despite optimal medical management. In Italy, sacubitril/valsartan is reimbursed by the National Health Service since March 2017 within criteria set by the Italian Medicines Agency subject to patient inclusion in a dedicated monitoring registry. Although numerous post-hoc analyses of the original trial suggested that the benefits of this innovative medication may extend across a variety of subgroups, many questions do not yet have an evidence-based answer.In this position paper, we discuss the current role of sacubitril/valsartan in the management of chronic HFrEF, treatment eligibility and the modulating role of patients' characteristics. Moreover, we address concerns elicited by the PARADIGM-HF study and shortcomings of this novel drug, to clarify the place of this new therapy in the context of global care of heart failure in Italy. Our aim is to provide clinical cardiologists with a concise and practical guidance on when and how to use sacubitril/valsartan, to assist clinicians in closing the gap between scientific innovation and real-world experience

[Optimizing the care management pathway of patients with ischemia and non-obstructive coronary arteries]

Ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA) is defined by the coexistence of anginal symptoms and demonstrable ischemia, with no evidence of obstructive coronary arteries. The underlying mechanism of INOCA is coronary microvascular dysfunction with or without associated vasospasm. INOCA patients have recurrent symptoms, functional limitations, repeated access to the emergency department, impaired quality of life and a higher incidence of cardiovascular events than the general population. Although well described in chronic coronary syndrome guidelines, INOCA remains underdiagnosed in clinical practice because of insufficient awareness, lack of accurate diagnostic tools, and poorly standardized and consistent definitions to diagnose, both invasively and non-invasively, coronary microvascular dysfunction.To disseminate current scientific evidence on INOCA as a distinct clinical entity, during 2022 we conducted at 30 cardiology units all over the country a clinical practice improvement initiative, with the aim of developing uniform and shared management pathways for INOCA patients across different operational settings. The present document highlights the outcomes of this multidisciplinary initiative

COVID-19, Vaccines, and Thrombotic Events: A Narrative Review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a deadly pandemic that has affected millions of people worldwide, is associated with cardiovascular complications, including venous and arterial thromboembolic events. Viral spike proteins, in fact, may promote the release of prothrombotic and inflammatory mediators. Vaccines, coding for the spike protein, are the primary means for preventing COVID-19. However, some unexpected thrombotic events at unusual sites, most frequently located in the cerebral venous sinus but also splanchnic, with associated thrombocytopenia, have emerged in subjects who received adenovirus-based vaccines, especially in fertile women. This clinical entity was soon recognized as a new syndrome, named vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, probably caused by cross-reacting anti-platelet factor-4 antibodies activating platelets. For this reason, the regulatory agencies of various countries restricted the use of adenovirus-based vaccines to some age groups. The prevailing opinion of most experts, however, is that the risk of developing COVID-19, including thrombotic complications, clearly outweighs this potential risk. This point-of-view aims at providing a narrative review of epidemiological issues, clinical data, and pathogenetic hypotheses of thrombosis linked to both COVID-19 and its vaccines, helping medical practitioners to offer up-to-date and evidence-based counseling to their often-alarmed patients with acute or chronic cardiovascular thrombotic events

Incremental value of gait speed in predicting prognosis of older adults with heart failure. insights from the IMAGE-HF study

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between gait speed and the risk for death and/or hospital admission in older patients with heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND Gait speed is a reliable single marker of frailty in older people and can predict falls, disability, hospital admissions, and mortality. METHODS In total, 331 community-living patients $70 years of age (mean age 78 6 years, 43$1.0 m/s. RESULTS There was a significant association between gait speed tertiles and 1-year mortality: 38.3%, 21.9%, and 9.1% (p < 0.001), respectively. On multivariate analysis, gait speed was associated with a lower risk for all-cause death (hazard ratio: 0.62; 95% confidence interval: 0.43 to 0.88) independently of age, ejection fraction <20%, systolic blood pressure, anemia, and absence of beta-blocker therapy. Gait speed was also associated with a lower risk for hospital- ization for HF and all-cause hospitalization. When gait speed was added to the multiparametric Cardiac and Comorbid Conditions Heart Failure risk score, it improved the accuracy of risk stratification for all-cause death (net reclassification improvement 0.49; 95% confidence interval: 0.26 to 0.73, p < 0.001) and HF admissions (net reclassification improvement 0.37; 95% confidence interval: 0.15 to 0.58; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Gait speed is independently associated with death, hospitalization for HF, and all-cause hospitalization and improves risk stratification in older patients with HF evaluated using the Cardiac and Comorbid Conditions Heart Failure score. Assessment of frailty using gait speed is simple and should be part of the clinical evaluation process