Mitral Regurgitation in Female Patients: Sex Differences and Disparities

Mitral regurgitation is the most common valvular disease, particularly in older adults. Recent literature has consistently supported that there are significant differences in mitral regurgitation outcomes between male and female patients and that this is likely multifactorial. Numerous sex differences in anatomy and pathophysiology may play a role in delayed diagnoses, referrals, and treatments for female patients. Despite the recognition of these discrepancies in the literature, many guidelines that steer clinical care do not incorporate these factors into society recommendations. Identifying and validating sex-specific diagnostic parameters and increasing the representation of female patients in trials of new mitral regurgitation treatment modalities are key factors in improving outcomes for female patients

Sex Differences in the Association of Body Composition and Cardiovascular Mortality.

Background To determine whether differences in body composition contribute to sex differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, we investigated the relationship between components of body composition and CVD mortality in healthy men and women. Methods and Results Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry body composition data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004 and CVD mortality data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2014 were evaluated in 11 463 individuals 20 years of age and older. Individuals were divided into 4 body composition groups (low muscle mass-low fat mass-the referent; low muscle-high fat; high muscle-low fat, and high muscle-high fat), and adjusted competing risks analyses were performed for CVD versus non-CVD mortality. In women, high muscle/high fat mass was associated with a significantly lower adjusted CVD mortality rate (hazard ratio [HR], 0.58; 95% CI, 0.39-0.86; P=0.01), but high muscle/low fat mass was not. In men, both high muscle-high fat (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.53-1.04; P=0.08) and high muscle-low fat mass (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.21-0.77; P=0.01) were associated with lower CVD. Further, in adjusted competing risks analyses stratified by sex, the CVD rate in women tends to significantly decrease as normalized total fat increase (total fat fourth quartile: HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.34-0.94; P<0.03), whereas this is not noted in men. Conclusions Higher muscle mass is associated with lower CVD and mortality in men and women. However, in women, high fat, regardless of muscle mass level, appears to be associated with lower CVD mortality risk. This finding highlights the importance of muscle mass in healthy men and women for CVD risk prevention, while suggesting sexual dimorphism with respect to the CVD risk associated with fat mass

Mortality differences among patients with i n‐hospital ST‐elevation

BackgroundIn-hospital ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with a higher mortality rate than out-of-hospital STEMI. Quality measures and universal protocols for treatment of in-hospital STEMI do not exist, likely contributing to delays in recognition and treatment.HypothesisTo analyze differences in mortality among three subsets of patients who develop in-hospital STEMI.MethodsThis was a multicenter, retrospective observational study of patients who developed in-hospital STEMI at six United States medical centers between 2008 and 2017. Patients were stratified into three groups: (1) cardiac, (2) periprocedure, or (3) noncardiac/nonpostprocedure. Outcomes examined include time from electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition to cardiac catheterization lab arrival (ECG-to-CCL) and survival to discharge.ResultsWe identified 184 patients with in-hospital STEMI (mean age 68.7 years, 58.7% male). Group 1 (cardiac) patients had a shorter average ECG-to-CCL time (69 minutes) than group 2 (periprocedure, 215 minutes) and group 3 (noncardiac/nonpostprocedure, 199 minutes). Compared to group 1, survival to discharge was lower for group 2 (OR 0.33, P = .102) and group 3 (OR 0.20, P = .016). After adjusting for prespecified covariates, the relationship between group and survival showed a similar trend but did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionsPatients who develop in-hospital STEMI in the context of a preceding procedure or noncardiac illness appear to have longer reperfusion times and higher in-hospital mortality than patients admitted with cardiac diagnoses. Larger studies are warranted to further investigate these observations. Health systems should place an increased emphasis on developing quality metrics and implementing quality improvement initiatives to improve outcomes for in-hospital STEMI

Trajectory of Cardiac Catheterization for Acute Coronary Syndrome and Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BackgroundWe sought to investigate the trajectory of cardiac catheterizations for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) during the pre-isolation (PI), strict-isolation (SI), and relaxed-isolation (RI) periods of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at three hospitals in Los Angeles, CA, USA.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on adult patients undergoing urgent or emergent cardiac catheterization for suspected ACS or OHCA between January 1, 2020 and June 2, 2020 at three hospitals in Los Angeles, CA, USA. We designated January 1, 2020 to March 17, 2020 as the PI COVID-19 period, March 18, 2020 to May 5, 2020 as the SI COVID-19 period, and May 6, 2020 to June 2, 2020 as the RI COVID-19 period.ResultsFrom PI to SI, there was a significant reduction in mean weekly cases of catheterizations for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction/unstable angina (NSTEMI/UA) (8.29 vs. 12.5, P = 0.019), with all other clinical categories trending downwards. From SI to RI, mean weekly cases of catheterizations for total ACS increased by 17%, NSTEMI/UA increased by 27%, and OHCA increased by 32%, demonstrating a "rebound effect".ConclusionsCardiac catheterizations for ACS and NSTEMI/UA exhibited a "rebound effect" once social isolation was relaxed

Mortality differences among patients with in‐hospital ST‐elevation myocardial infarction

BackgroundIn-hospital ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with a higher mortality rate than out-of-hospital STEMI. Quality measures and universal protocols for treatment of in-hospital STEMI do not exist, likely contributing to delays in recognition and treatment.HypothesisTo analyze differences in mortality among three subsets of patients who develop in-hospital STEMI.MethodsThis was a multicenter, retrospective observational study of patients who developed in-hospital STEMI at six United States medical centers between 2008 and 2017. Patients were stratified into three groups: (1) cardiac, (2) periprocedure, or (3) noncardiac/nonpostprocedure. Outcomes examined include time from electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition to cardiac catheterization lab arrival (ECG-to-CCL) and survival to discharge.ResultsWe identified 184 patients with in-hospital STEMI (mean age 68.7 years, 58.7% male). Group 1 (cardiac) patients had a shorter average ECG-to-CCL time (69 minutes) than group 2 (periprocedure, 215 minutes) and group 3 (noncardiac/nonpostprocedure, 199 minutes). Compared to group 1, survival to discharge was lower for group 2 (OR 0.33, P = .102) and group 3 (OR 0.20, P = .016). After adjusting for prespecified covariates, the relationship between group and survival showed a similar trend but did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionsPatients who develop in-hospital STEMI in the context of a preceding procedure or noncardiac illness appear to have longer reperfusion times and higher in-hospital mortality than patients admitted with cardiac diagnoses. Larger studies are warranted to further investigate these observations. Health systems should place an increased emphasis on developing quality metrics and implementing quality improvement initiatives to improve outcomes for in-hospital STEMI