107 Care management of heart failure in elderly patients in France. Results from the DEVENIR study

RationaleThe part of elderly patients (pts) in heart failure (HF) population is growing. They might pose specific problems due to the greater proportion of HF with preserved LVEF, more frequent comorbidities or contra-indications to recommended HF treatment.Objectivesto describe the care management of pts > 80-year treated for HF in France.MethodsCross sectional observational survey with retrospective collection of data at hospital discharge. Pts must have been diagnosed with CHF and have been hospitalised for CHF within the previous 18 months. Pts are classified according to the LVEF at hospital discharge.Results412 French outhospital cardiologists entered 1 452 pts meeting the inclusion criteria. FEVG at hospital discharge was known for 1408 pts. 355 (25%) were more than 80-year-old. Management care at hospital discharge according to age and LVEF is detailed below.LVEF < 40%LVEF 40-50%LVEF > 50%TotalAge>80ACEI/ARB84%81%80%82%*BB71%67%40%†,‡62%*Loop diuretics92%85%85%88%Spironolactone/eplerenone26%20%18%22%*Digoxin20%15%29%21%*Calcium antagonists10%14%37%†,‡18%Anticoagulants49%45%51%49%*Age≤80ACEI/ARB93%93%85%†,‡92%BB79%78%76%79%Loop diuretics90%82%79%†,§86%Spironolactone/eplerenone35%21%25%†,§30%Digoxin16%15%16%15%Calcium antagonists9%19%21%†,§13%Anticoagulants42%39%39%41%†p<0.05 for comparisons between LVEF > 50% and LVEF<40%;‡p<0.05 for comparisons between LVEF>50% and LVEF between 40% and 50%;§: p<0.05 for comparisons between LVEF<40% and LVEF between 40% and 50%;*p<0.05 for comparisons between > 80 and ≤ 80 years old adjusted for LVEF.ConclusionBB, ACEI/ARB, spironolactone/eplerenone are less often prescribed in elderly patients contrasting with digoxin and anticoagulants prescription. These differences persist after adjustment on LVEF

Relationship between 25-OH-D serum level and relapse rate in multiple sclerosis patients before and after vitamin D supplementation

Background: Vitamin D could play a protective role in multiple sclerosis. Methods: In an observational, uncontrolled study, vitamin D3 supplementation (3010 IU/day on average) was given to 156 consecutive patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, under first-line immunomodulatory therapy and with initial 25-OH-D serum level lower than 100 nmol/l (40 ng/ml). Relapses were determined for 29.1 ± 8.4 months during vitamin D and 29.8 ± 10.1 months before supplementation. The 25-OH-D level was measured before supplementation and several times during supplementation. The incidence rate of relapses before and during supplementation was estimated using negative binomial regression models with follow-up durations as offset terms. The incidence rate and incidence rate ratio of relapses at various 25-OH-D levels were also calculated using negative binomial regression models. Results: In 76 patients, immunomodulatory therapy preceded vitamin D supplementation (by 4.2 ± 2.7 years) and in 80 patients both treatments were started simultaneously. Under supplementation, the 25-OH-D level increased from 49 ± 22 nmol/l to 110 ± 26 nmol/l on average. Pooling data collected before and during supplementation, we found a significant strong inverse relationship between the relapse incidence rate and the 25-OH-D level ( p < 0.0001), suggesting that vitamin D did indeed influence the relapse rate. Results of univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were analogous: in the multivariate model adjusted for age, disease duration and previous use of immunomodulatory therapy, every 10 nmol increase in 25-OH-D level was associated with a reduction in the relapse incidence rate of 13.7%. Dividing iteratively the population made up of pooled periods into two subgroups according to the 25-OH-D levels, the relapse incidence rate ratio decreased as the 25-OH-D level increased up to 110 nmol/l, but a plateau effect was observed beyond this limit. Conclusion: Further studies are warranted for accurate quantification of the vitamin D effect

Health-related quality of life of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with CHD: the multicentre cross-sectional ACHILLE study

International audienceThe aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with CHD and correlations with clinical status

Risk of cutaneous adverse events with febuxostat treatment in patients with skin reaction to allopurinol. A retrospective, hospital-based study of 101 patients with consecutive allopurinol and febuxostat treatment

International audienceObjective To investigate the cutaneous tolerance of febuxostat in gouty patients with skin intolerance to allopurinol. Methods We identified all gouty patients who had sequentially received allopurinol and febuxostat in the rheumatology departments of 4 university hospitals in France and collected data from hospital files using a predefined protocol. Patients who had not visited the prescribing physician during at least 2 months after febuxostat prescription were excluded. The odds ratio (OR) for skin reaction to febuxostat in patients with a cutaneous reaction to allopurinol versus no reaction was calculated. For estimating the 95% confidence interval (95% CI), we used the usual Wald method and a bootstrap method. Results In total, 113 gouty patients had sequentially received allopurinol and febuxostat; 12 did not visit the prescribing physician after febuxostat prescription and were excluded. Among 101 patients (86 males, mean age 61 ± 13.9 years), 2/22 (9.1%) with a history of cutaneous reactions to allopurinol showed skin reactions to febuxostat. Two of 79 patients (2.5%) without a skin reaction to allopurinol showed skin intolerance to febuxostat. The ORs were not statistically significant with the usual Wald method (3.85 [95% CI 0.51–29.04]) or bootstrap method (3.86 [95% CI 0.80–18.74]). Conclusion The risk of skin reaction with febuxostat seems moderately increased in patients with a history of cutaneous adverse events with allopurinol. This moderate increase does not support the cross-reactivity of the two drug

Reversal of Vitamin K Antagonist (VKA) effect in patients with severe bleeding: a French multicenter observational study (Optiplex) assessing the use of Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (PCC) in current clinical practice.

International audienceABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (PCC) is a key treatment in the management of bleeding related to Vitamin K antagonists (VKA). This study aimed to evaluate prospectively PCC use in patients with VKA-related bleeding in view of the French guidelines published in 2008. METHODS: All consecutive patients with VKA-related bleeding treated with a 4-factor PCC (Octaplex®) were selected in 33 French hospitals. Collected data included demographics, site and severity of bleeding, modalities of PCC administration, International Normalized Ratio (INR) values before and after PCC administration, outcomes and survival rate 15 days after infusion. RESULTS: Of 825 patients who received PCC between August 2008 and December 2010, 646 had severe bleeding. The main haemorrhage sites were intracranial (43.7%) and abdominal (24.3%). Mean INR before PCC was 4.4 ± 1.9; INR was unavailable in 12.5% of patients. The proportions of patients who received a PCC dose according to guidelines were 15.8% in patients with initial INR 2-2.5, 41.5% in patients with INR 2.5-3, 40.8% in patients with INR 3-3.5, 26.9% in patients with INR > 3.5, and 63.5% of patients with unknown INR. Vitamin K was administered in 84.7% of patients. The infused dose of PCC did not vary with initial INR; the mean dose was 25.3 ± 9.8 IU/Kg. Rates of controlled bleeding and target INR achievement were similar, regardless of whether or not patients were receiving PCC doses as per the guidelines. No differences in INR after PCC treatment were observed, regardless of whether or not vitamin K was administered. INR was first monitored after a mean time frame of 4.5 ± 5.6 hours post PCC. The overall survival rate at 15 days after PCC infusion was 75.4% (65.1% in patients with intracranial haemorrhage). A better prognosis was observed in patients reaching the target INR. CONCLUSIONS: Severe bleeding related to VKA needs to be better managed, particularly regarding the PCC infused dose, INR monitoring and administration of vitamin K. A dose of 25 IU/kg PCC appears to be efficacious in achieving a target INR of 1.5. Further studies are required to assess whether adjusting PCC dose and/or better management of INR would improve outcomes

Clinical characteristics and survival in systemic sclerosis-related pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease

International audienceBackground: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) complicating systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) is usually associated with a poor prognosis. However, data are either lacking or scarce on prognostic factors in this condition. The objectives of this study were to compare the survival of patients with ILD-associated PH (PH-ILD) or pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and to determine whether the severity of PH has prognostic value in SSc-associated PH-ILD. Methods: Consecutive patients with SSc and PH-ILD (n = 47) or PAH (n = 50) confirmed by rightsided heart catheterization were included in a cross-sectional analysis. PH was classified as mild (mean pulmonary arterial pressure [mPAP] 35 mm Hg). Results: As compared with patients with PAH, subjects with PH-ILD were younger, were more frequently men with a history of smoking, had more frequently diffuse SSc, less frequently anti-centromere antibodies, and a lower FVC/diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) ratio. They had a worse prognosis than patients with PAH (3-year survival of 47% vs 71%, respectively; P=.07). Patients with mild PH-ILD had similar poor outcomes when compared with those with moderate to severe PH-ILD. Pericardial effusion (hazard ratio [HR], 2.44; P=.04) and lower DLCO (HR, 0.96; P=.01) were the only independent factors predictive of a poor survival in the PH-ILD group. Conclusions: Patients with SSc with PH-ILD had a different phenotype and a worse prognosis than those with SSc and PAH. Lower DLCO and presence of pericardial effusion were predictive of a poor outcome in PH-ILD, whereas mPAP seemed to have no prognostic significance. CHEST 2011; 140(4):1016-102

Accuracy of the HumaSensplus point-of-care uric acid meter using capillary blood obtained by fingertip puncture

Abstract Background The uric acid (UA) level in patients with gout is a key factor in disease management and is typically measured in the laboratory using plasma samples obtained after venous puncture. This study aimed to assess the reliability of immediate UA measurement with capillary blood samples obtained by fingertip puncture with the HumaSensplus point-of-care meter. Methods UA levels were measured using both the HumaSensplus meter in the clinic and the routine plasma UA method in the biochemistry laboratory of 238 consenting diabetic patients. HumaSensplus capillary and routine plasma UA measurements were compared by linear regression, Bland-Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Lin’s concordance coefficient. Values outside the dynamic range of the meter, low (LO) or high (HI), were analyzed separately. The best capillary UA thresholds for detecting hyperuricemia were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The impact of potential confounding factors (demographic and biological parameters/treatments) was assessed. Capillary and routine plasma UA levels were compared to reference plasma UA measurements by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for a subgroup of 67 patients. Results In total, 205 patients had capillary and routine plasma UA measurements available. ICC was 0.90 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87–0.92), Lin’s coefficient was 0.91 (0.88–0.93), and the Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement over all tested values. Overall, 17 patients showed values outside the dynamic range. LO values were concordant with plasma values, but HI values were considered uninterpretable. Capillary UA thresholds of 299 and 340 μmol/l gave the best results for detecting hyperuricemia (corresponding to routine plasma UA thresholds of 300 and 360 μmol/l, respectively). No significant confounding factor was found among those tested, except for hematocrit; however, this had a negligible influence on the assay reliability. When capillary and routine plasma results were discordant, comparison with LC-MS measurements showed that plasma measurements had better concordance: capillary UA, ICC 0.84 (95% CI 0.75–0.90), Lin’s coefficient 0.84 (0.77–0.91); plasma UA, ICC 0.96 (0.94–0.98), Lin’s coefficient 0.96 (0.94–0.98). Conclusions UA measurements with the HumaSensplus meter were reasonably comparable with those of the laboratory assay. The meter is easy to use and may be useful in the clinic and in epidemiologic studies

A hemodynamic study of pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell disease.

International audienceBACKGROUND: The prevalence and characteristics of pulmonary hypertension in adults with sickle cell disease have not been clearly established. METHODS: In this prospective study, we evaluated 398 outpatients with sickle cell disease (mean age, 34 years) at referral centers in France. All patients underwent Doppler echocardiography, with measurement of tricuspid-valve regurgitant jet velocity. Right heart catheterization was performed in 96 patients in whom pulmonary hypertension was suspected on the basis of a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of at least 2.5 m per second. Pulmonary hypertension was defined as a mean pulmonary arterial pressure of at least 25 mm Hg. RESULTS: The prevalence of a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of at least 2.5 m per second was 27%. In contrast, the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension as confirmed on catheterization was 6%. The positive predictive value of echocardiography for the detection of pulmonary hypertension was 25%. Among the 24 patients with confirmed pulmonary hypertension, the pulmonary-capillary wedge pressure was 15 mm Hg or less (indicating precapillary pulmonary hypertension) in 11 patients. Patients with confirmed pulmonary hypertension were older and had poorer functional capacity and higher levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide than other patients. In contrast, patients who had a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of at least 2.5 m per second without pulmonary hypertension and patients with a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of less than 2.5 m per second had similar clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of adults with sickle cell disease, the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension as confirmed on right heart catheterization was 6%. Echocardiographic evaluation alone had a low positive predictive value for pulmonary hypertension. (Funded by the French Ministry of Health and Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00434902.)