Geriatric Inpatient Units in the Care of Hospitalized Frail Adults with a History of Heart Failure

Background: Frail hospitalized older adults are at risk for adverse outcomes. Previous studies have suggested benefits for inpatient geriatric management (GEM). We sought to determine whether hospitalized patients with a history of heart failure (HF) benefitted from inpatient GEM or not. Methods: We studied 309 inpatients previously diagnosed with HF who were participants in a randomized trial of geriatric evaluation and management (GEM) versus usual care (UC). The intervention involved multidisciplinary teams that provided comprehensive geriatric assessment. We evaluated health-related quality of life (HRQOL), basic activities of daily living (ADLs), health service utilization, and survival at discharge, 6 months, and 1 year post randomization. Results: GEM patients had higher mean change scores for physical function (unadjusted means: 0.17 vs. –4.67, p = 0.046) and basic ADLs (1.25 vs. 0.67, p = 0.003) at hospital discharge, which remained significant after adjusting for baseline HRQOL scores and in-hospital days. Outcomes were not significantly different at 1 year. Length of stay for GEM was greater than UC (24 days vs. 17 days, p = 0.03), but total costs at 1 year were not different (p = 0.9). Mortality rates at 1 year were high and similar (GEM 29.0%, UC 27.3%, p = 0.73) in both the groups. Conclusion: Inpatient GEM was associated with better maintenance of physical function and basic ADLs at hospital discharge; however, no differences in HRQOL or survival were observed between GEM and UC at 1 year post randomization. Restructuring inpatient care models to incorporate inpatient GEM principles may be one method to optimize health-care delivery

ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Normal Coronary Arteries after Consuming Energy Drinks

The use of energy drinks, which often contain stimulants, is common among young persons, yet there have been few reports of adverse cardiac events. We report the case of a 27-year-old man who was admitted to our facility with an acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in the setting of using energy drinks. Angiography revealed no obstructive coronary disease. The patient had elevation of cardiac troponin. Noninvasive testing with echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated both abnormalities in resting wall motion at the anterior apex along with late gadolinium enhancement of the anterior wall, respectively. The patient also underwent formal invasive evaluation with an intracoronary Doppler study demonstrating normal coronary flow reserve and acetylcholine provocation that excluded endothelial dysfunction and microvascular disease. The patient recovered and has abstained from consuming additional energy drinks with no reoccurrence of symptoms. A review of some of the potential cardiac risks associated with consuming energy drinks is presented

Does the prognostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography differ among different age groups?

Age is associated with reduced exercise capacity and greater prevalence of coronary artery disease. Whether the prognostic information obtained from dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE), a stress test commonly used for patients unable to perform an exercise test, provides differential information based on age is not well known

Acute infection of Viabahn stent graft in the popliteal artery

Peripheral stents are increasingly used for treatment of peripheral arterial disease, yet all implanted devices are potentially at risk for infection. We describe a 51-year-old man who underwent stenting in the femoropopliteal artery and presented 3 days later with leg pain, fever, and evidence of peripheral stigmata of embolization. Blood cultures grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and remained persistently positive despite antibiotic therapy. At surgical exploration, the popliteal artery had essentially been disintegrated by the infection, with only visible stent graft maintaining arterial continuity. Acute stent graft infections are rare and must be managed promptly to reduce morbidity

Percutaneous Removal of Left Atrial Myxoma

Surgical resection has been the treatment of choice for cardiac myxomas, but older age and comorbidities relegate many patients to observation. Pure percutaneous removal of left atrial myxomas is both intriguing and challenging. We report a successful percutaneous technique for removal of left atrial cardiac myxoma in a nonsurgical candidate. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.

High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T for the Detection of Myocardial Injury and Risk Stratification in COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist on high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) for risk-stratification in COVID-19.METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective, observational, US-based study of COVID-19 patients undergoing hs-cTnT. Outcomes included short-term mortality (in-hospital and 30-days post-discharge) and a composite of major adverse events, including respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, cardiac arrest, and shock within the index presentation and/or mortality during the index hospitalization or within 30-days post-discharge.RESULTS: Among 367 COVID-19 patients undergoing hs-cTnT, myocardial injury was identified in 46%. They had a higher risk for mortality (20% vs 12%, P < 0.0001; unadjusted HR 4.44, 95% CI 2.13-9.25, P < 0.001) and major adverse events (35% vs. 11%, P < 0.0001; unadjusted OR 4.29, 95% CI 2.50-7.40, P < 0.0001). Myocardial injury was associated with major adverse events (adjusted OR 3.84, 95% CI 2.00-7.36, P < 0.0001) but not mortality. Baseline (adjusted OR 1.003, 95% CI 1.00-1.007, P = 0.047) and maximum (adjusted OR 1.005, 95% CI 1.001-1.009, P = 0.0012) hs-cTnT were independent predictors of major adverse events. Most (95%) increases were due to myocardial injury, with 5% (n = 8) classified as type 1 or 2 myocardial infarction. A single hs-cTnT <6 ng/L identified 26% of patients without mortality, with a 94.9% (95% CI 87.5-98.6) negative predictive value and 93.1% sensitivity (95% CI 83.3-98.1) for major adverse events in those presenting to the ED.CONCLUSIONS: Myocardial injury is frequent and prognostic in COVID-19. While most hs-cTnT increases are modest and due to myocardial injury, they have important prognostic implications. A single hs-cTnT <6 ng/L at presentation may facilitate the identification of patients with a favorable prognosis

Characteristics and Long-Term Outcomes of Patients With Prior Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Limited data are available on characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients with coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Between January 2000 to December 2014, we identified STEMI patients with prior CABG undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention from 3 sites. Kaplan-Meier methods to estimate survival and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were employed and compared to a propensity matched cohort of non-CABG STEMI patients. Independent predictors of outcomes were analyzed with Cox modeling. Of the 3,212 STEMI patients identified, there were 296 (9.2%) CABG STEMI patients, having nearly similar frequencies of culprit graft (47.6%) versus culprit native (52.4%) as the infarct-related artery (IRA). At 10 years, the adjusted survival was 44% in CABG STEMI versus 55% in non-CABG STEMI (HR 1.26; 95%CI 0.86 to 1.87; p = 0.72). Survival free of MACE was lower for CABG STEMI (graft IRA, 37%; native IRA, 46%) as compared to non-CABG STEMI controls (63%) (p = 0.02). Neither CABG history nor IRA (native vs graft) was independently associated with death or MACE in multivariable analysis. Temporal trends showed no significant change in death or MACE rates of CABG STEMI patients over time. In conclusion, long term survival of CABG STEMI patients is not significantly different than matched STEMI patients without prior CABG; however, CABG STEMI patients were at significantly higher risk for MACE events