Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

An Important Clinical Condition in Differential Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019: Crack Lung

Crack cocaine has been associated with a variety of pulmonary manifestations. We report a 44-year-old man been diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, presenting shortness of breath, non-productive cough, chest pain, headache, dizzi-ness, and fever lasting for 2 days. At first, all findings of our patient called for an impression of coronavirus disease 2019. During admis-sion, he presented with acute respiratory symptoms, patchy ground-glass opacities, and laboratory abnormalities, such as elevated acute phase response and lymphopenia. After, the presence of transient lung infiltrations in the follow-up triggered the cause for a re-evaluation of the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019. After a detailed inquiry, it was revealed that he had had a history of intense inhaled cocaine use 2 days before hospitalization. We speculate that the crack lung should also be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia

Comparison of systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), early warning score (ANDC) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in hospitalized patients with malignancy, and their influence on mortality from COVID-19

Introduction We evaluated several biological indicators based on inflammation and/or nutritional status, such as systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), early warning score (ANDC) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with and without malignancies for a prognostic significance. Methodology This is a retrospective and observational study on 186 patients with SARS-CoV-2, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 by real-time PCR testing and hospitalized due to COVID-19 pneumonia. 75 patients had various malignancies, and the rest (111), having a similar age and comorbidity profile based on propensity score matching, had no malignancy. Results None of the measures as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, monocyte to lymphocyte ratio, SII, PNI or ANDC was found to be significantly different between two groups. Odds ratio for the mortality, OR 2.39 (%95 CI 1.80-3.16) was found to be significantly higher for the malignancy group, even though the duration of hospitalization was statistically similar for both groups. PNI was found to be significantly lower for deceased patients compared with survivors in the malignancy group. Contrarily, ANDC was found to be significantly higher for deceased patients in the malignancy group. Conclusions PNI and ANDC have independent predictive power on determining the in-hospital death in COVID-19 malignancy cases. It is suggested that ANDC seems to be a more sensitive score than SII in COVID-19 cases with malignancies

Association between integrated backscatter and arrhythmia in patients with ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy

Background Ventricular scars due to myocardial infarction provide a substrate for ventricular arrhythmias, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the golden standard for the quantification of scar tissue magnitude. CMR has still limitations with patients with ICD despite ICD's becoming MR-compatible. We investigated the association between calibrated integrated backscatter (cIBS) and arrhythmia frequency in patients with ICD

Obstructive mechanical mitral valve thrombosis and gastric adenocarcinoma: A therapeutic dilemma

Fibrinolysis is an option for the management of mechanical prosthetic valve thrombosis when surgery has prohibitive risks. Current guidelines suggest recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (not to exceed 100 mg) with unfractionated heparin. A low-dose (25 mg) alteplase regimen as treatment in patients with a high risk of bleeding warrants further research. This report describes the case of a 65-year-old woman with a history of mechanical prosthetic mitral valve replacement who was diagnosed with signet ring cell adenocarcinoma of the stomach and obstructive mechanical prosthetic thrombosis on echocardiogram. Details of challenging aspects of this case and the use of modified fibrinolytic therapy are provided

Echocardiographic Findings in Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

Objective: In Obesity Hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an important morbidity and mortality reason compared to pure Obstructive Sleep Apnea syndrome (OSAS). However, few studies are available in the literature about this subject. For this reason, we evaluated OHS and pure OSAS cases in our study from the point of right heart-related echocardiographic parameters and PH. Materials and Methods: Obese [body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2] cases diagnosed by polysomnography were included in the study. The subjects were divided to two groups as OHS and pure OSAS. OHS criteria were defined as obesity (BMI >30 kg/m2) and for another reason unexplained (neuromuscular, chest wall, restrictive or obstructive pulmonary diseases) daytime hypercapnia (PaCO2 >45 mmHg). Patients with severe hypothyroidism, renal and heart insufficiency, cardiac drug anamnesis were not included in the study. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed to all cases and those with left-heart pathology were excluded from the study. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PABs) >35 mmHg was accepted as PH. Results: Of the 115 cases studied (mean age: 49.3±10.6/year, female/male: 53/62, BMI: 40.5±6.1 kg/m2), 70 were pure OSAS and 45 were OHS. In the OHS group, PABs, right ventricular diameter and pulmonary velocities were significantly higher than the pure OSAS group (p=0.002, p=0.015, p=0.012, respectively). The frequency of PH in OHS was significantly higher than group with pure OSAS (48.8% vs. 17.1%, p<0.001). In the overall group, there was a positive correlation between PABs value and apnea-hypopnea index, OSAS phase, oxygen desaturation index, SpO2 <90% elapsed time, and OHS presence (r=0.307, p=0.001; r=0.259, p=0.005; r=0.405, p<0.001; r=0.162, p<0.001; r=0.305, p=0.001, respectively). There was negative correlation between PABs and mean and minimum SpO2 (r=-0.404, p<0.001; r=-0.344, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: In OHS cases; PAPs, right ventricular diameter and pulmonary velocities, and PH frequency are higher than pure OSAS. Echocardiographic evaluation should be routinely performed for OHS cases