Clinical implications of Type 2 diabetes on outcomes after cardiac transplantation.

BackgroundT2D is an increasingly common disease that is associated with worse outcomes in patients with heart failure. Despite this, no contemporary study has assessed its impact on heart transplantation outcomes. This paper examines the demographics and outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) undergoing heart transplantation.MethodsUsing the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database, patients listed for transplant were separated into cohorts based on history of T2D. Demographics and comorbidities were compared, and cox regressions were used to examine outcomes.ResultsBetween January 1st, 2011 and June 12th, 2020, we identified 9,086 patients with T2D and 23,676 without T2D listed for transplant. The proportion of patients with T2D increased from 25.2% to 27.9% between 2011 and 2020. Patients with T2D were older, more likely to be male, less likely to be White, and more likely to pay with public insurance (pConclusionsOver the last ten years, the proportion of heart transplant recipients with T2D has increased. These patients are more likely to be from traditionally underserved populations. Patients with T2D have a lower likelihood of transplantation and a higher likelihood of post-transplant mortality. After the allocation system change, likelihood of transplantation has improved for patients with T2D

COVID-19 infections and outcomes in a live registry of heart failure patients across an integrated health care system

BACKGROUND: Patients with comorbid conditions have a higher risk of mortality with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection, but the impact on heart failure patients living near a disease hotspot is unknown. Therefore, we sought to characterize the prevalence and outcomes of COVID-19 in a live registry of heart failure patients across an integrated health care system in Connecticut. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, the Yale Heart Failure Registry (NCT04237701) that includes 26,703 patients with heart failure across a 6-hospital integrated health care system in Connecticut was queried on April 16th, 2020 for all patients tested for COVID-19. Sociodemographic and geospatial data as well as, clinical management, respiratory failure, and patient mortality were obtained via the real-time registry. Data on COVID-19 specific care was extracted by retrospective chart review. RESULTS: COVID-19 testing was performed on 900 symptomatic patients, comprising 3.4% of the Yale Heart Failure Registry (N = 26,703). Overall, 206 (23%) were COVID- 19+. As compared to COVID-19-, these patients were more likely to be older, black, have hypertension, coronary artery disease, and were less likely to be on renin angiotensin blockers (P<0.05, all). COVID-19- patients tended to be more diffusely spread across the state whereas COVID-19+ were largely clustered around urban centers. 20% of COVID-19+ patients died, and age was associated with increased risk of death [OR 1.92 95% CI (1.33–2.78); P<0.001]. Among COVID-19+ patients who were ≥85 years of age rates of hospitalization were 87%, rates of death 36%, and continuing hospitalization 62% at time of manuscript preparation. CONCLUSIONS: In this real-world snapshot of COVID-19 infection among a large cohort of heart failure patients, we found that a small proportion had undergone testing. Patients found to be COVID-19+ tended to be black with multiple comorbidities and clustered around lower socioeconomic status communities. Elderly COVID-19+ patients were very likely to be admitted to the hospital and experience high rates of mortality

Trends and Outcomes of Cardiac Transplantation in the Lowest Urgency Candidates

Background Because of discrepancies between donor supply and recipient demand, the cardiac transplantation process aims to prioritize the most medically urgent patients. It remains unknown how recipients with the lowest medical urgency compare to others in the allocation process. We aimed to examine differences in clinical characteristics, organ allocation patterns, and outcomes between cardiac transplantation candidates with the lowest and highest medical urgency. Methods and Results We performed a retrospective analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing database. Patients listed for cardiac transplantation between January 2011 and May 2020 were stratified according to status at time of transplantation. Baseline recipient and donor characteristics, waitlist survival, and posttransplantation outcomes were compared in the years before and after the 2018 allocation system change. Lower urgency patients in the old system were older (58.5 versus 56 years) and more likely female (54.4% versus 23.8%) compared with the highest urgency patients, and these trends persisted in the new system (P<0.001, all). Donors for the lowest urgency patients were more likely older, female, or have a history of cytomegalovirus, hepatitis C, or diabetes (P<0.01, all). The lowest urgency patients had longer waitlist times and under the new allocation system received organs from shorter distances with decreased ischemic times (178 miles versus 269 miles, 3.1 versus 3.5 hours; P<0.001, all). There was no difference in posttransplantation survival (P<0.01, all). Conclusions Patients transplanted as lower urgency receive hearts from donors with additional comorbidities compared with higher urgency patients, but outcomes are similar at 1 year

Proportion of 3-5-year-old children with pneumococcal serotype IgG antibody titers ≥ 0.35 μg/ml and ≥ 1 μg/ml before challenge.

<p>Proportion of 3-5-year-old children with pneumococcal serotype IgG antibody titers ≥ 0.35 μg/ml and ≥ 1 μg/ml before challenge.</p

Individual pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG antibody titers following PPV23 vaccination at 9 months versus low-dose challenge at 3–5 years of age.

<p>Graphs present scatterplots of pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG antibody titers measured in individual children 1 month after PPV23 vaccination (vaccinated at 9 months of age) (x axis) and 1 month after challenge with a low dose of PPV23 at 3–5 years of age (y axis), in those who had received 3 doses of PCV7 before the PPV23 vaccine (primed; grey circles), or only received PPV23 (unprimed; black diamonds). Serotypes with an asterisk (*) are included in PPV23 only, while the other serotypes are included in both PCV7 and PPV23. The p-values included in the graphs correspond with non-parametric analysis of paired responses within the treatment groups (Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test).</p

Impact of the new heart allocation policy on patients with restrictive, hypertrophic, or congenital cardiomyopathies.

BackgroundPatients with restrictive or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (RCM/HCM) and congenital heart disease (CHD) do not derive clinical benefit from inotropes and mechanical circulatory support. Concerns were expressed that the new heart allocation system implemented in October 2018 would disadvantage these patients. This paper aimed to examine the impact of the new adult heart allocation system on transplantation and outcomes among patients with RCM/HCM/CHD.MethodsWe identified adult patients with RCM/HCM/CHD in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database who were listed for or received a cardiac transplant from April 2017-June 2020. The cohort was separated into those listed before and after allocation system changes. Demographics and recipient characteristics, donor characteristics, waitlist survival, and post-transplantation outcomes were analyzed.ResultsThe number of patients listed for RCM/HCM/CHD increased after the allocation system change from 429 to 517. Prior to the change, the majority RCM/HCM/CHD patients were Status 1A at time of transplantation; afterwards, most were Status 2. Wait times decreased significantly for all: RCM (41 days vs 27 days; PConclusionsThe new allocation system has had a positive impact on time to transplantation of patients with RCM, HCM, and CHD without negatively influencing survival

Flowchart for children in the study.

<p>A flowchart of the completed preceding neonatal PCV7 trial is published elsewhere [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0185877#pone.0185877.ref008" target="_blank">8</a>]. A total of 132 of 259 children who participated in the previous PCV7 study and who were vaccinated with PPV23 at 9 months of age were included in this study. One hundred and twenty seven children could not be enrolled for reasons summarized in Fig 1, including death; being too old according to pre-defined inclusion criteria; illness; migration to an area outside the study’s reach capacities; not located; and refusal. A total of 121 of 136 potential community controls who were assented to participate in the study were included in the final analysis: of the 15 not included, three children were over age; three did not consent; three could not be relocated and blood collection pre-challenge was not successful for six children. Post-challenge data were not available for 41 children for reasons summarized. <i>N</i> is Neonatal PCV7 group; <i>I</i> is Infant PCV7 group; <i>C</i> is control group (no PCV7).</p

Pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG antibody titers before and after challenge.

<p>Serum antibody titers were assessed in 3-5-year-old children who had received PCV7 and PPV23 as infants (white bars; n = 100 /n = 86), who had received only PPV23 as infants (grey bars; n = 32 /n = 28), or who had not received pneumococcal vaccines (striped bars; n = 121 pre-challenge/ n = 98 post-challenge) (A) before and (B) after challenge with a low dose of PPV23. Data are presented as geometric mean titers and 95% confidence intervals. Serotype-specific geometric mean titers before or after challenge were compared between each group using Mann-Whitney U test. * p < 0.05.</p

Pneumococcal serotype-specific memory B-cell responses.

<p>Serotype-specific Antibody Forming Cells (AFCs) per 1x10⁶ cultured PBMCs were measured at 10 months of age (1 month after PPV23 vaccination) and pre-challenge at 3–5 years of age in a subset of children vaccinated with PCV7 and PPV23 (white bars) or PPV23-only (grey bars), and pre-challenge at 3–5 years of age in a subset of children not vaccinated with any pneumococcal vaccines (striped pattern). Serotypes with an asterisk (*) are included in PPV23 only, while other serotypes are included in both PCV7 and PPV23. Data are presented as means and 95% confidence intervals. No significant differences were found between groups at 10 months or 3–5 years of age (tested using Mann-Whitney U test). Differences in responses at 10 months versus 3–5 years of age within a group were tested using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, and where significant differences were found this has been indicated in the graph.</p