Current clinician perspective on non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant use in challenging clinical cases.

OBJECTIVE: The evolution of non-vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants (NOACs) has changed the horizon of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (SPAF). All 4 NOACs have been tested against dose-adjusted warfarin in well-designed, pivotal, phase III, randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) and were approved by regulatory authorities for an SPAF indication. However, as traditional RCTs, these trials have important weaknesses, largely related to their complex structure and patient participation, which was limited by strict inclusion and extensive exclusion criteria. In the real world, however, clinicians are often faced with complex, multimorbid patients who are underrepresented in these RCTs. This article is based on a meeting report authored by 12 scientists studying atrial fibrillation (AF) in diverse ways who discussed the management of challenging AF cases that are underrepresented in pivotal NOAC trials. METHODS: An advisory board panel was convened to confer on management strategies for challenging AF cases. The article is derived from a summary of case presentations and the collaborative discussions at the meeting. CONCLUSION: This expert consensus of cardiologists aimed to define management strategies for challenging cases with patients who underrepresented in pivotal trials using case examples from their routine practice. Although strong evidence is lacking, exploratory subgroup analysis of phase III pivotal trials partially informs the management of these patients. Clinical trials with higher external validity are needed to clarify areas of uncertainty. The lack of clear evidence about complex AF cases has pushed clinicians to manage patients based on clinical experience, including rare situations of off-label prescriptions

Evaluating functional capacity, and mortality effects in the presence of atrial electromechanical conduction delay in patients with systolic heart failure

Objective: Atrial functions are relatively suppressed in heart failure (HF). We aimed to investigate the associations of intra- and inter-atrial electromechanical conduction delay (EMCD) with functional class and mortality over a 12-month follow-up period. Methods: The prospective study included 65 patients with systolic HF and 65 healthy subjects with normal sinus rhythm. Left ventricular (LV) systolic functions and left atrial (LA) dimensions and volumes were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) signals at the lateral border of the mitral annulus (lateral PA’), septal mitral annulus (septal PA’), and tricuspid annulus (tricuspid PA’) were measured. Intra- and inter-atrial EMCD were calculated. Results: Mitral inflow velocities were studied using pulsed-wave Doppler after placing the sample volume at the leaflets’ tips. The peak early (E wave) and late (A wave) velocities were measured. The septal annular E/E’ ratio was relatively higher and lateral, septal, and right ventricular S, E’, and A’ waves were significantly lower in the HF group than in the control group (12.49±6.03 - 7.16±1.75, pE/E’ <0.0001). Intra-atrial EMCD was detected as 117.5 ms and inter-atrial EMCD as 127.5 ms in patients with prolonged atrial EMCD. A significant increase was found in prolonged intra- and inter-atrial EMCD according to functional capacity increase (p=0.012 and p=0.031, respectively). The incidence of mortality was significantly higher in patients with prolonged atrial EMCD (p=0.025), and 5 patients in the HF group died during the study over the 12-month follow-up period. Conclusions: In this study, we found a relationship between prolonged atrial conduction time and increased functional class and mortality in patients with systolic HF. © 2016 by Turkish Society of Cardiology

Beta myosin heavy chain mutations R403QLW, V606M, K615N and R663H in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy [Hipertrofik kardiyomiyopatili hastalarda beta miyozin agi{dotless}r zincir genindeki R403QLW, V606M, K615N ve R663H mutasyonlari{dotless}ni{dotless}n araşti{dotless}ri{dotless}lmasi{dotless}]

PubMed ID: 24566549Objective: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease of the myocardium with an autosomal-dominant pattern of inheritance mainly caused by single heterozygous mutations in sarcomere genes. In this study we aimed to detect the presence of R403QLW, V606M, K615N, and R663H mutations in beta-myosin heavy-chain gene (MYH7) and figure out the genotype-phenotype correlations in Turkish patients with HCM. Methods: This case-control study based on genotype-phenotype correlation included 69 patients (mean age, years: 50±13.16) diagnosed with HCM constituting the study group and 50 healthy individuals (mean age, years: 52±1.4) constituting the control group. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the genotyping of mutations was performed by real-time PCR technique and high resolution melting analysis. Associations between categoric variables were determined using chi-square tests. Differences between two groups were compared with unpaired Student's t-test for continuous variables. Results: None of the patients in the HCM group were carrying the index mutations. One healthy individual was found to be heterozygous for the R663H mutation with mildly abnormal IVS and LVPW thickness. The allele frequency for R663H (G>A) mutation was found to be 0.01% in control group. Conclusion: We performed a mutational screening of 6 HCM-associated mutations in 69 Turkish HCM patients (not previously studied except R403Q). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of the mutations between the patients with HCM and the healthy controls (p>0.05). © 2014 by Turkish Society of Cardiology

Videothoracoscopy in pleural effusions: A review of 41 cases

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic value of videothoracoscopy in patients with pleural effusion. A total of 41 patients underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) were analyzed, 25 male and 16 female. The mean age was 52.1 years (ranged between 18 and 92 years). Pleural effusion was left sided in 19 cases (46.4%), right sided in 14 cases (34.1%) and bilateral in eight cases (19.5%). Subjects with exudative and hemorrhagic pleural effusions in thoracentesis were included in the study. In all cases; complete blood count, electrocardiography (ECG), arterial blood gas, coagulation profile and respiratory function test (RFT) were performed. Two view chest X-ray and computed tomography scans were done to determine the localization of fluid and to decide the access point to thorax prior to procedure. One-lung ventilation was achieved in 20 patients under general anestesia, whereas double lung ventilation was preferred in 13 cases intolerant of one-lung ventilation. The procedure was carried out under local anesthesia in eight cases due to their high risk for general anesthesia. An approximately 50cc of pleural fluid and at least two pieces of pleural biopsy specimen for cytopathological examination were collected in all cases. Among the study population, 33 of cases were diagnosed with a benign disease and the remaining eight cases with a malign disease. Taking age ranges into account, non-specific pleuritis and tuberculosis pleuritis were most commonly diagnosed between 20 to 40 years of age whereas malign pathologies between 40-60 years of age. Diagnostic success of the procedure was found to be 97.6%. Patients with malign effusion underwent chemical pleurodesis with talc powder. No complication developed in our cases. VATS seems to be an effective method in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with pleural effusion. © 2013 OMU

The determination of the factors impacting on in-hospital mortality in patients with acute heart failure in a tertiary referral center [Tersiyer bir merkezde akut kalp yetersizlikli hastalarda hastane içi mortaliteye etkili faktörlerin belirlenmesi]

PubMed ID: 18676300Objective: Despite impressive advances in therapeutics in the last years, acute heart failure (AHF) remains a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Patients hospitalized because of heart failure (HF), irrespective of left ventricular systolic function, represent a high-risk population with limited short-term prognosis. A substantial component of HF-related mortality occurs during a hospital stay. In this study, we aimed to determine the factors impacting on in-hospital mortality in patients with AHF. Methods: During a 15-month period (December 2005-March 2007), 85 consecutive patients with (mean age: 64±8 years, male: 54%) an episode of AHF were included in this study. The effect of demographic, clinical, electrocardiographic, and electrocardiographic characteristics, laboratory findings on in-hospital mortality were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Of 85 patients 24.7% of patients had new-onset HF. Coronary artery disease (61%) was the most common underlying disease. The 44.7% of patients had hypertension, 37.6% had diabetes mellitus, 21% had chronic renal failure and 16.4% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Left ventricular ejection fraction was 35±7%. In-hospital mortality rate was found as 11.7% (10 patients).The major cause of mortality was the progression of HF to cardiogenic shock in 60% of deaths. In comparison with surviving patients in terms of the clinical, demographic, electrocardiographic, and laboratory characteristics and left and right ventricular functions, patients died during hospitalization had higher blood urea nitrogen (45±20 mg/dl vs. 36±12 mg/dl, p=0.04), higher creatinine level (2.2±0.8 mg/ dl vs. 1.1±0.5 mg/dl, p=0.001), and wider QRS duration (130±13 ms vs. 116±18 ms, p=0.04) whereas they had lower plasma sodium level (128±5 mmol/l vs. 135±9 mmol/l, p=0.02) and systolic blood pressure (p=0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that plasma creatinine level (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.1, p=0.01), blood urea nitrogen (OR 2.1, 85% CI 1.8 to 3.1, p=0.001), plasma sodium level (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.7, p=0.02), and systolic blood pressure (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.9 to 2.8, p=0.01) were the independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: In-hospital mortality increases in patients who had lower systolic blood pressure, lower plasma sodium level, and renal dysfunction on admission

Demographic and clinical characteristics of atrial fibrillation patients suffering from an ACS without prior revascularization history

Congress of the European-Society-of-Cardiology (ESC) / World Congress of Cardiology -- AUG 31-SEP 04, 2019 -- Paris, FRANCEWOS: 000507313002057Background: The incidence of atrial fibrillation in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) ranges from 3% to 25%. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the demographic and baseline clinical characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors and comorbid conditions between patients (pts) with concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) to those without AF in patients suffering from ACS without previous coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: The MINOCA­TR study has a cross­sectional, multicenter, observational design and was conducted with 32 interventional cardiology centers in our country. Heart rhythm at emergency admission, demographical, clinical and angiographic data was recorded for each patient. Patients with stable coronary artery disease, unstable angina pectoris and with type 4/5 myocardial infarction were excluded from study population. Results: A total of 1626 patients (male: 70.7%, mean age: 61.4±12.5 years) were classified according to the presence of AF. The rate of AF was 3.1% in study population. This group was older (73.4 vs. 61.0 years, p<0.001) and AF was more common among females (43.1% vs. 28.7%, p=0.027). The frequency of AF was slightly higher (7.8%) in MINOCA group (p=ns).European Soc Cardio

Evaluating functional capacity, and mortality effects in the presence of atrial electromechanical conduction delay in patients with systolic heart failure.

OBJECTIVE: Atrial functions are relatively suppressed in heart failure (HF). We aimed to investigate the associations of intra- and inter-atrial electromechanical conduction delay (EMCD) with functional class and mortality over a 12-month follow-up period. METHODS: The prospective study included 65 patients with systolic HF and 65 healthy subjects with normal sinus rhythm. Left ventricular (LV) systolic functions and left atrial (LA) dimensions and volumes were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) signals at the lateral border of the mitral annulus (lateral PA'), septal mitral annulus (septal PA'), and tricuspid annulus (tricuspid PA') were measured. Intra- and inter-atrial EMCD were calculated. RESULTS: Mitral inflow velocities were studied using pulsed-wave Doppler after placing the sample volume at the leaflets' tips. The peak early (E wave) and late (A wave) velocities were measured. The septal annular E/E' ratio was relatively higher and lateral, septal, and right ventricular S, E', and A' waves were significantly lower in the HF group than in the control group (12.49±6.03 - 7.16±1.75, pE/E' <0.0001). Intra-atrial EMCD was detected as 117.5 ms and inter-atrial EMCD as 127.5 ms in patients with prolonged atrial EMCD. A significant increase was found in prolonged intraand inter-atrial EMCD according to functional capacity increase (p=0.012 and p=0.031, respectively). The incidence of mortality was significantly higher in patients with prolonged atrial EMCD (p=0.025), and 5 patients in the HF group died during the study over the 12-month follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found a relationship between prolonged atrial conduction time and increased functional class and mortality in patients with systolic HF