An assessment of the anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders experienced by cardiologists during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the symptoms of stress and the anxiety levels of cardiologists who continue to treat cardiac patients in addition to their epidemic duties during the COVID 19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 347 cardiologists throughout Turkey from April 17 to 20, 2020. The research was conducted using a confidential online survey. The research used the Turkish versions of the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the 7-item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (HPQ-9). Results: Among the respondents, n = 272 (78.3%) ranged in age from 31 to 50 years old and n = 84 (24.2%) were women. A considerable proportion of the participants reported symptoms of anxiety (54.2%), insomnia (44.1%), and depression (71.1%). The women cardiologists showed more severe levels of the anxiety and depression symptoms compared to the male cardiologists. The mean GAD-7 scale scores among the women vs. the men were 6.6 +/- 3.5 vs. 5.0 +/- 4.3; P = 0.005; the mean ISI scores among the women vs. the men were 7.3 +/- 4.3 vs. 6.9 +/- 4.6; P > 0.05; and the average HPQ-9 scores among the women vs. the male cardiologists were 8.0 +/- 3.9 vs. 6.8 +/- 4.7; P = 0.02. Conclusions: In this survey, most of the cardiologists were found to be mentally challenged while continuing their profession during this outbreak. The anxiety and depression symptoms of the female doctors were especially higher than the symptoms of their male counterparts. The stress disorders created by this pandemic may have serious future consequences, especially for female doctors

Comparison of Warfarin use in terms of efficacy and safety in two different polyclinics

WOS: 000417875700007PubMed ID: 29145216Objective: This study compared the efficacy and safety of warfarin in specialized international normalized ratio (INR) outpatient clinic (INR-C) and in general cardiology outpatient clinic (General-C). Methods: Herein, 381 consecutive patients with a regular follow-up at INR-C (n=233) or General-C (n=148) for at least 1 year were retrospectively included. While INR-C patients were followed by a single experienced trained nurse, General-C patients were followed by a different cardiologist who worked in a rotational principle every month. During controls, demographic characteristics, INR levels, bleeding events, ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attacks in the last 1 year were recorded. Primary endpoint was defined as the evaluation of the combined major bleeding and ischemic event, and secondary endpoint was defined as the evaluation of them separately. Results: The mean age of the patients was 62 +/- 12.86 and 43.8% were male. Mean time in therapeutic range (TTR) level was statistically higher in INR-C than that in General-C (68.8%+/- 15.88 and 51.6%+/- 23.04, respectively; p<0.001). Primary outcomes were significantly higher in General-C than that in INR-C [13.5% (20) and 6.4% (15); respectively, p=0.020]. Overall, major bleeding was observed in 25 patients (6.5%) and (2.6%) ischemic event was observed in 10 patients. In General-C patients, both major bleeding (8.8% vs. 5.2%; p=0.163) and the ischemic event (4.7% vs. 1.3%; p=0.051) were more, and no statistically significant differences were detected between the two clinics. Conclusion: The findings of our study demonstrate that patients followed in INR-C had higher TTR levels and lower bleeding and ischemic events rates that those followed in General-C

Changes in plasma neprilysin levels after left ventricular assist device implantation and association of outcomes during 1-year follow-up

WOS: 00046899070225

Gender-related clinical and management differences in patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Aim Gender-related differences have been described in the clinical characteristics and management of patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, published data are conflictive in this regard

Adherence to guideline-directed medical and device Therapy in outpAtients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: The ATA study

Objective: Despite recommendations from heart failure guidelines on the use of pharmacologic and device therapy in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), important inconsistencies in guideline adherence persist in practice. The aim of this study was to assess adherence to guideline-directed medical and device therapy for the treatment of patients with chronic HFrEF (left ventricular ejection fraction <= 40%)