Prognosis of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and low-normal left ventricular ejection fraction

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether low-normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is associated with adverse outcomes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and evaluate the incremental value of predictive power of LVEF in the conventional HCM sudden cardiac death (SCD)-risk model.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 1858 patients with HCM from two tertiary hospitals between 2008 and 2019. We classified LVEF into three categories: preserved (≥60%), low normal (50%-60%) and reduced (<50%); there were 1399, 415, and 44 patients with preserved, low-normal, and reduced LVEF, respectively. The primary outcome was a composite of SCD, ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation and appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks. Secondary outcomes were hospitalisation for heart failure (HHF), cardiovascular death and all-cause death.

RESULTS

During the median follow-up of 4.09 years, the primary outcomes occurred in 1.9%. HHF, cardiovascular death, and all-cause death occurred in 3.3%, 1.9%, and 5.3%, respectively. Reduced LVEF was an independent predictor of SCD/equivalent events (adjusted HR (aHR) 5.214, 95% CI 1.574 to 17.274, p=0.007), adding predictive value to the HCM risk-SCD model (net reclassification improvement 0.625). Compared with patients with HCM with preserved LVEF, those with low-normal and reduced LVEF had a higher risk of HHF (LVEF 50%-60%, aHR 2.457, 95% CI 1.423 to 4.241, p=0.001; LVEF <50%, aHR 7.937, 95% CI 3.315 to 19.002, p<0.001) and cardiovascular death (LVEF 50%-60%, aHR 2.641, 95% CI 1.314 to 5.309, p=0.006; LVEF <50%, aHR 5.405, 95% CI 1.530 to 19.092, p=0.009), whereas there was no significant association with all-cause death.

CONCLUSIONS

Low-normal LVEF was an independent predictor of HHF and cardiovascular death in patients with HCM.

Sox17 Deficiency Promotes Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension via HGF/c-Met Signaling

BACKGROUND

In large-scale genomic studies, Sox17, an endothelial-specific transcription factor, has been suggested as a putative causal gene of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); however, its role and molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. We investigated the functional impacts and acting mechanisms of impaired Sox17 (SRY-related HMG-box17) pathway in PAH and explored its potential as a therapeutic target.

METHODS

In adult mice, Sox17 deletion in pulmonary endothelial cells (ECs) induced PAH under hypoxia with high penetrance and severity, but not under normoxia.

RESULTS

Key features of PAH, such as hypermuscularization, EC hyperplasia, and inflammation in lung arterioles, right ventricular hypertrophy, and elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, persisted even after long rest in normoxia. Mechanistically, transcriptomic profiling predicted that the combination of Sox17 deficiency and hypoxia activated c-Met signaling in lung ECs. HGF (hepatocyte grow factor), a ligand of c-Met, was upregulated in Sox17-deficient lung ECs. Pharmacologic inhibition of HGF/c-Met signaling attenuated and reversed the features of PAH in both preventive and therapeutic settings. Similar to findings in animal models, Sox17 levels in lung ECs were repressed in 26.7% of PAH patients (4 of 15), while those were robust in all 14 non-PAH controls. HGF levels in pulmonary arterioles were increased in 86.7% of patients with PAH (13 of 15), but none of the controls showed that pattern.

CONCLUSIONS

The downregulation of Sox17 levels in pulmonary arterioles increases the susceptibility to PAH, particularly when exposed to hypoxia. Our findings suggest the reactive upregulation of HGF/c-Met signaling as a novel druggable target for PAH treatment.

Systemic proinflammatory-profibrotic response in aortic stenosis patients with diabetes and its relationship with myocardial remodeling and clinical outcome

Background

It is unclear whether and how diabetes mellitus may aggravate myocardial fibrosis and remodeling in the pressure-overloaded heart. We investigated the impact of diabetes on the prognosis of aortic stenosis (AS) patients and its underlying mechanisms using comprehensive noninvasive imaging studies and plasma proteomics.

Methods

Severe AS patients undergoing both echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) (n=253 of which 66 had diabetes) comprised the imaging cohort. The degree of replacement and diffuse interstitial fibrosis by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) was quantified using CMR. Plasma samples were analyzed with the multiplex proximity extension assay for 92 proteomic biomarkers in a separate biomarker cohort of severe AS patients (n=100 of which 27 had diabetes).

Results

In the imaging cohort, diabetic patients were older (70.4±6.8 vs. 66.7±10.1 years) and had a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (28.8% vs. 9.1%), with more advanced ventricular diastolic dysfunction. On CMR, diabetic patients had increased replacement and diffuse interstitial fibrosis (LGE% 0.3 [0.0–1.6] versus 0.0 [0.0–0.5], p=0.009; ECV% 27.9 [25.7–30.1] versus 26.7 [24.9–28.5], p=0.025) (Figure 1).

Plasma proteomics analysis of the biomarker cohort revealed that 9 proteins (E-selectin, interleukin-1 receptor type 1, interleukin-1 receptor type 2, galectin-4, intercellular adhesion molecule 2, integrin beta-2, galectin-3, growth differentiation factor 15, and cathepsin D) are significantly elevated in diabetic AS patients (Figure 2). Pathway over-representation analyses of the plasma proteomics with Gene Ontology terms indicated that pathways related to inflammatory response and extracellular matrix components were enriched, suggesting that diabetes is associated with systemic effects that evoke proinflammatory and profibrotic response to the pressure-overloaded myocardium.

During follow-up (median 6.3 years [IQR 5.2–7.2]) of the imaging cohort, 232 patients received aortic valve replacement (AVR) with 53 unexpected heart failure admissions or death. Diabetes was a significant predictor of heart failure and death, independent of clinical covariates and AVR (hazard ratio 1.88, 95% confidence interval 1.06–3.31, p=0.030).

Conclusion

Plasma proteomic analyses indicate that diabetes potentiates the systemic proinflammatory and profibrotic milieu in AS patients. These systemic biological changes underlie the increase of myocardial fibrosis, diastolic dysfunction, and worse clinical outcomes in severe AS patients with concomitant diabetes.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): National Research Foundation of Korea

Augmented risk of ischemic stroke in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients without documented atrial fibrillation

Background

Ischemic stroke is a common complication in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) (1). Although atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-established risk factor for ischemic stroke in HCM, the risk of ischemic stroke in patients with HCM without documented AF is less recognized (1, 2). This study aimed to determine the risk of ischemic stroke and identify its risk factors in patients with HCM without documented AF.

Methods

This nationwide population-based cohort study used the Korean National Health Insurance database. After excluding patients with a prior history of AF, thromboembolic events, cancer, or the use of anticoagulants, we identified 8,328 HCM patients without documented AF and 1:2 propensity score-matched 16,656 non-HCM controls. The clinical outcome was an incident ischemic stroke.

Results

During a mean follow-up of approximately 6 years, ischemic stroke occurred in 328/8,328 (3.9%) patients with HCM and 443/16,656 (2.7%) controls. Among individuals who developed ischemic stroke, the proportion of AF concomitantly detected accounted for 26.5% (87/328) and 5.8% (26/443) in the HCM and control groups, respectively. The overall incidence of ischemic stroke was 0.716/100 person-years in the HCM group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (0.44/100 person-years) (HR 1.643; 95% CI, 1.424–1.895; P&lt;0.001, Figure 1). The subgroup analysis according to age, sex, and comorbidities (chronic heart failure, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and vascular disease) consistently demonstrated a higher risk of ischemic stroke in the HCM group (P for interaction &gt;0.05). In the HCM group, age ≥65 years (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.741; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.156–3.486; P&lt;0.001) and chronic heart failure (adjusted HR 1.748; 95% CI, 1.101–2.745; P=0.018) were independent risk factors for ischemic stroke. Overall incidence was 1.360/100 in patients with HCM aged ≥65 and 2.315/100 person-years years in those with chronic heart failure, respectively. Also, compared to controls aged &lt;65 years and without CHF, adjusted HR for ischemic stroke was 4.756 (95% CI 3.807–5.867) in patients with HCM aged ≥65 years and 2.539 (95% CI 1.638–3.936) in those with CHF, respectively (Figure 2).

Conclusions

Patients with HCM without documented AF are at a higher risk of ischemic stroke than the propensity score-matched general population. Age ≥65 years and chronic heart failure are two strong independent risk factors for ischemic stroke in this population.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Agreement of two vendor-independent strain analysis software platforms in assessing left ventricular global longitudinal strain

PURPOSE

The new version of EchoPAC platform was recently developed by General Electronics (GE) to provide 'vendor-independent' full-myocardial-layer left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS). The agreement of the LV-GLS by two vendor-independent software platforms was investigated under diverse clinical situations.

METHODS

Two-dimensional speckle-tracking LV-GLS was separately measured by two software platforms. LV-GLS values were compared as default setting of each software platform (GE full-myocardial-layer [GE-Full], and TomTec endocardial-layer [TomTec-Endo]). Agreements according to various conditions and type of echocardiography vendors were evaluated using Bland-Altman analysis and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Inter-observer reproducibility of each software platform was assessed, and agreements were further evaluated in various subgroups.

RESULTS

One hundred five subjects were initial candidates for the current study (normal LV function without any cardiac pathology [n = 25], hypertrophic cardiomyopathy [n = 40], dilated cardiomyopathy [n = 25], or restrictive cardiomyopathy [n = 15]). After excluding seven subjects with inadequate tracking quality, 98 subjects were finally analyzed. The average LV-GLS was lower in GE-Full than in TomTec-Endo. Agreement between GE-Full and TomTec-Endo was excellent in general; while the greatest bias was observed in the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy group, with TomTec-Endo exhibiting greater LV-GLS values than GE-Full (bias -1.71, limits of agreement -6.02 to 2.59). Both platforms showed excellent inter-observer reproducibility (GE-Full, ICC 0.99; TomTec-Endo, ICC 0.91), and were in good agreements regardless of the echocardiography vendors or subgroups according to age, heart rate, myocardial wall thickness, or LV ejection fraction.

CONCLUSIONS

LV-GLS by GE-Full showed excellent agreement with that by TomTec-Endo under various cardiac conditions.

How to enhance students' learning in a patient-centered longitudinal integrated clerkship: factors associated with students' learning experiences

PURPOSE

Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) have been introduced in medical schools, as learning relationships with clinical faculty or peers are important components of medical education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of student-faculty and student-student interactions in the LIC and to identify other factors related to whether students understood and acquired the program's main outcomes.

METHODS

The study was conducted among the 149 third-year students who participated in the LIC in 2019. We divided the students into groups of eight. These groups were organized into corresponding discussion classes, during which students had discussions with clinical faculty members and peers and received feedback. Clinical faculty members and students were matched through an e-portfolio, where records were approved and feedback was given. A course evaluation questionnaire was completed and analysed.

RESULTS

A total of 144 valid questionnaires were returned. Logistic regression analysis showed that relevant feedback in discussion classes (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 5.071; p<0.001), frequency of e-portfolio feedback (AOR, 1.813; p=0.012), and motivation by e-portfolio feedback (AOR, 1.790; p=0.026) predicted a greater likelihood of understanding the continuity of the patient's medical experience. Relevant feedback from faculty members in discussion classes (AOR, 3.455; p<0.001) and frequency of e-portfolio feedback (AOR, 2.232; p<0.001) also predicted a greater likelihood of understanding the concept of patient-centered care.

CONCLUSION

Student-faculty interactions, including relevant feedback in discusstion classes, frequency of e-portfolio feedback, and motivation by e-portfolio feedback were found to be important factors in the LIC program.

Myocardial strain for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction but without diastolic dysfunction

AIMS

Some patients with apparent heart failure (HF) have an ejection fraction (EF) ≥ 50% and elevated levels of natriuretic peptides (NPs), but no significant diastolic dysfunction. Among these, some may have HF, others may not. Myocardial strain is an excellent prognostic factor.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Among 4312 consecutive patients with acute HF from three tertiary hospitals, we included 355 patients with EF of ≥50% and elevated levels of NPs, without significant diastolic dysfunction. Patients were classified as having impaired global longitudinal strain (GLS < 16%) or normal GLS (GLS ≥ 16%). The primary endpoint was 5 year all-cause mortality. The mean age was 70.3 years and 49% were female. Overall, 107 patients (30.1%) died at 5 years. As per the definition, 176 (49.6%) patients had impaired GLS and 179 (50.4%) had normal GLS. Patients with normal GLS had lower 5 year all-cause mortality than those with impaired GLS (P < 0.001). When comparing with the 11 365 age-matched and sex-matched controls, patients with normal GLS had the same long-term survival as the controls (P = 0.834), whereas those with impaired GLS had 48% increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.89).

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with apparent HF and preserved EF but without diastolic dysfunction, those with impaired GLS may be considered to have HF.

Independent Prognostic Utility of 11C-Pittsburgh Compound B PET in Patients with Light-Chain Cardiac Amyloidosis

¹¹C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) PET/CT visualizes the amount of myocardial amyloid deposit and can be used to prognosticate patients with amyloid light-chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis (CA). However, whether ¹¹C-PiB PET/CT has any independent additional prognostic value beyond the commonly used biomarkers remains unknown. Methods: This prospective study was on a cohort of 58 consecutive patients with AL CA who underwent ¹¹C-PiB PET/CT. The patients were stratified into 2 groups on the basis of a visual assessment of whether there was myocardial ¹¹C-PiB uptake on PET/CT. The primary endpoint was 1-y overall mortality. The independent prognostic utility of ¹¹C-PiB PET/CT was analyzed using net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement. Results: Among the 58 patients enrolled, 35 were positive for myocardial ¹¹C-PiB uptake on PET/CT. Patients with myocardial ¹¹C-PiB PET uptake had a worse 1-y overall survival rate than those without (81.8% vs. 45.5%, P = 0.003 by log-rank test). In the multivariate analysis, positivity for myocardial ¹¹C-PiB uptake on PET/CT was an independent predictor of 1-y mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.382; 95% CI, 1.011-11.316; P = 0.048). In analysis of 3 subgroups of patients-those with a troponin I level of at least 0.1 ng/mL, those with an N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level of at least 1,800 pg/mL, and those with a difference of at least 180 mg/L between free light chains (the 3 commonly used biomarkers and their thresholds for staging in AL amyloidosis)-Kaplan-Meier curves showed for all 3 subgroups that patients positive for myocardial ¹¹C-PiB uptake on PET/CT had a worse prognosis than those who were negative. Additionally, when the results of ¹¹C-PiB PET/CT were added to these 3 biomarkers, the performance of 1-y mortality prediction significantly improved by net reclassification improvement (troponin I, 0.861; NT-proBNP, 0.914; difference between free light chains, 0.987) and by integrated discrimination improvement (0.200, 0.156, and 0.108, respectively). Conclusion:¹¹C-PiB PET/CT is a strong independent predictor of 1-y overall mortality and provides incremental prognostic benefits beyond the 3 commonly used biomarkers of AL amyloidosis staging. Considering the recent development of numerous amyloid-targeting molecular imaging agents, further investigations are warranted on whether PET/CT should be included in risk stratification for patients with AL CA.

Predicting Long-Term Mortality in Patients With Acute Heart Failure by Using Machine Learning

BACKGROUND

High mortality rates in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) necessitate proper risk stratification. However, risk-assessment tools for long-term mortality are largely lacking. We aimed to develop a machine-learning (ML)-based risk-prediction model for long-term all-cause mortality in patients admitted for AHF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The ML model, based on boosted a Cox regression algorithm (CoxBoost), was trained with 2704 consecutive patients hospitalized for AHF (median age 73 years, 55% male, and median left ventricular ejection fraction 38%). We selected 27 input variables, including 19 clinical features and 8 echocardiographic parameters, for model development. The best-performing model, along with pre-existing risk scores (BIOSTAT-CHF and AHEAD scores), was validated in an independent test cohort of 1608 patients. During the median 32 months (interquartile range 12-54 months) of the follow-up period, 1050 (38.8%) and 690 (42.9%) deaths occurred in the training and test cohorts, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the ML model for all-cause mortality at 3 years was 0.761 (95% CI: 0.754-0.767) in the training cohort and 0.760 (95% CI: 0.752-0.768) in the test cohort. The discrimination performance of the ML model significantly outperformed those of the pre-existing risk scores (AUROC 0.714, 95% CI 0.706-0.722 by BIOSTAT-CHF; and 0.681, 95% CI 0.672-0.689 by AHEAD). Risk stratification based on the ML model identified patients at high mortality risk regardless of heart failure phenotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

The ML-based mortality-prediction model can predict long-term mortality accurately, leading to optimal risk stratification of patients with AHF.

Age-dependent associations of body mass index with myocardial infarction, heart failure, and mortality in over 9 million Koreans

BACKGROUND

While obesity is a well-known cardiovascular risk factor, little is known whether age has a modifying effect.

AIM

To determine the age-dependent associations of BMI with cardiovascular outcomes.

METHODS

A population-based cohort of 9,278,433 Koreans without prior cardiovascular disease were followed up for the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure (HF), and all-cause death. The effect of BMI with optimal normal weight (18.5-22.9 kg/m2) as reference was analyzed according to age groups [young (20-39 years), middle-aged (40-64 years), and elderly (≥65 years)] and age decades.

RESULTS

During 8.2 years, MI, HF, and all-cause death occurred in 65,607 (0.71%), 131,903 (1.42%), and 306,065 (3.30%), respectively. Associations between BMI and all outcomes were significantly modified by age (p-for-interaction < 0.001). There was a proportional increase in incident MI according to BMI in young subjects; this relationship became U-shaped in middle-aged subjects, and inversely proportional/plateauing in elderly subjects. A U-shaped relationship between BMI and incident HF was observed, but the impact of obesity was stronger in young subjects while the impact of underweight was stronger in middle-aged and elderly subjects. Meanwhile, lower BMI was associated with higher all-cause mortality in all ages, although this association was attenuated at young age, and pre-obesity was associated with the greatest survival benefit. These associations were independent of sex, smoking, physical activity, and comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of BMI on cardiovascular risk differs according to age. Weight loss may be recommended for younger overweight subjects, while being mildly overweight may be beneficial at old age.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care in a Tertiary Hospital in Korea: Possible Collateral Damage to Emergency Care

Objectives

We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care in a tertiary hospital of South Korea without the specific lockdown measures.

Methods

A retrospective cohort of cancer patients from one of the largest tertiary hospitals in South Korea was used to compare the healthcare utilization in different settings (outpatient clinic, emergency department (ED), and admission) between the period of January 1 and December 31, 2020 and the same time period in 2019. The percent changes in healthcare utilization between two periods were calculated.

Results

A total of 448,833 cases from the outpatient cohort, 26,781 cases from the ED cohort, and 14,513 cases from the admission cohort were reviewed for 2019 and 2020. The total number of ED visit cases significantly decreased in 2020 than in 2019 by 18.04%, whereas the proportion of cancer patients maintained. The reduction in ED visits was more prominent in cases with COVID-19 suspicious symptoms, with high acuity, and those who lived in non-capital city area. There were no significant changes in the number of total visits and new cases in the outpatient clinic between two periods. No significant differences in the total number of hospitalizations were observed between two periods.

Conclusion

During the pandemic, the number of ED visits significantly decreased, while the use of outpatient clinic and hospitalizations were not affected. Cancer patients' ED visits decreased after the COVID-19 outbreak, suggesting the potential for collateral damage outside the hospital if the ED could not be reached in a timely manner.

U-Shaped Associations Between Body Weight Changes and Major Cardiovascular Events in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Follow-up Study of a Nationwide Cohort of Over 1.5 Million

OBJECTIVE

Despite the benefits of weight loss on metabolic profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), its association with myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke (IS), atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), and all-cause death remains elusive.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Using the National Health Insurance Service Database, we screened subjects who underwent general health checkups twice in a 2-year interval between 2009 and 2012. After identifying 1,522,241 patients with T2DM without a previous history of MI, IS, AF, and HF, we followed them until December 2018. Patients were stratified according to the magnitude of weight changes between two general health checkups: ≤ -10%, -10 to ≤ -5%, -5 to ≤5%, 5 to ≤10%, and >10%.

RESULTS

During the follow-up (median 7.0 years), 32,106 cases of MI, 44,406 cases of IS, 34,953 cases of AF, 68,745 cases of HF, and 84,635 all-cause deaths occurred. Patients with weight changes of -5 to ≤5% showed the lowest risk of each cardiovascular event. Both directions of weight change were associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. Stepwise increases in the risks of MI, IS, AF, HF, and all-cause death were noted with progressive weight gain (all P < 0.0001). Similarly, the more weight loss occurred, the higher the cardiovascular risks observed (all P < 0.0001). The U-shaped associations were consistently observed in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Explorative subgroup analyses also consistently showed a U-shaped association.

CONCLUSIONS

Both weight loss and gain >5% within a 2-year interval were associated with an increased risk of major cardiovascular events in patients with T2DM.

Left Atrial Reservoir Strain-Based Left Ventricular Diastolic Function Grading and Incident Heart Failure in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND

The echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is complex and not well-established. We investigated whether the left atrial reservoir strain (LARS) could be used to categorize LVDD and whether this grading is predictive of heart failure (HF) events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

METHODS

A total of 414 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (aged 58.3±12.8 years; 65.7% male) were categorized using LARS-defined LVDD (LARS-DD) grades: ≥35% (grade 0), ≥24% to <35%, ≥19% to <24%, and <19% (grade 3). Patients were followed for a median of 6.9 years to assess hospitalization for HF or HF-related death.

RESULTS

An increase in LARS-DD grade was associated with worse conventional echocardiographic parameters of LVDD, such as lower e', higher E/e' ratio, greater maximum tricuspid regurgitation velocity, and restrictive mitral inflow pattern. Higher LARS-DD grade was also associated with parameters reflecting increased LV filling pressure, such as greater LV wall thickness, greater extent of fibrosis, obstructive physiology, and decreased LV longitudinal strain. Furthermore, higher LARS-DD grade was associated with worse HF-free survival (log-rank P<0.001). Patients with LARS-DD grades 0, 1, 2, and 3 showed 10-year HF-free survival of 100%, 91.6%, 84.1%, and 67.5%, respectively. LARS-DD grade was an independent predictor of HF events after adjusting for clinical and echocardiographic variables (hazard ratio, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.03-2.28], per 1-grade increase). The LARS-DD grade also had incremental prognostic value for incident HF events over the traditional echocardiographic LVDD parameters and grading system. The prognostic value of advanced LARS-DD grade was consistent in sensitivity analyses and various patient subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

LARS can be used as a simple single or supplemental index to categorize LV diastolic function and predict HF events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Impact of diabetes mellitus on the outcomes of subjects with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A nationwide cohort study

AIMS

Diabetes mellitus (DM) often coexists in elderly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients; however, its impact on clinical outcomes is unclear.

METHODS

We compared clinical outcomes according to the presence of DM in a nationwide HCM cohort.

RESULTS

In 9,883 HCM subjects (mean age 58.5 ± 13.1, men 71.7%), 1,327 (13.4%) had DM. During follow-up (mean 5.9 ± 2.5 years), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) progression, coronary events (myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization), heart failure (HF), cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality occurred in 80 (0.8%), 365 (3.7%), 1,558 (15.8%), 354 (3.6%), and 877 (8.9%) subjects, respectively. DM HCM subjects had significantly higher risks of ESRD progression (HR 3.49, 95% CI 2.20-5.54) and HF (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.01-1.32) compared to non-DM HCM subjects, independent of age, sex, ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and other comorbidities. There was a tendency for greater risk of ESRD progression, HF, and all-cause death in subjects with more advanced stage of DM (p-for-trend < 0.05 for all). Insulin-treated DM was associated with the highest risk.

CONCLUSIONS

DM HCM subjects have higher risk of ESRD progression and HF. Considering the extended life expectancy of HCM and increasing number of elderly HCM subjects, active surveillance and management of DM-related outcomes should be highlighted.

Emergency department utilization in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a nationwide population-based study

Despite the increasing burden of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) on healthcare resources, data on emergency department (ED) utilization in HCM are lacking. This nationwide population-based study extracted 14,542 HCM patients from the National Health Insurance Service database between 2015–2016, and investigated their ED utilization during a one-year period. The reason for ED utilization was defined as the primary diagnosis upon discharge from EDs. The clinical outcome was defined as hospitalization or all-cause mortality within 90 days after the ED visits. A total of 3209 (22.1%) HCM patients visited EDs within a one-year period (mean age, 66.8 ± 13.8 years; male, 57.4%). The majority (71.1%) of HCM patients who visited the EDs were aged ≥ 60 years. The ED utilization rate was higher in women than in men (26.3% versus 19.7%, P < 0.001). Cardiovascular diseases were the most common reason for ED visits (n = 1333, 41.5%). Among HCM patients who visited EDs, 1195 (37.2%) were hospitalized, and 231 (7.2%) died within 90 days. ED visits for cardiovascular disease was associated with a higher 90-day all-cause mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 2.72; 95% confidence interval 1.79–4.12). These findings would serve as a basis for future research to establish medical policies on ED utilization in HCM.

Genetic Determinants of Visit-to-Visit Lipid Variability: Genome-Wide Association Study in Statin-Naïve Korean Population

Background and Aim

There is a growing evidence that fluctuation in lipid profiles is important in cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants associated with low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) variability in statin-naïve Korean subjects and evaluate their associations with coronary atherosclerosis.

Methods

In statin-naïve subjects from Gene-Environment of Interaction and phenotype cohort, we performed genome-wide association studies of lipid variability; the discovery (first) and replication (second) sets included 4,287 and 1,086 subjects, respectively. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and degree of coronary artery stenosis were used as outcome measures. Cholesterol variability was determined by standard deviation and average successive variability, and significant coronary atherosclerosis was defined as CAC score ≥400 or coronary stenosis ≥70%.

Results

Mean HDL-C and LDL-C level were 54 ± 12 and 123 ± 30 mg/dL in the first set and 53 ± 12 and 126 ± 29 mg/dL in the second set. APOA5 rs662799 and APOA5 rs2266788 were associated with LDL-C variability and PXDNL rs80056520, ALDH2 rs671, HECTD4 rs2074356, and CETP rs2303790 were SNPs associated for HDL-C variability. APOA5 rs662799 passed Bonferroni correction with p-value of 1.789 × 10⁻⁹. Among the SNPs associated with cholesterol variability, rs80056520 and rs2266788 variants were associated with CACS ≥400 and coronary stenosis ≥70% and rs662799 variant was associated with coronary stenosis ≥70%.

Conclusion

Two SNPs associated with LDL-C variability (APOA5 rs662799 and rs2266788) and one SNP associated with HDL-C variability (PXDNL rs80056520) were significantly associated with advanced coronary artery stenosis. Combining GWAS results with imaging parameters, our study may provide a deeper understanding of underlying pathogenic basis of the link between lipid variability and coronary atherosclerosis.

Myocardial strain to identify benefit from beta-blockers in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Aims

Not all patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) benefit equally from beta‐blockers. Previous studies suggest that myocardial strain that reflects myocardial deformation may have a better prognostic value than the left ventricular ejection fraction. We aimed to evaluate the differential effect of beta‐blockers according to the global longitudinal strain (GLS) in patients with HFrEF.

Methods and results

Of the 4312 patients in the Strain for Risk Assessment and Therapeutic Strategies in Patients with Acute Heart Failure registry, we included 2126 HFrEF patients whose data on beta‐blocker use and GLS were available. Patients were categorized into two groups: one group of patients had GLS ≥ 10%, and the other group had GLS < 10%. The primary outcome was 5 year all‐cause mortality according to beta‐blocker use. Of the 2126 patients with HFrEF, 526 (24.7%) and 1600 (75.3%) patients had GLS ≥ 10% and <10%, respectively. Overall, 1399 patients (65.8%) received beta‐blockers, and 864 (40.6%) patients died during the 5 year follow‐up. Beta‐blocker use was associated with improved survival in patients with GLS < 10% in both the inverse probability treatment‐weighted (hazard ratio 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.59–0.83, P < 0.001) and Cox regression analyses (hazard ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.59–0.81; P < 0.001). However, beta‐blocker use was not associated with better survival in patients with GLS ≥ 10% in the inverse probability treatment‐weighted and Cox regression analyses (both P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Beta‐blocker use appears to be associated with improved survival in patients with HFrEF and GLS < 10%, but this is not the case in patients with GLS ≥ 10%. Therefore, GLS may be used to identify patients who have attenuated benefits from beta‐blockers in HFrEF.

Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03513653 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03513653).

Feasibility of the contraction-relaxation coupling index in outcome prediction for patients with acute heart failure

AIMS

Contemporary heart failure (HF) classification based on left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction is limited for comprehensive assessment of LV function. We aimed to validate the feasibility of the contraction-relaxation coupling index (CRC) as a novel predictor for clinical outcomes in patients with acute HF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 3266 consecutive patients (median age: 74 years, 53% male) with acute HF were included. CRC was defined as the ratio of end-diastolic elastance (LV end-diastolic pressure/stroke volume) to end-systolic elastance (LV end-systolic pressure/end-systolic volume). The risk for 1 year composite endpoint of all-cause mortality or hospitalization for HF (primary outcome) was compared after group categorization using CRC tertiles (Tertile 1: CRC ≤ 0.17, Tertile 2: 0.17 < CRC ≤ 0.40, and Tertile 3: 0.40 < CRC). The median CRC was 0.3 and the median LVEF was 42%. After adjustment for clinical and echocardiographic covariates, CRC was an independent predictor for the primary outcome (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47-2.07 in Tertile 3 and HR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.02-1.44 in Tertile 2 when compared with Tertile 1; HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.14-1.33 per one-standard deviation increment in CRC). The risk model with CRC showed better performance in outcome discrimination than the model with LVEF (c-statistic 0.701 vs. 0.699, P for difference <0.001). Patients with higher CRC demonstrated better effectiveness of neurohormonal blockade for the primary outcome compared with those with lower CRC (HR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.29-0.50 in Tertile 3 and HR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.52-0.89 in Tertile 1).

CONCLUSIONS

CRC provides an independent value for outcome prediction in patients with acute HF. CRC would be a sensitive indicator for prognostic risk stratification and for predicting treatment response to the neurohormonal blockade.

Clinical impact of guideline-based practice and patients' adherence in uncontrolled hypertension

Background

Chronic diseases like hypertension need comprehensive lifetime management. This study assessed clinical and patient-reported outcomes and compared them by treatment patterns and adherence at 6 months among uncontrolled hypertensive patients in Korea.

Methods

This prospective, observational study was conducted at 16 major hospitals where uncontrolled hypertensive patients receiving anti-hypertension medications (systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg) were enrolled during 2015 to 2016 and studied for the following 6 months. A review of medical records was performed to collect data on treatment patterns to determine the presence of guideline-based practice (GBP). GBP was defined as: (1) maximize first medication before adding second or (2) add second medication before reaching maximum dose of first medication. Patient self-administered questionnaires were utilized to examine medication adherence, treatment satisfaction and quality of life (QoL).

Results

A total of 600 patients were included in the study. Overall, 23% of patients were treated based on GBP at 3 months, and the GBP rate increased to 61.4% at 6 months. At baseline and 6 months, 36.7 and 49.2% of patients, respectively, were medication adherent. The proportion of blood pressure-controlled patients reached 65.5% at 6 months. A higher blood pressure control rate was present in patients who were on GBP and also showed adherence than those on GBP, but not adherent, or non-GBP patients (76.8% vs. 70.9% vs. 54.2%, P < 0.001). The same outcomes were found for treatment satisfaction and QoL (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the importance of physicians’ compliance with GBP and patients’ adherence to hypertensive medications. GBP compliance and medication adherence should be taken into account when setting therapeutic strategies for better outcomes in uncontrolled hypertensive patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40885-021-00183-1.

Impact of atrial fibrillation on the progression and outcomes of isolated mild functional tricuspid regurgitation

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasingly recognized as a cause of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in the structurally normal tricuspid valve. However, there are limited data regarding the impact of AF on TR progression and its long-term cardiovascular outcomes.

Purpose

We aimed to investigate the association of AF with the significant TR progression and its impact on clinical outcomes among patients with isolated mild functional TR.

Methods

We studied 834 patients with mild function TR identified on the echocardiography between 2007 and 2019, whose follow-up echocardiography beyond 1-year was available. Major exclusion criteria were the overt causes of primary and secondary TR (i.e., concomitant left-sided heart disease). Primary endpoint was the significant TR progression to more than a moderate degree on the follow-up echocardiography. Composite cardiac event was defined as cardiovascular death, TR surgery, and heart failure admission due to TR.

Results

Of 834 patients with isolated mild functional TR (mean age 65.6 years, 41% men), 292 (35.0%) patients had AF at the baseline. Patients with AF were older and had larger left atrium compared to those without. During the median of 4.55 years follow-up (interquartile interval 2.56–7.24 years), 36 patients developed a significant TR ≥ moderate degree. The cumulative rate of TR progression was significantly higher in patients with AF than those without (11.3% versus 0.6%, P&lt;0.001) (Figure 1). Multivariable Cox analyses showed that AF was associated with a 3-fold higher risk of TR progression (adjusted hazard ratio 3.50, 95% confidence interval 1.42–8.65). Regarding the cardiovascular outcomes, patients who developed significant TR had a higher rate of composite cardiac events compared to those who did not (cardiac events: 38.9% versus 6.3% P&lt;0.001) (Figure 2).

Conclusions

AF is a strong risk factor for TR progression among patients with isolated mild functional TR. In addition, the development of significant TR is associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes. These findings highlight the important pathophysiology of AF on TR development and its clinical consequences.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Determinants of the survival benefit associated with statins in patients with acute heart failure

Aims

The benefit of statins in patients with heart failure (HF) remains controversial and the mechanism of action is largely speculative. We investigated the determinants of the survival benefit associated with statins in HF patients.

Methods and results

We enrolled 1680 acute HF patients receiving statins and 2157 patients not receiving statins admitted between 2009 and 2016. The left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) was assessed as a measure of myocardial contractility. The primary outcome was 5 year all‐cause mortality. Statin therapy was independently associated with improved survival in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.781, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.621–0.981, P = 0.034], but not in those with HF with reduced EF (HFrEF) (adjusted HR 0.881, 95% CI 0.712–1.090, P = 0.244). Mortality reduction associated with statin therapy was significant in patients with ischaemic HF (adjusted HR 0.775, 95% CI 0.607–0.989, P = 0.040), but not in those with non‐ischaemic HF (adjusted HR 0.895, 95% CI 0.734–1.092, P = 0.275). The relative magnitude of survival benefit with statin therapy increased as LV‐EF and LV‐GLS increased, with a steeper dose–response relationship in patients with ischaemic HF. In the subgroup of patients with ischaemic HF, survival benefit with statin therapy was confined to those ≤75 years of age.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that the survival benefit of statins is confined to patients with HFpEF and those with ischaemic HF. Myocardial contractility may modulate the prognostic effects of statins in HF patients, particularly when the aetiology is ischaemic rather than non‐ischaemic.

Supplementary role of left ventricular global longitudinal strain for predicting sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

AIMS

We investigated the prognostic role of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) and its incremental value to established risk models for predicting sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

METHODS AND RESULTS

LV-GLS was measured with vendor-independent software at a core laboratory in a cohort of 835 patients with HCM (aged 56.3 ± 12.2 years) followed-up for a median of 6.4 years. The primary endpoint was SCD events, including appropriate defibrillator therapy, within 5 years after the initial evaluation. The secondary endpoint was a composite of SCD events, heart failure admission, heart transplantation, and all-cause mortality. Twenty (2.4%) and 85 (10.2%) patients experienced the primary and secondary endpoints, respectively. Lower absolute LV-GLS quartiles, especially those worse than the median (-15.0%), were associated with progressively higher SCD event rates (P = 0.004). LV-GLS was associated with an increased risk for the primary endpoint, independent of the LV ejection fraction, apical aneurysm, and 2014 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) risk score [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.28] or 2011 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) risk factors (aHR 1.18, 95% CI 1.05-1.32). LV-GLS was also associated with a higher risk for the composite secondary endpoint (aHR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.12). The addition of LV-GLS enhanced the performance of the ESC risk score (C-statistic 0.756 vs. 0.842, P = 0.007) and the 2011 ACC/AHA risk factor strategy (C-statistic 0.743 vs. 0.814, P = 0.007) for predicting SCD.

CONCLUSION

LV-GLS is an important prognosticator in patients with HCM and provides additional information to established risk stratification strategies for predicting SCD.

Erratum: Correction of Text and Table in the Article "Establishing a Patient-centered Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship: Early Results from a Single Institution"

This corrects the article on p. e419 in vol. 35, PMID: 33372421.

Usefulness of Relative Handgrip Strength as a Simple Indicator of Cardiovascular Risk in Middle-Aged Koreans

BACKGROUND

Reduced muscular strength, measured by handgrip strength, has been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. However, the prognostic significance of handgrip strength has been less well-studied in the middle-aged Korean population. This study determined whether handgrip strength predicted 10-year CVD risk in this population and whether there is a sex-specific difference.

METHODS

The data were derived from the 2015 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that included total of 2776 participants aged 40-69 years without prior history of CVD (men: 1184; women: 1592). Isometric relative handgrip strength was calculated by dividing absolute handgrip strength by body mass index. Participants were classified into three groups by their 10-year Framingham cardiovascular risk score: low (<10%), intermediate (10-19%), and high (≥20%).

RESULTS

In men, relative handgrip strength was higher in the absence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes compared with in the presence of these CVD risk factors. In women, a higher relative handgrip strength was observed in the absence of hypertension and dyslipidemia but not in the absence of diabetes compared with their counterparts. Advanced age was inversely associated with relative handgrip strength for both sexes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that an increased relative handgrip strength was a significant and independent predictor of low 10-year CVD risk among middle-aged women (odds ratio range 0.09-0.49, p < 0.001), but not among men.

CONCLUSIONS

Handgrip strength is a simple and effective screening tool for risk stratification for CVD in middle-aged Korean women.