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Shahnazaryan S, Pepoyan S, Sisakian H. Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: The Role of Cardiovascular and Lung Ultrasound beyond Ejection Fraction. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2553. [PMID: 37568916 PMCID: PMC10416843 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13152553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is considered a major health care problem with frequent decompensations, high hospitalization and mortality rates. In severe heart failure (HF), the symptoms are refractory to medical treatment and require advanced therapeutic strategies. Early recognition of HF sub- and decompensation is the cornerstone of the timely treatment intensification and, therefore, improvement in the prognosis. Echocardiography is the gold standard for the assessment of systolic and diastolic functions. It allows one to obtain accurate and non-invasive measurements of the ventricular function in HF. In severely compromised HF patients, advanced cardiovascular ultrasound modalities may provide a better assessment of intracardiac hemodynamic changes and subclinical congestion. Particularly, cardiovascular and lung ultrasound allow us to make a more accurate diagnosis of subclinical congestion in HFrEF. The aim of this review was to summarize the advantages and limitations of the currently available ultrasound modalities in the ambulatory monitoring of patients with HFrEF.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hamayak Sisakian
- Clinic of General and Invasive Cardiology, “Heratsi” Hospital Complex #1, Yerevan State Medical University, 2 Koryun Street, Yerevan 375025, Armenia; (S.S.); (S.P.)
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Mebazaa A, Davison B, Chioncel O, Cohen-Solal A, Diaz R, Filippatos G, Metra M, Ponikowski P, Sliwa K, Voors AA, Edwards C, Novosadova M, Takagi K, Damasceno A, Saidu H, Gayat E, Pang PS, Celutkiene J, Cotter G. Safety, tolerability and efficacy of up-titration of guideline-directed medical therapies for acute heart failure (STRONG-HF): a multinational, open-label, randomised, trial. Lancet 2022; 400:1938-1952. [PMID: 36356631 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(22)02076-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 239] [Impact Index Per Article: 119.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a paucity of evidence for dose and pace of up-titration of guideline-directed medical therapies after admission to hospital for acute heart failure. METHODS In this multinational, open-label, randomised, parallel-group trial (STRONG-HF), patients aged 18-85 years admitted to hospital with acute heart failure, not treated with full doses of guideline-directed drug treatment, were recruited from 87 hospitals in 14 countries. Before discharge, eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1), stratified by left ventricular ejection fraction (≤40% vs >40%) and country, with blocks of size 30 within strata and randomly ordered sub-blocks of 2, 4, and 6, to either usual care or high-intensity care. Usual care followed usual local practice, and high-intensity care involved the up-titration of treatments to 100% of recommended doses within 2 weeks of discharge and four scheduled outpatient visits over the 2 months after discharge that closely monitored clinical status, laboratory values, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations. The primary endpoint was 180-day readmission to hospital due to heart failure or all-cause death. Efficacy and safety were assessed in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population (ie, all patients validly randomly assigned to treatment). The primary endpoint was assessed in all patients enrolled at hospitals that followed up patients to day 180. Because of a protocol amendment to the primary endpoint, the results of patients enrolled on or before this amendment were down-weighted. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03412201, and is now complete. FINDINGS Between May 10, 2018, and Sept 23, 2022, 1641 patients were screened and 1078 were successfully randomly assigned to high-intensity care (n=542) or usual care (n=536; ITT population). Mean age was 63·0 years (SD 13·6), 416 (39%) of 1078 patients were female, 662 (61%) were male, 832 (77%) were White or Caucasian, 230 (21%) were Black, 12 (1%) were other races, one (<1%) was Native American, and one (<1%) was Pacific Islander (two [<1%] had missing data on race). The study was stopped early per the data and safety monitoring board's recommendation because of greater than expected between-group differences. As of data cutoff (Oct 13, 2022), by day 90, a higher proportion of patients in the high-intensity care group had been up-titrated to full doses of prescribed drugs (renin-angiotensin blockers 278 [55%] of 505 vs 11 [2%] of 497; β blockers 249 [49%] vs 20 [4%]; and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists 423 [84%] vs 231 [46%]). By day 90, blood pressure, pulse, New York Heart Association class, bodyweight, and NT-proBNP concentration had decreased more in the high-intensity care group than in the usual care group. Heart failure readmission or all-cause death up to day 180 occurred in 74 (15·2% down-weighted adjusted Kaplan-Meier estimate) of 506 patients in the high-intensity care group and 109 (23·3%) of 502 patients in the usual care group (adjusted risk difference 8·1% [95% CI 2·9-13·2]; p=0·0021; risk ratio 0·66 [95% CI 0·50-0·86]). More adverse events by 90 days occurred in the high-intensity care group (223 [41%] of 542) than in the usual care group (158 [29%] of 536) but similar incidences of serious adverse events (88 [16%] vs 92 [17%]) and fatal adverse events (25 [5%] vs 32 [6%]) were reported in each group. INTERPRETATION An intensive treatment strategy of rapid up-titration of guideline-directed medication and close follow-up after an acute heart failure admission was readily accepted by patients because it reduced symptoms, improved quality of life, and reduced the risk of 180-day all-cause death or heart failure readmission compared with usual care. FUNDING Roche Diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Mebazaa
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM UMR-S 942 (MASCOT), Paris, France; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and Burn Unit, Saint-Louis and Lariboisière Hospitals, FHU PROMICE, DMU Parabol, APHP Nord, Paris, France.
| | - Beth Davison
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM UMR-S 942 (MASCOT), Paris, France; Momentum Research, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ovidiu Chioncel
- Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases "Prof C C Iliescu", University of Medicine "Carol Davila", Bucharest, Romania
| | - Alain Cohen-Solal
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM UMR-S 942 (MASCOT), Paris, France; APHP Nord, Department of Cardiology, Lariboisière University Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Rafael Diaz
- Estudios Clínicos Latinoamérica, Instituto Cardiovascular de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Gerasimos Filippatos
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Marco Metra
- Cardiology, ASST Spedali Civili, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Piotr Ponikowski
- Department of Heart Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Karen Sliwa
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Adriaan A Voors
- Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | - Hadiza Saidu
- Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Bayero University Kano, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Etienne Gayat
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM UMR-S 942 (MASCOT), Paris, France; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and Burn Unit, Saint-Louis and Lariboisière Hospitals, FHU PROMICE, DMU Parabol, APHP Nord, Paris, France
| | - Peter S Pang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jelena Celutkiene
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Gad Cotter
- Université Paris Cité, INSERM UMR-S 942 (MASCOT), Paris, France; Momentum Research, Durham, NC, USA
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Juknevičienė R, Simonavičius J, Mikalauskas A, Čerlinskaitė-Bajorė K, Arrigo M, Juknevičius V, Alitoit-Marrote I, Kablučko D, Bagdonaitė L, Vitkus D, Balčiūnas M, Zuozienė G, Barysienė J, Žaliaduonytė D, Stašaitis K, Kavoliūnienė A, Mebazaa A, Čelutkienė J. Soluble CD146 in the detection and grading of intravascular and tissue congestion in patients with acute dyspnoea: analysis of the prospective observational Lithuanian Echocardiography Study of Dyspnoea in Acute Settings (LEDA) cohort. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e061611. [PMID: 36581965 PMCID: PMC9438196 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the potential of soluble cluster of differentiation 146 (sCD146) in the detection and grading of congestion in patients with acute dyspnoea. DESIGN Subanalysis of the prospective observational Lithuanian Echocardiography Study of Dyspnoea in Acute Settings (LEDA) cohort. SETTING Two Lithuanian university centres. PARTICIPANTS Adult patients with acute dyspnoea admitted to the emergency department. METHODS Congestion was assessed using clinical and sonographic parameters. All patients underwent sCD146 and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) testing. RESULTS The median value of sCD146 concentration in the study cohort (n=437) was 405 (IQR 315-509) ng/mL. sCD146 was higher in patients with peripheral oedema than in those without (median (IQR) 472 (373-535) vs 400 (304-501) ng/mL, p=0.009) and with pulmonary rales than in those without (439 (335-528) vs 394 (296-484) ng/mL, p=0.001). We found a parallel increase of estimated right atrial pressure (eRAP) and sCD146 concentration: sCD146 was 337 (300-425), 404 (290-489) and 477 (363-572) ng/mL in patients with normal, moderately elevated and high eRAP, respectively (p=0.001). In patients with low NT-proBNP, high sCD146 distinguished a subgroup with a higher prevalence of oedema as compared with patients with low levels of both biomarkers (76.0% vs 41.0%, p=0.010). Moreover, high sCD146 indicated a higher prevalence of elevated eRAP, irrespective of NT-proBNP concentration (p<0.05). CONCLUSION sCD146 concentration reflects the degree of intravascular and tissue congestion assessed by clinical and echocardiographic indices, with this association maintained in patients with low NT-proBNP. Our data support the notion that NT-proBNP might represent heart stretch while sCD146 rather represents peripheral venous congestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Juknevičienė
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Centre of Emergency Medicine, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Justas Simonavičius
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Department of Cardiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Aurimas Mikalauskas
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Kamilė Čerlinskaitė-Bajorė
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Assistance Publique des Hopitaux de Paris, Paris, France
- Cardiovascular Markers in Stress Conditions (MASCOT), Inserm UMR-S 942, Paris, France
| | - Mattia Arrigo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Triemli Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Vytautas Juknevičius
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Irina Alitoit-Marrote
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Denis Kablučko
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Loreta Bagdonaitė
- Institute of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Centre of Laboratory Medicine, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Dalius Vitkus
- Institute of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Centre of Laboratory Medicine, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Mindaugas Balčiūnas
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Gitana Zuozienė
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Jūratė Barysienė
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Diana Žaliaduonytė
- Department of Cardiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Kęstutis Stašaitis
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Aušra Kavoliūnienė
- Department of Cardiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Alexandre Mebazaa
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Assistance Publique des Hopitaux de Paris, Paris, France
- Cardiovascular Markers in Stress Conditions (MASCOT), Inserm UMR-S 942, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Jelena Čelutkienė
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Centre for Innovative Medicine, State Research Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Biologically Active Adrenomedullin (bio-ADM) is of Potential Value in Identifying Congestion and Selecting Patients for Neurohormonal Blockade in Acute Dyspnea. Am J Med 2022; 135:e165-e181. [PMID: 35245495 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study was designed to evaluate the role of biologically active adrenomedullin (bio-ADM) in congestion assessment and risk stratification in acute dyspnea. METHODS This is a sub-analysis of the Lithuanian Echocardiography Study of Dyspnea in Acute Settings. Congestion was assessed by means of clinical (peripheral edema, rales) and sonographic (estimated right atrial pressure) parameters. Ninety-day mortality was chosen for outcome analysis. RESULTS There were 1188 patients included. Bio-ADM concentration was higher in patients with peripheral edema at admission (48.2 [28.2-92.6] vs 35.4 [20.9-59.2] ng/L, P < .001). There was a stepwise increase in bio-ADM concentration with increasing prevalence of rales: 29.8 [18.8-51.1], 38.5 [27.5-67.1], and 51.1 [33.1-103.2] ng/L in patients with no rales, rales covering less than one-half, and greater than or equal to one-half of the pulmonary area, respectively (P < 0.001). Bio-ADM concentration demonstrated gradual elevation in patients with normal, moderately, and severely increased estimated right atrial pressure: 25.1 [17.6-42.4] ng/L, 36.1 [23.1-50.2], and 47.1 [30.7-86.7] ng/L, respectively (P < .05). Patients with bio-ADM concentration >35.5 ng/L were at more than twofold increased risk of dying (P < .001). Survival in those with high bio-ADM was significantly modified by neurohormonal blockade at admission (P < .05), especially if NT-proBNP levels were lower than the median (P = .002 for interaction). CONCLUSION Bio-ADM reflects the presence and the degree of pulmonary, peripheral, and intravascular volume overload and is strongly related to 90-day mortality in acute dyspnea. Patients with high bio-ADM levels demonstrated survival benefit from neurohormonal blockade.
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Čerlinskaitė K, Mebazaa A, Cinotti R, Matthay M, Wussler DN, Gayat E, Juknevičius V, Kozhuharov N, Dinort J, Michou E, Gualandro DM, Palevičiūtė E, Alitoit-Marrote I, Kablučko D, Bagdonaitė L, Balčiūnas M, Vaičiulienė D, Jonauskienė I, Motiejūnaitė J, Stašaitis K, Kukulskis A, Damalakas Š, Laucevičius A, Mueller C, Kavoliūnienė A, Čelutkienė J. Readmission following both cardiac and non-cardiac acute dyspnoea is associated with a striking risk of death. ESC Heart Fail 2021; 8:2473-2484. [PMID: 34110099 PMCID: PMC8318470 DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.13369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims Readmission and mortality are the most common and often combined endpoints in acute heart failure (AHF) trials, but an association between these two outcomes is poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to determine whether unplanned readmission is associated with a greater subsequent risk of death in patients with acute dyspnoea due to cardiac and non‐cardiac causes. Methods and results Derivation cohort (1371 patients from the LEDA study) and validation cohort (1986 patients from the BASEL V study) included acute dyspnoea patients admitted to the emergency department. Cox regression analysis was used to determine the association of 6 month readmission and the risk of 1 year all‐cause mortality in AHF and non‐AHF patients and those readmitted due to cardiovascular and non‐cardiovascular causes. In the derivation cohort, 666 (49%) of patients were readmitted at 6 months and 282 (21%) died within 1 year. Six month readmission was associated with an increased 1 year mortality risk in both the derivation cohort [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 3.0 (95% confidence interval, CI 2.2–4.0), P < 0.001] and the validation cohort (aHR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4–2.2, P < 0.001). The significant association was similarly observed in AHF (aHR 3.2, 95% CI 2.1–4.9, P < 0.001) and other causes of acute dyspnoea (aHR 2.9, 95% CI 1.9–4.5, P < 0.001), and it did not depend on the aetiology [aHR 2.2, 95% CI 1.6–3.1 for cardiovascular readmissions; aHR 4.1, 95% CI 2.9–5.7 for non‐cardiovascular readmissions (P < 0.001 for both)] or timing of readmission. Conclusions Our study demonstrated a long‐lasting detrimental association between readmission and death in AHF and non‐AHF patients with acute dyspnoea. These patients should be considered ‘vulnerable patients’ that require personalized follow‐up for an extended period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamilė Čerlinskaitė
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.,Inserm UMR-S 942, Cardiovascular Markers in Stress Conditions (MASCOT), Paris, France.,Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Hôpitaux Universitaires Saint Louis-Lariboisière, Assistance Publique des Hopitaux de Paris, 2 Rue Ambroise Paré, Paris, 75010, France
| | - Alexandre Mebazaa
- Inserm UMR-S 942, Cardiovascular Markers in Stress Conditions (MASCOT), Paris, France.,Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Hôpitaux Universitaires Saint Louis-Lariboisière, Assistance Publique des Hopitaux de Paris, 2 Rue Ambroise Paré, Paris, 75010, France.,Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Raphaël Cinotti
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Hôpital Laennec, University Hospital of Nantes, Saint-Herblain, France
| | - Michael Matthay
- Department of Medicine and Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Desiree N Wussler
- Cardiology Department and Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel (CRIB), University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Etienne Gayat
- Inserm UMR-S 942, Cardiovascular Markers in Stress Conditions (MASCOT), Paris, France.,Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Hôpitaux Universitaires Saint Louis-Lariboisière, Assistance Publique des Hopitaux de Paris, 2 Rue Ambroise Paré, Paris, 75010, France.,Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Vytautas Juknevičius
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.,Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Nikola Kozhuharov
- Cardiology Department and Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel (CRIB), University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julia Dinort
- Cardiology Department and Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel (CRIB), University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eleni Michou
- Cardiology Department and Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel (CRIB), University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Danielle M Gualandro
- Cardiology Department and Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel (CRIB), University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eglė Palevičiūtė
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.,Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Irina Alitoit-Marrote
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Denis Kablučko
- Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Loreta Bagdonaitė
- Institute of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.,Centre of Laboratory Medicine, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Mindaugas Balčiūnas
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.,Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Aleksandras Laucevičius
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Christian Mueller
- Cardiology Department and Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel (CRIB), University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Jelena Čelutkienė
- Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.,Centre of Cardiology and Angiology, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Vilnius, Lithuania
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