Impact of atrial fibrillation in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Insights of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's National Inpatient Sample

Utilization of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Patients With Heart Transplant (from National Inpatient Sample Database)

Heart transplant (HT) recipients represent a unique and vulnerable population in whom medium and long-term outcomes are significantly affected by the risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in this population remains debated. A retrospective analysis of the National Inpatient Sample data between 2009 and 2018 was conducted. Hospitalization data on patients who underwent HT, or who had a preexisting HT, and who received a new ICD were included (excluding the preexisting ICD). Outcomes assessed included inpatient mortality, length of stay, and inflation-adjusted costs. We explored temporal trends in ICD placement and mean length of stay, and predictors of ICD placement. Between 2009 and 2018, 22,673 hospitalizations were recorded for HT, during which patients either received a concurrent new ICD placement (n = 70 [0.31%]) or no new ICD placement (n = 22,603 [99.7%]). During the same period, 146,555 admissions were recorded in patients with a history of HT. ICD placement in patients with a preexisting HT was associated with significantly higher inflation-adjusted costs ($55,680.7 vs $17,219.2; p <0.001). Predictors of ICD placement in preexisting patients with HT included cardiac arrest during hospitalization (odds ratio [OR]:14.3 [3.5 to 58.6]), drug abuse (OR:6.0 [1.3 to 27.1]), and previous PCI (OR:6.0 [2.1 to 17.3]). In conclusion, ICD placement in patients with HT history was associated with significantly higher inflation-adjusted costs. In patients with HT history, factors predicting ICD placement included cardiac arrest at hospitalization, previous PCI, and drug abuse.

Big Data in Nephrology

A huge array of data in nephrology is collected through patient registries, large epidemiological studies, electronic health records, administrative claims, clinical trial repositories, mobile health devices and molecular databases. Application of these big data, particularly using machine-learning algorithms, provides a unique opportunity to obtain novel insights into kidney diseases, facilitate personalized medicine and improve patient care. Efforts to make large volumes of data freely accessible to the scientific community, increased awareness of the importance of data sharing and the availability of advanced computing algorithms will facilitate the use of big data in nephrology. However, challenges exist in accessing, harmonizing and integrating datasets in different formats from disparate sources, improving data quality and ensuring that data are secure and the rights and privacy of patients and research participants are protected. In addition, the optimism for data-driven breakthroughs in medicine is tempered by scepticism about the accuracy of calibration and prediction from in silico techniques. Machine-learning algorithms designed to study kidney health and diseases must be able to handle the nuances of this specialty, must adapt as medical practice continually evolves, and must have global and prospective applicability for external and future datasets.

The Rise of Endovascular Mechanical Circulatory Support Use for Cardiogenic Shock and High Risk Coronary Intervention: Considerations and Challenges

Introduction: Cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction and decompensated advanced heart failure remains a source of significant morbidity and mortality. Endovascular mechanical circulatory support devices including intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), percutaneous left ventricular assist devices (Impella and Tandemheart pumps), and veno-arterial extracorporeal oxygenation (VA-ECMO) are utilized for a broadening range of indications.Areas covered: This narrative review explores the specific devices, their distinctive hemodynamic profiles, and practical considerations. Furthermore, reviewed are the trials evaluating device outcomes which have generated significant controversy within the field of heart failure and shock. New applications and future directions are discussed.Expert opinion: Use of endovascular mechanical circulatory support has increased over the last decade, though evidence supporting their use is lacking. Development of large-scale prospective registries and clinical classification systems will facilitate patient enrollment and inform trial design. Furthermore, expansion of indications for these devices is revolutionizing how the field of heart failure and cardiogenic shock thinks about hemodynamic support. The ability to tailor therapy to a patient's specific hemodynamic profile appears to be the future of cardiogenic shock management.