Risk and predictors of readmission for heart failure following a myocardial infarction between 2004 and 2013: A Swedish nationwide observational study

Cardiovascular outcomes of sodium-glucose Co-transporter 2 inhibitors use after myocardial infarction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Patients who had acute myocardial infarction are at high risk of negative cardiac outcomes and previous SGLT2i landmark trials excluded these patients. It therefore remains unclear if SGLT2i is safe and confers beneficial cardiovascular outcomes after acute myocardial infarction.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed randomized controlled trials that evaluated the outcomes of adding SGLT2i to conventional post-myocardial infarction care. Random-effects model meta-analysis via RevMan 5.4 was done on data extracted from pooled 11,204 patients.

RESULTS

SGLT2i use after acute myocardial infarction was significantly associated with reduced heart failure hospitalization (OR: 0.77, 95%CI: 0.62-0.96, p=0.02), but was not associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality (OR: 1.05, 95%CI: 0.77-1.43, p=0.75), cardiac-related death (OR: 1.04, 95%CI: 0.83-1.30, p=0.76), or major adverse cardiac events (OR: 0.90, 95%CI: 0.77-1.05, p=0.18).

CONCLUSION

SGLT2 inhibitor therapy after acute myocardial infarction is safe and is associated with a reduced risk of heart failure hospitalization, but not with all-cause mortality.

Prognostic impact of heart failure admission in survivors of acute myocardial infarction

AIMS

The incidence and prognosis of symptomatic heart failure following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the primary percutaneous coronary intervention era have rarely been reported in the literature. This study aimed to (i) determine the incidence of heart failure admission among AMI survivors, (ii) compare 1 year outcomes between patients with heart failure admission and those without, and (iii) identify the independent risk factors associated with heart failure admission.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The Japan Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry is a prospective multicentre registry from which data on consecutively enrolled patients with AMI from 50 institutions between 2015 and 2017 were obtained. Among the 3411 patients enrolled, 3226 who survived until discharge were included in this study. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular events (defined as cardiovascular mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal cerebral infarction) and major bleeding events corresponding to Bleeding Academic Research Consortium Type 3 or 5. Clinical outcomes were compared between the patients who were and were not admitted for heart failure. Over a median follow-up of 12 months, 124 patients (3.8%) were admitted due to heart failure. Independent risk factors for heart failure admission included older age, female sex, Killip class ≥2 on admission, left ventricular ejection fraction <40%, estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤30 mL/min/1.73 m2, a history of malignancy, and non-use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors at discharge. The cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality was significantly higher in the heart failure admission group than in the no heart failure admission group (11.3% vs. 2.5%, P < 0.001). The rates of major adverse cardiovascular events (16.9% vs. 2.7%, P < 0.001) and major bleeding (6.5% vs. 1.6%, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the heart failure admission group. Heart failure admission was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, even after adjusting for potential confounders (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.41, 95% confidence interval: 1.33-4.39, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Utilizing real-world data of the contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention era from the Japan Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry database, this study demonstrates that the heart failure admission of AMI survivors was significantly associated with higher all-cause mortality rates.

Empagliflozin after Acute Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND

Empagliflozin improves cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure, patients with type 2 diabetes who are at high cardiovascular risk, and patients with chronic kidney disease. The safety and efficacy of empagliflozin in patients who have had acute myocardial infarction are unknown.

METHODS

In this event-driven, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, patients who had been hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction and were at risk for heart failure to receive empagliflozin at a dose of 10 mg daily or placebo in addition to standard care within 14 days after admission. The primary end point was a composite of hospitalization for heart failure or death from any cause as assessed in a time-to-first-event analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 3260 patients were assigned to receive empagliflozin and 3262 to receive placebo. During a median follow-up of 17.9 months, a first hospitalization for heart failure or death from any cause occurred in 267 patients (8.2%) in the empagliflozin group and in 298 patients (9.1%) in the placebo group, with incidence rates of 5.9 and 6.6 events, respectively, per 100 patient-years (hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76 to 1.06; P = 0.21). With respect to the individual components of the primary end point, a first hospitalization for heart failure occurred in 118 patients (3.6%) in the empagliflozin group and in 153 patients (4.7%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.98), and death from any cause occurred in 169 (5.2%) and 178 (5.5%), respectively (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.78 to 1.19). Adverse events were consistent with the known safety profile of empagliflozin and were similar in the two trial groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients at increased risk for heart failure after acute myocardial infarction, treatment with empagliflozin did not lead to a significantly lower risk of a first hospitalization for heart failure or death from any cause than placebo. (Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly; EMPACT-MI ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04509674.).

Dapagliflozin in patients with heart failure and previous myocardial infarction: A participant-level pooled analysis of DAPA-HF and DELIVER

AIMS

Patients with heart failure (HF) and history of myocardial infarction (MI) face a higher risk of disease progression and clinical events. Whether sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors may modify clinical trajectory in such individuals remains incompletely understood.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The DAPA-HF and DELIVER trials compared dapagliflozin with placebo in patients with symptomatic HF with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40% and > 40%, respectively. In this pooled participant-level analysis, we assessed efficacy and safety outcomes by history of MI. The primary outcome in both trials was the composite of cardiovascular death or worsening HF. Of the total of 11 007 patients, 3731 (34%) had a previous MI and were at higher risk of the primary outcome across the spectrum of LVEF in covariate-adjusted models (hazard ratio [HR] 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.24). Dapagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary outcome to a similar extent in patients with (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72-0.96) and without previous MI (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.68-0.85; pinteraction = 0.36), with consistent benefits on key secondary outcomes as well. Serious adverse events did not occur more frequently with dapagliflozin, irrespective of previous MI.

CONCLUSION

History of MI confers increased risks of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with HF across the LVEF spectrum, even among those with preserved ejection fraction. Dapagliflozin consistently and safely reduces the risk of cardiovascular death or worsening HF, regardless of previous MI.

Dapagliflozin in Myocardial Infarction without Diabetes or Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: In patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI), therapies that could further reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes are needed. METHODS: In this international registry-based, randomized, double-blind trial, patients without prior diabetes or chronic heart failure, presenting with acute MI and impaired left ventricular systolic function, were randomly assigned 10 mg of dapagliflozin or placebo, given once daily. The primary outcome was the hierarchical composite of death, hospitalization for heart failure, nonfatal MI, atrial fibrillation/flutter, type 2 diabetes mellitus, New York Heart Association Functional Classification at the last visit, and body weight decrease of 5% or greater at the last visit using the win ratio analysis method. The key secondary outcome was the same hierarchical composite excluding the body weight component. RESULTS: We enrolled 4017 patients of whom 2019 were assigned to dapagliflozin and 1998 to placebo. The analysis of the primary hierarchical composite outcome resulted in significantly more wins for dapagliflozin than for placebo (win ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20 to 1.50; P<0.001). The win ratio outcome, which was adopted in a change of analysis during trial performance because of low event accrual, was mainly driven by the added cardiometabolic outcomes. The composite of time to cardiovascular death/hospitalization for heart failure occurred in 50/2019 (2.5%) patients assigned to dapagliflozin and 52/1998 (2.6%) patients assigned to placebo (hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.40). The rates of other cardiovascular events were low, with differences between the groups not reaching nominal statistical significance. No safety concerns were identified. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute MI as noted above, after approximately 1 year of treatment with dapagliflozin there were significant benefits with regard to improvement in cardiometabolic outcomes but no impact on the composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure compared with placebo. (Funded by AstraZeneca; ClinicalTrial.gov number, NCT04564742.)

Rationale and design of the DAPA-MI trial: Dapagliflozin in patients without diabetes mellitus with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Therapies that could further prevent the development of heart failure (HF) and other cardiovascular and metabolic events in patients with recent myocardial infarction (MI) represent a large and unmet medical need.

METHODS

DAPA-MI is a multicenter, parallel-group, registry-based, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial in patients without known diabetes or established HF, presenting with MI and impaired left ventricular systolic function or Q-wave MI. The trial evaluated the effect of dapagliflozin 10 mg vs placebo, given once daily in addition to standard of care therapy, on death, hospitalization for HF (HHF), and other cardiometabolic outcomes. The primary objective of the trial was to determine, using the win-ratio method, if dapagliflozin is superior to placebo by comparing the hierarchical composite outcome of death, HHF, nonfatal MI, atrial fibrillation/flutter, new onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus, HF symptoms as measured by New York Heart Association Functional Classification at last visit, and body weight decrease ≥5% at last visit. Assuming a true win-ratio of 1.20 between dapagliflozin and placebo, 4,000 patients provide a statistical power of 80% for the test of the primary composite outcome. A registry-based randomized controlled trial framework allowed for recruitment, randomization, blinding, and pragmatic data collection of baseline demographics, medications, and clinical outcomes using existing national clinical registries (in Sweden and the UK) integrated with the trial database.

CONCLUSIONS

The trial explores opportunities to improve further the outcome of patients with impaired LV function after MI. The innovative trial design of DAPA-MI, incorporating national clinical registry data, has facilitated efficient patient recruitment as well as outcome ascertainment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04564742.

Outcomes in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction and Known Sleep Apnea: A Nationwide Analysis

Background. Sleep apnea (SA) is a common breathing disorder characterized by repetitive upper airway narrowing and closure. Although SA has been demonstrated to be an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality, the direct contribution of SA to worse cardiovascular prognosis may be difficult to evaluate, and its independent association with the different types of cardiovascular outcomes may be debated, particularly in the context of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of known SA on the outcomes of hospitalized patients who have had an AMI by analyzing 10-year data collected from a national registry. Methods. This longitudinal cohort study was based on the national hospitalization database that covers hospital care for the entire French population, including all patients admitted with AMI from January 2010 to June 2019. The clinical outcomes for the analysis were as follows: all-cause death, cardiovascular death, ischemic stroke, new-onset atrial fibrillation (FA), and re-hospitalization for heart failure (HF). Results. Among the 797,212 patients who presented with an AMI (528,351 men and 268,861 women), 37,075 (4.7%) had documented SA. During follow-up (mean [SD] 1.8 [2.4] years, median [interquartile range] 0.7 [0.1-3.1] years), 163,845 deaths (of which 85,649 were cardiovascular deaths), 20,168 ischemic strokes, 58,498 new-onset AF, and 92,381 rehospitalizations due to HF were recorded. Patients with known SA had a worse prognosis in the short and medium term, but after adjusting for all covariables, SA was only independently associated with a higher risk of rehospitalization for HF and new-onset AF in men and women. Conclusion. Data from our large nationwide analysis confirm that known SA is associated with poor cardiovascular outcomes in patients who have had an AMI. However, this impact is tem-pered when the model is adjusted for age, cardiovascular risk, or other covariables. Further studies need to be conducted to assess the independent impact of SA on the prognosis of patients with AMI.

Baseline characteristics of patients enrolled in the EMPACT-MI trial

AIMS

Empagliflozin has been shown to reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and in those with heart failure. The impact of empagliflozin in post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients is unknown.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The Study to Test the Effect of Empagliflozin on Hospitalization for Heart Failure and Mortality in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (EMPACT-MI) trial screened 6610 participants with AMI and randomized 6522 to empagliflozin or placebo in addition to standard of care. The median (interquartile) age was 64 (56-71) years and 75.1% of patients were male. Major comorbidities included hypertension (69.1%), type 2 diabetes (31.7%), prior myocardial infarction (13.0%), and atrial fibrillation (10.9%). The majority (74.3%) of patients presented with an ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Overall, 56.9% of patients had acute signs or symptoms of congestion requiring treatment and 78.3% had left ventricular systolic dysfunction with ejection fraction <45%. Clinical characteristics, including baseline demographics, rates of revascularization, and cardiovascular medications at discharge were largely comparable to recent trials of the post-AMI population.

CONCLUSION

The EMPACT-MI trial will establish the benefit and risks of empagliflozin treatment in patients with AMI.

Declining risk of heart failure hospitalization following first acute myocardial infarction in Scotland between 1991-2016

AIM

Mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has declined, increasing the pool of survivors at risk of later development of heart failure (HF). However, coronary reperfusion limits infarct size and secondary prevention therapies have improved. In light of these competing influences, we examined long-term trends in the risk of HF hospitalization (HFH) following a first AMI occurring in Scotland over 25 years.

METHODS AND RESULTS

All patients in Scotland discharged alive after a first AMI between 1991 and 2015 were followed until a first HFH or death until the end of 2016 (minimum follow-up 1 year, maximum 26 years). A total of 175 672 people with no prior history of HF were discharged alive after a first AMI during the period of study. A total of 21 445 (12.2%) patients had a first HFH during a median follow-up of 6.7 years. Incidence of HFH (per 1000 person-years) at 1 year following discharge from a first AMI decreased from 59.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] 54.2-64.7) in 1991 to 31.3 (95% CI 27.3-35.8) in 2015, with consistent trends seen for HF occurring within 5 and 10 years. Accounting for the competing risk of death, the adjusted risk of HFH at 1 year after discharge decreased by 53% (95% CI 45-60%), with similar decreases at 5 and 10 years.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of HFH following AMI in Scotland has decreased since 1991. These trends suggest that better treatment of AMI and secondary prevention are having an impact on the risk of HF at a population level.

Heart Failure Therapies following Acute Coronary Syndromes with Reduced Ejection Fraction: Data from the ACSIS Survey

BACKGROUND

Guideline-directed medical therapies for heart failure (HF) may benefit patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) following acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Few real-world data are available regarding the early implementation of HF therapies in patients with ACS and reduced LVEF.

METHODS

Data collected from the 2021 nationwide, prospective ACS Israeli Survey (ACSIS). Drug classes included: (a) angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) or angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI); (b) beta-blockers; (c) mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) and (d) sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2I). The utilization of HF therapies at discharge or 90 days following ACS was analyzed in relation to LVEF [reduced ≤40% (n = 406) or mildly-reduced 41-49% (n = 255)] and short-term adverse outcomes.

RESULTS

History of HF, anterior wall myocardial infarction and Killip class II-IV (32% vs. 14% p < 0.001) were more prevalent in those with reduced compared to mildly-reduced LVEF. ACEI/ARB/ARNI and beta-blockers were used by the majority of patients in both LVEF groups, though ARNI was prescribed to only 3.9% (LVEF ≤ 40%). MRA was used by 42.9% and 12.2% of patients with LVEF ≤40% and 41-49%, respectively, and SGLT2I in about a quarter of both LVEF groups. Overall, ≥3 HF drug classes were documented in 44% of the patients. A trend towards higher rates of 90-day HF rehospitalizations, recurrent ACS or all-cause death was noted in those with reduced (7.6%) vs. mildly-reduced (3.7%) LVEF, p = 0.084. No association was observed between the number of HF drug classes or the use of ARNI and/or SGLT2I with adverse clinical outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

In current clinical practice, the majority of patients with reduced and mildly-reduced LVEF are treated by ACEI/ARB and beta-blockers early following ACS, whereas MRA is underutilized and the adoption of SGLT2I and ARNI is low. A greater number of therapeutic classes was not associated with reduced short-term rehospitalizations or mortality.

Cardiovascular Remodeling Post-Ischemia: Herbs, Diet, and Drug Interventions

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a serious health burden with increasing prevalence, and CVD continues to be the principal global source of illness and mortality. For several disorders, including CVD, the use of dietary and medicinal herbs instead of pharmaceutical drugs continues to be an alternate therapy strategy. Despite the prevalent use of synthetic pharmaceutical medications, there is currently an unprecedented push for the use of diet and herbal preparations in contemporary medical systems. This urge is fueled by a number of factors, the two most important being the common perception that they are safe and more cost-effective than modern pharmaceutical medicines. However, there is a lack of research focused on novel treatment targets that combine all these strategies-pharmaceuticals, diet, and herbs. In this review, we looked at the reported effects of pharmaceutical drugs and diet, as well as medicinal herbs, and propose a combination of these approaches to target independent pathways that could synergistically be efficacious in treating cardiovascular disease.

Comparison of care and outcomes for myocardial infarction by heart failure status between United Kingdom and Japan

AIMS

Prognosis for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is worse when heart failure is present on admission. Understanding clinical practice in different health systems can identify areas for quality improvement initiatives to improve outcomes. In the absence of international comparison studies, we aimed to compare treatments and in-hospital outcomes of patients admitted with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) by heart failure status in two healthcare-wide cohorts.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We used two nationwide databases to capture admissions with STEMI in the United Kingdom (Myocardial ischemia National Audit Project, MINAP) and Japan (Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases-Diagnostic Procedure Combination, JROAD-DPC) between 2012 and 2017. Participants were stratified using the HF Killip classification into three groups; Killip 1: no congestive heart failure, Killip 2-3: congestive heart failure, Killip 4: cardiogenic shock. We calculated crude rate and case mix standardized risk ratios (CSRR) for use of treatments and in-hospital death. Patients were younger in the United Kingdom (65.4 [13.6] vs. 69.1 [13.0] years) and more likely to have co-morbidities in the United Kingdom except for diabetes and hypertension. Japan had a higher percentage of heart failure and cardiogenic shock patients among STEMI during admission than that in the United Kingdom. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) rates were lower in the United Kingdom compared with Japan, especially for patients presenting with Killip 2-3 class heart failure (pPCI use in patients with Killip 1, 2-3, 4: Japan, 86.2%, 81.7%, 78.7%; United Kingdom, 79.6%, 58.2% and 79.9%). In contrast, beta-blocker use was consistently lower in Japan than in the United Kingdom (61.4% vs. 90.2%) across Killip classifications and length of hospital stay longer (17.0 [9.7] vs. 5.0 [7.4] days). The crude rate of in-hospital mortality increased with increasing Killip class group. Both the crude rate and CSRR was higher in the United Kingdom compared with Japan for Killip 2-3 (15.8% vs. 6.4%, CSRR 1.80 95% CI 1.73-1.87, P < 0.001), and similar for Killip 4 (36.9% vs. 36.3%, CSRR 1.11 95% CI 1.08-1.13, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Important differences in the care and outcomes for STEMI with heart failure exist between the United Kingdom and Japan. Specifically, in the United Kingdom, there was a lower rate of pPCI, and in Japan, fewer patients were prescribed beta blockers and hospital length of stay was longer. This international comparison can inform targeted quality improvement programmes to narrow the outcome gap between health systems.

Prevalence and prognostic impact of left ventricular systolic dysfunction or pulmonary congestion after acute myocardial infarction

AIMS

The aim was to describe the prevalence, characteristics, and outcome of patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) developing left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction or pulmonary congestion by applying different criteria to define the population.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In patients with MI included in the Swedish web-system for enhancement and development of evidence-based care in heart disease (SWEDEHEART) registry, four different sets of criteria were applied, creating four not mutually exclusive subsets of patients: patients with MI and ejection fraction (EF) < 50% and/or pulmonary congestion (subset 1); EF < 40% and/or pulmonary congestion (subset 2); EF < 40% and/or pulmonary congestion and at least one high-risk feature (subset 3, PARADISE-MI like); and EF < 50% and no diabetes mellitus (subset 4, DAPA-MI like). Subsets 1, 2, 3, and 4 constituted 31.6%, 15.0%, 12.8%, and 22.8% of all patients with MI (n = 87 177), respectively. The age and prevalence of different co-morbidities varied between subsets. For median age, 70 to 77, for diabetes mellitus, 22 to 33%; for chronic kidney disease, 22 to 38%, for prior MI, 17 to 21%, for atrial fibrillation, 7 to 14%, and for ST-elevations, 38 to 50%. The cumulative incidence of death or heart failure hospitalization at 3 years was 17.4% (95% CI: 17.1-17.7%) in all MIs; 26.9% (26.3-27.4%) in subset 1; 37.6% (36.7-38.5%) in subset 2; 41.8% (40.7-42.8%) in subset 3; and 22.6% (22.0-23.2%) in subset 4.

CONCLUSIONS

Depending on the definition, LV systolic dysfunction or pulmonary congestion is present in 13-32% of all patients with MI and is associated with a two to three times higher risk of subsequent death or HF admission. There is a need to optimize management and improve outcomes for this high-risk population.

Outpatient cardiac rehabilitation dose after acute coronary syndrome in a nationwide cohort

OBJECTIVE

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is effective in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, CR programmes have not been fully implemented. This study aimed to reveal the current practice of outpatient CR and the dose-effect relationship of CR in real-world settings.

METHODS

We performed a nationwide retrospective cohort study using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan. Patients with ACS who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention between April 2014 and March 2018 were included. We analysed the implementation rate and dose of outpatient CR and the association between dose and outcomes.

RESULTS

Out of 202 320 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for ACS, a total of 20 444 (10%) underwent outpatient CR. The median (IQR) number of total CR sessions was 9 (3-17), and the median (IQR) duration for each session was 60 (42-60) min. Patients were divided into four groups according to the total number of sessions (≤9 times or ≥10 times) and the duration per session (<50 min or ≥50 min). Compared with the low-number/short-duration group, the adjusted HR for all-cause mortality was 1.00 (95% CI 0.80 to 1.24, p=0.97) in the low-number/long-duration group, 0.63 (95% CI 0.46 to 0.87, p=0.005) in the high-number/short-duration group and 0.74 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.92, p=0.008) in the high-number/long-duration group, respectively.

CONCLUSION

We found that the participation rate for outpatient CR after ACS was low and the doses of sessions vary in real-world settings. A higher number of total sessions of outpatient CR is associated with a better prognosis irrespective of the session's duration.

Cost Effectiveness of the First-in-Class ARNI (Sacubitril/Valsartan) for the Treatment of Essential Hypertension in a Chinese Setting

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to model the potential long-term disease progression and pharmacoeconomic value of sacubitril/valsartan for the treatment of essential hypertension from a Chinese healthcare system perspective.

METHODS

A Markov cohort model with five health states was constructed to simulate the incidence of acute cardiovascular events and cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained with sacubitril/valsartan compared with allisartan isoproxil and valsartan over a lifetime horizon with an annual cycle. Multivariable risk regression models derived from China-PAR data accompanied by hazard ratios were used to transform the dual mechanism of sacubitril/valsartan to lower blood pressure and left ventricular mass index into long-term fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular risks. Efficacy data were calculated using a network meta-analysis integrated by the results of clinical trials. Healthcare costs were determined from a real-world study and published literature, supplemented by expert opinion. Utilities were derived from literature. Both costs and health outcomes were discounted at 5.0% annually, and prices corresponded to 2021. Model validation, deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of results.

RESULTS

For simulated patients with hypertension, sacubitril/valsartan reduced the rates of myocardial infarction by 6.67% and 6.39%, stroke by 9.38% and 8.98%, and heart failure hospitalization by 9.92% and 9.62% relative to allisartan isoproxil and valsartan, respectively. It was also associated with gains in life expectancy among hypertensive individuals of 0.362-0.382 years. Eventually, lifetime costs per patient were CN¥59,272 (US$9187) for sacubitril/valsartan, CN¥54,783 (US$8492) for allisartan isoproxil, and CN¥56,714 (US$8791) for valsartan; total QALYs were 11.38, 11.24, and 11.25, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was CN¥31,805/QALY (US$4930/QALY) compared with allisartan isoproxil, and CN¥19,247/QALY (US$2983/QALY) compared with valsartan, both of which are below the one time per-capita GDP of CN¥80,976/QALY (US$12,551/QALY) in China. Similar results were obtained in various extensive sensitivity analysis scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS

This was the first study to evaluate the cost effectiveness of sacubitril/valsartan in the treatment of hypertension. Sacubitril/valsartan compares favorably with allisartan isoproxil and valsartan in the Chinese setting, which is mainly due to its higher efficacy resulting in fewer cardiovascular events and ultimately less related mortality over time. The results could inform deliberations regarding reimbursement and access to this treatment in China and may provide reference for facilitating more reasonable and efficient allocation of limited resources in such low- and middle-income countries.

Prognostic Significance of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for First Acute Myocardial Infarction with Heart Failure: Five-Year Follow-Up Results

Objective

The study aimed to investigate the incidence and influencing factors of heart failure after 5 years of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for first acute myocardial infarction.

Methods

A total of 1235 patients, diagnosed as acute myocardial infarction and treated with PCI in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2014, were enrolled. Based on the exclusion criteria, 671 patients were followed up to obtain echocardiographic results 5 years after the onset of myocardial infarction (from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019). Of 671 patients, 62 were lost to follow-up. Finally, 609 patients were recruited in this study. According to the results of the echocardiographic examination, patients were divided into a heart failure group (n = 97) (LVEF < 50%) and a nonheart failure group (n = 512) (LVEF ≥ 50%). The clinical characteristics were compared between the two groups, and the influencing factors of heart failure after 5 years of PCI in patients with acute myocardial infarction were analyzed using logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses.

Results

Of 609 patients, 97 had heart failure within 5 years after PCI for first myocardial infarction, with an incidence of 15.9%. Multivariate regression analysis finally examined the predictors related to the occurrence of heart failure, including age (aOR, 1.008; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.054–1.123; P ≤ 0.001), peak troponin I level (aOR, 1.020; 95% CI, 1.006–1.034; P = 0.004), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (during admission) (aOR, 0.908; 95% CI, 0.862–0.956; P ≤ 0.001), and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) (at admission) (aOR, 1.136; 95% CI, 1.016–1.271; P = 0.025).

Conclusion

In this study, the incidence of heart failure (LVEF < 50%) in patients with acute myocardial infarction who underwent PCI was 15.9% at a five-year follow up. Age, peak troponin I level, and LVEDD (at admission) were risk factors for heart failure, while LVEF (at admission) of patients during hospitalization was a protective factor for heart failure.

Empagliflozin in patients post myocardial infarction rationale and design of the EMPACT-MI trial

BACKGROUND

Patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) are at risk for developing heart failure (HF) and subsequently are at an increased risk of mortality. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors have been proven to improve outcomes in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction, and, in the case of empagliflozin, in HF with preserved ejection fraction even without diabetes, but their efficacy and safety in the post-MI population has not yet been evaluated.

METHODS

The EMPACT-MI trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of empagliflozin compared with placebo in patients hospitalized for MI with or at high risk of new onset HF, in addition to standard care. EMPACT-MI is a streamlined, multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomizing 5,000 participants at approximately 480 centers in 22 countries. Eligible patients presenting with spontaneous MI must have new signs or symptoms of pulmonary congestion requiring treatment or new left ventricular dysfunction (LVEF<45%), and at least 1 additional risk factor for development of future HF. Eligible and consenting patients are randomized to empagliflozin 10mg or placebo daily in addition to standard of care within 14 days of hospital admission for MI. The primary composite end point is time to first hospitalization for HF or all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

EMPACT-MI will inform clinical practice regarding the role of empagliflozin in patients after an MI with high-risk for the development of future HF and mortality.

Evaluating the Application of Chronic Heart Failure Therapies and Developing Treatments in Individuals With Recent Myocardial Infarction: A Review

Importance

Despite advances in cardiac care, patients remain at a high risk of death and the development of heart failure (HF) following myocardial infarction (MI). These risks are highest in patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF) or signs of HF immediately after MI. Drugs to mitigate these risks have been identified through the systematic evaluation of therapies with proven efficacy in patients with HF and reduced EF (HFrEF).

Observations

Although landmark studies in patients with HFrEF consistently exclude patients with recent MI, dedicated post-MI trials of these drugs have led to multiple therapies with proven benefit in these patients. However, not all therapies with proven efficacy in patients with chronic HF have been shown to provide benefit in the post-MI population, as recently evidenced by the discrepant results between chronic HF and post-MI trials of sacubitril-valsartan. Similarly, multiple trials of early and aggressive use of therapies effective in chronic heart failure immediately post-MI failed to demonstrate benefit or were associated with harm, emphasizing the vulnerability of the post-MI population.

Conclusions and Relevance

Trials of patients at high risk of HF following MI have emphasized the differences between the post-MI and HFrEF populations and the necessity for dedicated trials in the post-MI population. This review summarizes trials studying the use of these therapies for at-risk patients following MI from therapies used in patients with HFrEF and exploring new potential therapies for this high-risk population.

Prognostic implications for patients after myocardial infarction: an integrative literature review and in-depth interviews with patients and experts

Background

As patients with myocardial infarction (MI) survive for a long time after acute treatment, it is necessary to pay attention to the prevention of poor prognosis such as heart failure (HF). To identify the influencing factors of adverse clinical outcomes through a review of prospective cohort studies of post-MI patients, and to draw prognostic implications through in-depth interviews with post-MI patients who progressed to HF and clinical experts.

Methods

A mixed-method design was used that combined a scoping review of 21 prospective cohort studies, in-depth interviews with Korean post-MI patients with HF, and focus group interviews with cardiologists and nurses.

Results

A literature review showed that old age, diabetes, high Killip class, low left ventricular ejection fraction, recurrent MI, comorbidity of chronic disease and current smoking, and low socioeconomic status were identified as influencing factors of poor prognosis. Through interviews with post-MI patients, these influencing factors identified in the literature as well as a lack of disease awareness and lack of self-care were confirmed. Experts emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle after acute treatment with the recognition that it is a chronic disease that must go together for a lifetime.

Conclusion

This study confirmed the factors influencing poor prognosis after MI and the educational needs of post-MI patients with transition to HF. Healthcare providers should continue to monitor the risk group, which is expected to have a poor prognosis, along with education emphasizing the importance of self-care such as medication and lifestyle modification.

Left ventricular remodelling post-myocardial infarction: pathophysiology, imaging, and novel therapies

Most patients survive acute myocardial infarction (MI). Yet this encouraging development has certain drawbacks: heart failure (HF) prevalence is increasing and patients affected tend to have more comorbidities worsening economic strain on healthcare systems and impeding effective medical management. The heart’s pathological changes in structure and/or function, termed myocardial remodelling, significantly impact on patient outcomes. Risk factors like diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, female sex, and others distinctly shape disease progression on the ‘road to HF’. Despite the availability of HF drugs that interact with general pathways involved in myocardial remodelling, targeted drugs remain absent, and patient risk stratification is poor. Hence, in this review, we highlight the pathophysiological basis, current diagnostic methods and available treatments for cardiac remodelling following MI. We further aim to provide a roadmap for developing improved risk stratification and novel medical and interventional therapies.

Development and validation of an artificial neural network algorithm to predict mortality and admission to hospital for heart failure after myocardial infarction: a nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND

Patients have an estimated mortality of 15-20% within the first year following myocardial infarction and one in four patients who survive myocardial infarction will develop heart failure, severely reducing quality of life and increasing the risk of long-term mortality. We aimed to establish the accuracy of an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm in predicting 1-year mortality and admission to hospital for heart failure after myocardial infarction.

METHODS

In this nationwide population-based study, we used data for all patients admitted to hospital for myocardial infarction and discharged alive from a coronary care unit in Sweden (n=139 288) between Jan 1, 2008, and April 1, 2017, from the Swedish Web system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART) nationwide registry; these patients were randomly divided into training (80%) and testing (20%) datasets. We developed an ANN using 21 variables (including age, sex, medical history, previous medications, in-hospital characteristics, and discharge medications) associated with the outcomes of interest with a back-propagation algorithm in the training dataset and tested it in the testing dataset. The ANN algorithm was then validated in patients with incident myocardial infarction enrolled in the Western Denmark Heart Registry (external validation cohort) between Jan 1, 2008, and Dec 31, 2016. The predictive ability of the model was evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and Youden's index was established as a means of identifying an empirical dichotomous cutoff, allowing further evaluation of model performance.

FINDINGS

139 288 patients who were admitted to hospital for myocardial infarction in the SWEDEHEART registry were randomly divided into a training dataset of 111 558 (80%) patients and a testing dataset of 27 730 (20%) patients. 30 971 patients with myocardial infarction who were enrolled in the Western Denmark Heart Registry were included in the external validation cohort. A first event, either all-cause mortality or admission to hospital for heart failure 1 year after myocardial infarction, occurred in 32 308 (23·2%) patients in the testing and training cohorts only. For 1-year all-cause mortality, the ANN had an AUROC of 0·85 (95% CI 0·84-0·85) in the testing dataset and 0·84 (0·83-0·84) in the external validation cohort. The AUROC for admission to hospital for heart failure within 1 year was 0·82 (0·81-0·82) in the testing dataset and 0·78 (0·77-0·79) in the external validation dataset. With an empirical cutoff the ANN algorithm correctly classified 73·6% of patients with regard to all-cause mortality and 61·5% of patients with regard to admission to hospital for heart failure in the external validation cohort, ruling out adverse outcomes with 97·1-98·7% probability in the external validation cohort.

INTERPRETATION

Identifying patients at a high risk of developing heart failure or death after myocardial infarction could result in tailored therapies and monitoring by the allocation of resources to those at greatest risk.

FUNDING

The Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, Swedish Scientific Research Council, Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, ALF Agreement on Medical Education and Research, Skane University Hospital, The Bundy Academy, the Märta Winkler Foundation, the Anna-Lisa and Sven-Eric Lundgren Foundation for Medical Research.

Contrasting trends in heart failure incidence in younger and older New Zealanders, 2006-2018

OBJECTIVE

Studies indicate that age-standardised heart failure (HF) incidence has been decreasing internationally; however, contrasting trends in different age groups have been reported, with rates increasing in younger people and decreasing in the elderly. We aimed to describe age-specific trends in HF incidence in New Zealand (NZ).

METHODS

In this nationwide data linkage study, we used routinely collected hospitalisation data to identify incident HF hospitalisations in NZ residents aged ≥20 years between 2006 and 2018. Age-specific and age-standardised incidence rates were calculated for each calendar year. Joinpoint regression was used to compare incidence trends.

RESULTS

116 113 incident HF hospitalisations were identified over the 13-year study period. Between 2006 and 2013, age-standardised incidence decreased from 403 to 323 per 100 000 (annual percentage change (APC) -2.6%, 95% CI -3.6 to -1.6%). This reduction then plateaued between 2013 and 2018 (APC 0.8%, 95% CI -0.8 to 2.5%). Between 2006 and 2018, rates in individuals aged 20-49 years old increased by 1.5% per year (95% CI 0.3 to 2.7%) and decreased in those aged ≥80 years old by 1.2% per year (95% CI -1.7 to -0.7%). Rates in individuals aged 50-79 years old initially declined from 2006 to 2013, and then remained stable or increased from 2013 to 2018. The proportion of HF hospitalisations associated with ischaemic heart disease decreased from 35.1% in 2006 to 28.0% in 2018.

CONCLUSION

HF remains an important problem in NZ. The decline in overall incidence has plateaued since 2013 due to increasing rates of HF in younger age groups despite an ongoing decline in the elderly.

Left ventricular function recovery after ST-elevation myocardial infarction: correlates and outcomes

BACKGROUND

Contemporary data on left ventricular function (LVF) recovery in patients with left ventricular dysfunction after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are scarce and to date, no comparison has been made with patients with a baseline normal LVF. This study examined predictors of LVF recovery and its relation to outcomes in STEMI.

METHODS

Patients presenting with STEMI between January 2010 and December 2016 were categorized in three groups after 3 months according to left ventricular ejection fraction (EF): (i) baseline normal LVF (EF ≥ 50% at baseline); (ii) recovered LVF (EF < 50% at baseline and ≥ 50% after 3 months); and (iii) reduced LVF (EF < 50% at baseline and after 3 months). Heart failure hospitalization, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality were compared between the three groups.

RESULTS

Of 577 patients, 341 (59%) patients had a baseline normal LVF, 112 (19%) had a recovered LVF and 124 (22%) had a reduced LVF. Independent correlates of LVF recovery were higher baseline EF, lower peak troponin and cardiac arrest. After median 5.8 years, there was no difference in outcomes between patients with LVF recovery and baseline normal LVF. In contrast, even after multivariate adjustment, patients with persistently reduced LVF had a higher risk for heart failure hospitalization (HR 5.00; 95% CI 2.17-11.46) and all-cause mortality (HR 1.87; 95% CI 1.11-3.16).

CONCLUSION

In contemporary treated STEMI patients, prognosis is significantly worse in those with a persistently reduced LVF after 3 months, compared with patients with a baseline normal LVF and those with LVF recovery.

Factors influencing readmission among Thais with myocardial infarction

Background

Readmission among patients with myocardial infarction is costly, and it has become a marker of quality of care. Therefore, factors related to readmission warrant examination.

Objective

This study aimed at examining factors influencing readmission in Thai with myocardial infarction.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study with 200 participants randomly selected from five regional hospitals in Thailand. All research tools used indicated acceptable validity and reliability. Linear Structural Relationship version 8.72 was used for the data analysis.

Results

The findings showed that the hypothesized model with social support, depression, symptom severity, comorbidity, and quality of life could explain 4% (R² = 0.04) of the variance in readmission (χ² = 1.39, df = 2, p < 0.50, χ²/df = 0.69, GIF = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.00, SRMR = 0.01, and AGFI = 0.98). Symptom severity was the most influential factor that had a positive and direct effect on the readmission rate (0.06, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

These findings serve as an input to decrease readmission in patients with myocardial infarction by reducing the symptom severity and comorbidity and promoting a better quality of life.

Self-care and related factors associated with left ventricular systolic function in patients under follow-up after myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Recent advances in treatment have led to long-term survival after myocardial infarction (MI), but subsequent complications such as heart failure have also increased, and, therefore, the relationship between prognosis and self-care needs to be investigated.

AIMS

This study aimed to confirm the relationship of potential variables affecting self-care of patients after MI and to determine whether self-care predicts left ventricular systolic function.

METHODS

Using a descriptive study design, a hypothetical model was constructed based on previous studies, and 191 post-MI patients were recruited from three university hospital outpatient clinics in Korea. The modified model was verified by constructing a structural equation model using AMOS version 24.0. The exogenous variables were illness perception, social support, and depression symptoms. The endogenous variables were self-efficacy, self-care compliance, and changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

RESULTS

The average patient age and disease duration were 66.3 (±11.5) years and 62.1 (±56.6) months, respectively. Self-care compliance was directly influenced by self-efficacy and indirectly affected by social support. Self-care compliance had a direct effect on LVEF changes, which was indirectly associated with illness perception, social support, and self-efficacy.

CONCLUSION

This study confirmed the direct effect of self-care compliance on changes in LVEF in patients under follow-up after MI. It is necessary to periodically monitor the degree of self-care in outpatients who are undergoing follow-up after MI to prevent a decrease in cardiac function. Counseling and education may be effective forms of social support to improve disease awareness and self-efficacy among patients with low self-care compliance.

Predictors of incident heart failure in a cohort of patients with ischemic heart disease

INTRODUCTION

heart failure (HF) is a major complication following ischemic heart disease (IHD) and it adversely affects the outcome. The objective of this study was to identify predictors of HF in patients with IHD.

METHODS

this is a 24-month longitudinal retrospective study of all consecutive patients diagnosed with IHD. Endpoints were incident HF and time to incident HF. Patients with a previous history of HF were excluded.

RESULTS

a total of 306 patients with IHD were included in the analysis. The 6-month, 12-month and 18-month cumulative risk of developing incident HF were 18.8%, 28.4%, and 53.5% respectively. Increasing age, female gender, diabetes mellitus (DM), lower hemoglobin, and dilated left atrium were strong predictors of incident HF. Predictors of shorter time to incident HF were coexisting DM and hypertension, and the presence of dilated left atrium in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction < 40%. The strongest predictor of incident HF in patients with DM was a higher level of LDL cholesterol.

CONCLUSION

patients with IHD have a higher risk of incident HF. Strong predictors of incident HF in these patients were increasing age, female gender, DM, lower hemoglobin and dilated left atrium. Such patients need close follow-up and more intensive treatment.

Heart failure after myocardial infarction: incidence and predictors

Aims

The aim of the present paper was to provide an up‐to‐date view on epidemiology and risk factors of heart failure (HF) development after myocardial infarction.

Methods and results

Based on literature review, several clinical risk factors and biochemical, genetic, and imaging biomarkers were identified to predict the risk of HF development after myocardial infarction.

Conclusions

Heart failure is still a frequent complication of myocardial infarction. Timely identification of subjects at risk for HF development using a multimodality approach, and early initiation of guideline‐directed HF therapy in these patients, can decrease the HF burden.

Predictive Factors on the Incidence of Heart Failure in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease: Using a 10-Year Population-Based Korea National Health Insurance Cohort Data

Early risk stratification and preventative strategies are required in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) to prevent heart failure (HF). We aimed to investigate the rate of progression to HF and to investigate the factors predicting the development of HF in a population with IHD for 10 years. A descriptive study was conducted using Korea National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHI-NSC) data (2005-2015). Among the patients diagnosed with IHD for the first time in 2005-2006, 2271 men and 2037 women who responded to the health check-up survey were finally selected. Cox Proportional Hazard regression analyses and the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used. HF incidence rates were 5.1% in men and 8.0% in women. The mean duration of transition to HF was 4.85 ± 2.73 years in men and 4.73 ± 2.73 years in women. The non-incidence rate of HF was higher in men than in women (Log-rank test, p = 0.0003). Bivariate analyses showed that older age, prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, less alcohol, and lower physical exercise were associated with the incidence of HF in both men and women. Multivariate analyses found that HF incidence in aged subjects ≥70 years was 1.46 times higher in men and 1.44 times higher in women compared to those in their 30 s (p < 0.001). Prevalence of hypertension reduced the incidence of HF by 0.78 and 0.87 for men and women, respectively. The prevalence of diabetes increased 1.23 times only in men. These findings suggest that special attention such as periodic counseling and education is needed to prevent progression to HF in elderly and diabetic patients during follow-up after IHD.

Recurrent Admissions for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Among Patients With and Without Peripheral Artery Disease: The ARIC Study

Background

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is both a common comorbidity and a contributing factor to heart failure. Whether PAD is associated with hospitalization for recurrent decompensation among patients with established heart failure is uncertain.

Methods and Results

Since 2005, the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) study has conducted active surveillance of hospitalized acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), with events verified by physician review. From 2005 to 2016, 1481 patients were hospitalized with ADHF and discharged alive (mean age, 78 years; 69% White). Of these, 207 (14%) had diagnosis of PAD. Those with PAD were more often men (55% versus 44%) and smokers (17% versus 8%), with a greater prevalence of coronary artery disease (72% versus 52%). Patients with PAD had an increased risk of at least 1 ADHF readmission, both within 30 days (11% versus 7%) and 1 year (39% versus 28%) of discharge from the index hospitalization. After adjustments, PAD was associated with twice the hazard of ADHF readmission within 30 days (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.14–3.60) and a 60% higher hazard of ADHF readmission within 1 year (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.25–2.05). The 1‐year hazard of ADHF readmission associated with PAD was stronger with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.29–3.13) than preserved ejection fraction (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.69–1.56); P for interaction=0.05.

Conclusions

Patients with ADHF and concomitant PAD have a higher likelihood of ADHF readmission. Strategies to prevent ADHF readmissions in this high‐risk group are warranted.

Reorganization of heart failure management and improved outcome - the 4D HF Project

OBJECTIVES

Heart failure (HF) management is suboptimal in Sweden despite available evidence-based guidelines. To improve HF treatment, a comprehensive HF management program (4D project) was implemented in the Stockholm County (>2.1 million inhabitants). Design. A standardized care program centralized at five hospital-based HF clinics was implemented in 2014-2017. We registered from 2012 to 2017: (1) numbers of referrals and visits to HF clinics, (2) numbers of hospital admitted patients per million inhabitants, (3) dispensed HF medications after admission, and (4) covariate-adjusted 1-year all-cause mortality or HF readmission. Results. Yearly visits to the five HF outpatient clinics increased 3.4 times from 3,372 to 11,527. Dispensed HF drug prescriptions increased, in particular, for readmitted patients, compared to 2012 (p<.0001). Total number of hospital admitted HF patients as well as new-onset or readmitted HF patients decreased by 16, 13, and 20%, respectively (p < .0001). The combined 1-year mortality or HF readmission over the period was 48% (n = 17,124/35,880) and improved per year (HR 0.98 [0.97-0.99], p < .001) from 2012. Conclusion. A comprehensive standardized care HF management program including expanded HF clinics was associated with improved evidence-based medication, reduced HF hospitalization, and improvement of the combined outcome of 1-year mortality or HF readmission in Stockholm.

Diabetes mellitus, blood glucose and the risk of heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The strength of the association between diabetes and risk of heart failure has differed between previous studies and the available studies have not been summarized in a meta-analysis. We therefore quantified the association between diabetes and blood glucose and heart failure in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

PubMed and Embase databases were searched up to May 3rd 2018. Prospective studies on diabetes mellitus or blood glucose and heart failure risk were included. A random effects model was used to calculate summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Seventy seven studies were included. Among the population-based prospective studies, the summary RR for individuals with diabetes vs. no diabetes was 2.06 (95% CIs: 1.73-2.46, I² = 99.8%, n = 30 studies, 401495 cases, 21416780 participants). The summary RR was 1.23 (95% CI: 1.15-1.32, I² = 78.2%, n = 10, 5344 cases, 91758 participants) per 20 mg/dl increase in blood glucose and there was evidence of a J-shaped association with nadir around 90 mg/dl and increased risk even within the pre-diabetic blood glucose range. Among the patient-based studies the summary RR was 1.69 (95% CI: 1.57-1.81, I² = 85.5%, p_{heterogeneity}<0.0001) for diabetes vs. no diabetes (n = 41, 100284 cases and >613925 participants) and 1.25 (95% CI: 0.89-1.75, I² = 95.6%, p_{heterogeneity}<0.0001) per 20 mg/dl increase in blood glucose (1016 cases, 34309 participants, n = 2). In the analyses of diabetes and heart failure there was low or no heterogeneity among the population-based studies that adjusted for alcohol intake and physical activity and among the patient-based studies there was no heterogeneity among studies with ≥10 years follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that individuals with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing heart failure and there is evidence of increased risk even within the pre-diabetic range of blood glucose.

An electronic health records cohort study on heart failure following myocardial infarction in England: incidence and predictors

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the incidence and determinants of heart failure (HF) following a myocardial infarction (MI) in a contemporary cohort of patients with MI using routinely collected primary and hospital care electronic health records (EHRs).

METHODS

Data were used from the CALIBER programme, linking EHRs in England from primary care, hospital admissions, an MI registry and mortality data. Subjects were eligible if they were 18 years or older, did not have a history of HF and survived a first MI. Factors associated with time to HF were examined using Cox proportional hazard models.

RESULTS

Of the 24 479 patients with MI, 5775 (23.6%) developed HF during a median follow-up of 3.7 years (incidence rate per 1000 person-years: 63.8, 95% CI 62.2 to 65.5). Baseline characteristics significantly associated with developing HF were: atrial fibrillation (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.51 to 1.75), age (per 10 years increase: 1.45, 1.41 to 1.49), diabetes (1.45, 1.35 to 1.56), peripheral arterial disease (1.38, 1.26 to 1.51), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1.28, 1.17 to 1.40), greater socioeconomic deprivation (5th vs 1st quintile: 1.27, 1.13 to 1.41), ST-segment elevation MI at presentation (1.19, 1.11 to 1.27) and hypertension (1.16, 1.09 to 1.23). Results were robust to various sensitivity analyses such as competing risk analysis and multiple imputation.

CONCLUSION

In England, one in four survivors of a first MI develop HF within 4 years. This contemporary study demonstrates that patients with MI are at considerable risk of HF. Baseline patient characteristics associated with time until HF were identified, which may be used to target preventive strategies.