Burden and Prevention of Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients with Concomitant Chronic Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease: A Literature Review

Burden of Illness beyond Mortality and Heart Failure Hospitalizations in Patients Newly Diagnosed with Heart Failure in Spain According to Ejection Fraction

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to describe the rates of adverse clinical outcomes, including all-cause mortality, heart failure (HF) hospitalization, myocardial infarction, and stroke, in patients newly diagnosed with HF to provide a comprehensive picture of HF burden.

METHODS

This was a retrospective and observational study, using the BIG-PAC database in Spain. Adults, newly diagnosed with HF between January 2013 and September 2019 with ≥1 HF-free year of enrolment prior to HF diagnosis, were included.

RESULTS

A total of 19,961 patients were newly diagnosed with HF (43.5% with reduced ejection fraction (EF), 26.3% with preserved EF, 5.1% with mildly reduced EF, and 25.1% with unknown EF). The mean age was 69.7 ± 19.0 years; 53.8% were men; and 41.0% and 41.5% of patients were in the New York Heart Association functional classes II and III, respectively. The baseline HF treatments included beta-blockers (70.1%), renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (56.3%), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (11.8%), and SGLT2 inhibitors (8.9%). The post-index incidence rates of all-cause mortality, HF hospitalization, and both combined were 102.2 (95% CI 99.9-104.5), 123.1 (95% CI 120.5-125.7), and 182 (95% CI 178.9-185.1) per 1000 person-years, respectively. The rates of myocardial infarction and stroke were lower (26.2 [95% CI 25.1-27.4] and 19.8 [95% CI 18.8-20.8] per 1000 person-years, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In Spain, patients newly diagnosed with HF have a high risk of clinical outcomes. Specifically, the rates of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization are high and substantially greater than the rates of myocardial infarction and stroke. Given the burden of adverse outcomes, these should be considered targets in the comprehensive management of HF. There is much room for improving the proportion of patients receiving disease-modifying therapies.

Identification of echocardiographic subgroups in patients with coronary heart disease combined with heart failure based on latent variable stratification

BACKGROUND

The prognosis of chronic heart failure is poor, and it remains a challenge to classify patients for better personalized intervention. This study aimed to explore potential subgroups in patients with coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure using comprehensive echocardiographic indices.

METHODS

5126 patients with coronary heart disease with chronic heart failure were included. Latent class analysis was applied to identify the grouping patterns of patients based on echocardiographic indices. Network maps and radar charts of echocardiographic indices were drawn to visualize the distribution of echocardiographic findings. The incidence of adverse outcomes was presented on the Kaplan-Meier curve and compared using the log-rank test. The Cox regression model was used to analyze the relationship between subgroups and mortality.

RESULTS

Three groups were identified: eccentric hypertrophy, concentric hypertrophy, and decreased diastolic function. Network plots showed a higher correlation between left atrial diameter, left ventricular mass index, and left ventricle ejection fraction in the eccentric hypertrophy group than in the other groups. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed a significant difference in mortality between the three subgroups (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that the eccentric hypertrophy group had the highest risk of death (HR = 1.586, 95% CI: 1.310-1.921, P < 0.001) compared with the other groups.

CONCLUSION

Patients with coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure can be classified into three subgroups based on echocardiographic indices. This grouping has been shown to be an independent risk factor for mortality in these patients. Accurate subgrouping based on echocardiographic indices is important for identifying high-risk patients.

Baroreflex sensitivity but not microvolt T-wave alternans can predict major adverse cardiac events in ischemic heart failure

BACKGROUND

Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) constitutes the main cause of morbidity and mortality in ischemic heart failure (HF) patients. The prognostic value of the autonomic nervous system parameters and microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA) in this issue has not been identified to date. The aim herein, was to assess the usefulness of the abovementioned parameters in the prediction of MACE in HF patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction of ischemic origin.

METHODS

Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), heart rate variability (HRV), MTWA and other well-known clinical parameters were analyzed in 188 ischemic HF outpatients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 50%. During 34 (14-71) months of follow-up, 56 (30%) endpoints were noted.

RESULTS

Univariate Cox analyses revealed BRS (but not HRV), MTWA, age, New York Heart Association functional class III, LVEF, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator presence, use of diuretics and antiarrhythmic drugs, diabetes, and kidney insufficiency were defined as significant predictors of MACE. Pre-specified cut-off values for MACE occurrence for the aforementioned continuous parameters (age, LVEF, and BRS) were: ≥ 72 years, ≤ 33%, and ≤ 3 ms/mmHg, respectively. In a multivariate Cox analysis only BRS (HR 2.97, 95% CI 1.35-6.36, p < 0.006), and LVEF (HR 1.98, 95% CI 0.61-4.52, p < 0.038) maintained statistical significance in the prediction of MACE.

CONCLUSIONS

Baroreflex sensitivity and LVEF are independent of other well-known clinical parameters in the prediction of MACE in patients with HF of ischemic origin and LVEF up to 50%. BRS ≤ 3 ms/mmHg and LVEF ≤ 33% identified individuals with the highest probability of MACE during the follow-up period.

Prevalence of coronary artery disease and its risk factors in Majmaah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Objective

This study was carried out with an aim to outline the prevalence of coronary artery diseases, its risk of one region of the Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A retrospective observational study conducted across five secondary medical centers located in the city of Majmaah. Hospital medical records and ministry of health records were screened over a 6-month period for data on patients admitted for Coronary artery disease (CAD). Data collected included sociodemographic characteristics, medical profile, and laboratory findings.

Results

A total of 327 participants were included in this study with a median age of 64 and the majority being male participants (59.8%). The majority were married, held a primary school degree and earned a salary for living. A large number (82.9%) were hypertensive and diabetic (66.7%) and one-fourth had a previous MI (25.1%). A large number (73.7%) had heart failure with a mean ejection fraction of 44% (SD = 13). The causes of heart failure were mainly ischemic (56.3%) and hypertensive (28.1%). Readmission rates at 30 and 90 days then at 6 and 12 months were 22, 53.8, 68.8, and 75.8%, respectively. The mortality rates at the same time intervals were 5.5, 8.9, 14.1, and 22.9%, respectively. Predictors of readmission are age, CCI, and NYHA class.

Conclusion

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of heart failure. End stage CAD can have similar results in terms of readmission and mortality as heart failure. Future research should target patients in different stages of the condition and monitor their comorbidities which may impact the study findings.

Coronary revascularisation outcome questionnaire: validation study of the Serbian version

PURPOSE

To translate, culturally adapt and validate the Coronary Revascularisation Outcome Questionnaire (CROQ), a disease-specific tool for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD), into Serbian language (CROQ-S).

METHODS

Validation study was performed at the Clinic for Cardiac Surgery and Clinic for Cardiology, University Clinical Centre of Serbia. We included a convenience sample of 600 patients with IHD divided into four groups. Acceptability, reliability and validity of the CROQ-S were assessed.

RESULTS

CROQ-S was acceptable to patients as demonstrated by less than 1% of missing data for each single item. Cronbach's Alpha was higher than the criterion of 0.70 for all scales in each version except the Cognitive Functioning scale which only met this criterion in the CABG pre-revascularisation version. Mean values of item-total correlations were greater than 0.30 for all scales except the Cognitive Functioning scale in both the pre-revascularisation groups. Compared to the original version, exploratory factor analysis in our study showed more factors; however, the majority of items had a factor loading greater than 0.3 on the right scale. Correlations of CROQ-S scales with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and Seattle Angina Questionnaire showed the expected pattern whereby scales measuring similar constructs were most highly correlated.

CONCLUSION

CROQ-S is an acceptable, reliable and valid disease-specific instrument for measuring HRQoL in this sample of Serbian speaking patients with IHD both before and after coronary revascularisation. However, the Cognitive Functioning scale did not meet all the psychometric criteria and further validation of its responsiveness is required.

Prognostic Nutritional Index as a New Prediction Tool for Coronary Collateral Development

BACKGROUND

Nutritional status is a predictor of the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. The association between the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), which is an immunonutritional parameter, and cardiovascular diseases has been extensively studied in the literature.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate whether PNI is associated with coronary collateral development.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 172 patients with chronic total occlusion. The patients were diagnosed with stable coronary artery disease, and all patients underwent coronary angiography. PNI was calculated using serum albumin level and lymphocyte count. Collateral circulation was classified according to Rentrop grade.

RESULTS

There was a positive correlation between PNI and Rentrop grade (r = 0.168, p = 0.026) and a negative correlation between C-reactive protein and PNI (r = -0.353, p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that uric acid and PNI were independent predictors of Rentrop grade (p = 0.008 and p = 0.037, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that PNI, which can easily be calculated using serum albumin level and lymphocyte count, was a predictor of coronary collateral development in terms of Rentrop grade.

Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells promote granzyme B-dependent adverse post-ischemic cardiac remodeling

Acute myocardial infarction is a common condition responsible for heart failure and sudden death. Here, we show that following acute myocardial infarction in mice, CD8⁺ T lymphocytes are recruited and activated in the ischemic heart tissue and release Granzyme B, leading to cardiomyocyte apoptosis, adverse ventricular remodeling and deterioration of myocardial function. Depletion of CD8⁺ T lymphocytes decreases apoptosis within the ischemic myocardium, hampers inflammatory response, limits myocardial injury and improves heart function. These effects are recapitulated in mice with Granzyme B-deficient CD8⁺ T cells. The protective effect of CD8 depletion on heart function is confirmed by using a model of ischemia/reperfusion in pigs. Finally, we reveal that elevated circulating levels of GRANZYME B in patients with acute myocardial infarction predict increased risk of death at 1-year follow-up. Our work unravels a deleterious role of CD8⁺ T lymphocytes following acute ischemia, and suggests potential therapeutic strategies targeting pathogenic CD8⁺ T lymphocytes in the setting of acute myocardial infarction.

Immune cells contribute to adverse remodeling following myocardial infarction. Here the authors show in mice and pigs that CD8⁺ lymphocytes release Granzyme B in the infarcted heart leading to cardiomyocyte death, enhanced inflammation and deterioration of cardiac function.

Qishen Yiqi dripping pills for chronic ischaemic heart failure: results of the CACT-IHF randomized clinical trial

Aims

Qishen Yiqi dripping pills (QSYQ) may be beneficial in patients with ischaemic heart failure (IHF). We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of QSYQ administered together with guideline‐directed medical therapy in patients with IHF.

Methods and results

This prospective randomized, double‐blind, multicentre placebo‐controlled study enrolled 640 patients with IHF between March 2012 and August 2014. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 6 months of QSYQ or placebo in addition to standard treatment. The primary outcome was 6 min walking distance at 6 months. Among the 638 IHF patients (mean age 65 years, 72% men), the 6 min walking distance increased from 336.15 ± 100.84 to 374.47 ± 103.09 m at 6 months in the QSYQ group, compared with 334.40 ± 100.27 to 340.71 ± 104.57 m in the placebo group (mean change +38.32 vs. +6.31 m respectively; P < 0.001). The secondary outcomes in composite clinical events, including all‐cause mortality and emergency treatment/hospitalization due to heart failure, were non‐significantly lower at 6 months with QSYQ compared with placebo (13% vs. 17%; P = 0.45), and the change of brain natriuretic peptide was non‐significantly greater with QSYQ compared with placebo (median change −14.55 vs. −12.30 pg/mL, respectively; P = 0.21). By contrast, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score significantly improved with QSYQ compared with placebo (−11.78 vs. −9.17; P = 0.004). Adverse events were minor and infrequent with QSYQ, similar to the placebo group.

Conclusions

Treatment with QSYQ for 6 months in addition to standard therapy improved exercise tolerance of IHF patients and was well tolerated.

Association between Preoperative Nutritional Status and Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background: Malnutrition is associated with poor outcomes in patients with cancer, heart failure and chronic kidney disease. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Methods: We recruited a cohort of 3118 patients with CAD undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from 2005 to 2015. Nutritional status was evaluated using the CONUT score, with higher scores reflecting worse nutritional status. Results: After adjustment for comorbidities and medication, an increased CONUT score was independently associated with a higher risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.03–1.24), cardiovascular (CV) death (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.07–1.30), congestive heart failure (CHF) (HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.04–1.18), a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) (HR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.07–1.22), and total CV events (HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.07–1.15). The subgroup analyses demonstrated that the association of the CONUT score existed independently of other established cardiovascular risk factors. In addition, CONUT significantly improved risk stratification for myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac death, CHF, MACEs and total CV events compared to conventional risk factors in CAD patients by the significant increase in the C-index (p < 0.05) and reclassification risk categories in cardiac death and MACEs. Conclusions: The CONUT score improved the risk prediction of adverse events compared to traditional risk factors in CAD patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

A Systematic Review of Direct Cardiovascular Event Costs: An International Perspective

INTRODUCTION

There is a lack of comprehensive cost information for cardiovascular events since 2013.

OBJECTIVE

A systematic review on the contemporary cost of cardiovascular events was therefore undertaken.

METHODS

Methods complied with those recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Studies were unrestricted by language, were from 2013 to 23 December 2017, and included cost-of-illness data in adults with the following cardiovascular conditions: myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA), heart failure (HF), unstable angina (UA), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or peripheral artery disease (PAD). Seven electronic databases were searched, namely Embase (Ovid), MEDLINE (Ovid), MEDLINE In-Process Citations and Daily Update (Ovid), NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), Health Technology Assessment (HTA) database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and PubMed. The included studies reported data from a variety of years (sometimes prior to 2013), so costs were inflated and converted to $US, year 2018 values, for standardization.

RESULTS

After de-duplication, 29,945 titles and abstracts and then 403 full papers were screened; 82 studies (88 papers) were extracted. Year 1 average cost ranges were as follows: MI ($11,970 in Sweden to $61,864 in the USA), stroke ($10,162 in Spain to $46,162 in the USA), TIA ($6049 in Sweden to $25,306 in the USA), HF ($4456 in China to $49,427 in the USA), UA ($11,237 in Sweden to $31,860 in the USA), PCI ($17,923 in Italy to $45,533 in the USA), CABG ($17,972 in the UK to $76,279 in the USA). One Swedish study reported PAD costs in a format convertible to $US, 2018 values, with a mean annual cost of $15,565.

CONCLUSIONS

There was considerable unexplained variation in contemporary costs for all major cardiovascular events. One emerging theme was that average costs in the USA were considerably higher than anywhere else.

Cardiovascular outcomes among elderly patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease and without atrial fibrillation: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Coronary artery disease accelerates heart failure progression, leading to poor prognosis and a substantial increase in morbidity and mortality. This study was aimed to assess the impact of coronary artery disease on all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemic stroke (IS) among hospitalized newly-diagnosed heart failure (HF) patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD).

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included Medicare patients (aged ≥65 years) with ≥1 inpatient heart failure claim (index date = discharge date) during 01JAN2007-31DEC2013. Patients were required to have continuous enrollment for ≥1-year pre-index date (baseline: 1-year pre-index period) without a prior heart failure claim (in the 1 year pre-index prior to the index hospital admission); follow-up ran from the index date to death, disenrollment from the health plan, or the end of the study period, whichever occurred first. HF with LVSD patients, identified with diagnosis codes of systolic dysfunction (excluding baseline atrial fibrillation), were stratified based on prevalent coronary artery disease at baseline into coronary artery disease and non-coronary artery disease cohorts. Main outcomes were occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events including all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance patient characteristics. Kaplan-Meier curves of ACM and cumulative incidence distribution of MI/IS were presented.

Results

Of 22,230 HF with LVSD patients, 15,827 (71.2%) had coronary artery disease and were overall more likely to be younger (79.8 vs 80.9 years), male (49.6% vs. 35.6%), white (86.2% vs 81.4%), with more prevalent comorbidities including hypertension (80.7% vs 74.3%), hyperlipidemia (67.7% vs 46.7%), and diabetes (46.3% vs 35.8%) (all p < 0.0001). After propensity score matching, cohorts included 5792 patients each. The coronary artery disease cohort had significantly higher cumulative incidence of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke at the end of 7-year follow-up vs non-coronary artery disease (myocardial infarction = 50.0% vs 18.0%; ischemic stroke = 23.3% vs 18.7%; all p < 0.0001). Follow-up all-cause mortality rates were similar between the two cohorts.

Conclusions

HF with LVSD patients with coronary artery disease had significantly higher incidence of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction, but similar all-cause mortality compared to those without coronary artery disease.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12872-018-0991-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Incidence and risk of major heart diseases in middle-aged adults with moderate to severe vision impairment: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND/AIM

To estimate the incidence and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), including heart failure and ischaemic heart disease, among middle-aged people with a visual disability (VD).

METHODS

We used a national health insurance research database to conduct a population-based cohort study from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2013. Patients with VD aged 35~65 years were recruited. For each VD patient, five age-matched, sex-matched and comorbidity-matched patients were randomly selected and recruited as controls. Control patients had no documented disability.

RESULTS

This study recruited 978 patients with VD (mean age±SD, 55.1±7.8 years; 48.9% male) and 4677 controls. Compared with the same sex of the controls, women with VD had higher incidence of MACE 1 (7.9 vs 2.8/1000 person-years, p<0.001), MACE 2 (27.5 vs 16.9/1000 person-years, p<0.001), MACE 3 (3.7 vs 1.4/1000 person-years, p<0.005) and MACE 4 (4.5 vs 2.5/1000 person-years, p<0.05), and men with VD had higher incidence of MACE 1 (4.6 vs 2.0/1000 person-years, p<0.005). Compared with the controls, patients with VD had lower cumulative MACE 1~MACE 4-free probabilities and had an independently higher risk of MACE 1~MACE 4 during the 13-year study, yielding an adjusted hazard ratio range of 1.31~2.75. Those persons with VD who had diabetes and hypertension had greater risks of MACE 1~MACE 4.

CONCLUSIONS

Middle-aged adults with VD were at risk of MACEs. A programme for MACE prevention is important for middle-aged people with VD. This is especially true for women and for those who also have diabetes and hypertension.

Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the coronary revascularization outcome questionnaire

Background

People with ischemic heart disease have increased drastically, and their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been increasingly important. The Coronary Revascularization Outcome Questionnaire (CROQ) is a widely used tool to assess the quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study was to rigorously examine the psychometric properties of the CROQ in patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods

The CROQ was translated into Korean. A total of 209 patients before PCI and 169 patients after PCI were recruited from a university hospital in Korea and completed questionnaires. In terms of statistical analyses, internal consistency, concurrent validity with using the Short Form 12 (SF-12) and Seattle Angina Questionnaire-Korean version (SAQ-K), and construct validity using exploratory factor analysis were assessed. Effective size statistics were calculated.

Results

The internal consistency coefficients for all subscales of the CROQ were above 0.70, except the domain of adverse effects. The concurrent validity was mostly supported by the pattern of association among CROQ-K, SAQ-K, and SF-12. The results of EFA showed the core items of the CROQ had 7 factors. Large effect sizes were observed for the symptoms and the psychosocial functioning scales.

Conclusions

The Korean version of the CROQ is a valid and reliable scale for assessing HRQOL in patients with coronary artery disease.

Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Patients With Cirrhosis Reduces Risk of Liver and Non-Liver Complications

BACKGROUND & AIMS

We performed a prospective study to investigate the effects of a sustained viral response (SVR) on outcomes of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and compensated cirrhosis.

METHODS

We collected data from 1323 patients included in the prospective Agence Nationale pour la Recherche sur le SIDA et les hépatites virales (ANRS) viral cirrhosis (CirVir) cohort, recruited from 35 clinical centers in France from 2006 through 2012. All patients had HCV infection and biopsy-proven cirrhosis, were Child-Pugh class A, and had no prior liver complications. All patients received anti-HCV treatment before or after inclusion (with interferon then with direct antiviral agents) and underwent an ultrasound examination every 6 months, as well as endoscopic evaluations. SVR was considered as a time-dependent covariate; its effect on outcome was assessed by the Cox proportional hazard regression method. We used a propensity score to minimize confounding by indication of treatment and capacity to achieve SVR.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up period of 58.2 months, 668 patients (50.5%) achieved SVR. SVR was associated with a decreased incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (hazard ratio [HR] compared with patients without an SVR, 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19-0.43; P < .001) and hepatic decompensation (HR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.17-0.39; P < .001). Patients with SVRs also had a lower risk of cardiovascular events (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.25-0.69; P = .001) and bacterial infections (HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.29-0.68; P < .001). Metabolic features were associated with a higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with SVRs, but not in patients with viremia. SVR affected overall mortality (HR, 0.27 compared with patients without SVR; 95% CI, 0.18-0.42; P < .001) and death from liver-related and non-liver-related causes. Similar results were obtained in a propensity score-matched population.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed a reduction in critical events, liver-related or not, in a prospective study of patients with HCV infection and compensated cirrhosis included in the CirVir cohort who achieved an SVR. We found an SVR to reduce overall mortality and risk of death from liver-related and non-liver-related causes. A longer follow-up evaluation is required to accurately describe and assess specific risk factors for complications in this population.

Hemodynamic and serum cardiac markers and risk of cognitive impairment and dementia

INTRODUCTION

Cardiac function is a key player in maintaining energy homeostasis in the brain. Heart failure is closely related to higher risk of neurocognitive disorders. Recent evidence shows that this relationship might not be limited to patients with advanced heart failure, and even suboptimal cardiac functioning is associated with accelerated brain aging. Hence, hemodynamic and serum cardiac markers may provide valuable information about the risk of dementia.

METHODS

We provide an overview on the link between cardiac markers and cognitive function by a systematic search in five databases. Furthermore, we discuss the pathophysiological aspects of this link and highlight the pertinent clinical and public health implications.

RESULTS

Increasing evidence supports the associations of hemodynamic and serum cardiac markers with accelerated cognitive decline.

DISCUSSION

Hemodynamic and serum cardiac markers are closely linked with risk of cognitive impairment. This highlights the significance of the heart-brain connection in reducing the burden of dementia.

Total Arterial Revascularization: Bypassing Antiquated Notions to Better Alternatives for Coronary Artery Disease

Total arterial revascularization is the leading trend in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Adding to its superiority to vein conduits, arteries allow for a high degree of versatility and long-term patency, while minimizing the need for reintervention. This is especially important for patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease, as well as young patients. However, arterial revascularization has come a long way before being widely appreciated, with some yet unresolved debates, and advances that never cease to impress. In this review, we discuss the evolution of this surgical technique and its clinical success, as well as its most conspicuous limitations in light of accumulated published date from decades of experience.