Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index is Associated with Prevalence and New-Appearance of Atrial Fibrillation in Japanese Urban Residents: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional and Cohort Study

Prognostic Value of Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index for Cardiovascular and Kidney Outcomes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Arterial stiffness causes cardiovascular disease and target-organ damage. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity is regarded as a standard arterial stiffness metric. However, the prognostic value of cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), which is mathematically corrected for blood pressure, remains understudied.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to determine the association of CAVI with cardiovascular and kidney outcomes.

Methods

PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched until May 6, 2023, for longitudinal studies reporting the association of CAVI with mortality, cardiovascular events (CVEs) (including death, acute coronary syndromes, stroke, coronary revascularization, heart failure hospitalization), and kidney function decline (incidence/progression of chronic kidney disease, glomerular filtration rate decline). Random-effects meta-analysis was performed. Studies were assessed with the "Quality in Prognostic Studies" tool.

Results

Systematic review identified 32 studies (105,845 participants; follow-up range: 12-148 months). Variable cutoffs were reported for CAVI. The risk of CVEs was higher for high vs normal CAVI (HR: 1.46 [95% CI: 1.22-1.75]; P < 0.001; I2 = 41%), and per SD/unit CAVI increase (HR: 1.30 [95% CI: 1.20-1.41]; P < 0.001; I2 = 0%). Among studies including participants without baseline cardiovascular disease (primary prevention), higher CAVI was associated with first-time CVEs (high vs normal: HR: 1.60 [95% CI: 1.15-2.21]; P = 0.005; I2 = 65%; HR per SD/unit increase: 1.28 [95% CI: 1.12-1.47]; P < 0.001; I2 = 18%). There was no association between CAVI and mortality (HR = 1.31 [0.92-1.87]; P = 0.130; I2 = 53%). CAVI was associated with kidney function decline (high vs normal: HR = 1.30 [1.18-1.43]; P < 0.001; I2 = 38%; HR per SD/unit increase: 1.12 [95% CI: 1.07-1.18]; P < 0.001; I2 = 0%).

Conclusions

Higher CAVI is associated with incident CVEs, and this association is present in the primary prevention setting. Elevated CAVI is associated with kidney function decline.

Atrial Fibrillation and Early Vascular Aging: Clinical Implications, Methodology Issues and Open Questions-A Review from the VascAgeNet COST Action

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common cardiac arrhythmia, is associated with adverse CV outcomes. Vascular aging (VA), which is defined as the progressive deterioration of arterial function and structure over a lifetime, is an independent predictor of both AF development and CV events. A timing identification and treatment of early VA has therefore the potential to reduce the risk of AF incidence and related CV events. A network of scientists and clinicians from the COST Action VascAgeNet identified five clinically and methodologically relevant questions regarding the relationship between AF and VA and conducted a narrative review of the literature to find potential answers. These are: (1) Are VA biomarkers associated with AF? (2) Does early VA predict AF occurrence better than chronological aging? (3) Is early VA a risk enhancer for the occurrence of CV events in AF patients? (4) Are devices measuring VA suitable to perform subclinical AF detection? (5) Does atrial-fibrillation-related rhythm irregularity have a negative impact on the measurement of vascular age? Results showed that VA is a powerful and independent predictor of AF incidence, however, its role as risk modifier for the occurrence of CV events in patients with AF is debatable. Limited and inconclusive data exist regarding the reliability of VA measurement in the presence of rhythm irregularities associated with AF. To date, no device is equipped with tools capable of detecting AF during VA measurements. This represents a missed opportunity to effectively perform CV prevention in people at high risk. Further advances are needed to fill knowledge gaps in this field.

Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index and Left Atrial Reverse Remodeling After Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Arterial stiffness has been reported to cause left atrial (LA) remodeling due to increased left ventricular filling pressure, resulting in atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to evaluate the association between LA reverse remodeling (LARR) after AF ablation and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), an indicator of arterial stiffness.This study included 333 patients with AF (171 with paroxysmal AF and 162 with nonparoxysmal AF) and LA enlargement (LA volume index ≥ 34 mL/m²) who underwent AF ablation between December 2008 and July 2021. CAVI was evaluated preoperatively during AF (n = 155, 46.5%) or sinus rhythm (n = 178, 53.5%). Participants were divided into groups with LARR (n = 133, 39.9%) and without LARR (n = 200, 60.1%) according to whether the degree of decrease in LA volume index on transthoracic echocardiography 6 months after ablation was ≥ 15% or < 15%, respectively.Sinus rhythm was maintained in 168 (50.5%) patients within 3-6 months after the index procedure. Univariate analysis revealed that preoperative CAVI (7.80 ± 1.22 versus 8.57 ± 1.09, P < 0.001) was significantly lower, and the maintenance of sinus rhythm (61.6% versus 43.0%, P = 0.0011) was higher in the group with LARR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative CAVI was independently associated with LARR (odds ratio, 0.60, 95% confidence interval, 0.46-0.78, P < 0.001).In patients with AF and LA enlargement, CAVI is independently associated with LA reverse remodeling after catheter ablation.

Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, Structural Atherosclerosis, and Functional Atherosclerosis in Older Japanese

Aggressive endothelial repair results in the progression of both structural and functional atherosclerosis, while insufficient endothelial repair worsens functional but not structural atherosclerosis. Aging increases the risk of inadequate endothelial repair. Since low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) activates endothelial repair, LDLc may be positively associated with structural atherosclerosis but inversely associated with functional atherosclerosis in older individuals. This cross-sectional study analyzed 1458 participants aged 60 to 79 years. We defined structural atherosclerosis as a carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) of at least 1.1 mm and functional atherosclerosis as a cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) of at least 9.0. LDLc was significantly positively associated with structural atherosclerosis and significantly inversely associated with functional atherosclerosis, independently of known cardiovascular risk factors. For 1 standard increment of LDLc (28 mg/dL for men and 29 mg/dL for women), the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals after adjustment for known cardiovascular risk factors were 1.28 (1.10, 1.50) for structural atherosclerosis and 0.85 (0.75, 0.96) for functional atherosclerosis. LDLc activates endothelial repair, which results in the development of structural atherosclerosis but maintains endothelial function in older individuals. To evaluate atherosclerosis in clinical practice, the combination of structural and functional assessment of atherosclerosis could be informative.

Expert Consensus on the Clinical Use of Pulse Wave Velocity in Asia

Arterial stiffness is a progressive aging process that predicts cardiovascular disease. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) has emerged as a noninvasive, valid, and reliable measure of arterial stiffness and an independent risk predictor for adverse outcomes. However, up to now, PWV measurement has mostly been used as a tool for risk prediction and has not been widely used in clinical practice. This consensus paper aims to discuss multiple PWV measurements currently available in Asia and to provide evidence-based assessment together with recommendations on the clinical use of PWV. For the methodology, PWV measurement including the central elastic artery is essential and measurements including both the central elastic and peripheral muscular arteries, such as brachial-ankle PWV and cardio-ankle vascular index, can be a good alternative. As Asian populations are rapidly aging, timely detection and intervention of "early vascular aging" in terms of abnormally high PWV values are recommended. More evidence is needed to determine if a PWV-guided therapeutic approach will be beneficial to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases beyond current strategies. Large-scale randomized controlled intervention studies are needed to guide clinicians.

Comparison of Predictive Ability of Arterial Stiffness Parameters Including Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index, Pulse Wave Velocity and Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index0

Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was developed to reflect the stiffness of the arterial tree from the aortic origin to the ankle. This arterial stiffness parameter is useful for assessing the severity of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk. However, compared to pulse wave velocity (PWV), the conventional gold standard of arterial stiffness parameter, there has been a concern regarding CAVI that there are fewer longitudinal studies for CVD. Furthermore, the accuracy of CAVI for atherosclerotic diseases compared to other parameters has not been well validated. This review article aims to summarize recent findings to clarify the predictive ability of CAVI in longitudinal studies. First, several large longitudinal studies have found that not only baseline CAVI but also CAVI changes during the observation period predict cardiovascular events. Second, CAVI may have superior discriminatory power for all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular endpoints compared to PWV. Furthermore, one large longitudinal study found CAVI to be a stronger predictor for renal function decline compared to PWV as well as CAVI₀, a variant of CAVI that mathematically excludes BP dependence. Additionally, CAVI shows the properties that allow the elucidation of specific hemodynamics in aortic valve disease or hypovolemia. In conclusion, CAVI may be a modifiable arterial stiffness parameter not only for predicting and preventing atherosclerotic diseases but also for elucidating specific hemodynamic pathophysiology.