Effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in Asian versus White patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to assess the treatment effects of the two medications on cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in Asian compared with White patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched up to October 31, 2022. We included the trials that assessed the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) versus placebo in Asian and White patients with T2DM on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and kidney outcomes. The Bucher method was used to perform an indirect comparison for estimating the differences in treatment effects of GLP-1 RA and SGLT2i between Asian versus White patients. Interaction tests were also performed for treatment-by-race to assess the potential effect modification by race.

RESULTS

We included 22 publications from 13 randomized trials. For MACE, there were no differences in treatment effects of GLP-1 RA (HR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.68-1.04) or SGLT2i (HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.72-1.13) in Asian versus White patients. No differences in treatment effects of SGLT2i on kidney outcomes in Asian versus White patients were found (HR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.75-1.36). There was no significant effect modification by race on cardiovascular and kidney outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

There were no significant differences in treatment effects of GLP-1 RA or SGLT2i for MACE between Asian and White patients with T2DM. Likewise, no significant differences in treatment effects of SGLT2i on kidney outcomes were found between Asian and White patients.

Remote Patient Monitoring for Patients with Heart Failure: Sex- and Race-based Disparities and Opportunities

Remote patient monitoring (RPM), within the larger context of telehealth expansion, has been established as an effective and safe means of care for patients with heart failure (HF) during the recent pandemic. Of the demographic groups, female patients and black patients are underenrolled relative to disease distribution in clinical trials and are under-referred for RPM, including remote haemodynamic monitoring, cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), wearables and telehealth interventions. The sex- and race-based disparities are multifactorial: stringent clinical trial inclusion criteria, distrust of the medical establishment, poor access to healthcare, socioeconomic inequities, and lack of diversity in clinical trial leadership. Notwithstanding addressing the above factors, RPM has the unique potential to reduce disparities through a combination of implicit bias mitigation and earlier detection and intervention for HF disease progression in disadvantaged groups. This review describes the uptake of remote haemodynamic monitoring, CIEDs and telehealth in female patients and black patients with HF, and discusses aetiologies that may contribute to inequities and strategies to promote health equity.

Relation of Extracardiac Vascular Disease and Outcomes in Patients With Diabetes (1.1 Million) Hospitalized for Acute Myocardial Infarction

The association between vascular disease and outcomes of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been well-defined in the diabetes mellitus (DM) population. All patients with DM presenting with AMI between October 2015 and December 2018 in the National Inpatient Sample database were stratified by number and site of extracardiac vascular comorbidity (cerebrovascular [CVD], renovascular, neural, retinal and peripheral [PAD] diseases). Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of in-hospital adverse outcomes and procedures. Of 1,116,670 patients with DM who were hospitalized for AMI, 366,165 had ≥1 extracardiac vascular comorbidity (32.8%). Patients with vascular disease had an increased aOR for mortality (aOR 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04 to 1.07), major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) (aOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.21), stroke (aOR 1.72, 95% CI 1.68 to 1.76), and major bleeding (aOR 1.11, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.13) and had lower odds of receiving coronary angiography (CA) (aOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.91) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.83) than patients without extracardiac vascular disease. Patients with PAD had the highest odds of mortality (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.32), whereas patients with CVD had the greatest odds of MACCEs, stroke, and major bleeding (aOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.78 to 1.87, aOR 4.25, 95% CI 4.10 to 4.40, and aOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.45 to 1.57, respectively). Patients with DM presenting with AMI and concomitant extracardiac vascular disease were more likely to develop clinical outcomes and less likely to undergo CA or PCI. Patients with PAD had the highest risk of mortality, whereas patients with CVD had the greatest risk of MACCEs, stroke, and major bleeding.

The LENT index predicts 30 day outcomes following hospitalization for heart failure

Aims

The LE index (Length of hospitalization plus number of Emergent visits ≤6 months) predicts 30 day all‐cause readmission or death following hospitalization for heart failure (HF). We combined N‐terminal pro‐B type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) levels with the LE index to derive and validate the LENT index for risk prediction at the point of care on the day of hospital discharge.

Methods and results

In this prospective cohort sub‐study of the Patient‐centred Care Transitions in HF clinical trial, we used log‐binomial regression models with LE index and either admission or discharge NT‐proBNP as the predictors and 30 day composite all‐cause readmission or death as the primary outcome. No other variables were added to the model. We used regression coefficients to derive the LENT index and bootstrapping analysis for internal validation. There were 772 patients (mean [SD] age 77.0 [12.4] years, 49.9% female). Each increment in the LE index was associated with a 25% increased risk of the primary outcome (RR 1.25, 95% CI 1.16–1.35; C‐statistic 0.63). Adjusted for the LE index, every 10‐fold increase in admission and discharge NT‐proBNP was associated with a 48% (RR 1.48; 95% CI 1.10, 1.99; C‐statistic 0.64; net reclassification index [NRI] 0.19) and 56% (RR 1.56; 95% CI 1.08, 2.25; C‐statistic 0.64; NRI 0.21) increased risk of the primary outcome, respectively. The predicted probability of the primary outcome increased to a similar extent with incremental LENT, regardless of whether admission or discharge NT‐proBNP level was used.

Conclusions

The point‐of‐care LENT index predicts 30 day composite all‐cause readmission or death among patients hospitalized with HF, with improved risk reclassification compared with the LE index. The performance of this simple, 3‐variable index ‐ without adjustment for comorbidities ‐ is comparable to complex risk prediction models in HF.

Transitional care quality indicators to assess quality of care following hospitalisation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

The period following hospitalisation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or heart failure (HF)-when patients transition between settings and clinicians-is one of high risk. Transitional care services that bridge the gap from hospital to home can improve outcomes, but there are no widely accepted indicators to assess their quality.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

In this systematic review, we will summarise transitional care quality indicators, and describe their associations with clinical, patient-reported and cost outcomes. We will search MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and HealthSTAR, as well as grey literature and reference lists of included articles. We will screen all studies published between January 1990 and October 2019 that test an intervention that aims to improve the hospital-to-home transition for patients with COPD and/or HF; and measure at least one process (eg, medication errors), clinical (eg, hospital readmissions) or patient-reported (eg, health-related quality of life) outcome which will serve as a transitional care quality indicator . We will include randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, interrupted time series studies and before-after studies. We will extract data in duplicate and classify transitional care quality indicators as structural, process-related or outcome-related. When possible, we will assess associations between transitional care quality indicators and clinical outcomes. In anticipation of conceptual and statistical heterogeneity, we will provide a qualitative synthesis and narrative review of the results.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This review will provide a list of transitional care quality indicators and their associations with clinical outcomes. These results can be used by hospitals, administrators and clinicians for assessing the quality of transitional care provided to patients with COPD and HF. The findings can also be used by policy-makers to assess and incentivise transitional care quality. We will disseminate results through publications, social media releases and presentations.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

This study is registered on PROSPERO.

Early Unplanned Readmissions After Admission to Hospital With Heart Failure

Hospital readmissions remain a continued challenge in the care of patients with heart failure (HF). This study aims to examine the rates, temporal trends, predictors and causes of 30-day unplanned readmissions after admission with HF. Patients hospitalized with a primary or secondary diagnosis of HF in the U.S. Nationwide Readmission Database were included. We examined the incidence, trends, predictors and causes of unplanned all-cause readmissions at 30-days. A total of 2,635,673 and 8,342,383 patients were included in the analyses for primary and secondary diagnoses of HF, respectively. The 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 15.1% for primary HF and 14.6% for secondary HF. Predictors of readmission in primary HF included renal failure (OR 1.27 (1.25 to 1.28)), cancer (OR 1.26 (1.22 to 1.29)), receipt of circulatory support (OR 2.81 (1.64 to 4.81)) and discharge against medical advice (OR 2.29 (2.20 to 2.39)). In secondary HF, the major predictors were receipt of circulatory support (OR 1.43 (1.12 to 1.84)) and discharge against medical advice (OR 2.01 95%CI (1.95 to 2.07)). In primary HF 52.4% of patients were readmitted for a noncardiac cause while for secondary HF 73.9% were readmitted for a noncardiac cause. For secondary HF, the strongest predictor of readmission was discharge against medical advice (OR 2.06 95%CI 2.01 to 2.12, p < 0.001). Early unplanned readmissions are common among patients hospitalized with HF, and a majority of readmissions are due to causes other than HF. Our results highlight the need to better manage comorbidities in patients with HF.

The Use of Text Messaging to Improve the Hospital-to-Community Transition in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients (Txt2Prevent): Intervention Development and Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Background

Acute coronary syndrome, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is one of the leading causes for hospitalization, with AMI 30-day readmission rates around 20%. Supporting patient information needs and increasing adherence to recommended self-management behaviors during transition from hospital to home has the potential to improve patient outcomes. Text messages have been effective in other interventions and may be suitable to provide support to patients during this transition period.

Objective

The goal of this study is to pilot test a text messaging intervention program (Txt2Prevent) that supports acute coronary syndrome patients for 60 days postdischarge. The primary objective is to compare self-management, as measured by the Health Education Impact Questionnaire, between patients receiving only usual care versus those who receive usual care plus the Txt2Prevent intervention. The secondary objectives are to compare medication adherence, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, health care resource use (and associated costs), all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) readmission, and all-cause and CVD mortality rates between the 2 groups. The third objective is to assess acceptability of the text messaging intervention and feasibility of the study protocol.

Methods

This is a randomized controlled trial with blinding of outcome assessors. The Txt2Prevent program includes automated text messages to patients about standard follow-up care, general self-management, and healthy living. The content of the text messages was informed by and developed based on interviews with patients, discharge materials, theoretical domains of behavior, and a clinical advisory group composed of patients, clinicians, and researchers. We will recruit 76 consecutive cardiac in-patients with acute coronary syndrome who are treated with either medical management or percutaneous coronary intervention from a hospital in Vancouver, Canada.

Results

Assessments at baseline will include measures for demographic information, self-management, health-related quality of life, and self-efficacy. Assessments at follow-up will include medication adherence, readmissions, health care resource use, and mortality in addition to the reassessment of baseline measures. Baseline assessments are done in-person while follow-up assessments are completed through a combination of mailed packages and phone calls. Semistructured interviews with participants will also be performed to better understand participant experiences managing their condition and with the text messages.

Conclusions

This study will determine preliminary efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of the Txt2Prevent program to support acute coronary syndrome patients in the transition to home following hospital discharge. The results of this study will be used to inform a larger trial.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02336919; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02336919 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6qMjEqo6O)