Challenges in Caring for People with Cardiovascular Disease through and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Advantages of Universal Access to Home Telemonitoring

(1) Background: Cardiovascular prevention was left in second place during the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of telemedicine turned out to be very useful. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a telemedicine application for remote monitoring and treatment adjustments in terms of improving cardiovascular prevention. (2) Methods: A prospective study of 3439 patients evaluated between the 1st of March 2019 and the 1st of March 2022, in the pre-pandemic period by face-to-face visits and during the pandemic by teleconsultations or hybrid follow-up. We compared four periods: pre-pandemic-Pre-P (1 March 2019-1 March 2020), lockdown-Lock (1 March-1 September 2020), restrictive-pandemic-Restr-P (1 September 2020-1 March 2021), and relaxed-pandemic-Rel-P (1 March 2021-1 March 2022). (3) Results: The average values of total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, and glucose had an increasing trend during Lock and Restr-P, and they decreased close to the baseline level during the Rel-P, with the exception of glucose which remained elevated in Rel-P. The number of patients with newly discovered DM increased significantly in the Rel-P, and 79.5% of them had mild/moderate forms of COVID-19. During Lock and Res-P, the percentage of obese, smoking, or hypertensive patients increased, but probably through the use of telemedicine, we managed to reduce it, although it remained slightly higher than the pre-pandemic level. Physical activity decreased in the first year of the pandemic, but in Rel-P people became more active than before the pandemic. (4) Conclusions: The use of telemedicine for cardiovascular prevention seems to yield favorable results, especially for secondary prevention in the very high-risk group and during the second year.

Telemedicine for Optimizing Secondary Prevention in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Patients during COVID-19 Pandemic

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a major disruption to the delivery of secondary prevention measures in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). It required a rapid and widespread adoption of new medical services, including the use of telemedicine. This study aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19 on secondary prevention in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and to evaluate the effectiveness of the telemedicine application for the implementation of lifestyle change measures, remote monitoring, and treatment regimen adjustment; (2) Methods: This prospective study on 194 CABG patients evaluated three consecutive years between 2019 and 2022 in the pre-pandemic period by face-to-face visits and during the pandemic by teleconsultations or hybrid follow-up. Variables of interest were compared between four periods: pre-pandemic-pre-P (1 March 2019-29 February 2020), lockdown-Lock (1 March-31 August 2020), restrictive-pandemic-Restr-P (1 September 2020-28 February 2021), and relaxed-pandemic-Rel-P (1 March 2021-1 March 2022). (3) Results: The average values of the lipidogram, blood sugar, and uric acid increased during Lock and Restr-P, but, through the use of teleprevention, they returned to the pre-pandemic level or even below this level. The exception was blood sugar, which remained high in Rel-P. The number of newly diagnosed patients with diabetes also increased, with most of them having moderate forms of COVID. During Lock and Res-P, the percentage of obese, smoking, or hypertensive patients increased, but, through the use of teleprevention, we managed to reduce it, although it remained slightly higher than the pre-pandemic level. Physical activity decreased in the first year of the pandemic, but, in Rel-P, CABG patients became more active than before the pandemic (4) Conclusions: The use of telemedicine for cardiovascular secondary prevention allowed us to not only continue seeing CABG patients but, also, to adjust their medication and to expand cardiovascular preventive counseling and testing with favorable results, especially during the second year of the pandemic.

Importance of Tissue Doppler Evaluation in Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The Value of Diastolic Filling Pattern as a Prognostic Predictor

(1) Background: The presence of restrictive left ventricular diastolic filling pattern (LVDFP) is associated with an unfavorable prognosis in many cardiac diseases, but few data are available on the prognostic implications of this pattern in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We aimed to establish the main prognostic predictors at the 1- and 5-year follow-ups in DCM patients and the value of restrictive LVDFP in increasing morbidity and mortality. (2) Methods: A prospective study of 143 patients with DCM divided in non-restrictive LVDFP group (95 patients) and restrictive group (47 patients). The patients were evaluated at a 5-year follow-up through an in-patient visit during the pre-pandemic period and hybrid methods (face-to-face, teleconsultation and home monitoring with a telemedicine application) during the pandemic period. Statistical analysis compared the two groups in terms of NYHA class, quality of life, hospitalizations/emergency department (ED) visits due to HF exacerbation and total mortality. (3) Results: The mortality rate in the restrictive group was markedly higher than that in the non-restrictive group at 1 year (17.02% vs. 10.59%, respectively, p < 0.05) and at 5 years (68.08% vs. 50.53%, p < 0.05). In the restrictive group, hospitalizations/ED visits due to HF decompensations at 1 year were significantly higher (85.11% vs. 57.89%, p < 0.05), with hospitalizations for ventricular arrhythmia being almost three times higher (21.28% vs. 7.37%, respectively, p < 0.05). The percentage of patients with a favorable evolution (in terms of NYHA class and quality of life) at the 1- and 5-year follow-ups were higher in the non-restrictive LVDFP group. The main prognostic predictors in patients with DCM at the 1-year follow-up were: restrictive LVDFP, age > 75 years, markedly dilated LV, comorbidities (DM, COPD), 2nd-degree mitral regurgitation and severe pulmonary hypertension (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: At the 1- and 5-year follow-ups, the presence of the restrictive LVDFP in DCM patients was independently associated with a poor prognosis, being the best clinical predictor for unfavorable evolution, after adjustment for other well-established predictive parameters in DCM patients.