Social Isolation and Incident Heart Failure Hospitalization in Older Women: Women's Health Initiative Study Findings

Background The association of social isolation or lack of social network ties in older adults is unknown. This knowledge gap is important since the risk of heart failure (HF) and social isolation increase with age. The study examines whether social isolation is associated with incident HF in older women, and examines depressive symptoms as a potential mediator and age and race and ethnicity as effect modifiers. Methods and Results This study included 44 174 postmenopausal women of diverse race and ethnicity from the WHI (Women's Health Initiative) study who underwent annual assessment for HF adjudication from baseline enrollment (1993-1998) through 2018. We conducted a mediation analysis to examine depressive symptoms as a potential mediator and further examined effect modification by age and race and ethnicity. Incident HF requiring hospitalization was the main outcome. Social isolation was a composite variable based on marital/partner status, religious ties, and community ties. Depressive symptoms were assessed using CES-D (Center for Epidemiology Studies-Depression). Over a median follow-up of 15.0 years, we analyzed data from 36 457 women, and 2364 (6.5%) incident HF cases occurred; 2510 (6.9%) participants were socially isolated. In multivariable analyses adjusted for sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical, and general health/functioning; socially isolated women had a higher risk of incident HF than nonisolated women (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.08-1.41). Adding depressive symptoms in the model did not change this association (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.07-1.40). Neither race and ethnicity nor age moderated the association between social isolation and incident HF. Conclusions Socially isolated older women are at increased risk for developing HF, independent of traditional HF risk factors. Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT00000611.

ACGME Interventional Cardiology Milestones 2.0-an overview: Endorsed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

This document provides an overview of the rationale, development, interpretation, and practical suggestions for implementation of the new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Interventional Cardiology (IC) Milestones 2.0. Previously, IC programs used the general ACGME Milestones for internal medicine. The IC Milestones version 2.0 updates the ACGME competencies to be specific to training in IC. In 2019 an ACGME working group consisting of IC program directors, a lay representative, and representatives from the American Board of Internal Medicine met to develop the IC Milestones version 2.0. The ACGME IC Milestones 2.0 establishes a framework for formative feedback for trainees within domains of patient care, medical knowledge, systems-based practice, practice-based learning and improvement, professionalism, and interpersonal and communication skills. The 2021 IC Milestones 2.0 provides a framework for IC mentors and trainees to identify areas for improvement or commendation help stimulate meaningful educational discussions, and provide the basis for self-reflection and self-improvement.

Characteristics and long term outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndromes due to culprit left main coronary artery disease treated with percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND

Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) due to unprotected culprit left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are rare, high-risk, and not represented in trials. Data regarding long term outcome after PCI are limited.

METHODS

Between January 2000 and December 2014, there were 8,794 patients hospitalized with unstable angina/non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (UA/NSTEMI) or ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with PCI at our institution; of these, 83 (0.94%) patients were identified as having culprit LMCAD ACS.

RESULTS

Of the 83 patients with unprotected LMCAD ACS, 40 patients presented with STEMI and 43 patients presented with UA/NSTEMI. As compared to LM UA/NSTEMI, LM STEMI patients were younger and had less hypertension, with a trend towards greater frequency of cardiogenic shock. Distal LM involvement was common in both groups and did not differ by ACS type. In-hospital mortality was 33% in LM STEMI and 9% in LM UA/NSTEMI (P = .009). Over median follow up of 6.3 years, long term survival rates in both groups were similar (46% for STEMI vs 51% for UA/NSTEMI; P = .50 by log-rank).

CONCLUSIONS

Unprotected culprit LMCAD ACS necessitating PCI is uncommon, occurring in <1% of cases, but is associated with reduced survival, with long term follow-up noting continued and similar risk of death regardless of index ACS type.

The Supply and Demand of the Cardiovascular Workforce: Striking the Right Balance

As the burden of cardiovascular disease in the United States continues to increase, uncertainty remains on how well-equipped the cardiovascular workforce is to meet the challenges that lie ahead. In a time when health care is rapidly shifting, numerous factors affect the supply and demand of the cardiovascular workforce. This Council Commentary critically examines several factors that influence the cardiovascular workforce. These include current workforce demographics and projections, evolving health care and practice environments, and the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease. Finally, we propose 3 strategies to optimize the workforce. These focus on cardiovascular disease prevention, the effective utilization of the cardiovascular care team, and alterations to the training pathway for cardiologists.

COCATS 4: Securing the Future of Cardiovascular Medicine

The latest iteration of the Core Cardiology Training Statement (COCATS 4) [Corrected] provides a potentially transformative advancement in cardiovascular fellowship training intended, ultimately, to improve patient care. This review addressed 3 primary themes of COCATS 4 from the perspective of fellows-in-training: 1) the evolution of training requirements culminating in a competency-based curriculum; 2) the development of novel learning paradigms; and 3) the establishment of task forces in emerging areas of multimodality imaging and critical care cardiology. This document also examined several important challenges presented by COCATS 4. The proposed changes in COCATS 4 should not only enhance the training experience but also improve trainee satisfaction. Because it embraces continual transformation of training requirements to meet evolving clinical needs and public expectations, COCATS 4 will enrich the cardiovascular fellowship training experience for patients, programs, and fellows-in-training.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of modern contraception among single women in a rural and urban community in southeast Nigeria

The contraceptive information and services offered to single women in most developing countries is compromised by stigma attached to premarital sex. This study was to ascertain the knowledge, attitude and practice of contraception among single women in a rural and urban community in southeast Nigeria, using a cross-sectional survey of 279 and 295 single women in Ngwo (rural) and Enugu (urban) community. The mean age of the population was 21.3 years. Contraceptive awareness was more among the urban than rural respondents (90.2% vs 34.1%). The major sources of contraceptive knowledge were mass media (68%) and peer groups (86.3%) for the urban and rural respondents, respectively. Most respondents in both groups had positive attitude towards contraception. More urban than rural respondents (68.3% vs 12.5%) began sexual activity during adolescence and the level of contraceptive use during first coitus were 48.4% and 13.7%, respectively. Of the currently sexually active respondents, 32.5% (rural) and 59.7% (urban) were using a form of modern contraception. Condoms, followed by oral pills were the most popular contraceptive method because they can easily procure them over the counter. Poor contraceptive information, highly critical behavior of family planning providers towards unmarried women seeking contraception and attitude of male partners militate against contraceptive practice. There is need to promote information and education on contraception among single women, their male partners and family planning providers.