Publications by authors named "Ahmad Al Abdouh"
Article Synopsis
- Autoimmune connective tissue diseases (CTDs) such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) significantly impact pregnant women, leading to maternal and fetal complications.
- A retrospective study analyzed data from over 18 million deliveries and found higher odds of maternal death, acute kidney injury, and severe complications in mothers with CTDs, alongside increased risks of adverse fetal outcomes like stillbirth and preterm labor.
- The findings highlight the need for specific preconception counseling and management approaches to improve health outcomes for pregnant women with autoimmune CTDs.
Article Synopsis
- Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a serious condition linked to long-term health issues, including severe right heart failure, but newer less invasive treatments like transcatheter valve interventions (TTVI) are gaining attention.
- A study analyzing over 98,000 tricuspid valve procedures from 2011 to 2020 revealed trends in intervention types, showing a rise in TTVI and a decline in traditional surgical options.
- Findings indicate demographic factors like age and race affect procedure choice and outcomes, with surgical interventions showing higher mortality rates; further research is needed to understand the causes of these evolving trends in treatment results.
Article Synopsis
- The study looked at how well two types of blood thinners, DOACs and warfarin, work for patients with special heart pumps called LVADs.
- They found that both types of blood thinners had similar effects on serious blood clots, but DOACs caused fewer big and small bleeding problems.
- The researchers believe DOACs could be a safer option than warfarin for these patients, but more studies are needed to be sure.
Article Synopsis
- * A meta-analysis of 6 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1,343 patients found that PCBs significantly reduced target lesion revascularization (TLR) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) compared to BA after 6-12 months.
- * While PCBs showed better outcomes in TLR and MACEs, there was no significant difference in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis between PCBs and
Article Synopsis
- TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) offers treatment for severely ill patients, but outcomes for those with cardiogenic shock (CS) are not well understood.
- A meta-analysis of five studies showed that 30-day mortality and major vascular complications were significantly higher in patients with CS compared to those without, but there were no significant differences in longer-term outcomes at one year.
- The study suggests that while short-term risks are elevated for TAVR patients with CS, their long-term prognosis may be similar to those without CS; further research is needed to explore the timing and management strategies of TAVR for this group.
Introduction: Patients with a small aortic annulus (SAA) undergoing aortic valve replacement are at increased risk of patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM), which adversely affects outcomes. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has shown promise in mitigating PPM compared to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).
Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines to compare clinical outcomes, mortality, and PPM between SAA patients undergoing TAVR and SAVR.
Article Synopsis
- Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) worsens in 10-15% of heart failure patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), and transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) with Mitra-Clip shows promise in improving outcomes for those who are CRT non-responders.
- A meta-analysis of 439 patients indicated that Mitra-Clip significantly reduced MR severity and improved symptoms in a majority of CRT non-responders within six months and one year post-procedure.
- The mortality rates for patients after undergoing TEER with Mitra-Clip were similar to those observed in previous studies, with 30-day, 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year mortality rates at
Introduction: In patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), cerebral embolic protection devices (CEPD) are used to possibly diminish the risk of periprocedural stroke. Trends and outcomes of CEPD usage in TAVR are not well characterized.
Methods: National readmission databases (NRD) 2017-2019 was used to identify hospital admissions for TAVR using ICD-10 codes, with versus without Sentinel CEPD.
Introduction: Heart failure (HF) presents a significant health challenge, with intravenous (IV) iron therapy considered a potential treatment avenue.
Method: We assessed IV iron therapy's efficacy in HF patients with concurrent iron deficiency versus standard of care. Primary outcomes included the composite of HF hospitalizations or cardiovascular-related mortality, HF hospitalizations, and all-cause, HF, and cardiovascular mortality rates.
Introduction: The rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) reflects a major shift from communicable to noncommunicable diseases as primary health challenges. Consequently, this study aims to explore the burden of CVD and associated risk factors in SSA using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database.
Methods: This study utilized data from the GBD 1990 to 2019 to examine CVD prevalence in 46 SSA countries.
Article Synopsis
- A meta-analysis was conducted comparing liberal and restrictive blood transfusion strategies in anemic patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI), focusing on outcomes like recurrent MI and mortality.
- The analysis included over 4,300 patients from four randomized controlled trials but found no significant advantages of liberal transfusion in reducing MI or death rates.
- The findings support existing guidelines that recommend maintaining hemoglobin levels of 7-8 g/dL for transfusions in MI patients, indicating that more liberal transfusions do not lead to better clinical results.
Article Synopsis
- * Through a meta-analysis of 12 studies with over 51,000 patients, it was found that males experienced significantly higher in-hospital all-cause mortality and rates of cardiogenic shock compared to females.
- * The results suggest that being male increases the risk of poor outcomes in TSCM, prompting the need for further research on potential causes, such as delays in diagnosis and treatment disparities.
Background: Bivalirudin is an alternative accepted therapy to unfractionated heparin for patients with myocardial infarction (MI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We aimed in this meta-analysis to compare bivalirudin versus unfractionated heparin in patients with MI undergoing PCI.
Methods: We have screened PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.
Article Synopsis
- - Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) helps prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation, but peri-device leak (PDL) might increase the risk of thromboembolic events.
- - A systematic review of 54,279 patients from 11 studies revealed that PDL significantly raised the odds of experiencing strokes, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), or systemic embolisms.
- - Despite the increased risk of thromboembolic events linked to PDL, the study found no significant differences in overall mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or ischemic strokes.
Article Synopsis
- * Black and Hispanic patients tended to be younger, had lower income, and faced higher hospital costs compared to White patients, with Black patients experiencing more complications like kidney injuries and needing blood transfusions.
- * Notably, Black and Hispanic patients were less likely to receive limb-saving procedures and more likely to undergo amputations, highlighting significant health disparities in treatment and outcomes for PVD.
Article Synopsis
- - Radial artery occlusion (RAO) is a common complication after traditional radial artery (TRA) procedures, which affects future access and use of the radial artery as a conduit; however, distal radial artery (DRA) access has shown promise for reducing RAO rates.
- - A study analyzed 11 randomized trials with 5,700 patients and found that TRA access had a significantly higher incidence of RAO compared to DRA (risk ratio 3.05), but TRA had a lower crossover rate for access failures (risk ratio 0.35).
- - Despite TRA leading to more RAO cases, there were no significant differences in radial artery spasm or hematoma formation between TRA and DRA, indicating
Hypothermia as an Adjunctive Therapy in Cardiogenic Shock: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Ther Hypothermia Temp Manag
December 2023
Article Synopsis
- Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) was analyzed for its effectiveness in improving outcomes for patients experiencing cardiogenic shock (CS) after cardiac arrest, with a total of 7 studies examined.
- The study found that TH did not significantly reduce in-hospital, short-term, or mid-term mortality rates compared to standard care (SOC) and showed only a slight improvement in cardiac function.
- Additionally, TH was associated with potential risks, including higher incidents of infection and bleeding, and did not shorten ICU stays or mechanical ventilation time, suggesting a need for larger studies to explore these findings further.
Major depression (MD) is prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF) and contributes to increased risk of hospitalization and mortality. The implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has become a key strategy for treating HF patients' depression. We performed a comprehensive literature search for studies that evaluated the efficacy of adjunctive CBT compared to the standard of care (SOC) in HF patients with MD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe epidemiology of infective endocarditis (IE) continues to evolve in areas affected by the opioid epidemic. Understanding the demographics of the disease allows us to better tailor therapy towards this at-risk population. This was an observational study of adults (age ≥ 18) admitted to the University of Kentucky hospital with IE between January 2009 and December 2018.
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- The study investigated pregnancy outcomes in patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) compared to those without EDS by analyzing data from over 5.8 million births between 2016 and 2019.
- Patients with EDS were found to be older, predominantly white, and had more health issues like smoking and chronic hypertension.
- The results indicated that women with EDS faced higher risks for complications such as needing Cesarean sections, postpartum hemorrhage, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm delivery, but notably, there were no increased rates of aortic aneurysmal rupture.
In-stent restenosis (ISR) has been a major limitation in interventional cardiology and constitutes nearly 10 % of all percutaneous coronary interventions in the United States. Drug-eluting stent (DES) restenosis proves particularly difficult to manage and poses a high risk of recurrence and repeat intervention. Intra-coronary brachytherapy (IBT) has been traditionally viewed as a potential treatment modality for ISR.
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- - A heart transplant recipient experienced chest pain due to blunt chest trauma three weeks after surgery, prompting an electrocardiogram that revealed ST-segment elevation.
- - Coronary angiography detected a dissection in the left anterior descending artery but maintained normal blood flow, leading to conservative treatment.
- - The patient had good long-term health results, but the coronary artery dissection remained unchanged at follow-ups one and two years later.