Sex differences in prevalence, treatment and control of cardiovascular risk factors in England.

Objective: To investigate sex differences in prevalence, treatment and control of major cardiovascular risk factors in England.

Methods: Data from the Health Survey for England 2012-2017 on non-institutionalised English adults (aged ≥16 years) were used to investigate sex differences in prevalence, treatment and control of major cardiovascular risk factors: body mass index, smoking, systolic blood pressure and hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol and dyslipidaemia. Physical activity and diet were not assessed in this study.

Deep learning for electronic health records: A comparative review of multiple deep neural architectures.

Despite the recent developments in deep learning models, their applications in clinical decision-support systems have been very limited. Recent digitalisation of health records, however, has provided a great platform for the assessment of the usability of such techniques in healthcare. As a result, the field is starting to see a growing number of research papers that employ deep learning on electronic health records (EHR) for personalised prediction of risks and health trajectories.

Management of blood pressure in heart failure.

Hypertension is a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure and most drugs that have demonstrated to improve prognosis in this population have the potential to reduce blood pressure. Nonetheless, the relationship between blood pressure and clinical outcomes and the relevance of blood pressure reduction in heart failure remains unclear. This narrative review summarises the evidence currently available to guide blood pressure treatment in this patient group and highlights key questions for further research.

[Do diabetic patients benefit from bilateral internal mammary artery?].

Introduction: Bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) grafting has been associated with increased long term survival when compared to single IMA, but its benefit on diabetic patients remains controversial.

Aims: To compare long-term survival following BIMA versus single internal mammary artery (SIMA) grafting between diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all the patients who underwent isolated CABG and received two or more grafts with at least one IMA graft between 2004 and 2013.

Radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation during concomitant cardiac surgery.

Objectives: We present the experience of our centre with radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation concomitantly with cardiac surgery Methods: 170 patients underwent atrial fibrillation ablation with uni/bipolar-radiofrequency. They were followed for 3-months and then as appropriate for the cardiac disease. In 2013, patients still alive underwent rhythm monitoring with ECG and 24-hour tape if in sinus rhythm

Results: Mean age was 65 years old and 42% of the patients were male.

[Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery Versus Single Internal Mammary Artery in Myocardial Revascularization Surgery. Propensity Score - Adjusted Survival Analysis].

Background: Although arterial grafts are superior to venous grafts in terms of long-term patency, single internal mammary artery (SIMA) is still the preferred strategy in most cardiac surgical centres. Our main aim was to compare long- -term survival between BIMA and SIMA at our own tertiary care centre.

Methods: Retrospective cohort including patients referred to Centro Hospitalar São João (CHSJ), from 2004 to 2011, who underwent isolated CABG and received two or more bypass with at least 1 IMA graft.

Concomitant unipolar radiofrequency ablation of nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation in rheumatic and degenerative valve disease.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the results of concomitant unipolar radiofrequency ablation of nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) between rheumatic and degenerative valve disease (RHD versus DVD).

Methods: Between 2005 and 2012, 96 patients underwent AF ablation with unipolar radiofrequency concurrently with heart valve surgery. They were followed in three months and at a median follow-up of 39 (18 to 61) months.

Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation: an updated review.

The first Cox-maze procedure was performed in 1987, demonstrating the feasibility of a non-pharmacological treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). Since then, surgery for AF has changed over time, in parallel with technological advances. Replacement of surgical incisions with linear ablation lines made a previously cumbersome procedure accessible to most surgeons, without compromising success.

Targeting inflammation and oxidative stress in atrial fibrillation: role of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme a reductase inhibition with statins.

Significance: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a burgeoning health-care problem, and the currently available therapeutic armamentarium is barely efficient. Experimental and clinical evidence implicates inflammation and myocardial oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of AF.

Recent Advances: Local and systemic inflammation has been found to both precede and follow the new onset of AF, and NOX2-dependent generation of reactive oxygen species in human right atrial samples has been independently associated with the occurrence of AF in the postoperative period in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Characterization of acute heart failure hospitalizations in a Portuguese cardiology department.

Introduction And Aims: We describe the clinical characteristics, management and outcomes of patients hospitalized with acute heart failure in a south-west European cardiology department. We sought to identify the determinants of length of stay and heart failure rehospitalization or death during a 12-month follow-up period.

Methods And Results: This was a retrospective cohort study including all patients admitted during 2010 with a primary or secondary diagnosis of acute heart failure.