Publications by authors named "Andreas Zirlik"

Ambient air pollution is a significant public health concern, known to affect cardiovascular health adversely. Research has identified both long-term and short-term cardiovascular risks associated with various air pollutants, including those linked to acute coronary syndromes. However, the observed effects are rather small, with most data sourced from highly polluted regions.

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: There are limited data about left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) in patients with cancer. We therefore sought to compare the outcome after LAAC in patients with vs. without cancer in a multicentre registry.

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Patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) represent a high-risk heart failure population with continued unmet therapeutic needs. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure across the whole spectrum of ejection fraction, and first evidence regarding their safety and effectiveness in patients with ATTR-CM is arising. This study investigates the association between SGLT2i therapy and clinical outcomes in these patients.

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Background: Empagliflozin administered after acute myocardial infarction proofed to improve cardiometabolic parameters and biomarkers, but the impact on cardiac function is still largely unknown. The aim of this post-hoc echocardiographic sub-analysis of the EMMY trial was to provide in-depth echocardiographic analysis on the effects of empagliflozin versus placebo on standard and novel echocardiographic structural and functional parameters after acute myocardial infarction.

Methods: In this post-hoc analysis of the EMMY trial a subset of 313 patients (157 empagliflozin vs.

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Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) have beneficial pleiotropic effects, contributing to improved cardiovascular and renal outcomes for patients with and without diabetes. The impact of SGLT2is on arrhythmic burden remains largely unexplored through randomized trials.

Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we investigated the effects of ertugliflozin on arrhythmic burden among patients with heart failure with an ejection fraction less than 50%.

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Dyslipidaemia is a common chronic kidney disease (CKD) and contributes to excessively elevated cardiovascular mortality. The pathophysiology is complex and modified by comorbidities like the presence/absence of proteinuria, diabetes mellitus or drug treatment. This paper provides an overview of currently available treatment options.

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  • The study aims to understand the immune cell composition in human atherosclerotic plaques, which differs significantly from what is observed in mouse models, often used for research.
  • Single-cell RNA sequencing was employed to reveal a diverse immune cell landscape in human plaques, primarily consisting of T-cells, highlighting activation and memory formation that aren't adequately represented in mice.
  • The findings suggest that traditional mouse models may not effectively translate to human atherosclerosis, particularly regarding activated T-cell responses, posing questions about their relevance in studying adaptive immune cell behavior.
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  • The study aimed to investigate the impact of following guideline-recommended withdrawal periods of P2Y12 receptor inhibitors before on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on bleeding and ischemic events, noting a lack of randomized controlled trials in this area.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 7 observational studies involving 4,837 patients who underwent CABG, measuring severe bleeding (BARC-4) and postoperative ischemic events.
  • Results indicated that adhering to suggested withdrawal times significantly reduced the risk of severe bleeding for clopidogrel users while showing a similar trend for ticagrelor, with no significant change in 30-day mortality but a decrease in ischemic events for clopidogrel users.
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  • * A post-hoc analysis focused on 181 patients from the trial examined the relationship between baseline ECG metrics and the cardiac improvements observed with empagliflozin treatment.
  • * The analysis revealed that while certain ECG metrics like QRS width and heart rate showed correlations with cardiac parameters, baseline ECG characteristics did not predict the benefits of empagliflozin on NT-proBNP levels or changes in heart function/structure within 26 weeks post-AMI.
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In patients with stable chronic heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) provides limited prognostic value, especially in patients with moderately to severely reduced LVEF. Echocardiographic parameters of right ventricular function may be associated with adverse clinical events in these patients. Therefore, we analyzed 164 patients with HFrEF in a prospective single-center cohort study to evaluate whether the parameters of right ventricular function are associated with worsening heart failure (WHF) hospitalizations, cardiovascular and all-cause deaths and combined endpoints.

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  • Chronic heart failure (HFrEF) can lead to osteoporosis and vertebral fractures, increasing the risk of fractures and poor clinical outcomes.
  • In this study of 205 outpatients with HFrEF, 15% had osteoporosis and 14% had vertebral fractures, with 27% showing either condition.
  • Vertebral fractures were significantly linked to higher risks of cardiovascular death and worsening heart failure, while osteoporosis alone did not show a strong association with negative cardiovascular events.
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  • The study investigates the link between arterial hypertension (HTN) and markers of left ventricular dysfunction and inflammation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
  • It compares 30 HCM patients with HTN to 30 without, assessing echocardiographic measures and inflammatory markers.
  • Results reveal that while both groups had similar cardiac function, those with HTN showed higher levels of systemic inflammation, suggesting HTN's negative effects on HCM patients stem from overall body inflammation rather than direct heart function decline.
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Purpose: Patients at risk for sudden cardiac death may temporarily need a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD). Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has a class I recommendation in patients with cardiac disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of undergoing CR with a WCD.

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Background: Cardiogenic shock (CS) exhibits high (~50%) in-hospital mortality. The recently published Extracorporeal life Support in Cardiogenic Shock (ECLS-SHOCK) trial demonstrated the neutral effects of the use of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) on all-cause death, as well as on all secondary outcomes in subjects presenting with myocardial-infarction (MI)-related CS. Here, we compared ECLS-SHOCK eligibility criteria with a real-world cohort of CS patients.

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  • Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is a genetically determined risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and its levels can vary widely among individuals.
  • A study on 86 patients post-ST elevation myocardial infarction found that Lp(a) levels increased significantly from hospital admission to a 3 to 6 month follow-up, indicating a changing response after the event.
  • The research suggests that monitoring Lp(a) levels after a myocardial infarction is important for assessing individual treatment needs based on specific Lp(a) cut-off levels.
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Aims: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) as a percentage of the total number of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including non-STE-elevation myocardial infarction and ST-elevation myocardial infarction, as well as the short-term outcome of TTS patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods And Results: We compared patients from two different periods: (i) Period 1 (before the COVID-19 pandemic): 1 March to 30 December 2019, and (ii) Period 2 (during the COVID-19 pandemic): 1 March to 30 December 2020. The retrospective database was created from the archives of the participating hospitals or electronic hospital systems by trained medical personnel.

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Background: After acute myocardial infarction (AMI), patients are at risk of sudden cardiac death. The VEST trial failed to show a reduction in arrhythmic mortality in AMI patients with an LVEF ≤ 35% prescribed with a WCD, having a lower-than-expected WCD wearing compliance.

Objectives: The aim was to investigate on outcomes of patients in a real-world Austrian cohort with good compliance.

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Pivotal outcome trials targeting heart failure with preserved (HFpEF) and mildly-reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) may have excluded patients at highest risk of poor outcomes. We aimed to assess eligibility for HFpEF/HFmrEF outcome trials in an unselected heart failure cohort and its association with all-cause mortality. Among 32.

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Serum concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) have been found to decrease with increasing body mass index (BMI) in many studies. It is not yet clear whether this stems from an adverse effect of adiposity on AMH production, or from dilution due to the greater blood volume that accompanies a larger body size. To investigate a possible hemodilution effect, we explored the relationships between serum AMH levels and different parameters of body composition using linear regression models in a cohort of adult males.

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-peptide is produced in equimolar amounts with insulin from pancreatic beta cells, and thus is a fundamental biomarker for beta cell function. A non-invasive urinary -peptide-to-creatinine ratio (UCPCR) has attracted attention as a biomarker for metabolic conditions. However, the UCPCR as an indicative risk predictor for prediabetes is still being investigated.

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Aims: To test the feasibility of postprocedural photoplethysmography (PPG) rhythm telemonitoring during the first week after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and its predictive value for later AF recurrence.

Methods: PPG rhythm telemonitoring during the first week after the ablation procedure was offered to a total of 382 consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation. Patients were instructed to perform 1 min PPG recordings by a mobile health application 3 times per day and in case of symptoms.

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Background: SGTL2-inhibitors are a cornerstone in the treatment of heart failure, but data on patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is limited. The EMMY trial was the first to show a significant reduction in NTproBNP levels as well as improved cardiac structure and function in post-AMI patients treated with Empagliflozin compared to placebo. However, data on the potential impact of SGLT2-inhibitors on inflammatory biomarkers after AMI are scarce.

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