Mortality and Morbidity in Adults With Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Importance: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a public health issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there are few large studies enrolling individuals from multiple endemic countries.

Objective: To assess the risk and predictors of major patient-important clinical outcomes in patients with clinical RHD.

Rivaroxaban in Rheumatic Heart Disease-Associated Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Testing of factor Xa inhibitors for the prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatic heart disease-associated atrial fibrillation has been limited.

Methods: We enrolled patients with atrial fibrillation and echocardiographically documented rheumatic heart disease who had any of the following: a CHADSVASc score of at least 2 (on a scale from 0 to 9, with higher scores indicating a higher risk of stroke), a mitral-valve area of no more than 2 cm, left atrial spontaneous echo contrast, or left atrial thrombus. Patients were randomly assigned to receive standard doses of rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted vitamin K antagonist.

May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Cameroon.

The multi-country May Measurement Month (MMM) screening campaign aims to raise awareness on blood pressure (BP) and hypertension in individuals and communities, and measure BP, ideally, of those who had no BP measurement in the preceding year. We here report key findings from the Cameroon arm of MMM 2019. An opportunistic sample of adults (≥18 years) was included from 5 May to 5 June 2019 across 15 sites (markets, churches, homes, motor parks, workplaces, and hospitals/clinics).

Prescription of pharmacotherapy and blood pressure control among hypertensive outpatients in two semi-urban hospitals in Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: several international guidelines are available on drug treatment for hypertension, but the control of hypertension remains very poor in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We investigated the commonly prescribed antihypertensive drugs and their association with blood pressure (BP) control in adult Cameroonians.

Methods: we consecutively recruited hypertensive outpatients attending the Buea and Limbe Regional Hospitals (southwest region of Cameroon).

Cardiac Pacing Training in Africa: Endorsed by the Africa Heart Rhythm Association (AFHRA): JACC International.

The field of pacing in Africa has evolved in an uncoordinated way across the continent with significant variation in local expertise, cost, and utilization. There are many countries where pacemaker services do not meet one-hundredth of the national demand. Regional, national, and institutional standards for pacemaker qualification and credentials are lacking.

The inaugural meeting of the Africa Heart Rhythm Association (AFHRA).

Cardiorhythm Africa, the inaugural conference of AFHRA, was conceived during the biennial PASCAR congress held in Johannesburg in November 2019, with the ambition to be the largest ever pan-African conference focused purely on arrhythmia. Significant aims were to (1) bring together arrhythmia specialists from across Africa and from the diaspora; and (2) announce the newly formed African Heart Rhythm Association (AFHRA), an affiliate organisation of PASCAR formed from the amalgamation of the Cardiac Pacing and Arrhythmias taskforces. The meeting held in Nairobi (29-31 January 2020) was organised to provide a focus on resource-constrained arrhythmia management within the African context and novel/advanced and potentially home-grown solutions.

The INVICTUS rheumatic heart disease research program: Rationale, design and baseline characteristics of a randomized trial of rivaroxaban compared to vitamin K antagonists in rheumatic valvular disease and atrial fibrillation.

Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a neglected disease affecting 33 million people, mainly in low and middle income countries. Yet very few large trials or registries have been conducted in this population. The INVICTUS program of research in RHD consists of a randomized-controlled trial (RCT) of 4500 patients comparing rivaroxaban with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) in patients with RHD and atrial fibrillation (AF), a registry of 17,000 patients to document the contemporary clinical course of patients with RHD, including a focused sub-study on pregnant women with RHD within the registry.

The Shisong Cardiac Center in Cameroon: An Example of a Long-Term Collaboration/Cooperation Toward Autonomy.

Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are present in nearly 1% of live births; according to WHO, there are 1. 5 million newborns affected by CHD per year and more than 4 million children waiting for cardiac surgery treatment worldwide. The majority of these children (~90%) could be treated, saved and subsequently have a good quality of life but unfortunately, in developing countries with a suboptimal care or no access to care, they are destined to die.

The first cardioverter defibrillator implanted in Central Africa.

Sudden cardiac deaths, which account for approximately 350 000 deaths each year, is a major health care problem. Antiarrhythmic drugs have not been reliable in preventing sudden cardiac death. Although β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and revascularization play a role in prevention of sudden cardiac death, the development and subsequent refinement of the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator has made the most important contribution to its management.

The VALVAFRIC study: A registry of rheumatic heart disease in Western and Central Africa.

Background: There are few African data available on rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

Aim: To provide data on the clinical characteristics and treatment of patients with RHD hospitalized in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: The VALVAFRIC study is a multicentre hospital-based retrospective registry of patients with RHD hospitalized in African cardiology departments from 2004 to 2008.

Extrathoracic heart in northern Cameroon: a case report.

Sternal clefts, ectopia cordis, and Cantrell's pentalogy continue to be very rare congenital anomalies in pediatric surgery. The prenatal diagnosis is easily made with ultrasound by visualizing the heart outside the thoracic cavity. Ectopia cordis is frequently associated with other congenital defects involving multiple organ systems.