Prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcomes of valvular atrial fibrillation in a cohort of African patients with acute heart failure: insights from the THESUS-HF registry.

Introduction: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the commonest cause of valvular heart disease and a common cause of heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Atrial fibrillation (AF) complicates RHD, precipitates and worsens heart failure and cause unfavourable outcomes. We set out to describe the prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcomes of valvular atrial fibrillation in a cohort of African patients with acute heart failure (AHF).

Solar powered oxygen systems in remote health centers in Papua New Guinea: a large scale implementation effectiveness trial.

Background: Pneumonia is the largest cause of child deaths in Papua New Guinea (PNG), and hypoxaemia is the major complication causing death in childhood pneumonia, and hypoxaemia is a major factor in deaths from many other common conditions, including bronchiolitis, asthma, sepsis, malaria, trauma, perinatal problems, and obstetric emergencies. A reliable source of oxygen therapy can reduce mortality from pneumonia by up to 35%. However, in low and middle income countries throughout the world, improved oxygen systems have not been implemented at large scale in remote, difficult to access health care settings, and oxygen is often unavailable at smaller rural hospitals or district health centers which serve as the first point of referral for childhood illnesses.

Echocardiographic predictors of outcome in acute heart failure patients in sub-Saharan Africa: insights from THESUS-HF.

Background: The role of echocardiography in the risk stratification of acute heart failure (HF) is unknown. Some small studies and retrospective analyses have found little change in echocardiographic variables during admission for acute HF and some echocardiographic parameters were not found to be associated with outcomes. It is unknown which echocardiographic variables will predict outcomes in sub-Saharan African patients admitted with acute HF.

Symptoms and Signs of Heart Failure at Admission and Discharge and Outcomes in the Sub-Saharan Acute Heart Failure (THESUS-HF) Registry.

Background: Symptoms and signs of heart failure (HF) are the most common reasons for admission to hospital for acute HF (AHF) and are used routinely throughout admission to assess the severity of disease and response to therapy.

Methods And Results: The data were collected in The Sub-Saharan Africa Survey on Heart Failure (THESUS-HF) study, a prospective, multicenter, observational survey of AHF from 9 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 1006 patients, ≥12 years of age, hospitalized for AHF were recruited.

Gender differences in clinical characteristics and outcome of acute heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa: results of the THESUS-HF study.

Background: The impact of gender on the clinical characteristics, risk factors, co-morbidities, etiology, treatment and outcome of acute heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa has not been described before. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sex differences in acute heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa using the data from The sub-Saharan Africa Survey of Heart Failure (THESUS-HF).

Methods And Results: 1,006 subjects were recruited into this prospective multicenter, international observational heart failure survey.