Cardiopulmonary exercise test with bicycle stress echocardiography for predicting adverse cardiac events in patients with stage A or B heart failure.

Background: Given the high prevalence of stage A or B heart failure (HF), comprehensive screening for new-onset HF is cost-prohibitive. Therefore, further risk stratification is warranted to identify at-risk patients. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic utility of cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) with bicycle stress echocardiography (BSE) in patients with stage A or B HF.

Effect of ertugliflozin on left ventricular function in type 2 diabetes and pre-heart failure: the Ertu-GLS randomized clinical trial.

Background: The therapeutic effects of ertugliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, on cardiovascular outcome are not fully understood. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ertugliflozin on cardiac function in people with type 2 diabetes and pre-heart failure.

Methods: We conducted a 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving individuals with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with antidiabetic medications.

An Artificial Intelligence-Based Automated Echocardiographic Analysis: Enhancing Efficiency and Prognostic Evaluation in Patients With Revascularized STEMI.

Background And Objectives: Although various cardiac parameters on echocardiography have clinical importance, their measurement by conventional manual methods is time-consuming and subject to variability. We evaluated the feasibility, accuracy, and predictive value of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based automated system for echocardiographic analysis in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods: The AI-based system was developed using a nationwide echocardiographic dataset from five tertiary hospitals, and automatically identified views, then segmented and tracked the left ventricle (LV) and left atrium (LA) to produce volume and strain values.

Impact of changes in left heart geometry on predicting new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertension.

Background: Hypertension-induced left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) increases end-diastolic LV pressure and contributes to left atrial enlargement (LAE), which are associated with development of atrial fibrillation. However, the impact of LVH and LAE and their regression following antihypertensive therapy on atrial fibrillation incidence remains unclear.

Methods: This retrospective analysis included consecutive patients with sinus rhythm who underwent echocardiography at hypertension diagnosis and after 6-18 months between 2006 and 2021 at tertiary care centres in Korea.

Artificial intelligence-enhanced automation of left ventricular diastolic assessment: a pilot study for feasibility, diagnostic validation, and outcome prediction.

Background: Evaluating left ventricular diastolic function (LVDF) is crucial in echocardiography; however, the complexity and time demands of current guidelines challenge clinical use. This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based framework for automatic LVDF assessment to reduce subjectivity and improve accuracy and outcome prediction.

Methods: We developed an AI-based LVDF assessment framework using a nationwide echocardiographic dataset from five tertiary hospitals.

Machine Learning-Based Discrimination of Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Current risk stratification strategies for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are limited to traditional methodologies.

Objectives: The authors aimed to establish machine learning (ML)-based models to discriminate major cardiovascular events in patients with HCM.

Methods: We enrolled consecutive HCM patients from 2 tertiary referral centers and used 25 clinical and echocardiographic features to discriminate major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including all-cause death, admission for heart failure (HF-adm), and stroke.

Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Relation to Infection and Eradication Status: A Large-Scale Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Background/aims: : A few studies have suggested the association between (HP) infection and ischemic stroke. However, the impact of HP eradication on stroke risk has not been well evaluated. This study aimed to assess the influence of HP eradication on the incidence of ischemic stroke, considering the potential effect of sex.

Integrative Assessment of Cardiopulmonary Fitness Using Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test With Supine Bicycle Echocardiography in Patients Presenting Dyspnea.

Background: Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) with supine bicycle echocardiography (SBE) enables comprehensive physiologic assessment during exercise. We characterized cardiopulmonary fitness by integrating CPET-SBE parameters and evaluated its prognostic value in patients presenting with dyspnea.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively reviewed 473 consecutive patients who underwent CPET-SBE for dyspnea evaluation.

Mildly Reduced Renal Function Is Associated With Increased Heart Failure Admissions in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: The association between renal dysfunction and cardiovascular outcomes has yet to be determined in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We aimed to investigate whether mildly reduced renal function is associated with the prognosis in patients with HCM.

Methods: Patients with HCM were enrolled at two tertiary HCM centers.

Age-dependent implications of left ventricular hypertrophy regression in patients with hypertension.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in patients with hypertension. However, the effect of age on LVH regression or persistence and its differential prognostic value remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the clinical implications of LVH regression in 1847 patients with hypertension and echocardiography data (at baseline and during antihypertensive treatment at an interval of 6-18 months) according to age.

Anomaly Detection Based on a 3D Convolutional Neural Network Combining Convolutional Block Attention Module Using Merged Frames.

With the recent rise in violent crime, the real-time situation analysis capabilities of the prevalent closed-circuit television have been employed for the deterrence and resolution of criminal activities. Anomaly detection can identify abnormal instances such as violence within the patterns of a specified dataset; however, it faces challenges in that the dataset for abnormal situations is smaller than that for normal situations. Herein, using datasets such as UBI-Fights, RWF-2000, and UCSD Ped1 and Ped2, anomaly detection was approached as a binary classification problem.

Irreversible myocardial injury attenuates the benefits of sacubitril/valsartan in heart failure patients.

Background: Despite the established benefits of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) across various etiologies, there are controversies regarding the effects of ARNI in patients with irreversible myocardial injury. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of irreversible myocardial injury on the benefits of ARNI treatment in patients with HFrEF, consisted of both ischemic and non-ischemic etiologies.

Methods And Results: We conducted a retrospective single-center study including 409 consecutive patients with HFrEF treated with ARNI between March 2017 and May 2020.

Agreement of two vendor-independent strain analysis software platforms in assessing left ventricular global longitudinal strain.

Purpose: The new version of EchoPAC platform was recently developed by General Electronics (GE) to provide 'vendor-independent' full-myocardial-layer left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS). The agreement of the LV-GLS by two vendor-independent software platforms was investigated under diverse clinical situations.

Methods: Two-dimensional speckle-tracking LV-GLS was separately measured by two software platforms.

Prognostic and Safety Implications of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Real-World Observation Over 2,000 Patients.

Background And Objectives: The prognostic or safety implication of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RASi) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are not well established, mainly due to concerns regarding left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction aggravation. We investigated the implications of RASi in a sizable number of HCM patients.

Methods: We enrolled 2,104 consecutive patients diagnosed with HCM in 2 tertiary university hospitals and followed up for five years.

Tricuspid regurgitation: a hidden risk factor for atrial fibrillation related stroke?

Background And Purpose: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common but overlooked valvular disease, and its association with the etiologic subtypes of ischemic stroke is unclear. We explored the relationship between TR and atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: This retrospective analysis of ongoing stroke registry assessed 6,886 consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent transthoracic echocardiography during their in-hospital care.

Rate of Change in 10-Year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Its Implications for Primary Prevention.

Background: Contemporary cardiovascular primary prevention is based on the assessment of the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, the clinical implications of temporal change in the 10-year ASCVD risk estimate (∆10-year ASCVD risk/year) are unknown.

Methods: A total of 211 077 participants without established ASCVD and with repetitive 10-year ASCVD risk assessment at an interval of 4 to 5 years were selected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service data.

Left ventricular global longitudinal strain as a prognosticator in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with a low-normal left ventricular ejection fraction.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic utility of left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and an LV ejection fraction (LVEF) of 50-60%.

Methods And Results: This retrospective cohort study included 349 patients with HCM and an LVEF of 50-60%. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, including sudden cardiac death (SCD) and SCD-equivalent events.

Endocardial versus whole-myocardial tracking global longitudinal strain analysis in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A preliminary comparative study.

Background And Objectives: We investigated whether the feasibility of left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) varies according to the methodology (e.g. endocardial vs.

Impact of glycemic control on the progression of aortic stenosis: a single-center cohort study using a common data model.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a well-established risk factor for the progression of degenerative aortic stenosis (AS). However, no study has investigated the impact of glycemic control on the rate of AS progression. We aimed to assess the association between the degree of glycemic control and the AS progression, using an electronic health record-based common data model (CDM).