Publications by authors named "Jae Joong Kim"

Background And Objectives: The Korean Organ Transplant Registry (KOTRY) provided data for this third official report on adult heart transplantation (HT), including information from 709 recipients.

Methods: Data from HTs performed at seven major centers in Korea between March 2014 and December 2020 were analyzed, focusing on immunosuppression, acute rejection, cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), post-transplant survival, and mechanical circulatory support (MCS) usage.

Results: The median ages of the recipients and donors were 56.

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  • - The study compared the effectiveness and safety of a combination therapy (amlodipine + candesartan cilexetil) versus amlodipine alone in treating patients with essential hypertension who had not achieved adequate blood pressure control.
  • - Results showed that patients on the combination therapy experienced significantly greater reductions in both diastolic and systolic blood pressure compared to those on amlodipine alone.
  • - The incidence of adverse events was slightly higher in the combination therapy group, but overall, it was well-tolerated, suggesting it could be a beneficial option for patients not properly managed with amlodipine alone.
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  • Cachexia and sarcopenia are prevalent in heart failure patients, negatively affecting their survival, prompting this study to explore how serum creatinine levels relate to mortality in acute heart failure patients.
  • The study included 5,198 acute heart failure patients, categorized by serum creatinine levels into five groups, with a focus on post-discharge all-cause mortality and finding a J-shaped relationship between creatinine levels and mortality rates.
  • Results revealed that both low (<0.6 mg/dL) and high creatinine levels increased mortality risk, with low levels raising the risk of all-cause mortality by 33% after accounting for various health factors.
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Background And Objectives: The number of sensitized heart failure patients on waiting lists for heart transplantation (HTx) is increasing. Using the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry (KOTRY), a nationwide multicenter database, we investigated the prevalence and clinical impact of calculated panel-reactive antibody (cPRA) in patients undergoing HTx.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 813 patients who underwent HTx between 2014 and 2021.

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Heart transplantation (HTx) outcomes have improved with careful donor selection and management; nonetheless, donor shortages remain a major challenge. Optimizing donor management is crucial for improving donor utility rates and post-HTx outcomes. Brain death leads to various pathophysiological changes that can affect multiple organs, including the heart.

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Unlabelled: With advancements in both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments, significant changes have occurred in heart failure (HF) management. The previous Korean HF registries, namely the Korea Heart Failure Registry (KorHF-registry) and Korean Acute Heart Failure Registry (KorAHF-registry), no longer accurately reflect contemporary acute heart failure (AHF) patients. Our objective is to assess contemporary AHF patients through a nationwide registry encompassing various aspects, such as clinical characteristics, management approaches, hospital course, and long-term outcomes of individuals hospitalized for AHF in Korea.

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The effect of changes in immunosuppressive therapy during the acute phase post-heart transplantation (HTx) on clinical outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of changes in immunosuppressive therapy by corticosteroid (CS) weaning and everolimus (EVR) initiation during the first year post-HTx on clinical outcomes. We analyzed 622 recipients registered in the Korean Organ Transplant Registry (KOTRY) between January 2014 and December 2021.

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  • The study investigates the eligibility of heart failure patients for dapagliflozin and its cost-effectiveness compared to standard therapy, using data from the Korean Acute Heart Failure registry.
  • About 48.7% of the patients met eligibility criteria from previous clinical trials, with higher eligibility found in those with preserved ejection fraction.
  • Dapagliflozin was found to be cost-effective, especially for patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less, showing a significant benefit in quality-adjusted life years at a cost well below standard willingness-to-pay thresholds.
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  • The FDA and EMA approved empagliflozin for reducing cardiovascular mortality and heart failure hospitalization in patients with HFrEF and HFpEF, but its real-world applicability is unclear.
  • A study analyzing data from the Korean Acute Heart Failure (KorAHF) registry found that 91.4% of patients met FDA/EMA criteria, while only 44.7% met trial criteria.
  • Empagliflozin was determined to be cost-effective at $6,764 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), particularly for HFrEF patients ($5,012 per QALY), indicating potential benefits in clinical settings in South Korea.
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Aims: Although the hypothesis that metformin is beneficial for patients with diabetes and heart failure (HF) has been steadily raised, there is limited data on metformin use in patients with acute HF. We analyzed the association of metformin on all-cause mortality in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes and acute HF.

Methods: The Korean Acute Heart Failure registry prospectively enrolled patients hospitalized for acute HF from 2011 to 2014.

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Real-time global positioning is important for container-based logistics. However, a challenge in real-time global positioning arises from the frequency of both global positioning system (GPS) calls and GPS-denied environments during transportation. This paper proposes a novel system named ConGPS that integrates both inertial sensor and electronic map data.

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  • The study aimed to investigate the role of reduced ceramides in immune cells during acute rejection (AR) in transplant patients.
  • Researchers measured specific ceramide and sphingomyelin levels in serum from hepatic transplant patients and animal models, finding lower concentrations in those with AR.
  • Results indicate that increasing ceramide levels could help manage AR by influencing dendritic cell subsets, suggesting new potential therapies for transplant recipients.
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Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a major obstacle limiting long-term graft survival. Effective noninvasive surveillance modalities reflecting both coronary artery and microvascular components of CAV are needed.

Objectives: The authors evaluated the diagnostic performance of dynamic computed tomography-myocardial perfusion imaging (CT-MPI) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for CAV.

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  • - The study analyzed the impact of different VA-ECMO configurations (peripheral, central, and conversion) on heart transplantation outcomes for 111 patients.
  • - While most patients received heart transplants within varying times based on their ECMO type, the conversion group showed a lower rate of transplants, suggesting that maintaining the initial ECMO setup might be beneficial.
  • - Importantly, the study found no significant differences in in-hospital mortality rates across the ECMO groups, indicating that switching ECMO types may not improve survival.
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Introduction: Dysphagia is a common complication after heart transplantation (HTPL), but few studies exist on dysphagia after HTPL, and the prevalence is unknown. The objective of our current study was to establish the prevalence and risk factors for dysphagia after HTPL and to classify its characteristics through Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Studies (VFSS).

Methods: The recipients of HTPL carried out at a single center from January 2011 to November 2019 were assessed retrospectively.

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Myocardial viability test to guide revascularization remains uncertain in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. We evaluated the different impacts of revascularization on cardiac mortality according to the extent of myocardial scar assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. A total of 404 consecutive patients with significant coronary artery disease and an ejection fraction ≤35% were assessed by LGE-CMR before revascularization.

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Background: High C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are associated with poor outcomes of heart failure (HF), and statins are known to reduce CRP levels. We investigated the prognostic value of CRP and statin in patients with HF with reduced and preserved ejection fraction (EF).

Methods: Altogether, 3,831 patients from the Korean Acute Heart Failure registry were included and stratified according to the tertiles of CRP levels (T1: CRP < 0.

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Background: High glycemic variability (GV) is a poor prognostic marker in cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to investigate the association of GV with all-cause mortality in patients with acute heart failure (HF).

Methods: The Korean Acute Heart Failure registry enrolled patients hospitalized for acute HF from 2011 to 2014.

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Background: Previous studies regarding donor-recipient size and sex matching in heart transplantation (HTx) mainly included Caucasians with only a small portion of Asians. Even predicted heart mass (PHM) has not yet been elucidated in Asians. We evaluated the association between donor-recipient sex and size matching, including mismatching by PHM, and post-heart transplant survival in Korea.

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Background: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is a prodrug of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and a key immunosuppressant for improving graft survival in patients with heart transplantation (HTx). However, dose reduction or interruption is occasionally needed due to gastrointestinal (GI) side effects. Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) is an alternative form of MPA delivery to improve GI tolerability.

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Background And Aims: Data on the long-term effects of everolimus (EVL) on the de novo immunosuppression of heart transplant (HT) recipients with progressive cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and vascular remodeling are lacking. Hence, in this study, we aimed to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of EVL as a de novo immunosuppressant therapy for CAV progression and the clinical outcomes after HT.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 144 HT recipients who survived for at least one year after HT.

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Aims: Increased blood pressure (BP) and decreased heart rate (HR) are signs of stabilization in patients admitted for acute HF. Changes in BP and HR during admission and their correlation with outcomes were assessed in hospitalized patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Methods: A novel modified reverse shock index (mRSI), defined as the ratio between changes in systolic BP and HR during admission, was devised, and its prognostic value in the early outcomes of acute HF was assessed using the Korean Acute HF registry.

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Background: In systemic light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, cardiac involvement is a major determinant of survival; however, cardiac response is limited even after systemic treatment in a majority of patients, and some require heart transplantation. Additionally, limited information is available on specific indications for heart transplantation. We aimed to explore clinical outcomes of cardiac amyloidosis and its association with heart transplantation, including identifying factors favoring heart transplantation amenability.

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We aimed to conduct the largest study evaluating the impact of cardiac troponin (TnI) status on mid- and long-term mortality in patients admitted for acute heart failure (AHF) as compared between patients with ischemic (IHF) vs. non-ischemic heart failure (non-IHF). Among 5625 patients from the Korea Acute Heart Failure (KorAHF) registry, 4396 eligible patients with TnI measurement were analyzed.

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