lncRNA CDKN2B-AS1 is downregulated in patients with ventricular fibrillation in acute myocardial infarction.

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the main cause of deaths occurring in the acute phase of an ischemic event. Although it is known that genetics may play an important role in this pathology, the possible role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) has never been studied. Therefore, the aim of this work is to study the expression of 10 lncRNAs in patients with and without VF in AMI.

Analysis of the Association between Copy Number Variation and Ventricular Fibrillation in ST-Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) during ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEAMI) significantly contributes to cardiovascular-related deaths. Although VF has been linked to genetic factors, variations in copy number variation (CNV), a significant source of genetic variation, have remained largely unexplored in this context. To address this knowledge gap, this study performed whole exome sequencing analysis on a cohort of 39 patients with STEAMI who experienced VF, aiming to elucidate the role of CNVs in this pathology.

Percutaneous Management of Aortic Root Rupture After Balloon-Expandable TAVR.

This article presents a case of aortic root rupture after transfemoral aortic valve replacement, successfully treated by a percutaneous approach, with a good evolution of the patient both during hospitalization and in the long term, being asymptomatic at the cardiovascular level after 18 months of follow-up. ().

Preliminary Investigation on Efficacy and Safety of Substance P-Coated Stent for Promoting Re-Endothelialization: A Porcine Coronary Artery Restenosis Model.

Background: Current polymer-based drug-eluting stents (DESs) have fundamental issues about inflammation and delayed re-endothelializaton of the vessel wall. Substance-P (SP), which plays an important role in inflammation and endothelial cells, has not yet been applied to coronary stents. Therefore, this study compares poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-based everolimus-eluting stents (PLGA-EESs) versus 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)-based SP-eluting stents (MPC-SPs) in in-vitro and in-vivo models.

Value of cardiac magnetic resonance on the risk stratification of cardiomyopathies.

Cardiomyopathies represent a diverse group of heart muscle diseases with varying etiologies, presenting a diagnostic challenge due to their heterogeneous manifestations. Regular evaluation using cardiac imaging techniques is imperative as symptoms can evolve over time. These imaging approaches are pivotal for accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and optimizing prognostic outcomes.

Adverse Clinical Outcomes and Associated Predictors in Rivaroxaban-Treated Atrial Fibrillation Patients With Renal Impairment.

Renal impairment confers worse prognosis in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) but there is scarce evidence about the influence of direct-acting oral anticoagulants in routine clinical practice. Herein, we compared clinical outcomes between patients with AF with and without renal impairment on rivaroxaban and investigated predictors for clinical outcomes in patients with AF with renal impairment. This was a multicenter study including patients with AF on rivaroxaban for at least 6 months.

Prognostic impact of coronary lesions and its revascularization in a 5-year follow-up after the TAVI procedure.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common finding in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, its prognostic significance and its management remains controversial.

Aims: This study sought to determine whether the presence of CAD, its complexity, and angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are associated with outcomes after TAVI.

Current role and future perspectives of artificial intelligence in echocardiography.

Echocardiography is an essential tool in diagnostic cardiology and is fundamental to clinical care. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help health care providers serving as a valuable diagnostic tool for physicians in the field of echocardiography specially on the automation of measurements and interpretation of results. In addition, it can help expand the capabilities of research and discover alternative pathways in medical management specially on prognostication.

Role of artificial intelligence in cardiology.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the process of having a computational program that can perform tasks of human intelligence by mimicking human thought processes. AI is a rapidly evolving transdisciplinary field which integrates many elements to develop algorithms that aim to simulate human intuition, decision-making, and object recognition. The overarching aims of AI in cardiovascular medicine are threefold: To optimize patient care, improve efficiency, and improve clinical outcomes.

Non-embolic outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease and atrial fibrillation treated with rivaroxaban.

It is not well known how comorbidities may change the prognosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. This study was aimed to analyze the impact of cardiovascular disease on this population. EMIR was a multicenter, prospective study, including 1433 AF patients taking rivaroxaban for ≥6 months.

Rare Variants in Genes of the Cholesterol Pathway Are Present in 60% of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a pandemic in which conventional risk factors are inadequate to detect who is at risk early in the asymptomatic stage. Although gene variants in genes related to cholesterol, which may increase the risk of AMI, have been identified, no studies have systematically screened the genes involved in this pathway. In this study, we included 105 patients diagnosed with AMI with an elevation of the ST segment (STEMI) and treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI).

Impact of heart failure on the clinical profile and outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with rivaroxaban. Data from the EMIR study.

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the presence of heart failure (HF) on the clinical profile and outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) anticoagulated with rivaroxaban.

Methods: Observational and non-interventional study that included AF adults recruited from 79 Spanish centers, anticoagulated with rivaroxaban ≥ 6 months before inclusion. Data were analyzed according to baseline HF status.

Cardiovascular disease and COVID-19, a deadly combination: A review about direct and indirect impact of a pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is known to present with respiratory symptoms, which can lead to severe pneumonia and respiratory failure. However, it can have multisystem complications such as cardiovascular manifestations. The cardiovascular manifestations reported comprise myocarditis, cardiogenic shock, arrhythmias, pulmonary embolism, deep vein embolism, acute heart failure, and myocardial infarction.

Rivaroxaban for the prevention of outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation in clinical practice: an indirect comparison of national and international registries.

To analyze the effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The clinical profile and outcomes of the EMIR study were indirectly compared with those of ROCKET-AF, eight other Spanish observational studies and XANTUS. In EMIR, mean age was 74.

Outcomes and predictive value of the 2MACE score in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with rivaroxaban in a prospective, multicenter observational study: The EMIR study.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of the 2MACE in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with rivaroxaban and to improve the accuracy of 2MACE.

Methods: This was a post-authorization and observational study of AF adults treated with rivaroxaban for ≥ 6 months. The primary endpoint was any of the major adverse cardiac events (MACE), namely, cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and myocardial revascularization.

Use of rivaroxaban attenuates renal function impairment in patients with atrial fibrillation: insights of the EMIR study.

Background: In atrial fibrillation (AF) patients on vitamin K antagonists, a progressive deterioration of renal function is common but there is limited evidence with long-term use of rivaroxaban. Herein, we investigated the change in renal function in AF patients after 2 years of rivaroxaban treatment.

Methods: The EMIR registry is an observational and multicentre study including AF patients treated with rivaroxaban for at least 6 months prior to inclusion.

ISCHEMIA trial: How to apply the results to clinical practice.

During the last years two questions have been continuously asked in chronic coronary syndromes: (1) Do revascularization procedures (coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous coronary intervention) really improve symptoms of angina? and (2) Do these techniques improve outcomes, do they prevent new myocardial infarction events and cardiovascular death? Therefore, there was a need for a large definitive trial. This study was the ISCHEMIA trial, a large, multicentric trial sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The main trial compared coronary revascularization and optimal medical treatment (OMT) OMT alone in 5179 patients enrolled after a stress test.

Determinants of maximal oxygen uptake in patients with heart failure.

Aims: Maximum oxygen uptake (VO ) is an essential parameter to assess functional capacity of patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to identify clinical factors that determine its value, as they have not been well characterized yet.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational, single-centre study of 362 consecutive patients with HF who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) as part of standard clinical assessment since 2009-2019.

Exercise testing in COVID-19 era: Clinical profile, results and feasibility wearing a facemask.

Background: No data are available about whether Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have led to changes in clinical profiles or results of exercise testing once the usual activity was reassumed, as well as if wearing a facemask has any impact on the tests. The aim of this study is to evaluate differences in the patients referred to exercise stress testing in the context of COVID-19 pandemic and analyse the feasibility and results of these tests wearing a facemask.

Methods: We included all patients referred for an exercise test from 1 June to 30 September 2020 and compared them with the patients attended within the same period in 2019 before and after propensity score matching.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of cardiac imaging in amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis is an infiltrative disease caused by extracellular protein deposition that has accumulated a lot of scientific production in recent years. Different types of amyloidosis can affect the heart. Transthyretin amyloidosis and light chain amyloidosis are the two most common types of cardiac amyloidosis.

Economic evaluation of complete revascularization versus stress echocardiography-guided revascularization in the STEACS with multivessel disease.

Introduction And Objectives: Economic studies may help decision making in the management of multivessel disease in the setting of myocardial infarction. We sought to perform an economic evaluation of CROSS-AMI (Complete Revascularization or Stress Echocardiography in Patients With Multivessel Disease and ST-Segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction) randomized clinical trial.

Methods: We performed a cost minimization analysis for the strategies (complete angiographic revascularization [ComR] and selective stress echocardiography-guided revascularization [SelR]) compared in the CROSS-AMI clinical trial (N=306), attributable the initial hospitalization and readmissions during the first year of follow-up, using current rates for health services provided by our health system.