Assessing the feasibility of using the antecubital vein to perform right heart catheterization in children and adults with congenital heart disease: a retrospective, observational single-center study.

Background: Right heart catheterization (RHC) usually is performed via the femoral vein or the internal jugular vein. However, the antecubital fossa vein is a valid venous access, and it has become increasingly popular to perform right heart catheterization utilizing this access.

Methods: A retrospective, observational study was conducted to describe use of the antecubital fossa vein for right heart catheterization in adults and children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Design and implementation of a digital health home spirometry intervention for remote monitoring of lung transplant function.

Background: We developed an automated, chat-based, digital health intervention using Bluetooth-enabled home spirometers to monitor for complications of lung transplantation in a real-world application.

Methods: A chat-based application prompted patients to perform home spirometry, enter their forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV), answer symptom queries, and provided patient education. The program alerted patients and providers to substantial FEV decreases and concerning symptoms.

Predicting major events in ambulatory patients with advanced heart failure awaiting heart transplantation: a pilot study.

Aims: In heart failure (HF), prognostic risk scores focus on all-cause mortality prediction. However, in advanced HF (AdHF) ambulatory patients awaiting heart transplantation (HTx), hospitalizations for acutely decompensated/worsening HF are relevant to clinical decision-making, but unpredicted by common risk functions.

Methods: Among consecutive ambulatory patients added to the waitlist for HTx, event discriminators within 2 years from recruitment were assessed prospectively by area under the curve from receiver-operating characteristic curves, and by Cox proportional hazards models.