Publications by authors named "Mark Aaron"

Background: The primary goals during acute heart failure (AHF) hospitalization are decongestion and guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) optimization. Unlike diuretics or other GDMT, early dapagliflozin initiation could achieve both AHF goals.

Objectives: The authors aimed to assess the diuretic efficacy and safety of early dapagliflozin initiation in AHF.

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Background: Dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, reduces cardiovascular death and worsening heart failure in patients with chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. Early initiation during an acute heart failure (AHF) hospitalization may facilitate decongestion, improve natriuresis, and facilitate safe transition to a beneficial outpatient therapy for both diabetes and heart failure.

Objective: The objective is to assess the efficacy and safety of initiating dapagliflozin within the first 24 hours of hospitalization in patients with AHF compared to usual care.

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Background: The purpose of the current study was to define exercise-induced changes in indices of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic properties in patients with chronic heart failure (HF), compare these changes in patients with HF and a reduced ejection fraction (EF) versus HF and a preserved EF, and compare the hemodynamic responses to activities of daily living with symptom-limited upright exercise.

Methods And Results: Subjects with HF and a preserved EF (n=8) and subjects with HF and a reduced EF (n=5) underwent symptom-limited Naughton protocol treadmill exercise tests. Implantable hemodynamic monitor data and echocardiographic data were obtained before exercise and at peak exercise.

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Clinical trial results support the hypothesis that implantable hemodynamic monitoring (IHM) systems may reduce hospitalizations among patients with chronic heart failure (HF). The Reducing Decompensation Events Utilizing Intracardiac Pressures in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure (REDUCE hf  ) study was a prospective, randomized, multicenter, single-blinded trial that enrolled patients with New York Heart Association class II or III symptoms, an indication for an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), and a previous HF hospitalization. A combination IHM-ICD was implanted and patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group in which hemodynamic information was used or a control group in which hemodynamic information was not available.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to develop an automated surveillance system, using pressure-based hemodynamic factors that would detect which patients were making the transition from compensated to decompensated heart failure before they developed worsening symptoms and required acute medical care.

Methods And Results: Intracardiac pressures in 274 patients with heart failure were measured using an implantable hemodynamic monitor (IHM) and were analyzed in a retrospective manner. An automated pressure change detection (PCD) algorithm was developed using the cumulative sum method.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to determine which pressure-based hemodynamic factor was most closely associated with the transition from chronic compensated to acute decompensated heart failure.

Methods And Results: Intracardiac pressures were retrospectively examined in 274 heart failure patients using an implantable hemodynamic monitor. The relationship between the development of a heart failure-related event (HFRE) and 3 pressure variables were analyzed: peak estimated pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (ePAD) at the time of an HFRE, change in ePAD from baseline to peak pressure, and the product of ePAD pressure and time (P×T) calculated as the area under the pressure-versus-time curve from baseline to peak pressure.

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Background: Implantable hemodynamic monitoring to guide heart failure (HF) therapy is a promising area of active research. The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the safety and technical performance of a novel wireless pulmonary artery pressure monitoring system in 17 patients with symptomatic HF.

Methods: The monitoring system consists of a sensor, delivery catheter, interrogator, and home monitoring device.

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Background: Results of previous studies support the hypothesis that implantable haemodynamic monitoring systems might reduce rates of hospitalisation in patients with heart failure. We undertook a single-blind trial to assess this approach.

Methods: Patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III heart failure, irrespective of the left ventricular ejection fraction, and a previous hospital admission for heart failure were enrolled in 64 centres in the USA.

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Background: Decompensated heart failure (HF) is associated with unacceptable morbidity and mortality risks. Recent implantable technology advancements allow frequent filling pressure monitoring and provide insight into HF pathophysiology and a new tool for HF management.

Methods: The CHAMPION trial is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, single-blind clinical trial testing the hypothesis that HF management guided by frequently assessed pulmonary artery pressures is superior to traditional methods.

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Background: Nearly half of all patients with chronic heart failure (HF) have a normal ejection fraction (EF), and abnormal diastolic function (ie, diastolic heart failure [DHF]). However, appropriate management of DHF patients remains a difficult and uncertain challenge.

Methods And Results: The Chronicle Offers Management to Patients with Advanced Signs and Symptoms of Heart Failure (COMPASS-HF) trial was designed to evaluate whether an implantable hemodynamic monitor (IHM) was safe and effective in reducing the number of heart failure-related events (HFRE) in patients with chronic HF.

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Background: Approximately half of all patients with chronic heart failure (HF) have a decreased ejection fraction (EF) (systolic HF [SHF]); the other half have HF with a normal EF (diastolic HF [DHF]). However, the underlying pathophysiological differences between DHF and SHF patients are incompletely defined. The purpose of this study was to use echocardiographic and implantable hemodynamic monitor data to examine the pathophysiology of chronic compensated and acute decompensated HF in SHF versus DHF patients.

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Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a heart failure (HF) management strategy using continuous intracardiac pressure monitoring could decrease HF morbidity.

Background: Patients with HF may experience frequent decompensations that require hospitalization despite intensive treatment and follow-up.

Methods: The COMPASS-HF (Chronicle Offers Management to Patients with Advanced Signs and Symptoms of Heart Failure) study was a prospective, multicenter, randomized, single-blind, parallel-controlled trial of 274 New York Heart Association functional class III or IV HF patients who received an implantable continuous hemodynamic monitor.

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Background: Postextrasystolic potentiation (PESP) is a property of cardiac tissue whereby two closely timed depolarizations cause the subsequent contraction to be of increased magnitude.

Methods And Results: Ten subjects were studied in a single-blind study to evaluate the safety and performance of an atrioventricular coupled pacing (A-VCP) algorithm to produce sustained PESP among subjects with moderate heart failure. The primary end points were algorithm safety, patient perception, and cardiac function.

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Background: The use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) has been proven effective in the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and constitutes standard of care in appropriate populations. Combining a pressure sensing system with ICD therapy represents the first attempt to provide continuous hemodynamic monitoring using a device previously designed exclusively for SCD protection.

Methods: REDUCE is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, single-blind, parallel-controlled trial designed to assess the safety of the Chronicle ICD system (single chamber ICD with a hemodynamic monitoring system) and the effectiveness of a management strategy guided by intracardiac pressure information among ICD-indicated New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II or III heart failure (HF) patients.

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Background And Objective: The prevalence and natural history of pleural effusions occurring after orthotopic heart transplantations (OHT) are essentially unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, laterality, size and prognosis of pleural effusions occurring after OHT.

Methods: Eighty-three patients who underwent OHT between August 1997 and January 2003 were screened retrospectively.

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