Safety and feasibility of a telemonitoring-guided exercise program in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Background: Telerehabilitation is an alternative clinic-based rehabilitation. A remote monitoring (RM) system attached to a cardiac rhythm device can collect physiological data and the device function. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of telerehabilitation supervised by an RM in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

Antioxidant activity toward fish oil triacylglycerols exerted by sphingoid bases isolated from butter serum with α-tocopherol.

A mixture of sphingoid bases (SPGs) was prepared from butter serum, a by-product of anhydrous milk fat production. The mixture comprised seven types of SPGs with C16 to C19 alkyl chains. These milk SPGs inhibited the oxidation of fish oil triacylglycerol (TAG) more effectively than did a standard SPG (d18:1) with α-tocopherol.

Impact of serum albumin levels on supratherapeutic PT-INR control and bleeding risk in atrial fibrillation patients on warfarin: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Since warfarin is primarily bound to serum albumin, hypoalbuminemia is likely to increase the free fraction of warfarin and to increase the risk of bleeding. We prospectively evaluated the impact of serum albumin levels (ALB) on international normalized ratio of prothrombin time (PT-INR) control and hemorrhagic events in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients treated with warfarin.

Methods: Seven hundred fifty-five non-valvular AF patients on warfarin were enrolled.

Thromboembolisms in atrial fibrillation and heart failure patients with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) compared to those with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Heart failure (HF) is classified into three clinical subtypes: HF with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF: EF ≥ 50%), HF with a mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF: 40 ≤ EF < 49%), and HF with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF: EF < 40%). These types often coexist with atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated the rate of strokes/systemic embolisms (SSEs) in AF patients with HFpEF (AF-HFpEF) compared to that in those with HFrEF (AF-HFrEF: HFmrEF and HFrEF), and examined the independent predictors.

Prognostic Importance of Novel Oxygen Desaturation Metrics in Patients With Heart Failure and Central Sleep Apnea.

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing, particularly central sleep apnea (CSA), is highly prevalent in heart failure (HF) and an independent prognostic marker. We assessed the hypothesis that an increased hypoxemic burden during sleep may have greater prognostic value than the frequency of apneic and hypopneic episodes.

Methods And Results: We prospectively conducted overnight cardiorespiratory polygraphy on consecutive HF patients referred to our hospital from 2008 to 2011.