Frequency and Impact of Infectious Disease Conditions Diagnosed During Decompensated Heart Failure Hospitalizations in the United States.

There are limited data on the frequency of diagnosis of infectious disease and its impact on patients hospitalized with decompensated heart failure. We sought to evaluate the prevalence, types, trends, and outcomes of infectious disease diagnosis in patients admitted with decompensated heart failure. We performed a retrospective cohort study in patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of heart failure using the National Inpatient Sample database from 2009 to 2019.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in orthotopic liver transplant recipients: A cohort study using multi-center pooled electronic health record data.

Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM), or stress-induced cardiomyopathy, is associated with adverse prognosis. Limited data suggest that TCM occurring in orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) recipients is associated with elevated peri-operative risk.

Aim: To characterize the predictors of TCM in OLT recipients, using a large, multi-center pooled electronic health database.

Enoxaparin Use and Adverse Events in Outpatients With a Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device at a Single Institution.

Background: Patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are anticoagulated with warfarin and may receive enoxaparin bridging for a subtherapeutic international normalized ratio (INR). There is no guideline regarding enoxaparin bridging in LVAD patients and a dosing strategy to ensure efficacy and safety is uncertain.

Objective: The objective was to characterize the use of enoxaparin bridging for subtherapeutic INRs and its impact on thrombotic or major bleeding events (MBE) in patients with an LVAD.

Noninvasive measurement of arterial blood pressure in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices: a systematic review.

Accurate mean blood pressure determination is essential to prevent adverse events in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CFLVAD). We sought to evaluate the accuracy of noninvasive methods of blood pressure measurement compared with invasive intra-arterial recordings in patients with CFLVAD. Systematic electronic search was performed on four online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Knowledge) for the terms "Blood Pressure" AND ("Heart-Assist Devices" OR "Left ventricular Assist Devices").

Potentially harmful drug prescription in elderly patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the prescription frequency of potentially harmful prescription drugs as defined in current heart failure guidelines among elderly patients with a diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and their association with clinical outcomes.

Methods And Results: We used the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data from a nationally representative 5% sample for the years 2014-2016 to identify patients admitted to acute care hospitals with a primary diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The primary exposure was filling a prescription for a potentially harmful drug.

Central Nervous System Depressants and Risk of Hospitalization due to Community-Acquired Pneumonia in very Old Patients.

Background: Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants like antipsychotics, opioids, benzodiazepines and zolpidem are frequently used by patients of a wide range of ages. Uncertainty remains about their effect in very old adults (>80 years old) and their potential for pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions in this population.

Objective: To assess if the use of CNS depressants is associated with a higher risk of hospitalization due to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in very old patients.

Impact of combined heart and lung transplantation on bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, cardiac allograft vasculopathy, and long-term survival.

Background: Evidence from animal studies and small case series suggests that primary graft dysfunction occurs less often following combined organ transplantation than following isolated organ transplantation. In this large-scale national registry study, we aimed to investigate whether survival and the rates of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) and coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) are affected by simultaneous heart and/or lung transplantation (HLTx).

Methods: Clinical data from the United Network of Organ Sharing database were retrospectively reviewed to identify transplant-naive patients who had undergone heart and/or lung transplantation between 1987 and 2016.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the elderly: pathophysiology, diagnostic and therapeutic approach.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by symptoms and sings of heart failure with elevated left ventricular filling pressures at rest or during exercise. It is the most common type of heart failure in the elderly and its prevalence increases with age and is higher in females at any given age. HFpEF is frequently accompanied of comorbid conditions such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, atrial fibrillation and renal dysfunction.

Prescription of Potentially Harmful Drugs in Young Adults With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction.

According to national guidelines and statements drugs that can cause or exacerbate heart failure (HF) are considered potentially harmful and should be avoided if possible in patients with a diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF). To evaluate the prevalence of potentially harmful drug (PHD) prescription among patients with a diagnosis of systolic heart failure we conducted a retrospective cohort study using Truven Health MarketScan Commercial database from 2011 to 2014. Prescription of PHD as defined by American Heart Association Statement was examined among patients with a HFREF diagnosis in: (1) Two outpatient encounters, (2) One inpatient encounter as primary diagnosis and/or (3) one inpatient encounter any position and one outpatient encounter.

Standardized Psychosocial Assessment Before Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Background: Before consideration of advanced cardiac therapies, guidelines recommend a comprehensive multidisciplinary examination, including psychosocial assessment. The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT) has emerged as a highly reproducible tool to assess for psychosocial impairment and is associated with negative medical and psychosocial outcomes after transplantation. We sought to assess the association between SIPAT and outcomes after left ventricular assist device.

Transient power elevation during iron dextran infusion in a patient with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device.

Anemia is common in patients with mechanical circulatory support and is associated with increased morbidity. Repletion using parenteral iron infusions has been proven to be beneficial in patients with heart failure. In this report, we describe a case of increased power and flows of continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) during an iron dextran infusion.

Burden and consequences of retained cardiovascular implantable electronic device lead fragments after heart transplantation.

We performed a retrospective review of 402 consecutive patients who underwent heart transplantation at our institution between January 2009 and March 2017. A retained cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) fragment was identified after transplantation in 49 of the 301 patients (16.2%) with CIED at baseline.

Left ventricular function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and its relation to myocardial fibrosis and exercise tolerance.

We sought to determine the relation between myocardial extracellular volume (ECV), left ventricular (LV) diastolic function, and exercise tolerance in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Forty five HCM patients with an ejection fraction >50% and no previous septal reduction therapy underwent imaging by CMR and transthoracic echocardiography. CMR was used to quantify LV volumes, mass, EF, LA volumes, scar burden, pre and post contrast T1 relaxation times and ECV.

Ablation of Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to describe short- and long-term outcomes in all patients referred for inappropriate sinus tachycardia ablation, along with the potential complications of the intervention.

Background: Sinus node (SN) ablation/modification has been proposed for patients refractory to pharmacological therapy. However, available data derive from limited series.

Prevalence of in-hospital nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug exposure in patients with a primary diagnosis of heart failure.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of in-hospital nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) exposure and associated outcomes in patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of heart failure.

Methods: We performed a propensity-matched cohort analysis of patients admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital System with a primary diagnosis of heart failure according to the International Classification of Diseases-9-Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2014.

Results: Of the 9742 patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of heart failure, 384 patients (3.

A Systematic Approach to Assess the Burden of Drug Interactions in Adult Kidney Transplant Patients.

Aim: Renal transplant patients are frequently subject to polypharmacy and drug-drug interactions. However, no previous study has systematically assessed the risk of drug interactions and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) in this population.

Methods: A total of 138 consecutive adult kidney transplant recipients admitted to our hospital between August 2010 and February 2012 were prospectively and systematically assessed by our pharmacovigilance team, within 24 hours of admission, to identify potential drug-drug interactions and probable ADRs.

Functional Assessment of Bioprosthetic Aortic Valves by CMR.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) phase-contrast (PC) measures of a bioprosthetic aortic valve velocity time integral (PC-VTI) to derive the effective orifice area (PC-EOA) and to compare these findings with the clinical standard of Doppler echocardiography.

Background: Bioprosthetic aortic valve function can be assessed with CMR planimetry of the anatomic orifice area and PC measurement of peak transvalvular systolic velocity. However, bioprosthetic valves can create image artifact and data dropout, which makes planimetry measures a challenge for even experienced CMR readers.

In-hospital use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients with heart failure in academic centers in the United States.

Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are considered potentially harmful for patients with heart failure.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of in-hospital NSAID use, their type, associated diagnosis and impact in clinical outcomes among patients with a diagnosis of heart failure.

Methods: The University Health System Consortium Database was used to identify all first hospitalizations with an International Classification of Diseases-9 discharge diagnosis code of systolic heart failure as the primary diagnosis between January 1, 2011, and December 31st 2014.