Novel Genetic Variants Associated with Primary Myocardial Fibrosis in Sudden Cardiac Death Victims.

Myocardial fibrosis is a common finding in victims of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Whole exome sequencing was performed in 127 victims of SCD with primary myocardial fibrosis as the only pathological finding. These cases are derived from the Fingesture study which has collected data from autopsy-verified SCD victims in Northern Finland.

Plaque histology and myocardial disease in sudden coronary death: the Fingesture study.

Aims: At least 50% of deaths due to coronary artery disease (CAD) are sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs), but the role of acute plaque complications on the incidence of sudden death in CAD is somewhat unclear. The present study aimed to investigate plaque histology and concomitant myocardial disease in sudden coronary death.

Methods And Results: The study population is derived from the Fingesture study, which has collected data from 5869 consecutive autopsy-verified SCD victims in Northern Finland (population ≈600 000) between 1998 and 2017.

Long-term cardiac surveillance and outcomes of COVID-19 patients.

Acute cardiac manifestions of COVID-19 have been well described, while chronic cardiac sequelae remain less clear. Various studies have shown conflicting data on the prevalence of new or worsening cardiovascular disease, myocarditis or cardiac dysrhythmias among patients recovered from COVID-19. Data are emerging that show that patients recovering from COVID-19 have an increased incidence of myocarditis and arrhythmias after recovery from COVID-19 compared with the control groups without COVID-19.

Risk of sudden cardiac death associated with QRS, QTc, and JTc intervals in the general population.

Background: QRS duration and corrected QT (QTc) interval have been associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD), but no data are available on the significance of repolarization component (JTc interval) of the QTc interval as an independent risk marker in the general population.

Objective: In this study, we sought to quantify the risk of SCD associated with QRS, QTc, and JTc intervals.

Methods: This study was conducted using data from 3 population cohorts from different eras, comprising a total of 20,058 individuals.

Genetic Variants Associated With Sudden Cardiac Death in Victims With Single Vessel Coronary Artery Disease and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy With or Without Fibrosis.

Cardiac hypertrophy with varying degrees of myocardial fibrosis is commonly associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) related sudden cardiac death (SCD), especially in young victims among whom patterns of coronary artery lesions do not entirely appear to explain the cause of SCD. Our aim was to study the genetic background of hypertrophy, with or without fibrosis, among ischemic SCD victims with single vessel CAD. The study population was derived from the Fingesture study, consisting of all autopsy-verified SCDs in Northern Finland between the years 1998 and 2017 ( = 5,869).

Genetic contributions to the expression of acquired causes of cardiac hypertrophy in non-ischemic sudden cardiac death victims.

The contribution of genetic variants to non-ischemic sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to acquired myocardial diseases is unclear. We studied whether SCD victims with hypertension/obesity related hypertrophic myocardial disease harbor potentially disease associated gene variants. The Fingesture study has collected data from 5869 autopsy-verified SCD victims in Northern Finland.

Association of SGLT2 inhibitors with arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in patients with type 2 diabetes or heart failure: A meta-analysis of 34 randomized controlled trials.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) reduce hospitalizations and death from heart failure (HF), but their effect on arrhythmia expression has been poorly investigated.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of SGLT2is with arrhythmias in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or HF.

Methods: We searched PubMed and ClinicalTrials.

Osteopontin and LDLR Are Upregulated in Hearts of Sudden Cardiac Death Victims With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), particularly in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, there are no known biomarkers in the population with DM and HFpEF to predict SCD risk. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that osteopontin (OPN) and some proteins previously correlated with OPN, low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), dynamin 2 (DNM2), fibronectin-1 (FN1), and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase-like (OGDHL), are potential risk markers for SCD, and may reflect modifiable molecular pathways in patients with DM and HFpEF.

Network meta-analysis of His bundle, biventricular, or right ventricular pacing as a primary strategy for advanced atrioventricular conduction disease with normal or mildly reduced ejection fraction.

Introduction: Although right ventricular pacing (RVP) may impair ventricular function, it is commonly used for advanced atrioventricular block (AVB) and normal or mildly reduced ejection fraction (EF). We aimed to compare His bundle pacing (HBP), biventricular pacing (BiVP), and RVP for advanced AVB in patients with normal or mildly reduced EF.

Methods And Results: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.

Electrocardiographic associations with myocardial fibrosis among sudden cardiac death victims.

Objective: A major challenge in reducing the incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the identification of patients at risk. Myocardial fibrosis has a substantial association with SCD risk but is difficult to identify among general populations. Our aim was to find electrocardiographic (ECG) markers of myocardial fibrosis among SCD victims.

Effect of blood pressure control on sudden death risk score in the SPRINT trial.

Background: Recent data suggest that population screening for risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) may be feasible with risk scores that can be implemented in the electronic health record. But, there are no established therapeutic strategies to target lowering risk for SCD in the general population. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) intensive blood pressure intervention on SCD risk and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes.

Genetic determinants of responsiveness to mesenchymal stem cell injections in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) responds variably to intramyocardial injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). We hypothesized that NIDCM genotype may influence responsiveness to MSC therapy and performed genotyping on all patients in the POSEIDON-DCM trial.

Methods: POSEIDON-DCM patients (n = 34) underwent genetic sequence analysis and deletion/duplication testing.

A meta-analysis of arrhythmia endpoints in randomized controlled trials of transendocardial stem cell injections for chronic ischemic heart disease.

Introduction: The electrophysiologic impact of cell-based therapy on the injured myocardium remains highly controversial. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis of studies comparing arrhythmia burden following transendocardial stem cell therapy vs placebo in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease (CIHD).

Methods And Results: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched.

Association of Silent Myocardial Infarction and Sudden Cardiac Death.

Importance: Myocardial infarction in the absence of major or unrecognized symptoms are characterized as silent (SMI). The prevalence of SMI among individuals who experience sudden cardiac death (SCD), with or without concomitant electrocardiographic (ECG) changes, has not previously been described in detail from large studies to our knowledge.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of SMI in individuals who experience SCD without a prior diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) and to detect ECG abnormalities associated with SMI-associated SCD.

Prediabetes and Risk for Cardiac Death Among Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: The ARTEMIS Study.

Objective: To compare cardiac mortality in patients with CAD and prediabetes with that in CAD patients with normal glycemic status and type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: The Innovation to Reduce Cardiovascular Complications of Diabetes at the Intersection (ARTEMIS) study included patients with CAD after revascularization (79%), optimal medical therapy, or both. Patients had type 2 diabetes ( = 834), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT; = 314), impaired fasting glucose (IFG; = 103), or normal glycemic status ( = 697) as defined on the basis of the results of an oral glucose tolerance test.

Usefulness of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms as Predictors of Sudden Cardiac Death.

The pathophysiology of sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains incompletely understood. Genetic mutations can create a favorable substrate for SCD. Our aim is to evaluate the evidence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as predictors of SCD.

Sudden Cardiac Death in Women.

Background: Despite recent progress in profiling of risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) and prevention and intervention of cardiac diseases, SCD remains a major cause of death. Among women, the incidence of SCD is significant, but lower than in men, particularly in the premenopausal and early postmenopausal years. Possibly, as a consequence of the difference in population burden, the mechanisms and risk markers of SCD are not as well defined for women.

Type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease: Preserved ejection fraction and sudden cardiac death.

Background: Previous studies have shown that type 2 diabetes (DM2) is associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk in post-myocardial infarction patients. The treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) as well as DM2 has changed over time.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of SCD in DM2 and nondiabetic patients with CAD and preserved ejection fraction (EF) in a prospective observational study (ARTEMIS study).

Primary Myocardial Fibrosis as an Alternative Phenotype Pathway of Inherited Cardiac Structural Disorders.

Background: Myocardial fibrosis is a common postmortem finding among young individuals with sudden cardiac death. Because there is no known single cause, we tested the hypothesis that some cases of myocardial fibrosis in the absence of identifiable causes (primary myocardial fibrosis [PMF]) are associated with genetic variants.

Methods: Tissue was obtained at autopsy from 4031 consecutive individuals with sudden cardiac death in Northern Finland, among whom PMF was the only structural finding in 145 subjects with sudden cardiac death.