Transcatheter vs Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Lower-Risk Patients: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Longer-term outcomes are especially important for lower-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Additional randomized data comparing TAVR and SAVR have recently become available.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to perform an updated systematic review with conventional pairwise meta-analyses and pooled survival analyses using reconstructed time-to-event individual participant data (IPD) including the totality of randomized evidence comparing longer-term clinical outcomes after TAVR and SAVR in lower-risk patients.

Preclinical Evidence for the Use of Brexpiprazole + Antidepressant Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: Brexpiprazole, when administered with antidepressant therapy, may provide additional benefits due to complementary actions on noradrenaline (norepinephrine), serotonin, and dopamine neurotransmitter systems. This review addressed the question: what information can preclinical studies provide on the use of brexpiprazole + antidepressant treatment?

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to search for preclinical studies of brexpiprazole + antidepressant therapy that included a behavioral test relating to any psychiatric disorder. Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and conference abstracts were searched (January 1, 2011-July 5, 2021).

A call for transparency, improved reporting, and interpretation of trials using surrogate end points in cardiac electrophysiology.

In this call for transparency, we aim to disseminate knowledge about recent CONSORT-Surrogate and SPIRIT-Surrogate checklists. SPIRIT-Surrogate is an extension of the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) checklist, developed as a consensus document and designed as a reporting guideline for randomized controlled trial (RCT) protocols using surrogate end points as the primary end points. CONSORT-Surrogate is an extension of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist, a consensus-driven reporting guideline for RCTs using surrogate end points as the primary end points.

Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: Expanding Indications and New Developments.

Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is recommended in several major international society guidelines as a viable alternative to therapeutic anticoagulation for the prevention of ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation or flutter. Recent innovations in device development have improved the safety and procedural success of LAAO, further fueling enthusiasm for expanding its indications beyond patients with high-bleeding risk from oral anticoagulation use. It is the aim of this review to provide historical context in addition to recent updates and upcoming developments and provide practical suggestions on how best to care for patients who are candidates for LAAO in contemporary practice.

Early Outcomes With Cerebral Embolic Protection During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Limited studies are available which aim to identify patient populations that would potentially benefit from the use of cerebral embolic protection devices (CPDs) during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We aimed to analyze the impact of CPD use during TAVR among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: Data on adult TAVR patients with a concomitant diagnosis of AF was obtained from the 2017-2020 National Readmissions Database.