Publications by authors named "S Koudstaal"
Design and rationale of the Engage-HF study: the impact of a gamified engagement toolkit on participation and engagement in a heart failure registry.
Eur Heart J Digit Health
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- This study evaluates the impact of an educational engagement toolkit on increasing participation rates and data completeness among heart failure (HF) nurse practitioners in the NHR-HF registry.
- The Engage-HF study involves a 24-week program using a gamified smartphone app called BrightBirds, along with interactive materials to enhance learning and engagement.
- The research aims to address the challenges faced by healthcare professionals in participating in registries by providing efficient and innovative methods for education on the latest heart failure guidelines.
Background And Aims: Individuals with or at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) often receive long-term treatment with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering therapies, but whether the effects of LDL-C reduction remain stable over time is uncertain. This study aimed to establish the course of the effects of LDL-C reduction on cardiovascular risk over time.
Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of LDL-C lowering therapies were identified through a search in MEDLINE and EMBASE (1966-January 2023).
Article Synopsis
- The research evaluates the shift from traditional clinical trial design for heart failure (HF) to a data-driven approach, utilizing natural language processing to analyze trial eligibility criteria.
- Phase III trials for HF were examined to identify common inclusion and exclusion criteria, finding that only about 20% of registry patients were eligible for these trials.
- Over time, the trials have become more restrictive, with a significant decline in patient eligibility from 40% in earlier years to 19% in recent years, highlighting the need for a better design framework for future trials.
Article Synopsis
- The TITRATE-HF study investigates the real-world application and barriers to guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure patients, aligning with the 2021 ESC HF guidelines and 2023 updates.
- Conducted in the Netherlands, the study involved 4,288 patients, highlighting that while 44% of chronic and worsening heart failure patients received quadruple therapy, only 1% achieved target doses for all drug classes.
- The findings indicate that there is significant room for improvement in GDMT usage and dosing, emphasizing the need for enhanced strategies in heart failure management.
Aims: Icosapent ethyl lowers triglycerides and significantly reduces major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), though treatment effects may vary between individuals. This study aimed to determine the relative and absolute effects of icosapent ethyl on MACE according to baseline cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).
Methods And Results: Participants from the Reduction of Cardiovascular Events with Icosapent Ethyl-Intervention Trial (REDUCE-IT) with ASCVD were included (n = 5785).