Publications by authors named "Skouri H"
Article Synopsis
- Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an often overlooked cause of heart failure (HF), highlighting the importance of early detection and timely therapy for better patient outcomes.
- A global survey with 1,460 physicians revealed that while many have experience diagnosing CA in patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), systematic screening is not widely practiced, with only 10% conducting routine checks.
- There is significant variability in screening and management strategies for CA, indicating a need for better education and access to disease-modifying therapies within the HF community.
Article Synopsis
- Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are commonly used to treat advanced heart failure, improving survival but leading to high rates of arrhythmias (20-50%) within a year after implantation.
- Arrhythmias in these patients increase the risk of complications, such as additional shocks from implantable defibrillators and potential worsening of right ventricular failure, highlighting the need for tailored management strategies.
- Effective treatment for these arrhythmias may involve specialized approaches like catheter ablation, though unique challenges exist in accessing arrhythmogenic areas after LVAD surgery, making pre-implantation procedures potentially beneficial.
Article Synopsis
- Immunological therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and cell-based therapies like CAR-T, have transformed cancer treatment by enabling the immune system to target cancer cells.
- While these therapies are generally effective, they can cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs) that vary in severity and timing, from mild skin rashes to serious complications such as myocarditis or cytokine release syndrome.
- The statement discusses the growing understanding of cardiovascular toxicities associated with these therapies, outlines their diagnosis and management, and identifies gaps in current research that need further exploration.
Article Synopsis
- - The prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is rising, leading to significant hospitalization (up to 80%) and mortality rates (50%) within five years, largely due to systemic inflammation and related cardiac dysfunction.
- - Diagnosing HFpEF is complex and relies on clinical assessments, imaging, biomarkers, and excluding other cardiac conditions that could mimic or contribute to HFpEF.
- - Treatments like sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, tailored therapies, exercise recommendations, and novel inflammation-targeting approaches show promise, especially for obese HFpEF patients who may benefit from glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists.
Despite the progress in the care of individuals with heart failure (HF), important sex disparities in knowledge and management remain, covering all the aspects of the syndrome, from aetiology and pathophysiology to treatment. Important distinctions in phenotypic presentation are widely known, but the mechanisms behind these differences are only partially defined. The impact of sex-specific conditions in the predisposition to HF has gained progressive interest in the HF community.
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- Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is crucial for reducing illness and death in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), but it's not being used effectively in practice.
- Barriers like clinical inertia and organizational issues often lead to delays in starting or optimizing recommended treatments.
- The Heart Failure Association of the ESC highlights various strategies, such as improving heart failure care pathways, using digital tools, and increasing education for both patients and healthcare providers, to enhance the implementation of GDMT for better patient outcomes.
While there has been a global decrease in rates of heart failure (HF) prevalence between 1990 and 2019, the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) is experiencing an increase. In 2019, approximately 1,229,766 individuals lived with moderate to severe HF in the EMR. Despite the growth in the utilization of advanced heart failure (AHF) therapies in the EMR in the past two decades, current volumes are yet to meet the growing AHF burden in the region.
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- Implantable devices help patients with heart failure by working alongside medicines to treat the condition and improve their health.
- While some devices are supported by strong evidence and show positive effects, others need more research before they can be widely used.
- The Heart Failure Association and European Heart Rhythm Association suggest a better way to use these devices in care programs to help patients more effectively.
Background: The Program for the Evaluation and Management of Cardiac Events in the Middle East and North Africa (PEACE MENA) is a prospective registry program in Arabian countries that involves in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or acute heart failure (AHF).
Methods: This prospective, multi-center, multi-country study is the first report of the baseline characteristics and outcomes of inpatients with AMI who were enrolled during the first 14-month recruitment phase. We report the clinical characteristics, socioeconomic, educational levels, and management, in-hospital, one month and one-year outcomes.
Heart failure (HF) remains a serious health and socioeconomic problem in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). The age-standardized prevalence rate for HF in the MEA region is higher compared to countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Also cardiovascular-related deaths remain high compared to their global counterparts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiomyopathies are a significant contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, mainly due to the development of heart failure and increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Despite improvement in survival with contemporary treatment, SCD remains an important cause of mortality in cardiomyopathies. It occurs at a rate ranging between 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough epidemiological data on heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are scarce in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region, Lancet Global Burden of Disease estimated the prevalence of HF in the MENAT region in 2019 to be 0.78%, versus 0.71% globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiomyopathies represent significant contributors to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Over the past decades, a progress has occurred in characterization of the genetic background and major pathophysiological mechanisms, which has been incorporated into a more nuanced diagnostic approach and risk stratification. Furthermore, medications targeting core disease processes and/or their downstream adverse effects have been introduced for several cardiomyopathies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a non-malignant precursor of multiple myeloma (MM). MGUS has been suggested to be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, including AFIB, but it is still unclear whether this association is real. Studies are lacking on the impact of atrial fibrillation on health outcomes in this population.
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- Acute heart failure (AHF) is a complex condition influenced by both sudden triggers and existing heart issues, often linked to valvular heart disease (VHD).
- Patients with AHF may show varying symptoms, ranging from mild heart failure to severe cases like cardiogenic shock, making it tough to assess their condition accurately.
- Current treatment guidelines for AHF patients with severe VHD are unclear due to limited evidence from clinical trials, prompting a need for more research on this specific group.
Introduction: PEACE MENA (Program for the Evaluation and Management of Cardiac Events in the Middle East and North Africa) is a prospective registry in Arab countries for in-patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or acute heart failure (AHF). Here, we report the baseline characteristics and outcomes of in-patients with AHF who were enrolled during the first 14 months of the recruitment phase.
Methods: A prospective, multi-centre, multi-country study including patients hospitalized with AHF was conducted.
Article Synopsis
- Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a key treatment for advanced prostate cancer, but it can increase the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events, especially in patients with existing CV risk factors.
- A study in Lebanon involving 234 prostate cancer patients on ADT found that a significant portion had multiple CV risk factors, with 9.5% experiencing cardiac events after starting treatment.
- The findings highlight the need for better CV risk assessment protocols for prostate cancer patients prior to ADT, given the high prevalence of comorbidities in this population.
Objective: With the increasing burden of heart failure (HF) in the Middle East Region and Africa (MEA), it is imperative to shift the focus to prevention and early detection of cardiovascular diseases. We present a broad consensus of the real-world challenges and strategic recommendations for optimising HF care in the MEA region.
Method: To bridge the gaps in awareness, prevention, and diagnosis of HF, an assembly of experts from MEA shared their collective opinions on the urgent unmet needs.
Novel pharmacologic treatment options reduce mortality and morbidity in a cost-effective manner in patients with heart failure (HF). Undisputedly, the effective implementation of these agents is an essential element of good clinical practice, which is endorsed by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on acute and chronic HF. Yet, physicians struggle to implement these therapies as they have to balance the true and/or perceived risks versus their substantial benefits in clinical practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Patients with heart failure (HF) and iron deficiency experience poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We evaluated the impact of intravenous (IV) ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) vs. placebo on HRQoL for the AFFIRM-AHF population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation after placing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is not a well-known entity with few cases reported in the literature. Here, we are presenting three cases of CMV reactivation after placing LVAD. A literature review of all reported cases in the literature was done.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose has been shown to improve symptoms and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure and iron deficiency. We aimed to evaluate the effect of ferric carboxymaltose, compared with placebo, on outcomes in patients who were stabilised after an episode of acute heart failure.
Methods: AFFIRM-AHF was a multicentre, double-blind, randomised trial done at 121 sites in Europe, South America, and Singapore.