Ferric carboxymaltose in reducing blood transfusions and infections after cardiac surgery.

Objective: Iron supplementation may reduce postoperative anemia, blood transfusions, and infections in patients undergoing surgery. We sought to assess efficacy and safety of prophylactic intravenous iron supplementation in patients without anemia undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: In this investigator-initiated industry-sponsored single-center randomized double-blind parallel group trial, we enrolled patients undergoing coronary bypass, aortic or mitral valve or ascending aortic surgery who fulfilled prespecified iron blood test safety criteria.

Composition of cardiac troponin release differs after marathon running and myocardial infarction.

Objectives: Elevations of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels are common after strenuous exercise. We assessed whether the composition of cTnT release after marathon race differs from that of acute myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: Troponin composition was analysed in plasma samples taken from 45 runners after marathon race and from 84 patients with type 1 MI.

Novel electrocardiographic classification for stroke prediction in atrial fibrillation patients undergoing cardioversion.

Background: Abnormal conduction, structure, and function of the atrial myocardium predispose to atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke. The usefulness of electrocardiographic indices in predicting stroke or systemic embolism (SSE) in patients undergoing cardioversion (CV) for AF remains unknown, especially in those at low estimated risk.

Objective: We systematically evaluated the performance of various P-wave abnormalities (PWAs) in predicting SSE 30 days after CV (derivation cohort) and in the long term (validation cohort).

Fibrillatory wave amplitude and thromboembolic risk in non-anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: The benefit of oral anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation (AF) is well established for patients at elevated stroke risk, but less clear for those at intermediate risk. We investigated whether analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG) derived fibrillatory waves (F-waves) could help identify patients at risk for stroke and systemic embolism (SSE).

Methods: The Finnish Cardioversion (FinCV) study included patients not on permanent anticoagulation therapy who underwent cardioversion for an acute AF episode.

Prolonged Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome After Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives: Cardiac surgery induces systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), leading to higher morbidity and mortality. There are no individualized predictors for worse outcomes or biomarkers for the multifactorial, excessive inflammatory response. The interest of this study was to evaluate whether a systematic use of the SIRS criteria could be used to predict postoperative outcomes beyond infection and sepsis, and if the development of an exaggerated inflammation response could be observed preoperatively.

Risk of fluid accumulation after cardiac surgery.

Objective: Patients undergoing heart surgery are at high risk of postoperative fluid accumulation due to long procedures and cardiopulmonary bypass. In the present study, we sought to investigate the prevalence of postoperative fluid accumulation and its relation to adverse events in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: CAREBANK is prospective, single-center cohort study focusing on the adverse events after cardiac surgery.

Mechanocardiography detects improvement of systolic function caused by resynchronization pacing.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is commonly used to manage heart failure with dyssynchronous ventricular contraction. CRT pacing resynchronizes the ventricular contraction, while AAI (single-chamber atrial) pacing does not affect the dyssynchronous function. This study compared waveform characteristics during CRT and AAI pacing at similar pacing rates using seismocardiogram (SCG) and gyrocardiogram (GCG), collectively known as mechanocardiogram (MCG).

Short-term effects of sacubitril/valsartan therapy on myocardial oxygen consumption and energetic efficiency of cardiac work in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: A randomized controlled study.

Aims: We sought to evaluate the mechanism of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) sacubitril/valsartan therapy and compare it with a valsartan-only control group in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Methods And Results: The study was a phase IV, prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study in patients with New York Heart Association class II-III heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%. During a 6-week run-in period, all patients received valsartan therapy, which was up-titrated to the highest tolerated dose level (80 mg bid or 160 mg bid) and then randomized to either valsartan or sacubitril/valsartan.

Impact of Intraprocedural Pressure Changes on Hemodynamic Outcome During Self-Expanding TAVR.

Introduction: During the transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure, hemodynamic measurements can be used to evaluate transcatheter heart valve (THV) performance. We hypothesized that the occurrence of a significant decrease in invasive aortic pressure immediately after annular contact by a self-expanding THV indicates effective annular sealing. This phenomenon could thus be used as a marker for the occurrence of paravalvular leak (PVL).

Mechanocardiography-Based Measurement System Indicating Changes in Heart Failure Patients during Hospital Admission and Discharge.

Heart failure (HF) is a disease related to impaired performance of the heart and is a significant cause of mortality and treatment costs in the world. During its progression, HF causes worsening (decompensation) periods which generally require hospital care. In order to reduce the suffering of the patients and the treatment cost, avoiding unnecessary hospital visits is essential, as hospitalization can be prevented by medication.

Mechanocardiography in the Detection of Acute ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction: The MECHANO-STEMI Study.

Novel means to minimize treatment delays in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are needed. Using an accelerometer and gyroscope on the chest yield mechanocardiographic (MCG) data. We investigated whether STEMI causes changes in MCG signals which could help to detect STEMI.

Frequency of cardioversions as an additional risk factor for stroke in atrial fibrillation - the FinCV-4 study.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are selected for oral anticoagulation based on individual patient characteristics. There is little information on how clinical AF burden associates with the risk of ischaemic stroke or systemic embolism (SSE). The aim of this study was to explore the association of the frequency of cardioversions (CV) as a measure of clinical AF burden on the long-term SSE risk, with a focus on patients at intermediate stroke risk based on CHADS-VASc score.

End-to-end sensor fusion and classification of atrial fibrillation using deep neural networks and smartphone mechanocardiography.

. The purpose of this research is to develop a new deep learning framework for detecting atrial fibrillation (AFib), one of the most common heart arrhythmias, by analyzing the heart's mechanical functioning as reflected in seismocardiography (SCG) and gyrocardiography (GCG) signals. Jointly, SCG and GCG constitute the concept of mechanocardiography (MCG), a method used to measure precordial vibrations with the built-in inertial sensors of smartphones.

Red blood cell transfusion induces abnormal HIF-1α response to cytokine storm after adult cardiac surgery.

Patients undergoing cardiac surgery develop a marked postoperative systemic inflammatory response. Blood transfusion may contribute to disruption of homeostasis in these patients. We sought to evaluate the impact of blood transfusion on serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), hypoxia induced factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) levels as well as adverse outcomes in patients undergoing adult cardiac surgery.