Heart failure in Europe: Guideline-directed medical therapy use and decision making in chronic and acute, pre-existing and de novo, heart failure with reduced, mildly reduced, and preserved ejection fraction - the ESC EORP Heart Failure III Registry.

Aims: We analysed baseline characteristics and guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) use and decisions in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Heart Failure (HF) III Registry.

Methods And Results: Between 1 November 2018 and 31 December 2020, 10 162 patients with acute HF (AHF, 39%, age 70 [62-79], 36% women) or outpatient visit for HF (61%, age 66 [58-75], 33% women), with HF with reduced (HFrEF, 57%), mildly reduced (HFmrEF, 17%) or preserved (HFpEF, 26%) ejection fraction were enrolled from 220 centres in 41 European or ESC-affiliated countries. With AHF, 97% were hospitalized, 2.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Long-Term Persistence of Diastolic Dysfunction after Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis Compared with Aortic Regurgitation.

(1) Background: Severe left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction with a restrictive diastolic pattern (LVDFP) is generally associated with a worse prognosis. Its evolution and reversibility in the short- and medium-term after aortic valve replacement (AVR) has been little-studied. We aimed to evaluate the evolution of LV remodeling and LV systolic and diastolic function after AVR in aortic stenosis (AS) patients compared to aortic regurgitation (AR).

Rationale and design of the Biventricular Evaluation of Gliflozins effects In chroNic Heart Failure: BEGIN-HF study.

Aims: Sodium-glucose cotransporter type 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) represent a unique class of anti-hyperglycaemic agents for type 2 diabetes mellitus that selectively inhibit renal glucose reabsorption, thereby increasing urinary excretion of glucose. Several studies have demonstrated the cardioprotective effects of SGLT-2i in patients with heart failure (HF), unrelated to its glucosuric effect. It is unclear whether the benefits of SGLT-2i therapy also rely on the improvement of left ventricular (LV) and/or right ventricular (RV) function in patients with HF.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage in ICU Patients with Severe COVID-19 Infection in a Country with Low Vaccination Coverage-A National Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Romania is one of the European countries with low COVID-19 vaccination coverage. The main goal of this study was to describe the COVID-19 vaccination status in patients admitted to Romanian ICUs with a severe COVID-19 infection. The study describes the patients' characteristics according to their vaccination status and evaluates the association between vaccination status and ICU mortality.

Preventing heart failure: a position paper of the Heart Failure Association in collaboration with the European Association of Preventive Cardiology.

The heart failure epidemic is growing and its prevention, in order to reduce associated hospital readmission rates and its clinical and economic burden, is a key issue in modern cardiovascular medicine. The present position paper aims to provide practical evidence-based information to support the implementation of effective preventive measures. After reviewing the most common risk factors, an overview of the population attributable risks in different continents is presented, to identify potentially effective opportunities for prevention and to inform preventive strategies.

Preventing heart failure: a position paper of the Heart Failure Association in collaboration with the European Association of Preventive Cardiology.

The heart failure epidemic is growing and its prevention, in order to reduce associated hospital readmission rates and its clinical and economic burden, is a key issue in modern cardiovascular medicine. The present consensus document aims to provide practical evidence-based information to support the implementation of effective preventive measures. After reviewing the most common risk factors, an overview of the population attributable risks in different continents is presented, to identify potentially effective opportunities for prevention and to inform preventive strategies.

Paradigm shift in heart failure treatment: are cardiologists ready to use gliflozins?

Despite recent advances in chronic heart failure (HF) therapy, the prognosis of HF patients remains poor, with high rates of HF rehospitalizations and death in the early months after discharge. This emphasizes the need for incorporating novel HF drugs, beyond the current approach (that of modulating the neurohumoral response). Recently, new antidiabetic oral medications (sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i)) have been shown to improve prognosis in diabetic patients with previous cardiovascular (CV) events or high CV risk profile.

Revisiting the relationship between left ventricular ejection fraction and ventricular-arterial coupling.

The aim of this article was to analyse in-depth the relationship between left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) (LVEF) and the most commonly used formulas for the calculation of LV elastance (Ees), volume intercept at 0 mmHg pressure (V0), effective arterial elastance (Ea), and ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC) as are validated today. We analyse the mathematical resulting consequences, raising the question on the physiological validity. To our knowledge, some of the following mathematical consequences have never been published.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering treatment: the current approach.

In the last 50 years, several clinical and epidemiological studies during have shown that increased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) are associated with the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. The discovery of β-Hydroxy β-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), that possess LDLc-lowering effects, lead to a true revolution in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Statins remain the cornerstone of LDLc-lowering therapy.