Left atrial appendage occlusion in patients with atrial fibrillation and intracerebral haemorrhage associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy: a multicentre observational study and pooled analysis of published studies.

Background: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a common cause of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) with a high recurrence risk. Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a method for ischaemic stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), potentially reducing the risk of intracranial bleeding in CAA-associated ICH. We aimed to determine the outcomes of patients with AF with CAA-associated ICH undergoing LAAO.

Pulsed-field ablation of atrial fibrillation with a pentaspline catheter across National Health Service England centres.

Introduction: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a novel modality for pulmonary vein isolation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We describe the initial uptake and experience of PFA using a pentaspline catheter across selected National Health Service England (NHSE) centres.

Methods: Data collected by NHSE Specialised Services Development Programme regarding AF ablation procedures using a single-shot, pentaspline, multielectrode PFA catheter (FARAWAVE, Boston Scientific) between June 2022 and August 2024 were aggregated and analysed to examine procedural metrics, acute efficacy and safety outcomes over 3-month follow-up.

A survey of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) availability and cost in Zimbabwe: Implications and strategies for improvement.

Introduction: Resolution 60.29 (18) of the 60th United Nations World Health Assembly urges member states to gather, verify, update, and exchange information on health technologies, especially medical devices. This study assesses Zimbabwe's MRI service availability and cost, identifies disparities, and discusses implications for patient care and healthcare equity, proposing evidence-based improvement strategies.

Rationale and strategies for improving glycaemic control in diabetic patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: The global prevalence of diabetes mellitus has markedly risen in recent years. Consequently, there has been a rise in the number of patients with diabetes undergoing cardiac surgery. Despite the existence of national and international guidelines to improve surgical outcomes in patients with diabetes, perioperative diabetes management optimisation remains inadequate resulting in these patients experiencing increased rates of surgical morbidity and mortality.

Automated method of bronchus and artery dimension measurement in an adult bronchiectasis population.

Aim: Bronchiectasis (BE) is a disease defined by irreversible dilatation of the airway. Computed tomography (CT) plays an important role in the detection and quantification of BE. The aim of this study was three-fold: 1) to assess bronchus-artery (BA) dimensions using fully automated software in a cohort of BE disease patients; 2) to compare BA dimensions with semi-quantitative BEST-CT (Bronchiectasis Scoring Technique for CT) scores for BE and bronchial wall thickening; and 3) to explore the structure-function relationship between BA-method lumen dimensions and spirometry outcomes.

European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT) Consensus Statement on Machine Perfusion in Cardiothoracic Transplant.

The machine perfusion (MP) of transplantable grafts has emerged as an upcoming field in Cardiothoracic (CT) transplantation during the last decade. This technology carries the potential to assess, preserve, and even recondition thoracic grafts before transplantation, so it is a possible game-changer in the field. This technology field has reached a critical turning point, with a growing number of publications coming predominantly from a few leading institutions, but still need solid scientific evidence.

Trends and variation in issuance of high-cost narcolepsy drugs by NHS England organisations and regions from 2019 to 2022.

Clinicians and people with narcolepsy report varied access to higher-cost narcolepsy treatments in England associated with variations in national and local commissioning. There are no publicly available data quantifying use of these drugs to support policy decisions. We therefore aimed to describe national, regional and local prescribing trends for higher-cost narcolepsy drugs using new national databases.

Insights into GenAI: Perspectives of radiography and pharmacy students at a leading institution in Zimbabwe.

Introduction: This study aimed to use a tertiary institution in Zimbabwe as a case study to evaluate radiography and pharmacy students' knowledge, willingness, and concerns regarding GenAI technologies.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey, involving 147 participating students, was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using STATA 14.

A survey of United Kingdom intensive care echocardiography provision.

This study, conducted under the oversight of National Health Service Blood & Transplant, aimed to evaluate the current feasibility and implementation of both comprehensive and focused donor echocardiography in United Kingdom Intensive Care Units through a nationwide survey. Responses from 95 hospitals across all 4 UK nations showed each ICU had median 4 (IQR 2, 6) personal with 3 (IQR 2, 5) consultants and 1 (IQR 0, 2) registrar trained in focused echocardiography. A comprehensive echocardiogram can be acquired in 48% ( = 46) of hospitals within 6 h during regular working hours.

Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Macitentan in Inoperable Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: Results from MERIT and its Open-Label Extension.

Introduction: Evidence for use of pulmonary arterial hypertension targeted-therapies in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is limited. In MERIT-1, the endothelin receptor antagonist macitentan improved hemodynamic and functional parameters versus placebo in patients with inoperable CTEPH over a 24-week double-blind (DB) period. Its open-label (OL) extension study (MERIT-2) provides long-term safety/efficacy data.

Microbial metabolism disrupts cytokine activity to impact host immune response.

Host-pathogen interactions are shaped by the metabolic status of both the host and pathogen. The host must regulate metabolism to fuel the immune response, while the pathogen must extract metabolic resources from the host to enable its own survival. In this study, we focus on the metabolic interactions of with .

Effect of high-flow nasal therapy on patient-centred outcomes in patients at high risk of postoperative pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery: update to the statistical analysis plan for NOTACS, a multicentre adaptive randomised controlled trial.

Background: The NOTACS trial will assess the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of high-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) compared to standard oxygen therapy (SOT) on the outcomes of patients after cardiac surgery.

Methods/design: NOTACS is an adaptive, international, multicentre, parallel group, randomised controlled trial, with a pre-planned interim sample size re-estimation (SSR). A minimum of 850 patients will be randomised 1:1 to receive either HFNT or SOT.

Significance of the local largest bipolar voltage for the optimized ablation strategy using very high-power short duration mode.

Purpose: Very high-power short-duration (vHPSD) ablation creates shallower lesions, potentially reducing efficacy. This study aims to identify factors leading to insufficient lesions during pulmonary vein antral isolation (PVAI) with vHPSD-ablation and to develop an optimized PVAI strategy using this technology.

Methods: PVAI was performed on 41 atrial fibrillation patients using vHPSD-ablation (90 W/4 s).

Sex-specific Associations between Left Ventricular Remodeling at MRI and Long-term Cardiovascular Risk.

Background Left ventricular mass (LVM) is an established marker of cardiovascular risk; however, long-term follow-up studies in individuals with low to intermediate risk are lacking. Purpose To assess the sex-specific association of LVM measured with cardiac MRI with cardiovascular outcomes in those with a less than 20% 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Materials and Methods A total of 1528 volunteers older than 40 years of age with no history of CVD, a 10-year risk of CVD of less than 20%, and a B-type natriuretic peptide level greater than their sex-specific median underwent cardiac MRI between June 2008 and February 2013 as part of the Tayside Screening for Cardiac Events, or TASCFORCE, prospective study.

Clinical Efficacy of Serum Antiglycopeptidolipid Core IgA Antibody Test for Screening Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease in Bronchiectasis: A European Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background: The serum antiglycopeptidolipid core IgA antibody test has been proposed as a diagnostic tool for Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary diseases. Cross-reactivity with other nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), including Mycobacterium abscessus, indicates that it may have a role as a broader screening test for nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). NTM-PD is believed to be underdiagnosed in patients with bronchiectasis.

Treatment with trimetazidine dihydrochloride and lung cancer survival: Implications on metabolic re-programming.

Background: Metabolic re-wiring with preferential fatty acid oxidation has been observed in lung cancer cells. Whether the use of trimetazidine, an anti-anginal agent that inhibits fatty acid oxidation, alters clinical outcomes in ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients with lung cancers is unknown.

Methods: We carried out this territory-wide, retrospective cohort study of 279,894 IHD patients prescribed with trimetazidine or long-acting oral nitrates in Hong Kong (population coverage of 7.

Multicentre Validation of the RESECT-90 Prediction Model for 90-Day Mortality After Lung Resection.

Background: The RESECT-90 model was developed to predict 90-day mortality for patients undergoing lung resection but hasn't been externally validated. The aim of this study was to validate the RESECT-90 clinical prediction model using multicentre patient data from across the United Kingdom (UK).

Materials And Methods: Data from 12 UK thoracic surgery centers for patients undergoing lung resection between 2016 and 2020 with available 90-day mortality status were used to externally validate the RESECT-90 model.