Burden of Heart Failure in Patients With Tricuspid Regurgitation and Effect of Transcatheter Repair on Different Subdimensions of Quality of Life.

Background: Right-sided heart failure (HF) due to severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is associated with reduced quality of life (QoL). Here, we analyzed the impact of TR on specific QoL dimensions and the effect of transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI) on individual QoL items.

Methods And Results: In this study, we included 174 patients with HF (49% women; median age, 79 years; 97% New York Heart Association ≥3) with baseline QoL assessment undergoing TTVI by transcatheter edge-to-edge-repair at our center between April 2016 and March 2022.

Remote Patient Monitoring for Patients with Heart Failure: Sex- and Race-based Disparities and Opportunities.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM), within the larger context of telehealth expansion, has been established as an effective and safe means of care for patients with heart failure (HF) during the recent pandemic. Of the demographic groups, female patients and black patients are underenrolled relative to disease distribution in clinical trials and are under-referred for RPM, including remote haemodynamic monitoring, cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), wearables and telehealth interventions. The sex- and race-based disparities are multifactorial: stringent clinical trial inclusion criteria, distrust of the medical establishment, poor access to healthcare, socioeconomic inequities, and lack of diversity in clinical trial leadership.

What Do US Physicians and Patients Think About Lipid-Lowering Therapy and Goals of Treatment? Results From the GOULD Registry.

Background Because of an increasing number and complexity of treatment options for lipid-lowering therapy in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, guidelines recommend greater active involvement of patients in shared decision-making. However, patients' understanding and perceptions of the benefits, risks, and treatment objectives of lipid-lowering therapy are unknown. Methods and Results Structured questionnaires were conducted in 5006 US outpatients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and suboptimal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) control (LDL-C ≥70 mg/dL) or on a PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) inhibitor and in 113 physician providers as a part of the GOULD (Getting to an Improved Understanding of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Dyslipidemia Management) Registry.

Use of non-LDL-C lipid-lowering medications in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: A number of non-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lipid abnormalities are associated with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, which may lead practitioners to use medications targeting these abnormal lipid fractions despite a lack of evidence or guideline recommendations.

Methods And Results: Among 382 921 US patients with type 2 diabetes (69% with cardiovascular disease, 76% on a statin), 95 995 (26%) were on some nonstatin lipid-lowering medication-19 265 (5%) on niacin, 32 919 (9%) on a fibrate and 69 513 (18%) on fish oil. Use of all three medications was stable over time and higher in patients with cardiovascular disease and with higher triglyceride levels, although even among patients with triglyceride levels <2.

Association of Smoking Status With Long-Term Mortality and Health Status After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Insights From the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry.

Background Smoking is a significant risk factor for aortic stenosis but its impact on clinical and health status outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has not been described. Methods and Results Patients (n=72 165) undergoing TAVR at 457 US sites in the STS/ACC TVT (Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry between November 2011 and June 2016 were categorized at the time of TAVR as current/recent smokers versus prior/nonsmokers. A series of multivariable models examined the association between smoking status and outcomes, including 1-year mortality, rehospitalization, mean gradient, and health status (measured by the 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-Overall Summary Score [KCCQ-OS]) and in-hospital outcomes.