Nurses and allied professionals' engagement in clinical research-in-practice: a statement of the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions of the European Society of Cardiology.

Many nurses and allied professionals (NAPs) lack the skills, knowledge and confidence to engage in conducting and implementing research. This statement describes the importance of NAPs' involvement in clinical research within the context of cardiovascular care. The existing gaps, barriers and enablers to NAPs involvement in research as a potential response to workforce issues in these professions as well as to contribute to excellence in patient care delivery and associated outcomes are identified.

Inequity of access to contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance in patients with chronic kidney disease: A survey from the British Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

Objectives: To examine the provision of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) using gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: An electronic survey was sent to the service leads of all CMR units in the UK in October 2022 requesting information on current departmental protocols and practice.

Results: A response rate of 55% was achieved from the 82 UK CMR units surveyed.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Primary Care Health Checks at Assessing Cardiovascular Risks among Ethnic Minorities in the UK: A Systematic Review.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) affect around 7.6 million people in the UK, disproportionately affecting the minority ethnic community. In 2009, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) launched a Health Check (NHSHC) scheme to improve early diagnosis of various clinical conditions, including CVD, by screening patients for associated risk factors.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of the Reported Cases.

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a rare but serious complication that can develop during pregnancy, with up to 30% of patients presenting with euglycemia, making prompt recognition challenging. It is associated with increased perinatal mortality rates, although the exact risk of maternal mortality remains unclear. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the available literature and provide an overview of reported cases of DKA during pregnancy.

The role of multi-modality imaging for the assessment of left atrium and left atrial appendage. A clinical consensus statement of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Structural, architectural, contractile or electrophysiological alterations may occur in the left atrium (LA). The concept of LA cardiopathy is supported by accumulating scientific evidence demonstrating that LA remodeling has become a cornerstone diagnostic and prognostic marker. The structure and the function of LA and left atrial appendage (LAA) which is an integral part of the LA, are key elements for a better understanding of multiple clinical conditions, most notably atrial fibrillation (AF), cardioembolism, heart failure and mitral valve diseases.

Ultrasound guided Ru106 plaque brachytherapy for treatment of exudative retinal detachment in children with diffuse choroidal haemangioma.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided ruthenium (Ru 106) plaque brachytherapy for treatment of exudative retinal detachment in diffuse choroidal haemangioma (DCH).

Methods: Retrospective analysis of four paediatric patients treated with ultrasound-guided Ru 106 plaque brachytherapy for DCH with total exudative retinal detachment directed to the thickest part of the DCH. A dose of 40 Gy to the tumour apex was delivered in all patients.

Optimum diagnostic pathway and pathologic confirmation rate of early stage lung cancer: Results from the VIOLET randomised controlled trial.

Background: Pathologic confirmation of lung cancer influences treatment selection for suspected early-stage lung cancer. High pre-treatment tissue confirmation rates are recommended. We sought to define management and outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for primary lung cancer in a UK multi-centre clinical trial.

Implant waste and associated costs in trauma and orthopaedic surgery: a systematic review.

Purpose: Trauma and orthopaedic (T&O) surgery relies on medical implants and materials, often resulting in metalwork wastage (prosthesis, screws, nails, and plates). This places an economic strain on healthcare services and the environment. Our primary outcome is to quantify the implant wastage across the literature, and secondarily investigate the associated costs in this specialty.

Impact of complications on survival outcomes in different temporary mechanical circulatory support techniques: A large retrospective cohort study of cardiac surgical and nonsurgical patients.

Background: Temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) has become a standard treatment in cardiogenic shock but is associated with high complication rates. This study analyzes common complications associated with modern tMCS devices and their impact on mortality depending on the tMCS approach.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center analysis of patients with all-cause cardiogenic shock treated with veno-arterial extracorporeal life support, microaxial flow pump, and a combination of both (ECMELLA).

Spotlight on the 2024 ESC/EACTS management of atrial fibrillation guidelines: 10 novel key aspects.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most common cardiac arrhythmia worldwide and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) have recently released the 2024 guidelines for the management of AF. This review highlights 10 novel aspects of the ESC/EACTS 2024 Guidelines.

Influence of age and sex on the diagnostic yield of inherited cardiac conditions in sudden arrhythmic death syndrome decedents.

Aims: Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) refers to a sudden death, which remains unexplained despite comprehensive post-mortem examination and a toxicological screen. We aimed to investigate the impact of age and sex on the overall diagnostic yield and underlying aetiology in decedents with SADS using a combined approach of familial evaluation (FE) and molecular autopsy (MA).

Methods And Results: Consecutive referrals to a single centre for FE only, MA only or both, following a SADS death were included.

Identifying potential predictors of surgical site infection risk following cardiac surgery: a scoping review.

Objectives: This scoping review was undertaken to identify risk predictions models and preoperative predictors of surgical site infection (SSI) in adult cardiac surgery. A particular focus was on the identification of novel predictors that could underpin the future development of a risk prediction model to identify individuals at high-risk of SSI, and therefore guide a national SSI prevention strategy.

Methods: A scoping review to systematically identify and map out existing research evidence on preoperative predictors of SSI was conducted in two stages.

Procedural factors influencing successful coronary sinus reducer implantation for refractory angina: A single-centre experience.

Background: Coronary sinus reducer (CSR) implantation is emerging as a novel effective percutaneous therapy for patients with refractory angina. Limited data exists examining the factors influencing successful CSR implantation. As CSR implantation becomes more widely adopted, a greater understanding of the procedural challenges which operators encounter is required.

Adapting the design of the ongoing RAMPART trial in response to external evidence: An example for trials which take many years to run and report.

Clinical trials to establish the efficacy of new agents in the adjuvant cancer setting typically take many years to complete. During that time, external factors can impact recruitment and reporting plans. An example is a new standard of care becoming available during the recruitment period.

Contemporary epidemiology of hospitalised heart failure with reduced versus preserved ejection fraction in England: a retrospective, cohort study of whole-population electronic health records.

Background: Heart failure is common, complex, and often associated with coexisting chronic medical conditions and a high mortality. We aimed to assess the epidemiology of people admitted to hospital with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), including the period covering the COVID-19 pandemic, which was previously not well characterised.

Methods: In this retrospective, cohort study, we used whole-population electronic health records with 57 million individuals in England to identify patients hospitalised with heart failure as the primary diagnosis in any consultant episode of an in-patient admission to a National Health Service (NHS) hospital.

Early Intervention in Patients With Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis and Myocardial Fibrosis: The EVOLVED Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Development of myocardial fibrosis in patients with aortic stenosis precedes left ventricular decompensation and is associated with an adverse long-term prognosis.

Objective: To investigate whether early valve intervention reduced the incidence of all-cause death or unplanned aortic stenosis-related hospitalization in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis and myocardial fibrosis.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This prospective, randomized, open-label, masked end point trial was conducted between August 2017 and October 2022 at 24 cardiac centers across the UK and Australia.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Cancer Dependent Quality of Life (CancerDQoL) Questionnaire: An Individualised Measure of the Impact of Cancer and Its Treatment on Quality of Life.

Objective: The Cancer Dependent Quality of Life (CancerDQoL) questionnaire asks about the impact of cancer and its treatment on individuals' quality of life (QoL). This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the CancerDQoL in a UK sample.

Methods: Patients (n = 159) with a range of cancers, recruited from Barts Health NHS Trust and Barts Maggie's Centre, completed self-administered questionnaires: CancerDQoL, EQ-5D-VAS (health status), EORTC-QLQ-C30 (predominantly health symptoms/functioning) and W-BQ16 (well-being).

Early adoption of innovation in HPV prevention strategies: closing the gap in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the highest prevailing causes of female cancer-related mortality globally. A significant discrepancy in incidence has been noted between high and low-middle-income countries. The origins of CC have been accredited to the human papillomavirus (HPV) with serotypes 16 and 18 being the most prevalent.

Morbidity related to major lung thoracoscopic resections in children.

In pediatric thoracic surgery, reported predictors for increased risk are symptoms and active/previous infections (RAP). We investigated the adverse events related to Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) in pediatric patients when considering RAP predictors. A retrospective analysis of pediatric VATS major lung resections in 2008-2021 was conducted at three institutions.