Association of Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation with Progression of Paroxysmal to Sustained Atrial Fibrillation.

Progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with worsened prognosis for cardiovascular events and mortality. Exercise-based-cardiac rehabilitation programmes have shown preliminary promise for primary and secondary prevention of AF. Yet, such interventions are typically reserved for patients with acute coronary syndrome or undergoing revascularization.

Hypertension Burden and the Risk of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

The association between the cumulative hypertension burden and the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. We aimed to investigate the relationship between hypertension burden and the development of incident AF. Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we identified 3 726 172 subjects who underwent 4 consecutive annual health checkups between 2009 and 2013, with no history of AF.

Enhanced recovery after cardiac surgery and its impact on outcomes: A systematic review.

Background And Aim: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols are a series of perioperative interventions well-established in improving the care and outcomes of patients. With recent emergence of studies on its implementation in cardiac surgery, this paper represents the first systematic review on current evidence of ERAS efficacy in this field.

Methods: Two reviewers independently searched through Pubmed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus.

Early experience of aortic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: A multicentre study.

Background: A significant restructuring of the healthcare services has taken place since the declaration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with elective surgery put on hold to concentrate intensive care resources to treat COVID-19 as well as to protect patients who are waiting for relatively low risk surgery from exposure to potentially infected hospital environment.

Methods: Multicentre study, with 19 participating centers, to define the impact of the pandemic on the provision of aortovascular services and patients' outcomes after having adapted the thresholds for intervention to guarantee access to treatment for emergency and urgent conditions. Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data, including all patients with aortovascular conditions admitted for surgical or conservative treatment from the 1st March to the 20th May 2020.

Mechanical circulatory support in paediatric population.

Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation is a life-saving modality to support the cardiac and/or pulmonary system as a form of life support in resuscitation, post-cardiotomy, as a bridge to cardiac transplantation and in respiratory failure. Its use in the paediatric and neonatal population has proven incredibly useful. However, extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation is also associated with a greater rate of mortality and complications, particularly in those with co-morbidities.

The correlation between bowel complications and cardiac surgery.

Although advances in knowledge and technology have improved outcomes in surgical cardiac patients over the last decade, complications following cardiac operations still remain to be potentially fatal. Gastrointestinal complications, in particular, tend to have high rates of reintervention and mortality following cardiac surgery, with ischemia and hemorrhage being two of the commonest underlying causes. The intention of this review is to identify which risk factors play important roles in predisposing patients to such complications and to gain better insight into the pathogenesis of the sequelae.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Bicuspid Aortic Valve with Aortic Stenosis: a Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis.

Objectives: Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is an important aetiology of aortic stenosis and the use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has not been fully explored in this cohort. This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the outcomes of TAVI in stenotic BAV against tricuspid aortic valve (TAV).

Methods: An electronic literature search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus to identify all studies comparing TAVI in stenotic BAV versus TAV.

Anticoagulant selection in relation to the SAMe-TTR score in patients with atrial fibrillation: The GLORIA-AF registry.

Aim: The SAMe-TTR score helps identify patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) likely to have poor anticoagulation control during anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and those with scores >2 might be better managed with a target-specific oral anticoagulant (NOAC). We hypothesized that in clinical practice, VKAs may be prescribed less frequently to patients with AF and SAMe-TTR scores >2 than to patients with lower scores.

Methods And Results: We analyzed the Phase III dataset of the Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (GLORIA-AF), a large, global, prospective global registry of patients with newly diagnosed AF and ≥1 stroke risk factor.

Ventricular septal defect: diagnosis and treatments in the neonates: a systematic review.

Background: Medical advancements have encouraged minimally invasive surgical repair of congenital heart defects such as ventricular septal defects (VSDs), and the diagnostic process can now be carried out using non-traditional techniques such as pulse oximetry. This, in turn, has improved clinical outcomes with reduced complication rates post-surgery. However, the variations in type of VSDs, age of patient, comorbidities, and access to closure devices may limit the efficacy of surgical advancements.

Outcomes of cardiac surgery in Jehovah's Witness patients: A review.

Objective: To review current literature evidence on outcomes of cardiac surgery in Jehovah's Witness patients.

Methods: A comprehensive electronic literature search was done from 2010 to 20th August 2020 identifying articles that discussed optimisation/outcomes of cardiac surgery in Jehovah's Witness either as a solo cohort or as comparative to non-Jehovah's Witnesses. No limit was placed on place of publication and the evidence has been summarised in a narrative manner within the manuscript.

In patients undergoing valve-sparing aortic root replacement, is reimplantation superior to remodelling?

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: in patients undergoing valve-sparing aortic root replacement, is reimplantation superior to remodelling? The purpose of this best evidence topic was to re-review the updated evidence that has become available in the near decade since the previous review published in 2011. Altogether more than 300 papers were found using the reported search, of which 8 papers represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question.

Stroke and Thromboembolism in Warfarin-Treated Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Comparing the CHA2DS2-VASc and GARFIELD-AF Risk Scores.

Background: Evaluation of thromboembolic risk is essential in anticoagulated atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. The CHADS-VASc score is largely validated and recommended by most guidelines. The GARFIELD-AF Stroke score has been proposed as an alternative risk score.

Long-term outcomes of left atrial appendage occlusion in high-risk atrial fibrillation patients: 4-year follow up data.

Long-term follow-up data of left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are sparse. To address these data gaps, we analysed the 4-year outcomes of AF patients following LAA occlusion. The was a retrospective cohort study of high-risk patients with AF who underwent successful implantation of the Amulet device at our center between 2014 and 2017.

Venous or arterial samples for activated clotting time measurements: a systematic review.

Objective: The systematic review aims to investigate the effect of sampling source on activated clotting time (ACT) measurement within cardiovascular surgery and cardiac catheterisation. It also examines the evidence surrounding novel clot assessment techniques and associated sampling variation.

Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane database, and Google Scholar until 20th June 2020.

Tricuspid valve diseases: Interventions on the forgotten heart valve.

Over the past few decades, the tricuspid valve (TV) interventions have been relatively lower compared to other cardiac valvular disease in terms of pathophysiology and management, especially regarding surgical intervention and therapy. However, recent crucial advances in assessment and management of the TV disease have resulted in a renewed interest in the "forgotten valve." The medical treatment aims to cure the underlying disease and address the presentation of the right heart failure.

Stroke prevention strategies in high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation.

Effective stroke prevention with oral anticoagulation (OAC) is the cornerstone of the management of patients with atrial fibrillation. The use of OAC reduces the risk of stroke and death. For most patients with atrial fibrillation without moderate or severe mitral valve stenosis or prosthetic mechanical heart valves, treatment options include vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs).

Sudden cardiac death in children with congenital heart disease: a critical review of the literature.

Sudden cardiac death is an uncommon but yet catastrophic event, which can occur in neonates and young children. Although extensive research has been carried out assessing the underlying causes, there still remains a degree of uncertainty around this area. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one known cause of sudden cardiac death in children, the aetiology of which embraces virally induced mechanisms, genetic susceptibility, drug-induced, and maternal factors.