Assessing and Addressing Social Determinants of Cardiovascular Health: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the social conditions in which people are born, live, and work. SDOH offers a more inclusive view of how environment, geographic location, neighborhoods, access to health care, nutrition, socioeconomics, and so on are critical in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. SDOH will continue to increase in relevance and integration of patient management, thus, applying the information herein to clinical and health systems will become increasingly commonplace.

Evaluating the evidence behind umbilical cord clamping practices in at-risk neonatal populations.

Umbilical cord clamping practices impact nearly 140 million births each year. Current evidence has led professional organizations to recommend delayed cord clamping (DCC), as opposed to early cord clamping (ECC), as the standard of care in uncomplicated term and preterm deliveries. However, variability remains in cord management practices for maternal-infant dyads at higher risk of complications.

Peridevice Leak After Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: Incidence, Mechanisms, Clinical Impact, and Management.

Left atrial appendage occlusion is an increasingly adopted stroke prevention strategy in patients with atrial fibrillation. However, peridevice leaks after the procedure are not infrequent and have recently been shown to confer a higher risk for subsequent ischemic events. In this paper, the authors review the available research on the frequency, mechanisms, clinical significance, and management of peridevice leak after percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion.

Commissural Alignment and Coronary Access after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVR) is the first therapeutic option for elderly patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, and indications are steadily expanding to younger patients and subjects with lower surgical risk and longer life expectancy. Commissural alignment between native and transcatheter valves facilitates coronary access after TAVR and is thus considered a procedural goal, allowing long-term management of coronary artery disease. Moreover, commissural alignment may potentially have a positive impact on transvalvular hemodynamic and valve durability.

Safety and Feasibility of Skin-to-Skin Contact in the Delivery Room for High-Risk Cardiac Neonates.

Early skin-to-skin contact (SSC), beginning in the delivery room, provides myriad health benefits for mother and baby. Early SSC in the delivery room is the standard of care for healthy neonates following both vaginal and cesarean delivery. However, there is little published evidence on the safety of this practice in infants with congenital anomalies requiring immediate postnatal evaluation, including critical congenital heart disease (CCHD).

Dyslipidemia and the preventive potential in the Greenlandic population.

Background: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a well-established risk factor for development of cardiovascular diseases. Based on available clinical data, we aimed to investigate the plasma lipid profile in the Greenlandic population, the proportion on cholesterol-lowering treatment and the adherence to local indications for cholesterol-lowering therapy.

Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study of the adult (≥21 years) Greenlandic population with focus on clinically determined lipid levels from 2017 to early 2022.

Intramyocardial cell-based therapy with Lomecel-B during bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis for hypoplastic left heart syndrome: the ELPIS phase I trial.

Aims: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) survival relies on surgical reconstruction of the right ventricle (RV) to provide systemic circulation. This substantially increases the RV load, wall stress, maladaptive remodelling, and dysfunction, which in turn increases the risk of death or transplantation.

Methods And Results: We conducted a phase 1 open-label multicentre trial to assess the safety and feasibility of Lomecel-B as an adjunct to second-stage HLHS surgical palliation.

[Management of helicopter medical transport in 36 patients with critical cardiac disease].

Objective: To summarize the management experience of helicopter medical transport in patients with critical heart disease, so as to provide reference for transport of patients with critical heart disease under the background of major natural disasters.

Methods: The clinical and transport data of 36 critically ill cardiac patients in Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from 16:30 on July 21 to 19:30 on July 22, 2021 due to historically rare heavy rainstorms were collected. All 36 critically ill cardiac patients were transported by helicopter.

Pediatric Myocarditis.

Myocarditis is a condition caused by acute or chronic inflammation of the cardiac myocytes, resulting in associated myocardial edema and myocardial injury or necrosis. The exact incidence is unknown, but is likely underestimated, with more mild cases going unreported. Diagnosis and appropriate management are paramount in pediatric myocarditis, as it remains a recognized cause of sudden cardiac death in children and athletes.

Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in the Elderly: Insights From PROTECT-AF, PREVAIL, and Continuous Access Registries.

Background: Data on the safety and efficacy of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) in elderly patients are limited.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of LAAO between patients ≥80 and <80 years of age.

Methods: We included patients enrolled in randomized trials and nonrandomized registries of the Watchman 2.

Prognostic Value of Preprocedural LV Global Longitudinal Strain for Post-TAVR-Related Morbidity and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) demonstrates limited prognostic value for post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) outcomes. Evidence regarding the potential role of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) in this setting is inconsistent.

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of aggregated data was to evaluate the prognostic value of preprocedural LV-GLS for post-TAVR-related morbidity and mortality.

Long-Term Cause of Death in Patients Who Underwent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

As our knowledge on treatment with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) increases and more implantations are conducted, we need knowledge on how TAVI affects the end of life. Long-term causes of death remain sparsely described. The aim of the study was to examine differences in the cause of death according to time from TAVI.

Short-Lived Antibody-Mediated Saliva Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 after Vaccination.

Knowledge about the effect of vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on immunity reflected in the saliva is sparse. We examined the antibody response in saliva compared to that in serum 2 and 6 months after the first vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine. Four hundred fifty-nine health care professionals were included in a prospective observational study measuring antibody levels in saliva and corresponding serum samples at 2 and 6 months after BNT162b2 vaccination.

Appropriateness of cardiovascular computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with conotruncal defects.

Background: To promote the rational use of cardiovascular imaging in patients with congenital heart disease, the American College of Cardiology developed Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC), but its clinical application and pre-release benchmarks have not been evaluated. We aimed to evaluate the appropriateness of indications for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT) in patients with conotruncal defects and to identify factors associated with maybe or rarely appropriate (M/R) indications.

Methods: Twelve centers each contributed a median of 147 studies performed prior to AUC publication (01/2020) on patients with conotruncal defects.

Augmentation of Histone Deacetylase 6 Activity Impairs Mitochondrial Respiratory Complex I in Ischemic/Reperfused Diabetic Hearts.

Background: Diabetes augments activity of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) and generation of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and impairs the physiological function of mitochondrial complex I (mCI) which oxidizes reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to sustain the tricarboxylic acid cycle and β-oxidation. Here we examined how HDAC6 regulates TNFα production, mCI activity, mitochondrial morphology and NADH levels, and cardiac function in ischemic/reperfused diabetic hearts.

Methods: HDAC6 knockout, streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic, and obese type 2 diabetic db/db mice underwent myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury or in a Langendorff-perfused system.

Is There a Role for Imaging Youth at Risk of Atherosclerosis?

Purpose Of Review: Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are associated with an increased risk for CV events in adults. Noninvasive measures of vascular health are associated with these CV events and can potentially help risk stratify children with CV risk factors. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent literature regarding vascular health in children with cardiovascular risk factors.

Are Parent Discharge Readiness Scores Effective for Patients With Congenital Heart Disease After Cardiac Surgery?

Objective: To assess discharge readiness and clinical engagement post-discharge in families of children undergoing congenital heart surgery.

Study Design: This prospective cross-sectional study was performed at a major tertiary pediatric cardiac referral center. Eligible parents and caregivers completed a discharge readiness tool, the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale for Parents of Hospitalized Children, via online survey on the day of discharge.

Combination Chemotherapy in Severe Pulmonary Vein Stenosis-A Case Series.

Pulmonary vein stenosis results from a proliferative process that leads to the progressive obstruction of venous return to the left atrium. It is often resistant to catheterization and surgical based interventions and is frequently fatal when encountered in its severe form. Here, we describe three patients with severe, primary pulmonary vein stenosis that was progressing despite aggressive conventional management strategies.