Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Biomed Inform 2021 Jun 20:103847. Epub 2021 Jun 20.

TriNetX, LLC, Boston, USA.

Objective: Analysis of healthcare Real-World Data (RWD) provides an opportunity to observe actual patient diagnostic, treatment and outcomes events. However, researchers should understand the possible limitations of RWD. In particular, these data may be incomplete, which would affect the validity of study conclusions. Read More

J Card Fail 2021 Jun 20. Epub 2021 Jun 20.

Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. Electronic address:

Background: Self-care behaviour is important in avoiding hospitalization for patients with heart failure (HF) and refers to those activities performed with the intention of improving or restoring health and well-being, as well as treating or preventing disease. The purpose was to study the effects of a home-based mobile device on self-care behaviour and hospitalizations in a representative HF-population.

Methods And Results: SMART-HF is a randomized controlled multi-centre clinical trial, where patients were randomized 1:1 to receive standard care (control group, CG) or intervention with a home-based tool designed to enhance self-care behaviour (intervention group, IG) and followed for 240 days. Read More

J Card Fail 2021 Jun 20. Epub 2021 Jun 20.

Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Heart failure predisposes to intracardiac thrombus (ICT) formation. There is limited data on prevalence and impact of pre-existing ICT on postoperative outcomes in LVAD patients. We examined the risk for stroke and death in this patient population. Read More

Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2021 18;63:e46. Epub 2021 Jun 18.

Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected tropical highly morbid disease that can have a negative impact on the quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study was to conduct an integrative review to analyze the QoL of patients with CD in the chronic phase of the disease, as well as the instruments used and the effect of different interventions. The review was carried out based on the criteria and recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes guideline (PRISMA) using the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct databases. Read More

Arch Cardiol Mex 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Department of Cardiology, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant, Clínica CardioVID, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.

Mol Biol Cell 2021 Jun 23:mbcE21020082. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a significant cause of pediatric heart failure. Mutations in proteins that regulate cardiac muscle contraction can cause DCM; however, the mechanisms by which molecular-level mutations contribute to cellular dysfunction are not well-understood. Better understanding of these mechanisms might enable the development of targeted therapeutics that benefit patient subpopulations with mutations that cause common biophysical defects. Read More

Rev Prat 2021 Feb;71(2):212-215

"Service de cardiologie, hôpital Saint-Antoine, AP-HP, Sorbonne-Université, unité de cardio-oncologie et groupe de recherche clinique en cardio-oncologie, Sorbonne-Université, Paris, France".

"Targeted therapies and hypertension The recent advent of molecular targeted agents represents an important improvement in the management of cancer patients. The administration of therapies targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor or its receptor could be associated with side effects including cardiovascular complications (hypertension, heart Failure, QT interval prolongation). Hypertension due to molecular targeted agents is considered as a class effect, which can affect nearly 90% of treated patients; its management is most often based on the introduction of anti-hypertensive treatment and more rarely on dose drug reduction. Read More

Rev Prat 2021 Jan;71(1):e3-10

Département de cardiologie, Hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou, Paris.

Drugs 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Diabetes Research Unit, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors were first developed as glucose-lowering therapies for the treatment of diabetes. However, these drugs have now been recognised to prevent worsening heart-failure events, improve health-related quality of life, and reduce mortality in people with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), including those both with and without diabetes. Despite robust clinical trial data demonstrating favourable outcomes with SGLT2 inhibitors for patients with HFrEF, there is a lack of familiarity with the HF indication for these drugs, which have been the remit of diabetologists to date. Read More

JAMA Cardiol 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Importance: Coronary artery disease (CAD) and coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) may contribute to the pathophysiologic characteristics of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, the prevalence of CAD and CMD have not been systematically studied.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of CAD and CMD in hospitalized patients with HFpEF. Read More

JAMA Cardiol 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.

JAMA Cardiol 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Cardiovascular Imaging Program, Departments of Radiology and Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Jun;100(25):e26502

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ.

Abstract: Reflux esophagitis (RE) is a subset of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with endoscopic evidence of esophageal inflammation, which has been linked to an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, data on the effect of RE on patient outcomes is limited. We sought to examine the potential association of RE with outcomes of patients with AF in a nationwide study. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Jun;100(25):e26308

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Heart Vascular and Stroke Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

Introduction: Mechanical circulatory support such as the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has become widely implemented in the treatment of end-stage heart failure, whether as bridge-to-transplant or as destination therapy. The hemodynamic effects of arrhythmia on LVADs and its management are significant in determining the long-term outcome of these patients. Both atrial arrhythmia and ventricular arrhythmia are commonly seen after implantation of the device. Read More

EuroIntervention 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Department of Ultrasound, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan, China.

Background: Severe functional tricuspid regurgitation is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Conventional surgical risk for patients with advanced tricuspid regurgitation stage is high, alternative approaches are therefore required.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility, technical details, and mid-term outcomes of implantation of a novel radial force-independent orthotopic transcatheter tricuspid valve-LuX-Valve in patients with severe functional tricuspid regurgitation. Read More

Expert Rev Med Devices 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Arts et Metiers Institute of Technology, CNAM, LIFSE, HESAM University, 75013 Paris, France.

: The gap between the number of heart failure patients and the number of potential heart donors has never been larger than today, especially among the pediatric population. The use of mechanical circulatory support is seen as a potential alternative for clinicians to treat more patients. This treatment has proven its efficiency on short term use. Read More

Minerva Surg 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Department of Ultrasound, Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Eur J Prev Cardiol 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Department of Heart Failure and Clinical Cardiology, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Via Parea 4, 20138 Milano, Italy.

Aims: The anaerobic threshold (AT) is an important cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) parameter both in healthy and in patients. It is normally determined with three approaches: V-slope method, ventilatory equivalent method, and end-tidal method. The finding of different AT values with these methods is only anecdotic. Read More

Clin Sci (Lond) 2021 Jun;135(12):1523-1544

Physiology Department, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, U.S.A.

The pathogenesis of obesity-associated cardiovascular diseases begins long prior to the presentation of a cardiovascular event. In both men and women, cardiovascular events, and their associated hospitalizations and mortality, are often clinically predisposed by the presentation of a chronic cardiovascular risk factor. Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases in both sexes, however, the clinical prevalence of obesity, as well as its contribution to crucial cardiovascular risk factors is dependent on sex. Read More

Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 360 Longwood Ave., 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Aims: Lung ultrasound (LUS) relies on detecting artefacts, including A-lines and B-lines, when assessing dyspnoeic patients. A-lines are horizontal artefacts and characterize normal lung, whereas multiple vertical B-lines are associated with increased lung density. We sought to assess the prevalence of A-lines and B-lines in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) and examine their clinical correlates and their relationship with outcomes. Read More

J Card Surg 2021 Jun 22. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

Division of Thoracic Transplant, Miami Transplant Institute, Miami, Florida, USA.

J Card Surg 2021 Jun 22. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, Thorax Center, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: There is a clinical need for additional remote tools to improve left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patient management. The aim of this pilot concept study was to assess the safety and feasibility of optimizing patient management with add-on remote hemodynamic monitoring using the CardioMEMS in LVAD patients during different treatment stages.

Methods: Ten consecutive patients accepted and clinically ready for (semi-) elective HeartMate 3 LVAD surgery were included. Read More

Front Med 2021 Jun 22. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, 430030, China.

The association among plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), FMO3 polymorphisms, and chronic heart failure (CHF) remains to be elucidated. TMAO is a microbiota-dependent metabolite from dietary choline and carnitine. A prospective study was performed including 955 consecutively diagnosed CHF patients with reduced ejection fraction, with the longest follow-up of 7 years. Read More

Heart Fail Rev 2021 Jun 22. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44# Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China.

A better understanding of the association between sedentary behavior and heart failure is essential for the development of interventions to improve patients' outcomes. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to determine the association between sedentary behavior and all-cause mortality, health-related quality of life, and depression in heart failure patients. We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library and articles in references on 7 May 2021. Read More

Clin Res Cardiol 2021 Jun 22. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, CardiologyWürzburg, Germany.

Background: Exercise training in heart failure (HF) is recommended but not routinely offered, because of logistic and safety-related reasons. In 2020, the German Society for Prevention&Rehabilitation and the German Society for Cardiology requested establishing dedicated "HF training groups." Here, we aimed to implement and evaluate the feasibility and safety of one of the first HF training groups in Germany. Read More

Int J Cardiol Heart Vasc 2021 Jun 9;34:100800. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, UK.

Background: Pre-procedural assessment of patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is heterogenous and patients implanted with unfavorable characteristics may account for non-response. A dedicated CRT pre-assessment clinic (CRT PAC) was developed to standardize the review process and undertake structured pre-procedural evaluation. The aim of this analysis was to determine the effectiveness on patient selection and outcomes. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2021 May;10(3):405-407

Department of Cardia Surgery and Heart Transplantation, San Camillo Hospital, Rome, Italy.

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2021 May;10(3):386-388

Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Division of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Cardiovascular Research, Vienna, Austria.

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2021 May;10(3):353-363

Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Heart and diabetes Center NRW, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.

Background: The literature on outcomes of patients requiring durable mechanical circulatory support (MCS) after extra-corporeal life support (ECLS) is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of preoperative ECLS cannulation on postoperative outcome after durable MCS implantation.

Methods: The durable MCS after ECLS registry is a multicenter retrospective study that gathered data on consecutive patients who underwent durable MCS implantation after ECLS between January 2010 and August 2018 in eleven high volume European centers. Read More

Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2021 May;10(3):329-338

Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Stollery Children's Hospital, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The success of ventricular assist devices (VADs) in the treatment of end-stage heart failure in the adult population has led to industrial innovation in VAD design, focusing on miniaturization and the reduction of complications. A byproduct of these innovations was that newer generation devices could have clinical applications in the pediatric population. Over the last decade, VAD usage in the pediatric population has increased dramatically, and the newer generation continuous flow (CF) devices have begun to supplant the older, pulsatile flow (PF) devices, formerly the sole option for ventricular assist in the pediatric population. Read More