The Anti-Coronavirus Therapy (ACT) trials: design, baseline characteristics, and challenges

Background

Effective treatments for COVID-19 are urgently needed, but conducting randomized trials during the pandemic has been challenging.

Methods

The Anti-Coronavirus Therapy (ACT) trials are parallel factorial international trials that aimed to enroll 3500 outpatients and 2500 inpatients with symptomatic COVID-19. The outpatient trial is evaluating colchicine vs usual care, and aspirin vs usual care. The primary outcome for the colchicine randomization is hospitalization or death, and for the aspirin randomization, it is major thrombosis, hospitalization, or death. The inpatient trial is evaluating colchicine vs usual care, and the combination of rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily and aspirin 100 mg once daily vs usual care. The primary outcome for the colchicine randomization is need for high-flow oxygen, need for mechanical ventilation, or death, and for the rivaroxaban plus aspirin randomization, it is major thrombotic events, need for high-flow oxygen, need for mechanical ventilation, or death.

Results

At the completion of enrollment on February 10, 2022, the outpatient trial had enrolled 3917 patients, and the inpatient trial had enrolled 2611 patients. Challenges encountered included lack of preliminary data about the interventions under evaluation, uncertainties related to the expected event rates, delays in regulatory and ethics approvals, and in obtaining study interventions, as well as the changing pattern of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

The ACT trials will determine the efficacy of anti-inflammatory therapy with colchicine, and antithrombotic therapy with aspirin given alone or in combination with rivaroxaban, across the spectrum of mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19. Lessons learned from the conduct of these trials will inform planning of future trials.

Revascularization Strategies in Patients with Diabetes and Acute Coronary Syndromes

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review the current evidence for coronary revascularization in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the setting of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

RECENT FINDINGS

In patients with DM and stable multivessel ischemic heart disease, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) has been observed to be superior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in long-term follow-up, leading to lower rates of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization. In the ACS setting, PCI remains the most frequently performed procedure. In patients with an ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), primary PCI should be the revascularization method of choice, whenever feasible. Controversy still exists regarding when and how to deal with possible residual lesions. In the non-ST-segment-elevation (NSTE) ACS setting, although there are no data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), recent observational data and sub-analyses of randomized studies have suggested that CABG may be the preferred approach for patients with DM and multivessel coronary disease. There is a paucity of RCTs evaluating revascularization strategies (PCI and CABG) in patients with DM and ACS. CABG may be a viable strategy, leading to improved outcomes, especially following NSTE-ACS.

Effect of P2Y12 Inhibitors on Survival Free of Organ Support Among Non-Critically Ill Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Platelets represent a potential therapeutic target for improved clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

Objective

To evaluate the benefits and risks of adding a P2Y12 inhibitor to anticoagulant therapy among non-critically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

Design, Setting, and Participants

An open-label, bayesian, adaptive randomized clinical trial including 562 non-critically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19 was conducted between February 2021 and June 2021 at 60 hospitals in Brazil, Italy, Spain, and the US. The date of final 90-day follow-up was September 15, 2021.

Interventions

Patients were randomized to a therapeutic dose of heparin plus a P2Y12 inhibitor (n = 293) or a therapeutic dose of heparin only (usual care) (n = 269) in a 1:1 ratio for 14 days or until hospital discharge, whichever was sooner. Ticagrelor was the preferred P2Y12 inhibitor.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The composite primary outcome was organ support-free days evaluated on an ordinal scale that combined in-hospital death (assigned a value of -1) and, for those who survived to hospital discharge, the number of days free of respiratory or cardiovascular organ support up to day 21 of the index hospitalization (range, -1 to 21 days; higher scores indicate less organ support and better outcomes). The primary safety outcome was major bleeding by 28 days as defined by the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis.

Results

Enrollment of non-critically ill patients was discontinued when the prespecified criterion for futility was met. All 562 patients who were randomized (mean age, 52.7 [SD, 13.5] years; 41.5% women) completed the trial and 87% received a therapeutic dose of heparin by the end of study day 1. In the P2Y12 inhibitor group, ticagrelor was used in 63% of patients and clopidogrel in 37%. The median number of organ support-free days was 21 days (IQR, 20-21 days) among patients in the P2Y12 inhibitor group and was 21 days (IQR, 21-21 days) in the usual care group (adjusted odds ratio, 0.83 [95% credible interval, 0.55-1.25]; posterior probability of futility [defined as an odds ratio <1.2], 96%). Major bleeding occurred in 6 patients (2.0%) in the P2Y12 inhibitor group and in 2 patients (0.7%) in the usual care group (adjusted odds ratio, 3.31 [95% CI, 0.64-17.2]; P = .15).

Conclusions and Relevance

Among non-critically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19, the use of a P2Y12 inhibitor in addition to a therapeutic dose of heparin, compared with a therapeutic dose of heparin only, did not result in an increased odds of improvement in organ support-free days within 21 days during hospitalization.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04505774.

Machine Learning Approach to Classify Cardiovascular Disease in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the UK Biobank Cohort

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease worldwide. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality among patients with NAFLD. The aim of our study was to develop a machine learning algorithm integrating clinical, lifestyle, and genetic risk factors to identify CVD in patients with NAFLD. Methods and Results We created a cohort of patients with NAFLD from the UK Biobank, diagnosed according to proton density fat fraction from magnetic resonance imaging data sets. A total of 400 patients with NAFLD with subclinical atherosclerosis or clinical CVD, defined by disease codes, constituted cases and 446 NAFLD cases with no CVD constituted controls. We evaluated 7 different supervised machine learning approaches on clinical, lifestyle, and genetic variables for identifying CVD in patients with NAFLD. The most significant clinical and lifestyle variables observed by the predictive modeling were age (59 years [54.00-63.00 years]), hypertension (145 mm Hg [134.0-156.0 mm Hg] and 85 mm Hg [79.00-93.00 mm Hg]), waist circumference (98 cm [95.00-105.00 cm]), and sedentary lifestyle, defined as time spent watching TV >4 h/d. In the genetic data, single-nucleotide polymorphisms in IL16 and ANKLE1 gene were most significant. Our proposed ensemble-based integrative machine learning model achieved an area under the curve of 0.849 using the random forest modeling for CVD prediction. Conclusions We propose a machine learning algorithm that identifies CVD in patients with NAFLD through integration of significant clinical, lifestyle, and genetic risk factors. These patients with NAFLD at higher risk of CVD should be flagged for screening and aggressive treatment of their cardiometabolic risk factors to prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Quality improvement and usability testing of the PortfolioDiet.app, a web-based health application to translate nutrition therapy for cardiovascular risk reduction in primary care (Preprint)

Background

The Portfolio Diet, or Dietary Portfolio, is a therapeutic dietary pattern that combines cholesterol-lowering foods to manage dyslipidemia for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. To translate the Portfolio Diet for primary care, we developed the PortfolioDiet.app as a patient and physician educational and engagement tool for PCs and smartphones. The PortfolioDiet.app is currently being used as an add-on therapy to the standard of care (usual care) for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in primary care. To enhance the adoption of this tool, it is important to ensure that the PortfolioDiet.app meets the needs of its target end users.

Objective

The main objective of this project is to undertake user testing to inform modifications to the PortfolioDiet.app as part of ongoing engagement in quality improvement (QI).

Methods

We undertook a 2-phase QI project from February 2021 to September 2021. We recruited users by convenience sampling. Users included patients, family physicians, and dietitians, as well as nutrition and medical students. For both phases, users were asked to use the PortfolioDiet.app daily for 7 days. In phase 1, a mixed-form questionnaire was administered to evaluate the users’ perceived acceptability, knowledge acquisition, and engagement with the PortfolioDiet.app. The questionnaire collected both quantitative and qualitative data, including 2 open-ended questions. The responses were used to inform modifications to the PortfolioDiet.app. In phase 2, the System Usability Scale was used to assess the usability of the updated PortfolioDiet.app, with a score higher than 70 being considered acceptable.

Results

A total of 30 and 19 users were recruited for phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. In phase 1, the PortfolioDiet.app increased users’ perceived knowledge of the Portfolio Diet and influenced their perceived food choices. Limitations identified by users included challenges navigating to resources and profile settings, limited information on plant sterols, inaccuracies in points, timed-logout frustration, request for step-by-step pop-up windows, and request for a mobile app version; when looking at positive feedback, the recipe section was the most commonly praised feature. Between the project phases, 6 modifications were made to the PortfolioDiet.app to incorporate and address user feedback. At phase 2, the average System Usability Scale score was 85.39 (SD 11.47), with 100 being the best possible.

Conclusions

By undertaking user testing of the PortfolioDiet.app, its limitations and strengths were able to be identified, informing modifications to the application, which resulted in a clinical tool that better meets users’ needs. The PortfolioDiet.app educates users on the Portfolio Diet and is considered acceptable by users. Although further refinements to the PortfolioDiet.app will continue to be made before its evaluation in a clinical trial, the result of this QI project is an improved clinical tool.

Cardiorenal outcomes in eligible patients referred for bariatric surgery

OBJECTIVE

Bariatric surgery is associated with reduced atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and heart failure hospitalization in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and those with prior CVD. Most patients undergoing bariatric surgery do not have T2D or CVD. Many otherwise eligible patients do not have surgery because of self-exclusion. Clinical outcomes in these groups are less established.

METHODS

This study retrospectively assessed cardiorenal outcomes in 8,568 patients after acceptance of referral for surgery.

RESULTS

A total of 63.8% patients did not undergo surgery. After multivariate adjustment for sex, age, BMI, income quintile, distance from hospital, hypertension, T2D, and CVD, hazard ratios (HR) for the primary (incident myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure hospitalization, and death; HR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.4-0.66) and secondary CVD outcomes (primary outcomes and coronary/carotid revascularization; HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.42-0.67) were lower in the surgery cohort. This reduction was seen in those with (primary: HR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.32-0.63, secondary: HR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.34-0.65) and without T2D (primary: HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42-0.88, secondary: HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.42-0.67). Reduced kidney disease (HR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.22-0.92) but increased liver disease hospitalization (HR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.45-4.27) was observed with surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-progression to surgery associates with increased CVD despite low baseline prevalence of CVD. The cardiorenal benefits of bariatric surgery warrant confirmation in a well-powered randomized clinical trial.

Usefulness of ECG criteria to rule out left ventricular hypertrophy in older individuals with true left bundle branch block: an observational study

Background

Advanced age is associated with both left bundle branch block (LBBB) and hypertension and the usefulness of ECG criteria to detect left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in patients with LBBB is still unclear. The diagnostic performance and clinical applicability of ECG-based LVH criteria in patients with LBBB defined by stricter ECG criteria is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of ECG criteria in patients with advanced age and strict LBBB criteria.

Methods

Retrospective single-center study conducted from Jan/2017 to Mar/2018. Patients undergoing both ECG and echocardiogram examinations were included. Ten criteria for ECG-based LVH were compared using LVH defined by the echocardiogram as the gold standard. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios, AUC, and the Brier score were used to compare diagnostic performance and a decision curve analysis was performed.

Results

From 4621 screened patients, 68 were included, median age was 78.4 years, (IQR 73.3–83.4), 73.5% with hypertension. All ECG criteria failed to provide accurate discrimination of LVH with AUC range between 0.54 and 0.67, and no ECG criteria had a balanced tradeoff between sensitivity and specificity. No ECG criteria consistently improved the net benefit compared to the strategy of performing routine echocardiogram in all patients in the decision curve analysis within the 10–60% probability threshold range.

Conclusion

ECG-based criteria for LVH in patients with advanced age and true LBBB lack diagnostic accuracy or clinical usefulness and should not be routinely assessed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-021-02332-8.

Association of Polycythemia with Outcomes of Acute Coronary Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Polycythemia has not been extensively studied for its impact on acute coronary syndrome (ACS) outcomes. A previous study reported only 30-day outcomes to be worse in these patients.

METHODS

Data from the ACS Israeli survey between 2000 and 2018 were utilized to compare between 3 groups of patients with ACS: anemic group (hemoglobin <12 g/dL for women and <12.5 g/dL for men), normal hemoglobin group, and polycythemic group (>16 g/dL and >16.5 g/dL, respectively). Measured outcomes included 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE comprising all-cause mortality, recurrent ACS, need for urgent revascularization, and stroke) and 1- and 5-year all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

Of 14,746 ACS patients, 10,752 (72.9%) had normal hemoglobin levels, 3,492 (23.7%) were anemic, and 502 (3.4%) were polycythemic. In comparison with normal and anemic patients, polycythemic patients were younger (55.9 ± 10.5 vs. 61.9 ± 12.4 and 71.1 ± 12.2 for anemic, respectively, p < 0.001 for both), more frequently men (93.8% vs. 81.3% and 63.1%, respectively, p < 0.001), and less likely diabetic or hypertensive. Upon adjustment to baseline characteristics, compared with normal hemoglobin, polycythemia was not independently associated with 30-day MACE or 1-year mortality, but it was independently associated with higher risk for 5-year mortality (HR 1.76, 95% CI: 1.19-2.59, p = 0.005). Similar results were observed after propensity score matching.

CONCLUSIONS

Although younger and with fewer comorbidities, polycythemic ACS patients are at increased risk for long-term all-cause mortality. Further study of this association is warranted to understand the causes and possibly to improve the outcomes of these patients.

Remote Mobile Outpatient Monitoring in Transplant (Reboot) 2.0: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

The number of solid organ transplants in Canada has increased 33% over the past decade. Hospital readmissions are common within the first year after transplant and are linked to increased morbidity and mortality. Nearly half of these admissions to the hospital appear to be preventable. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies hold promise to reduce admission to the hospital and improve patient outcomes, as they allow real-time monitoring and timely clinical intervention.

Objective

This study aims to determine whether an innovative mHealth intervention can reduce hospital readmission and unscheduled visits to the emergency department or transplant clinic. Our second objective is to assess the use of clinical and continuous ambulatory physiologic data to develop machine learning algorithms to predict the risk of infection, organ rejection, and early mortality in adult heart, kidney, and liver transplant recipients.

Methods

Remote Mobile Outpatient Monitoring in Transplant (Reboot) 2.0 is a two-phased single-center study to be conducted at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. Phase one will consist of a 1-year concealed randomized controlled trial of 400 adult heart, kidney, and liver transplant recipients. Participants will be randomized to receive either personalized communication using an mHealth app in addition to standard of care phone communication (intervention group) or standard of care communication only (control group). In phase two, the prior collected data set will be used to develop machine learning algorithms to identify early markers of rejection, infection, and graft dysfunction posttransplantation. The primary outcome will be a composite of any unscheduled hospital admission, visits to the emergency department or transplant clinic, following discharge from the index admission. Secondary outcomes will include patient-reported outcomes using validated self-administered questionnaires, 1-year graft survival rate, 1-year patient survival rate, and the number of standard of care phone voice messages.

Results

At the time of this paper’s completion, no results are available.

Conclusions

Building from previous work, this project will aim to leverage an innovative mHealth app to improve outcomes and reduce hospital readmission in adult solid organ transplant recipients. Additionally, the development of machine learning algorithms to better predict adverse health outcomes will allow for personalized medicine to tailor clinician-patient interactions and mitigate the health care burden of a growing patient population.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04721288; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04721288

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/26816

Association between time to therapeutic INR and length of stay following mechanical heart valve surgery

BACKGROUND

Warfarin is the only oral anticoagulant approved for use following mechanical valve surgery (MeVS). Patients may experience prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS) following MeVS awaiting an appropriate warfarin effect. We aimed to determine whether an association exists between time to achieve the first therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) and LOS following MeVS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective single center cohort study. We included consecutive adult patients undergoing elective MeVS from 2013 to 2018. Landmark analyses and multivariable regression with time-updated INR were used to estimate the association between time to therapeutic INR (TTI) and LOS.

RESULTS

Among 384 patients (median age: 51 years, interquartile range [IQR]: 41-57; 58.3% male), the median TTI was 4 days (IQR: 2-5). Thirty seven percent of patients were discharged with a subtherapeutic INR, many on bridging anticoagulation or with an INR close to target. Those achieving therapeutic INR had an increased rate of hospital discharge (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.17; 95% confidence interval: 1.71-2.76; p < .0001). Attainment of a therapeutic INR anytime between postoperative Days 4 and 13 was significantly associated with a shorter LOS.

CONCLUSIONS

Prolonged time to achieve a therapeutic INR was independently associated with prolonged LOS. Future strategies aimed at improving attainment of therapeutic INR following MeVS may reduce hospital LOS.

Risk for ischemic stroke and coronary heart disease associated with migraine and migraine medication among older adults

Background

Migraine has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events among middle-aged adults. The objective of this study was to determine the risk for ischemic stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) events among older adults with versus without migraine.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from US adults ≥66 years of age with Medicare health insurance between 2008 and 2017. After stratification by history of CVD, patients with a history of migraine were matched 1:4 to those without a history of migraine, based on calendar year, age, and sex. Patients were followed through December 31, 2017 for ischemic stroke and CHD events including myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization. All analyses were done separately for patients with and without a history of CVD.

Results

Among patients without a history of CVD (n = 109,950 including n = 21,990 with migraine and n = 87,960 without migraine), 1789 had an ischemic stroke and 3552 had a CHD event. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) among patients with versus without migraine was 1.20 (95% confidence interval [95%CI], 1.07–1.35) for ischemic stroke and 1.02 (95%CI, 0.93–1.11) for CHD events. Compared to patients without migraine, those with migraine who were taking an opioid medication had a higher risk for ischemic stroke (adjusted HR 1.43 [95%CI, 1.20–1.69]), while those taking a triptan had a lower risk for CHD events (adjusted HR 0.79 [95%CI, 0.67–0.93]). Among patients with a history of CVD (n = 79,515 including n = 15,903 with migraine and n = 63,612 without migraine), 2960 had an ischemic stroke and 7981 had a CHD event. The adjusted HRs (95%CI) for ischemic stroke and CHD events associated with migraine were 1.27 (1.17–1.39) and 0.99 (0.93–1.05), respectively. Patients with migraine taking an opioid medication had a higher risk for ischemic stroke (adjusted HR 1.21 [95%CI, 1.07–1.36]), while those taking a triptan had a lower risk for CHD events (adjusted HR 0.83 [95%CI, 0.72–0.95]), each versus those without migraine.

Conclusions

Older adults with migraine are at increased risk for ischemic stroke. The risk for ischemic stroke among older adults with migraine may differ by migraine medication classes.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10194-021-01338-z.

Rationale and design of the comparison of outcomes and access to care for heart failure (COACH) trial: A stepped wedge cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Heart failure (HF) is an ambulatory care sensitive condition and a leading reason for emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Improved decision-making and care may enhance safety and efficiency for patients presenting to the ED with acute HF.

OBJECTIVES

We will evaluate an intervention comprised of 2 complementary components: (1) the Emergency Heart Failure Mortality Risk Grade simultaneous 7- and 30-day (EHMRG30-ST) risk scores, which will inform admission-discharge decisions, and (2) a rapid outpatient follow-up (RAPID-HF) clinic for low-to-intermediate risk patients on cardiovascular readmissions or death.

STUDY DESIGN

Stepped wedge cluster randomized trial with cross-sectional measurement at 10 acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Patients presenting during control and intervention periods are eligible if they have a primary ED diagnosis of HF. In the intervention periods, access to the EHMRG30-ST web calculator will become available to hospitals' internet protocol (IP) addresses, and referral to the RAPID-HF clinic will be facilitated by a study nurse navigator. Patients with a high risk EHMRG30-ST score will be admitted to hospital. The RAPID-HF clinic will accept referrals for patients: (1) with low risk 7- and 30-day EHMRG30-ST scores who are discharged directly from the ED, or (2) intermediate risk patients with hospital length of stay < 72 hours. The RAPID-HF clinic, staffed by a nurse-clinician and cardiologist, will provide care during the 30-day transition after hospital separation.

CONCLUSION

This trial will determine whether novel risk stratification coupled with rapid ambulatory care achieves better outcomes than conventional decision-making and care for patients with HF.

Therapeutic Anticoagulation with Heparin in Noncritically Ill Patients with Covid-19

BACKGROUND

Thrombosis and inflammation may contribute to the risk of death and complications among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). We hypothesized that therapeutic-dose anticoagulation may improve outcomes in noncritically ill patients who are hospitalized with Covid-19.

METHODS

In this open-label, adaptive, multiplatform, controlled trial, we randomly assigned patients who were hospitalized with Covid-19 and who were not critically ill (which was defined as an absence of critical care-level organ support at enrollment) to receive pragmatically defined regimens of either therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with heparin or usual-care pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis. The primary outcome was organ support-free days, evaluated on an ordinal scale that combined in-hospital death (assigned a value of -1) and the number of days free of cardiovascular or respiratory organ support up to day 21 among patients who survived to hospital discharge. This outcome was evaluated with the use of a Bayesian statistical model for all patients and according to the baseline d-dimer level.

RESULTS

The trial was stopped when prespecified criteria for the superiority of therapeutic-dose anticoagulation were met. Among 2219 patients in the final analysis, the probability that therapeutic-dose anticoagulation increased organ support-free days as compared with usual-care thromboprophylaxis was 98.6% (adjusted odds ratio, 1.27; 95% credible interval, 1.03 to 1.58). The adjusted absolute between-group difference in survival until hospital discharge without organ support favoring therapeutic-dose anticoagulation was 4.0 percentage points (95% credible interval, 0.5 to 7.2). The final probability of the superiority of therapeutic-dose anticoagulation over usual-care thromboprophylaxis was 97.3% in the high d-dimer cohort, 92.9% in the low d-dimer cohort, and 97.3% in the unknown d-dimer cohort. Major bleeding occurred in 1.9% of the patients receiving therapeutic-dose anticoagulation and in 0.9% of those receiving thromboprophylaxis.

CONCLUSIONS

In noncritically ill patients with Covid-19, an initial strategy of therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with heparin increased the probability of survival to hospital discharge with reduced use of cardiovascular or respiratory organ support as compared with usual-care thromboprophylaxis. (ATTACC, ACTIV-4a, and REMAP-CAP ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT04372589, NCT04505774, NCT04359277, and NCT02735707.).

Therapeutic Anticoagulation with Heparin in Critically Ill Patients with Covid-19

BACKGROUND

Thrombosis and inflammation may contribute to morbidity and mortality among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). We hypothesized that therapeutic-dose anticoagulation would improve outcomes in critically ill patients with Covid-19.

METHODS

In an open-label, adaptive, multiplatform, randomized clinical trial, critically ill patients with severe Covid-19 were randomly assigned to a pragmatically defined regimen of either therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with heparin or pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis in accordance with local usual care. The primary outcome was organ support-free days, evaluated on an ordinal scale that combined in-hospital death (assigned a value of -1) and the number of days free of cardiovascular or respiratory organ support up to day 21 among patients who survived to hospital discharge.

RESULTS

The trial was stopped when the prespecified criterion for futility was met for therapeutic-dose anticoagulation. Data on the primary outcome were available for 1098 patients (534 assigned to therapeutic-dose anticoagulation and 564 assigned to usual-care thromboprophylaxis). The median value for organ support-free days was 1 (interquartile range, -1 to 16) among the patients assigned to therapeutic-dose anticoagulation and was 4 (interquartile range, -1 to 16) among the patients assigned to usual-care thromboprophylaxis (adjusted proportional odds ratio, 0.83; 95% credible interval, 0.67 to 1.03; posterior probability of futility [defined as an odds ratio <1.2], 99.9%). The percentage of patients who survived to hospital discharge was similar in the two groups (62.7% and 64.5%, respectively; adjusted odds ratio, 0.84; 95% credible interval, 0.64 to 1.11). Major bleeding occurred in 3.8% of the patients assigned to therapeutic-dose anticoagulation and in 2.3% of those assigned to usual-care pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis.

CONCLUSIONS

In critically ill patients with Covid-19, an initial strategy of therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with heparin did not result in a greater probability of survival to hospital discharge or a greater number of days free of cardiovascular or respiratory organ support than did usual-care pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis. (REMAP-CAP, ACTIV-4a, and ATTACC ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT02735707, NCT04505774, NCT04359277, and NCT04372589.).

Association between sepsis survivorship and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

We aimed to determine the association between sepsis and long-term cardiovascular events.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of observational studies evaluating post-sepsis cardiovascular outcomes in adult sepsis survivors. MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from inception until April 21st, 2021. Two reviewers independently extracted individual study data and evaluated risk of bias. Random-effects models estimated the pooled crude cumulative incidence and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of cardiovascular events compared to either non-septic hospital survivors or population controls. Primary outcomes included myocardial infarction, stroke, and congestive heart failure; outcomes were analysed at maximum reported follow-up (from 30 days to beyond 5 years post-discharge).

RESULTS

Of 12,649 screened citations, 27 studies (25 cohort studies, 2 case-crossover studies) were included with a median of 4,289 (IQR 502-68,125) sepsis survivors and 18,399 (IQR 4,028-83,506) controls per study. The pooled cumulative incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure in sepsis survivors ranged from 3 to 9% at longest reported follow-up. Sepsis was associated with a higher long-term risk of myocardial infarction (aHR 1.77 [95% CI 1.26 to 2.48]; low certainty), stroke (aHR 1.67 [95% CI 1.37 to 2.05]; low certainty), and congestive heart failure (aHR 1.65 [95% CI 1.46 to 1.86]; very low certainty) compared to non-sepsis controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Surviving sepsis may be associated with a long-term, excess hazard of late cardiovascular events which may persist for at least 5 years following hospital discharge.

Rapid Exclusion of COVID Infection With the Artificial Intelligence Electrocardiogram

OBJECTIVE

To rapidly exclude severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection using artificial intelligence applied to the electrocardiogram (ECG).

METHODS

A global, volunteer consortium from 4 continents identified patients with ECGs obtained around the time of polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis and age- and sex-matched controls from the same sites. Clinical characteristics, polymerase chain reaction results, and raw electrocardiographic data were collected. A convolutional neural network was trained using 26,153 ECGs (33.2% COVID positive), validated with 3826 ECGs (33.3% positive), and tested on 7870 ECGs not included in other sets (32.7% positive). Performance under different prevalence values was tested by adding control ECGs from a single high-volume site.

RESULTS

The area under the curve for detection of acute COVID-19 infection in the test group was 0.767 (95% CI, 0.756 to 0.778; sensitivity, 98%; specificity, 10%; positive predictive value, 37%; negative predictive value, 91%). To more accurately reflect a real-world population, 50,905 normal controls were added to adjust the COVID prevalence to approximately 5% (2657/58,555), resulting in an area under the curve of 0.780 (95% CI, 0.771 to 0.790) with a specificity of 12.1% and a negative predictive value of 99.2%.

CONCLUSION

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 results in electrocardiographic changes that permit the artificial intelligence-enhanced ECG to be used as a rapid screening test with a high negative predictive value (99.2%). This may permit the development of electrocardiography-based tools to rapidly screen individuals for pandemic control.

Early invasive coronary angiography and acute ischaemic heart failure outcomes

Aims 

While myocardial ischaemia plays a major role in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF), the indications for coronary angiography during acute HF are not established. We determined the association of early coronary angiography during acute HF hospitalization with 2-year mortality, cardiovascular death, HF readmissions, and coronary revascularization.

Methods and results 

In a two-stage sampling process, we identified acute HF patients who presented to 70 emergency departments in Ontario (April 2010 to March 2013) and determined whether they underwent early coronary angiography within 14 days after presentation using administrative databases. After clinical record review, we defined a cohort with acute ischaemic HF as patients with at least one factor suggesting underlying ischaemic heart disease, including previous myocardial infarction, troponin elevation, or angina on presentation. We oversampled patients undergoing angiography. We used inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting (IPTW) to adjust for baseline differences. Of 7239 patients with acute HF, 2994 met inclusion criteria [median age 75 (interquartile range 65–83) years; 40.9% women]. Early angiography was performed in 1567 patients (52.3%) and was associated with lower all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61–0.90, P = 0.002], cardiovascular death (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56–0.93, P = 0.012), and HF readmissions (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.71–0.99, P = 0.042) after IPTW. Those undergoing early angiography experienced higher rates of percutaneous coronary intervention (HR 2.58, 95% CI 1.73–3.86, P < 0.001) and coronary artery bypass grafting (HR 2.94, 95% CI 1.75–4.93, P < 0.001) within 2 years.

Conclusions 

Early coronary angiography was associated with lower all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, HF readmissions, and higher rates of coronary revascularization in acute HF patients with possible ischaemia.

Temporal Trends and Drivers of Heart Team Utilization in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Population-Based Study in Ontario, Canada

Background

The multidisciplinary Heart Team (HT) is recommended for management decisions for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) candidates, and during TAVR procedures. Empiric evidence to support these recommendations is limited. We aimed to explore temporal trends, drivers, and outcomes associated with HT utilization.

Methods and Results

TAVR candidates were identified in Ontario, Canada, from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2019. The HT was defined as having a billing code for both a cardiologist and cardiac surgeon during the referral period. The procedural team was defined as a billing code during the TAVR procedure. Hierarchical logistical models were used to determine the drivers of HT. Median odds ratios were calculated to quantify the degree of variation among hospitals. Of 10 412 patients referred for TAVR consideration, 5489 (52.7%) patients underwent a HT during the referral period, with substantial range between hospitals (median odds ratio of 1.78). Utilization of a HT for TAVR referrals declined from 69.9% to 41.1% over the years of the study. Patient characteristics such as older age, frailty and dementia, and hospital characteristics including TAVR program size, were found associated with lower HT utilization. In TAVR procedures, the procedural team included both cardiologists and cardiac surgeons in 94.9% of cases, with minimal variation over time or between hospitals.

Conclusions

There has been substantial decline in HT utilization for TAVR candidates over time. In addition, maturity of TAVR programs was associated with lower HT utilization.

Accuracy of Cardiovascular Trial Outcome Ascertainment and Treatment Effect Estimates from Routine Health Data: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Registry-based randomized controlled trials allow for outcome ascertainment using routine health data (RHD). While this method provides a potential solution to the rising cost and complexity of clinical trials, comparative analyses of outcome ascertainment by clinical end point committee (CEC) adjudication compared with RHD sources are sparse. Among cardiovascular trials, we set out to systematically compare the incidence of cardiovascular events and estimated randomized treatment effects ascertained from RHD versus traditional clinical evaluation and adjudication.

METHODS

We searched MEDLINE (1976 to August 2020) for studies where outcome ascertainment was performed by both RHD and CEC adjudication to compare the incidence of cardiovascular events and treatment effects. We derived ratios of hazard ratios to compare treatment effects from RHD and CEC adjudication. We pooled ratios of hazard ratios using an inverse variance random-effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Nine studies (1988-2020; 32 156 patients) involving 10 randomized control trials compared outcome ascertainment with RHD and CEC in patients with or at risk of cardiovascular disease. There was a high degree of agreement and interrater reliability between CEC and RHD outcome determination for all-cause mortality (agreement percentage: 98.4%-100% and κ: 0.95-1.0) and cardiovascular mortality (agreement percentage: 97.8%-99.9% and κ: 0.66-0.99). For myocardial infarction, the κ values ranged from 0.67-0.98, and for stroke the values ranged from 0.52-0.89. In contrast, the κ value for peripheral artery disease was low (κ: 0.27). There was little difference in the randomized treatment effect derived from CEC and RHD ascertainment of events based on the ratios of hazard ratio, with pooled ratios of hazard ratios ranging from 0.93 (95% CI, 0.63-1.39) for cardiovascular mortality to 1.27 (95% CI, 0.67-2.41) for stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical outcome ascertainment using retrospectively acquired RHD displayed high levels of agreement with CEC adjudication for identifying all-cause mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. Importantly, cardiovascular treatment effects in randomized control trials determined from RHD and CEC resulted in similar point estimates. Overall, our review supports the use of RHD as a potential alternative source for clinical outcome ascertainment in cardiovascular trials. Validation studies with prospectively planned linkage are warranted.

Real-world risk of cardiovascular outcomes associated with hypertriglyceridaemia among individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and potential eligibility for emerging therapies

AIMS

Hypertriglyceridaemia in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has been in focus following the REDUCE-IT trial showing benefit with icosapent ethyl. Among individuals with prevalent ASCVD, we sought to quantify the contemporary, real-world risk of ASCVD events associated with hypertriglyceridaemia, as well as estimate icosapent ethyl eligibility and compare trial participants with REDUCE-IT-like individuals in the population.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We examined data from 2 424 865 adults with lipid panels in the Ontario population. Among those with prevalent ASCVD, we examined adjusted associations between triglyceride (TG) and ASCVD events (first occurrence of myocardial infarction, unstable angina, stroke or transient ischaemic attack, coronary revascularization, or cardiovascular death). The proportion of patients with ASCVD potentially eligible for icosapent ethyl was estimated as those with TG 135-499 mg/dL (1.52-5.63 mmol/L) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) 41-100 mg/dL (1.06-2.59 mmol/L), similar to the lipid cut-offs in REDUCE-IT, and their demographics and event rates examined. Among 196 717 individuals with ASCVD, median age was 69 years and 30% were female. A total of 24 097 composite ASCVD events occurred over a mean (standard deviation) 2.9 (0.5) years of follow-up. Increasing TG was associated with a graded, progressively higher hazard of ASCVD events. Twenty-five percent (49 886) of individuals with ASCVD had hypertriglyceridaemia and controlled LDLc; these patients were demographically similar to those in REDUCE-IT with comparable event rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with ASCVD, hypertriglyceridaemia is common, and is associated with higher ASCVD risk across a range of TG. It is possible that as many as one in four patients with ASCVD may be candidates for emerging therapies.

Effect of CYP2C19 Genotype on Ischemic Outcomes During Oral P2Y12 Inhibitor Therapy: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of CYP2C19 genotype on clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who predominantly underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), comparing those treated with ticagrelor or prasugrel versus clopidogrel.

BACKGROUND

The effect of CYP2C19 genotype on treatment outcomes with ticagrelor or prasugrel compared with clopidogrel is unclear.

METHODS

Databases through February 19, 2020, were searched for studies reporting the effect of CYP2C19 genotype on ischemic outcomes during ticagrelor or prasugrel versus clopidogrel treatment. Study eligibility required outcomes reported for CYP2C19 genotype status and clopidogrel and alternative P2Y₁₂ inhibitors in patients with CAD with at least 50% undergoing PCI. The primary analysis consisted of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A secondary analysis was conducted by adding non-RCTs to the primary analysis. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent thrombosis, and severe recurrent ischemia. Meta-analysis was conducted to compare the 2 drug regimens and test interaction with CYP2C19 genotype.

RESULTS

Of 1,335 studies identified, 7 RCTs were included (15,949 patients, mean age 62 years; 77% had PCI, 98% had acute coronary syndromes). Statistical heterogeneity was minimal, and risk for bias was low. Ticagrelor and prasugrel compared with clopidogrel resulted in a significant reduction in ischemic events (relative risk: 0.70; 95% confidence interval: 0.59 to 0.83) in CYP2C19 loss-of-function carriers but not in noncarriers (relative risk: 1.0; 95% confidence interval: 0.80 to 1.25). The test of interaction on the basis of CYP2C19 genotype status was statistically significant (p = 0.013), suggesting that CYP2C19 genotype modified the effect. An additional 4 observational studies were found, and adding them to the analysis provided the same conclusions (p value of the test of interaction <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The effect of ticagrelor or prasugrel compared with clopidogrel in reducing ischemic events in patients with CAD who predominantly undergo PCI is based primarily on the presence of CYP2C19 loss-of-function carrier status. These results support genetic testing prior to prescribing P2Y₁₂ inhibitor therapy.

The associations between direct and delayed critical care unit admission with mortality and readmissions among patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND

Although greater than 20% of patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) are admitted to a critical care unit, associated outcomes, and costs have not been delineated. We determined 30-day mortality, 30-day readmissions, and hospital costs associated with direct or delayed critical care unit admission.

METHODS

In a population-based analysis, we compared HF patients who were admitted to critical care directly from the emergency department (direct), after initial ward admission (delayed), or never admitted to critical care during their hospital stay (ward-only).

RESULTS

Among 178,997 HF patients (median age 80 [IQR 71-86] years, 49.6% men) 36,175 (20.2%) were admitted to critical care during their hospitalization (April 2003 to March 2018). Critical care patients were admitted directly from the emergency department (direct, 81.9%) or after initial ward admission (delayed, 18.1%). Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause 30-day mortality were: 1.69 for direct (95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.55, 1.84) and 4.92 for delayed (95% CI; 4.26, 5.68) critical care-admitted compared to ward-only patients. Multivariable-adjusted repeated events analysis demonstrated increased risk for all-cause 30-day readmission with both direct (HR 1.04, 95% CI; 1.01, 1.08, P = .013) and delayed critical care unit admissions (HR 1.20, 95% CI; 1.13, 1.28, P < .001). Median 30-day costs were $12,163 for direct admissions, $20,173 for delayed admissions, and $9,575 for ward-only patients (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

While critical care unit admission indicates increased risk of mortality and readmission at 30 days, those who experienced delayed critical care unit admission exhibited the highest risk of death and highest costs of care.

Platelet Reactivity in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes Awaiting Surgical Revascularization

BACKGROUND

Dual antiplatelet therapy is recommended for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Approximately 10% to 15% of these patients will undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for index events, and current guidelines recommend stopping clopidogrel at least 5 days before CABG. This waiting time has clinical and economic implications.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate if a platelet reactivity-based strategy is noninferior to standard of care for 24-h post-CABG bleeding.

METHODS

In this randomized, open label noninferiority trial, 190 patients admitted with ACS with indications for CABG and on aspirin and P2Y₁₂ receptor inhibitors, were assigned to either control group, P2Y₁₂ receptor inhibitor withdrawn 5 to 7 days before CABG, or intervention group, daily measurements of platelet reactivity by Multiplate analyzer (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Vienna, Austria) with CABG planned the next working day after platelet reactivity normalization (pre-defined as ≥46 aggregation units).

RESULTS

Within the first 24 h of CABG, the median chest tube drainage was 350 ml (interquartile range [IQR]: 250 to 475 ml) and 350 ml (IQR: 255 to 500 ml) in the intervention and control groups, respectively (p for noninferiority <0.001). The median waiting period between the decision to undergo CABG and the procedure was 112 h (IQR: 66 to 142 h) and 136 h (IQR: 112 to 161 h) (p < 0.001), respectively. In the intention-to-treat analysis, a 6.4% decrease in the median in-hospital expenses was observed in the intervention group (p = 0.014), with 11.2% decrease in the analysis per protocol (p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

A strategy based on platelet reactivity-guided is noninferior to the standard of care in patients with ACS awaiting CABG regarding peri-operative bleeding, significantly shortens the waiting time to CABG, and decreases hospital expenses. (Evaluation of Platelet Aggregability in the Release of CABG in Patients With ACS With DAPT; NCT02516267).

Risk for recurrent cardiovascular disease events among patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease

Background

Adults who have experienced multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) events have a very high risk for additional events. Diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are each associated with an increased risk for recurrent CVD events following a myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods

We compared the risk for recurrent CVD events among US adults with health insurance who were hospitalized for an MI between 2014 and 2017 and had (1) CVD prior to their MI but were free from diabetes or CKD (prior CVD), and those without CVD prior to their MI who had (2) diabetes only, (3) CKD only and (4) both diabetes and CKD. We followed patients from hospital discharge through December 31, 2018 for recurrent CVD events including coronary, stroke, and peripheral artery events.

Results

Among 162,730 patients, 55.2% had prior CVD, and 28.3%, 8.3%, and 8.2% had diabetes only, CKD only, and both diabetes and CKD, respectively. The rate for recurrent CVD events per 1000 person-years was 135 among patients with prior CVD and 110, 124 and 171 among those with diabetes only, CKD only and both diabetes and CKD, respectively. Compared to patients with prior CVD, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio for recurrent CVD events was 0.92 (95%CI 0.90–0.95), 0.89 (95%CI: 0.85–0.93), and 1.18 (95%CI: 1.14–1.22) among those with diabetes only, CKD only, and both diabetes and CKD, respectively.

Conclusion

Following MI, adults with both diabetes and CKD had a higher risk for recurrent CVD events compared to those with prior CVD without diabetes or CKD.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12933-021-01247-0.

Influence of LDL-Cholesterol Lowering on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus Undergoing Coronary Revascularization

BACKGROUND

Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is associated with increased cardiovascular events, especially in high-risk populations.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to evaluate the influence of LDL-C on the incidence of cardiovascular events either following a coronary revascularization procedure (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] or coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]) or optimal medical therapy alone in patients with established coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

METHODS

Patient-level pooled analysis of 3 randomized clinical trials was undertaken. Patients with T2DM were categorized according to the levels of LDL-C at 1 year following randomization. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events ([MACCE] the composite of all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke).

RESULTS

A total of 4,050 patients were followed for a median of 3.9 years after the index 1-year assessment. Patients whose 1-year LDL-C remained ≥100 mg/dl experienced higher 4-year cumulative risk of MACCE (17.2% vs. 13.3% vs. 13.1% for LDL-C between 70 and <100 mg/dl and LDL-C <70 mg/dl, respectively; p = 0.016). When compared with optimal medical therapy alone, patients with PCI experienced a MACCE reduction only if 1-year LDL-C was <70 mg/dl (hazard ratio: 0.61; 95% confidence interval: 0.40 to 0.91; p = 0.016), whereas CABG was associated with improved outcomes across all 1-year LDL-C strata. In patients with 1-year LDL-C ≥70 mg/dl, patients undergoing CABG had significantly lower MACCE rates as compared with PCI.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with coronary heart disease with T2DM, lower LDL-C at 1 year is associated with improved long-term MACCE outcome in those eligible for either PCI or CABG. When compared with optimal medical therapy alone, PCI was associated with MACCE reductions only in those who achieved an LDL-C <70 mg/dl.

Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Adverse Cardiovascular Events After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND

After percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), patients remain at high risk of developing late cardiovascular events. Although controlling low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) may improve outcomes after PCI, practice guidelines do not have specific recommendations on LDL-C management for this subgroup.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to evaluate LDL-C testing and levels after PCIs, and to assess the association between LDL-C and longer-term cardiovascular events after PCIs.

METHODS

All patients who received their first PCI from October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2014, in Ontario, Canada, were considered for inclusion. Patients who had LDL-C measurement within 6 months after PCI were categorized as: <70 mg/dl, 70 to <100 mg/dl, and ≥100 mg/dl. The primary composite outcome was cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, and stroke through December 31, 2016.

RESULTS

Among 47,884 included patients, 52% had LDL-C measured within 6 months of PCI and 57% had LDL-C <70 mg/dl. After a median 3.2 years, the rates of cardiovascular events were 55.2/1,000 person-years for the LDL-C <70 mg/dl group, 60.3/1,000 person-years for 70 to <100 mg/dl, and 94.0/1,000 person-years for ≥100 mg/dl. The adjusted subdistribution hazard ratios for cardiovascular events were 1.17 (95% confidence interval: 1.09 to 1.26) for LDL-C of 70 to <100 mg/dl, and 1.78 (95% confidence interval: 1.64 to 1.94) for LDL-C ≥100 mg/dl when compared with LDL-C <70 mg/dl.

CONCLUSIONS

One in 2 patients had LDL-C measured within 6 months after PCI, and only 57% had LDL-C <70 mg/dl. Higher levels of LDL-C were associated with an increased incidence of late cardiovascular events. Improved cholesterol management after PCI should be considered to improve the outcomes of these patients.

Time Course of LDL Cholesterol Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease Event Risk

BACKGROUND

Incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases with increasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration and exposure duration. Area under the LDL-C versus age curve is a possible risk parameter. Data-based demonstration of this metric is unavailable and whether the time course of area accumulation modulates risk is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

Using CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study data, we assessed the relationship of area under LDL-C versus age curve to incident CVD event risk and modulation of risk by time course of area accumulation-whether risk increase for the same area increment is different at different ages.

METHODS

This prospective study included 4,958 asymptomatic adults age 18 to 30 years enrolled from 1985 to 1986. The outcome was a composite of nonfatal coronary heart disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, heart failure hospitalization, cardiac revascularization, peripheral arterial disease intervention, or cardiovascular death.

RESULTS

During a median 16-year follow-up after age 40 years, 275 participants had an incident CVD event. After adjustment for sex, race, and traditional risk factors, both area under LDL-C versus age curve and time course of area accumulation (slope of LDL-C curve) were significantly associated with CVD event risk (hazard ratio: 1.053; p < 0.0001 per 100 mg/dl × years; hazard ratio: 0.797 per mg/dl/year; p = 0.045, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Incident CVD event risk depends on cumulative prior exposure to LDL-C and, independently, time course of area accumulation. The same area accumulated at a younger age, compared with older age, resulted in a greater risk increase, emphasizing the importance of optimal LDL-C control starting early in life.

Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences With Cardiovascular Disease Later in Life: A Review

Importance

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially harmful events that occur during childhood, spanning neglect, physical or sexual abuse, parental separation, or death, among others. At least 50% of the US adult population has experienced 1 or more ACEs before the age of 18 years, but in clinical practice, ACEs remain underrecognized. Adults who have experienced ACEs are at increased risk of developing health risk behaviors and, ultimately, cardiovascular disease (CVD). This review summarizes the evidence regarding the association of ACEs with CVD and the accompanying diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in the adult population.

Observations

ACEs are commonly classified into 3 domains: abuse (psychological, physical, or sexual), household dysfunction (eg, substance use by household members, mental illness, parental separation), and neglect. These experiences elicit chronic activation of the stress response system, leading to autonomic, neuroendocrine, and inflammatory dysfunction. The subsequent development of traditional risk factors, such as diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and obesity, results in the onset of CVD and premature mortality. Adults with 4 or more ACEs compared with those with none have a more than 2-fold higher risk of developing CVD and an almost 2-fold higher risk of premature mortality.

Conclusions and Relevance

Identifying methods of mitigating the health consequences of ACEs may lead to better cardiovascular outcomes. Inquiry into ACE exposure during clinical encounters and subsequent referral to psychological services when appropriate may be helpful, but strategies aimed at CVD prevention via management of ACEs in adults continue to lack adequate evidence.

Rationale and design of the TAILOR-PCI digital study: Transitioning a randomized controlled trial to a digital registry

BACKGROUND

Tailored Antiplatelet Initiation to Lessen Outcomes Due to Decreased Clopidogrel Response after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (TAILOR-PCI) is the largest cardiovascular genotype-based randomized pragmatic trial (NCT#01742117) to evaluate the role of genotype-guided selection of oral P2Y12 inhibitor therapy in improving ischemic outcomes after PCI. The trial has been extended from the original 12- to 24-month follow-up, using study coordinator-initiated telephone visits. TAILOR-PCI Digital Study tests the feasibility of extending the trial follow-up in a subset of patients for up to 24 months using state-of-the-art digital solutions. The rationale, design, and approach of extended digital study of patients recruited into a large, international, multi-center clinical trial has not been previously described.

METHODS

A total of 930 patients from U.S. and Canadian sites previously enrolled in the 5,302 patient TAILOR-PCI trial within 23 months of randomization are invited by mail to the Digital Study website (http://tailorpci.eurekaplatform.org) and by up to 2 recruiting telephone calls. Eureka, a direct-to-participant digital research platform, is used to consent and collect prospective data on patients for the digital study. Patients are asked to answer health-related surveys at fixed intervals using the Eureka mobile app and or desktop platform. The likelihood of patients enrolled in a randomized clinical trial transitioning to a registry using digital technology, the reasons for nonparticipation and engagement rates are evaluated. To capture hospitalizations, patients may optionally enable geofencing, a process that allows background location tracking and triggering of surveys if a hospital visit greater than 4 hours is detected. In addition, patients answer digital hospitalization surveys every month. Hospitalization data received from the Digital Study will be compared to data collected from study coordinator telephone visits during the same time frame.

CONCLUSIONS

The TAILOR-PCI Digital Study evaluates the feasibility of transitioning a large multicenter randomized clinical trial to a digital registry. The study could provide evidence for the ability of digital technology to follow clinical trial patients and to ascertain trial-related events thus also building the foundation for conducting digital clinical trials. Such a digital approach may be especially pertinent in the era of COVID-19.

Long-Term Survival After Surgical or Percutaneous Revascularization in Patients With Diabetes and Multivessel Coronary Disease

BACKGROUND

There remains a paucity of real-world observational evidence comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD).

OBJECTIVES

This study compared early and long-term outcomes of PCI versus CABG in patients with diabetes.

METHODS

Clinical and administrative databases in Ontario, Canada were linked to obtain records of all patients with diabetes with angiographic evidence of 2- or 3-vessel CAD who were treated with either PCI or isolated CABG from 2008 to 2017. A 1:1 propensity score match was performed to account for baseline differences. All-cause mortality and the composite of myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, stroke, or death (termed major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events [MACCEs]) were compared between the matched groups using a stratified log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

A total of 4,519 and 9,716 patients underwent PCI and CABG, respectively. Before matching, patients who underwent CABG were significantly younger (age 65.7 years vs. 68.3 years), were more likely to be men (78% vs. 73%) and had more severe CAD. Propensity score matching based on 23 baseline covariates yielded 4,301 well-balanced pairs. There was no difference in early mortality between PCI and CABG (2.4% vs. 2.3%; p = 0.721) after matching. The median and maximum follow-ups were 5.5 and 11.5 years, respectively. All-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.28 to 1.51) and overall MACCEs (HR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.86 to 2.12) were significantly higher with PCI compared with CABG.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with multivessel CAD and diabetes, CABG was associated with improved long-term mortality and freedom from MACCEs compared with PCI.

Automated E-Counseling for Chronic Heart Failure: CHF-CePPORT Trial

BACKGROUND

International task force statements advocate telehealth programs to promote health-related quality of life for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). To that end, we evaluated the efficacy and usability of an automated e-counseling program.

METHODS

This Canadian multi-site double-blind randomized trial assessed whether usual care plus either internet-based e-counseling (motivational and cognitive-behavioral tools for CHF self-care) or e-based conventional CHF self-care education (e-UC) improved 12-month Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Overall Summary (KCCQ-OS). Secondary outcomes included program engagement (total logon weeks, logons, and logon hours), total CHF self-care behaviors, diet (fruit and vegetable servings), 6-minute walk test, and 4-day step count. The association between program engagement and health-related quality of life was assessed using KCCQ-OS tertiles.

RESULTS

We enrolled 231 patients, median age =59.5 years, 22% female, and elevated median KCCQ-OS=83.0 (interquartile range, 68-93). KCCQ-OS increase ≥5 points was not more prevalent for e-counseling, n=29 (29.6%) versus e-UC, n=32 (34.0%), P=0.51. E-Counseling versus e-UC increased total logon weeks (P=0.02), logon hours (P=0.001), and logons (P<0.001). Only e-counseling showed a positive association between 12-month KCCQ-OS tertile and logon weeks (P=0.04) and logon hours (P=0.004). E-Counseling increased CHF self-care behavior and diet but not 6-minute walk test or 4-day step count.

CONCLUSIONS

The primary KCCQ-OS end point was negative for this trial. Only e-counseling showed a positive association between program engagement and 12-month KCCQ-OS tertile, and it improved CHF self-care behavior and diet. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01864369.

Effect of High-Dose Trivalent vs Standard-Dose Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine on Mortality or Cardiopulmonary Hospitalization in Patients With High-risk Cardiovascular Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Influenza is temporally associated with cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality among those with cardiovascular disease who may mount a less vigorous immune response to vaccination. Higher influenza vaccine dose has been associated with reduced risk of influenza illness.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether high-dose trivalent influenza vaccine compared with standard-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine would reduce all-cause death or cardiopulmonary hospitalization in high-risk patients with cardiovascular disease.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Pragmatic multicenter, double-blind, active comparator randomized clinical trial conducted in 5260 participants vaccinated for up to 3 influenza seasons in 157 sites in the US and Canada between September 21, 2016, and January 31, 2019. Patients with a recent acute myocardial infarction or heart failure hospitalization and at least 1 additional risk factor were eligible.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants were randomly assigned to receive high-dose trivalent (n = 2630) or standard-dose quadrivalent (n = 2630) inactivated influenza vaccine and could be revaccinated for up to 3 seasons.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was the time to the composite of all-cause death or cardiopulmonary hospitalization during each enrolling season. The final date of follow-up was July 31, 2019. Vaccine-related adverse events were also assessed.

RESULTS

Among 5260 randomized participants (mean [SD] age, 65.5 [12.6] years; 3787 [72%] men; 3289 [63%] with heart failure) over 3 influenza seasons, there were 7154 total vaccinations administered and 5226 (99.4%) participants completed the trial. In the high-dose trivalent vaccine group, there were 975 primary outcome events (883 hospitalizations for cardiovascular or pulmonary causes and 92 deaths from any cause) among 884 participants during 3577 participant-seasons (event rate, 45 per 100 patient-years), whereas in the standard-dose quadrivalent vaccine group, there were 924 primary outcome events (846 hospitalizations for cardiovascular or pulmonary causes and 78 deaths from any cause) among 837 participants during 3577 participant-seasons (event rate, 42 per 100 patient-years) (hazard ratio, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.97-1.17]; P = .21). In the high-dose vs standard-dose groups, vaccine-related adverse reactions occurred in 1449 (40.5%) vs 1229 (34.4%) participants and severe adverse reactions occurred in 55 (2.1%) vs 44 (1.7%) participants.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In patients with high-risk cardiovascular disease, high-dose trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine, compared with standard-dose quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine, did not significantly reduce all-cause mortality or cardiopulmonary hospitalizations. Influenza vaccination remains strongly recommended in this population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02787044.

Association Between Adherence to Fractional Flow Reserve Treatment Thresholds and Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

IMPORTANCE

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is an invasive measurement used to assess the potential of a coronary stenosis to induce myocardial ischemia and guide decisions for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It is not known whether established FFR thresholds for PCI are adhered to in routine interventional practice and whether adherence to these thresholds is associated with better clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the adherence to evidence-based FFR thresholds for PCI and its association with clinical outcomes.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A retrospective, multicenter, population-based cohort study of adults with coronary artery disease undergoing single-vessel FFR assessment (excluding ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2018, in Ontario, Canada, and followed up until March 31, 2019, was conducted. Two separate cohorts were created based on FFR thresholds (≤0.80 as ischemic and >0.80 as nonischemic). Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to account for treatment selection bias.

EXPOSURES

PCI vs no PCI.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined by death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or urgent coronary revascularization.

RESULTS

There were 9106 patients (mean [SD] age, 65 [10.6] years; 35.3% female) who underwent single-vessel FFR measurement. Among 2693 patients with an ischemic FFR, 75.3% received PCI and 24.7% were treated only with medical therapy. In the ischemic FFR cohort, PCI was associated with a significantly lower rate and hazard of MACE at 5 years compared with no PCI (31.5% vs 39.1%; hazard ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.63-0.94]). Among 6413 patients with a nonischemic FFR, 12.6% received PCI and 87.4% were treated with medical therapy only. PCI was associated with a significantly higher rate and hazard of MACE at 5 years compared with no PCI (33.3% vs 24.4%; HR, 1.37 [95% CI, 1.14-1.65]) in this cohort.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among patients with coronary artery disease who underwent single-vessel FFR measurement in routine clinical practice, performing PCI, compared with not performing PCI, was significantly associated with a lower rate of MACE for ischemic lesions and a higher rate of MACE for nonischemic lesions. These findings support the performance of PCI procedures according to evidence-based FFR thresholds.

Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality in Randomized Clinical Trials Comparing Percutaneous Interventions With Coronary Bypass Surgery: A Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

Mortality is a common outcome in trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Controversy exists regarding whether all-cause mortality or cardiac mortality is preferred as a study end point, because noncardiac mortality should be unrelated to the treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the difference in all-cause and cause-specific mortality in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing PCI with CABG for the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE (1946 to the present), Embase (1974 to the present), and the Cochrane Library (1992 to the present) databases were searched on November 24, 2019. Reference lists of included articles were also searched, and additional studies were included if appropriate.

STUDY SELECTION

Articles were considered for inclusion if they were in English, were RCTs comparing PCI with drug-eluting or bare-metal stents and CABG for the treatment of coronary artery disease, and reported mortality and/or cause-specific mortality. Trials of PCI involving angioplasty without stenting were excluded. For each included trial, the publication with the longest follow-up duration for each outcome was selected.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

For data extraction, all studies were reviewed by 2 independent investigators, and disagreements were resolved by a third investigator in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guideline. Data were pooled using fixed- and random-effects models.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcomes were all-cause and cause-specific (cardiac vs noncardiac) mortality. Subgroup analyses were performed for PCI trials using drug-eluting vs bare-metal stents and for trials involving patients with left main disease.

RESULTS

Twenty-three unique trials were included involving 13 620 unique patients (6829 undergoing PCI and 6791 undergoing CABG; men, 39.9%-99.0% of study populations; mean age range, 60.0-71.0 years). The weighted mean (SD) follow-up was 5.3 (3.6) years. Compared with CABG, PCI was associated with a higher rate of all-cause (incidence rate ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.05-1.29) and cardiac (incidence rate ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.05-1.45) mortality but also noncardiac mortality (incidence rate ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.00-1.41).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with higher all-cause, cardiac, and noncardiac mortality compared with CABG at 5 years. The significantly higher noncardiac mortality associated with PCI suggests that even noncardiac deaths after PCI may be procedure related and supports the use of all-cause mortality as the end point for myocardial revascularization trials.

Redevelopment and validation of the SYNTAX score II to individualise decision making between percutaneous and surgical revascularisation in patients with complex coronary artery disease: secondary analysis of the multicentre randomised controlled SYNTAXES trial with external cohort validation

BACKGROUND

Randomised controlled trials are considered the gold standard for testing the efficacy of novel therapeutic interventions, and typically report the average treatment effect as a summary result. As the result of treatment can vary between patients, basing treatment decisions for individual patients on the overall average treatment effect could be suboptimal. We aimed to develop an individualised decision making tool to select an optimal revascularisation strategy in patients with complex coronary artery disease.

METHODS

The SYNTAX Extended Survival (SYNTAXES) study is an investigator-driven extension follow-up of a multicentre, randomised controlled trial done in 85 hospitals across 18 North American and European countries between March, 2005, and April, 2007. Patients with de-novo three-vessel and left main coronary artery disease were randomly assigned (1:1) to either the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) group or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) group. The SYNTAXES study ascertained 10-year all-cause deaths. We used Cox regression to develop a clinical prognostic index for predicting death over a 10-year period, which was combined, in a second stage, with assigned treatment (PCI or CABG) and two prespecified effect-modifiers, which were selected on the basis of previous evidence: disease type (three-vessel disease or left main coronary artery disease) and anatomical SYNTAX score. We used similar techniques to develop a model to predict the 5-year risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (defined as a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal stroke, or non-fatal myocardial infarction) in patients receiving PCI or CABG. We then assessed the ability of these models to predict the risk of death or a major adverse cardiovascular event, and their differences (ie, the estimated benefit of CABG versus PCI by calculating the absolute risk difference between the two strategies) by cross-validation with the SYNTAX trial (n=1800 participants) and external validation in the pooled population (n=3380 participants) of the FREEDOM, BEST, and PRECOMBAT trials. The concordance (C)-index was used to measure discriminative ability, and calibration plots were used to assess the degree of agreement between predictions and observations.

FINDINGS

At cross-validation, the newly developed SYNTAX score II, termed SYNTAX score II 2020, showed a helpful discriminative ability in both treatment groups for predicting 10-year all-cause deaths (C-index=0·73 [95% CI 0·69-0·76] for PCI and 0·73 [0·69-0·76] for CABG) and 5-year major adverse cardiovascular events (C-index=0·65 [0·61-0·69] for PCI and C-index=0·71 [0·67-0·75] for CABG). At external validation, the SYNTAX score II 2020 showed helpful discrimination (C-index=0·67 [0·63-0·70] for PCI and C-index=0·62 [0·58-0·66] for CABG) and good calibration for predicting 5-year major adverse cardiovascular events. The estimated treatment benefit of CABG over PCI varied substantially among patients in the trial population, and the benefit predictions were well calibrated.

INTERPRETATION

The SYNTAX score II 2020 for predicting 10-year deaths and 5-year major adverse cardiovascular events can help to identify individuals who will benefit from either CABG or PCI, thereby supporting heart teams, patients, and their families to select optimal revascularisation strategies.

FUNDING

The German Heart Research Foundation and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

COVID-19: a pandemic experience that illuminates potential reforms to health research

COVID‐19 has halted research around the globe and forced researchers out of their laboratories. Non‐emergency medical appointments were canceled. Ongoing clinical trials were challenged to create new modes of operation while public pressure mounted to find therapeutic options against COVID‐19. Yet, the inability to conduct research during COVID‐19 was overcome with cooperation, resource sharing, and compassion, which provides important lessons on how to improve health related research as we enter a new normal.

Trends in Recurrent Coronary Heart Disease After Myocardial Infarction Among US Women and Men Between 2008 and 2017

BACKGROUND

Rates for recurrent coronary heart disease (CHD) events have declined in the United States. However, few studies have assessed whether this decline has been similar among women and men.

METHODS

Data were used from 770 408 US women and 700 477 US men <65 years of age with commercial health insurance through MarketScan and ≥66 years of age with government health insurance through Medicare who had a myocardial infarction (MI) hospitalization between 2008 and 2017. Women and men were followed up for recurrent MI, recurrent CHD events (ie, recurrent MI or coronary revascularization), heart failure hospitalization, and all-cause mortality (Medicare only) in the 365 days after MI.

RESULTS

From 2008 to 2017, age-standardized recurrent MI rates per 1000 person-years decreased from 89.2 to 72.3 in women and from 94.2 to 81.3 in men (multivariable-adjusted P interaction by sex <0.001). Recurrent CHD event rates decreased from 166.3 to 133.3 in women and from 198.1 to 176.8 in men (P interaction <0.001). Heart failure hospitalization rates decreased from 177.4 to 158.1 in women and from 162.9 to 156.1 in men (P interaction=0.001). All-cause mortality rates decreased from 403.2 to 389.5 in women and from 436.1 to 417.9 in men (P interaction=0.82). In 2017, the multivariable-adjusted rate ratios comparing women with men were 0.90 (95% CI, 0.86-0.93) for recurrent MI, 0.80 (95% CI, 0.78-0.82) for recurrent CHD events, 0.99 (95% CI, 0.96-1.01) for heart failure hospitalization, and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.80-0.83) for all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Rates of recurrent MI, recurrent CHD events, heart failure hospitalization, and mortality in the first year after an MI declined considerably between 2008 and 2017 in both men and women, with proportionally greater reductions for women than men. However, rates remain very high, and rates of recurrent MI, recurrent CHD events, and death continue to be higher among men than women.

Anticoagulation, Bleeding, Mortality, and Pathology in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19

Background

Thromboembolic disease is common in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). There is limited evidence on the association of in-hospital anticoagulation (AC) with outcomes and postmortem findings.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine association of AC with in-hospital outcomes and describe thromboembolic findings on autopsies.

Methods

This retrospective analysis examined the association of AC with mortality, intubation, and major bleeding. Subanalyses were also conducted on the association of therapeutic versus prophylactic AC initiated ≤48 h from admission. Thromboembolic disease was contextualized by premortem AC among consecutive autopsies.

Results

Among 4,389 patients, median age was 65 years with 44% women. Compared with no AC (n = 1,530; 34.9%), therapeutic AC (n = 900; 20.5%) and prophylactic AC (n = 1,959; 44.6%) were associated with lower in-hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45 to 0.62 and aHR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.57, respectively), and intubation (aHR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.94 and aHR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.58 to 0.89, respectively). When initiated ≤48 h from admission, there was no statistically significant difference between therapeutic (n = 766) versus prophylactic AC (n = 1,860) (aHR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.73 to 1.02; p = 0.08). Overall, 89 patients (2%) had major bleeding adjudicated by clinician review, with 27 of 900 (3.0%) on therapeutic, 33 of 1,959 (1.7%) on prophylactic, and 29 of 1,530 (1.9%) on no AC. Of 26 autopsies, 11 (42%) had thromboembolic disease not clinically suspected and 3 of 11 (27%) were on therapeutic AC.

Conclusions

AC was associated with lower mortality and intubation among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Compared with prophylactic AC, therapeutic AC was associated with lower mortality, although not statistically significant. Autopsies revealed frequent thromboembolic disease. These data may inform trials to determine optimal AC regimens.

Effect of Genotype-Guided Oral P2Y12 Inhibitor Selection vs Conventional Clopidogrel Therapy on Ischemic Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: The TAILOR-PCI Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

After percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), patients with CYP2C19*2 or *3 loss-of-function (LOF) variants treated with clopidogrel have increased risk of ischemic events. Whether genotype-guided selection of oral P2Y12 inhibitor therapy improves ischemic outcomes is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of a genotype-guided oral P2Y12 inhibitor strategy on ischemic outcomes in CYP2C19 LOF carriers after PCI.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Open-label randomized clinical trial of 5302 patients undergoing PCI for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients were enrolled at 40 centers in the US, Canada, South Korea, and Mexico from May 2013 through October 2018; final date of follow-up was October 2019.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients randomized to the genotype-guided group (n = 2652) underwent point-of-care genotyping. CYP2C19 LOF carriers were prescribed ticagrelor and noncarriers clopidogrel. Patients randomized to the conventional group (n = 2650) were prescribed clopidogrel and underwent genotyping after 12 months.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent thrombosis, and severe recurrent ischemia at 12 months. A secondary end point was major or minor bleeding at 12 months. The primary analysis was in patients with CYP2C19 LOF variants, and secondary analysis included all randomized patients. The trial had 85% power to detect a minimum hazard ratio of 0.50.

RESULTS

Among 5302 patients randomized (median age, 62 years; 25% women), 82% had ACS and 18% had stable CAD; 94% completed the trial. Of 1849 with CYP2C19 LOF variants, 764 of 903 (85%) assigned to genotype-guided therapy received ticagrelor, and 932 of 946 (99%) assigned to conventional therapy received clopidogrel. The primary end point occurred in 35 of 903 CYP2C19 LOF carriers (4.0%) in the genotype-guided therapy group and 54 of 946 (5.9%) in the conventional therapy group at 12 months (hazard ratio [HR], 0.66 [95% CI, 0.43-1.02]; P = .06). None of the 11 prespecified secondary end points showed significant differences, including major or minor bleeding in CYP2C19 LOF carriers in the genotype-guided group (1.9%) vs the conventional therapy group (1.6%) at 12 months (HR, 1.22 [95% CI, 0.60-2.51]; P = .58). Among all randomized patients, the primary end point occurred in 113 of 2641 (4.4%) in the genotype-guided group and 135 of 2635 (5.3%) in the conventional group (HR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.65-1.07]; P = .16).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among CYP2C19 LOF carriers with ACS and stable CAD undergoing PCI, genotype-guided selection of an oral P2Y12 inhibitor, compared with conventional clopidogrel therapy without point-of-care genotyping, resulted in no statistically significant difference in a composite end point of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent thrombosis, and severe recurrent ischemia based on the prespecified analysis plan and the treatment effect that the study was powered to detect at 12 months.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01742117.

Anti-Thrombotic Therapy to Ameliorate Complications of COVID-19 (ATTACC): Study design and methodology for an international, adaptive Bayesian randomized controlled trial

Background:

Mortality from COVID-19 is high among hospitalized patients and effective therapeutics are lacking. Hypercoagulability, thrombosis and hyperinflammation occur in COVID-19 and may contribute to severe complications. Therapeutic anticoagulation may improve clinical outcomes through anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral mechanisms. Our primary objective is to evaluate whether therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin or unfractionated heparin prevents mechanical ventilation and/or death in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 compared to usual care.

Methods:

An international, open-label, adaptive randomized controlled trial. Using a Bayesian framework, the trial will declare results as soon as pre-specified posterior probabilities for superiority, futility, or harm are reached. The trial uses response-adaptive randomization to maximize the probability that patients will receive the more beneficial treatment approach, as treatment effect information accumulates within the trial. By leveraging a common data safety monitoring board and pooling data with a second similar international Bayesian adaptive trial (REMAP-COVID anticoagulation domain), treatment efficacy and safety will be evaluated as efficiently as possible. The primary outcome is an ordinal endpoint with three possible outcomes based on the worst status of each patient through day 30: no requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation, invasive mechanical ventilation or death.

Conclusion:

Using an adaptive trial design, the Anti-Thrombotic Therapy To Ameliorate Complications of COVID-19 trial will establish whether therapeutic anticoagulation can reduce mortality and/or avoid the need for mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Leveraging existing networks to recruit sites will increase enrollment and mitigate enrollment risk in sites with declining COVID-19 cases.

Effectiveness of Interventions Aimed at Increasing Statin-Prescribing Rates in Primary Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials

Importance

Statins are a cornerstone medication in cardiovascular disease prevention, but their use in clinical practice remains suboptimal, with less than half of people who are indicated for statins actually taking the medication.

Objective

To perform a systematic review and synthesis of the literature on patient-oriented and physician-oriented interventions aimed at increasing statin-prescribing rates in adults without a history of cardiovascular disease.

Evidence Review

PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized clinical trials published between January 2000 and May 2019. Data abstraction was performed using the Cochrane Public Health Review Group's data collection template, and a narrative synthesis of study results was conducted. The risk of bias in each study was qualitatively assessed, and a funnel plot was created to further evaluate the risk of publication bias.

Findings

Among 7948 citations and 128 full-text articles reviewed, 20 studies (of 109 807 patients) were included in the review. Eight trials reported a statistically significant increases in statin-prescribing rates. Among the effective trials, absolute effect sizes ranged from 4.2% (95% CI, 2.2%-6.4%) to 23% (95% CI, 7.3%-38.9%) and odds ratios from 1.29 (95% CI, 1.01-1.66) to 11.8 (95% CI, 8.8-15.9). Patient-education initiatives were the most commonly effective intervention, with 4 of 7 trials indicating increases in statin-prescribing rates. Two trials combined electronic decision-support tools with audit-and-feedback systems, both of which were effective overall. Physician-education programs without dynamic input regarding patient risk or updated treatment recommendations were generally found to be less effective.

Conclusions and Relevance

While heterogeneous in their interventions and outcomes, a number of interventions have demonstrated increases in statin-prescribing rates, with patient-education initiatives demonstrating more promising results than those focused on physician education alone. As opposed to more education about generic recommendations, tailored patient-focused and physician-focused interventions were more effective when they provided personalized cardiovascular risk information, dynamic decision-support tools, or audit-and-feedback reports in a multicomponent program. There are a number of modestly successful approaches to implement increases in rates of statin prescribing, a proven yet underused cardiovascular disease prevention class of therapy.

Readmission rates following heart failure: a scoping review of sex and gender based considerations

Background

Although hospital readmission for heart failure (HF) is an issue for both men and women, little is known about differences in readmission rates by sex. Consequently, strategies to optimize readmission reduction programs and care strategies for women and men remain unclear. Our study aims were: (1) to identify studies examining readmission rates according to sex, and (2) to provide a qualitative overview of possible considerations for the impact of sex or gender.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review using the Arksey and O’Malley framework to include full text articles published between 2002 and 2017 drawn from multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE), grey literature (i.e. National Technical information, Duck Duck Go), and expert consultation. Eligible articles included an index heart failure episode, readmission rates, and sex/gender-based analysis.

Results

The search generated 5887 articles, of which 746 underwent full abstract text consideration for eligibility. Of 164 eligible articles, 34 studies addressed the primary outcome, 103 studies considered sex differences as a secondary outcome and 25 studies stratified data for sex. Good inter-rater agreement was reached: 83% title/abstract; 88% full text; kappa: 0.69 (95%CI: 0.53–0.85). Twelve of 34 studies reported higher heart failure readmission rates for men and six studies reported higher heart failure readmission rates for women. Using non composite endpoints, five studies reported higher HF readmission rates for men compared to three studies reporting higher HF readmission rates for women. Overall, there was heterogeneity between studies when examined by sex, but one observation emerged that was related to the timing of readmissions. Readmission rates for men were higher when follow-up duration was longer than 1 year. Women were more likely to experience higher readmission rates than men when time to event was less than 1 year.

Conclusions

Future studies should consider different time horizons in their designs and avoid the use of composite measures, such as readmission rates combined with mortality, which are highly skewed by sex. Co-interventions and targeted post-discharge approaches with attention to sex would be of benefit to the HF patient population.