Long-term self-management of anticoagulation therapy after mechanical heart valve replacement in outside trial conditions

Mediating effects of general self-efficacy on social support and quality of life in patients after surgical aortic valve replacement

AIM

To explore whether general self-efficacy can mediate the relationship between social support and quality of life in patients after surgical aortic valve replacement.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design.

METHODS

The final analysis included 283 patients who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement from May 2021 to September 2021. They completed a set of questionnaires, including the Chinese version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Chinese Questionnaire of Quality of life in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases and the Social Support Rating Scale. The PROCESS Macro in SPSS was used to analyse the mediating effect.

RESULTS

Quality of life and all of its dimensions were significantly related to social support and general self-efficacy. A significant indirect effect of social support existed through general self-efficacy in relation to quality of life with the mediation effect ratio of 32.82%.

Long-Term Outcome Up To 40 Years after Single Patch Repair of Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect in Infancy or Childhood

Objectives  Patients with repaired complete atrioventricular septal defect (CAVSD) represent an increasing portion of grown-ups with congenital heart disease. For repair of CAVSD, the single-patch technique has been employed first. This technique requires division of the bridging leaflets, thus, among other issues, long-term function of the atrioventricular valves is of particular concern.

Methods  Between 1978 and 2001, 100 consecutive patients with isolated CAVSD underwent single-patch repair in our institution. Hospital mortality was 11%. Primary endpoints were clinical status, atrioventricular valve function, and freedom from reoperation in long term. Follow-up was obtained contacting the patient and/or caregiver, and the referring cardiologist.

Results  Eighty-three patients were eligible for long-term follow-up (21.0 ± 8.7, mean ± standard deviation [21.5; 2.1–40.0, median; min–max] years after surgical repair). Actual long-term mortality was 3.4%. Quality of life (QoL; self- or caregiver-reported in patients with Down syndrome) was excellent or good in 81%, mild congestive heart failure was present in 16%, moderate in 3.6% as estimated by New York Heart Association classification. Echocardiography revealed normal systolic left ventricular function in all cases. Regurgitation of the right atrioventricular valve was mild in 48%, mild–moderate in 3.6%, and moderate in 1.2%. The left atrioventricular valve was mildly stenotic in 15% and mild to moderately stenotic in 2%; regurgitation was mild in 54%, mild to moderate in 13%, and moderate in 15% of patients. Freedom from left atrioventricular-valve-related reoperation was 95.3, 92.7, and 89.3% after 5, 10, and 30 years, respectively. Permanent pacemaker therapy, as an immediate result of CAVSD repair ( n  = 7) or as a result of late-onset sick sinus syndrome ( n  = 5), required up to six reoperations in single patients. Freedom from pacemaker-related reoperation was 91.4, 84.4, and 51.5% after 5, 10, and 30 years, respectively.

Conclusion  Up to 40 years after single-patch repair of CAVSD, clinical status and functional results are promising, particularly, in terms of atrioventricular valve function. Permanent pacemaker therapy results in a life-long need for surgical reinterventions.

Self-management of patients with heart valve replacement and its clinical outcomes: a systematic review

Introduction

For patients with heart valve replacement, self-management can play an essential role in the management of their condition.

Aim

This review aimed to identify the aspects of self-management and its clinical outcomes in patients with heart valve replacement.

Material and methods

In this systematic review, the peer-reviewed research literature on self-management of patients with heart valve replacement was assessed. Since May 2020, the PubMed, Scopus, and web of science databases were searched regardless of time and language limitations. The eligibility of the articles was assessed by title or abstract according to the search strategy. Article selection was applied regarding to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Also, article screening was conducted by 2 independent authors.

Results

Twenty-five studies were considered in this systematic review. For inclusion, the self-management of patients had to have prerequisites, appropriate training, and be applicable in the aspects of anticoagulation therapy self-management, international normalized ratio (INR) self-testing, low-dose INR self-management, and heart valve function self-monitoring. In this method, through proper management of INR levels and anticoagulation therapy, the complications rate could be reduced and the patients would be able to diagnose functional disorders in the early stages by monitoring the valve function. This procedure was able to prevent the progression of complications.

Conclusions

Self-management is an applicable protocol in the field of anticoagulation therapy, INR control, low-dose INR management, and the monitoring of cardiac valve function. This protocol could improve the quality of treatment for these patients through upgrading the care standards.

Antithrombotic Treatment After Surgical and Transcatheter Heart Valve Repair and Replacement

New antithrombotic drugs have been developed, new valve types have been designed and minimally invasive transcatheter techniques have emerged, making the choice of antithrombotic therapy after surgical or transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement increasingly complex. Moreover, due to a lack of large randomized controlled trials many recommendations for antithrombotic therapy are based on expert opinion, reflected by divergent recommendations in current guidelines. Therefore, decision-making in clinical practice regarding antithrombotic therapy for prosthetic heart valves is difficult, potentially resulting in sub-optimal patient treatment. This article compares the 2017 ESC/EACTS and 2020 ACC/AHA guidelines on the management of valvular heart disease and summarizes the available evidence. Finally, we established a convenient consensus on antithrombotic therapy after valve interventions based on over 800 annual cases of surgical and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement and a multidisciplinary team discussion between the department of cardiovascular diseases and cardiac surgery of the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.

Self-care training and informational support of patients with a mechanical heart valve on the international normalized ratio and bleeding complications

AIM

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of self-care training and informational support of patients with a mechanical heart valve on the international normalized ratio (INR) and bleeding complications.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Design: A quasi-experimental study. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling and were randomly divided into two groups: control (n = 80) and intervention (n = 80). Participants in the control group received only routine training; in addition, the intervention group received 6 sessions of self-care training and 6 months of informational support. Monthly the level of INR and incidence of bleeding were determined. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test and χ2 in SPSS16 software at a significance level of 0.05.

RESULTS

During 6 months of follow-up, except for the third month, the frequency of INR levels in the therapeutic target range (2.5-3.5) in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). Also in the intervention group, the incidence of bleeding complications was lower than that in the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Proper self-care training and informational support in patients with mechanical heart valve replacement have positive results. By maintaining self-care, the level of a therapeutic target range of INR can be maintained and the incidence of bleeding complications can be reduced.

Benefit of Self-Managed Anticoagulation in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Device

BACKGROUND

 The exact monitoring of the therapeutic-range international normalized ratio (INR) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is an important aim to reduce the risk of thrombosis or bleeding complications. Service providers offer a telemedical anticoagulation service (CS).

METHODS

 We compared LVAD patients using the CS (n = 15) to those who received regular medical care (RMC; n = 15) to investigate if telemedicine supervision increased the INR-specific time in the therapeutic range (TTR) during anticoagulation. All patients received self-management training for phenprocoumon medication according to their INR value. INR values were documented for 12 months. A survey (scale: 1 = not satisfied and 10 = very satisfied) was used to determine patient's satisfaction and psychological well-being.

RESULTS

 A total of 1,798 INR measurements were analyzed. The TTR_Rosendaal was higher in patients undergoing RMC (78.1 ± 14.3%) compared with that in patients using the CS (58.3 ± 28.0%, p = 0.03). The patient's satisfaction with the coagulation setting at the beginning of the study (RMC: 6.7 ± 3.1, CS: 7.2 ± 3.0, p = 0.74) and psychological wellbeing (RMC: 6.5 ± 1.9, CS: 6.5 ± 2.7, p = 0.97) were comparable between both groups.

CONCLUSION

 We found that INR self-management is superior regarding the efficiency of post-LVAD anticoagulation therapy when compared with telemedical (CS)-based INR management in a small study cohort. Intensive training by experienced staff was able to replace CS.

Patient self-management of oral anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists in everyday practice: clinical outcomes in a single centre cohort after long-term follow-up

Background

Patient self-management (PSM) of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) seems a very promising model of care for oral anticoagulation in terms of efficacy and safety. In comparison with other management models of VKA therapy, the number of scientific publications supporting the advantages of PSM is more limited. Currently, most of the scarce information comes from randomized clinical trials. Moreover, a small number of studies have assessed PSM of VKA therapy in real life conditions.

Methods

We analyzed clinical outcomes of 927 patients in a single center (6018.6 patient-years of follow-up). Recruitment took place between 2002 and 2017. All patients followed a structured training program, conducted by specialized nurses.

Results

Fifty percent of individuals had a mechanical heart valve (MHV), 23% suffered from recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) or high-risk thrombophilia, and 13% received VKA therapy because of atrial fibrillation (AF). Median follow-up was 6.5 years (range 0.1–15.97 years), median age was 58.1 years (IQR 48–65.9) and 46.5% were women. The incidence of major complications (either hemorrhagic or thromboembolic) was 1.87% patient-years (pt-ys) with a 95% CI of 1.54–2.27. The incidence of major thromboembolic events was 0.86% pt-ys (95% CI 0.64–1.13) and that of major hemorrhagic events was 1.01% pt-ys (95% CI 0.77–1.31). The incidence of intracranial bleeding was 0.22% pt-ys (95% CI 0.12–0.38). In terms of clinical indication for VKA therapy, the incidence of total major complications was 2.4% pt-ys, 2.0% pt-ys, 0.9% pt-ys and 1.34% pt-ys for MHV, AF, VTE and other (including valvulopathies and myocardiopathies), respectively. Clinical outcomes were worse in patients with multiple comorbidities, previous major complications during conventional VKA therapy, and in older individuals. The percentage of time in therapeutic range (TTR) was available in 861 (93%) patients. Overall, the mean (SD) of TTR was 63.6 ± 13.4%, being higher in men (66.2 ± 13.1%) than women (60.6 ± 13.2%), p < 0.05.

Conclusions

In terms of clinically relevant outcomes (incidence of major complications and mortality), PSM in real life setting seems to be a very good alternative in properly trained patients.

Health-related quality of life after adverse bleeding events associated with antithrombotic drug therapy - A systematic review

Little is known about the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) following adverse bleeding events associated with antithrombotic drug therapy. This systematic review assesses the HRQOL of patients who suffered a bleeding event related to antithrombotic drug use. A literature search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception through June 16, 2017. Studies measuring HRQOL after a bleeding event related to antithrombotic drug therapy for primary or secondary prevention of a thromboembolic event were included. Four studies with a total of 13,209 patients met the inclusion criteria, and of them, 3,649 patients developed a bleeding event. Patients who were included received antithrombotic drugs because of acute myocardial infarction or atrial fibrillation. EQ-5D, SF-36, and GHP MOS-13 were used to measure HRQOL. The follow-up time ranged from 6 to 29 months. Patients who suffered a bleeding event reported worse HRQOL compared to those who did not (EQ-5D - average increase on all domains of 0.09, p-values ranging from <0.001 to 0.003; SF-36 - average decrease on all domains of 21.4, p < 0.001; and GHP MOS-13 score - decrease of 11.9 points, p < 0.05) and an increased health concern (13.4-point increase; p < 0.05). In conclusion, adverse bleeding events occurring because of the use of antithrombotic agents are associated with a clinically relevant lower HRQOL and hence deserve more attention as part of the shared decision-making process between patients and providers. These data should be valuable for facilitating more substantive care and risk discussions regarding potential changes in outcome and rehabilitation.

Self-Management of Anticoagulant Therapy in Mechanical Heart Valve Patients: A Matched Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Patient-self-management (PSM) of oral anticoagulant therapy with vitamin K antagonists for mechanical heart valves has demonstrated efficacy in randomized controlled trials. However, the effectiveness of PSM in clinical practice has only been investigated in small trials. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of PSM of oral anticoagulant therapy in mechanical heart valve patients.

METHODS

We conducted a matched cohort study: cases were patients with a mechanical heart valve performing PSM affiliated with Aarhus University Hospital or Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, in the period 1996 to 2012 (n = 615). Prospectively registered patient data were obtained from databases at two hospitals, and cross linkage between these databases and national patient registries provided detailed information on comorbidities and events. Control patients were matched (on sex, date of birth, year of first valve surgery, and grouped valve position) in a ratio of 5:1 (n = 3,075) with patients receiving conventional management who were randomly selected within the match group. The effectiveness and safety was estimated using major bleeding and thromboembolic events and death as outcomes.

RESULTS

We observed low event rates in the PSM group. After 5 years, PSM was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with conventional management (adjusted hazard ratio of 0.49, 95% confidence interval: 0.34 to 0.71). The hazard ratios for thromboembolism and major bleeding were 0.91 (95% confidence interval: 0.66 to 1.24) and 0.83 (95% confidence interval: 0.56 to 1.22).

CONCLUSIONS

Owing to superior clinical effectiveness, self-managed oral anticoagulant therapy may potentially improve the standard of care for patients with mechanical heart valves.

Design of a pulsatile flow facility to evaluate thrombogenic potential of implantable cardiac devices

Due to expensive nature of clinical trials, implantable cardiac devices should first be extensively characterized in vitro. Prosthetic heart valves (PHVs), an important class of these devices, have been shown to be associated with thromboembolic complications. Although various in vitro systems have been designed to quantify blood-cell damage and platelet activation caused by nonphysiological hemodynamic shear stresses in these PHVs, very few systems attempt to characterize both blood damage and fluid dynamics aspects of PHVs in the same test system. Various numerical modeling methodologies are also evolving to simulate the structural mechanics, fluid mechanics, and blood damage aspects of these devices. This article presents a completely hemocompatible small-volume test-platform that can be used for thrombogenicity studies and experimental fluid mechanics characterization. Using a programmable piston pump to drive freshly drawn human blood inside a cylindrical column, the presented system can simulate various physiological and pathophysiological conditions in testing PHVs. The system includes a modular device-mounting chamber, and in this presented case, a 23 mm St. Jude Medical (SJM) Regents® mechanical heart valve (MHV) in aortic position was used as the test device. The system was validated for its capability to quantify blood damage by measuring blood damage induced by the tester itself (using freshly drawn whole human blood). Blood damage levels were ascertained through clinically relevant assays on human blood while fluid dynamics were characterized using time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) using a blood-mimicking fluid. Blood damage induced by the tester itself, assessed through Thrombin-anti-Thrombin (TAT), Prothrombin factor 1.2 (PF1.2), and hemolysis (Drabkins assay), was within clinically accepted levels. The hydrodynamic performance of the tester showed consistent, repeatable physiological pressure and flow conditions. In addition, the system contains proximity sensors to accurately capture leaflet motion during the entire cardiac cycle. The PIV results showed skewing of the leakage jet, caused by the asymmetric closing of the two leaflets. All these results are critical to characterizing the blood damage and fluid dynamics characteristics of the SJM Regents® MHV, proving the utility of this tester as a precise system for assessing the hemodynamics and thrombogenicity for various PHVs.

Sex differences in treatment quality of self-managed oral anticoagulant therapy: 6,900 patient-years of follow-up

Background

Patient-self-management (PSM) of oral anticoagulant therapy with vitamin K antagonists has demonstrated efficacy in randomized, controlled trials. However, the effectiveness and efficacy of PSM in clinical practice and whether outcomes are different for females and males has been sparsely investigated.The objective is to evaluate the sex-dependent effectiveness of PSM of oral anticoagulant therapy in everyday clinical practice.

Methods

All patients performing PSM affiliated to Aarhus University Hospital and Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark in the period 1996–2012 were included in a case-series study. The effectiveness was estimated using the following parameters: stroke, systemic embolism, major bleeding, intracranial bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, death and time spent in the therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) target range. Prospectively registered patient data were obtained from two databases in the two hospitals. Cross-linkage between the databases and national registries provided detailed information on the incidence of death, bleeding and thromboembolism on an individual level.

Results

A total of 2068 patients were included, representing 6,900 patient-years in total. Males achieved a significantly better therapeutic INR control than females; females spent 71.1% of the time within therapeutic INR target range, whereas males spent 76.4% (p<0.0001). Importantly, death, bleeding and thromboembolism were not significantly different between females and males.

Conclusions

Among patients treated with self-managed oral anticoagulant therapy, males achieve a higher effectiveness than females in terms of time spent in therapeutic INR range, but the incidence of major complications is low and similar in both sexes.

Long-term absolute and relative survival after aortic valve replacement: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Aortic valve replacement is one of the most common cardiac surgical procedures, especially in elderly patients. Whether or not there is a net life gain over a long period of time is a matter for debate.

OBJECTIVE

To compare survival of patients with that of the age, sex, and follow-up year-matched normal population (relative survival).

DESIGN

Single-centre, prospectively collected data.

SETTING

Tertiary care centre, Vienna, Austria.

PATIENTS

We enrolled 1848 patients undergoing elective aortic valve replacement between 1997 and the end of 2008.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT

Relative survival at the end of 2011 as determined by relative Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine patients (3.7%) died within the first 30 days. Another 70 patients (3.8%) died within the first year and 429 (23.2%) died during the remaining follow-up period. The longest follow-up period was 14 years (median, 5.8; interquartile range, 3.2 to 8.9). Medical risk indicators for relative survival were diabetes mellitus [hazard ratio 1.69, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.37 to 2.07, P<0.001], pulmonary disease (hazard ratio 1.45, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.81, P=0.001), history of atrial fibrillation (hazard ratio 1.35, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.66, P=.005) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor medication (hazard ratio 1.21, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.44, P=0.031). Perioperative risk indicators were urgent surgery (hazard ratio 1.40, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.94, P=0.047), resternotomy at 48 h or less (hazard ratio 1.87, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.70, P=0.001), resternotomy at more than 48 h (hazard ratio 1.80, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.45, P<0.001), blood transfusion (hazard ratio 1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.12, P=0.018) and renal replacement therapy (hazard ratio 2.02, 95% CI 1.41 to 2.90, P<0.001). Relative survival was highest in the oldest age quartile (76 to 94 years) and lowest in the youngest (19 to 58 years) (hazard ratio 0.27, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.36; P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Patients who survived the first year after aortic valve replacement had a similar chance of survival as the matched normal population. Relative survival benefit was higher in the oldest age quartile.

Patient self-management of oral anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists in everyday practice: efficacy and safety in a nationwide long-term prospective cohort study

Patient self-management (PSM) of oral anticoagulation is under discussion, because evidence from real-life settings is missing. Using data from a nationwide, prospective cohort study in Switzerland, we assessed overall long-term efficacy and safety of PSM and examined subgroups. Data of 1140 patients (5818.9 patient-years) were analysed and no patient were lost to follow-up. Median follow-up was 4.3 years (range 0.2-12.8 years). Median age at the time of training was 54.2 years (range 18.2-85.2) and 34.6% were women. All-cause mortality was 1.4 per 100 patient-years (95% CI 1.1-1.7) with a higher rate in patients with atrial fibrillation (2.5; 1.6-3.7; p<0.001), patients>50 years of age (2.0; 1.6-2.6; p<0.001), and men (1.6; 1.2-2.1; p = 0.036). The rate of thromboembolic events was 0.4 (0.2-0.6) and independent from indications, sex and age. Major bleeding were observed in 1.1 (0.9-1.5) per 100 patient-years. Efficacy was comparable to standard care and new oral anticoagulants in a network meta-analysis. PSM of properly trained patients is effective and safe in a long-term real-life setting and robust across clinical subgroups. Adoption in various clinical settings, including those with limited access to medical care or rural areas is warranted.