Reconstructing time-to-event data from published Kaplan-Meier curves

Long-term outcomes comparison of mitral valve repair or replacement for secondary mitral valve regurgitation. An updated systematic review and reconstructed time-to-event study-level meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The ideal surgical intervention for secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR), a disease of the left ventricle not the mitral valve itself, is still debated. We performed an updated systematic review and study-level meta-analysis investigating mitral valve repair (MVr) versus mitral valve replacement (MVR) for adult patients with SMR, with or without coronary artery disease (CAD).

METHODS

PubMed, CENTRAL and EMBASE were searched for studies comparing MVr versus MVR. Randomized trial or observational studies were considered eligible. Primary endpoint was long-term mortality for any cause. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were reconstructed and compared with Cox linear regression. Landmark analysis and time-varying hazard ratio (HR) were analyzed. Sensitivity analyses included meta-regression and separate sub-analysis. A random effects model was used.

RESULTS

Twenty-three studies (MVr=3,727 and MVR=2,839) were included. One study was a randomized trial, and 19 studies were adjusted. The mean weighted follow-up was 3.7±2.8 years. MVR was associated with significative greater late mortality (HR=1.26; 95 % CI, 1.14-1.39; P<0.0001) at 10-year follow-up. There was a time-varying trend showing an increased risk of mortality in the first 2 years after MVR (HR=1.38; 95 % CI, 1.21-1.56; P<0.0001), after which this difference dissipated (HR=0.94; 95 % CI, 0.81-1.09; P=0.41). Separate sub-analyses showed comparable long-term mortality in patients with concomitant coronary surgery ≥90 %, left ventricle ejection fraction ≤40 %, and sub-valvular apparatus preservation rate of 100 %.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to repair, MVR is associated with higher probability of mortality in the first 2 years following surgery, after which the two procedures showed comparable late mortality rate.

Efficacy-effectiveness analysis on survival in a population-based real-world study of BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with encorafenib-cetuximab

BACKGROUND

Encorafenib-cetuximab has been approved for pretreated BRAFV600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients based on efficacy demonstrated in the randomized phase III BEACON trial. The aim of this real-world effectiveness study is to improve knowledge on the generalizability of trial results.

METHODS

This population-based real-world study includes all mCRC patients in the Netherlands treated with encorafenib-cetuximab since approval. Individual patient data and pathology reports were collected. Overall survival (OS) was compared to BEACON and subgroup analyses were conducted for patients who would have been eligible and ineligible for BEACON.

RESULTS

166 patients were included with a median follow-up time of 14.5 months. Median OS was 6.7 months (95% CI:6.0-8.3) and differed from BEACON (9.3 months; 95% CI:8.0-11.3, p-value 0.002). Thirty-six percent of real-world patients would have been ineligible for the BEACON trial. Trial ineligible subgroups with symptomatic brain metastases and WHO performance status ≥2 had the poorest median OS of 5.0 months (95% CI:4.0-NR) and 3.9 months (95% CI:2.4-NR).

CONCLUSION

This real-world cohort of mCRC patients treated with encorafenib-cetuximab showed a clinically relevant efficacy-effectiveness gap for OS. The chance of survival benefit from encorafenib-cetuximab in patients with brain metastases and/or WHO performance status ≥2 is negligible as neither efficacy nor effectiveness has been demonstrated.

Results beyond 5-years of surgery or percutaneous approach in severe coronary disease. Reconstructed time-to-event meta-analysis of randomized trials

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

There is controversy about the optimal revascularization strategy in severe coronary artery disease (CAD), including left main disease and/or multivessel disease. Several meta-analyses have analyzed the results at 5-year follow-up but there are no results after the fifth year. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials, comparing results after the fifth year, between coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using drug-eluting stents in patients with severe CAD.

METHODS

We analyzed all clinical trials between January 2010 and January 2023. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The databases of the original articles were reconstructed from Kaplan-Meier curves, simulating an individual-level meta-analysis. Comparisons were made at certain cutoff points (5 and 10 years). The 10-year restricted median survival time difference between CABG and PCI was calculated. The random effects model and the DerSimonian-Laird method were applied.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis included 5180 patients. During the 10-year follow-up, PCI showed a higher overall incidence of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.19; 95%CI, 1.04-1.32; P=.008)]. PCI showed an increased risk of all-cause mortality within 5 years (HR, 1.2; 95%CI, 1.06-1.53; P=.008), while no differences in the 5-10-year period were revealed (HR, 1.03; 95%CI, 0.84-1.26; P=.76). Life expectancy of CABG patients was slightly higher than that of PCI patients (2.4 months more).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with severe CAD, including left main disease and/or multivessel disease, there was higher a incidence of all-cause mortality after PCI compared with CABG at 10 years of follow-up. Specifically, PCI has higher mortality during the first 5 years and comparable risk beyond 5 years.

Improved tricuspid regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement is associated with better survival: Systematic review and meta-analysis with reconstructed time-to-event data

BACKGROUND

This meta-analysis compared survival outcomes among patients experiencing improvement in untreated significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic stenosis, in contrast to those without improvement.

METHODS

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through January 2024. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed. Employing network meta-analysis, a comparison involving four post-procedural TR categories (improved, no improvement, worsened, and no change) was executed. Subsequently, these categories were amalgamated into two groups (less TR after TAVR and same or greater TR after TAVR), and a standard meta-analysis was conducted. Kaplan-Meier curves depicting long-term all-cause mortality were reconstructed utilizing individual patient data derived from the studies.

RESULTS

A systematic review identified seven non-randomized studies encapsulating 698 patients. Network meta-analysis revealed that improved TR after TAVR correlated with significantly lower long-term all-cause mortality compared to the remaining cohorts. Similarly, pooled all-cause mortality of standard meta-analysis demonstrated significant reduction in patients whose TR was sub-baseline than those exhibiting same or greater TR after TAVR (HR [95% CI] = 0.43 [0.32-0.58], p < .01). The hazard ratio, derived from reconstructed time-to-event data, showed a lower long-term all-cause mortality in patients with less TR after TAVR relative to the other cohort (HR [95% CI] = 0.46 [0.32-0.67], p < .01).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis revealed that improved TR after TAVR correlates with superior long-term survival. The benefits of simultaneous or staged intervention on the tricuspid valve in individuals undergoing TAVR warrant validation in future investigations.

Optimal Timing of Pre-emptive Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair in Uncomplicated Type B Aortic Dissection: A Network Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

This network meta-analysis compares outcomes of optimal medical therapy (OMT) and pre-emptive thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for uncomplicated type B aortic dissection at different phases of chronicity.

METHODS

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through November 2023. Pooled short-term outcomes (short-term mortality, perioperative complications) and long-term outcomes (all-cause mortality, aortic-related mortality, aortic re-intervention rates) were calculated.

RESULTS

Systematic review identified 17 studies (2 randomized controlled trials, 3 propensity score matching, and 2 inverse probability weighting). Subacute-phase intervention had lower short-term mortality than the acute-phase (hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval [CI]]=0.60 [0.38-0.94], p=0.027). No significant differences were observed in aortic rupture and paraplegia. Acute-phase TEVAR had a higher stroke incidence than subacute-phase intervention (HR [95% CI]=2.63 [1.36-5.09], p=0.042), chronic (HR [95% CI]=2.5 [1.03-6.2], p=0.043), and OMT (HR [95% CI]=1.57 [1.12-2.18], p=0.008). Acute-phase TEVAR had higher long-term all-cause mortality than subacute-phase intervention (HR [95% CI]=1.34 [1.03-1.74], p=0.03). Optimal medical therapy had elevated long-term all-cause mortality compared with subacute-phase TEVAR (HR [95% CI]=1.67 [1.25-2.33], p<0.001) and increased long-term aortic-related mortality vs acute-phase (HR [95% CI]=2.08 [1.31-3.31], p=0.002) and subacute-phase (HR [95% CI]=2.6 [1.62-4.18], p<0.01) interventions. No significant differences were observed in aortic re-intervention rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-emptive TEVAR may offer lower all-cause mortality and aortic-related mortality than OMT. Considering lower short-term mortality, perioperative stroke rate, and long-term mortality, our findings support pre-emptive TEVAR during the subacute phase.

CLINICAL IMPACT

The optimal timing of pre-emptive thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for uncomplicated type B aortic dissection remains uncertain. This network meta-analysis suggests that the subacute phase (14-90 days from symptom onset) emerges as the optimal timing for pre-emptive TEVAR. This window is associated with lower rates of short-term complications and higher long-term survival rates compared with alternative strategies.

Impact of Prosthesis-Patient Mismatch After Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data of 122 989 Patients With 592 952 Patient-Years

BACKGROUND

It remains controversial whether prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) impacts long-term outcomes after surgical aortic valve replacement. We aimed to evaluate the association of PPM with mortality, rehospitalizations, and aortic valve reinterventions.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data of studies published by March 2023 (according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). Sixty-five studies met our eligibility criteria and included 122 989 patients (any PPM: 68 332 patients, 55.6%). At 25 years of follow-up, the survival rates were 11.8% and 20.6% in patients with and without any PPM, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 1.16 [95% CI, 1.13-1.18], P<0.001). At 20 years of follow-up, the survival rates were 19.5%, 12.1%, and 8.8% in patients with no, moderate, and severe PPM, respectively (moderate versus no PPM: HR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.06-1.11], P<0.001; severe versus no PPM: HR, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.24-1.35], P<0.001). PPM was associated with higher risk of cardiac death, heart failure-related hospitalizations, and aortic valve reinterventions over time (P<0.001). Statistically significant associations between PPM and worse survival were observed regardless of valve type (bioprosthetic versus mechanical valves), contemporary PPM definitions unadjusted and adjusted for body mass index, and PPM quantification method (in vitro, in vivo, Doppler echocardiography). Our meta-regression analysis revealed that populations with more women tend to have higher HRs for all-cause death associated with PPM.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study suggest that any degree of PPM is associated with poorer long-term outcomes following surgical aortic valve replacement and provide support for implementation of preventive strategies to avoid PPM after surgical aortic valve replacement.

Conservative Versus Surgical Therapy in Patients With Infective Endocarditis and Surgical Indication-Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

BACKGROUND

Infective endocarditis represents a life-threatening disease with high mortality rates. A fraction of patients receives exclusively conservative antibiotic treatment due to their comorbidities and high operative risk, despite fulfilling criteria for surgical therapy. The aim of the present study is to compare outcomes in patients with infective endocarditis and indication for surgical therapy in those who underwent or did not undergo valve surgery.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Three databases were systematically assessed. A pooled analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived reconstructed time-to-event data from studies with longer follow-up comparing conservative and surgical treatment was performed. A landmark analysis to further elucidate the effect of surgical intervention on mortality was carried out. Four studies with 3003 patients and median follow-up time of 7.6 months were included. Overall, patients with an indication for surgery who were surgically treated had a significantly lower risk of mortality compared with patients who received conservative treatment (hazard ratio [HR], 0.27 [95% CI, 0.24-0.31], P<0.001). The survival analysis in the first year showed superior survival for patients who underwent surgery when compared with those who did not at 1 month (87.6% versus 57.6%; HR, 0.31 [95% CI, 0.26-0.37], P<0.01), at 6 months (74.7% versus 34.6%) and at 12 months (73.3% versus 32.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the findings of this study-level meta-analysis, patients with infective endocarditis and formal indication for surgical intervention who underwent surgery are associated with a lower risk of short- and long-term mortality when compared with conservative treatment.

Five Year Results of Endovascular versus Medical Therapy in Acute Type B Aortic Intramural Haematoma: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time to Event Data

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate outcomes in the follow up of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) vs. medical therapy in patients with acute type B aortic intramural haematoma (IMH).

DATA SOURCES

The following sources were searched for articles meeting the inclusion criteria and published by July 2023: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL/CCTR (Cochrane Controlled Trials Register).

REVIEW METHODS

This systematic review with pooled meta-analysis of time to event data followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines, and its protocol was registered on the public platform PROSPERO (CRD42023456222). The following were analysed: overall survival (all cause mortality), aortic related mortality, and restricted mean survival time. Certainty of evidence was evaluated through the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) tool.

RESULTS

Eight studies met the eligibility criteria, including 1 015 patients (440 in the TEVAR group and 575 in the medical therapy group). All studies were observational, and the pooled cohort had a median follow up of 5.1 years. Compared with patients who received medical therapy alone, those who underwent TEVAR had a statistically significantly lower risk of all cause death (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.30 - 0.65; p < .001; GRADE certainty: low), lower risk of aortic related death (HR 0.04, 95% CI 0.01 - 0.31; p = .002; GRADE certainty: low) and lifetime gain (restricted mean survival time was overall 201 days longer with TEVAR; p < .001).

CONCLUSION

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair may be associated with lower risk of all cause and aortic related death compared with medical therapy in patients with acute type B IMH; however, the underlying data are not strong enough to draw robust clinical conclusions. Randomised controlled trials with large sample sizes and longer follow up are warranted to elucidate this question.

Mortality and Heart Transplantation After Hybrid Palliation of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) who are considered at increased risk for death following Norwood/Sano surgery often undergo hybrid palliation (HP) as initial surgery. We aimed to compile the HP experience in HLHS and its variants and assess the rates of, and risk factors for, death and heart transplantation.

METHODS

CINAHL, CINAHL PLUS, PubMed/MEDLINE, and SCOPUS were systematically searched for HP outcome studies of death or heart transplantation in HLHS between 1998 and 2022. Pooled incidence was estimated, and potential risk factors were identified using random-effects meta-analysis and reconstructed time-to-event data from Kaplan-Meier curves.

RESULTS

Thirty-three publications were included in our review. Overall, of 1,162 patients 417 died and 57 underwent heart transplantation, resulting in a combined outcome of 40.7%, (474/1,162). There was a trend toward decreasing mortality risk across the stages of palliation. Pooled mortality between HP and comprehensive stage 2 palliation was 25%, after stage 2 up to Fontan palliation was 16%, and 6% post-Fontan. The incidence of death or heart transplantation was higher in high-risk patients-43% died and 10% received heart transplantation.

CONCLUSION

Our systematic review and meta-analysis found high rates of death or heart transplantation in HP of HLHS patients between HP and Fontan surgeries. All patients should be closely followed during the initial interstage period, which is associated with the highest hazard. Prospective studies on appropriate patient selection, indications, and / or alternatives, as well as refining HP strategies for managing newborns with HLHS are needed to improve outcomes.

Survival outcomes after caudate lobectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Caudate lobectomy (CLB) remains the most effective treatment for caudate lobe hepatocellular carcinoma (CL-HCC). However, there is controversy regarding the survival after CLB. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the survival outcomes following CLB for the treatment of CL-HCC.

METHODS

In line with PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines, a search for all eligible studies was performed. The pooled estimates of survival rates and hazard ratios (HRs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed- or random-effects models.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies comprising 864 patients met the inclusion criteria. The pooled estimates of 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 62.3% and 42.9% respectively and the pooled estimate of 3- and 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were 39.3% and 24.4% respectively. CL-HCC showed inferior OS (HR:1.39, 95% CI: 0.91-1.88, P < 0.001) and RFS (HR:1.33, 95% CI: 1.10-1.56, P < 0.001) than other sites HCC. Isolated CLB showed better OS (HR:0.9, 95% CI:0.39-1.41, p < 0.001) and RFS (HR:0.76, 95% CI: 0.03-1.5, P = 0.04) than combined CLB.

CONCLUSIONS

The survival outcomes for CL-HCC after CLB are lower compared to other sites HCC. Isolated CLB offers better survival outcomes compared to combined CLB. However, choosing isolated or combined approaches should be prioritized according to patient and tumour characteristics.

Valve-Sparing Aortic Root Replacement With Reimplantation vs Remodeling: A Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Long-term outcomes of valve-sparing aortic root replacement (VSARR) with reimplantation vs remodeling in patients undergoing aortic root surgery remains a controversial subject.

METHODS

This study was a pooled meta-analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived data from comparative studies published by December 31, 2022.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies met our eligibility criteria, comprising 3044 patients (1991 in the reimplantation group and 2018 in the remodeling group). Patients who underwent VSARR with remodeling had a higher risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.54; 95% CI, 1.16-2.03; P = .002, log-rank test P < .001). Landmark analysis (with 4 years as the landmark time point) demonstrated that survival was lower in patients who underwent VSARR with remodeling (HR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.43-3.24; P < .001) in the first 4 years. Beyond the 4-year time point, no difference in survival was observed (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.72-1.50; P = .822). The risk for need of aortic valve and/or root reintervention was higher in patients undergoing VSARR with remodeling (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.07-2.07; P = .019, log-rank test P < .001). We did not find statistically significant coefficients for the covariates of age, female sex, connective tissue disorders, bicuspid aortic valve, aortic dissection, coronary bypass surgery, total arch replacement, or annular stabilization, which means that these covariates did not modulate the effects observed in our pooled analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

VSARR with reimplantation is associated with better overall survival and lower risk of need for reintervention over time compared with VSARR with remodeling. Regarding overall survival, we observed a time-varying effect that favored the reimplantation technique up to 4 years of follow-up, but not beyond this time point.

Assessing the Performance of Alternative Methods for Estimating Long-Term Survival Benefit of Immuno-oncology Therapies

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the accuracy and consistency of established methods of extrapolating mean survival for immuno-oncology (IO) therapies, the extent of any systematic biases in estimating long-term clinical benefit, what influences the magnitude of any bias, and the potential implications for health technology assessment.

METHODS

A targeted literature search was conducted to identify published long-term follow-up from clinical trials of immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Earlier published results were identified and Kaplan-Meier estimates for short- and long-term follow-up were digitized and converted to pseudo-individual patient data using an established algorithm. Six standard parametric, 5 flexible parametric, and 2 mixture-cure models (MCMs) were used to extrapolate long-term survival. Mean and restricted mean survival time (RMST) were estimated and compared between short- and long-term follow-up.

RESULTS

Predicted RMST from extrapolation of early data underestimated observed RMST in long-term follow-up for 184 of 271 extrapolations. All models except the MCMs frequently underestimated observed RMST. Mean survival estimates increased with longer follow-up in 196 of 270 extrapolations. The increase exceeded 20% in 122 extrapolations. Log-logistic and log-normal models showed the smallest change with additional follow-up. MCM performance varied substantially with functional form.

CONCLUSIONS

Standard and flexible parametric models frequently underestimate mean survival for IO treatments. Log-logistic and log-normal models may be the most pragmatic and parsimonious solutions for estimating IO mean survival from immature data. Flexible parametric models may be preferred when the data used in health technology assessment are more mature. MCMs fitted to immature data produce unreliable results and are not recommended.

Time to Benefit of Surgery vs Targeted Medical Therapy for Patients With Primary Aldosteronism: A Meta-analysis

CONTEXT

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is one of the most common causes of secondary hypertension, but the comparative outcomes of targeted treatment remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the clinical outcomes in patients treated for primary aldosteronism over time.

METHODS

Medline and EMBASE were searched. Original studies reporting the incidence of mortality, major adverse cardiovascular outcomes (MACE), progression to chronic kidney disease, or diabetes following adrenalectomy vs medical therapy were selected. Two reviewers independently abstracted data and assessed study quality. Standard meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models to estimate relative differences. Time to benefit meta-analyses were conducted by fitting Weibull survival curves to estimate absolute risk differences and pooled using random-effects models.

RESULTS

15 541 patients (16 studies) with PA were included. Surgery was consistently associated with an overall lower risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 0.34, 95% CI 0.22-0.54) and MACE (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.36-0.84) compared with medical therapy. Surgery was associated with a significantly lower risk of hospitalization for heart failure (HR 0.48 95% CI 0.34-0.70) and progression to chronic kidney disease (HR 0.62 95% CI 0.39-0.98), and nonsignificant reductions in myocardial infarction and stroke. In absolute terms, 200 patients would need to be treated with surgery instead of medical therapy to prevent 1 death after 12.3 (95% CI 3.1-48.7) months.

CONCLUSION

Surgery is associated with lower all-cause mortality and MACE than medical therapy for PA. For most patients, the long-term surgical benefits outweigh the short-term perioperative risks.

Respect Versus Resect Approaches for Mitral Valve Repair: A Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

Mitral valve repair (MVr) has been associated with superior long-term survival and freedom from valve-related complications compared with mitral valve replacement for primary mitral regurgitation (MR). The 2 main approaches for MVr are chordal replacement ("respect approach") and leaflet resection ("resect approach"). We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis using 3 search databases to compare the long-term end points between both approaches. The primary end point was long-term survival. The secondary end points were long-term MR recurrence and reoperation. After reconstruction of time-to-event data for the individual survival analysis, pooled Kaplan-Meier curves for the end points were generated. A total of 14 studies (5,565 patients) were included in the analysis. The respect approach was associated with superior survival compared with the resect approach in the overall sample (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56 to 0.96, p = 0.024, n = 3,901 patients) but not in the risk-adjusted sample (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.82, p = 0.991, n = 620 patients). There was no difference between the approaches in the rate of MR recurrence in the overall sample (HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.92 to 2.08, p = 0.116, n = 1,882 patients) or in the risk-adjusted sample (HR 1.62, 95% CI 0.76 to 3.47, p = 0.211, n = 288 patients). The data for reoperation were only available in the overall sample and did not reveal a difference (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.35, p = 0.663, n = 3,505 patients). In conclusion, the current evidence suggests no difference in long-term mortality, MR recurrence, or reoperation between the resect and respect approaches for MVr after adjusting for patient risk factors. More long-term follow-up data are warranted.

Long-term sex-based outcomes after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection: Meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data

BACKGROUND

The influence of sex on outcomes of surgery for acute type A aortic dissection remains incompletely characterized. We sought to evaluate post-procedural survival in the follow-up of females versus males.

METHODS

We carried out a systematic review with meta-analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived time-to-event data from studies published by June 2023 in the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and CENTRAL/CCTR (Cochrane Controlled Trials Register).

RESULTS

Twelve studies met our eligibility criteria, including 11,696 patients (3753 females; 7943 males). The mean age ranged from 41.2 to 72.6 years with low prevalence of bicuspid aortic valve (ranging from 0.0% to 12.0%) and connective tissue disorders (ranging from 0.8% to 7.3%). We found a considerable prevalence of coronary artery disease (ranging from 12.1% to 21.1%) and malperfusion (ranging from 20.0% to 46.3%). At 10 years, females undergoing surgery had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality compared with males (HR 1.25, 95%CI 1.14-1.38, P ​< ​0.001).

CONCLUSION

In the follow-up of patients undergoing surgery for type A aortic dissection, females presented poorer overall survival in comparison with males.

Long-Term Outcomes of Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Versus Redo Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement: Meta-Analysis of Kaplan-Meier-Derived Data

Valve-in-valve (ViV) transcatheter aortic valve implantation (ViV-TAVI) in patients with failed bioprostheses arose as an alternative to redo surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). To evaluate all-cause mortality in ViV-TAVI versus redo-SAVR, we performed a study-level meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data from Kaplan-Meier curves of nonrandomized studies published by August 2023. A total of 16 studies met our eligibility criteria, with a total of 4,373 patients (2,204 patients underwent ViV-TAVI and 2,169 patients underwent redo-SAVR). Pooling all the studies, ViV-TAVI showed a lower risk of all-cause mortality in the first 6 months (hazard ratio [HR] 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46 to 0.73, p <0.001), with an HR reversal after this time point favoring redo-SAVR (HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.58 to 2.33, p <0.001). Pooling only the matched populations (which represented 64.6% of the overall population), ViV-TAVI showed a lower risk of all-cause mortality in the first 6 months (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.73, p <0.001], with a reversal after 6 months favoring redo-SAVR (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.25 to 1.93, p <0.001). The meta-regression analyses revealed a modulating effect of the following covariates: age, coronary artery disease, history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and implanted valves <25 mm. In conclusion, ViV-TAVI is associated with better survival immediately after the procedure than redo-SAVR; however, this primary advantage reverses over time, and redo-SAVR seems to offer better survival at a later stage. Because these results are pooled data from observational studies, they should be interpreted with caution, and randomized controlled trials are warranted.

Effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on time to outcome in type 2 diabetes cardiorenal outcome trials

INTRODUCTION

In randomized controlled trials (RCTs), treatment effects are commonly reported as hazard ratio, a measure often misinterpreted as a relative risk reduction. The acceleration factor (AF) indicates the extent to which a treatment increases/decreases the time before the occurrence of an outcome and gives useful insights in the interpretation of trials' results.

METHODS

Using individual time-to-event data reconstructed from Kaplan-Meier plots, we estimated AFs for the primary outcomes (POs) and all-cause mortality in glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-is) cardiorenal outcome trials in subjects with type 2 diabetes.

RESULTS

AFs were estimated from 28 Kaplan-Meier plots of 19 RCTs. Compared to placebo, most GLP1-RAs increased the time before the onset of POs (from 9 % to 59 %) and all-cause mortality (from 8 to 13 %). Similarly, SGLT2-is increased time before the onset of POs (from 19 % to 87 %) and all-cause mortality (from 13 % to 42 %).

CONCLUSIONS

The AFs provide a complementary and easier-to-interpret measure of treatment effect that could be useful to improve the shared decision-making.

Cost-utility analysis of sacituzumab govitecan versus chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer in Singapore

OBJECTIVE

To assess the cost-effectiveness of sacituzumab govitecan for treating relapsed or refractory metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in Singapore.

METHODS

A three-state partitioned survival model was developed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of sacituzumab govitecan from a healthcare system perspective over 5 years. Clinical inputs were obtained from the ASCENT trial. Health state utilities were retrieved from the literature and direct costs were sourced from public healthcare institutions in Singapore. Sensitivity and scenario analyses were conducted to explore the impact of uncertainties and assumptions on cost-effectiveness results.

RESULTS

Compared with single-agent chemotherapy, sacituzumab govitecan was associated with a base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of S$328,000 (US$237,816) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that the ICER was most sensitive to the cost of sacituzumab govitecan and progression-free utility values. Regardless of variation in these parameters, the ICER remained high, and a substantial price reduction was required to reduce the ICER.

CONCLUSION

At its current price, sacituzumab govitecan does not represent a cost-effective treatment for relapsed or refractory metastatic TNBC in Singapore. Our findings will be useful to inform funding decisions alongside other factors including clinical effectiveness, safety, and budget impact considerations.

Very Long-term Outcome of Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery in Diabetic Patients: A Systematic Review and Reconstructed Time-To-Event Meta-analysis

The benefits of single (SITA) and bilateral internal thoracic arteries (BITA) in diabetics undergoing coronary bypass grafting (CABG) are conflicting. We undertook a study-level meta-analysis to compare early and long-term outcomes of both CABG configurations. PubMed, CENTRAL, and EMBASE were searched for studies comparing BITA versus SITA for isolated CABG surgery in diabetics. Randomized trials or observational studies were considered eligible for the analysis. Kaplan-Meier curves of long-term survival were reconstructed and compared with Cox linear regression; incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for long-term survival were calculated. Landmark analysis and time-varying hazard ratio (HR) were analyzed. Odds ratios (OR) were extracted for early mortality, postoperative stroke, deep sternal wound infection (DSWI), and myocardial infarction (MI). A random effects meta-analysis was performed. Sensitivity analyses included leave-one-out-analyses and meta-regression. Thirteen studies (7332 patients) were included. Overall, at 20-year follow-up, BITA was associated with higher survival (HR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.71-0.84; P < 0.0001). Time-varying HR and landmark analysis reported BITA was associated with a higher rate of 10-year survival (HR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.68-0.82, P < 0.0001), while from 10 to 20-year follow-up no difference was revealed (HR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.82-1.19, P = 0.93). There was no increase in early mortality, postoperative MI, stroke, or DSWI between the groups. At meta-regression, the higher the age, the higher the long-term overall survival in patients with BITA. In diabetics, the BITA approach is associated with improved 10-year survival with no increase in early mortality, MI, stroke, or DSWI. In the 10-20-year timeframe, BITA and SITA showed comparable survival.

Long-Term Outcomes of Ross Procedure versus Mechanical Aortic Valve Replacement: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-To-Event Data

In the era of lifetime management of aortic valve disease, the Ross procedure emerged as an alternative to prosthetic heart valves for young adults; however, more long-term data are warranted. We performed a meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data to compare long-term outcomes between the Ross procedure and mechanical aortic valve replacement (mAVR) in young adults. PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and GoogleScholar were searched for studies comparing Ross procedure with mAVR that reported mortality/survival rates and/or reoperation rates accompanied by at least one Kaplan-Meier curve for any of the outcomes. Six observational studies (5 with propensity score matching) including 5024 patients (Ross: 1737; mAVR: 3287) met our inclusion criteria. Patients who underwent Ross had a significantly lower risk of mortality in the overall population (HR 0.38, 95%CI 0.30-0.49, P<0.001; median follow-up of 7.2 years) and in the propensity score matched cohorts (HR 0.55, 95%CI 0.42-0.73, P<0.001; median follow-up of 10.2 years); however, the incidence function for the cumulative risk of reoperation was higher for the Ross procedure (HR 1.91, 95%CI 1.36-2.70, P<0.001; median follow-up of 9.3 years). Data from observational studies suggest that the Ross procedure is associated with lower all-cause mortality compared with mAVR; however, there is a higher risk of reoperation. Besides serving as basis to inform patients about benefits and risks involved in this choice, these results call for further randomized clinical trials to determine whether the Ross procedure can achieve its potential benefits in young patients in need of AVR.

Late Outcomes of Surgery Versus Medical Therapy in Patients With Type A Aortic Intramural Hematoma: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

The effect of an initial surgical approach (in comparison with initial medical therapy) in acute type A intramural hematoma remains insufficiently explored. We designed a pooled analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived individual patient data from studies with follow-up for overall survival (all-cause death). Restricted mean survival time was calculated to evaluate lifetime gain or loss. The Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tool (ROBINS-I) was used to assess risk of bias. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was applied to assess certainty of evidence. Eight studies met our eligibility criteria, including a total of 654 patients (311 patients treated with surgery and 343 patients treated with medical therapy alone). All the studies were non-randomized and observational. The median follow-up was 4.6 years (interquartile range 1.0 to 7.7). Patients who underwent surgery had a significantly lower risk of mortality compared with patients receiving medical therapy alone (hazard ratio 0.51, 95% confidence interval 0.35 to 0.74, p <0.001). The restricted mean survival time was overall 1.1 years greater with surgery compared with medical therapy, and this difference was statistically significant (p <0.001), which means that surgery is associated with lifetime gain. The overall risk of bias (ROBINS-I) was considered moderate-to-serious and the certainty of evidence (GRADE) was deemed to be low. In conclusion, in the overall follow-up, surgery as the initial approach was associated with better late survival and lifetime gain in comparison with medical therapy alone in the setting of acute type A aortic intramural hematoma; however, high-quality randomized trials are warranted to establish the efficacy of the surgical strategy.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair for hyperacute, acute, subacute and chronic type B aortic dissection: Meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data

Since the optimal timing for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in the context of type B aortic dissections (TBAD) remains an open question, we performed a systematic review with meta-analysis to evaluate outcomes of TEVAR according to the phases of TBAD - hyperacute, acute, subacute and chronic. We carried out a pooled meta-analysis of time-to-event data extracted from studies published by June 2023 for the following outcomes: all-cause mortality, aortic-related mortality, and late aortic reinterventions. Thirteen studies met our eligibility criteria, comprising 4,793 patients (10.3 % hyperacute, 51.9 % acute, 25.9 % subacute, 11.9 % chronic). Considering the overall population, we observed a statistically significant difference between the groups (Log-rank test, P < 0.0001) and the main differences were found in the following comparisons: hyperacute versus acute (HR 1.61; 95 %CI 1.21-2.13; P = 0.001); hyperacute versus chronic (HR 1.70; 95 %CI 1.17-2.46; P = 0.005); subacute versus acute (HR 0.78; 95 %CI 0.63-0.98; P = 0.032). Considering the population with uncomplicated TBAD, we also observed a statistically significant difference for all-cause death between the groups (Log-rank test, P < 0.0001) and the main differences were found in the comparisons for subacute versus acute (HR 0.72; 95 %CI 0.58-0.88; P = 0.002). Furthermore, we observed statistically significant differences between the groups for aortic-related death (Log-rank test, P < 0.0001) and late aortic reintervention (Log-rank test, P < 0.0001), all favoring mostly the subacute phase as the optimal timing for TEVAR. In conclusion, there seems to be a timing-specific difference in the outcomes of TEVAR for TBAD pointing to the subacute phase as the optimal timing to achieve better long-term outcomes.

Late Survival After Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With Balloon- Versus Self-Expandable Valves: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

Valve-in-valve (ViV) transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with failed bioprostheses arose as an alternative to redo surgical aortic valve replacement. There is an increasing interest in exploring the differences between self-expanding valves (SEVs) and balloon-expandable valves (BEVs). Our study aimed to evaluate the all-cause mortality in ViV-TAVI with SEV versus BEV in patients with failed bioprostheses. We performed a study-level meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data from Kaplan-Meier curves of studies published by March 30, 2023. A total of 5 studies met our eligibility criteria and included 1,454 patients who underwent ViV-TAVI (862 with SEV and 592 with BEV). Almost all BEVs were iterations of the Edwards BEVs (SAPIEN, SAPIEN XT, and SAPIEN 3) and almost all SEVs were iterations of the Medtronic SEVs (CoreValve/Evolut). During the first year after ViV-TAVI, 67 deaths (11.8%) occurred in patients treated with BEV compared with 92 deaths (11.1%) in patients treated with SEV (hazard ratio 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 1.27, p = 0.632). At 8 years of follow-up, the all-cause death was not statistically significantly different between the groups, with mortality rates of 65.4% in the group treated BEV and 58.8% in the group treated with SEV (hazard ratio 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.75 to 1.09, p = 0.302). The restricted mean survival time was overall 0.25 years greater with SEV than BEV, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.278), which indicates no lifetime gain or loss with SEV in comparison with BEV. There seems to be no difference in terms of all-cause death in ViV-TAVI with SEV versus BEV. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to validate our results.

Comparing outcomes between coronary artery bypass grafting and percutaneous coronary intervention in octogenarians with left main or multivessel disease

Mechanisms of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) differ as CABG provides surgical collateralization and may prolong life by preventing future myocardial infarctions (MI). However, CABG benefits are unclear in octogenarians, where surgical risk is often perceived as higher and PCI is chosen more liberally. We performed a meta-analysis of studies comparing outcomes in octogenarians with left main or multivessel disease who underwent CABG or PCI. Primary outcome was late mortality (> 5 years). Secondary outcomes were perioperative mortality, MI, re-revascularization (R-R), acute renal failure (ARF), and stroke. Fourteen studies with 17,942 patients were included. CABG was associated with lower late mortality (hazard ratio, HR: 1.23, 95% confidence interval: CI 1.05-1.44, p < 0.01). In the pooled Kaplan-Meier analysis CABG showed significantly lower risk of death in the follow-up compared to PCI (HR: 1.08, 95%CI 1.02-1.41, p = 0.005). Landmark analyses confirmed the survival advantage of CABG over PCI after 21.5 months of follow-up (HR: 1.31, 1.19-1.44, p < 0.0001), but suggested advantage of PCI over CABG in the first 30-days (HR: 0.72, 0.64-0.82, p < 0.0001) and comparable survival from 1 to 21.5 months (HR: 0.98, 0.92-1.05, p = 0.652). We found lower risk for MI and R-R after CABG but higher perioperative mortality and no differences in ARF and stroke. CABG appears superior to PCI over time in octogenarians with complex CAD. This survival advantage is associated with fewer events of MI and R-R; however, it comes with an increased risk in perioperative mortality.

External validity of the PRECISE-DAPT score in patients undergoing PCI: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

To summarize the totality of evidence validating the Predicting Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Stent Implantation and Subsequent Dual Antiplatelet Therapy (PRECISE-DAPT) score, ascertaining its aggregate discrimination and validation power in multiple population subsets.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We searched electronic databases from 2017 (PRECISE-DAPT proposal) up to March 2023 for studies that reported the occurrence of out-of-hospital bleedings according to the PRECISE-DAPT score in patients receiving DAPT following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used as summary statistics and were calculated using a random-effects model. Primary and secondary endpoints were the occurrence of any and major bleeding, respectively. A total of 21 studies and 67 283 patients were included; 24.7% of patients (N = 16 603) were at high bleeding risk (PRECISE-DAPT score ≥25), and when compared to those at low bleeding risk, they experienced a significantly higher rate of any out-of-hospital bleeding (OR: 2.71; 95% CI: 2.24-3.29; P-value <0.001) and major bleedings (OR: 3.51; 95% CI: 2.71-4.55; P-value <0.001). Pooling data on c-stat whenever available, the PRECISE-DAPT score showed a moderate discriminative power in predicting major bleeding events at 1 year (pooled c-stat: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.64-0.77).

CONCLUSION

This systematic review and meta-analysis confirms the external validity of the PRECISE-DAPT score in predicting out-of-hospital bleeding outcomes in patients on DAPT following PCI. The moderate discriminative ability highlights the need for future improved risk prediction tools in the field.

Catheter Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia After MI: A Reconstructed Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

Background

The prognostic impact of ventricular tachycardia (VT) catheter ablation is an important outstanding research question. We undertook a reconstructed individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing ablation to medical therapy in patients developing VT after MI.

Methods

We systematically identified all trials comparing catheter ablation to medical therapy in patients with VT and prior MI. The prespecified primary endpoint was reconstructed individual patient assessment of all-cause mortality. Prespecified secondary endpoints included trial-level assessment of all-cause mortality, VT recurrence or defibrillator shocks and all-cause hospitalisations. Prespecified subgroup analysis was performed for ablation approaches involving only substrate modification without VT activation mapping. Sensitivity analyses were performed depending on the proportion of patients with prior MI included.

Results

Eight trials, recruiting a total of 874 patients, were included. Of these 874 patients, 430 were randomised to catheter ablation and 444 were randomised to medical therapy. Catheter ablation reduced all-cause mortality compared with medical therapy when synthesising individual patient data (HR 0.63; 95% CI [0.41-0.96]; p=0.03), but not in trial-level analysis (RR 0.91; 95% CI [0.67-1.23]; p=0.53; I2=0%). Catheter ablation significantly reduced VT recurrence, defibrillator shocks and hospitalisations compared with medical therapy. Sensitivity analyses were consistent with the primary analyses.

Conclusion

In patients with postinfarct VT, catheter ablation reduces mortality.

Endovascular Treatment of Type A Aortic Dissection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Using Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

OBJECTIVE

The undisputed gold standard of treatment for type A aortic dissections (TAAD) is open surgery. Anecdotal reports have assessed thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) as a last resort for highly selected candidates. The present study aims to evaluate endovascular outcomes in TAAD patients who are unsuitable for open surgery whilst having TEVAR-compatible aortic anatomy.

METHODS

A PRISMA-compliant systematic search of the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was performed up to 19 May 2022. Time-to-event data were reconstructed using Kaplan-Meier curves from the source literature.

RESULTS

In 20 eligible studies, 311 patients underwent TEVAR for acute, subacute, or chronic TAAD. Mean age at the time of the operation was 60.70 ± 8.00 years and 75.48% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 60.33-88.46%) of the included patients were males. Mean operative time was 169.40 ± 30.70 min. Overall, 0.44% (95% CI, 0.00-4.83%) of the cases were converted to salvage open surgery. Technical failure, stroke, and endoleaks occurred in 0.22%, 0.1%, and 8.52% of the cohort, respectively. Thirty-day postoperative complication rate was 7.08% (95% CI, 1.52-14.97%), whereas late complications developed in 16.89% (95% CI, 7.75-27.88%) of the patients. One-, three-, and five-year survival rates were estimated at 87.15%, 82.52% and 82.31%, respectively. Reintervention was required in 8.38% of the cohort over a mean follow-up of 32.40 ± 24.40 months.

CONCLUSIONS

TEVAR seems to be feasible in highly selected patients with TAAD who cannot tolerate open surgery. Overcoming technical limitations and acquiring long-term data are warranted to safely define the place of endovascular treatment in the armamentarium of TAAD repair.

Impact of periprocedural myocardial injury after transcatheter aortic valve implantation on long-term mortality: a meta-analysis of Kaplan-Meier derived individual patient data

Background

Periprocedural myocardial injury (PPMI) frequently occurs after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), although its impact on long-term mortality is uncertain.

Methods

We performed a pooled analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived individual patient data to compare survival in patients with and without PPMI after TAVI. Flexible parametric models with B-splines and landmark analyses were used to determine PPMI prognostic value. Subgroup analyses for VARC-2, troponin, and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB)-defined PPMI were also performed.

Results

Eighteen observational studies comprising 10,094 subjects were included. PPMI was associated with lower overall survival (OS) after two years (HR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.30-1.65, p < 0.01). This was also observed when restricting the analysis to overall VARC-2-defined PPMI (HR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.07-1.40, p < 0.01). For VARC-2 PPMI criteria and VARC-2 troponin-only, higher mortality was restricted to the first 2 months after TAVI (HR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.31-2.07, p < 0.01; and HR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.05-1.67, p = 0.02, respectively), while for VARC-2 defined CK-MB-only the increase in mortality was confined to the first 30 days (HR = 7.44, 95% CI 4.76-11.66, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

PPMI following TAVI was associated with lower overall survival compared with patients without PPMI. PPMI prognostic impact is restricted to the initial months after the procedure. The analyses were consistent for VARC-2 criteria and for both biomarkers, yet CK-MB was a stronger prognostic marker of mortality than troponin.

Midterm Survival of Low-Risk Patients Treated With Transcatheter Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

Background We performed a meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and propensity-score matched (PSM) studies comparing transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement (TAVR versus SAVR) to evaluate midterm outcomes in patients considered low risk for SAVR. Methods and Results Study-level meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data from Kaplan-Meier curves of RCTs and PSM studies published by December 31, 2022 was conducted. Eight studies (3 RCTs, 5 PSM studies) met our eligibility criteria and included 5444 patients; 2639 patients underwent TAVR, and 2805 patients underwent SAVR. TAVR showed a higher risk of all-cause mortality at 8 years of follow-up (hazard ratio [HR] 1.22, [95% CI, 1.03-1.43], P=0.018). Up to 2 years of follow-up, TAVR was not inferior to SAVR (HR, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.89-1.31], P=0.448); however, we observed a statistically significant difference after 2 years with higher mortality with TAVR (HR, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.14-2.00]; P=0.004). This difference was driven by PSM studies; our sensitivity analysis showed a statistically significant difference between TAVR and SAVR when we included only PSM studies (HR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.16-1.72], P=0.001) but no statistically significant difference when we included only RCTs (HR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.69-1.16], P=0.398). Conclusions In comparison with TAVR, SAVR appeared to be associated with improved survival beyond 2 years in low-risk patients. However, the survival benefit of SAVR was observed only in PSM studies and not in RCTs. The addition of data from ongoing RCTs as well as longer follow-up in previous RCTs will help to confirm if there is a difference in mid- and long-term survival between TAVR versus SAVR in the low-risk population.

Instantaneous wave free ratio vs. fractional flow reserve and 5-year mortality: iFR SWEDEHEART and DEFINE FLAIR

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Guidelines recommend revascularization of intermediate epicardial artery stenosis to be guided by evidence of ischaemia. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) and instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) are equally recommended. Individual 5-year results of two major randomized trials comparing FFR with iFR-guided revascularization suggested increased all-cause mortality following iFR-guided revascularization. The aim of this study was a study-level meta-analysis of the 5-year outcome data in iFR-SWEDEHEART (NCT02166736) and DEFINE-FLAIR (NCT02053038).

METHODS

Composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and its individual components [all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), and unplanned revascularisation] were analysed. Raw Kaplan-Meier estimates, numbers at risk, and number of events were extracted at 5-year follow-up and analysed using the ipdfc package (Stata version 18, StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA).

RESULTS

In total, iFR and FFR-guided revascularization was performed in 2254 and 2257 patients, respectively. Revascularization was more often deferred in the iFR group [n = 1128 (50.0%)] vs. the FFR group [n = 1021 (45.2%); P = .001]. In the iFR-guided group, the number of deaths, MACE, unplanned revascularization, and MI was 188 (8.3%), 484 (21.5%), 235 (10.4%), and 123 (5.5%) vs. 143 (6.3%), 420 (18.6%), 241 (10.7%), and 123 (5.4%) in the FFR group. Hazard ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] estimates for MACE were 1.18 [1.04; 1.34], all-cause mortality 1.34 [1.08; 1.67], unplanned revascularization 0.99 [0.83; 1.19], and MI 1.02 [0.80; 1.32].

CONCLUSIONS

Five-year all-cause mortality and MACE rates were increased with revascularization guided by iFR compared to FFR. Rates of unplanned revascularization and MI were equal in the two groups.

Midterm Outcomes of Endovascular vs. Medical Therapy for Uncomplicated Type B Aortic Dissection: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time to Event Data

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) vs. medical therapy in uncomplicated type B aortic dissections (TBAD).

DATA SOURCES

PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, SciELO, LILACS, CENTRAL/CCTR, Google Scholar, and reference lists of relevant articles.

REVIEW METHODS

This was a pooled meta-analysis of time to event data extracted from studies published by December 2022 for the following outcomes: all cause mortality, aortic related mortality, and late aortic interventions. Certainty of evidence was evaluated through the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) tool.

RESULTS

Ten studies met the eligibility criteria (eight observational; two randomised trials), comprising 17 906 patients (2 332 patients in the TEVAR groups and 15 574 patients in the medical therapy group). Compared with patients who received medical therapy, patients who underwent TEVAR had a statistically significantly lower risk of all cause death (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.72 - 0.87, p < .001; GRADE certainty: low) and lower risk of aortic related death (HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.30 - 0.62, p < .001; GRADE certainty: low) without statistically significant difference in the risk of late aortic interventions (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.88 - 1.26, p = .56; GRADE certainty: low). In the subgroup analyses, TEVAR was associated with lower risk of all cause death when randomised controlled trials only were pooled (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.23 - 0.83, p = .012; GRADE certainty: moderate), younger patients only (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.47 - 0.67, p < .001; GRADE certainty: low), Western populations only (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77 - 0.93, p = .001; GRADE certainty: low) and non-Western populations only (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.35 - 0.62, p < .001; GRADE certainty: low). For all cause mortality and aortic related mortality, restricted mean survival time was overall 396 days and 398 days longer with TEVAR (p < .001), respectively, which means that TEVAR was associated with lifetime gain.

CONCLUSION

TEVAR may be associated with better midterm survival and lower risk of aortic related death in the follow up of patients treated for uncomplicated TBAD compared with medical therapy; however, randomised controlled trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow up are still warranted.

Comparative cardiovascular outcomes of novel drugs as an addition to conventional triple therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF): a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Currently, there is no head-to-head comparison of novel pharmacological treatments for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). A network meta-analysis aimed to compare effects of both conventional and alternative drug combinations on time to develop primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalisation (PCO).

METHODS

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from Medline, Scopus up to June 2021. The RCTs were included if comparing any single or combination of drugs, that is, ACE inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers (BB), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA), ivabradine (IVA), angiotensin receptor blocker/neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), soluble guanylyl cyclase and omecamtiv mecarbil and reporting PCO. Data were extracted from Kaplan-Meier curves, individual patient data were generated. A mixed-effect Weibull regression was applied. Median time to PCO, HRs with 95% CI were estimated accordingly. Our findings suggested that ACEI+BB+MRA+SGLT2i, BB+MRA+ARNI, and ACEI+BB+MRA+IVA had lower probability of PCOs than the conventional triple therapy (ACEI+BB+MRA).

RESULTS

Median time to PCOs of ACEI+BB+MRA was 57.7 months whereas median times to those new combinations were longer than 57.7 months. In addition, the three new regimens had a significantly lower PCO risks than ACEI+BB+MRA, with the HRs (95% CI) of 0.51 (0.43 to 0.61), 0.55 (0.46 to 0.65) and 0.56 (0.47 to 0.67), accordingly.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested that SGLT2i, ARNI and IVA in addition to ACEI+BB+MRA may be better in prolonging time to develop PCO in HFrEF patients.

Dealing With Nonproportional Hazards in Coronary Revascularisation Studies

The Cox proportional hazards model is one of the most popular statistical tools to model time to event outcomes without the need for specifying the hazards or survival time distributions. The Cox model requires that the ratio of the hazards of the occurrence of the outcome for any 2 individuals remains constant during the entire follow-up. Studies comparing coronary revascularisation strategies, however, might be prone to violations of proportionality by the crossing of the hazard functions over time. Early increases in the risk of cardiovascular outcomes are commonly observed when comparing coronary artery bypass grafting vs percutaneous coronary intervention, whereas decreased risk might be observed later during the follow-up. The same is valid for comparisons between invasive vs conservative coronary revascularisation strategies. In these situations, the statistical power of the Cox model is reduced, and hazard ratios might not be an informative summary measure of treatment effect. In this article, we discuss methods to identify and account for nonproportionality. We illustrate the use of these methods in a case study based on reconstructed data from a coronary revascularisation clinical trial. And finally, we review the cardiovascular literature to estimate how the proportionality assumption has been reported in coronary revascularisation studies recently.

Long-Term Outcomes of Open Versus Endovascular Treatment for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis With Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

BACKGROUND

The advent of endovascular techniques has revolutionized the care of patients with uncomplicated abdominal aortic aneurysms. This analysis compares the overall survival and the freedom from reintervention rate between open surgical repair (OSR) and endovascular repair (EVAR) in patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair.

METHODS

PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases were searched for studies including patients who underwent either OSR or EVAR for uncomplicated AAA. All randomized controlled trials and propensity-score-matched cohort studies reporting on the outcomes of interest were considered eligible for inclusion. The systematic search of the literature was performed by 2 independent investigators in accordance with the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. We conducted 1-stage and 2-stage meta-analyses with Kaplan-Meier-derived time-to-event data and meta-analysis with a random-effects model.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies met our eligibility criteria, incorporating 13 409 and 13 450 patients in the OSR and EVAR arms, respectively. Patients who underwent open repair had improved overall survival rates compared with those who underwent EVAR (hazard ratio [HR]=0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.88-0.98, p=0.004) during a mean follow-up of 53.8 (SD=29.8) months and this was validated by the 2-stage meta-analysis (HR=0.89, 95% CI=0.8-0.99, p=0.03, I2=62.25%). Splitting timepoint analysis suggested that EVAR offers better survival outcome compared with OSR in the first 11 months following elective intervention (HR=1.37, 95% CI=1.22-1.54, p<0.0001), while OSR offers a significant survival advantage after the 11-month timepoint and up to 180 months (HR=0.84, 95% CI=0.8-0.89, p<0.0001). Similarly, freedom from reintervention was found to be significantly better in EVAR patients (HR=1.28, 95% CI=1.14-1.44, p<0.0001) within the first 30 days. After the first month postrepair, however, OSR demonstrated higher freedom-from-reintervention rates compared with EVAR that remained significant for up to 168 months during follow-up (HR=0.73, 95% CI=0.66-0.79, p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the first-year survival advantage of EVAR in patients undergoing elective AAA repair, OSR was associated with a late survival benefit and decreased risk for reintervention in long-term follow-up.

CLINICAL IMPACT

Open surgical repair for uncomplicated abdominal aortic aneurysm offers better long-term outcomes in terms of survival and freedom from reintervention rate compared to the endovascular approach but in the first year it carries a higher risk of mortality. The novelty of our study lies that instead of comparing study-level effect estimates, we analyzed reconstructed individual patient-level data. This offered us the opportunity to perform our analyses with mathematically robust and flexible survival models, which was proved to be crucial since there was evidence of different hazard over time. Our findings underline the need for additional investigation to clarify the significance of open surgical repair when compared to the latest endovascular devices and techniques within the evolving era of minimally invasive procedures.

Late outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in bicuspid versus tricuspid valves: Meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data

Based on previous meta-analyses including immediate/1-year results, individuals with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) stenosis can undergo TAVI with similar outcomes as those with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV), but with higher rates of periprocedural complications. The widespread belief is that BAV patients would have poor results in comparison with TAV patients after TAVI over time. Therefore, we performed a systematic review with meta-analysis with reconstructed time-to-event data of studies published by January 2022 to compare late outcomes of patients with BAV versus TAV who underwent TAVI. This approach reconstructs individual patient data (IPD) based on the published Kaplan-Meier graphs. Ten studies met our eligibility criteria, including 9,071 patients with BAV and 171,070 patients with TAV. Patients with BAV had a significantly lower risk of mortality (HR 0.70, 95%CI 0.65-0.77, P<0.001), however, this result was driven by populations in which the risk score was statistically significantly lower in the BAV group (HR 0.69, 95%CI 0.63-0.76, P<0.001) and by populations in which the BAV group was statistically significantly younger (HR 0.72, 95%CI 0.64-0.81, P<0.001). In patients with selected BAV anatomy deemed favorable for TAVI, we did not find worse survival over time in comparison with patients with TAV; however, the follow-up beyond 1 year remains limited in the studies and we need more investigation for specific bicuspid anatomies with longer follow-up. Most importantly, randomized controlled trials including exclusively BAV patients treated with TAVI versus SAVR are warranted.

Prognostic value of positron emission tomography derived myocardial flow reserve: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)-derived myocardial flow reserve (MFR) has been shown to have a role in the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the body of literature and synthesize the evidence on the prognostic role of PET-derived MFR in patients with known or suspected CAD.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search of the Medline database from its inception to August 2023, in humans, in any language, was conducted for clinical studies examining the prognostic value of PET imaging in patients of any age, sex, and CAD status. Systematic screening and data extraction of the identified studies were followed by quantitative meta-analysis of PET-MFR's role in predicting adverse clinical events using random effect model. Studies were appraised using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa tool.

RESULTS

A total of 21 studies assessing the prognostic role of PET derived MFR in 46,815 patients with known and/or suspected CAD were included (mean (SD) age 66 (4) years, 48% women). The mean follow-up duration was 36 months (range 10-96). Cardiovascular risk factors were prevalent (73% hypertension, 35% diabetes and 67% dyslipidemia). The definition of the composite outcome varied between studies, with various combinations of mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, hospitalization, and coronary revascularization. Pooled impaired MFR was significantly associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes (RR = 2.94, 95% CI 2.42-3.56, p < 0.001). Results were similar in a subgroup of patients with suspected CAD.

CONCLUSIONS

The available body of evidence shows that impaired PET-derived MFR measured using different tracers and PET systems is strongly associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Limitations of this review include observational nature of studies, marked heterogeneity in patient populations, inconsistency in thresholds to define abnormal MFR, and differing components for the composite outcome.

Long-Term Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Aortic Root Replacement With Mechanical Versus Bioprosthetic Valves: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

Background An aspect not so clear in the scenario of aortic surgery is how patients fare after composite aortic valve graft replacement (CAVGR) depending on the type of valve (bioprosthetic versus mechanical). We performed a study to evaluate the long-term outcomes of both strategies comparatively. Methods and Results Pooled meta-analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived time-to-event data from studies with follow-up for overall survival (all-cause death), event-free survival (composite end point of cardiac death, valve-related complications, stroke, bleeding, embolic events, and/or endocarditis), and freedom from reintervention. Twenty-three studies met our eligibility criteria, including 11 428 patients (3786 patients with mechanical valves and 7642 patients with bioprosthetic valve). The overall population was mostly composed of men (mean age, 45.5-75.6 years). In comparison with patients who underwent CAVGR with bioprosthetic valves, patients undergoing CAVGR with mechanical valves presented no statistically significant difference in the risk of all-cause death in the first 30 days after the procedure (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24 [95% CI, 0.95-1.60]; P=0.109), but they had a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality after the 30-day time point (HR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.81-0.99]; P=0.039) and lower risk of reintervention (HR, 0.33 [95% CI, 0.24-0.45]; P<0.001). Despite its increased risk for the composite end point in the first 6 years of follow-up (HR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.09-1.82]; P=0.009), CAVGR with mechanical valves is associated with a lower risk for the composite end point after the 6-year time point (HR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.31-0.67]; P<0.001). Conclusions CAVGR with mechanical valves is associated with better long-term outcomes in comparison with CAVGR with bioprosthetic valves.

Secondary cytoreduction in platinum sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer: an individual patient level meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize the role of secondary cytoreduction in recurrent ovarian cancer from the results of randomized studies.

METHODS

We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials which compared secondary cytoreductive surgery versus no surgery in patients with platinum sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer. Individual patient data for overall survival and progression free survival were manually extracted from published survival curves, for whole study populations and subgroups based on completeness of surgical resection and bevacizumab use, using WebPlotDigitizer software. Overall survival and progression free survival curves for each study and the combined population were reconstructed from extracted data.

RESULTS

Three studies with 1249 patients were included, of whom complete resection was achieved in 427 (34.2%) patients. In individual patient data analysis of the whole study population with 562 deaths, there was no significant difference in overall survival between the surgery and no surgery groups (median 52.8 vs 52.1 months, respectively, hazard ratio (HR) 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80 to 1.11; p=0.5) but the surgery group had significantly longer progression free survival compared with the no surgery group (median 18.3 vs 14.4 months, respectively, HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.80; p<0.001). In subgroup analyses, overall survival was significantly longer in the complete cytoreduction subgroup compared with the no surgery group (median 62.0 vs 52.1 months, respectively, HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.92; p<0.001) while overall survival was significantly worse in the incomplete cytoreduction subgroup compared with the no surgery group (median 34.2 vs 52.1 months, respectively, HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.14; p<0.001). In the no bevacizumab subgroup, there was no significant overall survival difference between the surgery and no surgery groups (median 49.3 vs 47.0 months, HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.10; p=0.25).

CONCLUSIONS

Secondary cytoreductive surgery among women with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer did not lead to significant benefit in overall survival although it increased progression free survival. However, overall survival was significantly longer among patients in whom complete cytoreduction was possible compared with no surgery.

Long-term outcomes of valve-sparing aortic root versus composite aortic valve graft replacement for aortic root aneurysm: Meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of valve-sparing aortic root replacement (VSARR) versus composite aortic valve graft replacement (CAVGR) for aortic root aneurysms.

METHODS

Meta-analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived time-to-event data from studies with follow-up including propensity-score matching or propensity-score adjustment.

RESULTS

Six studies met our eligibility criteria, comprising 3215 patients (1770 patients treated with VSARR and 1445 patients with CAVGR). We observed a statistically significant difference for overall survival favoring VSARR (HR 0.63, 95%CI 0.49-0.82, P ​= ​0.001), but no statistically significant difference in the risk of reoperation (HR 0.77, 95%CI 0.51-1.14, P ​= ​0.187) in the overall follow-up. Landmark analyses revealed that, in the first 10 years after the procedure, reoperation rates were comparable between VSARR and CAVGR (HR 0.96, 95%CI 0.62-1.48, p ​= ​0.861), but the results beyond 10 years showed improved rates of freedom from reoperation in patients undergoing VSARR (HR 0.10, 95%CI 0.01-0.78; p ​= ​0.027).

CONCLUSION

VSARR seems to confer better long-term survival and lower risk of reoperation in the follow-up of patients treated for aortic root aneurysm when compared with CAVGR.

Time to Benefit of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors Among Patients With Heart Failure

Importance

Emerging evidence has consistently demonstrated that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce the risk of heart failure (HF) hospitalization and cardiovascular (CV) death among patients with HF. However, it remains unclear how long a patient needs to live to potentially benefit from SGLT2 inhibitors in this population.

Objectives

To estimate the time to benefit from SGLT2 inhibitors among patients with HF.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This comparative effectiveness study systematically searched PubMed for completed randomized clinical trials about SGLT2 inhibitors and patients with HF published until September 5, 2022; 5 trials with the year of publication ranging from 2019 to 2022 were eventually included. Statistical analysis was performed from April to October 2022.

Intervention

Addition of SGLT2 inhibitors or placebo to guideline-recommended therapy.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the time to first event of CV death or worsening HF, which was broadly comparable across the included trials.

Results

Five trials consisting of 21 947 patients with HF (7837 [35.7%] were female; mean or median age older than 65 years within each trial) were included. SGLT2 inhibitors significantly reduced the risk of worsening HF or CV death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.77 [95% CI, 0.73-0.82]). Time to first nominal statistical significance (P < .05) was 26 days (0.86 months), and statistical significance was sustained from day 118 (3.93 months) onwards. A mean of 0.19 (95% CI, 0.12-0.35) months were needed to prevent 1 worsening HF or CV death per 500 patients with SGLT2 inhibitors (absolute risk reduction [ARR], 0.002). Likewise, 0.66 (95% CI, 0.43-1.13) months was estimated to avoid 1 event per 200 patients with SGLT2 inhibitors (ARR, 0.005), 1.74 (95% CI, 1.07-2.61) months to avoid 1 event per 100 patients (ARR, 0.010), and 4.96 (95% CI, 3.18-7.26) months to avoid 1 event per 50 patients (ARR, 0.020). Further analyses indicated a shorter time to benefit for HF hospitalization and among patients with diabetes or HF with reduced ejection fraction.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this comparative effectiveness research study of estimating the time to benefit from SGLT2 inhibitors among patients with HF, a rapid clinical benefit in reducing CV death or worsening HF was found, suggesting that their use may be beneficial for most individuals with HF.

Association of Laparoscopic Surgery with Improved Perioperative and Survival Outcomes in Patients with Resectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis from Propensity-Score Matched Studies

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have associated laparoscopic surgery with better overall survival (OS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). The potential benefits of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) over open liver resection (OLR) have not been demonstrated in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCC).

METHODS

A systematic review of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases was performed to search studies comparing OS and perioperative outcome for patients with resectable iCC. Propensity-score matched (PSM) studies published from database inception to May 1, 2022 were eligible. A frequentist, patient-level, one-stage meta-analysis was performed to analyze the differences in OS between LLR and OLR. Second, intraoperative, postoperative, and oncological outcomes were compared between the two approaches by using a random-effects DerSimonian-Laird model.

RESULTS

Six PSM studies involving data from 1.042 patients (530 OLR vs. 512 LLR) were included. LLR in patients with resectable iCC was found to significantly decrease the hazard of death (stratified hazard ratio [HR]: 0.795 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.638-0.992]) compared with OLR. Moreover, LLR appears to be significantly associated with a decrease in intraoperative bleeding (- 161.47 ml [95% CI - 237.26 to - 85.69 ml]) and transfusion (OR = 0.41 [95% CI 0.26-0.69]), as well as with a shorter hospital stay (- 3.16 days [95% CI - 4.98 to - 1.34]) and a lower rate of major (Clavien-Dindo ≥III) complications (OR = 0.60 [95% CI 0.39-0.93]).

CONCLUSIONS

This large meta-analysis of PSM studies shows that LLR in patients with resectable iCC is associated with improved perioperative outcomes and, being conservative, yields similar OS outcomes compared with OLR.

Knowledge-based mechanistic modeling accurately predicts disease progression with gefitinib in EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is associated with a low survival rate at advanced stages. Although the development of targeted therapies has improved outcomes in LUAD patients with identified and specific genetic alterations, such as activating mutations on the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR), the emergence of tumor resistance eventually occurs in all patients and this is driving the development of new therapies. In this paper, we present the In Silico EGFR-mutant LUAD (ISELA) model that links LUAD patients' individual characteristics, including tumor genetic heterogeneity, to tumor size evolution and tumor progression over time under first generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib. This translational mechanistic model gathers extensive knowledge on LUAD and was calibrated on multiple scales, including in vitro, human tumor xenograft mouse and human, reproducing more than 90% of the experimental data identified. Moreover, with 98.5% coverage and 99.4% negative logrank tests, the model accurately reproduced the time to progression from the Lux-Lung 7 clinical trial, which was unused in calibration, thus supporting the model high predictive value. This knowledge-based mechanistic model could be a valuable tool in the development of new therapies targeting EGFR-mutant LUAD as a foundation for the generation of synthetic control arms.

Endocardial-Epicardial Catheter Ablation Versus Endocardial Catheter Ablation Alone for Ventricular Arrhythmia in Patients With Structural Heart Disease (Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data)

Endocardial-epicardial (Endo-epi) catheter ablation (CA) has been shown to reduce the rate of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) ablation in patients with structural heart disease (SHD). However, the effectiveness of this technique compared with endocardial (Endo) CA alone remains uncertain. This meta-analysis aims to compare the effectiveness of Endo-epi versus Endo alone in reducing the risk of VA recurrence in patients with SHD. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register with a comprehensive strategy. We used reconstructed time-to-event data to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for VA recurrence accompanied by at least one Kaplan-Meier curve for ventricular tachycardia recurrence. Our meta-analysis included 11 studies with a total of 977 patients. Endo-epi had a significantly lower risk of VA recurrence compared with those treated with Endo alone (HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.57, p <0.001). Subgroup analysis based on the type of cardiomyopathy revealed that patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) benefited significantly from Endo-epi in reducing the risk of VA recurrence (HR 0.835, 0.55 to 0.87, p <0.021). However, there was no significant difference with non-ICM (HR 0.440, 0.55 to 0.87, p <0.33). The analysis of conditional survival showed that patients who remained free of VA recurrence for 5 years after the procedure had a very low probability of developing VA recurrence thereafter. In conclusion, Endo-epi CA is more effective than Endo CA alone in reducing the risk of VA recurrence in patients with SHD, especially those with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and ICM.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Chronic Kidney Disease: Meta-Analysis of Reconstructed Time-to-Event Data

BACKGROUND

Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) are a challenging and understudied population. Specifically, the late outcomes following surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with CKD remains uncertain.

OBJECTIVES

To compare overall mortality risk in patients with moderate-to-severe CKD following TAVI versus SAVR.

METHODS

Study-level meta-analysis of reconstructed time-to-event data from Kaplan-Meier curves of studies published by August 2022.

RESULTS

Nine studies met our inclusion criteria. Patients who underwent TAVI had a higher 5-year mortality compared with patients undergoing SAVR in the overall population (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.44-1.69, P<0.001) and in populations with similar risk scores (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.01-1.31, P=0.035). The landmark analysis revealed a lower risk of 30-day mortality with TAVI (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.41-0.94, P=0.023), followed by similar risk until 7.5 months (HR 1, 95% CI 0.78-1.27, P=0.978). In contrast, the landmark analysis beyond 7.5 months yielded a reversal of the HR in favor of SAVR (TAVI with HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.08-1.49 P=0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with CKD, TAVI provides an initial survival benefit over SAVR. However, in the long run, a significant survival benefit of SAVR over TAVI was observed. Our findings highlight the need for randomized controlled trials to investigate outcomes in this special population.

Projected clinical benefits of dapagliflozin in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Aims: To address the projected clinical benefits of dapagliflozin among patients with heart failure (HF) with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: A multicenter, prospective, cohort study of patients ≥50 years admitted with HF to Spanish internal medicine departments. The projected clinical benefits of dapagliflozin were calculated from the DELIVER trial. Results: A total of 4049 patients were included; 3271 (80.8%) were eligible for dapagliflozin treatment, according to DELIVER criteria. Within 1 year after discharge, 22.2% were rehospitalized for HF and 21.6% died. Implementation of dapagliflozin would translate into an absolute risk reduction of 1.3% for mortality and 5.1% for HF readmission. Conclusion: HF patients with preserved or mildly reduced ejection fraction have a high risk of events. The use of dapagliflozin could substantially reduce the HF burden.

Projected effectiveness of dapagliflozin in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in clinical practice

Aim: To estimate the projected effectiveness of dapagliflozin in subjects with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction in clinical practice in Spain. Materials & methods: This multicenter cohort study included subjects aged 50 years or older consecutively hospitalized for HF in internal medicine departments in Spain. The projected clinical benefits of dapagliflozin were estimated based on results from the DAPA-HF trial. Results: A total of 1595 patients were enrolled, of whom 1199 (75.2%) were eligible for dapagliflozin. Within 1 year after discharge, 21.6% of patients eligible for dapagliflozin were rehospitalized for HF and 20.5% died. Full implementation of dapagliflozin led to an absolute risk reduction of 3.5% for mortality (number needed to treat = 28) and 6.5% (number needed to treat = 15) for HF readmission. Conclusion: Treatment with dapagliflozin in clinical practice may markedly reduce mortality and readmissions for HF.

Benefits of dapagliflozin in the whole spectrum of heart failure in clinical practice: the RICA registry

Aims: To determine the projected benefits of dapagliflozin after an acute heart failure (HF) event in Spain. Methods: A multicenter and prospective study that included subjects aged 50 years or older consecutively admitted with HF to internal medicine departments in Spain. The projected clinical benefits of dapagliflozin were calculated via pooled analysis of the DAPA-HF and DELIVER trials. Results: A total of 5644 subjects were analyzed, of whom 79.2% were eligible for dapagliflozin, according to criteria of the DAPA-HF and DELIVER trials. Full implementation of dapagliflozin would imply a 1-year absolute risk reduction of 2.3% for death (number needed to treat = 43) and 5.7% (number needed to treat = 17) for HF rehospitalization. Conclusion: Treatment with dapagliflozin could significantly reduce HF burden in clinical practice.