Journal of the American Heart Association
-
Comparative Study
Gender-specific risk factors for peripheral artery disease in a voluntary screening population.
Women have high rates of peripheral artery disease (PAD) despite fewer cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, compared to men. We sought to determine the gender-specific prevalence of low ankle brachial index (ABI) and the relationship to C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and CVD risk factors in the Life Line Screening population. ⋯ Women participating in the Life Line Screening had higher CRP levels and a higher prevalence of PAD, compared to men. Neither higher CRP levels nor conventional CVD risk factors explained the excess prevalence of PAD in women.
-
Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Hospital variation in survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest.
In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is common and often fatal. However, the extent to which hospitals vary in survival outcomes and the degree to which this variation is explained by patient and hospital factors is unknown. ⋯ Significant variability in IHCA survival exists across hospitals, and this variation persists despite adjustment for measured patient factors and within hospital subgroups. These findings suggest that other hospital factors may account for the observed site-level variations in IHCA survival.
-
Onset of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common and costly complication of heart surgery despite major improvements in surgical technique and quality of patient care. The etiology of POAF, and the ability of clinicians to identify and therapeutically target high-risk patients, remains elusive. ⋯ Our results show that MAO is an important determinant of redox balance in human atrial myocardium, and that this enzyme, in addition to GSHt and GPx, is associated with an increased risk for POAF. Further investigation is needed to validate MAO as a predictive biomarker for POAF, and to explore this enzyme's potential role in arrhythmogenesis.
-
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with heart failure (HF) is associated with worse outcomes and is rapidly being recognized as a therapeutic target. To facilitate pragmatic research efforts, data regarding the prognostic importance of noninvasively assessed pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) in stable ambulatory patients with HF are needed. ⋯ Elevated PASP, determined by echocardiography, identifies ambulatory patients with HF at increased risk for adverse events.