Association of Patient Reported Outcomes With Caregiver Burden in Older Patients With Advanced Heart Failure: Insights From the SUSTAIN-IT Study.

Background: Caregivers of patients with advanced heart failure may experience burden in providing care, but whether changes in patient health status are associated with caregiver burden is unknown.

Methods: This observational study included older patients (60-80 years old) receiving advanced surgical heart failure therapies and their caregivers at 13 US sites. Patient health status was assessed using the 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (range, 0-100; higher scores are better).

Association Between Delays in Time to Bystander CPR and Survival for Witnessed Cardiac Arrest in the United States.

Background: Prompt initiation of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is critical to survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, the association between delays in bystander CPR and OHCA survival is poorly understood.

Methods: In this observational study using a nationally representative US registry, we identified patients who received bystander CPR from a layperson for a witnessed OHCA from 2013 to 2021.

Baseline Health Status and its Association With Subsequent Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend optimizing the health status of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) as a primary treatment goal. Whether disease-specific health status is associated with subsequent clinical events is unknown.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between health status and subsequent clinical events among patients with AF.

Health Status and Clinical Outcomes in Older Adults With Chronic Coronary Disease: The ISCHEMIA Trial.

Background: Whether initial invasive management in older vs younger adults with chronic coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia improves health status or clinical outcomes is unknown.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to examine the impact of age on health status and clinical outcomes with invasive vs conservative management in the ISCHEMIA (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) trial.

Methods: One-year angina-specific health status was assessed with the 7-item Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) (score range 0-100; higher scores indicate better health status).

Artificial intelligence-enabled mobile electrocardiograms for event prediction in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) often eludes early diagnosis, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to predict AF from sinus rhythm electrocardiograms (ECGs), but AF prediction using sinus rhythm mobile electrocardiograms (mECG) remains unexplored.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of AI to predict AF events prospectively and retrospectively using sinus rhythm mECG data.

Health Status Outcomes in Older Adults Undergoing Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background Although chronic total occlusions (CTOs) are common in older adults, they are less likely to be offered CTO percutaneous coronary intervention for angina relief than younger adults. The health status impact of CTO percutaneous coronary intervention in adults aged ≥75 years has not been studied. We sought to compare technical success rates and angina-related health status outcomes at 12 months between adults aged ≥75 and <75 years in the OPEN-CTO (Outcomes, Patient Health Status, and Efficiency in Chronic Total Occlusion) registry.

Impact of frailty on disease-specific health status in cardiovascular disease.

Frailty is a syndrome of older age that reflects an impaired physiological reserve and decreased ability to recover from medical stressors. While the impact of frailty on mortality in cardiovascular disease has been well described, its impact on cardiovascular disease-specific health status-cardiac symptoms, physical functioning and quality of life-has been less well studied. In this review, we summarise the impact of frailty on health status outcomes across different cardiovascular conditions.

Alignment of targeted temperature management treatment with patients' mortality risk for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Objective: To examine whether TTM treatment was aligned with predicted mortality risk in patients with resuscitated OHCA during a period when it was a class I guideline-recommended therapy.

Methods: Within the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival for OHCA, we identified adult patients with OHCA who survived to hospital admission and were presumed eligible for TTM. Multivariable models were constructed using pre-hospital variables to predict in-hospital death in patients with shockable and non-shockable rhythms.

Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation results in significant QTc prolongation in the postoperative period.

Background: The corrected QT interval (QTc) is a measure of ventricular repolarization time, and a prolonged QTc increases risk for malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) may increase QTc but its effects have not been well studied.

Objective: Determine the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of patients presenting for PVI in sinus and atrial fibrillation with postoperative QTc prolongation in a large cohort.

Quality Improvement and Public Reporting in STEMI Care.

Mortality rates for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remain high despite development of novel drugs and interventions over the past several decades. There is significant variability between hospitals in use of evidence-based treatments, and substantial opportunities exist to optimize care pathways and reduce disparities in care delivery. Quality improvement interventions implemented at local, regional, and national levels have improved care processes and patient outcomes.