Spanish heart transplant registry. 36th official report of the Heart Failure Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology.

Introduction And Objectives: This report presents updated data on heart transplants in Spain, including procedures carried out in 2024. It reviews trends over the past decade (2015-2024) in donor and recipient characteristics, surgical techniques, immunosuppression strategies, and survival rates.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Spanish heart transplant registry, which is updated annually.

The European heart failure management resources, treatment reimbursement and activities of professional and patient organizations.

Aims: The European Heart Failure (HF) Survey was developed by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to map HF management resources, reimbursement of drugs/devices for HF treatment, and structure and activities of HF professional and patient organizations.

Methods And Results: The survey encompassed 43 ESC member countries. The median number of hospitals with dedicated HF centres was 2.

Insights into the European heart failure epidemiology.

Aims: The Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), together with the National Heart Failure Societies (NHFS), designed the European Heart Failure (HF) Survey with an aim of assessing contemporary HF epidemiology, management resources, availability and reimbursement of guideline-directed medications and devices, and structure of professional and patient organizations. This document presents data on HF epidemiology.

Methods And Results: The European HF Survey was conducted in 43 ESC member countries.

Right ventricular-pulmonary arterial coupling as a predictor of death or heart failure admission in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation.

Introduction And Objectives: The right ventricular-pulmonary arterial coupling, evaluated by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and pulmonary artery systolic pressure ratio (TAPSE/PASP), has been studied in the prognostic assessment of severe tricuspid regurgitation only in selected populations and mainly in relation to all-cause mortality.

Methods: We retrospectively included all adult patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation who underwent echocardiography at a tertiary care hospital between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017. We investigated the association of TAPSE/PASP, either as a continuous variable or dichotomized at <0.

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: Influence of gender on clinical characteristics, cardiac remodeling and neurohormonal response.

Introduction: It is estimated that 30-50% of patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) are women. This population appears to differ in terms of clinical characteristics, aetiology and treatment optimisation compared to men. Our main objective was to analyse these considerations, the influence of female sex on cardiac remodelling and neurohormonal response, as well as their impact on medium- to long-term prognosis.

Differences in clinical features and 1-year outcomes of patients with heart failure and reduced, mildly reduced, and preserved ejection fraction in a contemporary cohort: is the clinical profile changing?

Aims: To analyze in a contemporary registry of heart failure (HF) patients followed in specialized HF units in Spain, the differences in clinical features, treatment, and 1-year outcomes in HF with reduced, mildly reduced, and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Methods And Results: We analyzed data from the registry of the SEC-Excelente-IC quality accreditation program of the Spanish Society of Cardiology, with 1716 patients with HF included between 2019 and 2021 by 45 specialized HF units accredited by the SEC. Treatment and 1-year mortality, HF hospitalizations and decompensations of HF used were compared according to the type of HF.

Effects of anti-inflammatory therapy in acute heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

We examined current evidence regarding the effects of anti-inflammatory therapies in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) on the risk of cardiovascular outcomes, inflammatory markers, natriuretic peptides, and renal function. Despite growing evidence that inflammation plays a pivotal role in both the development and progression of heart failure, including AHF, only a few trials have been conducted to date in patients with AHF. A systematic literature search of PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.

Prognostic scores in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation: An external validation study.

Background: Four scores have been published in 2022 for assessing mortality risk of patients with tricuspid regurgitation (TR): the TRI-SCORE, those reported by Hochstadt and Wang and the TRIO score. Our objective was to perform an external validation of available scores for predicting mortality and the combined endpoint of mortality and heart failure (HF) admission, in an independent cohort of patients with severe TR and to compare their discriminative ability.

Methods: Discriminative ability of the scores for predicting events was assessed by means of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves.

Comprehensive analysis of clinical characteristics, management, and prognosis in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy discharged from Spanish hospitals.

Objective: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of heart failure (HF) characterized by left ventricular dilatation and systolic dysfunction not explained by abnormal loading conditions. Despite its prevalence, DCM's epidemiology and prognosis remain poorly studied in our country.

Methods: A retrospective observational study encompassed patients discharged from all Spanish public hospitals between 2016 and 2021 diagnosed with DCM.

Embolic myocardial infarction secondary to marantic endocarditis in a patient with ulcerative colitis: case report.

Background: Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is an uncommon and often underdiagnosed condition characterized by a state of hypercoagulability. We present a case of a patient with ulcerative colitis who experienced a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction as a rare complication of NBTE.

Case Summary: We report a case of a 16-year-old male with a history of ulcerative colitis who presented to the emergency department with chest pain at rest.

Safety and Effectiveness of Oral Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation: Real-World Insights Using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning.

We assessed the effectiveness and safety of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) versus direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) using artificial intelligence techniques. This is a retrospective study in 15 Spanish hospitals (2014-2020), including adult AF patients with no history of anticoagulation, thrombosis events, rheumatic mitral valvular heart disease, mitral valve stenosis, or pregnancy. We employed EHRead technology based on natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML), along with SNOMED-CT terminology, to extract clinical data from electronic health records (EHRs).

Influence of patient characteristics and discharge destination on circulatory system diseases readmissions among older heart failure patients.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) prevalence is rising, particularly among older people, constituting a significant cause of hospitalization. Discharge destinations, including nursing homes (NH), play a crucial role in post-hospitalization outcomes but remain underexplored.

Methods: A retrospective study utilizing the Spanish National Health System's Minimum Basic Data Set identified older HF patients (≥75 years) discharged from acute hospitals between 2016 and 2019.

Differential features of Infective endocarditis caused by oral streptococci in the Reina Sofia University Hospital, Córdoba (Spain): 1987-2023 period.

Introduction And Objectives: Infective endocarditis (IE) caused by oral streptococci is considered to be a 'more benign' IE than those caused by other microorganisms. Our aim is to analyse the changes in its incidence and its differential characteristics in our setting.

Methods: Observational, single-centre, prospective cohort study including all cases of IE diagnosed in our centre between 1987 and 2023.

The European Society of Cardiology quality indicators in atrial fibrillation in centers of excellence in Spain: the SEC-EXCELENTE FA registry.

Introduction And Objectives: By 2022, 9 centers had been accredited by the Spanish Society of Cardiology for the atrial fibrillation (AF) process. Our objective was to evaluate the performance of these centers based on the quality indicators (QIs) proposed by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in 2020.

Methods: Adults with AF who were attended in the cardiology departments of participating centers during the second week of May 2019 were included in a retrospective registry (n=797, age 72±11 years, 60% male).

Colchicine in acutely decompensated heart failure: the COLICA trial.

Background And Aims: Acute heart failure (AHF) promotes inflammatory activation, which is associated with worse outcomes. Colchicine has proven effective in other cardiovascular conditions characterized by inflammatory activation, but has never been evaluated in the setting of AHF.

Methods: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial included patients with AHF, requiring ≥40 mg of intravenous furosemide, regardless of their left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and inpatient or outpatient setting.

Clinical profile and outcomes in very elderly patients with atrial fibrillation anticoagulated with rivaroxaban: data from the EMIR study.

Objectives: To analyze the clinical profile, adequacy of treatment with rivaroxaban and outcomes in octogenarians with atrial fibrillation (AF), taking rivaroxaban in clinical practice.

Methods: Observational and non-interventional study that included AF adults recruited from 79 Spanish centers, anticoagulated with rivaroxaban ≥ 6 months before being included. Data were analyzed according to age (≥ 80 .

Impact of the presence and type of cardiovascular disease on the risk of mortality in type 2 diabetic patients: The DIABET-IC trial.

Introduction: All-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality (CVM) risk can be very high in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) with previous cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our objective was to determine this risk among the different clinical spectrum of CVD.

Material And Methods: The DIABET-IC trial is a multicenter, prospective, observational, and analytical study.

Outcomes of patients with heart failure followed in units accredited by the SEC-Excelente-IC quality program according to the type of unit.

Introduction And Objectives: The development of specific heart failure (HF) units has improved the management of patients with this disease due to improved organization and resource management. The Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC) has defined 3 types of HF units (community, specialized, and advanced) based on their complexity and service portfolio. Our aim was to compare the characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of patients with HF according to the type of unit.

Colchicine in acute heart failure: Rationale and design of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial (COLICA).

Aims: Heart failure (HF) elicits a pro-inflammatory state, which is associated with impaired clinical outcomes, but no anti-inflammatory therapies have demonstrated a clinical benefit yet. Inflammatory pathways related with the interleukin-1 axis are overactivated during episodes of acute HF. Colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug with proven benefits in acute pericarditis and ischaemic heart disease, may target this inflammatory response.