Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:With an increasing demand for critical care expertise and limitations in intensivist availability, innovative staffing models, such as the utilization of advanced practice providers (APPs), have emerged. OBJECTIVES/UNASSIGNED:The purpose of the study was to compare patient outcomes between APP and housestaff teams in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). METHODS/UNASSIGNED:This retrospective study, spanning March 2022 to July 2023, compares patient characteristics and outcomes between two CICU teams embedded in the same CICU at a large urban academic hospital: one staffed by housestaff and the other by APPs (80% physician assistants, 20% nurse practitioners) who each had approximately 1 to 2 years of experience in the CICU. The primary outcome was CICU mortality. Multivariable Cox regression analyses and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to assess the primary outcome. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED: < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Our moderately sized study demonstrated no difference in CICU or in-hospital mortality between patients managed by a housestaff team versus those managed by an APP team.

BACKGROUND:Whether revascularisation (REV) improves outcomes in patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease (3V-CAD) is uncertain. AIMS/OBJECTIVE:Our objective was to evaluate outcomes with REV (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] or coronary artery bypass graft surgery [CABG]) versus medical therapy in patients with 3V-CAD. METHODS:ISCHEMIA participants with 3V-CAD on coronary computed tomography angiography without prior CABG were included. Outcomes following initial invasive management (INV) with REV (PCI or CABG) versus initial conservative management (CON) with medical therapy alone were evaluated. Regression modelling was used to estimate the outcomes if all participants were to undergo prompt REV versus those assigned to CON. Outcomes were cardiovascular (CV) death/myocardial infarction (MI), death, CV death, and quality of life. Bayesian posterior probability for benefit (Pr [benefit]) for 1 percentage point lower 4-year rates with REV versus CON were evaluated. RESULTS:Among 1,236 participants with 3V-CAD (612 INV/624 CON), REV was associated with lower 4-year CV death/MI (adjusted 4-year difference: -4.4, 95% credible interval [CrI] -8.7 to -0.3 percentage points, Pr [benefit]=94.8%) when compared with CON, with similar results for PCI versus CON (-5.8, 95% CrI: -10.8 to -0.5 percentage points, Pr [benefit]=96.4%) and CABG versus CON (-3.7, 95% CrI: -8.8 to 1.5 percentage points, Pr [benefit]=84.7%). Adjusted 4-year REV versus CON differences were as follows: death -1.2 (95% CrI: -4.7 to 2.2) percentage points, CV death -2.3 (95% CrI: -5.5 to 0.8) percentage points, with similar results for PCI and for CABG. The Pr (benefit) for death with REV (PCI or CABG) versus CON was 49-63%. The adjusted 12-month Seattle Angina Questionnaire-7 summary score differences favoured REV: REV versus CON 4.6 (95% CrI: 2.7-6.4) percentage points; PCI versus CON 3.6 (95% CrI: 1.2-5.8) percentage points and CABG versus CON 4.3 (95% CrI: 1.5-6.9) percentage points with high Pr (benefit). CONCLUSIONS:In participants with 3V-CAD, REV (either PCI or CABG) was associated with a lower 4-year CV death/MI rate and improved quality of life, with similar results for PCI versus CON and CABG versus CON. The differences in all-cause mortality between REV and CON were small with wide confidence intervals. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01471522).

BACKGROUND:It is uncertain whether the efficacy and safety of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in patients with high bleeding risk (HBR) vary according to DAPT duration and stent type (e.g., durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DP-DESs), biodegradable polymer DESs (BP-DESs), or polymer-free drug-coated stents (PF-DCSs)). We aimed to study the stent type and DAPT duration appropriate for patients with HBR. METHODS:PubMed and EMBASE were searched until October 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving patients with HBR that compared standard DAPT (6-12 months) with DP- or BP-DES versus short DAPT (≤3 months) with DP- or BP-DES or PF-DCS or bare-metal stent (BMS) were identified. The primary efficacy outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), defined as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke. The primary safety outcome was major bleeding. Secondary outcomes included MI and stent thrombosis (ST). We performed a network meta-analysis using a random effects model. RESULTS:Thirteen RCTs with a total of 19,418 patients with HBR were included. Compared to standard DAPT with DP-DES, short DAPT with BMS was associated with a higher risk of MACE and MI. For major bleeding, short DAPT strategies were associated with a lower risk than standard DAPT strategies (e.g. short DAPT with DP-DES versus standard DAPT with DP-DES; HR[95% CI]: 0.48[0.28-0.82]). Interestingly, the use of BP-DES was associated with a higher risk of ST than DP-DES (e.g. standard DAPT with BP-DES versus short DAPT with DP-DES; HR[95% CI]: 2.65[1.03-6.79]). CONCLUSIONS:In patients with HBR who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, a short DAPT strategy with DP-DES should be used since it offers the best combination of efficacy and safety.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS/OBJECTIVE:Patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) commonly present with a significantly reduced cardiac index (CI). However, the identification of this more severe profile requires invasive hemodynamic monitoring. Whether inferior vena cava (IVC) contrast reflux, as a marker of worse right ventricular function, can predict invasive hemodynamics has not been explored. METHODS:This was a single-center retrospective study over a 3-year period of consecutive patients with PE undergoing mechanical thrombectomy and simultaneous pulmonary artery catheterization. CT pulmonary angiograms were reviewed, and contrast reflux was graded as no/minimal reflux (limited to the IVC) or substantial (opacification including hepatic veins) based on an established scale. RESULTS:were 62.6 %, 93.1 %, 94.6 %, and 56.2 %, respectively. These findings remained significant in a multivariable model and were similar when isolating for intermediate-risk patients (n = 72, 85 %). CONCLUSIONS:The degree of contrast reflux is highly specific for a reduced cardiac index in PE even when isolating for intermediate-risk patients. Real-time prediction of a hemodynamic profile may have added value in the risk-stratification of PE.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:The ISCHEMIA trial (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) demonstrated greater health status benefits with an initial invasive strategy, as compared with a conservative one, for patients with chronic coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia. Whether these benefits vary globally is important to understand to support global adoption of the results. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:We analyzed participants' disease-specific health status using the validated 7-item Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ: >5-point differences are clinically important) at baseline and over 1-year follow-up across 37 countries in 6 international regions. The average effect of initial invasive versus conservative strategies on 1-year SAQ scores was estimated using Bayesian proportional odds regression and compared across regions. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Considerable regional variation in baseline health status was observed among 4617 participants (mean age=64.4±9.5 years, 24% women), with the mean SAQ summary scores of 67.4±19.5 in Eastern Europe participants (17% of the total), 71.4±15.4 in Asia-Pacific (18%), 74.9±16.7 in Central and South America (10%), 75.5±19.5 in Western Europe (26%), and 78.6±19.2 in North America (28%). One-year improvements in SAQ scores were greater in regions with lower baseline scores with initial invasive management (17.7±20.9 in Eastern Europe and 11.4±19.3 in North America), but similar in the conservative arm. Adjusting for baseline SAQ scores, similar health status benefits of an initial invasive strategy on 1-year SAQ scores were observed (ranging from 2.38 points [95% CI, 0.04-4.50] in North America to 4.66 points [95% CI, 2.46-6.94] in Eastern Europe), with an 88.3% probability that the difference in benefit across regions was <5 points. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:In patients with chronic coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia, initial invasive management was associated with a consistent health status benefit across regions, with modest regional variability, supporting the international generalizability of health status benefits from invasive management of chronic coronary disease. REGISTRATION/UNASSIGNED:URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01471522.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS/OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-derived atherosclerotic plaque analysis in ISCHEMIA. METHODS:Atherosclerosis imaging quantitative computed tomography (AI-QCT) was performed on all available baseline CCTAs to quantify plaque volume, composition, and distribution. Multivariable Cox regression was used to examine the association between baseline risk factors (age, sex, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, ejection fraction, prior coronary disease, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and statin use), number of diseased vessels, atherosclerotic plaque characteristics determined by AI-QCT, and a composite primary outcome of cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction over a median follow-up of 3.3 (interquartile range 2.2-4.4) years. The predictive value of plaque quantification over risk factors was compared in an area under the curve (AUC) analysis. RESULTS:Analysable CCTA data were available from 3711 participants (mean age 64 years, 21% female, 79% multivessel coronary artery disease). Amongst the AI-QCT variables, total plaque volume was most strongly associated with the primary outcome (adjusted hazard ratio 1.56, 95% confidence interval 1.25-1.97 per interquartile range increase [559 mm3]; P = .001). The addition of AI-QCT plaque quantification and characterization to baseline risk factors improved the model's predictive value for the primary outcome at 6 months (AUC 0.688 vs. 0.637; P = .006), at 2 years (AUC 0.660 vs. 0.617; P = .003), and at 4 years of follow-up (AUC 0.654 vs. 0.608; P = .002). The findings were similar for the other reported outcomes. CONCLUSIONS:In ISCHEMIA, total plaque volume was associated with cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction. In this highly diseased, high-risk population, enhanced assessment of atherosclerotic burden using AI-QCT-derived measures of plaque volume and composition modestly improved event prediction.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:This study explores the implementation and outcomes of catheter-based thrombectomy (CBT) for acute pulmonary embolism (PE) within a safety-net hospital (SNH), addressing a critical gap in the literature concerning CBT in underserved and vulnerable populations. METHODS:This is a retrospective study of patients undergoing CBT between October 2020 and January 2024 at a SNH. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. RESULTS:A total of 107 patients (47.6 % female, mean age 58.4 years) underwent CBT for acute PE, with 23 (21.5 %) high-risk and 84 (78.5 %) intermediate-risk PE. Demographically, 64 % identified as Black, 10 % White, 19 % Hispanic or Latino, and 5 % Asian. In terms of insurance coverage, 50 % had private insurance or Medicare, 36 % had Medicaid, and 14 % were uninsured. Notably, 67 % of the patients resided in high poverty rate zip codes and 11 % were non-citizen non-residents. Over a median follow up period of 30 days, 6 (5.6 %) patients expired (all high-risk PE), 3 of whom presented with cardiac arrest. No patients who presented with intermediate-risk PE died at 30 days. There was no difference in 30-day mortality based on race, insurance type, poverty level or citizenship status. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Our study findings reveal no disparities in access or outcomes to CBT at our SNH, emphasizing the feasibility and success of implementing PERT and CBT at a SNH, offering a potential model to address healthcare disparities in acute PE on a broader scale.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Radial artery access for coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reduces the risk of death, bleeding, and vascular complications and is preferred over femoral artery access, leading to a class 1 indication by clinical practice guidelines. However, alternate upper extremity access such as distal radial and ulnar access are not mentioned in the guidelines despite randomized trials. We aimed to evaluate procedural outcomes with femoral, radial, distal radial, and ulnar access sites in patients undergoing coronary angiography or PCI. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:PubMed, EMBASE, and clinicaltrials.gov databases were searched for randomized clinical trials that compared at least 2 of the 4 access sites in patients undergoing PCI or angiography. Primary outcomes were major bleeding and access site hematoma. Intention-to-treat mixed treatment comparison meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:From 47 randomized clinical trials that randomized 38 924 patients undergoing coronary angiography or PCI, when compared with femoral access, there was a lower risk of major bleeding with radial access (odds ratio [OR], 0.46 [95% CI, 0.35-0.59]) and lower risk of access site hematoma with radial (OR, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.24-0.48]), distal radial (OR, 0.33 [95% CI, 0.20-0.56]), and ulnar (OR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.31-0.83]) access. However, when compared with radial access, there was higher risk of hematoma with ulnar access (OR, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.03-2.14]). CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Data from randomized trials support guideline recommendation of class 1 for the preference of radial access over femoral access in patients undergoing coronary angiography or PCI. Moreover, distal radial and ulnar access can be considered as a default secondary access site before considering femoral access. REGISTRATION/UNASSIGNED:URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/; Unique identifier: 42024512365.

Cardiometabolic comorbidities, diabetes (DM), hypertension (HTN), and obesity, contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Circulating biomarkers facilitate prognostication for patients with CVD. We explored the relationship between cardiometabolic comorbidity burden in patients with chronic coronary disease (CCD) and biomarkers of myocardial stretch, injury, inflammation, and platelet activity. We analyzed participants from the ISCHEMIA Trials biorepository with plasma biomarkers (NT-proBNP, hs-cTnT, hs-CRP, IL-6, sCD40L, and GDF-15) and clinical risk factors [hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and body mass index (BMI)] at baseline. We defined cardiometabolic comorbidities as DM, HTN, and obesity at baseline. Comorbidity burden characterized by number and severity of comorbidities. Controlled comorbidities were defined as HbA1c <7% for those with DM, SBP <130 mmHg for those with HTN and BMI <30 kg/m². Severely uncontrolled was defined as HbA1c ≥8%, SBP ≥160 mmHg, and BMI ≥35 kg/m². We performed linear regression analyses to examine the association between comorbidity burden and log-transformed biomarker levels adjusting for age, sex, eGFR controlled for hemodialysis, and left ventricular ejection fraction. A total of 752 individuals (mean age 66, 19% female, 84% white) were included in this analysis. Self-reported Black race, current smokers, history of MI and HF had greater cardiometabolic comorbidity burden. The presence of ≥ 1 severely uncontrolled comorbidity was associated with significantly higher baseline levels of hs-cTnT, hs-CRP, IL-6, and GDF-15 compared to participants with no comorbidities. In conclusion, increasing cardiometabolic comorbidity burden in patients with CCD is associated with higher levels of circulating biomarkers of myocardial injury and inflammation.