0000000000054346
AUTHOR
Mir Abolfazl Ostad
The impact of aircraft noise on vascular and cardiac function in relation to noise event number: a randomized trial
Abstract Aims Nighttime aircraft noise exposure has been associated with increased risk of hypertension and myocardial infarction, mechanistically linked to sleep disturbance, stress, and endothelial dysfunction. It is unclear, whether the most widely used metric to determine noise exposure, equivalent continuous sound level (Leq), is an adequate indicator of the cardiovascular impact induced by different noise patterns. Methods and results In a randomized crossover study, we exposed 70 individuals with established cardiovascular disease or increased cardiovascular risk to two aircraft noise scenarios and one control scenario. Polygraphic recordings, echocardiography, and flow-mediated dila…
Impact of atrial fibrillation/flutter on the in-hospital mortality of ischemic stroke patients.
Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Ischemic strokes, which are caused by atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF), may be more devastating than those that occur without AF.The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of AF on adverse events in hospitalized ischemic stroke patients and to estimate the elevated impact of AF on the occurrence of these adverse events.The nationwide German inpatient sample of the years 2005-2015 was used for this analysis. Ischemic stroke patients were identified by ICD code I63 and stratified by AF. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the impact of AF on adverse in-hospital events and adjusted for age, sex, and comorbiditi…
Sex-specific differences in mortality and the obesity paradox of patients with myocardial infarction ages70 y.
Abstract Objectives Recent studies suggest an obesity survival paradox in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). The aim of this study was to investigate the in-hospital mortality of patients aged ≥70 y with acute MI relative to sex and obesity. Methods We selected patients ≥70 y of age with a diagnosis of acute MI based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code I21 in the nationwide database of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany in 2014. We stratified the patients for sex and obesity versus nonobesity, and obesity classes I, II, and III. We compared the in-hospital mortality of these groups. Results In 2014, 122 607 patients ≥70 y of age were diagnosed with…
Survival Benefit of Obese Patients With Pulmonary Embolism.
To investigate the impact of obesity and underweight on adverse in-hospital outcomes in pulmonary embolism (PE).Patients diagnosed as having PE based on International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, German Modification code I26 in the German nationwide inpatient database were stratified for obesity, underweight, and normal weight/overweight (reference group) and compared regarding adverse in-hospital outcomes.From January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2014, 345,831 inpatients (53.3% females) 18 years and older were included in this analysis; 8.6% were obese and 0.5% were underweight. Obese patients were younger (67.0 vs 73.0 years), were mo…
Impairment of the extrusion transporter for asymmetric dimethyl-L-arginine: a novel mechanism underlying vasospastic angina.
Abstract A 37-year old male patient presented with frequent angina attacks (up to 40/day) largely resistant to classical vasodilator therapy. The patient showed severe coronary and peripheral endothelial dysfunction, increased platelet aggregation and increased platelet-derived superoxide production. The endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-inhibitor N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) reduced superoxide formation in platelets identifying “uncoupled” eNOS as a superoxide source. Oral l -arginine normalized coronary and peripheral endothelial dysfunction and reduced platelet aggregation and eNOS-derived superoxide production. Plasma concentrations of the endogenous NOS inhibito…
Impact of atrial fibrillation on in-hospital mortality of ischemic stroke patients and identification of promoting factors of atrial thrombi – Results from the German nationwide inpatient sample and a single-center retrospective cohort
Abstract Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-recognized risk factor for ischemic stroke. We aimed to investigate the impact of AF on in-hospital mortality of ischemic stroke patients and to identify parameters associated with intra-cardiac thrombogenic material. Patients were selected by screening the nationwide sample for ischemic stroke by ICD-Code (I63), stratified for AF. In this cohort, the association between in-hospital deaths and AF was investigated. In a second study, we performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for various reasons, assigned these to 2 grou…
Sex-specific differences regarding seasonal variations of incidence and mortality in patients with myocardial infarction in Germany
Seasonal variation regarding the incidence and the short-term mortality of acute myocardial infarction (MI) was frequently reported, but data about sex-specific differences are sparse.We analysed the impact of seasons and temperature on incidence and in-hospital mortality of patients with acute MI in Germany between 2005 and 2015.The nationwide sample comprised 3,008,188 hospitalizations of MI patients (2005-2015). The incidence was 334.7/100,000 citizens/year. Incidence inclined from 316.3 to 341.6/100,000 citizens/year (β 0.17 [0.10 to 0.24], P 0.001), while in-hospital mortality rate decreased from 14.1% to 11.3% (β -0.29 [-0.30 to -0.28], P 0.001). Overall, 377,028 (12.5%) patients di…
Monitoring White Blood Cell Mitochondrial Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity: Implications for Nitrate Therapy in Humans
Recent animal data suggest that reduced lipoic acid (LA) prevents oxidative inhibition of the nitrate bioactivating enzyme, the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2), and that pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) does not induce nitrate tolerance because of its intrinsic antioxidative properties, thereby preserving ALDH-2 activity. We sought to determine whether ALDH-2 activity in circulating white blood cells (WBCs) can be used to monitor nitrate tolerance and whether LA can prevent nitroglycerin tachyphylaxis in humans. Eight healthy male volunteers received, in randomized order, a single dose of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN; 0.8 mg), PETN (80 mg), or GTN plus LA (600 mg) orally. GTN (…
Impact of symptomatic atherosclerosis in patients with pulmonary embolism
Atherosclerosis is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Associations between venous thromboembolism and atherosclerosis were recently reported. We aimed to investigate the impact of symptomatic atherosclerosis on adverse outcomes in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and to identify significant differences among patients with PE stratified by symptomatic atherosclerosis.Patients were selected by screening the nationwide inpatients sample for PE (ICD-code I26) stratified by symptomatic atherosclerosis (composite of coronary artery disease [ICD-code I25], myocardial infarction [ICD-code I21], ischemic stroke [ICD-code I63], and/or atherosclerotic arterial diseases [ICD-code …
AT1-receptor blockade with irbesartan improves peripheral but not coronary endothelial dysfunction in patients with stable coronary artery disease
Activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Studies evaluating the effect of AT1-receptor blockers on endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) revealed mixed results. Studies addressing the effects of AT1-receptor blockers on the coronary and peripheral function in the same study population, are still lacking. We therefore aimed to test the effects of long-term therapy with the AT1-receptor blocker irbesartan (IRB) on both, the coronary and peripheral endothelial function in patients with CAD. Seventy-two patients with CAD were randomly assigned to double-blin…
Impact of exaggerated blood pressure response in normotensive individuals on future hypertension and prognosis: Systematic review according to PRISMA guideline
Abstract Purpose Arterial hypertension (aHT) is the leading risk factor for morbidity and mortality worldwide. Blood pressure (BP) deviation at rest is well defined and accompanies risk for cardiovascular events and cardiovascular mortality. A growing body of evidence emphasises that an exaggerated blood pressure response (EBPR) in cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) could help to identify seemingly cardiovascular healthy and normotensive subjects, who have an increased risk of developing aHT and cardiovascular events in the future. Materials and methods The PubMed online database was searched for published studies reporting exercise-related BP and both the risk of aHT and cardiovascula…
Psoriasis and its impact on the clinical outcome of patients with pulmonary embolism
Abstract Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is common and associated with high morbidity and mortality. Although chronic inflammation was not categorized as a traditional risk factor for VTE, chronic inflammation might increase the risk to develop VTE events. While studies confirmed an increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in psoriatic patients, data regarding the influence of psoriasis on patients' cardiovascular profile and on prognosis of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) are sparse. Purpose We aimed to investigate the impact of psoriasis on prognosis of PE patients. Methods Hospitalized PE patients were stratified for psoriasis and the impact of psoriasis on outcome …
Syncope in the German Nationwide inpatient sample – Syncope in atrial fibrillation/flutter is related to pulmonary embolism and is accompanied by higher in-hospital mortality
Syncope is a common phenomenon in the general population. Although most of the causes are of benign origin, some comorbidities are accompanied by high mortality. We aimed to compare the in-hospital mortality of patients with syncope related to different comorbities and investigate the impact of syncope in patients with atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF).The nationwide inpatient sample of Germany of the years 2011-2014 was used for this analysis. Patients with syncope (ICD-code R55) were stratified by presence of selected comorbidities. Additionally, AF patients with and without syncope were compared. Incidence of syncope and in-hospital mortality were calculated. Syncope as a predictor of adv…
Interferon- and ribavirin-free therapy with new direct acting antivirals (DAA) for chronic hepatitis C improves vascular endothelial function.
Abstract Introduction Chronic Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) is associated with extrahepatic manifestations and an increased prevalence in cardiovascular disease. New direct acting antivirals (DAA) have revolutionized HCV treatment with high rates of sustained virological response (SVR). Recently it was demonstrated, that SVR reduces morbidity and overall mortality more than can be solely explained by hepatic effects, suggesting that treatment with DAA also affects cardiovascular disease. The aim of this pilot study was to identify possible underlying mechanisms behind the HCV-associated cardiovascular mortality reported by others. Methods and results 20 HCV patients (10 genotype GT1, 10…
Impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on the outcomes of patients with peripheral artery disease.
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both related with high in-hospital mortality. We aimed to investigate the impact of COPD on the in-hospital outcomes in PAD.PAD patients were selected based on ICD-code I70.2 of the German nationwide database, stratified for COPD and compared regarding adverse in-hospital outcomes.Between 01/2005-12/2015, 5,611,827 inpatients (64.8% males) were diagnosed with PAD; of those, 13.6% were coded additionally with COPD. Overall, 277,894 PAD patients (5.0%) died during in-hospital course. Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer (12.1% vs. 7.0%, P 0.001) was higher in PAD patients with COPD compare…
5-Year Experience of In-Hospital Outcomes After Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure in Germany
The aim of this study was to evaluate 5-year in-hospital trends and safety outcomes of left atrial appendage (LAA) closure in the German nationwide inpatient sample.The safety and efficacy of percutaneous LAA closure have been demonstrated in randomized trials and prospective cohort studies, but results from large samples are missing.Data on patient characteristics and in-hospital safety outcomes for all percutaneous LAA closures performed in Germany between 2011 and 2015 were analyzed. Overall, 15,895 inpatients were included.The annual number of LAA occlusions increased from 1,347 in 2011 to 4,932 in 2015 (β = 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95 to 1.01; p 0.001), with a nonsignifica…
Cyclooxygenase 2-selective and nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs induce oxidative stress by up-regulating vascular NADPH oxidases.
Cyclooxygenase 2-selective inhibitors (coxibs) and nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are associated with an increase in cardiovascular events. The current study was designed to test the effect of coxibs and nonselective NSAIDs on vascular superoxide and nitric oxide (NO) production. mRNA expression of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and of the vascular NADPH oxidases was studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in human endothelial cells. The expression of Nox1, Nox2, Nox4, and p22phox was increased markedly by the nonselective NSAIDs diclofenac or naproxen and moderately by rofecoxib or celecoxib in the aorta and heart of SHR. The up-regulation of NADPH …
Effects of oral niacin on endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease: Results of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled INEF study
High-density-lipoproteins-cholesterol (HDL-C) is invertedly related to the incidence of cardiovascular events. Recent studies suggest that HDL-C directly improves endothelial function. Nicotinic acid (niacin) effectively raises serum HDL-C. We therefore hypothesized that treatment with niacin improves endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). One hundred seven patients with CAD were randomly assigned to double-blinded treatment for 12 weeks with extended-release (ER)-niacin 1000 mg/day (N) or placebo (C), respectively. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, nitroglycerin-mediated endothelium-independent dilation (NMD) and serum lipid concentration…
Temporal Trends in the Prevalence of Infective Endocarditis in Germany Between 2005 and 2014
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially life-threatening disease. Little is known about temporal trends in its prevalence in Germany. In 2009, recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis were deescalated in the revised European Society of Cardiology guideline to include only patients at high risk of IE. We selected patients with the discharge diagnosis of IE based on the International Classification of Diseases code I33 in the nationwide database of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany. We identified 94,364 patients with a diagnosis of IE from January 2005 to December 2014. Mean prevalence was 11.6 per 100,000 citizens per year in this 10-year-period. The annual IE prevalence showe…
Impact of pulmonary embolism on in-hospital mortality of patients with ischemic stroke
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a frequent complication in immobile stroke patients and an important cause of death in stroke patients. We aimed to investigate predictors of PE and the impact of PE on survival of ischemic stroke patients.Patients were selected by screening the German nationwide inpatient sample (2005-2017) for ischemic stroke (ICD-code I63) and stratified for occurrence of PE (ICD-code I26). Impact of PE on mortality and predictors for PE in ischemic stroke patients were analysed.Overall, 2,914,546 patients were hospitalized due to ischemic stroke (50.5% females; 69.3% aged ≥70 years) in Germany 2005-2017. Among these, 0.4% had PE and 7.2% died during hospitalization. In-hospita…
A single loading dose of clopidogrel causes dose-dependent improvement of endothelial dysfunction in patients with stable coronary artery disease: Results of a double-blind, randomized study
Clinical studies have demonstrated beneficial effects for clopidogrel in patients with atherothrombotic disease. Recent in vitro studies identified stimulating effects of clopidogrel on endothelial cells, pointing towards mechanisms of action beyond the inhibition of platelet aggregation. We hypothesized that in vivo use of clopidogrel improves endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Fifty-eight patients with CAD were randomly assigned to double-blinded oral administration of one single dose of clopidogrel 300 mg (C300) or 600 mg (C600), respectively. Endothelial function was assessed by measurement of flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery befor…
Effect of tirofiban on percutaneous coronary intervention-induced endothelial dysfunction in patients with stable coronary artery disease
Recent studies demonstrated that glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists improve endothelial dysfunction of forearm resistance vessels in patients with stable coronary artery disease. However, it remains unclear whether these findings can be extended to the conductance vessel level. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the acute effect of tirofiban on endothelial function of arterial conductance vessels in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Endothelial function was examined by ultrasonographic measurement of flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) of the brachial artery. Endothelium-independent vasodilation was determined in response to nitroglycerin. Sixty-six pa…
Temporal trends and predictors of inhospital death in patients hospitalised for heart failure in Germany.
Abstract Aims We investigated trends in incidence, case fatality rate, patient characteristics and adverse inhospital events of patients hospitalised for heart failure in Germany. Methods and results The German nationwide inpatient sample (2005–2016) was used for this analysis. Patients hospitalised due to heart failure were selected for analysis. Temporal trends in the incidence of hospitalisations, case fatality rate and treatments were analysed and predictors of inhospital death were identified. The analysis comprised a total number of 4,539,140 hospitalisations (52.0% women, 81.0% aged ≥70 years) due to heart failure. Although hospitalisations increased from 381 (2005) to 539 per 100,00…
Impact of Systemic Atherosclerosis on Clinical Characteristics and Short-Term Outcomes in Patients with Deep Venous Thrombosis or Thrombophlebitis
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and atherosclerosis are accompanied by substantial cardiovascular mortality; links between both disease entities were reported. We aimed to investigate the impact of systemic atherosclerosis on adverse outcomes in patients with deep venous thrombosis or thrombophlebitis (DVT) and to identify differences in DVT patients with and without systemic atherosclerosis.The German nationwide inpatient sample was used for this analysis. Patients admitted for DVT were included in this study and stratified by systemic atherosclerosis (composite of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and/or atherosclerotic arterial diseases). We compared DVT patie…
Hypertension is strongly associated with false-positive bicycle exercise stress echocardiography testing results
Exercise echocardiography is a reliable routine test in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. However, in ∼15% of all patients, stress echocardiography leads to false-positive stress echocardiography results. We aimed to investigate the impact of hypertension on stress echocardiographic results.We performed a retrospective study of patients with suspected or known stable coronary artery disease who underwent a bicycle exercise stress echocardiography. Patients with false-positive stress results were compared with those with appropriate results.126 patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease were included in this retrospective study. 23 patients showed false-…
Predictive value of the Kuijer score for bleeding and other adverse in-hospital events in patients with venous thromboembolism
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) constitute a major global burden of disease. Current international guidelines recommend treatment with anticoagulant therapy after VTE for a duration of at least 3 months. Since anticoagulation also imposes an increased risk for bleeding events, the individual risk has to be evaluated to determine adequate treatment plans.The nationwide German inpatient sample of the years 2005-2017 was used for this analysis. Hospitalized VTE patients were stratified according to Kuijer risk class and the performance of the Kuijer score was evaluated to predict adverse in-hospital events.Overall, 1,204,895 VTE patients were treated between 2005 and 2017 in Germany and were incl…
Flow-mediated dilation in patients with coronary artery disease is enhanced by high dose atorvastatin compared to combined low dose atorvastatin and ezetimibe: results of the CEZAR study.
Abstract Background Effects independent from cholesterol reduction on vascular function are considered to importantly contribute to the beneficial effects of statin therapy in cardiovascular disease. We aimed to evaluate the effect of high versus low dose atorvastatin on endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in a setting of comparable cholesterol reduction. Methods and results Fifty-eight patients with CAD were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment for 8 weeks with atorvastatin 80mg per day (A80) or atorvastatin 10mg+ezetimibe 10mg per day (A10E10), respectively. Flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, nitroglycerin-mediated endotheliu…
Sex-specific differences drive temporal trends and outcomes of patients hospitalized for heart failure in Germany
Despite remarkable improvements in treatment of cardiovascular disease, heart failure (HF) is still characterized by high mortality rate. Sex-specific differences in HF have been described, but underlying reasons are widely unexplored.The nationwide German inpatient sample (2005-2016) was used for this sex-specific analyses. Temporal trends on hospitalizations, mortality, and treatments were analysed and independent predictors of adverse outcomes identified.The analysis comprises 4,538,977 hospitalizations due to HF (52.0%women) in Germany (2005-2016). Although women were older (median 82(IQR75-87) vs.76(69-82),P 0.001), coronary artery disease (CAD, 50.3% vs. 30.7%,P 0.001) was more prev…
Incidence of infective endocarditis before and after the guideline modification regarding a more restrictive use of prophylactic antibiotics therapy in the USA and Europe
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially life-threatening disease. Regardless the improvements in IE management, it remains associated with high mortality and severe complications. Staphylococci and streptococci account for 80% of all IE cases. Prevention of IE by appropriate administration of antibiotics before procedures with potential bacteremia in selected patients is recommended according to recent and current guidelines. However, recent studies, have questioned the efficacy of antimicrobial prophylaxis in special situations and in some patient-groups. As a consequence, the guideline of the French working group on IE in 2002, the American Heart Association (AHA) guideline in 2007, …
Risk Factors for Pulmonary Embolism in Patients with Paralysis and Deep Venous Thrombosis
Background. Venous thromboembolism is a frequent complication and an important cause of death in patients with paralysis. We aimed to investigate predictors of pulmonary embolism (PE) and the impact of PE on the survival of patients with paralysis in comparison to those with deep venous thrombosis or thrombophlebitis (DVT). Methods: Patients were selected by screening the German nationwide inpatient sample (2005–2017) for paralysis, and were stratified for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and the VTE-sub-entity PE (ICD-code I26). Impact of PE on mortality and predictors for PE were analyzed. Results: Overall, 7,873,769 hospitalizations of patients with paralysis were recorded in Germany 2005–20…
Impact of concomitant deep or superficial venous thrombosis of the legs on survival of patients with pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a frequent cause of death and morbidity. A few studies suggest that clot burden in pulmonary artery bed is related to PE patients' survival, but the impact of concomitant deep venous thrombosis and/or thrombophlebitis (DVT) on short-term survival of PE patients remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to investigate the impact of DVT on adverse outcomes in PE patients.Patients of the nationwide inpatient sample with PE (ICD-code I26) were stratified for DVT (ICD-code I80) and compared for patient characteristics, risk stratification markers, treatments and outcomes. Impact of concomitant DVT on adverse in-hospital outcomes was tested.Overall, 346,586 PE patients (53.3% fem…
Obesity paradox in peripheral artery disease
Background & aims: Previous studies have suggested an obesity survival paradox in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). We investigated the influence of obesity and underweight on adverse in-hospital outcomes in PAD. Methods: Patients diagnosed with PAD based on ICD-code I70.2 of the German nationwide database were stratified for obesity, underweight and a reference group with normal-weight/over-weight and compared regarding adverse in-hospital outcomes. Results: Between 01/2005-12/2015, 5,611,484 inpatients (64.8% males) were diagnosed with PAD; of those, 8.9% were coded with obesity and 0.3% with underweight. Obese patients were younger (70 (IQR 63/76) vs. 73 (66/80) years, P < 0…
Impact of obesity on adverse in-hospital outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous mitral valve edge-to-edge repair using MitraClip® procedure - Results from the German nationwide inpatient sample
Background and aim: The number of percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral regurgitation (MR) valve repairs with MitraClip® implantations increased exponentially in recent years. Studies have suggested an obesity survival paradox in patients with cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the influence of obesity on adverse in-hospital outcomes in patients with MitraClip® implantation. Methods and results: We analyzed data on characteristics of patients and in-hospital outcomes for all percutaneous mitral valve repairs using the edge-to-edge MitraClip®-technique in Germany 2011–2015 stratified for obesity vs. normal-weight/over-weight. The nationwide inpatient sample comprised 13,563 inpatients under…