ROUTINE APPLICATION OF A LIPID-LOWERING TREATMENT ALGORITHM BEFORE DISCHARGE AFTER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION DESIGNED TO TARGET AN LDL-C < 55 MG/DL (1.4 MMOL/L)

The dual role of non-selective beta-blockers in cirrhotic patients: How do we know when Dr Jekyll turns into Mr Hyde?

An Original Risk Score to Predict Early Major Bleeding in Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Background Improved prediction of the risk of early major bleeding in pulmonary embolism (PE) is needed to optimize acute management. Research Question Does a simple scoring system predict early major bleeding in acute PE patients, identifying patients with either high or low probability of early major bleeding? Study Design and Methods From a multicenter prospective registry including 2,754 patients, we performed post hoc multivariable logistic regression analysis to build a risk score to predict early (up to hospital discharge) major bleeding events. We validated the endpoint model internally, using bootstrapping in the derivation dataset by sampling with replacement for 500 iterations. P…

An innovative lipid-lowering approach to enhance attainment of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals

Aims To improve attainment of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c) targets, an expert group proposed an algorithm for lipid-lowering therapy during hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome and during follow-up. We aimed to assess adherence to this algorithm, and evaluate its impact on LDL-c levels and on attainment of therapeutic LDL-c targets in a population of post-acute coronary syndrome patients. Methods and results Prospective, observational study including patients admitted for acute coronary syndrome between February 2017 and September 2018. Patients admitted without statins or ezetimibe were considered ‘naïve’. Baseline LDL-c was admission LDL-c in naïve patients, and for those taking lipid-…

Coronary artery disease: Risk stratification and patient selection for more aggressive secondary prevention.

In patients with stable coronary artery disease, clinical outcomes are predominantly characterized by the consequences of atherosclerosis on the myocardium, but also by complications of atherosclerosis, notably recurrent acute coronary syndrome or stroke. Secondary prevention therapy is therefore key in this patient population. Intensification of secondary prevention therapy is possible, at the price of a therapeutic risk or a high cost, therefore justifying careful selection of patients with a high residual risk and low therapeutic risk. Two lines of therapy can be intensified, independently of each other, namely anti-thrombotics and lipid-lowering agents. Intensification of anti-thromboti…

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lower Extremity Venous Thromboembolism

Importance: Incidence rates for lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) range from 88 to 112 per 100 000 person-years and increase with age. Rates of recurrent VTE range from 20% to 36% during the 10 years after an initial event.Observations: PubMed and Cochrane databases were searched for English-language studies published from January 2015 through June 2020 for randomized clinical trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and observational studies. Risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE), such as older age, malignancy (cumulative incidence of 7.4% after a median of 19 months), inflammatory disorders (VTE risk is 4.7% in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 2.5% in those withou…

End-of-life situations in cardiology: a qualitative study of physicians' and nurses' experience in a large university hospital.

IF 2.335 (2-year Impact Factor); International audience; Background: rofessional societies call for integration of end-of-life discussions early in the trajectory of heart failure, yet it remains unclear where current practices stand in relation to these recommendations. We sought to describe the perceptions and attitudes of caregivers in cardiology regarding end-of-life situations.Methods: e performed a qualitative study using semi-directive interviews in the cardiology department of a university teaching hospital in France. Physicians, nurses and nurses’ aides working full-time in the department at the time of the study were eligible. Participants were asked to describe how they experienc…

Impact of early (&lt;7 days) pacemaker implantation after cardiac surgery on long‐term pacemaker dependency

We aimed to investigate pacemaker dependency after at least 1 year in patients with early (7 days) implantation, compared to those who received a pacemaker ≥7 days after cardiac surgery. Secondary endpoints were length of hospital stay and in-hospital complications.Retrospective analysis of 108 consecutive patients who received a pacemaker after cardiac surgery between 06/2012 and 06/2018. Characteristics and outcomes were compared between patients with early (7 days) and late (≥7 days) implantation. Patients were followed up with evaluation of pacemaker dependency between April and June 2019. We identified predictors of dependency by logistic regression.In total, 63.9% were men, average ag…

Incidence, Predictors, and Impact on Six-Month Mortality of Three Different Definitions of Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury After Coronary Angiography.

We assessed incidence, predictors, and impact on 6-month mortality of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) after coronary angiography with or without percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to 3 different CI-AKI definitions. Serum creatinine (sCr) was assessed at baseline and 48 to 72 hours after procedure to classify patients into 3 CI-AKI groups: Group 1: increase in sCR ≥25% over baseline but absolute increase 25% in the remaining 844 (84.2%). CI-AKI was significantly associated with 6-month all-cause mortality using the definitions for Group 2 (hazard ratio 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5 to 6.6, p = 0.002) and Group 3 …