Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2025 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Background: The association between Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and new-onset cardiomyopathy (NOC) is unclear. Objectives: We aim to assess the incidence of NOC in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and its impact on short- and long-term survival. Methods: We retrospectively studied 2219 COVID-19 patients hospitalized between March 2020 and February 2022 who underwent an in-hospital echocardiogram. NOC was defined as a left-ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) reduction of >10%, resulting in an LVEF of <54% for females and <52% for males. The 30-day and 1-year survival outcomes in patients without and with NOC were studied. Results: Among 25,943 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 2219 met our inclusion criteria, with 209 (9.4%) having NOC. NOC patients were more likely to be male (56.1% vs. 68.4%, p = 0.001) and have chronic kidney disease (51.4% vs. 60.3%, p = 0.018). They had a higher 30-day mortality rate (29.1% vs. 32%, p = 0.033), but the 1-year survival rate was similar between the patients without and with NOC (36.9% vs. 41.6%, p = 0.12). Multivariable regression revealed that advanced age, admission to intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation, treatment with glucocorticoids, and treatment with vasopressors were associated with higher odds of 30-day mortality in NOC patients. Only 74 (35.4%) NOC patients had follow-up echocardiograms after discharge, of which 47 showed persistent cardiomyopathy. Conclusions: NOC can affect around 1 out of 10 hospitalized COVID-19 patients undergoing echocardiography. While NOC was associated with worse short-term survival, it did not impact the long-term mortality of these patients. Persistent LVEF deficits in some patients emphasize the need for improved outpatient follow-up to identify at-risk individuals and optimize treatment....
Background/Objectives: Patients hospitalized for de novo heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) may experience improvement in left ventricular function, a phenomenon associated with improved morbidity and mortality outcomes. However, the factors influencing this improvement remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between clinical and therapeutic factors and short-term improvement or recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients hospitalized with newly diagnosed heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted in two referral centers in Spain. All patients admitted with de novo HFrEF between March 2021 and December 2023 were included. Improved myocardial function (HFimpEF) was defined as an initial LVEF ≤ 40% and a follow-up echocardiogram showing LVEF > 40%, with an increase of ≥10 points from baseline. Results: In total, 157 patients (63.3%) met the criteria for HFimpEF. Among the various etiologies of heart failure, significant differences were found between groups for tachycardiomyopathy (HFimpEF: 29.3% vs. non-HFimpEF: 13.1%, p = 0.006), valvular (HFimpEF: 7.6% vs. non-HFimpEF: 1.1%, p = 0.05), and ischemic (HFimpEF: 17.2% vs. non-HFimpEF: 43.9%, p < 0.0001) etiologies. Multivariate analysis showed that non-ischemic etiologies significantly favored myocardial improvement compared to ischemic cardiomyopathy. NT-proBNP values were consistently higher in the non-HFimpEF group at all time points measured with statistically significant differences, except at admission. Event-free survival curves (hospitalization for HF, worsening HF, and all-cause mortality) diverged early, showing statistically significant differences between groups. Conclusions: Overall, 63% of patients hospitalized for de novo HFrEF achieved myocardial improvement within an average of 3–4 months, with improvement favored by valvular and tachycardiomyopathy etiologies. This improvement has a significant prognostic impact....
Background: Hypertension is one of the most common cardiovascular risk factors worldwide. Additionally, epidemiological studies show a worryingly high prevalence of treatment-resistant hypertension. Especially concerning is the frequent co-occurrence of other cardiovascular risk factors, including dyslipidaemia, smoking, and diabetes mellitus. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of arterial hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors in patients aged 50–54 years. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients participating in the Lithuanian High Cardiovascular Risk Primary Prevention Programme. Data were collected from self-report questionnaires, laboratory tests, and clinical assessment. Hypertension was confirmed if systolic blood pressure was ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure was ≥90 mmHg or the patient had been previously diagnosed. Results: In total, 49155 patients—32018 (62.4%) women and 17137 (37.6%) men—were enrolled in this study. A total of 24549 (49.9%) patients were diagnosed with arterial hypertension. The prevalence of non-resistant primary hypertension was 45.9%, while the prevalence of resistant primary hypertension was 4.1%. The prevalence of dyslipidaemia was 92.79% in the non-resistant primary arterial hypertension group and was 94.59% in the resistant primary arterial hypertension group. The prevalence of smoking was higher in the non-resistant primary arterial hypertension group compared to patients with resistant hypertension (22.43% and 17.09%, respectively). A total of 23.06% of patients with resistant primary arterial hypertension had diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: The prevalence of primary arterial hypertension in middle-aged Lithuanians was high, reaching almost 50% in both sexes. Patients tended to have many cardiovascular risk factors simultaneously, with dyslipidaemia being the most common (prevalence > 90%)....
Background: Remote cardiac rehabilitation (RCR) is emerging alternative to outpatient rehabilitation. However, evidence related to its effect on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is limited. Methods: This is a sub-analysis of the RecRCR study, a multi-center, nonrandomized trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of RCR with real-time telemonitoring in patients with CVD, after discharge. The Short-Form Health Survey-8 was employed to evaluate the HRQOL before and 2–3 months after RCR. Based on the improvement of exercise tolerance, the patients were divided into I group (>10% improvement) and NI group (≤10% improvement). Results: Of 57 patients who completed RCR, 31 patients were included for analysis of HRQOL, including 15 (I group) and 16 patients (NI group). The physical (PCS) (45.5 ± 8.0 to 52.5 ± 4.0, p < 0.001) and mental (MCS) component scores (47.5 ± 7.9 to 51.0 ± 5.6, p = 0.005) improved significantly in all populations following RCR. The PCS improved significantly in the I and NI groups, respectively. By contrast, only in the I group, the MCS improved. However, the change in PCS or MCS was not significantly different between the two groups. The increases of MCS significantly associated with days from admission to the beginning of RCR (rs = −0.51, p = 0.007). Conclusions: In multifaced contents of HRQOL, the scores in PCS or MCS changed differently from the change in exercise capacity....
Background/Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effects of a homebased cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR) program via a LINE application on functional capacity and quality of life (QOL) in open-heart surgery patients. Methods: This study involved 54 open-heart surgery patients divided into a control group and an experimental group (27 intervention, 27 control) using pair matching. Participants in the intervention group participated in the HBCR program, while the control group received standard care. Orem’s self-care theory was used as the conceptual framework. Functional capacity was measured via a six-minute walk test and the Duke Activity Status Index, while QOL was measured via the Thai version of the Short Form-36 Survey. Results: The findings from the study reveal that the patients who underwent open-heart surgery in the experimental group had significantly higher functional capacity compared to those in the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the overall QOL of the open-heart surgery patients in the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group, alongside physical functioning, emotional roles, vitality, mental health, social functioning, and general health (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of physical roles and bodily pain (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Using an HBCR program via the LINE application has the potential to enhance the at-home self-care ability of post-open-heart surgery patients, thus improving their functional capacity and QOL....
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