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Background: Treatment with short-acting betablockers in septic patients remains controversial. Two recent large multicenter trials have provided additional evidence on this therapeutic approach. We thus performed a meta-analysis, including the most recent data, to evaluate the potential impacts of treatment with short-acting betablockers on mortality in adult septic patients. Methods: The data search included PubMed, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and the Cochrane Library. A meta-analysis of all eligible peer-reviewed studies was performed in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Only randomized, controlled studies with valid classifications of sepsis and intravenous treatment with short-acting betablockers (landiolol or esmolol) were included. Short-term mortality served as the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints included effects on short-term mortality regarding patient age and cardiac rhythm. Results: A total of seven studies summarizing 854 patients fulfilled the predefined criteria and were included. Short-term mortality as well as pooled mortality (longest period of data on mortality) was not significantly impacted by treatment with short-acting betablockers when compared to the reference treatment (Risk difference, − 0.10 [95% CI, − 0.22 to 0.02]; p = 0.11; p for Cochran's Q test = 0.001; I2 = 73%). No difference was seen when comparing patients aged < 65 versus ≥ 65 years (p = 0.11) or sinus tachycardia with atrial fibrillation (p = 0.27). Despite statistical heterogeneity, no significant publication bias was observed. Conclusion: Administration of short-acting betablockers did not reduce short-term mortality in septic patients with persistent tachycardia. Future studies should also provide extensive hemodynamic data to enable characterization of cardiac function before and during treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study assessed the relationship between ß-blockers treatment and in-hospital mortality among individuals diagnosed with heart failure (HF). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out on 9,968 HF patients sourced from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to balance the baseline differences. A multivariate regression analysis was utilized to evaluate the impact of ß-blockers therapy on in-hospital mortality. Results: Among the 9,968 patients, 6,439 (64.6%) were β-blockers users. Before matching, the overall in-hospital mortality rate was 12.2% (1,217/9,968). Following PSM, a total of 3,212 patient pairs were successfully matched. The analysis revealed a correlation between β-blockers therapy and decreased in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 0.51 [0.43-0.60], P < 0.001), as well as shorter Los (length of stay) hospital (β -1.43 [-1.96~-0.09], P < 0.001). Notably, long-acting β-blockers treatment was linked to a decreased risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 0.55 [0.46-0.65], P < 0.001) and a shorter Los hospital (β -1.21 [-1.80~-0.63], P < 0.001). Conversely, the research results did not show a notable decrease inhospital mortality (odds ratio 0.66 [0.44-1.01], P = 0.051) or Los hospital (β -1.01 [-2.2~-0.25], P = 0.117) associated with short-acting β-blocker therapy. Discussion: β-blockers therapy in the intensive care unit demonstrates potential benefits in lowering the risk of in-hospital mortality and reducing the duration of hospitalization among patients with HF. Specifically, long-acting β-blockers exhibit a protective effect by significantly decreasing both in-hospital mortality and Los hospital. Conversely, the study did not observe a substantial impact on inhospital mortality or Los hospital duration in this cohort of patients following the administration of short-acting β-blockers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: According to the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3), sepsis is defined as "life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection". The increased presence of free radicals causes an increase in oxidative stress. Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble vitamin with antioxidant activity and immunoregulatory effects that plays a potential role in the treatment of bacterial infections. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of adding vitamin C to the conventional treatment of sepsis to decrease its mortality rate. Materials and Methods: In a prospective cohort study, we included patients with a diagnosis of sepsis and a SOFA score ≥ 9 who were evaluated in an Intensive Care Unit at a secondary-care hospital. According to the intensive care specialist, they were treated using two different strategies: Group 1—patients with sepsis treated with conventional treatment without vitamin C; Group 2—patients with sepsis with the addition of vitamin C to conventional treatment. Results: We included 34 patients with sepsis. The incidence of mortality was 38%, and 47% of patients used vitamin C as an adjuvant to the basic treatment of sepsis. In the basal analyses, patients treated with use of vitamin C compared to patients treated without vitamin C required less use of glucocorticoids (75% vs. 100%, p = 0.039). At follow-up, patients treated without vitamin C had higher mortality than patients treated with vitamin C as an adjuvant for the treatment of sepsis (55.6% vs. 18.8%, p = 0.03). We observed that the use of vitamin C was a protective factor for mortality in patients with sepsis (RR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.31–0.96, p = 0.03). Conclusions: The use of vitamin C as an adjuvant to treatment decreases the risk of mortality by 46% in patients with sepsis and SOFA ≥ 9 compared to patients treated without vitamin C as an adjuvant to sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The prevalence of hyperdynamic left ventricular (LV) systolic function in septic patients and its impact on mortality remain controversial. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we investigated the prevalence and association of hyperdynamic LV systolic function with mortality in patients with sepsis. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase. Primary outcomes were the prevalence of hyperdynamic LV systolic function in adult septic patients and the associated short-term mortality as compared to normal LV systolic function. Hyperdynamic LV systolic function was defined using LV ejection fraction (LVEF) of 70% as cutoff. Secondary outcomes were heart rate, LV end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), and E/e' ratio. Results: Four studies were included, and the pooled prevalence of hyperdynamic LV systolic function was 18.2% ([95% confidence interval (CI) 12.5, 25.8]; I2 = 7.0%, P < 0.0001). Hyperdynamic LV systolic function was associated with higher mortality: odds ratio of 2.37 [95%CI 1.47, 3.80]; I2 = 79%, P < 0.01. No difference was found in E/e' (P = 0.43) between normal and hyperdynamic LV systolic function, while higher values of heart rate (mean difference: 6.14 beats/min [95%CI 3.59, 8.69]; I2 = 51%, P < 0.0001) and LVEDD (mean difference: − 0.21 cm [95%CI − 0.33, − 0.09]; I2 = 73%, P < 0.001) were detected in patients with hyperdynamic LV systolic function. Conclusion: The prevalence of hyperdynamic LV systolic function is not negligible in septic patients. Such a finding is associated with significantly higher short-term mortality as compared to normal LV systolic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite advances in coronary revascularization and in heart failure management, myocardial infarction survivors remain at substantially increased mortality risk. Precise risk assessment and risk‐adapted follow‐up care are crucial to improve their outcomes. Recently, the fragmented QRS complex, i.e. the presence of additional spikes within the QRS complexes on a 12‐lead electrocardiogram, has been discussed as a potential non‐invasive risk predictor in cardiac patients. Hypothesis: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic meaning of the fragmented QRS complex in myocardial infarction survivors. Methods: 609 patients with narrow QRS complexes <120 ms were included in a prospective cohort study while hospitalized for myocardial infarction and followed for 5 years. Results: The prevalence of the fragmented QRS complex in these patients amounted to 46.8% (285 patients). These patients had no increased hazard of all‐cause death (HR 0.84, 95%–CI 0.45–1.57, p = 0.582) with a mortality rate of 6.0% compared to 7.1% in patients without QRS fragmentations. Furthermore, the risks of cardiac death (HR 1.28, 95%–CI 0.49–3.31, p = 0.613) and of non‐cardiac death (HR 0.6, 95%–CI 0.26–1.43, p = 0.25) were not significantly different in patients with QRS fragmentations. However, patients with QRS fragmentations had increased serum creatine kinase concentrations (1438U/l vs. 1160U/l, p = 0.039) and reduced left ventricular ejection fractions (52% vs. 54%, p = 0.011). Conclusions: The hypothesis that QRS fragmentation might be a prognostic parameter in survivors of myocardial infarction was not confirmed. But those with QRS fragmentation had larger myocardial infarctions, as measured by creatine kinase and left ventricular ejection fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for several malignant and non-malignant haematologic conditions. Patients undergoing HSCT are at an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesized that a diagnosis of AF would be associated with poor outcomes in patients undergoing HSCT. Methods and results The National Inpatient Sample (2016–19) was queried with ICD-10 codes to identify patients aged >50 years undergoing HSCT. Clinical outcomes were compared between patients with and without AF. A multivariable regression model adjusting for demographics and comorbidities was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and regression coefficients with corresponding 95% confidence intervals and P -values. A total of 50 570 weighted hospitalizations for HSCT were identified, out of which 5820 (11.5%) had AF. Atrial fibrillation was found to be independently associated with higher inpatient mortality (aOR 2.75; 1.9–3.98; P < 0.001), cardiac arrest (aOR 2.86; 1.55–5.26; P = 0.001), acute kidney injury (aOR 1.89; 1.6–2.23; P < 0.001), acute heart failure exacerbation (aOR 5.01; 3.54–7.1; P < 0.001), cardiogenic shock (aOR 7.73; 3.17–18.8; P < 0.001), and acute respiratory failure (aOR 3.24; 2.56–4.1; P < 0.001) as well as higher mean length of stay (LOS) (+2.67; 1.79–3.55; P < 0.001) and cost of care (+67 529; 36 630–98 427; P < 0.001). Conclusion Among patients undergoing HSCT, AF was independently associated with poor in-hospital outcomes, higher LOS, and cost of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the association between β-blocker therapy and mortality in patients with sepsis. Methods: Patients with sepsis were selected from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-III. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the baseline differences. A multivariate Cox regression model was used to assess the relationship between β-blocker therapy and mortality. The primary outcome was the 28-day mortality. Results: A total of 12,360 patients were included in the study, involving 3,895 who received β-blocker therapy and 8,465 who did not. After PSM, 3,891 pairs of patients were matched. The results showed that β-blockers were associated with improved 28- (hazards ratio (HR) 0.78) and 90-day (HR 0.84) mortality. Longacting β-blockers were associated with improved 28-day survival (757/3627 [20.9%] vs. 583/3627 [16.1%], P < 0.001, HR0.76) and 90-day survival (1065/3627 [29.4%] vs.921/3627 [25.4%], P < 0.001, HR 0.77). Short-acting β-blocker treatment did not reduce the 28-day and 90-daymortality (61/264 [23.1%] vs. 63/264 [23.9%], P = 0.89 and 83/264 [31.4%] vs. 89/264 [31.7%], P = 0.8, respectively). Conclusions: β-blockers were associated with improved 28- and 90-day mortality in patients with sepsis and septic shock. Long-acting β-blocker therapy may have a protective role in patients with sepsis, reducing the 28-day and 90-day mortality. However, short-acting β-blocker (esmolol) treatment did not reduce the mortality in sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To update a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and further explore the outcome of IV vitamin C (IVVC) administration in sepsis or septic shock patients. Methods: This study is a meta-analysis of RCTs. The RCTs of vitamin C therapy in sepsis or septic shock were searched in PubMed, EMBASE and Clinical Trials.gov from inception to January 16, 2023. We registered the protocol with PROSPERO (CRD42022354875). The primary outcome was delta Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score at 72–96 h. Two reviewers independently assessed RCTs according to eligibility criteria: (1) study type: RCT; (2) patient population: patients ≥ 18 years with sepsis or septic shock; (3) intervention: IVVC at any doses as monotherapy or combined with thiamine or and hydrocortisone compared with standard of care, no intervention or placebo (defined as control group); (4) the RCT described short-term mortality or SOFA score. Then, two authors independently extracted related information from RCTs. Results: Eighteen RCTs (n = 3364 patients) were identified in this meta-analysis. There were significant effects in the delta SOFA score from baseline to 72–96 h (MD, − 0.62; 95% CI, − 1.00 to − 0.25; p = 0.001) and the duration of vasopressor use (MD, − 15.07; 95% CI, − 21.59 to − 8.55; p < 0.00001) with IVVC therapy. Treatment with IVVC was not shown to improve short-term mortality (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.77 to 1.04; p = 0.14); nevertheless, dose at 25–100 mg/kg/d subgroup associated with a significant reduction in short-term mortality (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.97; p = 0.03). An increase adverse event was observed in IVVC therapy (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.06 to 3.68; p = 0.03). Conclusion: In this meta-analysis, IVVC in sepsis or septic shock patients significantly improved delta SOFA score and reduced the duration of vasopressor use, whereas it was not associated with reduction in short-term mortality and had higher adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concomitant tricuspid repair in MR surgery is indicated in patients with severa tricuspid regurgitation, however, concomitant repair in less-than-severe TR patients is still a matter of debate. Methods: In December 2021, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases for randomised control trials (RCTs) comparing isolated MR surgery versus MR surgery with concomitant TR annuloplasty. Four studies were included, resulting in 651 patients (323 in the prophylactic tricuspid intervention group and 328 in the no tricuspid intervention group). Results: Our meta-analysis showed a similar all-cause mortality and perioperative mortality for concomitant prophylactic tricuspid repair when compared with no tricuspid intervention (pooled odds ratio (OR), 0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.25–1.15, P = 0.11; I2 = 0% and pooled OR, 0.54; 95% CI: 0.25–1.15, P = 0.11; I2 = 0%, respectively) in patients undergoing MV surgery. despite a significantly lower TR progression (pooled OR, 0.06; 95% CI: 0.02–0.24, P < 0.01; I2 = 0%). Additionally, similar New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes III and IV were identified in both concomitant prophylactic tricuspid repair and no tricuspid intervention, despite a lower trend in the tricuspid intervention group (pooled OR, 0.63; 95% CI: 0.38–1.06, P = 0.08; I2 = 0%). Conclusions: Our pooled analyses suggested that TV repair at the time of MV surgery in patients with moderate or less-than-moderate TR did not impact on perioperative or postoperative all-cause mortality, despite reducing TR severity and TR progression following the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiac injury (CI) is not a rare condition among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Its prognostic value has been extensively reported through the literature, mainly in the context of observational studies. An impressive num- ber of relevant meta-analyses has been conducted. These meta-analyses present similar and consistent results; yet interesting method- ological issues emerge. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted aiming to identify all relevant meta-analyses on (i) the incidence, and (ii) the prognostic value of CI among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Results: Among 118 articles initially re- trieved, 73 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. Various criteria were used for CI definition mainly based on elevated cardiac biomarkers levels. The most frequently used biomarker was troponin. 30 meta-analyses reported the pooled incidence of CI in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 that varies from 5% to 37%. 32 meta-analyses reported on the association of CI with COVID-19 infection severity, with only 6 of them failing to show a statistically significant association. Finally, 46 meta-analyses investigated the association of CI with mortality and showed that patients with COVID-19 with CI had increased risk for worse prognosis. Four meta-analyses reported pooled adjusted hazard ratios for death in patients with COVID-19 and CI vs those without CI ranging from 1.5 to 3. Conclusions: The impact of CI on the prognosis of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 has gained great interest during the pandemic. Methodological issues such as the inclusion of not peer-reviewed studies, the inclusion of potentially overlapping populations or the inclusion of studies with unadjusted analyses for confounders should be taken into consideration. Despite these limitations, the adverse prognosis of patients with COVID-19 and CI has been consistently demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that serves as an antioxidant and is known to reduce the inflammatory response associated with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but its clinical effects remain controversial. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of vitamin C administration on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Results: Nineteen studies were selected, of which 949 participants administered vitamin C were in the intervention group, and 1816 participants were in the control group. All-cause mortality, hospitalization duration, length of intensive care unit stay, and ventilation incidence in COVID-19 patients were analyzed. The intervention group tends to have a lower risk ratio (RR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.62 to 1.07; I2 = 58%; Q = 40.95; p < 0.01) in all-cause mortality than the control group. However, there were no significant differences in ventilation incidence, hospitalization duration, and length of ICU stay between the two groups. In the subgroup analysis for all-cause mortality, the risk ratio for RCT as study design, combination therapy, of vitamin C was lower than that of the combination therapy with other agents. A moderate dosage showed a lower RR than a higher dose. Conclusion: The results suggest that vitamin C may lower mortality in COVID-19 patients, but further large-scale studies are required to assess the role of vitamin C in the treatment of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical illness may lead to activation of the sympathetic system. The sympathetic stimulation may be further increased by exogenous catecholamines, such as vasopressors and inotropes. Excessive adrenergic stress has been associated with organ dysfunction and higher mortality. β-Blockers may reduce the adrenergic burden, but they may also compromise perfusion to vital organs thus worsening organ dysfunction. To assess the effect of treatment with β-blockers in critically ill adults, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. We conducted a search from three major databases: Ovid Medline, the Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials and Scopus database. Two independent reviewers screened, selected, and assessed the included articles according to prespecified eligibility criteria. We assessed risk of bias of eligible articles according to the Cochrane guidelines. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Sixteen randomized controlled trials comprising 2410 critically ill patients were included in the final review. A meta-analysis of 11 trials including 2103 patients showed a significant reduction in mortality in patients treated with β-blockers compared to control (risk ratio 0.65, 95%CI 0.53–0.79; p <.0001). There was no significant difference in mean arterial pressure or vasopressor load. Quality of life, biventricular ejection fraction, blood lactate levels, cardiac biomarkers and mitochondrial function could not be included in meta-analysis due to heterogenous reporting of outcomes. In this systematic review we found that β-blocker treatment reduced mortality in critical illness. Use of β-blockers in critical illness thus appears safe after initial hemodynamic stabilization. High-quality RCT's are needed to answer the questions concerning optimal target group of patients, timing of β-blocker treatment, choice of β-blocker, and choice of physiological and hemodynamic parameters to target during β-blocker treatment in critical illness. A potential outcome benefit of β-blocker treatment in critical illness exists according to the current review and meta-analysis. Administration of β-blockers to resuscitated patients in the ICU seems safe in terms of hemodynamic stability and outcome, even during concomitant vasopressor administration. However, further studies, preferably large RCTs on β-blocker treatment in the critically ill are needed to answer the questions concerning timing and choice of β-blocker, patient selection, and optimal hemodynamic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Previous studies have suggested that long-term β-blocker therapy before sepsis is associated with reduced mortality. Sepsis-associated coagulopathy (SAC) remains a common complication in patients with sepsis and is associated with increased mortality. Adrenergic pathways are involved in the regulation of the coagulation system. Pre-existing long-term β-blocker therapy may have potentially beneficial effects on SAC and has yet to be well characterized. We aimed to assess the potential association between pre-existing long-term β-blocker therapy and the outcomes of patients with SAC. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively screened the clinical data of adult patients with SAC admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and respiratory ICU between May 2020 and October 2022. Patients with SAC who took any β-blocker for at least one year were considered pre-existing long-term β-blocker therapy. All enrolled patients were followed up for 28 days or until death. Results: Among the 228 SAC patients, 48 received long-term β-blocker therapy before septic episodes. Pre-existing long-term β-blocker therapy was associated with reduced vasopressor requirements and a decreased 28-day mortality (log-rank test: p = 0.041). In particular, long-term β-blocker therapy was related to substantially lower D-dimer levels and a trend of improved activated partial thromboplastin time in patients with SAC during initial ICU admission. Multivariable regression analysis showed that long-term β-blocker therapy was significantly and independently associated with a 28-day mortality among patients with SAC (adjusted odds ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, (0.32–0.94); p = 0.030). Conclusions: Pre-existing long-term β-blocker therapy might be associated with reduced vasopressor requirements and a decreased 28-day mortality among patients with SAC, providing evidence for the protective effect of β-blockers against SAC in managing sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A network meta-analysis (NMA) of the current recommended drugs for the treatment of acute heart failure (AHF), was performed to compare the relative efficacy. Methods: We used PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Clinical Trials Register, and Web of Science systems to search studies of randomized controlled trials (RCT) for the treatment of AHF recommended by the guidelines and expert consensus until 1 December 2020. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 30 days. The secondary outcomes included 30-days all-cause rehospitalization, rates of HF-related rehospitalization, rates of adverse events, and rates of serious adverse events. A Bayesian NMA based on random effects model was performed. Results: After screening 14,888 citations, 23 RCTs (17,097 patients) were included, focusing on nesiritide, placebo, serelaxin, rhANP, omecamtiv mecarbil, tezosentan, KW-3902, conivaptan, tolvaptan, TRV027, chlorothiazide, metolazone, ularitide, relaxin, and rolofylline. Omecamtiv mecarbil had significantly lower all-cause mortality rates than the placebo (odds ratio 0.04, 0.01-0.22), rhANP (odds ratio 0.03, 0-0.40), serelaxin (odds ratio 0.05, 0.01-0.38), tezosentan (odds ratio 0.04, 0-0.22), tolvaptan (odds ratio 0.04, 0.01-0.30), and TRV027 (odds ratio 0.03, 0-0.36). No drug was superior to the other drugs for the secondary outcomes and safety outcomes. Conclusion: No drug was superior to the other drugs for the secondary outcomes and safety outcomes. Current drugs for AHF show similar efficacy and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To ascertain whether depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment (CI) are associated with mortality among patients with heart failure (HF), adjusting for sociodemographic, comorbidities, and biomarkers. Methods and results We utilized Medicare-linked data from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study, a biracial prospective ongoing cohort of 30 239 US community-dwelling adults, recruited in 2003-07. HF diagnosis was ascertained in claims analysis. Depressive symptoms were defined as a score ≥4 on the four-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale. Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of ≤4 on the six-item screener that assessed three-item recall and orientation to year, month, and day of the week. Sequentially adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk of death. We analyzed 1059 REGARDS participants (mean age 73, 48%--African American) with HF; of those 146 (14%) reported depressive symptoms, 136 (13%) had CI and 31 (3%) had both. Over the median follow-up of 6.8 years (interquartile range, 3.4-10.3), 785 (74%) died. In the socio-demographics-adjusted model, CI was significantly associated with increased mortality, hazard ratio 1.24 (95% confidence interval 1.01-1.52), compared with persons with neither depressive symptoms nor CI, but this association was attenuated after further adjustment. Neither depressive symptoms alone nor their comorbidity with CI was associated with mortality. Risk factors of all-cause mortality included: low income, comorbidities, smoking, physical inactivity, and severity of HF. Conclusion Depressive symptoms, CI, or their comorbidity was not associated with mortality in HF in this study. Treatment of HF in elderly needs to be tailored to cognitive status and includes focus on medical comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the impact of premorbid beta-blockers on mortality in patients with sepsis. Data Sources: We searched EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and MEDLINE for eligible studies. The protocol was registered at the PROSPERO (CRD42021256813). Study Selection: Two authors independently evaluated the following inclusion criteria: (1) randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies; (2) patients with sepsis aged ≥18 years, and (3) premorbid beta-blocker use. Data Extraction: Two authors extracted the patients' characteristics and outcomes independently. All analyses were performed using the random-effects models. The primary outcome was short-term mortality, defined as mortality within 30 days, in-hospital or intensive care unit mortality. Data Synthesis: Ten studies (n = 24 748 patients) were included. The pooled odds ratio (OR) of short-term mortality associated with the premorbid use of beta-blockers was 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69-1.04; P = .12; I² = 50%). Five studies reported an adjusted OR of short-term mortality. The pooled adjusted OR of short-term mortality associated with the premorbid use of beta-blockers was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.65-0.83; P < .001; I² = 0%). Conclusion: Premorbid beta-blockers were associated with a lower short-term mortality in patients with sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unclear if premorbid use of beta-blockers affects sepsis outcomes. The present systematic review aimed to assess the impact of premorbid beta-blocker use on mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation in patients with sepsis. Embase, Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science were searched for studies comparing outcomes of patients with sepsis based on the premorbid use of beta-blockers. The primary outcome was mortality, and the secondary outcome was the need for mechanical ventilation. The results were reported as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 17 studies including 64,586 patients with sepsis were included. Of them, 8,665 patients received premorbid beta-blockers and 55,921 patients were not treated with premorbid beta-blockers and served as a control group. Pooled analysis of mortality rates revealed that premorbid use of beta-blockers did not affect in-hospital mortality (OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.78, 1.18; and I2=63%) but significantly reduced one-month mortality rates (OR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.96; and I2=63%). Combined analysis of adjusted data showed that premorbid beta-blockers were associated with a significant survival advantage in patients with sepsis (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.92; and I2=70%). However, there was no effect of premorbid use of beta-blockers on the need for mechanical ventilation (OR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.66, 1.30); and I2=72%). The results of the present study indicated that premorbid use of beta-blockers is associated with improved survival in patients with sepsis. However, it does not impact the need for mechanical ventilation. The results should be interpreted with caution as the data is observational and unadjusted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment (CogI) in patients hospitalized for congestive heart failure, and the influence of CogI on mortality and hospital readmission. This is a multicenter cohort study of patients hospitalized for congestive heart failure enrolled in the RICA registry. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to their Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire score: 0–3 errors (no CogI or mild CogI), 4–7 (moderate CogI) and 8–10 (severe CogI). A total of 3845 patients with a mean (SD) age of 79 (8.6) years were included; 2038 (53%) were women. A total of 550 (14%) patients had moderate CogI and 76 (2%) had severe CogI. Factors independently associated with severe CogI were age (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.05–1.14 p < 0.001), male sex (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.34–0.95, p = 0.031), heart rate (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.02, p = 0.004), Charlson index (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.06–1.27, p = 0.002), and history of stroke (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.60–4.44, p < 0.001). Severe CogI was associated with higher mortality after one year (HR 3.05, 95% CI 2.25–4.14, p < 0.001). The composite variable of death/hospital readmission was higher in patients with CogI (log rank p < 0.001). Patients with heart failure and severe CogI are older and have a higher comorbidity burden, lower survival, and a higher rate of death or readmission at 1 year, compared to patients with no CogI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]