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Aims: This study aimed to assess the utility of contemporary clinical risk scores and explore the ability of two biomarkers [growth differentiation factor‐15 (GDF‐15) and soluble ST2 (sST2)] to improve risk prediction in elderly patients with cardiogenic shock. Methods and results: Patients (n = 219) from the multicentre CardShock study were grouped according to age (elderly ≥75 years and younger). Characteristics, management, and outcome between the groups were compared. The ability of the CardShock risk score and the IABP‐SHOCK II score to predict in‐hospital mortality and the additional value of GDF‐15 and sST2 to improve risk prediction in the elderly was evaluated. The elderly constituted 26% of the patients (n = 56), with a higher proportion of women (41% vs. 21%, P < 0.05) and more co‐morbidities compared with the younger. The primary aetiology of shock in the elderly was acute coronary syndrome (84%), with high rates of percutaneous coronary intervention (87%). Compared with the younger, the elderly had higher in‐hospital mortality (46% vs. 33%; P = 0.08), but 1 year post‐discharge survival was excellent in both age groups (90% in the elderly vs. 88% in the younger). In the elderly, the risk prediction models demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.75 for the CardShock risk score and 0.71 for the IABP‐SHOCK II score. Incorporating GDF‐15 and sST2 improved discrimination for both risk scores with areas under the curve ranging from 0.78 to 0.84. Conclusions: Elderly patients with cardiogenic shock have higher in‐hospital mortality compared with the younger, but post‐discharge outcomes are similar. Contemporary risk scores proved useful for early mortality risk prediction also in the elderly, and risk stratification could be further improved with biomarkers such as GDF‐15 or sST2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To illustrate the pre‐hospital management arsenals and protocols in different EMS units, and to estimate the perceived difficulty of diagnosing suspected acute heart failure (AHF) compared with other common pre‐hospital conditions. Methods and results: A multinational survey included 104 emergency medical service (EMS) regions from 18 countries. Diagnostic and therapeutic arsenals related to AHF management were reported for each type of EMS unit. The prevalence and contents of management protocols for common medical conditions treated pre‐hospitally was collected. The perceived difficulty of diagnosing AHF and other medical conditions by emergency medical dispatchers and EMS personnel was interrogated. Ultrasound devices and point‐of‐care testing were available in advanced life support and helicopter EMS units in fewer than 25% of EMS regions. AHF protocols were present in 80.8% of regions. Protocols for ST‐elevation myocardial infarction, chest pain, and dyspnoea were present in 95.2, 80.8, and 76.0% of EMS regions, respectively. Protocolized diagnostic actions for AHF management included 12‐lead electrocardiogram (92.1% of regions), ultrasound examination (16.0%), and point‐of‐care testings for troponin and BNP (6.0 and 3.5%). Therapeutic actions included supplementary oxygen (93.2%), non‐invasive ventilation (80.7%), intravenous furosemide, opiates, nitroglycerine (69.0, 68.6, and 57.0%), and intubation 71.5%. Diagnosing suspected AHF was considered easy to moderate by EMS personnel and moderate to difficult by emergency medical dispatchers (without significant differences between de novo and decompensated heart failure). In both settings, diagnosis of suspected AHF was considered easier than pulmonary embolism and more difficult than ST‐elevation myocardial infarction, asthma, and stroke. Conclusions: The prevalence of AHF protocols is rather high but the contents seem to vary. Difficulty of diagnosing suspected AHF seems to be moderate compared with other pre‐hospital conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The role of microRNAs has not been studied in cardiogenic shock. We examined the potential role of miR‐423‐5p level to predict mortality and associations of miR‐423‐5p with prognostic markers in cardiogenic shock. Methods and results: We conducted a prospective multinational observational study enrolling consecutive cardiogenic shock patients. Blood samples were available for 179 patients at baseline to determine levels of miR‐423‐5p and other biomarkers. Patients were treated according to local practice. Main outcome was 90 day all‐cause mortality. Median miR‐423‐5p level was significantly higher in 90 day non‐survivors [median 0.008 arbitrary units (AU) (interquartile range 0.003–0.017) vs. 0.004 AU (0.002–0.009), P = 0.003]. miR‐423‐5p level above median was associated with higher lactate (median 3.7 vs. 2.4 mmol/L, P = 0.001) and alanine aminotransferase levels (median 68 vs. 35 IU/L, P < 0.001) as well as lower cardiac index (1.8 vs. 2.4, P = 0.04) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (56 vs. 70 mL/min/1.73 m2, P = 0.002). In Cox regression analysis, miR‐423‐5p level above median was associated with 90 day all‐cause mortality independently of established risk factors of cardiogenic shock [adjusted hazard ratio 1.9 (95% confidence interval 1.2–3.2), P = 0.01]. Conclusions: In cardiogenic shock patients, above median level of miR‐423‐5p at baseline is associated with markers of hypoperfusion and seems to independently predict 90 day all‐cause mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: There is little evidence-based therapy existing for acute heart failure (AHF), hospitalizations are lengthy and expensive, and optimal monitoring of AHF patients during in-hospital treatment is poorly defined. We evaluated a rapid cardiothoracic ultrasound (CaTUS) protocol, combining focused echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac filling pressures, that is, medial E/e' and inferior vena cava index, with lung ultrasound (LUS) for guiding treatment in hospitalized AHF patients., Methods and Results: We enrolled 20 consecutive patients hospitalized for AHF, whose in-hospital treatment was guided using the CaTUS protocol according to a pre-specified treatment protocol targeting resolution of pulmonary congestion on LUS and lowering cardiac filling pressures. Treatment results of these 20 patients were compared with those of a standard care sample of 100 patients, enrolled previously for follow-up purposes. The standard care sample had CaTUS performed daily for follow-up and received standard in-hospital treatment without ultrasound guidance. All CaTUS exams were performed by a single experienced sonographer. The CaTUS-guided therapy resulted in significantly larger decongestion as defined by reduction in symptoms, cardiac filling pressures, natriuretic peptides, cumulative fluid loss, and resolution of pulmonary congestion (P < 0.05 for all) despite a shorter mean length of hospitalization. Congestion parameters were significantly lower also at discharge (P < 0.05 for all), without any significant difference in these parameters on admission. The treatment arm displayed better survival regarding the combined endpoint of 6 month all-cause death or AHF re-hospitalization (log rank P = 0.017). No significant difference in adverse events occurred between the groups., Conclusions: The CaTUS-guided therapy for AHF resulted in greater decongestion during shorter hospitalization without increased adverse events in this small pilot study and might be associated with a better post-discharge prognosis., (© 2017 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: Data on the prognostic role of left and right bundle branch blocks (LBBB and RBBB), and nonspecific intraventricular conduction delay (IVCD; QRS ≥ 110 ms, no BBB) in acute heart failure (AHF) are controversial. Our aim was to investigate electrocardiographic predictors of long-term survival in patients with de novo AHF and acutely decompensated chronic heart failure (ADCHF)., Methods and Results: We analysed the admission electrocardiogram of 982 patients from a multicenter European cohort of AHF with 3.9 years' mean follow-up. Half (51.5%, n  = 506) of the patients had de novo AHF. LBBB, and IVCD were more common in ADCHF than in de novo AHF: 17.2% vs. 8.7% ( P  < 0.001) and 20.6% vs. 13.2% ( P  = 0.001), respectively, and RBBB was almost equally common (6.9% and 8.1%; P  = 0.5), respectively. Mortality during the follow-up was higher in patients with RBBB (85.4%) and IVCD (73.7%) compared with patients with normal ventricular conduction (57.0%); P  < 0.001 for both. The impact of RBBB on prognosis was prominent in de novo AHF (adjusted HR 1.93, 1.03-3.60; P  = 0.04), and IVCD independently predicted death in ADCHF (adjusted HR 1.79, 1.28-2.52; P  = 0.001). Both findings were pronounced in patients with reduced ejection fraction. LBBB showed no association with increased mortality in either of the subgroups. The main results were confirmed in a validation cohort of 1511 AHF patients with 5.9 years' mean follow-up., Conclusions: Conduction abnormalities predict long-term survival differently in de novo AHF and ADCHF. RBBB predicts mortality in de novo AHF, and IVCD in ADCHF. LBBB has no additive predictive value in AHF requiring hospitalization.