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OBJECTIVES There remains debate over the optimal mitral valve replacement (MVR) option for patients aged 50–70 years. The objective of this study was to retrospectively compare the long-term outcomes of mechanical and bioprosthetic MVR in this patient population. METHODS Data from patients undergoing MVR between 2004 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included perioperative and late morbidity. RESULTS Two hundred and eight-six propensity-matched patients (n  = 143 mechanical; n  = 143 bioprosthetic) aged 50–70 years were included in the final analysis. Maximum follow-up was 15.8 years. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between the groups at 30 days, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, and at the longest follow-up. Patients who underwent mechanical MVR experienced significantly lower rates of postoperative atrial fibrillation (P  = 0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of sepsis, acute kidney injury, superficial and deep sternal wound infection, mediastinal bleeding, and permanent pacemaker implantation. At the longest follow-up, there were no differences in myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure or overall rehospitalization. At the same time point, there was an increased rate of MVR in patients receiving a bioprosthetic valve (P  = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS Survival following mechanical and bioprosthetic MVR in patients 50–70 years of age is similar to up to 15 years of follow-up. Bioprosthetic MVR is associated with an increased risk of repeat MVR. Mechanical MVR is not associated with an increased risk of stroke. Valve selection in this patient population requires diligent consideration of structural valve deterioration and subsequent reoperation risk as well as bleeding and thromboembolic risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Declines in cardiovascular mortality have stagnated in the USA since 2011. There is growing concern that these patterns reflect worsening cardiovascular health in younger adults. However, little is known about how the burden of acute cardiovascular hospitalizations and mortality has changed in this population. Changes in cardiovascular hospitalizations and mortality among adults aged 25–64 years were evaluated, overall and by community-level income. Methods Using the National Inpatient Sample, age-standardized annual hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, and ischaemic stroke were determined among adults aged 25–64 years. Quasi-Poisson and quasi-binominal regression models were fitted to compare outcomes between individuals residing in low- and higher-income communities. Results Between 2008 and 2019, age-standardized hospitalization rates for AMI increased among younger adults from 155.0 (95% confidence interval: 154.6, 155.4) per 100 000 to 160.7 (160.3, 161.1) per 100 000 (absolute change +5.7 [5.0, 6.3], P <.001). Heart failure hospitalizations also increased (165.3 [164.8, 165.7] to 225.3 [224.8, 225.8], absolute change +60.0 (59.3, 60.6), P <.001), as ischaemic stroke hospitalizations (76.3 [76.1, 76.7] to 108.1 [107.8, 108.5], absolute change +31.7 (31.2, 32.2), P <.001). Across all conditions, hospitalizations rates were significantly higher among younger adults residing in low-income compared with higher-income communities, and disparities did not narrow between groups. In-hospital mortality decreased for all conditions over the study period. Conclusions There was an alarming increase in cardiovascular hospitalizations among younger adults in the USA from 2008 to 2019, and disparities between those residing in low- and higher-income communities did not narrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Atrial fibrillation Better Care (ABC) pathway is the gold-standard approach to atrial fibrillation (AF) management, but the effect of implementation on health outcomes in care home residents is unknown. Objective To examine associations between ABC pathway adherence and stroke, transient ischaemic attack, cardiovascular hospitalisation, major bleeding, mortality and a composite of all these outcomes in care home residents. Methods A retrospective cohort study of older care home residents (≥65 years) in Wales with AF was conducted between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2018 using the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank. Adherence to the ABC pathway was assessed at care home entry using pre-specified definitions. Cox proportional hazard and competing risk models were used to estimate the risk of health outcomes according to ABC adherence. Results From 14,493 residents (median [interquartile range] age 87.0 [82.6–91.2] years, 35.2% male) with AF, 5,531 (38.2%) were ABC pathway adherent. Pathway adherence was not significantly associated with risk of the composite outcome (adjusted hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 [0.97–1.05]). There was a significant independent association observed between ABC pathway adherence and a reduced risk of myocardial infarction (0.70 [0.50–0.98]), but a higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke (1.59 [1.06–2.39]). ABC pathway adherence was not significantly associated with any other individual health outcomes examined. Conclusion An ABC adherent approach in care home residents was not consistently associated with improved health outcomes. Findings should be interpreted with caution owing to difficulties in defining pathway adherence using routinely collected data and an individualised approach is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open in new tab Download slide OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of transcatheter and surgical mitral valve repair (SMVr) in primary mitral regurgitation (MR) and MR with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, we used the Nationwide Readmission Database to identify primary MR and MR with HFrEF patients who underwent transcatheter or SMVr from 2016 to 2019. A propensity score with 1:1 matching was applied. The primary outcome was a cumulative event rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), which was a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, cardiac arrest and mitral valve replacement. Other important secondary outcome was in-hospital mortality. RESULTS After propensity score matching, 2187 matched pairs were found in the primary MR cohort and 2178 matched pairs were found in the MR-HFrEF cohort. Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) had significantly higher medium-term MACE compared with SMVr in both cohorts (primary MR: hazard ratio: 1.73, 95% confidence interval: 1.33–2.26, P ≤ 0.001; MR-HFrEF: hazard ratio: 2.00, 95% confidence interval: 1.58–2.54, P ≤ 0.001). TMVr showed similar in-hospital mortality in both cohorts. CONCLUSIONS Although TMVr showed better short-term outcomes, it had significantly higher medium-term MACE than SMVr in both cohorts. Thus, shared decision-making should be performed for TMVr after discussing the benefits and risks in patients who can undergo SMVr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Earlier retrospective studies have suggested a relation between DISH and cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction. The present study assessed the association between DISH and incidence of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with high cardiovascular risk. Methods In this prospective cohort study, we included 4624 patients (mean age 58.4 years, 69.6% male) from the Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease cohort. The main end point was major cardiovascular events (MACE: stroke, myocardial infarction and vascular death). Secondary endpoints included all-cause mortality and separate vascular events. Cause-specific proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the risk of DISH on all outcomes, and subdistribution hazard models were used to evaluate the effect of DISH on the cumulative incidence. All models were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes, non-HDL cholesterol, packyears, renal function and C-reactive protein. Results DISH was present in 435 (9.4%) patients. After a median follow-up of 8.7 (IQR 5.0–12.0) years, 864 patients had died and 728 patients developed a MACE event. DISH was associated with an increased cumulative incidence of ischaemic stroke. After adjustment in cause-specific modelling, DISH remained significantly associated with ischaemic stroke (HR 1.55; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.38), but not with MACE (HR 0.99; 95% CI: 0.79, 1.24), myocardial infarction (HR 0.88; 95% CI: 0.59, 1.31), vascular death (HR 0.94; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.27) or all-cause mortality (HR 0.94; 95% CI: 0.77, 1.16). Conclusion The presence of DISH is independently associated with an increased incidence and risk for ischaemic stroke, but not with MACE, myocardial infarction, vascular death or all-cause mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Despite widespread use, there is no trial evidence to inform β-blocker's (BB) relative safety and efficacy among patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). We herein compare health outcomes associated with carvedilol or bisoprolol use, the most commonly prescribed BBs in these patients. Methods We created a cohort study of 9305 HD patients who initiated bisoprolol and 11 171 HD patients who initiated carvedilol treatment between 2004 and 2011. We compared the risk of all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) between carvedilol and bisoprolol users during a 2-year follow-up. Results Bisoprolol initiators were younger, had shorter dialysis vintage, were women, had common comorbidities of hypertension and hyperlipidemia and were receiving statins and antiplatelets, but they had less heart failure and digoxin prescriptions than carvedilol initiators. During our observations, 1555 deaths and 5167 MACEs were recorded. In the multivariable-adjusted Cox model, bisoprolol initiation was associated with a lower all-cause mortality {hazard ratio [HR] 0.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60–0.73]} compared with carvedilol initiation. After accounting for the competing risk of death, bisoprolol use (versus carvedilol) was associated with a lower risk of MACEs [HR 0.85 (95% CI 0.80–0.91)] and attributed to a lower risk of heart failure [HR 0.83 (95% CI 0.77–0.91)] and ischemic stroke [HR 0.84 (95% CI 0.72–0.97)], but not to differences in the risk of acute myocardial infarction [HR 1.03 (95% CI 0.93–1.15)]. Results were confirmed in propensity score matching analyses, stratified analyses and analyses that considered prescribed dosages or censored patients discontinuing or switching BBs. Conclusions Relative to carvedilol, bisoprolol initiation by HD patients was associated with a lower 2-year risk of death and MACEs, mainly attributed to lower heart failure and ischemic stroke risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Frailty is a common, multi-factorial, age-related syndrome commonly observed in people with diabetes. Although older diabetics are prone to adverse healthcare outcomes and diabetes increases the risk of developing frailty, little is known about the effects of frailty on diabetes. This paper examines the association between diabetes, frailty, and mortality in Europeans aged ≥50 years. Methods Data were included from The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) waves one and six. A participant's first interview was taken as the baseline and subsequent waves were used for mortality follow-up (time and cause). Frailty and pre-frailty were measured using established cut-offs using the Physical Phenotype (SHARE-FI) and a 55-item Frailty Index (FI-55). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to assess the relationship between frailty and mortality in people with diabetes and significance tested using log-rank test. Cox regression was used to adjust for potential confounders (age, sex, education, income, employment, alcohol use, smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, myocardial infarction, stroke, metastatic cancer, chronic lung disease, polypharmacy, self-perceived health and depression). Results Data from 8,954 diabetics aged 50-99 years were included with 1,598 deaths (17.8%). According to the SHARE-FI, 1,971 (22.0%) were frail, 4,183 (46.7%) pre-frail and 2,800 (31.3%) robust. According to the Kaplan-Meier log-rank test survival varied significantly across frailty strata according to both indexes (p<0.001). At 10-year follow-up, adjusting for confounders SHARE-FI frailty and pre-frailty were significantly associated with mortality, adjusted Hazard Ratio (HR) 2.19, (95% CI:1.66-2.89), and 1.38 (95% CI:1.09-1.74), respectively. Results were similar using the FI-55, HR for frailty 1.66 (95% CI:1.09-2.54). Causes of mortality were significantly different according to frailty status (p<0.05). Conclusion Frailty and pre-frailty are independent risk factors for mortality in diabetics. The identification of frailty is important for the risk-stratification and management of middle aged and older patients with diabetes and should be included in the routine assessment of these high-risk individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Preventing ischaemic stroke attracts significant focus in atrial fibrillation (AF) cases. Less is known on the association between socioeconomic factors and mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with AF. Methods Our study population included adults (n =12 283) ≥45 years diagnosed with AF at 75 primary care centres in Sweden 2001–07. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between the exposures educational level, marital status, neighbourhood socioeconomic status and the outcomes all-cause mortality, after adjustment for age, and comorbid cardiovascular conditions. Results During a mean of 5.8 years (SD 2.4) of follow-up, 3954 (32.3%) patients had died; 1971 were women (35.0%) and 1983 were men (29.8%). Higher educational level was associated with a reduced mortality in fully adjusted models: HR 0.85 (95% CI 0.77–0.96) for secondary school in men, HR 0.73 (95% CI 0.60–0.88) for college/university in women, and HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.71–0.94) for college/university in men, compared to primary school. Unmarried men and divorced men had an increased risk of death, compared with married men: HR 1.25 (95% CI 1.05–1.50), and HR 1.23 (95% CI 1.07–1.42), respectively. College/university education level was also associated with lower risk of myocardial infarction in men and women, and lower risk of congestive heart failure in women. Conclusion More attention could be paid to individuals of lower levels of formal education, and unmarried men, in order to provide timely management for AF and prevent its debilitating complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are emerging agents of pulmonary disease, estimated to affect >80,000 people in the United States. While the spectrum of pulmonary NTM severity is broad, some published series report 5-year mortality of up to 40%. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine mortality of patients with positive respiratory cultures for NTM in the Duke Health System from January 1, 1996 to June 30, 2015, compared with the expected mortality in the US population among a cohort with the same demographic composition. We included patients with ≥2 positive NTM respiratory cultures, or 1 positive culture plus an associated ICD diagnosis. Patients with disseminated NTM, HIV, cystic fibrosis, and solid-organ or hematopoietic cell transplants were excluded, as were isolates of Mycobacterium gordonae. Five specific comorbidities (cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, chronic renal failure, myocardial infarction) were assessed with ICD codes. Survival was measured from the date of first positive NTM culture and censored as of 6/30/2015. Results We identified 653 patients who met the case definition. 451 (69%) were female; 548 (84%) were Caucasian, and the median age was 69 years (IQR 59–76). 544 (83.3%) patients had only Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) isolates in cultures; 39 (6%) had only M. abscessus ; 33 (5%) had both MAC and M. abscessus ; 37 (5.7%) had other NTM isolates. Most patients (n = 410, 62.8%) had none of the evaluated comorbidities prior to NTM diagnosis. Median follow-up time was 1252 days (IQR 449–2688). Median survival in our cohort among persons with and without comorbidities was 1973 days (95% CI 1487–2995) and 3952 days (95% CI 3496–5186), respectively. Median expected survival in the demographically-matched population cohort was significantly longer at 5479 days (P<.0001). Mortality at 5 years was 47.9% (39.7–55.0) and 27.2% (95% CI 22.1–32.0) among NTM patients with and without comorbidities, respectively, vs. expected mortality of 5.7% in the general population. Conclusion NTM pulmonary infection in our cohort was associated with significantly lower survival than expected in the general population. The impact of NTM infection itself vs. other comorbidities on survival requires further study. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]