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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and atherosclerosis are accompanied by substantial cardiovascular mortality; links between both disease entities were reported. We aimed to investigate the impact of systemic atherosclerosis on adverse outcomes in patients with deep venous thrombosis or thrombophlebitis (DVT) and to identify differences in DVT patients with and without systemic atherosclerosis.The German nationwide inpatient sample was used for this analysis. Patients admitted for DVT were included in this study and stratified by systemic atherosclerosis (composite of coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and/or atherosclerotic arterial diseases). We compared DVT patients with (DVT+Athero) and without (DVT-Athero) systemic atherosclerosis and analysed the impact of systemic atherosclerosis on adverse outcomes.Overall, 489,679 patients with DVT (55.7% females) were included in this analysis. Among these, 53,309 (10.9%) were coded with concomitant systemic atherosclerosis with age-dependent incline. Concomitant PE (4.1% vs.3.8%, P=0.001) was more frequently in DVT-Athero and risk for PE in DVT patients was independently associated with absence of systemic atherosclerosis (OR 0.87 [95%CI 0.83-0.91], P0.001). In-hospital mortality (3.4% vs.1.4%, P0.001) and adverse in-hospital events (2.2% vs.0.8%, P0.001) were more prevalent in DVT+Athero compared to DVT-Athero; both, in-hospital mortality (OR 1.52 [95%CI 1.41-1.63], P0.001) and adverse in-hospital events (OR 1.49 [95%CI 1.40-1.58], P0.001) were affected independently of sex, age and comorbidities by systemic atherosclerosis.Systemic atherosclerosis in DVT patients was accompanied by poorer outcomes. Systemic atherosclerosis was associated with higher bleeding rate and with isolated DVT (without concomitant PE).

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is common in patients with heart failure and constitutes an independent risk factor for adverse prognosis besides NYHA-class. The predictive value of dyspnea reduction after transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) on outcome has not been investigated up to now.We enrolled 627 consecutive patients (47.0% female, 57.4% functional MR; median follow-up 486 days[IQR 157/961]; survival status available in 96.8%; symptoms assessed in n = 556 at baseline / n = 406 at 1 month) treated with isolated percutaneous mitral valve edge-to-edge repair in our center from 06/2010-03/2018 (exclusion of combined forms of TMVr) in a monocentric retrospective analysis. Survival was 97.6% at discharge, 73.9% after 1, 54.5% after 3, 37.6% after 5 and 21.7% after 7-years. Before TMVr, NYHA-classes III/IV were found in 89.0%. Of these, 74.7% reported symptomatic relief (reduction in NYHA-class) one month after procedure (NYHA class recorded in 406 patients at 30 days). NYHA-classes III/IV were documented in 37.2% (p 0.001) at 30 days and in 36.6% (p 0.001) at 1 year without significant changes between the follow-ups. Dyspnea reduction was accompanied by significantly improved long-term survival (1 year, 89.1 vs 71.2%, p = 0.001, 2 years: 75.5 vs 58.7%, p = 0.039) and was identified as an independent predictor for lower mortality (1-year HR for increased mortality by missing symptomatic improvement 2.94 [95%CI 1.53-5.65], p = 0.001; long-term HR 1.95 [95%CI 1.29-2.94], p = 0.001) independently in both etiologies of MR.TMVr by edge-to-edge therapy enables early and sustainable symptomatic improvement in nearly 75% of the symptomatic patients. The simple assessment of postinterventional changes in NYHA-class might serve as an independent predictor for mid- and long-term prognosis in both FMR and DMR.

Aims To assess the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and prediabetes in the general population and to investigate the associated cardiovascular burden and clinical outcome. Methods and Results The study sample comprised 15,010 individuals aged 35–74 years of the population-based Gutenberg Health Study. Subjects were classified into euglycaemia, prediabetes and T2DM according to clinical and metabolic (HbA1c) information. The prevalence of prediabetes was 9.5% (n = 1415) and of T2DM 8.9% (n = 1316). Prediabetes and T2DM showed a significantly increased prevalence ratio (PR) for age, obesity, active smoking, dyslipidemia, and arterial hypertension compared to euglycaemia (for all, P prediabetes 1.20, 95% CI 1.07–1.35, P = 0.002) and represented as a risk factor for asymptomatic cardiovascular organ damage independent of traditional risk factors (PR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.08, P = 0.025). Prediabetes was associated with a 1.5-fold increased 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease compared to euglycaemia. In Cox regression analysis, prediabetes (HR 2.10, 95% CI 1.76–2.51, P P P Conclusion Besides T2DM, also prediabetes inherits a significant cardiovascular burden, which translates into poor clinical outcome and indicates the need for new concepts regarding the prevention of cardiometabolic disorders.

AIMS The number of transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) procedures has increased substantially during the last years. A better understanding of the relationship between hospital volume of transcatheter transvenous mitral valve repairs using MitraClip® and patient outcomes may provide information for future policy decisions to improve patient management. METHODS AND RESULTS We analysed patient characteristics and in-hospital outcomes for all TMVr procedures using MitraClip® performed in Germany from 2011 to 2017. Hospitals were stratified according to centre volumes and patients were compared for baseline characteristics and adverse in-hospital events. Overall, 24 709 inpatients were treated during the observational period. Patients treated in centres with a volume of ≤10 procedures annually developed more often pulmonary embolism (odds ratio 2.22, 95% confidence interval 1.19-4.13; P = 0.012) compared to those treated in centres with a volume of >10 procedures annually, whereas no association of centre volume (≤10 or >10) was found with in-hospital mortality (P = 0.728). Although patients treated in centres with an annual volume >25 TMVr procedures had higher numbers of comorbidities compared to those treated in centres with an annual volume of ≤25 TMVr procedures, in-hospital mortality did not differ (3.6% vs. 3.5%, P = 0.485). Similarly, when centre volumes were stratified for ≤50 vs. >50 procedural volumes, no association with in-hospital mortality was recorded (P = 0.792). A lower rate of mitral valve surgery after MitraClip® was observed over time, particularly in high-volume centres. CONCLUSION Annual numbers of MitraClip® implantations increased from 2011 to 2017 in Germany, whereas in-hospital mortality remained stable. Although patients treated in high-volume centres had a more unfavourable risk profile, in-hospital mortality was comparable to that of low-volume centres.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) constitute a major global burden of disease. Current international guidelines recommend treatment with anticoagulant therapy after VTE for a duration of at least 3 months. Since anticoagulation also imposes an increased risk for bleeding events, the individual risk has to be evaluated to determine adequate treatment plans.The nationwide German inpatient sample of the years 2005-2017 was used for this analysis. Hospitalized VTE patients were stratified according to Kuijer risk class and the performance of the Kuijer score was evaluated to predict adverse in-hospital events.Overall, 1,204,895 VTE patients were treated between 2005 and 2017 in Germany and were included in the present study (839,143 patients had deep venous thrombosis and/or thrombophlebitis and 669,881 patients pulmonary embolism). According to Kuijer risk class stratification, in total, 176,723 (14.7%) of the hospitalized VTE patients were classified as low risk, 914,964 (75.9%) as intermediate risk and 113,208 (9.4%) as high risk. A higher Kuijer risk class was predictive for in-hospital death (odds ratio [OR] 1.99 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.96-2.02], P 0.001), major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE, OR 1.90 [95%CI 1.87-1.93], P 0.001), intracerebral bleeding (OR 1.28 [95%CI 1.14-1.44], P 0.001), gastrointestinal bleeding (OR 1.56 [95%CI 1.48-1.64], P 0.001) as well as necessity of transfusion of blood constituents (OR 2.94 [95%CI 2.88-3.00], P 0.001) independently of important comorbidities.The Kuijer score is an important risk stratification tool to predict individual risk regarding in-hospital outcomes comprising major bleeding events such as intracerebral bleeding and necessity of transfusion of blood constituents, but also in-hospital mortality and MACCE in VTE patients.

Background Concomitant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common finding in mitral regurgitation (MR). Transcatheter repair (TMVR) is a favorable treatment option in patients at elevated surgical risk. To date, evidence on long-term prognosis and the prognostic impact of TR after TMVR is limited. Methods Long-term survival data of patients undergoing isolated edge-to-edge repair from June 2010 to March 2018 (combinations with other forms of TMVR or tricuspid valve therapy excluded) were analyzed in a retrospective monocentric study. TR severity was categorized and the impact of TR on survival was analysed. Results Overall, 606 patients [46.5% female, 56.4% functional MR (FMR)] were enrolled in this study. TR at baseline was categorized severe/medium/mild/no or trace in 23.2/34.3/36.3/6.3% of the cases. At 30-day follow-up, improvement of at least one TR-grade was documented in 34.9%. Severe TR at baseline was identified as predictor of 1-year survival [65.2% vs. 77.0%, p = 0.030; HR for death 1.68 (95% CI 1.12–2.54), p = 0.013] and in FMR-patients also regarding long-term prognosis [adjusted HR for long-term mortality 1.57 (95% CI 1.00–2.45), p = 0.049]. Missing post-interventional reduction of TR severity was predictive for poor prognosis, especially in the FMR-subgroup [1-year survival: 92.9% vs. 78.3%, p = 0.025; HR for death at 1-year follow-up 3.31 (95% CI 1.15–9.58), p = 0.027]. While BNP levels decreased in both subgroups, TR reduction was associated with improved symptomatic benefit (NYHA-class-reduction 78.6 vs. 65.9%, p = 0.021). Conclusion In this large study, both, severe TR at baseline as well as missing secondary reduction were predictive for impaired long-term prognosis, especially in patients with FMR etiology. TR reduction was associated with increased symptomatic benefit. Graphic abstract

To investigate the impact of atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF) on adverse in-hospital outcomes in hospitalized surgical patients.The nationwide German inpatient sample of the years 2005-2018 was used for this analysis. Surgical patients were stratified by AF and compared. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the impact of AF on in-hospital outcomes.In total, 96,589,627 hospitalizations with surgery were included in the present analysis in Germany (2005-2018). Among these, 6,680,261 were additionally coded with AF (6.9%). In-hospital death rate was substantially higher in surgical patients with AF (6.3%) than without (1.1%). Proportion of surgical patients with AF increased from 4.8% in 2005 to 8.9% in 2018, whereas in-hospital mortality decreased from 7.6% to 5.6%. For further analysis of the year 2014, 7,043,514 hospitalized surgical patients (54.5% females, 31.6% aged ≥0 years) were included in the analysis. Of these, 546,019 patients (7.8%) were diagnosed with AF. Overall, 1.4% of the surgical patients and 5.8% of the surgical patients with AF died in-hospital. Surgical patients with coded AF were in median 20 years older (57.0 [37.0-72.0] vs. 77.0 [72.0-83.0] years, P 0.001), had more often comorbidities such as heart failure (31.3% vs. 3.8%, P 0.001). All-cause death (RR 6.14 (95%CI 6.05-6.22), P 0.001) occurred more often in patients with AF than without. AF was an important predictor for in-hospital death (OR 1.58 [95%CI 1.56-1.61], P 0.001) independent of age, sex and comorbidities.The proportion of AF increased from 2005 to 2018 in surgical patients. AF was an independent risk factor for in-hospital death in these patients.

Aims With the present study, we sought to determine the safety of three different endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) access routes in 514 patients admitted for diagnostic workup of heart failure of unknown aetiology. Methods and results In this retrospective monocentric cohort study, we analysed 514 consecutive patients with heart failure without evidence of significant coronary artery disease or valvular disease undergoing EMB between November 2013 and December 2018, stratified in three access route groups: transradial arterial left ventricular (LV‐)EMB (323 patients), transfemoral LV‐EMB (138 patients), and transfemoral right ventricular (RV‐)EMB (53 patients). Patients undergoing selective transradial LV‐EMB were older compared with patients undergoing selective transfemoral LV‐EMB or RV‐EMB [transradial LV‐EMB: 56.0 (45.0/64.0) vs. transfemoral LV‐EMB: 53 (42.5/64.5), P = 0.455; transradial LV‐EMB: 56 (45.0/64.0) vs. RV‐EMB: 53 (42.5/64), P = 0.695] and presented more often in New York Heart Association‐functional class III and IV. A total of eight major complications including permanent atrioventricular block requiring pacemaker implantation, pericardial tamponade necessitating pericardiocentesis, stroke and transient cerebral ischaemic attack as well as severe valvular damage, vascular access site complications, and ventricular fibrillation were documented with no significant differences between the groups (8/514, 1.5%). Minor complications such as transient chest pain, non‐sustained electrocardiogram abnormalities, and transient atrioventricular block were rare and equally distributed between groups. Conclusions Transradial LV‐EMB is a safe procedure for experienced radial operators and non‐inferior compared with transfemoral LV‐EMB and RV‐EMB. An accurate peri‐procedural and post‐procedural monitoring and follow‐up care should be recommended for all patients undergoing this procedure in order to identify potential complications.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a frequent cause of death and morbidity. A few studies suggest that clot burden in pulmonary artery bed is related to PE patients' survival, but the impact of concomitant deep venous thrombosis and/or thrombophlebitis (DVT) on short-term survival of PE patients remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to investigate the impact of DVT on adverse outcomes in PE patients.Patients of the nationwide inpatient sample with PE (ICD-code I26) were stratified for DVT (ICD-code I80) and compared for patient characteristics, risk stratification markers, treatments and outcomes. Impact of concomitant DVT on adverse in-hospital outcomes was tested.Overall, 346,586 PE patients (53.3% females) were included in this analysis. Among these, in 126,477 (36.5%) DVT was coded. PE patients with DVT were younger, less often of female sex and VTE risk-factors (surgery, cancer) as well as cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases were less prevalent compared with isolated PE. PE patients with DVT showed a significant better survival (5.4% vs. 20.2%, P .001) and lower adverse in-hospital event rate (9.7% vs. 27.4%, P .001) compared to patients with isolated PE. Lower risk for in-hospital mortality (OR 0.238 [95%CI 0.232-0.245], P .001) and adverse in-hospital events (OR 0.302 [95%CI 0.295-0.309], P .001) were respectively independent of age, gender, comorbidities and reperfusion-treatments.Concomitant DVT affects survival of PE patients. Patients with an isolated PE had higher rate of in-hospital mortality and adverse in-hospital events. Our data suggest, that peripheral thrombus burden in PE with concomitant DVT might be less harmful in comparison to isolated PE with a probably larger thrombus burden.

Despite remarkable improvements in treatment of cardiovascular disease, heart failure (HF) is still characterized by high mortality rate. Sex-specific differences in HF have been described, but underlying reasons are widely unexplored.The nationwide German inpatient sample (2005-2016) was used for this sex-specific analyses. Temporal trends on hospitalizations, mortality, and treatments were analysed and independent predictors of adverse outcomes identified.The analysis comprises 4,538,977 hospitalizations due to HF (52.0%women) in Germany (2005-2016). Although women were older (median 82(IQR75-87) vs.76(69-82),P 0.001), coronary artery disease (CAD, 50.3% vs. 30.7%,P 0.001) was more prevalent in men, who were more often treated with percutaneous intervention (PCI;3.4% vs. 1.4%,P 0.001) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (2.2% vs. 0.5%,P 0.001). In-hospital mortality was significantly lower in men than in women (8.9% vs.10.2%,P = 0.001) and was reduced in patients who received PCI or implantation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. While total numbers of hospitalizations between 2005 and 2016 increased in both men (β-estimate 7185.71 (95%CI 6502.23 to 7869.18),P 0.001) and women (β-estimate 5297.60 (95%CI 4557.37 to 6037.83),P 0.001) as well as almost all comorbid co-conditions, in-hospital mortality rate decreased more distinctly in women (β-estimate -0.41 (95%CI -0.42 to -0.39),P 0.001) compared to men (β-estimate -0.29 (95%CI -0.30 to -0.27),P 0.001).Interventional treatments of HF were associated with improved outcomes and equally beneficial for both sexes. However, they were more often used in male HF patients, in which CAD is significantly more frequent than in female HF patients. This may explain the higher case fatality rate of HF in females.

Studies performed in the past decade suggested that evolving reperfusion strategies may improve early outcomes of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and hemodynamic decompensation. In this regard, catheter-directed treatment (CDT) options are receiving increasing attention.A broad spectrum of CDT options exists for the treatment of patients with acute PE. Procedures include catheter-directed local thrombolysis with or without ultrasound assistance, catheter-directed mechanical or suction embolectomy, and combined pharmaco-mechanical approaches. We present here an overview of the available CDT techniques, focusing on the EkoSonic® endovascular system.CDT, particularly local ultrasound accelerated thrombolysis, continues to evolve. Its increasing popularity is the result of accumulating promising results, which suggest a relief of right ventricular (RV) pressure overload and improvement of RV function. These favorable effects on surrogate endpoints were accompanied by a low rate of procedure-related adverse events, notably intracranial hemorrhage. Although the overall risk of serious bleeding appears to be low in CDT, the lack of direct comparisons with other reperfusion options does not allow definitive conclusions. Prospective controlled trials with robust clinical outcomes are urgently needed to establish the postulated benefits of CDT in selected patients with acute PE.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary embolism (PE)-related mortality is decreasing worldwide. AIM Little is known about the burden imposed by pulmonary embolism for Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH countries). MATERIALS AND METHODS We aimed to assess pulmonary embolism-related mortality and time trends for the DACH countries based on data from the WHO Mortality Database. Deaths were considered pulmonary embolism-related if the International Classification of Disease-10 code for acute pulmonary embolism or any code for deep or superficial vein thrombosis was listed as the primary cause of death. RESULTS Between 2000 and 2015, age-standardized annual pulmonary embolism-related mortality rates decreased linearly from 15.6 to 7.8 deaths per 1000 population. In the 5‑year period between 2012 and 2016, an average of 9127 pulmonary embolism-related deaths occurred annually in the DACH countries with a population of 98,273,329. Interestingly, pulmonary embolism-related mortality rates were considerably higher among women aged 15-55 years compared to age-matched men. CONCLUSION The observed decreasing trends in pulmonary embolism-related mortality might reflect improved management of the disease including new treatment options as well as advances in imaging technologies. However, pulmonary embolism remains a substantial contributor to total mortality, especially among women aged 15-55 years. For this reason, campaigns to increase physician and public awareness are urgently required to further improve the management and treatment of this preventable thrombotic disorder, which still remains the leading preventable cause of death. Hintergrund Kurzlich veroffentliche Studien zeigen eine steigende Inzidenz fur die Lungenarterienembolie (LE) bei gleichzeitigem Ruckgangs der LE-assoziierten Mortalitat. Ziel der Studie Detaillierte Daten zur Mortalitat der LE in Deutschland, Osterreich und der Schweiz (DACH-Region) sind derzeit nicht vorhanden. Material und Methoden Datensatze wurden aus der Mortalitatsdatenbank der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) ausgewertet. Hierbei analysierten wir die Haufigkeit sowohl der akuten LE als auch der tiefen/oberflachlichen Venenthrombose als primarer Todesursache. Ergebnisse Demnach sank die jahrliche altersstandardisierte Mortalitat zwischen Januar 2000 und Dezember 2015 von 15,6 auf 7,8 Todesfalle pro 1000 Einwohner. Zwischen Januar 2012 und Dezember 2016 ereigneten sich in der DACH-Region (Bevolkerungsanzahl: 98.273.320 Menschen) durchschnittlich 9127 durch LE verursache Todesfalle pro Jahr. Interessanterweise ist LE–assoziierte Gesamtmortalitat bei Frauen zwischen dem 15. und 55. Lebensjahr deutlich hoher als bei gleichaltrigen Mannern. Schlussfolgerung Der Ruckgang der Mortalitat durch die Erkrankung LE seit dem Jahr 2000 ist vermutlich durch eine verbesserte Patientenversorgung mit Einfuhrung neuer Antikoagulanzien und durch den vermehrten Einsatz und diagnostischen Fortschritt bei den computertomographischen Untersuchungen erklart. Festzuhalten ist, dass die LE eine wichtige Todesursache vor allem im hoheren Alter darstellt. Auserdem ist der Anteil der Frauen im gebarfahigen Alter, die nach einer akuten LE sterben, mit 3,5 % hoch. Daher sind, trotz des medizinischen Fortschritts, weitere Anstrengungen fur eine Verbesserung der Pravention, Diagnostik und Therapie, aber insbesondere auch des Krankheitsbewusstseins notwendig.

Background. Venous thromboembolism is a frequent complication and an important cause of death in patients with paralysis. We aimed to investigate predictors of pulmonary embolism (PE) and the impact of PE on the survival of patients with paralysis in comparison to those with deep venous thrombosis or thrombophlebitis (DVT). Methods: Patients were selected by screening the German nationwide inpatient sample (2005–2017) for paralysis, and were stratified for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and the VTE-sub-entity PE (ICD-code I26). Impact of PE on mortality and predictors for PE were analyzed. Results: Overall, 7,873,769 hospitalizations of patients with paralysis were recorded in Germany 2005–2017, of whom 1.6% had VTE and 7.0% died. While annual hospitalizations increased (2005: 520,357 to 2017: 663,998) (β 12,421 (95% CI 10,807 to 14,034), p &lt, 0.001), in-hospital mortality decreased from 7.5% to 6.7% (β −0.08% (95% CI −0.10% to −0.06%), p &lt, 0.001). When focusing on 82,558 patients with paralysis hospitalized due to VTE (51.8% females, 58.3% aged ≥ 70 years) in 2005–2017, in-hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients with paralysis and PE than in those with DVT only (23.8% vs. 6.3%, p &lt, 0.001). Cancer (OR 2.18 (95% CI 2.09–2.27), p &lt, 0.001), heart failure (OR 1.83 (95% CI 1.76–1.91), p &lt, 0.001), COPD (OR 1.63 (95% CI 1.53–1.72), p &lt, 0.001) and obesity (OR 1.42 (95% CI 1.35–1.50), p &lt, 0.001) were associated with PE. PE (OR 4.28 (95% CI 4.07–4.50), p &lt, 0.001) was a strong predictor of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: In Germany, annual hospitalizations of patients with paralysis increased in 2005–2017, in whom VTE and especially PE substantially affected in-hospital mortality. Cancer, heart failure, COPD, obesity and acute paraplegia were risk factors of PE.

Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is common and associated with high morbidity and mortality. Although chronic inflammation was not categorized as a traditional risk factor for VTE, chronic inflammation might increase the risk to develop VTE events. While studies confirmed an increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in psoriatic patients, data regarding the influence of psoriasis on patients' cardiovascular profile and on prognosis of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) are sparse. Purpose We aimed to investigate the impact of psoriasis on prognosis of PE patients. Methods Hospitalized PE patients were stratified for psoriasis and the impact of psoriasis on outcome was investigated in the German nationwide inpatient sample of the years 2005–2017 (source: Research Data Center (RDC) of the Federal Statistical Office and the Statistical Offices of the federal states, DRG Statistics 2005–2017, own calculations). Results Overall, 1,076,384 hospitalizations of PE patients (53.7% females, median age 72.0 [60.0–80.0] years) were recorded in Germany 2005–2017. Among these, 3,145 patients were additionally coded with psoriasis (0.3%). Psoriatic PE patients were younger (68.0 [57.0–76.0] vs. 72.0 [60.0–80.0] years, P Psoriatic PE patients showed a lower in-hospital case-fatality rate (11.1% vs. 16.0%, P Conclusions Overall, only a minority (0.3%) of all PE cases were coded additionally with psoriasis. PE patients with psoriasis were hospitalized in median four years earlier than those without. Although psoriasis was associated with an unfavorable cardiovascular-risk and VTE-risk profile in PE patients, our data demonstrate a lower in-hospital mortality rate in psoriatic PE, which might be mainly driven by younger age. Our findings may improve the clinical management of these patients and contribute evidence for relevant systemic manifestation of psoriasis. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Background: In patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on patient-profile and adverse in-hospital events is not well investigated. Methods: The German nationwide inpatient sample 2005–2019 was used for this analysis. Hospitalized PAD patients were stratified for DM and the influence of DM on patient-profile and adverse in-hospital events was investigated. Results: Our study comprised 2,654,871 hospitalizations (54.3% aged ≥70 years, 36.7% females) of patients with PAD in Germany 2005–2019. Among these, 864,691 (32.6%) patients had DM and 76,716 (2.9%) died during hospitalization. Diabetic PAD patients revealed an aggravated cardiovascular profile (Charlson Comorbidity Index: 6.0 (5.0–8.0) vs. 4.0 (3.0–5.0), p &lt, 0.001). PAD patients with DM showed a higher rate of in-hospital mortality (3.5% vs. 2.6%, p &lt, 0.001), as well as major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE, 4.7% vs. 3.3%, p &lt, 0.001) and had more often operated with amputation surgery (16.4% vs. 9.1%, p &lt, 0.001). DM was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (OR 1.077 (95%CI 1.060–1.093), p &lt, 0.001) and MACCE (OR 1.118 (95%CI 1.103–1.133), p &lt, 0.001). In addition, amputations were also associated with DM (OR 1.804 (95%CI 1.790–1.818)), p &lt, 0.001). Conclusions: DM is associated with an unfavorable clinical patient-profile and higher risk for adverse events in PAD patients, including substantially increased in-hospital mortality as well as MACCE rate, and were more often associated with amputation surgeries.

Background Amyloidosis is a multi-systemic disease resulting from deposition of misfolded proteins as insoluble fibrils in the interstitium of affected organs including the heart, subsequently leading to organ failure. Cardiac involvement is predominantly observed in light chain (AL) amyloidosis and wild-type transthyretin (ATTRwt) amyloidosis. Purpose We aimed to investigate prevalence and prognostic implications of cardiac amyloidosis of any etiology on outcomes of hospitalized patients with heart failure (HF) in Germany. Methods We analyzed data of the German nationwide inpatient sample (2005–2018) of patients hospitalized for HF (including myocarditis with HF and heart transplantation with HF). HF patients with amyloidosis (defined as cardiac amyloidosis [CA]) were compared with those HF patients without amyloidosis and impact of CA on outcomes was assessed (source: Research Data Center (RDC) of the Federal Statistical Office and the Statistical Offices of the federal states, DRG Statistics 2005–2018, and own calculations). Results During this fourteen-year observational period 5,478,835 hospitalizations of HF patients were analyzed. Amyloidosis was coded in 5,407 hospitalizations of HF patients (0.1%). Prevalence of CA was 1.87 hospitalizations per 100,000 German population. CA patients were younger (75.0 [IQR 67.0/80.0] vs. 79.0 [72.0–85.0] years, p Conclusions CA was identified as an independent risk factor for complications and in-hospital mortality in HF patients. Physicians should be aware of this issue concerning treatments and monitoring of CA-patients. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Background: This study sought to investigate the prevalence and clinical outcome of left ventricular (LV) geometry in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the impact of glucose metabolism on the incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Methods: 15,010 subjects (35–74 years) of the population-based Gutenberg Health Study were categorized into euglycemia, prediabetes, and T2DM according to clinical and metabolic (HbA1c) information. Clinical outcome was assessed via structured follow-up. Results: The study comprised 12,121 individuals with euglycemia (81.6%), 1415 with prediabetes (9.5%), and 1316 with T2DM (8.9%). Prevalence of LVH increased from euglycemia (10.2%) over prediabetes (17.8%) to T2DM (23.8%). Prediabetes and T2DM were associated with increased LV mass index (prediabetes: β1.3 (95% CI 0.78–1.81), p &lt, 0.0001, T2DM: β2.37 (95% CI 1.81, 2.92), p &lt, 0.0001) independent of age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF). The frequency of LVH was related to the presence of T2DM (prevalence ratio (PR)T2DM 1.2 (95% CI 1.06–1.35), p = 0.0038). T2DM was related to mortality independent of age, sex, and CVRF regardless of LVH (hazard ratio (HR)T2DM-LVH 2.67 (95% CI 1.94–3.66), p &lt, HRT2DM-noLVH 1.59 (95% CI 1.29–1.96), p &lt, 0.0001), prediabetes was only associated with outcome in individuals with LVH independent of age and sex (HRprediabetes-LVH 1.51 (95% CI 1.01–2.25), p = 0.045). Neither T2DM nor prediabetes were predictors of incident LVH after adjustment for clinical covariates. Conclusions: Prediabetes and T2DM promote alterations of cardiac geometry. T2DM and particularly the coprevalence of T2DM with LVH substantially reduce life expectancy. These findings highlight the need for new therapeutic and screening approaches to prevent and detect cardiometabolic diseases at an early stage.

Introduction Sex-specific differences regarding risk factors, symptoms and prognosis have been reported for several cardiovascular diseases. For patients with pulmonary embolism (PE), sex-specific data are limited and inconsistent. We aimed to investigate sex-specific differences in PE. Materials and methods Over a 10-year period (01/2003–09/2013), patients with confirmed PE were enrolled in a prospective single-centre cohort study. Results We prospectively examined 569 PE patients (55.9% women). Men more often had cancer (20.7% vs. 13.5%, p = 0.024) and unprovoked PE (61.0% vs. 47.5%, p = 0.001) while women more frequently presented with risk factors for venous thromboembolism such as older age (median, 71 [IQR, 55–79] vs. 67 [53–75] years, p = 0.008), surgery/trauma/immobilisation (38.4% vs. 29.5%, p = 0.026) and sex-hormone therapy (14.8% vs. 0.8%, p Overall, 84 patients (14.8%) had an adverse 30-day outcome and 43 (7.6%) died within 30 days; outcomes did not differ between males and females and were not influenced by the patients' sex. Risk stratification markers and models such as right ventricular dysfunction on TTE/CT, cardiac troponin, sPESI, Bova score and 2014 ESC guidelines algorithm predicted adverse outcome in normotensive female patients only, while tachycardia, hypoxia, NT-proBNP and modified FAST score were able to predict an adverse outcome in both sexes. Using sex-specific biomarker cut-off values, the 2014 ESC guidelines algorithm was able to predict adverse outcome in both sexes. Conclusions The 30-day adverse outcomes did not differ between male and female PE patients and were not influenced by the patients' sex despite sex-specific differences in the prognostic performance of risk stratification markers/models.

The aim of this study was to evaluate 5-year in-hospital trends and safety outcomes of left atrial appendage (LAA) closure in the German nationwide inpatient sample.The safety and efficacy of percutaneous LAA closure have been demonstrated in randomized trials and prospective cohort studies, but results from large samples are missing.Data on patient characteristics and in-hospital safety outcomes for all percutaneous LAA closures performed in Germany between 2011 and 2015 were analyzed. Overall, 15,895 inpatients were included.The annual number of LAA occlusions increased from 1,347 in 2011 to 4,932 in 2015 (β = 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95 to 1.01; p 0.001), with a nonsignificant uptrend of in-hospital mortality (from 0.5% in 2011 to 0.9% in 2015; β = 0.01; 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.32; p = 0.271). Patient characteristics shifted toward older age and higher prevalence of comorbidities such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic renal insufficiency over time. Important independent predictors of in-hospital mortality were cancer (odds ratio [OR]: 2.49; 95% CI: 1.00 to 6.12; p = 0.050), heart failure (OR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.72 to 3.41; p 0.001), stroke (OR: 5.39; 95% CI: 2.76 to 10.53; p 0.001), acute renal failure (OR: 13.28; 95% CI: 9.08 to 19.42; p 0.001), pericardial effusion (OR: 5.65; 95% CI: 3.76 to 8.48; p 0.001), and shock (OR: 45.11; 95% CI: 31.01 to 65.58; p 0.001).The use of percutaneous LAA closure increased 3.6-fold from 2011 to 2015, with a nonsignificant uptrend of in-hospital mortality rate in this real-world setting. Important predictors of in-hospital death were acute renal failure, pericardial effusion, and ischemic stroke during hospitalization.

Syncope is a common phenomenon in the general population. Although most of the causes are of benign origin, some comorbidities are accompanied by high mortality. We aimed to compare the in-hospital mortality of patients with syncope related to different comorbities and investigate the impact of syncope in patients with atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF).The nationwide inpatient sample of Germany of the years 2011-2014 was used for this analysis. Patients with syncope (ICD-code R55) were stratified by presence of selected comorbidities. Additionally, AF patients with and without syncope were compared. Incidence of syncope and in-hospital mortality were calculated. Syncope as a predictor of adverse outcome in AF patients was investigated.In total, 1,628,859 hospitalizations of patients with syncope were identified; incidence was 504.6/100,000 citizens/year with case-fatality rate of 1.6%. Patients with syncope revealed frequently comorbidities as AF, heart failure and pneumonia. In-hospital mortality was high in syncope patients with pulmonary embolism (PE, 13.0%), pneumonia (12.8%), myocardial infarction (MI, 9.7%) and stroke (8.5%). We analysed 1,106,019 hospitalizations (52.9% females, 54.9% aged 70 years) of patients with AF (2011-2014). Among these, 23,694 (2.1%) were coded with syncope and 0.7% died. Syncope had no significant impact on in-hospital mortality (OR 1.04, 95%CI 0.92-1.17, P = .503) independently of age, sex and comorbidities, but was associated with PE (OR 1.83, 95%CI 1.42-2.36, P .001), MI (OR 1.68, 95%CI 1.48-1.90, P .001), stroke (OR 1.66, 95%CI 1.42-1.94, P .001) and pneumonia (OR 1.26, 95%CI 1.16-1.37, P .001).Syncope is a frequent cause for referrals in hospitals. While the overall in-hospital mortality rate is low (2%), syncope in coprevalence with PE, pneumonia, MI and stroke showed a mortality rate 8%. Syncope in AF patients had no independent impact on in-hospital mortality.

AIMS The number of percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral regurgitation valve repairs with MitraClip implantation has increased during recent years. Published studies showed promising safety outcomes in relatively small cohorts, while results from large samples are sparse. Thus, we aimed to evaluate trends and safety outcomes in the German nationwide in-patient sample. METHODS AND RESULTS We analysed data on patients' characteristics and in-hospital safety outcomes for all percutaneous mitral valve repairs using the MitraClip technique in Germany between 2011 and 2015. Overall, 13,575 in-patients were included. The annual number of MitraClip implantations increased from 815 in 2011 to 4,432 in 2015 (β 1.00 [95% CI: 0.96-1.03], p

Atherosclerosis is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Associations between venous thromboembolism and atherosclerosis were recently reported. We aimed to investigate the impact of symptomatic atherosclerosis on adverse outcomes in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and to identify significant differences among patients with PE stratified by symptomatic atherosclerosis.Patients were selected by screening the nationwide inpatients sample for PE (ICD-code I26) stratified by symptomatic atherosclerosis (composite of coronary artery disease [ICD-code I25], myocardial infarction [ICD-code I21], ischemic stroke [ICD-code I63], and/or atherosclerotic arterial diseases [ICD-code I70]). We compared PE patients with (PE + Athero) and without (PE - Athero) symptomatic atherosclerosis and analysed the impact of symptomatic atherosclerosis on adverse outcomes.Overall, 213,995 patients with PE (54.2% females) were included in this analysis. Of these, 30,157 (14.1%) had symptomatic atherosclerosis with age-dependent incline. Deep vein thrombosis or thrombophlebitis (45.1% vs. 36.9%, P 0.001) was more commonly observed in the PE - Athero group (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.713 [95% CI 0.695-0.731], P 0.001). In-hospital mortality (12.1% vs. 9.6%, P 0.001) and adverse in-hospital events (16.8% vs. 12.6%, P 0.001) were affected by symptomatic atherosclerosis; both in-hospital mortality (OR 1.107 [95% CI 1.061-1.155], P 0.001) and adverse in-hospital outcomes (OR 1.143 [95%CI 1.102-1.186], P 0.001) were affected independently of age, gender, comorbidities, and reperfusion treatments.Symptomatic atherosclerosis in patients with PE increased with age and was associated with a poorer outcome. Cardiovascular-atherosclerotic diseases might play a major role in thrombus formation in isolated PE.

Aims Right atrial (RA) dilation and stretch provide prognostic information in patients with cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the prevalence, confounding factors and prognostic relevance of RA dilation in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods Overall, 609 PE patients were consecutively included in a prospective single-centre registry between September 2008 and August 2017. Volumetric measurements of heart chambers were performed on routine non-electrocardiographic-gated computed tomography and plasma concentrations of mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) measured on admission. An in-hospital adverse outcome was defined as PE-related death, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation or catecholamine administration. Results Patients with an adverse outcome (11.2%) had larger RA volumes (median 120 (interquartile range 84–152) versus 102 (78–134) mL; p=0.013), RA/left atrial (LA) volume ratios (1.7 (1.2–2.4) versus 1.3 (1.1–1.7); p, RA dilation is a frequent finding but its prognostic performance appears inferior compared to other risk stratification markers. MR-proANP predicts an adverse outcome but elevation does not appear to be caused by RA dilation in a relevant proportion. https://bit.ly/3q55dqy

Background and purpose Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is considered as a rare but severe complication after acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and is potentially curable by pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). We aimed to evaluate, over an 11-year period, time trends of in-hospital outcomes of PEA in CTEPH patients in the German nationwide inpatient sample. Methods and results We analyzed data on the characteristics, comorbidities, treatments and in-hospital outcomes for all CTEPH patients treated with PEA in Germany between 2006 and 2016. Overall, 1,398 inpatients were included. The annual number of PEA increased from 67 in 2006 to 194 in 2016 (β 0.69 [95% CI 0.51 to 0.86]; p Conclusions The number of CTEPH patients treated with PEA increased markedly in Germany between 2006 and 2016, in parallel with a decrease of in-hospital mortality. Our findings may suggest that the perioperative management of PEA and the general patients' selection have improved over time and might draw more attention to predictors for in-hospital mortality for CTEPH patients hospitalized for PEA. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1503).

While numerous studies have confirmed the prognostic role of high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) in pulmonary embolism (PE), high-sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) is inappropriately studied. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic relevance of hsTnI in normotensive PE, establish the optimal cut-off value for risk stratification and to compare the prognostic performances of hsTnI and hsTnT. Based on data from 459 consecutive PE patients enrolled in a single-centre registry, receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to identify an optimal hsTnI cut-off value for prediction of in-hospital adverse outcomes (PE-related death, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or vasopressor treatment) and all-cause mortality. Patients who suffered an in-hospital adverse outcome (4.8%) had higher hsTnI concentrations compared with those with a favourable clinical course (57 (interquartile range (IQR) 22–197) versus 15 (IQR 10–86) pg·mL−1, p=0.03). A hsTnI cut-off value of 16 ng·mL−1 provided optimal prognostic performance and predicted in-hospital adverse outcomes (OR 6.5, 95% CI 1.9–22.4) and all-cause mortality (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.0–13.3). Between female and male patients, no relevant differences in hsTnI concentrations (17 (IQR 10–97) versus 17 (IQR 10–92) pg·mL−1, p=0.79) or optimised cut-off values were observed. Risk stratification according to the 2019 European Society of Cardiology algorithm revealed no differences if calculated based on either hsTnI or hsTnT (p=0.68). Our findings confirm the prognostic role of hsTnI in normotensive PE. HsTnI concentrations >16 pg·mL−1 predicted in-hospital adverse outcome and all-cause mortality; sex-specific cut-off values do not seem necessary. Importantly, our results suggest that hsTnI and hsTnT can be used interchangeably for risk stratification., The study confirms the prognostic relevance of high-sensitivity troponin I in normotensive pulmonary embolism. A cut-off value of 16 pg·mL−1 can be used for risk stratification in male and female patients; sex-specific adjustments do not appear necessary. https://bit.ly/3lCECip

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a major cardiovascular risk factor for coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (MI). Purpose We aimed to assess in-hospital events and time trends in MI patients with and without DM between 2005 and 2016 in Germany. Methods The nationwide German inpatient sample 2005–2016 was used for statistical analysis (source: Research Data Center (RDC) of the Federal Statistical Office and the Statistical Offices of the federal states, DRG Statistics 2005–2016, own calculations). Hospitalized MI patients were stratified for the presence of DM and the impact of DM on in-hospital events was investigated. Results A total of 3,307,703 patients with acute MI (37.6% females, 56.8% aged ≥70 years) were included in the present analysis. Of these, 1,007,326 (30.5%) patients were coded for additional DM. More MI patients with DM were female (41.2% vs. 36.0%, P Conclusions While the proportion of MI patients with DM increased only slightly from 2005 to 2016, the in-hospital mortality decreased substantially in MI patients with DM. DM was associated with an aggravated cardiovascular risk profile, higher prevalence of comorbidities and increased in-hospital mortality during hospitalization. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1503); institutional grant for the Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis.

Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent acute cardiovascular disease, leading to significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Major trauma, surgery, immobilisation and joint replacements are major provoking factors for VTE. In particular, patients undergoing knee and hip joint replacement surgery are at high risk of developing VTE perioperatively, even in the era of established pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. Without thromboprophylaxis, as many as 20–60% of patients may develop perioperative VTE. Purpose As recent studies indicate an increasing number of total knee and hip replacement surgeries in European countries and the United States, aims of our study were to investigate a) total burden and temporal trends of VTE complications following knee (KJR) and hip joint replacement (HJR) in Germany 2005–2016 and to identify b) predictors of VTE during hospitalization. Methods In an analysis of the nationwide German inpatient sample, we included all hospitalized patients with elective primary KJR and HJR in Germany between 2005 and 2016 (source: Research Data Center (RDC) of the Federal Statistical Office and the Statistical Offices of the federal states, DRG Statistics 2005–2016, own calculations). We analyzed temporal trends of surgical procedure, mortality, and VTE, and identified predictors of VTE. Results A total of 1,804,496 hospitalized patients underwent KJR (65.1% women, 53.4% aged ≥70 years) and 1,885,839 received HJR (59.1% women, 51.4% ≥70 years). VTE was documented in 23,297 (1.3% of total) KJR patients and in 11,554 HJR patients (0.6%). The number of primary KJR (129,832 in 2005 to 167,881 in 2016 [β-(slope)-estimate 1978 per year; 95% CI 1951 to 2004, P In-hospital VTE decreased from 1.9% to 0.9% (β-estimate −0.77 [95% CI: −0.81 to −0.72], P Infections during hospitalization were associated with a higher VTE risk. VTE events were associated with in-hospital death in KJR (OR 20.86 [95% CI: 18.78–23.15], P Conclusions While total numbers of KJR and HJR interventions increased in Germany between 2005 and 2016, the rate of VTE decreased substantially. VTE complications were associated with 15-to 21-fold increase of in-hospital case-fatality rate. Perioperative infections increased the risk for VTE substantially. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1503), institutional grant for the Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis. The authors are responsible for the contents of this publication.

Background and purpose Catheter-directed treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is technically advancing. Recent guidelines acknowledge this treatment option for patients with overt or imminent haemodynamic decompensation, particularly when systemic thrombolysis is contraindicated or has failed. We investigated baseline characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of patients with PE who underwent catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) in the German nationwide inpatient cohort. Methods Data from hospitalizations with PE between 2005 and 2016 were collected by the Federal Office of Statistics (Statistisches Bundesamt) in Germany and included in this analysis. Patients with PE who underwent CDT were compared with patients receiving systemic thrombolysis, and those without thromboytic or other reperfusion treatment. Results We analyzed data from 978,094 hospitalized patients with PE. Of these, 41,903 (4.3%) patients received thrombolytic treatment (systemic thrombolysis in 4.2%, CDT in 0.1%). Among PE patients with shock, CDT was associated with lower in-hospital mortality compared to systemic thrombolysis (OR, 0.29, 95% CI 0.13–0.66, P=0.003). No intracranial bleeding occurred among PE patients with shock who received CDT. Among haemodynamically stable PE patients with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction (intermediate-risk PE), CDT also was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality compared to systemic thrombolysis (OR, 0.52 [95% CI 0.38–0.70]; P Conclusion In the German nationwide inpatient cohort, CDT was associated with lower in-hospital mortality rates compared to systemic thrombolysis. Prospective controlled data are urgently needed to determine the true value of this treatment option in acute PE. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1503).

Background Mitral valve regurgitation (MR) is a frequent heart valve disorder affecting 1–2% of the humans in the general population and over 10% of the individuals older than 75 years. While a symptomatic and prognostic benefit of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair for MR (TMVR) was reported, data regarding long-term outcome as well as influence of concomitant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) are sparse. Purpose We aimed to investigate the impact of periinterventional development of TR on survival of patients undergoing interventional edge-to-edge repair for MR in a large retrospective monocentric study. Methods We retrospectively analyzed survival of patients successfully treated with isolated edge-to-edge repair for MR from 06/2010–03/2018 (exclusion of combined forms of TMVR) in our center. Baseline, periprocedural as well as follow-up data were gathered. Concomitant TR was evaluated at baseline and after 30 days and categorized from grades 0 (no TR) to grade III (severe TR). We analyzed the influence of severe vs. non-severe TR on 30-day, 1-year and long-term survival. Results Overall, 627 consecutive patients (47.0% female, 57.4% functional MR) were enrolled. Median follow-up time was 462 days [IQR 142–945]. Survival status was available in 96.7%. Survival rates were 97.6% at discharge, 75.7% after 1, 54.5% after 3, 37.6% after 5 and 21.7% after 7 years. TR at baseline (examination results were available in 92.3%) was categorized as severe TR in 25.6%, medium TR in 33.3%, mild TR in 35.1% and no TR in 6.0%. TR at 1 month (examination results were available in 81.1%) was severe in 16.7%, medium in 30.2%, mild in 45.6% and no TR was found in 7.4%; improvement by at least 1 TR-grade was documented in 33.6% of the patients. While a severe (compared to non-severe) TR at baseline did not affect the 30-day mortality (7.4% vs. 5.2%, p=0.354), 1-year survival was substantially impaired in those patients (36.5% vs. 23.0%, p=0.012). Accordingly, severe TR was not associated with 30d-mortality (as evaluated by univariate Cox regression, p=0.340), but with 1-year survival (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.19–2.65, p=0.005) and showed a trend towards impaired long-term survival (HR 1.30, 95% CI 0.96–1.76, p=0.089). While residual severe TR at one month did not influence 1-year-mortality significantly (p=0.478), improvement of TR demonstrated a trend to better survival after the first year (86.9 vs. 81.0%, p=0.208) confirmed in the Cox regression analysis (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.36–1.22, p=0.188). Conclusions In this large retrospective monocentric study with a long-term follow-up-period of >7 years after edge-to-edge therapy for MR, we demonstrated that severe TR at the time of the intervention had an impact on 1-year-survival. Furthermore, a missing periinterventional improvement of TR was shown to be unfavorable regarding the long-term survival of these patients. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Background/Introduction While numerous studies confirmed the prognostic role of high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) in pulmonary embolism (PE), the prognostic relevance of high-sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) is inappropriately studied and disease specific cut-off values remain undefined. Purpose To investigate the prognostic relevance of hsTnI in normotensive PE patients, establish the optimal cut-off value for risk stratification and compare the prognostic performances of hsTnI and hsTnT. Methods Consecutive PE patients enrolled in a prospective single-centre registry between 09/2008 and 04/2018 were studied. Using receiver operating curve analysis, an optimised hsTnI cut-off concentration was identified and the prognostic value for the prediction of in-hospital adverse outcomes (PE-related death, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or vasopressor treatment) and all-cause mortality analysed. Results We analysed data from 459 PE patients (age 69 [interquartile range (IQR) 57–77] years, 52% female). Patients who suffered an in-hospital adverse outcome (4.8%) had higher median hsTnI concentrations compared to those with a favorable clinical course (57 [IQR 22–197] vs. 15 [IQR 10–86] pg/ml, p=0.03). A hsTnI cut-off value of 16 ng/ml provided the best prognostic performance and predicted an in-hospital adverse outcome (Odds ratio [OR] 6.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9–22.4) and all-cause mortality (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.0–13.3). Between female and male patients, no relevant differences in hsTnI concentrations (17 [IQR 10–97] vs. 17 [IQR 10–92] pg/ml, p=0.79) or optimized cut-off values (17 pg/ml and 19 pg/ml, respectively) were observed. Stratification of patients to risk classes according to the 2019 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) algorithm revealed no differences if calculated based on either hsTnI or hsTnT (Table). Conclusions Our findings confirm the prognostic relevance of hsTnI in normotensive PE. An optimal hsTnI cut-off value of 16 pg/ml predicted in-hospital adverse outcome and all-cause mortality. The use of sex specific cut-off values does not appear necessary. Importantly, our results suggest that hsTnI and hsTnT can be used interchangeably for risk stratification. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1503). BRAHMS GmbH, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Hennigsdorf/Berlin, Germany provided financial support for biomarker measurements. The sponsor was neither involved in biomarker measurements, statistical analyses, writing of the abstract nor had any influence on the scientific contents.

Background Despite remarkable improvements in treatment of cardiovascular disease, heart failure (HF) is still characterized by a high mortality rate. Sex-specific differences in HF have been described, but underlying reasons are widely unexplored. Thus, we aimed to investigate sex differences of patients hospitalized for HF in a nationwide cohort. Methods The nationwide German inpatient sample (2005–2016) was used for this sex-specific analyses. Temporal trends on hospitalizations, mortality, and treatments were analyzed and independent predictors of adverse outcomes identified. Results The present analysis comprises 4,538,977 hospitalizations due to HF (52.0%women) in Germany (2005–2016). Although women were older (median 82 (IQR75–87) vs. 76 (69–82), P While total numbers of hospitalizations between 2005 and 2016 increased in both men (β-estimate 7185.71 (95% CI 6502.23 to 7869.18), P Conclusions Interventional treatments of HF were associated with improved outcomes and equally beneficial for both sexes. However, they were more often used in male HF patients, in which CAD is significantly more frequent than in female HF patients. This may explain the higher case fatality rate of HF in females. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease which affects the body far beyond the skin. Whereas there is solid evidence that chronic skin inflammation in psoriasis drives cardiovascular disease, the impact on renal impairment and acute kidney injury (AKI) is still unclear. We aimed to analyze the impact of psoriasis on the in-hospital outcome of patients hospitalized with AKI. Methods: In this retrospective database study, we investigated data on characteristics, comorbidities, and in-hospital outcomes for all hospitalized patients with AKI stratified for concomitant psoriasis, which were collected by the Federal Office of Statistics in Germany between 2005 and 2016. Results: Among the 3,162,449 patients treated for AKI in German hospitals between 2005 and 2016, 11,985 patients (0.4%) additionally suffered from psoriasis. While the annual number of AKI patients with psoriasis increased significantly from 485 cases (4.0%) in 2005 to 1902 (15.9%) in 2016 (p &lt, 0.001), the in-hospital mortality decreased substantially (from 24.9% in 2005 to 17.4% in 2016, p &lt, 0.001). AKI patients with concomitant psoriasis were younger (70 (IQR, 60&ndash, 78) vs. 76 (67&ndash, 83) years, 0.001) and were more often treated with dialysis (16.3% vs. 13.6%, p &lt, 0.001). Presence of psoriasis in AKI patients was associated with reduced prevalence of myocardial infarction (OR 0.62, 0.001), stroke (OR 0.85, p = 0.013), and in-hospital mortality (OR 0.75, 0.001). Conclusions: AKI patients with psoriasis were hospitalized in median 6 years earlier than those without. Despite younger age, we detected higher use of kidney replacement therapy in patients with psoriasis, indicating a more severe course of AKI. Our findings might improve management of these patients and contribute evidence for extracutaneous, systemic manifestations of psoriasis.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a life-threatening disease with risk of recurrence. Oral anticoagulation (OAC) with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) is effective to prevent thromboembolic recurrence. We aimed to investigate the quality of OAC of VTE patients in regular medical care (RMC) compared to a telemedicine-based coagulation service (CS). The thrombEVAL study (NCT01809015) is a prospective, multi-center study to investigate OAC treatment (recruitment: January 2011&ndash, March 2013). Patients were evaluated using clinical visits, computer-assisted personal interviews, self-reported data and laboratory measurements according to standard operating procedures. Overall, 360 patients with VTE from RMC and 254 from CS were included. Time in therapeutic range (TTR) was higher in CS compared to RMC (76.9% (interquartile range [IQR] 63.2&ndash, 87.1%) vs. 69.5% (52.3&ndash, 85.6%), p &lt, 0.001). Crude rate of thromboembolic events (rate ratio [RR] 11.33 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.85&ndash, 465.26), p = 0.0015), clinically relevant bleeding (RR 6.80 (2.52&ndash, 25.76), p &lt, 0.001), hospitalizations (RR 2.54 (1.94&ndash, 3.39), p &lt, 0.001) and mortality under OAC (RR 5.89 (2.40&ndash, 18.75), p &lt, 0.001) were consistently higher in RMC compared with CS. Patients in RMC had higher risk for primary outcome (clinically relevant bleedings, thromboembolic events and mortality, hazard ratio [HR] 5.39 (95%CI 2.81&ndash, 10.33), p &lt, 0.0001), mortality (HR 5.54 (2.22&ndash, 13.84), p = 0.00025), thromboembolic events (HR 6.41 (1.51&ndash, 27.24), p = 0.012), clinically relevant bleeding (HR 5.31 (1.89&ndash, 14.89), p = 0.0015) and hospitalization (HR 1.84 (1.34&ndash, 2.55), p = 0.0002). Benefits of CS care were still observed after adjusting for comorbidities and TTR. In conclusion, anticoagulation quality and outcome of VTE patients undergoing VKA treatment was significantly better in CS than in RMC. Patients treated in CS had lower rates of adverse events, hospitalizations and lower mortality. CS was prognostically relevant, beyond providing advantages of improved international ratio (INR) monitoring.

AimsCatheter-directed treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is technically advancing. Recent guidelines acknowledge this treatment option for patients with overt or imminent haemodynamic decompensation, particularly when systemic thrombolysis is contraindicated. We investigated patients with PE who underwent catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) in the German nationwide inpatient cohort.Methods and resultsData from hospitalizations with PE (International Classification of Disease code I26) between 2005 and 2016 were collected by the Federal Office of Statistics in Germany. Patients with PE who underwent CDT (OPS 8-838.60 or OPS code 8-83b.j) were compared with patients receiving systemic thrombolysis (OPS code 8-020.8), and those without thrombolytic or other reperfusion treatment. The analysis was not prespecified; therefore, our findings can only be considered to be hypothesis generating. We analysed data from 978 094 hospitalized patients with PE. Of these, 41 903 (4.3%) patients received thrombolytic treatment [systemic thrombolysis in 4.2%, CDT in 0.1% (1175 patients)]. Among patients with shock, CDT was associated with lower in-hospital mortality compared to systemic thrombolysis [odds ratios (OR) 0.30 (95% 0.14–0.67); P = 0.003]. Intracranial bleeding occurred in 14 (1.2%) patients who received CDT. Among haemodynamically stable patients with right ventricular dysfunction (intermediate-risk PE), CDT also was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality compared to systemic thrombolysis {OR 0.55 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.40–0.75]; P ConclusionIn the German nationwide inpatient cohort, based on administrative data, CDT was associated with lower in-hospital mortality rates compared to systemic thrombolysis, but the overall rate of intracranial bleeding in patients who received CDT was not negligible. Prospective controlled data are urgently needed to determine the true value of this treatment option in acute PE.

Aims Several approaches for transcatheter mitral valve repair for functional mitral valve regurgitation are established. Interventional direct annuloplasty is a novel trans‐venous, trans‐septal approach. While feasibility was proven recently, knowledge on its influence on cardiac dimensions, pressures, biomarkers, and clinical outcomes is sparse. Methods and results Patients consecutively treated with direct annuloplasty‐only procedures between December 2015 and April 2018 were included in this monocentric analysis. Echocardiographic measurements, biomarker levels, clinical status [New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and 6 min walk test] were assessed at baseline, at discharge, and at a 30 day follow‐up. Overall, 18 patients (in mean 77.0 ± 7.4 years, 44.4% women) with initially all high‐grade mitral valve regurgitation (MR) were included in this study. Procedural success rate was high (94.4%) without severe complications. Direct annuloplasty resulted in MR‐reduction (post‐procedural‐MR mild or no/trace: 72.2%) and the proportion of patients with severe dyspnoea (NYHA III/IV) was reduced (88.9% vs. 50%, P = 0.008). Clinical results were associated with a relevant diminution of left atrial volumes (−16.5%, P

Aims Data on the early course and use of systemic thrombolysis in pregnant women with pulmonary embolism associated or not with haemodynamic failure are scarce. We investigated these aspects using the information from the German Nationwide Inpatient Registry (years 2005–2016). Methods and results In Germany, all diagnoses referring to hospitalized patients are coded according to the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision with German Modification. We analysed data of pregnant women aged 18–50 years for whom the following diagnoses were recorded during hospitalization: (i) pulmonary embolism (I26) during pregnancy or peripartum (O09) or (ii) obstetric thromboembolism (O88.2). Haemodynamic failure at any time during the in‐hospital stay was defined as need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (OPS code 8‐77) or the presence of shock (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision with German Modification code R57). The primary study outcome was in‐hospital death. A total of 8 271 327 births were registered in Germany from 2005 to 2016. During this 12 year time period, there were 1846 hospitalizations for pregnancy‐associated pulmonary embolism in patients aged 18–50, corresponding to 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1–2.3] cases every 10 000 births and 0.2% of all hospitalizations for pulmonary embolism in Germany. The median age was 31 years, and the median length of hospitalization was 8 days. A total of 63 deaths were reported, corresponding to an overall in‐hospital fatality rate of 3.4% (95% CI: 2.7–4.4) and a pulmonary embolism‐related mortality rate of 0.8 (95% CI: 0.6–1.0) per 100 000 (live) births per year. Pulmonary embolism‐related deaths in hospitalized pregnant women represented 14% of all maternal deaths recorded in Germany between 2005 and 2016. A total of 135 (7.3%) women had haemodynamic failure, of whom 51 (37.8%) received systemic thrombolysis and 50 (37.0%) died. Conclusions Pulmonary embolism‐related fatality remains substantial in pregnant women with pulmonary embolism and represents a frequent cause of maternal mortality. The use of systemic thrombolysis was reported in one third of pregnant women with pulmonary embolism and haemodynamic failure. Better preventive and management strategies should be urgently implemented in this vulnerable patient group.

Objectives Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) by edge-to-edge therapy is an established treatment for severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR). Background Symptomatic and prognostic benefit in functional MR has been shown recently; nevertheless, data on long-term outcomes are sparse. Methods and results We analyzed survival of patients treated with isolated edge-to-edge repair from June 2010 to March 2018 (primarily combined edge-to-edge repair with other mitral valve interventions was excluded) in a retrospective monocentric study. Overall, 627 consecutive patients (47.0% females, 78.6 years in mean) were included. Leading etiology was functional MR (57.4%). Follow-up regarding survival was available in 97.0%. While 97.6% were discharged alive, 75.7% were alive after a 1-year, 54.5% after 3-year, 37.6% after 5-year and 21.7% after 7-year follow-up. Higher logistic Euroscores and comorbidities such as COPD and renal insufficiency were associated with higher in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Importantly, in-hospital survival increased over the years. Conclusions With the present study we established high survival rates at discharge and after 1 year of patients treated with TMVR. This goes along with high implantation numbers, increased interventional experience and a better in-hospital survival over the years. Long-term mortality in turn was substantially influenced by comorbidities.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially life-threatening disease. Major transient risk factors include trauma, surgery, and immobilization. Patients undergoing hip joint replacement (HJR) are characterized by a high risk of postoperative VTE, but data on the time trends of VTE rates in this population are sparse.In an analysis of the German nationwide inpatient sample, we included all hospitalizations for elective primary HJR in Germany from 2005 to 2016. Time trends of the surgical procedure, overall death rates, and VTE rates were analysed, and predictors of VTE identified.Overall, 1,885,839 inpatients with elective primary HJR (59.1% women, 51.4% ≥70 years) were included in the analysis. During hospitalization, VTE was documented in 11,554 (0.6%) patients. While total numbers of primary HJR increased from 145,223 in 2005 to 171,421 in 2016 (β-(slope)-estimate 1818 [95%CI 1083 to 2553], P 0.001), in-hospital VTE decreased from 1288 (0.9%) to 843 (0.5%) cases (β-estimate -0.71 [95%CI -0.77 to -0.65], P 0.001), and in-hospital death rate from 0.33% (476 deaths) to 0.29% (498 deaths) (β-estimate -0.11 [95%CI -0.20 to -0.02], P = 0.018). Infections during hospitalization were associated with higher VTE risk than cancer and cardiovascular events. VTE events were independently associated with an increased death risk (OR 15.19 [95%CI 14.19-16.86], P 0.001).While total numbers of HJR increased significantly in Germany between 2005 and 2016, in-hospital rates of VTE decreased from 0.9% to 0.5%. Patients with perioperative VTE had a 15-fold increase of in-hospital death. Cancer, cardiovascular disease and perioperative infections were associated with higher risk for VTE.

Aims We investigated trends in incidence, case fatality rate, patient characteristics and adverse inhospital events of patients hospitalised for heart failure in Germany. Methods and results The German nationwide inpatient sample (2005–2016) was used for this analysis. Patients hospitalised due to heart failure were selected for analysis. Temporal trends in the incidence of hospitalisations, case fatality rate and treatments were analysed and predictors of inhospital death were identified. The analysis comprised a total number of 4,539,140 hospitalisations (52.0% women, 81.0% aged ≥70 years) due to heart failure. Although hospitalisations increased from 381 (2005) to 539 per 100,000 population (2016) (β estimate 0.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06 to 0.07, P Conclusion Hospitalisations for heart failure increased in Germany from 2005 to 2016, whereas the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event rate and inhospital case fatality rate decreased during this period despite higher patient age and increasing prevalence of comorbidities.

Objectives Several interventional approaches have been established for the treatment of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in patients at elevated risk for surgery. Direct annuloplasty is a relatively novel option in transcatheter mitral valve repair dedicated to reverse pathology in specific subsets of MR. With regard to echocardiographic guidance, this procedure presents with higher efforts in comparison with edge-to-edge therapy to enable safe and exact positioning of the device's anchors; evidence on optimal peri-interventional imaging is sparse. We tested a specific 3D-echo-guidance protocol implementing single-beat multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) and evaluated its feasibility. Methods Overall, 16 patients consecutively treated with transcatheter direct annuloplasty for severe MR (87.5% functional/6.3% degenerative/6.3% mixed pathology) were entered in this monocentric analysis. Of these, two patients received a combined procedure including edge-to-edge repair. For all implantations, a 3D-echo-guidance protocol inheriting MPR was employed. Results Periprocedural device time decreased continuously (overall mean 140 ± 55.1 minutes, 213 ± 38 minutes in the first 4 vs 108 ± 33 minutes in the last 4 procedures, P = .018) using the MPR-based echo protocol, going along with reduced fluoroscopy times and doses. Technical success rate was high (93.8%) without any serious cardiac-related adverse events. MR could be relevantly improved. Conclusion Echocardiographic guidance of transcatheter direct annuloplasty using a real time MPR-based protocol is feasible and safe. Optimized imaging might enable reduced implantation times and potentially increases safety.

An acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a crucial event in patients’ life and connected with serious morbidity and mortality. Regarding a high case-fatality rate, early and accurate risk-stratification is crucial. Risk for mortality and complications are closely related to hemodynamic stability and cardiac adaptations. The currently recommended risk-stratification approach is not overall simple to use and might delay the identification of those patients, who should be monitored more closely and may treated with more aggressive treatment strategies. Additionally, some risk-stratification criteria for the imaging procedures are still imprecise. Summarized, the search for the most effective risk-stratification tools is still ongoing and some diagnostic criteria might have to be refined. In the MAinz Retrospective Study of Pulmonary Embolism (MARS-PE), overall 182 consecutive patients with confirmed PE were retrospectively included over a 5-year period. Clinical, echocardiographic, functional and laboratory parameters were assessed. The study was designed to provide answers to some of the mentioned relevant questions.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially fatal disease. Important risk factors of a provoked VTE are trauma, surgery or immobilization. Especially, patients who undergo hip and knee replacements are at high risk for postoperative VTE. We aimed to compare in-hospital VTE burden and other outcomes after upper and lower extremity endoprosthetic surgeries in Germany. The nationwide German inpatient sample of the years 2005–2015 was used for data analysis. Patients who underwent endoprosthetic joint/bone replacements of the extremities (OPS codes 5-820, 5-822, 5-824 and 5-826) were further stratified in those operated on lower (OPS codes 5-820, 5-822 and 5-826) or upper extremity (OPS code 5-824) joints. Patients operated at upper and lower extremity were compared and lower extremity endoprosthetic surgery was investigated as a predictor for adverse outcomes. Overall, 4,134,088 hospitalized patients with extremity joint endoprosthetic surgeries (64.3% females, 54.0% aged > 70 years) were included in our analysis. Of these, 3,950,668 patients (95.6%) undergo lower and 183,420 (4.4%) upper extremity endoprosthetic joint surgery. VTE [RR 2.60 (95% CI 2.41–2.79), P

Atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF) is associated with increased mortality, thromboembolism, heart failure, and adverse perioperative outcomes. We aimed to investigate the impact of AF on adverse in-hospital outcomes of hospitalized patients who underwent knee endoprosthetic surgery (KES).The nationwide German inpatient sample of the years 2005-2015 was used for this analysis. Patients who underwent KES were identified based on the surgical and interventional procedural codes (surgery and procedure code [Operationen-und Prozedurenschlüssel] 5-822), and patients were further stratified by AF (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems code I48). We compared patients with and without AF who underwent KES as well as survivors vs nonsurvivors among patients with AF. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the impact of AF as a predictor for adverse in-hospital outcomes.Overall, 1,642,875 hospitalized surgical patients (65.4% females, 49.5% aged70 years) were included in the analysis. Of these, 93,748 patients (5.7%) were diagnosed with AF. Overall, 0.1% of the patients who underwent KES and 0.6% of the patients who underwent KES with additional AF died during in-hospital stay. All-cause death (risk ratio 5.97 [95% confidence interval {CI} 5.41-6.58], P.001) and adverse in-hospital events (risk ratio 2.62 [95% CI 2.50-2.74], P.001) occurred both more often in patients with AF compared to those without. AF was an important predictor for in-hospital death (odds ratio 2.09 [95% CI 1.88-2.32], P.001) and adverse in-hospital events (odds ratio 1.76 [95% CI 1.68-1.85], P .001) in patients who underwent KES independent of age, sex, and comorbidities.In patients who underwent KES, AF is associated with increased in-hospital mortality and adverse in-hospital outcomes. Pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, shock, myocardial infarction, intracerebral bleeding, and stroke were the key complications promoting in-hospital death.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a major cardiovascular risk factor for increased risk of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (MI). DM is also associated with a poorer clinical outcome in MI.The nationwide German inpatient population treated between 2005 and 2016 was used for statistical analyses. Hospitalized MI patients were stratified by the presence of DM and investigated for the impact of DM on in-hospital events.In total, 3,307,703 hospitalizations for acute MI (37.6% female patients, 56.8% aged ≥ 70 years) treated in Germany during 2005-2016 were included in this analysis. Of these patients, 410,737 (12.4%) died while in hospital. Overall, 1,007,326 (30.5%) MI cases were coded for DM. While the rate of MI patients with DM increased slightly over time, from 29.8% in 2005 to 30.7% in 2016 (β = 7.04, 95% CI: 4.13-9.94; P 0.001), their in-hospital mortality decreased from 15.2% to 11.5% (β = -0.36, 95% CI: -0.38 to -0.34; P 0.001). Rates of in-hospital death (13.2% vs 12.1%; P 0.001) and recurrent MI (0.8% vs 0.6%; P 0.001) were higher in MI patients with vs without DM. Also, in MI patients with DM, significantly lower use of coronary artery angiography (51.5% vs 56.8%; P 0.001) and interventional revascularization (37.6% vs 43.9%; P 0.001) was noted.Although in-hospital mortality of patients with MI decreased in both diabetes and non-diabetes patients, in-hospital deaths were still higher in diabetes patients, thereby revealing the impact of this metabolic disorder on cardiovascular outcomes.

Background In addition to right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) and myocardial injury, impaired renal function is connected with poorer prognosis in pulmonary embolism (PE). We aimed to investigate renal function as a cofactor for risk stratification in PE. Methods Data from 182 patients with PE, treated between May 2006 and June 2011, were analysed retrospectively. PE patients with elevated creatinine were compared with those with normal values. Logistic regression models were calculated to investigate associations between creatinine and myocardial necrosis, RVD and in-hospital death. Prognostic performance of creatinine for prediction of myocardial necrosis and RVD were computed. Results Overall, 182 patients (61.5% females,aged 68.5 ± 15.3 years) with confirmed PE were included in this study; 142 patients(78.0%) showed normal creatinine, and 40(22.0%) had an elevated creatinine. Patients with elevated creatinine were older (75.9 ± 10.7 vs. 66.5 ± 15.7 years, P = 0.0003), more frequently female (77.5% vs. 57.0%,P = 0.019), and had higher cardiac troponin I (0.19 ± 0.23 vs. 0.11 ± 0.29 ng/ml,P = 0.0004), systolic pulmonary artery pressure (43.18 ± 16.69 vs. 30.83 ± 17.53mmHG,P = 0.0006) and percentage of RVD (77.1% vs. 54.1%,P = 0.040). Creatinine was significantly and independently associated with myocardial necrosis (OR 10.192, 95%CI 2.850–36.452, P = 0.0004), shock-index ≥ 1.0 (OR 3.265, 95%CI 1.067–9.992, P = 0.0381) and RVD (OR 5.172, 95%CI 1.387–19.295, P = 0.014). Creatinine > 1.25 mg/dl indicated for myocardial necrosis (AUC 0.680) and RVD (AUC 0.663). Conclusions Additionally, to RVD and myocardial necrosis, impaired renal function could give further information for risk stratification in PE. Cardio-pulmonary-renal interactions in PE seem to be multi-factorial.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially life-threatening disease. Little is known about temporal trends in its prevalence in Germany. In 2009, recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis were deescalated in the revised European Society of Cardiology guideline to include only patients at high risk of IE. We selected patients with the discharge diagnosis of IE based on the International Classification of Diseases code I33 in the nationwide database of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany. We identified 94,364 patients with a diagnosis of IE from January 2005 to December 2014. Mean prevalence was 11.6 per 100,000 citizens per year in this 10-year-period. The annual IE prevalence showed a continuous small increase from 2006 to 2010 (9.5 to 10.6 IE diagnoses per 100,000 citizens) and a larger increase from 2011 to 2014 (11.1 to 14.4 IE diagnoses per 100,000 citizens; linear regression: β 2.9, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 4.6; p = 0.006). The prevalence of IE in Germany was lower compared to the United States but higher compared to England. Overall, 15,995 patients (17%) died in hospital. Case fatality rate after a diagnosis of IE remained largely constant from 2005 to 2014. In conclusion, the annual prevalence of IE continuously increased during the observed period with more pronounced trend after the revised 2009 European Society of Cardiology guideline.

Background Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the most common cause of death with an increasing frequency worldwide. It accounts for approximately 20% of all deaths in Europe and the United States of America. Approximately 1/3 of the IHD patients present with sudden cardiac death. The acute presentation of IHD myocardial infarction (MI) is a life-threatening, serious health problem, which causes substantially morbidity and mortality. It is well established that the onset of MI follows a circadian and seasonal periodicity. Seasonal variation regarding the incidence and the short-term mortality of acute MI was frequently reported, but data about sex-specific differences are sparse. Purpose Thus, our objectives were to investigate seasonal variations of myocardial infarction. Methods We analyzed the impact of seasons on incidence and in-hospital mortality of patients with acute MI in Germany from 2005 to 2015. We included all MI patients (ICD code I21) with an acute MI (, but not those MI patients with a recurrent event in the first 28 days after a previous MI (ICD code I22)), who were hospitalized in Germany between 2005 and 2015, in this analysis (source: RDC of the Federal Statistical Office and the Statistical Offices of the federal states, DRG Statistics 2005–2015, own calculations). Results The nationwide sample comprised 3,008,188 hospitalizations of patients with MI (2005–2015). The annual incidence was 334.7 per 100.000 population. Incidence inclined from 316.3 to 341.6 per 100.000 population per year (β 0.17 [0.10 to 0.24], P Seasonal variation of both incidence and in-hospital mortality were of substantial magnitude. Seasonal incidence (86.1 vs. 79.0 per 100.000 population per year, P We observed sex-specific differences regarding the seasonal variation of in-hospital mortality: males showed lowest mortality in summer, while females during fall. Low temperature dependency of mortality seems more pronounced in males. Conclusions Incidence of acute MI increased 2005–2015, while in-hospital mortality rate decreased. Seasonal variations of incidence and in-hospital mortality were of substantial magnitude with lowest incidence and lowest mortality in the summer season. Additionally, we observed sex-specific differences regarding the seasonal variation of the in-hospital mortality. Acknowledgement/Funding This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1503)

Background/Introduction According to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2014 guideline, systemic hypotension (HT) is the critical variable defining high-risk in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). However, signs of organ hypoperfusion might more adequately identify PE patients with cardiogenic shock due to right ventricular (RV) failure. Purpose We investigated whether hypoperfusion markers provide superior prognostic information for identifying PE patients at highest risk of early adverse outcomes. Methods Consecutive PE patients enrolled in a prospective single-centre registry between 09/2008 and 03/2018 were included. We analysed the predictive value of symptoms and findings suggesting hypoperfusion for in-hospital adverse outcome (catecholamine treatment, resuscitation or PE-related death) and in-hospital all-cause mortality. Results We analysed 814 patients, including 83 (10.2%) ESC 2014 high-risk patients. Patients presenting with cardiac arrest (CA, 4.5%) were a priori defined as high risk. Markers suggesting hypoperfusion of the brain (altered metal status, odds ratio [OR] 8.2 [95% CI, 4.2–16.0]), lung (respiratory insufficiency, 25.0 [9.4–66.7]) and tissue (venous lactate ≥2.2 mmol/l, 6.4 [3.2–12.9]) as well as HT (13.5 [6.7–27.2]) predicted an adverse outcome. The risk for an adverse outcome increased with the number of positive markers (AUC 0.86 [0.80–0.93]). Patients with ≥3 positive hypoperfusion markers had an OR of 42.9 (11.0–167.3) and patients defined as high-risk by the ESC 2014 an OR of 17.2 (8.8–33.3) with regard to an adverse outcome (Figure 1; Table 1). A new definition of high-risk (CA or ≥3 hypoperfusion markers) was associated with an OR of 73.2 (31.3–171.1) for an in-hospital adverse outcome and 26.2 (12.1–56.7) for in-hospital mortality. Table 1. Prognostic performance of hypoperfusion markers Adverse outcome (if negative) Adverse outcome (if positive) Sensitivity Specificity LR+ OR (95% CI) ≥1 hypoperfusion marker 1.1% 21.0% 91.9% 68.2% 2.9 24.4 (7.3–80.8) ≥2 hypoperfusion markers 4.7% 50.0% 48.6% 95.5% 10.9 20.3 (9.1–45.1) ≥3 hypoperfusion markers 6.5% 75.0% 24.3% 99.3% 32.7 42.9 (11.0–167.3) ESC 2014 high-risk 5.7% 51.1% 35.0% 96.9% 11.4 17.2 (8.8–33.3) Cardiac arrest 8.4% 86.5% 33.0% 99.3% 47.3 70.1 (26.4–186.1) Abbreviations: LR+, positive likelihood ratio; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval. Figure 1. Frequency of adverse outcome Conclusions Markers of organ hypoperfusion have high predictive value for early adverse outcomes in acute PE. Risk increases with the number of positive markers and is critically elevated in patients presenting with CA or ≥3 markers. Acknowledgement/Funding This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1503).

Background Tachycardia, an early indicator of haemodynamic compromise and RV failure, is a reliable predictor of adverse outcomes in normotensive patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). However, different prognostic relevant thresholds have been proposed. Purpose To investigate the prognostic performance of different thresholds used for the definition of tachycardia in normotensive PE patients. Methods We performed a post-hoc analysis of normotensive patients with confirmed PE consecutively included in a single-centre and a multi-centre registry. Results Overall, 1576 PE patients (mean age: 67.7 [IQR, 59–79] years; females: 54.7%) were included in this analysis. During the in-hospital stay, 50 patients (3.2%) had an adverse outcome. The rate of an adverse in-hospital outcome (primary outcome) was higher in patients with a heart rate ≥100 bpm (4.6%) compared to patients with a heart rate of ≥110 bpm (4.1%). Using univariate logistic regression analysis, PE patients with a heart rate ≥100 bpm had an increased risk (OR 2.3 [95% CI 1.1–4.2]; p=0.020) for an adverse in-hospital outcome, while a heart rate of ≥110 bpm did not provide prognostic information (OR 1.5 [95% CI 0.8–2.7]; p=0.083). Additionally, both threshold defining tachycardia (heart rate ≥100 bpm and ≥110 bpm, respectively) were used for calculation of validated risk stratification scores (modified FAST and Bova score) and algorithm (ESC 2014 based on sPESI). ROC analysis revealed a larger AUC with regard to an in-hospital adverse outcome for all scores and algorithm calculated with a heart rate threshold of ≥100 bpm compared to ≥110 bpm (Table 1). Regardless of the score used, the risk of an in-hospital adverse outcome was highest when a heart rate threshold of ≥100 bpm was used (Table 1). Table 1. Prognostic performance Sensitivity Specificity PPV NPV OR (95% CI) AUC (95% CI) p-value p-value Mod. FAST score (HR ≥110) 0.36 (0.24–0.50) 0.76 (0.74–0.78) 0.05 (0.03–0.07) 0.97 (0.96–0.98) 1.8 (1.0–3.3) 0.63 (0.56–0.70) p=0.046 p=0.002 Mod. FAST score (HR ≥100) 0.54 (0.40–0.67) 0.68 (0.65–0.70) 0.05 (0.04–0.07) 0.98 (0.97–0.99) 2.5 (1.4–4.3) 0.64 (0.56–0.72) p=0.002 p=0.001 Bova score (HR ≥110) 0.28 (0.17–0.42) 0.82 (0.80–0.84) 0.05 (0.03–0.08) 0.97 (0.96–0.98) 1.7 (0.9–3.3) 0.63 (0.56–0.70) p=0.083 p=0.002 Bova score (HR ≥100) 0.48 (0.35–0.61) 0.74 (0.72–0.77) 0.06 (0.04–0.08) 0.98 (0.97–0.98) 2.7 (1.5–4.7) 0.68 (0.62–0.75) p=0.001 p Conclusions Defining tachycardia by a heart rate of ≥100 bpm, as generally recommended, is sufficient for risk stratification of normotensive patients with acute PE and improves the identification of PE patients at higher risk of PE-related complications. The use of different thresholds for calculation of scores does not appear necessary. Acknowledgement/Funding This study was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1503).

Background While the importance of patients’ quality of life (QoL) in chronic cardiac or pulmonary disease is uncontroversial, the burden of an acute pulmonary embolism (PE) on QoL has received little attention thus far. Objectives We aimed to validate the German PEmb‐QoL questionnaire, identify associations between QoL and clinical/functional parameters, and investigate the prognostic relevance of QoL for long‐term survival in survivors of an acute PE episode. Patients/Methods Patients were invited for a clinical follow‐up visit including assessment of QoL using the German PEmb‐QoL questionnaire 6 months after an objectively confirmed PE at a single center. Internal consistency reliability, construct‐related validity, and regressions between PEmb‐QoL and clinical patient‐characteristics were assessed using standard scale construction techniques. Results Overall, 101 patients [median age, 69 ([interquartile range] IQR 57‐75) years; women, 48.5%] were examined 208 (IQR 185‐242) days after PE. Internal consistency reliability and construct‐related validity of the PEmb‐QoL questionnaire were acceptable. As many as 47.0% of patients reported dyspnea, 27.5% had right ventricular (RV) dysfunction on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), and 25.3% were diagnosed with post‐PE impairment (PPEI) at 6‐month follow‐up. Furthermore, 15.9% of patients were diagnosed with depression 6 months after an acute PE. The QoL was affected by dyspnea, preexisting pulmonary disease, and PPEI, and a reduced QoL was associated with an increased risk for long‐term mortality after an observation period of 3.6 years. Conclusions The German PEmb‐QoL questionnaire is a reliable instrument for assessing QoL 6 months after PE. The QoL was affected by dyspnea, preexisting pulmonary disease, and PPEI and was associated with long‐term mortality.