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Background: The upper reference limit of normal (ULN) of cardiac troponin (cTn) for older adults can be higher than for young adults, while the same ULN is used for both older and young adults in the current clinical practice., Methods: In this multicentre longitudinal cohort study, non-acute myocardial infarction (non-AMI) inpatients with at least two cTn concentrations hospitalised between 2013 and 2022 in the Tianjin Health and Medical Data Platform were included. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and landmark regression models were used to estimate the risk of in-hospital, 30-day and 1-year mortality in different cTn groups (normal, stable minor elevation (1-2×ULN with variation ≤20%), acute minor elevation (1-2×ULN with variation >20%) and apparent elevation (>2×ULN))., Results: A total of 57 117 patients (mean age, 69.6 (13.6) years; 25 037 (43.8%) female) were included. Even minor elevation in cTn was associated with higher mortality risk. Compared with the normal cTn group, the adjusted HRs of in-hospital mortality for patients with steady minor elevation, acute minor elevation and >2× ULN in cTn were 1.70 (95% CI 1.25 to 2.33), 1.92 (95% CI 1.59 to 2.32) and 4.03 (95% CI 3.50 to 4.65), respectively. Similar trends were found for all-cause 30-day and 30-day to 1-year mortality. Among older adults, compared with the steady minor elevation group, patients with acute minor elevation in cTn had higher 30-day mortality risk (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.65) but similar 30-day to 1-year mortality risk (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.10), while among non-older adults, differences in short-term and 1-year mortality risks between the two groups were not statistically significant (p>0.05)., Conclusions: In non-AMI inpatients, including older adults, any stable or acute elevation in cTn, even minor, warrants attention. Further studies are needed to assess whether these patients can benefit from more aggressive treatment approaches., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Dr Fonarow reports consulting for Abbott, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehinger Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Merck, Novartis, and Pfizer., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)

Background: Hyperkalemia, generally defined as serum potassium levels greater than 5.0 mEq/L, poses significant clinical risks, including cardiac toxicity and muscle weakness. Its prevalence and severity increase in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes mellitus, and heart failure (HF), particularly when compounded by medications like Angiotensin converting inhibitors, Angiotensin receptor blockers, and potassium sparing diuretics. Hyperkalemia arises from disruptions in potassium regulation involving intake, excretion, and intracellular-extracellular distribution. In CKD and acute kidney injury, these regulatory mechanisms are impaired, leading to heightened risk. The management of chronic hyperkalemia presents a challenge due to the necessity of balancing effective cardiovascular and renal therapies against the risk of elevated potassium levels., Summary: The emergency department management of acute hyperkalemia focuses on preventing cardiac complications through strategies that stabilize cellular membranes and shift potassium intracellularly. Chronic management often involves dietary interventions and pharmacological treatments. Pharmacological management of acute hyperkalemia includes diuretics, which enhance kaliuresis, and potassium binders such as patiromer and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC), which facilitate fecal excretion of potassium. While diuretics are commonly used, they carry risks of volume contraction and renal function deterioration. The newer potassium binders have shown efficacy in lowering chronically elevated potassium levels in CKD and HF patients, offering an alternative to diuretics and other older agents such as sodium polystyrene sulfonate , which has significant adverse effects and limited evidence for chronic use., Key Messages: We convened a consensus panel to describe the optimal management across multiple clinical settings when caring for patients with hyperkalemia. This consensus emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to managing hyperkalemia, particularly in patients with cardiovascular kidney metabolic (CKM) syndrome, to avoid fragmentation of care and ensure comprehensive treatment strategies. The primary goal of this manuscript is to describe strategies to maintain cardiovascular benefits of essential medications while effectively managing potassium levels., (The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Although the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) in patients with obesity and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has demonstrated improvement in cardiovascular outcomes, the incremental benefits of GLP-1 RA for patients already on sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) remain underexplored., Objectives: This study aimed to assess the incremental benefits of GLP-1 RA in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, overweight/obesity, and HFpEF receiving SGLT2i therapy., Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX research database including patients ≥18 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus, body mass index ≥27 kg/m 2 , and HFpEF on SGLT2i. Two cohorts were created based on GLP-1 RA prescription. The outcomes were heart failure exacerbation, all-cause emergency department visits/hospitalizations among others over a 12-month period., Results: A total of 7,044 patients remained in each cohort after propensity score matching. There was a significantly lower risk of heart failure exacerbations, all-cause emergency department visits/hospitalizations, new-onset atrial arrhythmias, new-onset acute kidney injury, and pulmonary hypertension in the GLP-1 RA plus SGLT2i cohort compared with the SGLT2i-only cohort. The associated benefits persisted across different body mass indexes and ejection fractions as well as in patients with elevated natriuretic peptide. The risk of diabetic retinopathy was higher in the combination therapy group than with SGLT2i-only use., Conclusions: GLP-1 RA, in addition to SGLT2i, was associated with a significantly lower risk of heart failure hospitalizations in this patient population, suggesting a potential incremental benefit. This highlights the need for prospective studies to confirm the clinical benefits., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Bhatt is on the advisory board for Angiowave, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, CellProthera, Cereno Scientific, Elsevier Practice Update Cardiology, High Enroll, Janssen, Level Ex, McKinsey, Medscape Cardiology, Merck, MyoKardia, NirvaMed, Novo Nordisk, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, and Stasys; he is on the Board of Directors for American Heart Association New York City, Angiowave (stock options), Bristol Myers Squibb (stock), DRS.LINQ (stock options), and High Enroll (stock); he is a consultant for Broadview Ventures, GlaxoSmithKline, Hims, SFJ, Youngene; he is on the Data Monitoring Committees for Acesion Pharma, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Baim Institute for Clinical Research (formerly Harvard Clinical Research Institute, for the PORTICO trial, funded by St. Jude Medical, now Abbott), Boston Scientific (Chair, PEITHO trial), Cleveland Clinic, Contego Medical (Chair, PERFORMANCE 2), Duke Clinical Research Institute, Mayo Clinic, Mount Sinai School of Medicine (for the ENVISAGE trial, funded by Daiichi Sankyo; for the ABILITY-DM trial, funded by Concept Medical; for ALLAY-HF, funded by Alleviant Medical), Novartis, Population Health Research Institute, Rutgers University (for the National Institutes of Health–funded MINT Trial); he has received honoraria from the American College of Cardiology (Senior Associate Editor, Clinical Trials and News, ACC.org; Chair, ACC Accreditation Oversight Committee), Arnold and Porter law firm (work related to Sanofi/Bristol Myers Squibb clopidogrel litigation), Baim Institute for Clinical Research (formerly Harvard Clinical Research Institute; RE-DUAL PCI clinical trial steering committee funded by Boehringer Ingelheim; AEGIS-II executive committee funded by CSL Behring), Belvoir Publications (Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter), Canadian Medical and Surgical Knowledge Translation Research Group (clinical trial steering committees), CSL Behring (AHA lecture), Cowen and Company, Duke Clinical Research Institute (clinical trial steering committees, including for the PRONOUNCE trial, funded by Ferring Pharmaceuticals), HMP Global (Editor in Chief, Journal of Invasive Cardiology), Journal of the American College of Cardiology (Guest Editor, Associate Editor), K2P (Co-Chair, interdisciplinary curriculum), Level Ex, Medtelligence/ReachMD (CME steering committees), MJH Life Sciences, Oakstone CME (Course Director, Comprehensive Review of Interventional Cardiology), Piper Sandler, Population Health Research Institute (for the COMPASS operations committee, publications committee, steering committee, and USA national co-leader, funded by Bayer), WebMD (CME steering committees), Wiley (steering committee), Clinical Cardiology (Deputy Editor); he is named on a patent for sotagliflozin (assigned to Brigham and Women’s Hospital who assigned to Lexicon; neither he nor Brigham and Women's Hospital receive any income from this patent); he has received research funding for Abbott, Acesion Pharma, Afimmune, Aker Biomarine, Alnylam, Amarin, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Beren, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cardax, CellProthera, Cereno Scientific, Chiesi, CinCor, Cleerly, CSL Behring, Eisai, Ethicon, Faraday Pharmaceuticals, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories, Fractyl, Garmin, HLS Therapeutics, Idorsia, Ironwood, Ischemix, Janssen, Javelin, Lexicon, Lilly, Medtronic, Merck, Moderna, MyoKardia, NirvaMed, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Otsuka, Owkin, Pfizer, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, Recardio, Regeneron, Reid Hoffman Foundation, Roche, Sanofi, Stasys, Synaptic, The Medicines Company, Youngene, and 89Bio; he has received royalties from Elsevier (Editor, Braunwald’s Heart Disease); he is Site Co-Investigator for Abbott, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, CSI, Endotronix, St. Jude Medical (now Abbott), Philips, SpectraWAVE, Svelte, and Vascular Solutions; he is trustee for American College of Cardiology; and he has done unfunded research for FlowCo. Dr Butler has been a consultant to Abbott, American Regent, Amgen, Applied Therapeutic, AskBio, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cardiac Dimension, Cardiocell, Cardior, CSL Bearing, CVRx, Cytokinetics, Daxor, Edwards, Element Science, Faraday, Foundry, G3P, Innolife, Impulse Dynamics, Imbria, Inventiva, Ionis, Lexicon, Lilly, LivaNova, Janssen, Medtronics, Merck, Occlutech, Owkin, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Pharmacosmos, Pharmain, Prolaio, Regeneron, Renibus, Roche, Salamandra, Sanofi, SC Pharma, Secretome, Sequana, SQ Innovation, Tenex, Tricog, Ultromics, Vifor, and Zoll. Dr Kosiborod has received research grants from AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim; and has served as a consultant for Alnylam, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Applied Therapeutics, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, Eli Lilly, Esperion Therapeutics, Janssen, Merck (Diabetes and Cardiovascular), Novo Nordisk, Pharmacosmos, Sanofi, and Vifor. Dr Fonarow has done consulting for Abbot, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, Eli Lilly, Johnson and Johnson, Medtronic, Merck, Novartis, and Pfizer. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: A reliable method of predicting large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke in data sets without neuroimaging could be retrospectively applied to expand research efforts., Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional cohort analysis of the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke registry. We included adult patients with a final diagnosis of ischemic stroke from 2016 to 2021 who had brain and vascular imaging and excluded those with missing data or posterior circulation stroke., Results: We included 416,022 patients of which 125,381 (30.1%) had LVO. The mean age was 71 years, and 48.2% were female. The area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) for the final model, including age, sex, hypertension, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, TOAST stroke mechanism, and NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS), was 0.79 (95% CI 0.79-0.80). Without TOAST mechanism, the AUC was 0.74. The specificity did not exceed 0.5 using different cut points for the NIHSS., Discussion: We found that 30% of adult acute ischemic stroke patients in GWTG-Stroke have LVO and that the combination of clinical covariates and NIHSS is only moderately predictive of LVO status. These results are consistent with previous studies and suggest it may not be possible to retrospectively predict LVO with high accuracy in data sets without vascular neuroimaging.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is highly prevalent in the United States. Approximately one-third to one-half of HF cases are categorized as HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Patients with HFrEF are at risk of worsening HF, have a high risk of adverse outcomes, and experience higher health care use and costs. Therefore, it is crucial to identify patients with HFrEF who are at high risk of subsequent events after HF hospitalization., Objective: Machine learning (ML) has been used to predict HF-related outcomes. The objective of this study was to compare different ML prediction models and feature construction methods to predict 30-, 90-, and 365-day hospital readmissions and worsening HF events (WHFEs)., Methods: We used the Veradigm PINNACLE outpatient registry linked to Symphony Health's Integrated Dataverse data from July 1, 2013, to September 30, 2017. Adults with a confirmed diagnosis of HFrEF and HF-related hospitalization were included. WHFEs were defined as HF-related hospitalizations or outpatient intravenous diuretic use within 1 year of the first HF hospitalization. We used different approaches to construct ML features from clinical codes, including frequencies of clinical classification software (CCS) categories, Bidirectional Encoder Representations From Transformers (BERT) trained with CCS sequences (BERT + CCS), BERT trained on raw clinical codes (BERT + raw), and prespecified features based on clinical knowledge. A multilayer perceptron neural network, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest, and logistic regression prediction models were applied and compared., Results: A total of 30,687 adult patients with HFrEF were included in the analysis; 11.41% (3184/27,917) of adults experienced a hospital readmission within 30 days of their first HF hospitalization, and nearly half (9231/21,562, 42.81%) of the patients experienced at least 1 WHFE within 1 year after HF hospitalization. The prediction models and feature combinations with the best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for each outcome were XGBoost with CCS frequency (AUC=0.595) for 30-day readmission, random forest with CCS frequency (AUC=0.630) for 90-day readmission, XGBoost with CCS frequency (AUC=0.649) for 365-day readmission, and XGBoost with CCS frequency (AUC=0.640) for WHFEs. Our ML models could discriminate between readmission and WHFE among patients with HFrEF. Our model performance was mediocre, especially for the 30-day readmission events, most likely owing to limitations of the data, including an imbalance between positive and negative cases and high missing rates of many clinical variables and outcome definitions., Conclusions: We predicted readmissions and WHFEs after HF hospitalizations in patients with HFrEF. Features identified by data-driven approaches may be comparable with those identified by clinical domain knowledge. Future work may be warranted to validate and improve the models using more longitudinal electronic health records that are complete, are comprehensive, and have a longer follow-up time., (©Boshu Ru, Xi Tan, Yu Liu, Kartik Kannapur, Dheepan Ramanan, Garin Kessler, Dominik Lautsch, Gregg Fonarow. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 17.04.2023.)

Background and Objectives: Prior regional or single-center studies have noted that 4% to 7% of eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) decline IV tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). We sought to determine the prevalence of tPA declination in a nationwide registry of patients with AIS and to investigate differences in declination by race/ethnicity., Methods: We used the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke registry to identify patients with AIS eligible for tPA and admitted to participating hospitals between January 1, 2016, and March 28, 2019. We compared patient demographics and admitting hospital characteristics between tPA-eligible patients who received and those who declined tPA. Using multivariable logistic regression, we determined patient and hospital factors associated with tPA declination., Results: Among 177,115 tPA-eligible patients with AIS at 1,976 sites, 6,545 patients (3.7%) had tPA declination as the sole documented reason for not receiving tPA. Patients declining treatment were slightly older, were more likely to be female, arrived more often at off-hours and earlier after symptom onset, and were more likely to present to Primary Stroke Centers. Compared with non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity was independently associated with increased (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.21, 95% CI 1.11-1.31), Asian race/ethnicity with decreased (aOR 0.72, 95% CI 0.58-0.88), and Hispanic ethnicity (any race) with similar odds of tPA declination (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.86-1.13) in multivariable analysis., Discussion: Although the overall prevalence of tPA declination is low, eligible non-Hispanic Black patients are more likely and Asian patients less likely to decline tPA than non-Hispanic White patients. Reducing rates of tPA declinations among non-Hispanic Black patients may be an opportunity to address disparities in stroke care., (© 2022 American Academy of Neurology.)

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is associated with significant short-term morbidity and mortality. Several risk factors for poor outcomes have been identified; however, the prognostic implications of pre-existing comorbidity in TC are poorly delineated. We sought to assess the association of aggregate pre-existing comorbidity with short-term outcomes in TC. We performed a retrospective observational study of adult subjects diagnosed with TC at two academic tertiary care hospitals between 2005 and 2018. Overall burden of medical comorbidity was estimated using the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Multivariable logistic regression was used to test for independent association of CCI with 30-day mortality and severe shock at index presentation. Multivariable poisson regression was performed to assess the association of CCI with duration of hospitalization. Five-hundred and thirty-eight subjects were diagnosed with TC during the study period. The median CCI score of all subjects was 2 (IQR 1-4). Among subjects with physical triggers of TC, the median CCI score was 2 (IQR 1-4) compared to a median CCI score of 1 (IQR 0-1) in subjects with non-physical triggers of TC (P < 0.001). Seventy-six (14%) subjects died within 30 days of index diagnosis and 185 (34%) subjects experienced severe shock. The median duration of hospitalization was 7 days (IQR 3-14 days). In multivariable logistic regression, CCI was not associated with 30-day mortality or severe shock. In multivariable Poisson regression, CCI (IRR 1.17, 95% CI 1.16-1.18, P < 0.001) was associated with duration of hospitalization. Increased burden of pre-existing medical comorbidity was not independently associated with 30-day mortality or severe shock at index presentation, but was associated with increased duration of hospitalization after diagnosis of TC.

Background: Cardioversion is common among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesised that novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) used in clinical practice resulted in similar rates of stroke compared with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) for cardioversion., Methods: Using the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation II, patients with AF who had a cardioversion, follow-up data and an AF diagnosis within 6 months of enrolment were identified retrospectively. Clinical outcomes were compared for patients receiving a NOAC or VKA for 1 year following cardioversion., Results: Among 13 004 patients with AF, 2260 (17%) underwent cardioversion. 1613 met the inclusion criteria for this analysis. At the time of cardioversion, 283 (17.5%) were receiving a VKA and 1330 (82.5%) a NOAC. A transoesophageal echocardiogram (TOE) was performed in 403 (25%) cardioversions. The incidence of stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) at 30 days was the same for patients having (3.04 per 100 patient-years) or not having (3.04 per 100 patient-years) a TOE (p=0.99). There were no differences in the incidence of death (HR 1.19, 95% CI 0.62 to 2.28, p=0.61), cardiovascular hospitalisation (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.35, p=0.91), stroke/TIA (HR 1.18, 95% CI 0.30 to 4.74, p=0.81) or bleeding-related hospitalisation (HR 1.29, 95% CI 0.66 to 2.52, p=0.45) at 1 year for patients treated with either a NOAC or VKA., Conclusions: Cardioversion was a low-risk procedure for patients treated with NOAC, and there were statistically similar rates of stroke/TIA 30 days after cardioversion as for patients treated with VKA. There were no statically significant differences in death, stroke/TIA or major bleeding at 1 year among patients treated with NOAC compared with VKA after cardioversion., Competing Interests: Competing interests: BJG: member of a Data Safety Monitoring Board for Mount Sinai St Luke's, Boston Scientific, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, St Jude Medical, Janssen Research & Development, Baxter Healthcare and Cardiovascular Research Foundation; consultant/Advisory Board for Janssen Scientific Affairs, Cipla, Armetheon and Medtronic. MDE: consultant/Advisory Board and grant support from Boehringer Ingelheim, Diachi Sanko, Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb and Janssen Scientific Affairs. PRK: consultant for Johnson and Johnson. JAR: research grant from Janssen Pharmaceuticals; research support from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline; consultancies with Sanofi, Gilead Sciences, CV Therapeutics, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co, Cardiome Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and Medtronic; speakers bureau income from Sanofi and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. GN: research grant from Janssen; consultant/Advisory Board for Janssen and Daiichi Sankyo. KWM: financial disclosures can be viewed at http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/kenneth-mahaffey. DES: consultant/Advisory Board for Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer and Medtronic; research grants from Boehringer Ingelheim and Bristol Myers Squibb. JF: consultant/Advisory Board for Janssen Scientific., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: There is significant interindividual variability in the rate of aortic stenosis (AS) progression that is not accounted for in the current surveillance algorithms. We sought to examine the association between changes in peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) and mean gradient (MG) among patients with mild or moderate AS and risk of progression to severe disease., Methods: Adult subjects referred for echocardiography at a single academic referral center with a diagnosis of mild or moderate AS and ≥2 additional surveillance echocardiograms were included in the study. Changes in Vmax and MG between the first two echocardiograms were indexed to time and tested for association with future progression to severe AS., Results: Among three hundred and sixty-four subjects, the median time between first and second echocardiograms was 1.3 years and initial changes in Vmax and MG indexed to time were +0.16 m/s per year and +1.44 mmHg per year, respectively. Fifty-three (15%) and fifty-six (15%) subjects progressed to severe AS defined by Vmax and MG, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression, initial increase in Vmax (OR = 4.19, 95% CI 1.93-9.10, p < 0.001) and initial increase in MG (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.06-1.18, p < 0.001) were associated with progression to severe AS., Conclusions: Initial changes in Vmax and MG among patients with mild or moderate AS are strongly associated with risk of progression to severe AS and may help guide individualized surveillance strategies., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Background: Heart failure is a serious public health concern that afflicts millions of individuals in the United States. Development of behaviors that promote heart failure self-care may be imperative to reduce complications and avoid hospital re-admissions. Mobile health solutions, such as activity trackers and smartphone apps, could potentially help to promote self-care through remote tracking and issuing reminders., Objective: The objective of this study was to ascertain heart failure patients' interest in a smartphone app to assist them in managing their treatment and symptoms and to determine factors that influence their interest in such an app., Methods: In the clinic waiting room on the day of their outpatient clinic appointments, 50 heart failure patients participated in a self-administered survey. The survey comprised 139 questions from previously published, institutional review board-approved questionnaires. The survey measured patients' interest in and experience using technology as well as their function, heart failure symptoms, and heart failure self-care behaviors. The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) was among the 11 questionnaires and was used to measure the heart failure patients' health-related quality of life through patient-reported outcomes., Results: Participants were aged 64.5 years on average, 32% (16/50) of the participants were women, and 91% (41/45) of the participants were determined to be New York Heart Association Class II or higher. More than 60% (30/50) of the survey participants expressed interest in several potential features of a smartphone app designed for heart failure patients. Participant age correlated negatively with interest in tracking, tips, and reminders in multivariate regression analysis (P<.05). In contrast, MLHFQ scores (worse health status) produced positive correlations with these interests (P<.05)., Conclusions: The majority of heart failure patients showed interest in activity tracking, heart failure symptom management tips, and reminder features of a smartphone app. Desirable features and an understanding of factors that influence patient interest in a smartphone app for heart failure self-care may allow researchers to address common concerns and to develop apps that demonstrate the potential benefits of mobile technology., (©Albert Sohn, William Speier, Esther Lan, Kymberly Aoki, Gregg Fonarow, Michael Ong, Corey Arnold. Originally published in JMIR Cardio (http://cardio.jmir.org), 29.10.2019.)

Background While many patients are transferred to specialized stroke centers for advanced acute ischemic stroke (AIS) care, few studies have characterized these patients. We sought to determine variation in the rates and differences in the baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes between AIS cases presenting directly to stroke centers' front door versus Transfer-Ins from another hospital. Methods and Results We analyzed 970 390 AIS cases in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke registry from January 2010 to March 2014 to compare hospitals with high Transfer-In rates (≥15%) versus those with low Transfer-In rates (<5%) and to compare the front-door versus Transfer-In patients admitted to those hospitals with high Transfer-In rates (high Transfer-In hospitals). Of 970 390 patients discharged from 1646 hospitals, 87% initially presented via the emergency department versus 13% were a Transfer-In from another hospital. High Transfer-In hospitals had a median 31% Transfer-In rate among all stroke discharges, were larger, had higher annual AIS volume and intravenous tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) rates, and were more often Midwest teaching hospitals and stroke centers. Compared with front-door, Transfer-In patients were younger, more often white, had higher median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores, less often hypertension and previous stroke/transient ischemic attack, and higher in-hospital mortality (7.9% versus 4.9%; standardized difference, 12.4%). After multivariable adjustment, Transfer-In patients had higher in-hospital mortality and discharge modified Rankin scale. Conclusions There is significant regional variability in the transfer of patients with AIS. Because Transfer-In patients seem to have worse short-term outcomes, these patients have the potential to negatively influence institutional mortality rates and should be accounted for explicitly in hospital risk-profiling measures.

Background: The use of left ventricular assist devices has grown rapidly in recent years for patients with end-stage heart failure. A significant proportion of patients require both left- and right-sided support with biventricular assist devices (BiVADs) as a bridge to transplantation. Traditionally, these patients have waited in the hospital until they receive a transplant., Purpose: The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical course of BiVAD patients discharged to home to await heart transplantation., Methods: Between November 2009 and July 2011, 24 adult patients underwent Thoratec paracorporeal BiVAD placement at the University of California Los Angeles, all with an Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support score 1 or 2. The disposition, complications, and rehospitalizations of these subjects were retrospectively reviewed., Results: Fourteen of the 24 patients were successfully discharged to home, with a mean time of 60 ± 27 days from BiVAD implantation to discharge. Ninety-three percent (13/14) of the patients sent home went on to be transplanted. Eleven of the 14 (79%) came in from home to receive their transplant. The mean time from BiVAD implantation to transplantation was 100 ± 65 days. Of the 14 patients discharged to home, there were 18 readmissions in 8 patients., Conclusion: In this small single-center review, we found that complex medical patients with BiVADs can be discharged to home and can await a heart transplant from home under the close management of multidisciplinary acute care and outpatient teams.