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Aims: This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing alcohol screening and brief interventions (SBI) in cardiology services., Methods and Results: This was a qualitative study. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 clinical cardiology staff (doctors, nurses, and assistant nurses) of varying experience levels and from various clinical settings (high-dependency unit, ward, and outpatient clinic), in three regions of Sweden. Reflexive thematic analysis was used, with deductive coding applying the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation (COM-B) theoretical framework. A total of 41 barriers and facilitators were identified, including 12 related to capability, 9 to opportunity, and 20 to motivation. Four themes were developed: (i) uncharted territory, where clinicians expressed a need to address alcohol use but lacked knowledge and a roadmap for implementing SBI; (ii) cardiology as a cardiovascular specialty, where tasks were prioritized according to established roles; (iii) alcohol stigma, where alcohol was reported to be a sensitive topic that staff avoid discussing with patients; and (iv) window of opportunity, where staff expressed potential for implementing SBI in routine cardiology care., Conclusion: Findings suggest that opportunities exist for early identification and follow-up of hazardous alcohol use within routine cardiology care. Several barriers, including low knowledge, stigma, a lack of ownership, and a greater focus on other risk factors, must be addressed prior to the implementation of SBI in cardiology. To meet current clinical guidelines, there is a need to increase awareness and to improve pathways to addiction care. In addition, there may be a need for clinicians dedicated to alcohol interventions within cardiology services., Registration: OSF (osf.io/hx3ts)., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: F.B. is a member of the adverse event adjudication committee for Medtronic and Biotronik. F.B. has collaborated with industry through service contracts signed with his employer—Karolinska University Hospital—but no payment has been directly transferred to F.B. as a result of these activities. S.W.F. receives book royalties for Åter till kontrollerat drickande—en handbok för kliniker (Controlled drinking—a handbook for clinicians) from Studentlitteratur and Missbrukspsykologi (Addiction psychology) from Liber. S.W.F. is chair of the Swedish Association for Psychologists within Alcohol, Narcotics, Doping, Gambling and Tobacco (part of the Swedish Psychologists Association)., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: Current understanding of the prognosis for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and overlapping cardio-renal-metabolic components, specifically heart failure (HF) and diabetes mellitus (DM), remains limited. While previous studies have explored the interactions between CKD, HF, and DM, they have predominantly focused on cohorts of HF or DM patients. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the long-term outcomes and treatment patterns in a cohort of CKD patients, particularly those with coexisting HF and DM., Methods and Results: We analysed data from the Swedish national CKD patient cohort, the Swedish Renal Registry, with a follow-up period extending up to 10 years. The study examined the risks of all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE)-defined as a composite of non-fatal myocardial infarction, hospitalization for congestive HF, non-fatal stroke, or cardiovascular death-and the initiation of kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazards and competing risk models. Among the 27 647 patients, 48% had CKD alone, 12% had CKD with HF, 27% had CKD with DM, and 13% had CKD with both HF and DM. After 5 years, mortality rates were 23% for patients with CKD, 30% for those with CKD/DM, 54% for CKD/HF, and 55% for CKD/HF/DM. The 10 year absolute risk of MACE was 28% for CKD alone, 35% for CKD/DM, 67% for CKD/HF, and 73% for CKD/HF/DM. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for mortality was approximately three times higher in patients with any HF combination, with HRs of 2.57 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.43-2.71] for CKD/HF and 3.22 (95% CI 3.05-3.39) for CKD/HF/DM, compared with CKD alone. The impact of HF on MACE prognosis was even more pronounced, with adjusted sub-hazard ratios (SHRs) of 3.33 (95% CI 3.14-3.53) for CKD/HF and 4.26 (95% CI 4.04-4.50) for CKD/HF/DM. Additionally, CKD patients diagnosed with HF were less likely to commence KRT, and the risk of death prior to KRT initiation was roughly twice as high for these groups, with SHRs of 2.05 (95% CI 1.93-2.18) for CKD + HF and 2.43 (95% CI 2.29-2.58) for CKD + HF + DM., Conclusions: In a cohort of CKD patients, having HF contributes substantially to increased mortality and the risk of MACE, and these patients are less likely to start KRT. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted therapeutic strategies and management plans for CKD patients, particularly those with concurrent HF, to enhance patient prognosis., (© 2024 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: The detailed sub-categories of death and hospitalization, and the impact of comorbidities on cause-specific outcomes, remain poorly understood in heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We sought to evaluate rates and predictors of cardiovascular (CV) and non-CV outcomes in HFpEF., Methods: The Karolinska-Rennes study was a bi-national prospective observational study designed to characterize HFpEF (ejection fraction ≥45%). Patients were followed for cause-specific death and hospitalization. Baseline characteristics were pre-selected based on clinical relevance and potential eligibility criteria for HFpEF trials. The associations between characteristics and cause-specific outcomes were assessed with univariable and multivariable Cox regressions., Results: Five hundred thirty-nine patients [56% females; median (inter-quartile range) age 79 (72-84) years; NT-proBNP/BNP 2448 (1290-4790)/429 (229-805) ng/L] were included. Over 1196 patient-years follow-up [median (min, max) 744 days (13-1959)], there were 159 (29%) deaths (13 per 100 patient-years: CV 5.1 per 100, dominated by HF 3.9 per 100; and non-CV 5.8 per 100, dominated by cancer, 2.3 per 100). There were 723 hospitalizations in 338 patients (63%; 60 per 100 patient-years: CV 33 per 100, dominated by HF 17 per 100; and non-CV 27 per 100, dominated by lung disease 5 per 100). Higher age and natriuretic peptides, lower serum natraemia and NYHA class III-IV were independent predictors of CV death; lower serum natraemia, anaemia and stroke of non-CV death; and anaemia and lower serum natraemia of non-CV death or hospitalizations. There were no apparent predictors of CV death or hospitalization., Conclusions: In a clinical cohort hospitalized and diagnosed with HFpEF, death and hospitalization rates were roughly similar for CV and non-CV causes. CV deaths were predicted primarily by severity of HF; non-CV deaths primarily by anaemia and prior stroke. Lower serum sodium predicted both. Hospitalizations were difficult to predict., (© 2024 The Author(s). ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: Renal dysfunction in patients with heart failure (HF) has traditionally been attributed to declining cardiac output and renal hypoperfusion. However, other central haemodynamic aberrations may contribute to impaired kidney function. This study assessed the relationship between invasive central haemodynamic measurements from right-heart catheterizations and measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) in advanced HF., Methods and Results: All patients referred for heart transplantation work-up in Sweden between 1988 and 2019 were identified through the Scandiatransplant organ-exchange organization database. Invasive haemodynamic variables and mGFR were retrieved retrospectively. A total of 1001 subjects (49 ± 13 years; 24% female) were eligible for the study. Analysis of covariance adjusted for age, sex, and centre revealed that higher right atrial pressure (RAP) displayed the strongest relationship with impaired GFR [β coefficient -0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.69 to -0.48; P < 0.001], followed by lower mean arterial pressure (MAP) (β coefficient 0.29; 95% CI 0.14-0.37; P < 0.001), and finally reduced cardiac index (β coefficient 3.51; 95% CI 2.14-4.84; P < 0.003). A combination of high RAP and low MAP was associated with markedly worse mGFR than any other RAP/MAP profile, and high renal perfusion pressure (RPP, MAP minus RAP) was associated with superior renal function irrespective of the degree of cardiac output., Conclusions: In patients with advanced HF, high RAP contributed more to impaired GFR than low MAP. A higher RPP was more closely related to GFR than was high cardiac index., (© 2022 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: Progression of vascular calcification causes cardiovascular disease, which is the most common cause of death in chronic kidney failure and after kidney transplantation (KT). The prognostic impact of the extent of medial vascular calcification at KT is unknown., Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we investigated the impact of medial calcification compared to a mix of intimal and medial calcification represented by coronary artery calcification (CAC score) and aortic valve calcification in 342 patients starting on kidney failure replacement therapy. The primary outcomes were cardiovascular events (CVE) and death. The median follow-up time was 6.4 years (interquartile range 3.7-9.6 years). Exposure was CAC score and arteria epigastrica medial calcification scored as none, mild, moderate, or severe by a pathologist at time of KT (n = 200). We divided the patients according to kidney failure replacement therapy during follow-up, that is, living donor KT, deceased donor KT, or dialysis., Results: Moderate to severe medial calcification in the arteria epigastrica was associated with higher mortality (p = 0.001), and the hazard ratio for CVE was 3.1 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-9.02, p < 0.05) compared to no or mild medial calcification. The hazard ratio for 10-year mortality in the dialysis group was 33.6 (95% CI, 10.0-113.0, p < 0.001) compared to living donor recipients, independent of Framingham risk score and prevalent CAC., Conclusion: Scoring of medial calcification in the arteria epigastrica identified living donor recipients as having 3.1 times higher risk of CVE, independent of traditional risk factors. The medial calcification score could be a reliable method to identify patients with high and low risk of CVE and mortality following KT., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Internal Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Publication of The Journal of Internal Medicine.)

Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients run a high risk for adverse outcomes from COVID-19, with reported mortality around 19%. We retrospectively reviewed all known Swedish SOT recipients with RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 between March 1 and November 20, 2020 and analyzed patient characteristics, management, and outcome. We identified 230 patients with a median age of 54.0 years (13.2), who were predominantly male (64%). Most patients were hospitalized (64%), but 36% remained outpatients. Age >50 and male sex were among predictors of transition from outpatient to inpatient status. National early warning Score 2 (NEWS2) at presentation was higher in non-survivors. Thirty-day all-cause mortality was 9.6% (15.0% for inpatients), increased with age and BMI, and was higher in men. Renal function decreased during COVID-19 but recovered in most patients. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were identified in 78% of patients at 1-2 months post-infection. Nucleocapsid-specific antibodies decreased to 38% after 6-7 months, while spike-specific antibody responses were more durable. Seroprevalence in 559 asymptomatic patients was 1.4%. Many patients can be managed on an outpatient basis aided by risk stratification with age, sex, and NEWS2 score. Factors associated with adverse outcomes include older age, male sex, greater BMI, and a higher NEWS2 score., (© 2021 The Authors. American Journal of Transplantation published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Background: Comorbidities may differently affect treatment response and cause-specific outcomes in heart failure (HF) with preserved (HFpEF) vs. mid-range/mildly-reduced (HFmrEF) vs. reduced (HFrEF) ejection fraction (EF), complicating trial design. In patients with HF, we performed a comprehensive analysis of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), atrial fibrillation (AF) chronic kidney disease (CKD), and cause-specific outcomes., Methods and Results: Of 42,583 patients from the Swedish HF registry (23% HFpEF, 21% HFmrEF, 56% HFrEF), 24% had T2DM, 51% CKD, 56% AF, and 8% all three comorbidities. HFpEF had higher prevalence of CKD and AF, HFmrEF had intermediate prevalence of AF, and prevalence of T2DM was similar across the EF spectrum. Patients with T2DM, AF and/or CKD were more likely to have also other comorbidities and more severe HF. Risk of cardiovascular (CV) events was highest in HFrEF vs. HFpEF and HFmrEF; non-CV risk was highest in HFpEF vs. HFmrEF vs. HFrEF. T2DM increased CV and non-CV events similarly but less so in HFpEF. CKD increased CV events somewhat more than non-CV events and less so in HFpEF. AF increased CV events considerably more than non-CV events and more so in HFpEF and HFmrEF., Conclusion: HFpEF is distinguished from HFmrEF and HFrEF by more comorbidities, non-CV events, but lower effect of T2DM and CKD on events. CV events are most frequent in HFrEF. To enrich for CV vs. non-CV events, trialists should not exclude patients with lower EF, AF and/or CKD, who report higher CV risk., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest GS reports grants and personal fees from Vifor, non-financial support from Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees from Societa´ Prodotti Antibiotici, grants from MSD, grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, personal fees from Roche, personal fees from Servier, grants from Novartis, personal fees from GENESIS, personal fees from Medtronic, personal fees from Cytokinetics, outside the submitted work. LHL reports grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Merck, personal fees from Sanofi, grants and personal fees from Vifor-Fresenius, grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, grants and personal fees from Relypsa, personal fees from Bayer, grants from Boston Scientific, grants and personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Pharmacosmos, personal fees from Abbott, grants and personal fees from Mundipharma, personal fees from Medscape, outside the submitted work. CS, BS, TT, IL, US, LB, FC, FA: None related with the current study. AM, SFF, MB, KGB and OV are employed by Boehringer Ingelheim., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

There are no studies of long-term worsening renal function (WRF) in heart failure (HF) with different ejection fraction (EF) groups. The aim was to compare incidence of, associations with and prognostic impact of WRF in HF with preserved (HFpEF), mid-range (HFmrEF), and reduced EF (HFrEF). The Swedish Heart Failure Registry (SwedeHF) was merged with the Stockholm Creatinine Measurement (SCREAM) registry 2006 to 2010. The associations between EF and WRF (≥25% decrease in eGFR) and the associations between WRF25-49% and WRF≥50% within year one and subsequent all-cause mortality were all assessed with multiadjusted Cox regression. Of 7,154 patients, 41.6% of HFpEF versus 34.5% and 35.4% of HFmrEF and HFrEF patients developed WRF≥25% during year one. The WRF risk was higher in HFpEF (reference) than in HFmrEF, hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 0.890 (0.794 to 0.997) and HFrEF 0.870 (0.784 to 0.965). WRF within year one was strongly associated with subsequent long-term mortality in all EF groups, yielding adjusted HRs with WRF25-49% and WRF≥50%: HFpEF, 1.101 (0.913 to 1.328) and 2.096 (1.652 to 2.659), in HFmrEF 1.654 (1.353 to 2.022) and 2.375 (1.807 to 3.122) and in HFrEF 1.212 (1.060 to 1.386) and 1.694 (1.412 to 2.033). In conclusion, the long-term WRF risk was high in HF and highest in HFpEF. WRF was strongly associated with mortality in all EF groups, although in HFpEF only with the most severe WRF., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There are no studies of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) treatment examining outcome in unselected real-life patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure (HF). There is uncertainty regarding effects of MRA in relation to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim was to assess MRA use and compare outcomes in MI patients with HF in relation to LVEF and CKD., Methods and Results: Patients with MI and HF registered in the Swedish myocardial infarction registry, SWEDEHEART, 2005-2014, were included. Associations between MRA use and all-cause mortality up to 3 years were assessed with multivariable Cox regression, stratified by EF groups and presence of CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 ). Of 45 071 patients with MI and HF, 4470 (9.9%) received MRA. Those with HF and LVEF <40% more often had MRA (19.6%) compared with those with LVEF 40% to 49% (9.1%) or LVEF ≥50% (4.7%). 8.6% of patients with CKD received MRA. After adjustment, MRA use was associated with lower mortality in those with LVEF <40% (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] 0.81 [0.75-0.88]) and LVEF 40% to 49% (0.88 [0.75-1.03]) but not in those with LVEF ≥50% (1.29 [1.09-1.53]), with significant interaction between MRA and LVEF ( P <0.0001). The association between MRA use and mortality was similar in those without (0.96 [0.88-1.05]) and with (0.92 [0.85-0.99]) CKD., Conclusions: In patients with MI and HF, MRA use was associated with better long-term survival in patients with LVEF <40% but not in those with LVEF ≥50%, while the mortality risk was similar in MRA-treated patients with or without CKD., (© 2018 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.)

Aims: Levosimendan improves haemodynamics in acute decompensated heart failure (HF). However, it is increasingly used for repetitive or intermittent infusions in advanced but stable chronic HF, without clear indication, selection criteria, or effect. We tested the hypotheses that (1) levosimendan improves haemodynamics in stable chronic HF and (2) that the response is dependent on baseline clinical and haemodynamic factors., Methods and Results: Twenty-three patients [median age 56 (49-64) years, four (17%) women] with stable New York Heart Association (NYHA) III and IV HF received a single 24 h levosimendan infusion. Non-invasive haemodynamics (inert gas re-breathing technique), estimated glomerular filtration rate, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were assessed before and after infusion. Levosimendan had the following effects (median change): a significant increase in cardiac output (+9.8 ± 21.6%; P = 0.026) and decrease in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (-28.1 ± 16.3%, P < 0.001), estimated total peripheral resistance (-16.9 ± 18.3%, P = 0.005), and mean arterial pressure (-5.9 ± 8.2%, P = 0.007), but no change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (+0.89 ± 14.0%, P = 0.955). There were no significant associations between baseline clinical and/or haemodynamic factors and the levosimendan effect on cardiac output., Conclusions: Levosimendan was associated with improved haemodynamics in patients with stable chronic HF, but we could not identify any predictors of the magnitude of haemodynamic response., (© 2018 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: As the role of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in different types of heart failure (HF) is poorly understood, our aim was to compare CKD in HF with preserved (HFpEF), mid-range (HFmrEF), and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) with regard to prevalence, associations and prognostic role., Methods and Results: Patients in the Swedish Heart Failure Registry were divided into three groups based on EF (≥50%, 40-49% and <40%). CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤60 mL/min.1.73 m 2 . Associations between covariates and CKD and between CKD and mortality were assessed with multivariable regressions. Of 40 230 patients, 8875 (22%) had HFpEF, 8374 (21%) had HFmrEF, and 22 981 (57%) had HFrEF, with a CKD prevalence of 56%, 48%, and 45%, respectively. Associations between covariates and CKD were similar in all EF groups. One-year mortality with vs. without CKD was 23% vs. 13% in HFpEF, 22% vs. 8% in HFmrEF, and 23% vs. 8% in HFrEF (P < 0.001 for all). After adjustment, CKD was more strongly associated with death in HFrEF and HFmrEF than in HFpEF [hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.49 (1.42-1.56) and 1.51 (1.40-1.63) vs. 1.32 (1.24-1.42); P for interaction <0.001]. In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, CKD was also a stronger predictor of death in HFrEF and HFmrEF than in HFpEF [area under the curve (AUC) 0.699 (0.689-0.709) and 0.700 (0.683-0.716) vs. 0.629 (0.613-0.645)]., Conclusion: CKD was associated with similar covariates regardless of EF. Although CKD was more common in HFpEF than in HFmrEF and HFrEF, it may have more of a 'bystander' role in HFpEF, being less associated with mortality and with lower prognostic discrimination., (© 2017 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2017 European Society of Cardiology.)

Patients in the latest stages of heart failure are severely compromised, with poor quality of life and frequent hospitalizations. Heart transplantation and left ventricular assist device implantation are viable options only for a minority, and intermittent or continuous infusions of positive inotropes may be needed as a bridge therapy or as a symptomatic approach. In these settings, levosimendan has potential advantages over conventional inotropes (catecholamines and phosphodiesterase inhibitors), such as sustained effects after initial infusion, synergy with beta-blockers, and no increase in oxygen consumption. Levosimendan has been suggested as a treatment that reduces re-hospitalization and improves quality of life. However, previous clinical studies of intermittent infusions of levosimendan were not powered to show statistical significance on key outcome parameters. A panel of 45 expert clinicians from 12 European countries met in Rome on November 24-25, 2016 to review the literature and envision an appropriately designed clinical trial addressing these needs. In the earlier FIGHT trial (daily subcutaneous injection of liraglutide in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction) a composite Global Rank Score was used as primary end-point where death, re-hospitalization, and change in N-terminal-prohormone-brain natriuretic peptide level were considered in a hierarchical order. In the present study, we tested the same end-point post hoc in the PERSIST and LEVOREP trials on oral and repeated i.v. levosimendan, respectively, and demonstrated superiority of levosimendan treatment vs placebo. The use of the same composite end-point in a properly powered study on repetitive levosimendan in advanced heart failure is strongly advocated., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim was to determine the prevalence of different degrees of kidney dysfunction and to examine their association with short-term and long-term outcomes in a large unselected contemporary heart failure population and some of its subgroups. We examined to what extent the different cardiac conditions and their severity contribute to the prognostic value of kidney dysfunction in heart failure., Design: We studied 47 716 patients in the Swedish Heart Failure Registry. Patients were divided into five renal function strata based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. The adjusted association between kidney function and outcome was examined by Cox regression., Results: 51% of the patients had eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 11% had eGFR <30. There was increasing mortality with decreasing kidney function regardless of age, presence of diabetes, New York Heart Association NYHA class, duration of heart failure and haemoglobin levels. The risk HR (95% CI) persisted after adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, severity of heart disease, and medical treatment: eGFR 60-89: 0.86 (0.79 to 0.95); eGFR 30-59: 1.13 (1.03 to 1.24); eGFR 15-29: 1.85 (1.67 to 2.07); and eGFR <15: 2.96 ([2.53 to -3.47)], compared with eGFR ≥90., Conclusions: Kidney dysfunction is common and strongly associated with short-term and long-term outcomes in patients with heart failure. This strong association was evident in all age groups, regardless of NYHA class, duration of heart failure, haemoglobin level, and presence/absence of diabetes mellitus. After adjusting for differences in baseline data, aetiology and severity of heart disease and treatment, the strong association remained.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine temporal trends in the incidence and outcomes of heart failure (HF) complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a large national cohort., Background: There are limited and conflicting data concerning temporal trends in the incidence and prognostic implication of in-hospital HF that complicates AMI., Methods: The nationwide coronary care unit registry SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web-System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies) records baseline characteristics, treatments, and outcome of consecutive patients with AMIs admitted to all hospitals in Sweden. The diagnosis of HF requires the presence of crackles (Killip class ≥II) or the use of intravenous diuretic agents or intravenous inotropes. This study included 199,851 patients admitted for index AMIs between 1996 and 2008., Results: The incidence of HF declined from 46% to 28% (p < 0.001). This decrease was more pronounced in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions and left bundle branch block (from 50% to 28%) compared with those with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (from 42% to 28%) (p < 0.001). The in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year mortality rates for patients who developed HF during the index myocardial infarction decreased over the years from 19% to 13%, from 23% to 17%, and from 36% to 31%, respectively (p < 0.001 for all). Thirteen-year survival analysis showed higher mortality in patients with HF compared with those without HF (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.1; 95% confidence interval: 2.06 to 2.13)., Conclusions: A marked decrease was found in the incidence of HF complicating AMI between 1996 and 2008. However, HF continues to worsen the early-, intermediate-, and long-term adverse prognostic risk after AMI., (Copyright © 2015 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: The prevalence of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular co-morbidities and their relative importance for outcomes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) remain poorly characterized. This study aimed to investigate this., Methods and Results: The Karolinska-Rennes (KaRen) Study was a multinational prospective observational study designed to characterize HFPEF. Inclusion required acute HF, defined by the Framingham criteria, LVEF ≥ 45%, and NT-pro-BNP ≥ 300 ng/L or BNP ≥ 100 ng/L. Detailed clinical data were collected at baseline and patients were followed prospectively for 18 months. Predictors of the primary (HF hospitalization or all-cause mortality) and secondary (all-cause mortality) outcomes were assessed with multivariable Cox regression. A total of 539 patients [56% women; median (interquartile range) age 79 (72-84) years; NT-pro-BNP/BNP 2448 (1290-4790)/429 (229-805) ng/L] were included. Known history of HF was present in 40%. Co-morbidities included hypertension (78%), atrial fibrillation/flutter (65%), anaemia (51%), renal dysfunction (46%), CAD (33%), diabetes (30%), lung disease (25%), and cancer (16%). The primary outcome occurred in 268 patients [50%; 106 deaths (20%) and 162 HF hospitalizations (30%)]. Important independent predictors of the primary and/or secondary outcomes were age, history of non-cardiovascular syncope, valve disease, anaemia, lower sodium, and higher potassium, but no cardiovascular co-morbidities. Renin-angiotensin system antagonist and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use predicted improved prognosis., Conclusion: HFPEF was associated with higher age, female gender, hypertension, atrial fibrillation/flutter, and numerous non-cardiovascular co-morbidities. Prognosis was determined by non-cardiovascular co-morbidities, but use of conventional heart failure medications may still be associated with improved outcomes., (© 2014 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2014 European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) is common but not well understood. Electrical dyssynchrony in systolic heart failure is harmful. Little is known about the prevalence and the prognostic impact of dyssynchrony in HFPEF., Methods and Results: We have designed a prospective, multicenter, international, observational study to characterize HFPEF and to determine whether electrical or mechanical dyssynchrony affects prognosis. Patients presenting with acute heart failure (HF) will be screened so as to identify 400 patients with HFPEF. Inclusion criteria will be: acute presentation with Framingham criteria for HF, left ventricular ejection fraction>or=45%, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)>100 pg/mL or NT-proBNP>300 pg/mL. Once stabilized, 4-8 weeks after the index presentation, patients will return and undergo questionnaires, serology, ECG, and Doppler echocardiography. Thereafter, patients will be followed for mortality and HF hospitalization every 6 months for at least 18 months. Sub-studies will focus on echocardiographic changes from the acute presentation to the stable condition and on exercise echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and serological markers., Conclusion: KaRen aims to characterize electrical and mechanical dyssynchrony and to assess its prognostic impact in HFPEF. The results might improve our understanding of HFPEF and generate answers to the question whether dyssynchrony could be a target for therapy in HFPEF.

Background: To assess the acute effect of a single dose of 10 mg oral micronized 17beta-estradiol on microcirculation in postmenopausal women with and without coronary artery disease and its potential influence on exercise capacity., Methods: Postmenopausal women (n=11) with coronary artery disease had symptoms of ischemic heart disease and at least 1 mm ST depression at exercise. Microcirculation was examined by vital microscopy, with and without the acute administration of estrogen in a placebo-controlled cross-over design. Exercise test was performed on bicycle. The microcirculatory findings were contrasted to those in 14 healthy postmenopausal women., Results: 17Beta-estradiol in serum and blood flow velocity increased significantly after acute oral estrogen administration both in women with coronary artery disease (p<0.001) and in healthy women (p<0.0001), with no significant difference between the two groups. No effect on exercise capacity or ST depression at exercise was detected., Conclusions: Previously reported data that a single dose of estrogen administered to postmenopausal women results in positive effects on exercise was not reproduced. An increased peripheral microvascular flow velocity was detected in women with coronary artery disease and this increase was not accompanied by an increased exercise capacity.