(2020). Prognostic value of myocardial injury-related findings on resting electrocardiography for cardiovascular risk in the asymptomatic general population: the 12-year follow-up report from the Ansan-Ansung cohort. Annals of Medicine: Vol. 52, No. 5, pp. 215-224.
Background and Objectives:The electrophysiological properties associated with favorable outcome of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for idiopathic ventricular arrhythmia (VA) originating from the papillary muscle (PM) remain unclear.The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of electrophysiological characteristics and predictors with the outcome of RFCA in patients with VAs originating from PM in the left ventricle (LV).Subjects and Methods: Twelve (4.2%) of 284 consecutive patients with idiopathic VAs originating from LV PM were assessed.The electrophysiological data were compared between the patients in the successful group and patients in the recurrence group after RFCA.Results: In 12 patients with PM VAs, non-sustained ventricular tachycardias (VTs, n=6), sustained VTs (n=4) and premature ventricular complexes (n=2) were identified as the presenting arrhythmias.Seven of eight patients showing high-amplitude discrete potentials at the ablation site had a successful outcome (85.7%), while the remaining four patients who showed low-amplitude fractionated potentials at the ablation site experienced VA recurrence.The mean duration from onset to peak downstroke (∆t) on the unipolar electrogram was significantly longer in the successful group than in the recurrence group (58±8 ms vs. 37±9 ms, p=0.04).A slow downstroke >50 ms of the initial Q wave on the unipolar electrogram at ablation sites was also significantly associated with successful outcome (85.7% vs. 25.0%,p=0.03). Conclusion:In PM VAs, the high-amplitude discrete potentials before QRS and slow downstroke of the initial Q wave on the unipolar electrogram at ablation sites were related to favorable outcome after RFCA.(
Abstract While physical activity (PA) may influence resting heart rate (RHR), and a low RHR may be a risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF), controversy exists regarding the association between PA and development of AF. Using data from a Korean, prospective population cohort, we investigated the independent effect of PA and RHR on the incidence of AF in the general population. A total of 8,811 participants aged 40–69 years were analyzed. Total PA assessed based on questionnaires was divided into quartiles, with the lowest to the highest being Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. During a median follow-up of 139 months, AF developed in 167 participants (1.9%). Q3 of total PA was associated with a significantly lower risk of AF than Q1 even after adjusting for RHR as a covariate, but Q4 was not. The risk of AF was higher in participants with RHR < 60 bpm than in those with RHR 70–85 bpm, and the significance persisted after adjusting for PA as a covariate. This study showed that a moderate amount of total PA was associated with a lower risk of incident AF independent of RHR and that low RHR was an independent risk factor for AF in the general Korean population.
Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and carotid atherosclerotic plaque (CAP) are well-known indicators of atherosclerosis. However, few studies have reported the value of CIMT and CAP for predicting renal artery stenosis (RAS). We investigated the predictive value of CIMT and CAP for RAS and propose a model for predicting significant RAS in patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG).Consecutive patients who underwent renal angiography at the time of CAG in a single center in 2011 were included. RAS ≥50% was considered significant. Multiple logistic regression analysis with step-down variable selection method was used to select the best model for predicting significant RAS and bootstrap resampling was used to validate the best model. A scoring system for predicting significant RAS was developed by adding the closest integers proportional to the coefficients of the regression formula.Significant RAS was observed in 60 of 641 patients (9.6%) who underwent CAG. Hypertension, diabetes, significant coronary artery disease (CAD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage ≥3 were more prevalent in patients with significant RAS. Mean age, CIMT and number of anti-hypertensive medications (AHM) were higher and body mass index (BMI) and total cholesterol level were lower in patients with significant RAS. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified significant CAD (odds ratio (OR) 5.6), unilateral CAP (OR 2.6), bilateral CAP (OR 4.9), CKD stage ≥3 (OR 4.8), four or more AHM (OR 4.8), CIMT (OR 2.3), age ≥67 years (OR 2.3) and BMI <22 kg/m2 (OR 2.4) as independent predictors of significant RAS. The scoring system for predicting significant RAS, which included these predictors, had a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 81.6%. The predicted frequency of the scoring system agreed well with the observed frequency of significant RAS (coefficient of determination r2 = 0.957).CIMT and CAP are independent predictors of significant RAS. The proposed scoring system, which includes CIMT and CAP, may be useful for predicting significant RAS in patients undergoing CAG.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with low to intermediate risk, defined as non-gender CHA2DS2-VASc score of 0-1, are still at risk of stroke. This study verified the usefulness of ABCD score [age (≥60 years), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal pro-BNP (≥300 pg/mL), creatinine clearance (<50 mL/min/1.73 m²), and dimension of the left atrium (≥45 mm)] for stroke risk stratification in non-gender CHA2DS2-VASc score 0-1.This multi-center cohort study retrospectively analyzed AF patients with non-gender CHA2DS2-VASc score 0-1. The primary endpoint was the incidence of stroke with or without antithrombotic therapy (ATT). An ABCD score was validated.Overall, 2694 patients [56.3±9.5 years; female, 726 (26.9%)] were followed-up for 4.0±2.8 years. The overall stroke rate was 0.84/100 person-years (P-Y), stratified as follows: 0.46/100 P-Y for an ABCD score of 0; 1.02/100 P-Y for an ABCD score ≥1. The ABCD score was superior to non-gender CHA2DS2-VASc score in the stroke risk stratification (C-index=0.618, p=0.015; net reclassification improvement=0.576, p=0.040; integrated differential improvement=0.033, p=0.066). ATT was prescribed in 2353 patients (86.5%), and the stroke rate was significantly lower in patients receiving non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) therapy and an ABCD score ≥1 than in those without ATT (0.44/100 P-Y vs. 1.55/100 P-Y; hazard ratio=0.26, 95% confidence interval 0.11-0.63, p=0.003).The biomarker-based ABCD score demonstrated improved stroke risk stratification in AF patients with non-gender CHA2DS2-VASc score 0-1. Furthermore, NOAC with an ABCD score ≥1 was associated with significantly lower stroke rate in AF patients with non-gender CHA2DS2-VASc score 0-1.
The impact of the changes in the obesity status on mortality has not been established; thus, we investigated the long-term influence of body fat (BF) changes on all-cause deaths and cardiovascular outcomes in a general population.A total of 8374 participants were observed for 12 years. BF was measured at least two times using a bioimpedance method. The causes of death were acquired from the nationwide database. A major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) was defined as a composite of myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Standard deviations (SDs) were derived using a local regression model corresponding to the time elapsed between the initial and final BF measurements (SDT) and were used to standardize the changes in BF (ΔBF/SDT).The incidence rates of all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and MACE were the highest in the participants with ΔBF/SDT <-1 and lowest in the participants with ΔBF/SDT ≥1. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for relevant covariates, including baseline obesity and physical activity, showed that the risks of all-cause deaths (hazard ratio [HR] 0.58; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.53-0.64), cardiovascular deaths (HR 0.63; 95% CI 0.51-0.78) and MACEs (HR 0.68; 95% CI 0.62-0.75) decreased as ΔBF/SDT increased. Subgroup analyses showed that existing cardiovascular diseases weakened the associations between higher ΔBF/SDT and better outcomes, while high physical activity and exercise did not impact the associations.Increasing BF was associated with a lower risk of all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and MACE in the general population.Key messagesIncreasing body fat is associated with a lower risk of all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and major cardiovascular adverse events in a low-risk ageing general population, independently of physical activity, underlying cardiovascular disease burden, changes in muscle mass, and baseline obesity status.Fatness measured at baseline requires adjustment for the changes in fatness during the follow-up to reveal its impact on the clinical outcomes.
Abstract Concomitant percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) at the time of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is often performed because lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) commonly coincides with coronary artery disease. We investigated the impact of concomitant PTA on both cardiovascular and limb outcomes in the Korean National Health Insurance Service registry. Among 78,185 patients undergoing PCI, 6563 patients with stable LEAD without limb ischemia were included. After 1:5 propensity score matching was conducted, 279 patients in the PTA + PCI group and 1385 patients in the PCI group were compared. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models showed that the risk of all-cause death was higher in the PTA + PCI group than in the PCI group, whereas the risks of myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, stroke, cardiovascular death and bleeding events were not different between the 2 groups. In contrast, the risks of end-stage renal disease and unfavorable limb outcomes were higher in the PTA + PCI group. Mediation analyses revealed that amputation and PTA after discharge significantly mediated the association between concomitant PTA and all-cause death. Concomitant PTA was not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events but may increase the risk of all-cause death mediated by unfavorable renal and limb outcomes in patients with stable LEAD.