BackgroundWe sought to determine the leading causes of cardiovascular (CV) hospitalization, and to describe and compare national rates of CV hospitalization by age, gender, race, ethnicity, region, and year, among U.S. veterans.MethodsWe evaluated the electronic health records of all veterans aged ≥18 years who had accessed any healthcare services at either a VA healthcare facility or a non-VA healthcare facility that was reimbursed by the VA, between January 1 2010 and December 31 2014. Among these 8,452,912 patients, we identified the 5 leading causes of CV hospitalization and compared rates of hospitalization by age, gender, race, ethnicity, region, year and type of VA healthcare user.ResultsThe top 5 causes of CV hospitalization were: coronary atherosclerosis, heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, stroke and atrial fibrillation. Overall, 297,373 (3.5%) veterans were hospitalized for one or more of these cardiovascular conditions. The percentage of veterans hospitalized for one or more of these CV conditions decreased over time, from 1.23% in 2010 to 1.18% in 2013, followed by a slight increase to 1.20% in 2014. There was significant variation in rates of CV hospitalization by gender, race, ethnicity, geographic region, and urban vs. rural zip code. In particular, older, male, Black, non-Hispanic, urban and Continental region veterans experienced the highest rates of CV hospitalizations.ConclusionsAmong 8.5 million patients enrolled in the VA healthcare system from 2010 to 2014, there was substantial variation in rates of CV hospitalization by age, gender, race, geographical distribution, year, and use of non-VA (vs. VA only) healthcare care facilities.
Background Mental health conditions are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ischemic heart disease, and much of this risk can be attributed to poor health behaviors. Although all patients with ischemic heart disease should be referred for cardiac rehabilitation (CR), whether patients with mental health conditions are willing to participate in CR programs is unknown. We sought to compare CR participation rates among patients with ischemic heart disease with versus without comorbid depression and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods and Results We used national electronic health records to identify all patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization at Veterans Health Administration hospitals between 2010 and 2014. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine whether comorbid depression/PTSD was associated with CR participation during the 12 months after hospital discharge. Of the 86 537 patients hospitalized for ischemic heart disease between 2010 and 2014, 24% experienced PTSD and/or depression. Patients with PTSD and/or depression had higher CR participation rates than those without PTSD or depression (11% versus 8%; P <0.001). In comparison to patients without PTSD or depression, the odds of participation was 24% greater in patients with depression alone (odds ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.15–1.34), 38% greater in patients with PTSD alone (odds ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.24–1.54), and 57% greater in patients with both PTSD and depression (odds ratio, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.43–1.74). Conclusions Among patients with ischemic heart disease, the presence of comorbid depression and/or PTSD is associated with greater participation in CR, providing an important opportunity to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors and reduce adverse cardiovascular outcomes among these patients.
IMPORTANCE Participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs at Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities is low. Most veterans receive CR through purchased care at non-VA programs. However, limited literature exists on the comparison of outcomes between VA and non-VA CR programs. OBJECTIVE To compare 1-year mortality and 1-year readmission rates for myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization between VA vs non-VA CR participants. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study included 7320 patients hospitalized for myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization at the VA between 2010 and 2014 who did not die within 30 days of discharge and who participated in 2 or more CR sessions after discharge. The study excluded individuals hospitalized for ischemic heart disease after December 2014 when the VA Choice Act changed referral criteria for non-VA care. Data analysis was performed from November 2019 to January 2020. EXPOSURES Participation in 2 or more CR sessions within 12 months of discharge at a VA or non-VA facility. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The 1-year all-cause mortality and 1-year readmission rates for myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization from date of discharge were compared between VA vs non-VA CR participants using Cox proportional hazards models with inverse probability treatment weighting. RESULTS The 7320 veterans with ischemic heart disease who participated in CR programs had a mean (SD) age of 65.13 (8.17) years and were predominantly white (6005 patients [82.0%]), non-Hispanic (6642 patients [91.0%]), and male (7191 patients [98.2%]). Among these 7320 veterans, 2921 (39.9%) attended a VA facility, and 4399 (60.1%) attended a non-VA CR facility. Black and Hispanic veterans were more likely to attend CR programs at VA facilities (509 patients [17.4%] and 378 patients [12.9%], respectively), whereas white veterans were more likely to attend CR programs at non-VA facilities (3759 patients [85.5%]). After inverse probability treatment weighting, rates of 1-year mortality were 1.7% among VA CR participants vs 1.3% among non-VA CR participants (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.90-1.94; P = .15). Rates of readmission for myocardial infarction or revascularization during the 12 months after discharge were 4.9% among VA CR participants vs 4.4% among non-VA CR participants (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.83-1.35; P = .62). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings suggest that rates of 1-year mortality and 1-year readmission for myocardial infarction or revascularization did not differ for participants in VA vs non-VA cardiac rehabilitation programs. Eligible patients with ischemic heart disease should participate in CR programs regardless of where they are provided.
Background Home‐based cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR) and traditional facility‐based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs have similar effects on mortality in clinical trials and meta‐analyses. However, the effect of HBCR on mortality in clinical practice settings is less clear. Therefore, we sought to compare mortality rates in HBCR participants versus nonparticipants. Methods and Results We evaluated all patients who were referred to and eligible for outpatient CR between 2013 and 2018 at the San Francisco Veterans Health Administration. Patients who chose to attend facility‐based CR and those who died within 30 days of hospitalization were excluded. Patients who chose to participate in HBCR received up to 9 telephonic coaching and motivational interviewing sessions over 12 weeks. All patients were followed through June 30, 2021. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models with inverse probability treatment weighting to compare mortality in HBCR participants versus nonparticipants. Of the 1120 patients (mean age 68, 98% male, 76% White) who were referred and eligible, 490 (44%) participated in HBCR. During a median follow‐up of 4.2 years, 185 patients (17%) died. Mortality was lower among the 490 HBCR participants versus the 630 nonparticipants (12% versus 20%; P <0.01). In an inverse probability weighted Cox regression analysis adjusted for patient demographics and comorbid conditions, the hazard of mortality remained 36% lower among HBCR participants versus nonparticipants (hazard ratio, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.45–0.90], P =0.01). Conclusions Among patients eligible for CR, participation in HBCR was associated with 36% lower hazard of mortality. Although unmeasured confounding can never be eliminated in an observational study, our findings suggest that HBCR may benefit patients who cannot attend traditional CR programs.
Background: Left atrial (LA) thrombus is not rare in patients with mitral valve stenosis, but in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation on anticoagulation, the formation of a "ball thrombus" in the LA is uncommon. Case: A 73-year-old man with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation on eliquis presented with frequent syncope and slurred speech. .The appearance of the infarcts on brain MRI and involvement of different vascular territories suggests embolic phenomena as the cause. On transthoracic echo a large, highly mobile echo density in the left atrium was noted. Transesophageal echo revealed smoke in the left atrium and the left atrial appendage. A large round mobile echo density mass measuring 4.7 cm X 3.6 cm was seen in left atrium with no attachment to left atrium. A mobile round density measuring 0.7x0.7 cm was seen on the right coronary cusp. Absence of perfusion, no enhancement, and high signal intensity on T1 and T2 weighted images on cardiac MRI was suggestive organized clot in left atrium. Decision-making: Both masses were removed successfully. Pathology confirmed a large intact spherical organized clot from the LA and a small fibroelastoma attached to the aortic leaflet. Conclusion: This was a rare case of giant round-shaped left atrium thrombus, which occurred in a patient with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation on anticoagulation. An aortic fibroelastoma was also discovered by transesophegeal echo as another potential cause of stroke. The left atrial thrombus is thought to have developed from a small mural thrombus caused by prolonged blood stagnation, which gets rounded by the sculpting impact of multiple complex encounters with the atrial wall. This may then detach from the LAA and form a floating "ball thrombus.
BACKGROUND: Anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia are expected complications of autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT) for multiple myeloma (MM). However, prolonged cytopenias may predispose patients to other infectious, cardiovascular, and/or hematological toxicities. Various factors have been implicated in the length of post-AHCT cytopenias including stem cell dose, marrow microenvironment, and clonal hematopoiesis. We hypothesize that the length of post-transplant anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia may negatively impact hospital length-of-stay (LOS) and in-hospital complications. METHODS: This is a single-center observational study of MM patients who underwent AHCT. Patients were part of a larger cohort with detailed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array cytogenetic data. Exclusion criteria were concurrent amyloidosis and tandem transplant. Demographic data, comorbidities, cytogenetic features (presence of TP53 deletion, and translocation status of MMSET, CCDN3, CCDN1, MAF, and MAFB), therapy line, peri-transplant laboratory values, and clinical outcome were collected retrospectively. LOS was calculated from transplant day -2 to hospital discharge. Predictive factors for LOS were calculated with multiple linear regression. Multiple logistic regression was then used to calculate associating factors for in-hospital complications. Grade III and IV post-transplant cardiovascular, infectious, and hematological complications were collected following the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Post-transplant anemia was defined as sustained hemoglobin (Hb) <8 g/dL despite transfusions. The cutoffs for neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <1.5 K/uL, and platelet (PLT) count <50 K/uL, respectively. RESULTS: 158 AHCT cases of MM patients were identified. 95 patients received AHCT as frontline treatment, 35 patients were transplanted in the salvage setting, and 14 patients received both frontline and subsequent-line transplant. The most commonly used conditioning regimen was melphalan 200 mg/m2 in 123 cases, followed by melphalan 140 mg/m2 in 23 patients. 50.6% (80/158) developed grade III anemia with a median onset of 9 days after transplant (IQR 5-11 days) and median length of 2 days (IQR 1-6 days). Neutropenia had higher incidence of 96.8% (153/158) with an earlier onset of 5 days (IQR 5-6 days) and median length of 5 days (IQR 2-7 days). Grade III thrombocytopenia occurred in 98.1% (155/158), with median onset of 7 days (IQR 5-7 days) and a median duration of 8 days (IQR 6-10 days). When comparing patients who received frontline transplant vs subsequent line transplants, no statistical significance was observed between onset or length of cytopenias (p=0.40). Median LOS was 16 days (IQR 15-19 days). The most frequent post-AHCT complications in our cohort were neutropenic fever (N=27), followed by engraftment syndrome (N=12), pneumonia (N=4), urinary tract infection (N=2), cellulitis (N=2), and bacteremia (N=1). Cardiovascular events were uncommon (N=3) and included pericarditis, new onset atrial fibrillation, and new onset supraventricular tachycardia. Pulmonary embolism (N=1) and deep vein thrombosis (N=3) were recorded. No major bleeding was observed. Longer LOS was independently associated with post-AHCT anemia (p=0.03) and thrombocytopenia (p=0.0005). Notably, LOS and in-hospital complication rates were not significantly associated with demographic data, pre-existing comorbidities, pre-transplant cytopenias, or cytogenetic abnormalities. CONCLUSION: In our cohort, longer duration of post-transplant anemia and thrombocytopenia were statistically associated with longer hospital LOS, but not with post-transplant complications. Prospective validation in an independent cohort is warranted. Disclosures Landgren: Karyopharma: Research Funding; Binding Site: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Merck: Other; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Adaptive: Consultancy, Honoraria; Juno: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Cellectis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Juno: Consultancy, Honoraria; Glenmark: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck: Other; Karyopharma: Research Funding; Binding Site: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Cellectis: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Takeda: Other: Independent Data Monitoring Committees for clinical trials, Research Funding; Glenmark: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Chung:Genentech: Research Funding.
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