Among patients presenting with new-onset heart failure, a substantial proportion had an ejection fraction of more than 50 percent. The survival of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction was similar to that of patients with reduced ejection fraction.

Rationale: Use of ACEIs (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) and ARBs (angiotensin II receptor blockers) is a major concern for clinicians treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with hypertension. Objective: To determine the association between in-hospital use of ACEI/ARB and all-cause mortality in patients with hypertension and hospitalized due to COVID-19. Methods and Results: This retrospective, multi-center study included 1128 adult patients with hypertension diagnosed with COVID-19, including 188 taking ACEI/ARB (ACEI/ARB group; median age 64 [interquartile range, 55–68] years; 53.2% men) and 940 without using ACEI/ARB (non-ACEI/ARB group; median age 64 [interquartile range 57–69]; 53.5% men), who were admitted to 9 hospitals in Hubei Province, China from December 31, 2019 to February 20, 2020. In mixed-effect Cox model treating site as a random effect, after adjusting for age, gender, comorbidities, and in-hospital medications, the detected risk for all-cause mortality was lower in the ACEI/ARB group versus the non-ACEI/ARB group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.19–0.92]; P =0.03). In a propensity score-matched analysis followed by adjusting imbalanced variables in mixed-effect Cox model, the results consistently demonstrated lower risk of COVID-19 mortality in patients who received ACEI/ARB versus those who did not receive ACEI/ARB (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.37 [95% CI, 0.15–0.89]; P =0.03). Further subgroup propensity score-matched analysis indicated that, compared with use of other antihypertensive drugs, ACEI/ARB was also associated with decreased mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.30 [95% CI, 0.12–0.70]; P =0.01) in patients with COVID-19 and coexisting hypertension. Conclusions: Among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and coexisting hypertension, inpatient use of ACEI/ARB was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with ACEI/ARB nonusers. While study interpretation needs to consider the potential for residual confounders, it is unlikely that in-hospital use of ACEI/ARB was associated with an increased mortality risk.

Natriuretic peptide (NP) levels (B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP) are now widely used in clinical practice and cardiovascular research throughout the world and have been incorporated into most national and international cardiovascular guidelines for

The prognosis for survival without cardiac disease is excellent for patients with thalassemia major who receive regular transfusions and whose serum ferritin concentrations remain below 2500 ng per milliliter with chelation therapy.

Myocarditis is an underdiagnosed cause of acute heart failure, sudden death, and chronic dilated cardiomyopathy. In developed countries, viral infections commonly cause myocarditis; however, in the developing world, rheumatic carditis, Trypanosoma cruzi, and bacterial infections such as diphtheria still contribute to the global burden of the disease. The short-term prognosis of acute myocarditis is usually good, but varies widely by cause. Those patients who initially recover might develop recurrent dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure, sometimes years later. Because myocarditis presents with non-specific symptoms including chest pain, dyspnoea, and palpitations, it often mimics more common disorders such as coronary artery disease. In some patients, cardiac MRI and endomyocardial biopsy can help identify myocarditis, predict risk of cardiovascular events, and guide treatment. Finding effective therapies has been challenging because the pathogenesis of chronic dilated cardiomyopathy after viral myocarditis is complex and determined by host and viral genetics as well as environmental factors. Findings from recent clinical trials suggest that some patients with chronic inflammatory cardiomyopathy have a progressive clinical course despite standard medical care and might improve with a short course of immunosuppression.

Highlights d Statin treatment among 13,981 patients with COVID-19 was retrospectively studied d Statin use in this cohort was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality d Adding an ACE inhibitor or an ARB did not affect statinassociated outcome in the cohort d The benefit of statins among this cohort may be due to immunomodulatory benefits

CPAP improves cardiac function in CHF patients with CSR-CSA but not in those without it. Although not definitive, our findings also suggest that CPAP can reduce the combined mortality-cardiac transplantation rate in those CHF patients with CSR-CSA who comply with therapy.

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