Stiff Arteries May Play an Important Role in HFpEF Mechanism & Prognosis

Vascular stiffness may play a larger role in heart failure than previously thought. Patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have stiffer arteries than those with hypertension, according to a study published in the most recent issue of Journal of Cardiac Failure.¹ Dr. Emily Zern, the lead author on the paper and cardiology fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital, notes “this study highlights the potential of exercise provocation to identify mechanisms behind dyspnea on exertion in order to provide opportunity for phenotype-specific therapeutic interventions in HFpEF patients.”

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Troponin Useful for CV Event Prediction in Diabetic Critical Limb Ischemia

A new high-sensitivity cardiac troponin helps predict adverse cardiovascular events in diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia and foot lesions, new study results suggest. The study, published in Frontiers of Cardiovascular Medicine, collected SPINACH scores as well as clinical, lab, and interventional data from 618 patients with diabetes and critical limb ischemia. High-sensitivity cardiac troponins were taken at hospital admission. According to the results, patients who were on hemodialysis had higher levels of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (P<0.01), and patients with coronary artery disease had higher troponin values (P<0.01).

Influence of Thromboembolic Events in the Prognosis of COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients: Results from a Cross Sectional Study

Special attention is needed among hospitalized COVID-19 patients with TTE and other comorbidities as they have an increased risk of in-hospital death, according to a study. Researchers assessed the prevalence of TEE and its relationship with in-hospital death among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. TEE patients exhibited a diffuse profile: older, high levels of D-dimer protein and a tendency of lower levels of prothrombin.

Study: Oral Anticoagulant Use Increased Among Patients with VTEs

A Scandinavian study suggested that the use of direct oral anticoagulants in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) increased over time. Highlighting the advancement of new direct oral anticoagulant therapies like apixaban, rivaroxaban,  authors, publishing in Clinical Therapeutics, used data from two nationwide Scandinavian registries. According to the study results,12,473 identified with a first VTE diagnosis.