Association of Rurality With Risk of Heart Failure

Rural populations experience an increased burden of heart failure (HF) mortality compared with urban populations. Whether HF incidence is greater among rural individuals is less known. Additionally, the intersection between racial and rural health inequities is understudied.Objective To determine whether rurality is associated with increased risk of HF, independent of cardiovascular (CV) disease and socioeconomic… Continue reading Association of Rurality With Risk of Heart Failure

SCAI/HRS Expert Consensus Statement on Transcatheter Left Atrial Appendage Closure

Exclusion of the left atrial appendage to reduce thromboembolic risk related to atrial fibrillation was first performed surgically in 1949. Over the past 2 decades, the field of transcatheter endovascular left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has rapidly expanded, with a myriad of devices approved or in clinical development. The number of LAAC procedures performed in… Continue reading SCAI/HRS Expert Consensus Statement on Transcatheter Left Atrial Appendage Closure

Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults

Importance Previous studies have shown that individuals who regularly walk, particularly 8000 daily steps or more, experience lower mortality. However, little is known about the health benefits of walking intensively only a few days a week.Objective To evaluate the dose-response association between the number of days an individual takes 8000 steps or more and mortality… Continue reading Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults

Subclinical Coronary Atherosclerosis and Risk for Myocardial Infarction in a Danish CohortA Prospective Observational Cohort Study

Background:Coronary atherosclerosis may develop at an early age and remain latent for many years.Objective:To define characteristics of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis associated with the development of myocardial infarction.Design:Prospective observational cohort study.Setting:Copenhagen General Population Study, Denmark.Participants:9533 asymptomatic persons aged 40 years or older without known ischemic heart disease.Measurements:Subclinical coronary atherosclerosis was assessed with coronary computed tomography angiography… Continue reading Subclinical Coronary Atherosclerosis and Risk for Myocardial Infarction in a Danish CohortA Prospective Observational Cohort Study

Effect of Torsemide vs Furosemide After Discharge on All-Cause Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With Heart FailureThe TRANSFORM-HF Randomized Clinical Trial

Although furosemide is the most commonly used loop diuretic in patients with heart failure, some studies suggest a potential benefit for torsemide.Objective To determine whether torsemide results in decreased mortality compared with furosemide among patients hospitalized for heart failure.Design, Setting, and Participants TRANSFORM-HF was an open-label, pragmatic randomized trial that recruited 2859 participants hospitalized with… Continue reading Effect of Torsemide vs Furosemide After Discharge on All-Cause Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With Heart FailureThe TRANSFORM-HF Randomized Clinical Trial

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women with a Mediterranean diet: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Dietary modification is a cornerstone of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. A Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower risk of CVD but no systematic reviews have evaluated this relationship specifically in women.Objective To determine the association between higher versus lower adherence to a Mediterranean diet and incident CVD and total mortality in women.Methods… Continue reading Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women with a Mediterranean diet: systematic review and meta-analysis

Influence of poor sleep on cardiovascular disease-free life expectancy: a multi-resource-based population cohort study

The complexity of sleep hinders the formulation of sleep guidelines. Recent studies suggest that different unhealthy sleep characteristics jointly increase the risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to estimate the differences in CVD-free life expectancy between people with different sleep profiles.MethodsWe included 308,683 middle-aged adults from the UK Biobank among whom 140,181 had… Continue reading Influence of poor sleep on cardiovascular disease-free life expectancy: a multi-resource-based population cohort study

Elevated Blood Pressure and Worsening Cardiac Damage During Adolescence

ObjectivesTo examine the longitudinal course for the development of elevated blood pressure (BP)/hypertension and cardiac damage in adolescents.Study designFrom the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, UK birth cohort, 1856 (1011 females) 17-year-olds were followed-up for 7 years. BP and echocardiography were assessed at ages 17 and 24 years. Elevated/hypertensive BP was defined as… Continue reading Elevated Blood Pressure and Worsening Cardiac Damage During Adolescence