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Top in cardiology: Heart xenotransplants; link between atrial fibrillation and alcohol

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Genetically engineered pig hearts were successfully transplanted into recently deceased humans as part of an effort to create a xenotransplantation protocol for patients with heart disease.

The team of surgeons who performed the investigational procedures observed no early signs of organ rejection over 72 hours. Nader Moazami, MD, surgical director of heart transplantation at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute who led the team, said it was “a milestone and a steppingstone in the right direction.” It was the top story in cardiology last week. Read the full story in Healio.

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Race disparities persist for stroke outcomes after pediatric cardiac transplant

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Among pediatric cardiac transplant recipients who experience perioperative stroke, Black children are three times more likely to die beyond 6 months compared with white children, according to data from a registry analysis.

In a database analysis of pediatric transplants in the United States, researchers also found that Black children have a lower incidence of stroke after cardiac transplant compared with white children, and that mortality among survivors of perioperative stroke is initially similar by race and ethnicity. Read the full story in Healio.

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Mortality Numbers Put the Humble Salt Shaker in the Hot Seat

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— Cancer, cardiovascular deaths associated with salt used outside cooking

More generous use of salt outside cooking was associated with premature mortality — but not in people eating more potassium rich-foods such as vegetables and fruits — according to a study of over half a million people.

Participants from the U.K. Biobank reported their frequency of table salt use, with higher use linked to a rising risk of all-cause mortality over a median 9.0 years of follow-up (P<0.001 for trend):Never: adjusted HR 1.00 (reference)

-Sometimes: adjusted HR 1.02 (95% CI 0.99-1.06)
-Usually: adjusted HR 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.11)
-Always: adjusted HR 1.28 (95% CI 1.20-1.35)
Read the full article in MedPage Today.

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Bereavement may increase HF mortality risk

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The death of a close family member was associated with increased risk for death among people with HF, with risk highest during the first week after the loss, according to findings from a Swedish register-based study.

“The findings of the study may call for increased attention from family members, friends and involved professionals for bereaved HF patients, particularly in the period shortly after the loss,” Krisztina László, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, told Healio. “Since this is one of the first studies in this field, we believe further studies are needed to better understand the role of stress in the prognosis of HF in order to inform clinical decision-making.” Read more in Healio.

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People With Gum Disease Are More Prone to Heart Failure

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— Add HF to the list of cardiovascular conditions associated with periodontitis

The link between periodontal disease and heart failure (HF) was reinforced by long-term data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort.

Among study participants with full-mouth periodontal exams in 1996-1998, those with a finding of periodontal disease were significantly more likely to experience incident HF over approximately 13 years of follow-up — namely HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; adjusted HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.18-2.43), with a nonsignificant trend of excess HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF; adjusted HR 1.35, 95% CI 0.98-1.86) as well.
Read more in MedPage Today.

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Declines in US cardiometabolic health ‘striking’; disparities persist over 2 decades

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The prevalence of optimal cardiometabolic health among U.S. adults declined in the past 2 decades, with disparity gaps widening based on age, sex, education and race, researchers reported.

Optimal cardiometabolic health was defined as optimal levels of adiposity, blood glucose, blood lipids and BP, as well as no history of clinical CVD, according to data published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Read more in Healio.

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CV complications of COVID-19 vary widely; patients with HF at high risk

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PHILADELPHIA — The CV complications of COVID-19 are wide-ranging, and the consequences can be especially serious in patients with HF, a speaker said at the Heart in Diabetes CME conference.

The presentation by Lee R. Goldberg, MD, MPH, FACC, section chief of advanced cardiac failure and heart transplant, vice chair for medicine informatics and professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, covered a number of topics related to cardiac complications of COVID-19. Read the full article in Healio.

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Study finds racial and ethnic disparities in cardiac rehabilitation participation regardless of income

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Participation in cardiac rehabilitation is low among Asian, Black and Hispanic adults compared to white adults, with significant disparities by race/ethnicity regardless of income, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Cardiac rehabilitation programs combine physical activity with counseling about healthy living and stress reduction to help improve recovery after a major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, heart failure, heart surgery or angioplasty.
Read more in News Medical Life Sciences.

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The 10 most common reasons for hospitalization after a heart transplant

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While a vast majority of heart transplants (HT) in the United States are successful, unplanned hospitalizations are still incredibly common. In fact, one 2018 analysis found that 62% of heart transplant patients are hospitalized within 60 days of the procedure.

What leads to these unplanned hospitalizations? A team of specialists aimed to find out, sharing its findings in Current Problems in Cardiology.[1]
Read more in Cardiovascular Business.

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Faculty Scientists and Clinicians Publish Findings of World’s First Successful Transplant of Genetically Modified Pig Heart into Human Patient

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Patient Survived for Two Months After First-of-Its-Kind Transplant at the University of Maryland Medical Center

Newswise — BALTIMORE, June 22, 2022 – Six months ago, University of Maryland School of Medicine surgeon-scientists successfully implanted a genetically modified pig heart into a 57 year-old patient with terminal heart disease in a first-of-its-kind surgery. It was considered an early success because the patient lived for two months with a strong functioning heart showing no obvious signs of rejection, according to a new paper published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.  Read more in News Wise.

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