CVIA Journal

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. Patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (PsAF) have a high risk of recurrence after catheter radiofrequency ablation. Nevertheless, no effective prognostic tools have been developed to identify these high-risk patients to date. This authors of this article sought to develop and validate a simple linear predictive model for predicting postoperative recurrence in patients with PsAF.
From June 2013 to June 2021, patients with PsAF admitted to our hospital were enrolled in this single-center, retrospective, observational study. The characteristics substantially associated with recurrence in patients with PsAF were screened through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to assess the predictive significance of the nomogram model after nomogram development. Furthermore, to assess the clinical value of the nomogram, we performed calibration curve and decision curve analyses.
A total of 209 patients were included in the study, 42 (20.10%) of whom were monitored up to 1 year for recurrent AF. The duration of AF episodes, left atrial diameter, BMI, CKMB, and alcohol consumption were found to be independent risk factors (P<0.05) and were integrated into the nomogram model development. The area under the curve was 0.895, the sensitivity was 93.3%, and the specificity was 71.4%, thus indicating the model’s excellent predictive ability. The C-index of the predictive nomogram model was 0.906. Calibration curve and decision curve analyses further revealed that the model had robust prediction and strong discrimination ability.
This simple, practical, and innovative nomogram can help clinicians in evaluation of the risk of PsAF recurrence after catheter ablation, thus facilitating preoperative evaluation, postoperative monitoring and ultimately the construction of more personalized therapeutic protocols.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0001

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: Cong-Ying Deng, Ai-Lin Zou and Ling Sun et al. Development and Validation of a Postoperative Prognostic Nomogram to Predict Recurrence in Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: A Retrospective Cohort Study. CVIA. Vol. 7(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0001

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.  Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is a catastrophic disease with fatal outcomes. Malperfusion syndrome (MPS) is a serious complication of ATAAD, with an incidence of 20–40%. Many studies have shown that MPS is the main risk factor for poor ATAAD prognosis. However, a risk scoring system for ATAAD based on MPS is lacking. Here, we designed a risk scoring system for ATAAD to assess mortality through quantitative assessment of relevant organ malperfusion and subsequently develop rational treatment strategies.

This was a prospective observational study. Patients’ perioperative clinical data were collected to establish a database of ATAAD (N≥3000) and determine whether these patients had malperfusion complications. The Anzhen risk scoring system was established on the basis of organ malperfusion by using a random forest survival model and a logistics model. The better method was then chosen to establish a revised risk scoring system.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0002

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: Bo Jia, Cheng Luo and Chengnan Li et al. The Anzhen Risk Scoring System for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: A Prospective Observational Study Protocol. CVIA. Vol. 7(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0002

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.   Spontaneous heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a pro-thrombotic syndrome in which anti-heparin antibodies develop without heparin exposure.

A 78-year-old man who underwent a successful lumbar laminectomy presented to the hospital 5 days after discharge for stroke-like symptoms and was found to have acute infarcts of the bilateral frontal lobes. The patient was found to be severely thrombocytopenic and was incidentally found to have an inferior wall myocardial infarction. Further investigation led to the diagnosis of bilateral lower extremity deep vein thromboses. His overall clinical presentation prompted a detailed hematologic workup that indicated positivity for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia despite no previous exposure to heparin products.

This case study illustrates a patient with no prior lifetime heparin exposure who underwent laminectomy with subsequent development of acute infarcts of the bilateral frontal lobes, an inferior wall myocardial infarction, and bilateral lower extremity deep vein thromboses, with concern for sequelae of spontaneous heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/CVIA.2023.0007

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: Jong Kun Park, Ilan Vavilin and Jacob Zaemes et al. Spontaneous Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Presenting as Concomitant Bilateral Cerebrovascular Infarction and Acute Coronary Syndrome. CVIA. Vol. 7(1). DOI: 10.15212/CVIA.2023.0007

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.  This study was aimed at investigating the effects of preoperative treatment with a loading dose of statins combined with a PCSK9 inhibitor on coronary blood perfusion and short-term cardiovascular adverse events in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).   Sixty-five patients with STEMI who had visited the Shanxi Cardiovascular Disease Hospital between May 2018 and May 2021 were enrolled in the study. The enrolled patients had no history of oral statins or antiplatelet therapy. The patients were divided into a combined treatment group (loading dose of statins combined with PCSK9 inhibitors, 35 patients) and a routine treatment group (loading dose of statins only, 30 patients). The primary endpoints were thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) blood flow grading, corrected TIMI frame count (CTFC), and TIMI myocardial perfusion grading (TMPG), immediately after and 30 days after the operation. The secondary endpoint was a composite endpoint of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization 30 days after the operation.   The combined treatment group had significantly lower CTFC (14.09 ± 8.42 vs 26 ± 12.42, P = 0.04) and better TMPG (2.74 ± 0.61 vs 2.5 ± 0.73, P = 0.04) than the routine treatment group immediately after the operation. Similarly, the combined treatment group had a significantly lower CTFC (16.29 ± 7.39 vs 26.23 ± 11.53, P = 0.04) and significantly better TMPG (2.94 ± 0.24 vs 2.76 ± 0.43, P = 0.01) than the routine treatment group 1 month after the operation.   Preoperative treatment with a loading dose of high-intensity statins combined with PCSK9 inhibitors increased coronary blood flow and myocardial perfusion after emergency thrombus aspiration in patients with STEMI. However, the treatment did not significantly decrease the incidence of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization.

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: Effects of Loading-Dose Statins Combined with PCSK9 Inhibitor Pre-Treatment before Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on the Short-Term Prognosis in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, An, Jian, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, 2022, https://doi.org/10.15212/CVIA.2022.0011

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.   Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia leading to cardiogenic stroke. Without membranous sructure between epicardial adipose tissue and atrial myocardium, epicardial adipose tissue directly covers the surface of the atrial myocardium. The formation of an epicardial adipose tissue inflammatory microenvironment, fibrosis, infiltration by epicardial adipose tissue, autonomic dysfunction and oxidative stress are important mechanisms that trigger and maintain atrial fibrillation. 

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: Role of Epicardial Adipose Tissue in Triggering and Maintaining Atrial Fibrillation, Tian, Ye, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, 2022, https://doi.org/10.15212/CVIA.2022.0012

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.  Primary cardiac tumors are extremely uncommon. Here, the author of this article reports the case of a patient with a primary left ventricular interstitial tumor presenting with hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia. In response to hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator was inserted. One month after defibrillator implantation, the patient developed episodes of high ventricular tachycardia that could not be effectively terminated by catheter radiofrequency ablation, thus further confirming that the ventricular tachycardia was induced by the left ventricular interstitial tumor. 

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: A Rare Case of a Primary Cardiac Tumor Presenting as Fatal Ventricular Tachycardia, Guo, Xueya, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, 2022, https://doi.org/10.15212/CVIA.2022.0014 

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.   Sleep is essential to the normal psychological and physiological activities of the human body. Increasing evidence indicates that sleep deprivation is associated with the occurrence, development, and poor treatment effects of various arrhythmias. Sleep deprivation affects not only the peripheral nervous system but also the central nervous system, which regulates the occurrence of arrhythmias. In addition, sleep deprivation is associated with apoptotic pathways, mitochondrial energy metabolism disorders, and immune system dysfunction. Although studies increasingly suggest that pathological sleep patterns are associated with various atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, further research is needed to identify specific mechanisms and recommend therapeutic interventions. This article summarizes the findings of sleep deprivation in animal experiments and clinical studies, current challenges, and future research directions in the field of arrhythmias.

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: The Role of Sleep Deprivation in Arrhythmias, Yin, Dechun, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, 2022, https://doi.org/10.15212/CVIA.2022.0013  

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.  A non-invasive predictive model has not been established to identify the severity of coronary lesions in young adults with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In this retrospective study, 1088 young adults (≤45 years of age) first diagnosed with ACS who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled and randomized 7:3 into training or testing datasets. To build the nomogram, the authors determined optimal predictors of coronary lesion severity with the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator and Random Forest algorithm. The predictive accuracy of the nomogram was assessed with calibration plots, and performance was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic curve, decision curve analysis and the clinical impact curve. Seven predictors were identified and integrated into the nomogram: age, hypertension, diabetes, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, mean platelet volume and C-reactive protein. Receiver operating characteristic analyses demonstrated the nomogram’s good discriminatory performance in predicting severe coronary artery disease in young patients with ACS in the training (area under the curve 0.683, 95% confidence interval [0.645–0.721]) and testing (area under the curve 0.670, 95% confidence interval [0.611–0.729]) datasets. The nomogram was also well-calibrated in both the training (P = 0.961) and testing (P = 0.302) datasets. Decision curve analysis and the clinical impact curve indicated the model’s good clinical utility. A simple and practical nomogram for predicting coronary artery disease severity in young adults ≤45 years of age with ACS was established and validated.

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: Nomogram for Predicting the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Young Adults ≤45 Years of Age with Acute Coronary Syndrome, Zhang, Wenbin, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, 2022, https://doi.org/10.15212/CVIA.2022.0016

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation can be triggered by non-pulmonary vein foci, such as the superior vena cava. The authors of this article report the case of a patient with a 6-year history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who received cryoballoon ablation in 2012 but relapsed. The patient then received cardiac radiofrequency ablation, which successfully isolated the left pulmonary vein and superior vena cava, but the arrhythmia relapsed again. The tachycardia was finally successfully terminated by ablation on the free wall without recurrence during a 2-year following up. Superior vena cava isolation may not require ablation isolation with a full circle way and can be accomplished by ablating several connection points between the superior vena cava and the right atrium.

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: Termination of Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation by Superior Vena Cava Isolation: A Case Report, Yin, Dechun, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, 2022, https://doi.org/10.15212/CVIA.2022.0017

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal.  Inflammation plays a role in coronary artery disease (CAD). The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are blood parameters associated with inflammation. The authors of this article aimed to perform a systematic comparison and study the predictive values of these inflammatory parameters with respect to CAD stage.   A total of 513 patients who had undergone coronary angiography (CAG) were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical status, lipid profiles, CAG scans and hematological parameters were collected. NLR, MLR and PLR were calculated. All patients were classified into a normal coronary group (n = 133), coronary atherosclerosis (CA) group (n = 149), chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) group (n = 175) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) group (n = 56). NLR, MLR and PLR were compared among groups. NLR and MLR were higher in the CCS and AMI groups. PLR was higher in the AMI group. The AMI group had higher NLR, PLR and MLR than the CCS group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that NLR (OR:1.227, 95% CI: 1.016–1.482. P < 0.05) had a strong significant correlation with CAD. Area under the ROC curve of NLR was 0.580 (95% CI = 0.516–0.644) in predicting CCS and 0.727 (95% CI = 0.642–0.811) in predicting AMI.   NLR may be associated with the occurrence and progression of CAD, and may serve as a marker of inflammation.

CVIA is available on the ScienceOpen platform and at Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. CVIA is indexed in the EMBASE, ESCI, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Sherpa Romeo, NISC (National Information Services Corporation), DOAJ and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow CVIA on Twitter @CVIA_Journal; or Facebook.

Article reference: The Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio is Associated with Different Stages of Development of Coronary Artery Disease, Du, Jianlin, Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications, 2022, https://doi.org/10.15212/CVIA.2022.0018