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- Health-Related Quality of Life in Pulmonary Hypertension and Its Clinical Correlates: A Cross-Sectional StudyPublication . Reis, A.; Santos, M.; Vicente, M.; Furtado, I.; Cruz, C.; Melo, A.; Carvalho, L.; Gonçalves, F.; Sa-Couto, P.; Almeida, L.BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impairment is common in pulmonary hypertension (PH), but its clinical predictors are not well established. This study aims to characterize the HRQoL of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and other precapillary forms of PH (pcPH) and to explore its clinical correlates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, observational study of patients with documented PAH and other forms of pcPH. Patients completed two patient-reported outcome measures (PROM): Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (CAMPHOR) and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Clinical characteristics were retrieved from electronic medical records. RESULTS: Mean CAMPHOR and NHP scores for the study population were indicative of a moderate HRQoL impairment. Patients in World Health Organisation Functional Classes (WHO FC) III/IV showed significantly worse HRQoL. The main clinical correlates of HRQoL were WHO FC, 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), and Borg dyspnoea index. Overall quality of life (QoL), assessed through CAMPHOR's QoL domain, showed patterns comparable to HRQoL measured by both instruments. CONCLUSIONS: HRQoL, measured by two different PROMs, is impaired in Portuguese patients with PAH and other forms of pcPH, particularly in patients with increased disease severity. WHO FC, 6MWD, and Borg dyspnoea index are highly correlated with HRQoL and QoL.
- Portuguese Heart Failure Prevalence Observational Study (PORTHOS) rationale and design – A population-based studyPublication . Baptista, Rui; Silva Cardoso, José; Canhão, Helena; Maria Rodrigues, Ana; Kislaya, Irina; Franco, Fátima; Bernardo, Filipa; Pimenta, Joana; Mendes, Lígia; Gonçalves, Sara; Teresa Timóteo, Ana; Andrade, Aurora; Moura, Brenda; Fonseca, Cândida; Aguiar, Carlos; Brito, Dulce; Ferreira, Jorge; Filipe Azevedo, Luís; Peres, Marisa; Santos, Paulo; Moraes Sarmento, Pedro; Cernadas, Rui; Santos, Mario; Fontes-Carvalho, Ricardo; Campos Fernandes, Adalberto; Martinho, Hugo; González-Juanatey, José Ramon; Filipe Pereira, Luís; Gil, Victor; Raquel Marques, Cláudia; Almeida, Mário; Pardal, Marisa; Barbosa, Veneranda; Gavina, CristinaIntroduction and objectives: Current epidemiological data on heart failure (HF) in Portugal derives from studies conducted two decades ago. The main aim of this study is to determine HF prevalence in the Portuguese population. Using current standards, this manuscript aims to describe the methodology and research protocol applied. Methods: The Portuguese Heart Failure Prevalence Observational Study (PORTHOS) is a large, three-stage, population-based, nationwide, cross-sectional study. Community-dwelling citizens aged 50 years and older will be randomly selected via stratified multistage sampling. Eligible participants will be invited to attend a screening visit at a mobile clinic for HF symptom assessment, anthropomorphic assessment, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) testing, one-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and a sociodemographic and health-related quality of life questionnaire (EQ-5D). All subjects with NT-proBNP ≥125 pg/mL or with a prior history of HF will undergo a diagnostic confirmatory assessment at the mobile clinic composed of a 12-lead ECG, comprehensive echocardiography, HF questionnaire (KCCQ) and blood sampling. To validate the screening procedure, a control group will undergo the same diagnostic assessment. Echocardiography results will be centrally validated, and HF diagnosis will be established according to the European Society of Cardiology HF guidelines. A random subsample of patients with an equivocal HF with preserved ejection fraction diagnosis based on the application of the Heart Failure Association preserved ejection fraction diagnostic algorithm will be invited to undergo an exercise echocardiography. Conclusions: Through the application of current standards, appropriate methodologies, and a strong research protocol, the PORTHOS study will determine the prevalence of HF in mainland Portugal and enable a comprehensive characterization of HF patients, leading to a better understanding of their clinical profile and health-related quality of life.
- Comparison of questionnaire and accelerometer-based assessments of physical activity in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: clinical and prognostic implicationsPublication . Schmidt, Cristine; Santos, Mario; Bohn, Lucimere; Delgado, Bruno Miguel; Moreira-Gonçalves, Daniel; Leite-Moreira, Adelino; Oliveira, JoséObjective. (i) To compare daily physical activity (PA) levels evaluated by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and by triaxial accelerometry in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients; (ii) to describe daily PA patterns based in objective measurements; and (iii) to observe the association between prognostic indicators and PA measurements. Design. This is a cross-sectional study with 24 stable HFpEF patients. PA was assessed through the IPAQ short version and triaxial accelerometer. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) from IPAQ was computed as self-reported walking and MVPA. Prognostic indicators were: distance on the 6-minute-walking test (6MWT), oxygen consumption (VO2) during the test, quality of life (QoL), BNP plasma level, and E/e' ratio. Results. Compared to accelerometry, IPAQ underestimated sedentary time (253 ± 156 vs. 392 ± 104 min/day, p = .001) and overestimated MVPA (44 ± 56 vs. 19.3 ± 26 min/day, p < .001). Accelerometer-derived data showed that HFpEF patients spent 50% of their waking time in sedentary behaviours and 2.5% in MVPA. Of measured surrogate prognostic markers, functional capacity (6MWT, r = 0.652, p = .04; VO2, r = 0.512, p = .02) and QoL (r=-0.490, p = .04) were correlated with MVPA. Conclusions. The IPAQ underestimated sedentary time and over-estimated MVPA in HFpEF patients. Using accelerometer-derived data, HFpEF patients spent only a minority of their time involved in MVPA, which was the only PA pattern positively associated with prognostic indicators.
- COVID-19 and cardiovascular comorbidities: An updatePublication . Teixeira, Rogério; Santos, Mario; Gil, Victor
- Pulmonary vascular dysfunction among people aged over 65 years in the community in the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) Study: A cross-sectional analysisPublication . Teramoto, Kanako; Santos, Mario; Claggett, Brian; John, Jenine E.; Solomon, Scott D.; Kitzman, Dalane; Folsom, Aaron R.; Cushman, Mary; Matsushita, Kunihiro; Skali, Hicham; Shah, Amil M.Background: Heart failure (HF) risk is highest in late life, and impaired pulmonary vascular function is a risk factor for HF development. However, data regarding the contributors to and prognostic importance of pulmonary vascular dysfunction among HF-free elders in the community are limited and largely restricted to pulmonary hypertension. Our objective was to define the prevalence and correlates of abnormal pulmonary pressure, resistance, and compliance and their association with incident HF and HF phenotype (left ventricular [LV] ejection fraction [LVEF] ≥ or < 50%) independent of LV structure and function. Methods and findings: We performed cross-sectional and time-to-event analyses in a prospective epidemiologic cohort study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. This is an ongoing, observational study that recruited 15,792 persons aged 45-64 years between 1987 and 1989 (visit 1) from four representative communities in the United States: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Jackson, Mississippi; Hagerstown, Maryland; and Forsyth County, North Carolina. The current analysis included 2,810 individuals aged 66-90 years, free of HF, who underwent echocardiography at the fifth study visit (June 8, 2011, to August 28, 2013) and had measurable tricuspid regurgitation by spectral Doppler. Echocardiography-derived pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and pulmonary arterial compliance (PAC) were measured. The main outcome was incident HF after visit 5, and key secondary end points were incident HF with preserved LVEF (HFpEF) and incident HF with reduced LVEF (HFrEF). The mean ± SD age was 76 ± 5 years, 66% were female, and 21% were black. Mean values of PASP, PVR, and PAC were 28 ± 5 mm Hg, 1.7 ± 0.4 Wood unit, and 3.4 ± 1.0 mL/mm Hg, respectively, and were abnormal in 18%, 12%, and 14%, respectively, using limits defined from the 10th and 90th percentile limits in 253 low-risk participants free of cardiovascular disease or risk factors. Left heart dysfunction was associated with abnormal PASP and PAC, whereas a restrictive ventilatory deficit was associated with abnormalities of PASP, PVR, and PAC. PASP, PVR, and PAC were each predictive of incident HF or death (hazard ratio per SD 1.3 [95% CI 1.1-1.4], p < 0.001; 1.1 [1.0-1.2], p = 0.04; 1.2 [1.1-1.4], p = 0.001, respectively) independent of LV measures. Elevated pulmonary pressure was predictive of incident HFpEF (HFpEF: 2.4 [1.4-4.0, p = 0.001]) but not HFrEF (1.4 [0.8-2.5, p = 0.31]). Abnormal PAC predicted HFrEF (HFpEF: 2.0 [1.0-4.0, p = 0.05], HFrEF: 2.8 [1.4-5.5, p = 0.003]), whereas abnormal PVR was not predictive of either (HFpEF: 0.9 [0.4-2.0, p = 0.85], HFrEF: 0.7 [0.3-1.4, p = 0.30],). A greater number of abnormal pulmonary vascular measures was associated with greater risk of incident HF. Major limitations include the use of echo Doppler to estimate pulmonary hemodynamic measures, which may lead to misclassification; inclusions bias related to detectable tricuspid regurgitation, which may limit generalizability of our findings; and survivor bias related to the cohort age, which may result in underestimation of the described associations. Conclusions: In this study, we observed abnormalities of PASP, PVR, and PAC in 12%-18% of elders in the community. Higher PASP and lower PAC were independently predictive of incident HF. Abnormally high PASP predicted incident HFpEF but not HFrEF. These findings suggest that impairments in pulmonary vascular function may precede clinical HF and that a comprehensive pulmonary hemodynamic evaluation may identify pulmonary vascular phenotypes that differentially predict HF phenotypes.
- Dynamic Balance and Mobility Explain Quality of Life in HFpEF, Outperforming All the Other Physical Fitness ComponentsPublication . Schmidt, Cristine; Santos, Mario; Bohn, Lucimere; Delgado, Bruno Miguel; Moreira-Gonçalves, Daniel; Leite-Moreira, Adelino; Oliveira, JoséBackground Physical fitness is an important determinant of quality of life (QoL) in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients. However, how the different physical fitness components correlate with the specific dimensions of QoL in HFpEF patients remains unknown. Objective To evaluate the association between different physical fitness components and QoL dimensions in HFpEF patients, and, assess which physical fitness components were independently associated to QoL. Methods Patients with HFpEF were assessed for physical fitness [dynamic balance and mobility (8-foot-up-and go test), upper body strength (handgrip), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) (6-minute-walking test) and body composition (body mass index)] and for QoL (Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire). Partial correlation was used to verify the association between physical fitness components and QoL dimensions. The determination of independent predictors in QoL dimensions was assessed through stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results Both CRF and dynamic balance and mobility are significantly associated with the total score and physical dimensions of QoL (p<0.05), but only dynamic balance and mobility were concomitantly associated with the emotional dimension (r=0.597; p=0.004). Dynamic balance and mobility were independently associated with total score (β=0.651; r2=0.424; p=0.001), physical (β=0.570; r2=0.324; p=0.04) and emotional (β=0.611; r2=0.373 p=0.002) dimensions of QoL. Conclusion Our data suggests that dynamic balance and mobility better assess QoL than CRF, which is commonly measured in clinical practice. Whether interventions specifically targeting dynamic balance and mobility have different impacts on QoL remains unknown. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2020; 114(4):701-707).
- Transitioning intravenous epoprostenol to oral selexipag in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: a case reportPublication . Alexandre, André; Furtado, Inês; Gonçalves, Fabienne; Gonçalves, Fabienne; Melo, Alzira; Alves, Joana; Santos, Mario; Reis, AbilioIntravenous (i.v.) prostacyclin is the cornerstone treatment in high-risk pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients. Selexipag is an orally available prostacyclin receptor agonist. Limited data are available regarding the feasibility of transitioning from i.v. epoprostenol to selexipag. A 50-year-old woman with idiopathic PAH was diagnosed in a World Health Organization (WHO) Functional Class (FC) IV. She improved with upfront triple combination therapy, including i.v. epoprostenol. Over 2 years of follow-up, the patient remained at low risk and expressed strong preference towards oral therapies. After careful risk-benefit clinical consideration, she was transitioned from i.v. epoprostenol to selexipag. Selexipag was started at dosage of 200 μg twice daily (b.i.d.) and titrated up to 1600 μg b.i.d. over 8 weeks (up-titration of 200 μg b.i.d. every week). Simultaneously, i.v. epoprostenol was down-titrated 3.0 ng/kg/min every week from a dosage of 27.5 ng/kg/min. The transition occurred under strict medical surveillance and was well tolerated. One year after discontinuation of epoprostenol, the patient remains in WHO FC I and has no signs of clinical deterioration. Although not generalizable to most PAH patients, this case highlights that a carefully planned transition from epoprostenol to selexipag is feasible in selected low-risk patients within a shared medical decision-making framework.
- Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality after Recovered Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Patients with Proven Significant Coronary Artery Disease: A Retrospective StudyPublication . Trêpa, Maria; Bastos, Samuel; Fontes-Oliveira, Marta; Costa, Ricardo; Dias-Frias, André; Luz, André; Dias, Vasco; Santos, Mario; Torres, SeveroIntroduction: Recovered Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (rOHCA) population is heterogenous. Few studies focused on outcomes in the rOHCA subgroup with proven significant coronary artery disease (SigCAD). We aimed to characterize this subgroup and study the determinants of in-hospital mortality. Methods: Retrospective study of consecutive rOHCA patients submitted to coronary angiography. Only patients with SigCAD were included. Results: 60 patients were studied, 85% were male, mean age was 62.6 ± 12.1 years. In-hospital mortality rate was 43.3%. Patients with diabetes and history of stroke were less likely to survive. Significant univariate predictors of in-hospital mortality were further analysed separately, according to whether they were present at hospital admission or developed during hospital evolution. At hospital admission, initial non-shockable rhythm, low-flow time>12min, pH<7.25mmol/L and lactates >4.75mmol/L were the most relevant predictors and therefore included in a score tested by Kaplan-Meyer. Patients who had 0/4 criteria had 100% chance of survival till hospital discharge, 1/4 had 77%, 2/4 had 50%, 3/4 had 25%. Patients with all 4 criteria had 0% survival. During in-hospital evolution, a pH<7.35 at 24h, lactates>2mmol/L at 24h, anoxic brain injury and persistent hemodynamic instability proved significant. Patients who had 0/4 of these in-hospital criteria had 100% chance of survival till hospital discharge, 1/4 had 94%, 2/4 had 47%, 3/4 had 25%. Patients with all 4 criteria had 0% survival. Contrarily, CAD severity and ventricular dysfunction didn't significantly correlate to the outcome. Conclusion: Classic prehospital variables retain their value in predicting mortality in the specific group of OHCA with SigCAD. In-hospital evolution variables proved to add value in mortality prediction. Combining these simple variables in risk scores might help refining prognostic prediction in these patients's subset.
- Cardiac rehabilitation programs for heart failure patients in the time of COVID-19Publication . Schmidt, Cristine; Magalhães, Sandra; Barreira, Ana; Ribeiro, Fernando; Fernandes, Preza; Santos, Mario
- Disability and its clinical correlates in pulmonary hypertension measured through the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0: a prospective, observational studyPublication . Reis, Abílio; Santos, Mario; Furtado, Inês; Cruz, Célia; Sá-couto, Pedro; Queirós, Alexandra; Almeida, Luis; Rocha, NelsonObjective: To characterise the degree of disability in pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients based on the World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). Method: A prospective and observational study of patients with documented PH (N = 46). Patients completed the WHODAS 2.0 questionnaire during a scheduled routine clinical visit, and their demographic and clinical characteristics were retrieved from electronic medical records (EMR). In subsequent visits, selected clinical variables were registered to assess disease progression. Results: WHODAS 2.0 scores were indicative of mild to moderate disability for the domains of mobility (22.0 ± 23.2), life activities (23.7 ± 25.5), and participation in society (17.2 ± 15.9), as well as total WHODAS 2.0 score (15.3 ± 15.2). For the domains of cognition (9.1 ± 14.1), self-care (8.3 ± 14.4), and interpersonal relationships (11.7 ± 15.7), scores were lower. Disability scores were, generally, proportional to the PH severity. The main baseline correlates of disability were World Health Organisation (WHO) functional class, fatigue, dyspnoea, 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP). Baseline WHODAS 2.0 scores showed significant associations with disease progression. However, this effect was not transversal to all domains, with only a few domains significantly associated with disease progression variables. Conclusions: This PH population shows mild disability, with higher degree of disability in the domains of mobility and life activities. This study is the first one to assess disability in PH using WHODAS 2.0. Further studies should apply this scale to larger PH populations with suitable representations of more severe PH forms.