BMC Cardiovascular Disorders

Abstract Background and aim Sex-related differences in outcomes after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) remain incompletely understood, particularly regarding long-term arrhythmia recurrence and procedural safety. Current guidelines do not provide sex-specific recommendations. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate sex-based differences in efficacy, safety, and lo…

Abstract Background Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remains central to heart failure phenotyping and device-based decision-making, yet the degree to which apical four-chamber (A4C) and biplane Simpson measurements diverge at clinically actionable thresholds is not well defined. Methods We analysed 1,022 unique algorithmically derived echocardiographic studies from 784 patients in the cr…

Comparative evidence to guide the initial choice of temporary mechanical circulatory support in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock remains limited, particularly in real-world intensive care settings. We compared short-term outcomes associated with an initial intra-aortic balloon pump strategy versus an initial Impella strategy using the MIMIC-IV database. We conducted a …

Insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs) are recommended by international clinical guidelines for prolonged cardiac monitoring in patients with cryptogenic stroke (CS). However, only LINQ ICM has been recognised as cost-effective by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for this indication, as other ICMs may vary in diagnostic yield. It is unclear how this might impact patient ou…

Coronary artery bypass grafting is an important surgical treatment for coronary heart disease. As an open thoracic procedure, pulmonary infection is a common and potentially serious complication of coronary artery bypass grafting. Its occurrence may prolong mechanical ventilation, increase hospital length of stay, and raise mortality risk. This study therefore aims to evaluate and summarise the e…

Electrolyte variability may capture dynamic homeostatic instability beyond single admission values, yet the comparative prognostic importance of sodium, potassium, and calcium variability in critically ill patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear. Their relative predictive importance has not been systematically evaluated using machine learning (ML) approaches. We conducted …

This study was designed to identify risk factors for long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in individuals with high-risk acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and concomitant nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to present these findings in a visual predictive format. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was a…

Postoperative delirium (POD), a frequent complication following cardiac surgery, is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Despite the development of numerous prediction models for estimating the risk of POD, the overall performance and methodological quality of these models are not well understood. To systematically review and meta-analyze the performance of prediction models for postoperati…

The prognostic value of heart-rate-derived variability measures in critically ill patients with coexisting heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. In this high-risk population, conventional electrocardiogram-derived heart rate variability metrics are not directly applicable. We therefore investigated the associations of heart-rate-derived variability measures and early he…