Acute stent thrombosis (AST) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) in predicting AST and high SYNTAX score in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The criteria of the Academic Research Consortium were used to determine definite stent thrombosis. A total of 2077 consecutive patients with ACS undergoing PCI were retrospectively enrolled. Platelet, white blood cell and neutrophil counts, as well as SII, CRP, CAR, and peak cardiac troponin I (cTnI) values were significantly higher, whereas the lymphocyte count and albumin values were significantly lower in the AST (+) group compared with the AST (−) group (P < .05). SYNTAX score showed significant positive correlations with SII (r = .429, P < .001) and CRP (r = .402, P < .001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SII and CAR, as well as age, diabetes mellitus, stent length, and peak cTnI are independent predictors of AST and high SYNTAX score. In conclusion, the SII and CAR are simple, relatively cheap, and reliable inflammatory biomarkers that can predict AST and high SYNTAX scores in ACS.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence following catheter ablation remains a significant clinical challenge despite technological advancements, with recurrence rates in the range of 20–40%. While left atrial parameters have been extensively studied as predictors of recurrence, the contribution of right atrial mechanical function has received limited attention. The hypothesis that the combined assessment of right and left atrial strain parameters may provide superior predictive value represents an important clinical question with potential implications for post-ablation risk stratification and follow-up strategies. Methods: This single-center, retrospective cohort study included 100 consecutive adult patients who underwent AF ablation between May 2022 and June 2024 with at least one-year follow-up. Patients were divided into two groups: those with recurrence (n = 13) and those without recurrence (n = 87). A comprehensive echocardiographic assessment, including the speckle-tracking strain analysis of both atria, was performed. Results: The median follow-up was 365 days [range: 150–912 days] in patients with recurrence. In the multivariable analysis, right ventricular diameter (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.61–0.90; p = 0.001), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00–1.08; p = 0.022), and left ventricular global longitudinal strain rate (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.05–1.40; p = 0.007) emerged as independent predictors of recurrence. Conclusions: The significant association of right atrial longitudinal reservoir strain with recurrence in univariable analysis, although not retained as an independent predictor in the multivariable model, suggests the importance of comprehensive cardiac assessment including right heart parameters in predicting AF recurrence.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between the pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV) and mortality in patients with heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), along with clinical and biochemical parameters. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 419 patients diagnosed with HFrEF between January 2014 and December 2023 were analyzed. Data on demographic features, comorbidities, cardiac parameters [New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), ventricular dimensions], medication use, and laboratory findings (PIV, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP], electrolytes, and complete blood count) were collected from institutional and national records. Results: Mortality occurred in 22.91% of patients. PIV > 696 was significantly associated with mortality (sensitivity: 37.5%, specificity: 78.64%, p = 0.006), but it was not an independent predictor in multivariate analysis. Instead, low body mass index (BMI), increased end-systolic diameter, reduced LVEF, advanced NYHA class (III/IV), elevated NT-proBNP, hyponatremia, and lymphopenia were identified as independent predictors (all p < 0.001). Conclusions: Although PIV was associated with mortality in patients with HFrEF, it did not independently predict outcomes beyond established risk factors. These results suggest that while inflammation may contribute to HFrEF pathophysiology, traditional clinical and biochemical markers remain more reliable for prognostication.

Background: We aimed to assess the uric acid-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (UHR) and several other parameters with respect to their performance in detecting recurrence among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent ablation. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from patients who underwent radiofrequency or cryoablation for paroxysmal, persistent, or long persistent AF between September 2021 and September 2023. After ablation, patients were monitored for 24 h, with an ECG Holter used for symptomatic cases. Follow-up visits occurred at 1, 3, and 12 months. Collected data included demographics, comorbidities, echocardiographic measurements, clinical data, ablation type, medication use, and a comprehensive set of laboratory findings. Results: The study included 163 patients, with AF recurrence in 39 (23.93%) patients. Mean age was 57.49 ± 11.22 years, and 59.51% of participants were male. There was no significant difference between recurrent and non-recurrent groups in terms of age or sex distribution. Univariate analysis showed that recurrent patients had significantly larger left atrium diameter, higher percentages of persistent/long AF, and elevated levels of CRP, uric acid, UHR, and uric acid-to-creatinine ratio (UCR). Logistic regression analysis revealed that high left atrium diameter, long persistent AF presence, high CRP and uric acid levels, and high UCR and UHR values greater than 15.1 were independent predictors of AF recurrence. A UHR value of >15.1 was found to predict recurrence with 61.54% sensitivity and 70.97% specificity. Conclusions: Despite low sensitivity, UHR appears to be an independent biomarker that can predict AF recurrence. Including UHR in future risk assessment tools may be beneficial to enhance their accuracy.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between coronary artery lesion severity determined using the baseline SYNTAX score and sleep problems that might occur after discharge determined using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Methods: This prospective study included patients with first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent percutaneous coronary angiography between February 2019 and August 2019. The severity of coronary artery stenosis was classified according to coronary angiography and SYNTAX scores. Patients were grouped as those with a SYNTAX score of ≤22 and >22. Sleep quality after discharge was classified according to the PSQI. PSQI ≤5 represented good sleep quality, and PSQI >5 represented poor sleep quality. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between sleep quality and coronary artery stenosis severity. Results: A total of 424 patients were included in the study. Of these, 294 (69.34%) had a SYNTAX score of ≤22 and 130 (30.66%) had a SYNTAX score of >22. The mean age of all patients was 60.37 ± 12.23 years, 59.69 ± 11.85 years in the SYNTAX ≤22 groups and 61.90 ± 12.98 years in the SYNTAX >22 group (P = 0.086). The majority (78.54%) of the patients were male and there was no significant difference between the SYNTAX ≤22 group and the SYNTAX >22 group in terms of sex distribution (P = 0.383). According to the univariate logistic regression analysis, age (P = 0.014), diabetes (P = 0.027), left ventricular ejection fraction (P = 0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.039), creatine kinase MB (P = 0.040) and SYNTAX scores (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with high PSQI global scores (>5). However, according to the multivariate logistic regression analysis results, high (>22) SYNTAX scores were the only factor independently associated with the high (>5) PSQI global scores [odds ratio, 3.477; 95% confidence interval (CI), (2.190–5.522); P < 0.001]. Complete revascularization group had significantly higher sleep latency and sleep duration time, sleep efficiency and the percentage of patients with PSQI global score of ≤5 than the incomplete revascularization group (P < 0.001 for all). Conclusion: Among patients with ACS, those with high SYNTAX scores should be monitored more carefully for sleep disorders that may occur later.

Background: This study aimed to explore the association between inflammatory markers and the occurrence of post-atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation pericarditis (PAP), while also examining the PAP’s incidence and contributing factors. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 2021 and November 2023, including patients who underwent successful AF ablation. Inflammatory markers of interest included the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Results: Among the 231 patients examined, 22 (9.52%) were classified as suspected PAP, and 14 (6.06%) as definitive PAP. The median age was 58 years, with no age difference between groups. Males comprised 51.52% of the sample, with male sex frequency significantly higher in the suspected PAP group relative to the other groups (p = 0.007). Multivariable logistic regression indicated that AF duration (p = 0.026) and cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation (p = 0.001) were associated with definitive PAP, whereas analysis for any pericarditis (suspected or definitive PAP) revealed independent relationships with CTI ablation (p = 0.003) and sleep apnea (p = 0.008). SII, NLR, and PLR were not associated with PAP. Conclusions: Prolonged AF duration, CTI ablation, and sleep apnea are risk factors for PAP. The inflammatory markers (SII, NLR, and PLR) showed no association, warranting further investigation into other markers.