Sarcopenia is a progressive age-related skeletal muscle disease associated with adverse outcomes in those with cardiovascular disease. In this study, the prevalence of sarcopenia and its effect on clinical outcomes in heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) patients were examined. A total of 722 patients from three centres who applied to the outpatient clinic with the diagnosis of HFmrEF between 01 January 2020 and 01 June 2021 were included in the study retrospectively. Sarcopenia was diagnosed with a screening test using age, grip srength and calf circumference. At least two-year follow-up results were reviewed from the date the patients were included in the study. Of the 722 HFmrEF patients, 169 (23.4%) were sarcopenic. During the follow-up of sarcopenic patients, a higher rate of hospitalisation and two-year mortality was detected compared to the non-sarcopenic group (49.7% vs 33.3%, p < .001 and 23.7% vs 13.2%, p = .001, respectively). Additionally, atrial fibrillation (AF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic renal failure (CRF) and smoking were detected at higher rates in sarcopenic patients. In subgroup analysis, AF was found to be significantly higher in overweight/obese sarcopenia patients compared to other groups. According to Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the sarcopenia score cut-off of 73.61 predicted mortality with 65% sensitivity and 63% specificity, and the cut-off level of 71.10 predicted hospitalisation with 68% sensitivity and 69% specificity. In HFmrEF patients, sarcopenia is associated with adverse events and is an important prognostic marker.

The aim of our study was to compare the traditional radial artery, distal radial artery, and transfemoral artery, which are vascular access sites for coronary angiography, in terms of pain level using the visual analog scale.

It is unclear whether warfarin treatment with high time in therapeutic range (TTR) is as effective and safe as non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). It is crucial to compare warfarin with effective TTR and NOACs to predict long-term adverse events in patients with atrial fibrillation. We aimed to compare the long-term follow-up results of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who use vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) with effective TTR and NOACs. A total of 1140 patients were followed at 35 different centers for five years. During the follow-up period, the international normalized ratio (INR) values were studied at least 4 times a year, and the TTR values were calculated according to the Roosendaal method. The effective TTR level was accepted as >60% as recommended by the guidelines. There were 254 patients in the effective TTR group and 886 patients in the NOAC group. Ischemic cerebrovascular disease/transient ischemic attack (CVD/TIA), intracranial bleeding, and mortality were considered primary endpoints based on one-year and five-year follow-ups. Ischemic CVD/TIA (3.9% vs. 6.2%; P = 0.17) and intracranial bleeding (0.4% vs. 0.5%; P = 0.69), the one-year mortality rate (7.1% vs. 8.1%; P = 0.59), the five-year mortality rate (24% vs. 26.3%; P = 0.46) were not different between the effective TTR and NOACs groups during the follow-up, respectively. The CHA2DS2-VASC score was similar between the warfarin with effective TTR group and the NOAC group (3 [2-4] vs. 3 [2-4]; P = 0.17, respectively). Additionally, survival free-time did not differ between the warfarin with effective TTR group and each NOAC in the Kaplan-Meier analysis (dabigatran; P = 0.59, rivaroxaban; P = 0.34, apixaban; P = 0.26, and edoxaban; P = 0.14). There was no significant difference in primary outcomes between the effective TTR and NOAC groups in AF patients.

The relationship between hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, platelet (HALP) score, and various cancers and cardiovascular diseases has been tested previously. However, the relationship between HALP score and non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) has not been adequately tested. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the relationship between HALP score and mortality in patients with NVAF. This study included 2,592 NVAF patients from 35 centers in Turkey. Patients were divided into two groups: those with HALP scores ≤ 58.96 (low HALP score group, 1,296 patients) and > 58.96 (high HALP score group, 1,296 patients). The primary outcome measured was all-cause mortality. The mean HALP score was 66 ± 33. Patients in the low HALP score group had higher 1- and 5-year all-cause mortality rates (1-year: 12.9% vs. 5.4%, p < 0.001; 5-year: 38.5% vs. 20.2%, p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis identified the HALP score as an independent predictor of mortality (1-year: HR = 0.987, 95% CI = 0.981-0.992, p < 0.001; 5-year: HR = 0.990, 95% CI = 0.987-0.993, p < 0.001). ROC analysis determined a HALP score 52.3 predicted 1-year mortality with 62.9% sensitivity and 62% specificity (AUC = 0.680); a score of 55 predicted 5-year mortality with 60.3% sensitivity and 62.2% specificity (AUC = 0.657). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed increasing mortality over time in the low HALP score group (log-rank tests, 1-year = 44.86, p < 0.001; 5-year = 108.54, p < 0.001). The HALP score is a simple, accessible measure, and our findings suggest that lower HALP scores are associated with increased 1-year and 5-year mortality in NVAF patients. This provides a reference for clinicians assessing risk in this vulnerable population.

Atrial fibrillation,oral anticoagulant therapy,epidemiology,mortality

The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is a biomarker of insulin resistance and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is an important complication that causes poor outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the TyG index and CIN and mortality in patients who underwent PCI due to chronic total coronary occlusion (CTO). Two hundred eighteen individuals from three separate medical centers who underwent procedural PCI between February 2010 and April 2012 and had a CTO lesion in at least one coronary artery were recruited. According to the TyG index, patients were divided into two groups. Patients with a TyG index ≥ 8.65 were included in Group 1, and patients with a TyG index < 8.65 were included in Group 2. Patients were followed up for 96 months. The main outcome was the development of CIN and mortality. The mean age of the patients (65.8 ± 10.94 vs. 61.68 ± 11.4, P = 0.009), diabetes mellitus (60 [44.8%] vs. 11 [13.1%], P < 0.001), and dyslipidemia rates (52 [38.8%] vs. 21 [25%], P = 0.036) were higher in group 1. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, it was seen that age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.08, P = 0.020), chronic kidney disease (OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.02–5.33, P = 0.044), peripheral artery disease (OR = 5.66, 95% CI = 1.24–25.91, p = 0.026), LVEF (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92–0.99, P = 0.005), LDL cholesterol levels (OR = 1.00, 95%CI = 1.00–1.02, P = 0.024) and TyG index (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.21–3.89, P = 0.009) were independent predictors of the development of CIN. Our study demonstrates a correlation between the TyG index and the prevalence of CIN in patients with CTO undergoing PCI. Adding the TyG index to the routine clinical evaluation of patients with CTO undergoing PCI may help protect patients from the development of CIN.