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Background: The association of electrocardiographic (ECG) markers of atrial cardiomyopathy with heart failure (HF) and its subtypes is unclear. Methods: This analysis included 6,754 participants free of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD), including atrial fibrillation (AF), from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Five ECG markers of atrial cardiomyopathy (P-wave terminal force in V1 [PTFV1], deep-terminal negativity in V1 [DTNV1], P-wave duration [PWD], P-wave axis [PWA], advanced intra-atrial block [aIAB]) were derived from digitally recorded electrocardiograms. Incident HF events through 2018 were centrally adjudicated. An ejection fraction (EF) of 50% at the time of HF was used to classify HF as HF with reduced EF (HFrEF), HF with preserved EF (HFpEF), or unclassified HF. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the associations of markers of atrial cardiomyopathy with HF. The Lunn-McNeil method was used to compare the associations in HFrEF vs. HFpEF. Results: 413 HF events occurred over a median follow-up of 16 years. In adjusted models, abnormal PTFV1 (HR (95%CI): 1.56(1.15-2.13), abnormal PWA (HR (95%CI):1.60(1.16-2.22), aIAB (HR (95%CI):2.62(1.47-4.69), DTNPV1 (HR (95%CI): 2.99(1.63-7.33), and abnormal PWD (HR (95%CI): 1.33(1.02-1.73), were associated with increased HF risk. These associations persisted after further adjustments for intercurrent AF events. No significant differences in the strength of association of each ECG predictor with HFrEF and HFpEF were noted. Conclusions: Atrial cardiomyopathy defined by ECG markers is associated with HF, with no differences in the strength of association between HFrEF and HFpEF. Markers of atrial Cardiomyopathy may help identify individuals at risk of developing HF.

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Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and left atrial abnormality (LAA) are common correlated complications of hypertension. It is unclear how common for electrocardiographic markers of LAA (ECG-LAA) to coexist with ECG-LVH and how their coexistence impacts their prognostic significance. This analysis included 4,077 participants (61.2 ± 13.0 years, 51.2% women, 48.6% whites) with hypertension from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. ECG-LVH was defined by Cornell voltage criteria. ECG-LAA was defined as deep terminal negativity of P wave in V1 >100 µV. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to examine the associations between various combinations of ECG-LAA and ECG-LVH with all-cause mortality over a median follow-up of 14 years. The baseline prevalence of ECG-LVH, ECG-LAA, and the concomitant presence of both was 3.6%, 2.7%, and 0.34%, respectively. In a multivariable-adjusted model, mortality risk was highest in the group with concomitant ECG-LAA and ECG-LVH (hazard ratio [HR; 95% confidence interval {CI}] 2.69 [1.51, 4.80]), followed by isolated ECG-LAA (HR [95% CI] 1.63 [1.26, 2.12]), and then isolated ECG-LVH (HR [95% CI] 1.40 [1.08, 1.81]), compared with the group without ECG-LAA or ECG-LVH. Effect modification of these results by age and diabetes but not by gender or race was observed. In models with similar adjustment where ECG-LVH and ECG-LAA were entered as 2 separate variables and subsequently additionally adjusted for each other, the mortality risk was essentially unchanged for both variables. In conclusion, in participants with hypertension, ECG-LAA and ECG-LVH are independent markers of poor outcomes, and their concomitant presence carries a higher risk than either marker alone.

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BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise reduces blood pressure (BP) on average 5-7 mmHg among those with hypertension; limited evidence suggests similar or even greater BP benefits may result from isometric handgrip (IHG) resistance exercise. METHOD: We conducted a randomized controlled trial investigating the antihypertensive effects of an acute bout of aerobic compared with IHG exercise in the same individuals. Middle-aged adults (n = 27) with prehypertension and obesity randomly completed three experiments: aerobic (60% peak oxygen uptake, 30 min); IHG (30% maximum voluntary contraction, 4 × 2 min bilateral); and nonexercise control. Study participants were assessed for carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity pre and post exercise, and left the laboratory wearing an ambulatory BP monitor. RESULTS: SBP and DBP were lower after aerobic versus IHG (4.8 ±â€Š1.8/3.1 ±â€Š1.3 mmHg, P = 0.01/0.04) and control (5.6 ±â€Š1.8/3.6 ±â€Š1.3 mmHg, P = 0.02/0.04) over the awake hours, with no difference between IHG versus control (P = 0.80/0.83). Pulse wave velocity changes following acute exercise did not differ by modality (aerobic increased 0.01 ±â€Š0.21 ms, IHG decreased 0.06 ±â€Š0.15 ms, control increased 0.25 ±â€Š0.17 ms, P > 0.05). A subset of participants then completed either 8 weeks of aerobic or IHG training. Awake SBP was lower after versus before aerobic training (7.6 ±â€Š3.1 mmHg, P = 0.02), whereas sleep DBP was higher after IHG training (7.7 ±â€Š2.3 mmHg, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Our findings did not support IHG as antihypertensive therapy but that aerobic exercise should continue to be recommended as the primary exercise modality for its immediate and sustained BP benefits.

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BACKGROUND: There are multiple risk scores to determine the prognosis of high-risk patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) to emergency departments (ED) and chest pain units (CPU), however, there are few options for patients without ACS (no diagnostic ST-segment deviation or positive biomarkers). OBJECTIVES: To derive a clinical risk score for the management of lower-risk patients seen in ED CPUs. METHODS: We evaluated all patients triaged through the Mount Sinai ED CPU over a 76-month period who underwent stress testing after negative serial biomarkers and ECGs. Primary and secondary endpoints of hospital admission and coronary revascularization were retrospectively obtained. Variables associated with admission at P < 0.1 level were entered into a multivariable model. Each variable was assigned an integer score based on the beta coefficients in the final model. RESULTS: A total of 4,666 patients were evaluated and 738 (15.8%) had an abnormal stress test, 575 (12.3%) were admitted to the hospital, and 133 (2.9%) underwent coronary revascularization. A score consisting of age > 55 years, gender, chest pain quality (typical vs atypical), known coronary artery disease, shortness of breath, diabetes, smoking, and abnormal ECG demonstrated strong correlation between observed vs predicted hospital admission. The clinical score showed good ability to predict admission with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area of 0.72, which improved to 0.81 when the results of stress testing were added. CONCLUSIONS: This new clinical risk score is simple to use, predicts a clinically relevant outcome to ED physicians, and the results of noninvasive testing are additive.

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Acute onset of neurological symptoms in a pregnant female is a rare medical emergency. We report a case of a 38-year-old female who presented with a stroke secondary to carotid artery dissection. Our case illustrates the need to consider vascular imaging before administering thrombolytic therapy in peripartum females to avoid unnecessary risks to either the mother or the fetus. Management is controversial and is discussed briefly.

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