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BACKGROUND: Early reperfusion therapy is acknowledged as the most effective approach for reducing case fatality rates in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). OBJECTIVE: Estimate the clinical and economic consequences of delaying reperfusion in patients with STEMI. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study evaluated mortality rates and the total expenses incurred by delaying reperfusion therapy among 2622 individuals with STEMI. Costs of in-hospital care and lost productivity due to death or disability were estimated from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified Health System indexed in international dollars (Int$) adjusted by purchase power parity. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Each additional hour of delay in reperfusion therapy was associated with a 6.2% increase (95% CI: 0.3% to 11.8%, p = 0.032) in the risk of in-hospital mortality. The overall expenses were 45% higher among individuals who received treatment after 9 hours compared to those who were treated within the first 3 hours, primarily driven by in-hospital costs (p = 0.005). A multivariate linear regression model indicated that for every 3-hour delay in thrombolysis, there was an increase in in-hospital costs of Int$497 ± 286 (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study offer further evidence that emphasizes the crucial role of prompt reperfusion therapy in saving lives and preserving public health resources. These results underscore the urgent need for implementing a network to manage STEMI cases.

FUNDAMENTO: A terapia de reperfusão precoce é reconhecida como a abordagem mais eficaz para reduzir as taxas de letalidade de casos em pacientes com infarto do miocárdio com supradesnivelamento do segmento ST (IAMCSST). OBJETIVO: Estimar as consequências clínicas e econômicas do atraso da reperfusão em pacientes com IAMCSST. MÉTODOS: O presente estudo de coorte retrospectivo avaliou as taxas de mortalidade e as despesas totais decorrentes do atraso na terapia de reperfusão em 2.622 indivíduos com IAMCSST. Os custos de cuidados hospitalares e perda de produtividade por morte ou incapacidade foram estimados sob a perspectiva do Sistema Único de Saúde indexado em dólares internacionais (Int$) ajustados pela paridade do poder de compra. Foi considerado estatisticamente significativo p < 0,05. RESULTADOS: Cada hora adicional de atraso na terapia de reperfusão foi associada a um aumento de 6,2% (intervalo de confiança de 95%: 0,3% a 11,8%, p = 0,032) no risco de mortalidade hospitalar. As despesas gerais foram 45% maiores entre os indivíduos que receberam tratamento após 9 horas em comparação com aqueles que foram tratados nas primeiras 3 horas, impulsionados principalmente pelos custos hospitalares (p = 0,005). Um modelo de regressão linear multivariada indicou que para cada 3 horas de atraso na trombólise, houve um aumento nos custos hospitalares de Int$ 497 ± 286 (p = 0,003). CONCLUSÕES: Os achados do nosso estudo oferecem mais evidências que enfatizam o papel crucial da terapia de reperfusão imediata no salvamento de vidas e na preservação dos recursos de saúde pública. Estes resultados enfatizam a necessidade urgente de implementação de uma rede para gerir casos de IAMCSST.

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Resumo Fundamento: A terapia de reperfusão precoce é reconhecida como a abordagem mais eficaz para reduzir as taxas de letalidade de casos em pacientes com infarto do miocárdio com supradesnivelamento do segmento ST (IAMCSST). Objetivo: Estimar as consequências clínicas e econômicas do atraso da reperfusão em pacientes com IAMCSST. Métodos: O presente estudo de coorte retrospectivo avaliou as taxas de mortalidade e as despesas totais decorrentes do atraso na terapia de reperfusão em 2.622 indivíduos com IAMCSST. Os custos de cuidados hospitalares e perda de produtividade por morte ou incapacidade foram estimados sob a perspectiva do Sistema Único de Saúde indexado em dólares internacionais (Int$) ajustados pela paridade do poder de compra. Foi considerado estatisticamente significativo p < 0,05. Resultados: Cada hora adicional de atraso na terapia de reperfusão foi associada a um aumento de 6,2% (intervalo de confiança de 95%: 0,3% a 11,8%, p = 0,032) no risco de mortalidade hospitalar. As despesas gerais foram 45% maiores entre os indivíduos que receberam tratamento após 9 horas em comparação com aqueles que foram tratados nas primeiras 3 horas, impulsionados principalmente pelos custos hospitalares (p = 0,005). Um modelo de regressão linear multivariada indicou que para cada 3 horas de atraso na trombólise, houve um aumento nos custos hospitalares de Int$ 497 ± 286 (p = 0,003). Conclusões: Os achados do nosso estudo oferecem mais evidências que enfatizam o papel crucial da terapia de reperfusão imediata no salvamento de vidas e na preservação dos recursos de saúde pública. Estes resultados enfatizam a necessidade urgente de implementação de uma rede para gerir casos de IAMCSST.

Abstract Background: Early reperfusion therapy is acknowledged as the most effective approach for reducing case fatality rates in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Objective: Estimate the clinical and economic consequences of delaying reperfusion in patients with STEMI. Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated mortality rates and the total expenses incurred by delaying reperfusion therapy among 2622 individuals with STEMI. Costs of in-hospital care and lost productivity due to death or disability were estimated from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified Health System indexed in international dollars (Int$) adjusted by purchase power parity. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Each additional hour of delay in reperfusion therapy was associated with a 6.2% increase (95% CI: 0.3% to 11.8%, p = 0.032) in the risk of in-hospital mortality. The overall expenses were 45% higher among individuals who received treatment after 9 hours compared to those who were treated within the first 3 hours, primarily driven by in-hospital costs (p = 0.005). A multivariate linear regression model indicated that for every 3-hour delay in thrombolysis, there was an increase in in-hospital costs of Int$497 ± 286 (p = 0.003). Conclusions: The findings of our study offer further evidence that emphasizes the crucial role of prompt reperfusion therapy in saving lives and preserving public health resources. These results underscore the urgent need for implementing a network to manage STEMI cases.

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BACKGROUND: The escalating prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) poses an unparalleled economic catastrophe to developing countries. Cardiovascular diseases remain the primary source of costs among individuals with T2DM, incurring expenses for medications, hospitalizations, and surgical interventions. Compelling evidence suggests that the risk of cardiovascular outcomes can be reduced by three classes of glucose-lowering therapies (GLT), including SGLT2i, GLP-1A, and pioglitazone. However, an evidence-based and cost-effective protocol is still unavailable for many countries. The objective of the current study is to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of GLT in individuals with T2DM in Brazil. METHODS: We employed Bayesian Networks to calculate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER), expressed in international dollars (Int$) per disease-adjusted life years [DALYs] averted. To determine the effectiveness of GLT, we conducted a systematic review with network meta-analysis (NMA) to provide insights for our model. Additionally, we obtained cardiovascular outcome incidence data from two real-world cohorts comprising 851 and 1337 patients in primary and secondary prevention, respectively. Our cost analysis took into account the perspective of the Brazilian public health system, and all values were converted to Int$. RESULTS: In the NMA, SGLT2i [HR: 0.81 (95% CI 0.69-0.96)], GLP-1A [HR: 0.79 (95% CI 0.67-0.94)], and pioglitazone [HR: 0.73 (95% CI 0.59-0.91)] demonstrated reduced relative risks of non-fatal cardiovascular events. In the context of primary prevention, pioglitazone yielded 0.2339 DALYs averted, with an ICER of Int$7,082 (95% CI 4,521-10,770) per DALY averted when compared to standard care. SGLT2i and GLP-1A also increased effectiveness, resulting in 0.261 and 0.259 DALYs averted, respectively, but with higher ICERs of Int$12,061 (95% CI: 7,227-18,121) and Int$29,119 (95% CI: 23,811-35,367) per DALY averted. In the secondary prevention scenario, all three classes of treatments were deemed cost-effective at a maximum willingness-to-pay threshold of Int$26,700. Notably, pioglitazone consistently exhibited the highest probability of being cost-effective in both scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: In Brazil, pioglitazone presented a higher probability of being cost-effective both in primary and secondary prevention, followed by SGLT2i and GLP-1A. Our findings support the use of cost-effectiveness models to build optimized and hierarchical therapeutic strategy in the management of T2DM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CRD42020194415.

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Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a common cause of death in individuals older than 55 years. Although younger individuals are less frequently seen with ACS, this clinical event has increasing incidence trends, shows high recurrence rates and triggers considerable economic burden. Young individuals with ACS (yACS) are usually underrepresented and show idiosyncratic epidemiologic features compared to older subjects. These differences may justify why available risk prediction models usually penalize yACS with higher false positive rates compared to older subjects. We hypothesized that exploring temporal framing structures such as prediction time, observation windows and subgroup-specific prediction, could improve time-dependent prediction metrics. Among individuals who have experienced ACS (nglobal_cohort = 6341 and nyACS = 2242), the predictive accuracy for adverse clinical events was optimized by using specific rules for yACS and splitting short-term and long-term prediction windows, leading to the detection of 80% of events, compared to 69% by using a rule designed for the global cohort.

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Background: In recent decades, the world watched a dramatic increase in the incidence of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) among young individuals (≤55 years-old) and a relative decrease in the elderly. The management of ACS in young patients with multivessel disease still needs to be elucidated, as these individuals maintain a long life expectancy. Research Question: To compare clinical outcomes and care costs in individuals with premature ACS and multivessel disease undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and Results: Participants included all individuals ≤55 years-old admitted with ACS to public hospitals in Brasília (Brazil) between 2013 and 2015 and who underwent cardiac catheterization with SYNTAX score ≥23 or Duke category 6. Outcomes were adjudicated with death certificates and data from medical records. The primary outcome was the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as death due to cardiovascular causes, recurrent hospitalizations due to cardiovascular ischemic events, and incident heart failure New York Heart Association III-IV. As secondary outcome we assessed indirect and direct costs by evaluating the cost of lost productivity (in international dollars (Int$) per year) due to illness and death, outpatient costs and costs with new hospitalizations. Multivariate and principal components (PC) adjusted analyzes were performed. Results: Among 1,088 subjects (111 CABG and 977 PCI) followed for 6.2 years (IQR: 1.1), 304 primary events were observed. MACE was observed in 20.7% of the CABG group and 28.8% of the PCI group (p = 0.037). In multivariate analyses, PCI was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) = 1.227 (95% CI: 1.004-1.499; p = 0.0457) for MACE, and in PC-adjusted HR = 1.268 (95% CI: 1.048-1.548; p = 0.0271) compared with CABG. Despite direct costs were equivalent, the cost due to the loss of labor productivity was higher in the PCI group (Int$ 4,511 (IQR: 18,062)/year vs Int$ 3,578 (IQR: 13,198)/year; p = 0.049], compared with CABG. Conclusions: Among young individuals with ACS and multivessel disease, surgical strategy was associated with a lower occurrence of MACE and lower indirect costs in the long-term.

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Aim: To assess the impact of the HbA1c levels achieved with antidiabetic therapies (ADTs) on the risk of MACE. Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials. gov for RCTs published up to March 2022 reporting the occurrence of MACE and all-cause mortality in individuals with T2DM treated with all marketed ADTs, including a sample size ≥100 individuals in each study arm and follow-up ≥24 weeks. A systematic review and additive-effects network meta-analysis with random effects and a multivariate meta-regression were utilized to assess the impact of achieved HbA1c on incident MACE. Results: We included 126 RCTs with 143 treatment arms, 270,874 individuals, and 740,295 individuals-years who were randomized to an active treatment vs. control group. Among all ADTs, only therapy with SGLT2i, GLP1-RA, or pioglitazone similarly reduced the risk of MACE compared to placebo. The achievement of HbA1c ≤ 7.0% in RCTs with the 3 drug classes in the active arm was associated with an adjusted HR of 0.91 (95% CI 0.80, 0.97; p = 0.017) compared with HbA1c>7.0%, without affecting all-cause mortality. These results, however, were not maintained among all ADTs. Conclusions: Achieving lower glucose levels with SGLT2i, GLP1-RA, or pioglitazone is linearly associated with a reduced risk of MACEs, without affecting all-cause mortality. Systematic Review Registration: www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020213127, identifier: CRD42020213127.

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Resumo Contexto As cardiopatias podem causar alterações no formato das ondas da ultrassonografia vascular (UV) em vasos periféricos. Essas alterações, tipicamente bilaterais e sistêmicas, são pouco conhecidas e estudadas. Objetivo Avaliar as ondas periféricas da UV de pacientes idosos para identificar alterações decorrentes de cardiopatias. Métodos Foram estudados 183 pacientes idosos submetidos a UV periférica no ano de 2014. Resultados Foram avaliados 102 mulheres (55,7%) e 81 homens (44,3%) com idade entre 60 e 91 anos (média de 70,4±7,2 anos). Encontraram-se alterações pela UV em 84 pacientes (45,9%). Foram identificadas 138 alterações de oito dos 13 tipos descritos na literatura: arritmia, onda bisferiens de pico sistólico, baixa velocidade de pico sistólico, pulsatilidade em veias femorais, bradicardia, taquicardia, onda de pulso parvus tardus e onda de pulso alternans. Houve baixa concordância entre a presença e a não presença de alterações na UV e na avaliação cardiológica. Na análise específica das alterações, os exames tiveram uma concordância variável, que foi boa para o achado de taquicardia, moderada para arritmia e baixa para bradicardia. Não houve concordância entre a UV e os exames cardiológicos para as demais alterações. Conclusões É possível identificar determinadas alterações cardíacas em idosos por meio da análise do formato das ondas periféricas da UV. É importante reconhecer e relatar a presença dessas alterações, pela possibilidade de alertar para um diagnóstico ainda não identificado nesses pacientes. Entretanto, mais estudos são necessários para que seja definida a importância das alterações no formato das ondas Doppler periféricas no reconhecimento de cardiopatias.

Abstract Background Heart diseases can cause changes to vascular ultrasonography (VUS) waveforms in peripheral vessels. These changes are typically bilateral and systemic, they have been little studied, and little is known about them. Objective To assess peripheral VUS waveforms in elderly patients in order to identify changes caused by heart diseases. Methods During 2014, a total of 183 elderly patients were examined with peripheral VUS and the results were analyzed. Results The sample comprised 102 women (55.7%) and 81 men (44.3%) with ages ranging from 60 to 91 years (mean of 70.4±7.2 years). Abnormalities were identified in VUS waveforms in 84 patients (45.9%). A total of 138 abnormalities were identified and classified into eight of the 13 categories described in the literature, as follows: arrhythmia, systolic pulsus bisferiens, low peak systolic velocity, pulsatile flow in femoral veins, bradycardia, tachycardia, pulsus tardus et parvus and pulsus alternans. There was low agreement between presence/absence of VUS abnormalities and cardiological assessments. Analysis of specific abnormalities revealed variable levels of agreement between VUS and cardiological assessments, ranging from good for tachycardia, moderate for arrhythmia, to low for bradycardia. There was no agreement between VUS and cardiological examinations for the remaining categories of abnormalities. Conclusions Certain cardiac abnormalities can be identified in elderly patients by analysis of peripheral VUS waveforms. It is important to recognize and report the presence of these abnormalities because there is a possibility that they may serve to signal hitherto unidentified diagnoses in these patients. However, further studies are needed to determine the importance of changes to peripheral Doppler waveforms to recognition of heart diseases.

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