AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF PREDICTORS OF LATE ARRHYTHMIA RECURRENCES IN PATIENTS WITH PERSISTENT ATRIAL FI BRILLATION AFTER CARDIOVERSION

Introduction. The existing guidelines do not contain a clear algorithm for predicting the late recurrences of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Objectives. We have studied the predictors of late recurrence of arrhythmia in patients with persistent AFib after the restoration of sinus rhythm (SR). Research methods. A prospective single-center study included 120 hospitalized patients with persistent AFib who underwent successful cardioversion. The recurrence of AFib was assessed in the early period after cardioversion by recording 12-channel ECG, Holter ECG monitoring and event ECG monitoring. After a nine-month period follow-up visit was performed. Baseline demographic, clinical-functional features and comorbidities were compared in group with (n = 87) and without (n = 33) late recurrences of Afib. Results. There were no differences in demographic, anthropometric data and comorbidities. Patients with late recurrence of AFib had a lower heart rate (HR) after SR recovery (p <0.001). Early recurrences of AFib were found in 43 (49.4%) patients with late recurrences of arrhythmia and only in two (6.0%) without late recurrences (p <0.001). Patients with late recurrences of arrhythmia had a lower average daily HR (p <0.001), a higher number of single atrial extrasystoles (p = 0.001), atrial pairs and runs (p = 0.01) recorded by Holter ECG monitoring. Conclusions. Late recurrences of arrhythmia during the nine-month follow-up period were reported in 72.5% of patients. Groups of patients with and without late recurrence of arrhythmia had significant differences in the incidence of early recurrences, mean HR on SR, and the presence of atrial extrasystoles after rhythm recovery.

Treatment Persistence and Real- World Effectiveness of Aripiprazole Once Monthly: A Four-Year Follow-Up

ObjectivesTreatment persistence refers to the act of continuing a treatment as prescribed and reflects the patient's or doctor's judgment about efficacy, tolerability, and acceptability. In patients with schizophrenia, antipsychotic persistence is often poor, because of issues such as lack or loss of efficacy, side effects, and poor adherence, which is often related to the degree to which patients find the medication and overall intervention to be helpful, tolerable, fair, reasonable, appropriate, and consistent with expectations of treatment. Despite the poor antipsychotic persistence that has been reported to date in patients with schizophrenia, we previously observed a relatively high (86%) 6-month persistence with aripiprazole once-monthly (AOM) in a group of patients with schizophrenia, treated in the real world Italian clinical practice. The present study explores the longer-term persistence with AOM, over a mean follow-up period of 48 months MethodsThis was an observational, multicenter, retrospective, non-interventional follow-up study, aimed at evaluating the longer-term persistence with AOM in a group of patients with schizophrenia who had already shown persistence over a period of at least 6 months. The study included 161 individuals who had participated in our previous study, where 86% of participating individuals had shown persistence with AOM for at least 6 months. Non-persistence was defined as discontinuing the medication for any reason. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who continued AOM were then compared to those of patients who discontinued the medication ResultsStudy subjects were predominantly male (64.4%) and their mean age was 39.7 (SD: 12.24). Treatment persistence with AOM was 69.6% and 112 out of 161 patients were still receiving AOM treatment at the last follow-up visit. The mean duration of AOM treatment until the last recorded observation was 55.87 months (median 56.17, SD6.23) for the 112 persistent patients and 32.23 (median 28.68.SD 15.09) months for the 49 non-persistent individuals. The mean observation period for all patients (persistent and non-persistent) was 48.78 months (median 52.54, SD 14.64). For non-persistent subjects, the observation period ended with the discontinuation of AOM. Subjects treated with AOM at 400 mg presented a 69.6% lower risk of all-cause treatment discontinuation when compared with patients treated with 300 mg (HR: 0.314; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.162-0.608; P=0.001). The main reasons for discontinuation were lack of efficacy (30.6%), patient/caregiver choice (18.4%), physician’s choice (16.3%), non-adherence (12.2%) and inconvenience (6.1%). Only 3 patients (6.1%) discontinued AOM for tolerability issues. ConclusionsIn subjects with schizophrenia, who had already shown a 6-month persistence with AOM, a high number of patients (69.6%) continued to be persistent over a four-year follow-up period. This may reflect a favourable profile of efficacy, tolerability, and acceptability. Larger and prospective studies are warranted to confirm our observations.

No significant difference in risk of prolonged opioid use following outpatient versus inpatient total shoulder arthroplasty: A propensity matched analysis

Background The purpose of this investigation was to compare rates of filled opioid prescriptions and prolonged opioid use in opioid naïve patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) in inpatient versus outpatient settings. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a national insurance claims database. Inpatient and outpatient cohorts were created by identifying continuously enrolled, opioid naïve TSA patients. A greedy nearest-neighbor algorithm was used to match baseline demographic characteristics between cohorts with a 1:1 inpatient to outpatient ratio to compare the primary outcomes of filled opioid prescriptions and prolonged opioid use following surgery between cohorts. Results A total of 11,703 opioid naïve patients (mean age 72.5 ± 8.5 years, 54.5% female, 87.6% inpatient) were included for analysis. After propensity score matching (n = 1447 inpatients; n = 1447 outpatients), outpatient TSA patients were significantly more likely to fill an opioid prescription in the perioperative window compared to inpatients (82.9% versus 71.5%, p < 0.001). No significant differences in prolonged opioid use were detected (5.74% inpatient versus 6.77% outpatient; p = 0.25). Conclusions Outpatient TSA patients were more likely to fill opioid prescriptions compared to inpatient TSA patients. The quantity of opioids prescribed and rates of prolonged opioid use were similar between the cohorts. Level of evidence Therapeutic Level III.

History of drinking problems diminishes the protective effects of within-guideline drinking on 18-year risk of dementia and CIND

Objective To examine the moderating effect of older adults’ history of drinking problems on the relationship between their baseline alcohol consumption and risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND) 18 years later. Method A longitudinal Health and Retirement Study cohort (n = 4421) was analyzed to demonstrate how older adults’ baseline membership in one of six drinking categories (non-drinker, within-guideline drinker, and outside-guideline drinker groups, divided to reflect absence or presence of a history of drinking problems) predicts dementia and CIND 18 years later. Results Among participants with no history of drinking problems, 13% of non-drinkers, 5% of within-guideline drinkers, and 9% of outside-guideline drinkers were classified as having dementia 18-years later. Among those with a history of drinking problems, 14% of non-drinkers, 9% of within-guideline drinkers, and 7% of outside-guideline drinkers were classified with dementia. With Non-Drinker, No HDP as reference category, being a baseline within-guideline drinker with no history of drinking problems reduced the likelihood of dementia 18 years later by 45%, independent of baseline demographic and health characteristics; being a baseline within-guideline drinker with a history of drinking problems reduced the likelihood by only 13% (n.s.). Similar patterns obtained for the prediction of CIND. Conclusions For older adults, consuming alcohol at levels within validated guidelines for low-risk drinking may offer moderate long-term protection from dementia and CIND, but this effect is diminished by having a history of drinking problems. Efforts to predict and prevent dementia and CIND should focus on older adults’ history of drinking problems in addition to how much alcohol they consume.

Hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis with polyneuropathy: baseline anthropometric, demographic and disease characteristics of patients from a reference center

ABSTRACT Background: Hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis with polyneuropathy is a rare, inherited, multisystem, and often fatal disease caused by a variant in transthyretin (TTR) gene. Baseline characteristics of patients, especially anthropometric data, are scarce in the literature, and they are relevant to define effective treatment strategies. Objective: This study aimed to describe baseline demographic, anthropometric, and disease characteristics in a cohort of patients from a reference center in Brazil. Methods: Symptomatic patients not previously included in clinical trials and eligible for treatment were enrolled. Ethnicity, state of residence, age, sex, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), TTR variant, and Polyneuropathy Disability Score (PND) at diagnosis were analyzed. Results: Among the 108 patients enrolled, 58.33% were male, 60.19% were Caucasian, and 83.33% lived in the Southeast region. Mean age was 51.61 (±16.37) years, mean weight was 65.76 (±15.16) kg, mean height was 168.33 (±10.26) cm, and mean BMI was 23.11 (±4.45) kg/m2. The most prevalent variant was V30M (86.11%). Patients with PND score 0 presenting autonomic neuropathy were 14.81%. Patients with PND score I-II and III-IV were 52.78 and 32.41%, respectively. Mean weight and BMI were significantly lower in patients with sensory-motor manifestations. Conclusions: This is the largest cohort of patients in Brazil for whom anthropometric characteristics have been described. Baseline demographic, anthropometric, and disease data indicate that delay in diagnosis of hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy is still a problem and that efforts must be made to expedite diagnosis and maximize opportunities for new disease-modifying treatments.

Capturing the Lived Experiences of Women with Lymphoma in Pregnancy: An Australasian Lymphoma Alliance Study

Background: Lymphoma in pregnancy is a rare and challenging diagnosis that complicates approximately 1:6000 pregnancies. Diagnostic delay occurs frequently, as lymphoma-related symptoms may be mistakenly attributed to the pregnancy itself, and diagnostic investigations postponed or omitted. Lymphoma in pregnancy poses a series of unique therapeutic, social, and ethical challenges to the patient, her family, and the medical professionals involved. This is largely due to a paucity of published management guidelines, with current evidence based on modest case series and expert opinion. In this study we endeavoured to understand women's lived experiences during this challenging time. We performed semi-structured interviews with women previously treated for lymphoma in pregnancy, to identify both gaps in care delivery and valued interventions with the aim of informing future models of care. Methods: We retrospectively identified patients from twelve sites in Australia and New Zealand aged ≥18 years of age diagnosed with Hodgkin (HL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) during pregnancy or within 12 months postpartum, between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2020. Baseline demographic characteristics, treatment details, and outcomes were collected, and semi-structured interviews were conducted via telephone with those who provided informed consent. Thematic analysis was performed using QSR Int NVivo 12 Pro (March 2020, USA) to quantify salient themes. The initial 5 transcripts were independently coded by two investigators who then reached a consensus on pre-determined codes. These codes were applied to the rest of the transcripts by one coder. The frequency of pre-determined themes was determined via descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 29 women were interviewed. Baseline demographic characteristics are documented in Table 1. The majority were diagnosed during pregnancy (14%, 28% and 17% in the 1 st, 2 nd and 3rd trimesters respectively), while 41% were diagnosed post-partum. HL was the most frequent diagnosis (48%) followed by diffuse large B cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal lymphoma (14% each). More than 90% of women received chemotherapy with 28% receiving combined modality chemoradiotherapy. Sixty-nine percent commenced chemotherapy during pregnancy (17%, 28% and 14% in the 1 st, 2 nd and 3rd trimesters respectively) and 41% commencing postpartum. In the 28% of patients who received radiotherapy, this was administered post-partum. A summary of themes identified and their frequency across the 29 transcripts are shown in Figures 1-3. Diagnostic delay attributed to pregnancy was reported by 41%. 21% of the women reported fatigue, breathlessness, weight change and musculoskeletal pain, which they felt healthcare practitioners found difficult to interpret in the context of pregnancy/postpartum period. Women recalled that their chief concerns at diagnosis were the welfare of their unborn child (41%) and a fear of dying (27%). Over half of the women (55%) reported perceived communication breakdown between health practitioners and patients. They also felt there was a lack of sensitivity in discussions around fertility preservation (45%), teratogenicity of treatment (31%), termination of pregnancy (14%) and cessation of breast-feeding (14%). Valued interventions included financial/logistic assistance from charity organisations (48%), a personal support network (45%), clinical psychology referral (31%) and emergency childcare (10%). Patients also found shared patient experiences (31%) and support groups (17%) beneficial in their treatment journey. Conclusion: To our knowledge this is the first report capturing the lived experiences of survivors of lymphoma during pregnancy. This provides us a unique opportunity to consider our management, psychosocial supports, and delivery of care to meet the needs of these women. Areas for development in future care models include increased patient advocacy, educational materials, economic, psychosocial, and childcare supports. Above all, there is scope for improved, tailored communication between health practitioners and patients, with sensitivity around embryotoxicity, pregnancy termination and adverse outcomes to foster autonomy, build trust and improve maternal wellbeing. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Greenwood: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Gangatharan: Astrazeneca: Other: Educational Conference Funding. Hamad: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau.

Can Integrative Oncology Increase Adherence to Chemotherapy in Advanced Gynecologic Cancer?

Objective Integrative oncology (IO) has been shown to improve quality-of-life (QoL) and increase adherence to planned chemotherapy regimens. This study examined the impact of a patient-tailored IO program on adherence to chemotherapy among patients with advanced gynecological cancer. Methods This prospective pragmatic study examined patients with stage III/IV gynecological cancers undergoing 6 weeks of weekly IO treatments. Adherence to the planned chemotherapy regimen was assessed using the relative dose intensity (RDI) calculation. Patients consistently attending IO treatments (consistent-IO group) were compared to those who were not (non-consistent IO group). Results RDI was calculated for 73 patients in the consistent-IO group (99 chemotherapy cycles) and 61 in the non-consistent-IO group (96 cycles with IO care, 126 cycles without). Both groups had similar baseline demographic characteristics, with endometrial cancer more prevalent in the consistent-IO group. RDI was significantly less reduced in the consistent-IO chemotherapy group (p = 0.005). During taxane-based regimens RDI was better maintained in the consistent-IO group (0.93 vs. 0.87, p = 0.012), though not with platinum-based cycles. Linear regression model found a correlation between preserved RDI and consistent attendance at weekly IO treatments, and lower rates of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and pain. Conclusion Patient-tailored IO programs for patients with advanced gynecological cancer may help preserve adherence to chemotherapy at 6 weeks, especially with taxane-based regimens. Further research needs to explore whether this correlation is chemotherapy agent-specific.

Left Ventricular Ballooning Patterns in Recurrent Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Reported Cases

Recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) and the clinical profiles and outcomes of patients have not been fully evaluated, nor has the effect of left ventricular ballooning pattern. After searching the medical literature for reports of patients with recurrent TTC, we identified 84 articles with 101 case descriptions. We divided the cases into those with only apical left ventricular ballooning patterns at recurrence (typical, n=60), and those with at least one midventricular or basal ballooning pattern (atypical, n=41). We then compared their clinical profiles and outcomes. The groups were similar in terms of baseline demographic characteristics, presence and types of triggers, use of heart failure medications at TTC recurrence, electrocardiographic changes at presentation, initial left ventricular ejection fractions, timespans between recurrent TTC episodes, and recovery times after each event. However, patients in the atypical group had significantly fewer severe adverse events (cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest) than did those in the typical group, with an estimated 63% lower odds (adjusted odds ratio=0.37; 95% CI, 0.14–0.97; P=0.039). Survival to hospital discharge was statistically similar but lower in the typical group (n=53; 88.3%) than in the atypical group (n=24; 96%). Our results suggest that left ventricular ballooning patterns influence clinical outcomes, and that outcomes are more favorable in patients with recurrent TTC who have atypical left ventricular ballooning patterns.

Comparison of Urinary Adiponectin in the Presence of Metabolic Syndrome in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women

Objectives To find the association between urinary adiponectin and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in peri- and postmenopausal women and its potential application as a noninvasive screening for MetS. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in healthy peri- and postmenopausal women (defined by STRAW+10 staging) age at least 40 years who attended annual checkup or menopause clinic were recruited. Baseline demographic data, MENQOL, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, laboratory (FBS, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG) and urinary adiponectin were collected. The MetS was diagnosed according to JIS 2009. Results 290 peri- and postmenopausal women had participated. The prevalence of Mets among our participants was 18%. Urinary adiponectin levels were similar in peri- and postmenopausal women with and without MetS (2.6±2.2 vs 2.3±1.9 ng/mL, respectively, P = 0.55). Urinary adiponectin provides no diagnostic value for MetS (AUC = 0.516). Conclusions Urinary adiponectin has no role in screening and diagnosis of MetS in peri- and postmenopausal women. The quest toward noninvasive screening for MetS is still going on.