Onset-to-reperfusion time has been reported to be associated with clinical prognosis. However, its impact on mortality remained to be assessed. Using a collaborative pooled analysis, we examined whether early mortality after successful endovascular treatment is time dependent.

Conflicting data exist regarding the relation between body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular events and mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Although previous studies have suggested that competitive athletes have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation than the general population, limited and inconsistent data are available on the association between regular physical activity and the risk of atrial fibrillation.

There is an ongoing controversy regarding the safety and effectiveness of metformin in the setting of heart failure (HF). Therefore, we undertook a systematic review of the trial and nontrial evidence for metformin in patients with diabetes mellitus and HF.

Background- Evidence has accrued that cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality affects cardiac arrest outcome. However, the relative contributions of chest compression components (such as rate and depth) to successful resuscitation remain unclear. Methods and Results- We sought to measure the effect of cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality on cardiac arrest outcome through systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched for any clinical study assessing cardiopulmonary resuscitation performance on adult cardiac arrest patients in which survival was a reported outcome, either return of spontaneous circulation or survival to admission or discharge. Of 603 identified abstracts, 10 studies met inclusion criteria. Effect sizes were reported as mean differences. Missing data were resolved by author contact. Estimates were segregated by cardiopulmonary resuscitation metric (chest compression rate, depth, no-flow fraction, and ventilation rate), and a random-effects model was applied to estimate an overall pooled effect. Arrest survivors were significantly more likely to have received deeper chest compressions than nonsurvivors (mean difference, 2.44 mm; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-3.69 [P<0.001]; n=6 studies; I(2)=0.0%; P for heterogeneity=0.9). Likewise, survivors were significantly more likely to have received chest compression rates closer to 85 to 100 compressions per minute (cpm) than nonsurvivors (absolute mean difference from 85 cpm, -4.81 cpm; 95% confidence interval, -8.19 to -1.43 [P=0.005]; from 100 cpm, -5.04 cpm; 95% confidence interval, -8.44 to -1.65 [P=0.004]; n=6 studies; I(2)<49%; P for heterogeneity >0.2). No significant difference in no-flow fraction (n=7 studies) or ventilation rate (n=4 studies) was detected between survivors and nonsurvivors. Conclusions- Deeper chest compressions and rates closer to 85 to 100 cpm are significantly associated with improved survival from cardiac arrest.

Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is considered the gold standard modality in detecting left atrial/LA appendage (LA/LAA) thrombi. However, this is a semi-invasive procedure with rare but potential life-threatening complications. Cardiac computed tomography has been proposed as an alternative method. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of cardiac computed tomography assessing LA/LAA thrombi in comparison with TEE.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important cause of death in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) may attenuate this risk. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the impact of MRAs on SCD in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

A comprehensive evaluation of the benefits of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists on cardiac remodeling is lacking. We aimed to evaluate the impact of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists on changes in cardiac structure and function of left ventricular dysfunction.

Contemporary studies have shown that spontaneous but not procedural myocardial infarction (MI) is related to subsequent mortality. Whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reduces spontaneous (nonprocedural) MI is unknown.

The aorta is exposed to hemodynamic stress during exercise, but whether or not the aorta is larger in athletes is not clear. We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to examine whethere athletes demonstrate increased aortic root dimensions compared with nonathlete controls.

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) has been associated with mortality, although it has been suggested this association may be attributable to confounding. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize the associations between CI-AKI and subsequent clinical outcomes.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) carries an independent risk for cardiovascular (CV) events. We conducted a meta-analysis of all longitudinal studies for determining the ability of ED to predict risk of clinical events and to dissect factors influencing this ability.

The risk-benefit profile of warfarin versus aspirin for patients with heart failure in normal sinus rhythm has not been definitively established. Our objective was to evaluate the overall comparative effects of warfarin and aspirin in patients with heart failure and normal sinus rhythm.

High levels of cardiac troponin T, measured by a highly sensitive assay (hs-cTnT), are strongly associated with incident coronary heart disease and heart failure. To date, no large-scale genome-wide association study of hs-cTnT has been reported. We sought to identify novel genetic variants that are associated with hs-cTnT levels.

Vitamin D status has been linked to the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the optimal 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25[OH]-vitamin D) levels for potential cardiovascular health benefits remain unclear.

Meta-analysis of registries (comparative effectiveness research) shows that primary angioplasty and fibrinolysis have equivalent real-world survival. Yet, randomized, controlled trials consistently find primary angioplasty superior. Can unequal allocation of higher-risk patients in registries have masked primary angioplasty benefit?

Exaggerated neointimal hyperplasia is considered as the primary mechanism for increased restenosis in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) treated with bare-metal stent. However, the vessel response in DM and non-DM treated with different drug-eluting stents (DES) has not been systematically evaluated.

Early trials evaluating the effect of omega 3 fatty acids (ω-3 FA) reported benefits for mortality and cardiovascular events but recent larger studies trials have variable findings. We assessed the effects of ω-3 FA on cardiovascular and other important clinical outcomes.

Secondhand smoke causes cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Smoke-free legislation is associated with a lower risk of hospitalization and death from these diseases.

Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been proposed as alternatives to vitamin K antagonists for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. Individually, NOACs were at least noninferior to vitamin K antagonists, but a clear superiority in overall and vascular mortality was not consistently proven.