Tiffany C. Randolph

Ventricular Conduction and Long-Term Heart Failure Outcomes and Mortality in African Americans: Insights From the Jackson Heart Study

Background—QRS prolongation is associated with adverse outcomes in mostly white populations, but its clinical significance is not well established for other groups. We investigated the association between QRS duration and mortality in African Americans. Methods and Results—We analyzed data from 5146 African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study stratified by QRS duration on baseline 12-lead ECG. We defined QRS prolongation as QRS≥100 ms. We assessed the association between QRS duration and all-cause mortality using Cox proportional hazards models and reported the cumulative incidence of heart failure hospitalization. We identified factors associated with the development of QRS prolongation in patients with normal baseline QRS. At baseline, 30% (n=1528) of participants had QRS prolongation. The cumulative incidences of mortality and heart failure hospitalization were greater with versus without baseline QRS prolongation: 12.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0–14.4) versus 7.1% (95% CI, 6.3–8.0) and 8.2% (95% CI, 6.9–9.7) versus 4.4% (95% CI, 3.7–5.1), respectively. After risk adjustment, QRS prolongation was associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.03–1.56; P=0.02). There was a linear relationship between QRS duration and mortality (hazard ratio per 10 ms increase, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01–1.12). Older age, male sex, prior myocardial infarction, lower ejection fraction, left ventricular hypertrophy, and left ventricular dilatation were associated with the development of QRS prolongation. Conclusions—QRS prolongation in African Americans was associated with increased mortality and heart failure hospitalization. Factors associated with developing QRS prolongation included age, male sex, prior myocardial infarction, and left ventricular structural abnormalities.

Utilization of cardiac resynchronization therapy in eligible patients hospitalized for heart failure and its association with patient outcomes

Objectives We examined trends in CRT utilization overall and by sex and race and to assess whether CRT use is associated with a reduction in HF hospitalization and mortality. Background It is unknown whether underutilization and race/sex‐based differences in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) use have persisted. The association between CRT and heart failure (HF) hospitalization and mortality in real‐world practice remains unclear. Methods We linked 72,008 HF patients from 388 hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines HF eligible for CRT with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data to assess CRT utilization trends, HF hospitalization rates, and all‐cause mortality. Results From 2005–2014, 18,935 (26.3%) eligible patients had CRT in place, implanted, or prescribed. The majority were male (60.0%) and white (61.9%). CRT utilization increased during the study period (P = .0002) especially in the early period. Women were less likely to receive CRT, and this difference increased over time (interaction P = .0037) despite greater mortality risk reduction (interaction P = .0043). Black patients were less likely than white patients to have CRT throughout the study period (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.79; 95% CI 0.74‐0.85). Patients with CRT implanted during the index hospitalization had lower mortality (adjusted HR 0.65; 95% CI 0.59‐0.71) and were less likely to be readmitted for HF than patients without CRT (adjusted HR 0.64; 95% CI 0.58‐0.71). Conclusions/relevance CRT use has increased in all populations, but it remains underutilized. CRT remains more common among white than black HF patients, and women were less likely than men to receive CRT despite deriving greater benefit.

Representation of black patients in randomized clinical trials of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Background Black individuals have a disproportionately higher burden of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) relative to other racial and ethnic populations. We conducted a systematic review to determine the representation, enrollment trends, and outcomes of black patients in historic and contemporary randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for HFrEF. Methods We searched PubMed and Embase for RCTs of patients with chronic HFrEF that evaluated therapies that significantly improved clinical outcomes. We extracted trial characteristics and compared them by trial type. Linear regression was used to assess trends in enrollment among HFrEF RCTs over time. Results A total of 25 RCTs, 19 for pharmacotherapies and 6 (n=9,501) for implantable cardioverter defibrillators, were included in this analysis. Among these studies, there were 78,816 patients, 4,640 black (5.9%), and the median black participation per trial was 162 patients. Black race was reported in the manuscript of 14 (56.0%) trials, and outcomes by race were available for 12 (48.0%) trials. Implantable cardiac defibrillator trials enrolled a greater percentage of black patients than pharmacotherapy trials (7.1% vs 5.7%). Overall, patient enrollment among the 25 RCTs increased over time (P = .075); however, the percentage of black patients has decreased (P = .001). Outcomes varied significantly between black and white patients in 6 studies. Conclusions Black patients are modestly represented among pivotal RCTs of individuals with HFrEF for both pharmacotherapies and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. The current trend for decreasing black representation in trials of HF therapeutics is concerning and must improve to ensure the generalizability for this vulnerable population.

Race and Sex Differences in QRS Interval and Associated Outcome Among Patients with Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction

Background Prolonged QRS duration is associated with increased mortality among heart failure patients, but race or sex differences in QRS duration and associated effect on outcomes are unknown. Methods and Results We investigated QRS duration and morphology among 2463 black and white patients with heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35% who underwent coronary angiography and 12‐lead electrocardiography at Duke University Hospital from 1995 through 2011. We used multivariable Cox regression models to assess the relationship between QRS duration and all‐cause mortality and investigate race‐QRS and sex‐QRS duration interaction. Median QRS duration was 105 ms (interquartile range [IQR], 92–132) with variation by race and sex (P<0.001). QRS duration was longest in white men (111 ms; IQR, 98–139) followed by white women (108 ms; IQR, 92–140), black men (100 ms; IQR, 91–120), and black women (94 ms; IQR, 86–118). Left bundle branch block was more common in women than men (24% vs 14%) and in white (21%) versus black individuals (12%). In black patients, there was a 16% increase in risk of mortality for every 10 ms increase in QRS duration up to 112 ms (hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07, 1.25) that was not present among white patients (interaction, P=0.06). Conclusions Black individuals with heart failure had a shorter QRS duration and more often had non‐left bundle branch block morphology than white patients. Women had left bundle branch block more commonly than men. Among black patients, modest QRS prolongation was associated with increased mortality.

A Company of Equals: Success Through Friendship in Fellowship.

For the 2015 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California, several Duke Cardiology fellows decided to try something different. Instead of staying in private hotel rooms, we rented a house in Old Town San Diego where we stayed together in a family-style atmosphere. We

Usefulness and Cost-Effectiveness of Universal Echocardiographic Contrast to Detect Left Ventricular Thrombus in Patients with Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction

Contrast is a recommended but frequently unused tool in transthoracic echocardiography to improve detection of left ventricular thrombus in patients with ejection fraction (EF) ≤35%. The clinical and economic outcomes of a possible solution (i.e., universal contrast use) remain uncertain. To estimate clinical benefit, cost, and cost-effectiveness of a diagnostic strategy of universal use of contrast (vs no contrast) during echocardiography in patients with reduced EF, we created a decision analytic model using echocardiography sensitivity and specificity for left ventricular thrombus detection from a meta-analysis, as well as survival and cost estimates from published literature. Universal contrast use (vs nonuse) did not result in clinical or statistical improvement in estimated life years (8.509 vs 8.504) or quality-adjusted life years (5.620 vs 5.616). The cost of contrast was offset by reductions in subsequent health-care costs, resulting in similar total costs (

Relation of Early Repolarization (J Point Elevation) to Mortality in Blacks (from the Jackson Heart Study)

201,569 vs

UNIVERSAL USE OF CONTRAST TO DETECT LEFT VENTRICULAR THROMBUS IN PATIENTS WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED CLINICAL OR COST-EFFECTIVENESS OUTCOMES

201,573). In conclusion, although an intuitively attractive practice improvement strategy, universal contrast use strategy appears to offer no appreciable benefit to quality-adjusted survival or financial outcomes in patients with low EF.

Associations Between Blood Pressure and Outcomes Among Blacks in the Jackson Heart Study

Conflicting data exist regarding the associations of early repolarization (ER) with electrocardiogram (ECG) and clinical outcomes in blacks. We examined the association of ER defined by J point elevation (JPE) and all-cause mortality, and heart failure (HF) hospitalization in blacks in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) cohort. We included JHS participants with ECGs from the baseline visit coding JPE and excluded participants with paced rhythms or QRS duration ≥120 ms. We compared the cumulative incidence of 10-year all-cause mortality and 8-year HF hospitalization by presence of JPE ≥0.1 mV in any ECG lead at baseline using Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariable Cox models. Of the 4,978 participants, 1,410 (28%) had JPE at baseline: anterior leads 97.8%, lateral leads 8.3%, and inferior leads 2.9%. Compared with participants without JPE, those with JPE were younger, more likely to be male and current smokers, and less likely to have hypertension. Over a median follow-up of 8 years, there were no significant differences in the cumulative incidence or multivariable-adjusted hazards of all-cause mortality or HF hospitalization in participants with and without JPE in any lead (adjusted hazard ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.89 to 1.52, and adjusted hazard ratio 1.18, 95% confidence interval 0.9 to 1.54, respectively). Of the 2,523 participants who completed Exam 3 without JPE at baseline, 246 (10%) developed JPE over follow-up. In conclusion, JPE on ECG was not associated with long-term mortality or HF hospitalization in a large prospective black community cohort, suggesting that ER may represent a benign ECG finding in blacks.

RACE AND SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE QRS INTERVAL AMONG PATIENTS WITH LEFT VENTRICULAR SYSTOLIC DYSFUNCTION

Background: In patients with an ejection fraction (EF) ≤35%, contrast is often used in transthoracic echocardiography to improve detection of left ventricular thrombus (LVT). Clinical and economic outcomes of a universal contrast use strategy are uncertain. Methods: A decision analytic model was