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IMPORTANCE Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) occurring after cardiac surgery is associated with adverse outcomes. Whether POAF persists beyond discharge is not well defined. OBJECTIVE To determine whether continuous cardiac rhythm monitoring enhances detection of POAF among cardiac surgical patients during the first 30 days after hospital discharge compared with usual care. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study is an investigator-initiated, open-label, multicenter, randomized clinical trial conducted at 10 Canadian centers. Enrollment spanned from March 2017 to March 2020, with follow-up through September 11, 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment stopped on July 17, 2020, at which point 85% of the proposed sample size was enrolled. Cardiac surgical patients with CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age Ն75 years, diabetes, prior stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, age 65-74 years, female sex) score greater than or equal to 4 or greater than or equal to 2 with risk factors for POAF, no history of preoperative AF, and POAF lasting less than 24 hours during hospitalization were enrolled. INTERVENTIONS The intervention group underwent continuous cardiac rhythm monitoring with wearable, patch-based monitors for 30 days after randomization. Monitoring was not mandated in the usual care group within 30 days after randomization. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was cumulative AF and/or atrial flutter lasting 6 minutes or longer detected by continuous cardiac rhythm monitoring or by a 12-lead electrocardiogram within 30 days of randomization. Prespecified secondary outcomes included cumulative AF lasting 6 hours or longer and 24 hours or longer within 30 days of randomization, death, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, non-central nervous system thromboembolism, major bleeding, and oral anticoagulation prescription. RESULTS Of the 336 patients randomized (163 patients in the intervention group and 173 patients in the usual care group; mean [SD] age, 67.4 [8.1] years; 73 women [21.7%]; median [interquartile range] CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score, 4.0 [3.0-4.0] points), 307 (91.4%) completed the trial.In the intent-totreat analysis, the primary end point occurred in 32 patients (19.6%) in the intervention group vs 3 patients (1.7%) in the usual care group (absolute difference, 17.9%; 95% CI, 11.5%-24.3%; P < .001).

The purpose of this review was to investigate what type of exercises can potentially prevent osteoporosis (OP) and its associated fractures in high-risk populations. MEDLINE was searched for work relevant to various types of exercises used to prevent osteoporotic fractures in high-risk population, from the year 1995 onwards. Twelve articles were identified, and, from them, four were deemed suitable to the objective. The studies reviewed show that various types of exercise are effective and safe in preventing the onset of OP. For example, high-intensity progressive resistance training (HiPRT) has been shown to increase vertebral height and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD), in addition to improving functional performance. Additional studies reviewed suggested that bone reabsorption levels may be positively impacted by low-impact exercise, such as walking. This review provides insight into the effectiveness of various types of exercise to combat and possibly prevent OP for high-risk individuals, which include postmenstrual Caucasian females, people with multiple comorbidities, individuals who smoke or consume alcohol, and the frail elderly population. The prevention of OP should reduce both the social (emotional) and economic burdens faced by patients, caregivers, and health-care systems. Moving forward, research that identifies and bridges pharmaceutical treatment and exercise should be conducted, in addition to the comparison of passive versus active forms of exercise to determine which treatment best prevents OP in high-risk populations.

Background: Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been demonstrated to promote reverse cardiac remodeling in people with diabetes or heart failure. While it has been theorized that SGLT2 inhibitors might afford similar benefits in people without diabetes or prevalent heart failure, this has not been evaluated. We sought to determine if SGLT2 inhibition with empagliflozin leads to a decrease in left ventricular (LV) mass in people without type 2 diabetes or significant heart failure. Methods: Between April 2021 and January 2022, 169 individuals, 40-80 years of age, without diabetes but with risk factors for adverse cardiac remodeling were randomized to empagliflozin (10 mg/day; n=85) or placebo (n=84) for 6 months. The primary outcome was the 6-month change in LV mass indexed (LVMi) to baseline body surface area (BSA) as measured by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Other measures included 6-month changes in LV end-diastolic and -systolic volumes indexed to baseline BSA and LV ejection fraction. Results: Among the 169 participants (141 men [83%], mean age 59.3 ± 10.5 years), baseline LVMi was 63.2 ± 17.9 g/m 2 and 63.8 ± 14.0 g/m 2 for the empagliflozin- and placebo-assigned groups, respectively. The difference (95% CI) in LVMi at 6 months in the empagliflozin group vs. placebo group adjusted for baseline LVMi was -0.30 g/m2 (-2.1,1.5 g/m 2 ) (P=0.74). Median baseline (IQR) NT-proBNP was 51 pg/mL (20, 105 pg/mL) and 55 pg/mL (21, 132 pg/mL) for the empagliflozin- and placebo-assigned groups, respectively. The 6-month treatment effect of empagliflozin vs. placebo (95% CI) on blood pressure and NT-proBNP (adjusted for baseline values) were -1.3 mmHg (-5.2, 2.6 mmHg) (P=0.52), 0.69 mmHg (-1.9, 3.3 mmHg) (P=0.60) and -6.1 pg/mL (-37.0, 24.8 pg/mL) (P=0.70) for systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and NT-proBNP, respectively. No clinically meaningful between group differences in LV volumes (diastolic and systolic indexed to baseline BSA) or ejection fraction were observed. No difference in adverse events was noted between the groups. Conclusions: Among people with neither diabetes nor significant heart failure but with risk factors for adverse cardiac remodeling, SGLT2 inhibition with empagliflozin did not result in a meaningful reduction in LVMi after 6 months. Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04461041clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04461041