Aims National 30‐day mortality and readmission rates after heart failure (HF) hospitalisations are a focus of US policy intervention and yet have rarely been assessed in other comparable countries. We examined the frequency, trends and institutional variation in 30‐day mortality and unplanned readmission rates after HF hospitalisations in Australia and New Zealand. Methods and results We included patients >18 years hospitalised with HF at all public and most private hospitals from 2010–15. The primary outcomes were the frequencies of 30‐day mortality and unplanned readmissions, and the institutional risk‐standardised mortality rate (RSMR) and readmission rate (RSRR) evaluated using separate cohorts. The mortality cohort included 153 592 patients (mean age 78.9 ± 11.8 years, 51.5% male) with 16 442 (10.7%) deaths within 30 days. The readmission cohort included 148 704 patients (mean age 78.6 ± 11.9 years, 51.7% male) with 33 158 (22.3%) unplanned readmission within 30 days. In 392 hospitals with at least 25 HF hospitalisations, the median RSMR was 10.7% (range 6.1–17.3%) with 59 hospitals significantly different from the national average. Similarly, in 391 hospitals with at least 25 HF hospitalisations, the median RSRR was 22.3% (range 17.7–27.1%) with 24 hospitals significantly different from the average. From 2010–15, the adjusted 30‐day mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.991/month, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.990–0.992, P < 0.01] and unplanned readmission (OR 0.998/month, 95% CI 0.998–0.999, P < 0.01) rates declined. Conclusion Within 30 days of a HF hospitalisation, one in 10 patients died and almost a quarter of those surviving experienced an unplanned readmission. The risk of these outcomes varied widely among hospitals suggesting disparities in HF care quality. Nevertheless, a substantial decline in 30‐day mortality and a modest decline in readmissions occurred over the study period.

Laser activation of anthracycline-related drugs combines chemotherapy with photoablation for improved treatment. Hypericin, a structurally related anthraquinone, was tested for laser activation and cytotoxicity in human cancer cells. Viability of P3 squamous cell carcinoma cells incubated with 1 to 20 microgram/mL hypericin was reduced by more than 95% after 1 minute exposure at 4 degrees C to an argon laser (514 nm, 5 W), a KTP-532 laser (532 nm, 5 W), or a 20-A xenon lamp. Viability was reduced over 90% in six human carcinoma, sarcoma, and melanoma cell lines by this combined treatment, but only trace toxicity was seen after separate exposure to hypericin or light alone. These results show that hypericin is a sensitive agent for phototherapy of human cancer cells in vitro and indicate that this drug may be useful for tumor targeting via minimally invasive imaging-guided laser fiber optics.

Background To date, limited population‐level studies have examined the impact of sex on the acute complications of cardiac implantable electronic devices ( CIED) , including permanent pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices. Methods and Results We studied all patients aged >18 years from 2010 to 2015 who were a resident of Australia or New Zealand, undergoing a new permanent pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator , or cardiac resynchronization therapy implant. Standardized variables were collected including patient demographic characteristics, primary and secondary diagnoses, procedures performed and discharge status. Diagnoses and procedures were coded as per the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision ( ICD‐10 ) and the Australian Classification of Health Interventions. The primary end point was the incidence of major CIED ‐related complications in‐hospital or within 90 days of discharge, with the effect of sex evaluated using multiple logistic regression. A total of 81 304 new CIED (61 658 permanent pacemakers, 12 097 implantable cardioverter defibrillators, 7574 cardiac resynchronization therapy) implants were included (38% women). Overall, 8.5% of women and 8.0% of men experienced a CIED complication ( P =0.008). Differences between women and men remained significant after adjustment for age, procedural acuity, and comorbidities (odds ratio 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04–1.16, P <0.001). Differences in CIED complication rates were primarily driven by excess rate of in‐hospital pleural drainage (1.2% women versus 0.6% men, P <0.001; adjusted odds ratio 1.86, 95% CI: 1.59–2.17, P <0.001) and pericardial drainage (0.3% women versus 0.1% men, P <0.001; adjusted odds ratio 2.17, 95% CI: 1.48–3.18, P <0.001). Conclusions Women are at higher risk of acute CIED complications. Improvements in implant technique and technologies are required to minimize the risk of implant‐related complications in women.