Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and reduced left ventricle ejection fraction benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). However, increasing numbers of patient with CRT and ICD devices produce overload of cardiology centers where patients are admitted to ambulatory visits. This study aims to find multivariate model predicting the requirement for ambulatory follow-up of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs).The LUCY study is an observational, cohort, prospective, 2-stage trial. As equal number of patients (300) will be included in the first and the second part of the study, finally, 600 patients will be included in the study. The inclusion criteria will be: age between 18 and 90 years, CHF (New York Heart Association classes I–III) and implanted ICD or CRT at least 30 days before study inclusion. The exclusion criteria will be dementia and other conditions impeding cooperation during the study. All patients included in the study will undergo standard ambulatory visit. Primary endpoint will be defined as any ambulatory visit qualified as necessary due to patient's condition or device malfunction diagnose by the cardiologist: any change in pharmacotherapy related to patient's clinical status assessed during the visit, any change in tachyarrythmia counter or discriminator status, any change in tachyarrythmia threshold, presence of ventricular undersensing or oversensing, presence of atrial or ventricular ineffective pacing, or device's pocket infection. Secondary endpoint will be defined as any ambulatory visit qualified as necessary due to the alarm identified via Medtronic CareLink Express (MCLE): sustained or treated ventricular tachyarrythmia, any not previously diagnosed supraventricular tachyarrythmia, or elective replacement indicator.Our study is the first attempt of implementation of the machine learning and elements artificial intelligence in health care optimization of patients with CIED. The LUCY will be an open product, available for additional testing and improvement with supplementary functionalities: quality of life assessment, teleconsultation, video-streaming, automated imagine recognizing.

Objectives This study aimed to assess absorbance using a thorough analysis of individual points of its plot in ears with intraoperatively confirmed otosclerosis. To the best of our knowledge, until recently no analyses have been performed that concerned the shape of an absorbance plot and a detailed analysis of its individual points. This study is the first to undertake such an issue. Methods A total of 77 otosclerotic ears were included in the study. Pure tone audiometry, low frequency tympanometry, and wide band tympanometry including absorbance were performed preoperatively. The average patients’ age in the group was 43.49 years (standard deviation = 10.44). Individual points of absorbance plot were thoroughly analyzed. Parameters were analyzed, such as resonance frequency; number of peaks; maximum absorbance (Height); and plot Width at the following Heights: 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3 (Width1/3, Width1/2, Width2/3, respectively), as well as associated absorbance parameters and frequencies. Results Data analysis revealed five different types of absorbance plots. Numerous statistically significant differences regarding the parameters of individual points of the plots were found among the distinguished types. Conclusions There are five types of absorbance plots in otosclerotic ears: type I, characterized by two distinct peaks, closely resembling normal ear absorbance plot; type II with a single distinct peak reaching high values of absorbance; type III with reduced absorbance for frequencies <2000 Hz; type IV with reduced absorbance for all frequencies; and type V with reduced absorbance for frequencies >2000 Hz. Absorbance measurements may play an important role in the diagnostics of otosclerosis; however, further research is necessary in this area. Levels of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 129:E365–E376, 2019

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Background The patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease demonstrate an increased cardiovascular risk. The adverse influence of liver abnormalities on cardiac function are among many postulated mechanisms behind this association. The aim of the study was to evaluate cardiac morphology and function in patients with morbid obesity referred for bariatric surgery with liver biopsy. Methods and Results We evaluated with echocardiography 171 consecutive patients without known cardiac disease (median age 42 [interquartile range, 37–48] years, median body mass index 43.7 [interquartile range, 41.0–47.5], 67% female patients. Based on the liver biopsy results, there were 44 patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), 69 patients with isolated steatosis, and 58 patients without steatosis. Patients with NASH demonstrated signs of left ventricular concentric remodeling and hyperdynamic circulation, including indexed left ventricular end‐diastolic diameter [cm/m 2 ]: NASH 1.87 [0.22]; isolated steatosis 2.03 [0.33]; without steatosis 2.01 [0.19], P =0.001; relative wall thickness: NASH 0.49±0.05, isolated steatosis 0.47±0.06, without steatosis 0.46±0.06, P =0.011; cardiac index [L/m 2 ]: NASH 3.05±0.54, isolated steatosis 2.80±0.44, without steatosis 2.79±0.50, P =0.013. After adjustment for sex, age, blood pressure, and heart rate, most of the measures of the left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, left atrial size, right ventricular function, and right ventricular size did not differ between groups. Conclusions In a group of patients with extreme obesity, NASH was associated with left ventricular concentric remodeling and hyperdynamic circulation. Increased cardiac output in NASH may represent an additional risk factor for incident cardiovascular events in this population.

Nowadays, both the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) logistic (ESL) and EuroSCORE II (ESII) models are used worldwide in predicting in-hospital mortality after cardiac operation. However, these scales are based on different populations and represent different medical approaches. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the ESL and the ESII risk scores in predicting in-hospital death and prolonged hospitalization in intensive care unit (ICU) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve replacement (AVR), and mitral valve replacement (MVR) by comparison of an estimated risk and a real-life observation at a reference cardiac surgery unit.This retrospective study was based on medical records of patients who underwent a CABG, AVR, or MVR at a reference cardiac surgery unit in a 2-year period. Primary endpoint was defined as in-hospital death. Secondary endpoint was a prolonged hospitalization at the ICU, defined as longer than 3 days.The study encompassed 586 patients [114 (23.1%) female, mean age 65.8 ± 10.5 years], including 493 patients undergoing CABG, 66 patients undergoing AVR, and 27 patients undergoing MVR. The ESL and ESII risk scores were higher in MVR subgroup (31.7% ± 30.5% and 15.3% ± 19.4%) and AVR subgroup (9.7% ± 11.6% and 3.2% ± 4.2%) than in CABG subgroup (6.9% ± 10.4% and 2.5% ± 4.1%; P < .001). Subgroups of patients were significantly different in terms of clinical, biochemical, and echocardiography factors. Primary endpoint occurred in 36 (6.1%) patients: 21 (4.3%), 7 (10.6%), and 8 (29.7%) in CABG, AVR, and MVR subgroups, respectively. The ESII underestimated the risk of mortality. Secondary endpoint occurred in 210 (35.8%) patients: 172 (34.9%), 22 (33.4%), and 16 (59.3%) in CABG, AVR, and MVR subgroups, respectively.In the study, the perioperative risk estimated with the ESL and the ESII risk scores was compared with a real-life outcome among over 500 patients. Regardless of the type of surgery, result in the ESL was better correlated with the risk of in-hospital death.