2024 American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics Focused Update on Special Circumstances: Resuscitation Following Drowning: An Update to the American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care

Circulation, Ahead of Print. Drowning is the third leading cause of death from unintentional injury worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths. The World Health Organization estimates that there are ≈236 000 deaths due to drowning worldwide each year. Significant efforts have focused on creating systems to prevent drowning, but an average of 4000 fatal and 8000 nonfatal drownings still occur annually in the United States—likely an underestimate. Drowning generally progresses from initial respiratory arrest due to submersion-related hypoxia to cardiac arrest; thus, it can be challenging to distinguish respiratory arrest from cardiac arrest because pulses are difficult to accurately palpate within the recommended 10-second window. Therefore, resuscitation from cardiac arrest attributable to this specific circumstance must focus on restoring breathing as much as it does circulation. Resuscitation from drowning may begin with in-water rescue breathing when safely provided by rescuers trained in the technique and should continue with chest compressions, in keeping with basic life support guidelines, once the drowned individual and the rescuer are in a safe environment (eg, dry land, a boat). This focused update incorporates systematic reviews from 2021 to 2023 performed by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation related to the resuscitation of drowning. These clinical guidelines are the product of a committee of experts representing the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The writing group reviewed the recent International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation systematic reviews, including updated literature searches, prior guidelines related to resuscitation from cardiac arrest following drowning, and other drowning-related publications from the American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics. The writing group used these reviews to update its recommendations aimed at resuscitation of cardiac arrest following drowning in adults and children.

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Novembre 2024

Where are we with gastric cancer screening in Europe in 2024?

The absolute number of annual cases of gastric cancer in Europe is rising. The Council of the European Union has recommended implementation of gastric cancer screening for countries or regions with a high gastric cancer incidence and death rates. However, as of 2024 no organised gastric cancer screening programme has been launched in Europe.
There are several ways to decrease gastric cancer burden, but the screen and treat strategy for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) seems to be the most appropriate for Europe. It has to be noted that increased use of antibiotics would be associated with this strategy.
Only organised population-based cancer screening is recommended in the European Union, therefore gastric cancer screening also is expected to fulfil the criteria of an organised screening programme. In this respect, several aspects of screening organisation need to be considered before full implementation of gastric cancer prevention in Europe; the age range of the target group, test types, H. pylori eradication regimens and surveillance strategies are among them. Currently, ongoing projects (GISTAR, EUROHELICAN, TOGAS and EUCanScreen) are expected to provide the missing evidence. Feedback from the decision-makers and the potential target groups, including vulnerable populations, will be important to planning the programme.
This paper provides an overview of the recent decisions of the European authorities, the progress towards gastric cancer implementation in Europe and expected challenges. Finally, a potential algorithm for gastric cancer screening in Europe is proposed.

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Novembre 2024

Abstract 4135629: Grades and trends from the 2024 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4135629-A4135629, November 12, 2024. Background:Regular physical activity provides numerous health benefits including improved cardiovascular health. Population-level physical activity surveillance is critical for informing research, practice, and policy efforts for supporting population health and health disparities. The United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth addresses physical activity surveillance needs by integrating data from numerous sources capturing levels of physical activity and related behaviors (e.g., sedentary behavior, sleep), and facilitators and barriers for physical activity among United States youth. The 2024 Report Card is the 5thand decennial iteration in the series, released October 2024.Methods:A Report Card Working Group was assembled under the auspices of the Physical Activity Alliance and National Physical Activity Plan. Members reviewed the evidence for 11 indicators using data from nationally representative surveys and assigned grades. Data were examined for the overall population and, when possible, by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and disability subgroups. A standardized grading rubric was used to assign a letter grade to each indicator ranging from A to F. Trends in key benchmarks over time were examined since the first report card (2014) or earliest available data.Results:Sufficient data were available to assign grades for 8 of the 11 indicators. The assigned grades ranged from B- to F, with overall physical activity levels earning a D- (Table 1). No indicators improved since 2014. Five indicators – overall physical activity, organized sport participation, active transportation, sedentary behaviors, and school – worsened since 2014.Conclusions:The compiled surveillance report indicates generally poor grades and concerning trends over the recent decade. These findings highlight opportunities to improve physical activity levels and resources for supporting cardiovascular health among United States youth. Policy approaches are needed to combat societal factors that interfere with physical activity. Gaps in data availability, specificity, and quality point to needs for improved surveillance to track impacts. The 2024 Report Card can be a tool for supporting advocacy of regular physical activity at the national and local level.

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Novembre 2024

Abstract 4145107: Latest Insights in Drug-Induced Kounis Syndrome: A Systematic Review 2024

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4145107-A4145107, November 12, 2024. Background:Kounis syndrome (KS), also known as allergic myocardial infarction, is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition characterized by acute coronary syndrome in the setting of allergic reactions triggered by drugs, foods, vaccines, or environmental exposure. Our study provides an updated comprehensive insight into this patient cohort on a large scale.Methods:We conducted a systemic literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar between 2018 and 2024, using MeSH terms and keywords for “Kounis syndrome”, “drug”, and allergy to identify the cases of drug-induced KS. Initial search yielded 325 articles. After excluding duplicates, review articles and irrelevant studies, we included only 51 articles reporting drug-induced KS.Results:Our study identified 51 patients of KS with a median age of 56 ± 14 years. Of those, 56.86% were female. The most frequently implicated drugs in KS were antimicrobials (37.25%), followed by iodinated contrast media (19.60%), NSAIDs (15.68%), and antineoplastics (9.80%). Of those, 64.70% of patients were diagnosed with KS-I, 13.72% with KS-II, and 21.56% with KS-III. Chest pain (94.1%), dyspnea (90.1%), and palpitations (60.78%) were predominant initial manifestations, and most cases (78.43%) were presented within 1st hour of drug ingestion. ST-segment changes (100%) were common ECG findings, and 64.70% of patients had elevated cardiac troponin. All patients had reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (

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Novembre 2024

Abstract 4136286: Safety Events with a Large-Bore Aspiration Thrombectomy Device for Pulmonary Embolism: An analysis of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experiences from 2018 to 2024

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4136286-A4136286, November 12, 2024. Introduction:Large bore thrombectomy is increasingly used to treat acute PE. Post-market surveillance using the U.S. FDA Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database may capture serious device adverse events (AE) not described in small pre-market clinical trials. We aim to analyze serious AE associated with use of the Inari Medical (Irvine, California) large bore thrombectomy system to treat PE.Methods:All MAUDE events between January 1, 2018 and May 1, 2024 involving PE treatment with Triever and Flowtriever devices were reviewed and categorized based on device type, incident year, and clinical event. Based on narrative description, AE were placed into categories of cardiac, pulmonary, device malfunction, anemia, and other.Results:A total of 58 AE reports representing 50 unique clinical episodes were included. MAUDE event types were death (n=32), injury (n=23) and malfunction (n=3), and the majority (45/58) involved the larger aspiration catheters (Table 1). Death occurred in 27 of 50 unique episodes. Cardiac injury (n=19) and pulmonary injury (n=18) were most common and included 25 serious perforations. Serious AEs are listed in Table 2. Device malfunction/improper use was rare (n=7) and was not associated with death. Paradoxical embolism was described causing stroke and coronary occlusion. 3 of 4 blood loss AEs occurred prior to 2021.Conclusion:This report includes the largest description of reported AEs with large bore aspiration thrombectomy systems used to treat PE. This report describes serious events, often associated with death, that are likely infrequent and were not detected in pivotal studies or registries. Understanding these AEs may guide future technique and device refinement, and the current findings demonstrate the importance of large post-approval studies.

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Novembre 2024

Abstract 4142044: The prognostic value of criteria for diagnosis of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Related Myocarditis: a comparison of the Bonaca et.al. criteria and European Society of Cardiology (ESC)-International Cardio-Oncology Society (ICOS) guidelines

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4142044-A4142044, November 12, 2024. Background:Myocarditis is a dreaded complication of immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy but challenging to diagnose. There are no published data comparing the two leading diagnostic criteria for ICI myocarditis and their association with cardiovascular events.Methods:Patients treated with ICI and cardiac Troponin (cTnT) measurements thereafter at a tertiary institution from 2011 to 2022 were identified. Charts were reviewed for ICI-related myocarditis according to the Bonaca et. al criteria and the ESC-ICOS guideline criteria. A propensity matched control group was identified of patients treated with ICI but without developing myocarditis. Medical records were reviewed for baseline characteristics and long-term outcomes, including cardiac death, MACE (myocardial infarction, TIA/stroke, new heart failure diagnosis), and arrhythmias (V-tach, A-fib, complete heart block).Results:A total of 59 patients were identified as having a diagnosis of ICI-related myocarditis per Bonaca criteria (16 having definite, 13 probable and 30 possible myocarditis), and 47 met the ESC-ICOS guideline criteria. Mean age was 73.1±10.2 years, 60.1% were male, median follow-up was 2.5 years. ICI-related myocarditis as diagnosed by both diagnostic criteria had prognostic value for cardiac death (HR 13.94, 95%CI 1.84-105.64, p=0.011 per Bonaca, HR 6.22, 95%CI 1.77-21.88, p=0.004 per ESC-ICOS), MACE, (HR 3.17, 95%CI 1.34-7.47, p=0.008 per Bonaca, HR 2.97, 95%CI 1.37-6.45, p=0.006 per ESC-ICOS), and arrhythmias (HR 1.93, 95%CI 1.10-3.38, p=0.022 per Bonaca, HR 2.09, 95%CI 1.21-3.60, p

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Novembre 2024

Abstract Sa901: In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest After Cardiac Surgery: Incidence, Prognostic Features, and Outcomes at a Single Institution From 2011-2024

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page ASa901-ASa901, November 12, 2024. Introduction:In the United States, the incidence of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) ranges from 0.1-0.5% and most larger studies report about 20% of patients survive to hospital discharge. IHCA after cardiac surgery is unique because patients are often monitored closely and arrest etiologies are frequently reversible. This may contribute to improved survival, however current data on cardiac arrest outcomes that reflect the rapidly evolving landscape of cardiac surgery and intensive care are lacking.Aims:To identify the incidence, prognostic features, and outcomes of cardiac arrest following cardiac surgery at a single high-volume academic center.Methods:We identified all adult (≥18 years) patients who underwent cardiac surgery and experienced in-hospital cardiac arrest at our institution from 2011-2024 in our local Society of Thoracic Surgery database. The primary outcome was the incidence of cardiac arrest after cardiac surgery. In an exploratory analysis, we fit a multivariable logistic regression for death before discharge, adjusting for variables noted in Tables 1 and 2. All analyses were performed in R (Version 2024.04.1+748). A p value < .05 was considered significant. No adjustment for the family-wise error rate was made – all analyses should be considered hypothesis-generating.Results:Of 10,152 surgeries, 263 cases (2.6%) of postoperative cardiac arrest were identified. Survival to discharge occurred in 123 (50%) of cases. Median age was 67 (IQR 57-75) and 103 (39%) patients were female (Table 1). In adjusted analyses, death before discharge was significantly associated with use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (OR 3.52, CI 1.51-8.23, p=0.003), postoperative dialysis (OR 3.27, CI 1.57-6.77, p=0.001), pre-operative stroke (OR 2.28, CI 1.17-4.46, p=0.016), post-operative stroke (OR 3.01, CI 1.04-8.73, p=0.042), and age (OR 1.03, CI 1.01-1.05, p=0.016) (Figure 1). Survival to discharge was associated with placement of permanent pacing device (OR 0.30, CI 0.11-0.81, p=0.017).Conclusions:Incidence of IHCA after cardiac surgery is much higher than in the general inpatient population. However, survival to discharge is also common, suggesting that cardiac surgical patients have distinctly different outcomes after IHCA compared to other inpatient populations. In an exploratory analysis, we identified several factors associated with survival to hospital discharge after cardiac arrest which can be examined in future studies.

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Novembre 2024