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This prospective study explores health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), event-related distress (IES-R), and depression (CES-D) after cardiac surgery during three COVID-19 lockdowns imposed in the UK. Overall, 253 patients (Lockdown 1 n = 196; 2 n = 45; 3 n = 12) completed the above-mentioned questionnaires at baseline, 1 week after discharge, and 6 weeks and 6 and 12 months after surgery. While EQ-5D-5L values were similar across all cohorts, those who underwent surgery during Lockdowns 2 and 3 had higher IES-R scores at 1 year and higher IES-R and CES-D baseline scores, respectively. Generally, increased distress, worse depression, and poorer HRQoL were observed in women. Registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04366167 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Women are underrepresented in cardiovascular trials. We sought to explore the proportional representation of women in contemporary cardiovascular research and the factors (barriers and enablers) that affect their participation in cardiovascular studies. Methods and results Multiple electronic databases were searched between January 2011 and September 2021 to identify papers that defined underrepresentation of women in cardiovascular research and/or reported sex-based differences in participating in cardiovascular research and/or barriers for women to participate in cardiovascular research. Data extraction was undertaken independently by two authors using a standardised data collection form. Results were summarised using descriptive statistics and narrative synthesis as appropriate. From 548 identified papers, 10 papers were included. Of those, four were conducted prospectively and six were retrospective studies. Five of the retrospective studies involved secondary analysis of trial data including over 780 trials in over 1.1 million participants. Overall, women were reported to be underrepresented in heart failure, coronary disease, myocardial infarction, and arrhythmia trials, compared to men. Barriers to participation included lack of information and understanding of the research, trial-related procedures, the perceived health status of the participant, and patient-specific factors including travel, childcare availability, and cost. A significantly higher likelihood of research participation was reported by women following a patient educational intervention. Conclusion This review has highlighted the underrepresentation of women in a range of cardiovascular trials. Several barriers to women's participation in cardiovascular studies were identified. Researchers could mitigate against these in future trial planning and delivery to increase women's participation in cardiovascular research. Registration The protocol was published on the public Open Science Framework platform on 13th August 2021 (no registration reference provided) and can be accessed at https://osf.io/ny4fd/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: A cardiac surgery international nursing and allied professional research network titled CONNECT was created to strengthen collaborative cardiac surgery research through shared initiatives including supervision, mentorship, workplace exchange programs, and multi-site clinical research. As with any new initiative, there is a need to build brand awareness to enhance user familiarity, grow membership, and promote various opportunities offered. Social media has been used across various surgical disciplines; however, their effectiveness in promoting scholarly and academic-based initiatives has not been examined. The aim of this scoping review was to examine the different types of social media platforms and strategies used to promote cardiac research initiatives for CONNECT. Methods and results: A scoping review was undertaken in which a comprehensive and thorough review of the literature was performed. Fifteen articles were included in the review. Twitter appeared to be the most common form of social media used to promote cardiac initiatives, with daily posts being the most frequent type of engagement. Frequency of views, number of impressions and engagement, link clicks, and content analysis were the most common types of evaluation metrics that were identified. Conclusion: Findings from this review will inform the design and evaluation of a targeted Twitter campaign aimed at increasing brand awareness of CONNECT, which will include the use of @CONNECTcardiac Twitter handle, hashtags, and CONNECT-driven journal clubs. In addition, the use of Twitter to disseminate information and brand initiatives related to CONNECT will be evaluated using the Twitter Analytics function. Registration: Open Science Framework: osf.io/q54es Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The outbreak of COVID-19 was potentially stressful for everyone and possibly heightened in those having surgery. We sought to explore the impact of the pandemic on recovery from cardiac surgery. Methods and results A prospective observational study of 196 patients who were ≥18years old undergoing cardiac surgery between March 23 and July 4, 2020 (UK lockdown) was conducted. Those too unwell or unable to give consent/complete the questionnaires were excluded. Participants completed (on paper or electronically) the impact of event [Impact of Events Scale-revised (IES-R)] (distress related to COVID-19), depression [Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)], and EQ-5D-5L [(quality of life, health-related quality of life (HRQoL)] questionnaires at baseline, 1 week after hospital discharge, and 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year post-surgery. Questionnaire completion was >75.0% at all timepoints, except at 1 week (67.3%). Most participants were male [147 (75.0%)], white British [156 (79.6%)] with an average age 63.4years. No patients had COVID-19. IES-R sand CES-D were above average at baseline (indicating higher levels of anxiety and depression) decreasing over time. HRQoL pre-surgery was high, reducing at 1 week but increasing to almost pre-operative levels at 6 weeks and exceeding pre-operative levels at 6 months and 1 year. IES-R and CES-D scores were consistently higher in women and younger patients with women also having poorer HRQoL up to 1-year after surgery. Conclusions High levels of distress were observed in patients undergoing cardiac surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic with women and younger participants particularly affected. Psychological support pre- and post-operatively in further crises or traumatic times should be considered to aid recovery. Registration Clinicaltrials.gov ID:NCT04366167. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is often experienced by cardiac surgery patients; however, it is not known if some groups of patients experience this more frequently or severely than others. The aim of this systematic review was to identify preoperative and postoperative predictors of cognitive dysfunction in adults following cardiac surgery. Methods and results Eight bibliographic databases were searched (January 2005 to March 2021) in relation to cardiac surgery and cognition. Studies including adult patients who had undergone open cardiac surgery and using a validated measurement of cognitive function were included. Full-text review for inclusion, quality assessment, and data extraction were undertaken independently by two authors. A total of 2870 papers were identified, of which 36 papers met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The majority were prospective observational studies [ n  = 28 (75.7%)]. In total, 61 independent predictors (45 preoperative and 16 postoperative) were identified as significant in at least one study; advancing age and education level appear important. Age has emerged as the most common predictor of cognitive outcome. Conclusion Although a number of predictors of POCD have been identified, they have inconsistently been reported as significantly affecting cognitive outcome. Consistent with previous research, our findings indicate that older patients and those with lower educational levels should be prioritized when developing and trialling interventions to improve cognitive function. These findings are less than surprising if we consider the methodological shortcomings of included studies. It is evident that further high-quality research exploring predictors of POCD is required. Registration This review was registered on Prospero, CRD42020167037 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reflect on the importance of doctorally prepared cardiovascular disease (CVD) nurses, as well as the top tips from the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (ACNAP) on how nurses can properly select a doctoral supervisor.