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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 and objectives: To examine the effectiveness of cognitive interventions after general anaesthesia to improve cognitive functioning. Background: The number of surgical procedures performed worldwide is large and growing. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction is a common complication associated with poor postoperative outcomes. A variety of cognitive interventions have been developed to maintain or improve cognitive function in one or more cognitive domains. Cognitive interventions have shown to be effective in healthy older populations, those with mild cognitive impairment, and those with heart failure. The impact of cognitive interventions in surgical patients after general anaesthesia is a relatively new focus of research and is therefore less well established. Methods: Seven bibliographic databases were searched in relation to 'surgery' and 'cognitive interventions'; no date or language limits were imposed. Studies including adult patients who were scheduled for, or who had undergone surgery under general anaesthesia, had a baseline cognitive assessment using a validated measurement, and had engaged with any cognition‐based intervention were included. Full‐text review for inclusion, quality assessment and data extraction were undertaken independently by two authors. This study is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Results: A total of 550 papers were identified for possible inclusion, of which nine met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The majority were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (n = 6 [66.7%]). Four studies used computerised cognitive interventions, while five used traditional cognitive interventions. Most of the studies used multi‐domain cognitive training focusing on two or more domains (n = 7 [77.8%]) while two studies used single‐domain cognitive training. Memory (n = 7 [77.8%]) and attention (n = 5 [55.6%]) were the cognitive domains most often targeted during the intervention. Conclusions: The use of cognitive interventions demonstrated some efficacy in improving cognitive function after general anaesthesia, particularly those targeting memory. Relevance for clinical practice The findings of this review suggest that cognitive interventions show promise at improving cognitive performance in patients with POCD and could be usefully implemented in clinical practice to improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]