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Despite well-defined therapeutic low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target in the highest-risk population, low percentage of patients is administered with intensive lipid-lowering therapy and achieves recommended levels. Therefore, based on the Hyperlipidaemia Therapy in tERtiary Cardiological cEnTer (TERCET) Registry data we investigated the characteristics of lipid profile and management of dyslipidemia in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. 19,287 consecutive patients hospitalized between 2006 and 2016 have been included in the study. The lipid profile on admission and long-term laboratory effects (namely the efficacy of achievement of the therapeutic target of LDL-C <70 mg/dl [1.8 mmol/L]) after follow-up of twelve months were assessed. Acute coronary syndromes occurred in 36.1% of the Registry patients including 14.3% with ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), 10.2% with NSTEMI and 9,9% with unstable angina (UA). The highest LDL-C concentration on admission was observed in the STEMI subgroup (mean level: 127.0 mg/dL [3.28 mmol/L]). In 76.6% of the Registry patients LDL-C concentration was lower than 130 mg/dL and in 20.7% was lower than 70 mg/dL at baseline. The patients with baseline LDL < 70 mg/dL were usually presented with the worst clinical profile. In 91,6% of the patients admitted due to acute coronary syndrome, statin treatment was administered at discharge. Among them, 37.6% received intensive statin therapy. In the 12-month follow-up, in 32.4% of patients admitted due to STEMI, LDL-C concentration was lower than 70 mg/dL, compared to 29.9% in patients with NSTEMI and 27.8% in patients with UA. In conclusion, STEMI patients are less clinically burdened with concomitant risk factors and comorbidities, but present significantly worse baseline lipid profile values. Among the patients already treated with statins, patients with ACS regardless of its type have significantly higher LDL-C than patients with SA. Despite discrepancies in the clinical profile on admission, achievement of the therapeutic target equalizes the outcomes in 12-month follow-up, however with the best results for STEMI patients., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Heart failure (HF) continues to be an important medical and social problem, with high morbidity and mortality. Data on the trends in hospitalizations, hospital readmissions and mortality is of great importance both from the epidemiological and clinical points of view., Methods and Results: We analyzed the secular trends in first-time hospital admissions for heart failure between 2010 and 2016, derived from SILCARD database, covering a population of 3.8 million adults. Patient characteristics as well as data on in-hospital and 12-month outcomes were recorded for each year. The total number of first-time hospitalizations for HF as the primary diagnosis showed a downward trend during the study period (reduction by 12%, p = 0.07), with a constant patient age (mean 74.3 ± 11.3 years). The length of hospital stay shortened from 10.9 to 9.6 days (p = 0.003). Crude in-hospital mortality remained constant at around 14% (p = 0.55), but after adjustment for sex and age, mortality rates tended to decrease from 17.2% in 2010 to 11.5% in 2016 (p = 0.007). All-cause hospital readmission rates in 12-month follow-up increased which was due to non-CV hospitalizations, since both CV- and HF-related readmissions were constant throughout the years. Crude 12-month mortality was constant, but after adjustment for age and sex absolute reduction by about 10% was found (p = 0.02)., Conclusions: Despite the decreasing duration of hospital stay, significant improvement in both in-hospital and long-term survival was observed, with constant rates of hospital readmissions related to HF., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Primary malignant cardiac tumors are rare, and mostly manifest as sarcomas in various types. As non-invasive diagnostic modalities, e.g. echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, have become more sensitive, there is a marked increase in the number of patients diagnosed. Nevertheless, most patients die within one year of initial diagnosis, either because of the often asymptomatic presentation of cardiac tumors until advanced disease, or a low index of suspicion on the part of the physician. The presenting symptoms, treatment options and, indeed, prognosis are largely controlled by the tumor's anatomic location. Cardiac sarcomas may present with a variety of symptoms and are known to be great mimickers. A quick diagnosis facilitates the initiation of a proper treatment (surgical resection, adjuvant chemotherapy), which may in turn improve the prognosis. Metastases to the heart are far more common, unfortunately, clinical manifestations are mainly dominated by generalized tumor spread. The article summarizes epidemiology, symptoms, diagnostic modalities, and possible treatment options., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Prognoses in STEMI and NSTEMI beyond one year from onset remain unclear. We aimed to compare the treatments and the two-year outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) enrolled at the Polish Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes (PL-ACS)., Methods: A total of 13,441 patients with MI (8250 with STEMI, and 5191 with NSTEMI) underwent medical care between October 2003 and June 2005 in the Silesia region (4.8 million inhabitants). The events analyzed were death, MI, stroke and percutaneous (PCI) or surgical (CABG) revascularization., Results: After two years, NSTEMI was associated with a higher incidence of death (hazard ratio (HR) of 1.09 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.17, p<0.0001)); a higher incidence of reinfarction, stroke, CABG and a lower rate of PCI. Adjustments for baseline characteristics and treatment strategy (invasive vs. non-invasive) reversed the HR for mortality and eliminated the difference in MI and stroke. The adjusted HR for mortality was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.71-0.83, p<0.0001). STEMI and NSTEMI patients treated non-invasively were older and showed higher incidences of diabetes, obesity, pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock than their invasively treated counterparts. Invasively treated patients received aspirin, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors and statins more often during hospitalization and at discharge., Conclusions: The unadjusted long-term prognosis was worse in NSTEMI. After adjustment for the baseline characteristics and treatment strategy, the long-term prognosis was worse in STEMI. Patients with MI treated invasively showed more favorable clinical characteristics and received guideline-recommended therapy more often than patients who did not undergo invasive treatment., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)