Gani Bajraktari

University of Prishtina · Faculty of Medicine

Background HeFH is one of the most frequent monogenic disorders in the world, leading to premature ASCVD. Purpose The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lipid lowering therapy (LLT) and achievement of LDL-C goal in heFH children. Methods The main endpoint was efficacy of goal achievement for LDL-C and other lipid...

Background and Aims Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of mortality worldwide, irrespective of its presentation as non‐ST‐segment elevation MI (NSTEMI) or ST‐segment elevation MI (STEMI). The objective of this study was to assess national results of management and clinical outcome of acute MI patients in Kosovo. Methods This cross‐section...

Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) is one of the most frequent monogenic disorders in the world, leading to premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD). The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lipid lowering therapy (LLT) and achievement of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goa...

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and consequent acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are substantial contributors to morbidity and mortality across Europe. Fortunately, as much as 2/3 of this diseases burden is modifiable, in particular by lipid-lowering therapy (LLT). Current guidelines are based on the sound premise that with respect to l...

The KOSovan Acute Coronary Syndrome (KOS-ACS) Registry is established as a prospective, continuous, nationwide, web-based registry that is operated online. The KOS-ACS registry is designed with the following objectives: (1) to obtain data on the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of ACS patients treated in Kosovo; (2) to create a...

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI), presented as ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation MI (NSTEMI), is influenced by atherosclerosis risk factors. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the patterns of presentation of patients with acute MI in Kosovo. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the University...

Introduction Non-invasive assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with hypertensive heart disease is still a major clinical challenge. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of different non-invasive techniques in detecting significant (>50%) CAD in hypertensive patients. Material and methods We syste...

Objective The 2023 ESH guidelines strongly emphasize the lack of data on women, both in randomized clinical trials and in real-world data. It is not known whether the considerable efforts to equalize the treatment of women and men have led to changes in routine practice, which was the main aim of our study. Design and method The DISCOVERY study is...

The KOSovan Acute Coronary Syndrome (KOS-ACS) Registry is established as a prospective, continuous, nationwide, web-based registry that is operated online. The KOS-ACS registry is designed with the following objectives: 1) to obtain data on the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of ACS patients treated in Kosovo; 2) to create a n...

Introduction Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is one of the most common congenital cardiac anomalies. Patients with perimembranous VSD may have aortic regurgitation (AR) secondary to prolapse of the aortic cusp. Case presentation We present a case of 23-year-old White man with VSD, AR and ascending aortic aneurysm. The patient presented to outpatie...

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Its presentation as ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation MI (NSTEMI) is influence by atherosclerosis risk factors. Aim: To assess the patterns of presentation and predicting risk factors of acute MI in Kosovo. Methods: This is a cross sectional s...

Background: There is good evidence showing that inactivity and walking minimal steps per day increase the risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease and general ill-health. The optimal number of steps, and their role in health is however still unclear. Therefore, in this meta-analysis, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between step count and all-cause...

Topic(s): Clinical Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of mortality among women. Systematic evaluation of the quality of care and clinical outcome in women hospitalized for acute MI in Kosovo remains lacking.

Topic(s): Clinical Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Based on the presenting electrocardiogram, acute MI is classified as nonSTsegment elevation MI (NSTEMI) and STsegment elevation MI (STEMI). The occurrence and the presence of risk factors differ between the two types of MI.

Background: There are conflicting data regarding gender differences in clinical outcome following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Furthermore, systematic evaluation of the quality of care and outcomes in women hospitalized for acute MI remains lacking in Kosovo. Aim: The objective of this...

Topic(s): Clinical Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of mortality among women. Systematic evaluation of the quality of care in women hospitalized for acute MI remains lacking in Kosovo.

Topic(s): Clinical Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Based on the presenting electrocardiogram, acute MI is generally categorized as nonSTsegment elevation MI (NSTEMI) and ST segment elevation MI (STEMI). The clinical presentation, treatment and outcome of patients differ between these two types of MI....

(1) Background and Aim: Conflicting evidence exists regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on survival and symptomatic relief of patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) compared with optimal medical therapy (OMT). This meta-analysis is to evaluate the short- and long-term clinical benefit of PCI over and above OMT...

Background: The long COVID-19 syndrome has been recently described and some reports have suggested that acute pericarditis represents important manifestation of long COVID-19 syndrome. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence and clinical characteristics of patients with long COVID-19, presenting with acute pericarditis. Methods: We...

Aims: To use Quality Indicators to study the management of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in different regions. Methods and results: Prospective cohort study of STEMI within 24 hours of symptom onset (11,462 patients, 196 centres, 26 ESC member and 3 affiliated countries). The median delay between arrival at a PCI centre and...

To use quality indicators to study the management of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in different regions. Methods and results Prospective cohort study of STEMI within 24 h of symptom onset (11 462 patients, 196 centres, 26 European Society of Cardiology members, and 3 affiliated countries). The median delay between arrival at a...

Background and aim: Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is a well-established noninvasive investigation for significant coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of cardiac Doppler parameters in predicting CAD. Methods: We prospectively studied 103 consecutive patients with suspected CAD based on typi...

Background and Aim Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a known risk factor in patients with heart failure (HF), but its impact on phenotypic presentations remains unclear. This study aimed to prospectively examine the relationship between T2DM and functional exercise capacity, assessed by the 6-min walk test (6-MWT) in chronic HF. Methods We studie...

Aim The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the safety of 1-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) followed by aspirin or a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor, after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES), based on the available evidence. Methods PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTri...

Statin intolerance is a clinical syndrome whereby adverse effects associated with statin therapy (most commonly statin-associated muscle symptoms [SAMS]) result in the discontinuation of therapy and consequently increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, complete statin intolerance occurs in only a small minority of treated pati...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic carries a high burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to identify possible predictors of in-hospital major cardiovascular (CV) events in COVID-19. Methods: We retrospectively included patients hospitalized for COVID-19 from 10 centers. Clinical, biochemical, electrocardiographic, and imaging data...

The benefit of repeat assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function in heart failure (HF) remains uncertain. We assessed the prognostic value of repeat echocardiographic assessment of LV filling pressure (LVFP) and its interaction with cardiac index (CI) in ambulatory patients with chronic HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFr...

Background There were gaps between guidelines and practice when surgery was the only treatment for aortic stenosis (AS). Objectives This study analyzed the decision to intervene in patients with severe AS in the EORP VHD (EURObservational Research Programme Valvular Heart Disease) II survey. Methods Among 2,152 patients with severe AS, 1,271 pati...

Background The efficacy of statins in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease is well established. Despite their large benefit, statin intolerance (SI) is still an important clinical challenge. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to estimate the overall prevalence of SI, the prevalence based on different diagnostic criteria and different...

Aims Inflammation plays a central role in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. Randomized controlled trials have investigated the potential benefit of colchicine in reducing cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) but produced conflicting results. The aim of this meta‐analysis was to eva...

Aims The aim of this study was to determine the contemporary use of reperfusion therapy in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member and affiliated countries and adherence to ESC clinical practice guidelines in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods and results Prospective cohort (EURObservational Research Progra...

Aim. In patients with chronic heart failure (HF), the benefit of repeating the assessment of left ventricle (LV) systolic and diastolic function over time remains uncertain. We assessed the prognostic value of repeated echocardiographic assessment of LV filling pressure (LVFP) and its interaction with cardiac index (CI) in ambulatory patients with...

Background and aim: In patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography (CA) and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), the benefits associated with radial access compared with the femoral access approach remain controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the short-term evidence-based clinical outcome of the two approaches....

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between DM and LA remodeling in a group of patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and their combined impact on cardiac events (CE). Methods: This study included 136 consecutive HFrEF patients (65 ± 11 years), 36 had DM and 86 had increased LA stiffness (LASt). A...

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between DM and LA remodeling in a group of patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and their combined impact on cardiac events (CE). Methods This study included 136 consecutive HFrEF patients (65 ± 11 years), 36 had DM and 86 had increased LA stiffness (LASt). All...

Background The two available interventional treatment of patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy aresurgical myectomy (SM) and Alcohol septal ablation (ASA). The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacity of these two invasive strategies in relieving symptoms and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). Methods...

Background The recently published COMPLETE trial has demonstrated that patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD), who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of both culprit and non-culprit (vs. culprit-only) lesion had a reduced risk of major adverse cardiac...

Background and objectives: Long standing hypothyroidism may impair myocardial relaxation, but its e↵ect on systolic myocardial function is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function in patients with hypothyroidism. Materials and Methods: This study included 81 (age 42 ± 13 yea...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Background: The recently published COMPLETE trial has demonstrated that patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD), who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of both culprit and non-culprit (vs. culprit-only) lesion had a reduced risk of major adverse cardi...

Background. The two available interventional treatment of patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy aresurgical myectomy (SM) and Alcohol septal ablation (ASA). The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacity of these two invasive strategies in relieving symptoms and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). Metho...

Background and aim: Treatment of patients with left main coronary artery disease (LMCA) with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with unprotected LMCA treated randomly by PCI or CABG. Metho...

Background The recently published COMPLETE trial has demonstrated that patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD), who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of both culprit and non-culprit (vs. culprit-only) lesions had a reduced risk of major adverse cardia...

Proteins play a crucial role in metabolism, in maintaining fluid and acid-base balance and antibody synthesis. Dietary proteins are important nutrients and are classified into: 1) animal proteins (meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy), and, 2) plant proteins (legumes, nuts and soy). Dietary modification is one of the most important lifestyle changes...

Background and aim: Left atrial stiffness (LASt) is an important marker of cardiac function, especially in patients with heart failure (HF); it explains symptoms on the basis of pressure transfer to the pulmonary circulation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between LASt and cardiac events (CE) in HF patients with reduced to...

Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome that represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Western countries. Several nutraceuticals have shown interesting clinical results in HF prevention as well as in the treatment of the early stages of the disease, alone or in combination with pharmacological therapy. The aim of the present...

Acute and chronic physical exercises may enhance the development of statin-related myopathy. In this context, the recent (2019) guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) for the management of dyslipidemias recommend that, although individuals with dyslipidemia should be advised to engage i...

Identifying patients at increased risk of coronary artery disease, before the atherosclerotic complications become clinically evident, is the aim of cardiovascular prevention. Imaging techniques provide direct assessment of coronary atherosclerotic burden and pathological characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions which may predict the progression...

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is associated with reverse left atrial (LA) remodeling. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the relationship between clinical response to CRT and LA function changes. We conducted a systematic search of all electronic databases up to September 2019 which identified 488 patients from seven studies. At...

Background and Aim Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects left ventricular remodeling in patients with heart failure (HF), but its effect on left atrial (LA) remodeling and their combined effect on survival and other clinical events (CE) remain to be elucidated. We evaluated in this study the relationship between DM and left atrial (LA) remodeling in a gro...

Background and Aim Left atrial (LA) stiffness is an important marker of cardiac pump function, especially in patients with heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between LA stiffness and cardiac events (CE) in HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods Thi...

Background and Aim Long standing hypothyroidism may impair myocardial relaxation, but its effect on systolic myocardial function is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function in patients with hypothyroidism. Methods This study included 81 (age 42 ± 13 years, 92% female) patie...

Topic(s): Tissue Doppler, Speckle Tracking and Strain Imaging Citation: Background and Aim. Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects left ventricular remodeling in patients with heart failure (HF), but its effect on left atrial (LA) remodeling and their combined effect on survival and other clinical events (CE) remain to be elucidated. We evaluated in this s...

Topic(s): Tissue Doppler, Speckle Tracking and Strain Imaging Citation: Background and Aim. Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects left ventricular remodeling in patients with heart failure (HF), but its effect on left atrial (LA) remodeling and their combined effect on survival and other clinical events (CE) remain to be elucidated. We evaluated in this s...

Topic(s): Echocardiography: Systolic and Diastolic Function Citation: Background and Aim. Long standing hypothyroidism may impair myocardial relaxation, but its effect on systolic myocardial function is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function in patients with hypothyroidism...

In row 4 of Table 3, ‘should’ should read as ‘may’; In 4.2.1, paragraph 3, ‘should’ should read ‘may’ to read ‘Overall, CAC score assessment with CT may be considered in individuals … ’ Also in the second row of ‘Recommendations for cardiovascular imaging for risk assessment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,’ the Class should read ‘llb’; I...

Abstract Background The role of statins in patients with heart failure (HF) of different levels of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remains unclear especially in the light of the absence of prospective data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in non-ischemic HF, and taking into account potential statins’ prosarcopenic effects. We asse...

Introduction: The pathophysiology of exaggerated systolic hypertensive response to exercise (SHRE) is not fully understood and its role in predicting cardiovascular (CV) events is contradictory. Objectives: The aim of this review with meta-analysis was to analyze the association of SHRE with CV clinical outcomes in healthy normotensive subjects....

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation (CA) has become a conventional treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), but remains with high recurrence rate. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine left atrial (LA) structure and function indices that predict recurrence of AF. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed-Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Google Scholar...

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) has become a conventional treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), but remains with high recurrence rate. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine left atrial (LA) structure and function indices that predict recurrence of AF. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed-Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Google Schola...