Łukasz Kuźma

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Medical Doctor at Medical University of Białystok

The detrimental influence of air pollution on mortality has been established in a series of studies. The majority of them were conducted in large, highly polluted cities—there is a lack of studies from small, relatively clean regions. The aim was to analyze the short-term impact of particulate matters (PMs) on mortality in north-eastern Poland. Tim...

Objectives This study aimed to assess the effect of air pollution and weather conditions on the frequency of hospital admissions due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the population of Bialystok, known as the capital of the Green Lungs of Poland. Materials and methods The study analyzed the medical records of 2,645 patients living within the bor...

Introduction Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) could be triggered by emotions that are often associated with watching sport events. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of soccer matches on the frequency of admissions for ACS. Material and methods The study was based on the medical records of patients treated at the Clinical Hospital of M...

Introduction: Valvular heart diseases (VHD) are a significant problem in the Polish population. Coexistence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with VHD increases the risk of death and affects the further therapeutic strategy. Aim: Analysis of atherosclerotic plaque burden distribution in coronary arteries and long-term prognosis among...

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) share common risk factors and both disease entities frequently co-exist. Additionally, AF symptoms may mimic CCS. Objectives: To investigate the hypothesis indicating lack of significant coronary lesions in AF vs. sinus rhythm (SR) patients. Patients and methods: We condu...

Background: Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) and excimer laser-coronary atherectomy (ELCA) could be both used in the percutaneous treatment of coronary stent underexpansion. Aims: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of IVL vs. ELCA for the treatment of stent underexpansion related to heavy calcifications. Methods: Consecutive patients w...

Aim Air pollution remains the single largest environmental health risk factor, while atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent arrhythmia globally. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to air pollution and acute AF admissions. Methods Individual data on AF hospitalization in the years 2011-2020 were coll...

Background/Objectives: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a major global health concern and represents one of the most common causes of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. The wearable cardioverter–defibrillator (WCD) is an innovative, non-invasive medical device designed to provide continuous heart monitoring and immediate defibrillation in...

Air pollution is a pervasive global challenge with profound implications for public health. This review explores the intricate relationship between air pollution and atrial fibrillation (AF), a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Drawing on a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature, this revie...

Background: Limited data exist on ultrathin-strut drug-eluting stent (ultrathin DES) performance in DES in-stent restenosis (ISR). Aims: We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of ultrathin DES compared to thin-strut DES and drug-eluting balloons (DEB) for DES-ISR. Methods: Patients from the DEB Dragon (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04415216) and...

Introduction Exposure to air pollution (AP) is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Aim To analyse the short-term effects of AP on the occurrence of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Methods The EP-PARTICLES study consists of a retrospective nationwide cohort of Eastern Poland residents (N= 8,077,671). The area is characterized by...

Background Recent guidelines endorsed use of intravascular imaging in left main coronary artery (LMCA) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, impact of adjunctive percutaneous imaging tools on mortality is ambiguous. Purpose The purpose was to investigate impact of intravascular imaging (IVI) on all-cause mortality in patients with LMC...

Background Air pollution is the largest environmental risk factor, especially for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this study, we present an original concept of estimating the risk associated with exposure to air pollution: the Particulate Matters years index (ePM-years index). Objective To assess the predictive performance of the ePM-years index....

Introduction Air pollution (AP) is becoming an increasingly important non-classical CVD risk factor. Recent years have brought us the introduction of new types of AP, such as ‘Polish smog’, rich in particulate matter (PM) and benzo(alpha)pyrene (B(a)P) - thus far overlooked in scientific research. Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is an increasing health...

Background Air pollution and atrial fibrillation (AF) represent significant public health challenges, impacting global health considerably. Numerous studies have focused on areas with high or very high air pollution concentrations, our study examines a unique area in Poland characterized by low to moderate air pollution levels. Our research also ad...

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for left main coronary artery (LMCA) was endorsed by trials. Aims: Aim was to assess prognosis and temporal trends in real-world registry. Methods: 998 patients undergoing LMCA PCI were hospitalized from 12.27.2007 to 02.21.2022. Analysis included mortality predictors, annual and periodic tr...

Aims Short-term effects of Polish smog, particularly benzo(alpha)pyrene (B(a)P), are unclear. We aimed to examine the association between short-term exposure to air pollution and ischemic stroke (IS) incidence. Methods We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study including an EP-PARTICLES cohort of 8 million inhabitants in the years...

Background: The rate of in-stent restenosis (ISR) is decreasing; however, it is still a challenge for contemporary invasive cardiologists. Therapeutic methods, including drug-eluting balloons (DEBs), intravascular lithotripsy, excimer laser coronary atherectomy, and imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (D...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide, and is associated with a significant risk of thromboembolic events. Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) has emerged as a promising alternative for patients with contraindications or intolerance to anticoagulant therapy. This review summarises the current evidence, indications, and...

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that drug-coated balloons may benefit in-stent restenosis (ISR) treatment. However, the efficacy of new-generation sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) compared with the latest generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) has not been studied in this setting. METHODS All patients in the EASTBORNE (The All-Comers Sirolimus-Coated Ba...

Background: The long-term outcomes for patients with in-stent restenosis (ISR) presenting with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) are not well studied. Aims: We aimed to investigate the outcomes for patients with drug-eluting stents (DES)-ISR and CCS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-coated balloons (DCB) or thin strut-D...

Background In recent years air pollution (AP) has become one of the most important nonclassical risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Guidelines suggest that high-risk patients should avoid regions with high AP levels, however, there is a lack of research conducted in areas with low or moderate AP concentrations. Purpose To analyze the e...

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and environmental conditions are one of its risk factors. With the ever-increasing burden of air pollution and the concomitant rise in atrial fibrillation cases, understanding and addressing this nexus holds significant implications for both clinical management and public health inte...

Introduction Exposure to air pollution (AP) is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Objective To analyze the short-term and long-term health effects of AP on the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Methods A spatio-temporal analysis was conducted on the EP-PARTICLES cohort during the years 2011-2020 (N...

Despite evidence suggesting the benefit of prophylactic regional antibiotic delivery (RAD) to sternal edges during cardiac surgery, it is seldom performed in clinical practice. The value of topical vancomycin and gentamicin for sternal wound infections (SWI) prophylaxis was further questioned by recent studies including randomized controlled trials...

Background Air pollution (AP) is linked up to 20% of cardiovascular deaths. The aim of this nationwide study was to investigate subpopulations vulnerable to AP for non-ST- (NSTEMI) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) incidence. Methods We analysed short- (lags up to seven days) and mid-term (0–30 days moving average) influence of partic...

Objective Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) concomitant to heart surgery in patients with underlying atrial fibrillation (AF) has gained attention because of long-term reduction of thromboembolic complications. As of mortality benefits in the setting of non-AF, data from both observational studies and randomized controlled trials are conflicting...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate in-hospital outcomes and long-term survival of patients undergoing cardiac surgery with preoperative atrial fibrillation (AF). We compared different strategies, including no-AF treatment, left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) alone, concomitant surgical ablation (SA) alone or both. Methods: A re...

Introduction During the last years, air pollution has emerged as an important modifiable cardiovascular risk factor. Most research focused on heavy-polluted agglomerations and big cities, neglecting its influence on cardiovascular health in smaller cities and villages. Purpose The study aimed to assess the spatio-temporal trends and the influence...

Background Polish smog is a specific type of air pollution characterized by high concentrations of particulate matters (PMs) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), which causes exceptionally adverse cardiovascular effects. In Eastern Europe, this is a problem in large cities and also small towns, where residents’ suboptimal heating choices lead to poor air qual...

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and environmental conditions are one of its risk factors. While the etiology of AF is multifactorial and includes other cardiovascular diseases like heart failure, some studies suggest that air pollution may play an important role in its development and progression. So far, they focu...

Introduction Air pollution is one of the leading environmental risk factors affecting the population worldwide. Studies so far mostly analysed urban and industrial areas excluding smaller towns and villages due to a lack of monitoring stations and recognition of these areas as potentially free from pollution. Our analysis focuses on Eastern Poland,...

Background Scores and medical calculators are important tools for planning health strategies. Air pollution is one of the main risk factors, especially for the cardiovascular system. In this study, we present and test our concept of estimating the risk associated with exposure to air pollution: Particulate Matters years index (PM-years index). Obj...

Citation: Muszyński, P.; Dąbrowski, E.J.; Pasławska, M.; Niwińska, M.; Kurasz, A.;Święczkowski, M.; Tokarewicz, J.; Kuźma, Ł.; Kożuch, M.; Dobrzycki, S. Hyperuricemia as a Risk Factor in Hypertension among Patients with Very High Cardiovascular Risk. Healthcare 2023, Abstract: Hypertension remains a global threat to public health, affecting the wor...

The study aimed to validate the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score (EuroSCORE II) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). All data were retrieved from the National Registry of Cardiac Surgery Procedures (KROK). EuroSCORE II calibration and discrimination performance was evaluated. The final cohort consisted of 44,172 pat...

Background: Despite guideline recommendations, routine application of topical antibiotic agents to sternal edges after cardiac surgery is seldom done. Recent randomized controlled trials have also questioned the effectiveness of topical vancomycin in sternal wound infection prophylaxis. Methods: We screened multiple databases for observational s...

Background: While to address moderate tricuspid regurgitation (TR) at time of left-side heart surgery is recommended by the guidelines, the procedure is still seldom performed and especially in the minimally invasive setting. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is known marker of both mortality and TR progression after mitral valve surgery. Aims: The curre...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Science Center, Poland. In Poland, more than 1.5 million people suffer from chronic heart failure (HF), and the rate of hospitalization for HF is one of the highest in Europe The risk of hospitalization of patients with HF is r...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Science Center in Poland. Background Poland is one of the most polluted countries in Europe [1]. The most polluted cities are located in the south of the country, with the main sources of pollution associated with the industri...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Science Centre Poland NCN (UMO-2021/41/B/NZ7/03716). Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and environmental conditions are one of its risk factors. The "Polish smog" that occurs in Eastern Poland -...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Science Center. Background According to WHO reports, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are responsible for almost 18 million deaths worldwide annually. The harmful effect of air pollution on human health in highly polluted regions...

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a leading cause of global mortality, while survivors are burdened with long-term neurological and cardiovascular complications. OHCA management at the hospital level remains challenging, due to heterogeneity of OHCA presentation, the critical status of OHCA patients reaching the return of spontaneous ci...

Polish smog is a specific type of air pollution present in Eastern Poland, which may cause particularly adverse cardiovascular effects. It is characterized primarily by high concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and different favorable conditions of formation. Our study aimed to assess whether PM and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) have a short-term im...

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a broadly acceptable alternative to AV surgery in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). New valve designs are becoming available to address the shortcomings of their predecessors and improve clinical outcomes. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to com...

The EP-PARTICLES study was created to assess the impact of air pollution on the health and mortality of the population of Eastern Poland. The biggest cities of the region are Lublin, Białystok, Olsztyn, Rzeszow, and Kielce, whose inhabitants constitute less than 25% of the total population of the analyzed region. The vast majority of air pollution...

Background: Over 1.5 million people in Poland suffer from heart failure (HF). The risk of hospitalization is related to environmental, socioeconomic factors and the organization of the health care system. Aims: The study aimed to assess the influence of environmental and socioeconomic factors on the prevalence of hospitalization for HF. Methods: Th...

It is well known that exceeded levels of particulate matter in the air and other air pollutants harmfully affect the cardiovascular system. Empirical analyses of the effects of these factors on stroke incidence and mortality are still limited. The main objective of our analyses was to determine the association between short-term exposure to air pol...

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent disease considerably contributing to the worldwide cardiovascular burden. For patients at high thromboembolic risk (CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc ≥3) and not suitable for chronic oral anticoagulation, owing to history of major bleeding or other contraindications, left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is indi...

Background: The aim of our study was to assess if patients with AF (atrial fibrillation) and a history of ischemic stroke (IS) excessively receive reduced doses of NOACs (non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants). Methods: The Polish AF (POL-AF) registry is a prospective, observational, multicenter study, including patients with AF from 10 c...

Rapid scoring systems validated in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) may be useful beyond their original purpose. Our aim was to assess the utility of CHA2DS2-VASc, HAS–BLED, and 2MACE scores in predicting long-term mortality in the population of the Białystok Coronary Project, including AF patients. The initial study population consisted of 7...

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) can be a valuable indicator of non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) among older patients indicated for elective coronary angiography (CAG). Appropriate stratification of AF patients is crucial for avoiding unnecessary complications. The objective of this study was to identify independent predictors that c...

Background Data regarding management of patients with unprotected left main coronary artery in-stent restenosis (LM-ISR) are scarce.Objectives This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) vs. coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for the treatment of unprotected LM-ISR.Methods Consecutive patient...

Background: There is limited data on the optimal revascularization strategy in patients with recurrent in-stent restenosis (R-ISR). Aims: To compare the long-term outcomes of patients treated with either a thin-strut DES (thin-DES) or a drug-eluting balloon (DEB) for R-ISR in a drug-eluting stent (DES). Methods: A multicenter DEB-DRAGON regist...

Background: Whereas the efficacy and safety of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) have been confirmed in de novo calcified coronary lesions, little is known about its utility in treating stent underexpansion. This study aimed to investigate the impact of IVL in treating stent underexpansion. Methods and results: Consecutive patients with stent unde...

Background Significant changes in the coronary vessels are not confirmed in a large proportion of patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. Aims The present study aimed to determine correlates and independent predictors of nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in older adults referred for elective coronary angiography. Methods A cross-s...

Coronary artery ectasias (CAE) are diffuse dilatations of coronary artery segments with a diameter 1.5 times greater than the largest adjacent normal segment of the vessel. They are found in 0.3–5.0% of coronary angiography. Risk factors for CAE include atherosclerosis, previous percutaneous coronary interventions, arterial inflammation and connect...

Background Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) constitutes about 10% of the cases of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). It is a working diagnosis and requires further diagnostics to determine the cause of ACS. Methods In this study, 178 patients were initially diagnosed with MINOCA over a period of 3 years at the Depa...

Data on the clinical outcomes comparing synthetic fluorocarbon polymer polytetrafluoroethylene- (PTFE, GraftMaster) and polyurethane- (Papyrus) covered stents (CSs) to seal coronary artery perforations (CAPs) are limited. We aimed to evaluate 30-day and 1-year clinical outcomes after PCI complicated by CAP and treated with CS. We assessed 106 conse...

Over the next decades, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is estimated to double. Our aim was to investigate the causes of the long-term mortality in relation to the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). The analysed population consisted of 7367 consecutive patients referred for elective coronary angiogr...

Background Recent studies have reported associations between air pollution and daily mortality. The majority of them are conducted in highly polluted areas. Taking into consideration the scarce number of surveys from cities with moderate air quality we decided to conduct a study in this type of region. Purpose To assess the short-term impact of ai...

Previous studies conducted in highly polluted areas have reported associations between air pollution and daily mortality. The Green Lungs of Poland are characterized by unique natural features and a moderate pollution level. We aimed to assess the short-term impact of air pollution on cardiovascular (CVD)-, acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-, and cereb...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) symptoms may mimic coronary artery disease (CAD) which reflects the difficulties in qualifying AF patients for invasive diagnostics. A substantial number of coronary angiographies may be unnecessary or even put patients at risk of post-contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI), especially patients with chronic kidney disease (C...

Background Data regarding the use of percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting balloons (DEB) versus thin-strut drug-eluting stents (thin-DES) for treating DES in-stent restenosis in everyday clinical practice is scarce. Our goal was to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of DEB versus thin-DES in DES in-stent restenosis. Methods C...

Background/aims: Anemia of chronic disease is a common feature in diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Hepcidin is the key element involved in iron metabolism; however, studies on new indices of iron status are still ongoing. The aim of the study was to assess novel iron parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in relation to kidney fu...

Air pollution contributes to the premature death of approximately 428,000 citizens of Europe every year. The adverse effects of air pollution can be observed in respiratory, circulatory systems but also in renal function. We decide to investigate the hypothesis indicating that we can observe not only long-but also short-term impact of air pollution...

Background Data regarding the clinical outcomes of covered stents (CSs) used to seal coronary artery perforations (CAPs) in the all-comer population are scarce. The aim of the CRACK Registry was to evaluate the procedural, 30-days and 1-year outcomes after CAP treated by CS implantation. Methods This multicenter all-comer registry included data of...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Air pollution contributes to the premature death of approximately 428,000 citizens of Europe every year. The adverse effects of air pollution can be observed not only in respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems but also in renal function. Purpose Our goal was to investigate...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background The short-term effect of air pollution on cardiovascular mortality is well-documented but a scarce number of studies focus on cause-specific mortality in low-polluted areas. Purpose We decided to distinguish deaths due to cerebrovascular disease (CbVD) from a region widely known a...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are the leading cause of death all over the world, in the last years chronobiology of their occurrence has been changing. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the influence of climate change on hospital admissions due to ACS. Methods Medical...

Background: The short-term effect of air pollution on cardiovascular mortality is well-documented but a scarce number of studies focus on cause-specific mortality in low-polluted areas. Purpose: We decided to distinguish deaths due to cerebrovascular disease (CbVD) from a region widely known as the Green Lungs of Poland to assess the short-term eff...

Introduction Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are the leading cause of death all over the world. In the last years, the chronobiology of their occurrence has been changing. Material and methods Medical records of 10,529 patients hospitalized for ACS in the Medical University of Bialystok, in 2008–2017, were examined. Weather conditions data for Bial...

Background There is a lack of studies directly comparing the effect of air pollution on acute coronary syndrome (ACS) occurrence in industrial and non-industrial areas. Objectives A comparison of association of air pollution exposure with ACS in two cohorts of industrially different areas. Materials and methods The study covered 6,000,000 person-...

Patient: Female, 62-year-old Final Diagnosis: Takotsubo syndrome Symptoms: Chest pain Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Coronarography Specialty: Cardiology • Oncology Objective Unknown ethiology Background The main causes for takotsubo syndrome (TS) in oncological patients are stress related to cancer diagnosis and treatment, pain in the course...

Introduction: Air pollution contributes to the premature death of approximately 428,000 citizens of Europe every year. The adverse effects of air pollution can be observed not only in respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems but also in renal function. Aim: Our goal was to investigate the hypothesis indicating that we can observe the long-term...

Background. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Many studies have reported an association between serum uric acid (sUA) and CVD, and its role as a risk marker for mortality. Objectives. To assess the relationship between sUA levels and the long-term prognosis of patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarctio...

Background Recent studies have reported associations between air pollution and daily mortality. The majority of them are conducted in highly polluted areas. Taking into consideration the scarce number of surveys from cities with moderate air quality we decided to conduct a study in this type of region. Aim To assess the short-term impact of air po...

IntroductionValvular heart diseases (VHD) are becoming a significant problem in the Polish population. Coexistence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with VHD increases the risk of death and affects further therapeutic strategy.AimAnalysis impact of CKD on long-term prognosis in patients with VHD.Material and methodsThe inclusion criteria...

Introduction Air pollution is considered to be one of the main risk factors for public health, in particular its impact on the disorders of the pulmonary and cardiovascular system and the related mortality. Purpose This study was carried out to assess the influence of the atmospheric conditions and air pollutants on mortality in the population of...