[Changes in reperfusion strategies in the acute phase of myocardial infarction from 1988 to 2001]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the evolution of therapeutic strategies in the course of myocardial infarction. Two successive periods were studied: 1988/96 (700 patients) and 1996/2001 (700 patients). The following parameters were compared: patient characteristics, management methods, and results on the hospital morbidity and mortality. The patient characteristics were little changed, in terms of age and sex, with a drop in the frequency of anterior infarcts during the second period (46 vs 51%, p = 0.0001). The average delay to admission remained stable over both periods, 186 vs 189 min. During the second period, primary angioplasty was favoured (66 versus 44%, p = 0.0001), associated with a wider use of stents (47 against 4%, p = 0.0001) and anti GP IIb/IIIa (24 against 0.5%, p = 0.0001). In the acute phase, TIMI3 reperfusion was obtained in 81% of cases (88/96 period) against 88% during the second period (p = 0.02). The hospital mortality was reduced by 1.2% (8.9 against 7.7%, NS). Without cardiogenic shock, the mortality was comparable between the two groups (5%), whereas it diminished in the small group of patients (5%) in cardiogenic shock, from 76 to 66% (NS). Haemorrhagic complications were reduced, but the rate of symptomatic reocclusion remained stable (2.5%). With multivariate analysis, the independent predictive mortality factors were identical in the two groups: age and cardiogenic shock on admission. Currently, TIMI3 reperfusion is possible in close to 90% of patients in the acute phase of infarction. Our efforts should focus on earlier management, especially for older patients, too often excluded without reason, and for those in cardiogenic shock, which constitutes a therapeutic quest for the future. The theory of angioplasty facilitated by anti GP IIb/IIIa and/or prehospital thrombolysis must be evaluated scientifically with the goal of early and efficient reperfusion for the greatest number of patients.

[Femoral artery hemostasis after coronary angioplasty with moderate dose of heparin]

Early retraction of the arterial introducer facilitates patient management after coronary angioplasty. Closure systems permit rapid haemostasis, but are costly and do not avoid all serious vascular complications. Moderate doses of heparin, used often at the moment, could allow immediate retraction of the introducer with rapid and safe haemostasis by manual compression.

METHODS

We evaluated prospectively in 350 consecutive patients the safety and efficacy of immediate retraction of the 6F introducer after coronary angioplasty performed by the femoral route with a moderate dose of heparin (70 IU. kg-1). Only procedures during acute infarction or using abciximab electively were excluded.

RESULTS

Retraction of the introducer was immediate in 340 patients (97%). The dose of heparin administered was 5300 +/- 800 IU and the compression time was 11 +/- 4 minutes. The activated clotting time at retraction of the introducer was 254 +/- 46 s. Six (1.7%) serious vascular complications (4 significant haematomas and 2 false aneurysms) were noted during the hospital phase. A single patient (0.6%) was transfused and no vascular surgical procedure was necessary. The average duration of stay after angioplasty was 2.6 +/- 2.2 days and 73% of patients left before 48 hours.

CONCLUSION

Immediate retraction of the arterial introducer is possible with simple manual compression, after coronary angioplasty performed with a moderate dose of heparin.

[Myocardial revascularization at the acute phase of myocardial infarction in the octogenarian]

Elderly patients are at high risk of complications in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In this population, myocardial reperfusion at the acute phase improves the prognostic. The mortality rate is above 50% in the absence of reperfusion strategy, and decreases at less than 20% in case of such treatment. The thrombolytic use is limited in those patients, coronary angioplasty is taking an important place in this reperfusion therapy, but is not well evaluated in patients older than 80 years. Prospective registry of patients older than 80 years admitted in Hôpital Bichat for acute myocardial infarction within the first 6 hours (n = 92), between 1990 january to 1999 december. Eight patients (10%) received a thrombolytic therapy. Coronary angiogram was achieved in eighty patients (87%). In 58 (63%) patients a coronary angioplasty was performed. The success rate of the coronary angioplasty was 86%. In-hospital mortality rate was 26% (death in 24 patients), 20% in the absence of cardiogenic shock and 62% when this complication was noted. Two patients (2%) were treated by emergent coronary artery bypass surgery. The results comparison between the periods of 1990 to 95 and 1955 to 99 showed, a real trend of decrease mortality rate (28 to 13% in the absence of cardiogenic shock, p = 0.10), an increase of the proportion of patients treated by angioplasty. These results are more and more encouraging. Coronary reperfusion by primary angioplasty in possible in patients older than 80 years with a low rate of complications. Technical progress such as stents and GpIIb/IIIa inhibitors must be evaluated in this population.

[Unstable angina in the elderly]

Unstable angina and acute coronary syndromes without persistent ST-segment elevation are frequent and their prognosis is poor in the elderly. Indeed, age is the most powerful predictor of in-hospital mortality in this setting. The clinical benefit of interventional strategies, as demonstrated by FRISC II and TACTICS TIMI 18 studies, seems to be most important in this age subset. PURSUIT trial demonstrates that the efficacy of eptifibatide, a IIb/IIIa platelet receptor inhibitor, increases in elderly patients who simultaneously undergo revascularization interventions. Individual application of such treatment strategies may be difficult. Potential triggering factors of unstable angina and comorbidities have to be taken into account, and the overall management should be highly individualized in elderly patients. The aim remains to achieve appropriate myocardial revascularization, as often as possible by focusing coronary angioplasty on the culprit vessel. Coronary surgery generally should be reserved for coronary lesions which are not suitable for percutaneous revascularization. Clinical improvement is maximal in patients with severe initial presentation.

[Revision of the "Smoker's Paradox": smoking is not a good prognostic factor immediately after myocardial infarction]

In order to determine the reasons for the low mortality after myocardial infarction in smokers compared with non-smokers (the smoker's paradox), the authors analysed the initial clinical data, the therapeutic interventions and hospital mortality in 790 consecutive patients (555 smokers, 235 non-smokers) admitted to hospital within 6 hours of the first symptoms of acute myocardial infarction and treated by intravenous thrombolytic agents and/or coronary angioplasty. Multivariate analysis with linear regression was used to identify the predictive factors of hospital mortality. The main differences between smokers and non-smokers were age (56 vs 67 years, p < 0.0001), gender (male, 90 vs 60%, p < 0.01), cardiogenic shock on admission (3 vs 8%, p < 0.01). TIMI 3 flow was obtained in the culprit artery in 84% of smokers and 79% of non-smokers (NS). Hospital mortality was 5% in the smoking population and 16% in non-smokers (p < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, the variables of cardiogenic shock, age, gender and hypertension provided most of the prognostic information and tobacco consumption did not appear to have a protective effect. In patients admitted to hospital with acute myocardial infarction, identical incidences of early reperfusion are obtained in smokers and in non-smokers. However, mortality is higher in the non-smoking group due to more severe clinical characteristics on admission. Tobacco consumption is not a protective factor in the immediate period after acute myocardial infarction.

ST-segment elevation in precordial leads: anterior or right ventricular myocardial infarction?

Isolated acute right ventricular (RV) infarction is rare, and ECG diagnosis may be difficult. We report two cases of acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation in anterior precordial leads caused by such an RV involvement. Potential mechanisms for the relationship are given.

Reperfusion syndrome: relationship of coronary blood flow reserve to left ventricular function and infarct size

OBJECTIVES

We tested the hypothesis that the reperfusion syndrome (RS), defined as an additional elevation of the ST segment upon reperfusion, may be a marker of microcirculatory reperfusion injury during acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

BACKGROUND

The pathophysiology of the RS is unknown, and its prognostic implications are controversial.

METHODS

Twenty-one patients with an anterior AMI treated < or =12 h after onset by primary coronary angioplasty (PTCA) were studied. Coronary velocity reserve (CVR), an index of microcirculatory function, was measured using a Doppler guidewire. Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, infarct size (percent defect) and LV end-systolic volume index (LVESVi) were evaluated by radionuclide ventriculography, 201T1 single-photon emission computed tomography and contrast ventriculography, respectively.

RESULTS

Baseline ST elevation and pain-to-TIMI 3 time were similar in patients with and without RS. Patients with RS (10/21) had a lower post-PTCA CVR than patients without RS (median [95% confidence interval]: 1.2 [1-1.3] vs. 1.6 [1.5-1.7], p < 0.005). Even though predischarge CVR was similar in the two groups, infarct size at six weeks (26 [21 to 37] vs. 14 [10-17]% 201T1 defect, p = 0.001) and predischarge LVESVi (45% [40 to 52] vs. 30% [29 to 38] mL/m2, p = 0.001) were larger, and LV ejection fraction at six weeks (40% [37 to 46] vs. 55% [50 to 60], p = 0.004) was lower in patients with RS than in patients without RS.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with RS during primary PTCA for an anterior AMI have a transiently lower CVR than patients without RS, but sustained LV dysfunction and larger infarct size, suggesting that RS is a marker of microcirculatory reperfusion injury.

Decreased no-reflow in patients with anterior myocardial infarction and pre-infarction angina

AIMS

Pre-infarction angina is associated with better outcome after myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to assess whether pre-infarction angina is associated with decreased no-reflow after coronary recanalization.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Twenty-three patients underwent intracoronary myocardial contrast echocardiography during the acute phase of anterior myocardial infarction after successful recanalization, and before hospital discharge. Myocardial perfusion was graded semi-quantitatively in the area at risk (dyssynergic segments). Global left ventricular function was assessed by radionuclide angiography on days 8 and 42 and regional wall motion was assessed by 2D echocardiography on days 0 and 42. Fourteen patients had pre-infarction angina (angina less than 7 days before myocardial infarction) and nine did not. Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. The myocardial contrast echocardiography perfusion score in the area at risk after recanalization was higher in the patients with pre-infarction angina than in those without (0.72 +/- 0.19 vs 0.53 +/- 0.22, P=0.04), and the incidence of no-reflow (myocardial contrast echocardiography perfusion score < or =0.5) was lower (14% vs 56%, P=0.04). This difference persisted 8 +/- 2 days after myocardial infarction (0. 87 +/- 0.11 vs 0.69 +/- 0.26, P=0.04), and was associated with greater mid-term (day 42) improvement in left ventricular function in patients with pre-infarction angina than in those without, as assessed by changes in radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction (+5.8 +/- 8.1% vs -3.3 +/- 4.6%, respectively;P=0.01) and by changes in regional wall motion score on 2D echocardiography (-0. 61 +/- 0.39 vs -0.24 +/- 0.17, respectively;P=0.04).

CONCLUSION

Pre-infarction angina is associated with preservation of the microvasculature, reflected by reduced no-reflow. This may be a mechanism underlying greater recovery of left ventricular function in patients with pre-infarction angina.

[Angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction]

Primary PTCA has become a common method for achieving recanalization of the infarct vessel in acute myocardial infarction. The excellent results of large randomised trials comparing it to intravenous thrombolysis however have not been consistently duplicated in large registries reflecting clinical practice in the real world. Therefore, there is a need for critical and careful assessment of angioplasty performance, specifically criteria related to operator and center volume as well as the ability to implement angioplasty rapidly after diagnosis. It has been specifically established that intra-hospital delays in the time to balloon angioplasty are associated with clear increases in mortality rates. It is therefore necessary to implement quality insurance programs to continuously monitor centers using primary PTCA as their reperfusion method of choice. Recent studies have demonstrated that stents and adjuvant pharmacological therapies, specially GpIIb/IIIa antagonists are associated with improved results. Despite the high patency rates achieved with angioplasty, a consistent series of experimental and clinical observations indicate that the quality of myocardial reperfusion downstream of the epicardial coronary vessel is a critical determinant of prognosis. Specifically, no-reflow, which can be ascertained using perfusion imaging techniques, but also indirectly, using the electrocardiogram, is an ominous element. The challenge of the coming years will be to test effective preventive or curative treatments for no-reflow.

["Early repolarization". The diagnostic pitfall of an atypical form of ST elevation]

The authors report the case of a coloured man who was treated with intravenous thrombolysis for chest pain and "atypical" ST elevation related to early repolarisation. The interest of this case is to underline the electrocardiographic criteria of early repolarisation and to propose, in appropriate conditions of management, emergency coronary angiography in patients with an uncertain diagnosis of infarct-like chest pain associated with suspicious electrocardiographic changes.

Elevated cardiac troponin I predicts a high-risk angiographic anatomy of the culprit lesion in unstable angina

BACKGROUND

This study assessed the relation between the angiographic appearance of the culprit lesion and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) or C-reactive protein (CRP) elevations within the first 24 hours in unstable angina. Intracoronary thrombus or a complex morphology, is frequently observed on angiography in patients with unstable angina and is associated with a higher rate of spontaneous or coronary angioplasty-related complications. Biochemical parameters related to myocardial injury (eg, cTnI) or to systemic inflammation (eg, CRP) are known prognostic markers for clinical outcome and may help in angiographic risk stratification to provide new adjunctive therapy.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We studied 100 patients admitted for unstable angina with angiographically proven coronary artery disease (with normal creatine kinase [CK] and CK-MB mass). Serum concentrations of cTnI (N < 0.4 ng/mL) and CRP (N < 3 mg/L) were measured at admission and 12 and 24 hours later. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated cTnI (>/=0.4 ng/mL) within 24 hours (35 patients) was an independent predictor of an angiographic appearance of the culprit lesion carrying a high risk of major cardiac events in the outcome and whether angioplasty is attempted (coronary thrombus, occlusion, or type C lesions; odds ratio 4.1, 1. 6 to 10.5). cTnI levels at admission and CRP at 0, 12, and 24 hours were not predictive of high-risk angiographic anatomy.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with unstable angina and angiographically proven coronary artery disease, increased cTnI within 24 hours of admission but not increased CRP is associated with an angiographic appearance of the culprit lesion carrying a high risk of complication, especially in the event of angioplasty.

A matched comparison of the combination of prehospital thrombolysis and standby rescue angioplasty with primary angioplasty

This study sought to assess the rate of acute Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) trial grade 3 patency that can be achieved with the combination of prehospital thrombolysis and standby rescue angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction. No large angiographic study has been performed after prehospital thrombolysis to determine the 90-minute TIMI 3 patency rate in the infarct-related artery. Hospital outcome and artery patency were compared to 170 matched patients treated with primary angioplasty. Prehospital thrombolysis was applied 151+/-61 minutes after the onset of pain in 170 patients (56+/-12 years, 86% men), using recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator, streptokinase, or eminase. Emergency 90-minute angiography was performed in every case. All patients in whom thrombolysis failed underwent rescue angioplasty. After thrombolysis alone, TIMI grade 3 flow in the infarct-related artery was observed in 108 patients (64%), TIMI grade 2 in 12 (7%), and TIMI grade 0 or 1 in 50 (29%). Rescue angioplasty was successful in 47 of 50 attempts. Overall, TIMI 3 patency was achieved in 91%, and additionally TIMI 2 flow in 7% of patients, an average of 113+/-39 minutes after thrombolysis and 55+19 minutes after admission. Therefore, < 2 hours after thrombolysis, only 2% of patients had persistent occlusion (TIMI 0 or 1) of the infarct-related artery. In-hospital mortality was 4% overall (7 of 170), and 3% in the 155 patients in whom TIMI 3 was obtained during the acute phase. Severe hemorrhagic complications occurred in 14 patients (8%) with 2 fatal cerebral hemorrhages (7% of patients required transfusions). The matched comparison with primary PTCA showed no significant difference in hospital outcome. Combined prehospital thrombolysis, 90-minute angiography, and rescue angioplasty yield a high rate of acute TIMI 3 patency rate early after thrombolysis and hospital admission. A randomized, prospective comparison between these 2 reperfusion strategies may be now warranted.

Comparison of the prognostic value of C-reactive protein and troponin I in patients with unstable angina pectoris

This study assessed the prognostic value of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in unstable angina, and specifically in patients with angiographically proven coronary artery disease. These biochemical parameters, which are related to myocardial injury or to systemic inflammation, may help in short-term risk stratification of unstable angina. We prospectively studied 195 patients with unstable angina, 100 of whom had angiographically proven coronary artery disease (with normal creatine kinase [CK] and CK-MB mass). Serum concentrations of cTnI (N < 0.4 ng/ml) and CRP (N < 3 mg/L) were measured at admission, 12, and 24 hours later. The rate of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (death, myocardial infarction, or emergency revascularization) was higher in patients with increased cTnI within the first 24 hours, regardless of the results of coronary angiography (23% vs 7%; p < 0.001). Conversely, events occurred at similar rates in patients with or without increased CRP. In patients with angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease, multivariate analysis showed that increased cTnI within 24 hours of admission (35 patients) was an independent predictor of major adverse cardiac events (odds ratio 6.7, range 1.7 to 27.3), but not cTnI levels at admission and CRP at 0, 12, and 24 hours. Thus, both in unselected patients with unstable angina and in patients with angiographically proven coronary artery disease, increased cTnI within 24 hours of admission, but not CRP, is a predictor of in-hospital clinical outcome. We also found a temporal link between cTnI increase and late elevation of CRP, suggesting that systemic inflammation may partially be a consequence of myocardial injury.

Incidence, consequences, and risk factors of early reocclusion after primary and/or rescue percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) achieves high patency rates. Conversely, it has been shown that after thrombolysis, early reocclusion of the infarct-related artery (IRA) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The aim of this retrospective study was to study the incidence, prognostic implications, and clinical risk factors for in-hospital reocclusion of the IRA after successful emergency PTCA for AMI. We studied 399 consecutive patients (aged 59+/-14 years, 52% with anterior wall infarction) admitted <6 hours after AMI onset, of whom 374 (94%) were successfully treated with primary (n = 297) or rescue (n = 77) PTCA, with a stenting rate of 8%. Predischarge angiography was performed in 306 (82%). Early reocclusion of the IRA occurred in 28 patients (9%) and was silent in 6 (2%). The reocclusion rate was 10% for primary PTCA and 8% for rescue PTCA (p = NS). Twenty-two of 28 patients (6%) underwent repeat emergency coronary angiography because of early recurrent ischemia and most (n = 18) were treated with emergency PTCA. Early recurrent ischemia occurred mostly (86%) within 5 days of AMI onset. There was a higher prevalence of on-site hemorrhage (18% vs 5%, p = 0.007), blood transfusion (11% vs 2%, p = 0.01), pulmonary edema (21% vs 4%, p <0.01), and in-hospital death (21% vs 1%, p = 0.0001) in patients with predischarge reocclusion. On multivariate analysis, cardiogenic shock on admission and absence of dyslipidemia were strong and independent predictors (p = 0.01) of IRA reocclusion. In conclusion, early reocclusion after emergency PTCA occurred in 9% of the patients and was associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. This warrants attempts to decrease its incidence, e.g., with more frequent use of stents.

Hospital outcome after bailout coronary stenting in patients with acute myocardial infarction

We evaluated the outcome of bailout coronary stenting in acute myocardial infarction. Fifty patients (35 men, mean age 60 plusmn; 12) with acute myocardial infarction consecutively underwent bailout stenting after primary and rescue coronary angioplasty (n=41 and 9, respectively). Cardiogenic shock was present in six patients, and 17 others had contraindications to thrombolysis. Stent implantation was successful in 49/50 patients. The antithrombotic regimen combined heparin, aspirin, and ticlopidine. One patient had symptomatic stent closure. Predischarge angiography in 41/44 survivors showed widely patent stents in 40/41 patients. Six patients (4 of whom had been admitted with cardiogenic shock) died in the hospital. During acute myocardial infarction, bailout stenting can achieve high TIMI grade 3 coronary patency (here, 92%), and low acute stent closure rates (here, 2%). However, in-hospital mortality remained high, at nearly 10%, mainly due to the severe risk profile in this patient subset.

Heterogeneity of prognosis in patient subsets treated by primary coronary angioplasty during acute myocardial infarction

Among 377 patients consecutively treated with primary coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction, in-hospital mortality was higher in patients ineligible than in patients eligible for thrombolysis (14.4% vs 7.8%, p <0.05). It remained dismal (75.9%) in patients with cardiogenic shock, but was similar in lytic-eligible patients and in those who were ineligible because of an increased bleeding risk (7.8% vs 7.2%, p = NS), and was zero in patients with nondiagnostic electrocardiograms.

[Acute myocardial infarction. Experiences of the referral network of the Beaujon and Bichat hospitals (with the collaboration of the Emergency Medical and Resuscitation Service of Beaujon)]

OBJECTIVES

Hospital management of acute myocardial infarction raises many problems in terms of medical care and organization, especially concerning the use or not of emergency corongraphy and angiography. We assessed the pertinence and consequences of a referral network operating between two cardiology units at the Beaujon and Bichat hospitals in Paris. All interventional procedures were performed at the Bichat unit. Prehospital emergency care units were integrated into the exprience and informed of indications for first line coronarography.

METHODS

All cases of myocardial infarction admitted within 6 hours to the two units between 1993 to 1996 were analyzed and compared.

RESULTS

Indications for referral from Beaujon to Bichat for emergency coronarography and possible angioplasy declined from 21% in 1993 to 10% in 1996. This decline was particularly noteworthy for first intention indications suggesting improved prehospital selection since the number of cases of acute myocardial infarction admitted to Beaujon remained unchanged. Certain patient characteristics differed between the two units: age (68.4 +/- 12.9 years at Beaujon versus 60.5 +/- 13.6 years at Bichat in 1996, p < 0.01) and reperfusion attempts (73% versus 90% in 1996 respectively, p < 0.01). The rate of fatal and non-fatal events were not different: 40 and 40% at Beaujon and 38 and 28% at Bichat in 1993 and 1996 respectively.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate that a management network can operate effectively between two hospital cardiology units and emergency care structures, allowing better patient selection for emergency coronography and possible angioplasty.

Efficacy of streptokinase, but not tissue-type plasminogen activator, in achieving 90-minute patency after thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction decreases with time to treatment. PERM Study Group. Prospective Evaluation of Reperfusion Markers

OBJECTIVES

We sought to examine the relation between time to treatment and 90-min patency rates in patients receiving intravenous streptokinase (SK) or accelerated tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA).

BACKGROUND

Early patency of the infarct-related artery is a major determinant of survival after thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction. Some data suggest that time to treatment may influence the efficacy of nonfibrin-specific thrombolytic agents in restoring early patency of the infarct-related vessel.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of a cohort of 481 patients receiving thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction <6 h after pain onset, all of whom underwent 90-min coronary angiography. Patency of the infarct-related artery was graded by two observers who had no knowledge of the treatment received or the time between pain and therapy.

RESULTS

There was no difference in baseline clinical or angiographic characteristics according to the timing or nature of treatment. Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade 2 or 3 patency rate after SK correlated negatively with the time between onset of pain and thrombolysis (r = 0.8, p = 0.05), whereas the 90-min patency rate after t-PA appeared stable as a function of time to treatment. When patients were categorized as having received treatment <3 or > or = 3 h after pain onset, the patency rate was similar with t-PA, but significantly higher when SK was administered early rather than late, regardless of whether TIMI flow grades 2 and 3 were pooled (86.9% vs. 59.4%, p = 0.0001) or TIMI flow grade 3 alone was considered to indicate patency (81.7% vs. 53.6%, p = 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a negative effect of time to treatment on the patency probability for SK (p = 0.0001) but not for t-PA.

CONCLUSIONS

The efficacy of streptokinase but not t-PA in restoring early coronary patency after intravenous thrombolysis is markedly lower when patients are treated later after onset of pain.

[Prognostic significance of early raised cardiac troponine I in unstable angina. Contribution to the identification of a high-risk sub-group]

The authors compared the clinical and angiographic characteristics of 44 patients with unstable angina according to cardiac Troponine I concentrations (TnIc) during early blood sampling and then tried to determine a threshold value to predic the occurrence of cardiac events during the hospital period and after 12 months. Tnlc, creatinine-kinase (CK), CK-MB activity and CK-MB mass were sampled over 48 hours. Forty-five per cent of patients had TnIc > or = 0.1 microgram/L; CK-MB activity and CK-MB mass were detected in 16 and 32% of patients. Age, gender, classification and recurrence of angina, previous cardiac history, risk factors, coronary angiographic appearances were comparable in patients with and without raised TnIc. No major cardiac events occurred during the hospital period in either group. The number of angioplasties and coronary bypass procedures was also comparable. At one year, the incidence of myocardial infarction (N = 4) and death (N = 5) was significantly different in patients with raised Tnlc (33% versus 0% in patients without increased TnIc). However, betablocker therapy was less prescribed in the group with the poorest outcomes and left ventricular dysfunction was also significantly more common in this group. Early elevation of Tnlc could contribute to the identification of a high risk subgroup of patients with unstable angina.

[Evaluation of the cost of a systematic early reperfusion of the infarction artery by primary or salvage angioplasty]

In order to evaluate the cost of a strategy designed to ensure a maximal early patency rate of the coronary artery responsible for acute myocardial infarction, we retrospectively studied 112 unselected, consecutive patients, treated during the 6 hours following onset of symptoms, either by intravenous thrombolysis (group 1, n = 57) followed by coronary angiography at the 90 th minute, and if necessary rescue angioplasty, or by primary angioplasty (group 2, n = 49), or finally by simple conventional medical treatment (group 3, contraindications to thrombolysis and catheterization, n = 6). The costs of medical treatment were expressed as standard mean costs, and were compared with total hospital expenditure. The overall hospital mortality was 8.0%: 3.5% in group 1, 8.2% in group 2, and 50% in group 3. The total cost of medical procedures during the initial hospital stay was 16,684 F, identical in groups 1 and 2 (17,985 F and 16,780 F, respectively). Total hospital expenditure was 36,254 F, with no significant difference between groups 1 and 2 (34,086 F and 41,670 F, respectively), despite a tendency towards a higher cost in group 2. This tendency reflected that of a longer hospital stay for patients in group 2, due to their more severe condition, but the proportion of medical cost within the total hospital expenditure was lower than in group 1 (40% and 53%, respectively). After one year of follow-up, only one other death from a cardiac cause was reported: the supplementary expenditure amounted to 14,617 F. This maximal reperfusion strategy during the acute phase of myocardial infarction achieved a low hospital mortality and one-year mortality, without a marked excess medical cost compared to previously published estimations. Primary angioplasty appears to have allowed a certain reduction of this cost compared to thrombolysis, but the heterogeneity of the study population does not allow direct comparison of the costs of the 2 reperfusion methods. One half of the total expenditure remains directly dependent on the duration of the hospital stay.

Sex-related differences in eligibility for reperfusion therapy and in-hospital outcome after acute myocardial infarction

AIMS

To determine the effect of sex on reperfusion therapy and early mortality after acute myocardial infarction.

METHODS

We analysed the characteristics, the reperfusion interventions, and in-hospital mortality in 400 consecutive patients (320 men and 80 women) admitted during the first 6 h of acute myocardial infarction and treated by primary angioplasty, or intravenous thrombolysis with rescue angioplasty.

RESULTS

The differences between men and women were age (57 vs 67 years, P = 0.001), systemic hypertension (33 vs 50%, P = 0.02), cigarette smoking (79 vs 30%, P = 0.0001) and contraindications to thrombolysis (28.5 vs 42.5%, P = 0.02). Successful reperfusion of the infarct-related artery was achieved in 84% of patients of both sexes. In-hospital mortality was 7.2% in men and 18.7% in women (P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis was performed by linear logistic regression in order to compare several embedded models, using repeated maximum likelihood ratio tests. The best model involved the variables of cardiogenic shock and age. Addition of the variable 'sex' did not improve the predictive power of this model (P > 0.5).

CONCLUSION

During acute myocardial infarction, similar successful early reperfusion rates can be achieved in men and women, despite the lower eligibility of women for thrombolytic therapy. Although in-hospital mortality was higher in women than men, the best predictive model of mortality was the combination of age and cardiogenic shock. Therefore, sex does not appear to be an independent predictor of mortality.

Revascularization of patients with unstable coronary artery disease: the case for early intervention

In unstable angina, there are data to suggest a substantial risk of recurrent ischemia, infarction, and death when early angiography and/or revascularization have been deferred. Conversely, it has been suggested that early angiography and revascularization are more dangerous than deferred procedures. Critical review of the literature, however, suggests that there is no specific risk inherent in early intervention, but rather that patients who cannot wait are at higher risk anyway. The most valuable data on the comparison of an "early invasive" and a "conservative" strategy in unstable angina come from the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Ischemia (TIMI) IIIB study. The results show no major difference in outcome between groups (despite a high intervention rate in the conservative group), but a shorter hospital stay, lower drug use, and fewer rehospitalizations in the group treated according to the early invasive strategy. These results have been interpreted as favoring early intervention, due to the potential for a shorter hospital stay (a major determinant of cost in many countries) because of the possibility of achieving complete diagnosis and treatment within several days of admission, with good results. In addition, since the inception of the TIMI IIIB study, there have been major improvements in the field of angioplasty, such as the increased use of stents and the availability of safe and effective glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa inhibitors. Thus, the pathophysiology, the excellent results of early intervention, and the recent improvements in angioplasty and its medical and pharmacologic environment, provide a strong rationale for early intervention.

Conservative management of patients with acute myocardial infarction and spontaneous acute patency of the infarct-related artery

The role of systematic emergency percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in patients with spontaneous reperfusion during myocardial infarction is debated. We retrospectively examined the inhospital outcome of 47 consecutive patients with myocardial infarction < 6 hours and angiographically proven spontaneous patency of the infarct artery managed without initial PTCA. There was one death (2.1%) and no incidence of reinfarction. Predischarge angiography showed regression of the culprit coronary lesion to < 50% stenosis in 23% of the patients, therefore obviating the need for PTCA. However, 17% of the patients had acute recurrent ischemia, requiring emergency intervention in 10.6%. Comparison with matched patients in whom Thrombolysis in Myocardial infarction grade 3 patency was achieved by thrombolysis or by primary PTCA showed that patients with spontaneous patency tended to have smaller infarctions, as judged from a lower peak creatine kinase level (1132 +/- 1002, 2051 +/- 1536, and 2715 +/- 2146 i.u., respectively; p = 0.001) and a higher left ventricular ejection fraction (56.4%, 47.9%, and 48.7% respectively; p = 0.02). In conclusion, these patients have an excellent inhospital outcome, with evidence of less myocardial damage than in patients in whom reperfusion therapy was required to achieve TIMI 3 patency. Initial conservative treatment appears safe.

Can we provide reperfusion therapy to all unselected patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction?

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to assess the maximal rate of acute Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 3 patency that can be achieved in unselected patients.

BACKGROUND

Early and complete (TIMI grade 3 flow) reperfusion is an important therapeutic goal during acute myocardial infarction. However, thrombolysis, although widely used, is often contraindicated or ineffective. The selective use of primary and rescue percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) may increase the number of patients receiving reperfusion therapy.

METHODS

A cohort of 500 consecutive unselected patients with acute myocardial infarction were prospectively treated using a patency-oriented scheme: Thrombolysis-eligible patients received thrombolysis (n = 257) and underwent 90-min angiography to detect persistent occlusion for treatment with rescue PTCA. Emergency PTCA (n = 193) was attempted in patients with contraindications to thrombolysis, cardiogenic shock or uncertain diagnosis and in a subset of patients admitted under "ideal conditions." A small group of patients (n = 38) underwent acute angiography without PTCA. Conventional medical therapy was used in 12 patients with contraindications to both thrombolysis and PTCA.

RESULTS

Ninety-eight percent of patients received reperfusion therapy (thrombolysis, PTCA or acute angiography), and angiographically proven early TIMI grade 3 patency was achieved in 78%. Among patients with TIMI grade 3 patency, thrombolysis alone was the strategy used in 37%, emergency PTCA in 40% and rescue PTCA after failed thrombolysis in 15%; spontaneous patency occurred in 8%.

CONCLUSIONS

Reperfusion therapy can be provided to nearly every patient (98%) with acute myocardial infarction. Rescue and direct PTCA provided effective early reperfusion to patients in whom thrombolysis failed or was excluded.

A randomized trial of a fixed high dose vs a weight-adjusted low dose of intravenous heparin during coronary angioplasty

AIMS

Prospectively to compare success rate and complications in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty using two doses of heparin.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Four hundred patients undergoing coronary angioplasty were randomly assigned to receive 15,000 IU (group A) or 100 IU.kg-1 (group B) of heparin. The angioplasty success rate was 95% of both groups. Stents were placed in 28.5% and 26.5% of patients in groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.73). The primary endopoint (freedom from death, myocardial infarction, unplanned revascularization or bailout stenting) occurred in 91% vs 95% of patients in groups A and B, respectively (odds ratio: 1.88, 95% CI: 0.80-4.50, P = 0.12). Haemoglobin loss was 0.36 +/- 1 and 0.27 +/- 0.9 g.dl-1 in groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.37). The time to sheath removal (735 +/- 265 vs 558 +/- 246 min) and the time to transfer to a stepdown unit (12.7 +/- 4.5 vs 9.8 +/- 4.2 h) were longer in groups A (P = 0.0001 for both comparisons).

CONCLUSION

A weight-adjusted low dose of intravenous heparin is at least as safe as a fixed high dose for coronary angioplasty. It allows earlier sheath removal and discharge to a stepdown unit.

[Orientated management towards reperfusion in the acute phase of myocardial infarction. Results in a cohort of 700 consecutive patients]

The principal objective of treatment of the acute phase of myocardial infarction is the obtention of TIMI 3 complete patency. Usually, only a minority of patients receives thrombolytic therapy and complete reperfusion in unusual. Between June 1988 and April 1996, 700 consecutive patients were admitted to Bichat hospital within 6 hours of the onset of transmural myocardial infarction (81% men; age 59 +/- 13 years). The objective of treatment was to obtain maximal coronary patency in the acute phase, either by thrombolysis (with systematic angiography at 90 minutes and salvage angioplasty in case of failure), or primary angioplasty or conventional treatment (usually in cases of spontaneous reperfusion). The emergency angiography and angioplasty procedures were performed by a medical team on 24 hour duty. During the acute phase, 316 patients received intravenous thrombolysis (angiography at 90' in 302 patients with salvage angioplasty in 79 patients), 304 underwent primary angioplasty (TIMI 3 artery in 85% of cases) and 80 underwent conventional treatment (including 52 cases of angiographically documented spontaneous reperfusion). Therefore, a 81% (566/700) rate of patent TIMI 3 arteries was obtained. The hospital mortality was 8.9%, lower in TIMI 3 arterial patency (6%) than TIMI 2 (20%) or TIMI 0-1 (23%), p < 0.001. The mortality was 4% in patients treated by thrombolysis. Therefore, a reperfusion strategy associating thrombolysis and/or angioplasty provides a high TIMI 3 patency rate in the acute phase of myocardial infarction with a low mortality (6%) in consecutive, unselected patients.

[Is coronary angioplasty the best treatment of acute myocardial infarction?]

Although the efficacy and simplicity of intravenous thrombolysis makes it the gold-standard for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction, coronary angioplasty remains a valuable alternative. Thrombolysis has the disadvantage of increasing the risk of haemorrhage and is contraindicated in many cases. In addition, thrombolysis appears to have little effect on prognosis in patients with an infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock or those with an occlusion of the venous graft. Finally, when the electrocardiographic findings are not patent, the benefit/risk ratio may be uncertain. Many patients with an acute myocardial infarction are thus totally excluded from thrombolysis making this required selection the main limitation of the treatment. In all these situations, the only effective treatment is primary or direct coronary angioplasty. Major series of patients treated with primary angioplasty have shown that the treatment can be effective on coronary permeability, preservation of ventricular function and short and long-term survival. Several other comparative and randomized studies have confirmed that coronary angioplasty can be an effective alternative, in particular in high-risk patients (elderly subjects, anterior infarctions, women). Finally, the economic data available tend to show that costs for angioplasty are lower than the costs of thrombolysis due to the reduction of hospitalization time and number of readmissions. In conclusion, coronary angioplasty is certainly the best treatment for acute myocardial infarction, at least for the most severe cases and often the only possible option for those with a contraindication for thrombolysis. Operational requirements mean that cardiology emergency facilities will have to be adapted to provide coronary angioplasty 24 hours a day in experienced interventional centres. At the present time, well-managed pre-hospital screening to identify patients with an indication for coronary angioplasty should allow emergency transportation to currently operating centres.

[Diagnostic value of myocardial thallium stress scintigraphy in the detection of coronary artery disease in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis]

Atherosclerotic heart disease is the leading cause of death in patients with end stage renal disease, but its non invasive detection remains difficult because of a low efficacy of exercise testing. The aim of the study was to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of thallium myocardial imaging after dipyridamole combined with exercise. Forty two chronic dialysis patients (34 men, 8 women) aged 55 +/- 11 years (range: 36 to 75) without symptom of angina nor myocardial infarction were studied. In each patient, an echocardiography, a myocardial scintigraphy with dipyridamole combined with symptom-limited exercise, and coronarography were performed. A coronary heart disease was diagnosed by coronarography in 10 patients (4.5 and 1 respectively with 1, 2 and 3 vessels diseased). Echocardiography detected a left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in 26 patients and a regional asynergia in 14 patients. A positive scintigraphy was present in 11 patients. Three false-positive and 2 false-negative on scintigraphy were noted. Sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were respectively evaluated at 80, 73, 73 and 93%. All the five patients with either false-positive or false-negative scintigraphy exhibited a LVH. CONCLUSION. In chronic dialysis patients, coronary heart disease may be detected by thallium myocardial imaging after dipyridamole combined with exercise.

Comparison using dynamic vectorcardiography and MIBI SPECT of ST-segment changes and myocardial MIBI uptake during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of the left anterior descending coronary artery

The quantitative relation between ST-segment changes and the severity and extent of myocardial ischemia during coronary occlusion remains unclear. This study assesses whether ST-segment changes during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) correlate with the amount of myocardium at risk, measured with technetium-99m hexakis 2-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (MIBI; also called sestamibi) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Quantitative continuous dynamic vectorcardiography was performed during PTCA of the left anterior descending coronary artery in 11 patients (mean age 64.3 years) without previous myocardial infarction. Change in the magnitude of the ST vector (STc-VM) was continuously recorded. A standardized protocol of balloon inflations was used and technetium-99m MIBI was injected intravenously at the onset of the third inflation. SPECT imaging was performed 60 minutes later and compared to a rest acquisition. SPECT was quantified by bull's-eye analysis using: (1) the change in the pathologic/normal area count ratio (delta P/N) as an index of the severity of ischemia; and (2) planimetered defect size during PTCA as an indicator of the size of the area at risk. The delta P/N from baseline to balloon occlusion (22 +/- 11%) was correlated, albeit loosely, to the maximum value of STc-VM (245 +/- 186 microV, r = 0.62, p < 0.05), but there was no correlation between the size of the scintigraphic defect and STc-VM. Likewise, the sum of ST-segment elevation was correlated to delta P/N (r = 0.72, p < 0.02), but not to the size of the scintigraphic defect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Baroreflexes and congestive heart failure]

Abnormal responses are found in the early stages of heart failure with increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity, causing peripheral arteriolar vasconstriction and tachycardia respectively. The cardiopulmonary baroreflex may be studied by decreasing venous return ("low body negative pressure") and by measuring vascular resistance forearm. The arterial baroreflex may be studied by changing aortic pressures (by intravenous phenylephrine or nitroglycerin). Orthostatism and the tilt test deactivate the cardiopulmonary and arterial baroreflexes simultaneously. These baroreflexes are impaired in patients with heart failure. Their activation does not cause the usual sympatho-inhibition so contributing to increased sympathetic tone. This dysfunction may result from a change at any point on the reflex pathway: the baroreceptors themselves, the afferent, central and efferent pathways. It is selective as during the cold pressor test, the vasoconstrictor response remains intact. One of the possible mechanisms of baroreflex dysfunction in heart failure is loss of sensitivities of the baroreceptors. This may be multifactorial: structural abnormalities, changes in compliance or functional abnormality. Even if the loss of sensitivity is partially related to a change in compliance, other factors play a role. It is more functional than structural abnormalities because, after cardiac transplantation, the baroreceptors regain their sensitivity within 2 to 3 weeks. Excessive Na-K dependent ATPase activation of the smooth muscle cells of the carotid sinus could lead to hyperpolarization of the cell membrane, so reducing the excitability of the receptor. Aldosterone is one of the factors which could activate the Na-K ATPase, as this hormone directly increases pump activity and favorizes the synthesis of new pumps in the vascular smooth muscle cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Vectorcardiographic monitoring to assess early vessel patency after reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction

Reperfusion therapy has lowered mortality in patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction. Failure to reperfuse is associated with an increased short- and long-term mortality. In a prospective study we used dynamic vectorcardiography to monitor 96 patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with reperfusion therapy to non-invasively assess coronary patency. The results from continuous monitoring were compared to those obtained from angiography. By using trend-analysis of QRS vector difference and ST vector magnitude, we were able to correctly identify 58 of the 70 patients (83%) with a reperfused infarct-related artery, and 19 of the 26 patients (73%) with a persistently occluded artery demonstrated at an early angiogram (diagnostic accuracy 80%). In patients with high-grade collateral flow to the infarct-related area, the results of the vectorcardiographic monitoring and of angiography showed the largest disagreement, whereas the accuracy of vectorcardiographic monitoring was high: 88% among patients without collaterals. The present results suggest that QRS complex and ST segment vectorcardiographic monitoring is a useful tool for assessing early coronary artery patency, and that dynamic vectorcardiography may help in identifying candidates for emergency coronary angiography.

[Incidence and prognosis of early primary cardiogenic shock in myocardial infarction]

The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse the results of coronary reperfusion on the incidence and short and medium term prognosis of early primary cardiogenic shock in acute myocardial infarction. Of 339 consecutive patients admitted within 6 hours of the onset of acute myocardial infarction, 25 (7.4%) had cardiogenic shock from the onset. The majority of patients (18) underwent direct angioplasty with a successful result in 16 cases. Intravenous thrombolysis was instituted in 5 cases followed by emergency coronary angiography leading to "rescue" coronary angioplasty in 3 cases, which was successful in 2 cases. Two patients had no coronary revascularisation because of a double contra-indication to thrombolysis and catheterization by the femoral approach. Intra-aortic balloon pumping was used in 17 cases. Complementary emergency surgical revascularization was necessary in 5 patients (20%). In all, early reperfusion of the infarct-related artery was obtained in 80% of cases (20 patients). The hospital mortality was 72% (18 patients) due to refractory cardiac failure in nearly all cases. After an average follow-up of 17 months, 3 of the 7 survivors of the hospital period have died and of the 4 remaining patients, 2 are in the NYHA classes III or IV. Recent therapeutic advances have not influenced the incidence of cardiogenic shock but have significantly increased the proportion of very early cardiogenic shock, whereas the late cardiogenic shocks of more progressive onset, have nearly disappeared (4/339, 1.2% in this series). The prognosis of these early shocks, caused by severe myocardial damage, remains catastrophic and hardly improved by emergency coronary reperfusion by angioplasty and intraaortic balloon pumping.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[What is the appropriate treatment for myocardial infarction with left ventricular dysfunction?]

The essential goal of medical treatment following myocardial infarction with left ventricular dysfunction must be the prevention of secondary cardiac failure. The existence of left ventricular dysfunction, in particular when it is not accompanied by clinical cardiac failure, is a virtually formal indication for beta-blocker treatment after an infarction. Beta-blockers with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA) are possibly better tolerated in this context. However, experience shows that cardiologists and general practitioners often remain reluctant to prescribe beta-blockers whenever left ventricular function is impaired. Converting enzyme inhibitors decrease the risk of onset of secondary cardiac failure, reduce sudden deaths by ventricular arrhythmias, reduce recurrences of myocardial infarction or unstable coronary insufficiency, and more generally reduce overall and cardiovascular mortality. This is a class effect. While there is no urgency to prescribe them during the acute phase, it is generally considered that it is extremely useful to give them fairly quickly, i.e. during the first 72 hours. At the end of the hospital phase, around two weeks, it is desirable, whenever possible, to prescribe a dose of the order of 75 mg/day of captopril or 2.5 mg/day of ramipril. The administration of aspirin can be considered virtually routine. Oral anticoagulants are desirable in the presence of a large akinetic pocket, a frequent starting point of thrombosis and/or systemic emboli, or in the presence of atrial fibrillation. Digitalis/diuretic treatment does not appear to be indicated at this stage. Other types of anti-ischemic treatment are not theoretically indicated as a matter of principle at this stage in the absence of residual ischemia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Difficulties in the diagnosis of cardiac insufficiency in octogenarians]

The incidence of heart failure in octogenarians is high and its diagnosis not always easy. In many cases it is made by excess or by omission. Obtaining a history is often difficult. Signs may be masked, false or indicative of another disease process. Dyspnea, edema of the lower limbs and crepitations are relatively non-specific. Jugular distension, tender hepatomegaly and a diastolic gallop are much more valuable. Diagnosis of the underlying etiology also raises problems. While hypertension is commonplace and easy to identify, ischemic heart disease is common and often missed. Tight aortic stenosis must be identified since its treatment is surgical. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often an echocardiographic discovery. Post-embolic chronic cor pulmonale, or secondary to chronic obstructive lung disease, must always be considered in the presence of right heart failure without hypertension or chest pain. Appropriate treatment is dependent upon accurate diagnosis.

Left ventricular-arterial coupling in systemic hypertension: analysis by means of arterial effective and left ventricular elastances

OBJECTIVE

To clarify the spectrum of the left ventricular responses in hypertension in man by means of coupled analysis of elastances. In the present study we analysed the 'functional' coupling of the left ventricle and the arterial system in terms of the arterial effective elastance (E(a)) divided by a value of end-systolic left ventricular elastance approximated by the end-systolic pressure-volume ratio (E(lv)).

METHODS

Twenty-five normotensive and 19 hypertensive males without heart failure underwent a haemodynamic and angiographic study. The hypertensives were divided into three subgroups: group 1 had normal ejection fraction, group 2 had ejection fraction > 70% and group 3 had ejection fraction 50-58%.

RESULTS

The ejection fraction was similar in hypertensives and controls and E(lv) was significantly increased in the hypertensives. E(a) was identical in the three hypertensive subgroups, which differed only for E(lv). Hypertensives with a normal ejection fraction (n = 8) had a normal E(a)/E(lv) ratio and end-systolic stress, and a significantly increased E(lv), related mainly to an increase in the left ventricular mass divided by the end-diastolic volume (m/VED) with normal systolic function of the left ventricular muscle. The significantly increased systolic pump function of group 2 (n = 5) seems to be related to a significant increase in both m/VED and left ventricular muscle contractility. Group 3 (n = 6) was more heterogeneous, some patients having insufficient hypertrophy and others impaired muscle function.

CONCLUSIONS

The left ventricle and the arterial system remain correctly coupled in hypertensives overall, but with marked heterogeneity of the systolic pump (and sometimes muscle) function and mainly of the geometry of the left ventricle. Regarding the relatively unequivocal changes in Ea, the differences in ejection fraction and in left ventricular-arterial coupling in hypertensives are related mainly to changes in the left ventricular systolic pump function.

Eligibility for reperfusion therapy and outcome in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction

Reperfusion therapy by thrombolysis or angioplasty was considered in 260 unselected patients consecutively admitted within 6 h of the onset of Q wave myocardial infarction. Rates of reperfusion and in-hospital mortality were compared in 206 patients < 70 years and 54 patients > or = 70 years. Early reperfusion was obtained in 86.4% of the patients under 70 years and in 72.2% of those over 70 (P < 0.01). Thrombolysis was more frequently used in the younger group (66.0% vs 31.5%, P < 10(-5)), and primary angioplasty in the older (44.4% vs 29.6%, P < 0.05). Overall in-hospital mortality was higher in the older group (22.2% vs 4.4%, P < 10(-5)). After successful reperfusion, mortality was 12.8% in the patients over 70 and 3.9% in those under 70. After failed or unproven reperfusion, mortality was 46.7% in the patients over 70 and 7.1% in those under 70. Reperfusion therapy is feasible in the majority of patients over 70 years, but failure to attempt or to achieve reperfusion is associated with a poor outcome. Although not controlled, this study provides an incentive for attempting early reperfusion therapy as often as possible in the elderly with acute myocardial infarction.

Modulation of the expression of the granulocyte adhesion molecule, CR3, by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and contrast media

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

The effects of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and iodinated contrast media on the functional state of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) were determined; the expression of the PMN adhesion molecule, CR3, was assessed.

METHODS

CR3 expression was measured by flow cytometry in whole blood samples in vivo, before and after PTCA (n = 17) or coronary angiography (n = 16); and in vitro, before and after incubation of PMNs with iodinated contrast media (n = 5).

RESULTS

CR3 expression (mean +/- standard error of the mean, arbitrary units) decreased significantly after PTCA (221 +/- 25 to 168 +/- 21, P < .005) and coronary angiography (297 +/- 43 to 218 +/- 25, P < .05). In vitro, there was a dose-dependent decrease of CR3 expression and a significant and strong inverse correlation between CR3 expression and the contrast agent concentrations regardless of the type of contrast agent used.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that PTCA does not activate circulating PMNs, and that contrast media decrease CR3 expression. Whether this is related to the systemic adverse effects of contrast media remains to be clarified.

[Acute myocardial infarction in patients over 70 years of age]

Demographic changes in cardiovascular disease explain the marked increase in the number of myocardial infarctions affecting individuals aged over 70. The prognosis remains poor, with hospital mortality of the order of 30%. The reticence of physicians to use reperfusion techniques (intravenous thrombolysis and coronary angioplasty) is paradoxically considerable. Several studies have nevertheless shown that the benefit/risk ratio of such methods not only persists, but is increased in this age group, which should encourage the widening of their indications. Thorough evaluation of the best management strategy would require a randomised comparative trial, but angioplasty would probably ensure early reperfusion in a larger proportion of elderly patients than thrombolysis, because of the high incidence of contraindications to the latter as well as of cardiogenic shock in this age group.

[Effects of aging on left ventricle-arterial coupling in man]

Twenty-five normotensive men without any cardiac or arterial pathology, aged 22 to 68 years, 12 less than 45 year old, 13 over 45 years, underwent cardiac catheterisation and angiography. The following parameters were calculated: 1) a global index of arterial function (Ea) and its determining factors (Ea = LVESP/SV where LEVSP = left ventricular end systolic pressure and SV = left ventricular stroke volume); Ea = (HR x SVR) + Ea' where HR = heart rate, SVR = total systemic vascular resistance and Ea' = (LVESP - MAP/SV) (MAP = mean arterial pressure); 2) an index of global left ventricular pump function: ELV (ELV = LVESP/LVESV, where LVEDV = left ventricular end systolic volume; 3) an index of LV-arterial coupling: the Ea/ELV ratio. With aging, both Ea (by increase in SVR) and Ea' and ELV increased significantly. Ea/ELV (inverse of the ejection fraction-1) increased with age but ELV less than Ea. Ea/ELV was significantly higher in patients over 45 years of age but the correlation between ejection fraction and age was not statistically significant (p = 0.10). These results suggest that with aging, the improvement in LV pump function approximately corresponds to the degradation in arterial transport function: the left ventricular-arterial coupling as assessed by the Ea/ELV ratio (and therefore the ejection fraction) is maintained in the majority of cases.

Primary coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction with contraindication to thrombolysis

Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and contraindication to thrombolysis have a high mortality and morbidity with conventional medical treatment. Among 226 consecutive patients hospitalized within 6 hours of the onset of Q-wave AMI, 45 (20%) had contraindications to thrombolysis. All were treated by emergent primary angioplasty. Mean age of the 45 patients was 60 +/- 11 years and 8 (18%) were > or = 70 years old; 17 (38%) had multivessel disease and 5 (11%) presented with cardiogenic shock. Successful angioplasty was achieved in 42 of the 45 patients (93%) 52 +/- 27 minutes after admission and 238 +/- 100 minutes after the onset of pain. Overall in-hospital mortality was 9% (4 of 45). Neither major bleeding nor stroke occurred. There was 1 case of early symptomatic reocclusion, treated with emergent repeat angioplasty without reinfarction. Predischarge angiography in 33 patients showed only 1 silent reocclusion (3%). Ejection fraction at discharge was 46 +/- 13%. Repeat catheterization at 6 months in 19 patients showed 4 restenoses (21%) and 4 reocclusions (21%) of the infarct-related artery. There were 3 late deaths (2 noncardiac), which gave survival rates of 87 and 85% at 1 and 3 years, respectively, and event-free survival rates of 71 and 69% including in-hospital deaths. There were no cases of late reinfarction. Consequently, in this series, primary coronary angioplasty proved safe and highly effective in rapidly restoring sustained infarct-vessel patency during AMI, and led to a greater improvement in early and late outcomes than that reported in the literature for medically treated subjects in this high-risk subset for which thrombolytic therapy is contraindicated.

Late thrombotic obstruction of an aortic bioprosthetic valve: successful treatment by oral anticoagulation

Thrombotic obstruction of aortic bioprostheses is rare. Few cases have been reported involving the use of the Carpentier-Edwards (CE) prosthesis, the Hancock bioprosthesis, or the Medtronic Intact porcine valve. Thrombolytic therapy for mechanical valve thrombosis has been used frequently even though it is known to carry a high risk of embolism and recurrence. However, the use of this therapy was reported for the first time only recently, in a case of acute aortic thrombosis which occurred 3 1/2 months after bioprosthesis insertion. We report a case of late progressive thrombotic obstruction of a CE aortic valve 3 years after insertion. The case was successfully treated with coumadin therapy, as confirmed by serial Doppler echocardiographic examinations and a 3-year follow-up.

[The clinician's view of restenosis: methodological and therapeutic aspects]

The study of restenosis after angioplasty poses serious methodological problems. The first is the definition of angiographic criteria of restenosis. These should be based on quantitative angiographic measurements in absolute values of coronary diameter rather than on the use of percentage stenosis which is an inaccurate indication of the true severity of the coronary disease. Moreover, the use of an arbitrary threshold > or = 50% stenosis at angiographic control tends to "pre-select" poor initial results of angioplasty as restenosis. Criteria based on absolute values of coronary artery diameter have enabled the demonstration of a close correlation between an excellent result of angioplasty and the degree of the restenosis 6 months later which suggests that a too good result of angioplasty may be related to increased intimal hyperplasia. This is a real dilemma for those performing angioplasty knowing that a mediocre initial result does not guarantee a good long-term result. In addition, it seems that the diameters of coronary arteries 6 months after angioplasty have a Gaussian distribution. This would imply that intimal hyperplasia is a constant phenomenon after angioplasty and that it is its degree which varies between patients with and without restenosis. Restenosis would therefore be more of a quantitative than a qualitative phenomenon. This justifies the use of continuous variables in the study of restenosis and a categorical approach would therefore be less valuable, not as powerful statistically and based on thresholds of an arbitrary nature. This could also explain the contradictory results concerning predictive factors of restenosis in the literature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Evidence for priming and activation of neutrophils early after coronary angioplasty

OBJECTIVES

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) induces deep arterial wall injury and transient ischaemia. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that PTCA could result in priming or activation of the neutrophils and the complement system.

METHODS

Blood was drawn from the coronary sinus before and immediately after PTCA in 7 patients and before and immediately after coronary angiography in 7 patients (to ensure that the changes observed after PTCA were not solely related to the angiographic procedure). Neutrophil priming was assessed ex vivo by whole blood chemiluminescence stimulated in vitro by formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, phorbol myristate and opsonized zymosan. Neutrophil activation was assessed by measurement of plasma lactoferrin.

RESULTS

Whole blood chemiluminescence increased after PTCA, regardless of the stimulus used, while it did not after arteriography. After PTCA, lactoferrin increased 2-fold (p < 0.02) whereas after arteriography a non-significant increase was observed. Neutrophil count and adherence properties were not modified by either PTCA or arteriography. Total haemolytic complement (CH50), C3, C4 and B factor decreased slightly (7 to 16%) after both PTCA and arteriography.

CONCLUSIONS

Early after PTCA, the neutrophil oxidative response, assessed by stimulated whole blood chemiluminescence, increased, suggesting a "priming" effect of PTCA on neutrophils. In addition, plasma lactoferrin levels increased, indicating neutrophil activation. Finally, there was a mild global activation of the complement system, most likely related to the contrast agent, and which may play a role in the "priming" process. Neutrophil priming and activation may participate in several phenomena occurring after angioplasty such as enhanced vasoconstriction and post-ischaemic myocardial dysfunction. In addition, it may participate in triggering local inflammatory processes.