Production of muons from heavy flavor decays at forward rapidity in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has measured the inclusive production of muons from heavy-flavor decays at forward rapidity, 2.5<y<4, in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76  TeV. The p(t)-differential inclusive cross section of muons from heavy-flavor decays in pp collisions is compared to perturbative QCD calculations. The nuclear modification factor is studied as a function of p(t) and collision centrality. A weak suppression is measured in peripheral collisions. In the most central collisions, a suppression of a factor of about 3-4 is observed in 6<p(t)<10  GeV/c. The suppression shows no significant p(t) dependence.

J/ψ suppression at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV

The ALICE experiment has measured the inclusive J/ψ production in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV down to zero transverse momentum in the rapidity range 2.5 < y < 4. A suppression of the inclusive J/ψ yield in Pb-Pb is observed with respect to the one measured in pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The nuclear modification factor, integrated over the 0%-80% most central collisions, is 0.545 ± 0.032(stat) ± 0.083(syst) and does not exhibit a significant dependence on the collision centrality. These features appear significantly different from measurements at lower collision energies. Models including J/ψ production from charm quarks in a deconfined partonic phase can describe our data.

Abstract 202: Insulin Resistance as an Independent Predictor of Atherosclerosis Burden in Nondiabetic Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: Experimental evidence suggests that insulin resistance (IR) is a major risk factor for accelerated atherosclerosis through indirect effects on systemic risk factors and direct effects on insulin signaling in vascular endothelium and plaque macrophages.

Hypothesis: IR in persons without diabetes mellitus is associated with multi-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients.

Methods: We examined 1111 non-diabetic AMI patients (HbA1c ≤ 6.5) enrolled in the multicenter TRIUMPH (years 2004-2008) registry. IR was estimated using the homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR: fasting insulin (mU/l) x fasting blood glucose (mmol/l)]/22.5). The primary outcome was the extent of angiographic atherosclerosis (≤1-vessel vs. multi-vessel disease). Modified Poisson regression models were used to examine the association between IR and multi-vessel CAD.

Results: Subjects were divided into quartiles based on HOMA-IR values (quartile 1: male <=1.35, female <=1.26; quartile 4: male >4.00, female >3.64). After adjusting for age, sex, hypertension, smoking, family history of CAD, LDL, HDL, and body mass index (BMI), IR was independently associated with multi-vessel CAD (Figure). As compared to the lowest quartile of IR, the highest quartile had more multi-vessel CAD [RR (95% CI)- 1.35 (1.11-1.64)].

Conclusion: In a large cohort of non-diabetic AMI patients, IR was associated with more advanced, multi-vessel CAD, independent of lipid levels and other components of the metabolic syndrome. This association is consistent with established experimental evidence and supports IR as a potential target for preventing atherosclerosis.

Body mass index and mortality in acute myocardial infarction patients

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have described an "obesity paradox" with heart failure, whereby higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with lower mortality. However, little is known about the impact of obesity on survival after acute myocardial infarction.

METHODS

Data from 2 registries of patients hospitalized in the US with acute myocardial infarction between 2003-2004 (PREMIER) and 2005-2008 (TRIUMPH) were used to examine the association of BMI with mortality. Patients (n=6359) were categorized into BMI groups (kg/m(2)) using baseline measurements. Two sets of analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression with fractional polynomials to model BMI as categorical and continuous variables. To assess the independent association of BMI with mortality, analyses were repeated, adjusting for 7 domains of patient and clinical characteristics.

RESULTS

Median BMI was 28.6. BMI was inversely associated with crude 1-year mortality (normal, 9.2%; overweight, 6.1%; obese, 4.7%; morbidly obese; 4.6%; P <.001), which persisted after multivariable adjustment. When BMI was examined as a continuous variable, the hazards curve declined with increasing BMI and then increased above a BMI of 40. Compared with patients with a BMI of 18.5, patients with higher BMIs had a 20% to 68% lower mortality at 1 year. No interactions between age (P=.37), sex (P=.87), or diabetes mellitus (P=.55) were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

There appears to be an "obesity paradox" among patients after acute myocardial infarction such that higher BMI is associated with lower mortality, an effect that was not modified by patient characteristics and was comparable across age, sex, and diabetes subgroups.

Relationship between glycosylated hemoglobin assessment and glucose therapy intensification in patients with diabetes hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship between A1C and glucose therapy intensification (GTI) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A1C was measured as part of routine care (clinical A1C) or in the core laboratory (laboratory A1C, results unavailable to clinicians). GTI predictors were identified using hierarchical Poisson regression.

RESULTS

Of 1,274 patients, 886 (70%) had clinical A1C and an additional 263 had laboratory A1C measured. Overall, A1C was <7% in 419 (37%), 7-9% in 415 (36%), and >9% in 315 patients (27%). GTI occurred in 31% of patients and was more frequent in those with clinical A1C both before (34 vs. 24%, P < 0.001) and after multivariable adjustment (relative risk 1.34 [95% CI 1.12-1.62] vs. no clinical A1C).

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term glucose control is poor in most AMI patients with DM, but only a minority of patients undergo GTI at discharge. Inpatient A1C assessment is strongly associated with intensification of glucose-lowering therapy.

Abstract 208: Physician Adherence to the Prescription of Proven Doses of Secondary Prevention Medications After Acute Myocardial Infarction. Insights from TRIUMPH and PREMIER

Background: Performance measures after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are designed to improve quality by explicitly quantifying the use of evidence-based treatments. While current performance measures assess whether patients are prescribed certain medications, the doses used to establish their benefit in clinical trials are not part of the measures. It is unknown whether patients are being discharged on doses with proven effectiveness and whether these doses are increased over time in the outpatient setting.

Methods: We assessed doses of beta blockers (BB), statins, and ACE/ARBs at discharge and 6-12 months post-AMI among 6699 patients eligible for these meds from 31 hospitals enrolled in 2 US registries (2003-08). Target doses were defined from clinical trials establishing benefit. Doses were categorized as none, low (<50% target), moderate (50-74% target), or goal (≥75% target). Titration was defined as an increase in dose category from discharge to follow-up. Analyses excluded patients with heart rate <50 (BB), SBP <100 (BB, ACE/ARB), GFR <30 (ACE/ARB), EF>35% (ACE/ARB), or any chart-documented contraindication (all assessed at discharge). Hierarchical logistic models explored factors, including discharge dose, associated with achieving goal dose of each med at follow-up.

Results: At hospital discharge, most eligible patients (>87%) were prescribed some dose of each medication, although fewer than 1/5 received goal doses of BB and ∼1/3 were prescribed goal doses of statins or ACE/ARBs (Table). Of patients discharged on suboptimal doses, few were titrated up as outpatients (BB 19%, statins 25%, ACE/ARBs 27%). After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors, only a goal dose of med at discharge was associated with being on goal dose at follow-up.

Conclusions: Although ∼90% of eligible patients are discharged on appropriate secondary prevention medications after an AMI, most are prescribed doses far below those with proven efficacy in clinical trials. Importantly, doses are infrequently increased in the outpatient setting. Integration of dose intensity into performance measures may help improve the use of optimal medical therapy and outcomes.

Abstract 274: Patterns Of Statin Initiation, Intensification And Maximization Among Patients Hospitalized With An Acute Myocardial Infarction. Insights From The TRIUMPH Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Intensive statin therapy after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been shown, in multiple trials, to be superior to less intensive treatment. Several studies have documented rates of statin prescription at discharge, in any dose, as a quality performance measure. However, variations in hospitals’ rates of initiating, intensifying and maximizing statin therapy after AMI are unknown.

Methods: We assessed statin therapy at admission and discharge among 4340 AMI patients from 24 US hospitals (4/05-12/08). Initiation was defined as statin prescription at discharge in patients not admitted on them. Intensification reflected an increase in dose or change to a higher potency statin at discharge. The use of atorvastatin 80 mg or rosuvastatin 40 mg at discharge were considered maximal statin therapy. Hierarchical modified Poisson models estimated the association of site with initiation in naïve patients, intensification in those who arrived on submaximal therapy, and discharge on maximal therapy among all patients, after adjustment for patient factors including LDL level. Site variation was explored with a median rate ratio (MRR), which estimates the average relative difference in risk ratios of 2 hypothetically identical patients treated at 2 different sites.

Results: On admission, 34.8% (1510/4340) of patients were taking a statin and 2.6% (112/4340) were on maximal therapy. 86.9% (2411/2776) of statin naïve patients without a contraindication were prescribed a statin at discharge, with no variability across sites after adjustment for patient factors (MRR 1.02). Among patients who arrived on submaximal statin therapy, 26.3% (323/1230) had their statin therapy intensified at discharge with modest site variability (MRR 1.47). Among all patients without a contraindication, 21.0% (899/4271) were discharged on maximal therapy with substantial site variability (MRR 2.79).

Conclusions: In a large, multicenter AMI cohort, nearly all patients were started on statins during hospitalization, with no variability across sites. However, rates of statin intensification and maximization were lower and varied substantially across hospitals. Given that more intense statin therapy is important in optimizing outcomes, evolving the existing performance measures to include the intensity of statin therapy may be beneficial in improving care.

Particle-yield modification in jetlike azimuthal dihadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-p(t) trigger particles (8<p(t)<15 GeV/c) is measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted from the narrow jetlike correlation peaks in azimuthal dihadron correlations. In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated charged particles with transverse momenta p(t)>3 GeV/c on the away side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near side a moderate enhancement of 20%-30% is found.

J/ψ polarization in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has studied J/ψ production in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV at the LHC through its muon pair decay. The polar and azimuthal angle distributions of the decay muons were measured, and results on the J/ψ polarization parameters λ(θ) and λ(φ) were obtained. The study was performed in the kinematic region 2.5<y<4, 2<p(t)<8 GeV/c, in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames. In both frames, the polarization parameters are compatible with zero, within uncertainties.

Strangeness enhancement in Cu-Cu and Au-Au collisions at √S(NN)=200 GeV

We report new STAR measurements of midrapidity yields for the Λ, Λ[over ¯], K(S)(0), Ξ(-), Ξ[over ¯](+), Ω(-), Ω[over ¯](+) particles in Cu+Cu collisions at √S(NN)==200  GeV, and midrapidity yields for the Λ, Λ[over ¯], K(S)(0) particles in Au+Au at √S(NN)==200  GeV. We show that, at a given number of participating nucleons, the production of strange hadrons is higher in Cu+Cu collisions than in Au+Au collisions at the same center-of-mass energy. We find that aspects of the enhancement factors for all particles can be described by a parametrization based on the fraction of participants that undergo multiple collisions.

Serum potassium levels and mortality in acute myocardial infarction

CONTEXT

Clinical practice guidelines recommend maintaining serum potassium levels between 4.0 and 5.0 mEq/L in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). These guidelines are based on small studies that associated low potassium levels with ventricular arrhythmias in the pre-β-blocker and prereperfusion era. Current studies examining the relationship between potassium levels and mortality in AMI patients are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between serum potassium levels and in-hospital mortality in AMI patients in the era of β-blocker and reperfusion therapy.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS

Retrospective cohort study using the Cerner Health Facts database, which included 38,689 patients with biomarker-confirmed AMI, admitted to 67 US hospitals between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2008. All patients had in-hospital serum potassium measurements and were categorized by mean postadmission serum potassium level (<3.0, 3.0-<3.5, 3.5-<4.0, 4.0-<4.5, 4.5-<5.0, 5.0-<5.5, and ≥5.5 mEq/L). Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine the association between potassium levels and outcomes after adjusting for patient- and hospital-level factors.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

All-cause in-hospital mortality and the composite of ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest.

RESULTS

There was a U-shaped relationship between mean postadmission serum potassium level and in-hospital mortality that persisted after multivariable adjustment. Compared with the reference group of 3.5 to less than 4.0 mEq/L (mortality rate, 4.8%; 95% CI, 4.4%-5.2%), mortality was comparable for mean postadmission potassium of 4.0 to less than 4.5 mEq/L (5.0%; 95% CI, 4.7%-5.3%), multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.19 (95% CI, 1.04-1.36). Mortality was twice as great for potassium of 4.5 to less than 5.0 mEq/L (10.0%; 95% CI, 9.1%-10.9%; multivariable-adjusted OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.68-2.36), and even greater for higher potassium strata. Similarly, mortality rates were higher for potassium levels of less than 3.5 mEq/L. In contrast, rates of ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest were higher only among patients with potassium levels of less than 3.0 mEq/L and at levels of 5.0 mEq/L or greater.

CONCLUSION

Among inpatients with AMI, the lowest mortality was observed in those with postadmission serum potassium levels between 3.5 and <4.5 mEq/L compared with those who had higher or lower potassium levels.

Translational Research Investigating Underlying Disparities in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients' Health Status (TRIUMPH): design and rationale of a prospective multicenter registry

BACKGROUND

Black patients with myocardial infarction (MI) have worse outcomes than white patients, including higher mortality rates, more angina, and worse quality of life. The Translational Research Investigating Underlying Disparities in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients' Health Status (TRIUMPH) study was designed to examine whether racial differences in socioeconomic, clinical, genetic, metabolic, biomarker, or treatment characteristics mediate observed disparities in outcomes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Between April 11, 2005, and December 31, 2008, 31 567 patients with MI were prospectively screened; 6152 had an eligible MI, and 4340 (71%) were enrolled from 24 US centers. Consenting patients had detailed chart abstractions of their medical history and processes of inpatient care, supplemented with a detailed baseline interview. Detailed genetic and metabolic data were obtained at hospital discharge in 2979 (69%) and 3013 patients (69%), respectively. In a subset of patients, blood and urine samples were obtained at 1 month (obtained in 27% of survivors) and blood samples at 6 months (obtained in 19% of survivors). Centralized follow-up interviews sought to quantify patients' postdischarge care and outcomes, with a focus on their health status (symptoms, function, and quality of life). At 1, 6, and 12 months, 23%, 27%, and 24%, respectively, were lost to follow-up. Vital status was available for 99% of patients at 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

TRIUMPH is a novel MI registry with detailed information on patients' sociodemographic, clinical, treatment, health status, metabolic, and genetic characteristics. The wealth of patient data collected in TRIUMPH will provide unique opportunities to examine factors that may mediate racial differences in mortality and health status after MI and the complex interactions between genetic and environmental determinants of post-MI outcomes.

Abstract 6: What Fundamental Factors Underlie Measures of Socio-Economic Status?

Background: Numerous studies have examined socio-economic (SES) disparities in cardiovascular outcomes. However, these studies often use different metrics to quantify SES (e.g. zip code, income, education, questionnaires). Consequently, the field suffers from the lack of a unifying conceptual model through which these different assessment techniques can be integrated. We sought to explore what fundamental factors may be present in a number of SES items collected within an MI registry.

Methods: In the 19-center PREMIER registry of 2481 post-MI patients, we collected data on 9 items measuring different aspects of patients' SES and used exploratory factor analysis to identify underlying constructs measured by these items.

Results: Two factors emerged (see figure), “general SES” (GSES) and “healthcare-related SES” (HSES), which explained 63% of the variability among the 9 items. Four items loaded on GSES, 6 loaded on HSES and one (end-of-month financial reserves) was shared by both factors. Although wide in range, all loadings were very strong and highly significant. There was a strong correlation between the 2 factors (r = .49).

Conclusion: SES is primarily comprised of 2 distinct factors and different modes of assessing SES are variably associated with these constructs. The commonly used SES measures of zip code median income and insurance status had some of the weakest associations with these factors. Future work is needed to validate these factors, to correlate these with outcomes, and to define the most efficient method for measuring these factors so that researchers can more consistently explore SES disparities in outcomes and develop interventions to overcome them.

Abstract P206: Changes in Social Support Within the Early Recovery Period and Outcomes After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: Baseline social support is associated with outcomes after AMI. However, little is known about changes in social support during the early AMI recovery period and whether changes influence outcomes over the first year.

Methods: Using data from 1951 AMI patients enrolled in the 19-center PREMIER study, we longitudinally examined whether changes in social support between baseline (index hospitalization) and 1 month post-AMI were associated with health status and depressive symptom outcomes. Using 5 items from the ENRICHD Social Support Inventory, we categorized patients into low (score <=18) and high (score >18) support and examined changes between these categories during the first month of recovery. Health status and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline, 6, and 12 months using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ), Short Form-12 (SF-12), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Associations were evaluated using hierarchical repeated-measures regression, adjusting for site, baseline health status, depressive symptoms, and other sociodemographic and clinical factors.

Results: During the first month of recovery, 5.6% of patients had persistently low support, 6.4% had worsened support, 8.1% had improved support, and 80.0% had persistently high support. In risk-adjusted analyses, patients with persistently low or worsened support (versus those with persistently high support) had greater risk of angina, worse SAQ quality of life (QOL), worse SF-12 mental component summary (MCS), and more PHQ-9 depressive symptoms ( table ). Patients with improved support had outcomes consistent with those of patients with persistently high support ( table ). Similarly, patients with worsened support had outcomes comparable to patients with persistently low support (p>0.50 for all comparisons).

Conclusion: Changes in social support within the early recovery period are not uncommon and are important for predicting patient-centered outcomes.

Outcome Social Support Status at 1 Month Persistently Low Worsened Improved Persistently High SAQ Angina * 1.39 (1.09, 1.78) 1.46 (1.08, 1.97) 1.13 (0.89, 1.43) reference SAQ QoL † -7.63 (-10.96, -4.30) -7.44 (-10.54, -4.34) -0.85 (-3.49, 1.80) reference SF-12 PCS † -0.14 (-2.20, 1.91) -0.20 (-2.14, 1.73) -0.44 (-2.07, 1.18) reference SF-12 MCS † -5.63 (-7.33, -3.92) -4.82 (-6.42, -3.22) -1.54 (-2.88, -0.20) reference PHQ-9 † 2.29 (1.51, 3.06) 1.94 (1.22, 2.66) 0.81 (0.19, 1.43) reference *

Abstract P73: Social Support and Adherence to Cardiac Risk Factor Management Instructions during the First Year after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: Adherence to risk factor management (RFM) instructions after AMI can promote recovery. The prognostic importance of social support for adherence is not well understood. We examined the relationship between baseline social support and post-AMI RFM adherence, and tested whether depression moderates this association.

Methods: Using data from 2202 AMI patients enrolled in the 19-site PREMIER study, we longitudinally examined whether low baseline social support (index hospitalization; score <=18 on 5 items from ENRICHD Social Support Inventory) is associated with poor adherence to 13 RFM instructions (medication adherence, warfarin use, follow-up plan/appointments, whom to call, cholesterol monitoring and therapy, diabetes management, weight monitoring and loss, smoking cessation, diet, exercise, cardiac rehabilitation) within the first year of recovery. Patients were asked at 1, 6, and 12 months if they received any of the RFM instructions since their last interview. Poor adherence was defined a priori as adhering “very carefully” to less than 50% of the patient-appropriate instructions. Hierarchical repeated-measures Poisson regression evaluated the association between support and adherence, with adjustment for site, sociodemographics, clinical history and presentation, hospital and outpatient care, and depression. Whether depression (PHQ-9 score >=10) modified the association was evaluated by stratifying the risk-adjusted model by depression status and including a support*depression interaction term.

Results: Patients with low social support had greater unadjusted risk of poor adherence than patients with high social support (RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.27-1.67). This association did not vary with time and remained significant after full risk adjustment (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.05-1.47). In depression-stratified analyses, the risk-adjusted association of low support with poor adherence was significant among nondepressed (RR 1.44, 95% CI 1.26-1.66) but not depressed (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.79-1.33) patients (p<0.001 for support*depression interaction).

Conclusion: Good social support may improve adherence among nondepressed AMI patients, but more research is needed to understand the role of social support among depressed patients.

Abstract P350: Predicting the Restenosis Benefit of Drug-Eluting vs. Bare Metal Stenting Prior to Angiography: A Tool for Patients and Clinicians

Background: While drug-eluting stents (DES) are associated with lower restenosis rates compared with bare metal stents (BMS), they require prolonged thienopyridine use and may be associated with higher rates of stent thrombosis. Recent work has demonstrated that the absolute risk reductions of DES (i.e. the restenosis benefits) vary by clinical and angiographic features. However, to engage patients in the decision-making surrounding stent type, the benefits of alternative stents must be shared prior to angiography so that they can participate in a non-sedated state. To address this challenge, we created multivariable models based on clinical characteristics available prior to PCI to predict restenosis one-year after DES or BMS.

Methods: Patients undergoing PCI in Massachusetts between 4/03 and 9/06 were identified and 1-year target vessel revascularization (TVR) outcomes determined. Parsimonious multivariable logistic regression models were constructed, using pre-angiographic data from NCDR versions 2 and 3, to identify clinical factors associated with TVR. The final models for DES and BMS consisted of 12 and 10 sociodemographic and clinical variables, respectively, chosen by backwards elimination while maintaining 95% of the predictive ability of the full models. We simulated random combinations of risk factors to determine the range of predicted restenosis benefit for DES vs. BMS.

Results: A total of 19577 DES and 5255 BMS admissions were included in the development cohort and 9809 DES and 2597 BMS admissions were used in a validation cohort. The c-statistics for the models for predicting TVR after BMS and DES were 0.60 and 0.61 in the derivation cohorts, and 0.615 and 0.62 in the validation cohorts. Good calibration was observed in all models. Depending on the simulated clinical profile, the relative risk of TVR after BMS vs. DES ranged from < 1.0 to > 10.

Conclusions: We generated multivariable models to predict TVR with DES or BMS based on clinical variables available prior to PCI that are comparable to previously published models that include procedural variables. The predicted relative risk of TVR for DES vs. BMS varies widely based on patients' clinical characteristics. These models may be useful in engaging patients in stent selection prior to PCI.

Abstract P212: How Much Do Psychosocial Factors Mediate the Association Between Socioeconomic Status and 1-Year Angina After Myocardial Infarction?

Background: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with worse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. The Reserve Capacity Model (RCM) is a published, but not yet fully tested, framework linking SES, psychosocial factors and health outcomes. “Reserve capacity” is one's inter-/intrapersonal resources for managing stress. We tested the RCM to determine what portion of the association between SES and angina frequency 1 year post-MI is attributable to psychosocial factors.

Methods: In 2481 post-MI patients enrolled in the 19-center PREMIER registry, we used confirmatory factor analysis to create latent variables of health-related SES and reserve capacity (including social support, optimism, and internal health locus of control). Structural equation modeling was used to test the associations between baseline SES, 1-month psychosocial factors (perceived stress, reserve capacity, and depressive symptoms) and 1-yr angina, adjusting for age, sex, and baseline angina.

Results: The overall correlation between SES and 1-yr angina was significant (r = -.21*). Of this, 37% was explained by psychosocial factors. (See figure.) Higher SES was associated with greater reserve capacity (r = .43*), which was strongly and inversely associated with stress (r = -.68*) and depressive symptoms (r = -.36*). Depressive symptoms were directly associated with angina (r = .12*). (*p < .05)

Conclusion: These results validate the RCM, showing that perceived stress, reserve capacity, and depressive symptoms partially mediate the link between SES and 1-yr angina post-MI. This identifies possible areas for intervention to reduce SES-related disparities in angina and potentially other CV outcomes.

Abstract P1: Limitations of Self-Reported Readmission Data After Acute Myocardial Infarction: Insights from the TRIUMPH Registry

Background: Self-reported readmission rates are frequently reported in the medical literature, yet the validity of these data is controversial. Few studies describe the accuracy of self-report of readmission following an AMI in comparison with physician-adjudicated data.

Methods: We studied 4,340 AMI patients enrolled in the 24-US center TRIUMPH registry. Patients were interviewed at 1, 6 and 12 months after their AMI, and were asked to report all hospitalizations since their last contact, including the hospital name, date and reason. After obtaining consent from the patient and each hospital, all hospitalization records within the first year after the patient's index MI were requested and adjudicated by a physician panel. Accuracy of patients’ report of hospitalization and reason for admission (sensitivity, specificity) were assessed.

Results: Of 4,340 patients, 3,633 (84%) completed follow-up interviews, reporting a total of 2,016 readmissions. Of these, hospital records were successfully obtained on 1,373. Record review revealed that 501 (36%) were not actual rehospitalizations (e.g., emergency department only, outpatient visits, admissions prior to study enrollment). Interestingly, when obtaining hospital records, we identified another 394 readmissions that were not reported by patients. Sensitivity of self-reported reason for admission was modest to poor for cardiac-cause rehospitalization, AMI and percutaneous coronary intervention (Table).

Conclusions: We identified several limitations of self-reported readmission rates in this multi-center AMI cohort. Emergency department and outpatient visits were frequently reported as hospital admissions, nearly 400 hospitalizations were not reported to study personnel at the time of the follow-up interview, and accuracy of patient-reported reason for admission was modest at best. These data underscore the importance of verifying self-reported follow-up outcomes data.

Abstract 11: Impact of DES Versus BMS on Quality of Life Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights From the TRIUMPH Registry

Background: While drug eluting stents (DES) are known to reduce restenosis, as compared with bare metal stents (BMS), the comparative effectiveness of stent type on health status outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is unknown.

Methods: We compared 6-month health status outcomes in 1,583 AMI patients enrolled in the 26-center TRIUMPH study who were treated exclusively with DES (n=974) or BMS (n=609). Patient-reported health status was assessed with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) and the physical and mental summary scales of the Short-Form 12 (SF-12). A multivariate linear regression model was used to examine the association between stent type and patient-reported health status after extensive adjustment for 25 demographic, clinical and procedural variables, including baseline health status.

Findings: Patients were predominantly Caucasian (77.8%) and male (73.2%), with a mean age of 59±11 years and a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension (58.9%), dyslipidemia (48.5%), and diabetes (23.7%). Baseline health status was similar in the DES and BMS groups, and both groups experienced significant improvements in their health status within 6 months. At 6 months, treatment with DES was associated with significantly greater improvements in the SAQ quality of life (+3.61, 95% C.I. 1.55-5.67), SAQ physical limitation (+5.63, 95% C.I. 3.25-8.00), and SF-12 mental component (+1.38, 95% C.I. 0.37-2.39) scores at 6 months. Changes in the SAQ treatment satisfaction, SAQ angina frequency, and the SF-12 physical component scores were not statistically different between groups.

Conclusions: Among unselected patients undergoing PCI for AMI, DES use was associated with a greater improvement in patient-reported health status measures during 6 month follow up as compared with BMS. Further investigation is needed to determine the mechanisms of this benefit and whether it is sustained during longer term follow up.

Abstract 15: Temporal Trends of Drug Eluting Stent Use After Myocardial Infarction: Does More Selective Utilization Impact Health Status Outcomes?

BACKGROUND Despite widespread acceptance of drug eluting stents (DES), concerns about cost and safety contributed to lower DES use by late 2006, particularly in off-label scenarios such as acute MI. The population-level impact of this trend on health status is unknown.

METHODS We evaluated Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores among patients (pts) undergoing in-hospital PCI in TRIUMPH, a 24-center registry of acute MI. For each 3-month period of enrollment, we calculated the frequency of DES use and the mean 6-month Angina Frequency (SAQ-AF) score for pts treated that quarter. We then constructed a linear regression model to evaluate whether DES use, or time periods of high vs. low DES use, were independently associated with 6-month SAQ-AF scores.

RESULTS Among 1744 MI pts undergoing PCI with complete health status assessments, 1033 were treated with DES (59%). DES use decreased significantly in late 2006, but overall 6-month angina burden remained stable ( Figure ). After adjusting for multiple clinical factors, SAQ-AF scores exhibited a borderline association with DES use (ß-coefficient 1.86 ± 1.0, p=0.06). When dichotomizing pts into years with high (2005-06) and low (2007-08) DES use, there was no relationship between high vs. low DES use on SAQ-AF in the multivariable model (ß=0.01 ± 1.0, p=0.99).

CONCLUSION More selective use of DES after 2006 has not impacted population-level angina control at 6 months among MI pts treated with PCI. This suggests that clinicians were able to reduce DES use through better selection of those pts most likely to benefit from DES therapy, but further research is needed to better understand the processes of care associated with these findings.

Abstract P161: Relationship Between Clinical Availability of Hemoglobin A1c and Glucose Therapy Intensification in Patients With Diabetes Hospitalized for Acute Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND Hemoglobin A 1c (A1C) assessment is recommended for hospitalized patients (pts) with diabetes (DM). Whether in-hospital A1C levels are associated with glucose therapy intensification (GTI) after MI is unknown.

METHODS TRIUMPH is a multicenter MI registry which enrolled 1343 pts with established DM between 2005-08. Of 1149 pts with DM and measured A1C, 886 (77%) were assessed as part of clinical care, and an additional 263 (23%) had A1C assessed in the research core laboratory (results unavailable to clinicians). GTI was defined as new or increased doses of antihyperglycemic agents, or increased daily insulin dose by ≥20% at discharge. Pts were divided into those with vs. without clinically available A1C and stratified by A1C subgroup (<7, 7-9, >9). Poisson regression models evaluated if clinically available A1C was independently associated with GTI.

RESULTS Overall, 420 of 1149 pts (36%) with measured A1C had levels <7, 423 (37%) were between 7-9, and 306 (27%) were >9. GTI was prescribed in 367 pts (32%). Clinically available A1C was associated with more frequent GTI in pts with suboptimal (A1C 7-9) and poor (A1C >9) glycemic control, but not in those with adequate control (A1C <7; Figure ). After multivariable adjustment (including blood glucose), clinically available A1C was an independent predictor of GTI (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.08-1.51).

CONCLUSION Nearly two-thirds of pts with DM have suboptimal or poor long-term glucose control at the time of acute MI, and fewer than 50% of these pts are prescribed GTI at hospital discharge. Availability of A1C levels to clinicians may facilitate intensification of glucose therapy after MI in pts with inadequate long-term DM control.

Predicting the Restenosis Benefit of Drug-Eluting Versus Bare Metal Stents in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background—

Drug-eluting stents (DES) for percutaneous coronary intervention decrease the risk of restenosis compared with bare metal stents. However, they are costlier, require prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy, and provide the most benefit in patients at highest risk for restenosis. To assist physicians in targeting DES use in patients at the highest risk for target vessel revascularization (TVR), we developed and validated a model to predict TVR.

Methods and Results—

Preprocedural clinical and angiographic data from 27 107 percutaneous coronary intervention hospitalizations between October 1, 2004, and September 30, 2007, in Massachusetts were used to develop prediction models for TVR at 1 year. Models were developed from a two-thirds random sample and validated in the remaining third. The overall rate of TVR was 7.6% (6.7% with DES, 11% with bare metal stents). Significant predictors of TVR included prior percutaneous coronary intervention, emergency or salvage percutaneous coronary intervention, prior coronary bypass surgery, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and angiographic characteristics. The model was superior to a 3-variable model of diabetes mellitus, stent diameter, and stent length (c statistic, 0.66 versus 0.60; P <0.001) and was well calibrated. The predicted number needed to treat with DES to prevent 1 TVR compared with bare metal stents ranged from 6 (95% confidence interval, 5.4–7.6) to 80 (95% confidence interval, 62.7–116.3), depending on patients' clinical and angiographic factors.

Conclusions—

A predictive model using commonly collected variables can identify patients who may derive the greatest benefit in TVR reduction from DES. Whether use of the model improves the safety and cost-effectiveness of DES use should be tested prospectively.

Higher harmonic anisotropic flow measurements of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV

We report on the first measurement of the triangular v3, quadrangular v4, and pentagonal v5 charged particle flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76  TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We show that the triangular flow can be described in terms of the initial spatial anisotropy and its fluctuations, which provides strong constraints on its origin. In the most central events, where the elliptic flow v2 and v3 have similar magnitude, a double peaked structure in the two-particle azimuthal correlations is observed, which is often interpreted as a Mach cone response to fast partons. We show that this structure can be naturally explained from the measured anisotropic flow Fourier coefficients.

Factors influencing patient willingness to participate in genetic research after a myocardial infarction

Background

Achieving 'personalized medicine' requires enrolling representative cohorts into genetic studies, but patient self-selection may introduce bias. We sought to identify characteristics associated with genetic consent in a myocardial infarction (MI) registry.

Methods

We assessed correlates of participation in the genetic sub-study of TRIUMPH, a prospective MI registry (n = 4,340) from 24 US hospitals between April 2005 and December 2008. Factors examined included extensive socio-demographics factors, clinical variables, and study site. Predictors of consent were identified using hierarchical modified Poisson regression, adjusting for study site. Variation in consent rates across hospitals were quantified by the median rate ratio (MRR).

Results

Most subjects consented to donation of their genetic material (n = 3,484; 80%). Participation rates varied greatly between sites, from 40% to 100%. After adjustment for confounding factors, the MRR for hospital was 1.22 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11 to 1.29). The only patient-level factors associated with consent were race (RR 0.93 for African Americans versus whites, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.99) and body mass index (RR 1.03 for BMI ≥ 25, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.06).

Conclusion

Among patients with an MI there were notable differences in genetic consent by study site, but little association with patient-level factors. This suggests that variation in the way information is presented during recruitment, or other site factors, strongly influence patients' decision to participate in genetic studies.

Association of decreased glomerular filtration rate with racial differences in survival after acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

African-American race and decreased kidney function have been associated with higher mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, whether there are racial differences in the prevalence or prognostic importance of renal insufficiency in AMI is unknown.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS & MEASUREMENTS

Among 1847 AMI patients enrolled in the multicenter Prospective Registry Evaluating Myocardial Infarction Event and Recovery (PREMIER) study, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was used to stratify prognosis and to examine potential interactions among eGFR, race, and mortality. Multivariable proportional hazards regression was used to examine the effect of race and eGFR on 3.5-year all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

Race and eGFR were significantly associated with mortality. After adjustment for eGFR alone, differences in mortality by race were substantially attenuated (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] for African Americans=1.56 [95% confidence interval {CI}=1.2 to 2.1]; eGFR-adjusted HR=1.32 [95% CI=0.99 to 1.75]). A similar magnitude of attenuation in racial differences in survival was observed after adjustment for all covariates except eGFR (HR=1.29 [95% CI=0.96 to 1.72]). A final model adjusting for all covariates only slightly attenuated the association further. No interaction between race and eGFR was detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Renal insufficiency, which may represent chronic kidney disease, is a prognostically important comorbidity in African Americans after AMI. However, the effect of decreased eGFR on mortality is comparable between races, suggesting that preventing renal insufficiency in African Americans could be an important target to reduce racial disparities in post-AMI survival.

Centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The centrality dependence of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=2.76  TeV is presented. The charged-particle density normalized per participating nucleon pair increases by about a factor of 2 from peripheral (70%-80%) to central (0%-5%) collisions. The centrality dependence is found to be similar to that observed at lower collision energies. The data are compared with models based on different mechanisms for particle production in nuclear collisions.

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] =2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|η|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2<p t<5.0 GeV/c. The elliptic flow signal v₂, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 ± 0.002(stat) ± 0.003(syst) in the 40%-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v₂ p t reaches a maximum of 0.2 near p t =3 GeV/c. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.

Charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in central Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of the charged-particle multiplicity density at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √ S NN = 2.76 TeV is presented. For an event sample corresponding to the most central 5% of the hadronic cross section, the pseudorapidity density of primary charged particles at midrapidity is 1584 ± 4(stat) ± 76(syst), which corresponds to 8.3 ± 0.4(syst) per participating nucleon pair. This represents an increase of about a factor 1.9 relative to pp collisions at similar collision energies, and about a factor 2.2 to central Au-Au collisions at √ S NN = 2.76 TeV. This measurement provides the first experimental constraint for models of nucleus-nucleus collisions at LHC energies.

Automated external defibrillators and survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest

CONTEXT

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, but data on their effectiveness in hospitalized patients are limited.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between AED use and survival for in-hospital cardiac arrest.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS

Cohort study of 11,695 hospitalized patients with cardiac arrests between January 1, 2000, and August 26, 2008, at 204 US hospitals following the introduction of AEDs on general hospital wards.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Survival to hospital discharge by AED use, using multivariable hierarchical regression analyses to adjust for patient factors and hospital site.

RESULTS

Of 11,695 patients, 9616 (82.2%) had nonshockable rhythms (asystole and pulseless electrical activity) and 2079 (17.8%) had shockable rhythms (ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia). AEDs were used in 4515 patients (38.6%). Overall, 2117 patients (18.1%) survived to hospital discharge. Within the entire study population, AED use was associated with a lower rate of survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest compared with no AED use (16.3% vs 19.3%; adjusted rate ratio [RR], 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-0.92; P < .001). Among cardiac arrests due to nonshockable rhythms, AED use was associated with lower survival (10.4% vs 15.4%; adjusted RR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.65-0.83; P < .001). In contrast, for cardiac arrests due to shockable rhythms, AED use was not associated with survival (38.4% vs 39.8%; adjusted RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.88-1.13; P = .99). These patterns were consistently observed in both monitored and nonmonitored hospital units where AEDs were used, after matching patients to the individual units in each hospital where the cardiac arrest occurred, and with a propensity score analysis.

CONCLUSION

Among hospitalized patients with cardiac arrest, use of AEDs was not associated with improved survival.

Measurement of the bottom quark contribution to nonphotonic electron production in p + p collisions at √s=200 GeV

The contribution of B meson decays to nonphotonic electrons, which are mainly produced by the semileptonic decays of heavy-flavor mesons, in p + p collisions at √s=200  GeV has been measured using azimuthal correlations between nonphotonic electrons and hadrons. The extracted B decay contribution is approximately 50% at a transverse momentum of pT≥5  GeV/c. These measurements constrain the nuclear modification factor for electrons from B and D meson decays. The result indicates that B meson production in heavy ion collisions is also suppressed at high pT.

A PPARα promoter variant impairs ERR-dependent transactivation and decreases mortality after acute coronary ischemia in patients with diabetes

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) occurs in animal models of diabetes (DM) and is implicated in pathological responses to myocardial ischemia. Using bioinformatics, we identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the PPARα gene promoter (PPARA -54,642 G>A; rs135561) that altered the consensus sequence for a nuclear receptor binding site. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that the domain bound two known PPARA transcriptional activators, estrogen-related receptor (ERR)-α and -γ and that PPARA G bound with greater affinity than PPARA A (>2-fold; P<0.05). Likewise, promoter-reporter analyses showed enhanced transcriptional activity for PPARA G vs. PPARA A for both ERR-α and -γ (3.1 vs.1.9-fold; P<0.05). Since PPARα activation impairs post-ischemic cardiac function in experimental models of DM, we tested whether decreased PPARA transcription in PPARA A carriers favorably impacted outcome after acute coronary ischemia in 705 patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndromes (ACS; 552 Caucasian, 106 African American). PPARA A allele frequencies were similar to non-diseased subjects. However, PPARA genotype correlated with 5-year mortality in diabetic (22.2% AA vs. 18.8% AG vs. 39.5% GG; P = 0.008), but not non-diabetic (P = 0.96) subjects (genotype by diabetes interaction P = 0.008). In the diabetic ACS subjects, PPARA A carriers had strikingly reduced all-cause mortality compared to PPARA G homozygotes, (unadjusted HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.26-0.75; P = 0.003; adjusted HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.27-0.83; P = 0.009). Consistent with previous descriptions of PPARα in experimental models and human disease, we describe a novel PPARA promoter SNP that decreases transcriptional activation of PPARA and protects against mortality in diabetic patients after ACS.

Midrapidity antiproton-to-proton ratio in pp collisons at sqrt[s]=0.9 and 7 TeV measured by the ALICE experiment

The ratio of the yields of antiprotons to protons in pp collisions has been measured by the ALICE experiment at sqrt[s]=0.9 and 7 TeV during the initial running periods of the Large Hadron Collider. The measurement covers the transverse momentum interval 0.45<p_{t}<1.05  GeV/c and rapidity |y|<0.5. The ratio is measured to be R_{|y|<0.5}=0.957±0.006(stat)±0.014(syst) at 0.9 TeV and R_{|y|<0.5}=0.991±0.005(stat)±0.014(syst) at 7 TeV and it is independent of both rapidity and transverse momentum. The results are consistent with the conventional model of baryon-number transport and set stringent limits on any additional contributions to baryon-number transfer over very large rapidity intervals in pp collisions.

Cardiac performance measure compliance in outpatients: the American College of Cardiology and National Cardiovascular Data Registry's PINNACLE (Practice Innovation And Clinical Excellence) program

OBJECTIVES

We examined compliance with performance measures for 14,464 patients enrolled from July 2008 through June 2009 into the American College of Cardiology's PINNACLE (Practice Innovation And Clinical Excellence) program to provide initial insights into the quality of outpatient cardiac care.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the quality of care of outpatients with coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, and whether sex and racial disparities exist in the treatment of outpatients.

METHODS

The PINNACLE program is the first, national, prospective office-based quality improvement program of cardiac patients designed, in part, to capture, report, and improve outpatient performance measure compliance. We examined the proportion of patients whose care was compliant with established American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and American Medical Association-Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (ACC/AHA/PCPI) performance measures for CAD, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.

RESULTS

There were 14,464 unique patients enrolled from 27 U.S. practices, accounting for 18,021 clinical visits. Of these, 8,132 (56.4%) had CAD, 5,012 (34.7%) had heart failure, and 2,786 (19.3%) had nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Data from the PINNACLE program were feasibly collected for 24 of 25 ACC/AHA/PCPI performance measures. Compliance with performance measures ranged from being very low (e.g., 13.3% of CAD patients screened for diabetes mellitus) to very high (e.g., 96.7% of heart failure patients with blood pressure assessments), with moderate (70% to 90%) compliance observed for most performance measures. For 3 performance measures, there were small differences in compliance rates by race or sex.

CONCLUSIONS

For more than 14,000 patients enrolled from 27 practices in the outpatient PINNACLE program, we found that compliance with performance measures was variable, even after accounting for exclusion criteria, suggesting an important opportunity to improve the quality of outpatient care.

Higher moments of net proton multiplicity distributions at RHIC

We report the first measurements of the kurtosis (κ), skewness (S), and variance (σ2) of net-proton multiplicity (Np-Np) distributions at midrapidity for Au+Au collisions at square root of s(NN)=19.6, 62.4, and 200 GeV corresponding to baryon chemical potentials (μB) between 200 and 20 MeV. Our measurements of the products κσ2 and Sσ, which can be related to theoretical calculations sensitive to baryon number susceptibilities and long-range correlations, are constant as functions of collision centrality. We compare these products with results from lattice QCD and various models without a critical point and study the square root of s(NN) dependence of κσ2. From the measurements at the three beam energies, we find no evidence for a critical point in the QCD phase diagram for μB below 200 MeV.

Three-particle coincidence of the long range pseudorapidity correlation in high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions

We report the first three-particle coincidence measurement in pseudorapidity (Δη) between a high transverse momentum (p⊥) trigger particle and two lower p⊥ associated particles within azimuth |Δϕ|<0.7 in square root of s(NN)=200 GeV d+Au and Au+Au collisions. Charge ordering properties are exploited to separate the jetlike component and the ridge (long range Δη correlation). The results indicate that the correlation of ridge particles are uniform not only with respect to the trigger particle but also between themselves event by event in our measured Δη. In addition, the production of the ridge appears to be uncorrelated to the presence of the narrow jetlike component.

Clinical features and outcomes of carotid artery stenting by clinical expert consensus criteria: a report from the CARE registry

BACKGROUND

In 2007, a multispecialty society task force published a clinical expert consensus document (CECD) on carotid stenting (CAS), containing recommendations for appropriate patient selection and quality of care. The CECD also inspired creation of a large, national registry of carotid revascularization, the Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy (CARE) registry. Our goal here was to investigate whether initial CAS procedures submitted to CARE conformed to CECD recommendations, and examine their clinical outcomes.

METHODS

We analyzed CAS procedures for the period January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2008. These were grouped into those that conformed to CECD recommendations [CECD(+), n = 4,636, 79.8%] and those that did not [CECD(-), n = 1,168, 20.2%].

RESULTS

The CECD(+) patients were older than CECD(-) patients (71.5 +/- 10.3 vs. 67.6 +/- 10.3 years, P = 0.001, respectively), and more frequently had chronic kidney disease (46.9% vs. 17.8%, P = 0.001), chronic lung disease (33.0% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.001), ejection fraction <or= 0.30 (13.5% vs. 5.5%, P = 0.001) and contralateral carotid artery occlusion (12.7% vs. 4.6%, P = 0.001). Clinical outcomes at 30 days were similar, including death (1.24% vs. 0.76%, P = 0.184), stroke (5.32% vs. 5.34%, P = 0.954), and death, stroke, or MI (7.04% vs. 6.95%, P = 0.944).

CONCLUSIONS

Most CAS procedures submitted to CARE conformed to CECD recommendations for patient selection. For reported data, clinical outcomes at 30 days were similar for procedures meeting and those not meeting recommendations, and were similar to outcomes reported by other large registries. These findings suggest that acceptable patient selection criteria for CAS are employed as it expands beyond investigators into more widespread clinical practice.

Importance of measuring glycosylated hemoglobin in patients with myocardial infarction and known diabetes mellitus

Although medical co-morbidities commonly affect clinical outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), current performance measures of AMI quality focus exclusively on the management of the AMI itself. However, patients with AMIs frequently present with other co-morbidities, such as diabetes mellitus (DM), that also warrant assessment and management. To date, the quality of DM evaluation in patients presenting with AMIs has not been described. From January 2003 to June 2004, the Prospective Registry Evaluating Myocardial Infarction Patients: Events and Recovery-Quality Improvement (PREMIER-QI) enrolled 3,953 patients with AMIs at 19 centers in the United States. The frequency of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) assessment, either during the hospitalization or documented in the chart from the preceding 3 months, was prospectively evaluated. Among 1,168 patients with AMIs with preexisting DM, only 47% had recent HbA(1c) levels available, with marked variability in HbA(1c) assessment among hospitals (range 7% to 81%). Among those with available HbA(1c) levels, 39% had good control (HbA(1c) <7%), 36% had suboptimal control (HbA(1c) 7% to 9%), and 25% had poor control (HbA(1c) >9%). Patients with suboptimal and poor control were more likely to have their DM treatment intensified than those without HbA(1c) assessment (for HbA(1c) 7% to 9%, rate ratio 1.38, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.85; for HbA(1c) >9%, rate ratio 2.20, 95% confidence interval 1.68 to 2.88). Similarly, patients with DM who had HbA(1c) measured were more likely to receive instructions on DM disease management before discharge. In conclusion, the assessment of chronic glycemic control is highly variable among patients with AMIs and DM. Because much of this variability occurs at the hospital level, the evaluation of DM control could represent an additional quality indicator and an opportunity to advance patient-centered AMI care.

The role of social support in health status and depressive symptoms after acute myocardial infarction: evidence for a stronger relationship among women

BACKGROUND

Prior studies have associated low social support (SS) with increased rehospitalization and mortality after acute myocardial infarction. However, relatively little is known about whether similar patterns exist for other outcomes, such as health status and depressive symptoms, and whether these patterns vary by sex.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Using data from 2411 English- or Spanish-speaking patients with acute myocardial infarction enrolled in a 19-center prospective study, we examined the association of SS (low, moderate, high) with health status (angina, disease-specific quality of life, general physical and mental functioning) and depressive symptoms over the first year of recovery. Overall and sex-stratified associations were evaluated using mixed-effects Poisson and linear regression, adjusting for site, baseline health status, baseline depressive symptoms, and demographic and clinical factors. Patients with the lowest SS (relative to those with the highest) had increased risk of angina (relative risk, 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10, 1.48); lower disease-specific quality of life (mean difference [beta]=-3.33; 95% CI, -5.25, -1.41), lower mental functioning (beta=-1.72; 95% CI, -2.65, -0.79), and more depressive symptoms (beta=0.94; 95% CI, 0.51, 1.38). A nonsignificant trend toward lower physical functioning (beta=-0.87; 95% CI, -1.95, 0.20) was observed. In sex-stratified analyses, the relationship between SS and outcomes was stronger for women than for men, with a significant SS-by-sex interaction for disease-specific quality of life, physical functioning, and depressive symptoms (all P<0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower SS is associated with worse health status and more depressive symptoms over the first year of acute myocardial infarction recovery, particularly for women.

Azimuthal charged-particle correlations and possible local strong parity violation

Parity-odd domains, corresponding to nontrivial topological solutions of the QCD vacuum, might be created during relativistic heavy-ion collisions. These domains are predicted to lead to charge separation of quarks along the system's orbital momentum axis. We investigate a three-particle azimuthal correlator which is a P even observable, but directly sensitive to the charge separation effect. We report measurements of charged hadrons near center-of-mass rapidity with this observable in Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions at square root of s(NN) = 200 GeV using the STAR detector. A signal consistent with several expectations from the theory is detected. We discuss possible contributions from other effects that are not related to parity violation.

Growth of long range forward-backward multiplicity correlations with centrality in Au + Au collisions at square root of sNN = 200 GeV

Forward-backward multiplicity correlation strengths have been measured with the STAR detector for Au + Au and p + p collisions at square root of s(NN) = 200 GeV. Strong short- and long-range correlations (LRC) are seen in central Au + Au collisions. The magnitude of these correlations decrease with decreasing centrality until only short-range correlations are observed in peripheral Au + Au collisions. Both the dual parton model (DPM) and the color glass condensate (CGC) predict the existence of the long-range correlations. In the DPM, the fluctuation in the number of elementary (parton) inelastic collisions produces the LRC. In the CGC, longitudinal color flux tubes generate the LRC. The data are in qualitative agreement with the predictions of the DPM and indicate the presence of multiple parton interactions.

Racial differences in survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest

CONTEXT

Racial differences in survival have not been previously studied after in-hospital cardiac arrest, an event for which access to care is not likely to influence treatment.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate racial differences in survival for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrests and examine the association of sociodemographic and clinical factors and the admitting hospital with racial differences in survival.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS

Cohort study of 10,011 patients with cardiac arrests due to ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia enrolled between January 1, 2000, and February 29, 2008, at 274 hospitals within the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Survival to hospital discharge; successful resuscitation from initial arrest and postresuscitation survival (secondary outcome measures).

RESULTS

Included were 1883 black patients (18.8%) and 8128 white patients (81.2%). Rates of survival to discharge were lower for black patients (25.2%) than for white patients (37.4%) (unadjusted relative rate [RR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.79). Unadjusted racial differences narrowed after adjusting for patient characteristics (adjusted RR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.75-0.88]; P < .001) and diminished further after additional adjustment for hospital site (adjusted RR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.82-0.96]; P = .002). Lower rates of survival to discharge for blacks reflected lower rates of both successful resuscitation (55.8% vs 67.4% for whites; unadjusted RR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.81-0.88]) and postresuscitation survival (45.2% vs 55.5% for whites; unadjusted RR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.79-0.91]). Adjustment for the hospital site at which patients received care explained a substantial portion of the racial differences in successful resuscitation (adjusted RR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.88-0.96]; P < .001) and eliminated the racial differences in postresuscitation survival (adjusted RR, 0.99 [95% CI, 0.92-1.06]; P = .68).

CONCLUSIONS

Black patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest were significantly less likely to survive to discharge than white patients, with lower rates of survival during both the immediate resuscitation and postresuscitation periods. Much of the racial difference was associated with the hospital center in which black patients received care.

K/pi Fluctuations at relativistic energies

We report K/pi fluctuations from Au + Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]= 19.6, 62.4, 130, and 200 GeV using the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. K/pi fluctuations in central collisions show little dependence on incident energy and are on the same order as those from NA49 at the Super Proton Synchrotron in central Pb + Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=12.3 and 17.3 GeV. We report results for the collision centrality dependence of K/pi fluctuations and results for charge-separated fluctuations. We observe that the K/pi fluctuations scale with the charged particle multiplicity density.

A longer course of varenicline therapy improves smoking cessation rates

Smoking exerts strong dose-dependent increases in cardiovascular risk and mortality, and quitting can profoundly decrease these risks. Varenicline attenuates nicotine addiction by reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings. A meta-analysis performed addressed whether a longer duration of varenicline is associated with better abstinence rates than shorter courses of treatment. For this meta-analysis, a literature search was performed to identify randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy of the smoking cessation agent varenicline. The association between abstinence and duration of treatment was analyzed using fixed-effect meta-regression. Five randomized controlled trials were identified and included in this meta-analysis. A highly significant relationship (P<.001) was found between the length of exposure to varenicline and abstinence rate. Cessation rates were approximately twice as high with varenicline treatment of 24 weeks compared to 6 weeks. In conclusion, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials suggests that longer duration of varenicline therapy improves long-term abstinence rates.

The impact of dyspnea on health-related quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease: results from the PREMIER registry

BACKGROUND

Both angina and dyspnea are prevalent symptoms among post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Given their frequent overlap, little is known about the degree to which these symptoms provide independent information in this population.

METHODS

Using the multicenter Prospective Registry Evaluating Myocardial Infarction: Events and Recovery (PREMIER), 1,835 patients were administered the Rose Dyspnea Scale (scores range 0-4; higher scores indicate worse dyspnea), Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ; lower scores indicate worse angina), and 12-item Short Form physical component (PCS; lower scores indicate worse physical health status) at 1 and 12 months post-MI. Multivariable regression was used to examine the association between dyspnea and quality of life (QOL) in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses as well as its association with rehospitalizations and mortality.

RESULTS

At 1-month follow-up, 863 patients (47%) reported dyspnea, and 340 (19%) noted moderate to severe dyspnea. After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors including SAQ angina frequency, higher dyspnea scores remained strongly associated with worse QOL in both cross-sectional (1-U dyspnea increase = 2.5-point PCS decrease and 2.4-point SAQ QOL decrease) and longitudinal analyses (1-U dyspnea increase from 1 month to 1 year = 3.8-point PCS decrease and 3.5-point SAQ QOL decrease), and with increased risk of 1-year rehospitalization (hazard ratio 1.15/1 U of dyspnea, 95% CI 1.07-1.24) and 3-year mortality (hazard ratio 1.34/1 U of dyspnea, 95% CI 1.19-1.51; P < .001 for all analyses).

CONCLUSIONS

Among post-MI patients, dyspnea is common and strongly associated with impaired QOL, more frequent rehospitalization, and reduced survival--independent of both clinical factors and angina. These findings suggest that dyspnea is an important component of disease-specific health status for post-MI patients, and its assessment should be strongly considered in both research studies and clinical practice.