Polyvascular disease and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in older patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction

Ankle brachial index most important to identify polyvascular disease in patients with non-ST elevation or ST-elevation myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease. In patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) the extent of polyvascular disease (PvD) is largely unknown. In this study we investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics predictive of PvD in patients with non-ST-elevation (NSTEMI) and ST-elevation (STEMI) MI.

METHOD

375 patients with acute MI included in the REBUS (Relevance of Biomarkers for Future Risk of Thromboembolic Events in Unselected Post-myocardial Infarction Patients) study were examined. Atherosclerotic changes were assessed in three arterial beds by coronary angiography, carotid ultrasound and ankle brachial index (ABI). Results compared findings of atherosclerosis in three arterial beds to fewer than 3 beds. PvD was defined as atherosclerosis in all three arterial beds.

RESULTS

A medical history of MI, peripheral artery disease (PAD) or stroke was reported at admission in 17.9%, 2.1% and 3.7% of the patients, respectively. After evaluation, abnormal ABI was found in 20.3% and carotid artery atherosclerosis in 54.9% of the patients. In the total population, PvD was found in 13.8% of patients with no significant differences observed between NSTEMI and STEMI patients. Age (p<0.001), diabetes (p=0.039), previous PAD (p=0.009) and female gender (p=0.016) were associated with PvD. ABI was the most important predictor of PvD with a positive predictive value of 68.4% (95% CI 57.7-79.2%) and specificity of 92.4% (95% CI 89.5-95.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

PvD is underdiagnosed in patients suffering from MI, both NSTEMI and STEMI. ABI is a useful and simple measurement that appears predictive of widespread atherosclerosis in these patients.

Long-term prognostic role of cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease across the spectrum of acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND

In acute coronary syndromes (ACS), the influence of cerebro-vascular disease (CVD) and/or peripheral artery disease (PAD) on short-midterm outcome has been well established. Data on long-term outcome however, are limited. Our study aimed to explore the effect of CVD and PAD on long-term outcome in a cohort of unselected ACS patients, including ST-elevation (STE-ACS) and non-ST-elevation (NSTE-ACS).

METHODS AND RESULTS

The population consisted of 2046 consecutive patients with a confirmed final diagnosis of ACS; 896 (44%) had STE-ACS and 1150 (66%) NSTE-ACS. CVD alone was present in 98 patients (5%), 282 (14%) had PAD alone, and 30 (1.5%) had both. All cause mortality at 5 years was lowest in patients without CVD/PAD (33%), intermediate in patients with either CVD or PAD (62% and 63%, respectively) reaching 80% in those with both CVD and PAD. These findings were confirmed in the STE-ACS and NSTE-ACS subgroups. CVD and PAD remained independent predictors of mortality after multivariable analysis, the combined presence of both carrying the highest risk within each ACS type (HR 4.15, 95% CI 1.83-9.44 for STE-ACS; HR 2.14, 1.29-3.54 for NSTE-ACS). Patients with CVD and/or PAD were less likely to be treated invasively and received less evidence-based treatment at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Across the spectrum of ACS, extracardiac vascular disease harbors a negative long-term prognosis that worsens progressively with the number of affected arterial beds.

Anatomic runoff score predicts cardiovascular outcomes in patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease undergoing revascularization

BACKGROUND

Although the presence, extent, and severity of obstruction in patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (LE PAD) affect their functional status, quality of life, and treatment, it is not known if these factors are associated with future cardiovascular events. We empirically created an anatomic runoff score (ARS) to approximate the burden of LE PAD and determined its association with clinical outcomes.

METHODS

We evaluated all patients with LE PAD and bilateral angiography undergoing revascularization in a community-based clinical study. Primary clinical outcomes of interest were (1) a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke and (2) amputation-free survival. Cox proportional hazards models were created to identify predictors of clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

We evaluated 908 patients undergoing angiography, and a total of 260 (28.0%) patients reached the composite end point (45 MI, 63 stroke, and 152 death) during the study period. Anatomic runoff score ranged from 0 to 15 (mean 4.7; SD 2.5) with higher scores indicating a higher burden of disease, and an optimal cutpoint analysis classified patients into low ARS (<5) and high ARS (≥5). The unadjusted rates of the primary composite end point and amputation-free survival were nearly 2-fold higher in patients with a high ARS when compared with patients with a low ARS. The most significant predictors of the composite end point (death/MI/stroke) were age (δ 10 years; hazard ratio [HR] 1.53; CI 1.32-1.78; P < .001), diabetes mellitus (HR 1.65; CI 1.26-2.18; P < .001), glomerular filtration rate <30 (HR 2.23; CI 1.44-3.44; P < .001), statin use (HR 0.66; CI 0.48-0.88; P < .001), and ARS (δ 2 points; HR 1.21; CI 1.08-1.35; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

After adjustment for clinical factors, the LE PAD ARS was an independent predictor of future cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a broadly representative patient population undergoing revascularization for symptomatic PAD. A clinically useful anatomic scoring system, if validated, may assist clinicians in risk stratification during the course of clinical decision making.

Evaluation and treatment of patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease: consensus definitions from Peripheral Academic Research Consortium (PARC)

The lack of consistent definitions and nomenclature across clinical trials of novel devices, drugs, or biologics poses a significant barrier to accrual of knowledge in and across peripheral artery disease therapies and technologies. Recognizing this problem, the Peripheral Academic Research Consortium, together with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, has developed a series of pragmatic consensus definitions for patients being treated for peripheral artery disease affecting the lower extremities. These consensus definitions include the clinical presentation, anatomic depiction, interventional outcomes, surrogate imaging and physiological follow-up, and clinical outcomes of patients with lower-extremity peripheral artery disease. Consistent application of these definitions in clinical trials evaluating novel revascularization technologies should result in more efficient regulatory evaluation and best practice guidelines to inform clinical decisions in patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease.

Contemporary outcomes with percutaneous vascular interventions for peripheral critical limb ischemia in those with and without poly-vascular disease

Given the very ill nature of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), the use of percutaneous vascular interventions (PVIs) for limb salvage may or may not be efficacious; in particular, for those with polyvascular arterial disease. Herein, we reviewed large, multi-institutional outcomes of PVI in polyvascular and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients with CLI. An 18-hospital consortium collected prospective data on patients undergoing endovascular interventions for PAD with 6-month follow-up from January 2008 to December 2011. The patient cohort included 4459 patients with CLI; of those, 3141 patients had polyvascular (coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease and PAD) disease, whereas 1318 patients suffered from only PAD. All patients were elderly and with significant comorbidities. The mean ankle–brachial index (ABI) was 0.44 and was not different between those with and without polyvascular disease. Polyvascular patients had more femoropopliteal and infra-inguinal interventions and less aortoiliac interventions than PAD patients. Pre- and post-procedural cardioprotective medication use was less in the PAD patients as compared with polyvascular patients. Vascular complications requiring surgery were higher in PAD patients whereas other access complications were similar between groups. At 6-month follow-up, death was more common in the polyvascular group (6.7% vs 4.1%, p<0.001) as was repeat PVI, but no difference was found in the amputation rate. Considering the group as a whole at the 6-month follow-up, predictors of amputation/death included age (HR=1.01; 95% CI=1.002–1.02), anemia (HR=2.6; 95% CI=2.1–3.2), diabetes mellitus (HR=1.6; 95% CI=1.3–1.9), congestive heart failure (HR=1.6; 95% CI=1.4–1.9), and end-stage renal failure (HR=1.9; 95% CI=1.5–2.3), while female sex was protective (HR=0.7; 95% CI=0.6–0.8). In conclusion, from examination of this large, multicenter, multi-specialist practice registry, patients with polyvascular disease had higher 6-month mortality than PAD patients, but this was not a factor in 6-month limb amputation outcomes. This study also underscores that PAD patients still lag in cardioprotective medication use as compared with polyvascular patients.

Vorapaxar in patients with peripheral artery disease and acute coronary syndrome: insights from Thrombin Receptor Antagonist for Clinical Event Reduction in Acute Coronary Syndrome (TRACER)

BACKGROUND

In the TRACER trial, vorapaxar, a protease-activated receptor-1 antagonist, plus standard care in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE ACS) patients did not significantly reduce the primary composite end point but reduced a key secondary end point and significantly increased bleeding. History of peripheral artery disease (PAD) was a risk-enrichment inclusion criterion. We investigated the efficacy and safety of vorapaxar in NSTE ACS patients with documented PAD.

METHODS

TRACER was a double-blind, randomized trial comparing vorapaxar with placebo in 12,944 patients with NSTE ACS.

RESULTS

In total, 936 (7.2%) patients had a history of PAD. Ischemic events occurred more frequently among patients with PAD (25.3%) versus no PAD (12.2%, P < .001), and Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries moderate/severe bleeding was more common in PAD (9.1%) versus no PAD (5.0%, P = .004). Similar rates of the composite end point (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) occurred in patients with PAD treated with vorapaxar and placebo (21.7% vs 24.8%, P interaction = .787). Patients with PAD treated with vorapaxar, when compared with placebo, also had a numerical reduction in peripheral revascularization procedures (8.1% vs 9.0%, P = .158) and a lower extremity amputation rate (0.9% vs 1.5%, P = .107). Vorapaxar increased Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries moderate/severe bleeding similarly in patients with PAD (hazard ratio 1.47, 95% CI 0.89-2.45) and without (hazard ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.22-1.79; P interaction = .921).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with NSTE ACS and PAD were at increased risk for ischemic events. Lower rates of ischemic end points, peripheral revascularization, and amputation with vorapaxar did not reach statistical significance but warrant further investigation. Vorapaxar increased bleeding in both patients with and without PAD at a similar magnitude of risk.

Lower extremity amputation in peripheral artery disease: improving patient outcomes

Peripheral artery disease affects over eight million Americans and is associated with an increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, functional limitation, and limb loss. In its most severe form, critical limb ischemia, patients are often treated with lower extremity (LE) amputation (LEA), although the overall incidence of LEA is declining. In the US, there is significant geographic variation in the performing of major LEA. The rate of death after major LEA in the US is approximately 48% at 1 year and 71% at 3 years. Despite this significant morbidity and mortality, the use of diagnostic testing (both noninvasive and invasive testing) in the year prior to LEA is low and varies based on patient, provider, and regional factors. In this review we discuss the significance of LEA and methods to reduce its occurrence. These methods include improved recognition of the risk factors for LEA by clinicians and patients, strong advocacy for noninvasive and/or invasive imaging prior to LEA, improved endovascular revascularization techniques, and novel therapies.

Impact of previous vascular burden on in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Patients with a current acute coronary syndrome and previous ischemic heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, and/or cerebrovascular disease are reported to have a poorer outcome than those without these previous conditions. It is uncertain whether this association with outcome is observed at long-term follow-up.

METHODS

Prospective observational study, including 4247 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Detailed clinical data and information on previous ischemic heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, and cerebrovascular disease ("vascular burden") were recorded. Multivariate models were performed for in-hospital and long-term (median, 7.2 years) all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

One vascular territory was affected in 1131 (26.6%) patients and ≥ 2 territories in 221 (5.2%). The total in-hospital mortality rate was 12.3% and the long-term incidence density was 3.5 deaths per 100 patient-years. A background of previous ischemic heart disease (odds ratio = 0.83; P = .35), peripheral arterial disease (odds ratio = 1.30; P = .34), or cerebrovascular disease (stroke) (odds ratio = 1.15; P = .59) was not independently predictive of in-hospital death. In an adjusted model, previous cerebrovascular disease and previous peripheral arterial disease were both predictors of mortality at long-term follow-up (hazard ratio = 1.57; P < .001; and hazard ratio = 1.34; P = .001; respectively). Patients with ≥ 2 diseased vascular territories showed higher long-term mortality (hazard ratio = 2.35; P < .001), but not higher in-hospital mortality (odds ratio = 1.07; P = .844).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with a diagnosis of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction, the previous vascular burden determines greater long-term mortality. Considered individually, previous cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease were predictors of mortality at long-term after hospital discharge.