Third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction

Prognostic impact of body mass index and culprit lesion calcification in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with low body mass index (BMI) have worse outcomes than obese patients, and this phenomenon is recognized as "obesity paradox." Coronary calcification is associated with cardiac events. However, the association between BMI and calcification and their involvement in the mortality of AMI patients remain unknown. This study consecutively enrolled 517 patients with AMI who underwent emergent coronary intervention within 24 h after onset. Patients were divided into four groups according to the baseline BMI interquartile ranges: Q1 (BMI < 21.9 kg/m²), Q2 (21.9 ≤ BMI < 24.0 kg/m²), Q3 (24.0 ≤ BMI < 26.0 kg/m²), and Q4 (BMI ≥ 26.0 kg/m²). Calcification in the culprit lesion was also evaluated. The Q1 group was older and had a lower frequency of coronary risk factors. Moderate/severe calcification was most frequently observed in Q1, followed by Q2, Q3, and Q4. The Q1 group had the highest all-cause mortality, and patients with moderate/severe calcification had a higher all-cause mortality than that in patients without calcification. The highest all-cause mortality was observed in Q1with calcification, and the lowest was in Q4 without calcification. Q1 and the presence of moderate/severe calcification were independently associated with all-cause mortality. Although low-BMI patients with AMI had a lower frequency of coronary risk factors, they had a worse all-cause mortality than that in high-BMI patients. Our findings suggest that lesion calcification and its possible association with low BMI are involved in the higher mortality rate in these patients.

Inability to act was associated with an extended delay prior to care-seeking, in patients with an acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

The out-of-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction remains unchanged in contrast to a decrease in inhospital mortality. Interventions aiming to shorten patient delay have been largely unsuccessful. A deeper understanding is apparently needed on patients' appraisal prior to care-seeking.

AIM

To investigate whether appraisal processes influence patient delay, and if the questionnaire 'Patients' appraisal, emotions and action tendencies preceding care seeking in acute myocardial infarction' (PA-AMI) could discriminate between patients with prolonged care-seeking and those with a short delay.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study including 326 acute myocardial infarction patients filling out the validated questionnaire PA-AMI. The impact of subscales on delay was analysed by projection to latent structures regression. Discrimination opportunities between patients with short and long delays were analysed by projection to latent structures discriminant analysis.

RESULTS

The subscales 'perceived inability to act' and 'symptom appraisal' had a major impact on patient delay (P<0.0001). 'Perceived inability to act' had its main influence in patients with a delay exceeding 12 hours, and 'symptom appraisal' had its main influence in patients with a delay shorter than one hour.

CONCLUSION

Appraisal processes influence patient delay. Acute myocardial infarction patients with a prolonged delay were, besides a low perceived symptom severity and urgency to seek medical care, characterised by a perceived loss of control and ability to act. Therefore, future interventions aimed at decreasing delay should pay attention to appraisal processes, and perceived inability to act may be a sign of a health threat and therefore a signal to seek medical care.

The soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE) has a dual phase-dependent association with residual cardiovascular risk after an acute coronary event

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The pro-inflammatory alarmin S100A12 (EN-RAGE) and the soluble form of its receptor, the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (sRAGE), have diverging roles in cardiovascular disease. In experimental studies, S100A12 promoted atherosclerosis while sRAGE treatment was anti-atherogenic and reduced myocardial infarction size by scavenging RAGE ligands. Here, we aimed to explore the links between S100A12, sRAGE, and long-term prognosis after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

METHODS

We measured S100A12 and sRAGE in 524 patients within 24 h after an ACS, and again 6 weeks later in a subgroup of 114 patients. This subgroup also completed a follow-up echocardiography after 1 year. The median follow-up time for recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as recurrent ACS or cardiovascular death, was 25.7 ± 12.6 months.

RESULTS

In Cox proportional hazard analyses, baseline S100A12 and sRAGE were positively associated with the risk of MACE, independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. The association between sRAGE and MACE remained significant after additional adjustment for troponin T, NT-proBNP and hsCRP [HR 95%CI for highest versus lowest tertile 3.2 (1.5-6.5), p = 0.002]. High sRAGE was also associated with deteriorating left ventricular function and an increased rate of heart failure hospitalization post-discharge. In contrast, patients with increasing sRAGE at 6 weeks compared to baseline had lower incidence of recurrent ACS.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that sRAGE has a dual, phase-dependent association with residual cardiovascular risk after ACS. These findings are important for the design and interpretation of future studies on sRAGE as biomarker and potential treatment in ACS patients.

Relationship between degree of heparin anticoagulation and clinical outcome in patients receiving potent P2Y12-inhibitors with no planned glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor during percutaneous coronary intervention in acute myocardial infarction: a VALIDATE-SWEDEHEART substudy

Aims

Heparin is the preferred choice of anticoagulant in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (MI). An established dosage of heparin has not yet been determined, but treatment may be optimized through monitoring of activated clotting time (ACT). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between heparin dose or ACT with a composite outcome of death, MI, or bleeding using data from the registry-based, randomized, controlled, and open-label VALIDATE-SWEDEHEART trial, although patients were not randomized to heparin dose in this substudy.

Methods and results

Patients with MI undergoing PCI and receiving treatment with a potent P2Y12-inhibitor and anticoagulation with heparin, without the planned use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (GPI), were enrolled in this substudy. The primary endpoint was a composite endpoint of death, MI, and bleeding at 30 days. The individual components and stent thrombosis were analysed separately. We divided patients into groups according to the initial dose of unfractionated heparin during PCI (&lt;70 U/kg, 70–100 U/kg, and &gt;100 U/kg) or ACT (ACT &lt;250 s, 250–350 s, and &gt;350 s) as well as investigating them as continuous variables in Cox proportional hazards models using univariable and multivariable analyses. No major differences were noted between heparin stratified in groups (P = 0.22) or heparin as a continuous variable in relation to the primary composite endpoint hazard ratio (HR) 1.0 confidence interval (CI) (0.99–1.01) for heparin dose/kg. No differences were found between ACT stratified in groups (P = 0.453) or ACT in seconds HR 1.0 CI (0.99–1.00) regarding the primary endpoint. The individual components of death, MI, major bleeding, and stent thrombosis were not significantly different across heparin doses or ACT levels either.

Conclusion

We found no association between heparin dose or ACT levels and death, MI bleeding complications, or stent thrombosis. Therefore, there is no strong support for a specific heparin dose or mandatory ACT monitoring in patients treated with potent P2Y12-inhibitors with no planned GPI.

Effects of Curcuminoids on Myocardial Injury After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The rise of cardiac troponin post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with a high risk of long-term cardiovascular events. Previous studies have shown that curcuminoids decreased myocardial injury post-coronary bypass graft surgery through anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. We sought to examine whether curcuminoids could prevent PCI-related myocardial injury. One-hundred enrolled patients receiving elective PCI were randomized to obtain curcuminoids or placebo 4 g/day at least 1 day before and after the scheduled PCI. Cardiac troponin-T and 12-lead electrocardiogram were evaluated before PCI and at 24 and 48 h post-PCI. The definitions of PCI-related myocardial injury and myocardial infarction were in line with the third universal definition of myocardial infarction. Baseline characteristics of patients and procedures did not differ between the curcuminoids and placebo groups. The mean age was 63.9 ± 10.8 years. The incidence of PCI-related myocardial injury was not different between curcuminoids and placebo groups (32% vs. 38%, P = .675). The peak high-sensitive cardiac troponin T levels after PCI were not different between the curcuminoids and placebo groups (201.0 ± 547.0 ng/L vs. 187.0 ± 703.9 ng/L respectively, P = .912). Further, the high-sensitive C-reactive protein levels post-PCI were similar in patients receiving curcuminoids and placebo (7.2 ± 18.8 mg/dL vs. 6.6 ± 17.5 mg/dL, respectively, P = .873). We found that short-term treatment with curcuminoids did not reduce the occurrence of PCI-related myocardial injury. We did not observe the role of anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of curcuminoids in the PCI-related myocardial injury.

No additional value of conventional and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin over clinical scoring systems in the differential diagnosis of type 1 vs. type 2 myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

The distinction of type 1 and type 2 myocardial infarction (MI) is of major clinical importance. Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic ability of absolute and relative conventional cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) in the distinction between type 1 and type 2 MI in patients presenting at the emergency department with non-ST-segment elevation acute chest pain within the first 12 h.

METHODS

We measured cTnI (Dimension Vista) and hs-cTnT (Cobas e601) concentrations at presentation and after 4 h in 200 patients presenting with suspected acute MI. The final diagnosis, based on standard criteria, was adjudicated by two independent cardiologists.

RESULTS

One hundred and twenty-five patients (62.5%)were classified as type 1 MI and 75 (37.5%) were type 2 MI. In a multivariable setting, age (relative risk [RR]=1.43, p=0.040), male gender (RR=2.22, p=0.040), T-wave inversion (RR=8.51, p<0.001), ST-segment depression (RR=8.71, p<0.001) and absolute delta hs-cTnT (RR=2.10, p=0.022) were independently associated with type 1 MI. In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the discriminatory power of absolute delta cTnI and hs-cTnT was significantly higher compared to relative c-TnI and hs-cTnT changes. The additive information provided by cTnI and hs-cTnT over and above the information provided by the "clinical" model was only marginal.

CONCLUSIONS

The diagnostic information provided by serial measurements of conventional or hs-cTnT is not better than that yielded by a simple clinical scoring model. Absolute changes are more informative than relative troponin changes.

Differences in initial electrocardiographic findings between ST-elevation myocardial infarction due to left main trunk and left anterior descending artery lesions

Background

Early discrimination of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) due to a left main trunk (LMT) lesion provided by straightforward electrocardiographic criteria is useful for prompt treatment. The purpose of this study is to investigate differences in electrocardiographic findings between STEMI due to lesions of LMT and those of left anterior descending artery (LAD).

Methods

Initial electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings of 435 patients with analyzable ECGs from a cohort of 940 consecutive STEMI patients were analyzed retrospectively for presence of LMT lesions (LMT, n = 39), proximal (pLAD, n = 224) and distal LAD lesions (dLAD, n = 172). ST-segment deviations in 12 leads were assessed among 3 groups without bundle branch block (n = 17 in LMT, n = 180 in pLAD, and n = 159 in dLAD).

Results

Magnitudes of ST-segment deviations showed significant differences in leads II, III, aVR aVL, aVF, and V2–V6 across the three groups. This difference suggested two possible characteristic findings in the LMT group, allowing it to be distinguished from the pLAD or dLAD group; (A) larger magnitude of ST-segment depression in lead II than that of ST-segment elevation in lead V2 (47.1% in LMT vs. 0.6% in pLAD vs. 1.3% in dLAD, P < 0.0001), and (B) ST-segment depression in lead V5 (58.8% in LMT vs. 6.7% in pLAD vs. 2.5% in dLAD, P < 0.0001). These findings exhibited superior negative predictive value over conventional ST-segment elevation in lead aVR.

Conclusions

A large reciprocal ST-segment depression in inferior leads and ST-segment depression in lead V5 are useful ECG findings allowing determination of STEMI due to an LMT lesion.

Future perspectives of nanoparticle-based contrast agents for cardiac magnetic resonance in myocardial infarction

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR), thanks to high spatial resolution and absence of ionizing radiation, has been widely used in myocardial infarction (MI) assessment to evaluate cardiac structure, function, perfusion and viability. Nevertheless, it suffers from limitations in tissue and assessment of myocardial pathophysiological changes subsequent to MI. In this issue, nanoparticle-based contrast agents offer the possibility to track biological processes at cellular and molecular level underlying the various phases of MI, infarct healing and tissue repair. In this paper, first we examine the conventional CMR protocol and its findings in MI patients. Next, we looked at how nanoparticles can help in the imaging of MI and give an overview of the major approaches currently explored. Based on the presentation of successful nanoparticle applications as contrast agents (CAs) in preclinical and clinical models, we discuss promises and outstanding challenges facing the field of CMR in MI, their translational potential and clinical application.

Circulating MiR-17-5p, MiR-126-5p and MiR-145-3p Are Novel Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction

Ischemic heart disease including myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. In order to manage the acute myocardial infarction (AMI) outbreaks, novel biomarkers for risk prediction are needed. Recent studies have shown that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases prediction. This study aimed to determine the possibility of circulating miRNAs used as biomarkers for AMI. The dynamic expression levels of miRNAs were examined before and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients. Circulating miR-17-5p, miR-126-5p, and miR-145-3p were selected and validated in 29 patients with AMI and 21 matched controls by quantitative real-time PCR. The expression levels of plasma miR-17-5p, miR-126-5p, and miR-145-3p were significantly increased in AMI patients. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that miR-17-5p, miR-126-5p, and miR-145-3p showed considerable diagnostic efficiency for AMI. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the combination of these three miRNAs managed to provide more accurate diagnosing of AMI.

Visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction predicts long-term cardiovascular outcomes

Elevated visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV), independent of mean BP, has been associated with cardiovascular events. However, its impact after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been established. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of BPV on patients after STEMI. We analyzed the data and clinical outcomes of STEMI survivors who underwent successful primary coronary intervention from 2003 to 2009. BP was measured at discharge and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, and we calculated BPV as the intra-individual standard deviations (SDs) of systolic BP (SBP) across these measurements. We classified the patients as high and low-BPV group, and evaluated the outcomes: occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), death, recurrent myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization within 60 months. We enrolled 343 patients, and mean follow-up duration was 68 ± 34 months (median: 76 months). Mean and median SBP SDs were 13.2 and 12.3 mmHg, and patients were divided into one of the two groups based on the median (high-BPV group = SD ≥ 12.3 mmHg; low-BPV group = SD < 12.3 mmHg). The MACE-free survival in the high-BPV group was significantly worse than that in low-BPV group (log-rank p = 0.035). For the high-BPV group, the risk of a MACE significantly increased by 57% (95% confidence interval: 1.03–2.39; p = 0.038). Visit-to-visit systolic BPV was associated with increased rates of adverse clinical outcomes in patients after STEMI. Careful assessment of BP and attempts to reduce BPV might be also important in STEMI survivors.

Effect of prior stroke on long-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions in Chinese patients: A large single-center study

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effect of prior stroke on long-term outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

BACKGROUND

Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and prior stroke history have more serious clinical and angiographic conditions, which make the choice of treatment strategy complex.

METHODS

A total of 10,724 consecutive patients who underwent PCI from January 2013 to December 2013 were enrolled. 2-Year clinical outcomes between patients with prior stroke (n = 1150) and those with no prior stroke (n =9574) were compared.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients with prior stroke was 10.72%. These patients had higher clinical risks (age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors) and more extensive coronary disease (higher pre-PCI and residual SYNTAX scores). During the 2-year follow-up, patients with prior stroke had a higher incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), all-cause death, stent thrombosis and stroke than those without prior stroke (14.3% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.02; 2.3% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.01; 1.6% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.01; 3.3% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.01, respectively). Multivariable regression analyses identified a positive association between prior stroke and risk of stroke (HR = 2.07, 95%CI: 1.35-3.19, p < 0.01). Propensity score matched analyses (962 pairs) indicated that the only primary end point that differed in incidence between the groups was stroke and prior stroke was the only independent predictor of stroke (HR = 2.31, 95%CI: 1.20-4.45, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Prior stroke history was the only predictor of risk of post-PCI stroke. The noncerebrovascular adverse events were not increased after adjusted analyses of baseline characteristics and propensity analyses.

Efficacy and safety of intravenous esmolol for cardiac protection in non-cardiac surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis

Haemodynamic instability predisposes patients to cardiac complications in non-cardiac surgery. Esmolol, a short-acting cardioselective beta-adrenergic blocker might be efficient in perioperative cardiac protection, but could affect other vital organs, such as the kidneys, and post-discharge survival. We performed a systematic review on the use of esmolol for perioperative cardiac protection. We searched PubMed, Ovid Medline and Cochrane Central Register for Controlled trials. Eligible randomized controlled studies (RCTs) reported a perioperative esmolol intervention with at least one of the primary (major cardiac or renal complications during the first 30 postoperative days) or secondary (postoperative adverse effects and all-cause mortality) outcomes. We included 196 adult patients from three RCTs. Esmolol significantly reduced postoperative myocardial ischaemia, RR =0.43 [95% confidence interval, CI: 0.21-0.88], p = .02. No association with clinically significant bradycardia and hypotension compared to patients receiving control treatment could be confirmed (RR =7.4 [95% CI: 0.29-139.81], p = .18 and RR =2.21 [95% CI: 0.34-14.36], p = .41, respectively). No differences regarding other outcomes were observed. No study reported postoperative renal outcomes. Esmolol seems promising for the prevention of perioperative myocardial ischaemia. However, the association with bradycardia and hypotension remains unclear. Randomized trials investigating the effect of β1-selective blockade on clinically relevant outcomes and non-cardiac vital organs are warranted. Key messages Short-acting cardioselective esmolol seems efficient in the prevention of perioperative myocardial ischaemia. The possibly increased risk of bradycardia and hypotension with short-acting intravenous beta blockade could not be confirmed or refuted by available data. Future adequately powered trials investigating the effect of β1-selective blockade on clinically relevant outcomes and non-cardiac vital organs are warranted.

Inflammation-based Glasgow Prognostic Score in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: A prospective cohort study

The inflammation-based Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), which involves C-reactive protein and serum albumin levels, has been reported to be a strong independent predictor of mortality in many cancers. This study aimed to investigate whether the GPS is associated with mortality in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI).In this study, 406 consecutive patients with STEMI at our emergency department (ED) who were undergoing pPCI were prospectively enrolled and assigned a GPS of 0, 1, or 2. Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations between the GPS and long-term mortality.Twenty-three patients (5.7%) died at the hospital, and 37 (9.7%) died during follow-up (14.4 [9.3-17.6] months). Compared with patients with a lower GPS, those with a higher GPS had significantly higher in-hospital mortality (GPS = 0 vs GPS = 1 vs GPS = 2: 3.3% vs 6.3% vs 28.0%, P < .001), follow-up mortality (4.6% vs 14.3% vs 55.6%, P < .001), and cumulative mortality (9.6% vs 21.1% vs 71.1%, P < .001). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that in patients with a GPS of 1 and 2 (versus 0), the multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause mortality were 2.068 (95% CI: 1.082-3.951, P = .028) and 8.305 (95% CI: 4.017-17.171, P < .001), respectively, after controlling for all of the confounding factors. Subgroup analysis showed that a higher GPS was associated with an increased risk of cumulative mortality in the different subgroups.The GPS on admission may be useful for stratifying the risk of adverse outcomes in patients with STEMI undergoing pPCI in the ED.

Circulating microRNAs in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of cardiac-related circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.

Methods:

This study has a prospective experimental cohort design. A total of 12 consecutive patients with acute chest pain within 12 h admitted to emergency department (STEMI group) and 13 adult patients with normal coronary angiography during the same period were enrolled (control group) in this study. Changes in the expression of miR-122, miR-208, miR-375, miR-22, miR-133b, miR-92b, miR-21, miR-133a, miR-423-5p, miR-27b, miR-30a-3p, miR-17, miR-30d, miR-642, and miR-95 were analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Blood samples were collected before angiography and 24 h after angiography. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences v19.

Results:

The STEMI group included 12 patients (7 males) with an average age of 56.5±8.3 (range, 44–69) years. The control group included 13 patients (9 males) with an average age of 59±11 (range, 42–80) years. When fold differences were calculated for the miRNA expression values, only miR-30d and miR-423-5p expression levels in STEMI patients showed significant differences in expression levels compared with control patients. The miRNA levels were 2.3-fold higher for miR-30d (p=0.034) and 6.9-fold higher for miR-423-5p (p=0.017). There was no significant correlation between troponin I and miR-30d or miR-423-5p levels (p>0.05).

Conclusion:

In this study, the expression levels of miRNAs related to cardiac disease were evaluated in peripheral blood. The circulating miR-423-5p and miR-30d levels in peripheral blood were found to be higher in STEMI cases than in the control group. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate their potential use as biomarkers in STEMI cases. (Anatol J Cardiol 2016; 16; 392-6)

Short-Term Prognosis of Myocardial Injury, Type 1, and Type 2 Myocardial Infarction in the Emergency Unit

BACKGROUND

Type 2 myocardial infarction and nonischemic myocardial injury, corresponding to troponin elevation without atherothrombosis, are emerging concepts suspected of being common in emergency departments (ED). However, their respective frequencies, risk profiles, and short-term prognoses remain to be investigated.

METHODS

Among all the patients admitted from January 2014 to December 2016 in a university hospital ED (n = 33,669), those with elevated conventional troponin Ic (≥0.10 µg/L) (n = 4436, 13%) were systematically adjudicated as having type 1 or type 2 myocardial infarction in the presence of symptoms or signs of myocardial ischemia (typical chest pain or electrocardiographic changes) or myocardial injury without such signs.

RESULTS

Among the 4436 patients included, 1453 (33%) were classified as having myocardial injury, 947 (21%) as having type 2 and 2036 (46%) as having type 1 myocardial infarction. Compared with type 1 patients, patients with type 2 myocardial infarction and myocardial injury were markedly older (respective median ages: 67, 81, and 84 years; P < .001) with more frequent comorbidities. In multivariate analysis, myocardial injury was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular death (odds ratio 43; 95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.65; P < .001) but a higher risk of all-cause in-hospital death (odds ratio 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-2.00; P = .037). Systolic blood pressure <90mm Hg and heart rate >100 beats per minute at admission were strongly associated with all-cause mortality, and the troponin rate was associated with cardiovascular mortality in all groups.

CONCLUSIONS

In a large study of patients with elevated troponins in an ED, myocardial injury and type 2 myocardial infarction were frequent and associated with a worse in-hospital prognosis than type 1 myocardial infarction resulting from noncardiovascular events.

Diagnostic accuracy of prehospital electrocardiograms interpreted remotely by emergency physicians in myocardial infarction patients

BACKGROUND

Prehospital 12‑lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is the most widely used screening tool for recognition of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, prehospital diagnosis of STEMI based solely on ECGs can be challenging.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the ability of emergency department (ED) physicians to accurately interpret prehospital 12‑lead ECGs from a remote location.

METHODS

All suspected prehospital STEMI patients who were transported by EMS and underwent angiography between 2006 and 2014 were included. We reviewed prehospital ECGs and grouped them based on: 1) presence or absence of a culprit artery lesion following angiography; and 2) whether they met the 3rd Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction. We also described characteristics of ECGs that were misinterpreted by ED physicians.

RESULTS

A total of 625 suspected STEMI cases were reviewed. Following angiography, 94% (590/625) of patients were found having a culprit artery lesion, while 6% (35/625) did not. Among these 35 patients, 24 had ECGs that mimicked STEMI criteria and 9 had non-ischemic signs. Upon ECG reinterpretation, 92% (577/625) had standard STEMI criteria while 8% (48/625) did not. Among these 48 patients, 35 had ischemic signs ECGs and 13 did not. Characteristics of misinterpreted ECGs included pericarditis, early repolarization, STE > 1 mm (1‑lead only), and negative T-wave.

CONCLUSIONS

Remote interpretation of prehospital 12‑lead ECGs by ED physicians was a useful diagnostic tool in this EMS system. Even if the rate of ECG misinterpretation is low, there is still room for ED physicians operating from a remote location to improve their ability to accurately diagnose STEMI patients.

Relation of Elevated Serum Uric Acid Level to Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Aim: Serum uric acid (SUA) level is known to have a prognostic value in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Endothelial function plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease. Although relation between SUA level and endothelial function has been previously studied in various populations, it is partially understood in patients with ACS.

Methods: A total of 55 patients with ACS with measurements of SUA level and reactive hyperemia index (RHI) to evaluate endothelial function were included. They were classified into three groups according to the tertiles of SUA level. The tertiles of SUA level were as follows: low tertile, ≤ 5.2 mg/dl; intermediate tertile, 5.3 to 6.5 mg/dl; and high tertile, ≥ 6.6 mg/dl.

Results: Mean SUA level and RHI were 5.8 ± 1.5 mg/dl and 1.88 ± 0.58. There was a significant negative correlation between SUA level and RHI (r = −0.41, p = 0.002). RHI was stepwisely observed in favor of the higher tertile groups (2.14 ± 0.74 vs. 1.84 ± 0.45 vs. 1.67 ± 0.38, p = 0.04). Multivariate analysis showed elevated SUA level as an independent predictor of reduced RHI.

Conclusion: Elevated SUA level was significantly associated with endothelial dysfunction in patients with ACS, possibly leading to subsequent poor outcomes following ACS.

The C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio Predicts Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND

The relationship between acute kidney injury (AKI) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin has been previously demonstrated in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). However, to our knowledge, CRP to albumin ratio (CAR), a newly introduced inflammation-based risk score, has not yet been studied. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible relationship between the CAR and AKI.

METHOD

A total of 815 consecutive STEMI patients treated with pPCI were reviewed.

RESULTS

One hundred ten 110 (13.5%) patients developed AKI in the study population. The subjects were divided into two groups according to AKI development. The in-hospital mortality rate was higher in patients with AKI than those without AKI (15.5% vs. 1.3%; p<0.001). The patients with AKI had significantly higher mean value of CRP and CAR (0.29 [0.16-0.50] vs. 0.55 [0.37-1.05]; p<0.001) and lower mean levels of albumin than those without AKI. Age, diabetes mellitus, haematocrit, left ventricular ejection fraction, hypotension, and CAR (Odds ratio [OR]2.307, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.397-3.809, p=0.001) were independent predictors of AKI.

CONCLUSION

The CAR may be a useful inflammation-based risk score to predict AKI development in STEMI patients treated with pPCI.

Predictive Value of High-Sensitivity Troponin T for Systolic Dysfunction and Infarct Size (Six Months) After ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

The association of markers of myocardial injury and dysfunction with infarct size (IS) and ejection fraction (EF) are well documented. However, limited data are available on the newer high-sensitivity troponin assays and comparison with morphologic and functional assessment with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. We aimed to examine the associations of high-sensitivity cardiac Troponin-T (hs-cTnT), creatine kinase MB iso-enzyme (CKMB), and N-terminal pro B-type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) to IS and EF at 6 months. Blood samples from 119 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients from the Rapid Endovascular Catheter Core Cooling Combined With Cold Saline solution as an Adjunct to Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for the Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction trial were collected at baseline, 6, 24, and 48 hours after admission. Cardiac magnetic resonance was performed at 4 ± 2 days and 6 months. The association of biomarker levels to IS and EF was tested with Pearson's correlation coefficients and linear regression models with bootstrap resampling. The correlation coefficient of biomarker to IS was (CKMB: r = 0.71); (NT-proBNP: r = 0.55); (hs-cTnT: r = 0.80); and for EF (CKMB: r = 0.57); (NT-proBNP: r = 0.48); and (peak hs-cTnT: r = 0.68). IS and EF at 4 ± 2 days had the strongest correlations with IS and EF at 6 months respectively (IS: r = 0.84) and (EF: r = 0.74). Receiver operating characteristic of peak hs-cTnT for predicting EF ≤40% at 6 months was 0.87 compared with 0.75 for early IS. Early EF was a negative predictor of late EF <40%, 1-area under curve = 0.93. In conclusion, high-sensitivity Troponin T is a rapid, cheap, generally available tool for accurate prediction of systolic dysfunction in patients 6 months after first-time ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Clinical activity is an independent risk factor of ischemic heart and cerebrovascular arterial disease in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background and aims

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the impact of established cardiovascular risk factors and disease-related factors on the risk of acute arterial events is still unclear. We aimed to identify risk factors of acute arterial events in patients with IBD.

Methods

All consecutive patients followed at Saint-Antoine Hospital between 1996 and 2015 with subsequent occurrence of acute arterial events (acute coronary syndrome or ischemic stroke) were identified. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors, treatment exposure, systemic inflammation (mean serum CRP level greater than or equal to 5 mg/L) and IBD clinical activity were assessed. A nested case-control study was performed including cases and controls without arterial ischemic event, matched on age, gender, and disease extent.

Results

A total of 30 patients (median age at acute vascular event occurrence: 42 years (interquartile range: 25–59)) developed acute coronary syndrome (n = 22) or ischemic stroke (n = 8). In univariate analysis, clinical disease activity and the persistence of systemic inflammation, diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension were significantly associated with an increased risk of acute arterial events. Neither protective nor aggravating effects associated with treatment exposure were identified. In multivariate analysis, the presence of diabetes (Odds ratio (OR): 14.5, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–184.7) and clinical disease activity (OR: 10.4, 95% CI: 2.1–49.9) remained significantly associated with the risk of acute arterial event.

Conclusion

Disease activity may have an independent impact on the risk of acute arterial events in patients with IBD. These findings may highlight new potential benefits of optimizing anti-inflammatory treatment in patients with persisting clinical activity.

Arylesterase activity of Paraoxonase 1 - prognostic factor for one-year survival in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Introduction: Reduced serum levels of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activities are associated with diseases involving increased oxidative stress, such as acute coronary syndrome. We aimed to determine whether serum PON1 activities are a prognostic factor for one-year survival following ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Material and methods: We prospectively followed for one-year 75 patients diagnosed and treated for STEMI. Clinical, laboratory and imagistic data were gathered after coronary angiography. PON1 activities (paraoxonase, arylesterase, and lactonase) were assayed spectophotometrically on samples of heparinized plasma taken from the patients in a timeframe of maximum 20 minutes after coronary angiography.

Results: Increased mortality was linked to age (patients over 68 years), permanent atrial fibrillation or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40% (associated with global hypokinesia, apical or septal akinesia), trivascular disease atherosclerosis, reduced PON1 activities (paraoxonase <18.4 IU/mL, arylesterase <12.6 IU/mL, lactonase <27.6 IU/mL), and glomerular filtration rate levels <54 mL/min/1.73m2. Multivariate survival analysis showed the independent prognostic role of age (HR 3.92; 95%CI 1.08-14.16; p=0.03), LVEF (HR 9.93; 95%CI 2.20-44.86; p=0.003) and arylesterase (HR 4.25; 95%CI 0.94-19.18; p=0.05) for one-year mortality.

Conclusion: Reduced arylesterase activity of PON1 is an independent predictor of one-year survival after acute myocardial infarction.

Midregional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide, an important member of the natriuretic peptide family: potential role in diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease

Midregional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP), first isolated in 1981, is a novel peptide with multiple biological functions, especially within the cardiovascular system. This peptide plays an important role in many processes, including natriuresis, diuresis, and other physiological and pathophysiological pathways in the human body. Several electronic databases (PubMed, EBSCO, Scopus, and ScienceDirect) were analyzed in the present literature review. The aim of this study was to elucidate the wide roles of MR-proANP, which can be analyzed because of the development of a new sandwich immunoassay, and to determine the possible diagnostic and prognostic implications of MR-proANP on cardiovascular disease and other disorders. The studies discussed in this literature review provide valuable data on the role of ANP in the pathogenesis, diagnostic process, prognosis, and potential therapeutic strategies for disease. Although ANP is mainly associated with cardiovascular disease, it may be used as a biomarker in diabetology, neurology, and metabolic disorders.

Follistatin-like 1 in development and human diseases

Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) is a secreted glycoprotein displaying expression changes during development and disease, among which cardiovascular disease, cancer, and arthritis. The cardioprotective role of FSTL1 has been intensively studied over the last years, though its mechanism of action remains elusive. FSTL1 is involved in multiple signaling pathways and biological processes, including vascularization and regulation of the immune response, a feature that complicates its study. Binding to the DIP2A, TLR4 and BMP receptors have been shown, but other molecular partners probably exist. During cancer progression and rheumatoid arthritis, controversial data have been reported with respect to the proliferative, apoptotic, migratory, and inflammatory effects of FSTL1. This controversy might reside in the extensive post-transcriptional regulation of FSTL1. The FSTL1 primary transcript also encodes for a microRNA (miR-198) in primates and multiple microRNA-binding sites are present in the 3'UTR. The switch between expression of the FSTL1 protein and miR-198 is an important regulator of tumour metastasis and wound healing. The glycosylation state of FSTL1 is a determinant of biological activity, in cardiomyocytes the glycosylated form promoting proliferation and the non-glycosylated working anti-apoptotic. Moreover, the glycosylation state shows differences between species and tissues which might underlie the differences observed in in vitro studies. Finally, regulation at the level of protein secretion has been described.

Bivalirudin versus heparin with primary percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND

Optimal adjunctive therapy in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with primary PCI (PPCI) remains a matter of debate. Our aim was to compare the efficacy and safety of bivalirudin to unfractionated heparin (UFH), with or without glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPI) in a large real-world population, using data from the Swedish national registry, SWEDEHEART.

METHOD

From 2008 to 2014 we identified 23,800 STEMI patients presenting within 12 hours from symptom onset treated with PPCI and UFH ± GPI or bivalirudin±GPI. Primary outcomes included 30-day all-cause mortality and major in-hospital bleeding. Multivariable regression models and propensity score modelling were utilized to study adjusted association between treatment and outcome.

RESULTS

Treatment with UFH ± GPI was associated with similar risk of 30-day mortality compared to bivalirudin±GPI (5.3% vs 5.5%, adjusted HR 0.94; 95% CI 0.82-1.07). The adjusted risk for 1-year mortality, 30-day and 1-year stent thrombosis and re-infarction did not differ significantly between UFH ± GPI and bivalirudin±GPI. In contrast, treatment with UFH ± GPI was associated with a significant higher risk of major in-hospital bleeding (adjusted OR 1.62; 95% CI 1.30-2.03). When including GPI use in the multivariable analysis, the difference was attenuated and no longer significant (adjusted OR 1.25; 95% CI 0.92-1.70).

CONCLUSION

Bivalirudin±GPI was associated with significantly lower risk for major inhospital bleeding but no significant difference in 30-day or one year mortality, stent thrombosis or re-infarction compared with UFH ± GPI. The bleeding reduction associated with bivalirudin could be explained by the greater GPI use with UFH.

Comparison of the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold to the Xience durable polymer everolimus-eluting metallic stent in routine clinical practice: a propensity score-matched analysis from a multicenter registry

INTRODUCTION

Most clinical trials related to bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) technology are limited to a highly selected patient population.

AIM

To evaluate early and long-term clinical outcomes of the Absorb everolimus-eluting BVS compared to the everolimus-eluting metallic XIENCE V stent in routine clinical practice.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a multicenter, retrospective propensity score-matched comparative study, comprising 76 patients treated with a bare metal stents (BMS) and 501 with a XIENCE stent. Patients included in the study had stable and unstable angina and both types of myocardial infarction (STEMI and NSTEMI) as an indication for intervention and at least one significant de novo lesion in native coronary arteries. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), defined as death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target vessel revascularization (TVR).

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 400 days in both groups. After propensity score matching for patient baseline characteristics, only higher rate of predilatation, predominantly treated left anterior descending artery (LAD) and lower number of used stents in the BVS group remained statistically significant. After adjustment there was no difference in type of treated lesions. The MACE rate did not differ between BVS and drug-eluting stents (DES) groups (7.2% vs. 11.15%, respectively; p = 0.17). The TVR was 2.9% in both groups. Except in the periprocedural period, there were no deaths or MI in the BVS group. There was no stent thrombosis in either studied group.

CONCLUSIONS

In routine clinical practice throughout long-term follow-up, clinical outcomes of patients who successfully received the Absorb BVS did not differ from those of patients who received the Xience stent. Longer follow-up data are required to determine whether these findings will persist beyond one year.

State-of-the-art diagnosis of myocardial infarction

The current version of the Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) was published in 2012. An acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is characterized by evidence of myocardial necrosis in a clinical setting of acute myocardial ischemia. Diagnostic criteria include a rise and/or fall of serially tested cardiac biomarkers (preferentially cardiac troponins) with at least one value above the 99th percentile of the upper reference limit combined with symptoms of ischemia, new changes on electrocardiogram (ECG), imaging evidence of a new loss of viable myocardium or new regional wall motion abnormalities or the identification of an intracoronary thrombus by angiography or autopsy. Compared to previous versions, the current definition of MI includes minor modifications regarding ECG criteria and subtypes of MI as well as the use of cardiac imaging and high sensitivity troponin assays. This article summarizes the Universal MI definition and includes recommendations from the current guidelines for the management of patients with acute coronary syndrome. Strategies for "early rule-in" and "rule-out" of non-ST-elevation MI with high sensitivity cardiac troponin assays, risk scores for assessment of ischemic and bleeding risk and criteria for optimal timing of angiography are presented.

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T for diagnosis of NSTEMI in the elderly emergency department patient: a clinical cohort study

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of age on the diagnostic performance of high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) under routine conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data of 4118 consecutive emergency department (ED) patients who underwent a routine TnT measurement between 11 October 2012 and 30 November 2013 were analysed. Diagnostic accuracy of hsTnT was compared in four age categories (<50, 50-64, 65-74, ≥75 years of age) for different cut-off values. Primary endpoint was a main hospital diagnosis of NSTEMI.

RESULTS

The median age of the study population (n = 4118) was 61 years (IQR: 45-75 years). NSTEMI was diagnosed in 3.3% (n = 136) of all patients. There were significant differences in hsTnT concentrations between age-groups (p < 0.001) in all patients, but not in NSTEMI patients (p = 0.297). 72.2% of all patients ≥75 years of age (583/808) without NSTEMI had hsTnT concentrations above the 99th percentile of a healthy reference population. Specificity at 14 ng/L was 93.6% (95% CI: 92.12-94.87) in patients below 50 years of age and 27.9% (95% CI: 24.78-31.08) in patients 75 years of age and older.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients' age needs to be considered at least one influencing factor on hsTnT concentrations at admission and should be included in the clinical interpretation of hsTnT concentrations for further clinical workup beneath other influencing factors like comorbidities and symptom onset time. The implementation of age-specific cut-off values could be considered for single troponin testing at admission but is associated with an increased risk of underdiagnosis of NSTEMI.

Protective effect of nicorandil on myocardial injury following percutaneous coronary intervention in older patients with stable coronary artery disease: Secondary analysis of a randomized, controlled trial (RINC)

Background

Our previous study examined an effect of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) or intravenous nicorandil on reduction of periprocedural myocardial injury (pMI) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). We further investigated the effect of RIPC or nicorandil on pMI in older patients.

Methods

Patients with stable CAD who planned to undergo PCI were assigned to a 1:1:1 ratio to control, intravenous nicorandil, or upper-limb RIPC groups. This substudy analyzed patients aged >65 years (n = 282) from the principal cohort. The primary outcome was the incidence of pMI following PCI. We defined pMI as an elevated level of high-sensitive cardiac troponin T or creatine kinase myocardial band 12 or 24 hours after PCI.

Results

We found that pMI following PCI was significantly reduced in the nicorandil group compared with the control group (37.2% vs. 53.7%, multiplicity-adjusted p = 0.046), but not in the RIPC group compared with the control group (43.0% vs. 53.7%, multiplicity-adjusted p = 0.245). The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for pMI in the RIPC and nicorandil groups versus the control group were 0.63 (0.34 to 1.16) and 0.51 (0.27 to 0.96), respectively.

Conclusion

Intravenous nicorandil significantly reduces pMI following PCI in a subgroup of older patients with stable CAD. Phase 3 trials are required to validate our results.

Trial registration

UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000005607.

Chart validation of inpatient ICD-9-CM administrative diagnosis codes for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among intravenous immune globulin (IGIV) users in the Sentinel Distributed Database

BACKGROUND

The Sentinel Distributed Database (SDD) is a large database of patient-level administrative health care records, primarily derived from insurance claims and electronic health records, and is sponsored by the US Food and Drug Administration for medical product safety evaluations. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common study endpoint for drug safety studies that rely on health records from the SDD and other administrative databases.

PURPOSE

In this chart validation study, we report on the positive predictive value (PPV) of inpatient International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification AMI administrative diagnosis codes (410.x1 and 410.x0) in the SDD.

METHODS

As part of an assessment of thromboembolic adverse event risk following treatment with intravenous immune globulin, charts were obtained for 103 potential post-intravenous immune globulin AMI cases. Charts were abstracted by trained nurses and physician-adjudicated based on prespecified diagnostic criteria.

RESULTS

Acute myocardial infarction status could be determined for 89 potential cases. The PPVs for the inpatient AMI diagnoses recorded in the SDD were 75% overall (95% CI, 65-84%), 93% (95% CI, 78-99%) for principal-position diagnoses, 88% (95% CI, 72-97%) for secondary diagnoses, and 38% (95% CI, 20-59%) for position-unspecified diagnoses (eg, diagnoses originating from separate physician claims associated with an inpatient stay). Of the confirmed AMI cases, demand ischemia was the suspected etiology more often for those coded in secondary or unspecified positions (72% and 40%, respectively) than for principal-position AMI diagnoses (21%).

CONCLUSIONS

The PPVs for principal and secondary AMI diagnoses were high and similar to estimates from prior chart validation studies. Position-unspecified diagnosis codes were less likely to represent true AMI cases.

Multiple admissions to the coronary care unit due to falsely elevated cardiac troponin

The measurement of cardiac troponin, released from injured cardiomyocytes, is of paramount importance in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Elevated troponin can be encountered, however, in patients with cardiomyopathy, significant cardiac arrhythmias, vasculitis, right-sided heart strain, critical systemic illnesses, stroke, drug toxicity (such as Adriamycin), poisons (such as snake venoms), renal failure, seizure, and rhabdomyolysis. If the clinical picture is not consistent with any of these causes, a false-positive result should be considered. We herein describe a 94-year-old man with a prior history of coronary artery disease who presented with altered mental status and was found to have a persistently high troponin level resulting in three admissions to the coronary care unit for various noncardiac complaints. Because of discordance between clinical and laboratory data, immunological interference due to heterophile antibodies in the locally used assay (AccuTnI+3, Beckman Coulter) was suspected. The same serum sample tested on a different assay (Elecsys Troponin I Assay, Roche) resulted in an undetectable cardiac troponin I level, thus confirming the diagnosis.

Prevalence and characteristics of coronary microvascular dysfunction among chest pain patients in the emergency department

Aims:

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is common in patients with non-obstructive coronary arteries but has not been described in low-risk symptomatic patients. We therefore assessed the prevalence and characteristics of CMD in low to moderate risk patients with chest pain in an emergency department.

Methods and results:

We used three-dimensional Rb82 cardiac positron emission tomography/computed tomography to diagnose coronary artery disease (known or new regional defect, any coronary calcification) and CMD (low coronary flow reserve without coronary artery disease) in chest pain patients after being ruled out for acute myocardial infarction. Exclusions included age 30 years or less, acute myocardial infarction, hemodynamic instability, heart failure and dialysis. Among 195 participants undergoing cardiac positron emission tomography/computed tomography, 42% had CMD, 36% had coronary artery disease and 22% had normal flows; 70% were women and 84% were obese. Patients with CMD and coronary artery disease had significantly lower coronary flow reserve than normal patients (mean coronary flow reserve 1.6 and 1.9 vs. 2.6, respectively, P<0.05). However, CMD patients were younger (mean age 51 vs. 61 years), and had fewer traditional cardiac risk factors ( P<0.05) than patients with coronary artery disease. Nearly one third (31%) of patients had a prior emergency department visit for chest pain within three years of index presentation. Women were four times as likely to have CMD as men (adjusted odds ratio 4.2; 95% confidence interval 1.8, 9.6) after controlling for age, race, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, dyslipidemia, obesity and family history of coronary artery disease.

Conclusions:

Despite their low-risk profile, nearly one half of symptomatic and mostly obese emergency department patients without evidence of myocardial infarction or coronary artery disease had CMD. The results could explain the high rates of return visits associated with chest pain, although their application to the general emergency department population require validation.

Statin in the treatment of patients with myocardial infarction: A meta-analysis

The purpose of this meta-analysis is to investigate whether statin is a key therapy for myocardial infarction (MI) by comparing all randomized controlled trials that appraised the effects of statin on risk of MI.Pubmed, Embase, and Medline databases (up to December 2016) were used to search all related articles. Using the data from 18 available publications, we examined the efficacy in treating or reducing the risk of MI by using random-effects models of odds ratio (OR) comparing the highest with the lowest category.Statins have demonstrated efficacy in treating or reducing the risk of MI (OR = 0.73, 95% confidence interval = 0.58-0.93, P = .010).This meta-analysis suggests that statin have light efficacy in treating or reducing the risk of MI patients.

Troponin and BNP are markers for subsequent non-ischaemic congestive heart failure: the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS)

Objective

To examine the long-term predictive value of 28 biomarkers for subsequent non-ischaemic congestive heart failure (CHF) and separately for other cardiovascular outcomes (myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke).

Methods

The Caerphilly Prospective Study recruited 2171 men aged 55–69 years from the general population in 1989–1993; men were screened for evidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and followed for clinical cardiovascular events. Fasting blood samples were stored at −70°C until assayed for novel biomarkers in 2010–2013. A competing risks proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate subhazard ratios (SHRs) for each biomarker for each cardiovascular outcome.

Results

During follow-up (average 13 years), only new, initial events were evaluated in the whole cohort: 584 MIs, 313 strokes and 261 episodes of CHF (not associated with acute MI). In a subcohort of men who had no clinical history or evidence of CVD at baseline examination (n=1279) those in the top third of the distributions of troponin and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) showed a threefold increase in risk for subsequent CHF as a first event after adjustment for all conventional risk factors (SHRs 3.37, 95% CI 1.39 to 8.14 and 3.23, 95% CI 1.45 to 7.23), respectively, in contrast to moderate elevations in risk for acute MI (troponin SHR 1.63, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.41) and for stroke (BNP SHR 1.75 95% CI 1.06 to 2.88).

Conclusion

Troponin and BNP could be considered as potentially useful screening tools to detect subjects without prior CVD at increased risk of developing CHF in subsequent years in addition to having lesser roles for predicting subsequent MI (troponin) or stroke (BNP).

Prevention of minor myocardial injury after elective percutaneous coronary intervention: comparison of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel

BACKGROUND

Elective percutaneous coronary intervention (ePCI) may cause minor elevation of cardiac enzymes, so-called minor myocardial injury (MMI) which can be due to different pathophysiological mechanism (e.g. distal embolisation, side branch occlusion, increased platelet activation triggered by the intracoronary metallic stents). We aimed to compare the effectiveness of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel for the prevention of MMI and major adverse clinical events (MACEs) after ePCI.

METHODS

Study population consisted of two groups of patients based on the treatment: Group I, receiving clopidogrel (n = 104), Group II, receiving ticagrelor (n = 96). Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), CK-MB were studied before and 12 hours after the procedure. Elevation of cTnI greater than 0.06 ng/ml was considered as MMI. All patients were also evaluated for the MACEs (death, myocardial infarction, stroke and transient ischaemic attack).

RESULTS

Fifty-two of 200 patients (26%) had MMI after the procedure. The minor myocardial injury was significantly more prevalent in clopidogrel group than that of ticagrelor group (33% vs. 19%, p = .03). Myocardial infarction (MI) and MACEs were significantly higher in the clopidogrel group (15% vs. 6%, for MI, p = .04; 16% vs. 6%, for MACEs, p = .03, respectively). Multivariate analysis demonstrated antiplatelet treatment, saphenous graft intervention, type-C lesion as independent predictors of MMI.

CONCLUSIONS

Present study showed that the combination of ticagrelor and aspirin was more effective than combination of clopidogrel and aspirin in decreasing MMI and MACEs after elective stenting.

Detection of STEMI Using Prehospital Serial 12-Lead Electrocardiograms

OBJECTIVE

Repeated or serial 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) in the prehospital setting may improve management of patients with subtle ST-segment elevation (STE) or with a ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) that evolves over time. However, there is a minimal amount of scientific evidence available to support the clinical utility of this method. Our objective was to evaluate the use of serial 12-lead ECGs to detect STEMI in patients during transport in a Canadian emergency medical services (EMS) jurisdiction.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of suspected STEMI patients transported by EMS in the Chaudière-Appalaches region (Québec, Canada) between August 2006 and December 2013. Patients were monitored by a serial 12-lead ECG system where an averaged ECG was transmitted every 2 minutes. Following review by an emergency physician, ECGs were grouped as having either a persistent STE or a dynamic STE that evolved over time.

RESULTS

A total of 754 suspected STEMI patients were transported by EMS during the study period. Of these, 728 patients met eligibility criteria and were included in the analysis. A persistent STE was observed in 84.3% (614/728) of patients, while the remaining 15.7% (114/728) had a dynamic STE. Among those with dynamic STE, 11.1% (81/728) had 1 ST-segment change (41 no-STEMI to STEMI; 40 STEMI to no-STEMI) and 4.5% (33/728) had ≥ 2 ST-segment changes (17 no-STEMI to STEMI; 16 STEMI to no-STEMI). Overall, in 8.0% (58/728) of the cohort, STEMI was identified on a subsequent ECG following an initial no-STEMI ECG.

CONCLUSIONS

Through recognition of transient ST-segment changes during transport via the prehospital serial 12-lead ECG system, STEMI was identified in 8% of suspected STEMI patients who had an initial no-STEMI ECG. Key words: electrocardiography; emergency medical services; ST-elevation myocardial infarction; prehospital dynamic ECG.

A propensity score-matched comparison of biodegradable polymer vs second-generation durable polymer drug-eluting stents in a real-world population

AIMS

The safety and efficacy of BP-DES compared to second-generation DP-DES remain unclear in the real-world setting. We compared the clinical outcomes of biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents (BP-DES) with second-generation durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DP-DES) in an all-comer percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) registry.

METHODS/RESULTS

The study included a cohort of 1065 patients treated with either BP-DES or DP-DES from January 2009 through October 2015. Propensity score matching was performed to account for potential confounders and produced 497 matched pairs of patients. The primary endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF) at one-year follow-up. The rates of TLF were comparable between BP-DES and DP-DES (8.7% vs 9.1%, P = .823) at 1 year. The rates of stent thrombosis at 30 days (0.4% vs 0.4%, P = 1.00) and 1 year (0.8% vs 0.8%, P = 1.00) did not differ between BP-DES and DP-DES. There were no significant differences in other clinical outcomes including target vessel failure (8.9% vs 9.5%, P = .741), in-stent restenosis (1.8% vs 1.0%, P = .282), and cardiac death (6.4% vs 7.4%, P = .533) at 1 year. Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that the risk of TLF at one-year did not differ significantly between BP-DES and DP-DES (hazard ratio 0.94, P = .763).

CONCLUSIONS

Efficacy and safety of BP-DES were not better than DP-DES at one-year follow-up.

Ergonovine Stress Echocardiography for the Diagnosis of Vasospastic Angina and Its Prognostic Implications in 3,094 Consecutive Patients

Background and Objectives

Ergonovine stress echocardiography (ErgECHO) has been proposed as a noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of coronary vasospasm. However, concern over the safety of ErgECHO remains. This study was undertaken to investigate the safety and prognostic value of ErgECHO in a large population.

Methods

We studied 3,094 consecutive patients from a single-center registry who underwent ErgECHO from November 2002 to June 2009. Medical records, echocardiographic data, and laboratory findings obtained from follow-up periods were analyzed.

Results

The overall positive rate of ErgECHO was 8.6%. No procedure-related mortality or myocardial infarction (MI) occurred. Nineteen patients (0.6%) had transient symptomatic complications during ErgECHO including one who was successfully resuscitated. Cumulative major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) occurred in 14.0% and 5.1% of the patients with positive and negative ErgECHO results, respectively (p<0.001) at a median follow-up of 10.5 years. Cox regression survival analyses revealed that male sex, age, presence of diabetes, total cholesterol level of >220 mg/dL, and positive ErgECHO result itself were independent factors associated with MACEs.

Conclusions

ErgECHO can be performed safely by experienced physicians and its positive result may be an independent risk factor for long-term adverse outcomes. It may also be an alternative tool to invasive ergonovine-provoked coronary angiography for the diagnosis of vasospastic angina.

Rule-out of non-ST elevation myocardial infarction by five point of care cardiac troponin assays according to the 0 h/3 h algorithm of the European Society of Cardiology

Background:

Point of care (POC) assays for cardiac troponins I or T (cTnI or cTnT) may accelerate the diagnosis of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, their clinical utility according to the 0 h/3 h algorithm recommended by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is unknown.

Methods:

Blood samples from 90 patients with suspected ACS were obtained at hospital admission and 3 h later. Concentrations of cTn were determined using five POC assays (AQT90 FLEX cTnI and cTnT; PATHFAST™ cTnI; Stratus CS 200 cTnI; and Triage MeterPro cTnI) and two guideline-acceptable high-sensitivity (hs) immunoassays.

Results:

For the diagnosis of NSTEMI (n=15), AUCs for Abbott hs-cTnI and Roche hs-cTnT were 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75–0.96] and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80–0.95), respectively, at admission, and 0.96 and 0.94, respectively, 3 h later. With the 99th percentile cutoff, their sensitivities were 62% and 92%, respectively, at admission, and 77% and 100%, respectively, 3 h later. The PATHFAST™ cTnI assay showed AUCs of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.82–0.97) and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.89–1.00), respectively, and sensitivities of 67% and 75% at admission and 3 h later, respectively. The other cTn POC assays had AUCs of 0.71 (95% CI, 0.53–0.89) to 0.84 (95% CI, 0.71–0.96) and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.72–0.99) to 0.87 (95% CI, 0.75–0.99) and sensitivities of 39%–50% and 62%–77% at admission and 3 h later, respectively.

Conclusions:

PATHFAST™ cTnI assay proved itself as comparable to ESC-guideline acceptable hs-cTn assays. The lower sensitivity of the other POC assays limits their clinical utility and would require longer follow-up monitoring of patients for the safe NSTEMI rule-out.

Rationale and design of the long-Term rIsk, clinical manaGement, and healthcare Resource utilization of stable coronary artery dISease in post-myocardial infarction patients (TIGRIS) study

The long-term progression of coronary artery disease as defined by the natural disease course years after a myocardial infarction (MI) is an important but poorly studied area of clinical research. The long-Term rIsk, clinical manaGement, and healthcare Resource utilization of stable coronary artery dISease in post-myocardial infarction patients (TIGRIS) study was designed to address this knowledge gap by evaluating patient management and clinical outcomes following MI in different regions worldwide. TIGRIS (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01866904) is a multicenter, observational, prospective, longitudinal study enrolling patients with history of MI 1 to 3 years previously and high risk of developing atherothrombotic events in a general-practice setting. The primary objective of TIGRIS is to evaluate clinical events (time to first occurrence of any event from the composite cardiovascular endpoint of MI, unstable angina with urgent revascularization, stroke, or death from any cause), and healthcare resource utilization associated with hospitalization for these events (hospitalization duration and procedures) during follow-up. Overall, 9225 patients were enrolled between June 2013 and November 2014 and are being followed in 369 different centers worldwide. This will allow for the description of regional differences in patient characteristics, risk profiles, medical treatment patterns, clinical outcomes, and healthcare resource utilization. Patients will be followed for up to 3 years. Here we report the rationale, design, patient distribution, and selected baseline characteristics of the TIGRIS study. TIGRIS will describe real-world management, quality of life (self-reported health), and healthcare resource utilization for patients with stable coronary artery disease ≥1 year post-MI.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) and evidence-based laboratory medicine (EBLM) - does it leverage any advantage in clinical decision making?

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is the analysis of patient specimens outside the clinical laboratory, near or at the site of patient care, usually performed by clinical staff without laboratory training, although it also encompasses patient self-monitoring. It is able to provide a rapid result near the patient and which can be acted upon immediately. The key driver is the concept that clinical decision making may be delayed when samples are sent to the clinical laboratory. Balanced against this are considerations of increased costs for purchase and maintenance of equipment, staff training, connectivity to the laboratory information system (LIS), quality control (QC) and external quality assurance (EQA) procedures, all required for accreditation under ISO 22870. The justification for POCT depends upon being able to demonstrate that a more timely result (shorter turnaround times (TATs)) is able to leverage a clinically important advantage in decision making compared with the central laboratory (CL). In the four decades since POCT was adapted for the self-monitoring of blood glucose levels by subjects with diabetes, numerous new POCT methodologies have become available, enabling the clinician to receive results and initiate treatment more rapidly. However, these instruments are often operated by staff not trained in laboratory medicine and hence are prone to errors in the analytical phase (as opposed to laboratory testing where the analytical phase has the least errors). In some environments, particularly remote rural settings, the CL may be at a considerable distance and timely availability of cardiac troponins and other analytes can triage referrals to the main centers, thus avoiding expensive unnecessary patient transportation costs. However, in the Emergency Department, availability of more rapid results with POCT does not always translate into shorter stays due to other barriers to implementation of care. In this review, we apply the principles of evidence-based laboratory medicine (EBLM) looking for high quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses, ideally underpinned by randomized controlled trials (RCTs), looking for evidence of whether POCT confers any advantage in clinical decision making in different scenarios.

MiRroring the Multiple Potentials of MicroRNAs in Acute Myocardial Infarction

At present, cardiovascular diseases are depicted to be the leading cause of death worldwide according to the World Health Organization. In the future, projections predict that ischemic heart disease will persist in the top main causes of illness. Within this alarming context, some tiny master regulators of gene expression programs, namely, microRNAs (miRNAs) carry three promising potentials. In fact, miRNAs can prove to be useful not only in terms of biomarkers allowing heart injury detection but also in terms of therapeutics to overcome limitations of past strategies and treat the lesions. In a more creative approach, they can even be used in the area of human engineered cardiac tissues as maturation tools for cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from pluripotent stem cell. Very promising not only for patient-specific cell-based therapies but also to develop biomimetic microsystems for disease modeling and drug screening, these cells greatly contribute to personalized medicine. To get into the heart of the matter, the focus of this review lies primarily on miRNAs as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) biomarkers. Only large cohort studies comprising over 100 individuals to reach a potent statistical value were considered. Certain miRNAs appeared to possibly complement protein-based biomarkers and classical risk factors. Some were even described to bear potential in the discrimination of similar symptomatic pathologies. However, differences between pre-analytical and analytical approaches substantially influenced miRNA data. Further supported by meta-analysis studies, this problem had to be addressed. A detailed critical analysis of each step to define miRNAs biomarker potential is provided to inspire a future improved universal strategy. Interestingly, a recurrent set of cardiomyocyte-enriched miRNAs was found, namely, miR-1; miR-133; miR-208a/b; and miR-499a. Each member of this myomiRs group displayed promising roles either individually or in combination as AMI diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers. Furthermore, a precise combo was shown to be powerful enough to transdifferentiate human fibroblasts into CMs opening doors in the therapeutics. Following these discoveries, they also emerged as optional tools to transfect in order to mature CMs derived from pluripotent stem cells. Ultimately, the multiple potentials carried by the myomiRs miR-1; miR-133; miR-208a/b; and miR-499a still remain to be fully unveiled.

Nationwide claims data validated for quality assessments in acute myocardial infarction in the Netherlands

INTRODUCTION

Since health insurance is compulsory in the Netherlands, the centrally registered medical claims data might pose a unique opportunity to evaluate quality of (cardiac) care on a national level without additional collection of data. However, validation of these claims data has not yet been assessed.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

National claims data ('national registry') were compared with data collected by patient records reviews in four representative hospitals ('validation registry'). In both registries, we extracted the national diagnosis codes for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction of 2012 and 2013. Additionally, data on medication use at one year after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was extracted from the Dutch pharmacy information systems and also validated by local patient records reviews. The data were compared at three stages: 1) validation of diagnosis and treatment coding; 2) validation of the hospital where follow-up has taken place; 3) validation of follow-up medical treatment after 365 days.

RESULTS

In total, 3,980 patients ('national registry') and 4,014 patients ('validation registry') were compared at baseline. After one-year follow-up, 2,776 and 2,701 patients, respectively, were evaluated. Baseline characteristics, diagnosis and individual medication were comparable between the two registries. Of all 52,672 AMI patients in the Netherlands in 2012 and 2013, 81% used aspirin, 76% used P2Y12 inhibitors, 85% used statins, 82% used beta-blockers and 74% angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II antagonists. Optimal medical treatment was achieved in 49% of the patients with AMI.

CONCLUSION

Nationwide routinely collected claims data in patients with an acute myocardial infarction are highly accurate. This offers an opportunity for use in quality assessments of cardiac care.