Heparin versus placebo for non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes

Machine learning predicts emergency physician specialties from treatment strategies for patients suspected of myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Our investigation aimed to determine how the diverse backgrounds and medical specialties of emergency physicians (Eps) influence the accuracy of diagnoses and the subsequent treatment pathways for patients presenting preclinically with MI symptoms. By scrutinizing the relationships between EPs' specialties and their approaches to patient care, we aimed to unveil potential variances in diagnostic accuracy and treatment choices.

METHODS

In this retrospective, monocenter cohort study, we leveraged machine learning techniques to analyze a comprehensive dataset of 2328 patients with suspected MI, encompassing preclinical diagnoses, electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretations, and subsequent treatment strategies by attending EPs.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that diagnosis and treatment patterns of different specialties were distinct enough, that machine learning (ML) was able to differentiate between specialties (maximum area under the receiver operating characteristic = 0.80 for general medicine and 0.80 for surgery). In our study, internist demonstrated the highest accuracy for preclinical identification of STEMI (0.96) whereas surgeons showed the highest accuracy for identifying NSTEMI. Our findings highlight significant correlations between EP specialties and the accuracy of both preclinical diagnoses and subsequent treatment pathways for patients with suspected MI.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results offer valuable insights into how the diverse backgrounds and specialties of EPs can influence the optimization of patient care in emergency settings. Understanding these patterns can help in the development of tailored training programs and protocols to enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy in emergency cardiac care, ultimately optimizing patient treatment and improving outcomes.

Association of Parenteral Anticoagulation Therapy With Outcomes in Chinese Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome

IMPORTANCE

The association of parenteral anticoagulation therapy with improved outcomes in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome was previously established. This benefit has not been evaluated in the era of dual antiplatelet therapy and percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between parenteral anticoagulation therapy and clinical outcomes in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study included 8197 adults who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2014, at 5 medical centers in China. Patients receiving parenteral anticoagulation therapy only after percutaneous coronary intervention were excluded.

EXPOSURES

Parenteral anticoagulation therapy.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was in-hospital all-cause death and in-hospital major bleeding as defined by the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium definition (grades 3-5).

RESULTS

Of 6804 patients who met the final criteria, 5104 (75.0%) were male, with a mean (SD) age of 64.2 (10.4) years. The incidence of in-hospital death was not significantly different between the patients who received and did not receive parenteral anticoagulation therapy (0.3% vs 0.1%; P = .13) (adjusted odds ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.38-4.27; P = .70). A similar result was found for myocardial infarction (0.3% vs 0.3%; P = .82) (adjusted odds ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.29-2.07; P = .61). In-hospital major bleeding was more frequent in the parenteral anticoagulation group (2.5% vs 1.0%; P < .001) (adjusted odds ratio, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.24-3.03; P = .004). At a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 2.96 years (1.93-4.46 years), all-cause death was not significantly different between the 2 groups (adjusted hazards ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.71-1.07; P = .19), but the incidence of major bleeding was higher in the parenteral anticoagulation group (adjusted hazards ratio, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.01-2.02; P = .04). The propensity score analysis confirmed these primary analyses.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In the patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome, parenteral anticoagulation therapy was not associated with a lower risk of all-cause death or myocardial infarction but was significantly associated with a higher risk of major bleeding. These findings raise important safety questions about the current practice of routine parenteral anticoagulation therapy while we await randomized trials of this practice.

Elevated troponin in patients with acute stroke - Is it a true heart attack?

Although the prognostic value of a positive troponin in an acute stroke patient is still uncertain, it is a commonly encountered clinical situation given that Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) frequently co-exist in the same patient and share similar risk factors. Our objectives in this review are to (1) identify the biologic relationship between acute cerebrovascular stroke and elevated troponin levels, (2) determine the pathophysiologic differences between positive troponin in the setting of acute stroke versus acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and (3) examine whether positive troponin in the setting of acute stroke has prognostic significance. We also will provide an insight analysis of some of the available studies and will provide guidance for a management approach based on the available data according to the current guidelines.