Effect of clopidogrel plus aspirin on tissue perfusion and coronary flow in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a new reperfusion strategy

Comparison of Microcirculatory Perfusion in Obese and Non-Obese Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery with Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Obesity is a frequent comorbidity among patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Cardiac surgery with CPB impairs microcirculatory perfusion, which is associated with multiple organ failure. As microvascular function is frequently compromised in obese patients, we studied whether cardiac surgery with CPB has a more detrimental effect on microcirculatory perfusion in obese patients. Sublingual microcirculatory perfusion was measured with sidestream dark field (SDF) imaging in obese patients (body mass index ≥32 kg/m²; n = 14) without type II diabetes mellitus and in lean patients (BMI 20–25 kg/m²; n = 22) undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. CPB reduced systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure more profoundly in lean compared with obese patients (SBP: 38% vs. 18%; MAP: 11% vs. 8%, p < 0.05), and both restored after weaning from CPB. No differences were present in intraoperative glucose, hematocrit, hemoglobin, lactate, and blood gas values between obese and lean patients. Microcirculatory perfusion did not differ between obese and lean patients the day before surgery. CPB decreased microcirculatory perfusion with 9% in both groups, but this was only significant in lean patients (p < 0.05). Three days following surgery, microcirculatory perfusion was restored in both groups. In conclusion, microcirculatory perfusion was equally disturbed during cardiac surgery with CPB in metabolically healthy obese patients compared to lean patients.

Meta-analysis Comparing Outcomes of Type 2 Myocardial Infarction and Type 1 Myocardial Infarction With a Focus on Dual Antiplatelet Therapy

BACKGROUND

There are important knowledge gaps in type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI). Our primary objective was to compare the outcomes of patients with T2MI with those of patients with type 1 myocardial infarction (T1MI). Our secondary objective was to determine whether randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating dual antiplatelets (DAPTs) have explicitly included patients with T2MI.

METHODS

We performed a meta-analysis comparing outcomes of patients with T2MI with patients with T1MI and a separate systematic review to evaluate the inclusion of T2MI in RCTs evaluating DAPT. There were 19 cohorts enrolling 48,829 patients (40,604 with T1MI and 5361 with T2MI) and 51 RCTs enrolling 188,132 patients with acute coronary syndrome.

RESULTS

Patients with T2MI had approximately 2-fold increases in unadjusted odds of long-term mortality compared with patients with T1MI (odds ratio, 2.47; 95% confidence interval, 2.06-2.96; P < 0.0001) and a 45% increase in adjusted odds of long-term mortality (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-1.69; P < 0.0001, respectively). There was no published evaluation of efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of DAPT in patients with T2MI.

CONCLUSION

Patients with T2MI are at increased risk of adjusted all-cause long-term mortality compared with patients with T1MI. The role of DAPT remains unclear in T2MI.

Beneficial effects of combined administration of Clopidogrel and Aspirin on the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, cardiac function, and prognosis in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: A comparative study

OBJECTIVE

Both Aspirin and Clopidogrel are considered as effective drugs in decreasing ischemic events, which potentially contribute to a promising application regarding the cardiovascular events. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of the combination of both Clopidogrel and Aspirin to determine the influence among inflammatory factors, cardiac function, and treatment outcome of patients suffering from ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the Hebei province of China.

METHODS

To compare the efficacy of this combination therapy with a single Aspirin treatment, we experimented in 68 patients with the administration of both Clopidogrel and Aspirin as well as another 68 patients administered only with Aspirin. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the expression of inflammatory factors, thereby evaluating the effect on inflammation. In addition, a series of indexes related to cardiac function and renal function were monitored by use of a color Doppler ultrasound and an automatic biochemical analyzer, respectively. Myocardial injury-related indicators were detected. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed so we could identify potential risk factors. In addition, both postoperative hemorrhages and cardiac events were observed to evaluate the treatment outcome of patients with STEMI.

RESULTS

Initially, the treatment outcome revealed a better efficacy in patients treated with the combination of both Clopidogrel and Aspirin, with the patients also showing more obviously alleviated myocardial injury, better cardiac and renal functions with lower serum levels of inflammatory factors. The lower incidence of postinfarction angina, recurrent myocardial infarction, stroke, and death also provide evidence that patients showed a better outcome after treatment with both Clopidogrel and Aspirin.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, the combination therapy of Clopidogrel and Aspirin provided a better improvement on both the cardiac function and outcome of STEMI patients in the Hebei province of China, with reduced inflammation as well.

Influence of the double antiplatelet therapy on patency of the infarct related artery after acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation

Background/Aim. Most patients with acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation (STEMI) are still treated with pharmacological reperfusion, which is not always successful. That is the reason for searching possibilities for a better success of reperfusion with adding new antiplatelet drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate weather addition of clopidogrel as a second antiplatelet drug, improves the patency of the infarct-related artery after STEMI. Methods. We prospectively enrolled 65 patients, 29?72 years old, hospitalized due to the first STEMI within 6 hours after the onset of a chest pain. They were treated with a fibrinolytic agent (streptokinase or tissue plasminogen activator ? tPA), aspirin, and low molecular heparin (enoxaparin). A group of 50 patients, beside this therapy, received clopidogrel. Coronary angiography was performed between 5th and 10th day of hospitalization to assess for late patency of the infarct-related artery. Infarct-related artery was considered as patent if thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade was 2 or 3, and as occluded if TIMI flow grade was 0 or 1. Results. In the group of patients who received double antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel), infarct-related artery was occluded in 3 cases (6%); in the group of patients without clopidogrel, infarct-related artery was occluded in 4 patients (26.7%), p < 0.05. There were less frequency of postinfarction angina (6% vs 13.3%), and rarer necessity for rescue percutaneous coronary intervention (4% vs. 13.3%) in the first group, but without statistical significance. Conclusion. Adding of clopidogrel to the standard reperfusion pharmacotherapy, as a second antiplatelet drug, increases the number of patients with patent infarct-related artery and the success of reperfusion.