Baseline Q waves and time from symptom onset to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: insights from PLATO on the influence of sex

Antiplatelet agents for chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Antiplatelet agents are widely used to prevent cardiovascular events. The risks and benefits of antiplatelet agents may be different in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) for whom occlusive atherosclerotic events are less prevalent, and bleeding hazards might be increased. This is an update of a review first published in 2013.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the benefits and harms of antiplatelet agents in people with any form of CKD, including those with CKD not receiving renal replacement therapy, patients receiving any form of dialysis, and kidney transplant recipients.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Kidney and Transplant Register of Studies up to 13 July 2021 through contact with the Information Specialist using search terms relevant to this review. Studies in the Register are identified through searches of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, conference proceedings, the International Clinical Trials Register (ICTRP) Search Portal and ClinicalTrials.gov.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We selected randomised controlled trials of any antiplatelet agents versus placebo or no treatment, or direct head-to-head antiplatelet agent studies in people with CKD. Studies were included if they enrolled participants with CKD, or included people in broader at-risk populations in which data for subgroups with CKD could be disaggregated.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Four authors independently extracted data from primary study reports and any available supplementary information for study population, interventions, outcomes, and risks of bias. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated from numbers of events and numbers of participants at risk which were extracted from each included study. The reported RRs were extracted where crude event rates were not provided. Data were pooled using the random-effects model. Confidence in the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 113 studies, enrolling 51,959 participants; 90 studies (40,597 CKD participants) compared an antiplatelet agent with placebo or no treatment, and 29 studies (11,805 CKD participants) directly compared one antiplatelet agent with another. Fifty-six new studies were added to this 2021 update. Seven studies originally excluded from the 2013 review were included, although they had a follow-up lower than two months. Random sequence generation and allocation concealment were at low risk of bias in 16 and 22 studies, respectively. Sixty-four studies reported low-risk methods for blinding of participants and investigators; outcome assessment was blinded in 41 studies. Forty-one studies were at low risk of attrition bias, 50 studies were at low risk of selective reporting bias, and 57 studies were at low risk of other potential sources of bias. Compared to placebo or no treatment, antiplatelet agents probably reduces myocardial infarction (18 studies, 15,289 participants: RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.99, I² = 0%; moderate certainty). Antiplatelet agents has uncertain effects on fatal or nonfatal stroke (12 studies, 10.382 participants: RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.59, I² = 37%; very low certainty) and may have little or no effect on death from any cause (35 studies, 18,241 participants: RR 0.94, 95 % CI 0.84 to 1.06, I² = 14%; low certainty). Antiplatelet therapy probably increases major bleeding in people with CKD and those treated with haemodialysis (HD) (29 studies, 16,194 participants: RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.65, I² = 12%; moderate certainty). In addition, antiplatelet therapy may increase minor bleeding in people with CKD and those treated with HD (21 studies, 13,218 participants: RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.90, I² = 58%; low certainty). Antiplatelet treatment may reduce early dialysis vascular access thrombosis (8 studies, 1525 participants) RR 0.52, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.70; low certainty). Antiplatelet agents may reduce doubling of serum creatinine in CKD (3 studies, 217 participants: RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.86, I² = 8%; low certainty). The treatment effects of antiplatelet agents on stroke, cardiovascular death, kidney failure, kidney transplant graft loss, transplant rejection, creatinine clearance, proteinuria, dialysis access failure, loss of primary unassisted patency, failure to attain suitability for dialysis, need of intervention and cardiovascular hospitalisation were uncertain. Limited data were available for direct head-to-head comparisons of antiplatelet drugs, including prasugrel, ticagrelor, different doses of clopidogrel, abciximab, defibrotide, sarpogrelate and beraprost.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Antiplatelet agents probably reduced myocardial infarction and increased major bleeding, but do not appear to reduce all-cause and cardiovascular death among people with CKD and those treated with dialysis. The treatment effects of antiplatelet agents compared with each other are uncertain.

The effect of sex on door-to-balloon time in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and referred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention: A systematic review

Timely reperfusion using primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) is the cornerstone of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) management. We conducted a systematic review to examine the effect of sex on door-to-balloon (D2B) time and symptom-to-balloon (S2B) time. We observed longer D2B times and S2B times in female patients presenting with STEMI and referred for pPCI when compared to male patients. Future work is required to try and elucidate and mitigate sex-based front-line treatment delays for female STEMI patients.

Early Q-wave morphology in prediction of reperfusion success in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention - A cardiac magnetic resonance imaging study

BACKGROUND

Pathological Q-wave (QW) in the electrocardiogram (ECG) before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (primary PCI) is a strong prognostic marker in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, current binary QW criteria are either not clinically applicable or have a lack of diagnostic performance. Accordingly, we evaluated the association between duration, depth and area of QW and markers of the effect of reperfusion (reperfusion success).

METHODS

A total of 516 patients with their first STEMI had obtained an ECG before primary PCI and an acute cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) at day 1 (interquartile range [IQR], 1-1) and at follow-up at day 92 (IQR, 89-96). The largest measurable QW in ECG was used for analysis of duration, depth and area of QW (QW morphology). The QW morphology was evaluated as a continuous variable in linear regression models and as a variable divided in four equally large groups.

RESULTS

The QW morphology as four equally large groups was significantly associated with all CMR endpoints (p ≤ 0.001) and showed a linear relationship (p ≤ 0.001) with final infarct size (for QW duration, β = 0.47; QW depth, β = 0.41 and QW area, β = 0.39), final infarct transmurality (for QW duration, β = 0.36; QW depth, β = 0.26 and QW area, β = 0.23) and final myocardial salvage index (for QW duration, β = -0.34; QW depth, β = -0.26 and QW area, β = -0.24).

CONCLUSION

Although modest, the QW morphology in STEMI patients showed significant linear association with markers of reperfusion success. Hence, it is suggested that the term pathological is not used as a dichotomous parameter in patients with STEMI but rather evaluated on the basis of extent.

ECG analysis in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing invasive management: rationale and design of the electrocardiography sub-study of the MATRIX trial

BACKGROUND

The twelve‑lead electrocardiogram (ECG) has become an essential tool for the diagnosis, risk stratification, and management of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). However, several areas of residual controversies or gaps in evidence exist. Among them, P-wave abnormalities identifying atrial ischemia/infarction are largely neglected in clinical practice, and their diagnostic and prognostic implications remain elusive; the value of ECG to identify the culprit lesion has been investigated, but validated criteria indicating the presence of coronary occlusion in patients without ST-elevation are lacking; finally, which criteria among the multiple proposed, better define pathological Q-waves or success of revascularisation deserve further investigations.

METHODS

The Minimizing Adverse hemorrhagic events via TRansradial access site and systemic Implementation of AngioX (MATRIX) trial was designed to test the impact of bleeding avoidance strategies on ischemic and bleeding outcomes across the whole spectrum of patients with ACS receiving invasive management. The ECG-MATRIX is a pre-specified sub-study of the MATRIX programme which aims at analyzing the clinical value of ECG metrics in 4516 ACS patients (with and without ST-segment elevation in 2212 and 2304 cases, respectively) with matched pre and post-treatment ECGs.

CONCLUSIONS

This study represents a unique opportunity to further investigate the role of ECGs in the diagnosis and risk stratification of ACS patients with or without ST-segment deviation, as well as to assess whether the radial approach and bivalirudin may affect post-treatment ECG metrics and patterns in a large contemporary ACS population.

Comparison of Electrocardiographic Characteristics in Men Versus Women ≤ 55 Years With Acute Myocardial Infarction (a Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients Substudy)

Young women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have a worse prognosis than their male counterparts. We searched for differences in the electrocardiographic presentation of men and women in a large, contemporary registry of young adults with AMI that could help explain gender differences in outcomes. The qualifying electrocardiogram was blindly assessed by a central core lab in 3,354 patients (67% women) aged 18 to 55 years included in the Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients study. Compared with men, women did not have a different frequency of sinus rhythm, and they had shorter PR and QRS intervals and longer QTc intervals. Intraventricular conduction disturbances were not different among genders. Notably, women were more likely than men to have abnormal Q waves in anterior leads and a lower frequency of Q waves in other territories. ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) diagnosis was less frequent in women than in men (44.6% vs 55.1%, p < 0.001). Among patients with STEMI, women had less magnitude and extent of ST-segment elevation than men. In patients with non-STEMI, the frequency, magnitude, and extent of ST-segment depression were not different among genders, but women had anterior ST-segment depression less frequently and anterior negative T waves more frequently compared with men. These differences remained statistically significant after adjusting for baseline characteristics. In conclusion, there are significant gender differences in the electrocardiographic presentation of AMI among young patients. Further studies are warranted to evaluate their impact on gender-related differences in the management and outcomes of AMI.

Prognostic implications of Q waves at presentation in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: An analysis of the HORIZONS-AMI study

BACKGROUND

Presence of Q waves on the presenting electrocardiogram (ECG) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been associated with worse prognosis; however, whether the prognostic value of Q waves is influenced by baseline characteristics and/or rapidity of revascularization based on the guideline-based metric of door-to-balloon time remains unknown.

HYPOTHESIS

We hypothesized that Q waves in the presenting ECG will be predictive of long term mortality regardless of time to reperfusion.

METHODS

The Harmonizing Outcomes With Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial enrolled 3602 patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. We stratified patients without prior history of myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization according to presence or absence of pathological Q waves on their presenting ECG. Associations between Q waves, death, and cardiovascular outcomes within 3 years were assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS

Among 2723 patients with evaluable ECGs, 1084 (39.8%) had Q waves on their presenting ECG. Male sex and time from symptom onset to balloon inflation were independent predictors of presence of Q waves. Patients with Q waves had higher adjusted risks of all-cause death (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.45, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-2.05, P = 0.04) and cardiac death (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.72, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-2.72, P = 0.02). The association between Q waves and cardiac death was consistent regardless of sex, diabetes status, target vessel, or door-to-balloon time (P_interaction > 0.4 for all).

CONCLUSIONS

Presence of Q waves on the presenting ECG in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention due to STEMI is an independent predictor of mortality and adds prognostic value, regardless of sex or rapidity of revascularization.

Association Between Early Q Waves and Reperfusion Success in Patients With ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated With Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background—

Pathological early Q waves (QW) are associated with adverse outcomes in patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may therefore be less beneficial in patients with QW than in patients without QW. Myocardial salvage index and microvascular obstruction (MVO) are markers for reperfusion success. Thus, to clarify the benefit from primary PCI in STEMI patients with QW, we examined the association between baseline QW and myocardial salvage index and MVO in STEMI patients treated with primary PCI.

Methods and Results—

The ECG was assessed before primary PCI for the presence of QW (early) in 515 STEMI patients. The patients underwent a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging scan at day 1 (interquartile range [IQR], 1–1) and again at day 92 (IQR, 89–96). Early QW was observed in 108 (21%) patients and was related to smaller final myocardial salvage index (0.59 [IQR, 0.39–0.69] versus 0.65 [IQR, 0.46–0.84]; P <0.001) and larger MVO (1.4 [IQR, 0.0–5.4] versus 0.0 [IQR, 0.0–2.4]; P <0.001) compared with non-QW. QW remained associated with both final myocardial salvage index (β=−0.12; P =0.03) and MVO (β=0.18; P =0.001) after adjusting for potential confounders.

Conclusions—

Patients presenting with their first STEMI and early QW in the ECG had smaller myocardial salvage index and more extensive MVO than non-QW despite treatment within 12 hours after symptom onset. However, final myocardial salvage index in patients with QW was substantial, and patients with QW still benefit from primary PCI.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01435408.