Clinical characteristics and early outcomes of very elderly patients in the reperfusion era

Therapy for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients who present late or are ineligible for reperfusion therapy

Despite the wide contemporary availability of pharmacological and mechanical means of reperfusion, a very significant proportion of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients are still not offered any reperfusion therapy, and some of them are considered "ineligible for reperfusion." Spontaneous reperfusion and contraindications to the use of fibrinolytics and/or mechanical reperfusion methods account only for a small part of these clinical situations. The boundary between "timely" and "late" presentation in STEMI, the appropriateness of percutaneous intervention in patients presenting late after onset of symptoms, and the impact of sex and age on the eligibility and/or choice of reperfusion therapy continue to be challenged by the most recent published data. In the current invasive-driven reperfusion era, if scientific evidence and clinical guidelines are applied diligently, the vast majority of eligible STEMI patients should receive reperfusion therapy. Pharmacological nonlytic therapy of patients with STEMI, regardless of the choice of reperfusion strategy or the absence of it, is clearly defined by the current practice guidelines. Available data suggest that for patients who do not receive any form of reperfusion, anticoagulation therapy with low molecular weight heparin provides a clear additional mortality benefit versus placebo. Fondaparinux as compared with usual care (unfractionated heparin infusion or placebo) significantly reduces the composite of death or myocardial reinfarction without increasing severe bleeding or number of strokes. In the treatment of late-presenting patients with STEMI (beyond the first 12 h after onset of symptoms), clinical evaluation and risk stratification represent the crucial elements helping in decision making between therapeutic interventions.

Clinical effects of hypertension on the mortality of patients with acute myocardial infarction

The incidence of ischemic heart disease has been increased rapidly in Korea. However, the clinical effects of antecedent hypertension on acute myocardial infarction have not been identified. We assessed the relationship between antecedent hypertension and clinical outcomes in 7,784 patients with acute myocardial infarction in the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry during one-year follow-up. Diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease were more prevalent in hypertensives (n=3,775) than nonhypertensives (n=4,009). During hospitalization, hypertensive patients suffered from acute renal failure, shock, and cerebrovascular event more frequently than in nonhypertensives. During follow-up of one-year, the incidence of major adverse cardiac events was higher in hypertensives. In multi-variate adjustment, old age, Killip class > or =III, left ventricular ejection fraction <45%, systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg on admission, post procedural TIMI flow grade < or =2, female sex, and history of hypertension were independent predictors for in-hospital mortality. However antecedent hypertension was not significantly associated with one-year mortality. Hypertension at the time of acute myocardial infarction is associated with an increased rate of in-hospital mortality.

Absence of outcome difference in elderly patients with and without dementia after acute myocardial infarction

It is still unclear whether the presence of dementia has a negative effect on survival in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Therefore, using data from the Tokai Acute Myocardial Infarction Study II (TAMIS-II), we set out to clarify the differences in in-hospital and long-term mortality between AMI patients with and without dementia. The study was a prospective study of all consecutive patients admitted to 15 acute care hospitals in the Tokai region with a diagnosis of AMI between 2001 and 2003. A total of 1837 patients (62 with dementia and 1775 without dementia) with AMI, aged 65 and over, were included in the present analysis. Patients with dementia were in general older, female, and impaired in their daily activities. They were also more likely to have a history of myocardial infarction, heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, and less likely to have a history of angina or smoking. They were less likely to have chest pain on arrival and lateral myocardial infarction. The percentage of patients with dementia who were transferred to an intensive care unit/coronary care unit or who were given percutaneous coronary intervention was lower. At discharge, the percentage of patients with dementia treated with aspirin was lower, and that of patients with dementia treated with diuretics was higher. In-hospital death rates for patients with and without dementia were 17.7% and 11.1% during hospitalization, respectively (P = 0.101). Long-term mortality after AMI was higher among patients with dementia before adjustment (24.2% versus 14.6%, P = 0.004). However, we were unable to detect differences after adjustment for potential confounders. Thus, our findings suggest that dementia has minimal effects on long-term mortality in patients with AMI.

Clinical course of acute myocardial infarction in the hypertensive patient in Eastern Spain: The PRIMVAC registry

OBJECTIVE

The study's objective was to analyze the acute complications and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in hypertensive patients in Spain.

METHOD

Complications and early mortality were recorded among the patients with AMI admitted to the coronary care units of the 17 hospitals in the Valencia Community (Spain) between 1995 and 2000.

RESULTS

A total of 12.071 patients were registered, of whom 46% were hypertensive (5.550 cases). Atrial fibrillation was more frequent in the hypertensive group, whereas ventricular fibrillation was more common among normotensive patients. We found higher mortality rates in the hypertensive group (14.4% vs 12.4%; P<.001). However, after multivariate adjustment, hypertension was not independently associated with mortality (odds ratio: .95; P=.46), and remained independently associated with a lower risk of primary ventricular fibrillation (odds ratio: .83; P<.05).

CONCLUSION

Hypertensive patients do not present comparatively greater mortality during AMI, although primary ventricular fibrillation is less common in such subjects.

Effect of Emergency Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on In-Hospital Mortality of Very Elderly (80+ Years of Age) Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

It is still controversial whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is effective in improving in-hospital survival in very elderly patients. Therefore, using data from the Tokai Acute Myocardial Infarction Study II, we studied the effect of emergency PCI on the in-hospital mortality of very elderly (80+ years of age) patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The study was a prospective study of all consecutive patients admitted to the 15 acute care hospitals in the Tokai region with the diagnosis of AMI from 2001 to 2003. A total of 211 patients undergoing emergency PCI and 176 patients not undergoing PCI were included in the present analysis. We compared the baseline and procedural characteristics and the clinical outcomes between the 2 groups. Patients without emergency PCI were older and had an increased prevalence of female gender, ADL impairment, and dementia in comparison with those with PCI. They also showed poorer clinical conditions. They were less likely to be transferred to intensive care or coronary care units and to be given intra-aortic balloon pumps. The patients with emergency PCI had nearly one-third the in-hospital mortality rate of the patients without emergency PCI. According to multivariate analysis, emergency PCI was still identified as an independent predictor of in-hospital death, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.26 (95% CI, 0.07-0.97). The results indicated that emergency PCI has a preventative effect on in-hospital mortality in Japanese AMI patients 80 years of age and older.