Long-term major adverse cardiovascular events and quality of life after coronary angiography in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome

Psychological State after an Acute Coronary Syndrome: Impact of Physical Limitations

The aim of this study was to investigate how physical limitations after ACS influence patients' quality of life and health perception. This was a longitudinal clinical study. We recruited 146 patients diagnosed with ACS. The patients performed a stress test (Bruce's protocol) for the evaluation of physical limitations and were classified according to the test result: without physical limitations (more than 10 METS), with some physical limitations (7 to 9 METS), and with high physical limitations (less than 6 METS). Significant differences were found between the three groups immediately after the diagnosis of ACS and after a period of three months, regarding health perception, anxiety, depression, sexual relationships, distress, and adjustment to disease. These differences resulted larger between the group with less limitations and the group with higher limitations. After 3 months, however, there was an overall improvement in all variables. In conclusion, physical limitations after ACS seem to influence perceived quality of life determined by measuring general health, vitality, total adaptation, emotional role, social adaptation, depression, and anxiety. Therefore, the highest the physical limitations, the poorer the psychological conditions and vice versa, even 3 months after ACS diagnosis.

Prognostic impact of left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with electrical storm

OBJECTIVES

The study sought to assess retrospectively the prognostic impact of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with electrical storm (ES).

BACKGROUND

Data regarding the prognostic impact of impaired LVEF in ES patients is rare.

METHODS

Consecutive patients presenting with ES from 2002 to 2016 were included retrospectively. Patients with LVEF ≤ 35% were compared to patients with LVEF > 35%. The primary prognostic endpoint was long-term all-cause mortality, and secondary endpoints were rates of in-hospital mortality, rehospitalization, major adverse cardiac events (MACE), and ES recurrences (ES-R) at long-term follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 80 patients with ES were included at 2.5 years of follow-up. 69% of patients suffered from LVEF ≤ 35%. ES patients with LVEF ≤ 35% were associated with higher rates of the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality (53% versus 8%, log-rank p = 0.0001; HR 8.524; 95% CI 2.030-35.793, p = 0.003), as well as the secondary endpoints of MACE (53% versus 20%; log rank p = 0.011; HR 3.213, 95% CI 1.241-8.316, p = 0.016) and ES-R (35% versus 8%; log rank p = 0.019; HR 4.821, 95% CI 1.122-20.706, p = 0.034). Furthermore, ES patients with LVEF ≤ 35% showed higher rates of rehospitalization due to acute heart failure (24% versus 8%, statistical trend p = 0.096). Notably, ES patients with LVEF > 35% were associated with increased rates of rehospitalization due to ventricular tachycardia (36% versus 18%, statistical trend p = 0.083).

CONCLUSIONS

ES patients with LVEF ≤ 35% were associated with increased rates of all-cause mortality, MACE, ES-R and heart failure-related rehospitalization at long-term follow-up. This study evaluated retrospectively the prognostic impact of LVEF in patients with ES. LVEF ≤ 35% was associated with increased long-term all-cause mortality (53% versus 8%; HR 8.524; 95% CI 2.030-35.793, p = 0.003), MACE (53% versus 20%; HR 3.213, 95% CI 1.241-8.316, p = 0.016), and ES recurrences (35% versus 8%; HR 4.821, 95% CI 1.122-20.706, p = 0.034), while trends were observed for higher rates of heart-failure related rehospitalization (24% versus 8%, p = 0.096) and MACE (49% versus 28%; p = 0.081).