Predictive value of the age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) score in patients with acute coronary syndromes

ACEF vs PARIS score in Predicting Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: Insights From the START ANTIPLATELET Registry

Several scores can predict clinical outcomes of patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS). The validated PARIS (Patterns of Non-Adherence to Anti-Platelet Regimen in Stented Patients) score is poorly used in clinical practice because it needs items that are not always easily available. The ACEF (Age, Creatinine, and Ejection Fraction) score is more attractive because it only includes three items. We compared these scores to risk-stratify ACS patients enrolled into the START (Survey on anticoagulated pAtients RegisTer)-ANTIPLATELET registry. ACS patients who completed 1-year follow-up (n = 1171) were grouped in tertiles (low, medium, and high-risk) according to their ACEF/PARIS scores. Primary endpoints were: one-year MACCE (major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events: death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke or target vessel revascularization) and NACE (net adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events): MACCE plus major bleeding). MACCE incidence was higher in the high-risk tertile (15%) VS low/medium (3/7 %) risk tertiles (P < .001). NACE incidence in the high-risk tertile was 24% VS low/medium (9/15 %) risk tertiles (P < .001), independently of the risk score used. The ACEF score has similar accuracy as the validated PARIS score for the estimation of ischemic/bleeding risk. Thereby, we strongly suggest its use in clinical practice to risk-stratify ACS patients and select optimal therapeutic strategies.

Integrating platelet reactivity in the age, creatinine and ejection fraction score to predict clinical outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with chronic coronary syndrome: the PR-ACEF score

To evaluate if integrating platelet reactivity (PR) evaluation in the original age, creatinine and ejection fraction (ACEF) score could improve the diagnostic accuracy of the model in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). We enrolled patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention between 2010 and 2011. High PR was included in the model (PR-ACEF). Co-primary end points were a composite of death/myocardial infarction (MI) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Overall, 471 patients were enrolled. Compared to the ACEF score, the PR-ACEF showed an improved diagnostic accuracy for death/MI (AUC 0.610 vs 0.670, p < 0.001) and MACE (AUC 0.572 vs 0.634, p < 0.001). These findings were confirmed using internal validation with bootstrap resampling. At 5 years, the PR-ACEF value > 1.75 was independently associated with death/MI [HR 3.51, 95% CI (1.97-6.23)] and MACE [HR 2.77, 95% CI (1.69-4.53)]. The PR-ACEF score was effective in improving the diagnostic performance of the ACEF score at the long-term follow-up.

Short- and long-term performance of risk calculation tools for mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Background

The mortality rate of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains high. Therefore, patients with ACS should undergo early risk stratification, for which various risk calculation tools are available. However, it remains uncertain whether the predictive performance varies over time between risk calculation tools for different target periods. This study aimed to compare the predictive performance of risk calculation tools in estimating short- and long-term mortality risks in patients with ACS, while considering different observation periods using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Methods

This study included 404 consecutive patients with ACS who underwent coronary angiography at our hospital from March 2017 to January 2021. The ACTION and GRACE scores for short-term risk stratification purposes and CRUSADE scores for long-term risk stratification purposes were calculated for all participants. The participants were followed up for 36 months to assess mortality. Using time-dependent ROC analysis, we evaluated the area under the curve (AUC) of the ACTION, CRUSADE, and GRACE scores at 1, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months.

Results

Sixty-six patients died during the observation periods. The AUCs at 1, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months of the ACTION score were 0.942, 0.925, 0.889, 0.856, and 0.832; those of the CRUSADE score were 0.881, 0.883, 0.862, 0.876, and 0.862; and those of the GRACE score 0.949, 0.928, 0.888, 0.875, and 0.860, respectively.

Conclusions

The ACTION and GRACE scores were excellent risk stratification tools for mortality in the short term. The prognostic performance of each risk score was almost similar in the long term, but the CRUSADE score might be a superior risk stratification tool in the longer term than 3 years.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: future prospects in regenerative therapy and anti-aging

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) utilizes 100% oxygen at high atmospheric pressure for clinical applications. HBOT has proven to be an effective supplementary treatment for a variety of clinical and pathological disorders. HBOT's therapeutic results are based on the physiological effects of increased tissue oxygenation, or improved oxygen bioavailability. HBOT's current indications in illnesses like as wound healing, thermal or radiation burns, and tissue necrosis point to its function in facilitating the regeneration process. Various research has revealed that HBOT plays a function in vascularization, angiogenesis, and collagen production augmentation. Individual regeneration capacity is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Furthermore, the regenerating ability of different types of tissues varies, and this ability declines with age. HBOT affects physiological processes at the genetic level by altering gene expression, delaying cell senescence, and assisting in telomere length enhancement. The positive results in a variety of indications, ranging from tissue regeneration to better cognitive function, indicate that it has enormous potential in regenerative and anti-aging therapy.

Combined-task deep network based on LassoNet feature selection for predicting the comorbidities of acute coronary syndrome

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a multifaceted cardiovascular condition frequently accompanied by multiple comorbidities, which can have significant implications for patient outcomes and treatment approaches. Precisely predicting these comorbidities is crucial for providing personalized care and making well-informed clinical decisions. However, there is a shortage of research investigating the identification of risk factors associated with ACS comorbidities and accurately predicting their likelihood of occurrence beyond heart failure. In this study, an approach called Combined-task Deep Network based on LassoNet feature selection (CDNL) is presented for predicting ACS comorbidities, including hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and heart failure. In order to identify crucial biomarkers associated with ACS comorbidities, the proposed framework first incorporates LassoNet, which extends Lasso regression to the deep network by adding a skip (residual) layer. Additionally, a correlation score calculation method across tasks is introduced based on measuring the overlap of identified biomarkers and their assigned importance. This method enables the development of an optimal combined-task prediction model for each ACS comorbidity, addressing the challenge of limited representations in traditional multi-task learning. Our evaluation, conducted through a meticulous cross-sectional study at a tertiary hospital in China, involved a dataset of 2941 samples with 42 clinical features. The results demonstrate that CDNL facilitates the identification of significant biomarkers and achieves an average improvement in AUC of 4.93% and 8.58% compared to deep learning multi-layer neural network (DNN) and SVM, respectively. Additionally, it shows an average improvement of 2.64% and 1.92% compared to two state-of-the-art multi-task models.

Development and validation of a model integrating clinical and coronary lesion-based functional assessment for long-term risk prediction in PCI patients

OBJECTIVES

To establish a scoring system combining the ACEF score and the quantitative blood flow ratio (QFR) to improve the long-term risk prediction of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODS

In this population-based cohort study, a total of 46 features, including patient clinical and coronary lesion characteristics, were assessed for analysis through machine learning models. The ACEF-QFR scoring system was developed using 1263 consecutive cases of CAD patients after PCI in PANDA III trial database. The newly developed score was then validated on the other remaining 542 patients in the cohort.

RESULTS

In both the Random Forest Model and the DeepSurv Model, age, renal function (creatinine), cardiac function (LVEF) and post-PCI coronary physiological index (QFR) were identified and confirmed to be significant predictive factors for 2-year adverse cardiac events. The ACEF-QFR score was constructed based on the developmental dataset and computed as age (years)/EF (%) + 1 (if creatinine ≥ 2.0 mg/dL) + 1 (if post-PCI QFR ≤ 0.92). The performance of the ACEF-QFR scoring system was preliminarily evaluated in the developmental dataset, and then further explored in the validation dataset. The ACEF-QFR score showed superior discrimination (C-statistic = 0.651; 95% CI: 0.611-0.691, P < 0.05 versus post-PCI physiological index and other commonly used risk scores) and excellent calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 = 7.070; P = 0.529) for predicting 2-year patient-oriented composite endpoint (POCE). The good prognostic value of the ACEF-QFR score was further validated by multivariable Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis (adjusted HR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.18-3.04; log-rank P < 0.01) after stratified the patients into high-risk group and low-risk group.

CONCLUSIONS

An improved scoring system combining clinical and coronary lesion-based functional variables (ACEF-QFR) was developed, and its ability for prognostic prediction in patients with PCI was further validated to be significantly better than the post-PCI physiological index and other commonly used risk scores.

Usefulness of Age, Creatinine and Ejection Fraction - Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Score for Predicting Survival in Patients with Heart Failure

BACKGROUND

Central Illustration: Usefulness of Age, Creatinine and Ejection Fraction - Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Score for Predicting Survival in Patients with Heart Failure Summary of the study design and key findings. ACEF: Age, creatinine and ejection fraction, MDRD: Modified Diet in Renal Disease. While many risk models have been developed to predict prognosis in heart failure (HF), these models are rarely useful for the clinical practitioner as they include multiple variables that might be time-consuming to obtain, they are usually difficult to calculate, and they may suffer from statistical overfitting.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether a simpler model, namely the ACEF-MDRD score, could be used for predicting one-year mortality in HF patients.

METHODS

748 cases within the SELFIE-HF registry had complete data to calculate the ACEF-MDRD score. Patients were grouped into tertiles for analyses. For all tests, a p-value <0.05 was accepted as significant.

RESULTS

Significantly more patients within the ACEF-MDRD high tertile (30.0%) died within one year, as compared to other tertiles (10.8% and 16.1%, respectively, for ACEF-MDRD low and ACEF-MDRD med , p<0.001 for both comparisons). There was a stepwise decrease in one-year survival as the ACEF-MDRD score increased (log-rank p<0.001). ACEF-MDRD was an independent predictor of survival after adjusting for other variables (OR: 1.14, 95%CI:1.04 - 1.24, p=0.006). ACEF-MDRD score offered similar accuracy to the GWTG-HF score for predicting one-year mortality (p=0.14).

CONCLUSIONS

ACEF-MDRD is a predictor of mortality in patients with HF, and its usefulness is comparable to similar yet more complicated models.

Performance of Prognostic Scoring Systems in MINOCA: A Comparison among GRACE, TIMI, HEART, and ACEF Scores

Background: the prognosis of patients with myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is not benign; thus, prompting the need to validate prognostic scoring systems for this population. Aim: to evaluate and compare the prognostic performance of GRACE, TIMI, HEART, and ACEF scores in MINOCA patients. Methods: A total of 250 MINOCA patients from January 2017 to September 2021 were included. For each patient, the four scores at admission were retrospectively calculated. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at 1-year follow-up. The ability to predict 1-year all-cause death was also tested. Results: Overall, the tested scores presented a sub-optimal performance in predicting the composite major adverse event in MINOCA patients, showing an AUC ranging between 0.7 and 0.8. Among them, the GRACE score appeared to be the best in predicting all-cause death, reaching high specificity with low sensitivity. The best cut-off identified for the GRACE score was 171, higher compared to the cut-off of 140 generally applied to identify high-risk patients with obstructive AMI. When the scores were tested for prediction of 1-year all-cause death, the GRACE and the ACEF score showed very good accuracy (AUC = 0.932 and 0.828, respectively). Conclusion: the prognostic scoring tools, validated in AMI cohorts, could be useful even in MINOCA patients, although their performance appeared sub-optimal, prompting the need for risk assessment tools specific to MINOCA patients.

Contemporary risk models for infective endocarditis surgery: a narrative review

Infective endocarditis is a complex heterogeneous condition involving the infection of the endocardium and heart valves, leading to severe complications, including death. Surgery is often indicated in patients with infective endocarditis but is associated with elevated risk compared with other forms of cardiac surgery. Risk models play an important role in many cardiac surgeries as they can help inform clinicians and patients regarding procedural risk, decision-making to proceed or not, and influence perioperative management; however, they remain under-utilized in the infective endocarditis settings. Another crucial role of such risk models is to assess predicted versus found mortality, thereby allowing an assessment of institutional performance in infective endocarditis surgery. Traditionally, general cardiac surgery risk models such as European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE), EuroSCORE II, and Society of Thoracic Surgeon's score have been applied to endocarditis surgery. However, there has been the development of many endocarditis surgery-specific scores over the last decade. This review aims to discuss clinical characteristics and applications of all contemporary risk scores in the setting of surgical treatment of infective endocarditis.

The relationship between degree of coronary artery stenosis detected by coronary computed tomography angiography and ACEF risk score in patients with chronic coronary syndrome

BACKGROUND

The ACEF risk score (age, creatinine, and ejection fraction) has been associated with satisfactory predictive values not only for short-term and long-term mortality but also for major adverse cardiovascular events.

OBJECTIVES

Investigate the relationship between ACEF risk score and degree of coronary artery stenosis.

DESIGN

Retrospective, observational study.

SETTING

Tertiary percutaneous coronary intervention center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In patients with coronary coronary artery stenosis <70% were compared with patients with stenosis ≥70%. All were diagnosed with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) and had undergone coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed for the cut-off value of the ACEF risk score. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were performed for significant parameters related to degree of coronary artery stenosis in coronary CTA.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Relationship between ACEF risk score and degree of coronary artery stenosis in coronary CTA.

SAMPLE SIZE

148 patients.

RESULTS

In the multivariable regression analysis; left ventricular ejection fraction (OR: 0.94; 95%CI: 0.89-0.99, P=.015) and ACEF risk score (OR: 5.63; 95% CI: 1.62-19.57, P=.007) were independent predictors for degree of coronary artery stenosis. The ACEF risk score was statistically significantly higher in with patients with stenosis ≥70% (1.43 [0.59]) than in patients with stenosis <70% (0.98 [0.35]), P<.001). An ACEF risk score value >1.04 was a predictor of the presence of severe coronary artery stenosis detected by coronary CTA in patients with CCS, with 66% sensitivity and 69% specificity.

CONCLUSIONS

A high ACEF risk score (age, creatinine, ejection fraction) in patients with CCS is associated with the presence of severe coronary artery stenosis detected by coronary CTA, and was useful as an assessment tool for coronary angiography in patients with CCS.

LIMITATIONS

Since we do not have long-term follow-up results, we do not know the prognostic value of the ACEF risk score in the long-term follow-up of patients with CCS.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

None.

Predictive Value of the Age, Creatinine, and Ejection Fraction (ACEF) Score in Cardiovascular Disease among Middle-Aged Population

PURPOSE

To explore the predictive value of ACEF scores for identifying the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population.

METHODS

A total of 8613 participants without a history of CVD were enrolled in the follow-up. The endpoint was CVD incidence, defined as stroke or coronary heart disease (CHD) diagnosed during the follow-up period. Cox regression analyses were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with respect to the age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) scores and CVD. A Kaplan-Meier curve was used to analyze the probability of CVD in different quartiles of ACEF. Restricted cubic spline was used to further explore whether the relationship between ACEF and CVD was linear. Finally, we assessed the discriminatory ability of ACEF for CVD using C-statistics, net reclassification index, and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI).

RESULTS

During a median follow-up period of 4.66 years, 388 participants were diagnosed with CVD. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that ACEF was associated with CVD, and participants with high ACEF scores were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with CVD compared to participants with low ACEF scores in the general population. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the adjusted HRs for four quartiles of ACEF were as follows: the first quartile was used as a reference; the second quartile: HR = 2.33; the third quartile: HR = 4.81; the fourth quartile: HR = 8.00. Moreover, after adding ACEF to the original risk prediction model, we observed that new models had higher C-statistic values of CVD than the traditional model. Furthermore, the results of both NRI and IDI were positive, indicating that ACEF enhanced the prediction of CVD.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that the ACEF score was associated with CVD in the general population in northeastern China. Furthermore, ACEF could be a new tool for identifying patients at high risk of primary CVD in the general population.

Management and 30-Day Mortality of Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Resource-Limited Setting: Insight From Ethiopia. A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Despite the fact that the burden, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have been studied widely in developed countries, limited data are available from sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating the clinical characteristics, treatment, and 30-day mortality of patients with ACS admitted to tertiary hospitals in Ethiopia. Methods: A total of 181 ACS patients admitted to tertiary care hospitals in Ethiopia were enrolled from March 15 to November 15, 2018. The clinical characteristics, management, and 30-day mortality were evaluated by ACS subtype. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the predictors of 30-day all-cause mortality. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The majority (61%) of ACS patients were admitted with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The mean age was 56 years, with male predominance (62.4%). More than two-thirds (67.4%) of patients presented to hospital after 12 h of symptom onset. Dyslipidemia (48%) and hypertension (44%) were the most common risk factors identified. In-hospital dual antiplatelet and statin use was high (>90%), followed by beta-blockers (81%) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs; 72%). Late reperfusion with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was done for only 13 (7.2%), and none of the patients received early reperfusion therapy. The 30-day all-cause mortality rate was 25.4%. On multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis, older age [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.003-1.057], systolic blood pressure (HR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.975-1.000), serum creatinine (HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.056-1.643), Killip class > II (HR = 4.62, 95% CI = 2.502-8.523), ejection fraction <40% (HR = 2.75, 95% CI = 1.463-5.162), and STEMI (HR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.006-4.261) were independent predictors of 30-day mortality. Conclusions: The 30-day all-cause mortality rate was unacceptably high, which implies an urgent need to establish a nationwide program to reduce pre-hospital delay, promoting the use of guideline-directed medications, and increasing access to reperfusion therapy.

Application of Modern Clinical Risk Scores in the Global Assessment of Risks Related to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Coronary Syndromes in Everyday Medical Practice

This article presents an overview of contemporary risk assessment systems used in patients with myocardial infarction. The full range of risk scales, both recommended by the European Society of Cardiology and others published in recent years, is presented. Scales for assessing the risk of ischemia/death as well as for assessing the risk of bleeding are presented. A separate section is devoted to systems assessing the integrated risk associated with both ischemia and bleeding. In the first part of the work, each of the risk scales is described in detail, including the clinical trials/registers on the basis of which they were created, the statistical methods used to develop them, as well as the specification of their individual parameters. The next chapter presents the practical application of a given scale in the patient risk assessment process, the timing of its application on the timeline of myocardial infarction, as well as a critical assessment of its potential advantages and limitations. The last part of the work is devoted to the presentation of potential directions for the development of risk assessment systems in the future.

Predictive value of the age, creatinine, and ejection fraction score in patients with myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries

BACKGROUND

Little is known about risk stratification in patients with myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA). We investigated whether the age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) score (age [years]/ejection fraction [%] + 1 [if creatinine >176 μmol/L]) might predict long-term outcomes after MINOCA.

HYPOTHESIS

The ACEF score enables accurate risk prediction in patients with MINOCA.

METHODS

A total of 1179 patients with MINOCA were enrolled and divided based on their ACEF score tertile levels. The primary endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including all-cause death, nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, revascularization, and hospitalization for unstable angina or heart failure. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed. Discrimination was defined as the area under the curve (AUC) using receiver operating characteristic analysis.

RESULTS

During the median follow-up of 41.7 months, patients with MINOCA with higher ACEF score tertiles had a significantly higher incidence of MACE (6.3%, 12.5%, and 23.8%, respectively; p < .001). The adjusted risk of MACE increased with the rising ACEF score tertiles (1st tertile as reference; 2nd tertile: HR 2.70, 95% CI: 1.38-5.29, p = .004; and 3rd tertile: HR 5.35, 95% CI: 2.72-10.51, p < .001). Moreover, an elevated ACEF score was closely associated with an increased risk of MACE overall (HR 4.23, 95% CI: 3.37-5.30, p < .001) and in subgroups (all p < .05). The ACEF score also yielded a good predictive value (AUC 0.79) for MACE.

CONCLUSION

Elevated ACEF scores were strongly associated with a poor prognosis after MINOCA. This simple and valid risk score may facilitate risk stratification and decision making in the population with MINOCA.

Assessment of Cardiopulmonary Bypass Duration Improves Novel Biomarker Detection for Predicting Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury after Cardiovascular Surgery

Urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) is a novel biomarker with promising performance in detecting kidney injury. Previous studies reported that L-FABP showed moderate discrimination in patients that underwent cardiac surgery, and other studies revealed that longer duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was associated with a higher risk of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI). This study aims to examine assessing CPB duration first, then examining L-FABP can improve the discriminatory ability of L-FABP in postoperative AKI. A total of 144 patients who received cardiovascular surgery were enrolled. Urinary L-FABP levels were examined at 4 to 6 and 16 to 18 h postoperatively. In the whole study population, the AUROC of urinary L-FABP in predicting postoperative AKI within 7 days was 0.720 at 16 to 18 h postoperatively. By assessing patients according to CPB duration, the urinary L-FABP at 16 to 18 h showed more favorable discriminating ability with AUROC of 0.742. Urinary L-FABP exhibited good performance in discriminating the onset of AKI within 7 days after cardiovascular surgery. Assessing postoperative risk of AKI through CPB duration first and then using urinary L-FABP examination can provide more accurate and satisfactory performance in predicting postoperative AKI.

Predictive value of the age, creatinine and ejection fraction score in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention with bail-out tirofiban therapy

INTRODUCTION

In patients who have undergone interventional cardiac procedures, the risk of bleeding is higher than in patients who received conservative treatment due to multiple medications and comorbidities.

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the age, creatinine and ejection fraction (ACEF) score for predicting bleeding events and to compare short- and long-term clinical outcomes according to the ACEF score in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) with bail-out tirofiban therapy (BOTT).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 2,543 patients were included and divided into three groups according to the following ACEF score tertiles: T1 (ACEFlow ≤ 1.033), T2 (1.033 < ACEFmid ≤ 1.371), and T3 (ACEFhigh > 1.371). The main outcomes measured were the incidence rates of relevant bleeding events and mortality within 30 days and 3 years after the procedure.

RESULTS

A total of 73 (2.9%) patients had Bleeding Academic Research Consortium bleeding events of grades 3, 4 or 5 and 104 (4%) patients died in a 30-day period. The ACEF score was effective at predicting 30-day bleeding (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC): 0.658, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.579-0.737; p < 0.001), 30-day mortality (AUC = 0.701, 95% CI: 0.649-0.753; p < 0.001) and 3-year mortality (AUC = 0.778, 95% CI: 0.748-0.807; p < 0.001) events. Considering the ACEF score tertiles, T3 patients presented greater 30-day bleeding (1.6%, 2.8% and 4.1%; odds ratio (OR) = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.37-4.80), 30-day mortality (1.7%, 3.5% and 7.1%; OR = 4.53, 95% CI: 2.51-8.18) and 3-year mortality (6.4%, 11% and 19.8%; hazard ratio = 3.56, 95% CI: 2.58-4.91) risks.

CONCLUSIONS

The ACEF score is a user-friendly tool with excellent predictive value for bleeding events and mortality in patients undergoing pPCI with BOTT.

Predictive Value of the Age, Creatinine, and Ejection Fraction (ACEF) Score in Patients With Acute Fulminant Myocarditis

Objective

Patients with acute fulminant myocarditis often have more adverse cardiovascular events and higher mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of age, creatinine, and left ventricular ejection fraction (ACEF score), in determining the risk that acute fulminant myocarditis will lead to serious cardiovascular events, death, and cardiac dysfunction.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the demographics, laboratory tests, medications, echocardiographic examinations, in-hospital clinical outcomes, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and survival rate at 1 year in the medical records of 220 consecutive subjects suffering from acute fulminant myocarditis from January 2013 to June 2019.

Results

Two hundred twenty patients were divided into a survivor group and a non-survivor group. This study found that patients in the non-survivor group were older, had higher heart rates, and had more serious injuries to multiple organ functions. A high ACEF score at admission was independently associated with an unfavorable prognosis, and it was a predictor of in-hospital mortality. The current analysis extends the predictive performance of the ACEF scores at 30 days by evaluating echocardiographic data as applied to survivors of fulminant myocarditis and cumulative rates of MACE at 1 year. The results indicated that patients with high ACEF scores had poor recovery of cardiac function, and higher rates of MACE, all-cause death, and heart failure at 1 year than the low-ACEF group.

Conclusion

The ACEF score was identified as an effective predictor of poor in-hospital outcomes, worse cardiac recovery after 30 days, and higher rates of MACE, all-cause death, and heart failure at 1 year in patients who had acute fulminant myocarditis. These data suggest that its predictive accuracy means the ACEF score could be used to assess the prognosis of patients with acute fulminant myocarditis.

The new classification method in ACEF score is more useful in patients with acute coronary syndrome without ST segment elevation

Goal In this study, it was investigated whether the age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) score [age (years) / ejection fraction (%) +1 (if creatinine &gt;2 mg / dL)] could predict in-hospital mortality in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) and its relationship with the Global Record of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score were investigated.Material and methods The study enrolled 658 NSTE-ACS patients from January 2016 to August 2020. The patients were divided into two groups according to the ACEF score with an optimum cut-off value of 1.283 who were divided into two groups according to the ACEF score: low ACEF (≤1.283, n:382) and high ACEF (&gt;1.283, n: 276). The primary outcome of the study was in-hospital all-cause mortality. The primary outcome of the study was in-hospital all-cause mortality. Statistically accuracy was defined with area under the curve by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis.Results In total, 13 (4.71 %) patients had in-hospital mortality. The ACEF score was significantly higher in the group with higher mortality than in the group with low mortality (2.1±0.53 vs. 1.34±0.56 p=0.001). The ACEF score was positively correlated with GRACE risk score (r=0.188 p&lt;0.0001). In ROC curve analysis, the AUC of the ACEF score for predicting in-hospital mortality was 0.849 (95 % CI, 0.820 to 0.876; p&lt;0.0001); sensitivity, 92.3 %; specificity, 59.2 %, and the optimum cut-off value was &gt;1.283.Conclusion The ACEF score presented excellent discrimination in predicting in-hospital mortality. We obtained an easier and more useful result by dividing the ACEF score into two groups instead of three in NSTE-ACS patients. As a simple, useful, and easily applicable risk stratification in the evaluation of an emergency event such as the ACEF score, it can significantly contribute to the identification of patients at high risk.

Comparison of Prognostic Value Among 4 Risk Scores in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Findings from the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-ACS (CCC-ACS) Project

Background

Accurate risk assessment and prospective stratification are of great importance for treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the optimal risk evaluation systems for predicting different type of ACS adverse events in Chinese population have not been established.

Material/Methods

Our data were derived from the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-ACS (CCC-ACS) Project, a multicenter registry program. We incorporated data on 44 750 patients in the study. We compared the performance of the following 4 different risk score systems with regard to prediction of in-hospital adverse events: the Global Registry for Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score system; the age, creatinine and ejection fraction (ACEF) risk score system, and its modified version (AGEF), and the Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome (C-ACS) risk assessment system.

Results

Admission AGEF risk score was a better prognosis index of potential for in-hospital mortality for patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) than GRACE risk score (AUC: 0.845 vs 0.819, P=0.012), ACEF (AUC: 0.845 vs 0.827, P=0.014), C-ACS (AUC: 0.845 vs 0.767, P<0.001). In patients with non-ST segment-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), there was no statistically significant difference between the GRACE risk scale and AGEF (AUC: 0.853 vs 0.832, P=0.140) for in-hospital death.

Conclusions

AGEF risk score showed a non-inferior utility compared with the other 3 scoring systems in estimating in-hospital mortality in ACS patients.

ACEF performed better than other risk scores in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome during long term follow-up

BACKGROUND

Risk stratification of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) is an important clinical method, but long-term studies on patients subjected to all-treatment strategies are lacking. Therefore, the aim was to compare several established risk scores in the all-treatment NSTE-ACS cohort during long-term follow-up.

METHODS

Consecutive patients (n = 276) with NSTE-ACS undergoing coronary angiography were recruited between September 2012 and May 2015. Six risk scores for all patients were calculated, namely GRACE 2.0, ACEF, SYNTAX, Clinical SYNTAX, SYNTAX II PCI and SYNTAX II CABG. The primary end-point was Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) which was a composite of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or urgent coronary revascularization.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 33 months, 64 MACE outcomes were recorded (23.2%). There was no difference between risk score categories, except in the highest risk group of ACEF and SYNTAX II PCI scores which exhibited significantly more MACE (51.6%, N = 33 and 45.3%, N = 29, P = 0.024, respectively). In the multivariate Cox regression analysis of individual variables, only age and atrial fibrillation were significant predictors for MACE (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.05, P = 0.023 and HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.04-3.89, P = 0.037, respectively). Furthermore, multivariate analysis of the risk scores showed significant prediction of MACE only with ACEF score (HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.36-3.44, P = 0.001). The overall performance of GRACE, SYNTAX, Clinical SYNTAX and SYNTAX II CABG was poor with AUC values of 0.596, 0.507, 0.530 and 0.582, respectively, while ACEF and SYNTAX II PCI showed the best absolute AUC values for MACE (0.630 and 0.626, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

ACEF risk score showed better discrimination than other risk scores in NSTE-ACS patients undergoing all-treatment strategies over long-term follow-up and it could represent a fast and user-friendly tool to stratify NSTE-ACS patients.

Validation and Comparison of Six Risk Scores for Infection in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Aims: Very few of the risk scores to predict infection in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been validated, and reports on their differences. We aimed to validate and compare the discriminatory value of different risk scores for infection.

Methods: A total of 2,260 eligible patients with STEMI undergoing PCI from January 2010 to May 2018 were enrolled. Six risk scores were investigated: age, serum creatinine, or glomerular filtration rate, and ejection fraction (ACEF or AGEF) score; Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome (CACS) risk score; CHADS₂ score; Global Registry for Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score; and Mehran score conceived for contrast induced nephropathy. The primary endpoint was infection during hospitalization.

Results: Except CHADS₂ score (AUC, 0.682; 95%CI, 0.652–0.712), the other risk scores showed good discrimination for predicting infection. All risk scores but CACS risk score (calibration slope, 0.77; 95%CI, 0.18–1.35) showed best calibration for infection. The risks scores also showed good discrimination for in-hospital major adverse clinical events (MACE) (AUC range, 0.700–0.786), except for CHADS₂ score. All six risk scores showed best calibration for in-hospital MACE. Subgroup analysis demonstrated similar results.

Conclusions: The ACEF, AGEF, CACS, GRACE, and Mehran scores showed a good discrimination and calibration for predicting infection and MACE.

Age-Related Variations in Takotsubo Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) occurs predominantly in post-menopausal women but is also found in younger patients.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate age-related differences in TTS.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with TTS and enrolled in the International Takotsubo Registry between January 2011 and February 2017 were included in this analysis and were stratified by age (younger: ≤50 years, middle-age: 51 to 74 years, elderly: ≥75 years). Baseline characteristics, hospital course, as well as short- and long-term mortality were compared among groups.

RESULTS

Of 2,098 TTS patients, 242 (11.5%) patients were ≤50 years of age, 1,194 (56.9%) were 51 to 74 years of age, and 662 (31.6%) were ≥75 years of age. Younger patients were more often men (12.4% vs. 10.9% vs. 6.3%; p = 0.002) and had an increased prevalence of acute neurological (16.3% vs. 8.4% vs. 8.8%; p = 0.001) or psychiatric disorders (14.1% vs. 10.3% vs. 5.6%; p < 0.001) compared with middle-aged and elderly TTS patients. Furthermore, younger patients had more often cardiogenic shock (15.3% vs. 9.1% vs. 8.1%; p = 0.004) and had a numerically higher in-hospital mortality (6.6% vs. 3.6% vs. 5.1%; p = 0.07). At multivariable analysis, younger (odds ratio: 1.60; 95% confidence interval: 0.86 to 3.01; p = 0.14) and older age (odds ratio: 1.09; 95% confidence interval: 0.66 to 1.80; p = 0.75) were not independently associated with in-hospital mortality using the middle-aged group as a reference. There were no differences in 60-day mortality rates among groups.

CONCLUSIONS

A substantial proportion of TTS patients are younger than 50 years of age. TTS is associated with severe complications requiring intensive care, particularly in younger patients.

Association of Side-Branch Treatment and Patient Factors in Left Anterior Descending Artery True Bifurcation Lesions: Analysis from the GRAND-DES Pooled Registry

Methods

Patients undergoing PCI to left anterior descending (LAD) bifurcation lesions with contemporary DES were analyzed from a nationwide registry. Baseline risk was assessed using the Age, Creatinine, and Ejection Fraction (ACEF) score. Target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization, was assessed at 3 years.

Results

Among 1,089 patients with LAD bifurcation lesions, 548 (50.3%) patients underwent SB treatment. The SB treatment group showed a nonsignificant, but numerically lower rate of 3-year TLF (6.6% vs. 9.2%, HR 0.75, 95%CI 0.44–1.28, p = 0.29). In patients with low pretreatment risk (ACEF<1.22), SB treatment was associated with a lower rate of 3-year TLF (HR 0.43, 95%CI 0.19–0.96, p = 0.04), while no significant difference was observed in patients with high risk (ACEF≥1.22). The difference in the low risk group was mostly driven by target lesion revascularization (HR 0.24, 95%CI 0.08–0.75, p = 0.01).

Conclusions

SB treatment for LAD bifurcation lesions showed favorable long-term outcomes compared with main-branch-only intervention, especially in patients with low pretreatment risk.

Utility of age, creatinine, and ejection fraction score in patients with type B aortic dissection undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair

BACKGROUND

Older age, renal and cardiac dysfunction are predictors of poor outcome in aortic dissection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the age, creatinine and ejection fraction (ACEF) score with adverse events in patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).

METHODS

The study enrolled 605 patients from January 2010 to July 2015, who were classified into three groups according to the tertiles of ACEF score: Tertile 1 (≤0.77, n = 204), Tertile 2 (0.77-0.96, n = 205) and Tertile 3 (>0.96, n = 196). The association between ACEF, AGEF (age, glomerular filtration rate and ejection fraction) and the updated version of the ACEF (ACEF II) score with adverse events was analyzed.

RESULTS

After a median 3.4 years follow-up, 63 (10.4%) patients died. Multivariable analysis revealed that ACEF score was independently associated with long-term mortality (adjusted hazard ratio = 3.54; 95% confidence interval, 2.09-6.01; p < 0.001). ACEF, AGEF and ACEF II score had similar predictive ability for both in-hospital and long-term death. The in-hospital mortality (1.5% vs. 1.0% vs. 6.6%, p = 0.001) were significantly higher in Tertile 3. In addition, cumulative long-term mortality in Tertile 3 was significantly higher than that in Tertile 1 and 2 (Log-Rank = 23.74; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

ACEF score could be served as an useful and relatively simple tool for pre-TEVAR risk stratification in TBAD patients.

Predictive value of the combination of age, creatinine, and ejection fraction score and diabetes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND

This study investigated whether the age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) score [age (years) /ejection fraction (%) +1 (if creatinine>176μmol/L)] could predict 1-year outcomes following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention, and whether accuracy could be improved by establishing novel ACEF-derived risk models.

METHODS

A total of 1146 patients were included. The study endpoint was 1-year major adverse cardio-cerebrovascular events, including all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unplanned revascularization, and nonfatal stroke. Accuracy was defined with area under the curve by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis.

RESULTS

The incidence of 1-year major adverse cardio-cerebrovascular event increased with the rising age, creatinine, and ejection fraction score tertiles (4.8%, 8.4%, and 15.2%, P < 0.001 for all). Higher ACEF score was significantly associated with an increased risk of the endpoint in overall (odds ratio = 3.75, 95% confidence interval, 2.44-5.77, P < 0.001) and in subgroups (all P < 0.05). The accuracy of the ACEF score was equivalent to the other complex risk scores. The combination of ACEF, and diabetes (ACEF-diabetes score) yielded a superior discriminatory ability than the original ACEF score (increase in C-statistic from 0.67 to 0.71, P = 0.048; continuous net reclassification improvement = 51.9%, 95% confidence interval, 33.4-70.5%, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement = 0.020, 95% confidence interval, 0.011-0.030, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The simplified ACEF score performed well in predicting 1-year outcomes in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. The novel ACEF-diabetes score provided a better predictive value and thus may help stratify high-risk patients and potentially facilitate decision making.

Age, creatinine and ejection fraction (ACEF) score: a simple risk-stratified method for infective endocarditis

BACKGROUND

Older age, renal dysfunction and low left ventricular ejection fraction are accepted predictors of poor outcome in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of the age, creatinine and ejection fraction (ACEF) score in IE.

METHODS

The study involved 1019 IE patients, who were classified into three groups according to the tertiles of ACEF score: low ACEF (<0.6, n = 379), medium ACEF (0.6-0.8, n = 259) and high ACEF (>0.8, n = 381). The ACEF score was calculated as follows: age (years)/ejection fraction (%)+1 (if serum creatinine value was >2 mg/dL). The relationship between ACEF score and adverse events was analyzed.

RESULTS

In-hospital mortality was 8.2%, which increased with the increase of ACEF score (4.2% vs. 5.0% vs. 14.4% for the low-, medium- and high-ACEF groups, respectively; P < 0.001). ACEF score had a good discriminative ability for predicting in-hospital death [areas under the curve (AUC), 0.706, P < 0.001]. The predictive value of ACEF score in surgical treatment was significantly higher than in conservative treatment for predicting in-hospital death (AUC, 0.812 vs. 0.625; P = 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that ACEF score was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 2.82; P < 0.001) and long-term mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.51; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

ACEF was an independent predictor for in-hospital and long-term mortality in IE patients, and it could be considered as a useful tool for risk stratification. ACEF score was more suitable for surgical patients in terms of assessing the risk of in-hospital mortality.

Outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention and comparison among scoring systems in predicting procedural success in elderly patients (≥ 75 years) with chronic total occlusion

BACKGROUND

Evidence-based data on percutaneous coronary intervention in elderly patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO) and comparison among different scoring systems have not been well established.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 246 consecutive patients were stratified into two groups according to the age: elderly group (age≥ 75 years, n = 68) and nonelderly group (age < 75 years, n = 178). Clinical and angiographic characteristics including the Synergy Between PCI With TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery score, in-hospital major adverse cardiac events, procedural success rates, and predictive capacity of four scoring systems [J-CTO, Prospective Global Registry for the Study of Chronic Total Occlusion Intervention (PROGRESS CTO), clinical and lesion-related (CL), and ostial location, Rentrop grade < 2, age ≥ 75 years (ORA) scores] were examined.

RESULTS

Triple-vessel disease and the Synergy Between PCI With TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery score in the elderly group were significantly higher than those in the nonelderly group (73.53 vs. 53.93%, P = 0.005; 31.39 ± 7.68 vs. 27.85 ± 7.16, P = 0.001, respectively). The in-hospital major adverse cardiac event rates, vascular access complication rates, and major bleeding rates were similar between the elderly and the nonelderly group (2.94 vs. 2.25%, P = 0.669; 1.47 vs. 0.56%, P = 0.477; 2.94 vs. 1.12%, P = 0.306, respectively). By contrast, the procedural success rate was statistically lower in the elderly group than that in the nonelderly group (73.53 vs. 84.83%, P = 0.040). All the four scoring systems showed a moderate predictive capacity [area under the curve (AUC) for J-CTO score: 0.806, P < 0.0001; AUC for PROGRESS CTO score: 0.727, P < 0.0001; AUC for CL score: 0.800, P < 0.0001; AUC for ORA score: 0.672, P < 0.0001, respectively]. Compared with the ORA score, the J-CTO score, and the CL score showed a significant advantage in predicting procedural success among overall patients (ΔAUC = 0.134, P = 0.0122; ΔAUC = 0.128, P = 0.0233, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Despite the lower procedural success rate, percutaneous coronary intervention in elderly patients with CTO is feasible and safe. J-CTO, PROGRESS, ORA, and CL scoring systems have moderate discriminatory capacity.

The AKR1D1*36 (rs1872930) Allelic Variant Is Independently Associated With Clopidogrel Treatment Outcome

AIMS

The present observational cohort study evaluated the association between the AKR1D1*36 (rs1872930) allele and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in clopidogrel treated patients.

METHODS

We screened 198 consecutive cardiovascular patients on clopidogrel therapy admitted in October to November 2010 with cardiovascular or cerebrovascular symptoms; of these 118 met the study protocol entry criteria; the median age of the cohort was 62.5 years (IQR 57-66 years), and 55% were females.

RESULTS

The median follow up time was 38.5 (IQR 24-48) months; Kaplan-Meier/Log-rank analysis showed that patients carrying the AKR1D1*36 allelic variant have a shorter event-free-survival compared to wild type patients, hazard ratio = 2.193 (95% CI, 1.091 to 4.406); p = 0.0155. Multivariable Cox regression analysis confirmed the AKR1D1*36 allele as an independent risk factor (HR = 2.36; 95% CI, 1.34 to 4.18) and identified 3 other risk factors for MACCE; previous percutaneous interventions (PCI), HR = 2.78; (95% CI, 1.34 to 5.78), and a history of myocardial infarction, HR = 2.62; (95% CI, 1.48 to 4.64) at baseline and the previously reported CYP2C19*2 polymorphism (HR = 2.33; 95% CI, 1.33 to 4.06).

CONCLUSION

The AKR1D1*36 (rs1872930) variant is independently associated with a higher risk for MACCE and shorter event-free survival time.

Comparison among Different Scoring Systems in Predicting Procedural Success and Long-Term Outcomes after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Chronic Total Coronary Artery Occlusions

Background and objectives: Different scoring systems are used to stratify patients with chronic total coronary artery occlusions (CTO) according to disease complexity to predict the success of the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Comparison among different CTO scoring systems and long-term outcome for patients with CTO after PCI has not been well established. The objectives of the study were to assess the ability of different disease severity scoring systems to predict, first, procedural success and, second, overall survival in patients with a successful procedure. Materials and Methods: A total of 551 patients who underwent elective CTO PCI in Riga East University hospital from January 2007 to December 2016 were included in the study. Four scoring systems (J CTO, PROGRESS CTO, CL, and CASTLE) were calculated. ROC curves were used to assess the association between scores and procedural success, and the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used to estimate the association with death from any cause after a successful procedure, Results: 454 of 551cases were successful. With increasing disease complexity, the procedural success rate was significantly reduced in all scoring systems (p < 0.001): Area under the curve was 0.714 for J CTO score, 0.605 for PROGRESS CTO, 0.624 for CL and 0.641 for CASTLE scores. During the median 6.8 years of follow-up time, survival was better in the successful procedure group (p = 0.041). Among patients with procedural success, only PROGRESS and CASTLE scores showed an association with all-cause risk of death. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, patients having high PROGRESS score had almost twice higher risk of death (HR 1.81(95% CI 1.19-2.75)), and those with high and intermediate CASTLE score experienced almost four (HR 3.68(95% CI 1.50-9.05)) and two (HR 2.15, (95% CI 1.42-3.23)) times higher risk of death than the low score patients, respectively. Conclusions: All four CTO scoring systems had moderate ability to predict procedural success. More complex CTO PCI patients, assessed by PROGRESS and CASTLE scores, has worse all-cause survival in six to seven years after a successful procedure; whereas J CTO and CL scores had no association with survival.

Predictive ability of ACEF and ACEF II score in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in the GLOBAL LEADERS study

BACKGROUND

ACEF score has been shown to have predictive ability in the patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The ACEF II score has recently been developed to predict short-term mortality after cardiac surgery. We compared the predictive ability of the ACEF and ACEF II scores to predict mortality after PCI in the all-comers population.

METHODS

The ACEF and ACEF II scores were calculated in 15,968 patients enrolled in the GLOBAL LEADERS study. Discrimination and calibration were assessed for outcomes after PCI. Recalibration of the regression model by updating the intercept and slope were performed to adjust the original ACEF model to the PCI setting. In a stratified approach, patients were divided into quintiles according to the score. Outcomes were compared between quintiles.

RESULTS

The ACEF and ACEF II score were available in 14,941 and 14,355 patients respectively. Discrimination for 30-day all-cause mortality was acceptable for both scores (C-statistic ACEF 0.75 and ACEF II 0.77). For 2-year all-cause mortality, the discrimination of ACEF score was acceptable (C-statistic 0.72) while the discrimination of ACEF II score was moderate (C-statistic 0.69). Both scores identified patients at high risk of mortality but overestimated all-cause mortality at 30 days in all quintiles. After recalibration, agreement between predicted and observed 30-day all-cause mortality in both scores are close to the identity line.

CONCLUSIONS

The ACEF II model did not improve the predictive ability of the ACEF score. Recalibrated ACEF model can be used to estimated all-cause mortality rate at 30 days after PCI.

Associations between circulating IgG antibodies to Apolipoprotein B100-derived peptide antigens and acute coronary syndrome in a Chinese Han population

Objectives: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the major cause of mortality worldwide and caused mainly by atherosclerosis of coronary arteries. Apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100) is a major component of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and its oxidation can trigger inflammation in vascular endothelial cells leading to atherosclerosis. The association between antibodies to ApoB100-derived antigens and atherosclerotic diseases has been studied in recent years, but the findings appear to be controversial. The present study developed an ELISA in-house with ApoB100-derived peptide antigens to circulating anti-ApoB100 IgG antibodies in patients with ACS. Methods: Fifteen ApoB100-derived peptide antigens (Ag1–Ag15) were designed to develop an in-house ELISA for the detection of circulating anti-ApoB100 IgG levels in 350 patients with ACS and 201 control subjects amongst a Chinese population. Binary logistic regression was applied to examine the differences in anti-ApoB IgG levels between the patient group and the control group with adjustment for a number of confounding factors; the correlation between anti-ApoB100 IgG levels and clinical characteristics was also tested. Results: Patients with ACS had significantly higher levels of plasma IgG for Ag1 (adjusted P<0.001) and Ag10 antigens (adjusted P<0.001). There was no significant increase in the levels of IgG to the other 13 antigens in these ACS patients. In the control group, anti-Ag10 IgG levels were positively correlated with age, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and ApoA levels (P≤0.001 for all) and negatively correlated with blood triglyceride (TG) (P=0.008); in the patient group, anti-Ag10 IgG levels were positively correlated with LDL (P=0.003), and negatively correlated with ApoA (P=0.048) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (P=0.036). The area under ROC (receiver operator characteristic) curve (AUC) was 0.612 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.560–0.664; P<0.001) in anti-Ag1 IgG assay and 0.621 (95% CI: 0.569–0.672; P<0.001) in anti-Ag10 IgG assay. Conclusion: Circulating IgG for ApoB100-derived peptide antigens may be a useful biomarker of ACS, although anti-ApoB IgG levels were not associated with the coronary artery plaque burden characterized by the coronary Gensini score.