The central role of conventional 12-lead ECG for the assessment of microvascular obstruction after percutaneous myocardial revascularization

Dressler - de Winter sign with acute inferoposterior STEMI: An ECG dilemma in artery localization

The Dressler-de Winter sign is an electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern characterized by upsloping ST-segment depression in leads V1-V6 followed by tall, hyperacute T waves, typically indicating an occlusion of the left anterior descending artery (LAD). We present a case involving an inferoposterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with a variant of the de Winter sign, a concept of ST-segment continuum in the precordial leads. Despite initial ECG findings suggesting right coronary artery (RCA) or left circumflex artery (LCX) involvement, coronary angiography confirmed occlusion of the wrap-around LAD distal to the first septal (S1) and diagonal branch (D1) and revealed a left dominant system accompanied by a small non-dominant RCA. This case highlights the diagnostic complexity in accurately localizing the culprit artery in STEMI cases exhibiting the de Winter sign. Understanding such ECG variants is crucial for analyzing the mechanisms of acute ischemia and ensuring accurate assessment of the culprit vessel for effective revascularization.

Abnormal circulating steroids refine risk of progression to heart failure in ischemic heart disease

BACKGROUND

Patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) experience a high incidence of progression to heart failure (HF) despite current therapies. We speculated that steroid hormone metabolic disorders distinct adverse phenotypes and contribute to HF.

METHODS

We measured 18 steroids using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry in 2023 patients from the Registry Study of Biomarkers in Ischemic Heart Disease (BIOMS-IHD), including 1091 patients with IHD in a retrospective discovery set and 932 patients with IHD in a multicentre validation set. Our outcomes included incident HF after a median follow-up of 4 years.

RESULTS

We demonstrated steroid-based signatures of inflammation, coronary microvascular dysfunction and left ventricular hypertrophy that were associated with subsequent HF events in patients with IHD. In both cohorts, patients with a high steroid-heart failure score (SHFS) (>1) exhibited a greater risk of incident HF than patients with a low SHFS (≤1). The SHFS further improved the prognostic accuracy beyond clinical variables (net reclassification improvement of 0.628 in the discovery set and 0.299 in the validation set) and demonstrated the maximal effect of steroid signatures in patients with IHD who had lower B-type natriuretic peptide levels (pinteraction = 0.038).

CONCLUSIONS

A steroid-based strategy can simply and effectively identify individuals at higher HF risk who may derive benefit from more intensive follow-ups.

Initiate Danhong Injection before or after percutaneous coronary intervention for microvascular obstruction in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (DIRECTION): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

No treatment has convincingly been proven to be beneficial for microvascular obstruction (MVO) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Several studies have described the effects of Danhong Injection. However, evidence of a rigorously designed verification study is still lacking, and the intervention timing of Danhong Injection is uncertain.

METHODS

The DIRECTION study is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, evaluator-blind study. A total of 336 patients with STEMI receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) will be randomly assigned to conventional treatment, the preoperative Danhong Injection, or the postoperative Danhong Injection. The primary outcome is rate of ST-segment resolution (STR) ≥ 70% at 90 min after PCI. The secondary outcomes are the degree of STR, Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade, TIMI myocardial perfusion grade, left ventricular ejection fraction, N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and infarct size expressed as area under the curve for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and for creatine kinase MB. The major adverse cardiovascular events and hospital readmission events will be recorded. Health quality will be assessed with the 12-item Short Form Health Survey. The safety outcomes include bleeding events, adverse events, and abnormal changes in routine blood tests. Psychological status and dietary patterns will be evaluated using Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Food Frequency Questionnaire as the relevant indicators.

DISCUSSION

This trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Danhong Injection, as well as its optimal timing of intervention to prevent MVO in patients with STEMI.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900021440. Registered on February 21, 2019.

The coronary circulation in acute myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury: a target for cardioprotection

The coronary circulation is both culprit and victim of acute myocardial infarction. The rupture of an epicardial atherosclerotic plaque with superimposed thrombosis causes coronary occlusion, and this occlusion must be removed to induce reperfusion. However, ischaemia and reperfusion cause damage not only in cardiomyocytes but also in the coronary circulation, including microembolization of debris and release of soluble factors from the culprit lesion, impairment of endothelial integrity with subsequently increased permeability and oedema formation, platelet activation and leucocyte adherence, erythrocyte stasis, a shift from vasodilation to vasoconstriction, and ultimately structural damage to the capillaries with eventual no-reflow, microvascular obstruction (MVO), and intramyocardial haemorrhage (IMH). Therefore, the coronary circulation is a valid target for cardioprotection, beyond protection of the cardiomyocyte. Virtually all of the above deleterious endpoints have been demonstrated to be favourably influenced by one or the other mechanical or pharmacological cardioprotective intervention. However, no-reflow is still a serious complication of reperfused myocardial infarction and carries, independently from infarct size, an unfavourable prognosis. MVO and IMH can be diagnosed by modern imaging technologies, but still await an effective therapy. The current review provides an overview of strategies to protect the coronary circulation from acute myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury. This article is part of a Cardiovascular Research Spotlight Issue entitled 'Cardioprotection Beyond the Cardiomyocyte', and emerged as part of the discussions of the European Union (EU)-CARDIOPROTECTION Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action, CA16225.

Coronary microvascular obstruction in acute myocardial infarction

The success of a primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) in the setting of ST elevation myocardial infarction depends on the functional and structural integrity of coronary microcirculation. Coronary microvascular dysfunction and obstruction (CMVO) occurs in up to half of patients submitted to apparently successful primary PCI and is associated to a much worse outcome. The current review summarizes the complex mechanisms responsible for CMVO, including pre-existing coronary microvascular dysfunction, and highlights the current limitations in the assessment of microvascular function. More importantly, at the light of the substantial failure of trials hitherto published on the treatment of CMVO, this review proposes a novel integrated therapeutic approach, which should overcome the limitations of previous studies.

Correlation of electrocardiogram and regional cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings in ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a literature review

BACKGROUND

Patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) benefit substantially from emergent coronary reperfusion. The principal mechanism is to open the occluded coronary artery to minimize myocardial injury. Thus the size of the area at risk is a critical determinant of the patient outcome, although other factors, such as reperfusion injury, have major impact on the final infarct size. Acute coronary occlusion almost immediately induces metabolic changes within the myocardium, which can be assessed with both the electrocardiogram (ECG) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

METHODS

The 12-lead ECG is the principal diagnostic method to detect and risk-stratify acute STEMI. However, to achieve a correct diagnosis, it is paramount to compare different ECG parameters with golden standards in imaging, such as CMR. In this review, we discuss aspects of ECG and CMR in the assessment of acute regional ischemic changes in the myocardium using the 17 segment model of the left ventricle presented by American Heart Association (AHA), and their relation to coronary artery anatomy.

RESULTS

Using the 17 segment model of AHA, the segments 12 and 16 remain controversial. There is an important overlap in myocardial blood supply at the antero-lateral region between LAD and LCx territories concerning these two segments.

CONCLUSION

No all-encompassing correlation can be found between ECG and CMR findings in acute ischemia with respect to coronary anatomy.