Clinical manifestation of early phase left ventricular rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction in the primary PCI era

Factors related to cardiac rupture after acute myocardial infarction

Background

Cardiac rupture (CR) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a fatal mechanical complication. The early identification of factors related to CR in high-risk cases may reduce mortality. The purpose of our study was to discover relevant risk factors for CR after AMI and in-hospital mortality from CR.

Methods

In this study, we enrolled 1,699 AMI cases from October 2013 to May 2020. A total of 51 cases were diagnosed with CR. Clinical diagnostic information was recorded and analyzed retrospectively. We randomly matched these cases with AMI patients without CR in a 1:4 ratio. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression and stratifying analysis were used to identify risk factors for CR. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression hazard analysis and stratifying analysis were used to assess predictors of in-hospital mortality from CR.

Results

The incidence of CR after AMI was 3.0% and in-hospital mortality was approximately 57%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage, anterior myocardial infarction, a Killip class of >II, and albumin level were independently associated with CR (p < 0.05). Stratifying analysis showed that age, systolic blood pressure, and bicarbonate were independent risk factors for female CR (p < 0.05) but not male CR. Triglyceride and cardiac troponin I were independent risk factors for male CR (p < 0.05) but not female CR. Anterior myocardial infarction, a Killip class of >II, and neutrophil percentage were independent risk factors for male and female CR (p < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the time from symptom to CR and the site of CR were independent predictors for in-hospital mortality from CR (p < 0.05). Stratification analysis indicated that risk factors did not differ based on gender, but platelet counts were predictors for in-hospital mortality in female and male CR.

Conclusion

Low albumin, a high white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage, anterior myocardial infarction, and a Killip class of >II were independent and significant predictors for CR. However, risk factors are different in male and female CR. The time from symptom to CR, the site of CR, and platelet counts were independent predictors for in-hospital mortality from CR. These may be helpful in the early and accurate identification of high-risk patients with CR and the assessment of prognosis. In addition, gender differences should be considered.

Clinical Manifestation of Cardiac Rupture in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Early Versus Late Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background:

Cardiac rupture is one of the fatal complications of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) in the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) era. The present study aims to identify risk factors of cardiac rupture among patients suffering from STEMI, treated with early and late PPCI.

Methods:

This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study involving STEMI patients with cardiac rupture (CR group), matched with STEMI patients without CR (control group) in a 1:5 ratio. They were divided into the early (≤ 6 h) and the late (> 6 h) PCI groups. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to identify risk factors for cardiac rupture.

Results:

Seventy-four patients in the CR and 370 in the control group were included. Multivariable regression identified lateral infarction (OR = 11.89, 95% CI 2.22–63.81, p < 0.01) in the early PCI phase as a significant risk factor for cardiac rupture. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grade 0-1 (early PCI: OR = 4.16, 95% CI 1.33-13.0, p = 0.01; late PCI: OR = 4.46, 95% CI 1.59–12.54, p < 0.01) was a risk factor for both early and late PCI groups. In contrast, TIMI grade 2 was associated with a higher rupture risk within the late (OR = 16.87, 95% CI 3.83–74.19, p < 0.001) but not for the early (OR = 5.44, 95% CI 0.76–39.07, p = 0.09) PCI groups. STEMI combined with Killip IV was associated with a higher rupture risk for the late PCI group (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.03–1.99, p = 0.04). Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) was protective against cardiac rupture within early PPCI (OR = 0.18, 95% CI 0.04–0.89, p = 0.04). In contrast, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were associated with lower rupture risks in both the early and late groups (early PCI: OR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.17–0.87, p = 0.02; late PCI: OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.15–0.75, p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

No reflow or slow blood flow is associated with a higher risk of cardiac rupture in early and late PCI patients. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors are beneficial in preventing heart rupture, and the use of IABP in early PPCI is also helpful in preventing heart rupture.

Neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio as predictors of free-wall rupture in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Backgrounds

Free‐wall rupture (FWR) has a high mortality rate. We aimed to find sensitive predictive indicators to identify high‐risk FWR patients by exploring the predictive values of neutrophil percentage‐to‐albumin ratio (NPAR) and monocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (MLR) on patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods

76 FWR patients with AMI were collected, and then 228 non‐CR patients with AMI were randomly selected (1:3 ratio) in this retrospective study. The independent influencing factors of FWR were evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to evaluate the predictive value of NPAR and MLR for FWR.

Results

According to the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis, emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.094–0.751, p = 0.012), angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) treatment (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.044–0.659, p = 0.010), NPAR (OR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.031–7.044, p = 0.043), and MLR (OR = 5.99, 95% CI: 2.09–17.168, p = 0.001) were the influencing factors of the FWR patients with AMI, independently. Additionally, the NPAR and MLR were the predictors of FWR patients, with AUC of 0.811 and 0.778, respectively (both p < 0.001).

Conclusions

In summary, the emergency PCI and ACEI/ARB treatment were independent protective factors for FWR patients with AMI, while the increase of MLR and NPAR were independent risk factors. What's more, NPAR and MLR are good indicators for predicting FWR.

Differences in mortality and causes of death between STEMI and NSTEMI in the early and late phases after acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

The detailed causes of death in non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) have not been adequately evaluated compared to those in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

METHODS

The study population was 6,228 AMI patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (STEMI: 4,625 patients and NSTEMI: 1,603 patients). The primary outcome was all-cause death.

RESULTS

Within 6 months after AMI, the adjusted mortality risk was not significantly different between NSTEMI patients and STEMI patients (HR: 0.83, 95%CI: 0.67-1.03, P = 0.09). Regarding the causes of death within 6 months after AMI, mechanical complications more frequently occurred in STEMI patients than in NSTEMI patients, while proportions of post resuscitation status on arrival and heart failure were higher in in NSTEMI patients than in STEMI patients. Beyond 6 months after AMI, the adjusted mortality risk of NSTEMI relative to STEMI was not significantly different. (HR: 1.04, 95%CI: 0.90-1.20, P = 0.59). Regarding causes of death beyond 6 months after AMI, almost half of deaths were cardiovascular causes in both groups, and breakdown of causes of death was similar between NSTEMI and STEMI.

CONCLUSION

The mortality risk within and beyond 6 months after AMI were not significantly different between STEMI patients and NSTEMI patients after adjusting confounders. Deaths due to post resuscitation status and heart failure were more frequent in NSTEMI within 6 months after AMI.

Mechanical Complications of Myocardial Infarction

In this retrospective observational study, we have examined the incidence, characteristics, and treatment of serious myocardial infarction (MI) -associated mechanical complications (MCs) occurring in Japanese patients in this era of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), focusing on frailty, nutrition, and clinical implication of surgery. Included were 883 patients who, having suffered an MI, had been admitted to Nihon University Hospital between January 2013 and April 2020. Fifteen (1.70%) of these patients had suffered a potentially catastrophic MC-ventricular free wall rupture (VFWR, n = 8), ventricular septal rupture (VSR, n = 6), or papillary muscle rupture (PMR, n = 1). Factors associated with the MCs were age, poor nutritional status, a high Killip class, delayed diagnosis of MI, a high lactate concentration, a low thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow grade, and single-vessel disease. Thirty-day mortality among MC patients was 60% (9/15): 87.5% associated with VFWR, 33.3% associated with VSR and 0% associated with PMR. On adjusted multivariate analysis, occurrence of an MC was independently associated with 30-day mortality. Despite a high surgical risk (EuroSCORE II: 11.8 ± 4.7) with less frailty, 30-day mortality was lower among patients whose MC was treated surgically than among those whose MC was treated conservatively (40.0% versus 100.0%, respectively; P = 0.044).Our data suggest that surgical intervention can save patients with a life-threatening MI-associated MC and should be considered, if they are not particularly frail.

Left ventricular free wall rupture as a result of delayed presentation of an inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction due to fear of COVID-19: case report

Background

Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) is a rare complication after myocardial infarction and usually occurs 1 to 4 days after the infarct. Over the past decade, the overall incidence of LVFWR has decreased given the advancements in reperfusion therapies. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant delay in hospital presentation of patients suffering myocardial infarctions, leading to a higher incidence of mechanical complications from myocardial infarctions such as LVFWR.

Case presentation

We present a case in which a patient suffered a LVFWR as a mechanical complication from myocardial infarction due to delay in seeking care over fear of contracting COVID-19 from the medical setting. The patient had been having chest pain for a few days but refused to seek medical care due to fear of contracting COVID-19 from within the medical setting. He eventually suffered a cardiac arrest at home from a massive inferior myocardial infarction and found to be in cardiac tamponade from a left ventricular perforation. He was emergently taken to the operating room to attempt to repair the rupture but he ultimately expired on the operating table.

Conclusions

The occurrence of LVFWR has been on a more significant rise over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic as patients delay seeking care over fear of contracting COVID-19 from within the medical setting. Clinicians should consider mechanical complications of MI when patients present as an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as delay in seeking care is often the exacerbating factor.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13019-021-01495-x.

Blood group A: a risk factor for heart rupture after acute myocardial infarction

Introduction

Studies have been performed to identify the association between ABO blood groups and coronary artery disease. However, data is scarce about the impact of ABO blood groups on heart rupture (HR) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective case–control study that included 61 consecutive patients with HR after AMI during a period from 1 January 2012 to 1 December 2019. The controls included 600 patients who were selected randomly from 8143 AMI patients without HR in a ratio of 1:10. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to identify the association between ABO blood groups and HR.

Results

Patients with blood group A had a greater risk of HR after AMI than those with non-A blood groups (12.35% vs 7.42%, P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, heart rate at admission, body mass index (BMI), and systolic blood pressure (SBP), blood group A was independently related to the increased risk of HR after AMI (OR = 2.781, 95% CI 1.174–7.198, P = 0.035), and remained as an independent risk factor of HR after AMI in different multivariate regression models.

Conclusion

Blood group A is significantly associated with increased HR risk after AMI.

Cardiac rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction: the clinical features from an observational study and animal experiment

BACKGROUND

Cardiac rupture (CR) is a fatal complication of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with its incidence markedly declined in the recent decades. However, clinical features of CR patients now and the effect of reperfusion therapy to CR remain unclear. We investigated the clinical features of CR in STEMI patients and the effect of reperfusion therapy to CR in mice.

METHODS

Two studies were conducted. In clinical study, data of 1456 STEMI patients admitted to the First Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University during 2015.12. ~ 2018.12. were analyzed. In experimental study, 83 male C57BL/6 mice were operated to induce MI. Of them, 39 mice were permanent MI (group-1), and remaining mice received reperfusion after 1 h ischemia (21 mice, group-2) or 4 h ischemia (23 mice, group-3). All operated mice were monitored up to day-10. Animals were inspected three times daily for the incidence of death and autopsy was done for all mice found died to determine the cause of death.

RESULTS

CR was diagnosed in 40 patients: free-wall rupture in 17, ventricular septal rupture in 20, and combined locations in 3 cases. CR presented in 19 patients at admission and diagnosed in another 21 patients during 1 ~ 14 days post-STEMI, giving an in-hospital incidence of 1.4%. The mortality of CR patients was high during hospitalization accounting for 39% of total in-hospital death. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age, peak CK-MB and peak hs-CRP were independent predictors of CR post-STEMI. In mice with non-reperfused MI, 17 animals (43.6%) died of CR that occurred during 3-6 days post-MI. In MI mice received early or delayed reperfusion, all mice survived to the end of experiment except one mouse died of acute heart failure.

CONCLUSION

CR remains as a major cause of in-hospital death in STEMI patients. CR patients are characterized of being elderly, having larger infarct and more server inflammation. Experimentally, reperfusion post-MI prevented CR.

Clinical Manifestation, Timing Course, Precipitating Factors, and Protective Factors of Ventricular Free Wall Rupture Following ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Ventricular free wall rupture (FWR) is a catastrophic complication of that occurs after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and at present, its clinical characteristics are unclear. We analyzed a total of 6,712 consecutive patients who presented with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and 78 patients with FWR after STEMI were enrolled in the study. Patients' demographic data, clinical manifestation, laboratory test results, and angiographic features were then collected and analyzed. FWR occurred in 78 cases (1.16%), and the inhospital mortality of FWR was up to 92.3%. Among the 78 FWR patients, 72 obtained accurate rupture time. FWR typically occurred within the first week after the infarct. Compared to late-phase FWR (more than 48 hours after STEMI) patients, early-phase FWR (during 48 hours after STEMI) patients showed significantly higher random glucose and higher percentage of anterior myocardial infarction. Besides, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), β-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB) were used less frequently in early-phase FWR patients. Moreover, we first reported the precipitating factors of FWR. Defecating, transporting, acute emotional upset, diets, and invasive treatment turned out to be the main triggers for FWR. Furthermore, we found that patients who survived from FWR were younger, had higher β-blocker coverage in the inhospital treatment, and had a higher frequency of primary PCI. FWR remains an infrequent but devastating complication of STEMI. We have found several factors related to the occurrence and prognosis of FWR. This study provides evidence for a better understanding of FWR.

Successful Treatment of Cardiac Tamponade due to Rupture of the Heart Performing an Open-chest Pericardiotomy

A 78-year-old woman with mild dementia was found unconscious by her family. She was transported by an ambulance to our emergency room (ER). Initially, she was comatose and in a state of shock. The echocardiographic findings suggested cardiac tamponade by hematoma. Computed tomography also showed tamponade without aortic dissection. After imaging, she went into cardiac arrest, was returned to the ER, and tracheal intubation and left thoracotomy for pericardiotomy were performed. A return of spontaneous circulation was obtained by following this procedure. Bleeding from a rupture of the left cardiac free wall was confirmed, and the rupture was closed with TachoSil®. After closing the thoracotomy, electrocardiography revealed ST elevation in the precordial leads. Subsequently, placement of an indwelling intra-aortic balloon pump and coronary angiography (CAG) were performed. CAG showed an occlusion of the anterior interventricular branch and circumflex branch of the left coronary artery. She underwent conservative therapy in a coronary care unit. Finally, after obtaining hemodynamic stability and baseline mental status, she was transferred to another medical facility. We herein report a rare case involving the successful treatment of cardiac tamponade due to rupture of the heart performing an open-chest pericardiotomy and additionally discuss the key points for obtaining a favorable outcome.

A risk score model for predicting cardiac rupture after acute myocardial infarction

Background:

Cardiac rupture (CR) is a major lethal complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, no valid risk score model was found to predict CR after AMI in previous researches. This study aimed to establish a simple model to assess risk of CR after AMI, which could be easily used in a clinical environment.

Methods:

This was a retrospective case-control study that included 53 consecutive patients with CR after AMI during a period from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017. The controls included 524 patients who were selected randomly from 7932 AMI patients without CR at a 1:10 ratio. Risk factors for CR were identified using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Risk score model was developed based on multiple regression coefficients. Performance of risk model was evaluated using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves and internal validity was explored using bootstrap analysis.

Results:

Among all 7985 AMI patients, 53 (0.67%) had CR (free wall rupture, n = 39; ventricular septal rupture, n = 14). Hospital mortalities were 92.5% and 4.01% in patients with and without CR (P < 0.001). Independent variables associated with CR included: older age, female gender, higher heart rate at admission, body mass index (BMI) <25 kg/m², lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and no primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) treatment. In ROC analysis, our CR risk assess model demonstrated a very good discriminate power (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.895, 95% confidence interval: 0.845–0.944, optimism-corrected AUC = 0.821, P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

This study developed a novel risk score model to help predict CR after AMI, which had high accuracy and was very simple to use.

TLR9 is essential for HMGB1-mediated post-myocardial infarction tissue repair through affecting apoptosis, cardiac healing, and angiogenesis

The poor prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction is partially attributed to a large number of cardiomyocyte apoptosis, necrosis, limited cardiac healing and angiogenesis, and cardiac dysfunction. Immune cells dysfunction leads to nonhealing or poor healing of wounds after acute myocardial infarction. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) as an essential part of the innate immune system plays a vital role in regulating cardiomyocyte survival and wound healing. During hypoxia, High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1), as the typical damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) or alarmin, is rapidly released extracellularly and translocates from the nucleus to bind with cytoplasmic TLR9. However, the mechanism by which TLR9 interacts with HMGB1 and regulates myocardial damage remains unclear. Our current study found that the survival rate of TLR9KO mice with a higher rate of cardiac rupture was significantly lower than that in WT mice after 28 days post-operation. The effect of TLR9 knockout on insufficient wound healing in experimental MI was caused by a diminished number of myofibroblast and defective matrix synthetic capability. Moreover, the increased myocardial apoptotic cells and decreased angiogenic capacity were found in TLR9 knockout mice after MI. The results showed contrary in Recombinant Human High Mobility Group Box 1 (rhHMGB1) treated WT mice and similarity after applying rhHMGB1 in TLR9KO mice. This study demonstrates that TLR9 is essential for the repair of infarcted myocardium and interaction of HMGB1 and TLR9 is involved in the survival of myocardial cells, wound healing, and angiogenesis after myocardial infarction.

In-hospital outcome of patients with post-MI VSD: a single-center study

Introduction

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a rare but life-threatening complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). There is a paucity of data regarding the natural history of this devastating complication of myocardial infarction in the Middle East region with restricted financial resources and unsolved major health problems.

Aim

To evaluate the clinical presentation and in-hospital outcome of patients with post-infarction VSD over a 10-year period in a tertiary center in northwest Iran.

Material and methods

Data from 64 consecutive patients with VSD complicating AMI were retrospectively analyzed from March 2005 to May 2015.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 71.62 ±9.38 years with 57.8% of them being female. The VSDs were anterior in 52 (82%) patients. More than half of patients were in cardiogenic shock during the initial presentation. Multivessel coronary artery disease was found on coronary angiography in 70.3% of patients. In-hospital mortality was 82.8%. Multivariate analysis revealed cardiogenic shock (HR = 12.5, p = 0.001) as the only independent predictor of in-hospital mortality and surgical treatment as the only predictor of in-hospital survival (HR = 0.2, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that VSD complicating myocardial infarction had an extremely high in-hospital mortality rate. Cardiogenic shock was the only independent predictor of in-hospital mortality and surgical treatment was the only predictor of in-hospital survival.

Risk factors for cardiac rupture complicating myocardial infarction: a PRISMA meta-analysis and systematic review

Cardiac rupture (CR) is a complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) that is associated with a high mortality rate. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for CR in patients with AMI. Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant literature published through September 16, 2018. Eligible studies included patients with AMI and compared factors between patients with and without CR. Sixteen studies were identified and included in the meta-analysis. Results revealed that female gender (pooled OR=2.72, 95% CI 2.04 to 3.63, p<0.001), older age (pooled difference in means=6.91, 95% CI 4.20 to 9.62, p<0.001), infarction at left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) (pooled OR=1.85, 95% CI 1.03 to 3.32, p=0.039), and anterior wall infarction (pooled OR=1.87, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.68, p=0.001) were associated with increased risk of CR, whereas history of MI, smoking, and multivessel disease were associated with reduced risk of CR. Patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) had reduced risk of CR, while patients who had received any thrombolysis had increased risk of CR. In conclusion, results of systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature suggest that risk factors for CR in patients with AMI include female gender, older age, new-onset MI, non-smoking status, LAD infarction, anterior wall infarction, and single-vessel disease. Furthermore, treatment with primary PCI may help reduce the risk for CR, while thrombolysis might increase the risk for CR.

Left ventricular free-wall rupture that occurred during a cardiopulmonary exercise test

Although exercise testing has become a standard procedure before discharge for patients with acute coronary syndrome, a fatal accident during the test is extremely rare. A 60-year-old man was admitted for a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. A coronary angiogram showed stenosis at the distal lesion of the circumflex, and a balloon angioplasty was performed. His recovery was smooth, and a cardiopulmonary exercise test was performed 5 days after admission. At 2.5 metabolic equivalents, he suddenly went into cardiac arrest, and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support was initiated. Echocardiography revealed the presence of a large amount of pericardial effusion, and emergency cardiac surgery was performed to repair the free-wall rupture. This highlights the importance of careful monitoring of patients with percutaneous coronary intervention during cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Necrotising coronaritis with fatal outcome

A 56-year-old woman presented with acute onset of typical chest pain. She was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Although significant obstructive coronary artery disease was ruled out by coronary angiography, cardiac MRI showed transmural necrosis of the lateral free wall with extensive microvascular obstruction consistent with ischaemic heart disease. Within 48 hours after initial presentation, the patient suddenly arrested due to pulseless electrical activity with futile resuscitation efforts. Autopsy revealed myocardial perforation with extensive haematothorax due to pericardial laceration, caused by the mechanical chest compressions. Eventually, histology identified diffuse necrotising coronary vasculitis as a rare cause of ischaemic heart disease.

Development and validation of clinical risk score to predict the cardiac rupture in patients with STEMI

BACKGROUND

Cardiac rupture (CR) is a fatal complication of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to develop and validate practical risk score to predict the CR after STEMI.

METHODS

A total of 11,234 STEMI patients from 7 centers in China were enrolled in our study, we firstly developed a simplified fast-track CR risk model from 7455 STEMI patients, and then prospectively validated the CR risk model using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves by the other 3779 consecutive STEMI patients. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02484326.

RESULTS

The incidence of CR was 2.12% (238/11,234), and the thirty-day mortality in CR patients was 86%. We developed a risk model which had 7 independent baseline clinical predictors (female sex, advanced age, anterior myocardial infarction, delayed admission, heart rate, elevated white blood cell count and anemia). The CR risk score system differentiated STEMI patients with incidence of CR ranging from 0.2% to 13%. The risk score system demonstrated good predictive value with area under the ROC of 0.78 (95% CI 0.73-0.84) in validation cohort. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention decreased the incidence of CR in high risk group (3.9% vs. 6.2%, p<0.05) and very high risk group (8.0% vs. 15.2%, p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

A simple risk score system based on 7 baseline clinical variables could identify patients with high risk of CR, for whom appropriate treatment strategies can be implemented.