Prognostic value of dobutamine echocardiography in patients after Q-wave or non-Q-wave acute myocardial infarction

Higher Long-Term Mortality in Patients with Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction than ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction after Discharge

PURPOSE

This study aimed to compare mortality rates after discharge between the patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and those with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and identify each mortality risk factors in these two types of myocardial infarction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 2011 and 2015, 13105 consecutive patients were enrolled in the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction-National Institute of Health registry (KAMIR-NIH); 12271 patients with acute myocardial infarction met the inclusion criteria and were further stratified into the STEMI (n=5828) and NSTEMI (n=6443) groups. The occurrence of mortality and cardiac mortality at 3 years were compared between groups, and the factors associated with mortality for NSTEMI and STEMI were evaluated.

RESULTS

The comparison between these two groups and long-term follow-up outcomes showed that the cumulative rates of all-cause and cardiac mortality were higher in the NSTEMI group than in the STEMI group [all-cause mortality: 10.9% vs. 5.8%; hazards ratio (HR), 0.464; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.359-0.600, p<0.001; cardiac mortality: 6.6% vs. 3.5%, HR, 0.474; 95% CI, 0.344-0.654, p<0.001, respectively). In the NSTEMI group, low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; <40%), no percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), old age (≥65 years), and low hemoglobin level (<12 g/dL) were identified as risk factors for 3-year mortality. In the STEMI group, old age, low glomerular filtration rate (<60 mL/min/1.73 m²), low LVEF, high heart rate (>100 beats/min), no PCI, and low hemoglobin level were identified as the risk factors for 3-year mortality.

CONCLUSION

The NSTEMI group had higher mortality compared to the STEMI group during the 3-year clinical follow-up after discharge. Low LVEF and no PCI were the main risk factors for mortality in the NSTEMI group. In contrast, old age and renal dysfunction were the risk factors for long-term mortality in the STEMI group.

Implementation of cardovascular cell therapy network trials: challenges, innovation and lessons learned from experience in the CCTRN

The cardiovascular cell therapy network was developed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to design and conduct clinical trials to advance the field of cardiovascular (CV) cell-based therapy. The Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Network successfully completed three clinical trials involving approximately 300 subjects across five centers and six satellites. Although the concept of a network within clinical trials research is not new, the knowledge gained in the implementation of such large-scale trials, particularly in novel therapeutic areas such as cell therapy is not often detailed in the literature. The purpose of this communication is to summarize key factors in achieving network goals and share the knowledge gained to promote success in future cardiovascular disease cell therapy trials and networks.

The use of stress echocardiography for prognostication in coronary artery disease: an overview

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Stress echocardiography has a high accuracy for the detection of coronary artery disease. Additionally, it provides clinically useful prognostic information, such as resting left ventricular function, myocardial viability, stress-induced ischemia, vascular extent of wall motion abnormalities, and changes in end-systolic volume and ejection fraction with stress.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

The timing, extent, and severity of the stress-induced wall motion abnormalities are important determinants of long-term prognosis. Previous studies have shown the efficacy of stress echocardiography in predicting long-term cardiac events in mixed patient groups and the value of this test in selected patient subsets.

SUMMARY

This review attempts to define the role of stress echocardiography for prognostication in coronary artery disease, pointing out the ability of this technique to identify low-risk and high-risk subsets among patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease and thus guide patient management decisions.

[Predictive significance of residual ischemia detected by the dobutamine stress-echocardiography test soon after the first uncomplicated myocardial infarction]

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the long-term prognostic value of dobutamine stress-echocardiography (ECG) test for new coronary events (new episodes of angina pectoris, cardiac-related deaths, and reinfarctions) early after the first uncomplicated myocardial infarction.

METHODS

Dobutamine stress-echocardiography tests were performed in all of 104 patients 10-20 days after the first myocardial infarction. Patients were followed-up for 36 (29 +/- 7) months. Kaplan-Meier cumulative survival curves were tested by Breslow test (Log Rank).

RESULTS

Two cardiac deaths (1.92%), nine nonfatal myocardial infarctions (8.65%), and three cases of recurrent angina pectoris (2.88%) occurred during the prospective follow-up. Cumulative survival curves showed that in patients with negative findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test, survival time without significant events was 35.31 months, while in the group with positive findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test it was 30.91 months (log Rank 7.22; p<0.01). Prognostic value of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test was analyzed by Cox regression model and was 2.92, meaning that the risk of significant events was 2.92 times higher in the group of patients with positive findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test.

CONCLUSION

Patients with negative findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test were with significantly higher possibility of surviving without significant events in comparison with the patients in whom the findings of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test were positive. In combination with clinical signs and ECG results, the results of dobutamine stress-echocardiography test improved prognostic value in the patients with the first uncomplicated myocardial infarction, and in that way influenced the strategy of their further treatment.

Short- and long-term prognostic value of cardiac troponin I and dobutamine echocardiography in patients with stabilized acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the short- and long-term prognostic values of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and dobutamine echocardiography (DE) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who stabilized after medical treatment.

METHODS AND RESULTS

171 consecutive patients of ACS accepted blood sampling for cTnI at the emergency department and DE at 4.9+/-0.6 days after admission. The prognostic values of cTnI, DE, and combined cTnI and DE were separately investigated at follow up periods of 30 days, 1 year and 3 years for hard events (cardiac death and non-fatal myocardial infarction) and all spontaneous events. CTnI was elevated in 55 (32%) patients and DE was positive in 114 (67%) patients. Elevated cTnI with positive DE were found in 44 (26%) patients. Within 30 days, the combination of elevated cTnI and positive DE provided more accurate prognostic information than each test result alone, and was the only independent predictor for both hard (p=0.014) and all events (p=0.012). After 1 year, cTnI alone had no prognostic value. The combination of an elevated cTnI level and a positive DE only had a prognostic value for all events (p=0.015). However, DE was an independent predictor for both hard (p=0.006) and all events (p=0.002). Neither cTnI alone nor cTnI combined with DE had a significant 3-year prognostic value. However, DE maintained its prognostic value and was still an independent predictor after 3 years for both hard (p=0.024) and all events (p=0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with stabilized ACS, the diagnostic finding of elevated cTnI combined with a positive DE has a better short-term prognostic value than each test alone. However, DE alone has a better long-term prognostic value.

Echocardiography, nuclear scintigraphy, and stress testing in the emergency department evaluation of acute coronary syndrome

There are between 3 and 5 million visits to EDs each year for complaints of chest pain. Of these, about one half of the patients have a noncardiac cause for their chest pain. Of the remainder, about 30% to 50% have significant coronary disease. It is quite clear that patients who are at high risk for a coronary event should be admitted to the hospital. For the low-to-moderate risk patients, the decision to admit or discharge the patient from the ED is not quite so easy. The emergency physician has to decide which tests can be helpful in the decision-making process, this can be undertaken in conjunction with a consultative cardiologist. It can be argued that if a patient does not have a normal test result whichever that evaluatory test is), then the patient should be admitted for further work-up and evaluation. The easiest test to perform in the ED setting is an echocardiogram. The images can be sent by telecommunication to a qualified echocardiogram reader for interpretation. This also has a reasonable NPV, although not necessarily as good as some of the other modalities available, unless interpreted in light of cardiac enzyme test results. If the index of suspicion is still high, then a stress echocardiogram can be considered. This has an excellent NPV and can be easily performed in [table: see text] most patients. This should not be undertaken in the face of an evolving MI, and patients should be observed for at least 8 hours after their initial presentation to the ED prior to undergoing a provocative test. Nuclear scintigraphy, another modality available for cardiac risk stratification, can be a logistical nightmare. The nuclear isotopes are strictly regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The emergency physician may inject the isotopes, provided that he or she has undergone the necessary radiation training. Also, the patient must be removed from the ED to a radioisotope-approved area for the duration of the scan. One of the most difficult questions left open after review of all these analytical modalities is the duration of time these test results remain valid; when does an individual patient need to be reevaluated as to their specific pretest probability? The answer to this question lies in the presenting clinical scenario. If the patient presents with a similar inciting trigger for his or her symptoms, and the cardiac risk profile has not changed appreciably, then the previous study (whether a provocative stress test or even a cardiac catheterization) probably can be reliably counted. If the patient's risk profile has changed or the symptoms are new or more intense, the physician is compelled to pursue this encounter as a new, acute event. This can be true even in the setting of a previous cardiac catheterization that showed nonobstructive coronary disease, because plaque rupture can be acute and unpredictable. Ultimately, optimal care calls for each institution to develop a specific approach, in conjunction with their consultative cardiologist or critical care specialist, to enhance patient care, safety, and diagnostic outcome, while maintaining cost efficiency.

Prognostic value of negative transesophageal dobutamine stress echocardiography in men at high risk for coronary artery disease

Recently published reviews have called into question the sensitvity of transthoracic stress echocardiography to predict cardiac events, especially when the test is negative, compared with myocardial perfusion imaging studies. To our knowledge there are a lack of data assessing the prognostic value of transesophageal echocardiography-dobutamine stress echocardiography (TEE-DSE) in predicting cardiac events. Because TEE-DSE has been reported to be highly accurate for detecting ischemia in patients with suspected coronary artery disease, we tested the hypothesis that a negative TEE-DSE can identify a low-risk group in a population with a high likelihood of coronary artery disease. Between October 1996 and December 1997, 46 high-risk patients with negative TEE-DSE were identified. Annualized pretest risk for all cardiac events using the Framingham model was 4% based on risk factors. Mean age was 64 years. Mean follow-up time was 16.2 months. There were no cardiac deaths. There were 6 soft and 1 hard cardiac event. The annualized combined ischemic cardiac event rate was 3.8%, and for hard cardiac events it was 1.1%. By Kaplan-Meier analysis, 97% of the population remained free of any ischemic event at the end of 1 year and 93% were free at 22 months. We conclude that optimal image quality and enhanced endocardial definition for assessing wall motion changes with TEE translates into better prognostication and approaches that of myocardial perfusion imaging for negative studies. Advances in ultrasound medicine such as contrast enhancement of myocardial definition, which improve diagnostic accuracy of DSE, should translate into better prognostication.

Can dobutamine stress echocardiography predict cardiac events in nonrevascularized diabetic patients following acute myocardial infarction?

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the prognostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) performed early after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is as high in diabetic patients as in nondiabetic patients.

DESIGN

Inception cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary cardiac referral center.

PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS

Three hundred thirty-eight patients (116 diabetic and 222 nondiabetic) who underwent DSE after AMI were followed up for cardiac events.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS

Outcome events were as follows: "hard" events consisted of cardiac death and nonfatal reinfarction, while "all events" included hard events and unstable angina. The mean follow-up duration was 21 +/- 9 months. DSE results were positive in 69 diabetic patients (59.5%) and 129 nondiabetic patients (58.1%; p = 0.817). During the follow-up period, there were 25 cardiac deaths, 16 cases of nonfatal reinfarction, and 55 cases of unstable angina. The Kaplan-Meier life table showed that a positive DSE result was associated with a lower event-free survival rate in nondiabetic but not in diabetic patients in terms of hard and all events. By multivariate analysis, a positive DSE result was the strongest independent predictor of future cardiac events in nondiabetic patients. However, in diabetics, a shorter dobutamine time, rather than a positive DSE result, independently predicted cardiac events.

CONCLUSIONS

Our preliminary data suggest that different DSE variables should be considered when assessing the likelihood of future events in diabetic and nondiabetic patients after AMI. The observation of shorter dobutamine time, instead of DSE positivity, has a higher prognostic value in diabetics. In diabetic patients, the only significant role of DSE positivity is for predicting future unstable angina; however, its predictive value is not as good as in nondiabetic patients.

Stress echocardiography and exercise electrocardiography for risk stratification after non-Q-wave uncomplicated myocardial infarction

The aim of our study was to compare the prognostic value of stress echocardiography and exercise electrocardiography after uncomplicated non-Q-wave acute myocardial infarction in a series of 68 consecutive patients. Our data show that stress echocardiography and exercise electrocardiography offer similar prognostic information after uncomplicated non-Q-wave AMI.