OUTCOMES AND READMISSION RATE WITHIN 30 DAYS AND 6 MONTHS AFTER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN CHINA: DATA FROM THE CHINA ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION REGISTRY

Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound (Tongxinluo) and Clinical Outcomes of Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: The CTS-AMI Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Tongxinluo, a traditional Chinese medicine compound, has shown promise in in vitro, animal, and small human studies for myocardial infarction, but has not been rigorously evaluated in large randomized clinical trials.

Objective

To investigate whether Tongxinluo could improve clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Design, Setting, and Participants

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted among patients with STEMI within 24 hours of symptom onset from 124 hospitals in China. Patients were enrolled from May 2019 to December 2020; the last date of follow-up was December 15, 2021.

Interventions

Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either Tongxinluo or placebo orally for 12 months (a loading dose of 2.08 g after randomization, followed by the maintenance dose of 1.04 g, 3 times a day), in addition to STEMI guideline-directed treatments.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was 30-day major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial reinfarction, emergent coronary revascularization, and stroke. Follow-up for MACCEs occurred every 3 months to 1 year.

Results

Among 3797 patients who were randomized, 3777 (Tongxinluo: 1889 and placebo: 1888; mean age, 61 years; 76.9% male) were included in the primary analysis. Thirty-day MACCEs occurred in 64 patients (3.4%) in the Tongxinluo group vs 99 patients (5.2%) in the control group (relative risk [RR], 0.64 [95% CI, 0.47 to 0.88]; risk difference [RD], -1.8% [95% CI, -3.2% to -0.6%]). Individual components of 30-day MACCEs, including cardiac death (56 [3.0%] vs 80 [4.2%]; RR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.50 to 0.99]; RD, -1.2% [95% CI, -2.5% to -0.1%]), were also significantly lower in the Tongxinluo group than the placebo group. By 1 year, the Tongxinluo group continued to have lower rates of MACCEs (100 [5.3%] vs 157 [8.3%]; HR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.49 to 0.82]; RD, -3.0% [95% CI, -4.6% to -1.4%]) and cardiac death (85 [4.5%] vs 116 [6.1%]; HR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.55 to 0.97]; RD, -1.6% [95% CI, -3.1% to -0.2%]). There were no significant differences in other secondary end points including 30-day stroke; major bleeding at 30 days and 1 year; 1-year all-cause mortality; and in-stent thrombosis (<24 hours; 1-30 days; 1-12 months). More adverse drug reactions occurred in the Tongxinluo group than the placebo group (40 [2.1%] vs 21 [1.1%]; P = .02), mainly driven by gastrointestinal symptoms.

Conclusions and Relevance

In patients with STEMI, the Chinese patent medicine Tongxinluo, as an adjunctive therapy in addition to STEMI guideline-directed treatments, significantly improved both 30-day and 1-year clinical outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the mechanism of action of Tongxinluo in STEMI.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03792035.

China Tongxinluo Study for myocardial protection in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (CTS-AMI): Rationale and design of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial

Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains a serious life-threatening event. Despite coronary revascularization, patients might still suffer from poor outcomes caused by myocardial no-reflow and ischemic/reperfusion injury. Tongxinluo (TXL), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been preliminarily demonstrated to reduce myocardial no-reflow and ischemic/reperfusion injury. We further hypothesize that TXL treatment is also effective in reducing clinical end points for the patients with STEMI.

Methods and results

The CTS-AMI trial is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical study in China. An estimated 3,796 eligible patients with STEMI from about 120 centers are randomized 1:1 ratio to TXL or placebo groups. All enrolled patients are orally administrated a loading dose of 8 capsules of TXL or placebo together with dual antiplatelet agents on admission followed by 4 capsules 3 times a day until 12 months. The primary end point is 30-day major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, a composite of cardiac death, myocardial reinfarction, emergency coronary revascularization, and stroke. Secondary end points include each component of the primary end point, 1-year major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and other efficacy and safety parameters.

Conclusions

Results of CTS-AMI trial will determine the clinical efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine TXL capsule in the treatment of STEMI patients in the reperfusion era.

Examining the Impact of Rehospitalization on Healthcare Cost of Myocardial Infarction Patients in Beijing: A Retrospective Observational Study

INTRODUCTION

To examine the impact of rehospitalization on the healthcare expenditure of myocardial infarction (MI) patients in Beijing.

METHODS

Retrospective data of MI patients were retrieved from the Beijing Medical Insurance Database, an administrative database of social medical reimbursement activities for the urban population in Beijing, China. Ten percent of patients diagnosed with MI from January 1 to December 31, 2012 were randomly selected and their first hospitalization was considered as the index event. Their hospital utilization after the index event was extracted till September 30, 2013. Rehospitalization was defined as an event of hospital admission due to the same diagnosis and with a time interval of at least 14 days from the most recent admission. The healthcare cost of patients was analyzed, including inpatient cost and outpatient cost. Patients' demographic characteristics, co-morbidities, and length of hospital stay were also collected from the database.

RESULTS

Of the 1235 MI patients identified, 335 (mean age of 66.14 ± 15.04 years; 84.18% males) had rehospitalization. The rate of MI recurrence was 27.13%. The annual healthcare expense was significantly higher for MI patients with rehospitalization compared to MI patients without rehospitalization (99,920.43 ± 84,113.52 CNY vs. 58,877.89 ± 93,942.90 CNY; P < 0.001). The significant positive predictors of incurring healthcare expenditure were male gender, age 45 years old or more, length of stay at first hospital admission, whether having rehospitalization (yes/no), co-morbidity (heart failure and diabetes), and admission to a tertiary hospital at first hospital admission.

CONCLUSION

There was a high risk of MI recurrence for patients in Beijing. The annual healthcare cost of MI patients with rehospitalization was significantly higher than MI patients without rehospitalization. Male patients of 45 years old or more with heart failure and diabetes are likely to incur higher healthcare expenditure.