Magnitude and Characteristics of Patients Who Survived an Acute Myocardial Infarction

Relation of Magnetic Resonance Elastography to Fontan Circulatory Failure in a Cohort of Pediatric and Adult Patients

Elevated magnetic resonance elastography (MRE)-derived liver stiffness may be associated with worse outcomes in people with Fontan circulation. We sought to evaluate the association between liver stiffness and Fontan failure or portal hypertension. Single center cross-sectional retrospective study of people with Fontan circulation who underwent MRE between 2011 and 2020. The cohort was divided into adult (age ≥ 21 years) and pediatric (< 21 years) groups. Fontan circulatory failure (FF) was defined as any of the following: death, transplantation, ventricular assist device, heart failure symptoms requiring escalation of diuretics. Radiologic portal hypertension was defined as the presence of one or more of the following: splenomegaly, ascites, or gastrointestinal varices. 128 patients were included (average age = 22.6 ± 8.7 years) and 58 (45%) were children. Median liver stiffness was 4.3 kPa (interquartile range (IQR) 3.8-5.8) for the entire cohort. Thirty patients (23%) developed FF (16 adults, 14 children). Liver stiffness was higher in adults with FF compared to those without FF (4.9 (IQR 4.0-6.0) vs. 4.2 (IQR 3.8-4.7) kPa, p = 0.04). There was no difference in liver stiffness between pediatric patients with and without FF (4.4 (IQR 4.1-5.4) vs. 4.4 (IQR 3.8-5.0), p = 0.5). Adults with radiologic portal hypertension and adults with moderate or severe atrioventricular valve regurgitation had higher liver stiffness than adults without. MRE-derived liver stiffness is associated with atrioventricular valve regurgitation, portal hypertension, and poor clinical outcomes in adults with Fontan circulation. There was no association between liver stiffness and FF in pediatric patients. This difference may be due to the progressive nature of Fontan-associated liver disease.

A Practical Risk Score to Predict 24-Month Post-Discharge Mortality Risk in Patients With Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND

Risk stratification of patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is important in terms of treatment strategy selection. Current efforts have focused on short-term risk prediction after discharge, but we aimed to establish a risk score to predict the 24-month mortality risk in survivors of NSTEMI.Methods and Results:A total of 5,509 patients diagnosed with NSTEMI between January 2013 and September 2014 were included. Primary endpoint was all-cause death at 24 months. A multivariable Cox regression model was used to establish a practical risk score based on independent risk factors of death. The risk score included 9 variables: age, body mass index, left ventricular ejection fraction, reperfusion therapy during hospitalization, Killip classification, prescription of diuretics at discharge, heart rate, and hemoglobin and creatinine levels. The C-statistics for the risk model were 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81-0.85) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.79-0.86) in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Mortality risk increased significantly across groups: 1.34% in the low-risk group (score: 0-58), 5.40% in intermediate group (score: 59-93), and 23.87% in high-risk group (score: ≥94).

CONCLUSIONS

The current study established and validated a practical risk score based on 9 variables to predict 24-month mortality risk in patients who survive NSTEMI. This score could help identify patients who are at high risk for future adverse events who may benefit from good adherence to guideline-recommended secondary prevention treatment.

Usefulness of the CHA2DS2-VASc Score to Predict Adverse Outcomes in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Without Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The prognostic value of the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients without atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention remains uncertain. We examine the association of the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in this population and compared its risk prediction with 2 other commonly used risk scores (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events [GRACE] and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction [TIMI]). A total of 3,745 consecutive ACS patients without AF who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention during 2013 to 2017 were classified into 4 groups according to the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score: low (0 to 1), moderate (2 to 3), high (4 to 5), and very high (>5). Incidences of MACE including cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke in-hospital and during a median follow-up of 33 months were compared among the 4 groups. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were generated to compare CHA₂DS₂-VASc with GRACE and TIMI for risk prediction. The incidences of in-hospital MACE (3.5%, 6.6%, 7.6%, and 9.1%, p <0.001) and mid-term follow-up MACE (4.5%, 7.1%, 13.1%, and 16.1%, p <0.001) were significantly higher as the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score increased. The CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was an independent predictor of subsequent MACE (hazard ratio = 1.31, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.39, p <0.001), and the very high-risk score group showed 3.8-fold increased risk of MACE than the low-risk score group. Receiver-operating characteristic curves showed that the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was comparable to the GRACE score and to TIMI-STEMI, but, better than the TIMI-NSTEMI/unstable angina pectoris score in terms of predicting MACE. In conclusion, higher CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was independently associated with increased risk of MACE in the ACS patients without AF who underwent PCI.