Sex differences in evaluation and outcome of unstable angina

CONTEXT: The existence of sex bias in the delivery of cardiac care is controversial, and little is known about the association between sex and delivery of care and outcomes at an early point in the diagnostic sequence, such as when patients present for the evaluation of chest pain. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that female sex is negatively associated with care delivered to and outcomes of persons diagnosed as having unstable angina. DESIGN: Inception population-based cohort study with an average of 6 years of follow-up. SETTING: Emergency departments (EDs) in Olmsted County, Minnesota. PATIENTS: A total of 2271 Olmsted County residents (1306 men and 965 women) who presented to the ED for the first time with symptoms meeting criteria for unstable angina between 1985 and 1992. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Use of cardiac procedures within 90 days of ED visit, overall mortality, and cardiac events (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal cardiac arrest, and congestive heart failure), compared by sex and Agency for Health Care Policy and Research cardiovascular risk category (low, intermediate, or high). RESULTS: Women were older (P<.001), more likely to have a history of hypertension (P = .001), and less likely to present with typical angina (P = .004) than men. Men were more likely than women to undergo noninvasive cardiac tests (relative risk [RR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-1.40) as well as invasive cardiac procedures (RR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.51-1.97). After adjustment, male sex was associated with a 24% increase in the use of cardiac procedures. Survival of both men and women in the high and intermediate risk categories was significantly lower than expected per the general population (P<.001). Women had a worse outcome than men, but after multivariate adjustment, male sex was associated with a trend toward an increase in the risk of death (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.99-1.54) and significantly associated with increased risk of cardiac events (RR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.03-1.42). CONCLUSIONS: Our population-based data indicate that after an ED visit for symptoms of unstable angina, the use of cardiac procedures was lower in women, but after taking into account baseline characteristics, men experienced worse outcomes.     

Rosiglitazone could improve clinical outcomes after coronary stent implantation in nondiabetic patients with metabolic syndrome

Background Recent studies have shown that thiazolidinediones （TZDs） could reduce in-stent restenosis and improve clinical outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes after coronary stent implantation. It remains unclear whether nondiabetic patients with metabolic syndrome after stenting could also benefit from the treatment with TZDs. Methods Three hundred and sixty patients with metabolic syndrome who underwent coronary stent implantation were randomly assigned to a rosiglitazone group （n= 180） or a control group （n= 180）. Patients in the rosiglitazone treatment group were treated with rosiglitazone 1 day before coronary stenting （4 mg once daily） and treatment was continued until the 9 months follow-up; while in the control group, patients were treated with placebo 1 day before the procedure and until the 9 months follow-up. Adverse events were death, myocardial infarction and urgent target vessel revascularization within 9 months after coronary stenting. Results One hundred and fifty two patients in the rosiglitazone group and 145 patients in the control group survived during the follow-up. Baseline characteristics among patients in the two groups were well balanced. There was no significant difference in target vessels or the procedure of stent implantation. Compared with the control group, treatment with rosiglitazone was associated with a lower rate of death, myocardial infarction and urgent target vessel revascularization （7.2% vs 14.5%, P=0.044）. Conclusion Rosiglitazone could reduce the risk of the adverse cardiovascular event and improve clinical outcomes in nondiabetic patients with metabolic syndrome after coronary stent implantation.     

The -374T/A RAGE polymorphism protects against future cardiac events in nondiabetic patients with coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND: The -374T/A polymorphism of the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End products (RAGE) may exert a protective effect toward the development of atherosclerosis. No data are currently available on the potential prognostic role of this polymorphism in patients with angiographically proven coronary artery disease (CAD). Hereto we sought to address this issue in a large consecutive cohort of patients undergoing coronary revascularization. METHODS: A total of 643 CAD patients who underwent myocardial revascularization were followed for 4.2 years (interquartile range: 2.2-8.1 years). The rates of major cardiac adverse events (death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and unstable angina) were compared according to the -374T/A RAGE polymorphism. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 4.2 years, the study endpoint was reached by 126/643 patients (19.6%). We observed adverse cardiac events in 13.4% of patients with AA, 17.5% of those with AT, and 24.2% of those with TT genotype (p <0.05). In univariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, the AA genotype was significantly related to a better outcome in nondiabetic patients (hazard ratio: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.20-0.96; p <0.05). No association was found with adverse events in diabetic subjects. After allowance for potential confounders, the AA genotype remained a significant prognostic factor in the nondiabetic group (adjusted HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.17-0.94, p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The -374T/A RAGE polymorphism is an independent protective factor for cardiac events in nondiabetic patients with CAD. The effect of this genetic variant seems to be attenuated in diabetics, who have chronic RAGE upregulation.     

Lower Baseline LDL Cholesterol Affects All-cause Mortality in Patients with First Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objective Foreign studies have reported that coronary artery disease(CAD) patients with high baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) may have a good prognosis, which is called the “cholesterol paradox”. This study aimed to examine whether the “cholesterol paradox” also exists in the Chinese population.Methods A total of 2,056 patients who underwent the first percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)between 2014 and 2016 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study and classified in...     

Effects of atorvastatin on early recurrent ischemic events in acute coronary syndromes: the MIRACL study: a randomized controlled trial

CONTEXT: Patients experience the highest rate of death and recurrent ischemic events during the early period after an acute coronary syndrome, but it is not known whether early initiation of treatment with a statin can reduce the occurrence of these early events. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether treatment with atorvastatin, 80 mg/d, initiated 24 to 96 hours after an acute coronary syndrome, reduces death and nonfatal ischemic events. DESIGN AND SETTING: A randomized, double-blind trial conducted from May 1997 to September 1999, with follow-up through 16 weeks at 122 clinical centers in Europe, North America, South Africa, and Australasia. PATIENTS: A total of 3086 adults aged 18 years or older with unstable angina or non-Q-wave acute myocardial infarction. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were stratified by center and randomly assigned to receive treatment with atorvastatin (80 mg/d) or matching placebo between 24 and 96 hours after hospital admission. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary end point event defined as death, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest with resuscitation, or recurrent symptomatic myocardial ischemia with objective evidence and requiring emergency rehospitalization. RESULTS: A primary end point event occurred in 228 patients (14.8%) in the atorvastatin group and 269 patients (17.4%) in the placebo group (relative risk [RR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-1.00; P =.048). There were no significant differences in risk of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or cardiac arrest between the atorvastatin group and the placebo group, although the atorvastatin group had a lower risk of symptomatic ischemia with objective evidence and requiring emergency rehospitalization (6.2% vs 8.4%; RR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.57-0.95; P =.02). Likewise, there were no significant differences between the atorvastatin group and the placebo group in the incidence of secondary outcomes of coronary revascularization procedures, worsening heart failure, or worsening angina, although there were fewer strokes in the atorvastatin group than in the placebo group (12 vs 24 events; P =.045). In the atorvastatin group, mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level declined from 124 mg/dL (3.2 mmol/L) to 72 mg/dL (1.9 mmol/L). Abnormal liver transaminases (>3 times upper limit of normal) were more common in the atorvastatin group than in the placebo group (2.5% vs 0.6%; P<.001). CONCLUSION: For patients with acute coronary syndrome, lipid-lowering therapy with atorvastatin, 80 mg/d, reduces recurrent ischemic events in the first 16 weeks, mostly recurrent symptomatic ischemia requiring rehospitalization.     

Gender difference on five-year outcomes of EXCEL biodegradable polymer-coated sirolimus-eluting stents implantation: results from the CREATE study

Background The gender difference on long-term outcome in unselected patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not yet been fully investigated.This study aimed to evaluate the gender d...     

急诊冠状动脉内支架术后无复流机制探讨与临床分析

目的:探讨冠心病患者进行急性冠状动脉内支架术后无复流发生机制。方法:选取150例患者,随机分成支架置入术组+安慰剂组与支架置入术+普萘洛尔两组,每组各75例。观察术后无复流现象的发生率及比较血管内皮功能的恢复情况。结果:支架置入术+普萘洛尔组发生无复流情况只有4%,而支架置入术组+安慰剂组发生率高达20%,并且反映血管内皮功能指标的内皮素-1(ET-1)的、血管性血友病友子(vWF)恢复情况也由术前的85.56±24.61pg/ml与118.7±52.44%恢复到术后的56.43±16.65pg/ml及96.3±34.6%,而一氧化氮(NO)则由术前的42.81±16.13μmol/L,恢复到68.11±18.94μmol/L。结论:使用普萘洛尔进行辅助冠状动脉内支架术治疗,能够降低术后无复流的现象。是一种新的治疗思路。     

Gender differences in efficacy of primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Background The clinical outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） is poorer in women than that in men. This study aimed at comparing the impact of gender difference on the strategy of primary PCI in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction （STEMI）.
Methods Two hundred and fifty-nine patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI within 12 hours of symptom onset were enrolled. The male group consisted of 143 men aged 〉55 years, and a female group included 116 women without age limitation. Procedural success was defined as residual stenosis 〈20% with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow grade 〉2 and without death, emergency bypass surgery or disabling cerebral events during the hospitalization. The rate of major adverse cardiac events （MACE）, including death, nonfatal myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization during follow-up, was recorded.
Results Female patients were more hypertensive and diabetic and with fewer cigarette smokers than male counterparts. The prevalence of angiographic 3-vessel disease was higher in the female group, but the procedural success rate was comparable between the two groups （94.4% vs 92.2%）. The occurrence rate of MACE did not differ during the hospitalization （4.2% vs 6.0%, P=0.50）, but was significantly higher in the female group during follow-up （mean （16.0±11.2） months） than that in the male group （5.4% vs 0.7%, P=0.02）.
Conclusion Despite a similar success rate of primary PCI and in-hospital outcomes in both genders, female patients with acute STEMI still have a worse prognosis during the long-term follow-up.     

Gender differences in patients undergoing coronary stenting in current stent era

Background  Prior studies have demonstrated worse results of women in both hospital and short-term outcomes post-percutaneous coronary intervention. However, with advanced devices like drug-eluting stents (DESs) available, there are no consistent data revealing gender impact in outcome. This study examined whether gender affected hospital outcome and showed one-year single-center patient results of coronary stenting.

Methods  The study group included 969 consecutive patients (250 women and 719 men) undergoing coronary stenting for stable or unstable angina. Clinical events were assessed for at least 1 year post-procedure.

Results  Compared to men, women were older, presented more often with diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and lower creatinine clearance rate (Ccr); they had less percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) history, smaller vessel size, and shorter lesions. The hospital major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) rate was 2.8% of women and 0.97% of men (P=0.037). The one-year MACE rate was 10.0% of women and 10.4% of men (P=0.874). After adjusting other covariates, women still had significantly higher hospital MACE rates (P=0.034) and odds ratios (0.18; 95% confidence interval: 0.036–0.874). In women (n=250), there was no statistically significant difference in hospital or one-year MACE between bare metal stent (BMS) and DES groups. Meanwhile, in men (n=719), DES had a significant one-year improvement of MACE compared to BMS (P=0.004). The female hospital MACE rate was five times greater than male results. However, there were similar one-year outcomes between women and men. DES currently have an advantage in long-term outcome.

Conclusions  Currently, with the use of BMS and DES, adverse hospital post-procedure cardiovascular event rate has occurred more often in women than in men. However, the MACE rate differences between women and men resolved with one year follow-up.

     

Early return to work after uncomplicated myocardial infarction. Results of a randomized trial

To determine if an occupational work evaluation could shorten the time to return to work, 201 employed men aged 49 +/- 7 years who were recovering from uncomplicated myocardial infarction were randomized to usual care (n = 102) or to an occupational work evaluation (n = 99). The occupational work evaluation consisted of a symptom-limited treadmill test performed 23 +/- 3 days after myocardial infarction and a formal recommendation to the patient and primary physician that the patient return to work within the next two weeks. The groups did not differ in age, medical status, comorbid disease, occupation type, or years on the job. At six months, 92% of patients receiving the intervention and 88% of patients receiving usual care were working either full- or part-time. Return to full-time work occurred at a median of 51 days in patients receiving the intervention and 75 days in patients receiving usual care. This 32% reduction in the convalescence period was associated with +2102 of additional earned salary per intervention patient in the six months after myocardial infarction. One or more recurrent cardiac events occurred in 14 intervention patients (one death, one nonfatal myocardial infarction, three angioplasties, and nine coronary surgeries) and in 13 usual-care patients (two deaths, three nonfatal myocardial infarctions, six angioplasties, and seven coronary surgeries) in the six months after myocardial infarction. The early return to work of low-risk patients based on an occupational work evaluation is associated with important economic benefits.     

Survival rates with coronary artery disease for black women compared with black men.

OBJECTIVE--To evaluate the influence of gender on the prognosis of coronary heart disease among black patients. DESIGN--Cohort study based on a consecutive sample from a hospital registry, with a mean follow-up of 4 years. SETTING--An inner-city public hospital in Chicago, Ill. PATIENTS--The study included 1719 consecutive black patients (780 men and 939 women) who had any one of the following events: cardiac catheterization for presumed coronary heart disease, hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction, or coronary artery bypass grafting. RESULTS--Hospital and operative mortality rates following acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting were similar between the two sexes. The relative risks for cardiac death in women vs men were 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60 to 1.28), 0.79 (95% CI, 0.53 to 1.17), and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.34 to 1.85) for coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, and coronary artery bypass grafting, respectively, after adjusting for age, history of diabetes, hypertension, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, number of diseased vessels, and ejection fraction. Compared with patients of the same sex with normal angiograms, relative risk estimates were 5.0, 10.1, and 6.3 for women and were 1.8, 4.0, and 2.0 for men in the same three groups of patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS--Survival with coronary artery disease in black women is similar to that observed in black men, but relative to members of the same sex without the disease, the prognosis for women is considerably worse than for men.     

CYP2C19*2、*3无功能型等位基因对汉族与维吾尔族患者经皮冠状动脉支架植入术后使用氯吡格雷的疗效影响

目的:探讨携带CYP2C19*2、*3无功能型等位基因的汉族和维吾尔族患者经皮冠状动脉支架植入术（PCI）后口服氯吡格雷的疗效差异。方法:前瞻性纳入确诊为急性冠状动脉综合征并行PCI术患者400例,根据CYP2C19基因检测结果分为氯吡格雷正常代谢组（A组）与氯吡格雷弱代谢组（B组）。A组患者术后常规给予75 mg氯吡格雷,B组给予150 mg氯吡格雷。均随访（30±3）d,以再发急性心肌梗死、再发心绞痛、心源性猝死、支架内再血栓、非致死性卒中、致命性和危及生命出血事件为主要终点事件,以次要出血和轻微出血为次要终点事件,比较2组终点事件发生率。结果:A组中汉族患者与维吾尔族患者再发心肌梗死发生率（2.34%与1.47%）、再发心绞痛发生率（6.25%与5.88%）、心源性猝死（0.78%与0.00%）、支架内再血栓（1.56%与0.00%）及出血事件的发生率（5.47%与7.35%）差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）;B组中汉族患者与维吾尔族患者再发急性心肌梗死发生率（1.87%与0.00%）、再发心绞痛发生率（5.61%与4.76%）及出血事件的发生率（3.74%与4.76%）差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）,且均无心源性猝死、支架内再血栓、非致死性卒中、致命性与危及生命出血事件发生。2组维吾尔族患者再发急性心肌梗死发生率（0.00%与1.47%）、再发心绞痛发生率（4.76%与5.88%）及出血事件发生率（4.76%与7.35%）差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）,且均无心源性猝死、支架内再血栓、非致死性卒中、致命性与危及生命出血事件发生。结论:携带CYP2C19*2、*3无功能型等位基因的维吾尔族患者口服150 mg/d氯吡格雷可减弱氯吡格雷抵抗,有效减少主要心血管事件发生率,且不增加出血风险。     

超负荷量氯吡格雷对急诊经皮冠脉介入治疗患者围术期的影响

目的:对比研究拟行急诊冠脉介入治疗(PCI)患者术前服用超负荷量氯吡格雷(600 mg)与常规负荷量(300 mg)预处理的近期疗效及安全性。方法:选择2007年1月至2009年12月行急诊PCI治疗的急性心肌梗死患者60例,随机分为常规负荷量组(300 mg,n=30)和超负荷量组(600 mg,n=30),入院后两组立即分别服用氯吡格雷300 mg和600 mg。观察术后28天内主要临床心血管事件(包括亚急性支架内血栓形成、死亡、心肌梗死、紧急靶血管血运重建)和出血事件。结果:氯吡格雷600 mg组28天主要心血管事件发生率较300 mg组显著减少(3.3%vs 20.0%,P<0.05),而两组28天出血事件发生率无显著差异(20.0%vs13.3%,P>0.05)。结论:超负荷量氯吡格雷(600 mg)预治疗与常规负荷量(300 mg)相比,可显著改善急性心肌梗死行急诊PCI患者的近期疗效,且安全性相似。     

Living alone after myocardial infarction. Impact on prognosis.

OBJECTIVE--To determine if the presence of a disrupted marriage or living alone would be an independent prognostic risk factor for a subsequent major cardiac event following an initial myocardial infarction. DESIGN--Prospective evaluation in the placebo wing of a randomized, double-blind drug trial in patients with an enzyme-documented acute myocardial infarction who were admitted to a coronary care facility. Data for living alone and/or a marital disruption were entered into a Cox proportional hazards model constructed from important physiologic and nonphysiologic factors in the same database. SETTING--Multicenter trial in a mixture of community and academic hospitals in the United States and Canada. PATIENTS--All consenting patients who were 25 to 75 years of age and without other serious diseases were enrolled (placebo, N = 1234) within 3 to 15 days of the index infarction and followed for a period of 1 to 4 years (mean, 2.1 years). Nine hundred sixty-seven patients were followed for 1.1 years and 530 for 2.2 years. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE--Recurrent major cardiac event (either recurrent nonfatal infarction or cardiac death). RESULTS--Living alone was an independent risk factor, with a hazard ratio of 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.29; P less than .03). Using the Kaplan-Meier statistical method for calculation, the recurrent cardiac event rate at 6 months was 15.8% in the group living alone vs 8.8% in the group not living alone. Risk remained significant throughout the follow-up period (P = .001). A disrupted marriage was not an independent risk factor. CONCLUSION--Living alone but not a disrupted marriage is an independent risk factor for prognosis after myocardial infarction when compared with all other known risk factors.     

两性急性心肌梗死住院期间死亡风险的Logistic回归分析

目的 分析影响两性患者急性心肌梗死(AMI)住院期间死亡风险的因素,为今后针对不同性别患者急性心肌梗死的防治提供依据.方法 收集2009年1月1日-2010年12月31日因AMI住我院心内科的689例AMI患者的临床资料,按性别分成两组,其中女性214例,男性475例,分析两性患者AMI的特点并对影响住院期间死亡的因素进行Logistic回归分析.结果 整个AMI人群男女比例为2.22:1,两性患者对比有如下特点:①女性较男性平均发病年龄大约晚10年;②女性接受再灌注治疗比率(41.6％)低于男性(59.2％),P＜0.05;③女性AMI患者合并基础疾病种类较男性多,女性平均为(3.46 ±1.80)种,男性为(2.58±1.78)种,P＜0.05;④女性患者发生严重并发症的发病率较男性高(7.5％与3.4％,P＜0.05),住院期间死亡率(24.8％)也远高于男性(11.6％),P＜0.05;⑤对住院期间死亡风险的Logistic回归分析,得出两性患者住院期间死亡风险的Logistic回归模型:女性为P=e-2.452-2.73 ×TREAT+0.695×HF +3.529×COMP/1+e-2.452-2.73×TREAT+0.695×HF +3.529×COMP,男性为:P=e-5.040+1.892×COPD+2.384×CRF+1.013Xhf+5.326×COMP/1+e5.040+1.892×COPD+2.384×CRF+1.013Xhf+5.326×COMP.结论 女性急性心肌梗死患者发病年龄大,并发症多,死亡率高;本研究得出的两性急性心肌梗死住院期间死亡风险的Logistic回归模型表明,女性患者住院期间接受再灌注治疗可降低住院期间死亡风险,再灌注治疗对男性患者则未能降低死亡风险;男性患者合并慢性阻塞性肺疾病、慢性肾功能不全及并发症住院期间死亡风险显著升高,而在女性患者却无类似影响;不论男女出现并发症如心功能不全、心源性休克、恶性心律失常及机械性并发症,住院期间死亡概率明显升高.     

Stenting versus non-stenting after revascularization of chronic total coronary artery occlusion: short- and long-term clinical and angiographic results

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Long-term cardiac prognosis following noncardiac surgery. The Study of Perioperative Ischemia Research Group.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the long-term (2-year) cardiac prognosis of high-risk patients undergoing noncardiac surgery and to determine the predictors of long-term adverse cardiac outcome. DESIGN--Prospective cohort study. Historical, clinical, and laboratory data were collected during the in-hospital period, and at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years following surgery. Data were analyzed using proportional hazards models. SETTING--University-affiliated Veterans Affairs medical center. POPULATION--A consecutive sample of 444 patients with or at high risk for coronary artery disease who had undergone elective noncardiac surgery and were discharged from the hospital in stable condition. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Cardiac death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, progressive angina requiring coronary artery bypass graft surgery or coronary angioplasty, and new unstable angina requiring hospitalization. RESULTS--Forty-seven patients (11%) had major cardiovascular complications during a 728-day (median) follow-up period: 24 had cardiac death; 11, nonfatal myocardial infarction; six, progressive angina requiring coronary artery bypass graft surgery or coronary angioplasty; and six, new unstable angina requiring hospitalization. Thirty percent of outcomes occurred within 6 months of surgery and 64% within 1 year. Five independent predictors of long-term outcome were identified. Three predictors reflected the preexisting chronic disease state: (1) the presence of known vascular disease (hazard ratio, 6.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5 to 15.0; P less than .0001); (2) a history of congestive heart failure (hazard ratio, 5.0; 95% CI, 2.0 to 12.0; P less than .0005); and (3) known coronary artery disease (hazard ratio, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.7 to 8.0; P less than .0007). Two predictors reflected acute postoperative ischemic events: (1) myocardial infarction/unstable angina (hazard ratio, 20; 95% CI, 7.5 to 53.0; P less than .0001) and (2) myocardial ischemia (hazard ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.3; P less than .03). Patients surviving a postoperative in-hospital myocardial infarction had a 28-fold increase in the rate of subsequent cardiac complications within 6 months following surgery, a 15-fold increase within 1 year, and a 14-fold increase within 2 years (95% CI, 5.8 to 32; P less than .00001). Seventy percent of all long-term adverse outcomes were preceded by in-hospital postoperative ischemia that occurred at least 30 days (median, 282 days) before the long-term event. The development of congestive heart failure or ventricular tachycardia (without ischemia) during hospitalization was not associated with adverse long-term outcome. CONCLUSIONS--The incidence of long-term adverse cardiac outcomes following noncardiac surgery is substantial. At increased risk are patients with chronic cardiovascular disease; at highest risk are patients with acute perioperative ischemic events. We conclude that survivors of in-hospital perioperative ischemic events, specifically myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and postoperative ischemia, warrant more aggressive long-term follow-up and treatment than is currently practiced.     

Body weight and risk of myocardial infarction and death in the adult population of eastern Finland

Body mass index (weight (kg) divided by height squared (m2] and its association with the risk of myocardial infarction and death from all causes were studied prospectively in a randomly selected population sample in eastern Finland aged 30-59 at outset in 1972. The study population consisted of 3786 men and 4120 women. The participation rate in the survey in 1972 was over 90%. All deaths and admissions to hospital in the sample were obtained from the National Death Certificate and Hospital Discharge Registers. During the seven years of follow up until 1978, 170 men and 52 women had acute myocardial infarction, and during the nine years up to 1980, 223 men and 92 women died. Independent of age, men with a body mass index of 28.5 or more had a significantly higher incidence of acute myocardial infarction. This effect was also independent of smoking but not independent of biological coronary risk factors--that is, serum cholesterol concentration and blood pressure. In the analysis stratified for smoking in men the body mass index total mortality curve was J shaped among non-smokers, whereas smoking entirely outweighed body mass index as a predictor of death. Body mass index did not contribute significantly to the risk of either acute myocardial infarction or death in women. It is concluded that a body mass index of around 29.0-31.0 or more is not only a marker for coronary risk factors but is also a predictor of acute myocardial infarction in men.     

Efficacy of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator thrombolysis and primary coronary stenting after acute myocardial infarction

Objective To compare the efficacy of low dose recombin ant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) thrombolysis with primary corona ry stenting after acute myocardial infarction. Methods Of 261 patients with first acute myocardial i nfarction, 131 were given low dose rt-PA intravenous thrombolysis, and 130 primary coronary stenting. Results The age, time from onset of chest pain to hosp ital presentation and infarct location between these two groups were comparable . The patency rate of the infarct-related artery (IRA) in patients in the thro mbolysis group was significantly lower than that of patients in the primary sten ting group (P&lt;0.001). Recurrent myocardial infarction, and selective coron ary stenting of patients with thrombolytic therapy were higher than that of pat ients in the primary stenting group (7.6% vs 1.5%, P&lt;0.05; 20.6% vs 0, P&lt;0.001, respectively). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patie nts in the thrombolysis group was lower than that of the stent group (55.6%±13 .4% vs 65.8%±9.2%, P&lt;0.001). Total hospitalization time of the thrombo lysis group was longer than that of the stent group （16±7 d vs 11±4 d, P &lt;0.001). Mortality in the thrombolysis group was higher than that of the stent group, but this difference was not significant （6.1% vs 3.1%,P&gt;0 .05） Conclusion Comparing with low dose rt-PA thrombolytic therapy after acute myocardial infarction, primary coronary stenting has a highe r patency rate of the IRA, better cardiac function and shorter hospitalization time.     

Prognosis after myocardial infarction: results of 15 year follow up

A total of 271 out of 757 patients who had suffered a myocardial infarction during 1966-7 were still alive after six years; these patients were subsequently followed up 15 years after the infarction. Two hundred and sixty eight (99%) of the patients alive at six years and 519 (95%) of the 549 originally discharged from hospital were traced. A coronary prognostic index, which had predicted survival both to three years and from three to six years after recovery from the infarct also predicted survival from six to 15 years after recovery. The major factor affecting survival to 15 years was age at the time of the original infarct. Among patients aged under 60 at the time of infarction women fared better than men (p = 0.027). Factors in the coronary prognostic index that were associated with impairment of left ventricular function at the time of infarction and that had predicted mortality to three years and from three to six years also predicted mortality from six to 15 years. These factors were cardiac enlargement, pulmonary venous congestion, and the presence of infarction before the index infarct. The dominant cause of death remained coronary heart disease and its complications.