Bleeding complications in patients with anemia and acute myocardial infarction

Anemia has recently been associated with increased mortality in patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention. The mechanisms associated with increased mortality among patients who have anemia have not been defined. We sought to determine whether patients who had anemia and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) might be at higher risk for bleeding or cardiogenic shock during acute hospitalization compared with patients who did not have anemia. This population-based study included 5,378 residents of the Worcester metropolitan area who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of AMI in five 1-year periods from 1995 to 2003. Patients were analyzed according to the presence or absence of anemia (hematocrit <39% in men and <36% in women) and quintiles of baseline hematocrit levels. Differences in the frequency of death, cardiogenic shock, and major bleeding during hospitalization were analyzed in relation to the presence of anemia. Anemia was present in 31.3% of patients who were hospitalized with AMI. Mortality and bleeding complications were related to the presence of anemia on admission for all types of AMI and across a broad spectrum of anemia severities. In a multivariable model that adjusted for baseline and treatment covariates, the odds ratios for adverse events for patients who had anemia (compared with those who did not) were 1.43 (95% confidence interval 1.12 to 1.84) for hospital mortality and 3.57 (95% confidence interval 2.75 to 4.64) for major bleeding. Development of cardiogenic shock was not related to the presence of anemia (odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.64 to 1.23). In conclusion, these findings suggest that bleeding complications are a potential mechanism for increased mortality among patients who have anemia and present with AMI.     

Prior aspirin use and outcomes in elderly patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the association between prior aspirin use and mortality, all-cause readmission, and condition-specific readmission at one month and six months in a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with a confirmed myocardial infarction (MI). BACKGROUND: Prior aspirin use is considered a marker of higher risk in patients with MI, yet the prognostic significance of this factor has been debated. METHODS: Medicare beneficiaries > or =65 years old hospitalized with MI were evaluated to determine whether there was an association between prior aspirin use and mortality (n = 118,992), all-cause readmission, and condition-specific readmission (n = 78,975) at one month and six months. RESULTS: One-third of the patients (n = 39,531, 33.2%) were using aspirin before admission. Those with prior aspirin use had significantly lower mortality at one month (16.1% vs. 19.0%, p < 0.0001) and six months (24.7% vs. 27.5%, p < 0.0001). After multivariable adjustment, prior aspirin use was found to be associated with a lower risk of one-month (relative risk ratio 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.90 to 0.96) and six-month mortality (hazard ratio 0.94, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.96). Prior aspirin use tended to reduce all-cause or coronary artery disease readmissions at one month or six months. CONCLUSIONS: Prior aspirin use is not a marker of increased mortality in patients > or =65 years old hospitalized with MI.     

Socioeconomic status and outcome following acute myocardial infarction in elderly patients

BACKGROUND: Although the Medicare entitlement provides universal hospital care coverage for elderly Americans, disparities in care processes after acute myocardial infarction still exist. Whether these disparities account for increased mortality among elderly poor patients is not known. METHODS: To determine the association between socioeconomic status and acute myocardial infarction treatment, procedure use, and 30-day and 1-year mortality, we analyzed data from 132 130 elderly Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction between January 1994 and February 1996. Patients were categorized into 10 groups of increasing income using the median income of the ZIP code of residence. RESULTS: The highest-income beneficiaries received higher rates of evidence-based medical therapy and had lower adjusted 30-day and 1-year mortality rates compared with the middle-income beneficiaries (30-day relative risk, 0.89 [95% confidence interval, 0.85-0.94]; and 1-year relative risk, 0.92 [95% confidence interval, 0.88-0.97]). Conversely, the lowest-income beneficiaries received lower rates of evidence-based medical treatment and had higher adjusted 30-day and 1-year mortality rates relative to the middle-income beneficiaries (30-day relative risk, 1.09 [95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.13]; and 1-year relative risk, 1.05 [95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.10]). Coronary revascularization rates were similar among income groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the Medicare entitlement, there remain significant socioeconomic disparities in medical treatment and mortality among elderly patients following acute myocardial infarction. Income was independently associated with short- and long-term mortality. More research is required to determine the mechanisms contributing to adverse outcomes among poor elderly patients and to determine whether expansion of Medicare coverage will alleviate these disparities.     

Short-term triple therapy with aspirin, warfarin, and a thienopyridine among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVES: To assess bleeding complications among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and receiving triple therapy of warfarin, aspirin, and a thienopyridine. BACKGROUND: Triple therapy of warfarin, aspirin, and a thienopyridine is strongly discouraged, given the potential risk of bleeding complications. METHODS AND RESULTS: Post-PCI patients receiving triple therapy thereafter underwent assessment for bleeding complications. Continuous variables are presented as median (25th-75th percentiles). The study group included 180 patients (80% males; age 65 (52, 75.5)). PCI was on an urgent/emergent basis in 86.6%. The main indications for warfarin use were left ventricular mural thrombus and atrial fibrillation (46.9 and 36.9% respectively). Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists were used in 47.7%. Post-PCI triple therapy duration was 30 days (30, 30). During the post-triple therapy, 104 patients (57.8%) continued treatment with warfarin and aspirin for 376 days (150, 775). During the triple therapy period, 20 patients developed bleeding complications, (mean INR 2.1 +/- 0.7 at 7 (6, 8.5) days post-PCI): 2 major groin hematoma (initial phase of warfarin treatment during overlap with heparin) and 18 minor. During post-triple therapy, primarily under warfarin and aspirin, 19 patients developed bleeding complications: 1 major and 18 minor. CONCLUSION: Short-term triple therapy after PCI was not associated with prohibitively high bleeding complication rates, and thus should be favorably considered in patients with a clear indication for warfarin use.     

Bleeding complications following initiation of thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction: a comparison of helicopter-transported and nontransported patients

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of helicopter transport of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients after initiation of thrombolysis on bleeding complications through hospital discharge. DESIGN: Prospectively identified incidence (cohort) study. SETTING: Air medical service of tertiary-care teaching hospital. TYPES OF PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-five consecutive AMI patients transported within 12 hours of the initiation of thrombolysis with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator were compared with 119 nontransported AMI patients treated in a similar manner. RESULTS: The transported and nontransported populations were similar with regard to age, sex, and infarct location. Transport was well tolerated with no episodes of cardiac arrest or cardioversion occurring during transport. Hypotension requiring fluids or increased pressors occurred in 18 patients. Bleeding complications of all types occurred in 43.2% of the transported and 49.6% of the nontransported patients, respectively (relative risk, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.65 to 1.17). CONCLUSION: Helicopter transport of AMI patients after initiation of thrombolysis appears to be safe acutely and without a clinically significant increase in risk of bleeding complications through hospital discharge when accomplished by a highly skilled team.     

Thrombolysis in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction

The efficacy of thrombolytic therapy in the elderly remains a topic of ongoing debate. Although elderly patients account for a disproportionate amount of cardiovascular mortality, they have typically been underrepresented in randomized clinical trials. A meta-analysis of these trials suggests a survival benefit, albeit small, of thrombolytic therapy in the elderly. Thrombolytic therapy, in combination with either glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors or low-molecular weight heparin, poses an increased hazard in the elderly. Observational studies of thrombolytic therapy in the elderly portray a far worse outcome than the randomized clinical trials and raise the possibility of increased mortality. To date, no randomized trial has compared thrombolytic and primary coronary intervention in the elderly. However, multiple observational studies indicate a low risk of intracerebral hemorrhage and improved survival when a strategy of primary coronary intervention is employed. Future trials and observational studies should elucidate the ideal reperfusion strategy in the elderly.     

高龄急性心肌梗死的溶栓治疗

目的 观察静脉溶栓治疗高龄(>70岁)急性心肌梗死(AMI)患者的临床疗效及合适的药物剂量。方法 高龄AMI患者68例,经静脉尿激酶溶栓治疗患者38例(溶栓组),其中150万u溶栓I组20例,100万u溶栓Ⅱ组18例,同期未溶栓治疗患者30例(未溶栓组),对比分析溶栓组与未溶栓组临床结果。结果 溶栓I组血管再通率、病死率、出血发生率与溶栓Ⅱ组无统计学差异(P>0.05);溶栓组与未溶栓组比较,除了心力衰竭发生率有明显差异(P<0.05)外,心律失常发生率、病死率均无统计学差异(P>0.05)。结论 溶栓治疗可降低高龄AMI患者心力衰竭发生率;尿激酶100万u是高龄AMI患者溶栓治疗更为安全有效的剂量。     

高龄老年急性心肌梗死特点

目的 比较分析不同年龄段的急性心肌梗死(AMI)患者的临床特点.方法 选取2015年1月～2020年12月入住湖北省中西医结合医院的AMI患者812例,根据患者年龄分为非高龄老年组(＜75岁)468例和高龄老年组(75 ～89)岁344例.收集2组患者基线资料、发病时症状和体征、实验室检查、治疗措施等,比较2组所收集的...     

心肌梗死病人急性期并发症的预测

目的 探讨急性心肌梗死(acute myocardial infarction,AMI)病人急性期并发症发生的影响因素.方法 回顾分析87例AMI病人7 d内并发症的发生率及病死率.对比分析有并发症组和无并发症组病人的病史、临床表现等因素对AMI病人急性期并发症发生的预测意义.结果 单因素分析显示内生肌酐清除率小于70ml/min、空腹血糖在7.8mmol/L或以上及多支冠状动脉病变的病人在AMI发生7 d内并发症的发生率高(P＜0.05).Logistic逐步回归分析表明肌酐清除率降低和血糖升高是AMI早期出现并发症的强影响因素,两者比数比分别为14.516及7.767,95%可信区间分别为2.153～97.848和1.294～46.624,P分别是0.006和0.025.结论 多支冠状动脉病变、早期肌酐清除率降低及血糖升高的AMI病人急性期并发症发生率、病死率高;肌酐清除率降低及血糖升高对AMI急性期并发症预测有重要价值.     

Superiority of warfarin over aspirin long term after thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction

Results of recent clinical trials have unequivocally established the value of intravenous thrombolytic therapy in enhancing survival after acute myocardial infarction. However, the optimum long-term antithrombolytic strategy for prevention of recurrent cardiac complications after thrombolysis is unknown at the current time. To determine whether aspirin or warfarin best prevents postdischarge recurrent cardiac events (unstable angina, reinfarction, pulmonary edema, or/and death), we analyzed the long-term course of 203 patients at our institution who received intravenous thrombolytic therapy (streptokinase, tissue plasminogen activator, or urokinase) for acute myocardial infarction. Of these, 129 (64%) survived to hospital discharge without revascularization--92 patients (71%) received aspirin (325 mg/day). whereas 37 (29%) received warfarin. The choice of drug was made by the treating physician. By a mean of 2.5 years of follow-up, 34 of 92 patients receiving aspirin (37%) versus 6 or 37 receiving warfarin (16%) (p less than or equal to 0.02) had unstable angina, reinfarction, pulmonary edema, and/or death. No life-threatening hemorrhage occurred in either group. Warfarin appears to be superior to aspirin long term in patients with postlysis myocardial infarction for the prevention of recurrent cardiac complications.     

A clinicopathological analysis of cardiac rupture following acute myocardial infarction in elderly patients

In all autopsied cases from January 1980 to June 1988 (56-102 years old, 243 men and 307 women), cardiac rupture death was observed in 14 cases out of 68 deaths of acute myocardial infarction in our hospital. Cardiac rupture occurred in 2, 4, 3, and 5 cases in their 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90' respectively, and 4 in men and 10 in women. Complaints of chest pain were present in 4 cases. Cerebrovascular disease was present in 9 cases and hypertension in 7. In 9 cases, the thickness of the ruptured wall was over 14 mm. The location of the ruptured lesion was the anterior wall in 4 cases, anteroseptal in 3, anterolateral in 1, lateral in 1, posterior in 1, and apical in 1. In conclusion, the incidence of cardiac rupture was higher in female than in males, and in silent myocardial infarction than in painful one. The location of rupture was frequently in the anterior or lateral wall. Aging and hypertension would not be a worsening factor in the pathogenesis of cardiac rupture in myocardial infarction, but cerebrovascular disease might be a risk factor in respect to masking occurrence of myocardial infarction.     

Aspirin, warfarin and a thienopyridine for acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND: Although clopidogrel and aspirin (dual therapy, DT) are used for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), sometimes treatment with warfarin (triple therapy, TT) is required. AIM: To determine the incidence, complications, and outcomes of TT. METHODS: We analyzed Israeli surveys of ACS from 2000 to 2004. RESULTS: In these surveys, 5,706 (96%) were discharged alive from hospital. Post-ACS TT and DT were 76 patients (1.3%) and 2,661 patients (46.7%), respectively. The TT group was older with more prior cardiac disease. During hospitalization, the TT patients received more intravenous anticoagulant and antithrombotic agents, and had more heart failure, arrhythmias, ischemia, and major bleeding (2.6 vs. 0.6%, p=0.03). There were no differences in adjusted 30-day and 6-month mortality between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: TT is feasible among ACS patients who require concomitant warfarin treatment.     

Warfarin and aspirin versus aspirin alone in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a pilot study

The benefits of anticoagulant therapy and antiplatelet agents in secondary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI) are well known. Administration of combined warfarin and aspirin (ASA) has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of coadministration of warfarin and ASA with administration of ASA alone on outcome of patients after MI. One hundred forty age- and sex-matched survivors of MI were randomized to receive either 100 mg/day ASA plus enough warfarin to reach a target: international normalized ratio of 2.5 (range: 2-3) (group A, n = 70), or only 100 mg/day ASA (group B, n = 70). The patients were examined for several variables including development of hemorrhage, reinfarction, and rehospitalization for 1 year post MI. Of the variables studied, minor hemorrhagic episodes were observed significantly (p = 0.002) more in group A than in group B patients. Rehospitalization and reinfarction rates, although occurring with lower frequencies in group A than in group B, did not reach the statistical significance level. In postmyocardial infarction patients, warfarin plus ASA did not provide a clinical benefit beyond that achievable with aspirin monotherapy, and for the observed markedly higher incidence of minor hemorrhage in combination therapy, antiplatelet therapy alone seems to be a more reasonable approach.     

Randomized comparative trial of triflusal and aspirin following acute myocardial infarction.

AIMS: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of the antiplatelet agent triflusal with aspirin in the prevention of cardiovascular events following acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this double-blind, multicentre, sequential design study, patients were randomized within 24 h of acute myocardial infarction symptom onset to receive triflusal 600 mg or aspirin 300 mg once daily for 35 days. The primary end-point was death, non-fatal myocardial reinfarction or a non-fatal cerebrovascular event. The incidences of these individual outcomes and urgent revascularization were secondary end-points. The null hypothesis of no difference between treatments in the primary combined end-point was accepted with 80% power after recruiting 2124 validated patients (odds ratio (OR) for failure [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 0.882 [0.634-1.227]). Non-fatal cerebrovascular events were significantly less frequent with triflusal (OR [95% CI]: 0.364 [0.146-0.908]; P = 0.030). There was no significant difference between treatments for death (OR [95% CI]: 0.816 [0.564-1.179]; P = 0.278), non-fatal reinfarction (OR [95% CI]: 1.577 [0.873-2.848]; P = 0.131) or revascularization (OR [95% CI]: 0.864 [0.644-1.161]; P = 0.334). Overall, both drugs were well tolerated, although there was a trend towards fewer bleeding episodes with triflusal; significantly fewer central nervous system bleeding episodes were observed in triflusal-treated patients (0.27% vs. 0.97%; P = 0.033). CONCLUSION:Triflusal and aspirin have similar efficacy in preventing further cardiovascular events after acute myocardial infarction, but triflusal showed a more favourable safety profile. Triflusal significantly reduced the incidence of non-fatal cerebrovascular events compared with aspirin.     

老年急性心肌梗死患者血管内皮功能损害情况

目的：探讨老年急性心肌梗死（AMI）与非老年AMI患者血管内皮舒张功能损害情况及差异。方法：应用高分辨的血管外超声法检测148例老年AMI、非老年AMI、老年健康者、非老年健康者肱动脉血管内皮功能。结果：基础血管内径老年和非老年AMI组较老年和非老年健康对照组差异有显著性（P＜0．01），硝酸甘油年和非老年AMI患均存在血管内皮功能的损害，老年AMI较非老年AMI患者内皮功能损害更严重。     

109例症状不典型老年急性心肌梗死患者特点

本研究回顾性分析本院2005年1月至2009年4月109例症状不典型老年急性心肌梗死患者的临床表现、心电图表现、梗死部位及治疗情况,以提高不典型急性心肌梗死的早期确诊率,实行有效的治疗,从而提高治愈率,改善预后。