Contrast-induced nephropathy in patients undergoing primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to assess the incidence, clinical predictors, and outcome of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). BACKGROUND: Contrast-induced nephropathy is associated with significant morbidity and mortality after PCI. Patients undergoing primary PCI may be at higher risk of CIN because of hemodynamic instability and unfeasibility of adequate prophylaxis. METHODS: In 208 consecutive AMI patients undergoing primary PCI, we measured serum creatinine concentration (Cr) at baseline and each day for the following three days. Contrast-induced nephropathy was defined as a rise in Cr >0.5 mg/dl. RESULTS: Overall, CIN occurred in 40 (19%) patients. Of the 160 patients with baseline Cr clearance >/=60 ml/min, only 21 (13%) developed CIN, whereas it occurred in 19 (40%) of those with Cr clearance <60 ml/min (p < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, age >75 years (odds ratio [OR] 5.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.98 to 14.05; p = 0.0009), anterior infarction (OR 2.17, 95% CI 0.88 to 5.34; p = 0.09), time-to-reperfusion >6 h (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.01 to 6.16; p = 0.04), contrast agent volume >300 ml (OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.17 to 6.68; p = 0.02) and use of intraaortic balloon (OR 15.51, 95% CI 4.65 to 51.64; p < 0.0001) were independent correlates of CIN. Patients developing CIN had longer hospital stay (13 +/- 7 days vs. 8 +/- 3 days; p < 0.001), more complicated clinical course, and significantly higher mortality rate (31% vs. 0.6%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Contrast-induced nephropathy frequently complicates primary PCI, even in patients with normal renal function. It is associated with higher in-hospital complication rate and mortality. Thus, preventive strategies are needed, particularly in high-risk patients.     

Short- and long-term mortality for patients undergoing primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to learn more about the risk factors and short- and long-term outcomes for primary angioplasty. BACKGROUND: Primary angioplasty (direct angioplasty without antecedent thrombolytic therapy) has been an effective alternative to thrombolytic therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, most reported studies have been compromised by small sample sizes and short observation times. METHODS: New York's coronary angioplasty registry was used to identify New York patients undergoing angioplasty within 6 h of AMI between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 1996. Statistical models were used to identify significant risk factors for in-patient and long-term survival and to estimate long-term survival for all patients as well as various subsets of patients undergoing primary angioplasty. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality rate for all primary angioplasty patients was 5.81%. When patients in preprocedural shock (who had a mortality rate of 45%) were excluded, the in-hospital mortality rate dropped to 2.60%. Mortality rates for all primary angioplasty patients at one year, two years and three years were 9.3%, 11.3% and 12.6%, respectively. Patients treated with stent placement did not have significantly lower risk-adjusted in-patient or two-year mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: Primary angioplasty is a highly effective option for AMI.     

急性心肌梗死患者经皮冠状动脉介入治疗术后早期再发心肌梗死的预测及分析

目的分析老年急性心肌梗死患者PCI术后早期再发心肌梗死的预测危险因素。方法连续选取行PCI术的老年急性心肌梗死患者共2 252例,将未发生心肌再梗死的患者2 176例作为无再梗死组,发生早期再发心肌梗死患者76例作为再梗死组,对再发心肌梗死的危险因素进行分析。结果 PCI术后早期再发心肌梗死发生率为3.4%,且以男性为主。与无再梗死组比较,再梗死组糖尿病患病率和入院时血糖水平较高,心功能较差、血管狭窄程度较重,PCI术前、术后TIMI血流分级较差,术后血栓形成和夹层发生率较高,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05,P<0.01)。多因素回归分析显示,老年、血糖增高、糖尿病、心功能(Killip分级)、多支血管病变和PCI术后血栓及夹层形成与早期再发心肌梗死密切相关。结论高龄、血糖增高、糖尿病、心功能、多支血管病变和PCI术后血栓及夹层形成是早期再梗死的高危因素。针对合并这些因素的高危患者应进行积极有效防治。     

Correlates of bundle-branch block in patients undergoing primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Early reperfusion therapy has reduced the infarct size and mortality rate in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The occurrence of bundle-branch block in AMI is related to the amount of myocardial damage and the insult to the conduction system. HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate the clinical and angiographic factors related to the occurrence of bundle-branch block (BBB) in patients with primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), we investigated consecutive series of patients with their first Q-wave AMI and successful PTCA. METHODS: Coronary angiogram at the time of admission, electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram were evaluated in 279 patients with their first Q-wave AMI and successful PTCA. RESULTS: Bundle-branch block was detected in 26 patients (9%); 16 patients had transient and 10 patients had persistent block, while 16 patients had bifascicular block and 10 patients had right BBB. The patients with BBB had a significantly larger number of left ventricular asynergic segments, higher incidence of total occlusion of infarct-related artery, angiographic no reflow, and pericardial rub than those without BBB. When the multivariate analysis was performed using five clinical markers of infarct severity, angiographic no reflow (F = 20.2, p < 0.001) and total occlusion of infarct-re-lated artery (F = 4.2, p = 0.04) were found to be the significant variables related to BBB. CONCLUSIONS: Despite successful primary PTCA, absence of antegrade flow in the infarct-related artery at the onset of AMI and/or angiographic no reflow resulted in more severe transmural myocardial damage and, hence, the occurrence of BBB.     

Impact of intravenous beta-blockade before primary angioplasty on survival in patients undergoing mechanical reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine the effect of intravenous beta-blockers administered before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on survival and myocardial recovery after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). BACKGROUND: Studies of primary PCI but not thrombolysis have suggested that beta-blocker administration before reperfusion may enhance survival. Whether oral beta-blocker use before admission modulates this effect is unknown. METHODS: The Controlled Abciximab and Device Investigation to Lower Late Angioplasty Complications (CADILLAC) trial randomized 2082 AMI patients to either stenting or balloon angioplasty, each +/- abciximab. In accordance with the protocol, intravenous beta-blockers were administered before PCI in the absence of contraindications. RESULTS: A total of 1136 patients (54.5%, BB+ group) received beta-blockers before PCI, whereas 946 (45.5%, BB- group) did not. The 30-day mortality was significantly lower in the BB+ group than in the BB- group (1.5% vs. 2.8%, p = 0.03), an effect entirely limited to patients who had not been receiving beta-blockers before admission (1.2% vs. 2.9%, p = 0.007). In contrast, no survival benefit with pre-procedural beta-blockers was observed in patients receiving beta-blockers at home (3.3% vs. 1.9%, respectively, p = 0.47). By multivariate analysis, pre-procedural beta-blocker use was an independent predictor of lower 30-day mortality among patients without previous beta-blocker therapy (relative risk = 0.38 [95% confidence interval 0.17 to 0.87], p = 0.02). The improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction from baseline to seven months was also greater after intravenous beta-blockers (3.8% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.01), an effect limited to patients not receiving oral beta-blockers before admission. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AMI undergoing primary PCI, myocardial recovery is enhanced and 30-day mortality is reduced with pre-procedural intravenous beta-blockade, effects confined to patients untreated with oral beta-blocker medication before admission.     

Heart rate variability in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary coronary angioplasty

Depressed heart rate variability (HRV) has been associated with adverse outcome during and after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The effects of reperfusion in AMI on the course of HRV have not been well characterized as yet. We analyzed 123 consecutive patients with a first AMI who underwent successful reperfusion (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction grades 2 and 3) by primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Time- and frequency-domain HRV was measured from 24-hour Holter monitoring, which began at hospital admission. Mean RR interval increased significantly after successful PTCA. Reperfusion immediately caused an immediate transient depression of HRV, which was followed by a significant increase of HRV. Quantitative markers of sympathetic activity and sympathovagal balance, such as SD of the averages of NN intervals in all 5-minute segments, and low- and/or high-frequency ratio continuously decreased within the observation period. Patients with anterior AMI exhibited the same pattern of temporal changes of HRV, with, however, lower absolute values for HRV and mean RR interval than patients with non-anterior AMI. Subgroup analysis in 21 patients with reperfusion > 12 hours after onset of pain showed that the biphasic profile of HRV and the marked increase of mean RR interval was absent. Furthermore, in patients with late reperfusion, HRV was significantly lower compared with those with early reperfusion. Thus, timely reperfusion in AMI leads to a biphasic effect on autonomic tone, characterized by a transient suppression, followed by a significant activation of the vagal tone, as well as an attenuation of sympathetic activity. Recovery of HRV may contribute to the benefits of early reperfusion in AMI.     

Impact of the time to reperfusion on early outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty

BACKGROUND: The ACC/AHA guidelines for management of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have recommended primary PCI (pPCI) as the preferred reperfusion therapy, when it can be performed in a timely fashion, within 90-110 min from the first contact with medical personnel. The impact of treatment delays on outcomes in patients undergoing pPCI has been controversial. AIM: To evaluate the impact of time delays on in-hospital mortality and on the frequency of cardiac events during 30 days after STEMI. METHODS: 1723 patients were stratified on the basis of their time delays: from symptom onset until balloon inflation. The patients were divided into 4 groups: group 1 (311 patients) - time from symptom onset <90 min; group 2 (731 patients) - time delays of 90-180 min; group 3 (535 patients) - time delays of 180-360 min, and group 4 (146 patients) - time from symptom onset >360 min. RESULTS: The median time delay was 268.5+/-206 min, the median door to balloon time was 36.12+/-11.2 min. The patients with longer time delays (group 4) were older, more often were women, and had a higher frequency of diabetes, anterior MI and Killip class 4. During hospitalisation, 70 (4.1%) patients died. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in group 4 (13.6%) than in other groups. Complications of STEMI such as cardiogenic shock considerably influenced mortality (45.6%). During a 30-day follow- -up, the patients with cardiogenic shock and the elderly had an increased risk of cardiac events. Also, time delays >360 min and failed pPTCA were independent adverse risk factors in multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Delays in time to pPCI have an impact on outcomes, especially in those treated >6 hours from the onset of symptoms.     

Comparison of outcomes of diabetic and nondiabetic patients undergoing primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

We sought to determine whether diabetes mellitus independently conferred poor prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In 3,742 patients enrolled in the Primary Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction (PAMI) studies with the intention of undergoing primary PCI, we compared in-hospital mortality, 6-month mortality, and 6-month major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), i.e., composite of death, reinfarction, or ischemic target vessel revascularization (TVR), between diabetics (n = 626, 17%) and nondiabetics (n = 3,116, 83%). We evaluated the independent impact of diabetes on outcomes after adjustment for baseline clinical and angiographic differences. Diabetics had worse baseline clinical characteristics, longer pain onset-to-hospital arrival time, and longer door-to-balloon time. They had more multivessel coronary disease and lower left ventricular ejection fractions, but better baseline Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow. Diabetics underwent primary PCI less often (88% vs 91%, p = 0.01). During the index hospitalization, diabetics were more likely to die (4.6% vs 2.6%, p = 0.005). During 6-month follow-up, diabetics had higher incidences of death (8.1% vs 4.2%, p <0.0001) and MACEs (18% vs 14%, p = 0.036). In multivariate analysis, diabetes was independently associated with 6-month mortality (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 2.26, p = 0.03), but not with in-hospital mortality or 6-month MACEs. We conclude that diabetics with AMI have less favorable baseline characteristics and are less likely to undergo primary PCI than nondiabetics. Despite excellent angiographic results, diabetics had significantly worse 6-month mortality.     

急性心肌梗死患者直接经皮冠状动脉介入治疗成功后住院期间心力衰竭的预测因素

目的：本研究旨在明确ST段抬高心肌梗死（STEMI）患者成功行直接经皮冠状动脉介入治疗（PCI）后住院期间发生心力衰竭（HF）的预测因素。方法回顾性分析接受直接PCI成功治疗的初发STEMI患者的临床和冠状动脉造影资料,根据住院期间是否发生HF将患者分为HF组和无HF组。确定住院期间HF的发生率、预测因素及其对预后的影响。结果共入选患者834例,男662例（79.4%）,年龄（62.9±12.9）岁。其中,HF组94例（11.3%）,无HF组740例（88.7%）。HF组的30 d全因死亡率显著高于无HF组（24.5%比1.5%,P＜0.001）。Cox回归分析显示,犯罪血管为前降支（HR 2.173,95% CI 1.12～4.212,P=0.022）、ln 24 h N末端B型利钠肽原（NT-proBNP）（HR 1.904,95% CI 1.479～2.452,P＜0.001）、24 h超敏C反应蛋白（hsCRP）≥11.0 mg/L（中位数）（HR 2.901,95% CI 1.309～6.430,P=0.009）和基线血糖（HR 1.022,95% CI 1.000～1.044,P=0.046）是住院期间发生HF的独立预测因素。受试者工作曲线显示,以24 h NT-proBNP≥1171 pg/ml为阈值诊断住院期间HF的敏感性和特异性分别为92.5%和76.8%（c=0.883, P＜0.001）,以24 h hsCRP≥13.5 mg/L为阈值诊断住院期间HF的敏感性和特异性分别为86.0%和77.0%（c=0.829,P＜0.001）。在犯罪血管为前降支的患者中,24 h NT-proBNP＜1171 pg/ml且24 h hsCRP＜13.5 mg/L的患者住院期间HF的发生率为0.4%,而24 h NT-proBNP≥1171 pg/ml且24 h hsCRP≥13.5 mg/L的患者住院期间HF的发生率为60.9%,两者差异有统计学意义（P＜0.001）。结论 STEMI患者即使接受直接PCI成功治疗,其住院期间HF的发生率仍然较高,发生HF者预后差。犯罪血管为前降支、hsCRP、NT-proBNP和基线血糖是住院期间发生HF的独立预测因素。检测并联合应用不同的血清生物标记物是预测STEMI患者直接PCI术后住院期间发生HF的有效方法。     

Gender differences in epicardial and tissue-level reperfusion in patients undergoing primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction

ObjectivePregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) is a potential new marker for vulnerable plaques in the coronary arteries only examined in stable coronary disease (CAD) in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Here we address the prognostic value of serum PAPP-A in unselected stable CAD patients.MethodBlood samples were drawn at study entry. Serum PAPP-A values ≥4 mIU/L were considered elevated. Mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction was prospectively registered. The primary outcome was the composite outcome of myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality, secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction.ResultsPatients (n = 4243) were followed for a median of 2.8 years. In a Cox analysis, elevated PAPP-A was significantly related to the composite outcome of myocardial infarction and death (HR 1.99, 95% CI 1.62–2.45, p < 0.0005), all-cause mortality (HR 2.42, 1.92–3.06, p < 0.0005), and myocardial infarction (HR 1.40, 1.01–1.94, p = 0.046). After Holm's correction, the latter significance disappeared. After adjustment for risk factors and medication at entry, elevated PAPP-A remained significantly related to the composite outcome (HR 1.51, 1.22–1.86, p < 0.0005) and all-cause mortality (HR 1.68, 1.32–2.13, p < 0.0005).ConclusionIn patients with stable CAD elevated serum PAPP-A seems promising as aid in identifying patients at high risk for death.     

Cardioprotective effects of magnesium sulfate in patients undergoing primary coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Experimental evidence indicates that magnesium sulfate may have potential cardioprotective properties as an adjunct to coronary reperfusion. The present study was designed to examine the hypothesis that magnesium might have beneficial effects on left ventricular (LV) function and coronary microvascular function in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS AND RESULTS: The study population of 180 consecutive patients with a first AMI (anterior or inferior) underwent successful primary coronary intervention. Patients were randomized to treatment with either intravenous magnesium (magnesium group, n=89) or normal saline (control group, n=91). Pre-discharge left ventriculograms were used to assess LV ejection fraction (LVEF), regional wall motion (RWM) within the infarct-zone and LV end-diastolic volume index. The Doppler guidewire was used to assess coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) as an index of coronary microvascular function. Magnesium group subjects showed significantly better LV systolic function (LVEF 63+/-9% vs 55+/-13%, p<0.001; RWM: -1.01+/-1.29 SD/chord vs -1.65+/-1.11 SD/chord, p=0.004), significantly smaller LV end-diastolic volume index (63+/-17 ml/m(2) vs 76+/-20 ml/m(2), p<0.001), and significantly higher CFVR (2.95+/-0.76 vs 2.50+/-0.99, p=0.023) than controls. CONCLUSION: Magnesium sulfate as an adjunct to primary coronary intervention shows favorable functional outcomes in patients with AMI.     

Transfer for primary angioplasty in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction

A 52‐year‐old asymptomatic man, with cardiac risk factors of hypertension, Type II diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL, obesity, and positive family history for early coronary artery disease (CAD), was referred to nuclear stress test. He exercised for 14 minutes, achieved his target heart rate, without any symptoms or ECG changes. Nuclear images were entirely normal. However, the patient was still concerned and anxious so he underwent CT angiography that revealed coronary narrowings. Next, he underwent coronary angiography with similar findings. The lesions were treated with stents. We present a case report to illustrate how newer technology such as CT angiography alters the way in which we diagnose CAD and decide on whether to pursue further invasive therapy.