The prognostic value of maximal exercise testing soon after first myocardial infarction

The prognostic value of ST-segment depression during maximalexercise test performed in the third to fourth week after acutemyocardial infarction (AMI), was studied in 126 consecutivepatients with no evidence of previous myocardial infarction,unstable angina pectoris or severe heart failure. All patientson average increased their pressure-rate product by 2.6 andno complications occurred. Within the first year of follow-up,major cardiac events occurred in 9 patients (20%), and werefatal in 6 (13%), of the 46 patients who developed ST-segmentdepression during exercise. Only 3 major cardiac events (4%)occurred in the 80 patients without exercise induced ST-segmentdepression. Depression of the ST-segment on maximal exercisewas a significant predictor of subsequent cardiac events inthese survivors of first AMI.     

On the Usefulness of Fibrinolysis Variables in the Characterization of a Risk Group for Myocardial Reinfarction

ABSTRACT. In a prospective study selected fibrinolysis variables were assessed in plasma samples from 29 consecutive patients recovering a first instance of acute myocardial infarction and the results were correlated with reinfarction during the next four years. Nine patients suffered a reinfarction leaving a group of 20 patients without evidence of relapse. The reinfarction group was characterized by lower tissue plasminogen activator activities in plasma euglobu-lins (p<0.05), significantly higher plasma concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator antigen (p<0.002) and a tendency to a higher plasma level of plasminogen activator inhibition capacity. There were no significant differences between the groups in plasma concentrations of plasminogen, histidine-rich glycoprotein, plasminogen kringle-4-binding-protein, and α₂-antiplasmin.     

Artificially depleted plasmas are not necessarily commutable with native patient plasmas for International Sensitivity Index calibration and International Normalized Ratio derivation: a reply

See also Poller L, Jespersen J, Ibrahim S. Artificially depleted plasmas are not necessarily commutable with native patient plasmas for International Sensitivity Index calibration and International Normalized Ratio derivation: a rebuttal. J Thromb Haemost 2012; 10 : 1197–8 and van den Besselaar AMHP. Artificially depleted plasmas are not necessarily commutable with native patient plasmas for International Sensitivity Index calibration and International Normalized Ratio derivation: a reply to a rebuttal. J Thromb Haemost 2012; 10 : 1198–200.     

Abnormal tubular handling of sodium and water induced by atrial natriuretic peptide in essential hypertension.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was given as an intravenous bolus injection (2.0 micrograms kg-1) to 12 essential hypertensive patients (EH) and 13 normotensive control subjects (C) in order to study the effect of ANP on renal glomerular and tubular function using the lithium clearance technique. Urinary sodium excretion (EH, + 370% vs. C, + 120%; P less than 0.001) and urine volume (EH, + 137% vs. C, + 62%; P less than 0.01) increased significantly more in EH than in controls after ANP injection. Glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow, and plasma concentrations of angiotensin II, aldosterone and arginine vasopressin remained almost unchanged after ANP injection, whereas the filtration fraction increased to the same extent in both groups. Both proximal (EH, - 15% vs. C, - 5%; P less than 0.01) and distal fractional reabsorption (EH, - 12% vs. C, - 5%; P less than 0.01) of sodium decreased more markedly after ANP in EH than in controls. The increase in plasma cGMP and urinary excretion of cGMP was the same in the two groups. Mean blood pressure decreased and heart rate increased to the same extent in both groups. It is concluded that the increase in urinary sodium excretion and urine volume induced by ANP bolus injection is exaggerated in EH due to a more pronounced reduction in the reabsorption of sodium and water in both the proximal and the distal tubule.     

Does exercise-induced ST-segment depression predict benefit of medical intervention in patients recovering from acute myocardial infarction?

Abstract. The present study tested the hypothesis that the increased risk in patients with exercise-provoked ST-segment depression recovering from acute myocardial infarction could by abolished by anti-ischaemic medical intervention. Prior to discharge a symptom-limited exercise test was carried out. Patients were then double-blindly randomized to treatment with either verapamil 120 mg t.i.d. or placebo, and observed for up to 18 months (mean 17 months). End-point was first major event: i.e. non-fatal reinfarction or death. Two-hundred-and-ninety-eight patients were included. Forty-four patients with and 111 without exercise-induced ischaemia were randomized to verapamil and 39 and 104 respectively, to placebo. The overall number of events was 12.5%. In patients without ST-segment depression, 12.5% in the placebo group (hazard = 1) and 12.6 % in the verapamil group (hazard = 1.13) had an event (NS). In patients with ST-segment depression 15.4% in the placebo group (hazard = 1.20) and 9.1% in the verapamil group (hazard = 0.85) had an event (NS). The latter reduction (41%) supports the hypothesis that patients with ST-segment depression, i.e. residual myocardial ischaemia, are those who benefit from anti-ischaemic intervention after myocardial infarction.     

The prothrombin time/international normalized ratio (PT/INR) Line: derivation of local INR with commercial thromboplastins and coagulometers – two independent studies

Summary. Background: The WHO scheme for prothrombin time (PT) standardization has been limited in application, because of its difficulties in implementation, particularly the need for mandatory manual PT testing and for local provision of thromboplastin international reference preparations (IRP). Methods: The value of a new simpler procedure to derive international normalized ratio (INR), the PT/INR Line, based on only five European Concerted Action on Anticoagulation (ECAA) calibrant plasmas certified by experienced centres has been assessed in two independent exercises using a range of commercial thromboplastins and coagulometers. INRs were compared with manual certified values with thromboplastin IRP from expert centres and in the second study also with INRs from local ISI calibrations. Results: In the first study with the PT/INR Line, 8.7% deviation from certified INRs was reduced to 1.1% with human reagents, and from 7.0% to 2.6% with rabbit reagents. In the second study, deviation was reduced from 11.2% to 0.4% with human reagents by both local ISI calibration and the PT/INR Line. With rabbit reagents, 10.4% deviation was reduced to 1.1% with both procedures; 4.9% deviation was reduced to 0.5% with bovine/combined reagents with local ISI calibrations and to 2.9% with the PT/INR Line. Mean INR dispersion was reduced with all thromboplastins and automated systems using the PT/INR Line. Conclusions: The procedure using the PT/INR Line provides reliable INR derivation without the need for WHO ISI calibration across the range of locally used commercial thromboplastins and automated PT systems included in two independent international studies.