Predilation Ballooning in High Thrombus Laden STEMIs: An Independent Predictor of Slow Flow/No-Reflow in Patients Undergoing Emergent Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization.

Background: Distal embolization due to microthrombus fragments formed during predilation ballooning is considered one of the possible mechanisms of slow flow/no-reflow (SF/NR). Therefore, this study aimed to compare the incidence of intraprocedure SF/NR during the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with high thrombus burden (≥4 grade) with and without predilation ballooning for culprit lesion preparation. Methodology. This prospective descriptive cross-sectional study included patients with a high thrombus burden (≥4 grades) who underwent primary PCI. Propensity-matched cohorts of patients with and without predilation ballooning in a 1 : 1 ratio were compared for the incidence of intraprocedure SF/NR. Results: A total of 765 patients with high thrombus burden undergoing primary PCI were included in this study. The mean age was 55.75 ± 11.54 years, and 78.6% (601) were males. Predilation ballooning was conducted in 346 (45.2%) patients. The incidence of intraprocedure SF/NR was significantly higher (41.3% vs. 27.4%; p < 0.001) in patients with predilation ballooning than in those without preballooning, respectively. The incidence of intraprocedure SF/NR also remained significantly higher for the predilation ballooning cohort with an incidence rate of 41.3% as against 30.1% (p=0.002) for the propensity-matched cohort of patients without predilation ballooning with a relative risk of 1.64 (95% CI: 1.20 to 2.24). Moreover, the in-hospital mortality rate remained higher but insignificant, among patients with and without predilation ballooning (8.1% vs. 4.9%; p=0.090). Conclusion: In conclusion, predilation ballooning can be associated with an increased risk of incidence of intraprocedure SF/NR during primary PCI in patients with high thrombus burden.

Safety and tolerability of Sacubitril/Valsartan in heart failure patient with reduced ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin receptor blocker and a neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) has emerged as an innovative therapy for patients of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and tolerability of Sacubitril/Valsartan in patient with HFrEF in Pakistani population. METHODS: This proof-of-concept, open label non-randomized clinical trial was conducted at a tertiary care cardiac center of Karachi, Pakistan. Patients with HFrEF were prescribed with Sacubitril/Valsartan and followed for 12 weeks for the assessment of safety and tolerability. Safety measures included incidence of hypotension, renal dysfunction, hyperkalemia, and angioedema. RESULTS: Among the 120 HFrEF patients, majority were male (79.2%) with means age of 52.73 ± 12.23 years. At the end of 12 weeks, four (3.3%) patients died and eight (6.7%) dropped out of the study. In the remaining 108 patients, 80.6% (87) of the patients were tolerant to the prescribed dose. Functional class improved gradually with 75.0% (81) in class I and 24.1% (26) in class II, and only one (0.9%) patient in class III at the end of 12 weeks. Hyperkalemia remains the main safety concern with incidence rate of 21.3% (23) followed by hypotension in 19.4% (21), and renal dysfunction in 3.7% (4) of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Sacubitril/Valsartan therapy in HFrEF patients is safe and moderately tolerated among the Pakistani population. It can be used as first line of treatment for these patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05387967. Registered 24 May 2022-Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05387967.

Acute hyperglycemia, a rabble-rouser or innocent bystander? A prospective analysis of clinical implications of acute hyperglycemia in STE-ACS patients.

BACKGROUND: Acute hyperglycemia is considered an independent prognosticator of both in-hospital and long-term outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aimed To analyze the incidence of acute hyperglycemia and its impact on the adverse in-hospital outcome in patients with STE-ACS undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: In this study, we enrolled patients presenting with STE-ACS and undergoing primary PCI at a tertiary care cardiac center. Acute hyperglycemia was defined as random plasma glucose (RBS) > 200 mg/dl at the time of presentation to the emergency room. RESULTS: Of the 4470 patients, 78.8% were males, and the mean age was 55.52 ± 11 years. In total, 39.4% (1759) were found to have acute hyperglycemia, and of these, 59% (1037) were already diagnosed with diabetes. Patients with acute hyperglycemia were observed to have a higher incidence of heart failure (8.2% vs. 5.5%; p < 0.001), contrast-induced nephropathy (10.9% vs. 7.4%; p < 0.001), and in-hospital mortality (5.7% vs. 2.5%; p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, acute hyperglycemia was found to be an independent predictor of mortality with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.81 [1.28-2.55]. Multi-vessel disease (1.73 [1.17-2.56]), pre-procedure left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) (1.02 [1.0-1.03]), and Killip class III/IV (4.55 [3.09-6.71]) were found to be the additional independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Acute hyperglycemia, regardless of diabetic status, is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality among patients with STE-ACS undergoing primary PCI. Acute hyperglycemia, along with other significant predictors such as multi-vessel involvement, LVEDP, and Killip class III/IV, can be considered for the risk stratification of these patients.

Ten years risk assessment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease using Astro-CHARM and pooled cohort equation in a south Asian sub-population.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) are on the rise in low and middle-income countries attributed to modern sedentary lifestyle and dietary habits. This has led to the need of assessment of the burden of at-risk population so that prevention measures can be developed. The objective of this study was to assess ten years risk assessment of ASCVD using Astro-CHARM and Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE) in a South Asian sub-population. METHODS: A total of 386 residents of all six districts of Karachi with no ASCVD were enrolled in the study through an exponential non-discriminative referral snowball sampling technique. The inclusion criteria consisted of age 40 years or above and either gender. Study participants were enrolled after obtaining informed written consent and those study participants who were found to have either congenital heart disease or valvular heart diseases or ischemic heart disease were excluded from the study based on initial screening. For the calculation of 10 years risk of ACVD based on Astro-CHARM and PCE, the variables were obtained including medical history and coronary artery calcium and C-reactive protein measurements. RESULTS: Mean estimated 10-year risk of fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction or stroke as per the Astro-CHARM was 13.98 ± 8.01%, while mean estimated 10-year risk of fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction or stroke as per the PCE was 22.26 ± 14.01%. Based on Astro-CHARM, 11.14% of the study participants were labeled as having high risk, while PCE estimated 20.73% of study participants as having high risk of ASCVD. CONCLUSION: Despite the fact that our findings showed substantial differences in ten-year risk of ASCVD between Astro-CHARM and PCE, both calculators can be used to develop a new population and specific risk estimators for this South Asian sub-population. Our study provides the first step towards developing a risk assessment guided decision-making protocol for primary prevention of ASCVD in this population.

Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases in various Ethnicities of Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) in various ethnicities of Pakistan using Astronaut Cardiovascular Health and Risk Modification (Astro-CHARM) risk calculator and the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE). METHODS: Individuals of both gender between 40 to 65 years of age without pre-existing coronary artery disease from residents of Karachi were recruited through snowball sampling technique. Study was conducted at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, Pakistan during January to June 2019. Ethnicity of the participants was categorized based on their mother tongue. Ten-year risk of ASCVD event was estimated using Astro-CHARM Calculator and PCE. RESULTS: Mean age of a total of 386 individuals was 49(±7.1) years and 45.3% (175) were females. Urdu-speaking individuals were 33.4%(129) of the sample, while, 18.4%(71) Pushtoons, 14%(54) Sindhi, 13%(50) Punjabi, 2.6%(10) Balochi, and remaining 18.7%(72) were of other ethnicities. High risk (≥7.5%) individuals were 20.7% (80/386) as per PCE and 11.1% (43/386) as per Astro-CHARM. As per Astro-CHARM, Sindhis' had the least risk of ten-years ASCVD event among all the ethnicities, while, Urdu-speakings' had the highest risk with mean rank of 145.18 vs. 216.50, p-value=0.001. CONCLUSION: A significant 10-years risk of first ASCVD event was observed in our population. ASCVD risk is alarmingly high in some ethnicities, such as Urdu-speaking, owing to the increased prevalence of traditional modifiable risk factors, such as diabetes and smoking.

Depression and Anxiety in patients undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Coronary Syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Depression and anxiety are very common in patients with cardiac diseases. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not only decreased mortality but angina, heart failure and recurrent hospitalization all are improved. Therefore, anxiety and depression associated with fibrinolytic therapy in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are expected to be decreased in the patient undergoing PCI. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: This study was conducted at Larkana Satellite Center of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Pakistan from August 2018 to December 2018. Patients who underwent cardiac intervention within one month were enrolled in this study. Patients were interviewed regarding their basic demographics, indication for intervention and procedure details. Symptoms of anxiety were assessed using the translation of inventory of SAS (Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety Scale). Patients were interviewed for depression by using Becks depression inventory (BDI). RESULTS: A total of 153 patients were included in this study out of which 118 (77.1%) were males and 35 (22.5%) were females. All were married except one. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was present in 61 (39.9%), hypertension (HTN) in 69 (45.15%), obesity in 15 (9.8%), and 40 (26.1%) were smokers. Depression was present in 16 (10.5%) patients and anxiety was present in 12 (7.5%) of patients. On analysis of the association of various factor with depression; non-diabetics, housewives, laborers and uneducated were found to be more depressed. While those who smoke or earn more than 50 thousand were found less likely to be depressed. CONCLUSION: Both depression and anxiety were present in only 10.5% and 7.5% of the patients after percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome.

Angiographic characteristics and in hospital outcome of young patients, age up to 40 versus more than 40 years undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To compare angiographic characteristics and outcomes of primary percutaneous coronary intervention between young and old patients presenting with acute ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction. METHODS: The prospective observational study was conducted at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, from December 17, 2016, to June 16, 2017, and comprised acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Data was collected on demographic, angiographic, and in-hospital outcomes. Those <40 years were considered young. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 415 patients, 50(12%) were young. Proportion of male was higher among the young (p=0.02) and so was the case with positive family history (p=0.002). The young had lesser cases of diabetes (p=0.028) and hypertension (p=0.034). Single vessel disease was more common among young (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed in post-procedure outcome related to age (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Acute Myocardial Infarction in young was more likely associated with male gender, positive family history and less likely with hypertensive and diabetic status.

Cardiac electrophysiologic procedures - A ten years' experience at National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi.

OBJECTIVE: To review 10 years of clinical practice of cardiac electrophysiology study and radiofrequency catheter ablation in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia. METHODS: The retrospective chart review was conducted at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, and comprised records of all patients who underwent electrophysiological study and / or radiofrequency catheter ablation from January2007 to December 2016. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 627 patients, 335(53.4%) were females. The overall mean age was 40.99}13.59 years. The major indication for procedure was supraventricular tachycardia 376(59.97%). Final electrophysiological study diagnosis was typical slow fast atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia in 303(48.3%) patients. The overall success rate was 472(75.3%). Procedure-related complications were reported in 25(4%) patients, and there was 1(0.15%) mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac electrophysiology studies and radiofrequency catheter ablation were found to be an effective and safe method for diagnosis and treatment of supraventricular tachycardia.

Single Intramuscular Methylprednisolone dose in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients on Discharge.

OBJECTIVE: In this pilot study we aimed to evaluate the safety of a single intramuscular methylprednisolone (IM) injection at the time of discharge as a replacement for oral steroid therapy for patients in our population with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: This proof-of-concept, open label clinical trial without randomisation was conducted at the Pulmonary Department of Ziauddin Hospital and University, Karachi from January 2018 to March 2018. Patients discharged after in-hospital treatment for exacerbations of either asthma or COPD were recruited for this study. Intramuscular injection of methylprednisolone was administered to these patients who were then followed-up after one week and one month. During that period, information was collected of the patients' self-report of any unscheduled emergency room visit, blood sugar and blood pressure control, symptoms suggestive of thrush, increase gastric acidity and weight gain. For the data analysis, frequency and percentages were calculated with SPSS version 21. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients aged 52.83 ± 14.27 years were recruited for this pilot study. At one month follow-up, no unscheduled emergency room visits were observed in all of the study patients. Symptoms suggestive of oral thrush were recorded in only 2 (6.7%) patients and weight gain was reported by only 5 (16.7%). Controlled blood sugar and blood pressure was reported by all the patients. No incidence of nocturnal symptoms, awakening and dyspepsia were reported. CONCLUSIONS: A single dose of methylprednisolone injection without any obvious side effects over one month among patients with asthma and COPD demonstrated a safe strategy for them.

Prediction of major adverse cardiac events in the emergency department using an artificial neural network with a systematic grid search.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our research was to design and evaluate an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model using a systemic grid search for the early prediction of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) among patients presenting to the triage of an emergency department. METHODS: This is a single-center, cross-sectional study using electronic health records from January 2017 to December 2020. The research population consists of adults coming to our emergency department triage at Aga Khan University Hospital. The MACE during hospitalization was the main outcome. To enhance the architecture of an ANN using triage data, we used a systematic grid search strategy. Four hidden ANN layers were used, followed by an output layer. Following each hidden layer was back normalization and a dropout layer. MACE was predicted using three binary classifiers: ANN, Random Forests (RF), and logistic regression (LR). The overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and recall of these models were examined. Each model was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and an F1-score with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: A total of 97,333 emergency department visits were recorded during the study period, with 33% of patients having cardiovascular symptoms. The mean age was 54.08 (19.18) years old. The MACE was observed in 23,052 (23.7%) of the patients, in-hospital (up to 30 days) mortality in 10,888 (11.2%) patients, and cardiac arrest in 5483 (5.6%) patients. The data used for training and validation were 77,866 and 19,467 in an 80:20 ratio, respectively. The AUC score for MACE with ANN was 0.97, which was greater than RF (0.96) and LR (0.96). Similarly, the precision-recall curve for MACE utilizing ANN was greater (0.94 vs. 0.93 for RF and 0.93 for LR). The sensitivity for MACE prediction using ANN, RF, and LR classifiers was 99.3%, 99.4%, and 99.2%, respectively, with the specificities being 94.5%, 94.2%, and 94.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: When triage data is used to predict MACE, death, and cardiac arrest, ANN with systemic grid search gives precise and valid outcomes and will benefit in predicting MACE in emergency rooms with limited resources that have to deal with a substantial number of patients.

Steroids and myocardial infarction: Investigating safety and short-term mortality in critical post-myocardial infarction patients.

BACKGROUND: Conventionally, in the pre-percutaneous intervention era, free wall rupture is reported to be a major concern for using steroids in myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of the use of steroids in critically ill post-MI patients in terms of hospital course and short-term (up to 180-day) mortality. METHODS: We included patients admitted to CCU diagnosed with MI, undergone revascularization, critically ill, and requiring mechanical ventilator (MV) support. The hospital course and short-term (up to 180-day) mortality were independently compared between steroid and non-steroid cohorts and propensity-matched non-steroid cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 312 patients were included, out of which steroids were used in 93 (29.8%) patients during their management. On periodic bedside echocardiography, no free wall rupture was documented in the steroid or non-steroid cohort. When compared steroids with a propensity-matched non-steroid cohort, MV duration >24 h was 66.7% vs. 59.1%; p = 0.288, major bleeding was 6.5% vs. 3.2%; p = 0.305, need for renal replacement therapy was 9.7% vs. 8.6%; p = 0.799, in-hospital mortality was 35.5% vs. 23.7%; p = 0.077, and 180-day mortality was 48.4% vs. 41.9%; p = 0.377, respectively. The hazard ratio was 1.22 [95% CI: 0.80 to 1.88] compared to the propensity-matched non-steroid cohort. The ejection fraction (%) was found to be the independent predictor of 180-day mortality with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.92 [95% CI: 0.86 to 0.98]. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, using steroids is safe in post-MI patients with no significant increase in short-term mortality risk.

Factors associated with poor outcomes after congenital heart surgery in low-resource setting in Pakistan: insight from the IQIC Registry - a descriptive analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the International Quality Improvement Collaborative single-site data from a developing country to identify trends in outcomes and factors associated with poor outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive study. SETTING: The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, Pakistan. PARTICIPANTS: Patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD). OUTCOME MEASURE: Key factors were examined, including preoperative, procedural and demographic data, as well as surgical complications and outcomes. We identified risk factors for mortality, bacterial sepsis and 30-day mortality using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 3367 CHD surgical cases were evaluated; of these, 59.4% (2001) were male and 82.8% (2787) were between the ages of 1 and 17 years. Only 0.2% (n=6) were infants (≤30 days) and 2.3% (n=77) were adults (≥18 years). The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.7% (n=224), and 4.4% (n=147) and 0.8% (n=27) had bacterial sepsis and surgical site infections, respectively. The 30-day status was known for 90.8% (n=3058) of the patients, of whom 91.6% (n=2800) were alive. On multivariable analysis, the adjusted OR for in-hospital mortality was 0.40 (0.29-0.56) for teenagers compared with infancy/childhood and 1.95 (1.45-2.61) for patients with oxygen saturation <85%. Compared with Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) risk category 1, the adjusted OR for in-hospital mortality was 1.78 (1.1-2.87) for RACHS-1 risk category 3 and 2.92 (1.03-8.31) for categories 4-6. The adjusted OR for 30-day mortality was 0.40 (0.30-0.55) for teenagers and 1.52 (1.16-1.98) for patients with oxygen saturation <85%. The 30-day mortality rate was significantly higher in RACHS-1 risk category 3 compared with category 1, with an adjusted OR of 1.64 (1.06-2.55). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a high prevalence of postoperative infections and mortality, especially for high-risk procedures, according to RACHS-1 risk category, in infancy/childhood, in children with genetic syndrome or those with low oxygen saturation (<85%).

Clinical manifestations and outcome of patients with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in Pakistan. A single-center experience.

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rapidly progressing central nervous system (CNS) infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba found in warm freshwater. The disease progression is very rapid, and the outcome is nearly always fatal. We aim to describe the disease course in patients admitted with PAM in a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan between the periods of 2010 to 2021. A total of 39 patients were included in the study, 33 males (84.6%). The median age of the patients was 34 years. The most frequent presenting complaint was fever, which was found in 37 patients (94.9%) followed by headache in 28 patients (71.8%), nausea and vomiting in 27 patients (69.2%), and seizures in 10 patients (25.6%). Overall, 39 patients underwent lumbar puncture, 27 patients (69.2%) had a positive motile trophozoites on CSF wet preparation microscopy, 18 patients (46.2%) had a positive culture, and 10 patients had a positive PCR. CSF analysis resembled bacterial meningitis with elevated white blood cell counts with predominantly neutrophils (median, 3000 [range, 1350-7500] cells/µL), low glucose levels median, 14 [range, 1-92] mg/dL), and elevated protein levels (median, 344 [range, 289-405] mg/dL). Imaging results were abnormal in approximately three-fourths of the patients which included cerebral edema (66.7%), hydrocephalus (25.6%), and cerebral infarctions (12.8%). Only one patient survived. PAM is a fatal illness with limited treatment success. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of treatment can improve the survival of the patients and reduce mortality.

Mechanical ventilation in acute myocardial infarction: Outcomes from a prospective audit at a cardiovascular hospital in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: This clinical audit aims to evaluate the clinical data regarding the management and outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients requiring mechanical ventilator (MV) support, along with identifying factors associated with prolonged MV support and 180-day mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we audited clinical data regarding management, in-hospital and short-term outcomes of adult patients with AMI required MV support. Patients with prolonged MV duration (>24h) and/or 180-day mortality were compared with their counterparts, and associated factors were identified. The binary logistic and Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the predictors of prolonged MV duration and 180-day mortality. RESULTS: In a sample of 312 patients, 72.8% were male, and the mean age was 60.3±11.5 years. The median MV duration was 24 [24-48] hours, with 48.7% prolonged MV duration. The admission albumin level was found to be the independent predictor of prolonged MV duration with an adjusted OR of 0.42 [0.22-0.82]. Overall 7.4% were re-intubated, 6.7% needed renal replacement therapy, 17.6% required intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) placement, and 16.7% required temporary pacemaker placement. The survival rate was 80.4% at the time of hospital discharge, 74.7% at 30-day, 71.2% at 90-day, and 68.6% at 180-day follow-up. Age, prolonged MV duration, and ejection fraction were found to be the independent predictors of cumulative 180-day mortality with adjusted HR of 1.04 [1.02-1.07], 1.02 [1.01-1.03], and 0.95 [0.92-0.98], respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged ventilator duration has significant prognostic implications; hence, tailored early recognition of high-risk patients needing more aggressive care can improve the outcomes.

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular clinics: Are we ready for telemedicine?

Objective: The need for telemedicine was felt more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted health care worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the difficulties faced by patients in visiting the cardiac outpatient department during COVID-19, along with assessing the awareness and acceptability of telemedicine. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, selected patients presenting to outpatient department of a tertiary care cardiac hospital were interviewed regarding the difficulties faced by patients in visiting the outpatient department during COVID-19 and their awareness and acceptability of telemedicine using a self-designed structured questionnaire. Results: Of the 403 patients, 58.3% were male, the mean age was 53.04 ± 11.73 years, and most (77.7%) were urban residents. Ischemic heart disease was present in 69.5%, followed by hypertension (38.7%) and heart failure (29.3%). A total of 26.6% required emergency room visits. Limited appointments (55.6%) was the most common problem faced by patients during COVID-19, followed by financial issues (17.1%), fear of acquiring infection (13.4%), and limited mobility due to lockdown (22.6%). Only 12.2% were aware of telemedicine, 4.5% had previously used it, and 41.2% were willing to opt for telemedicine in the future. No internet access (39.2%) was the key barrier to the usage of telemedicine, followed by a lack of free medicine (39%) and a lack of a smart device (31.5%). Conclusion: Limited appointments due to COVID-19 restrictions has made it difficult for patients to visit the clinics, which has led to increased emergency room visits. Telemedicine awareness was found to be limited; however, many patients were willing to adopt it provided their limitations could be overcome.

Age and gender-based categorization of very premature, premature, and non-premature acute myocardial infarction: A comparison of clinical and angiographic profile and in-hospital outcomes.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to assess and compare the distribution of demographic and clinical characteristics and composite adverse clinical outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) among "very premature", "premature", and "non-premature" patients with "ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (STE-ACS)" presented at a tertiary care center. METHODS: We included consecutive patients diagnosed with STE-ACS undergoing primary PCI. The "very premature" was defined as ≤40 years for males and ≤ 45 years for females, "premature" as <55 years for males and < 65 years for females, and "non-premature" as ≥55 years for males and ≥ 65 years for females. Clinical characteristics, angiographic patterns, and hospital course were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: In a sample of 4686 patients, 78.8%(3691) were male, and the average age was 55.6 ± 11 years. In total, 12%(561) were categorized as very premature, 38.3%(1797) as premature, and 49.7%(2328) as non-premature. The distribution of clinical characteristics in very premature, premature, and non-premature groups were as follows; hypertension in 44.6% vs. 53.5% vs. 54.9%; p < 0.001, diabetes in 30.3% vs. 36.8% vs. 35.5%; p = 0.018, smoking in 29.6% vs. 23.3% vs. 26.3%; p = 0.005, obesity in 19.4% vs. 18.4% vs. 15.3%; p = 0.008, single vessel diseases in 58.8% vs. 37.8% vs. 28.8%; p < 0.001, and composite adverse clinical outcomes in 14.1% vs. 16.7% vs. 21.8%; p < 0.001, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we have a substantial burden of premature STE-ACS. Very premature STE-ACS was found to be associated with a better prognosis, but a substantial burden of composite adverse clinical outcomes was also observed.

Increasing Incidence of ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome in Young South Asian Population, a Challenge for the World? An Assessment of Clinical and Angiographic Patterns and Hospital Course of Premature Acute Myocardial Infarction.

The incidence of premature ischemic heart disease (IHD) is increasing because of urbanization, a sedentary lifestyle, and various other unexplored factors, especially in South Asia. This study aimed to assess the distribution of premature ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (STE-ACS) with its clinical and angiographic pattern along with hospital course in a contemporary cohort of patients who underwent primary percutaneous intervention at a tertiary care center in the South Asian region. We included consecutive patients of either gender diagnosed with STE-ACS and who underwent primary percutaneous intervention. Patients were stratified based on age as ≤40 years (young) and >40 years (old). Clinical characteristics, angiographic patterns, and hospital course were compared between the 2 groups. Of the total of 4,686 patients, 466 (9.9%) were young (≤40 years). Young patients had a lower prevalence of hypertension (40.8% vs 54.5%, p <0.001), diabetes (26.6% vs 36.4%, p <0.001), metabolic syndrome (14.8% vs 24%, p <0.001), history of IHD (5.8% vs 9.3%, p = 0.013) and a higher frequency of smoking (33% vs 24.7%, p <0.001), positive family history (8.2% vs 3.2%, p <0.001), and single-vessel involvement (60.1% vs 33.2%, p <0.001). The composite adverse clinical outcome occurrence was significantly lower in young patients (14.2% vs 19.5%, p = 0.006). On multivariable analysis, history of IHD in young, whereas age, Killip class III/IV, intubated, arrhythmias on arrival, diabetes, history of IHD, pre-procedure left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, ejection fraction <40%, and slow flow/no-reflow during the procedure were found to be the independent predictors of adverse clinical outcome in old patients. In conclusion, we have a substantial burden of premature STE-ACS, mostly in male patients potentially driven by smoking and positive family history. Despite favorable pathophysiology, with mostly single-vessel hospital courses of STE-ACS in the young equally lethal in nature.

Techniques to Treat Slow-Flow/No-Reflow During Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare TIMI flow after administering intracoronary (IC) medications through various routes for the treatment of slow flow/no-reflow during primary PCI. METHODS: Two independent parallel cohorts of the patients who underwent primary PCI for STEMI and developed slow/no-reflow were recruited. Selection of cohort was based on the route of administration of IC medications as proximal or distal. Post administration TIMI follow was compared between the two cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients were included in both, proximal and distal, cohort. Distribution of angiographic, clinical and demographic characteristics was not significant between the two cohorts except prevalence of hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Frequency of hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were 45 % vs.70 %; p < 0.001 and 28 % vs. 44 %; p = 0.018 among patients in distal and proximal cohort respectively. Final TIMI III flow was achieved in significantly higher number of patients in distal cohort with the frequency of 88 % vs. 76 %; p = 0.027 as compared to proximal cohort. CONCLUSION: Administration of IC medication via distal route is observed to be more effective for the treatment of slow flow/no-reflow during primary PCI. Distal route via export catheter or perforated balloon technique should be preferred wherever feasible.

One-year major adverse cardiovascular events among same-day discharged patients after primary percutaneous coronary intervention at a tertiary care cardiac centre in Karachi, Pakistan: a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Knowledge regarding the short-term outcomes after same-day discharge (SDD) post primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is lacking. In this study, we evaluated 1-year major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among SDD patients after primary PCI. DESIGN: 1-year follow-up analysis of a subset of patients from an existing prospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary care cardiac hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients, from August 2019 to July 2020, with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction who had undergone primary PCI with SDD (within 24 hours) after the procedure by the treating physician and with at least one successful follow-up up to 1 year. OUTCOME MEASURE: Cumulative MACE during follow-up at the intervals of 1 week, 1 month, 6 months and 1 year. RESULTS: 489 patients were included, with a gender distribution of 83.2% (407) male patients and a mean age of 54.58±10.85 years. Overall MACE rate during the mean follow-up duration of 326.98±76.71 days was 10.8% (53), out of which 26.4% (14/53) events occurred within 6 months of discharge and the remaining 73.6% (39/53) occurred between 6 months and 1 year. MACE was significantly higher among patients with a Zwolle Risk Score (ZRS) ≥4 at baseline, with an incidence rate of 21.9% (16/73) vs 8.9% (37/416; p=0.001) in patients with ZRS≤3 (relative risk 2.88 (95% CI 1.5 to 5.5)). CONCLUSION: A significant burden of short-term MACE was identified among SDD patients after primary PCI; most of these events occurred after 6 months of SDD, mainly among patients with ZRS≥4. A systematic risk assessment based on risk stratification modalities such ZRS could be a viable option for SDD patients with primary PCI.

Assessing in-hospital mortality and predictors in Patients with contrast-induced nephropathy Following primary percutaneous coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: The contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a common complication of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) it has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of mortality. The study reported the in-hospital mortality among patients who developed CIN after primary PCI. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of consecutive who developed CIN after primary PCI at a tertiary care cardiac hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The CIN was defined as either a relative increase of 25% or an absolute increase of 0.5 mg/dL in post -procedure serum creatinine within 72 hours. The in-hospital mortality status was recorded and clinical and demographic predictors of in-hospital mortality were identified with the help of binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In the study sample of 402 patients, 74.1% (298) were male and the mean age of the study sample was 59.4±11.5 years. The in-hospital mortality rate was 9.7% (39). On multivar iable analysis, an increased risk of mortality was found to be independently associated with inferior wall myocardial infarction (IWMI) with right ventricular (RV) infarction, intra-procedure arrhythmias, and pump failure with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.63 [95% CI: 1.31-10.08; p=0.013], 5.53 [95% CI: 1.39-22.06; p=0.015], and 8.94 [95% CI: 3.99-20.02; p<0.001], respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, there is a high rate of mortality for patients who develop CIN after primary PCI, and the risk of mortality is further aggravated by the presence of IWMI with RV infarction, intra-procedure arrhythmias, and pump failure.