Gender gap in medical care in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction networks: Findings from the Catalan network Codi Infart. / Brecha de género en los cuidados médicos en las redes de atención al infarto agudo de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST: hallazgos de la red catalana Codi Infart.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of gender upon the prognosis and medical care in a regional acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction management network. DESIGN: An observational study was made of consecutive patients entered in a prospective database. SCOPE: The Catalan acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction management network. PATIENTS: Patients treated between January 2010 and December 2011. INTERVENTIONS: Primary angioplasty, thrombolysis or conservative management. VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Time intervals, proportion and type of reperfusion, overall mortality, and in-hospital complication and overall mortality at 30 days and one year were compared in relation to gender. RESULTS: Of the 5,831 patients attended by the myocardial infarction network, 4,380 had a diagnosis of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and 961 (21.9%) were women. Women were older (69.8±13.4 vs. 60.6±12.8 years; P<.001), had a higher prevalence of diabetes (27.1 vs. 18.1%, P<.001), Killip class>I (24.9 vs. 17.3%; P<.001) and no reperfusion (8.8 vs. 5.2%; P<.001) versus men. In addition, women had greater delays in medical care (first medical contact-to-balloon: 132 vs. 122min; P<.001, and symptoms onset-to-balloon: 236 vs. 210min; P<.001). Women presented higher percentages of overall in-hospital complications (20.6 vs. 17.4%; P=.031), in-hospital mortality (4.8 vs. 2.6%; P=.001), 30-day mortality (9.1 vs. 4.5%; P<.001) and one-year mortality (14.0 vs. 8.3%; P<.001) versus men. Nevertheless, after multivariate adjustment, no gender differences in 30-day and one-year mortality were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a higher risk profile and poorer medical management, women present similar 30-day and one-year outcomes as their male counterparts in the context of the myocardial infarction management network.

Circulating microparticle signature in coronary and peripheral blood of ST elevation myocardial infarction patients in relation to pain-to-PCI elapsed time.

BACKGROUND: Circulating microparticle (cMP) levels are increased in the acute phase of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and associate with microvascular obstruction; however, the precise cMP-parental cell signature and activation level are not elucidated. Here, we aimed to study the cMP signature in STEMI-patients and whether cMP phenotype changes in relation to onset of pain-to-PCI [ischemic time (IT)]-elapsed time. METHODS: Blood was taken at PCI from the culprit coronary and the peripheral circulation in STEMI-patients (N=40). Two control groups were included: peripheral blood of age-matched patients recovering from STEMI [after 72 h] and of control individuals (N=20/group). cMP-parental origin and activation level were characterized by triple-labeling flow cytometry. RESULTS: Procoagulant annexin V-positive cMPs bearing parental cell markers as well as markers of activated cells displayed a significantly different profile in STEMI-patients, in control individuals and in patients recovering from STEMI. cMPs derived from monocytes, endothelium, and activated vascular cells were higher in the culprit coronary artery than in peripheral blood in STEMI-patients, especially in patients intervened at short IT. Indeed, cMP levels in coronary blood were inversely related to IT duration (more abundant in thrombi with pain-to-PCI time<180 min). CONCLUSIONS: A characteristic [CD66b+/CD62E+/CD142+] cMP signature in the systemic circulation reflects the formation of coronary thrombotic occlusions in STEMI-patients. Changes in the cMP signature in the culprit coronary artery blood reveal the sensitivity of MPs to detect the ischemia-elapsed time. Interestingly, cMPs in peripheral blood may be sensitive markers of the thrombo-occlusive vascular process developing in the coronary arteries of STEMI-patients.

Growing thrombi release increased levels of CD235a(+) microparticles and decreased levels of activated platelet-derived microparticles. Validation in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients.

BACKGROUND: Local fluid dynamics and exposed atherosclerotic lesions regulate thrombus formation. Activated cells in the attached thrombi release microparticles to the circulation (circulating microparticles [cMPs]); however, their phenotype is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the specific phenotype of the cMPs released by growing thrombi. METHODS/PATIENTS: cMPs released by thrombi growing in different well-characterized thrombogenic conditions were investigated. cMP contents just before and immediately after perfusion of the thrombogenic surfaces were analyzed by triple-labeling flow cytometry. cMPs were tested for their thrombin-generating capacity. The cMPs identified in the ex vivo perfusion experiments were validated in blood of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing thrombectomy and percutaneous coronary intervention. Culprit coronary blood (STEMI-CCB) and peripheral artery blood (STEMI-PAB) were simultaneously analyzed and compared with peripheral artery blood from age-matched controls (C-PAB) and peripheral artery blood from patients who had recovered from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (pSTEMI-PAB). RESULTS: The levels of annexin V(+) cMPs significantly increased in blood collected after perfusion of the exposed thrombogenic surfaces. cMP release was directly related to the formed thrombus mass and the plasma procoagulant activity. Post-thrombus blood showed higher thrombin generation potential and contained higher levels of cMPs carrying glycophorin-A (CD235a(+) ; erythrocyte-derived microparticles [ErMPs]) than preperfusion blood (P < 0.05), whereas the levels of cMPs carrying activated and adhesion platelet markers were decreased. STEMI-CCB and STEMI-PAB had significantly higher ErMP levels than control blood (P < 0.005). ErMP levels were also significantly higher in STEMI-PAB than in pSTEMI-PAB, validating the experimental mechanistic studies and suggesting that ErMPs are markers of ongoing coronary thrombosis (C-statistics: 0.950; 95% confidence interval 0.889-1.000; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Glycophorin-A-rich microparticles are released from evolving growing thrombi into the distal perfusing blood, and can be measured in peripheral blood. CD235a(+) cMPs may constitute a novel systemic biomarker of ongoing thrombosis.

RAndomized Comparison of raDIal vs. femorAL Access for Routine Catheterization of Heart Transplant Patients (RADIAL-heart transplant study).

Although a transradial approach (TRA) is considered feasible in many clinical situations, no data are available in patients undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). Our goal was to randomly compare TRA versus a transfemoral approach (TFA) in this clinical setting. This single-center, prospective, randomized trial was conducted from January to November 2006, and all OHT patients scheduled for a control coronary angiography were randomized to receive TRA or TFA. The primary endpoint was the amount of contrast used during the procedure. The participating interventional cardiologists were intermediate-volume radial operators, and this was their initial experience of TRA in OHT patients. The analysis was performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Overall, 49 patients (mean age, 55 ± 13 years; 74% male) were included in the trial: 26 patients were assigned to TRA, and 23 were assigned to TFA. A higher amount of contrast (147 mL [range, 113-175 mL] vs 105 mL [range, 86-127 mL]; P = .009), a longer fluoroscopy time (9.2 minutes [range, 6-12 minutes] vs 3.5 minutes [range, 3-5 minutes]; P < .001), a trend toward increased number of catheters used for left ostium cannulation, and a higher crossover rate (19% vs 0%; P = .03) were associated with TRA compared with TFA. Furthermore, patients treated with TRA exhibit a shorter hospital stay (6 [range 4-8]) compared with the other group (26 [range 24-28]) (P < .001). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups regarding total procedural time, and no vascular complications were reported in either group. For these operators with their first experience of TRA in OHT patients, TFA seemed to be more efficient.