Renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in patients with coronary artery disease who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.

The percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedure has become one of the pivotal options in the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Although the PCI procedure has rapidly developed in China, some concerns including in-stent restenosis and dissatisfactory long-term prognosis remain unsolved. Large-scale randomized controlled clinical trials indicate that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) can reduce all-cause mortality and recurrent cardiac events in patients with CAD. ACEIs/ARBs are recommended as a fundamental treatment in the secondary prevention of CAD and reduce in-stent restenosis after PCI. This review focuses on the role of ACEIs/ARBs in improving long-term prognosis and reducing in-stent restenosis.

Protective effect of lipid microspheres 1 on myocardial injury following elective percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with angina pectoris: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Prostaglandin E1 incorporated into lipid microspheres (lipo-PGE1) is effective in the treatment of peripheral vascular disorders and diabetic neuropathy. It is unknown whether it has protective effects in patients with angina pectoris undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). OBJECTIVES: The goal of this pilot study was to investigate whether lipo-PGE1 has protective effects in patients with angina pectoris undergoing PCI. METHODS: A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted in 79 patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris. The control group received standard medical therapy, and the Lipo-PGE1 group (n = 40) received 20 µg/day of lipo-PGE1 intravenously, starting at least 48 h before PCI and continuing for 5 days. Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and creatine kinase myocardial isoenzyme (CK-MB) were measured before lipo-PGE1 infusion and at 6, 12 and 24 h after PCI. RESULTS: The cTnT and CK-MB concentrations were lower in the lipo-PGE1 group than in the control group at 6 h (0.15 ± 0.33 vs. 0.43 ± 0.77; 2.87 ± 3.99 vs. 5.64 ± 6.27, respectively; P < 0.05), 12 h (0.20 ± 0.48 vs. 0.54 ± 0.85; 3.58 ± 5.22 vs. 7.45 ± 9.48; P <  0.05) and 24 h (0.18 ± 0.50 vs. 0.50 ± 0.75; 3.15 ± 4.50 vs. 6.16 ± 6.83; P < 0.05). The incidence of postprocedural myocardial injury, defined as an elevation of cTnT more than 0.1 ng/ml or CK-MB more than 5.0 ng/ml, was less in the PGE1 group than in the control group (30 vs. 54%; 13 vs. 31%, respectively; P < 0.05). Lipo-PGE1 was well tolerated and there were no serious adverse events or side-effects. CONCLUSIONS: Lipo-PGE1 treatment appears to reduce myocardial injury following elective PCI in angina patients.