Implementing a pathway for the management of acute coronary syndrome leads to improved compliance with guidelines and a decrease in angina symptoms.

We describe our experience with the Advanced Cardiac Admission Program (ACAP) at our institution. The ACAP program is a hospital-wide implementation of critical pathways-based management of all cardiac patients. Data review of patients admitted for acute coronary syndromes from the ACAP-PAIN database and a comparative study of outcomes before and after implementation of the pathways-based assessment and treatment protocols. In the pre-ACAP and post-ACAP patient groups, antiplatelet use at admission improved from 50% to 75% (p<.01), ACE-I use improved from 32% to 54% (p<.0001), statins use increased from 35% to 62% (p<.0001), and smoking cessation awareness increased from 15% to 86% (p<.0001). At 1-year follow-up, 84% of patients with CAD were treated with statins, and 47% had LDL cholesterol <100 mg/dL, compared with 20% and 9%, respectively, with conventional treatment before ACAP implementation (p<.0001). Recurrent angina symptoms and nonfatal myocardial infarction rates decreased from 28.5% to 13% (p = .02), and 15% to 5% (p = 0.03), respectively. Pathway-based programs like ACAP significantly enhance administration of guidelines-based cardioprotective medications both during hospital stay and at 1-year follow-up.

Malnutrition as assessed by nutritional risk index is associated with worse outcome in patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure: an ACAP-HF data analysis.

Malnutrition is common at hospital admission and tends to worsen during hospitalization. This controlled population study aimed to determine if serum albumin or moderate and severe nutritional depletion by Nutritional Risk Index (NRI) at hospital admission are associated with increased length of hospital stay (LOS) in patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Serum albumin levels and lymphocyte counts were retrospectively determined at hospital admission in 1740 consecutive patients admitted with primary and secondary diagnosis of ADHF. The Nutrition Risk Score (NRI) developed originally in AIDS and cancer populations was derived from the serum albumin concentration and the ratio of actual to usual weight, as follows: NRI = (1.519 × serum albumin, g/dL) + {41.7 × present weight (kg)/ideal body weight(kg)}. Patients were classified into four groups as no, mild, moderate or severe risk by NRI. Multiple logistic regressions were used to determine the association between nutritional risk category and LOS.Three hundred and eighty-one patients (34%) were at moderate or severe nutritional risk by NRI score. This cohort had lower BMI (24 ± 5.6 kg/m(2)), albumin (2.8±0.5 g/dL), mean NRI (73.5±9) and lower eGFR (50±33 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)). NRI for this cohort, adjusted for age, was associated with LOS of 10.1 days. Using the Multiple Logistic regression module, NRI was the strongest predictor for LOS (OR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.58-1.9; P=0.005), followed by TIMI Risk Score [TRS] (OR 1.33, 95% CI: 1.03-1.71; P=0.02) and the presence of coronary artery disease (OR 2.29, 95%CI: 1.03-5.1; P=0.04). Moderate and severe NRI score was associated with higher readmission and death rates as compared to the other two groups.Nutritional depletion as assessed by Nutritional Risk Index is associated with worse outcome in patients admitted with ADHF. Therefore; we recommend adding NRI to further risk stratify these patients.

Increased vascular access complications in patients with renal dysfunction undergoing percutaneous coronary procedures using arteriotomy closure devices.

BACKGROUND: Arteriotomy closure device (ACD) use has increased following percutaneous transfemoral coronary procedures (PTCP). However, their safety in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not known. Therefore, we evaluated the complication rates of ACD among patients with CKD. METHODS: Six-hundred ten consecutive patients who underwent PTCP and ACD were retrospectively studied. Patients were grouped according to their creatinine clearance (CrCl in ml/min/1.73 m2) calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault formula using the National Kidney Foundation classification system; Stage I (CrCl > or = 90); Stage II (60-89); Stage III (30-59); Stage IV (15-29); and Stage V (< or = 15). The primary endpoint was the combined incidence of pseudoaneurysm, retroperitoneal hematoma, femoral artery thrombosis, surgical vascular repair, and groin infection. RESULTS: Among 610 patients 283 (46%) underwent PCI. The primary endpoint was seen in 66 (10.8%) patients. Univariate predictors of primary outcome were lower CrCl (p < 0.001), and presence of peripheral vascular disease (p = 0.03). There was an inverse relationship between CrCl and complication rate. CKD was the strongest independent multivariate predictor for the primary endpoint (OR 1.032; 95% CI 1.019-1.046; p < 0.0001), driven by higher infection (p < 0.0001), thrombosis (p = 0.003) and hematoma (p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Renal function appears to be significantly associated with vascular access-site complications. Worsening renal function is associated with higher vascular access site complications, largely driven by an increased infection rate.