Prognostic Capability of Clinical SYNTAX Score in Patients with Complex Coronary Artery Disease and Chronic Renal Insufficiency Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: The SYNTAX score (SS) is useful for predicting clinical outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The clinical SYNTAX score (CSS), developed by combining clinical parameters with the SS, enhances the risk model's ability to predict clinical outcomes. However, prior research has not yet evaluated the prognostic capacity of CSS in patients with complex coronary artery disease (CAD) and chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) who are undergoing PCI. We aimed to demonstrate the prognostic potential of CSS in assessing long-term adverse events in this high-risk patient cohort. Methods: A total of 962 patients with left main and/or three-vessel CAD and CRI were enrolled in the study spanning from January 2014 to September 2017. The CSS was calculated by multiplying the SS by the modified age, creatinine, and left ventricular ejection fraction (ACEF) score (age/ejection fraction + 1 for each 10 mL of creatinine clearance < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 ). The patients were categorized into three groups based on their CSS values: low-CSS group (CSS < 18.0, n = 321), mid-CSS group (18.0 ≤ CSS < 28.3, n = 317), and high-CSS group (CSS ≥ 28.3, n = 324) as per the tertiles of CSS. The primary endpoints were all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiac mortality (CM). The secondary endpoints included myocardial infarction (MI), unplanned revascularization, stroke, and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Results: At the median 3-year follow-up, the high-CSS group exhibited higher rates of ACM (19.4% vs. 6.6% vs. 3.6%, p < 0.001), CM (15.6% vs. 5.1% vs. 3.2%, p = 0.003), and MACCE (33.8% vs. 29.0% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.005) in comparison to the low and mid-CSS groups. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that CSS was an independent predictor for all primary and secondary endpoints (p < 0 .05). Moreover, the C-statistics of CSS for ACM (0.666 vs. 0.597, p = 0.021) and CM (0.668 vs. 0.592, p = 0.039) were significantly higher than those of SS. Conclusions: The clinical SYNTAX score substantially enhanced the prediction of median 3-year ACM and CM in comparison with SS in complex CAD and CRI patients following PCI.

Comparison of the prognostic value of SYNTAX score and clinical SYNTAX score on outcomes of Chinese patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have validated the capability of SYNTAX score (SS) and clinical SYNTAX score (CSS) in the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients who have undergone PCI; however, studies on comparison of these two scoring systems in Chinese population have been sparse. METHODS: To study the ability of SS and CSS in prediction of clinical outcomes of Chinese patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We retrospectively calculated SS and CSS for 547 Chinese patients from a single center who underwent PCI. Patients were stratified into tertiles according to their SS and CSS. We compared the 2-year clinical outcomes in these patients stratified separately by SS and CSS tertiles. RESULTS: The incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebro-vascular events (MACCE) was the highest in patients with SSHIGH (13.5%), comparing to 6.8% in SSMED and 0% in SSLOW (p < 0.0001). The Cox multivariable analysis showed that the SS and CSS were both strong independent predictors for MACCE [1.100 (1.069-1.133), 1.017 (1.010-1.025), both p < 0.0001]. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed the areas-under-the-curves for all-cause death by CSS was slightly larger comparing to SS but not significantly (AUC SS, 0.64; AUC CSS, 0.71; p = 0.23). CONCLUSION: We concluded that both the SS and CSS were capable of risk stratification of clinical outcomes in all-comers population as well as in low and moderate risk Chinese patients undergoing PCI with CSS showing slightly better advantage.

Utility of logistic clinical SYNTAX score in prediction of in-hospital mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing emergent coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

AIM: The logistic clinical SYNTAX score (log CSS) is a combined risk scoring system including clinical and anatomic parameters; it has been found to be effective for the prediction of mortality in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the primary treatment of acute myocardial infarction is still debated. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the utility of log CSS to stratify the risk of in-hospital mortality in acute STEMI patients undergoing emergent CABG for primary revascularization. METHOD: In total, 88 consecutive patients with acute STEMI, who did not qualify for primary percutaneous coronary intervention and required emergent CABG were included in our study. Nine of 88 patients died during hospitalization. The study population was divided into two groups as in-hospital survivors and non-survivors. Log CSS and SYNTAX score (SS) were calculated for both groups and two groups were compared in terms of demographics, preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative characteristics, SS and log CSS. RESULTS: Log CSS was found to be an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality, log CSS > 10.5 had 89% sensitivity, 81% specificity (area under the curve: 0.927; 95% confidence interval: 0.855-0.993). Moreover, peak troponin level was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality. Glucose level, cardiopulmonary resuscitation before operation, glomerular filtration rate, left ventricular ejection fraction, and Killip class were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Log CSS may improve the accuracy of risk assessment in patients who are undergoing emergent CABG for primary revascularization of STEMI.

ACEF and clinical SYNTAX score in the risk stratification of patients with heavily calcified coronary stenosis undergoing rotational atherectomy with stent implantation.

AIM: To assess ACEF (age, creatinine, and ejection fraction) and Clinical SYNTAX (CSS) score in the risk stratification of patients with heavily calcified stenosis undergoing rotational atherectomy with stent implantation (rota-stenting). METHODS AND RESULTS: ACEF and CSS were calculated in 221 consecutive patients with stable angina undergoing rota-stenting. Mean age of the patients was 74 ± 10 years, left ventricular ejection fraction was 61 ± 18%, and final burr size 1.78 ± 0.24 mm, with 2.6 ± 0.9 burrs used for each patient. Primary end-point was MACE at one-year defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization. Post-hoc analysis was performed by stratifying the clinical outcome according to ACEF and CSS tertiles. At 1 year there was a significantly higher MACE rate in the high tertile of ACEF (24% for ACEFHigh vs. 13% for ACEFMid vs. 9% for ACEFLow; P = 0.017) and CSS (25% for CSSHigh vs. 12% for CSSMid vs. 8% for CSSLow; P = 0.008). The predictive accuracy for both ACEF and CSS was moderate (c-statistics, 0.629 and 0.638, respectively). CONCLUSION: Both ACEF and CSS predict with moderate accuracy MACE at 1-year in patients with heavily calcified coronary stenosis undergoing rotational atherectomy with stent implantation.

Usefulness of the logistic clinical SYNTAX score for predicting 1-year mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention of the left main coronary artery.

OBJECTIVES: To externally validate the logistic clinical SYNTAX in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the left main coronary artery (LMCA). BACKGROUND: A novel version of the clinical SYNTAX score (CSS) has been recently introduced to overcome the limitations of categorical risk scores for PCI by the incorporation of clinical variables and the SYNTAX score (SXscore) into a logistic formula for predicting 1-year mortality. METHODS: Core and extended models of the logistic CSS (logCSS(core) and logCSS(ext)) were applied to 400 patients undergoing LMCA PCI, and their performance was compared with those of the standard CSS, SXscore, and age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) score by different measures of discrimination and calibration. RESULTS: A significant gradient in the distribution of 1-year mortality was noted with all the models (P < 0.001), with the SYNTAX and ACEF scores showing the lowest (0.64) and the highest (0.75) c-statistic, respectively. Based on Somers' D(xy) rank correlation, discrimination of both the logCSS(core) and the logCSS(ext) was numerically lower than that of the ACEF score. The logCSS(core) was miscalibrated toward underpredicting all-cause mortality in low-predicted probabilities, while the logCSS(ext) tended to underpredict in low-predicted probabilities and overpredict in high-predicted probabilities. Slope and intercept values reflected a better calibration ability of the logCSS(core) compared with the logCSS(ext). The global accuracy of the logCSS(core) was superior to that of the logCSS(ext) (Brier score 0.087 vs. 0.095). CONCLUSIONS: A personalized approach to risk stratification of LMCA PCI with the logistic CSS is feasible and of potential clinical utility. However, in this study, the logistic CSS did not achieve superior discrimination compared with other categorical models, and suffered from mild to moderate miscalibration.

A multidirectional approach to risk assessment in patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous intervention.

BACKGROUND: The SYNTAX score (SS) and Clinical SYNTAX score (CSS) have demonstrated utility as risk-stratifying tools following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, useful determinants for predicting hard clinical events (HCE: death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and stroke) in the setting of routinely-performed-angiographic follow-up have yet to be elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively examined the clinical outcomes of 252 three-vessel disease (TVD) patients following PCI. The incidence of HCE at 3 years significantly differed according to CSS (High, 20.2%; Intermediate, 1.2%; and Low, 6.0%; log-rank p<0.001), but not according to SS (High, 14.0%; Intermediate, 5.8%; and Low, 7.3%; log-rank p=0.13). The incidence of repetitive revascularization at 3 years did not differ significantly both among SS (High, 45.2%; Intermediate, 36.5%; and Low, 38.2%; log-rank p=0.22) and CSS (High, 36.9%; Intermediate, 41.7%; and Low, 41.7%; log-rank p=0.88,). CONCLUSION: Prediction of HCE in patients with TVD following PCI was more accurate with CSS than with SS.

Clinical SYNTAX Score - a good predictor for renal artery stenosis in acute myocardial infarction patients: analysis from the REN-ACS trial.

INTRODUCTION: In ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, multisite artery disease represents a serious issue influencing evolution, outcomes and prognosis. We evaluated for the first time the power of the Myocardial Infarction SYNTAX Score (MI SS) and Clinical SYNTAX Score (MI CSS) as predictors for renal artery stenosis (RAS) in STEMI. We also stratified the study population according to the two scores, and identified the variables correlated with the higher score. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used data from the REN-ACS study, which included 181 consecutive patients prospectively investigated for presence of RAS (through renal angiography), arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, cf-PWV) and hydration status (bioimpedance). MI SS and CSS were computed. RESULTS: Multivariate regressions indicated that the independent variables correlated with MI SS were left ventricular ejection fraction < 40%, significant RAS (> 50%, defined as RAS+), history of heart failure, and multivascular coronary disease (CAD, p < 0.03 for each), while those correlated with MI CSS were RAS+, cf-PWV, history of CAD, multivascular CAD, cholesterol, and total body water (p < 0.02 for each). In order to evaluate the ability to predict RAS+ we generated receiver operating characteristics and areas under curves, and the Youden index for MI SS and CSS. CONCLUSIONS: Both scores correlated with extensive atherosclerotic disease and presence of RAS+. A lower CSS proved to be a good predictor for exclusion of RAS+, with high specificity (85%) and negative predictive value (92%), and fair sensitivity (60%). We aim to further pursue this line of research and design a better predictor for RAS, with the inclusion of a novel biomarker in order to increase sensitivity.

Comparison of prognostic risk scores after successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the predictive ability of clinical risk scores (ACEF, EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II) to angiographic (SYNTAX score) and combined risk scores (Global Risk Score and Clinical SXscore) towards cardiovascular death and/or major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) managed with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). METHODS: A total of 685 patients successfully treated with pPCI were evaluated and the risk scores were calculated. The primary endpoint was the 2-year incidence of fatal cardiac events. Secondary end points were target lesion failure (TLF), repeat revascularization (RR) and MACE. RESULTS: Patients distributed in the highest tertile of EuroSCORE II presented increased rates of CV death (CVD), all-cause mortality and MACE (p<0.001 for all). EuroSCORE II was associated with increased C-statistics (0.873, 95% CIs: 0.784-0.962 and 0.825, 95% CIs: 0.752-0.898 respectively) for predicting CVD and MACE over competing risk scores (p<0.05). EuroSCORE II conferred incremental discrimination (Harrell's C, p<0.05 for all, apart from CSS for predicting CVD) and reclassification value (Net Reclassification Index, p<0.05 for all, apart from CSS for reclassifying MACE) over alternative risk scores for study's main endpoints. EuroSCORE II independently predicted CVD (HR=1.06, 95% CIs: 1.03-1.09, p<0.001) and MACE (HR=1.07, 95% CIs: 1.04-1.10, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: EuroSCORE II has the best predictive ability of CVD and/or MACE after successful pPCI for the treatment of STEMI.

Global Risk Score and Clinical SYNTAX Score as Predictors of Clinical Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Unprotected Left Main Percutaneous Catheter Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification is an important component of left main percutaneous catheter intervention (PCI) which has emerged as a feasible alternative to cardiac surgery. We sought to compare the clinical SYNTAX score and the global risk score in predicting outcomes of patients undergoing unprotected left main PCI in our institution. METHODS: Clinical, angiographic and procedural characteristics of 92 patients who underwent unprotected left main PCI (mean age 62 ± 12.1 years) were analyzed. Patients were risk stratified into tertiles of high, intermediate and low risk using the global risk score (GRS) and the clinical SYNTAX score (CSS) and were prospectively followed up at 1 year for the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), defined as a composite of all cause mortality, cardiac mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary artery bypass, and target vessel revascularization. RESULTS: There were 26 (28.2%) who experienced MACEs, of which 10 (10.8%) patients died. Multivariable hazards analysis showed that the GRS (hazard ratio (HR) = 5.5, P = 0.001) and CSS (HR = 4.3, P = 0.001) were both independent predictors of MACEs. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed higher incidence of MACEs with the intermediate and higher risk categories compared to those classified as low risk. Receiver-operator characteristic analysis showed that the GRS has better discriminatory ability than the CSS in the prediction of 1 year MACEs (0.891 vs. 0.743, P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The GRS and CSS are predictive of outcomes after left main PCI. The GRS appears to have superior predictive and prognostic utility compared to the CSS. This study emphasizes the importance of combining both anatomic and clinical variables for optimum prognostication and management decisions in left main PCI.

Validation of the Ability of SYNTAX and Clinical SYNTAX Scores to Predict Adverse Cardiovascular Events After Stent Implantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To compare the predicative ability of SYNTAX (Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) and clinical SYNTAX scores for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) after stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Studies were identified by electronic and manual searches. Twenty-six studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled C-statistics of SYNTAX score for 1- and 5-year all-cause mortality (ACM) were 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61-0.68) and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.59-0.65), respectively, with weak heterogeneity. The 1- and 5-year ACM pooled C-statistics for clinical SYNTAX scores were significantly higher at 0.77 and 0.71, respectively (Ps < .05). Both scoring systems predicted 1- and 5-year MACE equally well. The pooled risk ratio of the SYNTAX score for predicting 1-year ACM per unit was 1.04 (95% CI: 1.03-1.05). Calibration analysis indicated SYNTAX scores overestimated the risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events in each risk stratum. The SYNTAX score demonstrated minimal discrimination in predicting 1- or 5-year adverse cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with CAD. The clinical SYNTAX score could further improve the predictive capability for ACM but not MACE.

Clinical SYNTAX Score Can Predict Acute Kidney Injury following On-Pump but Not Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

BACKGROUND: The complexity of coronary artery disease is usually a neglected factor in risk stratification systems. We aimed to analyze the discriminative ability of the clinical SYNTAX score (CSS) for acute kidney injury (AKI) following on- and off-pump coronary artery surgery. METHODS: A total of 193 patients were reviewed in this study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure (group I: off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, n = 89; group II: on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting, n = 104). Preoperative demographic data, the CSS and postoperative renal functions were evaluated. The postoperative AKI classification was made using the RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of function, and End-stage renal disease) criteria. RESULTS: Postoperative AKI occurred in 14 of 89 patients (15.7%) in group I and in 29 of 104 patients in group II (27.8%; p = 0.046). The CSS did not vary much between the groups (31.52 ± 13.08 vs. 29.89 ± 15.70; p = 0.638). In group I, the CSS was not different between patients with AKI and those without AKI (30.167 ± 3.93 vs. 31.91± 14.75; p = 0.78). In group II, the CSS was 36.85 ± 18.33 in patients with AKI and 28.02 ± 12.32 in those without, and the difference was significant (p = 0.02). The discriminative ability of the CSS for postoperative AKI using the AUC analysis was 0.500 in group I and 0.840 in group II. CONCLUSION: The CSS may be a simple and successful means of risk prediction of postoperative AKI in on-pump coronary artery surgery.

Usefulness of the Logistic Clinical Syntax Score in Prediction of Saphenous Vein Graft Failure in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

We investigated the association between the preoperative logistic clinical syntax score (log CSS), saphenous vein graft (SVG) patency, and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Of 1875 patients undergoing isolated CABG between 2009 and 2011, 267 patients, who later underwent coronary angiography, were included in the study. The primary end point was at least 1 graft occlusion on the follow-up coronary angiogram. The secondary end point was a composite of MACCE. In multivariate analysis, log CSS was found as a strong predictor of SVG failure (odds ratio [OR] 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.46-0.94, P = .02; and OR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.02-4.75, P = .04, respectively): log CSS was also associated with MACCE (P = .001 and P < .001, respectively). The addition of clinical parameters to the anatomical SYNTAX score, termed as "log CSS", augmented the accuracy and reliability of the prediction of SVG failure and MACCE in patients undergoing CABG.

Predicting 3-year mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention: updated logistic clinical SYNTAX score based on patient-level data from 7 contemporary stent trials.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to update the Logistic Clinical SYNTAX score to predict 3-year survival after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and compare the performance with the SYNTAX score alone. BACKGROUND: The SYNTAX score is a well-established angiographic tool to predict long-term outcomes after PCI. The Logistic Clinical SYNTAX score, developed by combining clinical variables with the anatomic SYNTAX score, has been shown to perform better than the SYNTAX score alone in predicting 1-year outcomes after PCI. However, the ability of this score to predict long-term survival is unknown. METHODS: Patient-level data (N = 6,304, 399 deaths within 3 years) from 7 contemporary PCI trials were analyzed. We revised the overall risk and the predictor effects in the core model (SYNTAX score, age, creatinine clearance, and left ventricular ejection fraction) using Cox regression analysis to predict mortality at 3 years. We also updated the extended model by combining the core model with additional independent predictors of 3-year mortality (i.e., diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, and body mass index). RESULTS: The revised Logistic Clinical SYNTAX models showed better discriminative ability than the anatomic SYNTAX score for the prediction of 3-year mortality after PCI (c-index: SYNTAX score, 0.61; core model, 0.71; and extended model, 0.73 in a cross-validation procedure). The extended model in particular performed better in differentiating low- and intermediate-risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: Risk scores combining clinical characteristics with the anatomic SYNTAX score substantially better predict 3-year mortality than the SYNTAX score alone and should be used for long-term risk stratification of patients undergoing PCI.

Prediction of coronary risk by SYNTAX and derived scores: synergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with taxus and cardiac surgery.

The introduction of the SYNTAX (Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) score has prompted a renewed interest for angiographic risk stratification in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Syntax score is based on qualitative and quantitative characterization of coronary artery disease by including 11 angiographic variables that take into consideration lesion location and characteristics. Thus far, this score has been shown to be an effective tool to risk-stratify patients with complex coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in the landmark SYNTAX trial, as well as in other clinical settings. This review provides an overview of its current applications, including its integration with other nonangiographic clinical scores, and explores future applications of the SYNTAX and derived scores.