The prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio across all stages of coronary artery disease.

The natural history of coronary heart disease (CAD) commonly begins with atherosclerosis, progressing to chronic coronary syndrome (CCS), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and eventually, heart failure. Despite advancements in preventive and therapeutic strategies, there is room for further cardiovascular risk reduction. Recently, inflammation has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a novel inflammatory biomarker which predicts poor prognosis in several conditions such as metabolic syndrome, sepsis, malignancy and CAD. In atherosclerosis, a high NLR predicts plaque vulnerability and severe stenosis. This is consistent with observations in CCS, where an elevated NLR predicts long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). In ACS patients, high NLR levels are associated with larger infarct sizes and poor long-term outcomes. Possible reasons for this include failure of fibrinolysis, ischemia-reperfusion injury and in-stent restenosis, all of which are associated with raised NLR levels. Following myocardial infarction, an elevated NLR correlates with pathological cardiac remodeling which propagates chronic heart failure. Finally, in heart failure patients, an elevated NLR predicts long-term MACEs, mortality, and poor left ventricular assist device and transplant outcomes. Further studies must evaluate whether the addition of NLR to current risk-stratification models can better identify high-risk CAD patients.

Remote ischemic preconditioning reduces the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients undergoing coronary angiography/intervention: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is associated with increased mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We aimed to assess the latest evidence on the effect of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) on the incidence of CIN in patients undergoing CAG/PCI. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search on topics assessing RIPC and CIN in CAG/PCI patients from inception up until July 2019 through several electronic databases. RESULTS: There were a total of 1,925 subjects from 14 randomized controlled trials. Remote ischemic preconditioning was associated with reduced CIN incidence in patients undergoing CAG/PCI (OR 0.41 [0.30, 0.55], p < .001; I2 : 22%). The nephroprotective effect was also demonstrated in those at moderate-high risk for CIN subgroup (OR 0.41 [0.29, 0.58], p < .001; I2 : 26%) and PCI-only subgroup (OR 0.41 [0.29, 0.58], p < .001; I2 : 0%). Time from RIPC to CAG/PCI has similar effectiveness among ≤45, ≤60, and ≤120 min. Mortality, rehospitalization, hemodialysis, and major adverse events were lower in the RIPC group (OR 0.50 [0.33, 0.76], p = .001; I2 : 0%). Grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) assessment showed that RIPC has high evidence certainty for reducing CIN in patients undergoing PCI/CAG, moderate-high risk subgroup, and PCI-only subgroup with absolute reduction of 97 per 1,000, 129 per 1,000, and 121 per 1,000, respectively. Harbord test showed no evidence for the presence of small-study effects (p = .157). CONCLUSIONS: Remote ischemic preconditioning is an effective procedure to reduce the risk of CIN and should be considered in patients with moderate-high risk at developing CIN.

Blood Leukocyte Count on Admission Predicts Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Acute Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

We aim to test the hypothesis that blood leukocyte count adds prognostic information in patients with acute non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (non-STEMI). A total of 585 patients with acute non-STEMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction risk score ≥ 3) were enrolled in this cohort retrospective study. Blood leukocyte count was measured immediately after admission in the emergency department. The composite of death, reinfarction, urgent revascularization, and stroke during hospitalization were defined as the primary end point of the study. The mean age of the patients was 61 ± 9.6 years and most of them were male (79%). Using multivariate Cox regression analysis involving seven variables (history of smoking, hypertension, heart rate > 100 beats/minute, serum creatinine level > 1.5 mg/dL, blood leukocyte count > 11,000/µL, use of ß-blocker, and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor), leukocyte count > 11,000/µL demonstrated to be a strong predictor of the primary end point (hazard ratio = 3.028; 95% confidence interval = 1.69-5.40, p < 0.001). The high blood leukocyte count on admission is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in patients with acute non-STEMI.

Myocardial Perfusion SPECT Utility in Predicting Cardiovascular Events Among Indonesian Diabetic Patients.

BACKGROUND: Indonesia has the fourth largest number of diabetes patients after India, China and the USA. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of death in diabetic patients. Early detection and risk stratification is important for optimal management. Abnormal myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is an early manifestation in the ischemic cascade. Previous studies have demonstrated the use of MPI to accurately diagnose obstructive CAD and predict adverse cardiac events. This study evaluated whether MPI predicts adverse cardiac event in an Indonesian diabetic population. METHOD: The study was undertaken in a consecutive cohort of patients with suspected or known CAD fulfilling entry criteria. All had adenosine stress MPI. The end point was a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) defined as cardiac death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI). RESULTS: Inclusion and exclusion criteria were satisfied by 300 patients with a mean follow-up of 26.7 ± 8.8 months. The incidence of MACEs was 18.3% among diabetic patients, versus 9% in the non-diabetic population (p < 0.001). A multivariable Cox proportional hazard model demonstratedin dependent predictors for a MACE as abnormal MPI [HR: 9.30 (3.01 - 28.72), p < 0.001], post stress left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤30% [HR:2.72 (1.21 - 6.15), p = 0.016] and the patients diabetic status [HR:2.28 (1.04 - 5.01), p = 0.04]. The Kaplan Meier event free survival curve constructed for the different subgroups based on the patients' diabetic status and MPI findings demonstrated that diabetic patients with an abnormal MPI had the worst event free survival (log rank p value < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In an Indonesian population with suspected or known CAD abnormal adenosine stress MPI is an independent and potent predictor for adverse cardiovascular events and provides incremental prognostic value in cardiovascular risk stratification of patients with diabetes.