The effect of de-escalation of P2Y12 receptor inhibitor therapy after acute myocardial infarction in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: A nationwide cohort study.

To examine the effect of de-escalation of P2Y12 inhibitor in dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and bleeding complications after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Taiwanese patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients who had received PCI during hospitalization for AMI (between 2013 and 2016) and were initially treated with aspirin and ticagrelor and without adverse events after 3 months of treatment were retrospectively evaluated. In total, 1,901 and 8,199 patients were identified as "de-escalated DAPT" (switched to aspirin and clopidogrel) and "unchanged DAPT" (continued on aspirin and ticagrelor) cohorts, respectively. With a mean follow-up of 8 months, the incidence rates (per 100 person-year) of death, AMI readmission and MACE were 2.89, 3.68, and 4.91 in the de-escalated cohort and 2.42, 3.28, and 4.72 in the unchanged cohort, respectively, based on an inverse probability of treatment weighted approach that adjusting for baseline characteristics of the patients. Multivariate Cox regression analyses showed the two groups had no significant differences in the hazard risk of death, AMI admission, and MACE. Additionally, there was no observed difference in the risk of bleeding, including major or clinically relevant non-major bleeding. The real-world data revealed that de-escalation of P2Y12 inhibitor in DAPT was not associated with a higher risk of death or AMI readmission in Taiwanese patients with AMI undergoing successful PCI.

Superior vena cava syndrome complicated with acute pulmonary thromboembolism in a patient with lung cancer.

Thrombosis involving the subclavian vein and superior vena cava is relatively common, especially in cancer patients. Edema of the arms and head is a well-known clinical consequence of this thrombosis. The intrinsic risk of pulmonary embolism has not been reported previously. Herein, we describe the case of a 63-year-old male patient with extensive stage small cell lung cancer who developed superior vena cava syndrome. Pulmonary thromboembolism was complicated after receiving systemic chemotherapy and localized radiotherapy. .

Frequency of Vascular Inflammation and Impact on Neointimal Proliferation of Drug Eluting Stents in Porcine Coronary Arteries.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe the frequency of vascular inflammatory reactions with second generation drug eluting stents (DES) compared to first generation DES, and analyze the impact on inflammation and neointimal proliferation in a porcine coronary model. METHODS: A total of 26 stents (7 multi-link VISION, 6 CYPHER, 6 TAXUS and 7 XIENCE V) were deployed in the coronary arteries of 10 domestic swine for 28 days, after which each stent was harvested and processed (divided into 8 or 9 segments) for histomorphometric analysis. RESULTS: A total of 202 histological segments [146 DES and 56 bare metal stents (BMS)] were included in this study. The mean neointimal thickness was significantly reduced in the DES group compared to the BMS group. The DES group had higher injury scores (DES = 0.99 ± 0.79 versus BMS = 0.67 ± 0.44, p < 0.004), inflammatory scores (DES = 2.09 ± 1.54 versus BMS = 0.64 ± 0.98, p < 0.001) and presence of para-strut granulomas (DES = 35% versus BMS = 2%, p < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, the presence of para-strut granulomas correlated with an area of stenosis > 50% (RR: 6.11, 95% CI: 2.97 to 12.59, p = 0.001). In the DES group, the second generation stents had a lower neointimal area (XIENCE V: 1.64 ± 0.90 mm2) compared to the first generation stents (TAXUS: 2.36 ± 1.56 mm2, p = 0.005; CYPHER 2.78 ± 1.82 mm2, p = 0.001). The XIENCE V stents had lower inflammatory scores and lower frequency of para-strut granulomas compared to the first generation stents. CONCLUSIONS: Second generation DES had a lower incidence of vascular inflammatory reactions compared to first generation DES. This biological phenomenon appears to influence the patterns of neointimal formation.

Silent and Malignant Early Repolarization Syndrome Mimicking Hyper-Acute ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

A 55-year-old male with underlying type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension presented at our emergency department with ventricular fibrillation-related cardiac arrest. Hyper-acute ST elevation myocardial infarction was the preliminary diagnosis by 12-lead electrocardiography, which simultaneously showed J point ST elevation and tall T waves. However, the echocardiography showed concentric left ventricle hypertrophy and preserved left ventricular systolic function with no regional wall motion abnormalities, and coronary angiography did not show any critical coronary artery lesion. Malignant early repolarization syndrome was diagnosed, and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator was implanted. Early repolarization syndrome is associated with J point elevation, and more involved leads and an increased J point elevation amplitude can increase the risk of arrhythmogenicity. In summary, we report a case with asymptomatic type 3 early repolarization syndrome-induced idiopathic ventricular fibrillation mimicking hyper-acute ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Association of clinical symptomatic hypoglycemia with cardiovascular events and total mortality in type 2 diabetes: a nationwide population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: Hypoglycemia is associated with serious health outcomes for patients treated for diabetes. However, the outcome of outpatients with type 2 diabetes who have experienced hypoglycemia episodes is largely unknown. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study population, derived from the National Health Insurance Research Database released by the Taiwan National Health Research Institutes during 1998-2009, comprised 77,611 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. We designed a prospective study consisting of randomly selected hypoglycemic type 2 diabetic patients and matched type 2 diabetic patients without hypoglycemia. We investigated the relationships of hypoglycemia with total mortality and cardiovascular events, including stroke, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, and all-cause hospitalization. RESULTS: There were 1,844 hypoglycemic events (500 inpatients and 1,344 outpatients) among the 77,611 patients. Both mild (outpatient) and severe (inpatient) hypoglycemia cases had a higher percentage of comorbidities, including hypertension, renal diseases, cancer, stroke, and heart disease. In multivariate Cox regression models, including diabetes treatment adjustment, diabetic patients with hypoglycemia had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events during clinical treatment periods. After constructing a model adjusted with propensity scores, mild and severe hypoglycemia still demonstrated higher hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiovascular diseases (HR 2.09 [95% CI 1.63-2.67]), all-cause hospitalization (2.51 [2.00-3.16]), and total mortality (2.48 [1.41-4.38]). CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic hypoglycemia, whether clinically mild or severe, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, all-cause hospitalization, and all-cause mortality. More attention may be needed for diabetic patients with hypoglycemic episodes.