Effects of optimal medical treatment with or without coronary revascularization on angina and subsequent revascularizations in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and stable ischemic heart disease.

BACKGROUND: In the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) trial, an initial strategy of coronary revascularization and optimal medical treatment (REV) compared with an initial optimal medical treatment with the option of subsequent revascularization (MED) did not reduce all-cause mortality or the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and stable ischemic heart disease. In the same population, we tested whether the REV strategy was superior to the MED strategy in preventing worsening and new angina and subsequent coronary revascularizations. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among the 2364 men and women (mean age, 62.4 years) with type 2 diabetes mellitus, documented coronary artery disease, and myocardial ischemia, 1191 were randomized to the MED and 1173 to the REV strategy preselected in the percutaneous coronary intervention (796) and coronary artery bypass graft (377) strata. Compared with the MED strategy, the REV strategy at the 3-year follow-up had a lower rate of worsening angina (8% versus 13%; P<0.001), new angina (37% versus 51%; P=0.001), and subsequent coronary revascularizations (18% versus 33%; P<0.001) and a higher rate of angina-free status (66% versus 58%; P=0.003). The coronary artery bypass graft stratum patients were at higher risk than those in the percutaneous coronary intervention stratum, and had the greatest benefits from REV. CONCLUSIONS: In these patients, the REV strategy reduced the occurrence of worsening angina, new angina, and subsequent coronary revascularizations more than the MED strategy. The symptomatic benefits were observed particularly for high-risk patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00006305.

Predictive value of high sensitivity C-reactive protein in the diagnosis and outcomes of acute aortic syndromes.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels differ among patients with acute aortic syndromes (AAS) and if hsCRP could predict their long-term outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Cleveland Clinic Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. PATIENTS: 115 consecutive patients with AAS admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit. INTERVENTIONS: HsCRP and other laboratory data were measured within 24 h of admission. Demographic, imaging and laboratory data were obtained at the time of presentation. For the long-term survival analysis, the social security death index was used to determine all-cause mortality. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HsCRP levels among AAS patients. RESULTS: Hospital mortality was 4.3% for AAS patients. HsCRP levels differed significantly among AAS; the median hsCRP was higher in the aortic dissection group (49 mg/l) than in those with penetrating aortic ulcer (28 mg/l), symptomatic aortic aneurysm (14 mg/l), and intramural haematoma (10 mg/l); (p=0.02). In multivariable analysis, aortic dissection patients had higher hsCRP levels than intramural haematoma (p=0.03) and symptomatic aortic aneurysm (p=0.04) patients, after adjusting for age and gender. Multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that elevated hsCRP levels at presentation were associated with a higher long-term mortality (p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with AAS, those with aortic dissection have the highest hsCRP levels at presentation. Elevated hsCRP independently predicted a higher long-term mortality in AAS patients.