Association of statin pretreatment with presentation characteristics, infarct size and outcome in older patients with acute coronary syndrome: the Elderly ACS-2 trial.

BACKGROUND: prior statin treatment has been shown to have favourable effects on short- and long-term prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). There are limited data in older patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of previous statin therapy and presentation characteristics, infarct size and clinical outcome in older patients, with or without atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), included in the Elderly-ACS 2 trial. METHODS: data on statin use pre-admission were available for 1,192 of the 1,443 patients enrolled in the original trial. Of these, 531 (44.5%) were already taking statins. Patients were stratified based on established ASCVD and statin therapy. ACS was classified as non-ST elevation or ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Infarct size was measured by peak creatine kinase MB (CK-MB). All-cause death in-hospital and within 1 year were the major end points. RESULTS: there was a significantly lower frequency of STEMI in statin patients, in both ASCVD and No-ASCVD groups. Peak CK-MB levels were lower in statin users (10 versus 25 ng/ml, P < 0.0001). There was lower all-cause death in-hospital and within 1 year for subjects with ASCVD already on statins independent of other baseline variables. There were no differences in all-cause death for No-ASCVD patients whether or not on statins. CONCLUSIONS: statin pretreatment was associated with more favourable ACS presentation and lower myocardial damage in older ACS patients both ASCVD and No-ASCVD. The incidence of all-cause death (in-hospital and within 1 year) was significantly lower in the statin treated ASCVD patients.

The natural history of takotsubo syndrome: a two-year follow-up study with myocardial sympathetic and perfusion G-SPECT imaging.

PURPOSE: To investigate changes in sympathetic activity, perfusion, and left ventricular (LV) functionality in takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) patients from onset (T0) to post-onset conditions at 1 month (T1), 1-2 years (T2, T3). METHODS: Twenty-two patients (70 ± 11 years) underwent serial gated single photon emission tomography (G-SPECT) studies with 123I-mIBG and 99mTc-Sestamibi. Statistics were performed using ANOVA/Sheffé post-hoc, correlation test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Patients presented at T0 with LV ballooning and reduced early-late mIBG uptake (95%, 100%), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)G-SPECT (86%) and perfusion (77 %). Adrenergic dysfunction was greater in apex, it overlaps with contractile impairment, and both were more severe than perfusion defect. During follow-up, LVEFG-SPECT, contractility, and perfusion were normal, while 82% and 90% of patients at T1 and 50% at T2 and T3 continued to show a reduced apical early-late mIBG distribution. These patients presented at T0-T1 with greater impairment of adrenergic function, contractility, and perfusion. A relationship was present within innervation and both perfusion and contractile parameters at T0 and T1, and between the extent of adrenergic defect at T3 and both the defect extent and age at T0 (cut-off point 42.5%, 72 years). CONCLUSION: Outcome for TTC is not limited to a reversible contractile and perfusion abnormalities, but it includes residual adrenergic dysfunction, depending on the level of adrenergic impairment and age of patients at onset. The number of patients, as well as degree of perfusion abnormalities were found to be higher than those previously reported possibly depending on the time-interval between hospital admission and perfusion scan.

Effects of statin therapy on platelet reactivity after percutaneous coronary revascularization in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Statin use is associated with enhanced pharmacodynamic response to clopidogrel in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the impact of statin therapy on clopidogrel response profiles in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing PCI has not been established and represents the objective of this investigation. On-treatment P2Y12 platelet reactivity was measured using the vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) phosphorylation assay before PCI, at hospital discharge, and at 1 month after PCI in ACS patients enrolled in the multicenter, prospective GEne polymorphisms, Platelet Reactivity, and Syntax Score (GEPRESS) study (n = 962). High platelet reactivity (HPR) was defined as platelet reactivity index ≥50%. Statins were prescribed at hospital discharge in 87% (n = 835) of patients. All patients were followed for 1 year. The 1-month HPR rate was lower in statin than in non-statin treated patients (39.6 vs 52%, respectively, p = 0.009). This finding was confirmed also among statin-treated patients with high Syntax score (≥15). After adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics, statin use at discharge was independently associated with 1-month HPR rate (odds ratio, 0.58, 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.89; p = 0.015). In ACS patients undergoing PCI treated with clopidogrel the use of statins at discharge was associated with significantly lower 1-month HPR rates compared with patients not treated with statins.

Early high-dose rosuvastatin and cardioprotection in the protective effect of rosuvastatin and antiplatelet therapy on contrast-induced acute kidney injury and myocardial damage in patients with acute coronary syndrome (PRATO-ACS) study.

BACKGROUND: There is a strong correlation between adverse clinical events and peak values of myocardial necrosis markers in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome patients. In this clinical setting, high-dose statin treatment exerts acute beneficial effects against renal and myocardial damage. The aim of this report was to evaluate if, on admission, high-dose rosuvastatin can exert cardioprotective effects when administered in addition to high-dose clopidogrel. METHODS: In the PRATO-ACS trial, 504 consecutive statin-naïve non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome patients scheduled for early invasive strategy and pretreated with high-dose clopidogrel were randomly assigned to rosuvastatin (40 mg on admission followed by 20 mg/d; statin group, n = 252) or no statin treatment (control group, n = 252). Serial myocardial biomarker samples were collected before and after angiography and/or percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary end point was the peak level of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) during the index event. RESULTS: Statin-treated patients presented median cTnI peak values similar to controls (3.9 [0.6-12.8] vs 3.5 [1.2-11.9] ng/mL, respectively; P = .60]; no differences were found between the 2 groups in cTnI and creatine kinase-MB values at any time point, in either preangiography and postangiography peak values or their cumulative release. In patients submitted to percutaneous coronary intervention, periprocedural myocardial infarction occurred in 8 (4.7%) of 171 statin-treated and 7 (4.3%) of 162 control patients (P = .87). CONCLUSION: In the PRATO-ACS trial, early high-dose rosuvastatin did not show cardioprotective effects when administered in addition to high-dose clopidogrel.

Pharmacodynamic effects of adjunctive high dose atorvastatin on double dose clopidogrel in patients with high on-treatment platelet reactivity depending on diabetes mellitus status.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with impaired platelet response to clopidogrel. In patients with high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) while on standard-dose clopidogrel, high-dose atorvastatin enhances the pharmacodynamic (PD) effects of double-dose clopidogrel. It is unknown if similar effects are achieved in patients with DM. This study compare the PD effects of high-dose atorvastatin associated with double dose clopidogrel in HTPR patients with and without DM undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This is a post hoc analysis of a prospective randomized PD study that compared double-dose (150 mg) clopidogrel associated with high-dose (80 mg) atorvastatin to double-dose clopidogrel alone in statin naïve patients with HTPR undergoing elective PCI. In this analysis, patients were divided in two groups according to DM (n = 27) and non-DM (n = 49) status. Platelet reactivity was evaluated immediately before PCI and at 30 days using the VerifyNow P2Y12 assay. HTPR was defined as P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) ≥235. Administering high-dose atorvastatin in addition to high-dose clipodogrel, the 30 days absolute PRU changes (106 ± 75 vs 100 ± 42, p = 0.7) and optimal response rates (83 vs 84%; p = 0.9) were similar in DM and non-DM patients. The baseline variables significantly associated with 30-day optimal response to high-dose clopidogrel were: atorvastatin treatment (OR = 7.5 [95% CI 1.19-47]; p = 0.032) in DM patients; PRU values (OR = 0.9 [95% CI 0.95-0.99]; p = 0.031) and creatinine clearance (OR = 1.07 [95% CI 1.008-1.13]; p = 0.025) in non-DM patients. High-dose atorvastatin significantly improved the PD effects of double-dose clopidogrel in DM patients with HTPR undergoing elective PCI.

Persistent renal damage after contrast-induced acute kidney injury: incidence, evolution, risk factors, and prognosis.

BACKGROUND: The temporal evolution of renal function in patients with acute kidney injury after contrast medium (CI-AKI) is not well known. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and prognostic implications of persistent renal damage (RD) in patients with preexistent moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: From June 2003 to March 2008, 3986 patients underwent coronary angiography at our institution; 1490 of 3986 had an estimated creatinine clearance of <60 mL/min and were enrolled. CI-AKI was defined as an absolute increase ≥ 0.5 mg/dL over baseline serum creatinine within 3 days after the administration of contrast medium (iodixanol). In patients who developed CI-AKI, persistent RD was defined as a relative decrease of creatinine clearance ≥ 25% over baseline at 3 months. Patients whose creatinine clearance returned to baseline (or nearly) were classified as transient RD. The overall incidence of CI-AKI was 12.1%, and persistent RD occurred in 18.6% of CI-AKI patients. At Cox regression analysis, nephropathy risk score ≥ 17, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 30%, and increased value of serum creatinine ≥ 1.5-fold from baseline within 5 days were found to be significant risk factors for persistent RD. At 5 years, the incidence of death was significantly higher in patients with persistent RD than in both patients with transient RD (P=0.015) and those without CI-AKI (P=0.0001). A similar trend was observed for the combined end point of death, dialysis and cardiovascular events. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that CI-AKI is not always a transient, benign creatininopathy, but rather a direct cause of worsening renal function. The occurrence of CI-AKI can identify patients at increased risk of cardiovascular events.

Rationale and design of COLchicine On-admission to Reduce inflammation in Acute Coronary Syndrome (COLOR-ACS) study.

AIMS: The aim of the colchicine on-admission to reduce inflammation in acute coronary syndrome (COLOR-ACS) study is to evaluate the effects of the addition of short-term, low-dose colchicine to high-dose atorvastatin in limiting levels of inflammatory markers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). METHODS: The COLOR-ACS study is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, two-arm trial. Statin-naive patients with NSTE-ACS, scheduled for an early invasive strategy, are randomized on admission to receive standard treatment of atorvastatin 80 mg or standard treatment plus colchicine (1 mg loading dose followed by 0.5 mg/day until discharge). The main exclusion criteria are prior statin and/or colchicine treatment, current treatment with potent inhibitors of CYP3A4, P-glycoprotein or immunosuppressive drugs, known active malignancy, severe kidney, cardiac, liver disease. There is clinical and biochemical follow-up at 30 days after discharge and telephone interview at 6 months. The primary end point is the change in hs-CRP from admission to discharge. Secondary end points include: incidence of acute kidney injury; MB fraction of creatine kinase peak value; glomerular filtration rate change from baseline to 30 days; persistence of hs-CRP ≥2 mg/dl at 30 days; adverse clinical events within 30 days; tolerance to colchicine. CONCLUSION: The COLOR-ACS study will provide evidence on the efficacy of early short-term treatment with colchicine in addition to high-dose atorvastatin compared to atorvastatin alone in ACS patients. The potential anti-inflammatory action of colchicine plus atorvastatin is expected to limit hs-CRP increase with resultant clinical benefits. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT05250596.

Feasibility of an accurate assessment of myocardial salvage by comparing functional and perfusion abnormalities in post-reperfusion gated SPECT.

BACKGROUND: Because of persistent stunning, post-treatment functional abnormalities could identify the initial risk area. The study aims to detect myocardial salvage using post-revascularization gated SPECT in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated by reperfusion therapy. METHODS: In 36 AMI patients, we performed a first gated SPECT injecting (99m)Tc-sestamibi before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and a second 5 days later. The salvage index defined by the two perfusion images was compared with the value obtained by subtracting in the second gated SPECT the extent of perfusion defect from the extent of wall thickening abnormalities. RESULTS: The wall thickening salvage index correlated with the reference perfusion salvage index (Spearman's ρ = .92, P < .0001), with a 95% limit of agreement = ±.25. The agreement between the classifications in salvage index tertiles of the reference and of the wall thickening salvage index was good (kappa = .75). All patients with optimal PCI result and 18/24 of those with intermediate or poor outcome were correctly classified. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing function and perfusion in a single post-PCI (99m)Tc-sestamibi gated SPECT it is possible to estimate myocardial salvage. This could have useful implications in studies comparing different treatment strategies for AMI.

Pharmacologic Prophylaxis of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy.

Different pharmacologic agents have been tested in the effort to prevent contrast-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in the last two decades. To date, however, no individual drug has received unanimous approval for this aim. Since 2014 statins have been included as preventive treatment in the European guidelines for revascularization procedures in cardiac patients. The present update presents the latest findings in this field focusing on the changing paradigms in the definition and consequently the approach to nephroprotection that considers clinical prognosis as the major issue. We note the current shift from attention to contrast-induced AKI to contrast-associated AKI.

A Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label Trial of Atorvastatin versus Rosuvastatin in the Prevention of Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury, Worsened Renal Function at 30 Days, and Clinical Events After Acute Coronary Angiography: the PRATO-ACS-2 Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Both high-dose atorvastatin and rosuvastatin have been shown to reduce contrast-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) occurrence and improve clinical outcomes in high-risk coronary patients undergoing angiographic procedures. However, there is a lack of head-to-head comparative studies on the effects of atorvastatin or rosuvastatin administered upon hospital admission in statin-naive patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). METHODS: In this open-label, noninferiority study, we compared changes in renal function in 709 NSTE-ACS patients randomized to atorvastatin (80 mg upon admission followed by 40 mg/day) or rosuvastatin (40 mg upon admission followed by 20 mg/day). The primary end point was AKI (increase in serum creatinine ≥0.5 mg/dL or ≥25% above baseline within 72 h). Worsening renal function (WRF) (decrease of ≥25% in the glomerular filtration rate from baseline to 30 days), 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events, and 12-month myocardial infarction (MI) or death were also evaluated. RESULTS: The AKI incidence was similar in the 2 groups (i.e., 8.2% with rosuvastatin and 7.6% with atorvastatin; absolute risk difference = 0.54; 90% CI -3.9 to 2.8), satisfying the noninferiority criteria. WRF occurred in 53 (7.5%) patients, 19 (34%) of whom had developed AKI. The rates of WRF and adverse events at 30 days and at 12 months did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Both AKI and WRF were found to be closely associated with the 12-month cardiovascular outcome irrespectively of statin choice. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose rosuvastatin or atorvastatin started upon hospital admission led to similar rates of AKI, 30-day renal function changes, and 12-month death or MI in NSTE-ACS patients who underwent an early invasive strategy (clinical trial registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; unique identifier: NCT01870804).

Bioimpedance-Guided Hydration for the Prevention of Contrast-Induced Kidney Injury: The HYDRA Study.

BACKGROUND: Intravascular volume expansion plays a major role in the prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). Recommended standard amounts of fluid infusion before procedures do not produce homogeneous responses in subjects with different initial hydration status. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to compare the effect of standard and double intravenous (IV) infusion volumes in patients with low body fluid level, assessed by using bioimpedance vector analysis (BIVA), on the incidence of CI-AKI after elective coronary angiographic procedures. METHODS: A total of 303 patients with low BIVA level on admission were randomized to receive standard volume saline (1 ml/kg/h for 12 h before and after the procedure) or double volume saline (2 ml/kg/h). Patients (n = 715) with an optimal BIVA level received standard volume saline and were included in a prospective registry. The saline infusion was halved in all patients with an ejection fraction <40%. BIVA was repeated immediately before the angiographic procedure in all patients. CI-AKI was defined as an increase in levels of cystatin C ≥10% above baseline at 24 h after contrast administration. RESULTS: The incidence of CI-AKI was significantly lower (11.5% vs. 22.3%; p = 0.015) in patients receiving double volume saline than in those receiving standard volume saline, respectively. Before the angiographic procedure, 50% of the double volume patients achieved the optimal BIVA level compared with only 27.7% in the standard group (p = 0.0001). The findings were consistent in all the pre-specified subgroups excluding patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (p for interaction = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of BIVA levels on admission in patients with stable coronary artery disease allows adjustment of intravascular volume expansion, resulting in lower CI-AKI occurrence after angiographic procedures. (Personalized Versus Standard Hydration for Prevention of CI-AKI: A Randomized Trial With Bioimpedance Analysis; NCT02225431).

Early abciximab administration in acute myocardial infarction treated with primary coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors improve myocardial reperfusion and clinical outcomes of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but optimal timing of administration remains unclear. In this prospective randomized trial, we evaluated the impact of early abciximab administration on angiographic findings, myocardial salvage and left ventricular function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-five consecutive patients with first AMI, undergoing primary PCI, were randomized to abciximab administration either in the emergency room (early group: 27 patients) or in the catheterization laboratory after coronary angiography (late group: 28 patients). The primary outcome measures were initial Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infraction (TIMI) grade flow, corrected TIMI frame count and myocardial blush grade as well as salvage index and left ventricular function recovery as assessed by serial scintigraphic scans performed at admission, and 7 days and 1 month after PCI. Angiographic analysis showed a significant difference in initial TIMI grade 3 flow, corrected TIMI frame count and myocardial blush grade favouring early group. Moreover, salvage index and left ventricular function recovery were significantly greater in the early group (P=0.007; and P=0.043, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AMI, treated with primary PCI, early abciximab administration improves myocardial salvage and left ventricular function recovery probably by starting early recanalization of the infarct-related artery.

Impact of Rosuvastatin in Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in the Elderly: Post Hoc Analysis of the PRATO-ACS Trial.

BACKGROUND: Age is a major predictor of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). Few studies have focused on CI-AKI in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: We compare the incidence of CI-AKI in patients <75 and ≥75 years enrolled in the Protective effect of Rosuvastatin and Antiplatelet Therapy On contrast-induced acute kidney injury and myocardial damage in patients with ACS (PRATO-ACS) study and explore the impact of high-dose rosuvastatin on CI-AKI and clinical outcomes in the 2 age-groups. Statin-naive patients with non-ST-segment elevation ACS scheduled for early invasive strategy (total 504) were randomized to rosuvastatin (40 mg on admission followed by 20 mg/day) or no statin treatment. Contrast-induced acute kidney injury was defined as creatinine increase ≥0.5 mg/dL or ≥25% above baseline within 72 hours after contrast administration. All patients were stratified in tertiles according to baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). RESULTS: Rate of CI-AKI was significantly higher in patients ≥75 years (15.9% vs 8.7%, odds ratio: 2.001; 95% confidence interval: 1.14-3.53, P = .015). No significant interaction was observed between age and statin treatment (P = .17). Pretreatment with rosuvastatin was associated with 65% relative reduction in CI-AKI rate (22/170 [12.9%] vs 8/177 [4.5%], P = .007) in younger patients and 38% (16/82 [19.5%] vs 9/75 [12%], P = .20) in the elderly individuals. The greatest protective effect of statin treatment was achieved in patients with the highest hs-CRP values in both age-groups. CONCLUSION: Patients ≥75 years with ACS had a higher risk of developing CI-AKI. Early high-dose rosuvastatin is efficacious in reducing kidney injury in all patients, especially those with the highest baseline hs-CRP values.

Effects of tirofiban plus clopidogrel versus clopidogrel plus provisional abciximab on biomarkers of myocardial necrosis in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes treated with early aggressive approach. Results of the CLOpidogrel, upstream TIrofiban, in cath Lab Downstream Abciximab (CLOTILDA) study.

BACKGROUND: In non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS), a strong correlation between adverse clinical events and peak values of myocardial necrosis markers has been found. In this study, we evaluated whether the adjunctive treatment with upstream tirofiban reduces the peak levels of cardiac troponin I and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) fraction in patients with NSTE-ACS undergoing early invasive strategy and pretreated with aspirin, heparin, and clopidogrel. METHODS: A total of 300 patients were randomized to receive tirofiban (group 1) or not (group 2). Serial marker samples were collected before and after coronary angiography in all cases and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) when performed. RESULTS: Between the 2 groups, no differences were observed in clinical and angiographic findings. Percutaneous coronary intervention was globally performed in 198 patients (66%). Of 99 group 2 patients, 26 (26%) received abciximab just before PCI. No significant differences between the 2 groups were observed with regard to cardiac troponin I and CK-MB values at admission and at 6, 12, and 24 hours thereafter; peak values before coronary angiography; and peak values of index event. In addition, the cumulative biomarkers release of the index event was similar between the 2 groups. Major bleeding rate was 2% in group 1 and 1% in group 2 (P = not significant). Composite incidence of death, myocardial infarction, or rehospitalization for ACS at 30 days was 9% in group 1 and 10% in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with NSTE-ACS undergoing early invasive strategy, the adjunctive administration of upstream tirofiban did not reduce the peak values and the cumulative release of myocardial necrosis markers, compared with aspirin, heparin, and clopidogrel given on admission and associated with selective use of abciximab just before PCI.

[Non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes: the problem of the elderly patient]. / Sindromi coronariche acute senza sopraslivellamento del tratto ST: il problema del paziente anziano.

The elderly population represents a relevant proportion of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes and are at increased risk because of the greater extent of coronary artery disease, a reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction, and associated comorbidities. Results from registries and post-hoc analysis of randomized clinical trials have shown that an early invasive strategy with myocardial revascularization when indicated offers a greater clinical benefit in the elderly that in younger patients despite an increased procedural risk in elderly patients.

[Sirolimus-eluting stent for in-stent restenosis treatment: single center results in an unselected study population]. / Stent a rilascio di sirolimus nel trattamento della restenosi intrastent: esperienza di un singolo centro in una popolazione non selezionata di pazienti.

BACKGROUND: Sirolimus-eluting stents have already proved to be efficient in the prevention of restenosis in de novo lesions and have been already proposed as a potential treatment of in-stent restenosis. In the present study, we evaluated the effectiveness of sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in unselected patients with in-stent restenosis. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients (59 lesions) were treated with sirolimus-eluting stents for instent restenosis. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events and restenosis was evaluated at 1-year clinical and angiographic follow-up. RESULTS: At baseline, 54% of the lesions were complex (46% proliferative and 8% total occlusions). Small vessel size (< or = 2.5 mm) was present in 30%, a long lesion (> 20 mm) in 25%, and diabetes in 42% of the patients. The angiographic follow-up was obtained in 47 patients (55 lesions). Restenosis was observed in 13% of the lesions. At the 1-year follow-up, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events was 16% (4% acute myocardial infarction, 12% target lesion revascularization). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the efficacy of sirolimus-eluting stents for the treatment of instent restenosis in an unselected population of consecutive patients at high risk of restenosis and with a broad range of morphological lesion patterns.

Acute Kidney Injury in Elderly Patients With Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome: Insights From the Italian Elderly: ACS Study.

We examined the incidence and predictors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in elderly patients (≥75 years) enrolled in the prospective Italian Elderly acute coronary syndrome (ACS) study and explored the impact of AKI on clinical outcome. Acute kidney injury, defined according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria, occurred in 128 (21%) of 615 patients. Patients submitted to coronary angiographic procedures did not present higher rate of AKI. The only baseline variables independently associated with AKI development were creatinine clearance (odds ratio [OR]: 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.97-0.99) and left ventricular ejection fraction (OR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99). Adverse clinical events were significantly higher in patients who developed AKI. After multivariable adjustment, AKI (hazard ratio: 2.73; 95% CI: 1.87-4.0) was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality within 1 year.

Gated SPECT evaluation of the relationship between admission troponin I, myocardial salvage, and functional recovery in acute myocardial infarction treated by abciximab and early primary angioplasty.

UNLABELLED: Using gated SPECT, we evaluated the relationship between admission troponin I, risk area, and myocardial salvage in patients with a first myocardial infarction treated with abciximab and primary percutaneous coronary intervention within 6 h. METHODS: In 43 patients, (99m)Tc-sestamibi was injected before primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Gated SPECT was acquired immediately thereafter and was repeated 7 and 30 d later. The initial risk area and subsequent infarct size were expressed as a percentage of the left ventricle; salvage index was the ratio between salvaged myocardium and initial risk area; left ventricular ejection fraction was calculated using the quantitative gated SPECT software. RESULTS: On admission, 20 patients showed elevated troponin I and had a larger risk area (P < 0.03) than did the group with normal troponin I. Infarct size at 30 d (15% +/- 12% vs. 13% +/- 13%) and salvage index (0.63 +/- 0.27 vs. 0.60 +/- 0.28) were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Ejection fraction was lower in the group with high troponin I on admission (36% +/- 10% vs. 41% +/- 11%, P < 0.05) and at 7 d (41% +/- 11% vs. 48 +/- 10, P < 0.03). At 30 d, improvement was greater in the group with high troponin I, and ejection fraction became comparable. CONCLUSION: Patients with high troponin I on admission have a larger initial risk area, but if they undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention within 6 h and are treated with abciximab, myocardial salvage and functional recovery are similar to those observed in patients with normal troponin I, and no unfavorable relationship between high troponin I values on admission and myocardial salvage is registered.

Predicting revascularization outcome in patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction (data from the SEMINATOR study).

A main goal of revascularization in patients with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy is to improve global left ventricular (LV) function. This study aimed to verify whether it is possible to predict an increase in LV ejection fraction (EF) after revascularization on the basis of the extent of LV asynergy, myocardial viability, and revascularization completeness. We studied 77 patients with chronic LV ischemic dysfunction using baseline resting and nitrate-enhanced technetium-99m sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography. Regional wall motion and global LVEF were assessed with echocardiography before and after revascularization, which was complete in 51 patients and incomplete in 26. The number of viable asynergic segments included in revascularized coronary artery territories was the strongest predictor of significant (> or = 5 EF U) functional improvement in univariate discriminant analysis. According to multivariate stepwise discriminant analysis, this parameter, together with the number of baseline asynergic segments, allowed the detection of patients with significant LVEF improvement with 75% accuracy. With use of a multivariate regression model, including the 2 mentioned variables, the measure of postrevascularization LVEF increase could be accurately quantified (R(2) 0.43, p <0.000001). In conclusion, this study suggests that the severity of baseline asynergy, the extent of myocardial viability, and the completeness of revascularization are the main determinants of postrevascularization functional recovery in patients with LV ischemic dysfunction, and that on the basis of these variables it is possible to predict the measure of LVEF increase.

Usefulness of dobutamine Tc-99m sestamibi-gated single-photon emission computed tomography for prediction of left ventricular ejection fraction outcome after coronary revascularization for ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging allows analysis of myocardial perfusion and assessment of baseline global and regional left ventricular (LV) function and their changes during low-dose dobutamine infusion. The study examined whether the changes in LV ejection fraction induced by dobutamine and evaluated using technetium-99m sestamibi- gated SPECT predict the evolution of ejection fraction after revascularization in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Thirty-seven patients underwent resting and dobutamine nitrate-enhanced sestamibi-gated SPECT before revascularization and baseline-resting sestamibi gated SPECT after intervention to assess global functional changes. A postrevascularization improvement in ejection fraction > or =5 U was defined as significant. At follow-up, ejection fraction increased significantly in 19 patients. According to receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, an increase in ejection fraction > or =5 U during dobutamine was the optimal cutoff value for predicting a significant postrevascularization improvement, with 79% sensitivity, 78% specificity, and 78% accuracy. A significant correlation was found between dobutamine and postrevascularization ejection fraction (r = 0.85; p <0.0001). The increase in ejection fraction during dobutamine is a good predictor of an improvement in ejection fraction after revascularization. This represents another important diagnostic contribution obtained using gated SPECT imaging for the assessment of myocardial viability in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.