Atorvastatin before percutaneous coronary intervention: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Atorvastatin is widely recommended for long-term secondary prevention in STEMI patients with no contraindication. Although high-dose atorvastatin has been shown to reduce important patient outcomes such as MACE, there is still doubt that high-dose atorvastatin could have the same protective effect in patients undergoing PCI in the short and long term. We searched the following electronic databases: Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central considering studies that enrolled adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of STEMI or NSTEMI undergoing PCI. The intervention must have been atorvastatin alone compared to a placebo, standard care, or a different atorvastatin dose. A total of (n = 11) studies were included in the quantitative analysis. Information on (N = 5,399) patients was available; 2,654 were assigned to receive high-dose atorvastatin therapy, and 2,745 comprised the control group. High-dose atorvastatin pre-loading significantly reduced MACE at one month of follow-up (RR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.67-0.91; p = 0.014) in both STEMI and NSTEMI. All-cause mortality was reduced in patients with STEMI (RR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.10-0.81; p = 0.029). The quality of the body of evidence was rated overall as moderate. Patients presenting with STEMI or NSTEMI benefit from high-dose atorvastatin pre-loading before PCI by reducing MACE at 30 days. The use of high-dose atorvastatin in STEMI patients reduced all-cause mortality. The beneficial effects of atorvastatin pre-loading are limited to 30 days post-PCI.

Intracoronary infusion of CD133+ endothelial progenitor cells improves heart function and quality of life in patients with chronic post-infarct heart insufficiency.

AIM: To assess the safety and efficacy of the intracoronary infusion of CD133+ hematopoietic stem cells to improve ventricular function and quality of life in candidates for heart transplantation due to post-infarct chronic heart failure. METHODS: We selected seven candidates for heart transplantation (six males/one female, age range 44-65 years) in whom all treatment alternatives were exhausted (angioplasty/stent and bypass surgery). These subjects had a symptomatic New York Heart Association (NYHA) scale of at least II and ejection fractions (EFs) below 35%. After obtaining informed consent, CD133+ cells were obtained by stimulation with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, apheresis, and separation with magnetic beads. Stem cells were implanted in the infarcted zone via intracoronary percutaneous angiography. Evaluations (NYHA scale classification, plasma concentration of pro-B-natriuretic-peptide and the risk of sudden death, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance, and gated-SPECT with MIBI) were performed at baseline and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after cell infusion. RESULTS: Stem cell isolation was efficient and safe (around 10(7) cells/patient and >92% CD133+ viable cells). Two patients died during observation due to noncardiac conditions. In the five remaining subjects, the NYHA scale improved and no accounts of hospital admissions for heart failure were documented. Plasma concentrations of pro-B-natriuretic peptide and the risk of sudden death clearly decreased, while the EF increased significantly to 35% and 40% by echocardiography and cardiac MRI, respectively (P=.013 and .009, respectively) 24 months after treatment. No other major adverse events were noticed. CONCLUSIONS: The intracoronary inoculation of CD133+ stem cells was safe and effective to improve ventricular contraction and symptomatic class function in patients with refractory post-infarct heart failure.