Effect of Race on Outcomes Following Early Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography or Standard Emergency Department Evaluation for Acute Chest Pain.

Objective: To examine racial differences in outcomes with coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) vs standard emergency department (ED) evaluation for chest pain. Design: Retrospective analysis of the prospective, randomized, multicenter Rule Out Myocardial Ischemia/Infarction by Computer Assisted Tomography (ROMICAT-II) trial. Setting: ED at nine hospitals in the United States. Participants: 940 patients who were Caucasian or African American (AA) presenting to the ED with chest pain. Interventions: CCTA or standard ED evaluation. Main Outcome Measures: Length of stay, hospital admission, direct ED discharge, downstream testing and repeat ED visit or hospitalization for recurrent chest pain at 28 days. Safety end points: missed acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and cumulative radiation exposure during the index visit and follow-up period. Results: 659 (66%) patients self-identified as Caucasian and 281 (28%) self-identified as AA. AA were younger and more often female compared with Caucasians, had a higher prevalence of hypertension (64% vs 49%, P<.001) and diabetes (23% vs 14%, P<.001) and a lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia (28% vs 51%, P<.001). ACS was more frequent among Caucasians (10% vs 2%, P<.001). Randomization to CCTA resulted in a reduction in median LOS for Caucasians (7.4 vs 24.7 hours, P<.001) and AA (8.9 vs. 26.3, P<.001; P-interaction=.88). Both AA and Caucasian patients experienced greater radiation exposure and more downstream testing with CCTA compared with standard evaluation. Conclusions: Early CCTA reduced median LOS for both AA and Caucasian patients presenting to the ED with chest pain by approximately 17 hours compared with standard evaluation.

ECG myocardial scar quantification predicts reverse left ventricular remodeling and survival after cardiac resynchronization therapy implantation: A retrospective pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Electrocardiographic (ECG) LV scar quantification may improve prediction of CRT response. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were abstracted in 76 patients who underwent a first CRT implantation at 2 US centers. Selvester QRS scar quantification was performed using the LBBB modified QRS scoring method. Seven clinical variables previously associated with reverse LV remodeling (RLVR) and QRS score were included in logistic regression analysis. Survival was compared across QRS score quartiles using Kaplan-Meier curves. RLVR occurred more frequently in patients with QRS score ≤ 5 (63%) than QRS score>5 (22%), (OR=5.83, 95% CI=2.11-16.07). After adjustment for clinical variables using logistic regression, QRS score>5 predicted RLVR (Chi-square=20.3, P=0.005, AUC=0.782). Patients in the lowest quartile of QRS score (<4) had improved survival compared to patients in the other QRS score quartiles (P=0.037). CONCLUSION: ECG quantified LV scar predicts RLVR and long-term survival in patients with LBBB undergoing CRT implantation.

Novel Biomarkers: Utility in Patients with Acute Chest Pain and Relationship to Coronary Artery Disease on Coronary CT Angiography.

Acute chest pain remains one of the most common patient presentations encountered in the emergency department. With the evolution of biomarkers and improvement in cardiac imaging there has been advancement in risk stratification of patients, but millions of dollars continue to be spent in the assessment of chest pain. Investigators have explored possible comparative alternatives to the traditional work up of chest pain. In this review, we will discuss the current state of biomarker use in the evaluation of acute chest pain. We will review established and emerging circulating biomarkers and their addition to cardiac CT for appropriate diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Coronary sinus biomarker sampling compared to peripheral venous blood for predicting outcomes in patients with severe heart failure undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy: the BIOCRT study.

BACKGROUND: A significant minority of patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) remain nonresponsive to this intervention. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether coronary sinus (CS) or baseline peripheral venous (PV) levels of established and emerging heart failure (HF) biomarkers are predictive of CRT outcomes. METHODS: In 73 patients (aged 68 ± 12 years; 83% men; ejection fraction 27% ± 7%) with CS and PV blood samples drawn simultaneously at the time of CRT device implantation, we measured amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), galectin-3 (gal-3), and soluble ST2 (sST2) levels. NT-proBNP concentrations >2000 pg/mL, gal-3 concentrations >25.9 ng/mL, and sST2 concentrations >35 ng/mL were considered positive on the basis of established PV cut points for identifying "high-risk" individuals with HF. CRT response was adjudicated by the HF Clinical Composite Score. A major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) was defined as the composite end point of death, cardiac transplant, left ventricular assist device, and HF hospitalization at 2 years. RESULTS: NT-proBNP concentrations were 20% higher in the CS than in the periphery, while gal-3 and sST2 concentrations were 10% higher in the periphery than in the CS (all P < .001). There were 45% CRT nonresponders at 6 months and 16 (22%) patients with MACE. Triple-positive CS values yielded the highest specificity of 95% for predicting CRT nonresponse. Consistently, CS strategies identified patients at higher risk of developing MACE, with >11-fold adjusted increase for triple-positive CS patients compared to triple-negative patients (all P ≤ .04). PV strategies were not predictive of MACE. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that CS sampling of HF biomarkers may be better than PV sampling for predicting CRT outcomes. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings.