Reduction of QTD--A Novel Marker of Successful Reperfusion in NSTEMI. Pathophysiologic Insights by CMR.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) poses similar detrimental long-term prognosis as ST-segment elevation MI. No marker on ECG is established to predict successful reperfusion in NSTEMI. QT dispersion is increased by myocardial ischemia and reduced by successful restoration of epicardial blood flow by PCI. Whether QT dispersion reduction translates to smaller infarcts and thus indicates successful reperfusion is unknown. We hypothesized that the relative reduction of QT dispersion (QTD-Rrel ) on a standard ECG in acutely reperfused NSTEMI is related to infarct size and infarct transmurality as assessed by delayed enhancement CMR (DE-CMR). METHODS AND RESULTS: 69 patients with a first acute NSTEMI were included. QTD-Rrel was stratified according to LV function and volumes, infarct transmurality and size as assessed by DE-CMR. Extensive myocardial infarction was defined as above median infarct size. LV function and end-systolic volume were only mildly related to QTD-Rrel . QTD-Rrel was inversely related to infarct size (r=-0.506,p=0.001) and infarct transmurality (r=-0.415, p=0.001). QTD-Rrel was associated with extensive myocardial infarction in univariate analysis (odds ratio (OR) 0.958, CI 0.935-0.982; p=0.001). Compared to clinical and angiographic data QTD-Rrel remained the only independent predictor of non-transmural infarcts (OR 1.110, CI 1.055-1.167; p=0.049). CONCLUSION: In patients with acute Non-ST-Segment Myocardial infarction QTd-Rrel calculated on a surface ECG prior and post PCI for restoration of epicardial blood flow detects small, non-transmural infarcts as assessed by delayed enhancement CMR. Thus, QTd-Rrel can indicate successful reperfusion therapy.

Impact of lifestyle modification on left ventricular function and cardiopulmonary exercise capacity in patients with heart failure with normal ejection fraction and cardiometabolic syndrome: a prospective interventional study.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (HFNEF) accounts for about one third of all heart failure patients with considerable mortality. The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a risk factor for diastolic dysfunction and HFNEF. We hypothesized that modifying metabolic burden by exercise training and weight loss might improve left ventricular diastolic function, heart failure symptoms and rehospitalization rate. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty patients with HFNEF, MS and prediabetes were enrolled in this prospective study. Echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) were done at baseline and after 3 months lifestyle modification (LSM). NT-pro BNP and adiponectin were determined at baseline as both peptidehormones play a crucial role in MS and heart failure. After discharge a 3-month LSM program with the aim of weight reduction by diet and exercise was started. After the intervention period a weight reduction of ≥ 2% was defined as successful LSM (group A = 23 patients), while a weight reduction < 2% was classified as unsuccessful LSM (group B = 17 patients). At baseline NT-pro BNP (424 ± 381 versus 121 ± 99 pg/ml, P < 0.01) and adiponectin (10.1 ± 6.2 versus 4.6-2.0 µg/ml, P < 0.01) were higher in group A than in group B. After 3 months of LSM, CPET showed a significant improve- ment of VO2 peak (P < 0.01), EqCO2 (P < 0.001), O2-pulse (P = 0.02) and VE / VCO2 slope (P = 0.01) in group A. After one year of follow-up a modest but significant reduction of left atrial size and mitral flow to mitral annulus velocity ratio E/E' was seen in group A. LSM resulted in significant improvement of NYHA status (P = 0.03) and higher freedom of rehospitalization (P = 0.04) in group A. CONCLUSION: Successful lifestyle modification in obese, prediabetic patients with HFNEF improves diastolic left ventricular function and cardiopulmonary exercise capacity. As these measures result in improved NYHA status and less hospitalization, LSM might be a promising approach to prevent chronic diastolic heart failure.

European Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (EuroCMR) registry--multi national results from 57 centers in 15 countries.

BACKGROUND: The EuroCMR registry sought to evaluate indications, image quality, safety and impact on patient management of clinical routine CMR in a multi-national European setting. Furthermore, interim analysis of the specific protocols should underscore the prognostic potential of CMR. METHODS: Multi-center registry with consecutive enrolment of patients in 57 centers in 15 countries. More than 27000 consecutive patients were enrolled. RESULTS: The most important indications were risk stratification in suspected CAD/Ischemia (34.2%), workup of myocarditis/cardiomyopathies (32.2%), as well as assessment of viability (14.6%). Image quality was diagnostic in more than 98% of cases. Severe complications occurred in 0.026%, always associated with stress testing. No patient died during or due to CMR. In 61.8% CMR findings impacted on patient management. Importantly, in nearly 8.7% the final diagnosis based on CMR was different to the diagnosis before CMR, leading to a complete change in management. Interim analysis of suspected CAD and risk stratification in HCM specific protocols revealed a low rate of adverse events for suspected CAD patients with normal stress CMR (1.0% per year), and for HCM patients without LGE (2.7% per year). CONCLUSION: The most important indications in Europe are risk stratification in suspected CAD/Ischemia, work-up of myocarditis and cardiomyopathies, as well as assessment of viability. CMR imaging is a safe procedure, has diagnostic image quality in more than 98% of cases, and its results have strong impact on patient management. Interim analyses of the specific protocols underscore the prognostic value of clinical routine CMR in CAD and HCM.

Treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions with drug-eluting stents: insights from the first phase of the prospective multicenter german drug-eluting stent registry.

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists about the impact of treating bifurcations on overall outcome of coronary interventions using drug-eluting stents (DES). We sought to investigate 1-year outcome of the treatment of bifurcation lesions using DES in a large "real-world" cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 5,126 patients enrolled in phase I of the multicenter German Drug-Eluting Stent Registry, 814 (16%) were treated for a bifurcation lesion. Patients with bifurcations were compared to those without bifurcations in terms of baseline characteristics, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) at 1 year. Usage of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) versus paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) was also evaluated. In total, 1,021 and 5,189 stents were implanted in the bifurcation (1.25 stents/patient) and nonbifurcation (1.2 stents/patient) group, respectively, but 64.5% of bifurcation lesions were treated with a single stent. More complex lesion and procedural characteristics were observed in the bifurcation group. However, there was no difference in 1-year MACCE rates (a composite of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke) between the bifurcation group and nonbifurcation group (8.1% vs. 8.3%, P = 0.85). Rates of TVR (11.2% vs. 10.8%, P = 0.75) and Academic Research Consoritum-defined definite stent thrombosis (0.9% vs. 0.8%, P = 0.67) were also comparable. MACCE and TVR rates remained similar after adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics. MACCE and TVR in SES patients were 7.2% and 12.6% versus 8.7% and 10.2% in PES patients (P = 0.46 and P = 0.30, respectively). CONCLUSION: In this large multicenter registry, treatment of bifurcation lesions with DES appears effective and safe. The presence of bifurcations did not affect 1-year outcomes after DES implantation. The outcomes for SES and PES were similar.

OMEGA, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to test the effect of highly purified omega-3 fatty acids on top of modern guideline-adjusted therapy after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: There is no randomized, double-blind trial testing the prognostic effect of highly purified omega-3 fatty acids in addition to current guideline-adjusted treatment of acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: OMEGA is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial testing the effects of omega-3-acid ethyl esters-90 (1 g/d for 1 year) on the rate of sudden cardiac death in survivors of acute myocardial infarction, if given in addition to current guideline-adjusted treatment. Secondary end points were total mortality and nonfatal clinical events. Patients (n=3851; female, 25.6%; mean age, 64.0 years) were randomized in 104 German centers 3 to 14 days after acute myocardial infarction from October 2003 until June 2007. Acute coronary angiography was performed in 93.8% and acute percutaneous coronary intervention in 77.8% of all patients. During a follow-up of 365 days, the event rates were (omega and control groups) as follows: sudden cardiac death, 1.5% and 1.5% (P=0.84); total mortality, 4.6% and 3.7% (P=0.18); major adverse cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events, 10.4% and 8.8% (P=0.1); and revascularization in survivors, 27.6% and 29.1% (P=0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Guideline-adjusted treatment of acute myocardial infarction results in a low rate of sudden cardiac death and other clinical events within 1 year of follow-up, which could not be shown to be further reduced by the application of omega-3 fatty acids. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00251134.

Accuracy and variability of right ventricular volumes and mass assessed by dual-source computed tomography: influence of slice orientation in comparison to magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy and variability of right ventricular (RV) volumes and mass using dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) and the influence of slice orientation in comparison to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). METHODS: In 33 patients undergoing cardiac DSCT and CMR, RV parameters were calculated using the short-axis (DSCT, CMR) and axial orientation (DSCT). Intra- and interobserver variability were assessed by Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: Short-axis orientation: RV parameters of the two techniques were not statistically different. Axial orientation: RV volumes and mass were significantly overestimated compared with short-axis parameters whereas EF was similar. The short-axis approach resulted in low variability, although the axial orientation had the least amount of intra- and interobserver variability. CONCLUSION: RV parameters can be more accurately assessed by DSCT compared with CMR using short-axis slice orientation. RV volumes and mass are significantly higher using axial compared with short-axis slices, whereas EF is unaffected. RV parameters derived from both approaches yield high reproducibility.

Sirolimus-eluting stent treatment at high-volume centers confers lower mortality at 6-month follow-up: results from the prospective multicenter German Cypher Registry.

BACKGROUND: Studies continue to identify percutaneous coronary intervention procedural volume both at the institutional level and at the operator level as being strongly correlated with outcome. High-volume centers have been defined as those that perform >400 percutaneous coronary intervention procedures per year. The relationship between drug-eluting stent procedural volume and outcome is unknown. We investigated this relationship in the German Cypher Registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: The present analysis included 8201 patients treated with sirolimus-eluting stents between April 2002 and September 2005 in 51 centers. Centers that recruited >400 sirolimus-eluting stent patients in this time period were considered high-volume centers; those with 150 to 400 patients were considered intermediate-volume centers; and those with <150 patients were designated as low-volume centers. The primary end point was all death, myocardial infarction, and target-vessel revascularization at 6 months. This end point occurred in 11.3%, 12.1%, and 9.0% of patients in the low-, intermediate-, and high-volume center groups, respectively (P=0.0001). There was no difference between groups in the rate of target-vessel revascularization (P=0.2) or cerebrovascular accidents (P=0.5). The difference in death/myocardial infarction remained significant after adjustment for baseline factors (odds ratio 1.85, 95% confidence interval 1.31 to 2.59, P<0.001 for low-volume centers; odds ratio 1.69, 95% confidence interval 1.29 to 2.21, P<0.001 for intermediate-volume centers). Patient and lesion selection, procedural features, and postprocedural medications differed significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The volume of sirolimus-eluting stent procedures performed on an institutional level was inversely related to death and myocardial infarction but not to target-vessel revascularization at 6-month follow-up. Safety issues are better considered in high-volume centers. These findings have important public health policy implications.

Coronary stenting with the sirolimus-eluting stent in clinical practice: final results from the prospective multicenter German Cypher Stent Registry.

AIMS: Drug-eluting coronary stents (DES) have gained widespread use for the treatment of coronary artery disease. However, because of safety concerns and frequent "off-label" use data from "real life," registries are necessary to monitor indications and outcome of DES in daily clinical practice. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated data from the German Cypher Stent Registry. A total of 10,894 patients treated with at least one sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) at 152 hospitals were included. Follow-up at a median of 6.4 months was available in 10,006 patients (92%). Median age was 64.8 years and 75.5% were male. Per lesion a mean of 1.09 +/- 0.41 SES were implanted with a mean length of 21.1 +/- 11.5mm. During follow-up, death rate was 1.8% and the rates of myocardial infarction or stroke were 2.1% and 0.5%. Any target vessel revascularization (TVR) was performed in 8.0% of patients. Independent predictors for death, myocardial infarction, or stroke were: cardiogenic shock, acute coronary syndromes, reduced left ventricular function, renal insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, advanced age, three-vessel disease, degree of stenosis, and prior myocardial infarction. Predictors for a TVR were: two- or three-vessel disease, target vessel = coronary bypass, advanced age, stent diameter, ostial lesions, indication in-stent restenosis, renal failure, and target vessel = left anterior descended artery. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that SES use in clinical practice is safe and effective. The main predictors of clinical events during follow-up are clinical parameters whereas as predictors of TVR mainly are angiographic parameters.

Rapid MR assessment of left ventricular systolic function after acute myocardial infarction using single breath-hold cine imaging with the temporal parallel acquisition technique (TPAT) and 4D guide-point modelling analysis of left ventricular function.

We compared four-dimensional guide-point modelling left ventricular function analysis (4DVF) results of cine images in four short-axis and two long-axis slices acquired in a single breath-hold, obtained with the temporal parallel acquisition technique (TPAT), with standard left ventricular function (LVF) analysis results determined by the summation of discs method, in patients who had recently suffered myocardial infarction. Despite wall motion abnormalities, 4DVF yields results for left ventricular ejection fractions and end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes that are in excellent agreement with standard LVF analysis results in these patients. A shortened cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) protocol using single breath-hold cine image acquisition could facilitate the assessment of left ventricular function soon after myocardial infarction in critically ill patients who are unable to comply with the multiple breath-holds required for standard LVF analysis.

Right ventricular involvement in acute left ventricular myocardial infarction: prognostic implications of MRI findings.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and prognostic importance of the cardiac MRI finding of right ventricular involvement in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty patients (41 men, nine women; mean age, 58 +/- 11 years) with first-ST-segment elevation MI underwent 1.5-T cardiac MRI immediately after successful percutaneous coronary intervention. The cardiac MRI protocol included steady-state free precession cine sequences for functional assessment of the left, right, and both ventricles and inversion recovery FLASH delayed enhancement sequences after contrast administration for the quantification of myocardial damage. The prevalence of right ventricular involvement detected with ECG and echocardiography was compared with the prevalence detected with cardiac MRI, which was the reference standard. Patients underwent follow-up for 32 +/- 8 months. RESULTS: Right ventricular involvement was diagnosed with cardiac MRI in 27 patients (54%): 14 of 30 patients (47%) with inferior ST-segment elevation MI and 13 of 20 patients (65%) with anterior ST-segment elevation MI. ECG and echocardiographic findings showed only moderate agreement with cardiac MRI findings in the detection of right ventricular involvement in inferior acute MI (kappa = 0.38). Patients with right ventricular involvement in anterior ST-segment elevation MI had larger infarcts (delayed enhancement, 25.9% +/- 14.5% vs 11.4% +/- 10.1%; p = 0.030), lower left ventricular ejection fraction (34.3% +/- 8.2% vs 45.2% +/- 9.5%; p < 0.015), and lower right ventricular ejection fraction (39.8% +/- 6.6% vs 54.9% +/- 8.8%; p < 0.001) than those without right ventricular involvement. In a multivariate logistic regression model, right ventricular involvement was a strong independent predictor (odds ratio, 15.8; 95% CI, 4-63%) of major cardiac adverse events. CONCLUSION: Right ventricular involvement in ST-segment elevation MI is detected more frequently with cardiac MRI than with ECG and echocardiography and is an independent prognostic indicator.

Current variables, definitions and endpoints of the European cardiovascular magnetic resonance registry.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is increasingly used in daily clinical practice. However, little is known about its clinical utility such as image quality, safety and impact on patient management. In addition, there is limited information about the potential of CMR to acquire prognostic information. METHODS: The European Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Registry (EuroCMR Registry) will consist of two parts: 1) Multicenter registry with consecutive enrolment of patients scanned in all participating European CMR centres using web based online case record forms. 2) Prospective clinical follow up of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) every 12 months after enrolment to assess prognostic data. CONCLUSION: The EuroCMR Registry offers an opportunity to provide information about the clinical utility of routine CMR in a large number of cases and a diverse population. Furthermore it has the potential to gather information about the prognostic value of CMR in specific patient populations.

Prognostic value of the modified American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association lesion morphology classification for clinical outcome after sirolimus-eluting stent placement (results of the prospective multicenter German Cypher Registry).

The modified American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) lesion morphology classification scheme has prognostic impact for early and late outcomes when bare-metal stents are used. Its value after drug-eluting stent placement is unknown. The predictive value of this lesion morphology classification system in patients treated using sirolimus-eluting stents included in the German Cypher Registry was prospectively examined. The study population included 6,755 patients treated for 7,960 lesions using sirolimus-eluting stents. Lesions were classified as type A, B1, B2, or C. Lesion type A or B1 was considered simple (35.1%), and type B2 or C, complex (64.9%). The combined end point of all deaths, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization was seen in 2.6% versus 2.4% in the complex and simple groups, respectively (p = 0.62) at initial hospital discharge, with a trend for higher rates of myocardial infarction in the complex group. At the 6-month clinical follow-up and after adjusting for other independent factors, the composite of cumulative death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization was nonsignificantly different between groups (11.4% vs 11.2% in the complex and simple groups, respectively; odds ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 0.8 to 1.46). This was also true for target vessel revascularization alone (8.3% of the complex group, 9.0% of the simple group; odds ratio 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 1.05). In conclusion, the modified ACC/AHA lesion morphology classification system has some value in determining early complications after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation. Clinical follow-up results at 6 months were generally favorable and cannot be adequately differentiated on the basis of this lesion morphology classification scheme.

Implantation of sirolimus-eluting stents in saphenous vein grafts is associated with high clinical follow-up event rates compared with treatment of native vessels.

AIMS: The clinical effectiveness of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) for treatment of patients with saphenous vein graft disease is not well defined. This analysis sought to evaluate the clinical follow-up after treatment of stenotic saphenous vein grafts using SES in a large patient registry. Patients treated with SES for saphenous vein graft disease were compared with patients receiving SES in native vessel disease. METHOD: This is a subanalysis from the prospective multicenter German Cypher Stent Registry. Only patients with completed 6 months clinical follow-up were included. The analysis comprises 344 patients with 353 lesions in saphenous vein grafts treated with 400 SES (Cypher, Cordis Inc., Cordis Corp., Warren, New Jersey, USA) and 6411 patients with 7607 native coronary artery lesions treated with 8725 SES. RESULTS: Mean SES length per lesion was 22.6+/-11.7 mm and mean stent diameter 3.0+/-0.3 mm in saphenous vein graft lesions. Target vessel revascularization rate was 18.1% and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) rate was 23.8% at 6-month follow-up after SES implantation for saphenous vein graft lesions. Even after adjustment for different baseline characteristics, target vessel failure and MACE rate were significantly higher after SES implantation for saphenous vein graft lesions than for native coronary vessel stenosis [odds ratio: 2.10 (95% confidence interval: 1.40-3.13), P<0.001] and [odds ratio: 2.15 (95% confidence interval: 1.49-3.09), P<0.001], respectively. CONCLUSION: Treatment of saphenous vein graft disease is associated with high target vessel revascularization and MACE rates also with the use of SES if applied to unselected patients. Target vessel revascularization and MACE rates remain significantly higher after SES for saphenous vein graft lesions than after SES in native vessel disease.

Predictors of death or myocardial infarction during follow-up after coronary stenting with the sirolimus-eluting stent. Results from the prospective multicenter German Cypher Stent Registry.

BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting coronary stents are the most recent "breakthrough" technology in interventional cardiology. Whereas risk factors influencing restenosis and need for target vessel revascularization are well known, risk factors for dying or developing a myocardial infarction (MI) after drug-eluting coronary stent implantation need to be evaluated yet. METHODS: We evaluated data from the German Cypher Stent Registry. RESULTS: From April 2002 to December 2004, 7445 patients at 122 hospitals, who received at least one sirolimus-eluting stent during percutaneous coronary intervention, were included. Complete follow-up at a median of 6.6 months (quartiles 6.1-8.1 months) was available in 6755 patients (91%). Death occurred in 1.8% (120/6755) of patients, nonfatal MI in 2.3% (156/6635), and death or MI in 4.1% (276/6755) of patients. Independent predictors of death or MI were initial presentation with ST-elevation MI or non-ST-elevation MI (OR [odds ratio] 2.21, 95% CI 1.66-2.95, P < .0001), cardiogenic shock (OR 3.05, 95% CI 1.67-5.55, P = .0003), renal insufficiency (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.24-2.44, P = .0017), reduced left ventricular function (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.21-2.50, P = .0027), age (per decade) (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.36, P = .0058), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.05-1.84, P = .0183), 3-vessel disease (OR 1.32, 95% CI 0.99-1.77, P = .043), and prior MI (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.01-1.80, P = .0468), whereas interventional and lesion characteristics showed no significant association. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the most powerful predictors of death or MI after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation during percutaneous coronary intervention are presentation with an acute coronary syndrome, impaired left ventricular ejection fraction, and conventional risk factors for coronary heart disease. Interventional and lesion characteristics do not play a major role.

Incidence and predictors of target vessel revascularization and clinical event rates of the sirolimus-eluting coronary stent (results from the prospective multicenter German Cypher Stent Registry).

Randomized trials have demonstrated the ability of drug-eluting stents to decrease the risk of restenosis after coronary stent implantation. However, the incidences of major cardiovascular/cerebral adverse events (MACCEs) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) during follow-up in a routine clinical setting remain to be determined. We analyzed data of the multicenter German Cypher Stent Registry. From April 2002 to March 2003, 1,726 patients at 93 hospitals who received >/=1 sirolimus-eluting coronary stent were included. Median follow-up was 6.7 months. During follow-up, death occurred in 1.2% of patients (20 of 1,726), nonfatal myocardial infarction in 2.5% (43 of 1,706), and nonfatal stroke in 0.5% (7 of 1,469). TVR was performed in 8.6% of patients, with percutaneous coronary intervention in 7.3% and coronary artery bypass grafting in 1.5%. The overall rate of MACCEs or TVR was 10.8% (186 of 1,726). Independent predictors of TVR were the target vessel being a bypass graft (odds ratio [OR] 2.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41 to 4.18, p = 0.001), management of >1 lesion during the same intervention (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.96, p = 0.035), 2- or 3-vessel disease (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.72, p = 0.030), and age (per decade; OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.98, p = 0.025). These data confirm the safety and effectiveness of using the sirolimus-eluting stent in daily clinical practice. The management of bypass grafts and multiple lesions in 1 session and the presence of multivessel disease were predictors of MACCEs or TVR.

Usefulness of heart rate to predict one-year mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation and acute myocardial infarction (from the OMEGA trial).

In the setting of acute myocardial infarction and sinus rhythm, the heart rate (HR) has been demonstrated to correlate closely with mortality. In patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation (AF) on admission, however, the prognostic relevance of the HR has not yet been systematically addressed. A post hoc subgroup analysis of the data from the OMEGA trial was conducted to analyze whether the admission HR determines the 1-year mortality in patients presenting with AF in the setting of acute myocardial infarction. Of 3,851 patients enrolled in the OMEGA study, 211 (6%) presented with AF on admission. This subgroup was dichotomized according to the admission HR (cutoff 95 beats/min). Multiple regression analysis revealed that an admission HR of ≥95 beats/min independently determined the 1-year mortality in patients with AF (odds ratio 4.69, 95% confidence interval 1.47 to 15.01; p = 0.01). In conclusion, this is the first study demonstrating that a high HR (≥95 beats/min) on admission in patients with AF and acute myocardial infarction is associated with an almost fivefold mortality risk.

Predictors of 1-year mortality in patients with contemporary guideline-adherent therapy after acute myocardial infarction: results from the OMEGA study.

BACKGROUND: Predictors of long-term mortality after discharge after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are well characterized. However, these established risk factors are based on data almost exclusively derived from older studies without consistent use of revascularization therapy and adjunctive therapy with statins, platelet inhibitors, beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors/ARBs. We therefore sought to investigate predictors of 1-year mortality in survivors of AMI treated with contemporary guideline-adherent therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 3,782 patients surviving acute ST-elevation and non ST-elevation myocardial infarction who were enrolled in the prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled OMEGA trial with 104 German centers. The primary objective of the OMEGA study was to determine the effect of highly purified omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters-90 on the rate of sudden cardiac death in patients surviving AMI and receiving current guideline-adherent treatment within the 1-year of follow-up. 80.8 % of the patients received early revascularization therapy. At discharge, 94.2 % of the patients received beta-blocker, 90.4 % ACE inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, 94.3 % statin, 95.4 % aspirin and 88.4 % clopidogrel. During the 1-year follow-up 139 patients (3.7 %) died. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the following independent predictors of 1-year mortality in decreasing order of importance: ejection fraction <45 % [odds ratio (OR) 2.28, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.53-3.41], age ≥70 years (OR 2.17, 95 % CI 1.42-3.32), no acute revascularization (OR 2.02, 95 % CI 1.33-3.08), prior stroke/transient ischemic attack (OR 1.90, 95 % CI 1.09-3.30), peripheral arterial disease (OR 1.86, 95 % CI 1.12-3.10), heart rate >85/min (OR 1.82, 95 % CI 1.23-2.71), chronic obstructive lung disease (OR 1.77, 95 % CI 1.01-3.10) and HDL cholesterol <40 mg/dl (OR 1.75, 95 % CI 1.15-2.67). CONCLUSIONS: In patients surviving AMI and treated with contemporary guideline-adherent therapy, 1-year mortality was low. Nevertheless, traditional risk factors such as ejection fraction <45 %, older age, no acute revascularization and comorbidities were the strongest predictors of long-term mortality supporting the findings from previous studies.

Long-term follow-up after coronary stenting with the sirolimus-eluting stent in clinical practice: results from the prospective multi-center German Cypher Stent Registry.

AIMS: To obtain long-term follow-up data of the sirolimus-eluting coronary stent (SES) and to determine factors associated with clinical events and target vessel revascularization (TVR). METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 2002 and 2005, 5,946 patients were treated with at least one SES. A follow-up after a median of 4.1 years was obtained in 5,247 patients (88.2 %). During the follow-up, death occurred in 9.2 % of patients, nonfatal myocardial infarction in 5.9 %, nonfatal stroke in 2.2 % and MACCE (death/myocardial infarction/stroke) in 16.3 %. Any TVR was performed in 20.3 %. Independent predictors of MACCE were: older age (p < 0.0001), renal insufficiency (p < 0.0001), prior myocardial infarction (p < 0.0001), diabetes mellitus (p < 0.0001), cardiogenic shock (p = 0.0002), three-vessel disease (p = 0.0012), reduced left ventricular function (p = 0.0048), target vessel = bypass graft (p = 0.0122), indication for treatment = ACS (p = 0.0181) and PCI before implantation (p = 0.0308). Independent predictors of TVR were target vessel = coronary bypass (<0.0001), two- or three-vessel disease (p < 0.0001), ostial lesions (p < 0.0001), total length of SES implanted (p = 0.0012) and older age being a protective factor (p = 0.0187). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term follow-up of the SES in clinical practice showed clinical event rates that were comparable to randomized trials with a MACCE rate of 16.3 % and TVR rate of 20.3 %.

Impact of hyperglycemia at admission in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction as assessed by contrast-enhanced MRI.

BACKGROUND: Blood glucose level at admission in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a predictor of heart failure and mortality. This study was performed to investigate the impact of hyperglycemia at admission in non-diabetic patients on infarct size, microvascular obstruction, and long-term outcome using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in patients with acute STEMI. METHODS: One hundred and seven consecutive patients (84 males; mean age 59.4 years ± 11.3 years) with a first acute STEMI successfully treated by primary PCI were included. Admission hyperglycemia was defined as blood glucose above 7.8 mmol/l. CMR was performed 3.6 days ± 1.9 days after admission on a 1.5-tesla MR system. The imaging protocol included single-shot steady-state free precession (SSFP) cine sequences for assessing segmental and global left ventricular (LV) function and microvascular obstruction (MVO)/late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging immediately and 10 min after the administration of 0.2 mmol gadodiamide/kg of body weight using an inversion-recovery SSFP (IR-SSFP) sequence. A receiver operating characteristics analysis was used to detect the best cut-off point of microvascular obstruction that predicted myocardial infarction and death during follow-up. RESULTS: Of 107 patients, 37 (35%) had hyperglycemia on admission. Compared to normoglycemic patients, patients with admission hyperglycemia had a lower LV ejection fraction (38.6 ± 13.7% vs. 47.5 ± 12.2%, p < 0.001), greater ESV (88.8 ± 41.8 ml vs. 72.3 ml ± 35.1 ml, p = 0.01), greater infarct size (LGE% 21.1 ± 14.9% vs. 9.8 ± 8.7%, p < 0.001), and greater MVO (MVO% 9.6 ± 9.9% vs. 2.5 ± 4.3%, p < 0.001). Admission hyperglycemia was an independent predictor of the presence and extent of microvascular obstruction. Microvascular obstruction as a percentage of left ventricular mass was the only variable independently related to clinical outcome in a Cox proportional hazard model (Wald 18.78, HR 1.155, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Hyperglycemia at admission in STEMI patients who are successfully treated by PCI is independently associated with the presence and extent of microvascular obstruction on contrast-enhanced CMR. Thus, microvascular obstruction as assessed by CMR may be a mechanism that relates admission hyperglycemia in acute STEMI to worse outcome.

Gender-related differences in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: results from the registry study of the ST elevation myocardial infarction network Essen.

BACKGROUND: The Myocardial Infarction Network Essen was initiated in order to establish a standardized procedure with immediate reopening of the infarcted vessel for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the city of Essen, Germany. The present study aims to evaluate gender-related differences in presentation of disease and clinical outcome. HYPOTHESIS: Gender is associated with differences in presentation and outcome of STEMI. METHODS: All patients with STEMI were included without exception. Parameters such as risk profile, mortality, and relevant time intervals were documented. The follow-up period was 1 year. RESULTS: For this study, 1365 patients (72.1% male) were recruited. Women were significantly older, with higher prevalence of diabetes (28.1% vs 20.3%, P = 0.004) and hypertension (76.5% vs 64.8%, P<0.0005). Analysis of time intervals between symptoms to actions showed no significant differences. However, women tended to wait longer before calling for medical assistance (358 vs 331 min, P = 0.091). In-hospital mortality was comparable with respect to gender, whereas women had higher 1-year mortality (18.6% vs 13.2%). Age and diabetes were associated with a higher mortality. Adjusted for age, gender is no longer an independent risk factor. In the follow-up period, significantly more women were readmitted to the hospital without a difference in the frequency of reangiography, surgery, or target-vessel revascularization. CONCLUSIONS: The present data display a successful implementation of a standardized procedure in patients with STEMI. Although differences between genders are not as obvious as expected, efforts should be taken to perform a gender-specific risk analysis as well as to promote education about proper behavior in case of new onset of angina.