Relevance of Dementia in Atrial Fibrillation Patients within a Specific European Health Care Area.

INTRODUCTION: Atrial fibrillation might increase the risk of dementia. We aim to test the hypothesis that dementia could reclassify the actual risk of stroke and death predicted by the CHA2DS2-VASc in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: A prospective study performed in a specific health care area. RESULTS: From our health care area (n = 348,985), throughout 2013, AF was codified in 7,990 (2.08%). Mean age was 76.83 ± 10.5, mean CHA2DS2-VASc = 3.5, 4,056 (50.8%) were females and 287 (3.6%) were diagnosed to have dementia. Patients with dementia were older and presented a higher rate of all the components of the CHA2DS2-VASc-expect vasculopathy. Differences in overall mortality were observed but not in stroke and haemorrhagic events. After propensity score matched analysis, dementia was independently associated with all-cause mortality. Addition of dementia to CHA2DS2-VASc reclassified 7.7 and 16.6% of the cohort with regard to thromboembolic events and death risk respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with dementia presented a more adverse risk profile, with significant differences in all-cause mortality.

Glucose and Inflammatory Cells Decrease Adiponectin in Epicardial Adipose Tissue Cells: Paracrine Consequences on Vascular Endothelium.

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a source of energy for heart that expresses the insulin-sensitizer, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic protein, adiponectin. But, in coronary artery disease, adiponectin production declines. Our objective was to determine its regulation by glucose and inflammation in stromal cells from EAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and its paracrine effect on endothelial cells. Stromal cells of EAT and SAT were obtained from patients who underwent cardiac surgery. Adipogenesis was induced at 117, 200, or 295 mg/dl glucose, with or without macrophage-conditioned medium (MCM). Expression of adiponectin, GLUT-4 and the insulin receptor was analyzed by real-time PCR. The paracrine effect of stromal cells was determined in co-cultures with endothelial cells, by exposing them to high glucose and/or MCM, and, additionally, to leukocyte-conditioned medium from patients with myocardial infarction. The endothelial response was determined by analyzing vascular adhesion molecule expression. Our results showed a U-shaped dose-response curve of glucose on adiponectin in EAT, but not in SAT stromal cells. Conversely, MCM reduced the adipogenesis-induced adiponectin expression of EAT stromal cells. The presence of EAT stromal increased the inflammatory molecules of endothelial cells. This deleterious effect was emphasized in the presence of inflammatory cell-conditioned medium from patients with myocardial infarction. Thus, high glucose and inflammatory cells reduced adipogenesis-induced adiponectin expression of EAT stromal cells, which induced an inflammatory paracrine process in endothelial cells. This inflammatory effect was lower in presence of mature adipocytes, producers of adiponectin. These results contribute to understanding the role of EAT dysfunction on coronary atherosclerosis progression.

Prognostic Utility of Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Shock Stage Approach for Classifying Cardiogenic Shock Severity in Takotsubo Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a significant complication of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), contributing to heightened mortality and morbidity. Despite this, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) staging system for CS severity lacks validation in patients with TTS and CS. This study aimed to characterize a patient cohort with TTS using the SCAI staging system and assess its utility in cases of TTS complicated by CS. METHODS AND RESULTS: From a TTS national registry, 1591 consecutive patients were initially enrolled and stratified into 5 SCAI stages (A through E). Primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality; secondary end points were TTS-related in-hospital complications and 1-year all-cause mortality. After exclusions, the final cohort comprised 1163 patients, mean age 71.0±11.8 years, and 87% were female. Patients were categorized across SCAI shock stages as follows: A 72.1%, B 12.2%, C 11.2%, D 2.7%, and E 1.8%. Significant variations in baseline demographics, comorbidities, clinical presentations, and in-hospital courses were observed across SCAI shock stages. After multivariable adjustment, each higher SCAI shock stage showed a significant association with increased in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio: 1.77-29.31) compared with SCAI shock stage A. Higher SCAI shock stages were also associated with increased 1-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In a large multicenter patient cohort with TTS, the functional SCAI shock stage classification effectively stratified mortality risk, revealing a continuum of escalating shock severity with higher stages correlating with increased in-hospital mortality. This study highlights the applicability and prognostic value of the SCAI staging system in TTS-related CS.

Dosing of iodinated contrast volume: a new simple algorithm to stratify the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND: Previous studies on contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) have identified contrast volume (CV) as a risk factor. The aim of our research was to define the safe dose of contrast media based on absolute CV, maximum allowable contrast dose (MACD) and estimated glomerular filtrate rate (eGFR). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 940 consecutive patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were enrolled. Fifty-four patients developed CIN. MACD was defined as 5*body weight/serum creatinine. When using a CV higher than MACD, CIN-risk was increased 19-fold (OR 9.810-39.307, P < 0.001). For the CV/eGFR ratio, we found that for every increase of one-tenth, CIN-risk increased by 4.9% (OR 1.037-1.061, P < 0.001). The discriminative ability of CV (C statistic = 0.626 ± 0.038) was significantly lower than for the CV/MACD (C statistic = 0.782 ± 0.036, P = 0.003) and CV/eGFR (C statistics: 0.796 ± 0.033 for MDRD-4, 0.796 ± 0.034 for Cockcroft-Gault, and 0.803 ± 0.033 for CKD-EPI; P < 0.001). There were no differences in the discriminative ability to predict CIN between the three eGFR equations. The combination of CV/MACD and CV/eGFR in a single protocol increases the positive predictive value of the Mehran risk score (40.7% vs. 8.8%) with the same sensitivity (90.7% vs. 83.3%). High doses of relative CV (CV/MACD and CV/eGFR) were also significantly associated with higher in-hospital mortality, reinfarction, and heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: A sequential protocol based on CV/MACD and CV/eGFR appropriately identified those ACS patients who developed CIN, with predictive values similar to a Mehran score, reducing the false positive rate. It is also useful to predict risk of in-hospital cardiac events regardless of GRACE score.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein predicts adverse outcomes after non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome regardless of GRACE risk score, but not after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

INTRODUCTION: Atherosclerosis is an active process and the inflammatory component appears to be particularly correlated with the development of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein that appears in the circulation in response to inflammatory cytokines. The present study investigated the association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) on admission and follow-up prognosis after an ACS. METHODS: We included 151 consecutive patients admitted to the coronary care unit with a diagnosis of ACS (47% ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI]). The primary endpoint was the combination of cardiac death and myocardial reinfarction during the follow-up period (median 19.8 months, interquartile range 16.3-23.7 months). RESULTS: The occurrence of follow-up events was significantly related to admission hsCRP level, which was an excellent predictor of cardiac death and reinfarction during follow-up (HR 1.091, 95% CI 1.014-1.174; p=0.019). Stratifying the population based on type of ACS, adjusted by variables associated with cardiac events in univariate analysis (hsCRP, diabetes, depressed ejection fraction and GRACE risk score), hsCRP proved to be an independent predictor of follow-up outcomes only in non-STEMI patients (HR 1.217, 95% CI: 1.093-1.356, p<0.001), not in STEMI patients. The best cutoff level of hsCRP to predict follow-up outcomes was 1.1mg/dl, with sensitivity of 77.8% and specificity of 63.2%. CONCLUSION: Although the GRACE risk score is routinely used for stratification of patients with ACS, assessment of hsCRP may provide additional prognostic value in the follow-up of non-STEMI patients.

Systematic influenza screening in cardiac intensive care units during the influenza season: A prospective study in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the incidence of influenza among admissions to the cardiac intensive care unit (C-ICU), accuracy of clinical suspicion, and influenza vaccination uptake. We evaluated the incidence of influenza at C-ICU admission during the influenza season, potential underdiagnosis, and vaccination uptake. METHODS: Prospective study at five C-ICUs during the 2017-2020 influenza seasons. A nasopharyngeal swab was collected at admission from patients who consented (n = 788). Testing was with Xpert®XpressFlu/RSV. RESULTS: Influenza was detected in 43 patients (5.5%) (40 FluA; 3 FluB) and clinically suspected in 27 (62.8%). Compared to patients without influenza, patients with influenza more frequently had heart failure (37.2% vs 22.8%, P = 0.031), previous contact with relatives with influenza-like illnesses (23.3% vs 12.5%, P = 0.042), antimicrobial use (67.4% vs 23.2%, P <0.01), and need for mechanical ventilation (25.6% vs 14.5%, P = 0.048). Patients received oseltamivir promptly. We found no differences in mortality (11.6% vs 5.2%, P = 0.076). Patients with influenza more frequently had myocarditis (9.3% vs 0.9%, P <0.01) and pericarditis (7.0% vs 0.8%, P = 0.01). Overall, 43.0% of patients (339/788) were vaccinated (51.9% of those with a clear indication [303/584]). CONCLUSION: Influenza seems to be a frequently underdiagnosed underlying condition in admissions to the C-ICU. Influenza should be screened for at C-ICU admission during influenza epidemics.

Coronary angiography in patients without ST-segment elevation following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. COUPE clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The role of emergency coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in patients without ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear. We aimed to assess whether emergency CAG and PCI would improve survival with good neurological outcome in this population. METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized, open-label, investigator-initiated clinical trial, we randomly assigned 69 survivors of OHCA without STEMI to undergo immediate CAG or deferred CAG. The primary efficacy endpoint was a composite of in-hospital survival free of severe dependence. The safety endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardiac events including death, reinfarction, bleeding, and ventricular arrhythmias. RESULTS: A total of 66 patients were included in the primary analysis (95.7%). In-hospital survival was 62.5% in the immediate CAG group and 58.8% in the delayed CAG group (HR, 0.96; 95%CI, 0.45-2.09; P=.93). In-hospital survival free of severe dependence was 59.4% in the immediate CAG group and 52.9% in the delayed CAG group (HR, 1.29; 95%CI, 0.60-2.73; P=.4986). No differences were found in the secondary endpoints except for the incidence of acute kidney failure, which was more frequent in the immediate CAG group (15.6% vs 0%, P=.002) and infections, which were higher in the delayed CAG group (46.9% vs 73.5%, P=.003). CONCLUSIONS: In this underpowered randomized trial involving patients resuscitated after OHCA without STEMI, immediate CAG provided no benefit in terms of survival without neurological impairment compared with delayed CAG. CLINICALTRIALS: gov Identifier: NCT02641626.

Prognostic impact of renal function trajectories in patients with STEMI and kidney dysfunction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: An analysis of ten years all-comers registry.

BACKGROUND: Renal dysfunction in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) indicates a poor long-term prognosis. However, the prognostic value of the improvement or stabilisation of renal function during follow-up has not yet been assessed. This study aimed to investigate the long-term predictive impact of the improvement or stabilisation of renal function after one year of follow-up in patients with STEMI undergoing pPCI with renal dysfunction at discharge. METHODS: This prospective, single-centre cohort study included 2170 consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent pPCI. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was determined at hospital discharge and one-year follow-up. The median clinical follow-up was 72 months. RESULTS: Among the 2004 patients, 393 (19.6%) had a GFR <60 ml/min, and 1611 (80.4%) had a GFR ≥ 60 ml/min at discharge. Among patients with GFR <60 ml/min, data at one-year follow-up were available for 342. Of these patients, 127 (32%) showed improvement in renal function (defined as improvement in the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) chronic kidney disease (CKD) classification), 47 (12%) showed worsening of renal function (defined as worsening of the KDIGO CKD classification), and 168 (43%) showed no category changes. Improvement or stabilisation of GFR at one year of follow-up was associated with a reduction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [HR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.35-0.75, p = 0.001] and all-cause mortality [HR 0.54, 95% CI: 0.34-0.84, p = 0.007] during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The improvement or stabilisation of renal function at one-year follow-up in patients with STEMI and renal dysfunction is associated with a better long-term prognosis.

Should PRECISE-DAPT be included for long-term prognostic stratification of diabetic patients with NSTEACS?

AIMS: There are insufficient data regarding risk scores validation in patients with diabetes mellitus and non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS). We performed a diabetes mellitus-specific analysis of cardiovascular outcomes after NSTEACS. We tested the predictive power of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) and PREdicting bleeding Complications In patients undergoing Stent implantation and subsEquent Dual Anti-Platelet Therapy (PRECISE-DAPT) scores. METHODS: This work is a retrospective analysis that included 7,415 consecutive NSTEACS patients from two Spanish Universitarian hospitals between the years 2003 and 2017. The area under the ROC curve among with and without diabetes mellitus patients was calculated, to evaluate the predictive power of both scores.  RESULTS: Among the study participants, 2124 patients (28.0%) were diabetic. The median follow-up was 54,3 months (IQR 24,7-80,0 months). Diabetic patients were more women (30.5% vs. 25.7%) and older (70.0 ± 10.8 vs. 65.3 ± 13.2 years old); they had higher GRACE (146 ± 36 vs. 137 ± 36), PRECISE-DAPT (15 ± 7 vs. 18 ± 9) at admission. Early invasive coronary angiography (≤ 24 h after admission) was performed more frequently in non-diabetic. We tested the predictive power of the GRACE and PRECISE-DAPT risk scores among diabetic and non-diabetic. PRECISE-DAPT risk score showed a good predictive power for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and MACE in diabetic admitted with NSTEACS, without differences compared to non-diabetic. CONCLUSIONS: PRECISE-DAPT risk score has an appropriate predictive power in diabetic patients admitted with NSTEACS compared to non-diabetic NSTEACS. However, GRACE would be predictive worse in diabetic during long-term follow-up in a large contemporary registry.

Differences Between Takotsubo and the Working Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction With Nonobstructive Coronary Arteries.

Aim: Whether Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) should be classified within myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCAs) is still controversial. The aim of this work was to evaluate the main differences between TTS and non-TTS MINOCAs. Methods and Results: A cohort study based on two prospective registries: TTS from the RETAKO registry (N:1,015) and patients with non-TTS MINOCAs from contemporary records of acute myocardial infarction from five 5 national centers (N:1,080). Definitions and management recommended by the ESC were used. Survival analysis was based on the Cox regression analysis; propensity score matching (PS) was created to adjust prognostic variables. Takotsubo syndrome were more often women (85.9 vs. 51.9%; p < 0.001) and older (69.4 ± 12.5 vs. 64.5 ± 14.1 years; p < 0.001). Atrial fibrillation (AF) was more frequent in non-TTS MINOCAs (10.4 vs. 14.4%; p = 0.007). Psychiatric disorders were more prevalent in TTS (15.5 vs. 10.2%, p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality and complications were higher in TTS: 3.4 vs. 1.8%, (p = 0.015), and 25.8 vs. 11.5%, (p < 0.001). Global mortality before PS matching was 16.1% in non-TTS MINOCAs and 8.1% in TTS. Median follow-up was 32.4 months; after PS matching, TTS had fewer major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs): hazard ratio (HR) 0.59; 95% CI 0.42-0.83. There were no differences in global mortality (HR 0.87; CI: 0.64-1.19), but TTS had lower cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.58; CI: 0.35-0.98). Conclusion: Compared to the rest of MINOCAs, TTS presents a different patient profile and a more aggressive acute phase. However, its long-term cardiovascular prognosis is better. These results support that TTS should be considered a separate entity with unique characteristics and prognosis.

Early angiography in elderly patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome: The cardio CHUS-HUSJ registry.

BACKGROUND: In elderly patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS), while routine invasive management is established in high-risk NSTEACS patients, there is still uncertainty regarding the optimal timing of the procedure. METHODS: This study analyzes the association of early coronary angiography with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, heart failure (HF) hospitalization, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients older than 75 years old with NSTEACS. This retrospective observational study included 7811 consecutive NSTEACS patients who were examined between the years 2003 and 2017 at two Spanish university hospitals. There were 2290 patients older than 75 years old. We compared their baseline characteristics according to the early invasive strategy used (coronarography ≤24 h vs. coronarography >24 h) after the diagnosis of NSTEACS. RESULTS: Among the study participants, 1566 patients (68.38%) underwent early invasive coronary intervention. The mean follow-up period was 46 months (interquartile range 18-71 months). This association was also maintained after propensity score matching: early invasive strategy was significantly related to lower all-cause mortality [HR 0.61 (95% CI 0.51-0.71)], cardiovascular mortality [HR 0.52 (95% CI 0.43-0.63)], and MACE [HR 0.62 (CI 95% 0.54-0.71)]. CONCUSIONS: In a contemporary real-world registry of elderly NSTEACS patients, early invasive management significantly reduced all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and MACE during long-term follow-up. BRIEF SUMMARY: In this real-world retrospective observational study that included 2451 patients older than 75 years old, 1566 patients (68.38%) underwent early invasive coronary intervention. After performing a propensity score matching, the early invasive strategy was still associated with lower all-cause mortality [HR (hazard ratio) 0.61, 95% CI (95% confidence interval) (0.51-0.71)], cardiovascular mortality [HR 0.52 (95%CI 0.43-0.63)], and MACE [HR 0.62 (95%CI 0.54-0.71)] during long-term follow-up.

Prognostic impact of left ventricular ejection fraction recovery in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: analysis of an 11-year all-comers registry.

AIMS: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) recovery after an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) identifies a group of patients with a better prognosis. However, the association between long-term outcomes and LVEF recovery among patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not yet been well investigated. Our study aims to detect differences in long-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality between patients who recover LVEF at 1-year post-PCI and those who do not, and search for predictors of LVEF recovery. METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a retrospective, single-centre study of 2170 consecutive patients admitted for STEMI in which primary PCI is performed. LVEF was determined at admission and at 1-year follow-up. The primary outcomes were long-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Among the 2168 patients with baseline LVEF data, 822 (38%) had a LVEF < 50% and 1346 (62%) ≥ 50%. Among those with LVEF < 50%, LVEF data at 1-year were available in 554, and 299 (54.0%) presented with complete recovery (LVEF ≥ 50%). LVEF recovery was associated with a reduction in long-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (P < 0.0001). Female sex, treatment with ACEIs, lower creatinine levels, infarct-related artery different from the left main or left anterior descendent artery, and absence of prior ischaemic heart disease were independently associated with LVEF recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 40% of patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI presented with LVEF depression at hospital admission. Among them, LVEF recovery at 1-year occurred in more than 50% and was independently associated with a significant decrease in long-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

Prognosis Impact of Diabetes in Elderly Women and Men with Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Few studies have addressed to date the interaction between sex and diabetes mellitus (DM) in the prognosis of elderly patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS). Our aim was to address the role of DM in the prognosis of non-selected elderly patients with NSTEACS according to sex. A retrospective analysis from 11 Spanish NSTEACS registries was conducted, including patients aged ≥70 years. The primary end point was one-year all-cause mortality. A total of 7211 patients were included, 2,770 (38.4%) were women, and 39.9% had DM. Compared with the men, the women were older (79.95 ± 5.75 vs. 78.45 ± 5.43 years, p < 0.001) and more often had a history of hypertension (77% vs. 83.1%, p < 0.01). Anemia and chronic kidney disease were both more common in women. On the other hand, they less frequently had a prior history of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease or comorbidities such as peripheral artery disease and chronic pulmonary disease. Women showed a worse clinical profile on admission, though an invasive approach and in-hospital revascularization were both more often performed in men (p < 0.001). At a one-year follow-up, 1090 patients (15%) had died, without a difference between sexes. Male sex was an independent predictor of mortality (HR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.32, p = 0.035), and there was a significant interaction between sex and DM (p = 0.002). DM was strongly associated with mortality in women (HR: 1.45, 95% CI = 1.18-1.78; p < 0.001), but not in men (HR: 0.98, 95% CI = 0.84-1.14; p = 0.787). In conclusion, DM is associated with mortality in older women with NSTEACS, but not in men.

Comorbidity burden and revascularization benefit in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the interaction between comorbidity burden and the benefits of in-hospital revascularization in elderly patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS). METHODS: This retrospective study included 7211 patients aged ≥ 70 years from 11 Spanish NSTEACS registries. Six comorbidities were evaluated: diabetes, peripheral artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease, renal failure, and anemia. A propensity score was estimated to enable an adjusted comparison of in-hospital revascularization and conservative management. The end point was 1-year all-cause mortality. RESULTS: In total, 1090 patients (15%) died. The in-hospital revascularization rate was 60%. Revascularization was associated with lower 1-year mortality; the strength of the association was unchanged by the addition of comorbidities to the model (HR, 0.61; 95%CI, 0.53-0.69; P=.0001). However, the effects of revascularization were attenuated in patients with renal failure, peripheral artery disease, and chronic pulmonary disease (P for interaction=.004, .007, and .03, respectively) but were not modified by diabetes, anemia, and previous stroke (P=.74, .51, and .28, respectively). Revascularization benefits gradually decreased as the number of comorbidities increased (from a HR of 0.48 [95%CI, 0.39-0.61] with 0 comorbidities to 0.83 [95%CI, 0.62-1.12] with ≥ 5 comorbidities; omnibus P=.016). The results were similar for the propensity score model. The same findings were obtained when invasive management was considered the exposure variable. CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital revascularization improves 1-year mortality regardless of comorbidities in elderly patients with NSTEACS. However, the revascularization benefit is progressively reduced with an increased comorbidity burden. Renal failure, peripheral artery disease, and chronic lung disease were the comorbidities with the most detrimental effects on revascularization benefits.

Prognostic benefit from an early invasive strategy in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS): evaluation of the new risk stratification in the NSTEACS European guidelines.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of our work is to evaluate the prognostic benefit of an early invasive strategy in patients with high-risk NSTACS according to the recommendations of the 2020 clinical practice guidelines during long-term follow-up. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included 6454 consecutive NSTEACS patients. We analyze the effects of early coronary angiography (< 24 h) in patients with: (a) GRACE risk score > 140 and (b) patients with "established NSTEMI" (non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction defined by an increase in troponins) or dynamic ST-T-segment changes with a GRACE risk score < 140. RESULTS: From 2003 to 2017, 6454 patients with "new high-risk NSTEACS" were admitted, and 6031 (93.45%) of these underwent coronary angiography. After inverse probability of treatment weighting, the long-term cumulative probability of being free of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and MACE differed significantly due to an early coronary intervention in patients with NSTEACS and GRACE > 140 [HR 0.62 (IC 95% 0.57-0.67), HR 0.62 (IC 95% 0.56-0.68), HR 0.57 (IC 95% 0.53-0.61), respectively]. In patients with NSTEACS and GRACE < 140 with established NSTEMI or ST/T-segment changes, the benefit of the early invasive strategy is only observed in the reduction of MACE [HR 0.62 (IC 95% 0.56-0.68)], but not for total mortality [HR 0.96 (IC 95% 0.78-1.2)] and cardiovascular mortality [HR 0.96 (IC 95% 0.75-1.24)]. CONCLUSIONS: An early invasive management is associated with reduced all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and MACE in NSTEACS with high GRACE risk score. However, this benefit is less evident in the subgroup of patients with a GRACE score < 140 with established NSTEMI or ST/T-segment changes.

Sex-related differences in long-term mortality and heart failure in a contemporary cohort of patients with NSTEACS. The cardiochus-HSUJ registry.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: There is insufficient data regarding sex-related prognostic differences in patients with a non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS). We performed a sex-specific analysis of cardiovascular outcomes after NSTEACS using a large contemporary cohort of patients from two tertiary hospitals. METHODS: This work is a retrospective analysis from a prospective registry, that included 5,686 consecutive NSTEACS patients from two Spanish University hospitals between the years 2005 and 2017. We performed a propensity score matching to obtain a well-balanced subset of individuals with the same clinical characteristics, resulting in 3,120 patients. Cox regression models performed survival analyses once the proportional risk test was verified. RESULTS: Among the study participants, 1,572 patients (27.6%) were women. The mean follow-up was 60.0 months (standard deviation of 32 months). Women had a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with men (OR (Odds ratio) 1.27, CI (confidence interval) 95% 1.08-1.49), heart failure (HF) hospitalization (OR 1.39, CI 95% 1.18-1.63) and risk of all-cause mortality (OR 1.10, CI 95% 1.08-1.49). After a propensity score matching, female gender was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of total mortality (OR 0.77, CI 95% 0.65-0.90) with a similar risk of cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.86, CI 0.71-1.03) and HF hospitalization (OR 0.92, CI 95% 0.68-1.23). After baseline adjustment, the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality was lower in women, whereas the risk of HF remained similar among sexes. CONCLUSIONS: In a contemporary cohort of patients with NSTEACS, women are at similar risk of developing early and late HF admissions, and have better survival compared with men, with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. The implementation of NSTEACS guideline recommendations in women, including early revascularization, seems to be accompanied by improved early and long-term prognosis.

Early revascularization and long-term mortality in high-risk patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The CARDIOCHUS-HUSJ registry.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: This study sought to analyze the association of early coronary angiography with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) using a large contemporary cohort of patients with NSTEACS from 2 Spanish tertiary hospitals. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included 5673 consecutive NSTEACS patients from 2 Spanish hospitals between 2005 and 2016. We performed propensity score matching to obtain a well-balanced subset of patients with the same probability of undergoing an early strategy, resulting in 3780 patients. Survival analyses were performed by Cox regression models once proportional risk test were verified. RESULTS: Among the study participants, only 2087 patients (40.9%) underwent early invasive coronary angiography. The median follow-up was 59.0 months [interquartile range, 25.0-80.0 months]. All-cause mortality was 19.0%, cardiovascular mortality was 12.8%, and 51.1% patients experienced at least 1 major cardiovascular adverse event in the follow-up. After propensity score matching, the early strategy was associated with significantly lower mortality (hazard ratio: 0.79; 95% confidence interval 0.62-0.98) in high-risk NSTEACS patients. The darly strategy showed a nonsignificant inverse tendency in patients with GRACE score <140. CONCLUSIONS: In high-risk (GRACE score≥ 140) NSTEACS patients in a contemporary real-world registry, early coronary angiography (first 24hours after hospital admission) may be associated with reduced all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality at long-term follow-up.

Incidence, predictors and prognostic impact of intracranial bleeding within the first year after an acute coronary syndrome in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: The rate of intracranial haemorrhage after an acute coronary syndrome has been studied in detail in the era of thrombolysis; however, in the contemporary era of percutaneous coronary intervention, most of the data have been derived from clinical trials. With this background, we aim to analyse the incidence, timing, predictors and prognostic impact of post-discharge intracranial haemorrhage in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS: We analysed data from the BleeMACS registry (patients discharged for acute coronary syndrome and undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention from Europe, Asia and America, 2003-2014). Analyses were conducted using a competing risk framework. Uni and multivariate predictors of intracranial haemorrhage were assessed using the Fine-Gray proportional hazards regression analysis. The endpoint was 1-year post-discharge intracranial haemorrhage. RESULTS: Of 11,136 patients, 30 presented with intracranial haemorrhage during the first year (0.27%). The median time to intracranial haemorrhage was 150 days (interquartile range 55.7-319.5). The fatality rate of intracranial haemorrhage was very high (30%). After multivariate analysis, only age (subhazard ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.07) and prior stroke/transient ischaemic attack (hazard ratio 3.29, 95% confidence interval 1.36-8.00) were independently associated with a higher risk of intracranial haemorrhage. Hypertension showed a trend to associate with higher intracranial haemorrhage rate. The combination of older age (⩾75 years), prior stroke/transient ischaemic attack, and/or hypertension allowed us to identify most of the patients with intracranial haemorrhage (86.7%). The annual rate of intracranial haemorrhage was 0.1% in patients with no risk factors, 0.2% in those with one factor, 0.6% in those with two factors and 1.3% in those with three factors. CONCLUSION: The incidence of intracranial haemorrhage in the first year after an acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention is low. Advanced age, previous stroke/transient ischaemic attack, and hypertension are the main predictors of increased intracranial haemorrhage risk.

Outcome of Patients With Prior Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack and Acute Coronary Syndromes.

The association between prior stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not been well explored. We evaluated the impact of prior stroke/TIA on this specific patient population. We conducted an international multicenter study including 15 401 patients with ACS from the Bleeding Complications in a Multicenter Registry of Patients Discharged With Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome registry. They were divided into 2 groups: patients with and without prior stroke/TIA. The primary end point was death at 1-year follow-up. Prior stroke/TIA was associated with higher rate of 1-year death (8.7% vs 3.4%; P < .001). It was an independent predictor of 1-year death even after adjustment for confounding variables (odds ratio, 1.705; 95% confidence interval, 1.046-2.778; P = .032). Besides, patients with prior stroke/TIA had significantly increased 1-year reinfarction (5.6% vs 3.8%, P = .015), in-hospital bleeding (8.7% vs 5.8%, P < .001), and 1-year bleeding (5.2% vs 3.0%, P < .001). No difference of antithrombotic therapies or dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) types on outcomes was observed in patients with prior stroke/TIA. Prior stroke/TIA was associated with higher 1-year death for patients with ACS who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. No benefits or harms were observed with different antithrombotic therapies or DAPT types in these patients.

Admission and fasting plasma glucose for estimating risk of death of diabetic and nondiabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome: nonlinearity of hazard ratios and time-dependent comparison.

BACKGROUND: In patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), increased plasma glucose levels are associated with worse outcome. Our aim is to ascertain the values of admission and fasting glucose for prediction of death among patients with ACS; and to compare their predictive capacities. METHODS: The relationships of mortality to plasma glucose levels among 811 consecutive patients hospitalized with ACS were estimated using spline Cox models. Blood samples were obtained upon admission and after overnight fast. The predictive capacities of fasting and admission glucose were compared using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: Fasting and admission glucose levels were higher among the 151 patients who died (18.6%) than among survivors (P < .001). Among the 558 patients with no history of diabetes (68.8%) there was a J-shaped dependence of the all-time mortality hazard ratio on fasting glucose that persisted when adjusted for covariates: hazard was lowest at 110 mg/dL (6.1 mmol/L), and significantly greater at levels <90 mg/dL (5.0 mmol/L) or >117 mg/dL (6.5 mmol/L). Likewise among non-diabetic patients, the predictive capacities of admission and fasting glucose were similar for forecast times of up to about 1 year, but for later times the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was larger for fasting glucose than admission glucose (P < .05). Neither admission nor fasting glucose levels discriminated among diabetic patients in regard to risk of death. CONCLUSIONS: Both admission and fasting glucose may be used for triage of nondiabetic ACS patients; fasting glucose may additionally be useful for long-term management, for which the relationship with the all-time mortality hazard ratio is J-shaped.