Clinical impact of beta-blockers at discharge on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with non-reduced ejection fraction after acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Beta-blockers are associated with several clinical benefits in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (REF) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), such as lower rates of mortality, recurrence of myocardial infarction, and heart failure. However, the long-term prognosis of beta-blockers has rarely been investigated in patients with non-REF after AMI. This study aimed to investigate the clinical benefits of beta-blockers in these patients. METHODS: A total of 3281 consecutive patients who were hospitalized within 48 h after AMI were registered in the J-MINUET study. Patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and had a left ventricular ejection fraction ≥40 % were enrolled, and patients who died during admission were excluded. Included patients were divided into two groups according to the prescription of beta-blockers at discharge. Their characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared. RESULTS: The number of AMI patients treated with beta-blockers was 1353 (70.4 %). Patients who received beta-blockers were younger and had a higher incidence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction than those who did not receive beta-blockers. The peak creatine kinase level after primary PCI was significantly higher in patients who received beta-blockers. These patients also had a lower incidence of a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and stroke compared to those that did not receive beta-blockers (7.3 % vs. 11.9 %, p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that beta-blocker use was an independent factor for better clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The J-MINUET study revealed the clinical benefit of beta-blockers in AMI patients with non-REF after primary PCI.

Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on In-Hospital and 3-Year Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Treated by Contemporary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Optimal Medical Therapy　- Insights From the J-MINUET Study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on long-term outcomes following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the era of modern primary PCI with optimal medical therapy is still in debate.Methods and Results:A total of 3,281 patients with AMI were enrolled in the J-MINUET registry, with primary PCI of 93.1% in STEMI. CKD stage on admission was classified into: no CKD (eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2); moderate CKD (60>eGFR≥30 mL/min/1.73 m2); and severe CKD (eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2). While the primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, the secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of all-cause death, cardiac failure, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. Of the 3,281 patients, 1,878 had no CKD, 1,073 had moderate CKD and 330 had severe CKD. Pre-person-days age- and sex-adjusted in-hospital mortality significantly increased from 0.014% in no CKD through 0.042% in moderate CKD to 0.084% in severe CKD (P<0.0001). Three-year mortality and MACE significantly deteriorated from 5.09% and 15.8% in no CKD through 16.3% and 38.2% in moderate CKD to 36.7% and 57.9% in severe CKD, respectively (P<0.0001). C-index significantly increased from the basic model of 0.815 (0.788-0.841) to 0.831 (0.806-0.857), as well as 0.731 (0.708-0.755) to 0.740 (0.717-0.764) when adding CKD stage to the basic model in predicting 3-year mortality (P=0.013; net reclassification improvement [NRI] 0.486, P<0.0001) and MACE (P=0.046; NRI 0.331, P<0.0001) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CKD remains a useful predictor of in-hospital and 3-year mortality as well as MACE after AMI in the modern PCI and optimal medical therapy era.

Long-Term Clinical Impact of Cardiogenic Shock and Heart Failure on Admission for Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Long-term clinical outcomes among patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) and heart failure (HF) who survive the early phase of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remain uncertain. We investigated 3283 consecutive patients with AMI, selected from a prospective, nation-wide multicenter registry (J-MINUET) database comprising 28 institutions in Japan between July 2012 and March 2014. The 3263 eligible patients were divided into the following three groups: CS-/HF- group (n = 2467, 75.6%); CS-/HF+ group (n = 479, 14.7%); and CS+ group (n = 317, 9.7%). The thirty-day mortality rate in CS+ patients was 32.8%, significantly higher than in CS- patients. Among CS+ patients, multivariate logistic regression analysis identified statin use before admission (Odds ratio (OR) 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14-0.66, P = 0.002), renal deficiency (OR 8.72, 95%CI 2.81-38.67, P < 0.0001) and final thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow grade (OR 0.42, 95%CI 0.18-0.99, P = 0.046) were associated with 30-day mortality. Landmark Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that mortality rates after 30 days were comparable between CS+ and CS-/HF+ groups but were lower in the CS-/HF- group. Multivariate Cox hazard analysis also showed that hazard risk of mortality after 30 days was comparable between the CS+ and CS-/HF+ groups (Hazard ratio (HR) 1.03, 95%CI 0.63-1.68, P = 0.90), and significantly lower in the CS-/HF- group (HR 0.44, 95%CI 0.32-059, P < 0.0001). In conclusion, AMI patients with CS who survived 30 days experienced worse long-term outcomes compared with those without CS up to 3 years. Attention is required for patients who show HF on admission without CS to improve long-term AMI outcomes.

Validation of the atherothrombotic risk score for secondary prevention in patients with acute myocardial infarction: the J-MINUET study.

Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Risk Score for Secondary Prevention (TRS2°P) is a contemporary risk scoring system for secondary prevention based on nine clinical factors. However, this scoring system has not been validated in other populations. The aim of this study was to validate the TRS2°P in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a nationwide registry cohort. Among 3283 consecutive patients with AMI enrolled in the Japanese registry of acute Myocardial INfarction diagnosed by Universal dEfiniTion (J-MINUET), a total of 2611 patients who underwent primary PCI were included in this study. The performance of the TRS2°P to predict major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) composed of all-cause death, non-fatal MI, and non-fatal stroke up to 3 years in the present cohort was evaluated. The TRS2°P had modest discriminative performance in this J-MINUET cohort with a c-statistic of 0.63, similar to that in the derived cohort (TRA2°P-TIMI50, c-statistic 0.67). A strong graded relationship between the TRS2°P and 3-year cardiovascular event rates was also observed in the J-MINUET cohort. Age ≥ 75 years, Killip ≥ 2, prior stroke, peripheral artery disease, anemia, and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction were identified as independent factors for the incidence of MACE. The TRS2°P modestly predicted secondary cardiovascular events among patients with AMI treated by primary PCI in a nationwide cohort of Japan. Further studies are needed to develop a novel risk score better predicting secondary cardiovascular events.

Clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes in patients aged 80 years or over with cardiac troponin-positive acute myocardial infarction -J-MINUET study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in elderly people is increasing worldwide. However, their characteristics and prognosis have been rarely investigated. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and prognosis in elderly patients with cardiac troponin-positive AMI. METHODS: Consecutive patients with AMI from the J-MINUET study were divided into the following 3 groups: patients aged less than 65 years, those aged between 65 and 79 years, and those aged 80 years or over. Their characteristics and in-hospital outcomes were compared. RESULTS: Patients with AMI aged 80 years or over had the highest incidence of female gender, and the highest incidence of hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease, such as peripheral artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and stroke, whereas they had the lowest body mass index, and the lowest incidence of current smoker, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. Patients with AMI aged 80 years or over had significantly longer onset to door time and longer door to device time, and lower peak creatine kinase (CK). The incidence of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) was the lowest in the AMI patients aged 80 years or over, but the patients had a higher incidence of in-hospital death and cardiac failure than the other two groups. In addition, the presentation with STEMI and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with CK elevation among patients aged 80 years or over showed the highest incidence of in-hospital death and cardiac failure. CONCLUSIONS: J-MINUET showed different clinical characteristics between the aged and younger populations. The incidence of in-hospital death and cardiac failure in patients aged 80 years or over with AMI was poorer than their younger counterparts.

Impact of Age on Gender Difference in Long-term Outcome of Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction (from J-MINUET).

Although gender difference in long-term outcomes after acute myocardial infarction have been shown previously, impact of age on gender difference is still controversial. This study focused on the association between age and gender difference in long-term outcome. We analyzed data from 3,283 consecutive patients who were included in a prospective, nationwide, multicenter registry (Japan Registry of Acute Myocardial Infarction Diagnosed by Universal Definition) from 2012 to 2014. The primary end point was the major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), which was defined as a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and revascularization for unstable angina during 3 years. Patients were divided into 4 strata according to age: those with age <65 years (group 1: n = 1161), 65 to 74 years (group 2: n = 954), 75 to 84 years (group 3: n = 866) and 84< years (group 4: n = 302). Although the crude incidence of 3-year MACE was significantly higher in women than men (36.4% vs. 28.5%, p <0.001), there was not significant gender difference in each group (group 1, 19.6% vs 19.0%, p = 0.74; group 2, 33.1% vs 28.3%, p = 0.25; group 3, 38.9% vs 39.6%, p = 0.54; and group 4, 54.0% vs 56.8%, p = 0.24). In conclusion, although women had higher crude incidence of 3-year MACE than men, there was no gender difference in each group.

Prognostic Impact of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide on Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction Without Creatine Kinase Elevation.

Although B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has gradually gained recognition as an indicator in risk stratification for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the prognostic impact on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) without creatine kinase (CK) elevation remains unclear.This prospective multicenter study assessed 3,283 consecutive patients with AMI admitted to 28 institutions in Japan between 2012 and 2014. We analyzed 218 patients with NSTEMI without CK elevation (NSTEMI-CK) for whom BNP was available. In the NSTEMI-CK group, patients were assigned to high- and low-BNP groups according to BNP values (cut-off BNP, 100 pg/mL). The primary endpoint was defined as a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, cardiac failure, and urgent revascularization for unstable angina up to 3 years. Primary endpoints were observed in 60 (33.3%) events among patients with NSTEMI-CK. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significantly higher event rate for primary endpoints among patients with high BNP (log-rank P < 0.001). After adjusting for covariates, a higher BNP level was significantly associated with long-term clinical outcomes in NSTEMI-CK (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.86; 95% confidence interval, 2.18-12.44; P < 0.001).The BNP concentration is associated with adverse long-term clinical outcomes among patients with NSTEMI-CK who are considered low risk. Careful clinical management may be warranted for secondary prevention in patients with NSTEMI-CK with high BNP levels.

Prediction of Long-Term Outcomes in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction with and without Creatinine Kinase Elevation-Post-Hoc Analysis of the J-MINUET Study.

BACKGROUND: A Japanese prospective, nation-wide, multicenter registry (J-MINUET) showed that long-term outcomes were worse in non-ST elevation acute myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), diagnosed by increased cardiac troponin levels, compared to STEMI. This was observed in both non-STEMI with elevated creatine kinase (CK) (NSTEMI+CK) and non-STEMI without elevated CK (NSTEMI-CK). However, predictive factors for long-term outcomes in STEMI, NSTEMI+CK, and NSTEMI-CK have not been elucidated. METHODS: Using the Cox proportional hazards model, we determined significant independent predictors of long-term outcomes from a total of 111 parameters evaluated in the J-MINUET study in each of our groups, including STEMI, NSTEMI+CK, and NSTEMI-CK. Then, we calculated the risk score using the regression coefficients for the determined independent predictors for the strict prediction of long-term outcomes. RESULTS: Prognostic factors, as well as composite cardiovascular events and all-cause death, were different between STEMI, NSTEMI+CK, and NSTEMI-CK. Risk scores could effectively and powerfully predict both composite cardiovascular events and all-cause death in each group. CONCLUSIONS: The prediction of long-term outcomes using cored parameters of baseline demographics and clinical characteristics is feasible and could prove useful in establishing therapeutic strategies in patients with STEMI, NSTEMI+CK, and NSTEMI-CK.

Long-Term Prognosis of Patients with Myocardial Infarction Type 1 and Type 2 with and without Involvement of Coronary Vasospasm.

While prognoses in relation to myocardial infarction (MI) type have been elucidated in past reports, the results were not consistent, perhaps due to occurrence of Type 2 MI with CVS and its mortality. The Japanese registry of acute Myocardial Infarction diagnosed by Universal Definition (J-MINUET) is a prospective multicenter registry in Japan. In contrast to thromboembolic event-related Type 1 myocardial infarction (MI), clinical features of Type 2 MI, including coronary vasospasm (CVS), are varied due to the heterogeneous nature of its development. To elucidate the MI type-related all-cause mortality, 2989 consecutive patients with AMI were stratified as Type 1 MI, Type 2 MI with CVS, and Type 2 MI with non-CVS. Most patients (n = 2834; 94.8%) were classified as Type 1 MI and 155 patients (5.2%) were classified as Type 2 MI. Of the Type 2 MI patients, 87 (56% of Type 2 MI) were diagnosed as MI with CVS. Although the 3-year mortality was comparable between Type 1 and Type 2 MI patients, significant differences were observed between Type 2 MI with CVS and with non-CVS (3.4% and 22.1%, p < 0.001). Among Japanese patients with AMI, mortality rates between Type 1 MI and Type 2 MI are comparable, but further stratification of Type 2 MI (with or without CVS) may be useful in predicting the prognosis of patients with Type 2 MI.

Impact of peripheral artery disease on prognosis after myocardial infarction: The J-MINUET study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are at high risk of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and cardiovascular death. However, the impact of PAD on prognosis in Japanese patients with acute MI remains unclear. METHODS: The Japanese registry of acute Myocardial INfarction diagnosed by Universal dEfiniTion (J-MINUET) is a prospective multicenter registry that registered 3283 patients with acute MI. Among them, 2970 patients with available data of PAD were divided into the following 4 groups: 2513 patients without prior MI or PAD (None group), 320 patients with only prior MI (Prior MI group), 100 patients with only PAD (PAD group), and 37 patients with both previous MI and PAD (Both group). The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal MI, non-fatal stroke, cardiac failure, and urgent revascularization for unstable angina. RESULTS: The 3-year cumulative incidence of the primary endpoint was 26.9% in None group, 41.4% in Prior MI group, 48.0% in PAD group, and 60.3% in Both group (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, hazard ratio using None group as reference was 1.55 (95% confidence intervals 1.25-1.91; p < 0.001) for MI group, 2.26 (1.61-3.07; p < 0.001) for PAD group, and 2.52 (1.52-3.90; p < 0.001) for Both group. CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant PAD was associated with poor prognosis in Japanese patients with acute MI.

Admission During Off-Hours Does Not Affect Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Japanese Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Discordant results have been reported on outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients who present during off-hours.We investigated 3283 consecutive patients with AMI who were selected from the prospective, nationwide, multicenter registry (J-MINUET) database comprising 28 institutions in Japan between July 2012 and March 2014 to determine the current impact of off-hours presentation (defined as weekends, holidays, and weekdays from 8:01 PM to 7:59 AM) at hospitals on long-term clinical outcomes. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal MI, non-fatal stroke, cardiac failure, and urgent revascularization for unstable angina for up to 3 years from the index event.During off-hours, 52% of patients presented. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in 85% of patients, and the door-to-balloon time was comparable between off-hours and regular hours (74, interquartile range [IQR] 52 to 113 versus 75, IQR 52 to 126 minutes, P = 0.34). Rate of overall primary endpoint overall did not overall significantly differ (25.3% versus 23.5%, log-rank P = 0.26), in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (log-rank P = 0.93) and in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) (log-rank P = 0.14). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that off-hours presentation was not significantly associated with long-term clinical events in all cohorts.The impact of presentation during off-hours or regular hours on the long-term clinical outcomes of Japanese patients with AMI is comparable in contemporary practice.

Guideline adherence and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a Japanese Registry of Acute Myocardial Infarction Diagnosed by Universal Definition (J-MINUET) substudy.

BACKGROUND: The association between guideline adherence and long-term outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction in real-world clinical practice remains unclear. METHODS: We investigated 3283 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction who were selected from a prospective, nation-wide, multicentre registry (J-MINUET) database covering 28 institutions in Japan between July 2012 and March 2014. Among the 2757 eligible patients, we evaluated the use of seven guideline-recommended therapies, including urgent revascularisation, door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less, and five discharge medications (P2Y12 inhibitors on aspirin, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, statins, lipid-lowering drugs). The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, cardiac failure and urgent revascularisation for unstable angina up to 3 years. RESULTS: The overall median composite guideline adherence was 85.7%. Patients were divided into the following three groups: complete (100%) adherence group (n=862); moderate adherence (75% to <100%) group (n=911); and low adherence (0-75%) group (n=984). The rate of adverse cardiovascular events was significantly lower in the complete adherence group than in the low and moderate adherence groups (log rank P<0.0001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed complete guideline adherence was also significantly associated with lower adverse cardiovascular events compared with low guideline adherence (hazard ratio 0.66; 95% confidence interval 0.52-0.85; P=0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of guideline-based therapies for patients with acute myocardial infarction in contemporary clinical practice was associated with significant decreases in adverse long-term clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Unique trial Number: UMIN000010037.

Association of onset-season with characteristics and long-term outcomes in acute myocardial infarction patients: results from the Japanese registry of acute myocardial infarction diagnosed by universal definition (J-MINUET) substudy.

It is known that incidence and short-term mortality rate of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) tend to be higher in the cold season. The aim of our study was to investigate the association of onset-season with patient characteristics and long-term prognosis of AMI. This was a prospective, multicenter, Japanese investigation of 3,283 patients with AMI who were hospitalized within 48 h of symptom onset between July 2012 and March 2014. Patients were divided into 3 seasonal groups according to admission date: cold season group (December-March), hot season group (June-September), and moderate season group (April, May, October, and November). We identified 1356 patients (41.3%) admitted during the cold season, 901 (27.4%) during the hot season, and 1026 (31.3%) during the moderate season. We investigated the seasonal effect on patient characteristics and clinical outcomes. Baseline characteristics of each seasonal group were comparable, with the exception of age, Killip class, and conduction disturbances. The rates of higher Killip class and complete atrioventricular block were significantly higher in the cold season group. The 3-year cumulative survival free from major adverse cardiac events (MACE) rate was the lowest in the cold season (67.1%), showing a significant difference, followed by the moderate (70.0%) and hot seasons (72.9%) (p < 0.01). Initial severity and long-term prognoses were worse in patients admitted during the cold season. Our findings highlight the importance of optimal prevention and follow-up of AMI patients with cold season onset.

Admission Heart Rate Is a Determinant of Effectiveness of Beta-Blockers in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients.

BACKGROUND: Beta-blockers are standard therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, despite current advances in the management of AMI, it remains unclear whether all AMI patients benefit from ß-blockers. We investigated whether admission heart rate (HR) is a determinant of the effectiveness of ß-blockers for AMI patients. Methods and Results: We enrolled 3,283 consecutive AMI patients who were admitted to 28 participating institutions in the Japanese Registry of Acute Myocardial Infarction Diagnosed by Universal Definition (J-MINUET) study. According to admission HR, we divided patients into 3 groups: bradycardia (HR <60 beats/min, n=444), normocardia (HR 60 to ≤100 beats/min, n=2,013), and tachycardia (HR >100 beats/min, n=342). The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including all-cause death, non-fatal MI, non-fatal stroke, heart failure (HF), and urgent revascularization for unstable angina, at 3-year follow-up. Beta-blocker at discharge was significantly associated with a lower risk of MACE in the tachycardia group (23.6% vs. 33.0%; P=0.033), but it did not affect rates of MACE in the normocardia group (17.8% vs. 18.4%; P=0.681). In the bradycardia group, ß-blocker use at discharge was significantly associated with a higher risk of MACE (21.6% vs. 12.7%; P=0.026). Results were consistent for multivariable regression and stepwise multivariable regression. CONCLUSIONS: Admission HR might determine the efficacy of ß-blockers for current AMI patients.

Frequency and prognostic impact of intravascular imaging-guided urgent percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute myocardial infarction: results from J-MINUET.

Previous studies have demonstrated that use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was associated with lower incidence of death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization. Recently, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has emerged as an alternative intravascular imaging device with better resolution. The aim of this study was to investigate frequency and prognostic impact of IVUS or OCT-guided PCI during urgent revascularization for acute myocardial infarction diagnosed by the universal definition. A total of 2788 patients who underwent urgent PCI were selected from a multicenter, Japanese registry of acute myocardial infarction diagnosed by universal definition (J-MINUET). Frequency, clinical characteristics and prognostic impact of the IVUS-, or OCT- guided PCI were investigated. Clinical endpoint was in-hospital death. Angiography-, IVUS-, and OCT-guided urgent PCI were performed in 689 (24.7%), 1947 (69.8%), and 152 (5.5%) patients. In-hospital death in each group was 10.4%, 5.1%, and 3.3%, respectively (P < 0.01). By univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, IVUS-guided PCI (vs. angiography-guided PCI, OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.30-0.81, P = 0.006) was a significant independent predictor of in-hospital death. Intravascular imaging guided-PCI was frequently adopted during urgent PCI for acute myocardial infarction diagnosed by universal definition and was associated with better in-hospital survival.

Pre-Procedural Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Flow in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

It has been shown that the patency of an infarct-related artery (IRA) before primary percutaneous coronary intervention determines post-procedural success, better preservation of left ventricular function, and lower in-hospital mortality. However, the factors associated with pre-procedural Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow have not been fully investigated.The Japanese registry of acute Myocardial INfarction diagnosed by Universal dEfiniTion (J-MINUET) is a prospective multicenter registry conducted at 28 Japanese medical institutions between July 2012 and March 2014. We enrolled 3,283 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction who were admitted to a participating institution within 48 hours of symptom onset. There were 2,262 patients (68.9%) with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), among whom 2,182 patients underwent emergent or urgent coronary angiography.Pre-procedural TIMI flow grade 3 was related to post-procedural TIMI flow grade 3 (P < 0.001), lower enzymatic infarct size (P < 0.001), lower ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation (P = 0.049), and lower in-hospital mortality (P = 0.020). A history of antiplatelet drug use was associated with pre-procedural TIMI flow.Antiplatelet drug use on admission was associated with pre-procedural TIMI flow. The patency of the IRA in patients with STEMI was related to procedural success and decreased enzymatic infarct size, fatal arrhythmic events, and in-hospital mortality.

A lower eicosapentaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratio is associated with in-hospital fatal arrhythmic events in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a J-MINUET substudy.

The ratio of serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to arachidonic acid (AA) is significantly associated with long-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, it has not been conclusively demonstrated that higher serum EPA/AA ratio fares better clinical outcomes in the early phase of AMI. The Japanese registry of acute Myocardial INfarction diagnosed by Universal dEfiniTion (J-MINUET) is a prospective multicenter registry conducted in 28 Japanese medical institutions between July 2012 and March 2014. We enrolled 3,283 consecutive AMI patients who were admitted to participating institutions within 48 h of symptom onset. A serum EPA/AA ratio was available for 629 of these patients. The endpoints were in-hospital mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of all cause death, cardiac failure, ventricular tachycardia (VT) and/or ventricular fibrillation (VF) and bleeding during hospitalization. Although similar rates of in-hospital mortality, cardiac failure, bleeding, and MACE were found in the lower serum EPA/AA group and higher serum EPA/AA group, the incidence of VT/VF during hospitalization was significantly higher in the low ratio group (p = 0.008). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that an EPA/AA ratio < 0.35 could predict the incidence of VT/VF with 100% sensitivity and 64.0% specificity. A lower serum EPA/AA ratio was associated with a higher frequency of fatal arrhythmic events in the early phase of AMI.

Off-hours presentation does not affect in-hospital mortality of Japanese patients with acute myocardial infarction: J-MINUET substudy.

BACKGROUND: The association between patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who present during off-hours and clinical outcomes has not been fully elucidated. METHODS: We investigated 3283 consecutive patients with AMI who were selected from a prospective, nationwide, multicenter registry (J-MINUET) database comprising 28 institutions in Japan between July 2012 and March 2014 to determine the current impact of off-hours presentation on in-hospital mortality among Japanese patients with AMI. RESULTS: Among the patients, 52% presented in off-hours. Baseline characteristics were comparable, although those who presented during off-hours were younger and had a higher incidence of ST-elevation myocardial infarction and advanced Killip Class. The time from symptom onset to presentation time was shorter in off-hour patients (120min, interquartile range 60 to 256 vs. 215min, interquartile range 90 to 610, p<0.0001). In contrast, 85% of patients underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and door to balloon time was comparable between the groups (74min, interquartile range 52 to 113 vs. 75min, interquartile range 52 to 126, p=0.34). The rates of in-hospital mortality were comparable (6.2% vs 6.8%, p=0.39). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that off-hours presentation was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.94; 95% CI, 0.68-1.30, p=0.70]. CONCLUSION: The clinical impact of presenting during off-hours or regular hours on AMI patients in Japan is comparable in contemporary practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Unique trial Number: UMIN000010037.

Long-Term Outcomes of Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Without Creatine Kinase Elevation　- The J-MINUET Study.

BACKGROUND: According to troponin-based criteria of myocardial infarction (MI), patients without elevation of creatine kinase (CK), formerly classified as unstable angina (UA), are now diagnosed as non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI), but little is known about their outcomes.Methods and Results:Between July 2012 and March 2014, 3,283 consecutive patients with MI were enrolled. Clinical follow-up data were obtained up to 3 years. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal MI, non-fatal stroke, cardiac failure and urgent revascularization for UA. There were 2,262 patients with ST-elevation MI (STEMI), 563 NSTEMI with CK elevation (NSTEMI+CK) and 458 NSTEMI without CK elevation (NSTEMI-CK). From day 0, Kaplan-Meier curves for the primary endpoint began to diverge in favor of NSTEMI-CK for up to 30 days. The 30-day event rate was significantly lower in patients with NSTEMI-CK (3.3%) than in STEMI (8.6%, P<0.001) and NSTEMI+CK (9.9%, P<0.001). Later, the event curves diverged in favor of STEMI. The event rate from 31 days to 3 years was significantly lower in patients with STEMI (19.8%) than in NSTEMI+CK (33.6%, P<0.001) and NSTEMI-CK (34.2%, P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier curves from 31 days to 3 years were almost identical between NSTEMI+CK and NSTEMI-CK (P=0.91). CONCLUSIONS: Despite smaller infarct size and better short-term outcomes, long-term outcomes of NSTEMI-CK after convalescence were as poor as those for NSTEMI+CK and worse than for STEMI.

Resolution of spontaneous coronary artery dissection within 3 weeks detected by computed tomography angiography and intravascular ultrasound.

A 62-year-old woman was admitted with chest pain lasting about 3 h. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) was detected in the left anterior descending artery (LAD) by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Sixteen days after onset, follow-up computed tomography angiography was performed and revealed shrinkage of the false lumen of the SCAD. On hospital day 22, IVUS image confirmed that the SCAD in the LAD was completely healed. This case shows the possibility of rapid healing of SCAD.