A New Risk Score to Predict Long-Term Cardiac Mortality in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock and Treated With Primary Percutaneous Intervention.

Poor data exist about predictors of long-term cardiac mortality in patients presenting acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI), and current risk-adjustment models in this setting are not adequate. We retrospectively analyzed our registry of patients with AMI treated with p-PCI. The aim of this study was to identify the independent predictors of 2-year cardiac mortality in patients presenting CS. A Risk Score was created assigning at any independent variable a value directly correlated with its power to increase mortality. From 1995 to 2013, 4,078 consecutive patients underwent primary PCI for AMI. Of these, 388 patients (10.5%) had CS on admission. The p-PCI procedural success was 85%. At 2-year follow-up, the overall cardiac mortality rate was 48%. The independent predictors related with mortality were: out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) (hazard ratio [HR] 1.51; p = 0.04), age >75 years (HR 2.09; p ≤0.001), and failure p-PCI (HR 2.30; p <0.001). On the basis of the HR obtained, we assigned an incremental value to each independent variable identified (OHCA: 0.5 points, age>75 years: 1 point, failed p-PCI: 1.5 points). The mortality rates among different score risk level were highly significant (p <0.001): 32% score risk 1 (points 0), 58% score risk 2 (points 0.5-2), and 83% score risk 3 (points >2), respectively. In conclusion, OHCA, age >75 years, and failed p-PCI are strong predictors of 2-year cardiac mortality. On the basis of this, a rapid score tool could be useful to identify patients at major risk of death.

Rheolytic Thrombectomy for Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to investigate the prognostic impact of rheolytic thrombectomy (RT) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS). BACKGROUND: Very few data exist on thrombus removal before stenting in patients with AMI and CS treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Of 4023 patients who underwent PCI for AMI between 1995 and 2012, we focused on 371 patients presenting with CS at admission and separated them into two groups: the first included 63 patients treated with RT (RT group), and the remaining 308 underwent standard PCI (non-RT group). The primary endpoint was the composite of cardiac death, reinfarction, stroke, and target-vessel revascularization (TVR) at 2-year follow-up (MACE). RESULTS: The primary endpoint rate was lower in the RT-group (57.1% RT vs 70.8% non-RT; P=.04). The difference between groups was driven by a lower TVR rate (9.5% RT vs 23.4% non-RT; P=.02) and reinfarction (1.6% RT vs 9.1% non-RT; P=.04), while no difference between groups was revealed in mortality (46.0% RT vs 49.4% non-RT; P=.68) or stroke rate (1.6% RT vs 3.2% non-RT; P=.70). At multivariable analysis, the variables related to the risk of the primary endpoint were age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.036; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.022-1.048; P<.001), three-vessel disease (HR, 1.504; 95% CI, 1.163-1.946; P=.01), RT (HR, 0.689; 95% CI, 0.476-0.998; P=.049), and successful primary PCI (HR, 0.367; 95% CI, 0.266-0.505; P<.001). CONCLUSION: RT reduces 2-year MACE rate in patients with large thrombus burden and AMI complicated by CS.

Comparison of double (360 mg) ticagrelor loading dose with standard (60 mg) prasugrel loading dose in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients: the Rapid Activity of Platelet Inhibitor Drugs (RAPID) primary PCI 2 study.

UNLABELLED: In ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, residual platelet reactivity soon after a loading dose (LD) of prasugrel or ticagrelor is higher than that reported for healthy volunteers or subjects with stable coronary artery disease; and the majority of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) procedures with bivalirudin monotherapy are performed without proper platelet inhibition. However, ticagrelor LD is just the daily dose, whereas prasugrel LD is 6-fold the long-term daily dose. We hypothesized that an increased ticagrelor LD may result in a faster and more effective platelet inhibition as compared with the standard prasugrel LD. METHODS: Fifty patients with STEMI, pretreated with intravenous aspirin, undergoing PPCI were randomized to receive prasugrel 60-mg LD (n = 25) or ticagrelor 360-mg LD (n = 25). Residual platelet reactivity was assessed by VerifyNow at baseline and 1, 2, 4, and 12 hours after drug LD. RESULTS: At the time of LD, 90% of enrolled patients had an aspirin reactivity unit value <550. P2Y12 reaction units 1 hour after the LD (study primary end point) were 236 (129-289) and 248 (115-304) in the prasugrel and ticagrelor group, respectively (P = .899). High residual platelet reactivity (P2Y12 reaction units ≥240) was found in 43% and 56% of patients (P = .386) at 1 hour and in 30% and 32% of patients (P = .907) at 2 hours, respectively. There was no significant difference in bleeding, arrhythmias, or dyspnea episodes in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI, double (360 mg) ticagrelor LD failed to achieve a faster and more intense platelet inhibition as compared with the standard prasugrel LD. Intravenously administered aspirin allowed to achieve a very early inhibition of acid arachidonic pathway.

Effects of a timely therapy with doxycycline on the left ventricular remodeling according to the pre-procedural TIMI flow grade in patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction.

Doxycycline has been demonstrated to reduced left ventricular (LV) remodeling, but its effect in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and a baseline occluded [thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade ≤1] infarct-related artery (IRA) is unknown. According to the baseline TIMI flow grade, 110 patients with a first STEMI were divided into 2 groups. Group 1: 77 patients with TIMI flow ≤1 (40 patients treated with doxycycline and 37 with standard therapy, respectively), and a Group 2: 33 patients with TIMI flow 2-3 (15 patients treated with doxycycline and 18 with standard therapy, respectively). The two randomized groups were well matched in baseline characteristics. A 2D-Echo was performed at baseline and at 6 months, together with a coronary angiography, for the remodeling and IRA patency assessment, respectively. The LV end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVi) decreased in Group 2 [-3 mL/m(2) (IQR: -12 to 4 mL/m(2))], and increased in Group 1 [6 mL/m(2) (IQR: -2 to 14 mL/m(2))], (p = 0.001). In Group 2, LVEDVi reduction was similar regardless of drug therapy, while in Group 1 the LVEDVi was smaller in patients treated with doxycycline as compared to control [3 mL/m(2) (IQR: -3 to 8 mL/m(2)) vs. 10 mL/m(2) (IQR: 1-27 mL/m(2)), p = 0.006]. A similar pattern was observed also for LV end-systolic volume and ejection fraction. In STEMI patients at higher risk, as those with a baseline TIMI flow grade ≤1, doxycycline reduces LV remodeling.

Drug-eluting stent supported percutaneous coronary intervention for unprotected left main disease.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the clinical and angiographic outcomes of unselected patients receiving drug-eluting stents for unprotected left main disease. BACKGROUND: The results of several series of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for left main disease in the pre-drug-eluting stent era have arisen concerns on the safety and mid-term efficacy of PCI. METHODS: Consecutive patients with unprotected left main disease were considered eligible for drug-eluting stent supported PCI. The surgical risk score (risk of death within 1 month) of each patient was calculated according to the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) model. RESULTS: One-hundred and one patients with unprotected left main disease underwent PCI. The mean EuroSCORE was 19 +/- 23. Successfully left main stenting was performed in 98 patients (primary success rate 97%). The overall 1-month mortality rate was 9.9%. The 1-month mortality rate was 50% in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on presentation, and 4.5% in patients without AMI on presentation. The 1-month mortality rate of patients with a risk score <13 was 3%, while it was 21% in patients with a risk score >or=13. At 6 months, the mortality rate of the entire cohort of patients increased to 12.8%, and the one of the non-AMI patients to 7.8%. Survival rate was 86% +/- 4% (mean follow-up 295 +/- 175 days). Target vessel revascularization was performed in 14 patients (16%). The 6-month in-segment restenosis rate was 16%. CONCLUSION: Drug-eluting stent supported PCI may provide early and mid-term outcomes comparable or superior to those expected from coronary artery surgery. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Predictors of outcome after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation for complex in-stent restenosis.

Few data are available on the effectiveness of sirolimus-eluting stent implantation for the treatment of in-stent restenosis, and no data exist about the predictors of outcome after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation for complex in-stent restenosis (diffuse, proliferative, or total occlusion). From April 2002 to May 2004, 136 patients with 161 complex in-stent restenoses underwent sirolimus-eluting stent implantation. At 9 months, 5 patients had died (3 of cardiac and 2 of noncardiac causes), no reinfarctions had occurred, and 11 target vessel revascularization procedures had been performed. The target vessel revascularization rate was 8%, and the in-segment binary restenosis rate was 17%. The predictors of the risk of recurrence were unstable angina as the clinical presentation of in-stent restenosis, an ostial location of the target lesion, lesion length, and sirolimus-eluting stent diameter < or =2.5 mm.