Colossal left ventricular apical thrombus.

Left ventricular apical thrombus is a known complication following an anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Although left ventriculography may suggest an apical thrombus in the presence of a filling defect, additional imaging with echocardiography and/or cardiac magnetic resonance is strongly recommended to further characterize the thrombus post myocardial infarction.

Should primary percutaneous coronary intervention be the routine reperfusion strategy in octogenarians presenting with ST elevation myocardial infarction?

AIM: Very few randomized trials have analysed the outcome of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in very elderly patients (≥80 years). An observational study was performed to evaluate the outcome of PPCI in patients of at least 80 years of age who were admitted to our unit. METHODS: We included all patients undergoing PPCI in our unit from September 2009 to November 2011. RESULTS: Of the 1471 patients who underwent PPCI during the study period, 236 (16%) were at least 80 years of age. The mean age was 85 ±â€Š4 years (range 80-99 years, median 85 years). There was a significant difference in in-hospital mortality [14.4 vs. 2.9%, odds ratio (OR) 5.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.4-9.2, P <0.0001], 30-day mortality (20.3 vs. 4%, OR 6.2, 95% CI 4.0-9.5, P <0.0001), 1-year mortality (28.8 vs. 6.2%, OR 6.1, 95% CI 4.2-8.8, P <0.0001), 30-day stent thrombosis (1.7 vs. 0.4%, OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.1-15.9, P = 0.04) and non-coronary artery bypass grafting major bleed (5.9 vs. 3%, OR 2, 95% CI 1.1-3.8, P = 0.03) between patients aged at least 80 years and those less than 80 years. CONCLUSION: The mortality in our patients of at least 80 years was similar to the previously published data, despite the advances in PPCI procedures. Considering the increasing number of octogenarian patients with STEMI at the present time, there is a need for a randomized trial to compare the different treatment strategies for STEMI.

Cardioprotection during cardiac surgery.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. For a large number of patients with CHD, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery remains the preferred strategy for coronary revascularization. Over the last 10 years, the number of high-risk patients undergoing CABG surgery has increased significantly, resulting in worse clinical outcomes in this patient group. This appears to be related to the ageing population, increased co-morbidities (such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke), concomitant valve disease, and advances in percutaneous coronary intervention which have resulted in patients with more complex coronary artery disease undergoing surgery. These high-risk patients are more susceptible to peri-operative myocardial injury and infarction (PMI), a major cause of which is acute global ischaemia/reperfusion injury arising from inadequate myocardial protection during CABG surgery. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are required to protect the heart in this high-risk patient group. In this article, we review the aetiology of PMI during CABG surgery, its diagnosis and clinical significance, and the endogenous and pharmacological therapeutic strategies available for preventing it. By improving cardioprotection during CABG surgery, we may be able to reduce PMI, preserve left ventricular systolic function, and reduce morbidity and mortality in these high-risk patients with CHD.

Effect of erythropoietin as an adjunct to primary percutaneous coronary intervention: a randomised controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The acute administration of high-dose erythropoietin (EPO) on reperfusing ischaemic myocardium has been reported to halve myocardial infarct (MI) size in preclinical studies, but its effect in ST elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) remains unknown. We investigated whether high-dose EPO administered as an adjunct to PPCI reduces MI size. DESIGN: Double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled. SETTING: Single tertiary cardiac centre. PATIENTS: Fifty-one ST elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing PPCI. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either a single intravenous bolus of EPO (50,000 IU) prior to PPCI with a further bolus given 24 h later (n=26) or placebo (n=25). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MI size measured by 24 h area under the curve troponin T and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging performed on day 2 and at 4 months. RESULTS: EPO treatment failed to reduce MI size (troponin T area under the curve: 114.6±78 µg/ml EPO vs 100.8±68 µg/ml placebo; infarct mass by cardiac magnetic resonance: 33±16 g EPO vs 25±16 g placebo; both p>0.05). Unexpectedly, EPO treatment doubled the incidence of microvascular obstruction (82% EPO vs 47% placebo; p=0.02) and significantly increased indexed left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volumes (84±10 ml/m(2) EPO vs 73±13 ml/m(2) placebo; p=0.003), indexed LV end-systolic volumes (41±9 ml/m(2) EPO vs 35±11 ml/m(2) placebo; p=0.035) and indexed myocardial mass (89±16 g/m(2) EPO vs 79±11 g/m(2) placebo; p=0.03). At 4 months, there were no significant differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose EPO administered as an adjunct to PPCI failed to reduce MI size. In fact, EPO treatment was associated with an increased incidence of microvascular obstruction, LV dilatation and increased LV mass. Clinical Trial Registration Information http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search/StudyDetail.aspx?StudyID=4058 Unique Identifier=Study ID 4058.

Failure to recapture cardioprotection with high-dose atorvastatin in coronary artery bypass surgery: a randomised controlled trial.

The acute administration of atorvastatin has been reported to reduce myocardial infarct size in animal studies. However, this cardioprotective effect is lost with the chronic administration of atorvastatin, although it can be recaptured by administering an acute high-dose of atorvastatin. We hypothesised that pre-treatment with high-dose atorvastatin, on a background of chronic standard 'statin' therapy, would reduce myocardial injury in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. One hundred and one consenting patients undergoing elective CABG surgery at a single tertiary cardiac centre were recruited into two randomised controlled, single-blinded clinical studies. Study 1: 45 patients were randomised to receive either 160 mg of atorvastatin 2 h preoperatively and 24 h following surgery or their standard statin therapy. Study 2: 56 patients were randomised to receive either 160 mg of atorvastatin 12 h preoperatively and 24 h following surgery or their standard statin therapy. Blood samples for troponin T and creatine kinase were taken prior to surgery and then at 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h post-surgery. Cardiac enzyme levels at each time point and the total area-under curve (AUC) were calculated. The group characteristics and surgical methods were well matched. High-dose atorvastatin was not associated with any significant side effects. There was no significant difference in serum troponin T or creatine kinase in either study at each time point or over 72 h. Study 1: AUC, troponin T: atorvastatin 29.6 ± 34.8 µg/L versus control 25.0 ± 22.0 µg/L:P > 0.05. Creatine kinase: atorvastatin 33,544 ± 20,063 IU/L versus control 30,620 ± 10,776 IU/L:P > 0.05. Study 2: AUC, troponin T: atorvastatin 21.8 ± 14.3 µg/L versus control 20.9 ± 8.7 µg/L:P > 0.05. Creatine kinase: atorvastatin 36,262 ± 28,821 IU/L versus control 33,448 ± 14,984:P > 0.05. There were no differences in postoperative outcomes. We report that the administration of high-dose atorvastatin to low risk patients undergoing elective CABG surgery, who are already on standard dose 'statin' therapy is safe, but does not further reduce perioperative myocardial injury.