The impact of kidney function on outcomes following high risk myocardial infarction: findings from 27 610 patients.

AIMS: Renal dysfunction is associated with poor cardiovascular outcome. We investigated the relationship of kidney function and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with high risk myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 27 610 patients from four randomized trials of acute myocardial infarction complicated by heart failure and/or LV dysfunction (LVEF ≤40%). Two trials excluded patients with serum creatinine ≥2.5 mg/dL. Patients were grouped by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the four-component Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. We used adjusted Cox proportional hazard models to compare mortality and composite cardiovascular events among eGFR groups. Median follow-up was 23 months. The eGFR was approximately normally distributed, with a mean ± SD of 69.1 ± 20.2 mL/min/1.73 m(2) . Co-morbidities were more prevalent with lower eGFR. The risk of death or composite outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure hospitalization increased with declining eGFR. Below 75 mL/min/1.73 m(2) , each 10 unit reduction of eGFR was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio for death of 1.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.15) and composite cardiovascular outcome of 1.09 (95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.10). Older patients (≥75 years) with low LVEF (<30%) had a higher incidence of mortality and adverse cardiovascular events across eGFR categories. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced eGFR is strongly and independently associated with poor cardiovascular outcome following high risk myocardial infarction. In these patients, the combination of older age and poor LV systolic function is associated with increased risk of adverse events.

Peripheral artery disease and outcomes after myocardial infarction: an individual-patient meta-analysis of 28,771 patients in CAPRICORN, EPEHESUS, OPTIMAAL and VALIANT.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and the relationship between PAD and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in subjects with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, heart failure or both after acute myocardial infarction (MI). BACKGROUND: PAD is associated with poorer prognosis in patients with stable and unstable coronary heart disease but whether PAD is associated with worse outcomes following substantial acute MI is unknown. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to compare clinical outcomes in an individual-patient meta-analysis of 4 trials (CAPRICORN, EPHESUS, OPTIMAAL and VALIANT). RESULTS: Of the 28,771 patients randomized, 2357 (8.2%) had PAD. These patients were older and had more co-morbidity and were less likely to be prescribed aspirin or a beta-blocker compared to patients without PAD. Over a mean follow-up of 2.7 years, 5121 (17.8%) patients died and 15,055 (52.3%) experienced CV death or hospitalization. PAD was an independent predictor of all individual and composite CV outcomes examined (including heart failure), with the exception of stroke. In patients with PAD (compared to those without PAD), the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was 1.25 (95% CI 1.15-1.37; p<0.001) and the HR for CV death, non-fatal MI, non-fatal stroke or heart failure hospitalization was 1.24 (1.16-1.33; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PAD is common and is an independent predictor of worse outcomes in patients already at high risk after MI because of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, heart failure or both. These patients represent an important group for intensive application of secondary preventive therapies.