Questionnaire in patients with aborted sudden cardiac death due to coronary spasm in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the medical or mechanical therapy, and the present knowledge of Japanese cardiologists about aborted sudden cardiac death (ASCD) due to coronary spasm. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed regarding the number of cases of ASCD, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), and medical therapy in ASCD patients due to coronary spasm. The questionnaire was sent to the Japanese general institutions at random in 204 cardiology hospitals. RESULTS: The completed surveys were returned from 34 hospitals, giving a response rate of 16.7%. All SCD during the 5 years was observed in 5726 patients. SCD possibly due to coronary spasm was found in 808 patients (14.0%) and ASCD due to coronary spasm was observed in 169 patients (20.9%). In 169 patients with ASCD due to coronary spasm, one or two coronary vasodilators was administered in two-thirds of patients [113 patients (66.9%)], while more than 3 coronary vasodilators were found in 56 patients (33.1%). ICD was implanted in 117 patients with ASCD due to coronary spasm among these periods including 35 cases with subcutaneous ICD. Majority of cause of ASCD was ventricular fibrillation, whereas pulseless electrical activity was observed in 18 patients and complete atrioventricular block was recognized in 7 patients. Mean coronary vasodilator number in ASCD patients with ICD was significantly lower than that in those without ICD (2.1 ± 0.9 vs. 2.6 ± 1.0, p < 0.001). Although 16 institutions thought that the spasm provocation tests under the medications had some clinical usefulness of suppressing the next fatal arrhythmias, spasm provocation tests under the medication were performed in just 4 institutions. CONCLUSIONS: In the real world, there was no fundamental strategy for patients with ASCD due to coronary spasm. Each institution has each strategy for these patients. Cardiologists should have the same strategy and the same knowledge about ASCD patients due to coronary spasm in the future.

Efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban in extreme elderly patients with atrial fibrillation: Analysis of the Shikoku Rivaroxaban Registry Trial (SRRT).

BACKGROUND: The Shikoku Rivaroxaban Registry Trial (SRRT) is a retrospective survey of the use of rivaroxaban for stroke prevention in elderly patients in Shikoku, Japan. METHODS: The SRRT enrolled 1339 patients from 8 hospitals. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age, the extreme elderly group (453 patients aged ≧80 years) and the control group (886 patients aged <80 years). RESULTS: In the extreme elderly group, 41.5% of the patients had low body weight (<50kg) and 65.1% had abnormal renal function (creatinine clearance <50ml/min). The mean CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and HAS BLED scores were 2.7, 4.4, and 2.3, respectively. There were 333 (73.5%) patients who met the dosing criteria, and of these patients, 81.2% received rivaroxaban 10mg daily. Thromboembolic events occurred in 4 patients (0.94%/person year) and intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 4 patients (0.89%/person year). The incidence of these events was not significantly different from the control group. In addition, all patients with cerebral infarction had been treated with a smaller dose of rivaroxaban than recommended by the dosing criteria, suggesting that dosing criteria should be adhered to. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that rivaroxaban is effective and safe in extreme elderly patients with atrial fibrillation.

Two cases of acute myocardial infarction during combined chemotherapy in young patients with testicular cancer.

The two patients were males aged over 30 years. To treat testicular tumors, combination chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) had been employed. In case 1, during the 4th course of BEP therapy, thoracic pain suddenly appeared. Emergency coronary angiography revealed thrombus formation. Under a diagnosis of thrombus-related acute myocardial infarction, thrombus aspiration was conducted, and stent implantation was performed because mild stenosis and residual thrombus were observed. In case 2, during the 2nd course of BEP therapy, thoracic pain suddenly appeared. Emergency coronary angiography revealed thrombus formation. Intracoronary infusion of pro-urokinase was performed, and additional balloon dilatation was conducted because mild stenosis and residual thrombus were observed. In both cases, the courses were favorable, and the levels of coagulation markers on admission were high. When selecting combination chemotherapy in patients with coronary risk factors, such as obesity and smoking, despite a young age, as demonstrated in these two patients, it may be important to consider combination therapy with anticoagulants or switching to anticancer drugs that do not show vascular toxicity. .