Initial Total Bilirubin and Clinical Outcome in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Drug-Eluting Stents.

BACKGROUND: Total bilirubin (TB) concentration is inversely associated with stable coronary artery disease, but there have been few studies on initial TB in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1,111 consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) were divided into a high TB group (n=295) and a low TB group (n=816) according to the optimal cut-off 0.79 mg/dl. The high TB group had a higher rate of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal MI, and definite/probable stent thrombosis (14.2% vs. 4.2%, P<0.001) and cardiac death (13.9% vs. 3.9%, P<0.001) compared with the low TB group. The 30-day MACE-free survival rate was also significantly different between the groups (P<0.001, log-rank test). On multivariate Cox regression, initial high TB was a significant predictor of in-hospital MACE (HR, 2.69; 95% CI: 1.67-4.34, P=0.010) and of cardiac death (HR 2.72, 95% CI: 1.67-4.44, P=0.012). Adding initial TB to TIMI risk score significantly improved prediction for in-hospital MACE according to net reclassification improvement (NRI=5.2%, P=0.040) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI=0.027, P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Initial TB is a powerful prognostic marker, and inclusion of this can improve prediction of in-hospital MACE in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI with DES. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1437-1444).

Randomized comparison of new dual-antiplatelet therapy (aspirin, prasugrel) and triple-antiplatelet therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel, cilostazol) using P2Y12 point-of-care assay in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI.

BACKGROUND: Both new dual antiplatelet therapy (DAT; aspirin and prasugrel) and triple antiplatelet therapy (TAT; aspirin, clopidogrel and cilostazol) are more potent than classic DAT (aspirin and clopidogrel). We compared the antiplatelet efficacy between new DAT and TAT in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary coronary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Forty patients who were eligible for primary PCI were prospectively randomized to DAT group (n=20) or TAT group (n=20) immediately after hospital arrival. The primary end point was P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU) determined with the VerifyNow P2Y12 point-of-care assay at the time of discharge. RESULTS: PRU value at discharge was significantly lower in patients receiving DAT compared with that of TAT (84.5 ± 44.7 vs. 128.4 ± 74.9, p=0.032). Percent platelet inhibition was significantly higher for DAT compared with TAT at discharge (72.1 ± 12.2 vs. 57.5 ± 23.5, p=0.020). Inter-patient variability of PRU values at discharge was significantly smaller in patient taking DAT compared with TAT (p=0.026). CONCLUSION: A new DAT is more potent antiplatelet therapy than TAT in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI.

Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A higher neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been associated with poor clinical outcomes in various cardiac diseases. However, the clinical availability of NLR in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been known. We evaluated the availability of NLR to predict clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 326 consecutive STEMI patients treated with primary PCI. The patients were divided into tertiles according to NLR: NLR≤3.30 (n=108), 3.316.53 (n=110). We evaluated the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of all causes of death, non-fatal MI, and ischemic stroke at the 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: The high NLR group was associated with a significantly higher rate of 12-month MACE (19.1% vs. 3.7%, p<0.001), 12-month death (18.2% vs. 2.8%, p<0.001), in-hospital MACE (12.7% vs. 2.8%, p=0.010) and in-hospital death (12.7% vs. 1.9%, p=0.003) compared to the low NLR group. In the multivariable model, high NLR was an independent predictor of 12-month MACE {hazard ratio (HR) 3.33 (1.09-10.16), p=0.035} and death {HR 4.10 (1.17-14.46), p=0.028} after adjustment for gender, left ventricular ejection fraction, creatinine clearance, angiographic parameters and factors included in the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction risk score for STEMI. There was a significant gradient of 12-month MACE across the NLR tertiles with a markedly increased MACE hazard in the high NLR group (log rank test p=0.002). CONCLUSION: The NLR is a useful marker to predict 12-month MACE and death in patients with STEMI who have undergone primary PCI.

High post-clopidogrel platelet reactivity assessed by a point-of-care assay predicts long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who underwent primary coronary stenting.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that post-clopidogrel high platelet reactivity (HPR), assessed by a point-of-care assay, is associated with a higher risk of adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We assessed the clinical impact of HPR by the VerifyNow P2Y12 point-of-care assay in 181 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent primary PCI with drug-eluting stents (DES) at 3 hospitals. METHODS: The primary endpoint of the study was the 12-month major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), which comprised cardiovascular death, nonfatal MI and ischemic stroke. All patients received a single loading dose of 600 mg clopidogrel and 300 mg aspirin followed by a daily maintenance dose of 75 mg clopidogrel and 100mg aspirin. RESULTS: A P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU) ≥ 282 (AUC 0.719, 95% CI 0.588-0.851, p=0.004, sensitivity 68.8%, specificity 73.8%) was the optimal cut-off value in predicting 12-month MACE by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Occurrence of MACE was significantly more frequent in patients with HPR (PRU ≥ 282) compared to patients without HPR (20.4% vs. 3.9%, HR 6.24, 95% CI 2.05-18.99, p=0.001). By multivariate analysis, HPR (HR 3.84, 95% CI 1.17-12.58, p=0.026) and elderly patients above 80 years of age (HR: 8.13, 95% CI 1.79-37.03, p=0.007) were found to be the significant predictors of 12-month MACE. The MACE-free survival rate was significantly lower in patients with HPR compared to patients without HPR (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: HPR assessed by a point-of-care assay was able to predict 12-month MACE in patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI with DES.

"Angiographic late catch-up" phenomenon after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation.

BACKGROUND: Although several randomized trials have shown that sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) substantially reduces in-stent restenosis, recent studies have suggested the possibility of late catch-up after SES implantation. We investigated long-term angiographic outcomes after SES implantation in real-world practice. METHODS: This study was conducted on 195 patients with 253 lesions who underwent the first and long-term angiographic follow-up after SES implantation. First follow-up was done at near 6 months after SES implantation. Long-term angiographic follow-up was defined as that performed at least 36 months after index procedure. Angiographies in patients who experienced target lesion revascularization at the time of the first angiographic follow-up were excluded from the current analysis. RESULTS: Minimal luminal diameter at long-term angiographic follow-up was significantly smaller compared with that at the first follow-up (2.21 ± 0.65 vs. 2.40 ± 0.55, p<0.001). In-stent late lumen loss between the first and long-term follow-up tended to be larger compared with that between SES implantation and the first follow-up (0.19 ± 0.47 vs. 0.15 ± 0.39, p=0.298). There was a trend for increased incidence of coronary artery aneurysm (1.6% and 7.5% at the first and long-term follow-up) and stent fracture (4.3% and 10.3%). Two stent aneurysms and one stent fracture were related with definite very late stent thrombosis. CONCLUSION: An "angiographic late catch-up" phenomenon and a trend toward increased incidence of coronary artery aneurysm and stent fracture were found at a median 46.5-month angiographic follow-up compared with a median 6-month follow-up.