Shock Index More Sensitive Than Cardiogenic Shock in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated by Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), but there is evidence that shock index (SI), taking into account both blood pressure and heart rate, is a more sensitive and powerful predictor. We investigated the independent impact of SI and CS on 30-day and 1-year mortality in patients with STEMI, treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods and Results:In 7,412 consecutive patients with STEMI treated with primary PCI, the predictive value of either SI or CS on 1-year mortality was assessed. Best cut-off value of SI, determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, was 0.7, with an ROC AUC of 0.66 (95% CI: 0.65-0.67), compared with an ROC AUC of 0.60 (95% CI: 0.59-0.61) for CS (P<0.001). At admission, 387 patients (5.2%) had CS and 1,567 patients (21.1%) had SI ≥0.7. The adjusted hazard ratio of mortality in patients with SI ≥0.7 and in CS patients was, respectively, 3.3 (95% CI: 2.4-4.6) and 3.1 (95% CI: 2.1-4.6) after 30 days, and 2.3 (95% CI: 1.8-2.9) and 3.1 (95% CI: 2.2-4.2) after 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: SI identifies more patients with increased risk of mortality, and seems to be a more sensitive prognostic predictor than CS in patients with STEMI treated by primary PCI.

Randomized evaluation of short-term dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with the COMBO dual therapy stent: rationale and design of the REDUCE trial.

BACKGROUND: The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients treated with drug eluting stents (DES) is still under debate. Recent meta-analyses on ≤6months versus 12months DAPT suggest that bleeding rates can be reduced, without a higher rate of thrombotic complications. In particular, the COMBO dual therapy stent, being associated with early re-endothelialization, may allow for a reduction of the duration of DAPT without increasing the thrombotic risk, while reducing the risk of bleeding complications. AIM: The aim of the REDUCE trial is to demonstrate the non-inferiority of a combined efficacy and safety endpoint of a short-term 3months DAPT strategy as compared to standard 12-month DAPT strategy in ACS patients treated with the COMBO stent. DESIGN: A prospective, multicenter, randomized study designed to enroll 1500 patients with ACS treated with the COMBO stent. Patients will be randomized before discharge in a 1:1 fashion to either 3 or 12months of DAPT. A clinical follow-up is scheduled at 3, 6, 12, and 24months. The primary endpoint is the time to event as defined by the occurrence of one of the following: all cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, stroke, target vessel revascularization or bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Council type II, III and V) within 12months. The study has recruited patients since July 2014, and the results are expected in 2017. SUMMARY: A reduction of the DAPT duration in ACS patients after PCI without affecting the thrombotic risk is an attractive option with regard to the associated bleeding risk. The REDUCE trial will be the first to investigate the efficacy and safety of a 3-month DAPT strategy compared to a 12-month DAPT strategy in an ACS only population treated with the COMBO stent.

Risk Factors for Inadequate Defibrillation Safety Margins Vary With the Underlying Cardiac Disease: Implications for Selective Testing Strategies.

INTRODUCTION: In view of the shift from routine toward no or selective defibrillation testing, optimization of the current risk stratification for inadequate defibrillation safety margins (DSMs) could improve individualized testing decisions. Given the pathophysiological differences in myocardial substrate between ischemic and nonischemic heart disease (IHD/non-IHD) and the accompanying differences in clinical characteristics, we studied inadequate DSMs and their predictors in relation to the underlying etiology. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cohort of routine defibrillation tests (n = 785) after first implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)-implantations at the Radboud UMC (2005-2014). A defibrillation threshold >25 J was regarded as an inadequate DSM. In total, 4.3% of patients had an inadequate DSM; in IHD 2.5% versus 7.3% in non-IHD (P = 0.002). We identified a group of non-IHD patients at high risk (13-42% inadequate DSM); the remainder of the cohort (>70%) had a risk of only 2% (C-statistic entire cohort 0.74; C-statistic non-IHD 0.82). This was based upon two identified interaction terms: (1) non-IHD and age (aOR 0.94 [95% CI 0.91-0.97]); (2) non-IHD and the indexed left ventricular (LV) internal diastolic diameter (aOR 3.50 [95% CI 2.10-5.82]). CONCLUSION: The present study on risk stratification for an inadequate DSM not only confirms the importance of making a distinction between IHD and non-IHD, but also shows that risk factors in an entire cohort (LV dilatation, age) may only apply to a subgroup (non-IHD). Appreciation of this concept could favorably affect current risk stratification. If confirmed, our approach may be used to optimize individualized testing decisions in an upcoming era of non-routine testing.

Ischemic Postconditioning After Routine Thrombus Aspiration During Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Rationale and Design of the POstconditioning Rotterdam Trial.

BACKGROUND: Whether ischemic postconditioning (IPOC) immediately after routine thrombus aspiration (TA) reduces infarct size (IS) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) has not been established. STUDY DESIGN: The POstconditioning Rotterdam Trial (PORT) is a dual-center, prospective, open-label, randomized trial with blinded endpoint evaluation enrolling 72 subjects with first-time STEMI, and an occluded infarct-related artery (IRA) without collaterals undergoing PPCI. Subjects are randomized 1:1 to a strategy of IPOC immediately after TA followed by stenting of the IRA or to conventional percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), including TA followed by stenting of the IRA (controls). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is performed at 3-5 days after STEMI and at 3 months. The primary endpoint is IS at 3 months measured by delayed enhancement MRI. Other secondary endpoints include MRI-derived microvascular obstruction (MVO), left ventricular ejection fraction, myocardial salvage index, enzymatic IS, ST-segment resolution, myocardial blush grade, microcirculatory resistance, inflammation markers, and clinical events through 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: PORT is testing the hypothesis that adding IPOC (against lethal reperfusion injury) to TA (against distal embolization and MVO) is cardioprotective and reduces ultimate IS in STEMI patients undergoing PPCI (Dutch Trial Register identifier: NTR4040). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Manual Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Versus CPR Including a Mechanical Chest Compression Device in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Comprehensive Meta-analysis From Randomized and Observational Studies.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Mechanical chest compression devices have been developed to facilitate continuous delivery of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Despite promising hemodynamic data, evidence on clinical outcomes remains inconclusive. With the completion of 3 randomized controlled trials, we conduct a meta-analysis on the effect of in-field mechanical versus manual CPR on clinical outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: With a systematic search (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Libraries), we identified all eligible studies (randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized studies) that compared a CPR strategy including an automated mechanical chest compression device with a strategy of manual CPR only. Outcome variables were survival to hospital admission, survival to discharge, and favorable neurologic outcome. RESULTS: Twenty studies (n=21,363) were analyzed: 5 randomized controlled trials and 15 nonrandomized studies, pooled separately. For survival to admission, the pooled estimate of the randomized controlled trials did not indicate a difference (odds ratio 0.94; 95% confidence interval 0.84 to 1.05; P=.24) between mechanical and manual CPR. In contrast, meta-analysis of nonrandomized studies demonstrated a benefit in favor of mechanical CPR (odds ratio 1.42; 95% confidence interval 1.21 to 1.67; P<.001). No interaction was found between the endorsed CPR guidelines (2000 versus 2005) and the CPR strategy (P=.27). Survival to discharge and neurologic outcome did not differ between strategies. CONCLUSION: Although there are lower-quality, observational data that suggest that mechanical CPR used at the rescuer's discretion could improve survival to hospital admission, the cumulative high-quality randomized evidence does not support a routine strategy of mechanical CPR to improve survival or neurologic outcome. These findings are irrespective of the endorsed CPR guidelines during the study periods.

Rationale and design of a randomised clinical trial for an extended cardiac rehabilitation programme using telemonitoring: the TeleCaRe study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the known positive effects of cardiac rehabilitation and an active lifestyle, evidence is emerging that it is difficult to attain and sustain the minimum recommendations of leisure time physical activity. The long-term benefits are often disappointing due to lack of adherence to the changes in life style. Qualitative research on patients' perspectives suggests that motivation for lifestyle change tends to diminish around 3 months after the index-event. The time most cardiac rehabilitation programmes end. The aim of the present study is to determine if prolongation of a traditional cardiac rehabilitation programme with additional heart rate based telemonitoring guidance for a period of 6 months results in better long term effects on physical and mental outcomes, care consumption and quality of life than traditional follow-up. METHODS: In this single centre randomised controlled trial 120 patients with an absolute indication for cardiac rehabilitation will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to an intervention group with 6 months of heart rate based telemonitoring guidance or a control group with traditional follow-up after cardiac rehabilitation. The primary endpoint will be VO2peak after 12 months. Secondary endpoints are VO2peak after 6 months, quality of life, physical-, emotional- and social functioning, cardiac structure, traditional risk profile, compliance to the use of the heart rate belt and smartphone, MACE and care-consumption. DISCUSSION: The TeleCaRe study will provide insight into the added value of the prolongation of traditional cardiac rehabilitation with 6 months of heart rate based telemonitoring guidance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial Register: NTR4644 (registered 06/12/14).

Ticagrelor or prasugrel versus clopidogrel in elderly patients with an acute coronary syndrome: Optimization of antiplatelet treatment in patients 70 years and older--rationale and design of the POPular AGE study.

RATIONALE: Dual antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicylic acid in combination with a more potent P2Y12- inhibitor (ticagrelor or prasugrel) is recommended in patients with acute coronary syndrome without ST-segment elevation (NSTE-ACS) to prevent atherothrombotic complications. The evidence on which this recommendation is based shows that ticagrelor and prasugrel reduce atherothrombotic events at the expense of an increase in bleeding events when compared with clopidogrel. However, it remains unclear whether ticagrelor or prasugrel has a better net clinical benefit in elderly patients with NSTE-ACS when compared with clopidogrel. The POPular AGE trial is designed to address the optimal antiplatelet strategy in elderly NSTE-ACS patients. STUDY DESIGN: POPular AGE is a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial that aims to include 1000 patients ≥70years of age with NSTE-ACS. Patients are randomly assigned to receive either clopidogrel or a more potent P2Y12 inhibitor (ticagrelor or prasugrel). The first primary end point is any bleeding event requiring medical intervention. The second primary end point is the net clinical benefit, a composite of all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, "PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes" major bleeding, or "PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes" minor bleeding. Patients will be followed for 1 year after randomization, and analyses will be performed on the basis of intention to treat. CONCLUSION: The POPular AGE is the first randomized controlled trial that will assess whether the treatment strategy with clopidogrel will result in fewer bleeding events without compromising the net clinical benefit in patients ≥70years of age with NSTE-ACS when compared with a treatment strategy with ticagrelor or prasugrel.

Reperfusion therapy for ST elevation acute myocardial infarction 2010/2011: current status in 37 ESC countries.

AIMS: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the preferred reperfusion therapy in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We conducted this study to evaluate the contemporary status on the use and type of reperfusion therapy in patients admitted with STEMI in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member countries. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional descriptive study based on aggregated country-level data on the use of reperfusion therapy in patients admitted with STEMI during 2010 or 2011. Thirty-seven ESC countries were able to provide data from existing national or regional registries. In countries where no such registries exist, data were based on best expert estimates. Data were collected on the use of STEMI reperfusion treatment and mortality, the numbers of cardiologists, and the availability of PPCI facilities in each country. Our survey provides a brief data summary of the degree of variation in reperfusion therapy across Europe. The number of PPCI procedures varied between countries, ranging from 23 to 884 per million inhabitants. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention and thrombolysis were the dominant reperfusion strategy in 33 and 4 countries, respectively. The mean population served by a single PPCI centre with a 24-h service 7 days a week ranged from 31 300 inhabitants per centre to 6 533 000 inhabitants per centre. Twenty-seven of the total 37 countries participated in a former survey from 2007, and major increases in PPCI utilization were observed in 13 of these countries. CONCLUSION: Large variations in reperfusion treatment are still present across Europe. Countries in Eastern and Southern Europe reported that a substantial number of STEMI patients are not receiving any reperfusion therapy. Implementation of the best reperfusion therapy as recommended in the guidelines should be encouraged.

STEMI or non-STEMI: that is the question.

Acute coronary syndromes are usually classified on the basis of the presence or absence of ST elevation on the ECG: ST-elevation myocardial infarction or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) need immediate therapy, without unnecessary delay and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) should preferably be performed within 90 min after first medical contact. However, in AMI patients without ST-segment elevation (pre) hospital triage for immediate transfer to the catheterisation laboratory may be difficult. Moreover, initial diagnosis and risk stratification take place at busy emergency departments and chest pain units with additional risk of 'PPCI delay'. Optimal timing of angiography and revascularisation remains a challenge. We describe a patient with NSTEMI who was scheduled for early coronary angiography within 24 h but retrospectively should have been sent to the cath lab immediately because he had a significant amount of myocardium at risk, undetected by non-invasive parameters.

Myocardial perfusion imaging with a cadmium zinc telluride-based gamma camera versus invasive fractional flow reserve.

PURPOSE: Recently introduced ultrafast cardiac SPECT cameras with cadmium zinc telluride-based (CZT) detectors may provide superior image quality allowing faster acquisition with reduced radiation doses. Although the level of concordance between conventional SPECT and invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement has been studied, that between FFR and CZT-based SPECT is not yet known. Therefore, we aimed to assess the level of concordance between CZT SPECT and FFR in a large patient group with stable coronary artery disease. METHODS: Both invasive FFR and myocardial perfusion imaging with a CZT-based SPECT camera, using Tc-tetrofosmin as tracer, were performed in 100 patients with stable angina and intermediate grade stenosis on invasive coronary angiography. A cut-off value of <0.75 was used to define abnormal FFR. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 64 ± 11 years, and 64 % were men. SPECT demonstrated ischaemia in 31 % of the patients, and 20 % had FFR <0.75. The concordance between CZT SPECT and FFR was 73 % on a per-patient basis and 79 % on a per-vessel basis. Discordant findings were more often seen in older patients and were mainly (19 %) the result of ischaemic SPECT findings in patients with FFR ≥ 0.75, whereas only 8 % had an abnormal FFR without ischaemia as demonstrated by CZT SPECT. CONCLUSION: Only 20 - 30 % of patients with intermediate coronary stenoses had significant ischaemia as assessed by CZT SPECT or invasive FFR. CZT SPECT showed a modest degree of concordance with FFR, which is comparable with previous results with conventional SPECT. Further investigations are particularly necessary in patients with normal SPECT and abnormal FFR, especially to determine whether these patients should undergo revascularization.

A clinical appraisal of different Z-score equations for aortic root assessment in the diagnostic evaluation of Marfan syndrome.

PURPOSE: Aortic sinus diameter dilatation expressed as a Z-score >2.0 is diagnostic in Marfan syndrome. In addition to the classic equation (Z1) for calculating Z-scores, two new equations were recently introduced (Z2 and Z3). METHODS: We studied the effects of obesity, age, and the absolute cut point of 40 mm on these three equations in 2,674 echocardiographic measurements of 260 patients with Marfan syndrome. RESULTS: Diameters ≥40 mm were associated with Z1 scores <2.0 in 109 measurements (11.0%; 35 patients), Z2 scores <2.0 in 37 measurements (3.8%; 13 patients), and Z3 scores <2.0 in 24 measurements (2.4%; 11 patients). Mean diameters increased after the 40th birthday: 42.0 (37.3-44.8 mm interquartile range) to 42.5 (39.0-45.0 mm interquartile range; P = not significant) and mean Z1 scores decreased from 3.60 to 2.17 (P < 0.01), whereas Z2 and Z3 scores tended to increase (Z2: 3.04-3.27; Z3: 3.39-3.55; P = not significant for both). Comparing Z-scores between patients with body mass index <25 kg/m² (group A) and those with body mass index ≥25 kg/m² (group B), median Z1 scores differed between groups (Z1 = 3.00 in group A, Z1 = 1.78 in group B; P = 0.012), whereas Z2 (Z2 = 2.82 in group A, Z2 = 2.47 in group B; P = 0.52) and Z3 scores (Z3 = 2.72 in group A, Z2 = 3.12 in group B; P = 0.32) did not. CONCLUSION: Z1 scores are inferior to Z2 and Z3 scores in Marfan syndrome. In particular, the Z3 score, correcting aortic sinus diameter for body height, seems excellent.

Pilot study on VF-waveform based algorithms for early detection of acute myocardial infarction during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

INTRODUCTION: On-scene detection of acute coronary occlusion (ACO) during ongoing ventricular fibrillation (VF) may facilitate patient-tailored triage and treatment during cardiac arrest. Experimental studies have demonstrated the diagnostic potential of the amplitude spectrum area (AMSA) of the VF-waveform to detect myocardial infarction (MI). In follow-up, we performed this clinical pilot study on VF-waveform based discriminative models to diagnose acute MI due to ACO in real-world VF-patients. METHODS: In our registry of VF-patients transported to a tertiary hospital (Nijmegen, The Netherlands), we studied patients with high-quality VF-registrations. We calculated VF-characteristics prior to the first shock, and first-to-second shock changes (Δ-characteristics). Primary aim was to assess the discriminative ability of the AMSA to detect patients with ACO. Secondarily, we investigated the discriminative value of adding ΔAMSA-measures using machine learning algorithms. Model performances were assessed using C-statistics. RESULTS: In total, there were 67 VF-patients with and 34 without an ACO, and baseline characteristics did not differ significantly. Based on the AMSA prior to the first defibrillation attempt, discrimination between ACO and non-ACO was possible, with a C-statistic of 0.66 (0.56-0.75). The discriminative model using AMSA + ΔAMSA yielded a C-statistic of 0.80 (0.69-0.88). CONCLUSION: These clinical pilot data confirm previous experimental findings that early detection of MI using VF-waveform analysis seems feasible, and add insights on the diagnostic impact of accounting for first-to-second shock changes in VF-characteristics. Confirmative studies in larger cohorts and with a variety of VF-algorithms are warranted to further investigate the potential of this innovative approach.

High-risk patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction derive greatest absolute benefit from primary percutaneous coronary intervention: results from the Primary Coronary Angioplasty Trialist versus thrombolysis (PCAT)-2 collaboration.

BACKGROUND: Meta-analyses of randomized trials show that primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) results in lower mortality than fibrinolytic therapy in patients with myocardial infarction. We investigated which categories of patients with myocardial infarction would benefit most from the strategy of PPCI and, thus, have lowest numbers needed to treat to prevent a death. METHODS: Individual patient data were obtained from 22 (n = 6,763) randomized trials evaluating efficacy and safety of PPCI versus fibrinolysis. A risk score was developed and validated to estimate the probability of 30-day death in individuals. Patients were then divided in quartiles according to risk. Subsequent analyses were performed to evaluate if the treatment effect was modified by estimated risk. RESULTS: Overall, 446 patients (6.6%) died within 30 days after randomization. The mortality risk score contained clinical characteristics, including the time from symptom onset to randomization. The c-index was 0.76, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was nonsignificant, reflecting adequate discrimination and calibration. Patients randomized to PPCI had lower mortality than did patients randomized to fibrinolysis (5.3% vs 7.9%, adjusted odds ratio 0.63, 95% CI 0.42-0.84, P < .001). The interaction between risk score and allocated treatment interaction term had no significant contribution (P = .52) to the model, indicating that the relative mortality reduction by PPCI was similar at all levels of estimated risk. In contrast, the absolute risk reduction was strongly related to estimated risk at baseline: the numbers needed to treat to prevent a death by PPCI versus fibrinolysis was 516 in the lowest quartile of estimated risk compared with only 17 in the highest quartile. CONCLUSION: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is consistently associated with a strong relative reduction in 30-day mortality, irrespective of patient baseline risk, and should therefore be considered as the first choice reperfusion strategy whenever feasible. If access to percutaneous coronary intervention is >2 hours, fibrinolysis remains a legitimate option in low-risk patients because of the small absolute risk reduction by PPCI in this particular cohort.

Prehospital triage in the ambulance reduces infarct size and improves clinical outcome.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the effect of prehospital triage (PHT) in the ambulance on infarct size and clinical outcome and studied its relationship to the distance of patient's residence to the nearest percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) center. METHODS: All consecutive ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients who were transported to the Isala klinieken from 1998 to 2008 were registered in a dedicated database. Of these, 2,288 (45%) were referred via a spoke center and 2.840 (55%) via PHT. RESULTS: PHT patients were more often treated within 3 hours after symptom onset (46.2% vs 26.8%, P < .001), more often had a post-procedural thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) 3 flow (93.0% vs 89.7%, P < .001) had a smaller infarct size (peak creatine kinase 2,188 ± 2,187 vs 2,575 ± 2,259 IU/L, P < .001) and had a lower 1-year mortality (4.9% vs 7.0%, P = .002). After multivariate analysis, PHT was independently associated with ischemic time less than 3 hours (OR 2.45, 95% CI 2.13-2.83), a peak creatine kinase less than the median value (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.04-1.36) and a lower 1-year mortality (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.50-0.91). The observed differences between PHT patients and the spoke group were more pronounced in the subgroup of patients living >38 km from the PCI center. CONCLUSION: PHT in the ambulance is associated with a shorter time to treatment, a smaller infarct size and a more favorable clinical outcome, especially with longer distance from the patient's residence to the nearest PCI center. Therefore, PHT in the ambulance may reduce the negative effect of living at a longer distance from the PCI center.

The impact of age on effects of pre-hospital initiation of high bolus dose of tirofiban before primary angioplasty for ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

PURPOSE: Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors are favourable in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, and the additional value of early pre-hospital high bolus dose tirofiban has recently been established. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of age on myocardial reperfusion and clinical outcomes of pre-hospital administration of high bolus dose tirofiban. METHODS: This is a pre-specified sub-analysis of the multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised On-TIME 2 trial and it's open label phase. The primary endpoint was mean residual ST segment deviation 1 h after primary PCI and was evaluated in three age groups. RESULTS: Of the 466 patients in the highest tertile (≥68 years), median age was 74.4 years (IQR 71.3-78.6 years) and 231 (50%) were randomised to tirofiban. Mean residual ST segment deviation 1 h after PCI was significantly lower in elderly patients pre-treated with tirofiban compared to elderly patients without tirofiban pre-treatment (4.2 ± 5.2 mm vs 6.4 ± 7.5 mm, p = 0.001). Furthermore, elderly patients pre-treated with tirofiban had a non-significantly higher rate of 30-day major or minor bleeding compared to elderly patients without tirofiban pre-treatment (14.2% vs 9.0%, p = 0.088). 30-day net adverse clinical events in elderly patients with- or without tirofiban was not significantly different (11.9% vs 15.2%, p = 0.300). CONCLUSION: The effect of pre-hospital initiation of high bolus dose tirofiban on myocardial reperfusion, as determined by ST-segment resolution is highest in the elderly patients. However, this was associated with a trend towards more bleeding complications, resulting in a balanced clinical effect after 30-day follow-up. Future studies should evaluate whether the elderly STEMI patient may benefit from highly effective and safer antiplatelet therapy.

Electrocardiographic recording direction impacts ventricular fibrillation waveform measurements: A potential pitfall for VF-waveform guided defibrillation protocols.

AIM: In cardiac arrest, ventricular fibrillation (VF) waveform analysis has identified the amplitude spectrum area (AMSA) as a key predictor of defibrillation success and favorable neurologic survival. New resuscitation protocols are under investigation, where prompt defibrillation is restricted to cases with a high AMSA. Appreciating the variability of in-field pad placement, we aimed to assess the impact of recording direction on AMSA-values, and the inherent defibrillation advice. METHODS: Prospective VF-waveform study on 12-lead surface electrocardiograms (ECGs) obtained during defibrillation testing in ICD-recipients (2010-2017). AMSA-values (mVHz) of simultaneous VF-recordings were calculated and compared between all limb leads, with lead II as reference (proxy for in-field pad position). AMSA-differences between leads I and II were quantified using Bland-Altman analysis. Moreover, we investigated differences between these adjacent leads regarding classification into high (≥15.5), intermediate (6.5-15.5) or low (≤6.5) AMSA-values. RESULTS: In this cohort (n = 243), AMSA-values in lead II (10.2 ± 4.8) differed significantly from the other limb leads (I: 8.0 ± 3.4; III: 12.9 ± 5.6, both p < 0.001). The AMSA-value in lead I was, on average, 2.24 ± 4.3 lower than in lead II. Of the subjects with high AMSA-values in lead II, only 15% were classified as high if based on assessments of lead I. For intermediate and low AMSA-values, concordances were 66% and 72% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ECG-recording direction markedly affects the result of VF-waveform analysis, with 20-30% lower AMSA-values in lead I than in lead II. Our data suggest that electrode positioning may significantly impact shock guidance by 'smart defibrillators', especially affecting the advice for prompt defibrillation.

The sustained effects of extending cardiac rehabilitation with a six-month telemonitoring and telecoaching programme on fitness, quality of life, cardiovascular risk factors and care utilisation in CAD patients: The TeleCaRe study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the acute and sustained effects of a six-month heart-rate-based telerehabilitation programme, following the completion of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), on peak oxygen uptake (peakVO2), quality of life (QoL), cardiovascular risk factors and care utilisation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: A total of 122 patients with CAD were randomised, after the completion of CR, to an intervention group with six months of telemonitoring and telecoaching (TELE) or a control group with a traditional six-month follow-up programme with monthly calls (CON). The primary outcome was peakVO2 at 12 months, to assess the sustained effects of TELE. The secondary outcomes included QoL, cardiovascular risk factors (lipid spectrum), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and habitual physical activity. RESULTS: PeakVO2 increased significantly from baseline to 12 months in TELE (+2.5 mL·kg-1min-1 (95% CI 1.5-3.2)) and CON (+1.9 mL·kg-1min-1 (95% CI 1.0-2.5)), and did not differ between groups (P = 0.28). Similarly, QoL (P = 0.31), total cholesterol (P = 0.45), MACE (P = 0.86) did not differ between groups and in time. DISCUSSION: Extending CR with a heart-rate-based telerehabilitation programme did not yield additional sustainable health benefits compared with regular care with monthly telephone calls. These observations highlight that both telerehabilitation and regular care with monthly telephone calls may prevent the typically observed reductions in peakVO2 following the completion of a CR programme.Trial registration: Dutch Trial Register NL4140 (registered 6 December 2014).

Influence of Pregnancy on Aortic Diameter in Women With the Turner Syndrome.

Women with Turner syndrome (TS) have high prevalence of cardiovascular anomalies. Literature suggests pregnancy is associated with a higher dissection risk, presumably preceded by aortic dilatation. Whether the aortic diameter truly changes during pregnancy in TS is not well investigated. This study aims to evaluate ascending aortic diameter change during pregnancy and reports on cardiac events during and directly after pregnancy. This tertiary hospital retrospective study investigated all TS women pregnancies (2009 to 2018). Outcome parameters included aortic diameter growth and aortic complications, specifically dissection. Thirty-five pregnancies in 30 TS women, 57% assisted by oocyte donation. Mean age at delivery 32 ± 5 years. In 27 pregnancies of 22 women imaging was available. From over 350 childless TS women a comparison group of 27 was individually matched. The median ascending aortic diameter growth between pre- and postpregnancy imaging was 1.0 mm (IQR -1.0; 2.0), no significant change (p = 0.077). Whether the patient had a bicuspid aortic valve (p = 0.571), monosomy X or mosaic karyotype (p = 0.071) or spontaneous pregnancy or resulting from oocyte donation (p = 0.686) had no significant influence on diameter change. Aortic growth between pregnancy and matched childless group (0.23 vs 0.32 mm/year, p = 0.788) was not significant over 3.3 ± 2 versus 4.4 ± 1 years. During pregnancy or the first 6 months after delivery no aortic complications were observed. In conclusion, this study suggests pregnancy in TS women does not induce faster ascending aortic diameter increase. Also not in presence of a bicuspid aortic valve, monosomy X karyotype, and oocyte donation. No aortic complications occurred. Based on current study pregnancy in TS women seems safe.

Exercise and myocardial injury in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: Troponin and high signal intensity on T2-weighted (HighT2) cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMRi) are both markers of myocardial injury in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The interplay between exercise and disease development remains uncertain in HCM. We sought to assess the occurrence of postexercise troponin rises and its determinants. METHODS: Multicentre project on patients with HCM and mutation carriers without hypertrophy (controls). Participants performed a symptom limited bicycle test with hs-cTnT assessment pre-exercise and 6 hours postexercise. Pre-exercise CMRi was performed in patients with HCM to assess measures of hypertrophy and myocardial injury. Depending on baseline troponin (< or >13 ng/L), a rise was defined as a >50% or >20% increase, respectively. RESULTS: Troponin rises occurred in 18% (23/127) of patients with HCM and 4% (2/53) in mutation carriers (p=0.01). Comparing patients with HCM with and without a postexercise troponin rise, maximum heart rates (157±19 vs 143±23, p=0.004) and maximal wall thickness (20 mm vs 17 mm, p=0.023) were higher in the former, as was the presence of late gadolinium enhancement (85% vs 57%, p=0.02). HighT2 was seen in 65% (13/20) and 19% (15/79), respectively (p<0.001). HighT2 was the only independent predictor of troponin rise (adjusted odds ratio 7.9; 95% CI 2.7 to 23.3; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Postexercise troponin rises were seen in about 20% of patients with HCM, almost five times more frequent than in mutation carriers. HighT2 on CMRi may identify a group of particularly vulnerable patients, supporting the concept that HighT2 reflects an active disease state, prone to additional injury after a short episode of high oxygen demand.

Differences in Aortopathy in Patients with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve with or without Aortic Coarctation.

OBJECTIVE: The combination of aortic coarctation (CoA) and bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is assumed to be associated with a higher risk of ascending aortic dilatation and type A dissection, and current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines advise therefore to operate at a lower threshold in the presence of CoA. The aim of our study is to evaluate whether the coexistence of CoA in BAV patients is indeed associated with a higher risk of ascending aortic events (AAE). METHODS: In a retrospective study, all adult BAV patients visiting the outpatient clinic of our tertiary care center between February 2003 and February 2019 were included. The primary end point was an ascending aortic event (AAE) defined as ascending aortic dissection/rupture or preventive surgery. The secondary end points were aortic dilatation and aortic growth. RESULTS: In total, 499 BAV patients (43.7% female, age 40.3 ± 15.7 years) were included, of which 121 (24%) had a history of CoA (cBAV). An aortic event occurred in 38 (7.6%) patients at a mean age of 49.0 ± 13.6 years. In the isolated BAV group (iBAV), significantly more AAE occurred, but this was mainly driven by aortic valve dysfunction as indication for aortic surgery. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of dissection or severely dilated ascending aorta (>50mm) between the iBAV and cBAV patients (p = 0.56). The aortic diameter was significantly smaller in the cBAV group (30.3 ± 6.9 mm versus 35.7 ± 7.6 mm; p < 0.001). The median aortic diameter increase was 0.23 (interquartile range (IQR): 0.0-0.67) mm/year and was not significantly different between both groups (p = 0.74). CONCLUSION: Coexistence of CoA in BAV patients was not associated with a higher risk of aortic dissection, preventive aortic surgery, aortic dilatation, or more rapid aorta growth. This study suggests that CoA is not a risk factor in BAV patients, and the advice to operate at lower diameter should be reevaluated.