PPCI involving coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) is challenging because of difficulties in “wiring” the distal part of the lesion, the presence of extensive thrombus burden, and increased risk of ...distal embolization and no reflow (1). ...CAA is a risk factor for stent thrombosis after stenting for acute coronary syndromes (2). ...PPCI-treated patients with STEMI caused by CAA show unacceptable rates of early stent thrombosis causing recurrent MIs. All event rates are calculated as Kaplan-Meier estimates.BARC = bleeding academic research consortium; CL = culprit lesion; EF = ejection fraction; MI = myocardial infarction; RCA = right coronary artery. Patients With Aneurysm as CL (n = 32) Patients Without Aneurysm as CL (n = 2,280) p Value Age, yrs 65.85 ± 11.61 62.94 ± 12.52 0.17 Male 26 (81.3) 1,773 (77.8) 0.637 Diabetes mellitus 7 (21.9) 374 (16.7) 0.441 Previous MI 8 (25.8) 256 (11.4) 0.013 CL = RCA 16 (50.0) 739 (32.4) 0.035 EF at discharge, % 48.28 ± 6.63 48.56 ± 9.40 0.884 Bleeding BARC 3,5 1 (3.2) 17 (0.8) 0.13 30-day event rates Death/MI 5 (15.6) 169 (7.7) 0.091 Death 1 (3.1) 131 (6.0) 0.515 Cardiac death 1 (3.1) 105 (4.7) 0.682 New MI 4 (12.7) 50 (2.3) <0.001...
The aim of the present study was to assess the clinical and prognostic significance of right ventricular (RV) dilation and RV hypertrophy at echocardiography in patients with idiopathic pulmonary ...arterial hypertension. Echocardiography and right heart catheterization were performed in 72 consecutive patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension admitted to our institution. The median follow-up period was 38 months. The patients were grouped according to the median value of RV wall thickness (6.6 mm) and the median value of the RV diameter (36.5 mm). On multivariate analysis, the mean pulmonary artery pressure (p = 0.018) was the only independent predictor of RV wall thickness, and age (p = 0.011) and moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation (p = 0.027) were the independent predictors of RV diameter. During follow-up, 22 patients died. The death rate was greater in the patients with a RV diameter >36.5 mm than in patients with a RV diameter ≤36.5 mm: 15.9 (95% confidence interval 9.4 to 26.8) vs 6.6 (95% confidence interval 3.3 to 13.2) events per 100-person years (p = 0.0442). In contrast, the death rate was similar in patients with RV wall thickness above or below the median value. However, among the patients with a RV wall thickness >6.6 mm, a RV diameter >36 mm was not associated with a poorer prognosis (p = 0.6837). In conclusion, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, a larger RV diameter is a marker of a poor prognosis but a greater RV wall thickness reduces the risk of death associated with a dilated right ventricle.
The management of noninfarct-related arteries in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary disease (MVD) is still debated. We evaluated the prognostic impact ...of staged complete revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in STEMI patients with MVD admitted to our hospital from 2005 to 2013. Patients undergoing staged complete revascularization (n = 300) were compared with 1:1 propensity score–matched patients with culprit lesion–only treatment (n = 300). We considered a composite primary end point of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and urgent PCI. Secondary end points included components of the primary, cardiovascular death, any PCI excluding staged PCI. We also performed an analysis including only patients surviving at least 5 days. The median follow-up was 553 days. The primary end point occurred in 10.3% of patients in the staged complete revascularization group and in 16.3% of patients in the culprit lesion–only group (hazard ratio 0.61, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.95, p = 0.031). Although this difference was no longer significant when considering only the survivors at day 5, all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities were still reduced in the staged complete revascularization group. Complete revascularization was associated with a better outcome (hazard ratio 0.35, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.63, p = 0.005) if performed within 30 days of STEMI. In conclusion, compared with culprit lesion–only revascularization, in STEMI patients with MVD undergoing primary PCI, an approach of staged complete revascularization was associated with a better outcome.
We assessed the clinical characteristics and determinants of the prognosis of patients with left ventricular ballooning syndrome (LVBS) in an European population. A total of 128 patients with LVBS ...(98% women, age 67 ± 11 years) were prospectively followed up for a median of 13 months. A trigger event was identifiable in 58% of the patients. Anterior ST-segment elevation was documented in 38% and negative T waves in 41% of the patients. Apical ballooning was present in 82% and midventricular ballooning in 18%. The initial LV ejection fraction was 41 ± 9%. In-hospital events included the death of 1 patient (0.8%), LV failure in 13 (10%), LV thrombi in 4 (3.1%), sustained ventricular or supraventricular tachyarrhythmias in 6 (4.7%) and asystole in 2 patients (1.6%). The extent of wall motion abnormalities (odds ratio 4.16, p = 0.012), dyspnea at presentation (odds ratio 3.42, p = 0.01), and treatment with nitrates (odds ratio 0.30, p = 0.015) were significant univariate predictors of in-hospital events. The recovery of regional wall motion abnormalities occurred within 1 month of the event in 73% of patients. During follow-up, events occurred in 7 (6%) of 121 patients, including noncardiac death in 1 (0.8%), recurrent LVBS in 2 (1.6%), heart failure in 1 (0.8%), and recurrent chest pain in 3 (2.5%). In conclusion, in a European population, LVBS was characterized by a significant rate of in-hospital events, mainly related to pump failure, and low short-term mortality. The extent of wall motion abnormalities was the best predictor of acute events. Contractile recovery occurred within 1 month in most patients. The long-term prognosis was good, with a recurrence rate of <2%/year.
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