Abstract Background and objectives Clopidogrel non-responsiveness is associated with adverse clinical outcome. We aimed to investigate whether individualized antiplatelet treatment in clopidogrel ...non-responders is an effective and safe strategy. Methods This was a prospective non-randomized non-blinded study comparing two cohorts (guided and non-guided treatment) with a follow-up of 1-month. Responsiveness to clopidogrel was assessed by multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA) in 798 patients with coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In the guided group (n = 403) clopidogrel non-responders received repeated loading doses of clopidogrel or prasugrel, in the non-guided group (n = 395) clopidogrel non-responders did not undergo any change in treatment. Results Stent thrombosis occurred significantly less often in the guided group than in the non-guided group (0.2% vs. 1.9%; p = 0.027). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that patients in the non-guided group were at a 7.9-fold higher risk to develop stent thrombosis compared to the guided group (OR: 7.9; 95% CI: 1.08–69.2; p = 0.048). In line with this, acute coronary syndrome occurred significantly less often in the guided group than in the non-guided group (0% vs. 2.5%; p = 0.001) whereas there was no difference in the event rates of cardiac death (2% vs. 1.3%; p = 0.422) or major bleedings (1% vs. 0.3%; p = 0.186). Conclusion Personalized antiplatelet treatment according to the platelet function testing with MEA resulted in an improved efficacy with an equal safety compared to the standard treatment.
Abstract Aim Cardiac arrest centers have been associated with improved outcome for patients after cardiac arrest. Aim of this study was to investigate the effect on outcome depending on admission to ...high-, medium- or low volume centers. Methods Analysis from a prospective, multicenter registry for out of hospital cardiac arrest patients treated by the emergency medical service of Vienna, Austria. The frequency of cardiac arrest patients admitted per center/year (low <50; medium 50–100; high >100) was correlated to favorable outcome (30-day survival with cerebral performance category of 1 or 2). Results Out of 2238 patients (years 2013–2015) with emergency medical service resuscitation, 861 (32% female, age 64 (51;73) years) were admitted to 7 different centers. Favorable outcome was achieved in 267 patients (31%). Survivors were younger (58 vs. 66 years; p < 0.001), showed shockable initial heart rhythm more frequently (72 vs. 35%; p < 0.001), had shorter CPR durations (22 vs. 29 min; p < 0.001) and were more likely to be treated in a high frequency center (OR 1.6; CI: 1.2–2.1; p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, age below 65 years (OR 15; CI: 3.3–271.4; p = 0.001), shockable initial heart rhythm (OR 10.1; CI: 2.4–42.6; p = 0.002), immediate bystander or emergency medical service CPR (OR 11.2; CI: 1.4–93.3; p = 0.025) and admission to a center with a frequency of >100 OHCA patients/year (OR 5.2; CI: 1.2–21.7; p = 0.025) was associated with favorable outcome. Conclusions High frequency of post-cardiac arrest treatment in a specialized center seems to be an independent predictor for favorable outcome in an unselected population of patients after out of hospital cardiac arrest.
Objective
The emergency medical service (EMS) provides rapid pre-hospital diagnosis and transportation in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) systems of care. Aim of the study was to assess ...temporal and regional characteristics of EMS-related delays in a metropolitan STEMI network.
Methods
Patient call-to-arrival of EMS at site (call-to-site), transportation time from site to hospital (site-to-door), call-to-door, patient’s location, month, weekday, and hour of EMS activation were recorded in 4751 patients referred to a tertiary center with suspicion of STEMI.
Results
Median call-to-site, site-to-door, and call-to-door times were 9 (7–12), 39 (31–48), and 49 (41–59) minutes, respectively. The shortest transportation times were noted between 08:00 and 16:00 and in general on Sundays. They were significantly prolonged between midnight and 04:00, whereby the longest difference did not exceed 4 min in median. Patient’s site of call had a major impact on transportation times, which were shorter in Central and Western districts as compared to Southern and Eastern districts of Vienna (
p
< 0.001 between-group difference for call-to-site, site-to-door, and call-to-door). After multivariable adjustment, patient’s site of call was an independent predictor of call-to-site delay (
p
< 0.001). Moreover, age and hour of EMS activation were the strongest predictors of call-to-site, site-to-door, and call-to-door delays (
p
< 0.05).
Conclusion
In our Viennese STEMI network, the strongest determinants of pre-hospital EMS-related transportation delays were patient’s site of call, patient’s age, and hour of EMS activation. Due to the significant but small median time delays, which are within the guideline-recommended time intervals, no impact on clinical outcome can be expected.
Graphic abstract
Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an important type of acute heart failure with significant risk of acute complications and death. In this analysis we sought to identify predictors for ...in-hospital clinical outcome in TTS patients and present long-term outcomes. Methods: In this analysis from the Austrian national TTS registry, univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify significant predictors for severe in-hospital complications requiring immediate invasive treatment or leading to irreversible damage, such as cardiogenic shock, intubation, stroke, arrhythmias and death. Furthermore, the influence of independent predictors on long-term survival was evaluated. Results: A total of 338 patients (median age 72 years, 86.9% female) from six centers were included. Severe in-hospital complications occurred in 14.5% of patients. In multivariable analysis, high neutrophile-lymphocyte-ratio (NLR; OR 1.04 95% CI 1.02−1.07, p = 0.009) and low LVEF (OR 0.92 0.90−0.95 per %, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of severe in-hospital complications. Both the highest NLR tercile and the lowest LVEF tercile were significantly associated with reduced 5-year survival. Conclusions: Low LVEF and high NLR at admission were independently associated with increased in-hospital complications and reduced long-term survival in TTS patients. NLR is a new easy-to-measure tool to predict worse short- and long-term outcome after TTS.
Aims
This study aims to investigate the prevalence of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) as a percentage of the total number of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including non‐STE‐elevation myocardial infarction ...and ST‐elevation myocardial infarction, as well as the short‐term outcome of TTS patients before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Methods and results
We compared patients from two different periods: (i) Period 1 (before the COVID‐19 pandemic): 1 March to 30 December 2019, and (ii) Period 2 (during the COVID‐19 pandemic): 1 March to 30 December 2020. The retrospective database was created from the archives of the participating hospitals or electronic hospital systems by trained medical personnel. The subjects' medical history, cardiovascular risk factors, laboratory values, echocardiography findings, and an in‐hospital outcome were variables of interest. Furthermore, propensity score matching analysis was performed to evaluate the short‐term prognosis in TTS and ACS patients. Altogether six Austrian centres—(i) 3rd Medical Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Clinic Ottakring, Vienna, Austria; (ii) 5th Medical Department of Cardiology, Clinic Favoriten, Vienna, Austria; (iii) 2nd Medical Department, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria; (iv) University Clinic of Internal Medicine III, Cardiology and Angiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria; (v) Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Graz, Graz, Austria; (vi) Department of Cardiology and Intensive Medicine, Kepler University Clinic, Linz, Austria—participated in the study. During period 1, 87 (3.5%) patients out of 2482 ACS patients had TTS in all participating centres. During period 2, 71 (2.7%) patients out of 2572 ACS patients had TTS in all participating centres. Accordingly, the prevalence of TTS remained stable irrespective of potential psychologic stress during the COVID pandemic. Furthermore, the baseline characteristics of TTS patients did not change during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The prevalence of in‐hospital complications cardiogenic shock (4.6% vs. 4.3%, P = 0.925), ventricle thrombus (1.1% vs. 1.4%, P = 0.885) and in‐hospital bleeding (3.4% vs. 1.4%, P = 0.417) remained stable. The all‐cause in‐hospital mortality of TTS patients did not change during the COVID‐19 pandemic χ2(2) = 0.058, P = 0.810. Moreover, a propensity score matching analysis of all‐cause in‐hospital mortality between matched TTS and ACS patients showed higher in‐hospital mortality in ACS patients during COVID‐19 pandemic (P = 0.043).
Conclusions
Despite the well‐known increased psychologic stress during the COVID‐19 pandemic, the prevalence of TTS during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the short‐term clinical outcome in Austria remained unimpacted.
Objectives Our aim was to test whether serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 are associated with the development of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after implantation of drug-eluting ...stents (DES). Background With the introduction of DES coronary ISR could be reduced dramatically. However, it still plays a significant role, particularly after treatment of multiple, complex lesions. Methods We studied 85 patients who were treated with 159 DES. Blood samples for measurement of MMP-2 and -9 antigen and activity were taken directly before and 24 h after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Restenosis was evaluated at 6 to 8 months by coronary angiography. Results During the follow-up period, 2 patients (2.4%) died of cardiovascular causes, and 12 patients developed angiographic ISR. Patients with ISR showed significantly higher serum activity of MMP-9 at baseline (p = 0.017) and of MMP-2 (p < 0.0001) and MMP-9 (p < 0.0001) after the procedure. The PCI increased serum activity of MMP-2 (p = 0.005) and MMP-9 (p = 0.008) only in patients with ISR. The restenosis rates of patients in the highest quartile of MMP-2 after and MMP-9 before and after PCI were 40.0%, 38.9%, and 42.9% compared with 6.3%, 7.7%, and 4.0% in the lower quartiles, respectively. This was independent of clinical and procedural characteristics. Conclusions Elevated serum activities of MMP-2 and -9 are associated with dramatically increased restenosis rates after PCI with implantation of DES. Determination of MMP levels might be useful for identification of patients who are at high risk for ISR despite implantation of DES.
Enhanced platelet inhibition by clopidogrel decreases the risk of ischemic events but carries a risk for a concomitant increase in bleeding.
To compare the efficacy and safety of two clopidogrel ...loading regimens (300mg vs. 600mg) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at one month after start of therapy.
A systematic literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases using predefined search terms for relevant articles in any language.
Randomised controlled trials and non-randomised studies reporting adjusted effect estimates were included. Summary estimates of the risks ratios (RRs) with therapy were calculated using a random-effect model. Outcomes evaluated were combined major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and major bleedings. Results Seven studies met the inclusion criteria and included 25,383 patients. A 600mg clopidogrel loading was associated with a 34% relative risk reduction of MACE (RR=0.66; 95% confidence intervals CI=0.52-0.84; p<0.001). Sub-analysis revealed a 47% risk reduction of MACE in randomised trials (RR=0.53; 95%CI=0.32-0.88; p=0.01) and a 31% relative risk reduction in non-randomised trials (RR=0.69; 95%CI=0.54-0.90; p=0.005) in patients receiving 600mg loading with clopidogrel. In patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome, 600mg clopidogrel loading was associated with a 24% relative risk reduction in MACE (RR=0.76; 95%CI=0.60-0.95; p=0.02). Importantly, the 600mg clopidogrel loading dose was not associated with an increased risk of major bleedings (RR=0.91; 95%CI=0.73-1.15; p=0.44).
This meta-analysis demonstrates that intensified clopidogrel loading with 600mg reduces the rate of major cardiovascular events without increase in major bleeding compared to 300mg in patients undergoing PCI during one month follow-up.
Very late scaffold thrombosis (VLScT) occurs more frequently after bioresorbable scaffold (Absorb BVS 1.1, Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California) implantation than with metallic everolimus-eluting ...stents.
The purpose of this study was to elucidate mechanisms underlying VLScT as assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT).
The INVEST (Independent OCT Registry on Very Late Bioresorbable Scaffold Thrombosis) registry is an international consortium of investigators who used OCT to examine patients with VLScT.
Between June 2013 and May 2017, 36 patients with 38 lesions who had VLScT underwent OCT at 19 centers. VLScT occurred at a median of 20 months (interquartile range: 16 to 27 months) after implantation. At the time of VLScT, 83% of patients received aspirin monotherapy and 17% received dual-antiplatelet therapy. The mechanisms underlying VLScT were (in descending order) scaffold discontinuity (42.1%), malapposition (18.4%), neoatherosclerosis (18.4%), underexpansion or scaffold recoil (10.5%), uncovered struts (5.3%), and edge-related disease progression (2.6%). Discontinuity (odds ratio OR: 110; 95% confidence interval CI: 73.5 to 173; p < 0.001), malapposed struts (OR: 17.0; 95% CI: 14.8 to 19.7; p < 0.001), and uncovered struts (OR: 7.3; 95% CI: 6.2 to 8.8; p < 0.001) were more frequent in the thrombosed than the nonthrombosed scaffold regions. In 2 of 16 patients with scaffold discontinuity, intercurrent OCT before VLScT provided evidence of circularly apposed scaffold struts with minimal tissue coverage.
The leading mechanism underlying VLScT was scaffold discontinuity, which suggests an unfavorable resorption-related process, followed by malapposition and neoatherosclerosis. It remains to be determined whether modifications in scaffold design and optimized implantation can mitigate the risk of VLScT. (Independent OCT Registry on Very Late Bioresorbable Scaffold Thrombosis INVEST; NCT03180931)
Display omitted
The purpose of this study was to determine whether implementation of recent guidelines improves in-hospital mortality from acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a metropolitan area.
We ...organized a network that consisted of the Viennese Ambulance Systems, which is responsible for diagnosis and triage of patients with acute STEMI, and 5 high-volume interventional cardiology departments to expand the performance of primary percutaneous catheter intervention (PPCI) and to use the fastest available reperfusion strategy in STEMI of short duration (2 to 3 hours from onset of symptoms), either PPCI or thrombolytic therapy (TT; prehospital or in-hospital), respectively. Implementation of guidelines resulted in increased numbers of patients receiving 1 of the 2 reperfusion strategies (from 66% to 86.6%). Accordingly, the proportion of patients not receiving reperfusion therapy dropped from 34% to 13.4%, respectively. PPCI usage increased from 16% to almost 60%, whereas the use of TT decreased from 50.5% to 26.7% in the participating centers. As a consequence, in-hospital mortality decreased from 16% before establishment of the network to 9.5%, including patients not receiving reperfusion therapy. Whereas PPCI and TT demonstrated comparable in-hospital mortality rates when initiated within 2 to 3 hours from onset of symptoms, PPCI was more effective in acute STEMI of >3 but <12 hours' duration.
Implementation of recent guidelines for the treatment of acute STEMI by the organization of a cooperating network within a large metropolitan area was associated with a significant improvement in clinical outcomes.
Very late scaffold thrombosis (VLScT) occurs more frequently after bioresorbable scaffold (Absorb BVS 1.1, Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California) implantation than with metallic everolimus-eluting ...stents.
The purpose of this study was to elucidate mechanisms underlying VLScT as assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT).
The INVEST (Independent OCT Registry on Very Late Bioresorbable Scaffold Thrombosis) registry is an international consortium of investigators who used OCT to examine patients with VLScT.
Between June 2013 and May 2017, 36 patients with 38 lesions who had VLScT underwent OCT at 19 centers. VLScT occurred at a median of 20 months (interquartile range: 16 to 27 months) after implantation. At the time of VLScT, 83% of patients received aspirin monotherapy and 17% received dual-antiplatelet therapy. The mechanisms underlying VLScT were (in descending order) scaffold discontinuity (42.1%), malapposition (18.4%), neoatherosclerosis (18.4%), underexpansion or scaffold recoil (10.5%), uncovered struts (5.3%), and edge-related disease progression (2.6%). Discontinuity (odds ratio OR: 110; 95% confidence interval CI: 73.5 to 173; p < 0.001), malapposed struts (OR: 17.0; 95% CI: 14.8 to 19.7; p < 0.001), and uncovered struts (OR: 7.3; 95% CI: 6.2 to 8.8; p < 0.001) were more frequent in the thrombosed than the nonthrombosed scaffold regions. In 2 of 16 patients with scaffold discontinuity, intercurrent OCT before VLScT provided evidence of circularly apposed scaffold struts with minimal tissue coverage.
The leading mechanism underlying VLScT was scaffold discontinuity, which suggests an unfavorable resorption-related process, followed by malapposition and neoatherosclerosis. It remains to be determined whether modifications in scaffold design and optimized implantation can mitigate the risk of VLScT. (Independent OCT Registry on Very Late Bioresorbable Scaffold Thrombosis INVEST; NCT03180931).
PDF
