Association between C-Reactive Protein Velocity and Left Ventricular Function in Patients with ST-Elevated Myocardial Infarction

C-reactive protein velocity (CRPv), defined as the change in wide-range CRP concentration divided by time, is an inflammatory biomarker associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous intervention (PCI). However, data regarding CRPv association with echocardiographic parameters assessing left ventricular systolic and diastolic function is lacking. Echocardiographic parameters and CRPv values were analyzed using a cohort of 1059 patients admitted with STEMI and treated with primary PCI. Patients were stratified into tertiles according to their CRPv. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate CRPv optimal cut-off values for the prediction of severe systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Patients with high CRPv tertiles had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (49% vs. 46% vs. 41%, respectively; p < 0.001). CRPv was found to independently predict LVEF ≤ 35% (HR 1.3 CI 95% 1.21–1.4; p < 0.001) and grade III diastolic dysfunction (HR 1.16 CI 95% 11.02–1.31; p = 0.02). CRPv exhibited a better diagnostic profile for severe systolic dysfunction as compared to CRP (area under the curve 0.734 ± 0.02 vs. 0.608 ± 0.02). In conclusion, For STEMI patients treated with primary PCI, CRPv is a marker of both systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Further larger studies are needed to support this finding.

CVIT expert consensus document on primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) update 2022

Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) has significantly contributed to reducing the mortality of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) even in cardiogenic shock and is now the standard of care in most of Japanese institutions. The Task Force on Primary PCI of the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Interventional and Therapeutics (CVIT) society proposed an expert consensus document for the management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) focusing on procedural aspects of primary PCI in 2018. Updated guidelines for the management of AMI were published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in 2017 and 2020. Major changes in the guidelines for STEMI patients included: (1) radial access and drug-eluting stents (DES) over bare-metal stents (BMS) were recommended as a Class I indication, (2) complete revascularization before hospital discharge (either immediate or staged) is now considered as Class IIa recommendation. In 2020, updated guidelines for Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) patients, the followings were changed: (1) an early invasive strategy within 24 h is recommended in patients with NSTEMI as a Class I indication, (2) complete revascularization in NSTEMI patients without cardiogenic shock is considered as Class IIa recommendation, and (3) in patients with atrial fibrillation following a short period of triple antithrombotic therapy, dual antithrombotic therapy (e.g., DOAC and single oral antiplatelet agent preferably clopidogrel) is recommended, with discontinuation of the antiplatelet agent after 6 to 12 months. Furthermore, an aspirin-free strategy after PCI has been investigated in several trials those have started to show the safety and efficacy. The Task Force on Primary PCI of the CVIT group has now proposed the updated expert consensus document for the management of AMI focusing on procedural aspects of primary PCI in 2022 version.

Resources for Cardiovascular Healthcare associated with 30-day Mortality in Acute Myocardial Infarction with Cardiogenic Shock

Background Although primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and mechanical circulatory support (MCS), such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP), have been widely used for acute myocardial infarction patients with cardiogenic shock (AMICS), their in-hospital mortality remains high. This study aimed to investigate the association of cardiovascular healthcare resources with 30-day mortality in AMICS. Methods This was an observational study using a Japanese nationwide administrative data (JROAD-DPC) of 260,543 AMI patients between April 2012 and March 2018. Of these, 45,836 AMICS patients were divided into three categories based on MCS use: with MCS (ECMO with/without IABP), IABP only, or without MCS. Certified hospital density and number of board-certified cardiologists were used as a metric of cardiovascular care supply. We estimated the association of MCS use, cardiovascular care supply, and 30-day mortality. Results The 30-day mortality was 71.2% for the MCS, 23.9% for IABP only, and 37.8% for the group without MCS. The propensity score-matched and inverse probability-weighted Cox frailty models showed that primary PCI was associated with a low risk for mortality. Higher hospital density and larger number of cardiologists in the responsible hospitals were associated with a lower risk for mortality. Conclusions Although the 30-day mortality remained extremely high in AMICS, indication of primary PCI and improvement in providing cardiovascular healthcare resources associated with the short-term prognosis of AMICS.

Comparison of Intracoronary Versus Intravneous Tirofiban in Acute STEMI Patients Undergoing Primary PCI

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of intracoronary tirofiban compared to intravenously administered tirofiban in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI).Methods: This study included 180 patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of acute STEMI and undergoing primary PCI. Patients were randomized into an observation group (n = 90) and control group (n = 90). Both groups received typical treatments, such as aspirin and clopidogrel/ticagrelor. During the procedure, the observation and control groups were administered intracoronary (IC) or intravenous (IV) injections of tirofiban, respectively, followed by an intravenous infusion of tirofiban for 24 hours. Changes in thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grading, TIMI myocardial perfusion grade 3 (TMP grade 3), thrombus aspiration, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, creatine kinase peak and inflammatory factor levels, infarct size, resolution of the sum of ST‐segment elevation (Sum‐STR) two hours after the operation, and cardiac functional parameters were investigated before and/or after treatment and 6 months after discharge. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and adverse reactions (AEs) such as bleeding were compared between the two groups.Results: There were no statistically significant differences observed in the indices of BNP, creatine kinase peak, cardiac functional parameters, thrombus aspiration, or incidence of bleeding between the two groups before treatment. Following treatment, TIMI flow grading and TMP grade 3 were improved in the observation group that received intracoronary tirofiban compared to the control group (p = 0.022 and p = 0.014, respectively). Additionally, the Sum‐umi two hours after operation in the observation group was better than that in the control group (p = 0.029). The incidence of MACEs in patients given IC tirofiban administration was lower than that in those given IV tirofiban (p = 0.012). Furthermore, levels of glutamic oxaloacetictransaminase (AST), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and myocardial troponin I (TNI) in the observation group was significantly decreased compared to the control group after five days of treatment (p = 0.039, p = 0.040, p = 0.001, and p = 0.041, respectively). Functional heart parameters including CO and LVEF were significantly improved in the observation group 6 months after discharge.Conclusion: This study found that IC administration of tirofiban in patients with STEMI who underwent PPCI improved TIMI, TMP flow and cardiac function including CO and LVEF 6 months after discharge, and reduced CRP, ESR, and TNI. However, the incidence of bleeding between the two groups was comparable. These findings suggest that IC administration should be applied in certain acute STEMI patients.

The role of process mining tools in STEMI networks: where should we build a new primary PCI centre?

Background In ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), time delay between symptom onset and treatment is critical to improve outcome. The expected transport delay between patient location and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) centre is paramount for choosing the adequate reperfusion therapy. The “Centre” region of Portugal has heterogeneity in PCI assess due to geographical reasons. Purpose We aimed to explore time delays between regions using process mining (PM) tools. Methods We retrospectively assessed the Portuguese Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes for patients with STEMI from October 2010 to September 2019, collecting information on geographical area of symptom onset, reperfusion option, and in-hospital mortality. We used a PM toolkit (PM4H – PMApp Version) to build two models (one national and one regional) that represent the flow of patients in a healthcare system, enhancing time differences between groups. One-way analysis of variance was employed for the global comparison of study variables between groups and post hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction was used for multiple comparisons. Results Overall, 8956 patients (75% male, 48% from 51 to 70 years) were included in the national model (Fig. 1A), in which primary PCI was the treatment of choice (73%), with the median time between admission and primary PCI &lt;120 minutes in every region; “Lisboa” and “Centro” had the longest delays, (orange arrows). Fibrinolysis was performed in 4.5%, with a median time delay &lt;1 hour in every region. In-hospital mortality was 5%, significantly higher for those without reperfusion therapy compared to PCI and fibrinolysis (10% vs. 4% vs. 4%, P&lt;0.001). In the regional model (Fig. 1B) corresponding to the “Centre” region of Portugal divided by districts (n=773, 74% male, 47% from 51 to 70 years), only 61% had primary PCI, with “Guarda” (05:04) and “Castelo Branco” (06:50) showing significant longer delays between diagnosis and reperfusion treatment (orange and red arrows, respectively) than “Coimbra” (01:19) (green arrow); only 15% of patients from “Castelo Branco” had primary PCI. Fibrinolysis was chosen in 10% of patients, mostly in “Castelo Branco” (53%), followed by “Guarda” (30%), with a median time delay of 39 and 48 minutes, respectively. Regarding mortality, PCI and fibrinolysis groups had similar death rates while those patients without reperfusion had higher mortality (5% vs. 3% vs. 13%, P=0.001). Conclusion Process mining tools help to understand referencing networks visually, easily highlighting inefficiencies and potential needs for improvement. The “Centre” region of Portugal has lower rates and longer delay to primary PCI partially due to the geographical reasons, with worse outcomes in remote regions. The implementation of a new PCI centre in one of these districts, is critical to offer timely first-line treatment to their population. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1