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Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) is an important hemodynamic marker of left ventricular performance and affects coronary perfusion. We evaluated the association of LVEDP with patient outcomes after elective or urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We included n = 49,600 patients undergoing elective or urgent PCI. Patients were divided according to LVEDP tertile for descriptive analysis. The primary end point was in-hospital mortality. A recursive partitioning tree model for mortality was built to guide decision-making in patients with high LVEDP undergoing nonemergent PCI. Overall, n = 18,099 patients had an LVEDP <13 mm Hg, n = 15,416 had an LVEDP 13 to 18 mm Hg, and n = 16,085 had an LVEDP >18 mm Hg. Patients in the high LVEDP tertile had a worse clinical and angiographic/procedural profile and experienced a higher incidence of in-hospital post-PCI adverse outcomes, including death (LVEDP <13 mm Hg 0.3% vs LVEDP 13 to 18 mm Hg 0.4% vs LVEDP >18 mm Hg 0.8%, p <0.001). An elevated LVEDP was an independent predictor of adverse outcomes including mortality. An LVEDP ≥26 mm Hg was identified as a marker of high mortality (1.5%) in patients who underwent elective PCI, with rates varying from 0.5% to 10.4%, based upon a clinical profile defined by hemoglobin, systolic blood pressure, renal and left ventricular function, and atrial fibrillation. In conclusion, an elevated LVEDP is observed in 1/3 of the patients who underwent elective or urgent PCI and is associated with higher rates of in-hospital adverse outcomes, including death. Patients with an LVEDP ≥26 mm Hg who underwent elective PCI had markedly higher mortality rates, suggesting that such patients may warrant further optimization before PCI., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Potent antithrombotic agents are routinely prescribed after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to reduce ischemic complications. However, in patients who are at an increased bleeding risk, this may pose significant risks. We sought to evaluate the association between a history of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) and outcomes after PCI. We linked clinical registry data from PCIs performed at 48 Michigan hospitals between 1/2013 and 3/2018 to Medicare claims. We used 1:5 propensity score matching to adjust for patient characteristics. In-hospital outcomes included bleeding, transfusion, stroke or death. Post-discharge outcomes included 90-day all-cause readmission and long-term mortality. Of 30,206 patients, 1.1% had a history of GIB. Patients with a history of GIB were more likely to be older, female, and have more cardiovascular comorbidities. After matching, those with a history of GIB (n = 312) had increased post-procedural transfusions (15.7% vs 8.4%; p < 0.001), bleeding (11.9% vs 5.2%; p < 0.001), and major bleeding (2.8% vs 0.6%; p = 0.004). Ninety-day readmission rates were similar among those with and without a history of GIB (34.3% vs 31.3%; p = 0.318). There was no significant difference in post-discharge survival (1 year: 78% vs 80%; p = 0.217; 5 years: 54% vs 51%; p = 0.189). In conclusion, after adjusting for baseline characteristics, patients with a history of GIB had increased risk of post-PCI in-hospital bleeding complications. However, a history of GIB was not significantly associated with 90-day readmission or long-term survival., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

This study evaluated prehospital transport times and clinical outcomes after different reperfusion strategies for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in a real-world setting. We consecutively enrolled 27,205 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in Michigan from 2010 to 2016. Primary PCI was performed in 25,927 patients (95%), whereas 1,278 (5%) were treated with a pharmacoinvasive strategy. The overall use of a pharmacoinvasive strategy decreased during the study period (p <0.001). Prehospital transport times were estimated by using the Google Maps API from the centroid of each home zip code tabulation area to the zip code tabulation area for the nearest hospital with PCI capability. The estimated prehospital transport time predicted the choice of reperfusion strategy (p <0.001). Primary PCI was used in 97% of the patients living within 1 hour from a hospital with PCI capability compared with 48% with estimated transport times >1 hour. Bleeding and mortality rates were similar for patients treated with primary PCI or a pharmacoinvasive strategy (odds ratio 0.832, 95% confidence interval 0.649 to 1.067, p = 0.147). In conclusion, almost all patients in Michigan had timely access to a hospital with PCI capability and received treatment with primary PCI. The authors declare no conflicts of interests., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Ticagrelor and prasugrel were found to be superior to clopidogrel for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); however, the comparative effectiveness of these 2 drugs remains unknown. We compared postdischarge outcomes among older patients treated with ticagrelor versus prasugrel after PCI for ACS. We linked clinical data from PCIs performed in older patients (age ≥65) for ACS at 47 Michigan hospitals to Medicare fee-for-service claims from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014, to ascertain rates of 90-day readmission and long-term mortality. We used propensity score matching to adjust for the nonrandom use of ticagrelor and prasugrel at discharge. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare rates of 90-day readmission and long-term mortality, respectively. Patients discharged on ticagrelor (n = 1,243) were more frequently older, female, had a history of cerebrovascular disease, and presented with ST- or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction compared with prasugrel (n = 1,014). After matching (n = 756 per group), there were no significant differences in the rates of 90-day readmission (16.7% ticagrelor vs 14.6% prasugrel; adjusted odds ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 0.86 to 1.55, p = 0.35) or 1-year mortality (5.4% ticagrelor vs 3.7% prasugrel; hazard ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval 0.8 to 2.2, p = 0.31). In conclusion, we found no significant differences in the rates of 90-day readmission or long-term mortality between older patients treated with ticagrelor and patients treated with prasugrel after PCI for ACS. In the absence of randomized data to the contrary, these 2 treatments appear similarly effective., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ticagrelor has greater antiplatelet activity than clopidogrel and is approved for use in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). There are limited data on use of ticagrelor in real-world practice. We assessed ticagrelor use in 64,600 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention from January 2012 to March 2014 at 47 Michigan hospitals in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium. Preprocedural risk of major adverse events was estimated with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium risk prediction models. The proportion of patients receiving clopidogrel, prasugrel, and ticagrelor was 72% (n = 46,864), 20% (n = 12,596), and 8% (n = 5,140), respectively, using ticagrelor increasing over time. Ticagrelor was used at 45 hospitals, ranging from 0.5% to 64.9% of discharges. Patients receiving ticagrelor were older (63.6 vs 59.4), more often women (32.9% vs 26.7%), and were more likely to present with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (24.4% vs 18.8%), cardiogenic shock within 24 hours (1.3% vs 0.9%), and anginal class IV (47.8% vs 43.0%) (p <0.05). Compared with prasugrel, ticagrelor was prescribed in patients with a higher predicted risk of percutaneous coronary intervention complications: contrast nephropathy (2.5% vs 1.6%), transfusion (2.2% vs 1.4%), and death (1.2% vs 0.7%) (p <0.001); >10% of patients were given prasugrel or ticagrelor for a non-ACS indication. Ticagrelor is prescribed to a higher risk population, and 1 in 10 patients prescribed ticagrelor or prasugrel did not have ACS., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Public reporting has been proposed as a strategy to improve health care quality. Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) performed in the United States from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2011, included in the CathPCI Registry were identified (n = 1,340,213). Patient characteristics and predicted and observed in-hospital mortality were compared between patients treated with PCI in states with mandated public reporting (Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania) and states without mandated public reporting. Most PCIs occurred in states without mandatory public reporting (88%, n = 1,184,544). Relative to patients treated in nonpublic reporting states, those who underwent PCI in public reporting states had similar predicted in-hospital mortality (1.39% vs 1.37%, p = 0.17) but lower observed in-hospital mortality (1.19% vs 1.41%, adjusted odds ratio [ORadj] 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74, 0.88; p <0.001). In patients for whom outcomes were available at 180 days, the differences in mortality persisted (4.6% vs 5.4%, ORadj 0.85, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.92, p <0.001), whereas there was no difference in myocardial infarction (ORadj 0.97, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.07) or revascularization (ORadj 1.05, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.20). Hospital readmissions were increased at 180 days in patients who underwent PCI in public reporting states (ORadj 1.08, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.12, p = 0.001). In conclusion, patients who underwent PCI in states with mandated public reporting of outcomes had similar predicted risks but significantly lower observed risks of death during hospitalization and in the 6 months after PCI. These findings support considering public reporting as a potential strategy for improving outcomes of patients who underwent PCI although further studies are warranted to delineate the reasons for these differences., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Outcome data regarding postoperative acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are limited. The objective of this study was to determine clinical outcomes of patients undergoing PCI within 7 days after a surgical procedure. We assessed outcomes of 517 patients who underwent PCI within 7 days after a surgery across 44 hospitals from January 2010 to December 2011 from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium registry. Patients with postoperative PCI were compared with all other patients with PCI using propensity-matched analysis. Of the 65,175 patients who underwent PCI within the study period, 517 patients had undergone surgery within the previous 7 days. In unadjusted analysis, patients with postsurgical PCI had higher in-hospital mortality (6.96% vs 1.33%), stroke (0.96% vs 0.26%), bleeding events (6.96% vs 2.6%), heart failure (6.96% vs 2.36%), and cardiogenic shock (7.16% vs 1.95%). After propensity matching, mortality remained higher in postsurgical patients (6.5% vs 3.96%, odds ratio 1.7 [1.1 to 2.6], p = 0.02). The odds of mortality were especially high among patients who would otherwise be considered low risk (<1% of predicted mortality in a nonsurgical setting) in whom a recent surgery was strongly associated with death (odds ratio 5.7, p = 0.02). In conclusion, PCI performed within 7 days after a surgical procedure is associated with an increased risk of early mortality. Although some of this increased risk is related to an adverse clinical profile, higher mortality is also observed in patients otherwise considered low risk for PCI., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Early use of β blockers (BBs) in acute myocardial infarction remains controversial, with some studies demonstrating benefit and others harm. The aim of this study was to assess the association between pre-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) BB use and in-hospital outcomes in patients who underwent primary PCI for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction between 2007 and 2009 at institutions participating in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC-2). Inverse propensity score weighting was used to account for the nonrandomized use of pre-PCI BBs. The cohort comprised 7,667 patients, with 4,769 (62%) receiving pre-PCI BBs. These patients were older, with higher rates of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and previous myocardial infarction, PCI, or coronary artery bypass grafting. In adjusted models, pre-PCI BB use was associated with lower rates of intraprocedural ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation (odds ratio [OR] 0.58, p <0.01) and lower in-hospital mortality (OR 0.65, p = 0.022), with increases in rates of emergent coronary artery bypass grafting (OR 1.56, p <0.01) and repeat PCI (OR 1.93, p <0.01). There were no significant increases in rates of cardiogenic shock and congestive heart failure. In conclusion, pre-PCI BB use in this population was associated with decreased arrhythmia and mortality, without increasing rates of cardiogenic shock and heart failure but with higher rates of repeat PCI and emergent coronary artery bypass grafting, suggesting that there may yet remain a role for early BB use in pre-PCI patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Patients with end-stage renal disease commonly develop acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Little is known about the natural history of ACS in patients receiving dialysis. We evaluated the presentation, management, and outcomes of patients with ACS who were receiving dialysis before presentation for an ACS and were enrolled in the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) at 123 hospitals in 14 countries from 1999 to 2007. Of 55,189 patients, 579 were required dialysis at presentation. Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction was the most common ACS presentation in patients receiving dialysis, occurring in 50% (290 of 579) of patients versus 33% (17,955 of 54,610) of those not receiving dialysis. Patients receiving dialysis had greater in-hospital mortality rates (12% vs 4.8%; p <0.0001) and, among those who survived to discharge, greater 6-month mortality rates (13% vs 4.2%; p <0.0001), recurrent myocardial infarction (7.6% vs 2.9%; p <0.0001), and unplanned rehospitalization (31% vs 18%; p <0.0001). The outcome in patients receiving dialysis was worse than that predicted by their calculated GRACE risk score for in-hospital mortality (7.8% predicted vs 12% observed; p <0.05), 6-month mortality/myocardial infarction (10% predicted vs 21% observed; p <0.05). In conclusion, in the present large multinational study, approximately 1% of patients with ACS were receiving dialysis. They were more likely to present with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and had markedly greater in-hospital and 6-month mortality. The GRACE risk score underestimated the risk of major events in patients receiving dialysis., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Little is known about non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with an initial negative troponin finding. The aim of this study was to determine in post hoc analysis of a large regional medical center presenting clinical characteristics, treatment differences, and in-hospital and 6-month outcomes of first troponin-negative MI (FTNMI). In this study, 659 of 1,855 consecutive patients with non-ST-segment elevation MI (35.5%) were classified as having FTNMI. In-hospital cardiac catheterization rates were similar between the 2 groups (70.1% vs 71.5%, p = 0.53) In hospital, patients with FTNMI were less likely to receive statins (48.9% vs 59.9%, p <0.001). On discharge, patients with FTNMI were less likely to be on clopidogrel (53.1% vs 59.0%, p = 0.019) and statins (67.7% vs 75.2%, p <0.001). At 6-month follow-up, patients with FTNMI were less likely to be on clopidogrel (43.5% vs 55.2%, p = 0.01) In-hospital recurrent ischemia was 2 times as common in FTNMI (20.1% vs 11.5%, p <0.001). There were no differences, however, in congestive heart failure, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, stroke, or death in hospital. At 6 months, patients with FTNMI were 2 times as likely to have had recurrent MI (12.0% vs 6.6%, p <0.001). Combined end points of death at 6 months, MI, stroke, and rehospitalization were higher for FTNMI (47.7% vs 40.9%, p = 0.017); however, this was due to higher rates of recurrent MI. In conclusion, patients with FTNMI received less aggressive pharmacotherapy and were 2 times as likely to have recurrent MI at 6 months. FTNMI is common and represents a clinical entity that should be treated more aggressively., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Animal models of myocardial ischemia have demonstrated reduction in arrhythmias using statins. It was hypothesized that previous statin therapy before hospitalization might be associated with reductions of in-hospital arrhythmic events in patients with acute coronary syndromes. In this multinational, prospective, observational study (the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events [GRACE]), data from 64,679 patients hospitalized for suspected acute coronary syndromes (from 1999 to 2007) were analyzed. The primary outcome of interest was in-hospital arrhythmic events in previous statin users compared with nonusers. The 2 primary end points were atrial fibrillation and the composite end point of ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and/or cardiac arrest. In-hospital death was also examined. Of the 64,679 patients, 17,636 (27%) had received previous statin therapy. Those taking statins had higher crude rates of histories of angina (69% vs 46%), diabetes (34% vs 22%), heart failure (15% vs 8.4%), hypertension (74% vs 58%), atrial fibrillation (9.3% vs 7.0%), and dyslipidemia (85% vs 35%). Patients previously taking statins were less likely to have in-hospital arrhythmias. In propensity-adjusted multivariable models, previous statin use was associated with a lower risk for ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or cardiac arrest (odds ratio 0.81, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 0.96, p = 0.002); atrial fibrillation (odds ratio 0.81, 95% confidence interval 0.73 to 0.89, p <0.0001); and death (odds ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.70 to 0.95, p = 0.010). In conclusion, patients previously taking statins had a lower incidence of in-hospital arrhythmic events after acute coronary syndrome than those not previously taking statins. Our study suggests another possible benefit from appropriate primary and secondary prevention therapy with statins.

Background: Q-waves in ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes carry adverse implications. We sought to determine the frequency, predictors, and implications of Q-waves in the current era that includes primary percutaneous coronary interventions., Methods: There were 14,916 patients evaluated in a multicenter observational study. They presented with ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes between 1999 and 2006. Clinical variables were compared between patients with versus without presenting Q-waves, with an additional comparison in the latter group between those with versus without subsequent development of Q-waves., Results: ST-elevation myocardial infarction occurred in 88.6% of patients. Q-waves were present on the initial electrocardiogram in 3929 patients and developed later in an additional 3085 patients. The incidence of Q-waves at presentation or during hospitalization decreased from 61% to 39% between 1999 and 2006 (linear trend P<.001). Both presenting and subsequent Q-waves were associated with greater likelihood of coronary occlusions and higher cardiac marker elevations (P <.001). Multivariate analysis showed that presenting Q-waves were associated with male sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.28), increased age (OR 1.06 per 5 years), diabetes (OR 1.26), smoking (OR 1.11), chronic aspirin (OR 0.79), acute aspirin (OR 0.87), other chronic cardiac medications (OR 0.80), prior heart failure (OR 0.67), and prior coronary artery disease (OR 0.61). Presenting Q-waves were independently associated with increased in-hospital mortality (OR 1.46), but Q-waves at presentation or during hospitalization did not impact 6-month mortality., Conclusions: Q-waves in ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes are decreasing in incidence. Q-waves are a major determinant of in-hospital mortality, and targeted interventions should be directed to these high-risk patients.

Animal experimental data have shown that lipid-lowering agents reduce myocardial infarct size. This association has not been well studied in humans. We compared infarct size in 10,548 patients in the GUSTO IIb and PURSUIT trials who were (n = 1,028) or were not (n = 9,520) on lipid-lowering therapy before an enrolling myocardial infarction (MI). Patients using lipid-lowering agents before their index MI had smaller infarcts than those who were not using these agents (median peak creatine kinase [CK]-MB 4.2 vs 5.2 times the upper limit of normal [ULN]; p <0.0001). Similarly, in an unadjusted model, patients on previous lipid-lowering therapy were less likely to have a peak CK-MB >3 times the ULN (620 of 1,028 [60.3%] vs 6,486 of 9,520 patients [68.1%]; p <0.001; relative risk 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.84 to 0.93, p <0.0001). In a covariate- and propensity-adjusted multivariable model, the association between pretreatment with lipid-lowering agents and smaller infarct size persisted (relative risk for CK-MB >3 times the ULN 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.88 to 0.99, p = 0.04). In conclusion, patients on lipid-lowering agents before an MI had significantly smaller infarcts. These findings suggest that lipid-lowering therapy may exert additional salutary effects in the setting of acute coronary syndromes.

The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently been described as a predictor of mortality in patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of admission NLRs in predicting outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). A total of 2,833 patients admitted to the University of Michigan Health System with diagnoses of ACS from December 1998 to October 2004 were followed. Patients were divided into tertiles according to NLR. The primary end point was all-cause in-hospital and 6-month mortality. The ACS cohort comprised 564 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions and 2,269 patients with non-ST-segment elevation ACS. Patients in tertile 3 had higher in-hospital (8.5% vs 1.8%) and 6-month (11.5% vs 2.5%) mortality compared with those in tertile 1 (p <0.001). After adjusting for Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk profile, patients in the highest tertile were at an exaggerated risk for in-hospital (odds ratio 2.04, p = 0.013) and 6-month (odds ratio 3.88, p <0.001) mortality. Admission NLR is an independent predictor of in-hospital and 6-month mortality in patients with ACS. This relatively inexpensive marker of inflammation can aid in the risk stratification and prognosis of patients diagnosed with ACS.

Antithrombotic and antiplatelet agents are essential for the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). These pharmacologic agents have the potential for increased risk of bleeding. It is not clear if the increased uptake of these therapies has resulted in a clinically evident increase in bleeding complications over time. In this study, we included 3,193 consecutive patients who were admitted to the University of Michigan with an ACS (unstable angina or myocardial infarction) between January 1999 and December 2004. These patients were analyzed for temporal trends in antithrombotic and antiplatelet agent use, thrombolytic therapy, cardiac catheterizations, percutaneous coronary interventions, and major bleeding complications (including gastrointestinal, vascular access, and intracranial hemorrhage). We found a decreasing temporal trend in the incidence of major in-hospital bleeding complications (p <0.001) despite an increasing use of ticlopidine/clopidogrel (p <0.0001), unfractionated heparin (p <0.01), glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (p <0.0001), and percutaneous coronary intervention (p <0.0001) in the management of patients with ACSs. In conclusion, major bleeding remains a significant complication of ACS management but has decreased significantly over time. We believe that this decreasing bleeding trend may be because of better identification of higher risk patients, attention to correct dosing, appropriate monitoring, and incorporation of various periprocedural strategies in routine clinical practice.

Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for restenosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Randomized controlled trials comparing drug-eluting stents (DESs) with bare metal stents (BMSs) showed a marked decrease in in-stent restenosis and target lesion revascularization with DESs in the total patient population enrolled in the studies, including patients with diabetes. However, it remains unclear whether the antirestenotic benefit of DESs is preserved in the high-risk diabetic subgroup. MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Current Contents, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and recent Scientific Sessions databases were searched to identify relevant clinical trials comparing DESs with BMSs. A randomized controlled trial was included if it provided outcome data for patients with diabetes for > or =1 of the following: late lumen loss, in-stent restenosis, or target lesion revascularization. Data were combined using fixed-effects models, and standard tests for heterogeneity were performed. Eight studies with 1,520 patients with diabetes were identified that reported > or =1 outcome of interest. Mean late lumen losses (7 studies) were 0.93 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.510 to 1.348) with BMSs and 0.18 mm (95% CI -0.088 to +0.446) with DESs. For patients receiving a DES, this translated into a marked decrease in in-stent restenosis (7 studies, RR 0.14, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.22, p <0.001) and target lesion revascularization (8 studies, RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.45, p <0.001). DES use is associated with a marked decrease in in-stent restenosis and target lesion revascularization in patients with diabetes. In conclusion, the analysis supports the current widespread use of DESs in these high-risk patients.

Medical advances may be shifting patients with coronary artery disease away from the hospital setting despite an aging United States population. We explored this possibility using national inpatient data to estimate the number and population-based rates of hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and coronary revascularization from 2002 to 2005. Our primary data source was the Acute Care Tracker database, a proprietary administrative database that contains data on approximately 6 million discharges per year from 458 hospitals across the United States. Using the Acute Care Tracker database, we estimated the annual number and population-based rates of hospitalization for AMI (transmural, subendocardial) and coronary revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] and coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]). Hospitalizations for AMI steadily decreased from 661,000 to 591,000 per year between 2002 and 2005, primarily due to decreases in transmural AMI. Hospitalizations for coronary revascularizations during this period varied between 794,000 and 815,000 per year, with the number of PCIs increasing and the number of CABGs decreasing. In addition, rates of hospitalization for AMI decreased from 309 to 266 per 100,000 persons between 2002 and 2005, with rates of transmural AMI decreasing substantially from 118 to 87 per 100,000 persons. Rates of hospitalization for coronary revascularization also decreased from 382 to 358 per 100,000 during this period, primarily due to decreases in CABG. In conclusion, the number and rates of hospitalization for AMI and coronary revascularization in the United States are decreasing.

Platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors are widely used in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Previous studies have suggested that they do not offer benefit in saphenous vein graft PCI. Nonetheless, their use remains widespread during vein graft angioplasty. We retrospectively analyzed 1,537 patients who underwent saphenous vein graft PCI. Patients who received a GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor (n = 941) were compared with those who did not receive any GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor (n = 596). The primary end point was myonecrosis after PCI (creatine kinase-MB level >3 times the upper reference limit). The incidence of myonecrosis after PCI was similar between the group that received GP IIb/IIIa and the group that did not (odds ratio for GP IIb/IIIa use 1.39, 95% confidence interval 0.97 to 2.00, p = 0.07). Propensity-adjusted analysis demonstrated no significant difference in myonecrosis after PCI, in-hospital mortality, Q-wave myocardial infarction, or bleeding (blood transfusion, retroperitoneal bleed, or hematoma) between the 2 groups. In an analysis restricted to patients who were treated with an emboli protection device, GP IIb/IIIa use was not associated with decreased myonecrosis after PCI (this was also the case for patients who were not treated with an emboli protection device). Unadjusted survival (mean follow-up 5.5 +/- 0.1 years) was similar between the group that received GP IIb/IIIa and the group that did not (log-rank test, p = 0.89). There was no difference in survival after adjusting for the propensity to receive a GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor (adjusted odds ratio for GP IIb/IIIa use 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.69 to 1.23, p = 0.59). In conclusion, adjunctive use of platelet GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in saphenous vein graft PCI does not appear to be associated with less myonecrosis or improved survival.

The neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L) ratio is a recently described independent predictor of death/myocardial infarction in patients who have undergone coronary angiography. We hypothesized that an elevated N/L ratio would be a predictor of long-term mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A total of 1,046 patients who underwent PCI were divided into tertiles based on their preprocedural N/L ratio (mean N/L ratio, tertile 1, 1.7 +/- 0.5; tertile 2: 3.2 +/- 0.6; tertile 3, 11.2 +/- 12.9). Vital status was assessed using the Social Security Death Index. There were a total of 144 deaths over a mean follow-up of 32 months. The best survival was seen in tertile 1, with an increase in long-term mortality seen in tertiles 2 and 3 (p <0.0001). In multivariable modeling, after adjusting for age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, left ventricular ejection fraction, serum hemoglobin, serum creatinine, and lesion severity, the log N/L, but not the white blood cell count, was an independent significant predictor of long-term mortality (hazard ratio 1.85, 95% confidence interval 1.3, to 3.04, p = 0.01). The risk persisted when patients with an acute myocardial infarction were excluded from the analysis (hazard ratio 2.46, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 4.4, p = 0.002). In conclusion, an elevated preprocedural N/L ratio in patients undergoing PCI is associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality.

The outcomes of patients who underwent carotid artery interventions were evaluated by body mass index (BMI). Although there was no association between BMI and short-term outcomes, patients with small BMIs were susceptible to an exaggerated long-term mortality hazard.

Previous studies have shown that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who undergo surgical revascularization have higher in-hospital mortality rates. Limited data are available on the outcomes of patients with COPD undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Our study evaluated the association between COPD and in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients undergoing PCI. We studied 10,994 patients who underwent PCI from 1997 to 2003 at our institution (1,117 with and 9,877 without COPD). A patient was considered to have COPD if it was listed as a co-morbid condition in our database. The primary end point was all-cause mortality. Cox logistic regression models were used to determine whether COPD was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality after PCI. The mean age of the study population was 64 years, and 70.2% were men. Significantly more patients with COPD died in hospital (2.9% vs 1.2%, p <0.0001). The median follow-up was 33 months; 89.6% of patients without COPD versus 75.6% of patients with COPD (log-rank 280, degree of freedom 1, p <0.0001) were alive at the end of the follow-up. After adjusting for other variables known to increase mortality, COPD was a significant independent predictor of in-hospital death (odds ratio 2.51, 95% confidence interval 1.45 to 4.35, p = 0.001) and long-term mortality (hazard ratio 2.16, 95% confidence interval 1.81 to 2.56, p <0.0001) after PCI. In conclusion, patients with a history of COPD have higher in-hospital and long-term mortality rates than those without COPD after PCI.

A recent large-scale, randomized trial demonstrated the noninferiority of a strategy of bivalirudin with provisional glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibition compared with routine GP IIb/IIIa inhibition. There is a paucity of outcome data with bivalirudin use in the setting of real-world experience. We evaluated 6,996 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention between January 2001 and December 2004 to compare early and late outcomes with a bivalirudin-based antithrombotic regimen with those with a heparin-based regimen. Propensity adjustment was performed to correct for baseline differences in patient characteristics. Bivalirudin-based therapy was used in 1,070 patients, heparin only in 801 patients, and heparin plus GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in 5,125 patients. Compared with patients who received heparin or those who received heparin plus GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors, patients who received bivalirudin had lower incidences of bleeding (blood transfusion rate 1.7% vs 4.0%, p <0.001) and periprocedural myonecrosis (creatine kinase-MB >5 times the upper limit of normal 2.7% vs 4.3%, p = 0.016). Differences in bleeding end points remained significant after adjusting for the propensity to receive bivalirudin, but there was no difference in ischemic events. There was no difference in unadjusted long-term survival rate (log-rank test p = 0.46, total number of deaths 412, mean follow-up 17 months) or in propensity-adjusted long-term survival rate (hazard ratio 1.37, 95% confidence interval 0.90 to 2.08, p = 0.14). Compared with heparin with or without GP IIb/IIIa inhibition, the use of bivalirudin in a large consecutive patient registry at a tertiary care center was associated with fewer bleeding events and no evident increase in the incidence of ischemic complications.

Hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme-A reductase inhibitors, or statins, have been shown to decrease mortality rates in patients who have coronary artery disease. It has been postulated that part of the mortality benefit conferred by statins is due to a decrease in ventricular arrhythmias. We assessed the effect of statin therapy on recurrent ventricular arrhythmias in 281 patients who developed coronary artery disease after implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement. Statin therapy was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of ventricular arrhythmia that would require implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy.

We performed a single-center retrospective analysis evaluating the effect of chronic kidney disease among patients who underwent carotid artery stenting. The presence of chronic kidney disease is associated with higher periprocedural and 6-month death, stroke, or myocardial infarction after carotid artery stenting.

Increased inflammatory markers are associated with a poor prognosis after percutaneous coronary intervention. Leukocytes play a key role in inflammation, and an increase in white blood cell (WBC) counts is a nonspecific marker of inflammation. In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, baseline WBC counts independently predict long-term mortality. In a pooled cohort of patients from the Evaluation of c7E3 for the Prevention of Ischemic Complications (EPIC), the Evaluation in PTCA to Improve Long-term Outcome with abciximab Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade (EPILOG), and Evaluation of Platelet IIb/IIIa inhibitor for STENTing (EPISTENT) trials, postprocedural WBC counts were also found to be an independent predictor of long-term mortality.

Anemia and renal insufficiency impart an increased risk of mortality in patients with congestive heart failure. There is a paucity of data on the mortality hazard associated with anemia and renal insufficiency in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in the setting of contemporary practice. We analyzed the short- and long-term outcomes among patients enrolled in EPIC, EPILOG and EPISTENT trials according to degree of kidney dysfunction (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] <60, 60 to 75, and >75 ml/min/1.73 m2) and by hematocrit (<35, 35 to 39 and 40). GFR was calculated as GFR = 186 x (serum creatinine-1.154) x (age-0.203) x 1.212 (if black) or x 0.742 (if female). There were 20 deaths (3.2%) among 638 patients with a hematocrit of <35, 41 deaths among 2,066 patients (2.0%) with a hematocrit of 35 to 39, and 43 deaths in 3,618 patients (1.2%) with a hematocrit >40 at 6 months (p <0.001). Similarly, a significant increase in mortality was seen with lower GFR [33 of 1,168 (2.9%) at GFR <60, 33 of 1,766 (1.9%) at GFR 60 to 75 and 37 of 3,317 (1.1%) at GFR >75, p <0.001)]. Further, GFR and anemia independently and in combination predicted mortality at 3 years. Thus, renal insufficiency and anemia are significant independent and additive predictors of short- and long-term complications in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

This study investigated the correlation between an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count as a marker of inflammation and the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery. WBC counts were prospectively followed in 181 consecutive patients who underwent coronary bypass or cardiac valve surgery to determine if a baseline or postoperative WBC count elevation is an independent predictor of postoperative AF.