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Aims Living alone is reported as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the association between clinical outcomes and living alone in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The aim of this study was to determine whether living alone is an independent prognostic risk factor for long-term mortality stratified by age in patients with ACS who were treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and results We conducted an observational cohort study of ACS patients who underwent PCI between January 1999 and May 2015 at Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital, Japan. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. Among 2547 ACS patients, 381 (15.0%) patients were living alone at the onset of ACS. The cumulative incidence of all-cause death was comparable between living alone and living together (34.8% vs. 34.4%, log-rank P = 0.63). However, among younger population (aged Conclusion Although living alone was not significantly associated with long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ACS, it was a predictive risk factor among younger ACS patients. Careful attention should be paid to patients’ lifestyle, especially younger patients with ACS.

Background and objective A prior history of stroke is associated with increased adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), however the prognostic impact on long-term outcomes remains unclear. Methods We conducted an observational cohort study of ACS patients underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between January 1999 and May 2015 at our hospital. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the overall prevalence and clinical impact of a history of stroke. The primary outcome was cardiac death during the median follow-up period of 5yrs. Results Among 2562 ACS patients of the current cohort, 268 patients (10.5%) had a history of stroke at the onset of ACS. The cumulative incidence of cardiac death was higher in patients with a history of stroke (11.4% vs. 19.7%, log-rank p Kaplan-Meier curve Conclusion Among ACS patients treated with primary PCI, a history of stroke was not rare and was associated with increased long term cardiac mortality.

Background Reducing delay to percutaneous coronary intervention improves functional outcome and reduces long-term mortality. Transportation by helicopter is often quicker than ground transport and thus may improve overall prognosis through reduced ischemic injury and infarction size. Our hospital is located on the medically-depopulated peninsula surrounded by mountain. The journey from the southern tip of the peninsula to the critical care medical center of our hospital take 1.5 hour by a ground ambulance but only 15 minutes by helicopter. We compared the clinical characteristics and long-term mortality between air and ground transport of ACS patients for primary PCI. Methods We conducted an observational cohort study evaluating 2324 patients (mean age 68.5±12.0, male 75.2%) with ACS underwent primary PCI between April 2004 and December 2017 at our hospital. We divided into three groups according to transportation system type (air, ground, walk-in). The primary outcome was defined as all-cause death during the long-term follow-up. Results Among the entire cohort, 577 patients (24.8%) were transported by air. 1326 (57.1%) patients by ambulance, 421 (18.1%) patients by walk. Baseline characteristics were comparable, but patients by air had a higher prevalence of ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The rate of long-term mortality was comparable during the median follow up of 6 years (air, 21.1% vs. ground, 21.4% vs. walk-in, 21.1%, respectively, log-rank p=0.72). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed no significant association between air transportation and long-term mortality (Adjusted HR [vs ground] 1.05, 95% CI 0.60–1.78, p=0.85 and [vs walk-in] 0.94, 95% CI 0.62–1.43, respectively, p=0.77). Kaplan-Meier curve Conclusions The rate of long-term mortality in patients with ACS transported by air was comparable with those transported by ground.