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Intermediate zone troponin elevation is defined as one to five times the upper limit of normal. Approximately half the patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department have initial intermediate zone troponin. We aimed to investigate the long-term outcome of patients hospitalized with chest pain and intermediate zone troponin elevation. We investigated 8269 patients hospitalized in a tertiary center with chest pain. All patients had serial measurements of troponin during hospitalization. Patients were divided into three groups based on their initial troponin levels: negative troponin (N = 6112), intermediate zone troponin (N = 1329) and positive troponin (N = 828). All patients underwent myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) as part of the initial evaluation. Mean age of the study population was 68 ± 11, of whom 36% were women. Patients with an intermediate zone troponin were older, more likely to be males, and with significantly more cardiovascular co-morbidities. Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, gender, cardiovascular risk factors, and abnormal MPI result found that patients with intermediate zone troponin had a 70% increased risk of re-hospitalization at 1 year (HR 1.70, 95%CI 1.48–1.96, p-value

Elderly patients are often excluded from a chest pain unit (CPU)-based evaluation of chest pain due to concern about adverse events and poorer outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and safety of thoroughly evaluating elderly patients ≥ 65 years of age presented with acute chest pain via a CPU. We evaluated 1220 consecutive patients admitted to our CPU, and stratified them according to age: those over and those under 65 years. Patients were evaluated for outcomes during hospitalization and for a composite endpoint at 60 days post discharge which included: recurrent hospitalization due to chest pain, need for coronary revascularization, acute coronary syndrome, and death. Overall, 241 (20%) patients were in the ≥ 65-year-old group and 979 (80%) patients in the group

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) have a high burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), leading to increased mortality and morbidity. However, it is not clear whether increased CVD mortality in IRD is due to a higher incidence or worse outcome of cardiovascular events (higher case fatality). In this observational case–control study, we assessed the outcome of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with IRDs compared to matched controls without IRD, using data from the Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey (ACSIS), a large, national, real-life registry detailing the extent, severity, and outcome of ACS. Of 2,193 subjects enrolled to the ACSIS, 20 (nine men) were identified with IRD, including 11 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, five patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), three patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and one patient with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The study patients were compared to 120 matched control patients (adjusted for age and risk factors for CVD) without IRD. Compared to controls, IRD patients had similar clinical presentation and similar type of ACS and received identical initial treatment at the ER. The two groups had comparable rates of complications including major adverse cardiovascular events (death, recurrent myocardial infarction, stroke, major bleeding, and definite stent thrombosis) (10 vs. 11.7 % in the study and control group, respectively, p > 0.05), re-hospitalization (20 vs. 21.1 %, respectively, p > 0.05), and severe congestive heart failure (7.7 vs. 6.9 %, respectively, p > 0.05) within 30 days. The outcome and prognosis of ACS in patients with IRD is not worse than that of control, supporting the higher prevalence of CVD in this population as the cause for their excess mortality.

The aim of this study was to characterize the abnormalities in glucose homeostasis in intensive care unit patients following an acute coronary event. The study population included all non-diabetic patients ages 20-80 years that were admitted to a coronary intensive unit. Glucose, insulin and C-peptide levels during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were measured during the acute admission. From January to September 2003, 277 patients were admitted to the coronary unit. Of these, 127 patients underwent an OGTT. Of these, only 29 patients (23%) exhibited normal glucose metabolism. The remainder had type 2 diabetes (32%), impaired glucose tolerance (37%) or isolated impaired fasting glucose (8%, 100-125 mg/dl). Based on homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) calculations, diabetic patients had impaired beta-cell function and patients with elevated fasting glucose levels were insulin resistant. Beta-cell dysfunction during the acute stress seems to contribute to the glucose abnormalities. Most patients who experience an acute coronary event demonstrate abnormal glucose metabolism. Post glucose-load abnormalities are more common than abnormal fasting glucose level in this situation. It is postulated that the acute stress of a coronary event may contribute to the dysglycemia.

Background Cardiac MRI (CMR) is an excellent modality for myocardial tissue characterization, allowing demonstration and quantification of myocardial damage using late Gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequence. C Reactive Protein (CRP) has been shown to be a prognostic marker in lymphocytic myocarditis. The purpose of this study was to study the correlation between CRP levels and the extent of myocardial damage in patients diagnosed with myocarditis.

Background Chronic treatment with currently available oral hypoglyemic medications may result in a differential effect on the clinical presentation of diabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods We evaluated presentation characteristics and the risk for in-hospital complications and 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among 445 patients with diabetes mellitus enrolled in the Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey (ACSIS) 2010. Patients were categorized into 3 groups according to glucose lowering medications at time of admission for ACS: 1) DPP 4 inhibitors (as monotherapy or in combination; DPP4i), 2) Metformin (monotherapy or in combination, excluding DPP4i) and 3) other oral hypoglycemics. Results Patients in the DPP4i group displayed similar baseline clinical characteristics to the other 2 groups, with the exception of a younger age and a lower frequency of prior coronary heart disease and chronic renal failure. Medical therapy with DPP4i was associated with a significantly lower in-hospital complication rate (post MI angina, re-infarction, pulmonary edema, infections, acute renal failure and better KILLIP class) (9.7%), lower rates of 30-day MACE (12.9%) and a shorter hospital stay (5.4 ± 3.8 days) as compared with patients treated with metformin (24.4%, 31.6% and 5.6 ± 5.0 days respectively) or other oral hypoglycemic drugs (45.5%, 48.5% and 7.5 ± 6.5 days respectively). Consistently, multivariate logistic regression modeling revealed that treatment with DPP4i was associated with a lower risk for in-hospital complications (OR = 0.129, p = 0.002) and 30-day MACE (OR = 0.157, p = 0.002) compared with other oral hypoglycaemic therapy. Conclusions Our data suggests that chronic treatment with DPP4i may have cardioprotective effects in diabetes patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome.