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Impact of tissue lactate accumulation on prognosis after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is biased. The study aimed to assess the prognostic role of lactate concentration (LC) in patients with AMI during one year of follow-up. 145 consecutive patients admitted due to AMI were enrolled. The data on the frequency of endpoint occurrence (defined as I, death; II, heart failure (HF); and III, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI)) were collected. The patients were divided into group A (LC below the cut-off value) and group B (LC above the cut-off value) for the endpoints according to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The cumulative survival rate was 99% in group I-A and 85% in group I-B ( p = 0.0004, log-rank test). The HF-free survival rate was 95% in group II-A and 82% in group II-B ( p = 0.0095, log-rank test). The re-MI-free survival rate did not differ between groups. A multivariate Cox analysis showed a statistically significant influence of LC on death [Hazard Ratio (HR): 1.41, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) (1.13-1.76), and p = 0.002] and HF [HR: 1.21, 95% CI (1.05-1.4), and p = 0.007] with no impact on re-MI occurrence. LC in capillary blood may be considered a useful prognostic marker of late-onset heart failure and death after AMI., Competing Interests: The authors report no financial relationships or conflict of interests regarding the content in the paper.

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (IHES) is characterized by sustained, nonreactive hypereosinophilia with eosinophilia-associated organ damage. Cardiac involvement occurs in about 60% of patients with HES and it is the major cause of mortality in these patients. Cardiac dysfunction is reversible only after early corticosteroid (CS) initiation.Herein we report a 33-year old male who was referred to our Cardiology Department with electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities suggesting myocardial infarction. At presentation he complained of dyspnea, cough and persistent fever. His white blood cell (WBC) count was elevated, with eosinophil predominance in the differential. After cardiological and haematological work-up, the final diagnosis of HES-associated cardiac involvement was established. Early treatment with CS led to eosinophil count normalization with only moderate cardiac function improvement. Currently, the patient is in good condition overall and is in NYHA class II while still on prednisone.

The aim of the study was to compare the course of myocardial infarction in women versus men in Upper Silesia, an industrial region in the south of Poland. The study comprised 1003 patients with either ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The patients were divided into group 1 (300 females) and group 2 (control, 703 males). The groups differed significantly with respect to age, incidence of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. In group 1 STEMI occurred significantly less frequently than NSTEMI. Taking this into account, we divided the studied cohort into group A (STEMI patients) and group B (NSTEMI patients), each subdivided into women and men. In the 30 day long follow-up, group 1 patients had significantly lower creatine kinase activity, higher occurrence of ventricular tachycardia, lower percentage of intra-aortic balloon pump use, and longer hospital stay compared with group 2. Group 1 was characterized by significantly higher mortality and target lesion reocclusion (TLR). The medical course of myocardial infarction in women is similar to that in men, as is the treatment of acute coronary syndrome. In our study, patients from both groups underwent invasive examination with consecutive interventional treatment with similar frequency. However, this finding is not reflected in the outcomes. Women had higher risks of death and TLR in 30 day follow-up. Taking this into consideration, we should attempt to identify the factors responsible for this situation by expanding the analysis to a larger population to allow firm conclusions to be drawn.

The purpose of this study was to present the outcomes of treatment of cardiogenic shock (CS) complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among patients hospitalized from 1999 through 2006. The study enrolled 1003 patients. Group 1 comprised 87 patients presenting with AMI complicated with CS, whereas Group 2 comprised 916 patients presenting with AMI without CS symptoms. Determination of invasive treatment was according to standard guidelines. The endpoint comprised death, stroke, and reocclusion/reinfarction. Follow-up was confined to the intra-hospital period. CS was observed more frequently in cases of ST-elevation MI (STEMI) and right ventricular MI. The transportation and door-to-needle time were shorter in Group 1. CS patients were characterized by a more severe coronary artery disease, higher maximal creatinine kinase levels, lower global ejection fractions, and increased incidence of atrioventricular conduction disorders. The efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was 82.26% in Group 1 and 95.03% in Group 2. Death occurred in 33.3% of CS patients and in 3.6% of AMI patients (p<0.0001). Our study proved that in a short-term follow-up, PCI is a procedure of high efficacy in CS patients. The short-term follow-up precluded a conclusion of statistically significant benefits from the shortening of the transportation and door-to-needle time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]