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Objectives: The study sought to compare the risk of late outcome with a focus on very late definite stent thrombosis of the everolimus-eluting stent (EES) with that of the sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) at 3-year follow-up., Background: In the SORT OUT IV (SORT OUT IV Trial), comparing the EES with the SES in patients with coronary artery disease, the EES was noninferior to the SES at 9 months. The SORT OUT IV trial provides long-term head-to-head randomized comparison of the EES with the SES., Methods: We prospectively randomized 2,774 patients in the SORT OUT IV trial. Follow-up through 3 years was complete in 2,771 patients (99.9%). The 3-year pre-specified endpoints were composites of safety and efficacy (major adverse cardiac events [MACE]: cardiac death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, and definite stent thrombosis)., Results: At 3 years, the composite endpoint MACE occurred in 9.8% of the EES group and in 11.1% of the SES group (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.70 to 1.12). Overall rate of definite stent thrombosis was lower in the EES group (0.2% vs. 1.4%; HR: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.50), which was largely attributable to a lower risk of very late definite stent thrombosis: 0.1% versus 0.8% (HR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.70)., Conclusions: At 3-year follow-up, the MACE rate did not differ significantly between EES- and SES-treated patients. A significant reduction of overall and very late definite stent thrombosis was found in the EES group. (The SORT OUT IV TRIAL [SORT OUT IV]; NCT00552877)., (Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In head-to-head comparisons of coronary drug-eluting stents, the primary endpoint is traditionally assessed after 9-12 months. However, the optimum timepoint for this assessment remains unclear. In this study, we assessed clinical outcomes at up to 5 years' follow-up in patients who received two different types of drug-eluting stents., Methods: We undertook this multicentre, open-label, randomised superiority trial at five percutaneous coronary intervention centres in Denmark. We randomly allocated 2332 eligible adult patients (≥18 years of age) with an indication for drug-eluting stent implantation to the zotarolimus-eluting Endeavor Sprint stent (Medtronic, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) or the sirolimus-eluting Cypher Select Plus stent (Cordis, Johnson & Johnson, Warren, NJ, USA). Randomisation of participants was achieved by computer-generated block randomisation and a telephone allocation service. The primary endpoint of the SORT OUT III study was a composite of major adverse cardiac events-cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularisation-at 9 months' follow-up. In this study, endpoints included the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events and definite stent thrombosis at follow-up times of up to 5 years. Analysis was by intention to treat. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00660478., Findings: We randomly allocated 1162 patients to receive the zotarolimus-eluting stent and 1170 to the sirolimus-eluting stent. At 5-year follow-up, rates of major adverse cardiac events were similar in patients treated with both types of stents (zotarolimus-eluting stents 197/1162 [17.0%] vs sirolimus-eluting stents 182/1170 [15.6%]; odds ratio [OR] 1.10, 95% CI 0.88-1.37; p=0.40). This finding was indicative of the directly contrasting results for rates of major adverse cardiac events at 1-year follow up (zotarolimus 93/1162 [8.0%] vs sirolimus 46/1170 [3.9%]; OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.48-3.07; p<0.0001) compared with those at follow-up between 1 and 5 years (104 [9.0%] vs 136 [11.6%]; OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.59-1.02; p=0.071). At 1-year follow-up, definite stent thrombosis was more frequent after implantation of the zotarolimus-eluting stent (13/1162 [1.1%]) than the sirolimus-eluting stent (4/1170 [0.3%]; OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.08-10.3; p=0.036), whereas the opposite finding was recorded for between 1 and 5 years' follow-up (zotarolimus-eluting stent 1/1162 [0.1%] vs sirolimus-eluting stent 21/1170 [1.8%], OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.01-0.36; p=0.003). 26 of 88 (30%) target lesion revascularisations in the zotarolimus-eluting stent group occurred between 1 and 5 years' follow-up, whereas 54 of 70 (77%) of those in the sirolimus-eluting stent group occurred during this follow-up period., Interpretation: The superiority of sirolimus-eluting stents compared with zotarolimus-eluting stents at 1-year follow-up was lost after 5 years. The traditional 1-year primary endpoint assessment therefore might be insufficient to predict 5-year clinical outcomes in patients treated with coronary drug-eluting stent implantation., Funding: Cordis and Medtronic., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We used the Western Denmark Heart Registry to assess one-year and long-term all-cause mortality and stent failure following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) or bare-metal stents (BMS)., Background: The use of DES compared with BMS during PCI has reduced the risk of restenosis in native coronary artery lesions. In saphenous vein grafts (SVG) the outcome after DES compared with BMS is insufficiently described., Methods: From January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2010 all patients with PCI of SVG lesions were identified among 3.0 million inhabitants. Stent failure was defined as clinically driven target lesion revascularization, graft occlusion without intervention, or stent thrombosis., Results: The study cohort consisted of 529 patients with 755 SVG lesions (348 DES patients with 510 lesions and 181 BMS patients with 245 lesions). Mean age did not differ between patients with DES-treated lesions compared to patients with BMS-treated lesions (67.5 ± 9.1 years vs. 67.6 ± 9.3 years; P = 0.85). The median follow-up time was 3.0 years (25th-75th percentile: 1.4-5.1 years). One-year (n = 27 (8.2%) vs. n = 12 (6.7%), log rank P = 0.60) and 3-year cumulative mortality (n = 31 (18.8%) vs. n = 59 (21.8%), log rank P = 0.64) did not differ significantly between DES- and BMS-treated patients. One-year cumulative stent failure was seen in 39 (6.6%) DES-treated lesions vs. 24 (10.8%) BMS-treated lesions (P = 0.088), and 3-year cumulative stent failure in 48 (15.4%) vs. 34 (18.8%) lesions (P = 0.25), respectively., Conclusion: In SVG lesions, DES showed no long-term benefit compared to BMS in rates of all-cause mortality or stent failure., (Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objectives: This study sought to compare the long-term effects of drug-eluting stent (DES) compared with bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention., Background: The randomized DEDICATION (Drug Elution and Distal Protection in Acute Myocardial Infarction) trial evaluated the outcome after DES compared with BMS implantation in patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention., Methods: Patients with a high-grade stenosis/occlusion of a native coronary artery presenting with symptoms <12 h and ST-segment elevation were enrolled after giving informed consent. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a DES or a BMS in the infarct-related lesion. Patients were followed for at least 5 years, and clinical endpoints were evaluated from population registries and hospital charts. The main endpoint was the occurrence of the first major adverse cardiac event (MACE), defined as cardiac death, nonfatal recurrent myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization., Results: Complete clinical status was available in 623 patients (99.5%) at 5 years follow-up. The combined MACE rate was insignificantly lower in the DES group (16.9% vs. 23%), mainly driven by a lower need of repeat revascularization (p = 0.07). Whereas the number of deaths from all causes tended to be higher in the DES group (16.3% vs. 12.1%, p = 0.17), cardiac mortality was significantly higher (7.7% vs. 3.2%, p = 0.02). The 5-year stent thrombosis rates were generally low and similar between the DES and the BMS groups. No cardiac deaths occurring within 1 month could be clearly ascribed to stent thrombosis, whereas stent thrombosis was involved in 78% of later-occurring deaths., Conclusions: The 5-year MACE rate was insignificantly different, but the cardiac mortality was higher after DES versus BMS implantation in patients with STEMI. Stent thrombosis was the main cause of late cardiac deaths., (Copyright © 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Elderly patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) constitute a particular risk group in relation to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI)., Objective: We examined the proportion of octogenarians and nonagenarians undergoing PPCI in Western Denmark, and their short- and long-term mortality rates., Methods: From 2002 to 2009 all consecutive patients ≥ 80 years with STEMI treated with PPCI were identified in the population based Western Denmark Heart Registry. Cox regression analysis was used to compute hazard ratios, controlling for potential confounding., Results: A total of 1,322 elderly (1,213 octogenarians and 109 nonagenarians), corresponding to 11.6% of the total PPCI treated STEMI population were treated with PPCI between 2002 and 2009. The annual proportion of octogenarians referred for PPCI increased from n = 52 (6.2%) in 2002 to n = 172 (11.8%) in 2009 (P < 0.01), while it remained unchanged in nonagenarians: n = 6 (0.6%) in 2002 to n = 13 (0.8%) in 2009 (P = ns). For octogenarians and nonagenarians, 30-day mortality was 17.2% versus 25.8% (log-rank P = 0.028), 1-year mortality was 27.6% versus 32.5% (log-rank P = 0.18) and 5-year mortality 53.6% versus 57.3% (log-rank P = 0.087), respectively. Adjusted 30-day hazard ratio (HR) = 1.59 (95% confidence interval = CI: 1.07-2.36), 1-year HR = 1.34 (CI: 0.95-1.90), and 5-year mortality HR = 1.39 (CI: 1.04-1.85) was higher in nonagenarians compared with octogenarians., Conclusion: The annual proportion of octogenarians with STEMI treated with PPCI doubled from 2002 to 2009, while the proportion of nonagenarians remained unchanged. Although nonagenarians had the highest short- and long-term mortality, we found the outcome acceptable with a 5-year survival of more than 40% in both groups., (Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: There are limited data on the optimal management of in-stent restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with bare metal stent (BMS) or drug-eluting stent (DES) implantations. We assessed the clinical presentation, the incidence, and prognosis of definite stent thrombosis or restenosis after DES implantation for treatment of restenosis., Methods: From January 2002 to June 2005, all consecutive patients with restenosis < 12 months after index PCI with DES or BMS implantation, were identified in the population-based Western Denmark Heart Registry. Patients were followed until 24 months after their first restenosis., Results: A total of 589 lesions were treated for clinically driven restenosis with target lesion revascularization (TLR) within 12 months after the index PCI. Among those, 302 lesions were treated with DES (BMS-restenosis n = 244 and DES-restenosis n = 58). Admission were due to stable angina pectoris (n = 249 (82.4%)), unstable angina pectoris (n = 34 (11.3%)), or non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (n = 19 (6.3%)). The clinical indication was not different between patients with BMS restenosis compared to DES restenosis. In the BMS restenosis group, older age, longer lesion, longer stent length, and a higher number of stents used was observed compared to the DES restenosis group. After a first restenosis, clinically driven re-TLR was seen in 26 (8.6%) patients within the following 24 months, stent thrombosis (median duration 155 days, interquartile range (IQR) 9-627 days) was seen in 3 lesions (1.0%), and secondary restenosis (median duration 168 days, IQR 88-266 days) was seen in 23 (7.6%) [DES restenosis group 6.9% vs. BMS restenosis group 7.8%, P = 0.818] lesions., Conclusion: The clinical presentation did not differ between BMS or DES and most patients present with stable angina pectoris. Risk of stent thrombosis or restenosis was not increased in patients with DES restenosis compared to patients with BMS restenosis treated with DES., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of a zotarolimus-eluting (ZES) versus a sirolimus-eluting (SES) coronary stent in a large cohort of patients treated with one of these stents in Western Denmark., Methods: A total of 6,122 patients treated with ZES (n=2,282) or SES (n=3,840) were followed for up to 27 months. We ascertained clinical outcomes based on national medical databases., Results: Incidence of target lesion revascularization (no. per 100 person-years) was 5.3 in the ZES group compared to 1.9 in the SES group (adjusted hazard ratio (HR)=2.19, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.39-3.47; p=0.001). All-cause mortality was also higher in the ZES group (ZES: 6.3; SES: 3.3; adjusted HR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.05-1.72; p=0.02), while stent thrombosis (ZES: 1.2; SES: 0.5; adjusted HR=1.98, 95% CI: 0.75-5.23; p=0.14) did not differ significantly., Conclusions: In agreement with previously published randomised data, this observational study indicated that the ZES was associated with an increased risk of death and TLR in a large cohort of consecutive patients.

Aims: Data are limited on the prognostic impact of stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis in patients treated with coronary stents. We examined the prognostic impact of stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods and Results: All patients who underwent stent implantation from 2002 to 2005 were identified in the Western Denmark Heart Registry. The hazard ratio (HR) for death associated with stent thrombosis or in-stent restenosis was estimated with a Cox regression analysis with stent thrombosis or in-stent restenosis as time-dependent variables. A total of 12,277 patients were treated with stent implantation. Stent thrombosis was observed in 111 (0.9%) patients and in-stent restenosis in 503 (4.1%) patients within 12 months after the index PCI. Occurrence of stent thrombosis was associated with an increased risk of death (HR=2.71 [95% CI: 1.72-4.27]) compared to cases without stent thrombosis. In-stent restenosis had no substantial impact (HR=1.17 [95% CI: 0.79-1.75]). However, in-stent restenosis presenting as non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) was associated with a greater mortality risk compared with presentation of in-stent restenosis without myocardial infarction (HR=3.11 [95% CI: 1.08-8.69]; p=0.036)., Conclusions: The occurrence of stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis presenting with NSTEMI increased the mortality risk threefold whereas in-stent restenosis without myocardial infarction was not associated with an increased mortality risk.

Objectives: This study sought to examine the 3-year clinical outcomes in patients treated with the Endeavor (Medtronic, Santa Rosa, California) zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) or the Cypher (Cordis, Johnson & Johnson, Warren, New Jersey) sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in routine clinical practice., Background: The long-term clinical outcome in patients treated with ZES in comparison with SES is unclear., Methods: The authors randomized 2,332 patients to ZES (n = 1,162) or SES (n = 1,170) implantation. Endpoints included major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization; the individual endpoints of MACE; and definite stent thrombosis., Results: At 3-year follow-up, the MACE rate was higher in patients treated with ZES than in patients treated with SES (148 [12.9%] vs. 116 [10.1%]; hazard ratio [HR]: 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04 to 1.69; p = 0.022). Target vessel revascularization was more frequent in the ZES group compared with the SES group (103 [9.1%] vs. 76 [6.7%]; HR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.89; p = 0.025), whereas the occurrence of myocardial infarction (3.8% vs. 3.3%) and cardiac death (2.8% vs. 2.8%) did not differ significantly. Although the rate of definite stent thrombosis was similar at 3-year follow-up (1.1% vs. 1.4%), very late (12 to 36 months) definite stent thrombosis occurred in 0 (0%) patients in the ZES group versus 12 (1.1%) patients in the SES group (p = 0.0005)., Conclusions: Although the 3-year MACE rate is higher in patients treated with ZES versus SES, our data highlight a late safety problem concerning definite stent thrombosis with the use of SES. This finding underscores the importance of long-term follow-up in head-to-head comparisons of drug-eluting stents. (Randomized Clinical Comparison of the Endeavor and the Cypher Coronary Stents in Non-selected Angina Pectoris Patients [SORT OUT III]; NCT00660478)., (Copyright © 2012 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate possible gender differences in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and without significant stenoses on coronary angiography (CAG) regarding prognosis and use of secondary preventive medication., Design: Nationwide register-based cohort study., Patients: By compiling data from Danish registries, we identified 20,800 patients hospitalized with AMI during 2005-2007. We included the 834 women and 761 men without significant stenoses on CAG who were discharged and alive after 60 days., Main Outcome Measures: All-cause mortality, recurrent AMI, and redeeming a prescription for a lipid-lowering drug, beta-blocker, clopidogrel, or aspirin within 60 days of discharge., Results: During follow-up, 97 women and 60 men died, resulting in a crude female/male hazard ratio (HR) of 1.51 (95% CI 1.09-2.08). After adjustment for age, time-period, and comorbidity, the gender difference was attenuated (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.86-1.72). AMI recurrence was experienced by 28 women and 29 men with a female/male HR 0.88 (95% CI 0.52-1.48). After multivariable adjustment results were similar (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.50-1.43). More women than men redeemed a prescription for lipid-lowering drugs with no differences in other medication. In the adjusted models lipid-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, clopidogrel, and aspirin were all redeemed equally with odds ratio (OR) 1.25 (95% CI 0.99-1.59), OR 1.10 (95% CI 0.88-1.37), OR 1.09 (95% CI 0.88-1.34), and OR 1.13 (95% CI 0.90-1.42), respectively., Conclusion: Our study shows that in a population of patients with a first admission for AMI and no significant stenoses on CAG, women share the same prospects as men regarding long-term prognosis and the extent of secondary preventive medical treatment.

Objective: To describe gender-specific long-term outcome and initiation of secondary preventive medication among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI)., Design: Observational cohort study., Setting: Nationwide registries., Patients: We included 18,279 patients: 6364 women (35%) and 11,915 men (65%), admitted with AMI (median age, 67 years; range, 30-90 years) surviving for at least 2 months., Interventions: According to sex, patients were stratified by invasive treatment strategy: (1) revascularized; (2) examined with coronary angiography (CAG) but not revascularized; and (3) not examined with CAG., Main Outcome Measures: All-cause mortality and readmission with AMI. Initiation of secondary preventive medication., Results: Of 18,279 patients with a first AMI who survived 2 months, 1857 women (29%) and 1756 men (15%) were not examined with CAG (P<.001), 1295 women (20%) and 1563 men (13%) were examined but not revascularized (P<.001), and 3212 women (51%) and 8596 men (72%) were revascularized (P<.001). Not being examined with CAG after AMI was associated with a three-fold increase in risk of death and, importantly, a 50% increase in the risk of a recurrent AMI compared with patients who were revascularized. Among patients who were revascularized, 85-92% initiated recommended secondary preventive medication compared to 46-71% in patients not examined with CAG (P<.001). Initiation of secondary preventive medication was higher in men (81-84%) than in women (73-79%; P<.001), which could be ascribed to the differences in invasive strategy., Conclusions: In both sexes, those who were not examined had a highly increased risk of both recurrent AMI and death. Moreover, initiation of secondary preventive medication was closely related to the choice of invasive strategy disfavoring the women.

Aims: Patients with diabetes mellitus have increased risk of in-stent restenosis after coronary stent implantation due to neointimal hyperplasia (NIH). The aim of this study was to use quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and volumetric intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to evaluate the effects of the sirolimus-eluting Cypher® stent (SES) and the zotarolimus-eluting Endeavor® stent (ZES) on angiographic late lumen loss and intima hyperplasia in diabetic patients., Methods and Results: In the DiabeDES III trial, 127 patients were randomised to SES or ZES stent implantation. Angiographic 10-month follow-up data were available in 105 patients, including 48 SES and 57 ZES treated patients. Angiographic endpoints were in-stent late lumen loss and minimal lumen diameter. IVUS endpoints included NIH volume and in-stent percent volume obstruction. Baseline clinical characteristics and lesion parameters were similar in the two groups. At 10-month follow-up, angiographic in-stent late lumen loss (0.14±0.37 mm vs. 0.74±0.45 mm, p<0.001) was reduced and minimum lumen diameter was higher (2.36±0.53 mm vs. 1.96±0.65, p<0.001) in the SES group as compared to the ZES group. As compared to the ZES group, NIH volume was significantly reduced in the SES group (median [interquartile range]: 0.0 mm3 [0.0 to 1.2] vs. 16.5 mm3 [6.2 to 31.1], p<0.001). In-stent% volume obstruction was significantly reduced in SES as compared to ZES (median [interquartile range]: 0.0% [0.0-0.7] vs. 13.0% [6.7-20.8], p<0.001)., Conclusions: In diabetic patients, the SES reduced angiographic late lumen loss and inhibited NIH more effectively than ZES.

Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to assess the diagnostic value of 64-slice computed tomography of the coronary arteries (CTCA) with invasive coronary angiography (CA) as reference., Material and Methods: We studied 194 patients (mean age: 62.7 ± 9.5 years, males: 97) with symptoms suggesting angina who had been referred for CA according to usual criteria. We excluded patients with known ischaemic heart disease and patients with an unstable heart rhythm. CTCA was analysed without knowledge of CA and vice versa. Stenoses > 50% were considered significant. The effective radiation (mSv) was measured with both methods., Results: In 17 patients (8.8%), the CT-angiogram was not assessable. In 177 patients (91.2%) with assessable CT-angiogram, the sensitivity of CTCA was 97%, the specificity 63%, the predictive value of a positive test 58%, and the predictive value of a negative test 97%. In the 174 patients in whom CTCA was performed using retrospective technique, the effective radiation was 14.0 ± 2.3, versus 4.9 ± 2.6 at CA (p < 0.0005). In the 20 patients in whom CTCA was performed using prospective technique, the effective radiation was 5.4 ± 1.2 versus 5.9 ± 3.6 at CA (non-significant), Conclusion: CTCA with 64-slice scanner has a high sensitivity for demonstration coronary artery stenoses.

Aims: Stent thrombosis is a serious complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We examined the incidence of stent thrombosis and other outcomes in patients treated with PCI and paclitaxeleluting stents (PES), sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) or bare-metal stents (BMS)., Methods and Results: All patients who underwent PES, SES or BMS implantation from January 2002 to June 2005 were identified in the population-based Western Denmark Heart Registry. All were followed for 36 months. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate relative risk (RR), controlling for covariates. A total of 12,374 patients were treated with stents: 1,298 with PES, 2,202 with SES and 8,847 with BMS. The three-year incidence of definite stent thrombosis was similar in the DES group (1.1%) and in the BMS group (0.7%) (adjusted relative risk [RR]: 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-1.81). Very late definite stent thrombosis occurred more frequently in DES-treated patients (adjusted RR: 2.89, 95% CI: 1.48- 5.65). The three-year mortality rate did not differ significantly between the two groups. Target lesion revascularisation (TLR) was lower in DES-treated patients than in BMS-treated patients (adjusted RR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.63-0.81)., Conclusions: An increased risk of very late definite stent thrombosis was observed in DES-treated patients compared with BMS-treated patients, but a similar mortality was detected. TLR continued to be lower among patients receiving DES.

Aims: To investigate if gender bias is present in today's setting of an early invasive strategy for patients with acute coronary syndrome in Denmark (population 5 million)., Methods and Results: We identified all patients admitted to Danish hospitals with acute coronary syndrome in 2005-07 (9561 women and 16 406 men). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the gender differences in coronary angiography (CAG) rate and subsequent revascularization rate within 60 days of admission. Significantly less women received CAG (cumulative incidence 64% for women vs. 78% for men, P < 0.05), with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.68 (95% CI 0.65-0.70, P < 0.0001) compared with men. The difference was narrowed after adjustment for age and comorbidity, but still highly significant (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.80-0.85, P < 0.0001). Revascularization after CAG was less likely in women with an HR of 0.68 (95% CI 0.66-0.71, P < 0.0001) compared with men. More women (22%) than men (10%) (P < 0.0001) had no significant stenosis on their coronary angiogram. However, after adjustment for the number of significant stenoses, age, and comorbidity women were still less likely to be revascularized (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.87-0.95, P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: Women with ACS are approached in a much less aggressively invasive way and receive less interventional treatment than men even after adjusting for differences in comorbidity and number of significant stenoses.

Objective: We examined mortality, risk of myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization (TLR) in high-risk patients with unprotected left main (LM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Western Denmark., Background: PCI of left main coronary artery lesions may be an alternative to coronary artery bypass grafting in high-risk surgical patients., Methods: From January 2005 to May 2007, all patients who had unprotected LM PCI with stent implantation were identified in the Western Denmark Heart Registry. The indications for PCI were: (1) ST segment elevation MI (STEMI), (2) non-STEMI (NSTEMI) or unstable angina, and (3) stable angina. All patients were followed up for 18 months., Results: A total of 344 patients were treated with LM PCI (STEMI: 71, NSTEMI/unstable angina: 157, and stable angina: 116). In STEMI patients, the median logistic EuroSCORE was 22.5 (interquartile range 12.5-39.5), in non-STEMI (NSTEMI)/unstable angina patients 13.8 (4.8-23.9), and in stable angina patients 4.8 (2.2-10.4). Mortality after 18 months 38.0, 18.5, and 11.2% (P < 0.001) in patients with STEMI, NSTEMI/unstable angina, and stable angina, respectively. MI after 18 months was 9.9, 6.4, and 6.0% (P = ns), respectively. Four subacute and one late definite stent thrombosis were seen. TLR occurred in 5.6, 4.5, and 6.9% (P = ns) of patients, respectively., Conclusion: After PCI, patients with STEMI and LM culprit lesion have a high-mortality risk, whereas long-term outcome for patients with NSTEMI and stable angina pectoris is comparable with other high surgical risk patients with unprotected left main lesion. Further, TLR rates and risk of stent thrombosis were low., (Copyright 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess two distinct 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns and their prognostic value with respect to reperfusion strategy., Methods and Results: In a DANAMI-2 substudy (n = 1522), we defined the pre-infarction syndrome (PIS) as ST-elevation accompanied by positive T waves and evolving myocardial infarction (EMI) as pathological Q waves and/or negative T wave. We used a composite of death, clinical re-infarction, or disabling stroke at median 2.7 year follow-up. A higher overall event rate was observed in the EMI group compared with the PIS group [11.4 (9.4-13.9) and 6.9 (6.0-8.0) per 100 person-years, respectively, ratio of the rate (RR) 1.6, P < 0.001]. The EMI pattern was independently predictive of adverse outcome in multivariable analysis (hazard ratio 1.52, confidence interval 1.01-2.30, P = 0.04). The PIS pattern (n = 952) was associated with lower overall event rate in patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with fibrinolytic therapy (FT) [5.5 (4.4-6.9) and 8.5 (7.0-10.4) per 100 person-years, respectively, RR = 0.6, P = 0.004]. No significant difference in the outcome between treatment strategies was observed in the EMI group as a whole. However, in patients with anterior EMI without ECG signs of reperfusion, superiority of primary PCI was driven by a 51% reduction in the relative risk of composite endpoint (P = 0.008)., Conclusion: More detailed ECG analysis, involving also Q- and T-wave morphology, is useful for rapid identification of high-risk patients in whom every effort should be made to transfer for primary PCI, or vice versa, for identifying low-risk patients in whom FT might be an alternative option.