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Data from previous studies of patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease suggest that those with higher resting heart rates (HRs) have worse cardiovascular outcomes. We sought to evaluate whether HR immediately before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an independent predictor for 30-day outcome. We analyzed the outcome of 3,720 patients who had HR recorded before PCI from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry. HR and outcomes were analyzed by quintiles, and secondarily by dichotomizing into <70 or ≥70 beats/min. Patients with cardiogenic shock, intra-aortic balloon pump or inotropic support, and out-of-hospital arrest were excluded. The mean ± SD HR was 70.9 ± 14.7 beats/min. HR by quintile was 55 ± 5, 64 ± 2, 70 ± 1, 77 ± 3, and 93 ± 13 beats/min, respectively. Patients with higher HR were more likely to be women, current smokers, have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, recent heart failure, lower ejection fraction, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction as the indication for the PCI (all p ≤0.002). However, rates of treated hypertension, multivessel disease, previous myocardial infarction, PCI, and coronary bypass surgery were lower (all p ≤0.004). Increased HR was associated with higher 30-day mortality (p for trend = 0.04), target vessel revascularization (p for trend = 0.003), and 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (p for trend = 0.004). In a multivariable analysis, HR was an independent predictor of 30-day MACE (OR 1.21 per quintile; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 to 1.39, p = 0.004). When dichotomized into <70 or ≥70 beats/min, HR independently predicted both 30-day MACE (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.36, p = 0.02) and 30-day mortality (OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.10 to 7.08, p = 0.03). In conclusion, HR immediately before PCI is an independent predictor of adverse 30-day cardiovascular outcomes., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: To evaluate outcomes of patients undergoing rotational atherectomy (RA) in a multicenter percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) registry., Background: RA remains an important technique for plaque modification in PCI, particularly with complex calcification., Methods: The study population consisted of consecutive patients undergoing PCI in nine major Australian hospitals, who were treated over an 8-year period (June 2004 to June 2012)., Results: Of 16,577 PCI's, 1.0% of patients n = 167 (214 lesions) underwent RA. Patients undergoing RA were more likely to be older (71.0 ± 9.7 vs. 64.4 ±11.9 years, P < 0.01), with greater incidence of diabetes (37.7% vs. 23.8%, P < 0.01) and renal impairment. There was no significant difference in procedural success (94.6% vs. 95.5%, P = 0.57), dissection (6.1% vs. 4.8%, P = 0.39), transient no reflow (4.4% vs. 2.8%, P = 0.23), or persistent no reflow (0% RA vs. 0.7% non-RA, P = 0.23). Those undergoing RA had a low but increased risk of death at 12 months (6.6 vs. 3.6%, P = 0.04). There was no significant difference in 12 month major adverse cardiovascular outcomes (MACE) between groups following adjustment for univariate predictors (OR 1.00, 95%CI; 0.93-1.08). Additionally, there was no significant difference in 30-day MACE (6.0% vs. 5.1%, P = 0.62) or 30-day mortality (2.4% vs. 1.8%, P = 0.54) between groups., Conclusions: In this large multicenter registry, RA continues to be used to treat complex lesions with low procedural complications and MACE rates. It is essential for interventional cardiologists to maintain skills in RA to enable effective percutaneous treatment of certain complex lesions., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Guidelines for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction include a door-to-balloon time (DTBT) of ≤90 min for primary percutaneous coronary intervention., Aim: The aim of this study was to assess temporal trends (2006-2010) in DTBT and determine if a reduction in DTBT was associated with improved clinical outcomes., Methods: We compared annual median DTBT in 1926 STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry. ST-elevation myocardial infarction presenting >12 h and rescue percutaneous coronary intervention was excluded. Major adverse cardiac events were analysed according to DTBT (dichotomised as ≤90 min vs >90 min). A multivariable analysis for predictors of mortality (including DTBT) was performed., Results: Baseline demographics, clinical and procedural characteristics were similar in the STEMI cohort across the 5 years, apart from an increase in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (3.6% in 2006 vs 9.4% in 2010, P < 0.0001) and cardiogenic shock (7.7-9.6%, P = 0.07). The median DTBT (interquartile range) was reduced from 95 (74-130) min in 2006 to 75 (51-100) min in 2010 (P < 0.01). In this period, the proportion of patients achieving a DTBT of ≤90 min increased from 45% to 67% (P < 0.01). Lower mortality and major adverse cardiac event rates were observed with DTBT ≤90 min (all P < 0.01). Multivariable analysis showed that a DTBT of ≤90 min was associated with improved clinical outcomes at 12 months (odds ratio 0.48; 95% confidence interval 0.33-0.73, P < 0.01)., Conclusion: There has been a decline in median DTBT in the Melbourne Interventional Group registry over 5 years. DTBT of ≤90 min is associated with improved clinical outcomes at 12 months., (© 2014 The Authors; Internal Medicine Journal © 2014 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.)

The aim was to examine timing, causes, and predictors of death during long-term follow-up after contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using a large multicenter Australian registry. The cohort consisted of 10,682 consecutive patients from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry undergoing PCI (February 2004 through November 2009). For the first time in Australia, long-term mortality rates of a PCI cohort were defined by linkage to the National Death Index database. The cohort (mean age 64 ± 12 years) comprised 75% men, 24% diabetics, 59% with multivessel disease, 4.4% with renal failure, 25% with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 2.5% with cardiogenic shock, and 5.1% with heart failure. Drug-eluting stents (DES) were used in 43% of cases. Mean follow-up was 3.2 ± 0.5 years. In-hospital, 30-day, 12-month, and long-term (3.2 ± 0.5 years) mortalities were 1.6% (80% cardiac), 2.1% (79%), 3.9% (61%), and 8.2% (50%), respectively. Independent predictors of long-term mortality included age (hazard ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.06), cardiogenic shock (4.58, 3.60 to 5.83), renal failure (3.14, 2.58 to 3.82), previous heart failure (1.97, 1.60 to 2.41), STEMI (1.79, 1.47 to 2.18), peripheral vascular disease (1.72, 1.4 to 2.11), non-STEMI (1.58, 1.32 to 1.90), multivessel disease (1.47, 1.24 to 1.74), current smoking (1.39, 1.12 to 1.71), diabetes (1.36, 1.16 to 1.59), and cerebrovascular disease (1.33, 1.06 to 1.60, p <0.01 for all comparisons). DES deployment appeared protective against late mortality (hazard ratio 0.85, 0.73 to 0.99, p = 0.04); however, after 30 days, there was no difference in mortality rates between those who received a bare metal stent and those who received a DES. In conclusion, different clinical variables such as renal and heart failure predicted long-term mortality after PCI, whereas DES use in this large registry was not associated with late mortality risk., (Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In early life humans derive all their nutrients from milk. Human milk provides the neonate with not only a food source but also a source of biologically active molecules such as hormones, growth factors and cytokines. Cytokines are multifunctional glycoproteins involved in cell communication and immune system activation. Two of these cytokines, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), are present in variable concentrations in human milk. We measured G-CSF and IL-6 concentrations in healthy nursing mothers. The 30 milk samples assayed contained G-CSF levels from 14 pg/mL to > 2500 pg/mL. Of the 28 milk samples assayed for IL-6, 24 contained levels from 0.81 pg/mL to 306 pg/ mL. The remainder had levels below the detection limit of the assay. These biologically active molecules may play a role in neonatal growth and development, and may also protect the infant against infection.

Human milk provides the neonate with a variety of balanced nutrients and contains biologically active molecules such as hormones and growth factors. We have utilized a sensitive enzyme immunoassay to detect the granulocyte stimulator, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in human milk samples. The 12 milk samples tested contained G-CSF ranging from 45 to 1551 pg/ml.