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Background and Aims: Cardiogenic shock (CS) remains the primary cause of in-hospital death after acute coronary syndromes (ACS), with its plateauing mortality rates approaching 50%. To test novel interventions, personalized risk prediction is essential. The ORBI (Observatoire Régional Breton sur l'Infarctus) score represents the first-of-its-kind risk score to predict in-hospital CS in ACS patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, its sex-specific performance remains unknown, and refined risk prediction strategies are warranted., Methods: This multinational study included a total of 53 537 ACS patients without CS on admission undergoing PCI. Following sex-specific evaluation of ORBI, regression and machine-learning models were used for variable selection and risk prediction. By combining best-performing models with highest-ranked predictors, SEX-SHOCK was developed, and internally and externally validated., Results: The ORBI score showed lower discriminative performance for the prediction of CS in females than males in Swiss (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [95% confidence interval]: 0.78 [0.76-0.81] vs. 0.81 [0.79-0.83]; P =.048) and French ACS patients (0.77 [0.74-0.81] vs. 0.84 [0.81-0.86]; P = .002). The newly developed SEX-SHOCK score, now incorporating ST-segment elevation, creatinine, C-reactive protein, and left ventricular ejection fraction, outperformed ORBI in both sexes (females: 0.81 [0.78-0.83]; males: 0.83 [0.82-0.85]; P < .001), which prevailed following internal and external validation in RICO (females: 0.82 [0.79-0.85]; males: 0.88 [0.86-0.89]; P < .001) and SPUM-ACS (females: 0.83 [0.77-0.90], P = .004; males: 0.83 [0.80-0.87], P = .001)., Conclusions: The ORBI score showed modest sex-specific performance. The novel SEX-SHOCK score provides superior performance in females and males across the entire spectrum of ACS, thus providing a basis for future interventional trials and contemporary ACS management., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: The incidence and outcomes of early cardiac complications in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) are poorly understood. These cardiac complications may be part of the so-called stroke-heart syndrome in patients with ICH. We investigated this issue in an individual patient data pooled analysis from an international repository of clinical trial data., Methods: We used the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive to investigate the incidence of cardiac complications within 30 days post-ICH or acute ischemic stroke (AIS). These complications included acute coronary syndrome encompassing myocardial injury, heart failure/left ventricular dysfunction, atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter, other arrhythmia/ECG abnormalities, and cardiorespiratory arrest. We used propensity score matching to compare the incidence of patients with stroke-heart syndrome in patients with ICH with those following AIS. Factors associated with 90-day mortality were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis in the ICH cohort., Results: We pooled data from 8698 participants recruited in acute stroke trials (mean age, 68±12 years; 56% male), of whom 914 (11%) were patients with ICH. Among the patients with ICH, 123 (13%) had stroke-heart syndrome in patients with ICH. Following propensity score matching, a total of 1828 patients (914 for each of the cohorts) were analyzed. While the overall incidence of cardiac events tended to be lower in the ICH group compared with the AIS group (the cumulative incidence freedom from the event, 86.3% [95% CI, 84.1-88.6] versus 83.6% [95% CI, 81.2-86.0]; P =0.100), the incidences cardiac events other than atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter were comparable between the 2 matched groups. The incidence of atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter was significantly lower in the ICH group than in the AIS group ( P <0.001). The multivariate-adjusted analysis found that stroke-heart syndrome in patients with ICH was associated with 90-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.06-1.19]; P <0.001)., Conclusions: Cardiac events are common and negatively affect prognosis in patients with ICH, just as seen in AIS., Competing Interests: Dr Dawson received speaker fees from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Medtronic, and Pfizer and a travel fee from MicroTransponder, Inc. Dr Dawson also received investigator-initiated research funding grant from the Stroke Association United Kingdom. Dr Lip is a consultant and a speaker for BMS/Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, and Anthos. No fees are received personally. He is a National Institute for Health and Care Research Senior Investigator and a co-principal investigator of the AFFIRMO project on multimorbidity in AF (grant agreement 899871), the TARGET project on digital twins for personalized management of atrial fibrillation and stroke (grant agreement 101136244), and the ARISTOTELES project on artificial intelligence for management of chronic long-term conditions (grant agreement 101080189), which are all funded by the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme of the European Union. The other authors report no conflicts.

Background: Delirium, which is prevalent in critical care settings, remains underexplored in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU)., Aim: To investigate the prevalence and clinical significance of delirium in patients with ACS admitted to the CICU., Study Design: A prospective study (n = 106, mean age 74.2 ± 5.7 years) assessed delirium using the confusion assessment method-intensive care unit (CAM-ICU) tool in 21.7% of ACS patients during their CICU stay. Baseline characteristics, geriatric conditions and clinical procedures were compared between delirious and nondelirious patients. The outcomes included in-hospital mortality, 30-day and 6-month mortality, acute adverse events and length of CICU stay and hospital stay (LOS)., Results: Delirious patients who were older and had a higher incidence of coronary artery disease underwent more complex procedures (e.g., pacemaker placement). Multivariate analysis identified central venous catheter insertion, urinary catheterization and benzodiazepine use as independent predictors of delirium. Delirium was correlated with prolonged LOS (p < .001) and increased in-hospital, 30-day and 6-month mortality (p < .001)., Conclusions: Delirium in ACS patients in the CICU extends hospitalization and increases in-hospital, 30-day and 6-month mortality. Early recognition and targeted interventions are crucial for mitigating adverse outcomes in this high-risk population., Relevance to Clinical Practice: This study highlights the critical impact of delirium on outcomes in hospitalized patients with ACS in the CICU. Delirium, often overlooked in ACS management, significantly extends hospitalization and increases mortality rates. Nurses and physicians must be vigilant in identifying delirium early, particularly in older ACS patients or those with comorbidities. Recognizing independent predictors such as catheterization and benzodiazepine use allows for targeted interventions to reduce delirium incidence. Integrating routine delirium assessments and preventive strategies into ACS management protocols can improve outcomes, optimize resource utilization and enhance overall patient care in the CICU setting., (© 2024 The Author(s). Nursing in Critical Care published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Association of Critical Care Nurses.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the best clinical predictors of acute heart failure needing mechanical ventilation (MV) in the first 48 h of evolution of patients admitted because of acute coronary syndrome (ACS)., Methods: We analyzed a cohort of patients admitted for ACS between February 2017 and February 2018. A pulmonary ultrasound was performed on admission and was considered positive (PE+) when there were three or more B-lines in two quadrants or more of each hemithorax. It was compared with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), peak troponin T-us value GRACE (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events), CRUSADE (Can Rapid risk stratification of Unstable angina patients Suppress ADverse outcomes with Early implementation of the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines - Bleeding Score), CACS (Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome risk score), and HAMIOT (Heart Failure after Acute Myocardial Infarction with Optimal Treatment score) scores, shock index, ejection fraction, chest X-ray, and Killip class at admission as predictors of MV in the first 48 h of admission., Results: A total of 119 patients were included: 54.6% with ST elevation and 45.4% without ST elevation. Twelve patients (10.1%) required MV in the first 48 h of evolution. The sensitivity of PE+ was 100% (73.5-100%), specificity 91.6% (84.6-96.1%), and area under the curve was 0.96 (0.93-0.96). The sensitivity of an NT-proBNP value more than 3647 was 88.9% (51.9-99.7%), specificity 92.1% (84.5-96.8%), and area under the curve was 0.905 (0.793-1). The κ statistic between both predictors was 0.579. All the other scores were significantly worse than PE + ., Conclusion: Lung ultrasound and a high NT-proBNP (3647 ng/L in our series) on admission are the best predictors of acute heart failure needing MV in the first 48 h of ACS. The agreement between both tests was only moderate., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The present study investigated the characteristics of rare but often fatal cases of acute coronary syndrome and aortic dissection and the factors affecting mortality. HEART score, aortic dissection detection risk score, and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Event (GRACE) Score were calculated by evaluating biochemical tests and symptoms/signs of the 20 patients who were admitted to our clinic with a preliminary diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction and subsequently diagnosed with aortic dissection. The assumption of normal distribution was checked with the Shapiro-Wilk test, and independent group comparisons were made with the t test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Relationships between qualitative variables were analyzed with chi-square tests. Relationships between quantitative variables were analyzed with Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficients. Patients with conditions like hypertension and diabetes are at higher risk for aortic dissection. We recommend the use of the GRACE Score with the risk parameters we have determined for the prediction of operative mortality. We suggest that the axillary region and antegrade cerebral perfusion may be preferred as the cannulation area in dissection repair. We emphasize preliminary risk assessment according to the aortic dissection detection risk score and remind physicians that ECG ST-T and troponin changes may be misleading., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Aim/Background Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), a condition characterized by acute cardiac ischemia, is among the major causes of death from cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, whether there is a correlation between platelet reactivity and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) remains debatable, and whether platelet function tests should be tailored for ACS patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still under discussion. This study aims to investigate the relationship between platelet reactivity and the occurrence of MACE in ACS patients post-PCI and to discuss the implications of these findings. Methods Clinical studies on 'PCI, ACS, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), platelet reactivity, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE)' up to 31 October 2023, were systematically collected from Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. Twelve articles meeting predefined criteria were selected. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 (Cochrane, London, UK) and Stata 15.0 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, USA) to compute pooled effect sizes, assess heterogeneity, explore sources of heterogeneity, and evaluate publication bias. Results Twelve articles consisting of 9297 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that ACS patients with high platelet reactivity (HPR) who received PCI and used DAPT for 1-2 years had a greater risk of MACE (risk ratio (RR) = 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30-2.46) compared to those with low platelet reactivity. Moreover, greater platelet reactivity was associated independently with all-cause mortality (RR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.63-3.12), cardiac mortality (RR = 2.87, 95% CI: 2.16-3.8), myocardial infarction (RR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.53-2.5), in-stent restenosis (RR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.22-2.87), as well as stroke (RR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.02-2.57), but not with coronary revascularization events (RR = 0.99, p = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.80-1.24). On the other hand, meta-regression revealed that region ( p = 0.99), type of ACS patient ( p = 0.16), drug regimen ( p = 0.48), testing method ( p = 0.51), sampling time ( p = 0.70), follow-up time ( p = 0.45), and PCI protocol ( p = 0.27) were not sources of heterogeneity in the study. Conclusion The meta-analysis outcomes indicate that in ACS patients receiving PCI and using dual antiplatelet therapy for 1-2 years, HPR was independently positively correlated with major adverse cardiovascular events, all-cause (or cardiac) mortality, recurrent myocardial infarction, in-stent restenosis, and stroke. This suggests that platelet reactivity testing has clinical and translational significance in predicting patients' risk of adverse cardiovascular events.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome and atrial fibrillation are common cardiovascular diseases in elderly individuals. Patients with comorbidities face increased risks of bleeding and ischemia; however, there is a lack of prognostic models for quantifying these risks in this special population., Methods and Results: In this retrospective cohort study, 1851 patients (≥65 years old) with acute coronary syndrome and atrial fibrillation from 2 hospitals in China were included in the development cohort (1252 individuals) and 2 external validation cohorts (284 and 315 individuals). During 1-year follow-up, 96 Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 3 or 5 bleeding events and 245 thromboembolic events were observed. In the development cohort, the concordance indexes for bleeding at 3, 6, and 12 mo ranged from 0.737 to 0.845 and for ischemia ranged from 0.723 to 0.777. The calibration curve and decision curve analysis indicated adequate calibration and clinical practicability. The concordance indexes varied from 0.679 to 0.809 in the validation cohorts. Subgroup analyses focusing on anticoagulant drugs and antithrombotic therapy were conducted, revealing similar discrimination and calibration. Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated significant differences (log-rank P <0.001). Additionally, the models outperformed conventional models in concordance indexes, integrated discrimination improvement, and net reclassification improvement., Conclusions: Our study provides 2 robust prognostic models with easily available clinical factors for predicting bleeding and ischemia in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome and atrial fibrillation. Furthermore, we provide online calculators to facilitate individualized risk evaluation and clinical decision-making., Registration: URL: www.chictr.org.cn/. Unique Identifier: ChiCTR2200067185.

Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) has significantly contributed to reducing the mortality of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) even in cardiogenic shock and is now the standard of care in most of Japanese institutions. The Task Force on Primary PCI of the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (CVIT) proposed an expert consensus document for the management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) focusing on procedural aspects of primary PCI in 2018 and updated in 2022. Recently, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) published the guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndrome in 2023. Major new updates in the 2023 ESC guideline include: (1) intravascular imaging should be considered to guide PCI (Class IIa); (2) timing of complete revascularization; (3) antiplatelet therapy in patient with high-bleeding risk. Reflecting rapid advances in the field, the Task Force on Primary PCI of the CVIT group has now proposed an updated expert consensus document for the management of ACS focusing on procedural aspects of primary PCI in 2024 version., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) and increased aortic stiffness are associated with higher mortality in patients with chronic coronary syndrome, while their prognostic significance after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is less known., Methods: We analyzed prevalence, clinical phenotypes and association of LEAD - assessed by the ankle-brachial index (ABI) - and increased aortic stiffness - assessed by the aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) - with all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients admitted with an ACS., Results: Among 270 patients admitted for ACS (mean age 67 years, 80% males), 41 (15%) had an ABI ≤0.9, with 14 of them (34%) presenting with intermittent claudication (symptomatic LEAD). Patients with symptomatic LEAD, compared with those with asymptomatic LEAD or without LEAD, had higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Patients with LEAD, either symptomatic or asymptomatic, more frequently presented with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and more frequently had multivessel coronary artery disease. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic LEAD were significantly associated with all-cause mortality after adjustment for confounders, including multivessel disease or carotid artery disease (hazard ratio 4.03, 95% confidence interval 1.61-10.08, P  < 0.01), whereas PWV was not associated with the outcome in the univariable model. LEAD and PWV were not associated with a higher risk of MACE (myocardial infarction or unstable angina, stroke, or transient ischemic attack)., Conclusions: LEAD, either clinical or subclinical, but not increased aortic stiffness, is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients admitted for ACS., (Copyright © 2024 Italian Federation of Cardiology - I.F.C. All rights reserved.)

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a serious complication of heart attack and constitutes one of its main causes of death. To date, there is no data on its treatment and evolution in Latin America., Objectives: To know the clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, evolution and in-hospital mortality of CS in Latin America., Materials and Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter registry of patients hospitalized with CS in the context of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) with and without ST segment elevation for 24 months., Results: 41 Latin American centers participated incorporating patients during the period between October 2021 and September 2023. 278 patients were included. Age: 66 (59-75) years, 70.1 % men. 74.8 % of the cases correspond to ACS with ST elevation, 14.4 % to ACS without ST elevation, 5.7 % to right ventricular infarction and 5.1 % to mechanical complications. CS was present from admission in 60 % of cases. Revascularization: 81.3 %, inotropic use: 97.8 %, ARM: 52.5 %, Swan Ganz: 17 %, intra-aortic balloon pump: 22.2 %. Overall in-hospital mortality was 52.7 %, with no differences between ACS with or without ST., Conclusions: Morbidity and mortality is very high despite the high reperfusion used., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) often experience high levels of anxiety, which can significantly impact their prognosis. However, evidence regarding anxiety reduction by aromatherapy in patients with ACS is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the effects of aromatherapy on anxiety in patients with ACS. Methods: The literature search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO from their inception until February 21, 2024. Based on inclusion criteria, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on aromatherapy in patients with ACS aged ≥ 18 years were included. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for RCTs. Results: A total of 14 studies were included in the final analysis. Aromatherapy significantly reduced anxiety among patients with ACS, with a large effect size (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.47 to -0.85). The effect on systolic blood pressure (SBP) was -0.65 (95% CI: -1.15 to -0.15), indicating a moderate effect size, whereas there was no significant effect on diastolic blood pressure. Inhalation therapy demonstrated a large effect size (SMD = -1.70, 95% CI: -2.33 to -1.08), whereas massage therapy did not show a significant effect on reducing anxiety. Discussion/Conclusions: The findings show that aromatherapy can effectively reduce anxiety and SBP in patients with ACS. In particular, inhalation therapy showed a significant effect on reducing anxiety levels. Applying aromatherapy in clinical settings to reduce anxiety among patients with ACS should be considered. However, the limited number of studies analyzed hinders a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of massage therapy. Hence, further research is necessary to elucidate its potential role in reducing anxiety among patients with ACS.

Objectives: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains a high-risk procedure and is associated with adverse outcomes. The risk factors of acute stroke in the above-mentioned patients stay unclear and some appropriate data is lacking in the literature. Thus, we aimed to investigate the predictors of acute stroke in patients undergoing CABG surgery in ACS., Methods: The retrospective single-centre cohort analysis was conducted. All patients ( n = 1344) who suffered from acute coronary syndrome and underwent CABG procedure at the University hospital Cologne from June 2011 until October 2019 were included in our study. In order to find the risk factors of acute stroke after bypass surgery, patients were divided into two groups (non-stroke group ( n = 1297) and stroke group ( n = 47)). In order to even above-mentioned groups propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed (non-stroke group ( n = 46) and stroke group ( n = 46)., Results: Duration of cardiopulmonary bypass ( p = .015) and cross clamp time ( p = .006) were significantly longer in patients who suffered stroke. Perioperative myocardial infarction was significantly higher ( p = .030) in the stroke group. Likewise, the duration of intensive care unit stay ( p < .001) and in-hospital stay ( p < .001) were significantly longer in patients with stroke. However, the mortality rate did not differ significantly ( p = .131) between above-mentioned groups. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed cardiogenic shock ( p = .003), peripheral vascular disease (PVD, p = .025) and previous stroke ( p = .045) as relevant independent predictors for acute stroke after CABG procedure in patients with ACS., Conclusion: Based on our findings, acute stroke after bypass surgery in patients with ACS is associated with increased mortality and adverse outcomes. Cardiogenic shock, peripheral vascular disease and previous stroke were independent predictors of stroke after CABG procedure. Therefore, preoperative evaluation of potential risk factors may be crucial to improve postoperative results.

The prognostic value of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) in predicting long-term adverse outcomes in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients remains limited. Our study examines the association between GDF-15 and adverse outcomes over an extended period in CHD patients and firstly assesses the incremental prognostic effect of incorporating GDF-15 into the Framingham risk score (FRS)-based model. This single-center prospective cohort study included 3,321 patients with CHD categorized into 2,479 acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (74.6%) and 842 non-ACS (25.4%) groups. The median age was 61.0 years (range: 53.0-70.0), and 917 (27.6%) were females. Mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) included cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and heart failure (HF) (inclusive of HF episodes requiring outpatient treatment and/or hospital admission). Cox regression models assessed the associations between GDF-15 and the incidence of all-cause mortality and MACEs. Patients were stratified into three groups based on GDF-15 levels: the first tertile group (< 1,370 ng/L), the second tertile group (1,370-2,556 ng/L), and the third tertile group (> 2,556 ng/L). The C-index, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), net reclassification improvement (NRI), and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess incremental value. Over a median 9.4-year follow-up, 759 patients (22.9%) died, and 1,291 (38.9%) experienced MACEs. The multivariate Cox model indicated that GDF-15 was significantly associated with all-cause mortality (per ln unit increase, HR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.36-1.64) and MACEs (per ln unit increase, HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.20-1.38). These associations persisted when GDF-15 was analyzed as an ordinal variable (p for trend < 0.05). Subgroup analysis of ACS and non-ACS for the components of MACEs separately showed a significant association between GDF-15 and both cardiovascular mortality and HF, but no association was observed between GDF-15 and MI /stroke in both ACS and non-ACS patients. The addition of GDF-15 to the FRS-based model enhanced the discrimination for both all-cause mortality (∆ C-index = 0.009, 95% CI: 0.005-0.014; IDI = 0.030, 95% CI: 0.015-0.047; continuous NRI = 0.631, 95% CI: 0.569-0.652) and MACEs (∆ C-index = 0.009, 95% CI: 0.006-0.012; IDI = 0.026, 95% CI: 0.009-0.042; continuous NRI = 0.593, 95% CI: 0.478-0.682). DCA suggested that incorporating GDF-15 into the FRS-based model demonstrated higher net benefits compared to FRS-based models alone (All-cause mortality: FRS-based model: area under the curve of DCA (AUDC) = 0.0903, FRS-based model + GDF-15: AUDC = 0.0908; MACEs: FRS-based model: AUDC = 0.1806, FRS-based model + GDF-15: AUDC = 0.1833). GDF-15 significantly associates with the long-term prognosis of all-cause mortality and MACEs in CHD patients and significantly improves the prognostic accuracy of the FRS-based model for both outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Fondaparinux is an effective and safe anticoagulant in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). However, due to the low representation of obese individuals in clinical trials, the effects of applying the results of this drug to this population remain uncertain., Objectives: To compare Fondaparinux to Enoxaparin in the treatment of obese patients with ACS., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study, including obese individuals (BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2) admitted with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) or unstable angina (UA) and treated with Fondaparinux or Enoxaparin between 2010 and 2020. The Fondaparinux and Enoxaparin groups were compared for their clinical and laboratory characteristics using chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests, as appropriate. The incidence of primary outcomes (death, reinfarction, stroke, major bleeding) was compared between groups. P-value < 0.05 was considered significant for all analyses., Results: A total of 367 obese patients with NSTEMI or UA were included, of whom 258 used Fondaparinux and 109 used Enoxaparin. Mean age was 64 ± 12 years, and 52.9% were male. The prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, prior coronary artery disease, prior stroke, and implementation of invasive strategy was similar between groups. The incidence of the primary outcome was 4.7% in the Fondaparinux group and 5.5% in the Enoxaparin group (p = 0.729). There was no difference between groups when analyzing the components of the primary outcome separately., Conclusion: In a sample of obese patients with NSTEMI or UA, there was no difference in the occurrence of the composite outcome (death, stroke, reinfarction, major bleeding) between patients who used Fondaparinux or Enoxaparin.

Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and thyroid dysfunction frequently overlap clinically and are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The free triiodothyronine to free thyroxine (FT3/FT4) ratio as a novel biomarker of cardiovascular disease prognosis, but the impact of the FT3/FT4 ratio on the prognosis of OSA in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) remains uncertain., Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 2160 patients with ACS were recruited and underwent portable sleep monitoring at Beijing Anzhen Hospital from June 2015 to January 2020. OSA was diagnosed when apnea-hypopnea index of ≥15 events/h. Patients were further divided into tertiles according to FT3/FT4 ratio. All patients had scheduled follow-up visits at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after discharge, with subsequent outpatient visits or telephone follow-up visits every 6 months. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, ischemia-driven revascularization, or hospitalization for unstable angina or heart failure., Results: Among 1,547 euthyroid patients enrolled (mean age, 56.0 ± 10.5 years), 812 patients (52.5%) had OSA. The FT3/FT4 ratio between OSA and non-OSA patients was not significantly different. During 2.8 (1.4, 3.5) years follow up, the risk of MACCE increased with the decreasing FT3/FT4 tertiles in patients with OSA (tertile3 as reference, tertile2: hazard ratio (HR) 1.26, 95% CI: 0.85-1.86, P = 0.255; tertile1: 1.60, 95% CI 1.11-2.32; P = 0.013). After adjustment for confounders, the lowest FT3/FT4 tertile was still independently associated with an increased risk of MACCE (adjusted HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.11-2.50, P = 0.015)., Conclusion: Lower FT3/FT4 ratio associated with poor prognosis in patients with ACS and OSA., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhou, He, Ai, Zhao, Chen, Li, Zhang, Fan, Gong and Nie.)

Background: The optimal antithrombotic regimen for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who had an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is not known., Objectives: The authors sought to determine which antithrombotic regimen best balances safety and efficacy., Methods: AUGUSTUS, a multicenter 2 × 2 factorial design randomized trial compared apixaban with vitamin K antagonist (VKA) and aspirin with placebo in patients with AF with recent ACS and/or PCI treated with a P2Y 12 inhibitor. We conducted a 4-way analysis comparing safety and efficacy outcomes in the 4 randomized groups. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death, major or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding, or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes over 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included individual components of the primary endpoint., Results: A total of 4,614 patients were enrolled. All patients were treated with a P2Y 12 inhibitor. The primary endpoint occurred in 21.9% of patients randomized to apixaban plus placebo, 27.3% randomized to apixaban plus aspirin, 28.0% randomized to VKA plus placebo, and 33.3% randomized to VKA plus aspirin. Rates of major or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding and hospitalization for cardiovascular causes were lower with apixaban and placebo compared with the other 3 antithrombotic strategies. There was no difference between the 4 randomized groups with respect to all-cause death., Conclusions: In patients with AF and a recent ACS and/or PCI, an antithrombotic regimen that included a P2Y 12 inhibitor and apixaban without aspirin resulted in a lower incidence of the composite of death, bleeding, or cardiovascular hospitalization than regimens including VKA, aspirin, or both. (An Open-label, 2 x 2 Factorial, Randomized Controlled, Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety of Apixaban vs. Vitamin K Antagonist and Aspirin vs. Aspirin Placebo in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Acute Coronary Syndrome or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; NCT02415400)., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The AUGUSTUS study and this analysis were funded by Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer. Dr Berwanger has received research grants from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Bayer, Amgen, Novartis, Servier, and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr Fanaroff has received research grants from the American Heart Association and National Institutes of Health; and has received consulting fees from Abbott Laboratories. Dr Granger has received research grants from Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi-Sankyo, Janssen, Pfizer, Armetheon, AstraZeneca, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, GlaxoSmithKline, The Medicines Company, Medtronic Foundation, Medtronic Inc, and Novartis; and has received consulting fees from Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi-Sankyo, Janssen, Pfizer, Abbvie, Armetheon, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Hoffmann-La Roche, The Medicines Company, National Institutes of Health, Novartis, Sirtex, Verseon, Apple, Medscape, LLC, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Roche Diagnostics, and Rho Pharmaceuticals. Dr Mehran has received institutional research grants from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Beth Israel Deaconess, Bristol Myers Squibb/Sanofi, CSL Behring, Eli Lilly/Daiichi-Sankyo, Medtronic, Novartis, and OrbusNeich; has received consulting fees from Boston Scientific, Abbott Vascular, Medscape, Siemens Medical Solutions, Roivant Sciences Inc, and Sanofi; has consulted (no fees) for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc; has received institutional consulting fees from Abbott Vascular, Spectranetics/Phillips/Volcano Corporation, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, and Watermark Research; is an executive committee member for Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bristol Myers Squibb; and has <1% equity in Claret Medical and Elixir Medical. Dr Aronson is an employee of Bristol Myers Squibb. Dr Windecker has received institutional research and educational grants from Abbott, Amgen, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, Polares, and Sinomed. Dr Goodman has received research grant support and/or speaker/consulting honoraria from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, Daiichi-Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Esperion, Fenix Group International, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, HLS Therapeutics, Janssen/Johnson and Johnson, Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Matrizyme, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk A/C, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Servier, Tenax Therapeutics, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario/University of Toronto, Canadian Heart Research Centre and MD Primer, Canadian VIGOUR Centre, Duke Clinical Research Institute, and PERFUSE. Dr Alexander has received research grants from Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, CryoLife, CSL Behring, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Sanofi, and VoluMetrix; and has received consulting fees from Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, AbbVie Pharmaceuticals, CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Quantum Genomics, Teikoku Pharmaceuticals, VA Cooperative Studies, and Zafgen. Dr Lopes has received research grants or contracts from Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Medtronic, Pfizer, and Sanofi; has received funding for educational activities or lectures from Pfizer, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Novo Nordisk; and has received funding for consulting or other services from Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Novo Nordisk. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the clinical presentation and evaluation of acute life-threatening chest pain in Accra, Ghana., Design: This was a cross-sectional study at the emergency departments of two leading tertiary hospitals in Accra., Settings: The study was conducted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital in Accra., Participants: The study participants comprised adult patients aged 18 years and above who presented with acute chest pain at the emergency departments between April and June 2018., Main Outcome: Acute coronary syndrome is the leading life-threatening cause of chest pain with poor pre- and in-hospital care., Results: 232 patients with chest pain were enrolled as respondents aged 18 to 94 years. The prevalence of life-threatening conditions causing chest pain was 31.9% of those who presented with acute chest pain. These included acute coronary syndrome (82.4%), pulmonary embolism (14.9%), and acute chest syndrome (2.7%). A few (6.6%) with life-threatening conditions such as acute coronary syndrome were transported by ambulances, and 44.3% reported to the facility within 2 to 9 days after the onset of chest pain. None of the patients with pulmonary embolism and acute chest syndrome had computer tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) and echocardiogram done, respectively., Conclusion: Our study found that life-threatening conditions amongst patients presenting with acute chest pains are common; however, there is a need to improve pre-hospital care and in-hospital assessment of these cases., Funding: The study was partly funded by the Medtronic Foundation., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared, (Copyright © The Author(s).)

Background: It is unclear whether advances in management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and introduction of novel oral anticoagulants have changed outcomes in patients with ACS with concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF)., Objective: This study aimed to examine the incidence of AF in patients admitted for ACS and to evaluate its association with adverse outcomes, given the recent advances in management of both diseases., Methods: Natural language processing search algorithms identified AF in patients admitted with ACS across 13 Northwell Health Hospitals from 2015 to 2021. Hierarchical generalized linear mixed modeling was used to assess the association between AF and in-hospital mortality, bleeding, and stroke outcomes; marginal Cox regression modeling was used to assess the association between AF and postdischarge mortality., Results: Of 12,315 patients admitted for ACS, 3018 (24.5%) had AF with 1609 (53.3%) newly diagnosed. AF patients more commonly received anticoagulation with an oral anticoagulant (80.4% vs 12.3%) or heparin (61.9% vs 56.9%), had lengthier intensive care unit stay (72 vs 49 hours), and underwent fewer percutaneous coronary interventions (31.9% vs 53.1%). In-hospital bleeding, stroke, and mortality were higher in the AF group (15.3% vs 5.0%, 7.4% vs 2.4%, and 6.9% vs 2.1%, respectively). AF was an independent risk factor for all in-hospital outcomes (odds ratios of 2.5, 2.7, and 2.0 for bleeding, stroke, and mortality, respectively) as well as for postdischarge mortality (hazard ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2-1.5)., Conclusion: AF is present in 25% of ACS patients and increases risk of in-hospital and postdischarge adverse outcomes. Additional data are required to direct optimal management., Competing Interests: Disclosures The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) during acute coronary syndrome is somewhat unclear, since often subjects dying before the first healthcare contact are not included in the estimates. We aimed to investigate the complete incidence of SCA during ACS., Methods: The study population consists of two cohorts. The first cohort includes 472 ACS patients from Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland from year 2016 and the second cohort 162 autopsy-verified SCD subjects (extrapolated) from the same region and year, whose death was attributable to coronary artery disease (CAD) and ACS. An extrapolation of SCA incidence during ACS was done by utilizing autopsy data and data from prior autopsy study on this sample., Results: The overall incidence of SCA in the setting of ACS was 17.5%. The incidence of SCA was 20.6% in all ACS subjects without prior CAD diagnosis, and 25.4% in STEMI subjects without prior CAD diagnosis. In subjects with previously diagnosed CAD, the incidence of SCA was 10.9% in all ACS subjects and 16.1% in STEMI subjects. There was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of SCA between subjects with and without prior CAD diagnosis (p = 0.0052)., Conclusion: The inclusion of ACS-SCA subjects dying before the first emergency medical service (EMS) contact results in a higher and likely more accurate estimation of SCA during ACS. The incidence of SCA was higher among subjects without prior CAD diagnosis. The high mortality rate highlights the importance of early ACS detection to reduce the burden of CAD-related premature deaths., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Even in patients who survive resuscitation through multidisciplinary treatment, minor persistent symptoms can make hospital discharge difficult. Herein, we report a case of myocardial infarction with intractable symptoms following resuscitation, which were successfully treated using Kampo medicine., Case Presentation: A 71-year-old man experienced intractable cough and hiccups following resuscitation for acute myocardial infarction. Despite successful invasive treatment for his cardiac condition, the patient's persistent symptoms hindered his recovery and discharge from hospital. The patient was diagnosed with qi and blood deficiency, qi stagnation, and fluid retention, before being prescribed the Kampo medicine "bukuryoingohangekobokuto (BRIHK)". Within days of treatment initiation, his symptoms notably improved, allowing him to be discharged., Conclusion: This case highlights the potential of Kampo medicine for addressing post-resuscitation symptoms that are refractory to conventional treatments, and emphasizes the importance of integrating Kampo medicine with Western medical practices to enhance patient care and quality of life., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: β1-blockers could improve clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease by lowering the heart rate, blood pressure, and myocardial contractility. Moreover, recent studies have suggested that β1-blockers may also have the potential to reduce bleeding risk., Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between β1-blockers and bleeding risk in the patients prescribed with potent dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods: Patients with ACS or undergoing PCI treated by DAPT of ticagrelor and aspirin were consecutively recruited. Follow-up for all eligible patients was conducted for 1 year. Major bleeding outcomes were defined as events that were type ≥2 based on the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria., Results: A total of 1,113 eligible ticagrelor-treated patients were recruited. During the 1-year follow-up interval, 142 (12.6%) patients experienced BARC ≥2 bleedings including 23 patients (2.1%) suffering BARC ≥3 bleedings, with the most common site of bleeding located in the gastrointestinal tract. β1-blockers treatment was associated with a lower risk of BARC ≥2 bleedings (11.2% vs. 23.3%, adjusted HR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.28-0.62, P < 0.01). Moreover, metoprolol (11.1% vs. 23.3%, adjusted HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.37-0.83, P < 0.01) and bisoprolol (11.3% vs. 23.3%, adjusted HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.33-0.96, P = 0.04) had similar effects on the reduction of bleeding risk., Conclusion: β1-blockers might be beneficial for the reduction of bleeding risk in potent dual antiplatelet therapy patients with ACS or undergoing PCI., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hellenic Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The simultaneous occurrence of cancer and acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) presents a complex clinical challenge. This study clarifies variances in diagnostic parameters among ACS patients with and without concurrent cancer., Methods: This retrospective study included 320 individuals diagnosed with ACS, stratified equally into two cohorts-one with cancer and the other cancer-free. We evaluated risk factors, symptom profiles, coronary angiography results, echocardiographic evaluations, and laboratory diagnostics. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t -test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the chi-square test., Results: Cancer patients were older (mean age 71.03 vs. 65.13 years, p < 0.001) and had a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease (33.1% vs. 15.0%, p < 0.001) but a lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia (59.7% vs. 82.5%, p < 0.001). Chest pain was less frequent in cancer patients (72.5% vs. 90%, p < 0.001), while hypotension was more common (41.9% vs. 28.8%, p = 0.022). NSTEMI was more common in cancer patients (41.9% vs. 30.6%, p = 0.048), while STEMI was less common (20.6% vs. 45.3%, p < 0.001). RCA and LAD involvement were less frequent in cancer patients (RCA: 18.1% vs. 30.0%, p = 0.018; LAD: 18.8% vs. 30.0%, p = 0.026)., Conclusions: This study demonstrates differences in the clinical presentation of ACS between patients with and without cancer. Cancer patients were less likely to present with chest pain and more likely to experience hypotension. Additionally, they had a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease and they were less likely to have hyperlipidemia. These findings highlight the need for a careful approach to diagnosing ACS in oncology patients, considering their distinct symptomatology.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is frequently accompanied by newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF)., Aims: We aimed to compare the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in ACS patients presenting with known, newly diagnosed, or no AF., Methods: In our multicentre, prospective registry study, we included patients with confirmed ACS. Patients are classified as having known, newly diagnosed or no AF. Newly diagnosed AF is subdivided according to the duration of the episode, time of onset, post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or spontaneous occurrence, and treatment with oral anticoagulants (OAC). The primary endpoint is MACE at 1 year. Key secondary endpoints include ischaemic stroke and bleeding complications., Results: Amongst 4,433 patients with confirmed ACS, 3,598 (81.2%) had no AF, 438 (9.9%) had newly diagnosed AF, and 397 (9.0%) had known AF. The rates of OAC treatment at discharge were 53.4% in patients with newly diagnosed AF and 89.2% in patients with known AF. After adjusting for baseline imbalances, only new AF was independently associated with increased rates of MACE, whereas known AF was not (hazard ratio [HR] 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19-1.90 and HR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.70-1.23). For ACS patients with newly diagnosed AF, episodes lasting >24 hours were associated with a higher risk of MACE compared to episodes <24 hours (HR 1.99, 95% CI: 1.36-2.93). Episodes of new AF occurring post-CABG had more favourable outcomes compared to spontaneously occurring new AF (HR for MACE 0.52, 95% CI: 0.31-0.86). OAC treatment rates were higher in the new AF subcategories with higher rates of MACE and ischaemic stroke., Conclusions: Newly diagnosed AF in ACS patients was associated with higher rates of MACE and ischaemic stroke compared to ACS patients without or with known AF. Among the ACS patients with new AF, an episode lasting >24 hours was associated with worse outcomes than shorter episodes, while post-CABG occurrence of AF showed relatively better outcomes compared to spontaneously occurring AF. Only 53% of new AF patients were discharged on OAC therapy versus 89% with known AF.

Objective: This study intends to explore the effect of depressive symptoms on adverse clinical outcomes in middle-aged and elderly hypertensive patients., Methods: This post hoc analysis was conducted using data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), and we used cox proportional risk regression to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and adverse clinical outcomes (primary outcome, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease(CVD) mortality, heart failure(HF), myocardial infarction(MI), non-myocardial infarction acute coronary syndrome(non-MI ACS))., Results: In a follow-up study of 9259 participants, we found that depression symptoms was significantly and positively associated with the primary outcome (HR 1.03, 95%CI 1.01-1.05; p for trend = 0.0038), all-cause mortality (HR 1.03, 95%CI 1.01-1.05; p for trend = 0.0308), HF(HR 1.05, 95%CI 1.01-1.08; p for trend = 0.0107), and non-MI ACS(HR 1.06, 95%CI 1.01-1.10; p for trend = 0.0120). Kaplan-Meier survival curves for depression symptoms severity (none, mild, moderate, and above) and adverse clinical outcomes suggested that for all but primary clinical outcomes, the cumulative risk of adverse clinical outcomes increased with increasing depression symptoms severity., Conclusion: For middle-aged and elderly hypertensive patients, depression symptoms exacerbates the risk of adverse clinical outcomes (primary outcome, all-cause mortality, CVD death, MI, HF, and non-MI ACS), and the risk increases with the severity of depression symptoms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Ning Ding reports financial support was provided by Changsha Natural Science Foundation (kq2208445), Changsha Central Hospital (YNKY202306), Changsha Science and Technology Bureau (kzd22074, kzd22075). If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background and Aims: The healthcare burden of acute chest pain is enormous. In the randomized ARTICA trial, we showed that pre-hospital identification of low-risk patients and rule-out of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) with point-of-care (POC) troponin measurement reduces 30-day healthcare costs with low major adverse cardiac events (MACE) incidence. Here we present the final 1-year results of the ARTICA trial., Methods: Low-risk patients with suspected NSTE-ACS were randomized to pre-hospital rule-out with POC troponin measurement or emergency department (ED) transfer. Primary 1-year outcome was healthcare costs. Secondary outcomes were safety, quality of life (QoL), and cost-effectiveness. Safety was defined as a 1-year MACE consisting of ACS, unplanned revascularization, or all-cause death. QoL was measured with EuroQol-5D-5L questionnaires. Cost-effectiveness was defined as 1-year healthcare costs difference per QoL difference., Results: Follow-up was completed for all 863 patients. Healthcare costs were significantly lower in the pre-hospital strategy (€1932 ± €2784 vs. €2649 ± €2750), mean difference €717 [95% confidence interval (CI) €347 to €1087; P < 0.001]. In the total population, the 1-year MACE rate was comparable between groups [5.1% (22/434) in the pre-hospital strategy vs. 4.2% (18/429) in the ED strategy; P = 0.54]. In the ruled-out ACS population, 1-year MACE remained low [1.7% (7/419) vs. 1.4% (6/417)], risk difference 0.2% (95% CI -1.4% to 1.9%; P = 0.79). QoL showed no significant difference between strategies., Conclusions: Pre-hospital rule-out of NSTE-ACS with POC troponin testing in low-risk patients is cost-effective, as expressed by a sustainable healthcare cost reduction and no significant effect on QoL. One-year MACE remained low for both strategies., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: The effects of aspirin-free strategy on bleeding and cardiovascular events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with oral anticoagulation (OAC) have not been fully elucidated., Methods and Results: We conducted the prespecified subgroup analysis based on the use of OAC, including vitamin K antagonist and direct oral anticoagulants, within 7 days before percutaneous coronary intervention in the STOPDAPT-3 (Short and Optimal Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy-3) trial, which randomly compared prasugrel monotherapy (2984 patients) to dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with prasugrel and aspirin (2982 patients) in patients with acute coronary syndrome or high bleeding risk. The coprimary end points were major bleeding events (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium types 3 or 5) and cardiovascular events (a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, definite stent thrombosis, or ischemic stroke) at 1 month. Among 5966 study patients, there were 530 patients (8.9%) with OAC (no aspirin: N=248, and DAPT: N=282) and 5436 patients (91.1%) without OAC (no aspirin: N=2736, and DAPT: N=2700). Regardless of the use of OAC, the effects of no aspirin compared with DAPT were not significant for the bleeding end point (OAC: 4.45% and 4.27%, hazard ratio [HR], 1.04 [95% CI, 0.46-2.35]; no-OAC: 4.47% and 4.75%, HR, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.73-1.20]; P for interaction=0.82), and for the cardiovascular end point (OAC: 4.84% and 3.20%, HR, 1.53 [95% CI, 0.64-3.62]; no-OAC: 4.06% and 3.74%, HR, 1.09 [95% CI 0.83-1.42]; P for interaction =0.46)., Conclusions: The no-aspirin strategy compared with the DAPT strategy failed to reduce major bleeding events irrespective of the use of OAC. There was a numerical excess risk of the no-aspirin strategy relative to the DAPT strategy for cardiovascular events in patients with OAC.

Objectives: To determine the influence of presenting electrocardiographic (ECG) changes on prognosis in acute coronary syndrome cardiogenic shock (ACS-CS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary angiography (PCI)., Background: The effect of initial ECG changes such as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) versus non-STEMI among patients ACS-CS on prognosis remains unclear., Methods: We analysed data from consecutive patients with ACS-CS enrolled in the Victorian Cardiac Outcomes registry between 2014 and 2020. Inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis (IPTW) was used to assess the effect of ECG changes on 30-day mortality., Results: Of 1564 patients with ACS-CS who underwent PCI, 161 had non-STEMI and 1403 had STEMI on ECG. The mean age was 66 ± 13 years, and 74 % (1152) were males. Patients with non-STEMI compared to STEMI were older (70 ± 12 vs 65 ± 13 years), had higher rates of diabetes (34 % vs 21 %), prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery (14 % vs 3.3 %), peripheral arterial disease (10.6 % vs 4.1 %, p < 0.01), and lower baseline eGFR (53.8 [37.1, 75.4] vs 65.3 [46.3, 87.8] ml/min/1.73m 2 ), all p ≤ 0.01. Non-STEMI patients were more likely to have a culprit left circumflex artery (29 % vs 20 %) and more often underwent multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (30 % vs 20 %) but had lower rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (21 % vs 39 %), all p ≤ 0.01. Propensity score analysis with IPTW confirmed that non-STEMI ECG was associated with lower odds for 30-day all-cause mortality (OR 0.47 [0.32, 0.69], p < 0.001), and 30-day major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (OR 0.48 [0.33, 0.70])., Conclusions: In patients undergoing PCI, Non-STEMI as compared to STEMI on index ECG was associated with approximately half the relative risk of both 30-day mortality and 30-day MACCE and could be a useful variable to integrate in ACS-CS risk scores., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. N D’Elia – None; ndelia@utas.edu.au Ms Sara Vogrin – None; sara.vogrin@unimelb.edu.au Ms Angela Brennan – None; angela.brennan@monash.edu Ms Diem Dinh – None; diem.dinh@monash.edu Dr. Jeffrey Lefkovits – None; lefkovits@me.com Professor Christopher Reid – None; christopher.reid@curtin.edu.au A/Prof Dion Stub - Proctor for Medtronic, Edwards and Abbott. Research supported by the National Heart Foundation and NHMRC fellowships; dion.stub@monash.edu Dr. Jason Bloom – None; jason.elliott.bloom@gmail.com Dr. Kawa Haji – None; kaawa22@hotmail.com Dr. Samer Noaman – None; Samerkn@yahoo.com Professor David Kaye – None; david.kaye@alfred.org.au A/Prof Nicholas Cox – None; Nicholas.Cox@wh.org.au A/Prof William Chan – None; william.chan@unimelb.edu.au, (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose of Review: This review examines the available evidence concerning the incidence of heart failure in patients with chronic coronary syndrome, with a focus on gender differences., Recent Findings: The incidence of heart failure in the context of chronic coronary syndrome presents conflicting data. Most of the available information stems from studies involving stable patients' post-acute coronary syndrome, revealing a wide range of incidence rates, from less than 3% to over 20%, observed over 5 years of follow-up. Regarding the gender differences in heart failure incidence, there is no consensus about whether women exhibit a higher incidence, particularly in the presence of evidence of obstructive coronary artery disease. However, in cases where obstructive coronary artery disease is absent, women may face a more unfavourable prognosis due to a higher prevalence of microvascular disease and heart failure with preserved ventricular function. The different profile of ischaemic heart disease in women difficult to establish differences in prognosis independently associated with female sex. Targeted investigations are essential to discern the incidence of heart failure in chronic coronary syndrome and explore potential gender-specific associations., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The aim of the study is to assess the value of beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) as prognostic factors in the population of patients over 65 years of age with frailty hospitalized due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS)., Methods: Patients aged ≥65 years with ACS were included. Assessment of frailty was carried out using the FRAIL scale. The measurement of NSE and B2M was carried out three times during hospitalization: (1) at the time of admission, (2) on the second day of hospitalization, (3) on the seventh day of hospitalization, or the day of discharge if it was before the seventh day. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was unscheduled rehospitalization., Results: Of the 127 patients, frailty was identified in 39.3%. Multivariate analysis of variance showed significantly higher levels of NSE ( P  = 0.012) and B2M ( P  < 0.001) in patients with frailty compared to the nonfrail group and significant changes in marker levels during hospitalization - decreased NSE ( P  < 0.001) and increased B2M levels ( P  < 0.001). Elevated B2M-1 level was an independent marker of the occurrence of frailty [odds ratio (OR), 1.98 (1.09-4.00); P  = 0.044], and the optimal cutoff point for the diagnosis of frailty was 2.85 mg/l [area under the curve (AUC), 0.718 (0.632-0.795)] with sensitivity 52% and specificity 84.4% ( P  < 0.001). Elevated NSE-3 level was associated with all-cause mortality, and each 1 ng/ml increase in NSE-3 increased the risk of death by 1.07-fold [OR, 1.07 (1.03-1.10]). Meanwhile, elevated B2M-3 level was associated with unscheduled rehospitalization, and each 1 mg/l increase in B2M-3 increased the risk of unscheduled rehospitalization by 1.21-fold [OR, 1.21 (1.03-1.42)]. The Harrell's C-index for all-cause mortality was higher for NSE-3 [0.820 (95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.706-0.934)] compared to frailty assessed by the FRAIL scale [0.715 (95% CI, 0.580-0.850)], which means that additional NSE-3 assessment may improve the prediction of all-cause mortality. However, Uno's C-Statistic analysis showed that the difference was not statistically significant (Pr>chi-square 0.556). Harrell's C-index for unscheduled rehospitalization was higher for frailty assessed by the FRAIL scale compared to B2M-3., Conclusion: Monitoring NSE and B2M marker levels in patients over 65 years of age with frailty and ACS does not provide additional benefits in terms of prognostic ability compared to tests assessing frailty. B2M, assessed upon hospital admission and monitoring NSE and B2M levels during hospitalization may be considered in the diagnosis of frailty and risk stratification in a group of patients for whom currently available frailty diagnostic tools cannot be used., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The blood glucose level at admission indicates (with some limitations) poor prognosis and thrombus burden in patients with the acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Our study aimed to measure the predictive value of the stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR), an indicator of stress hyperglycemia, showing increased thrombus burden in patients with ACS. Patients (n = 1222) with ACS were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Coronary thrombus burden was classified as high and low. SHR was calculated by dividing the admission serum glucose by the estimated average glucose derived from HbA1c. Low thrombus burden was detected in 771 patients, while high thrombus burden (HTB) was detected in 451 patients. SHR was found to be significantly higher in patients with HTB (1.1 ± .3 vs 1.06 ± .4; P = .002). SHR was determined as a predictor of HTB (odds ratio (OR) 1.547 95% CI (1.139-2.100), P < .001) as a result of univariate analysis. According to multivariate analysis, SHR was determined as an independent risk factor for HTB (OR 1.328 CI (1.082-1.752), P = .001). We found that SHR predicted thrombus burden with higher sensitivity than admission glucose level in patients with ACS., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Sarcopenia is accepted as an indicator of subclinical atherosclerosis. However, its effects on clinical coronary atherosclerotic burden and lesion complexity and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in elderly patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) are unknown. Therefore, we evaluated these possible effects. Coronary artery disease (CAD) burden and complexity were assessed using the Gensini and TAXus and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) score, respectively. MACE involving nonfatal myocardial infarction, rehospitalization, ischemic stroke, and total mortality were evaluated after 1 year of the index NSTEMI event. The study included 240 elderly patients; of these, 60 (25%) patients had sarcopenia. The SYNTAX score and Gensini score were similar in both groups (16.8 ± 8.7 vs 17.3 ± 9.2, P = .63 and 67.7 ± 43.9 vs 73.9 ± 45.5, P = .31, respectively). The total MACE rate was significantly higher in patients with sarcopenia than in those without sarcopenia (31.7 vs 14.4%, P = .003). In the multivariate model, age [odds ratio (OR) 1.112, 95% CI: 1.006-1.228, P = .04)], ejection fraction (OR: .923, 95% CI: .897-.951, P < .001), and sarcopenia (OR: 2.262, 95% CI: 1.039-4.924, P = .04) were independently associated with MACE. Sarcopenia was independently associated with MACE but not with CAD burden or complexity in elderly patients with NSTEMI., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: Recent studies have shown that CPPD might be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events related to inflammation. Thus, we aim to examine the outcomes of patients admitted for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with and without CPPD., Methods: We used data from the US National Inpatient Sample (NIS) Database to identify patients who were admitted for ACS between 2006 and 2019. The ICD-9 and -10 codes were used to determine the patients with ACS related hospitalizations and of those, we classified two groups of patients: those with and those without any CPPD code. Data collection included demographics and comorbidities. Outcomes were in-hospital mortality, length of stay, hospital charges, and in-hospital complications. Associations between CPPD and specific morbidity were evaluated with chi-square tests. T-tests were used for continuous variables. We have also presented odds ratio (OR) along with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the outcomes of interest., Results: A total of 17,322,362 patients were admitted for ACS. Among them, 7,458 had CPPD, with a mean age of 75 years and 48 % were females. CPPD patients were more likely to be older (75 vs 68 years; p < 0.001) compared to non-CPPD patients. Among the comorbidities, chronic kidney disease was more frequently observed in CPPD patients. Regarding the inpatient complications, acute ischemic stroke and post-procedural hemorrhage were more frequently seen in CPPD patients. Interestingly, the in-hospital mortality was lower in the CPPD patients than the non-CPPD patients (OR: 0.77; CI 95 % 0.70-0.85). ACS in CPPD patients was associated with a longer mean length of stay than those without CPPD (OR: 3.35; 95 % CI 3.17-3.53). In addition, mean total charges were higher in the CPPD group (OR: 1.04; 95 % CI 1.01-1.10)., Conclusion: ACS in CPPD patients is associated with higher healthcare utilization, including cost and length of hospital stay, and lower in-hospital mortality than non-CPPD patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Besides its primary clinical utility in predicting bleeding risk in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the PRECISE-DAPT (Predicting Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Stent Implantation and Subsequent Dual Anti-Platelet Therapy) score may also be useful for predicting long-term mortality in ACS patients presenting with cardiogenic shock (CS) since several studies have reported an association between the score and certain cardiovascular conditions or events. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the utility of the PRECISE-DAPT score for predicting the long-term all-cause mortality in patients (n = 293) with ACS presenting with CS., Methods: The PRECISE-DAPT score was calculated for each patient who survived in hospital, and the association with long-term mortality was studied. Median follow-up time was 2.7 years. The performance of the final model was determined with measurements of its discriminative power (Harrell's and Uno's C indices and time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) and predictive accuracy (coefficient of determination [R 2 ] and likelihood ratio χ 2 ). Hazard ratios (HRs) were used to assess the relationship between the variables of the model and long-term all-cause death., Results: All-cause death occurred in 197 patients (67%). There was a positive association between the PRECISE-DAPT score (change from 17 to 38 was associated with an HR of 2.42 [95% CI: 1.59-3.68], R 2  = 0.209, time-dependent AUC = 0.69) and the risk of death such that in the adjusted survival curve, the risk of mortality increased as the PRECISE-DAPT score increased., Conclusion: The PRECISE-DAPT score may be a useful easy-to-use tool for predicting long-term mortality in patients with ACS complicated by CS., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).A total of 586 ACS patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) over 65 years old between January 2017 and December 2018 were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into two groups by the optimal cutoff value of ALI. Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between ALI and the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE). Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, Cox survival analysis, and Kaplan Meier curves were used to assess the predictive value of ALI for MACEs.Spearman's nonparametric test revealed a moderate correlation between ALI and the GRACE (r: -0.417, P < 0.001). Time-dependent ROC curves showed that the area under the curve for ALI was 0.751 (95% CI, 0.699-0.798) in predicting MACEs, higher than Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (0.531, 95% CI 0.435-0.627) and Prognostic Nutritional Index (0.590, 95% CI 0.505-0.676), and for combined diagnostic models (ALI + GRACE) was 0.913, (95% CI 0.875 - 0.942, P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that ALI (HR: 0.974, 95% CI: 0.952-0.996, P = 0.017) was an independent risk factor for MACEs. Kaplan Meier survival analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of MACEs was significantly higher in elderly ACS patients with lower ALI (log-rank test, P < 0.001).ALI could be a nutrition-inflammation indicator with independent predictive value for long-term MACEs of elderly ACS patients after PCI.

Background: Non-traumatic Acute Chest pain (NTACP) is a common presentation in the emergency services of many hospitals and a key presenting symptom of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, there is a dearth of data on the system of care of ACS patients in our facilities., Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the process of care of patients presenting with NTACP at a Tertiary Hospital emergency department (ED) in sub-Saharan Africa, using quality indicators of a universal chain of survival to identify any care gaps in the diagnosis and management of those with life-threatening ACS., Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of adult patients ≥18 years of age, seen between July 2020 and June 2023 at the ED of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria. We used this information to determine the frequency of ACS amongst those presenting with NTACP. From this subset, we assessed the main domains of quality indicators of the universal chain of survival in ACS care. These were, early symptom recognition and call for help; emergency medical service (EMS) evaluation and treatment; ED evaluation and treatment; and reperfusion therapy., Results: We assessed a total of 4,306 patients who presented to the ED during the study period. Of these, 225 patients presented with NTACP. The mean ± SD age of these patients was 45.9 ± 18.4 years, with most between the ages of 40-49 years (20.9%) and males (50.7%). More than 80% of the patients presented to ED 12 hours after the onset of chest pain. Only 4.0% presented via an ambulance service which offered no prehospital guideline-directed medical treatment, and 70.7% were non-referred patients. Only 37.3%, 57.8%, 12.4%, and 8.9% had ECG, chest x-ray, echocardiography, and cardiac enzyme evaluation, respectively, in the acute phase of care. There were 29 (12.9%) patients who had a diagnosis of ACS. Two (6.9%) had medical revascularization with thrombolytic agents, while 8 (27.6%) and 19 (65.5%) were referred for primary and secondary PCI respectively., Conclusion: We found a high burden of late presentation and significant barriers to recommended guideline management of ACS patients, presenting with clinical features of NTACP in our hospital's ED., Competing Interests: The Authors declare that no competing interest exists., (Copyright © 2024 by West African Journal of Medicine.)

Introduction: Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have a high incidence of Left ventricle diastolic dysfunction (DD). Latest algorithms for the assessment of DD lay on 2D parameters and describe a grading to quantify its severity. However, there persists a "gray zone" of values in which DD remains indeterminate., Aim: to analyze the diagnostic value of Left atrium strain (LAS) for categorization of LV DD and assessment of LV filling pressures in ACS patients., Methods: Cross-sectional study that prospectively evaluated 105 patients presenting ACS with preserved LV ejection fraction (LVEF). Patients were divided in 4 groups according to the DD grade. Mean values of LAS, corresponding to three phases of atrial function: reservoir (LASr), conduit (LAScd) and contraction (LASct), were obtained by speckle-tracking echocardiography., Results: Mean age was 60±10 years, with a gender ratio of 6.14. LASr and LASct were significantly lower according to DD severity (p combined=0.021, p combined=0.034; respectively). E/e' ratio was negatively correlated to LASr (r= - 0.251; p= 0.022) and LASct (r= -0.197; p=0.077). Left atrial volume index (LAVI) was also negatively correlated to LASr (r= -0.294, p= 0.006) and LASct (r= -0.3049, p=0.005). Peak tricuspid regurgitation was negatively correlated to LASr (r=-0.323, p=0.017) and LASct (r=-0.319, p=0.020). Patients presenting elevated LV filling pressures had lower LASr and LASct (p=0.049, p=0.022, respectively) compared to patients witn normal LV filling pressures. ROC curve analysis showed that a LASr < 22% (Se= 75%, Sp= 73%) and a LASct < 13% (Se= 71%, Sp=58%) can increase the likelihood of DD grade II or III by 4.6 (OR= 4.6; 95% CI: 1.31-16.2; p=0.016) and 3.7 (OR= 3.7; 95% CI: 1.06-13.1; p= 0.047), respectively., Conclusion: LAS is a valuable tool, which can be used to categorize DD in ACS patients.

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) reduces ischemic events but increases bleeding risk, especially in patients with high bleeding risk (HBR). This study aimed to compare outcomes of abbreviated versus standard DAPT strategies in patients with HBR with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention., Methods and Results: Patients from the SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Bare in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies) registry with at least 1 HBR criterion who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome were identified and included. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on their planned DAPT time at discharge: 12-month DAPT or an abbreviated DAPT strategy and matched according to their prescribed P2Y12 inhibitor at discharge. The primary outcome assessed was time to net adverse clinical events at 1 year, which encompassed cardiac death, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or clinically significant bleeding. Time to major adverse cardiovascular events and the individual components of net adverse clinical events were considered secondary end points. A total of 4583 patients were included in each group. The most frequently met HBR criteria was age older than 75 years (65.6%) and Predicting Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Stent Implantation and Subsequent Dual Antiplatelet Therapy score ≥25 (44.6%) in the standard DAPT group and oral anticoagulant therapy (79.6%) and age 75 years and older (55.2%) in the abbreviated DAPT group. There was no statistically significant difference in net adverse clinical events (12.9% versus 13.1%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.99 [95% CI, 0.88-1.11], P =0.83), major adverse cardiovascular events (8.6% versus 7.9%; HR, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.94-1.25]), or their components between groups. The results were consistent among all of the investigated subgroups., Conclusions: In patients with HBR undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention due to acute coronary syndrome, abbreviated DAPT was associated with comparable rates of net adverse clinical events and major adverse cardiovascular events to a DAPT duration of 12 months.

Introduction: Clinical assessment is pivotal in diagnosing acute coronary syndrome. Our study aimed to identify clinical characteristics predictive of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in an Asian population and to derive a risk score for MACE., Methods: Patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain and non-diagnostic 12-lead electrocardiograms were recruited. Clinical history was recorded in a predesigned template. Random glucose and direct low-density lipoprotein measurements were taken, in addition to serial troponin. We derived the age, coronary risk factors (CRF), sex and symptoms (ACSS) risk score based on multivariate analysis results, considering age, CRF, sex and symptoms and classifying patients into very low, low, moderate and high risk for MACE. Comparison was made with the ED Assessment of Chest Pain Score (EDACS) and the history, electrocardiogram, age, risk factors, troponin (HEART) score. We also modified the HEART score with the CRF that we had identified. The outcomes were 30-day and 1-year MACE., Results: There were a total of 1689 patients, with 172 (10.2%) and 200 (11.8%) having 30-day and 1-year MACE, respectively. Symptoms predictive of MACE included central chest pain, radiation to the jaw/neck, associated diaphoresis, and symptoms aggravated by exertion and relieved by glyceryl trinitrate. The ACSS score had an area under the curve of 0.769 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.735-0.803) and 0.760 (95% CI: 0.727-0.793) for 30-day and 1-year MACE, respectively, outperforming EDACS. Those in the very-low-risk and low-risk groups had <1% risk of 30-day MACE., Conclusion: The ACSS risk score shows potential for use in the local ED or primary care setting, potentially reducing unnecessary cardiac investigations and admission., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Singapore Medical Journal.)

Objective: The global population is aging and the burden of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is expected to increase. According to the National Health Insurance Research Database, our previous studies have showed LUTS may predispose patients to cardiovascular disease. However, it is difficult to provide a personalized risk assessment in the context of "having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stroke." This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based prediction model for patients with LUTS., Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of 1799 patients with LUTS at Chi Mei Medical Center between January 1, 2001 and December, 31, 2018. Features with >10 cases and high correlations with outcomes were imported into six machine learning algorithms. The study outcomes included ACS and stroke. Model performances was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The model with the highest AUC was used to implement the clinical risk prediction application., Results: Age, systemic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, creatinine, glycated hemoglobin, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia were the most relevant features that affect the outcomes. Based on the AUC, our optimal model was built using multilayer perception (AUC = 0.803) to predict ACS and stroke events within 3 years., Conclusion: We successfully built an AI-based prediction system that can be used as a prediction model to achieve time-saving, precise, personalized risk evaluation; it can also be used to offer warning, enhance patient adherence, early intervention and better health care outcomes., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Effective treatment of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACS) requires careful assessment of both ischaemic and bleeding risks. We aimed to analyse risk distribution and evaluate antiplatelet prescription behaviours in real-life settings., Methods: Data from 1100 NSTEACS patients in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from the Buenos Aires I Registry, with a 15-month follow-up, were analysed. In-hospital and 6-month GRACE scores, CRUSADE, and Precise DAPT scores were calculated., Results: The mean age was 65.4 ± 11.5 years with a majority being male (77.2%). In-hospital mortality was 2.7%, primarily due to cardiovascular causes (1.8%). Bleeding events occurred in 20.9% of patients, with 4.9% classified as ≥ BARC 3. Predominance of low bleeding (71.3%) and ischaemic (55.8%) risks on admission was observed. At 6 months, the low-risk Precise category (70.9%) and GRACE (44.1%) categories prevailed. Linear correlation analysis showed a moderately positive correlation ( r  = 0.61, p  < .05) between ischaemic-haemorrhagic risks. Regarding the prescription of antiplatelet agents, in the low ischaemic-haemorrhagic risk group, there was a predominance of aspirin + clopidogrel (41.2%) over other high-potency antiplatelet regimens (aspirin + ticagrelor or prasugrel). In the low ischaemic and high haemorrhagic risk group, aspirin and clopidogrel were also predominant (58%)., Conclusions: Our analysis underscores the significant relationship between ischaemic and haemorrhagic risks during NSTEACS hospitalisation. Despite the majority of patients falling into the low-intermediate risk category, the prescription of P2Y12 inhibitors in real-life settings does not consistently align with these risks.

Background: Pulmonary embolisms (PEs) exhibit clinical features similar to those of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including electrocardiographic abnormalities and elevated troponin levels, which frequently lead to misdiagnoses in emergency situations., Case Presentation: Here, we report a case of PE coinciding with chronic coronary syndrome in which the patient's condition was obscured by symptoms mimicking ACS. A 68-year-old female with syncope presented to the hospital. Upon admission, she was found to have elevated troponin levels and an electrocardiogram showing ST-segment changes across multiple leads, which initially led to a diagnosis of ACS. Emergency coronary arteriography revealed occlusion of the posterior branches of the left ventricle of the right coronary artery, but based on the complexity of the intervention, the occlusion was considered chronic rather than acute. On the 3rd day after admission, the patient experienced recurrent chest tightness and shortness of breath, which was confirmed as acute PE by emergency computed tomography pulmonary angiography. Following standardized anticoagulation treatment, the patient improved and was subsequently discharged., Conclusions: This case report highlights the importance of recognizing the nonspecific features of PE. Clinicians should be vigilant when identifying other clinical features that are difficult to explain accompanying the expected disease, and it is necessary to carefully identify the causes to prevent missed diagnoses or misdiagnoses., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Inflammation is a key driver of atherosclerotic diseases and is often accompanied by disease-related malnutrition. However, the long-term burden of dysregulated inflammation with superimposed undernutrition in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unclear. This study sought to investigate the double burden and interplay of inflammation and malnutrition in patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)., Methods: We retrospectively included 1,743 ACS patients undergoing PCI from June 2016 through November 2017 and grouped them according to their baseline nutritional and inflammatory status. Malnutrition was determined using the nutritional risk index (NRI) with a score lower than 100 and a high-inflamed condition defined as hs-CRP over 2 mg/L. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), compositing of cardiac mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and unplanned revascularization. Long-term outcomes were examined using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was applied to adjust for confounding. The reclassification index (NRI)/integrated discrimination index (IDI) statistics estimated the incremental prognostic impact of NRI and hs-CRP in addition to the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score., Results: During a median follow-up of 30 months (ranges 30-36 months), 351 (20.1%) MACEs occurred. Compared with the nourished and uninflamed group, the malnourished and high-inflamed group displayed a significantly increased risk of MACEs with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.446 (95% CI: 1.464-4.089; P < 0.001). The prognostic implications of NRI were influenced by patients' baseline inflammatory status, as it was only associated with MACEs among those high-inflamed (P for interaction = 0.005). Incorporating NRI and hs-CRP into the GRACE risk score significantly improved its predictive ability for MACEs (NRI: 0.210, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination index; IDI: 0.010, P < 0.001) and cardiac death (NRI: 0.666, P < 0.001; IDI: 0.023, P = 0.002)., Conclusions: Among patients with ACS undergoing PCI, the double burden of inflammation and malnutrition signifies poorer outcomes. Their prognostic implications may be amplified by each other and jointly improve the GRACE risk score's risk prediction performance., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The shock index (SI), reflecting heart rate (HR) to SBP ratio, is established for predicting adverse outcomes in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. Exploring the age shock index (ASI), obtained by multiplying SI with age, could offer further insights into ACS prognosis., Objectives: Assess ASI's effectiveness in predicting in-hospital death in individuals with ACS., Methods: This study encompassed patients with acute myocardial infarction, drawn from a national registry spanning October 2010 to January 2022. The optimal ASI threshold was established using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality., Results: A total of 27 312 patients were enrolled, exhibiting a mean age of 66 ± 13 years, with 72.3% being male and 47.5% having ST-elevation myocardial infarction. ROC analysis yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80, identifying the optimal ASI cutoff as 44. Multivariate regression analysis, adjusting for potential confounders, established ASI ≥ 44 as an independent predictor of in-hospital death [hazard ratio: 3.09, 95% confidence interval: 2.56-3.71, P  < 0.001]. Furthermore, ASI emerged as a notably superior predictor of in-hospital death compared to the SI (AUC ASI  = 0.80 vs. AUC SI  = 0.72, P  < 0.0001), though it did not outperform the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score (AUC ASI  = 0.80 vs. AUC GRACE  = 0.85, P  < 0.001) or thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk index (AUC ASI  = 0.80 vs. AUC TIMI  = 0.84, P  < 0.001)., Conclusion: The ASI offers an expedient mean to promptly identify ACS patients at elevated risk of in-hospital death. Its simplicity and effectiveness could render it a valuable tool for early risk stratification in this population., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Chest pain (CP), a common presentation in the emergency department (ED) setting, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality if emergency clinicians miss the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The HEART (History, Electrocardiogram, Age, Risk Factors, Troponin) score had been validated for risk-stratification patients who are at high risk for ACS and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). However, the use of cocaine as a risk factor of the HEART score was controversial. We hypothesized that patients with cocaine-positive (COP) would not be associated with higher risk of 30-day MACE than cocaine-negative (CON) patients., Methods: This retrospective study included adult patients who presented to 13 EDs of a University's Medical System between August 7, 2017 to August 19, 2021. Patients who had CP and prospectively calculated HEART scores and urine toxicology tests as part of their clinical evaluation were eligible. Areas Under The Receiver Operating Curve (AUROC) were calculated for the performance of HEART score and 30-day MACE for each group., Results: This study analyzed 46,210 patients' charts, 663 (1.4%) were COP patients. Mean age was statistically similar between groups but there were fewer females in the COP group (26.2% vs 53.2%, p < 0.001). Mean (+/- SD) HEART score was 3.7 (1.4) comparing to 3.1 (1.8, p < 0.001) between COP vs CON groups, respectively. Although more COP patients (54%) had moderate HEART scores (4-6) vs. CON group (35.2%, p < 0.001), rates of 30-day MACE were 1.1% for both groups. HEART score's AUROC was 0.72 for COP and 0.78 for CON groups. AUROC for the Risk Factor among COP patients, which includes cocaine, was poor (0.54)., Conclusion: This study, which utilized prospective calculated HEART scores, demonstrated that overall performance of the HEART score was reasonable. Specifically, our analysis showed that the rate of 30-day MACE was not affected by cocaine use as a risk factor. We would recommend clinicians to consider the HEART score for this patient group., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Aim: To investigate the relationship between coronary artery lesion severity determined using the baseline SYNTAX score and sleep problems that might occur after discharge determined using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)., Methods: This prospective study included patients with first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent percutaneous coronary angiography between February 2019 and August 2019. The severity of coronary artery stenosis was classified according to coronary angiography and SYNTAX scores. Patients were grouped as those with a SYNTAX score of ≤22 and >22. Sleep quality after discharge was classified according to the PSQI. PSQI ≤5 represented good sleep quality, and PSQI >5 represented poor sleep quality. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between sleep quality and coronary artery stenosis severity., Results: A total of 424 patients were included in the study. Of these, 294 (69.34%) had a SYNTAX score of ≤22 and 130 (30.66%) had a SYNTAX score of >22. The mean age of all patients was 60.37 ± 12.23 years, 59.69 ± 11.85 years in the SYNTAX ≤22 groups and 61.90 ± 12.98 years in the SYNTAX >22 group (P = 0.086). The majority (78.54%) of the patients were male and there was no significant difference between the SYNTAX ≤22 group and the SYNTAX >22 group in terms of sex distribution (P = 0.383). According to the univariate logistic regression analysis, age (P = 0.014), diabetes (P = 0.027), left ventricular ejection fraction (P = 0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.039), creatine kinase MB (P = 0.040) and SYNTAX scores (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with high PSQI global scores (>5). However, according to the multivariate logistic regression analysis results, high (>22) SYNTAX scores were the only factor independently associated with the high (>5) PSQI global scores [odds ratio, 3.477; 95% confidence interval (CI), (2.190-5.522); P < 0.001]. Complete revascularization group had significantly higher sleep latency and sleep duration time, sleep efficiency and the percentage of patients with PSQI global score of ≤5 than the incomplete revascularization group (P < 0.001 for all)., Conclusion: Among patients with ACS, those with high SYNTAX scores should be monitored more carefully for sleep disorders that may occur later., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)