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Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is a potentially life-threatening acute cardiac syndrome with a clinical presentation very similar to myocardial infarction (MI) and for which the natural history, management and outcome remain incompletely understood. Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess the relative short- and long-term mortality risk of TS , ST-elevation MI (STEMI) and non STEMI (NSTEMI) and to identify predictors of in-hospital complications and poor prognosis in patients with TS. Methods: Using the nationwide Swedish Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR) we identified almost all (n=117,720) patients who underwent coronary angiography due to TS (N=2,898 [2.5%]), STEMI (N=48,493 [41.2%]) or NSTEMI (N=66,329 [56.3%]) in Sweden between January 2009 and February 2018. Results: Patients with TS were more often women as compared with patients with STEMI or NSTEMI. TS was associated with unadjusted and adjusted 30-day mortality risks lower than STEMI (adjusted hazard ratio [adjHR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI]0.48-0.76, p<0.001), but higher than NSTEMI (adjHR 2.70, 95% CI 2.14-3.41, p<0.001). Compared to STEMI, TS was associated with similar risk of acute heart failure (adjHR 1.26, 95% CI 0.91–1.76, p=0.16) but lower risk of cardio-genic shock (adjHR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34–0.89, p=0.02). The relative 30-day mortality risk for TS versus STEMI and NSTEMI was higher for smokers than non-smokers (adjusted pinteractionSTEMI=0.01 and pinteractionNSTEMI=0.01). Conclusion: Thirty-day mortality in TS was higher than in NSTEMI but lower than STEMI, despite a similar risk of acute heart failure in TS and STEMI. Among patients with TS, smoking was an independent predictor of mortality

BACKGROUND: Elevated B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is reflective of impaired cardiac function and is associated with worse prognosis among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We sought to assess the association between baseline BNP, adverse outcomes, and the relative efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with left main CAD. METHODS: The EXCEL trial (Evaluation of XIENCE Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization) randomized patients with left main CAD and low or intermediate SYNTAX scores (Synergy Between PCI With TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery) to PCI with everolimus-eluting stents versus CABG. The primary end point was the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to assess the associations between normal versus elevated BNP (≥100 pg/mL), randomized treatment, and the 3-year risk of adverse events. RESULTS: BNP at baseline was elevated in 410 of 1037 (39.5%) patients enrolled in EXCEL. Patients with elevated BNP levels were older and more frequently had additional cardiovascular risk factors and lower left ventricular ejection fraction than those with normal BNP, but had similar SYNTAX scores. Patients with elevated BNP had significantly higher 3-year rates of the primary end point (18.6% versus 11.7%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-2.28; P=0.005) and higher mortality (11.5% versus 3.9%; adjusted HR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.48-4.19; P=0.0006), both from cardiovascular and noncardiovascular causes. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the risks of myocardial infarction, stroke, ischemia-driven revascularization, stent thrombosis, graft occlusion, or major bleeding. A significant interaction ( Pinteraction=0.03) was present between elevated versus normal BNP and treatment with PCI versus CABG for the adjusted risk of th

Background: There is limited information on the incidence and prognostic impact of new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD). Objectives: This study sought to determine the incidence of NOAF following PCI and CABG for LMCAD and its effect on 3-year cardiovascular outcomes. Methods: In the EXCEL (Evaluation of XIENCE Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization) trial, 1,905 patients with LMCAD and low or intermediate SYNTAX scores were randomized to PCI with everolimus-eluting stents versus CABG. Outcomes were analyzed according to the development of NOAF during the initial hospitalization following revascularization. Results: Among 1,812 patients without atrial fibrillation on presentation, NOAF developed at a mean of 2.7 ± 2.5 days after revascularization in 162 patients (8.9%), including 161 of 893 (18.0%) CABG-treated patients and 1 of 919 (0.1%) PCI-treated patients (p < 0.0001). Older age, greater body mass index, and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction were independent predictors of NOAF in patients undergoing CABG. Patients with versus without NOAF had a significantly longer duration of hospitalization, were more likely to be discharged on anticoagulant therapy, and had an increased 30-day rate of Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction major or minor bleeding (14.2% vs. 5.5%; p < 0.0001). By multivariable analysis, NOAF after CABG was an independent predictor of 3-year stroke (6.6% vs. 2.4%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 4.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.74 to 10.11; p = 0.001), death (11.4% vs. 4.3%; adjusted HR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.60 to 5.70; p = 0.0006), and the primary composite endpoint of death, MI, or stroke (22.6% vs. 12.8%; adjusted HR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.39 to 3.25; p = 0.0004). Conclusions: In patients with LMCAD undergoing revascularization in the EXCEL trial, NOAF was c