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Background Hyperglycaemia occurs frequently in ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and is associated with poor outcomes, for which continuous insulin infusion therapy (CIIT) may be beneficial. Information is limited regarding hyperglycaemia in acute STEMI affecting urban minority populations, or how CIIT fares in such real‐world settings. Methods and results We assembled an acute STEMI registry at an inner‐city health system, focusing on patients with initial blood glucose ≥180 mg/dL to determine the impact of CIIT vs usual care. Clinical and outcomes data were added through linkage to electronic records. Inverse‐probability‐of‐treatment weighting using propensity scores (PS) was used to compare CIIT vs no CIIT. The 1067 patients included were mostly Hispanic or African American; 356 had blood glucose ≥180 mg/dL. Such pronounced hyperglycaemia was related to female sex, minority race‐ethnicity and lower socioeconomic score, and associated with increased death and death or CVD readmission. CIIT was preferentially used in patients with marked hyperglycaemia and was associated with in‐hospital hypoglycaemia (21% vs 11%, P = .019) and, after PS weighting, with increased in‐hospital (RR 3.23, 95% CI 0.94, 11.06) and 1‐year (RR 2.26, 95% CI 1.02, 4.98) mortality. No significant differences were observed for death at 30 days or throughout follow‐up, or death and readmission at any time point. Conclusions Pronounced hyperglycaemia was common and associated with adverse prognosis in this urban population. CIIT met with selective use and was associated with hypoglycaemia, together with increased mortality at specific time points. Given the burden of metabolic disease, particularly among race‐ethnic minorities, assessing the benefits of CIIT is a prerogative that requires evaluation in large‐scale randomized trials., Weighted risk estimates (with 95% confidence intervals) for the main outcomes at different time points for CIIT versus no CIIT (no CIIT is the referent) additionally adjusting for smoking status. All risk estimates are risk ratios except for those corresponding to comparisons through follow‐up (labelled overall), which are hazard ratios. CIIT=Continuous insulin infusion therapy, CVD=Cardiovascular disease.

Background Although admission heart rate predicts higher mortality after acute myocardial infarction ( AMI ), less is known about discharge heart rate. We tested the hypothesis that higher discharge heart rate after AMI is related to increased long‐term mortality independent of admission heart rate, and assessed whether β blockers modify this relationship. Methods and Results In 2 prospective US multicenter registries of AMI , we evaluated the associations of discharge and admission heart rate with 3‐year mortality using Cox models. Among 6576 patients with AMI , discharge heart rate was modestly associated with initial heart rate ( r =0.28), comorbidities, and infarct severity. In this cohort, 10.7% did not receive β blockers at discharge. After full adjustment for demographic, psychosocial, and clinical covariates, discharge heart rate (hazard ratio [HR]=1.14 per 10 beats per minute [bpm]; 95% CI =1.07–1.21 per 10 bpm) was more strongly associated with risk of death than admission heart rate (HR=1.05 per 10 bpm; 95% CI=1.02–1.09 per 10 bpm) when both were entered in the same model ( P =0.043 for comparison). There was a significant interaction between discharge heart rate and β‐blocker use ( P =0.004) on mortality, wherein risk of death was markedly higher among those with high discharge heart rate and not on β blockers (HR=1.35 per 10 bpm; 95% CI=1.19–1.53 per 10 bpm) versus those with a high discharge heart rate and on β blockers at discharge (HR=1.10 per 10 bpm; 95% CI=1.03–1.17 per 10 bpm). Conclusions Higher discharge heart rate after AMI was more strongly associated with 3‐year mortality than admission heart rate, and the risk associated with higher discharge heart rate was modified by β blockers at discharge. These findings highlight opportunities for risk stratification and intervention that will require further investigation.

Background Hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) combines minimally invasive surgical coronary artery bypass grafting of the left anterior descending artery with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of non–left anterior descending vessels. HCR is increasingly used to treat multivessel coronary artery disease that includes stenoses in the proximal left anterior descending artery and at least 1 other vessel, but its effectiveness has not been rigorously evaluated. Objectives This National Institutes of Health–funded, multicenter, observational study was conducted to explore the characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing clinically indicated HCR and multivessel PCI for hybrid-eligible coronary artery disease, to inform the design of a confirmatory comparative effectiveness trial. Methods Over 18 months, 200 HCR and 98 multivessel PCI patients were enrolled at 11 sites. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (i.e., death, stroke, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization) within 12 months post-intervention. Cox proportional hazards models were used to model time to first MACCE event. Propensity scores were used to balance the groups. Results Mean age was 64.2 ± 11.5 years, 25.5% of patients were female, 38.6% were diabetic, and 4.7% had previous stroke. Thirty-eight percent had 3-vessel coronary artery disease, and the mean SYNTAX (Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) score was 19.7 ± 9.6. Adjusted for baseline risk, MACCE rates were similar between groups within 12 months post-intervention (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.063; p = 0.80) and during a median 17.6 months of follow-up (HR: 0.868; p = 0.53). Conclusions These observational data from this first multicenter study of HCR suggest that there is no significant difference in MACCE rates over 12 months between patients treated with multivessel PCI or HCR, an emerging modality. A randomized trial with long-term outcomes is needed to definitively compare the effectiveness of these 2 revascularization strategies. (Hybrid Revascularization Observational Study; NCT01121263 )

Although cocaine is a well-recognized risk factor for coronary disease, detailed information is lacking regarding related behavioral and clinical features of cocaine-associated ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged urban settings. Nor are systematic or extended follow-up data available on outcomes for cocaine-associated STEMI in the contemporary era of percutaneous coronary intervention. We leveraged a prospective STEMI registry from a large health system serving an inner-city community to characterize the clinical features, acute management, and middle-term outcomes of cocaine-related versus cocaine-unrelated STEMI. Of the 1,003 patients included, 60% were black or Hispanic. Compared with cocaine-unrelated STEMI, cocaine-related STEMI (n = 58) was associated with younger age, male gender, lower socioeconomic score, current smoking, high alcohol consumption, and human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity but less commonly with diabetes or hypertension. Cocaine users less often received drug-eluting stents or β blockers at discharge. During median follow-up of 2.7 years, rates of death, death or any rehospitalization, and death or cardiovascular rehospitalization did not differ significantly between cocaine users and nonusers but were especially high for death or any hospitalization in the 2 groups (31.4 vs 32.4 per 100 person-years, p = 0.887). Adjusted hazard ratios for outcomes were likewise not significantly different. In conclusion, in this low-income community, cocaine use occurred in a substantial fraction of STEMI cases, who were younger than their nonuser counterparts but had more prevalent high-risk habits and exhibited similarly high rates of adverse outcomes. These data suggest that programs targeting cocaine abuse and related behaviors could contribute importantly to disease prevention in disadvantaged communities.

This study sought to evaluate the impact of race/ethnicity on cardiovascular risk factor control and on clinical outcomes in a setting of comparable access to medical care. The BARI 2D trial enrolled 1,750 participants from the United States and Canada that self-reported either White non-Hispanic (n = 1,189), Black non-Hispanic (n = 349), or Hispanic (n = 212) race/ethnicity. Participants had type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease and were randomized to cardiac and glycemic treatment strategies. All patients received intensive target-based medical treatment for cardiac risk factors. Average follow-up was 5.3 years. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression models were constructed to assess potential differences in mortality and cardiovascular outcomes across racial/ethnic groups. Long-term risk of death and death/myocardial infarction/stroke did not vary significantly by race/ethnicity (5-year death: 11.0% Whites, 13.7% Blacks, 8.7% Hispanics, p = 0.19; adjusted hazard ratio 1.18 Black versus White, 95% confidence interval 0.84 to 1.67, p = 0.33 and 0.82 Hispanic versus White, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 1.34, p = 0.43). Among the 1,168 patients with suboptimal risk factor control at baseline, the ability to attain better risk factor control during the trial was associated with higher 5-year survival (71%, 86% and 95% for patients with 0 or 1, 2, and 3 factors in control, respectively, p

Objectives The goals of this analysis were to determine: 1) whether guideline-based care during hospitalization for a myocardial infarction (MI) varied as a function of patients' baseline risk; and 2) whether temporal improvements in guideline adherence occurred in all risk groups. Background Guideline-based care of patients with MI improves outcomes, especially among those at higher risk. Previous studies suggest that this group is paradoxically less likely to receive guideline-based care (risk–treatment mismatch). Methods A total of 112,848 patients with MI were enrolled at 279 hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines–Coronary Artery Disease (GWTG–CAD) between August 2000 and December 2008. We developed and validated an in-hospital mortality model (C-statistic: 0.75) to stratify patients into risk tertiles: low (0% to 3%), intermediate (3% to 6.5%), and high (>6.5%). Use of guideline-based care and temporal trends were examined. Results High-risk patients were significantly less likely to receive aspirin, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, statins, diabetic treatment, smoking cessation advice, or cardiac rehabilitation referral at discharge compared with those at lower risk (all p Conclusions Although adherence to guideline-based care remains paradoxically lower in those MI patients at higher risk of mortality and most likely to benefit from treatment, care is improving for eligible patients within all risk categories, and the gaps between low- and high-risk groups seem to be narrowing.

Background Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with COPD are at higher risk for death after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but other clinical outcomes and possible associations with adverse events have not been described. Methods Using waves 1 through 5 (1999-2006) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry, patients with COPD (n = 860) and without COPD (n = 10,048) were compared. Baseline demographics, angiographic characteristics, and in-hospital and 1-year adverse events were compared. Results Patients with COPD were older (mean age 66.8 vs 63.2 years, P Conclusions COPD is associated with higher mortality rates and repeat revascularization within 1 year after PCI. These higher rates of adverse outcomes may be associated with lower rates of guideline-recommended class 1 medications prescribed at discharge.

Accumulating data linking hypovitaminosis D to cardiovascular (CV) events has contributed to large increases in vitamin D testing and supplementation. To evaluate the merits of this practice, we conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis providing a framework for interpreting the literature associating hypovitaminosis D with increased CV events. Prospective studies were identified by search of MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to January 2010, restricted to English language publications. Two authors independently extracted data and graded study quality. Pooled relative risks (RR) were calculated using a random effects model. Ten studies met criteria for review and 7 were included in meta-analysis. Pooled RR for CV events using FAIR and GOOD quality studies was 1.67 (95% confidence interval, 1.23-2.28) during an average follow-up of 11.8 years. There was evidence of significant heterogeneity across studies (Q statistics = 16.6, P = 0.01, I = 63.8%), which was eliminated after omitting 2 studies identified by sensitivity analysis (RR, 1.34 [1.08-1.67]; P for heterogeneity =0.33). When restricting analysis to GOOD quality studies (RR, 1.27 [1.04-1.56]), no significant heterogeneity was found (P = 0.602). Systematic review identified significant shortcomings in the literature, including variability in defining vitamin D status, seasonal adjustments, defining and determining CV outcomes, and the use of baseline vitamin D levels. In conclusion, a modest increased risk of CV events associated with hypovitaminosis D is tempered by significant limitations within the current literature. These findings underscore the importance of critical appraisal of the literature, looking beyond reported risk estimates before translating results into clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to test the impact of race/ethnicity on coronary artery disease (CAD) after adjusting for baseline risk factors. BACKGROUND: Whether race/ethnicity remains an important determinant of the burden of CAD even among patients with long-standing type 2 diabetes (diabetes mellitus) and established CAD is unknown. METHODS: Analysis of baseline data from the BARI 2D trial (January 1, 2001, to March 31, 2005) was performed. Myocardial jeopardy index (MJI) was evaluated by a blinded core angiographic laboratory. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine the independent association of race/ethnicity on the burden of CAD after adjusting for baseline risk factors. Data were collected from US and Canadian academic and community hospitals. The baseline analysis was performed on patients with long-standing diabetes and documented CAD with no prior revascularization at study entry (n = 1,331). The main outcome measure was MJI, which represents the percentage of myocardium jeopardized by significant lesions (≥50%). The secondary outcome measure was ≥2 lesions with ≥50% stenosis. RESULTS: Risk factors varied significantly among racial/ethnic groups. Blacks were significantly more likely to be women, have no health insurance, be current smokers, have higher body mass index, have hypertension, have a longer duration of diabetes, a higher hemoglobin A(1c) level, and were more likely to be taking insulin. Their mean total, low-density lipid, and high-density lipid cholesterol levels were higher, whereas their triglycerides were lower than others. After controlling for baseline risk factors, blacks had a significantly lower burden of CAD; the adjusted MJI was 5.43 U lower (95% CI -9.13 to -1.72), and the adjusted number of lesions was 0.53 fewer (95% CI -0.88 to -0.18) in blacks compared to whites. CONCLUSIONS: In the BARI 2D trial, self-reported race/ethnicity is associated with important differences in baseline risk factors and is a powerful predictor of the burden of CAD adjusting for such baseline differences. These findings may help direct medical intervention and resources and further investigation into the basis of racial/ethnic differences in CAD burden.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of successive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) modalities with balloon angioplasty (BA), bare-metal stent (BMS), drug-eluting stents (DES), and pharmacotherapy over the last 3 decades with outcomes among patients with diabetes in routine clinical practice. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We examined outcomes in 1,846 patients with diabetes undergoing de novo PCI in the multicenter, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute–sponsored 1985–1986 Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) Registry and 1997–2006 Dynamic Registry. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate the adjusted risk of events (death/myocardial infarction [MI], repeat revascularization) over 1 year. RESULTS Cumulative event rates for postdischarge (31–365 days) death/MI were 8% by BA, 7% by BMS, and 7% by DES use (P = 0.76) and for repeat revascularization were 19, 13, and 9% (P < 0.001), respectively. Multivariable analysis showed a significantly lower risk of repeat revascularization with DES use when compared with the use of BA (hazard ratio [HR] 0.41 [95% CI 0.29–0.58]) and BMS (HR 0.55 [95% CI 0.39–0.76]). After further adjustment for discharge medications, the lower risk for death/MI was not statistically significant for DES when compared with BA. CONCLUSIONS In patients with diabetes undergoing PCI, the use of DES is associated with a reduced need for repeat revascularization when compared with BA or BMS use. The associated death/MI benefit observed with the DES versus the BA group may well be due to greater use of pharmacotherapy.

Objectives. We explored whether and how race shapes perceived health status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. Methods. We analyzed self-rated health (fair or poor versus good, very good, or excellent) and associated clinical risk factors among 866 White and 333 Black participants in the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes trial. Results. Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument scores, regular exercise, and employment were associated with higher self-rated health (P < .05). Blacks were more likely than were Whites to rate their health as fair or poor (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.38, 2.57; P < .001). Among Whites but not Blacks, a clinical history of myocardial infarction (OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.12, 2.31; P < .001) and insulin use (OR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.10, 2.38; P = .01) was associated with a fair or poor rating. A post–high school education was related to poorer self-rated health among Blacks (OR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.07, 3.24; P < .001). Conclusions. Symptomatic clinical factors played a proportionally larger role in self-assessment of health among Whites with diabetes and coronary artery disease than among Blacks with the same conditions.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of prior duration of diabetes, glycated hemoglobin level at study entry, and microalbuminuria or macroalbuminuria on the extent and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral arterial disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied baseline characteristics of the 2368 participants of the BARI 2D (Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes) study, a randomized clinical trial that evaluates treatment efficacy for patients with type 2 diabetes and angiographically documented stable CAD. Patients were enrolled from January 1, 2001, through March 31, 2005. Peripheral arterial disease was ascertained by an ankle-brachial index (ABI) of 0.9 or less, and extent of CAD was measured by presence of multivessel disease, a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of less than 50%, and myocardial jeopardy index. RESULTS Duration of diabetes of 20 or more years was associated with increased risk of ABI of 0.9 or less (odds ratio [OR], 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-2.26), intermittent claudication (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.10-2.35), and LVEF of less than 50% (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.37-3.02). Microalbuminuria was associated with intermittent claudication (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.16-2.02) and ABI of 0.9 or less (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.98-1.75), whereas macroalbuminuria was associated with abnormal ABI, claudication, and LVEF of less than 50%. There was a significant association between diabetes duration and extent of CAD as manifested by number of coronary lesions, but no other significant associations were observed between duration of disease, glycated hemoglobin levels, or albumin-to-creatinine ratio and other manifestations of CAD. CONCLUSION Duration of diabetes and microalbuminuria or macroalbuminuria are important predictors of severity of peripheral arterial disease and left ventricular dysfunction in a cohort of patients selected for the presence of CAD.

Objectives We sought to determine whether poorer outcomes in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) during off-hours are related to delays in treatment, circadian changes in biology, or differences in operator-related quality of care. Background Previous investigation has suggested that patients undergoing primary PCI during off-hours are more likely to have adverse cardiac events than routine-hours patients, but the reasons for this remain poorly defined. Methods Clinical, angiographic, and procedural characteristics were compared in consecutive patients (n = 685) undergoing primary PCI in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry between 1997 and 2006 that were classified as occurring during routine-hours (07:00 to 18:59) or off-hours (19:00 to 06:59). The primary end points were in-hospital death, MI, and target vessel revascularization. Results Median time from symptom onset to PCI was similar (off-hours 3.4 h vs. routine-hours 3.3 h). Patients presenting in off-hours were more likely to present with cardiogenic shock and multivessel coronary artery disease but were equally likely to present with complete occlusion of the infarct-related artery. Procedural complications including dissection were more frequent in off-hours patients. In-hospital death, MI, and target vessel revascularization were significantly higher in off-hours patients (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 2.66, p = 0.001), and differences in outcomes were worse even if the procedure was immediately successful (adjusted OR: 2.58, p = 0.005, adjusting for angiographic success). Patients undergoing PCI on weekends had better outcomes during the daytime than nighttime. Conclusions Patients undergoing primary PCI for acute MI during off-hours are at significantly higher risk for in-hospital death, MI, and target vessel revascularization. These findings appear related to both diurnal differences in presentation and lesion characteristics, as well as differences in procedural complication and success rates that extend beyond differences in symptom-to-balloon time.

Objectives This study sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stents (DES) compared with bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients with insulin- and noninsulin-treated diabetes. Background Diabetes is a powerful predictor of adverse events after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), and insulin-treated diabetic patients have worse outcomes. The DES are efficacious among patients with diabetes; however, their safety and efficacy, compared with BMS, among insulin-treated versus noninsulin-treated diabetic patients is not well established. Methods Using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry, we evaluated 1-year outcomes of insulin-treated (n = 817) and noninsulin-treated (n = 1,749) patients with diabetes who underwent PCI with DES versus BMS. Results The use of DES, compared with BMS, was associated with a lower risk for repeat revascularization for both noninsulin-treated patients (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45 to 0.76) and insulin-treated subjects (adjusted HR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.90). With respect to safety in the overall diabetic population, DES use was associated with a reduction of death or myocardial infarction (adjusted HR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.96). However, this benefit was confined to the population of noninsulin-treated patients (adjusted HR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.81). Among insulin-treated patients, there was no difference in death or myocardial infarction risk between DES- and BMS-treated patients (adjusted HR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.39). Conclusions Drug-eluting stents are associated with lower risk for repeat revascularization compared with BMS in treating coronary artery disease among patients with either insulin- or noninsulin-treated diabetes. In addition, DES use is not associated with any significant increased safety risk compared with BMS. These findings suggest that DES should be the preferred strategy for diabetic patients.

Background Previous risk scores have shown excellent performance. However, the need for real-time risk score computation makes their implementation in an emergent situation challenging. A more simplified approach can provide practitioners with a practical bedside risk stratification tool. Methods We developed an easy-to-use tree-structured risk stratification model for patients undergoing early percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction. The model was developed on the New York State PCI database for 1999 to 2000 (consisting of 5385 procedures) and was validated using the subsequent 2001 to 2002 database (consisting of 7414 procedures). Results Tree-structured modeling identified 3 key presenting features: cardiogenic shock, congestive heart failure, and age. In the validation data set, this risk stratification model identified patient groups with in-hospital mortality ranging from 0.5% to 20.6%, more than a 20-fold increased risk. The performance of this model was similar to the Mayo Clinic Risk Score with a discriminative capacity of 82% (95% confidence interval, 79%-84%) versus 80% (95% confidence interval, 77%-82%), respectively. Conclusion Patients undergoing PCI for acute myocardial infarction can be readily stratified into risk categories using the tree-structured model. This provides practicing cardiologists with an internally validated and easy-to-use scheme for in-hospital mortality risk stratification.

Patients undergoing primary angioplasty in clinical practice experience a higher risk for adverse events than those enrolled in clinical trials. Whether glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitor use during primary angioplasty is both safe and effective in real life is unknown. Therefore, we examined the pattern of GP IIb/IIIa use and its effectiveness in a large population-based cohort of 7,321 patients who underwent primary angioplasty in New York State. Propensity analysis was used to account for the nonrandomized use of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Overall, 78.5% of patients who underwent primary angioplasty received GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors. In-hospital mortality was significantly lower with GP IIb/IIIa use (3% vs 6.2%, p0.0001) after adjustment for both propensity score (odds ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.44 to 0.74, p0.0001) and the combination of propensity score and clinical characteristics (odds ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.45 to 0.88, p = 0.006). Patients with older age and higher Mayo Clinic Risk Score (MCRS) received GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors less often. However, stratified analysis of patients with low to moderate risk (MCRS12) versus high risk (or=12) demonstrated that GP IIb/IIIa use lowered risk of mortality both in low- to moderate-risk (1.39% vs 3.23%, p0.0001) and high-risk patients (16.15% vs 22.41%, p = 0.03). In conclusion, adjunct GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor use during primary angioplasty is effective and associated with improved in-hospital survival rates.

Studies employing primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have shown discordant results regarding the relative benefits of treating the culprit lesion only vs all significant stenosis. We performed a meta-analysis comparing PCI of

Background.Research has shown less aggressive treatment and poorer control of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in women than men.Methods.We analyzed sex differences in pharmacotherapy strategies and attainment of goals for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients with type 2 diabetes and established coronary artery disease enrolled into the BARI 2D trial.Results.Similar numbers of drugs were prescribed in both women and men. Women were less frequent on metformin or sulfonylurea and more likely to take insulin and to be on higher doses of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) than men. After adjusting for baseline differences and treatment prescribed, women were less likely to achieve goals for HbA1c (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.57, 0.88) and LDL-C (OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.53, 0.78). More antihypertensives were prescribed to women, and yet BP ≤ 130/80 mmHg did not differ by sex.Conclusions.Women entering the BARI 2D trial were as aggressively treated with drugs as men. Despite equivalent treatment, women less frequently met targets for HbA1c and LDL-C. Our findings suggest that there may be sex differences in response to drug therapies used to treat diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.

Coronary collateral circulation is beneficial in patients with coronary artery disease, but controversy still exists regarding the association between angiographic collaterals and outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We compared the baseline characteristics and cumulative 1-year event rates of consecutive patients undergoing PCI by target vessel collateral status-no angiographic evidence of collateral circulation (NC; n = 5051), treated artery supplied collaterals (SC; n = 239), and treated artery received collaterals (RC; n = 893)-using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry. Patients in the SC group were older and had more previous coronary bypass surgery, myocardial infarction, co-morbid illness, and heart failure than the NC and RC groups and had less often undergone revascularization for acute myocardial infarction (p

Background— This investigation compares the results of contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with standard balloon angioplasty among patients with multivessel coronary disease. Patients having balloon angioplasty in the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation (BARI) and those within the Dynamic Registry meeting BARI eligibility criteria were studied. Methods and Results— Clinical features and in-hospital and 1-year outcomes of 857 BARI-eligible patients in the Dynamic Registry (contemporary PCI) were compared with the 904 randomized patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in BARI. Compared with BARI patients, Registry patients had fewer lesions attempted (1.53 versus 2.56, P =0.001), more frequent single-vessel PCI (76% versus 33%, P P P P P P P =0.025) were less common. No differences were observed in either in-hospital or 1-year death, but 1-year death/myocardial infarction was lower in the Registry. Registry patients had lower 1-year rates of subsequent CABG (8.6% versus 22.7%, P P Conclusions— Among patients with multivessel disease, contemporary PCI resulted in safer and more durable revascularization. These results support the role of PCI for selected patients with multivessel coronary artery disease.

Objective The objective of this study was to compare the short-term outcomes of robotic with conventional on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods The study population included 2091 consecutive patients who underwent either conventional or robotic CABG from January 2007 to March 2012. Preoperative, intraoperative, and 30-day postoperative variables were collected for each group. To compare the incidence of rapid recovery between conventional and robotic CABG, the surrogate variables of early discharge and discharge to home (vs rehabilitation or acute care facility) were evaluated. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used. Results One hundred fifty robotic and 1619 conventional CABG cases were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that robotic surgery was astrongpredictoroflower30-day complications [odds ratio (OR), 0.24; P =0.005], short length of stay (OR, 3.31; P < 0.001), and decreased need for an acute care facility (OR, 0.55; P = 0.032). In the presence of complications (New York State Complication Composite), the robotic technique was not associated with a change in discharge status. Conclusions In this retrospective review, robotic CABG was associated with a lower 30-day complication rate, a shorter length of stay, and a lower incidence of acute care facility discharge than conventional on-pump CABG. It may suggest a more rapid recovery to preoperative status after robotic surgery; however, only a randomized prospective study could confirm the advantages of a robotic approach.

Management of coronary artery disease (CAD) has evolved over the past decade, but there are few prospective studies evaluating long-term outcomes in a real-world setting of evolving technical approaches and secondary prevention. The aim of this study was to determine how the mortality and morbidity of CAD has changed in patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), in the setting of co-morbidities and evolving management. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry was a cohort study of patients undergoing PCI at various time points. Cohorts were enrolled in 1999 (cohort 2, n = 2,105), 2004 (cohort 4, n = 2,112), and 2006 (cohort 5, n = 2,176), and each was followed out to 5 years. Primary outcomes were death, myocardial infarction (MI), coronary artery bypass grafting, repeat PCI, and repeat revascularization. Secondary outcomes were PCI for new obstructive lesions at 5 years, 5-year rates of death and MI stratified by the severity of coronary artery and co-morbid disease. Over time, patients were more likely to have multiple co-morbidities and more severe CAD. Despite greater disease severity, there was no significant difference in death (16.5% vs 17.6%, adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74 to 1.08), MI (11.0% vs 10.6%, adjusted HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.08), or repeat PCI (20.4% vs 22.2%, adjusted HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.17) at 5-year follow-up, but there was a significant decrease in coronary artery bypass grafting (9.1% vs 4.3%, adjusted HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.59). Patients with 5 co-morbidities had a 40% to 60% death rate at 5 years. There was a modestly high rate of repeat PCI for new lesions, indicating a potential failure of secondary prevention for this population in the face of increasing co-morbidity. Overall 5-year rates of death, MI, repeat PCI, and repeat PCI for new lesions did not change significantly in the context of increased co-morbidities and complex disease.

Although use of assist devices in high risk percutaneous coronary intervention (HRPCI) has increased, current Impella registries (USpella, Europella) did not compare HRPCI with and without support. We used historic controls from the Dynamic Registry (Dyn Reg) to evaluate the benefit of Impella in

In the BARI 2D trial, patients with type 2 diabetes and stable coronary artery disease were randomized to prompt revascularization versus intensive medical therapy (IMT). This analysis sought to evaluate how the availability of drug-eluting stents (DESs) has changed practice and outcomes.In BARI 2D, 1,605 patients were in the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)-intended stratum. As DES became available midway through recruitment, we report clinical outcomes among patients who underwent IMT versus prompt PCI with bare-metal stents (BMSs) or DES up to 4 years.In North America, after DES became available, selection for the PCI-intended stratum increased from 73% to 79% (P = .003). Fewer BMS than DES patients had total occlusions treated or underwent rotational atherectomy (5.6% vs 9.7%, P = .02, and 1.2% vs 3.7%, P.01, respectively). Subsequent revascularization (IMT 39%, BMS 29%, DES 21%, P.01) and target vessel revascularization (BMS 16.1% vs DES 9.6%, P = .03) were lower with DES. Angina at 2 years tended to be less common with DES (IMT 39%, BMS 37%, DES 29%, P = .04, for 3 groups, P = .07 for DES vs BMS). The composite of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke was IMT 16.0%, BMS 20.5%, DES 17.5%; P = .80.When DES became available in North America, patients were more likely to be selected into the PCI-intended stratum. Compared with patients receiving BMS, those receiving DES tended to have less target vessel revascularization and angina.

Introduction Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is an important yet rare cause of acute coronary syndrome. The available literature shows a higher risk factor for women, notably during pregnancy and puerperium. The incidence in postmenopausal women is exceedingly rare, and is more commonly seen in association with concurrent predisposing factors. We illustrate an extremely rare case of a 62-year-old post-menopausal woman presenting with an acute myocardial infarction secondary to spontaneous dissection of the left anterior descending artery. Subsequent investigations did not reveal the presence of any co-morbidities. To the best of our knowledge, our patient is one of the oldest documented cases of spontaneous coronary artery dissection on record, and is notable for having no known underlying risk factors for development of spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Given the paucity of literature on spontaneous coronary artery dissection, particularly in postmenopausal women, we believe this case will provide further insight into the clinical presentation and management of this rare entity. Case presentation A 62-year-old previously healthy postmenopausal Hispanic woman presented with chest pain and was found to have an ST elevation myocardial infarction. Cardiac catheterization revealed a dissection in her left anterior descending artery. Revascularization was deferred; our patient received appropriate medical management and remained asymptomatic. A full panel of tests was done to exclude underlying connective tissue disorders and vasculitis. On subsequent follow-up, our patient continued to do well and all work-up was reported as negative. Conclusion We describe the varied presentation and subsequent management of a case of spontaneous coronary artery dissection and highlight the importance of considering spontaneous coronary artery dissection as a differential diagnosis even in older, postmenopausal women. The consequences of a delay in diagnosis and appropriate management are associated with a high mortality and morbidity; hence we believe that reporting all cases of spontaneous coronary artery dissection, particularly in postmenopausal women, will add invaluable information to the limited literature on this rare condition.

Adequate vitamin D levels may promote cardiovascular health by improving endothelial function and down-regulating inflammation. The objective of this pilot trial was to investigate the effects of vitamin D repletion on endothelial function and inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Using a double-blind placebo wait-list control design, 90 subjects with CAD and vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/ml) were randomized 1:1 to 50,000 IU of oral ergocalciferol or placebo weekly for 12 weeks. Endothelial function (reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry, RH-PAT), circulating adhesion molecules, and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured at baseline and 12 weeks. The median increase in serum 25-vitamin D from baseline was 26 ± 17 ng/ml in the active group and 4 ± 8 ng/ml in the placebo group (between-group difference = 22 ng/ml, p < 0.001). The median within-subject change in RH-PAT score was 0.13 ± 0.73 with active treatment and −0.04 ± 0.63 with placebo (between-group difference = 0.17, p = 0.44). Within-group and between-group differences in intercellular adhesion molecule levels were greater with placebo (between-group difference = 6 ng/ml, p = 0.048). Vascular cell adhesion molecule levels decreased in both groups by a similar magnitude (median difference between groups = 8.5 ng/ml, p = 0.79). There was no difference between groups in magnitude of reduction in interleukin (IL)-12 (−8.6 ng/ml, p = 0.72) and interferon-gamma (0.52 ng/ml, p = 0.88). No significant differences in blood pressure, e-selectin, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein, IL-6 or the chemokine CXCL-10 were found with treatment. In conclusion, repleting vitamin D levels in subjects with CAD failed to demonstrate any benefits on surrogate markers of cardiovascular health. These results question the role of vitamin D supplementation in modifying cardiovascular disease.

Prior trials suggest it is safe to defer transfusion at hemoglobin levels above 7 to 8 g/dL in most patients. Patients with acute coronary syndrome may benefit from higher hemoglobin levels.We performed a pilot trial in 110 patients with acute coronary syndrome or stable angina undergoing cardiac catheterization and a hemoglobin10 g/dL. Patients in the liberal transfusion strategy received one or more units of blood to raise the hemoglobin level ≥10 g/dL. Patients in the restrictive transfusion strategy were permitted to receive blood for symptoms from anemia or for a hemoglobin8 g/dL. The predefined primary outcome was the composite of death, myocardial infarction, or unscheduled revascularization 30 days post randomization.Baseline characteristics were similar between groups except age (liberal, 67.3; restrictive, 74.3). The mean number of units transfused was 1.6 in the liberal group and 0.6 in the restrictive group. The primary outcome occurred in 6 patients (10.9%) in the liberal group and 14 (25.5%) in the restrictive group (risk difference = 15.0%; 95% confidence interval of difference 0.7% to 29.3%; P = .054 and adjusted for age P = .076). Death at 30 days was less frequent in liberal group (n = 1, 1.8%) compared to restrictive group (n = 7, 13.0%; P = .032).The liberal transfusion strategy was associated with a trend for fewer major cardiac events and deaths than a more restrictive strategy. These results support the feasibility of and the need for a definitive trial.

The cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) is a setting in which elective, urgent, and emergent percutaneous procedures are performed. This poses challenges to maintaining and prioritizing high quality care and patient safety. Nonetheless, process expectations of a high-quality CCL include appropriate periprocedural communication, clinical management, documentation, and universal protocol. Regulations primarily targeted at open surgical operating rooms have the potential to negatively impact care because they may mandate focus on performance measures that are not necessarily relevant to the cardiac catheterization laboratory. For example, routine site marking for percutaneous access is irrelevant for most patients since failure to obtain access on one side (e.g., right femoral artery) simply leads to attempting access on the other side (e.g., left femoral artery). Instead, directives should be tailored to the percutaneous procedure setting to assure quality and optimal patient safety. This document will therefore provide expert consensus opinion on a number of issues pertaining to ‘‘best practices’’ within the CCL, focusing on quality and safety during each step of the process. The writing committee acknowledges a dearth in high-quality published studies in this area, making many of the enclosed recommendations based primarily on expert consensus. Although references are provided when available, further research specifically in catheterization laboratory processes and quality improvement is needed. The document is divided into ‘‘best practices’’ that should be performed during the preprocedure, intraprocedure, and postprocedure settings for diagnostic cardiac catheterization and coronary intervention, to be consistent with the typical patient flow into and out of the CCL. Despite the long history of cardiac catheterization that dates back several decades, a document describing these ‘‘best practices’’ has not yet been written. The purpose of this document is not to represent all acceptable practices, but to provide consensus opinion on what would currently be considered ‘‘best practices’’ as future goals for catheterization laboratories.

The Occluded Artery Trial (OAT) was a large, randomized controlled trial published in 2006 that demonstrated no benefit to routine percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of persistently totally occluded infarct-related arteries (IRA) identified a minimum of 24 hours (on calendar days 3-28) after myocardial infarction (MI). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of OAT results and consequent change in guideline recommendations for PCI for treatment of persistently occluded IRAs.We identified all patients enrolled in the CathPCI Registry, from 2005 to 2008, undergoing catheterization more than 24 hours after MI with a totally occluded native coronary artery and no major OAT exclusion criteria. We examined trends in monthly rates of PCI for occlusions after OAT publication and after guideline revisions. Because reporting of diagnostic catheterizations was not mandatory, we examined trends among hospitals in the highest quartile for reporting of diagnostic procedures.A total of 28,780 patient visits from 896 hospitals were included. Overall, we found no significant decline in the adjusted monthly rate of PCI of occlusions after publication of OAT (odds ratio [OR], 0.997; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.989-1.006) or after guideline revisions (OR, 1.007; 95% CI, 0.992-1.022). Among hospitals consistently reporting diagnostic catheterizations, there was no significant decline after OAT publication (OR, 1.018; 95% CI, 0.995-1.042), and there was a trend toward decline after guideline revisions (OR, 0.963; 95% CI, 0.920-1.000).These findings suggest that the results of OAT and consequent guideline revisions have not, to date, been fully incorporated into clinical practice in a large cross-section of hospitals in the United States.

The long-term benefits of a left internal mammary artery bypass graft compared to the left anterior descending artery have been well described. The use of drug-eluting stents has minimized the morbidity of revascularization. Hybrid coronary revascularization is the planned use of minimally invasive surgical techniques for left internal mammary artery-left anterior descending artery grafting and the use of percutaneous coronary intervention for nonleft anterior descending coronary artery target revascularization. The optimal timing and order of revascularization in hybrid coronary revascularization remains unclear.

The goals of this analysis were to determine: 1) whether guideline-based care during hospitalization for a myocardial infarction (MI) varied as a function of patients' baseline risk; and 2) whether temporal improvements in guideline adherence occurred in all risk groups.Guideline-based care of patients with MI improves outcomes, especially among those at higher risk. Previous studies suggest that this group is paradoxically less likely to receive guideline-based care (risk-treatment mismatch).A total of 112,848 patients with MI were enrolled at 279 hospitals participating in Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease (GWTG-CAD) between August 2000 and December 2008. We developed and validated an in-hospital mortality model (C-statistic: 0.75) to stratify patients into risk tertiles: low (0% to 3%), intermediate (3% to 6.5%), and high (6.5%). Use of guideline-based care and temporal trends were examined.High-risk patients were significantly less likely to receive aspirin, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, statins, diabetic treatment, smoking cessation advice, or cardiac rehabilitation referral at discharge compared with those at lower risk (all p0.0001). However, use of guideline-recommended therapies increased significantly in all risk groups per year (low-risk odds ratio: 1.33 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22 to 1.45]; intermediate-risk odds ratio: 1.30 [95% CI: 1.21 to 1.38]; and high-risk odds ratio: 1.30 [95% confidence interval: 1.23 to 1.37]). Also, there was a narrowing in the guideline adherence gap between low- and high-risk patients over time (p = 0.0002).Although adherence to guideline-based care remains paradoxically lower in those MI patients at higher risk of mortality and most likely to benefit from treatment, care is improving for eligible patients within all risk categories, and the gaps between low- and high-risk groups seem to be narrowing.

Previous postprocedural complications risk scores have shown very good performance. However, the need for real-time risk score computation makes their implementation in an emergency situation challenging. Therefore, we developed an easy-to-use prognostic classification model for postprocedural complications after early percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction. The model was developed on the New York State percutaneous coronary intervention database for 1999 to 2000 (consisting of 5,385 procedures) and was validated using the subsequent 2001 to 2002 database (consisting of 7,414 procedures). Tree-structured prognostic classification identified 4 key presenting features: cardiogenic shock, congestive heart failure, age, and diabetes. In the validation database, the model identified patient groups with postprocedural complications rates ranging from 1.0% to 22.8%, >22-fold increased risk. The performance of this model was similar to the Mayo Clinic and another recently published risk scores with a discrimination capacity of 78% (95% confidence interval, 75%, 80%). In conclusion, patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction can be readily stratified into distinct prognostic classes using the tree-structured model.

In the Occluded Artery Trial (OAT), 2,201 stable patients with an occluded infarct-related artery (IRA) were randomized to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or optimal medical treatment alone (MED). There was no difference in the primary end point of death, reinfarction, or congestive heart failure (CHF). We examined the prognostic impact of prerandomization stress testing.Stress testing was required by protocol except for patients with single-vessel disease and akinesis/dyskinesis of the infarct zone. The presence of severe inducible ischemia was an exclusion criterion for OAT. We compared outcomes based on performance and results of stress testing.Five hundred ninety-eight (27%) patients (297 PCI, 301 MED) underwent stress testing. Radionuclide imaging or stress echocardiography was performed in 40%. Patients who had stress testing were younger (57 vs 59 years); had higher ejection fractions (49% vs 47%); and had lower rates of death (7.8% vs 13.2%), class IV CHF (2.4% vs 5.5%), and the primary end point (13.9% vs 18.9%) than patients without stress testing (all P.01). Mild-moderate ischemia was observed in 40% of patients with stress testing and was not related to outcomes. Among patients with inducible ischemia, outcomes were similar for PCI and MED (all P.10).In OAT, patients who underwent stress testing had better outcomes than patients who did not, likely related to differences in baseline characteristics. In patients managed with optimal medical therapy or PCI, mild-moderate inducible ischemia was not related to outcomes. The lack of benefit for PCI compared to MED alone was consistent regardless of whether stress testing was performed or inducible ischemia was present.

This report describes the baseline angiographic findings in the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation (BARI) 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) trial, a randomized study that was initiated after the original BARI trial (BARI 1). Unlike BARI 1, which compared coronary artery bypass graft surgery with coronary angioplasty (percutaneous coronary intervention) in patients with and without diabetes, BARI 2D is investigating early versus deferred revascularization as needed in selected patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and significant stable coronary artery disease (CAD). This analysis included 1,773 patients without previous procedures. The intended mode of revascularization, percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery, was specified before randomization. Angiographic findings in those randomized to revascularization versus medical treatment were similar. Overall, the mean number of lesions >or=20% diameter stenosis was 4.6 +/- 2.3, and the myocardial jeopardy index was 46 +/- 24%. Patients selected for the coronary artery bypass graft stratum had a higher mean number of lesions >or=20% diameter stenosis (5.7 vs 4.0, p

Objectives We sought to examine the combined effect of hospital and physician volume of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on in-hospital mortality. Background An inverse relationship between volume and outcome has been observed for both hospitals and physicians after primary PCI for acute myocardial infarction. Methods Using the New York State PCI registry, we examined yearly hospital volume, physician volume, and risk-adjusted mortality in 7,321 patients undergoing primary PCI for acute myocardial infarction. Risk-adjusted mortality rates for high-volume hospitals (>50 cases/year) and high-volume physicians (>10 cases/year) were compared with their respective low-volume counterparts. Results Primary PCI by high-volume hospitals (odds ratio [OR]: 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38 to 0.88) and high-volume physicians (OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.92) was associated with lower odds of mortality. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between hospital and physician volume on adjusted mortality (p = 0.02). Although unadjusted mortality was lower when primary PCI was performed by high-volume physicians in high-volume hospitals compared with low-volume physicians in low-volume hospitals (3.2% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.03), the risk-adjusted mortality rate was not statistically significant (3.8% vs. 8.4%, p = 0.09). In low-volume hospitals, the average risk-adjusted mortality rate for low-volume physicians was 8.4% versus 4.8% for high-volume physicians (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 0.68 to 3.03). However, in high-volume hospitals, the risk-adjusted mortality rate for high-volume physicians was 3.8% versus 6.5% for low-volume physicians (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.86). Conclusions During primary PCI, physician experience significantly modifies the hospital volume-outcome relationship. Therefore, policymakers need to consider physician experience when developing strategies to improve access to primary PCI.

To the Editor: We appreciate the editorial by Drs Popma, Kuntz, and Baim1 highlighting the recently published comparison of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry and the Bypass …

Commentary on: W Hueb, N Lopes, BJ Gersh, et al.. Ten-year follow-up survival of the Medicine, Angioplasty, or Surgery Study (MASS II): a randomized controlled clinical trial of 3 therapeutic strategies for multivessel coronary artery disease.Circulation2010;122:949–57.

Objective We sought to identify, by use of serum cardiac markers, patients at low risk for 30-day mortality after STsegment elevation myocardial infarction. Background Baseline cardiac markers are currently used to identify patients at increased risk for short-term events. We hypothesized that serum markers measured after treatment could identify patients at low risk for 30-day mortality. Methods A total of 839 patients from the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 10B study had myoglobin, cardiac-specific troponin-I, creatine kinase (CK)-MB measurements at the following time points; baseline, 90 minutes, and 3 and 12 hours after thrombolysis. By use of receiver operating characteristic analysis, thresholds were derived to predict 30-day mortality with at least 95% negative predictive value. Results Ninety minutes after thrombolysis myoglobin was superior to troponin-I or CK-MB in identifying patients at low risk for mortality. The 30-day mortality for 12-hour myoglobin ≤239 ng/mL was 1.4% compared with 9.1% for levels >239 ng/mL (P

Hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR), an emerging treatment paradigm, combines minimally invasive internal mammary artery (IMA) to left anterior descending artery (LAD) revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to treat multi–vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) that

Background Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at higher risk for adverse outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods To determine whether outcomes have improved over time, we analyzed data from 2,838 consecutive patients with medically treated DM, including 1,066 patients (37.6%) treated with insulin, in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry undergoing PCI registered in waves 1 (1997-1998), 2 (1999), 3 (2001-2002), 4 (2004), and 5 (2006). We compared baseline demographics and 1-year outcomes in the overall cohort and in analyses stratified by recruitment wave and insulin use. Results Crude mortality rates by chronological wave were 9.5%, 12.5%, 8.9%, 11.6%, and 6.6% ( P value trend = .33) among those treated with insulin and, respectively, 9.7%, 6.5%, 4.1%, 5.4%, and 4.7% ( P value trend = .006) among patients treated with oral agents,. The adjusted hazard ratios of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and overall major adverse cardiovascular events (death, MI, revascularization) in insulin-treated patients with DM in waves 2 to 5 as compared with wave 1 were either higher or the same. In contrast, the similar adjusted hazard ratios for oral agent–treated patients with DM were either similar or lower. Conclusions Significant improvements over time in adverse events by 1 year were detected in patients with DM treated with oral agents. In insulin-treated diabetic patients, despite lower rates of repeat revascularization over time, death and MI following PCI have not significantly improved. These findings underscore the need for continued efforts at optimizing outcomes among patients with DM undergoing PCI, especially those requiring insulin treatment.

AIM: To study if impaired renal function is associated with increased risk of peri-infarct heart failure (HF) in patients with preserved ejection fraction (EF). METHODS: Patients with occluded infarct-related arteries (IRAs) between 1 to 28 d after myocardial infarction (MI) were grouped into chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Rates of early post-MI HF were compared among eGFR groups. Logistic regression was used to explore independent predictors of HF. RESULTS: Reduced eGFR was present in 71.1% of 2160 patients, with significant renal impairment (eGFR < 60 mL/min every 1.73 m2) in 14.8%. The prevalence of HF was higher with worsening renal function: 15.5%, 17.8% and 29.4% in patients with CKD stages 1, 2 and 3 or 4, respectively (P < 0.0001), despite a small absolute difference in mean EF across eGFR groups: 48.2 ± 10.0, 47.9 ± 11.3 and 46.2 ± 12.1, respectively (P = 0.02). The prevalence of HF was again higher with worsening renal function among patients with preserved EF: 10.1%, 13.6% and 23.6% (P < 0.0001), but this relationship was not significant among patients with depressed EF: 27.1%, 26.2% and 37.9% (P = 0.071). Moreover, eGFR was an independent correlate of HF in patients with preserved EF (P = 0.003) but not in patients with depressed EF (P = 0.181). CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of post-MI patients with occluded IRAs have impaired renal function. Impaired renal function was associated with an increased rate of early post-MI HF, the association being strongest in patients with preserved EF. These findings have implications for management of peri-infarct HF.

Prior studies suggest that younger women are at higher risk for adverse events following PCI; however, no long-term, multi-center assessments exist. We evaluated 10,963 patients undergoing PCI enrolled in the NHLBI-sponsored Dynamic Registry and compared long-term outcomes in women < 50 years (n=