Usefulness of the Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery Wrapping Around the Left Ventricular Apex to Predict Adverse Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Anterior Wall ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (from the Harmonizing Outcomes With Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial)

Abstract

The association between anatomic features of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and outcomes in patients with anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been fully investigated. We sought to clarify the impact of an LAD coronary artery wrapping around the left ventricular (LV) apex on clinical outcomes in patients with anterior STEMI. Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction enrolled patients with STEMI presenting <12 hours after symptom onset who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients with a culprit lesion in the LAD were categorized as (1) LAD wrapping around the LV apex (wrap-around LAD, n = 871) versus (2) LAD not wrapping around the LV apex (non-wrap-around LAD, n = 224). Killip class ≥II, dysrhythmia, and LV mural thrombi were more frequently observed in the wrap-around LAD group; LV ejection fraction was worse in the wrap-around LAD group (54.5% vs 58.7%, p = 0.006). At 3 years of follow-up, major adverse cardiac events (death, stroke, or stent thrombosis, 12.7% vs 5.4%, p = 0.002), death (6.6% vs 3.2%, p = 0.052), stroke (1.9% vs 0.5%, p = 0.12), stent thrombosis (5.6% vs 2.3%, p = 0.047), and severe heart failure (4.5% vs 1.4%, p = 0.03) were more common in patients with a wrap-around LAD versus those with a non-wrap-around LAD. Multivariate analysis indicated that a wrap-around LAD independently and significantly predicted major adverse cardiac events (hazard ratio 2.18, p = 0.02) and severe heart failure (odds ratio 3.31, p = 0.049) in patients with an anterior STEMI. In conclusion, a wrap-around LAD predicted adverse clinical outcomes at 3 years in patients with anterior STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention.