Acute Coronary Artery Dissection Research Articles

Abstract 11699: In Hospital Outcomes of Acute Coronary Artery Dissection and Obesity

Introduction: Coronary artery dissection is an emergency condition due to a tear in the coronary arterial wall, and it’s an uncommon cause of acute coronary syndrome. The Effect of Obesity on the outcome of acute coronary artery dissection is poorly documented. Hence, our study sought to estimate the impact of Obesity on clinical outcomes of hospitalizations of patients with acute Coronary artery dissection using the national database. Methods: We queried the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016 to 2019. The NIS is the largest inpatient hospitalization database in the United States. The NIS was searched for hospitalization of adult patients with acute Coronary artery dissection as a principal diagnosis with and without Obesity as a secondary diagnosis using ICD-10 codes. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality. The secondary results were Acute kidney injury (AKI), Cardiogenic shock (CS), Cardiac arrest (CA), Total hospital charge (THC), and length of stay (LOS). Multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses were used accordingly to adjust for confounders. Results: About 2440 patients were admitted for acute Coronary artery dissection; 17.4% (425) had underlying obesity. Cohorts with obesity vs No obesity had a mean age of 52.9 years [CI 50.4 - 55.5] vs 55.9 years [CI 54.5 - 57.4]; male (20% vs 25.8%), female (80% vs 74.2%); white (71.3% vs 73.3%), black (21.3% vs 12.0%), and Hispanic (6.3% vs 7.8%). Compared to patients without obesity, patients admitted with coexisting obesity had similar inpatient mortality (7.1% vs 3.2%, AOR 3.22, 95% CI 0.74 - 13.88, P=0.118), AKI (15.3% vs 9.9%, P 0.357), CS (9.4% vs 11.2% P=0.098), CA (5.9% vs 5.0% P=0.530), THC (IRR 0.94, 95% CI 0.64 - 1.37, P=0.738), and LOS (IRR 0.79, 95% CI 0.59 - 1.05, P=0.107). Conclusions: Patients admitted primarily for acute Coronary artery dissection with co-existing Obesity had similar inpatient mortality, AKI, CS, CA, THC, and LOS compared to patients without Obesity.

Acute Coronary Artery Dissection: A Review of the Literature and Current Evidence.

Acute coronary artery dissection is a rare, complex disease occurring particularly in young women without traditional cardiovascular risk factors. The pathophysiology and treatment are different from acute coronary syndrome caused by plaque rupture or erosion. Its clinical presentation may vary from unstable angina to sudden cardiac death. Hence, early detection is crucial to manage the dissection and reduce the mortality and morbidity rates. Most coronary dissections will heal spontaneously, and conservative treatment is recommended for uncomplicated cases. In the acute phase, primary percutaneous coronary intervention remains the reperfusion strategy of choice; however, in small- and medium-sized arteries with normalized blood flow, conservative treatment is beneficial. Medical therapy should be tailored to the individual depending on the underlying severity of the condition. Percutaneous coronary intervention should be performed by experienced operators, with the use of intravascular imaging, and preferably with on-site surgical back-up due to the increased risk of complications. The prognosis is favorable; however, patients have a high risk of recurrent dissections in other arteries several weeks after the first event, suggesting a general weakness of the arteries. In the recent past, optical coherence tomography has played an important role in the diagnosis of acute coronary artery dissection; however, its therapeutic potential is underestimated. We recommend that long-term clinical trials should be conducted to fully determine the long-term mortality and morbidity rates of these patients.

Sudden Cardiac Death

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of death seen largely in young women, with many cases occurring in the early postpartum period. Nine cases with this condition were examined from our histopathology records comprising 6 women and 3 men with an age range of 26 to 47 years. All deaths were sudden, and only one patient complained of chest pain and she was 8 weeks postpartum. All cases showed dissection macroscopically, though 4 of the 6 cases, which were sent for a second opinion, were described as having normal coronaries by the referring pathologists. One heart seemed to have postmortem coronary artery thrombus and dissection was difficult to discern on gross examination. All cases were examined histologically and confirmed acute dissection of the coronary arteries, with more than 2 arteries affected in 2 cases. Histologic features of myocardial ischemia/infarction were noted in 4 cases so the explanation for the sudden death in the other 4 cases remains a possible fatal arrhythmia. The macroscopic changes in the heart of acute coronary artery dissection can be difficult to detect and can be easily mistaken for postmortem clot or a thrombus overlying an atheromatous plaque. All such cases with thrombus in the arteries, even the normal-looking coronary arteries, in young adults should be examined microscopically for dissection

A case report of postpartum acute coronary artery dissection

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) which was first described by Pretty in 1931 is rare but significant cause of myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. The incidence of this condition...

Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysm and Acute Coronary Artery Dissection in the Setting of Multivascular Fibromuscular Dysplasia

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a segmental noninflammatory nonatherosclerotic vascular disease that has been described in almost every arterial bed, including the cerebral and coronary arteries. FMD of cerebral vessels has been associated with development of saccular aneurysms in the involved vessels. Acute dissection of coronary arteries is also a rare complication of FMD. Herein, we report the first case of both complications of FMD occurring in a single patient-a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm and a right coronary artery dissection occurring in a 38-year-old woman. At autopsy, FMD was found in multiple vascular beds. Our findings reveal the potential for involvement of several vascular beds in patients with FMD, resulting in multiple vascular complications.

Exercise-Related Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute cardiac events and occurs most frequently in the peripartum period. Coronary artery dissection related to exercise is even more unusual, with only a few cases reported in the literature. We report a case of acute coronary artery dissection related to exercise in a 17-yr-old high school athlete, and we review the available literature on exercise-related coronary dissection. We performed a PubMed literature search using the search terms exercise, sports, spontaneous coronary dissection, and athletics. We found seven cases of spontaneous coronary artery dissection that had occurred during intense physical exercise. Vigorous exercise can provoke acute ischemic events, but such events occur primarily in adults with atherosclerotic disease. Many of the cases reported as spontaneous coronary artery dissection are more likely atherosclerotic plaque rupture, in which cases they are not truly spontaneous. Because spontaneous coronary dissection is so rare, there are no available recommendations on how to manage young athletes with this condition. We permitted this athlete to return to limited competition, without data to support either a total restriction or even a limited restriction, with the written understanding that a recurrent event is possible but probably unlikely. In summary, spontaneous coronary artery dissection should be considered in young individuals presenting with exercise-related acute ischemic cardiac events.

Multiple spontaneous coronary artery dissections in association with anomalous origin of right coronary and intramural coronary artery dysplasia

We present a case of sudden death due to spontaneous acute coronary artery dissection. In addition, there was a healing spontaneous coronary dissection, intramural coronary artery dysplasia, and an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk. The coincidence of multiple spontaneous coronary dissections, coronary arterial dysplasia, and anomalous origin of the right coronary artery is unique.

Patency of an internal thoracic artery graft despite maximal competitive flow

Recent evidence has suggested that competitive flow is an important factor in early graft failure. In this case report an internal thoracic artery graft was used to revascularize an acute coronary artery dissection after balloon angioplasty. Subsequent angiography 4 months later showed complete healing of the dissection, yet the internal thoracic artery graft remained widely patent in spite of the maximal competitive flow from the native coronary artery. This concurs with experimental results recently reported in The Annals regarding the physiologic adaptability of the internal thoracic artery graft to suit flow requirements and its versatility as the conduit of choice.

Acute coronary artery dissection during pregnancy

Acute coronary artery dissection is a rare complication of pregnancy usually identified at postmortem examination. We report a case of myocardial infarction apparently caused by acute dissection of the left main coronary artery in a 24-year-old woman being treated for preterm labor with terbutaline. Hemodynamic deterioration necessitated emergency cesarean delivery and coronary bypass surgery.