Diagnosis Of Acute Coronary Syndrome Research Articles

急性冠症候群早期診断精度向上に向けてのバイオマーカー評価―ヒト心臓由来脂肪酸結合蛋白・心筋トロポニンを用いて―

急性冠症候群早期診断精度向上に向けてのバイオマーカー評価―ヒト心臓由来脂肪酸結合蛋白・心筋トロポニンを用いて―

A WEB-BASED SMART TELECARE SYSTEM FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF HEART ATTACK

Abstract. Acute coronary syndrome which could lead to a heart attack is a common and dangerous disease in many parts of the world. Telecare can accelerate the diagnosis of the disease to provide user information including his/her location in an emergency to a support unit, to reduce the treatment time. Therefore, it is essential to develop a smart telecare system that monitors the status of the user automatically in real-time. This paper has proposed and implemented a web-based smart telecare system. The architecture of this system is based on an architecture for smart care in a smart city. This system receives information from the user and uses linear regression to detect acute coronary syndrome at the initial stage of the disease. This information is descriptive and selected according to the opinion of the cardiologist. Also, in case of diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, the user's location is determined and sent to a support unit via email. The accuracy of this system is 77.5%. This accuracy is acceptable compared to the same system that predicts myocardial infarction. As the proposed system, unlike the comparator system, does not use electro cardio graphic signals (ECG), it can significantly reduce the time of diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and its complications through early diagnosis of the disease and its notification. The innovation of this research is the presentation of an intelligent decision maker system that reports the hearth attack to the decision support system via an email message.

Predicting acute coronary syndrome in males and females with chest pain who call an emergency medical communication centre

BackgroundChest pain is a frequent reason for calls in emergency medical communication centre (EMCC). Detecting a coronary origin by phone is a challenge. This is especially so as the presentations differ according to gender. We aimed to establish and validate a sex-based model to predict a coronary origin of chest pain in patients calling an EMCC.MethodsThis prospective cohort study enrolled patients at 18 years of age or older who called the EMCC because of non-traumatic chest pain. The main outcome was the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) determined by expert evaluation of patient files.ResultsDuring 18 months, 3727 patients were enrolled: 2097 (56%) men and 1630 (44%) women. ACS was diagnosed in 508 (24%) men and 139 (9%) women. For men, independent factors associated with an ACS diagnosis were age, tobacco use, severe and permanent pain; retrosternal, breathing non-related and radiating pain; and additional symptoms. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73–0.79) for predicting ACS. The accuracy of the male model to predict ACS was validated in a validation dataset (Hosmer-Lemeshow test: p = 0.554); the AUC was 0.77 (95%CI 0.73–0.80). For women, independent factors associated with an ACS diagnosis were age ≥ 60 years, personal history of coronary artery disease, and breathing non-related and radiating pain. The AUC was 0.79 (95%CI 0.75–0.83). The accuracy of the female model to predict ACS was not validated in the validation dataset (Hosmer-Lemeshow test: p = 0.035); the AUC was 0.67 (95%CI 0.60–0.74).ConclusionsPredictors of an ACS diagnosis in patients calling an EMCC for chest pain differ between men and women. We developed an accurate predictive model for men, but for women, the accuracy was poor.Trial registrationThis study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02042209).

Study of Cardiac Troponin I level in Acute Coronary Syndrome and its correlation with Left Ventricular Systolic Function

Background: In the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, cardiac troponin I is highly reliable and widely available biomarker. Serum level of cardiac troponin I is related to amount of myocardial damage and also closely relates to infarct size. Our aim of the study is to find out the relationship between cardiac troponin I and left ventricular systolic function after acute coronary syndrome.
 Methods: Total of 132 acute coronary syndrome patients were included in this study after admission in coronary care unit of Sir Salimullah Medical College, Mitford Hospital. Troponin I level was measured at admission and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured by echocardiography between 12-48 hours of onset of chest pain.
 Results: There was negative correlation between Troponin I at 12 to 48 hours of chest pain with LVEF in these study patients. With a cutoff value of troponin I e”6.8 ng/ml in STEMI patients there is a significant negative relation between 12 to 48 hrs troponin I and LVEF (p<0.001). Sensitivity of troponin I e” 6.8 ng/ml between 12 to 48 hours of chest pain in predicting LVEF <50% in STEMI was 93.75% and specificity was 77.78%. In NSTEMI sensitivity of troponin I e” 4.5 ng/ml between 12 to 48 hours of chest pain in predicting LVEF <50% was 65% and specificity was 54.05%.
 Conclusion: Serum troponin I level had a strong negative correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction after acute coronary syndrome and hence can be used to predict the LVEF in this setting.
 Cardiovasc. j. 2019; 12(1): 24-29

Relationship between Pwave peak time and coronary artery disease severity in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Early diagnosis of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) and prediction of the severity of current coronary artery disease (CAD) play amajor role in patient prognosis. Electrocardiography has aunique value in the diagnosis and provides prognostic information on patients with NSTE-ACS. In the present study, we aimed to examine the relationship between Pwave peak time (PWPT) and the severity of CAD in patients with NSTE-ACS. Atotal of 132 consecutive patients (female: 35.6%; mean age: 60.1 ± 11.6years) who were diagnosed with NSTE-ACS were evaluated retrospectively. Gensini scores (GSs) were used to define the angiographic characteristics of the coronary atherosclerotic lesions. The patients were divided into two groups according to the GS. The PWPT was defined as the duration between the beginning and the peak of the Pwave, and Rwave peak time (RWPT) was defined as the duration between the beginning of the QRS complex and the peak of the Rwave. There were 59 (44.6%) patients in the high-GS group (GS ≥25) and 73 (55.3%) patients in the low-GS group (GS <25). Presence of diabetes mellitus, low left ventricular ejection fraction, and high RWPT and PWPT were identified as predictors of ahigh GS in the study population. There was no significant difference between the area under the curves of PWPT and RWPT for predicting the severity of CAD (0.663 vs. 0.623, respectively; p = 0.573). The present study found that both PWPT and RWPT on admission electrocardiography were associated with the severity and complexity of CAD in patients with NSTE-ACS.

P816Mortality during weekend admission for takotsubo syndrome: a national cross sectional large scale study

Abstract Background Higher mortality rates in patients admitted for an acute myocardial infarction during weekends has been recently confirmed. Differences in staffing and in lower rates of early reperfusion therapy are thought to affect outcomes of these patients particularly of those presenting with ST segment elevation. Patients affected by Takotsubo cardiomyopathy may present themselves mimicking those affected by heart attack and are frequently admitted with supposed diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. No data is available about influence on mortality in relation to the time of admission among patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Rationale The aim of this study is to assess the effect on mortality due to admission during weekend among patients discharged with diagnosis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Methods We retrieved administrative data about every admission to National Healthcare System hospitals in Italy between 2009 and 2017 with final diagnosis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy according to ICD9-CM classification of diseases (code 429.83). Date of admission was used to determine the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) or weekdays exposure (Monday to Friday). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Demographical characteristics of patients (age and sex) were included in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. We also analyzed the impact of weekend admission on time to coronary angiography and on length of hospital staying. Analyses were performed using Stata 13.0. Results A total of 10,861 Takotsubo admissions were identified. Mean age was 70.7 years and 91.7% were women. The in-hospital mortality was 2.21%. We found that there was no significant increase in the risk of death among patients admitted during weekends (OR 1.07; 95% CI 0.77–1.44). The variability explained by the model was of 4.2% (pseudo R-squared 0.042). Men have a higher risk of mortality as compared to women (OR 2.37, 95% C.I 1.69–3.33). Patients admitted during weekend tends to stay in hospital longer, but they do not seem to wait more days to get a coronary angiography. Conclusions At variance with patients with ST elevated acute myocardial infarction, subjects admitted during weekends for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy did not show an excess of in-hospital mortality in comparison to those admitted during week days.

P4574Marked changes in the incidence of subendocardial and ST elevation myocardial infarctions: a twenty-one year study

Abstract Background/Introduction The use of new biomarkers, pharmacologic and interventional therapies have resulted in marked changes of the type of myocardial infarction. Purpose The purpose of this study is to report on the changes in the incidence of subendocardial and ST elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) in the state of New Jersey from 1994 to 2015 and describe possible explanations for this secular change. Methods The rate of occurrence of ST elevation myocardial infarction (ICD9 410.00) and of subendocardial (NSTEMI, ICD9 410.70 to 410.72) myocardial infarction was studied using the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System (MIDAS), a statewide database of all admissions for acute myocardial infarction in New Jersey with more than 30 years longitudinal follow up. Admissions for myocardial infarction and unstable angina as well as for conditions associated with troponemia (heart failure ICD9 418.XX, chronic kidney disease ICD9 584.XX, 585.XX, 403.XX, diabetes ICD9 250.XX) were also identified. Associations among variables were examined using logistic regression and linear error in variables (LEIV) models. Results During the time period under consideration, there was a decrease in the total number of MIs in New Jersey by 17.5%, the number of STEMIs decreased by 67.4%, while the rate of NSTEMIs increased by 85.8% (top panel). There was a complementary relationship between the annual number of admissions for unstable angina to the annual number of admissions for NSTEMIs (bottom panel). The effect was more pronounced between 1994 and 2002 and plateaued thereafter corresponding to widespread use of troponins in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes. Conclusions The marked change in the type of myocardial infarction was due in part to the use of troponins that resulted in the classification of patients with unstable angina as patients with subendocardial infarction. These data support regionalization of facilities specializing in immediate intervention in STEMI patients.

P4987Long term follow up after comparison of two strategies in a chest pain unit: exercise echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography

Abstract Introduction and objectives Up to 5% patients with acute chest pain present an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aimed to compare peak exercise echocardiography (ExE) and multidetector computed tomography (MCT) in patients referred to a chest pain unit. Methods 203 patients with ≥1 cardiovascular risk factors, no ischemic ECG changes and negative biomarkers were randomized to ExE (n=103) or MCT (n=100). The endpoints were hard events (cardiovascular death and non-fatal myocardial infarction), combined events (hard events and revascularizations), and combined events plus readmissions during follow-up. Cost of either strategy was also investigated. Results Mean age was 64±11 years and 131 patients were male. Hypertension was seen in 71%, hypercholesterolemia in 74%, diabetes mellitus in 28%, and smoking in 21%. Most of the patients had a low TIMI risk score (68% TIMI I and 32% TIMI II). Mean follow-up was 4,7±2,7 years. Invasive angiography due to positive/nonconclusive results was performed in 34 of the patients, 103 submitted to SE and in 27 of the 100 submitted to MCT (33% vs. 27%, p=0.15). A final diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome was achieved in 53 patients (30 [88%] in the ExE group and 23 [85%] in the MCT group, p=0.12). There were no significant differences between groups in hard events (5 [5%] patients in the ExE group and 7 [7%] in the MCT group, p=0,42), combined events (35 patients [34%] in the ExE group and 29 [29%] in the MCT group), and combined events plus readmissions (43 [42%] patients in the ExE group and 41 [41%] in the MCT). The median stay in hospital was 7 (5–10) days in the ExE group and 8 (5–10,25) in the MCT group (p=NS). For patients with negative results by either technique the mean stay was less than 8 hours. There were no differences in the global cost, although it was lower for patients with negative ExE (557 € vs. 706 €, p&lt;0,02) as compared to those with negative TCM. Conclusions Both MCT and ExE are equally effective for the stratification of patients with low to moderate probability of ACS admitted to a chest pain unit. The cost was similar with both strategies, although significant lower in ExE when negative studies were compared.

The clinical care pathway of patients with chest pain

Chest pain is a common general practice presentation that requires careful diagnostic assessment because of its diverse and potentially serious causes and its evaluation remains challenging. The proportion of patients presenting to the emergency department because of acute chest pain appears to be increasing. Nowadays, the essential chest pain-related issues are the missed diagnoses of acute coronary syndromes with a poor short-term prognosis and the increasing percentage of hospitalizations of low-risk cases. It is well known that hospitalization of a low-risk chest pain patient can lead to unnecessary tests and procedures, with an increasing trend of complications and burden of costs, but chest pain is never low risk and appropriate diagnosis is always mandatory. The correct diagnosis will guide the treatment strategy. The implementation of networks between hospitals (hub and spoke) with various levels of technology, provide optimal care while minimizing delays, thereby improving clinical outcomes. Cardiologists should actively collaborate with all stakeholders, particularly emergency physicians, in establishing such networks.

P4420Is exercise-induced cardiac troponin release caused by skeletal muscle injury?

Abstract Background Cardiac troponins (cTn) are highly sensitive and specific markers for cardiac injury and a key element in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. Strenuous exercise is known to induce increases in cTn, but the causative factors remain ambiguous. It is also equivocal whether exercise induced skeletal muscle injury is associated with cTn elevation. Purpose The aim of this study was to identify independent predictors for the rise in cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and I (cTnI) concentration and to focus on the relationship between skeletal muscle injury measured by skeletal troponin I (skTnI) and cTn elevations after a marathon race in a large group of male recreational runners. Methods A total of 40 recreational runners participating in the marathon in our city were recruited. The study included baseline visit (prerace) and immediate post-race sampling. Results The post-marathon cTnT concentration rose above the reference limit in 38 (95%) participants and the detection limit for cTnI was exceeded in 34 (85%) participants. Similarly, a 10-fold increase in skTnI concentration was observed and elevated post-race values were seen in all participants. There was no significant correlation between the post-race cTnT or cTnT change and post-race skTnI (Spearman's rho = 0.249, p=0.122, rho = 0.285, p=0.074). However, post-race cTnI and change in cTnI were associated with post-race skTnI (rho = 0.404, p=0.01, rho = 0.460, p=0.003) and creatine kinase (r=0.368, p=0.019) concentration. Subjective exertion or self-reported muscle symptoms did not correlate with post-race cTnT, cTnI or skTnI levels. Post-Race cTnT &lt;40 Post-Race cTnT ≥40 p-value n=18 n=22 Age, years 53.3±12.2 44.0±11.9 0.002 Active training, years 12.0 (9.3) 17.0 (15.8) 0.190 Muscle symptoms 7 (38.9) 11 (52.4) 0.523 Creatinine kinase, ug/l 406 (137) 399 (319) 0.163 N-terminal proBNP ng/l 137±168 158±277 0.783 Skeletal Troponin I, ng/ml 28.6 (41) 56.7 (143) 0.199 Figure 1 Conclusions Cardiac troponin became abnormal in almost all runners after marathon race. The exercise-induced rise in cardiac troponin I is related to simultaneous release of skeletal troponin I. The mechanism of this association remains uncertain, but clinicians should be cautious when interpreting post-exercise troponin levels without clinical symptoms and signs of myocardial ischemia.

P4343Reconciling acute coronary syndrome diagnoses between linked administrative data and hospital medical records in medical research

Abstract Background/Introduction Administrative data incorporating the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) is commonly used in cardiac research. Using patient records, diagnoses are systematically coded by trained coders who have limited/no clinical experience. Therefore, it is important to understand how systematically coded cardiac diagnoses compare with clinically assessed diagnoses to better analyse and interpret studies that have used linked administrative data to adjudicate patient's diagnosis. Purpose To assess the agreement between the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) diagnoses according to linked data compared to those extracted from hospital medical records by clinicians participating in a national registry and determine the factors associated with diagnoses disagreement. Methods The rate of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-STEMI (NSTEMI) and unstable angina (UA) obtained from the medical records, from admission to discharge, for the nationwide SNAPSHOT ACS audit in 2012 were compared to the corresponding ICD-10 Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) codes using linked data from 6 jurisdictions covering all Australian states (6) and territories (2). The proportions of the overall agreement (OA), the positive agreement (PA) and the Cohen's weighted kappa and the 95% confidence interval (CI) were derived using both data sources for STEMI, NSTEMI and UA individually, where kappa≥0.8 confers strong agreement and 0.6≤kappa&lt;0.8 moderate agreement. The factors associated with the diagnostic disagreement were explored using multilevel multivariable logistic regression model (backward selection method), accounting for the hospital clustering effect. Results Overall, 3130 patients had both medical records and linked data available for comparison. The degree of agreement was greatest for STEMI and lowest for UA (STEMI: OA=97%, PA=85%, kappa (95% CI)=0.84 (0.81, 0.87); NSTEMI: OA=91%, PA=81%, kappa (95% CI)=0.76 (0.73,0.79); UA: OA = 81%, PA=53%, kappa (95% CI)=0.41 (0.38, 0.45)). Further, the independent factors associated with the disagreement between the medical records and the linked data were the diagnosis of UA (UA vs. STEMI (odds ratio (95% CI)): 6.85 (4.12, 11.40)), not receiving revascularisation (2.27 (1.69, 3.03)), and the state where the ICD-10-AM was coded (p=0.007) (see Figure). Figure 1 Conclusion This study suggests that the agreement between the systematically coded diagnoses from linked administrative data and the diagnosis from the clinical assessment is greater in patients who received revascularisation and worse in those with UA. Also, the degree of agreement varies between states. As the linked data and the ICD codes are being used more often in research to support the evidence-based policies and practice, more attention is needed in testing and improving the accuracy of the ICD-10 codes as well as the ICD-11 codes that are soon to be introduced. Acknowledgement/Funding KH is funded by Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. SNAPSHOT data linkage project was funded by the NSW Heart Foundation CVRN Project Grant

P1731High-sensitivity troponin with sex-specific thresholds in suspected acute coronary syndrome

Abstract Background/Introduction Major disparities between women and men in the diagnosis, management and outcome of acute coronary syndrome are well recognised. Whether sex-specific diagnostic thresholds for myocardial infarction will address these differences is uncertain. Purpose To evaluate the impact of implementing a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) assay with sex-specific diagnostic thresholds for myocardial infarction in women and men with suspected acute coronary syndrome. Methods In a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized controlled trial across ten hospitals we evaluated the implementation of a hs-cTnI assay in 48,282 (47% women) consecutive patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome. During a validation phase the hs-cTnI assay results were suppressed and a contemporary cTnI assay with a single threshold was used to guide care. Myocardial injury was defined as any hs-cTnI concentration &gt;99th centile of 16 ng/L in women and 34 ng/L in men. The primary outcome was myocardial infarction after the initial presentation or cardiovascular death at 1 year. In this prespecified analysis, we evaluated outcomes in men and women before and after implementation of the hs-cTnI assay. Results Use of the hs-cTnI assay with sex-specific thresholds increased myocardial injury in women by 42% (from 3,521 (16%) to 4,991 (22%)) and by 6% in men (from 5,068 (20%) to 5,369 (21%)). Whilst treatment increased in both sexes, women with myocardial injury remained less likely than men to undergo coronary revascularisation (15% versus34%), or to receive dual anti-platelet (26% versus43%), statin (16% versus26%) or other preventative therapies (P&lt;0.001 for all). The primary outcome occurred in 18% (369/2,072) and 17% (488/2,919) of women with myocardial injury during the validation and implementation phase respectively (adjusted hazard ratio 1.11, 95% confidence interval 0.92 to 1.33), compared to 18% (370/2,044) and 15% (513/3,325) of men (adjusted hazard ratio 0.85, 95% confidence interval 0.71 to 1.01). Patient management Conclusion Use of sex-specific thresholds identified five-times more additional women than men with myocardial injury, such that the proportion of women and men with myocardial injury is now similar. Despite this increase, women received approximately half the number of treatments for coronary artery disease as men and their outcomes were not improved. Acknowledgement/Funding The British Heart Foundation

Sex-Specific Thresholds of High-Sensitivity Troponin in Patients With Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome

BackgroundMajor disparities between women and men in the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of acute coronary syndrome are well recognized. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I assay with sex-specific diagnostic thresholds for myocardial infarction in women and men with suspected acute coronary syndrome. MethodsConsecutive patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome were enrolled in a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized controlled trial across 10 hospitals. Myocardial injury was defined as high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I concentration >99th centile of 16 ng/l in women and 34 ng/l in men. The primary outcome was recurrent myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death at 1 year. ResultsA total of 48,282 patients (47% women) were included. Use of the high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I assay with sex-specific thresholds increased myocardial injury in women by 42% and in men by 6%. Following implementation, women with myocardial injury remained less likely than men to undergo coronary revascularization (15% vs. 34%) and to receive dual antiplatelet (26% vs. 43%), statin (16% vs. 26%), or other preventive therapies (p < 0.001 for all). The primary outcome occurred in 18% (369 of 2,072) and 17% (488 of 2,919) of women with myocardial injury before and after implementation, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.11; 95% confidence interval: 0.92 to 1.33), compared with 18% (370 of 2,044) and 15% (513 of 3,325) of men (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.85; 95% confidence interval: 0.71 to 1.01). ConclusionsUse of sex-specific thresholds identified 5 times more additional women than men with myocardial injury. Despite this increase, women received approximately one-half the number of treatments for coronary artery disease as men, and outcomes were not improved. (High-Sensitivity Troponin in the Evaluation of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome [High-STEACS]; NCT01852123).

Validity of acute cardiovascular outcome diagnoses in European electronic health records: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are among the leading causes of death globally. Electronic health records (EHRs) provide a rich data source for research on CVD risk factors, treatments and outcomes. Researchers...

Comparison of Outcomes in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome Presenting With Typical Versus Atypical Symptoms

Although typical chest pain is an important clinical feature required for diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), many patients present with atypical complaints. The full extent and implication of this presentation is largely unknown. The study aim was to evaluate possible relations and temporal trends between presenting symptoms and outcomes in patients with ACS. Data was obtained from the Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey on patients presenting with typical chest pain versus atypical complaints, including dyspnea, nonspecific chest pain, palpitations or other. Temporal trends analysis examined the early (2000 to 2006) versus the late (2008 to 2016) period. During 2000 to 2016, 14,722 patients with ACS were enrolled; 11,508 (79%) presented with typical chest pain and 3,214 (21%) with atypical complaints. Patients with atypical complaints were older, majority female, and had more co-morbidities (p <0.001 for each). The 30-day major adverse cardiac events, 30-day mortality, and 1-year mortality rate were significantly higher in patients presenting with atypical complaints, (18% vs 13.5%, 7.7% vs 3.6%, and 15.6% vs 7.5%, respectively, p <0.001 for each). Although 1-year mortality decreased significantly over the years in patients with typical chest pain, there were no significant changes in patients who presented with atypical complaints. These results were consistent in STEMI and non-STE-ACS patients. In conclusion, ACS patients who present with atypical complaints have a less favorable outcome compared with patients who present with typical chest pain, and failed to show an improvement in mortality over the past 2 decades. Identification and utilization of guideline-recommended therapies in these high-risk patients may improve their future outcome.

Automated Detection of Vulnerable Plaque for Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography Images.

Vulnerable plaque detection is important to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) diagnosis. In recent years, intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) imaging has been used for vulnerable plaque detection. Current automated detection methods adopt the traditional image classification and object detection algorithms, such as the logistic regression model, SVM, and Haar-Adaboost, to detect vulnerable plaques. The detection quality of these methods is relatively low. The aim of this study is to improve the detection quality of vulnerable plaque. We propose an automatic detection system of vulnerable plaque for IVOCT images based on deep convolutional neural network (DCNN). The system is mainly composed of four modules: pre-processing, deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs), post-processing, and ensemble. The IVOCT images input to DCNNs are firstly pre-processed by using the methods of de-noising and data augmentation. Then multiple DCNNs are used to detect the vulnerable plaques in the IVOCT images; the vulnerable plaque regions and their corresponding labels and scores are output. Next, the output results of each network are processed by the post-processing module. We propose three algorithms, union of intersecting regions, duplicated region processing, and small gaps removal for post-processing. Finally, the output detection results of multiple networks are combined using a proposed combining method in ensemble module. We evaluated the proposed method in a dataset of 300 IVOCT images. Experimental results show that our system can achieve a precision rate of 88.84%, a recall rate of 95.02%, and an overlap rate of 85.09%; the detection quality score is 88.46%. The proposed algorithms can detect vulnerable plaques with superior performance; our system can be used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool for vulnerable plaque detection in IVOCT images.

P2Y12 inhibitors in acute coronary syndrome patients with renal dysfunction: an analysis from the RENAMI and BleeMACS projects.

The aim of the present study was to establish the safety and efficacy profile of prasugrel and ticagrelor in real-life acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with renal dysfunction. All consecutive patients from RENAMI (REgistry of New Antiplatelets in patients with Myocardial Infarction) and BLEEMACS (Bleeding complications in a Multicenter registry of patients discharged with diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome) registries were stratified according to estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) lower or greater than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Death and myocardial infarction (MI) were the primary efficacy endpoints. Major bleedings (MBs), defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium bleeding types 3 to 5, constituted the safety endpoint. A total of 19255 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 63 ± 12; 14892 (77.3%) were males. A total of 2490 (12.9%) patients had chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined as eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Mean follow-up was 13 ± 5 months. Mortality was significantly higher in CKD patients (9.4% vs. 2.6%, P < 0.0001), as well as the incidence of reinfarction (5.8% vs. 2.9%, P < 0.0001) and MB (5.7% vs. 3%, P < 0.0001). At Cox multivariable analysis, potent P2Y12 inhibitors significantly reduced the mortality rate [hazard ratio (HR) 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54-0.96; P = 0.006] and the risk of reinfarction (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.30-0.95; P = 0.033) in CKD patients as compared to clopidogrel. The reduction of risk of reinfarction was confirmed in patients with preserved renal function. Potent P2Y12 inhibitors did not increase the risk of MB in CKD patients (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.59-1.68; P = 0.985). In ACS patients with CKD, prasugrel and ticagrelor are associated with lower risk of death and recurrent MI without increasing the risk of MB.

Rapid test for the qualitative simultaneous determination of cardiac fatty acid-binding protein and cardiac troponin I in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome

Aim.To study the diagnostic characteristics of the rapid test for qualitative simultaneous determination of cardiac fatty acid-binding protein (FABPs) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) CARD-INFO 1+1 in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Material and methods.The study included 168 patients undergoing inpatient treatment after ACS, with typical anginal pain lasting at least 20 minutes occurred in the previous 1-24 hours. In addition to routine diagnostic procedures, on admission, we determined FABPs and cTnI concentrations using the high-quality immunochromatographic rapid test CARD-INFO 1 1 (OOO CARDIO-Plus, Russia).Results.The sensitivity of the CARD-INFO 1+1 rapid test was 88,1%, specificity — 89,8%, diagnostic accuracy — 88,7%. The indicators of the diagnostic effectiveness of CARD-INFO 1+1 test in patients with STE-ACS and NSTE-ACS did not significantly differ (p&gt;0,05). The sensitivity of the rapid test reached a maximum in the period from 3 to 6 hours from the onset of pain. Compared with the determination of cTnI performed on admission to the hospital, a higher sensitivity of the CARD-INFO 1+1 test was revealed in patients with STE-ACS (87,7% vs 75,3%; p=0,044), in the first 1-3 hours after the beginning of clinical manifestations (86,8% vs 60,5%; p=0,041) and in the entire sample as a whole (88,1% vs 77,1%; p=0,033), with comparable specificity (89,8% and 93,2%, respectively; p=0,741).Conclusion.Qualitative immunochromatographic CARD-INFO 1+1 rapid test for the simultaneous determination of the content of FABPs and cTnI I is highly effective in the diagnosis of various forms of ACS. The highest diagnostic characteristics of the test were observed in patients in the early stages of the disease (the first 1-6 hours after the onset of pain). Carrying out the CARD-INFO 1+1 test revealed 12 MI cases more (11%) than the first determination of cTnI. Further studies will clarify the place of this technique in the modern algorithm for the management of patients with ACS and evaluate the possibility of using the rapid test in predicting the course of the disease.

The Value of Troponin T Level Change During Chemoradiation in Esophageal Cancer Patients

Cardiac adverse events are common in esophageal cancer patients who received chemoradiation (CRT). However, reliable marker is lacking to predict these cardiac events. Troponin T (TnT) is a marker of myocardial necrosis, which is widely used in diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes. The relationship between TnT level change during CRT and cardiac injury is unknown. We hypothesized that the TnT level change during CRT is associated with acute cardiac adverse events and long-term survival outcomes. We retrospectively reviewed 113 esophageal cancer patients who received definitive or neoadjuvant CRT from 2010-2016. All patients consented on a prospective blood collection protocol where samples are drawn at baseline before, once during, at the end of CRT, and at each follow up timepoints. Irradiation dose parameters for the whole heart and each chamber were recorded from the treatment plan. TnT levels were quantified using the Elecsys® TnT-high sensitive assay (Roche Diagnostic). TnT level change was defined as CRT end level divided by baseline level. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the correlation between TnT change and acute cardiac adverse events. Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare survival outcomes in different TnT level change groups. The median TnT level gradually increased from baseline, to mid treatment course, and at the end of CRT: 6.27, 8.56, and 10.63 pg/ml, respectively. The median TnT level change was 1.48 (IQR, 1.12-2.01). For the whole heart, left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), and right atrium (RA), the dose distribution was different between IMRT and proton: IMRT mainly contributed to low dose level (<30Gy), while in high dose regions (>40Gy), proton using passive scattering approach had significantly higher dose than IMRT. The TnT level change was strongly correlated to LV and RV dose percentage from V5 to V50 in proton patients (p<0.01), but not in IMRT patients. Male, lower BMI and lower tumor location were associated with higher TnT increase, while TnT level change could not predict acute cardiac adverse events during CRT or postoperative cardiac complications. There was no significant correlation of TnT levels and survival outcomes. There was significant correlation of TnT levels and cardiac dose distribution in proton patients that was not seen in IMRT patients. Whether TnT level alterations with treatment could correlate with late cardiac events specifically in proton patients requires longer term follow up.

The Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A in Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome and Its Related Morbidities.

Introduction:Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) is a metalloproteinase that plays a role in atherosclerotic plaque destabilization. In recent studies, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has been introduced as a mediator of atherosclerosis. PAPP-A and IGF-1 level may be important diagnostic indicators of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Objective:The present study tried to assess the diagnostic role of IGF-1 and PAPP-A biomarkers in ACS spectrum.Methods:The serum level of IGF-1, PAPP-A and troponin I was determined in 121 consecutive patients with ACS. Relationships were assessed by t-test, ANOVA and the non-parametric equivalent. Accuracy of biomarkers was measured by the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and optimal cut-off points to diagnose STEMI and NSTEMI using Youden index.Results:In patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), all of these three biomarkers were significantly higher than those in patients with unstable angina (P= 0.028 for IGF-1, P<0.001 for PAPP-A and Troponin-I). Mean level of IGF-1 in patients with renal failure was significantly higher than that in patients without renal failure (137.9±35.1 vs 105.1±46.9, P=0.003), but PAPP-A and serum Troponin-I level had no significant difference in renal failure groups (P>0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that after Troponin-I, PAPP-A was a good discriminator between patients with STEMI and patients with unstable angina (AUC=0.79). Optimum cut-off value for PAPP-A was found to be 89.2 ng/ml, with sensitivity and specificity of 66.7% and 83.8%, respectively.Conclusion:PAPP-A can be a novel biomarker for both identification of patients with STEMI and risk stratification in patients with ACS.