Major Coronary Arteries Research Articles

Prediction of long-term adverse cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with coronary artery disease and concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Aim To identify independent predictors for long-term serious adverse cardiovascular events following percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in patients with a combination of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to develop a prognostic mathematical model.Materials and methods Design: a prospective cohort study. The study included 254 patients with IHD associated with COPD after PCI (in 119 patients, PCI was performed for acute coronary syndrome and in 135 patients, PCI was elective). Follow-up duration was up to 36 months. Composite endpoint included cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke or repeated, unscheduled myocardial revascularization. Cox regression with stepwise inclusion of variables was used for identification of predictors for the composite endpoint.Results The following independent predictors of serious adverse cardiovascular events were identified: number of stenoses in major coronary artery branches, ankle-brachial index. glomerular filtration rate, age, distance in 6-min walk test, COPD phenotype with frequent exacerbations (FE), and functional residual capacity (FRC) of lungs. The mathematical model based on the Cox regression for prediction of serious adverse cardiovascular events had a 75% sensitivity and a 81% specificity.Conclusion Incidence of long-term serious adverse cardiovascular events in patients with a combination of IHD and COPD after PCI depends not only on traditional cardiovascular risk factors but also on characteristics of COPD itself, such as the FE phenotype and the FRC indicative of lung hyperinflation. The proposed mathematical model based on the Cox regression can be used for evaluating the odds for adverse cardiovascular events after PCI in patients with a combination of IHD and COPD.

Abstract 243: Long-term Effects of ACC/AHA Cholesterol Control on Cardiac Function

Background: The impact of long term strict cholesterol control on reservoir function and outcome in heart failure is unclear. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 2939 patients (31.9% female, mean age 65.1±11.8 years) whom strict application of ACC/AHA cholesterol management with an average length of 9.4 years of follow-up. We also evaluated the ventricular ejection fraction, mass, and Global sore (Framingham-CVD), as well as 10-year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) risk score. Results: Overall, 64.3% of patients were identified as strictly cholesterol control (case group). As compared to age-gender-race matched control group, patients in cases group have higher LV mass (152.9±34.4g vs. 143.6±34.4 g, p=0.0005) as well as an LV mass index (90.5±18.1 vs. 85 ±17 g/m2 vs. g/m2, P=0.0002) and Framingham Global CVD Risk score (18.9±17.7 vs. 8.6±17.3, P<0.001), but not for LVEF (68.5%±7.5% vs. 69.1%±6.6%, p=0.263). The average percentage decrease in LVEF in patients with mild coronary artery calcification (CAC score<100) in cases is 6.2%, and when CAC score>400, the LVEF decreased up to 15.3% regardless of the cholesterol control status. Major coronary arteries with severe calcification are associated with increasing the risk of abnormal ejection fraction (LVEF<50%) 4.84 times after adjusting for traditional CAD risk factors. Long-term ACC/AHA cholesterol control can not prevent the ASCVD risk score increase (Table 1). Conclusions: The strict long-term application of ACC/AHA cholesterol control can effectively LV mass change. However, this strategy does not adequately prevent LV systolic function attenuation. The 10-Year ASCVD risk score is one of the robust indicators of cardiac function for long-term lipid control outcomes. Abbreviations: LAD: left anterior descending, LCX: circumflex coronary arteries, RCA: right coronary artery. CTA: coronary computed tomography angiogram. LVEF:Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

A case of myocardial infarction due to myocardial bridging alone

Myocardial bridging (MB) is characterised by a segment of a major epicardial coronary artery tunnelling through the myocardium, which is a frequent congenital anomaly, detected in 15–85% of autopsy series and in 0.5–33% of angiographic studies.[1,2][1] MB without critical stenosis is generally

Discovery of plasma biomarkers for predicting the severity of coronary artery atherosclerosis by quantitative proteomics

IntroductionCardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with diabetes is the leading cause of death. Finding early biomarkers for detecting asymptomatic patients with CVD can improve survival. Recently, plasma proteomics—targeted selected reaction...

Non-Invasive Functional Coronary Artery Evaluation by CT-Derived Fractional Flow Reserve (FFRct) in Heart Transplant Patients

Invasively measured fractional flow reserve (FFR) is associated with outcome in heart transplant (HTx) patients. Non-invasive coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-derived FFR (FFRct) provides additional functional information from anatomical CT images. The anatomical model of the coronary arteries derived from CCTA is used to calculate the FFRct values at each point in the coronary arteries. We describe the first use of FFRct in a cohort of HTx patients. HTx patients underwent CCTA with FFRct as part routine follow-up to screen for cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). FFRct was performed off-site by a company. FFRct was measured distal to each coronary stenosis >30% and at the most distal location of each of the 3 major coronary arteries (right, left anterior descending and circumflex coronary artery). Overal distal FFRct was calculated as the mean of 3 vessels per patient. During 90-day follow-up, performance of additional tests for coronary assessment and revascularization were recorded. 73 patients (age 56 (42-65) years, 63% males) at 11 (8-16) years after HTx were included. In the 54 patients without a hemodynamically significant focal FFRct stenosis (FFRct >0.80), the distal left anterior descending artery FFRct was <0.90 in 72% of patients and 9 (17%) patients had ≥1 coronary artery with a distal FFRct ≤0.8, including 1 patient with a distal FFRct ≤0.8 in all coronary vessels. Overall distal FFRct values were 0.88 (0.86-0.91) (median, 25 - 75 percentile), 0.87 (0.86-0.90), and 0.89 (0.86-0.91) at 5-9, 10-14 or ≥15 years after transplantation, respectively (p=0.89). Additional tests were performed in 12 (16%) patients, which resulted in revascularization in 7 (10%) patients. FFRct was successfully performed on CCTA scans of HTx patients and demonstrated that more than a quarter of patients had a focal coronary stenosis with FFRct ≤0.8. Even in the absence of a focal stenosis FFRct values are often abnormal in HTx patients.

Variation in Coronary Artery Disease Pattern and Risk Factors among Female Patients of Dierent Age Groups in Bangladesh

Background &amp; objective: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a devastating life-threatening condition which varies with respect to age and sex. In Bangladesh a large number of patients currently undergoes coronary angiography for a variety of indications. Due to physiological changes after menopause, the females are more prone to develop CAD. So, the risk factors and pattern of CAD in female are subject change with changing ages. The objective of this study was to compare the risk factors and pattern of CAD in female patients of different age groups.&#x0D; Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital &amp; Research Institute (ICHRI), Dhaka, Bangladesh between September 2005 to August 2016. All female patients (n = 7,627) who underwent coronary angiography during the period were included. They were identified from ICHRI dedicated Cath-lab Database. The patients were divided into three groups based on their age (Group-I ≤45 years, Group-II from age 46 to age 60 and Group-III from age 60 years onwards). A stenosis of ≥ 70% in any of the three major coronary arteries like Left Anterior Descending (LAD), Right Coronary Artery (RCA) and Left Circumflex Artery (LCX) was considered as significant stenosis, while a stenosis of ≥ 50% in left main stem (LMS) was considered significant for left main disease. The data pertaining to their risk factors and angiographic profile were compared among the three age groups to find the association of risk factors and angiographic pattern of the CAD at different age groups.&#x0D; Result: All the risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and CKD) demonstrated their significant presence in Group II and III compared to those in Group I, while they were almost identical between Group II and III. More than 40% of the patients were overweight in all age groups and around 20% were obese including a negligible proportion with morbid obesity. ST-segment elevation MI, NSTEMI (Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction), prior MI (Myocardial infarction), and ALVF (Acute left ventricular failure) were significantly higher in Group III than the two other groups had. However, unstable angina was significantly higher in age-group I &amp; II and atypical chest pain in Group I. Incidence of Single vessel disease (SVD) was considerably higher in group II. Double vessel diseases DVD), Triple vessel disease (TVD), LM disease was significantly higher in group III compared to two other groups. Normal CAG (Coronary angiography) finding was higher among group I, although it was not significantly different from other two groups.&#x0D; Conclusion: The study concluded that the prevalence of conventional risk factors including overweight/obesity is almost similar between middle-aged and elderly women, while they are significantly lower in early middle-aged group. The elderly women usually present with STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction), non-STEMI, stable CAD, ALVF, while middle-aged women commonly present with UA (Unstable Angina) and early middle-aged women with atypical chest pain. Severe CAD including and LM disease is relatively common in elderly women than those in their early middle-aged and middle-aged cohorts. Coronary artery disease advances with advancing age. Health-care providers should not underestimate the cardiac health of women.&#x0D; Ibrahim Card Med J 2019; 9 (1&amp;2): 60-66

Interplay between ephaptic coupling and complex geometry of border zone during acute myocardial ischemia: Effect on arrhythmogeneity.

Acute myocardial ischemia is an imbalance between myocardial blood supply and demand, which is caused by the cessation of blood flow within the heart resulting from an obstruction in one of the major coronary arteries. A severe blockage may result in a region of nonperfused tissue known as ischemic core (IC). As a result, a border zone (BZ) between perfused and nonperfused regions is created due to differences in blood and oxygen supplies. Recent experimental findings reveal a complex "finger-like" geometry in BZ; however, its effect on arrhythmogenicity is not clear. Ephaptic coupling, which relies on the intercalated disk between cell ends, has been suggested to play an active role in mediating intercellular electrical communication when gap junctions are impaired. In this paper, we explored the interplay between ephaptic coupling and the geometry of BZ on action potential propagation across the ischemic region. Our study shows that ephaptic coupling can greatly suppress the occurrence of a conduction block, which points to its beneficial effect. The beneficial effect of ephaptic coupling is more evident in BZ with the "finger-like" geometry. In addition, the complex geometry of BZ, i.e., more frequent, deeper, and wider "fingers," promotes the conduction through the ischemic region. In contrast, the larger size of IC impedes the cardiac conduction across the ischemic region. Our results also show that ephaptic coupling promotes the impact of the complex geometry of BZ on signal propagation; however, it inhibits the impact of IC size.

Region based coronary artery segmentation using modified Frangi's vesselness measure

AbstractRecent research suggests that the cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), seem to be the foremost cause of mortality among the world populace. Three dimensional (3D) imaging modality such as computed tomography angiography(CTA) is a standard noninvasive imaging modality which has great potentials for the visualization of heart and coronary arteries. This article presents a fully automated method for coronary artery extraction using modified Frangi's vesselness measure and region based segmentation. In this article, grayness and gradient based measures are used while computing Frangi's vesselness measure to improve the extraction of coronary arteries. The obtained vesselness measures are utilized for automatically computing the location of ostia. The locations of ostia are then used as starting seed points in region growing segmentation to extract coronary arteries. Three major coronary arteries, namely the left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex artery (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA) are segmented using the proposed method and the centerlines are extracted for the main coronary branches. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated using 12 3D CCTA data set. The experimental results reveal that during the calculation of modified Frangi's vesselness measure the proposed method gives improved results. The qualitative results obtained during the segmentation stage are also convincing. The average segmentation accuracy and overlap measure of the proposed method are 97.4% and 77.86%, respectively. Hence, the proposed automated approach can detect and extract coronary arteries in CCTA images with high performance.

Normal coronary diameters in Turkish population.

This study aims to define normal coronary artery diameters of males and females in a sample of Turkish population, compared to Asian-Indian and Western Caucasian populations. Angiographic and demographic data of a total of 324 patients (147 males, 177 females; mean age 55.3±10.1 years; range, 32 to 82 years) who underwent elective coronary angiography with angiographically normal coronary arteries between July 2017 and March 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Proximal diameters of major epicardial coronary arteries were measured using the Axiom Artis software according to edge detection method. All the measurements were adjusted to the body surface area. Unadjusted and adjusted values were compared between genders and with the Asian-Indian and Caucasian population samples. The mean diameters of unadjusted/adjusted left main coronary artery, proximal left anterior descending artery, proximal left circumflex artery, and proximal right coronary artery were 4.5±0.6 mm/2.4±0.4 mm/m2, 3.7±0.5 mm/1.9±0.3 mm/m2, 3.3±0.6 mm/1.7±0.3 mm/m2, and 3.4±0.6 mm/1.8±0.4 mm/m2, respectively. Adjusted left main coronary artery and proximal left circumflex artery were narrower, and unadjusted proximal left anterior descending artery and unadjusted/adjusted proximal right coronary artery were larger in men, compared to women in the Turkish population. Turkish population had similar body surface area and unadjusted/adjusted coronary diameters with Caucasians, whereas adjusted proximal left anterior descending artery was larger in the Turkish population than in Asian-Indians. Our study findings on the Turkish population contradict the traditional belief that women have narrower coronary arteries then men. Furthermore, the Turkish population have comparable adjusted/unadjusted coronary diameters with the Western Caucasians, but larger adjusted/unadjusted proximal left anterior descending artery, compared to Asian-Indians. We believe that our findings may contribute to the global data pool of normal coronary diameters and can be utilized in future studies as a database.

Case-Control Study on the Interaction Effects of rs10757278 Polymorphisms at 9p21 Locus and Traditional Risk Factors on Coronary Heart Disease in Xinjiang, China.

Objective:To study the interaction effects of rs10757278 polymorphisms at 9p21 locus and traditional risk factors on coronary heart disease (CHD) in Xinjiang, China.Methods:This case–control study consecutively enrolled 310 unrelated consecutive CHD patients aged 18–70 years old. All study participants were recruited between January and December 2017 from The Heart Center of The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. CHD patients were confirmed by coronary angiography (≥50% diameter stenosis in at least one of the major coronary arteries) according to the American Heart Association criteria for the confirmation of CHD. Healthy subjects were randomly selected from the occupational population, who received physical examination in our hospital and matched to cases on the basis of age (±3 years) and sex, those without medical history of cardiovascular diseases, and 536 subjects were selected as the control group after medical history inquiry, physical examination, cardiac ultrasound, electrocardiogram, and other blood biochemical examinations in the hospital. The occupational stress was evaluated by an effort-reward imbalance questionnaire. An epidemiological survey was conducted to collect clinical data. Chi-squared test, analysis of variance, and binary logistic regression analysis were adopted.Results:Both the case and the control groups showed significant difference in smoking, drinking, physical activity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, family history of CHD, and body mass index (BMI) (all P < 0.05); prevalence of CHD was not related to occupational stress. There was no significant difference in occupational stress level between the 2 groups (P > 0.05); Differences in rs10757278 genotype between the case group and the control groups were statistically significant; binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factors of CHD. After adjustment for age and sex, significant increased risk effects for CHD were found to be associated with smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 2.311; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04–2.499; P < 0.001], physical exercise (OR = 1.365; 95% CI: 1.137–1.639; P < 0.001), hypertension (OR = 4.627; 95% CI: 2.165–10.764; P < 0.001), family history of CHD (OR = 4.103; 95% CI: 3.169–6.892; P < 0.001), BMI (OR = 2.484; 95% CI: 2.036–3.03; P < 0.001), and GG genotype at rs10757278 (OR = 1.978; 95% CI: 1.413–2.769; P < 0.001); We noted that a significant interaction association between GG genotype at rs10757278 and CHD differs across categories of smoking, hypertension, family history of CHD, and BMI.Conclusion:GG genotype at rs10757278 may be a risk factor for CHD. And there are interaction effects between GG genotype of rs10757278 in region 9p21 gene and traditional risk factors.

P1436 Diagnostic yield and accuracy of CT coronary angiography compared to invasive coronary angiography: real world data from a district general hospital in the United Kingdom

Abstract Background Cost-effectiveness is imperative for a sustainable healthcare service. Non-invasive testing is used to risk stratify patients and reduce the need for invasive investigations in cardiology. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical Guideline for evaluation of chest pain was updated in 2016 when NICE recommended CT coronary angiography (CTCA) as the first-line investigation for patients with suspected stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of CTCA in real life daily practice in a district general hospital outside the strict environment of clinical trials. Methods A retrospective analysis of all CTCA studies carried out between June and December 2017 was performed. Graft studies were excluded. Potentially obstructive CAD on CTCA was defined as any luminal stenosis ≥50% of a major epicardial coronary artery. On invasive coronary angiography (ICA), clinically significant CAD was defined as a luminal stenosis of ≥50% in the left main stem or a stenosis of ≥70% of any other major epicardial coronary artery. Results Out of a total of 528 CTCA studies, 109 patients (mean age 64.2 ± 10.4; 67.9% male) showed potentially significant CAD in at least one major epicardial coronary artery. The median calcium score was 379.7 (IQR = 86-929). 61 (56%) patients had ICA, 20 (18.3%) patients had non-invasive functional coronary assessment (19 stress echocardiogram and 1 stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance) and 3 (2.8%) patients had both. The remaining patients were managed medically without further investigation. Correlation between potentially obstructive CAD on CTCA and clinically significant CAD on ICA showed a sensitivity of 95.8% (95% CI: 85.8%-99.5%), specificity of 68.0% (95% CI: 61.0%-74.5%), positive predictive value of 42.2% (95% CI: 37.1%-47.4%), negative predictive value of 98.5% (95% CI: 94.5%-99.6%) and overall accuracy of 73.5% (95% CI: 67.5%-78.9%). Among patients who had ICA, 21 patients (34.4%) required coronary revascularization (16 percutaneous coronary intervention and 5 coronary artery bypass grafting) and 40 (65.6%) patients were treated medically. Only 1 patient (4.3% of 23 patients) showed evidence of inducible ischemia on non-invasive functional testing. Conclusion CTCA in a real world practice has high sensitivity and high negative predictive value compared to the gold standard ICA. CTCA improved patient selection for ICA to those most likely to have significant CAD.

P1443 Sex differences of coronary physiology can be justified by fractional myocardial mass

Abstract Background Women has lower prevalence of coronary artery disease but has higher mortality from acute myocardial infarction. The gender difference in the anatomical-physiological relationship may elucidate the gender difference in the clinical presentation of coronary artery disease. Purpose We hypothesized that the gender difference in the anatomical-physiological relationship may elucidate the gender difference in the clinical presentation of coronary artery disease. Background Women has lower prevalence of coronary artery disease but has higher mortality from acute myocardial infarction. The gender difference in the anatomical-physiological relationship may elucidate the gender difference in the clinical presentation of coronary artery disease. Methods In this multicenter registry, 482 patients who underwent coronary CT angiography and fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement were enrolled. Fractional myocardial mass (FMM, a vessel-specific amount of myocardium) and %FMM (fraction of FMM to whole myocardial mass) was measured in major coronary arteries and branches. FFR and quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) were interrogated in the subset of 772 vessels. The severity of physiological or anatomical stenosis was assessed by FFR and diameter stenosis (DS), respectively. Results In the analysis of all major epicardial arteries (N = 3,833), FMM was lower in women compared to men (p &amp;lt; 0.01, all), but %FMM was similar between women and men (p = NS, all). Among physiologically assessed 772 vessels, compared to men (N = 587), vessels of women (N = 185) showed smaller dimension (reference diameter (RD) = 2.90 ± 0.65 vs 3.14 ± 0.69 mm, minimal luminal diameter (MLD) = 1.30±.0.57 vs 1.40 ± 0.57 mm (p &amp;lt; 0.05, all), similar severity of stenosis (DS = 55% vs 55% p = NS), and higher FFR (0.81 ± 0.13 vs 0.78 ± 0.15, p &amp;lt; 0.001). In subgroup analysis according to the tertiary categories of DS, RD, and MLD, vessels of women showed higher FFR and lower FMM. Generalized estimating equations modeling demonstrated that gender, DS, RD, MLD, and location in left anterior descending artery were not (p = NS, all) but FMM/MLD were significant predictors for FFR ≤ 0.80 (p = 0.021). Conclusions Compared to men, coronary arteries of women are smaller and supply smaller amount of myocardium even after adjusting for vessel size, which may explain overall higher FFR value of women. This gender difference in anatomical-physiological relationship may explain the gender difference in the clinical coronary artery disease. Abstract P1443 Figure.

Ventricular tachycardia, rheumatic heart disease, and bilateral coronary pulmonary artery fistula: A rare association

Coronary-pulmonary artery fistulas are rare congenital or acquired anomalies of the coronary artery that may originate from any of the three major coronary arteries and drain into the right-sided cardiac chambers and or large vessels draining into the pulmonary circulation. A triple combination of ventricular tachycardia, rheumatic heart disease, and bilateral coronary pulmonary fistula is a rare association. A rare combination of observations was detected in a single patient with three distinct etiopathogenesis that is not described in the literature.

New indicator of cellular ischemia in coronary slow-flow phenomenon: Cell-free DNA.

Coronary slow-flow phenomenon (CSFP) is defined as the delayed arrival of coronary blood flow to the distal vascular bed in at least 1 major epicardial coronary artery. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a type of DNA that circulates freely in the blood once released from nucleated cells. The aim of this study was to determine if the level of cfDNA, which is an indicator of ischemia at the cellular level, was increased in CSFP. The study included 46 patients in total: 23 patients with CSFP and 23 with a normal coronary angiogram (NCA). The level of cfDNA, and clinical, biochemical, and angiographic features of the groups were compared. The mean age was 53.8±10.3 years for the CSFP patient group and 56.6±9.4 years for the NCA patient group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of basal clinical characteristics or laboratory data. The plasma cfDNA level was 5.04±2.37 ng/µL in the CSFP patients and 2.28±1.09 ng/µL in the NCA group (p<0.001). Several invasive and noninvasive studies conducted on patients with CSFP have revealed myocardial ischemia. The results of this study demonstrated that the level of cfDNA was significantly increased in patients with CSFP as a result of ischemia at the cellular level caused by microvascular disruption.

Intraoperative Coronary Artery Imaging for Planning.

A clear understanding of coronary anatomy is critical in congenital heart surgery, especially when a ventriculotomy is planned, as in right ventricular outflow tract reconstructions and biventricular repairs. Typically, major epicardial coronary arteries are easily identified during first-time operations. However, in reoperative surgery, epicardial adhesions can obscure coronary vessels making their identification challenging. This paper describes the application of intraoperative fluorescence imaging in congenital heart surgery to obtain real-time coronary artery visualization for operative planning in order to avoid coronary injury. The fluorescence imaging utilizes indocyanine green (ICG). ICG is diluted to 0.28 mg/mL, and 0.1-1.0 mL of ICG solution is delivered via the cardioplegia cannula into the coronaries. A handheld imaging probe illuminates the field with near-infrared laser light, which excites ICG fluorescence. The fluorescence is captured by a camera, and the signal is transmitted to a monitor for real-time viewing. The imaging probe shows the precise coronary anatomy, enabling identification of the optimal ventriculotomy site. Intraoperative fluorescence imaging is a safe and effective technique for characterizing coronary anatomy. This technique enhances procedural planning and helps minimize the risk of coronary injury during reoperative congenital heart surgery.

The Effects of a Vasodilator on Transluminal Attenuation Gradient at Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of vasodilators on contrast enhancement and transluminal attenuation gradient (TAG) of coronary arteries at coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed CCTA scans of patients who underwent double-acquisition CCTA; CCTA without a vasodilator, and CCTA during a intravenous (IV) infusion of nitrate. Among them, we enrolled 19 patients who had no significant atherosclerotic lesions or coronary spasms. In the control group, 28 patients were enrolled who showed normal coronary arteries on CCTA, which was acquired by a conventional method (sublingual vasodilator). We measured the TAG and Hounsfield units for each of the three major epicardial coronary arteries (reported as ‘ProxHU’) and then compared the results between the nitrate administration methods (CT without vasodilator [CTpre], CT with IV vasodilator [CTiv], and CT with sublingual vasodilator [CTsub]).ResultsThe mean TAG showed a significant difference between the coronary arteries (right coronary artery [RCA] > left anterior descending artery [LAD] > left circumflex artery [LCX], p < 0.05), while there was no difference in ProxHU of each coronary artery in all three types of nitrate administration methods (p > 0.05). The TAG of CTpre group showed steeper slope than those of vasodilator groups (CTiv and CTsub) on LAD and LCX ([LAD: CTpre = −22.1 ± 6.66, CTiv = −16.76 ± 5.78, and CTsub = −16.47 ± 5.78, p = 0.005], [LCX: CTpre = −31.26 ± 17.43, CTiv = −23.74 ± 14.06, and CTsub = −20.94 ± 12.15, p = 0.051]), while that of RCA showed no significant differences (p = 0.600). When comparing proxHU, CTiv showed higher proxHU than that of CTpre or CTsub, especially on LCX (CTpre = 426.7 ± 68.3, CTiv = 467.9 ± 84.9, and CTsub = 404.9 ± 63.3, p = 0.013). ProxHU showed a negative correlation with TAG on all three of methods (r = −0.280, p < 0.001).ConclusionTAG in CCTA was significantly affected by vasodilator administration. Both TAG and ProxHU of coronary arteries tend to increase with vasodilator administration on CCTA.

КРУПНООЧАГОВЫЙ ИНФАРКТ МИОКАРДА И ОСТРОЕ ИШЕМИЧЕСКОЕ ПОВРЕЖДЕНИЕ ПОЧЕК

The aim of the study was to investigate specific clinical manifestations, homeostasis indices and parameters of the cardiovascular system in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and acute ischemic kidney injury. Methods. 173 patients with STEMI participated in the study. The study group consisted of 111 patients with acute ischemic kidney injury associated with myocardial infarction (MI); 62 patients with MI and normal kidney function were enrolled in the comparison group. Clinical, anthropometric, laboratory, and instrumental diagnostic methods were used. Results. Compared with patients of the MI and normal kidney function group, those with MI and acute ischemic kidney injury had a higher average heart rate, required more prolonged vasopressor and/or inotropic therapy, and more frequently developed tachyarrhythmias with adverse prognostic impact and postinfarction aneurysms. The study revealed that patients of the MI and acute ischemic kidney injury group demonstrated more severe dilatation of the left ventricle (LV), more pronounced reduction in myocardial LV contractility according to echocardiography results; they developed multivessel coronary artery disease more frequently. Furthermore, patients of this group had a higher incidence of infarction-associated artery damage located in the proximal segments of major coronary arteries and more frequently developed thrombotic occlusion in the infarction-affected artery. Patients with MI and acute ischemic kidney injury had higher levels of inflammatory, myocardial necrosis, hemostasis and neurohormonal activation markers. Higher concentration of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) was observed in patients with MI and acute ischemic kidney injury; moreover, in 14,1% of patients belonging to this group, elevated levels of this marker preceded the diagnostically significant increase in creatinine concentration and decrease in glomerular filtration rate. Conclusion. In patients with MI, the development of acute ischemic kidney injury was accompanied by more severe clinical manifestations, prognostically adverse indicators of early LV remodeling and coronary arteries disease, enhanced inflammatory processes and neuroendocrine system activity, as well as by elevated levels of myocardial necrosis and blood coagulation activity markers. The present study suggests applying uNGAL as an early marker of acute ischemic kidney injury in patients with MI.

Comparison of exercise electrocardiography and magnetocardiography for detection of coronary artery disease using ST-segment fluctuation score.

Exercise electrocardiography (ECG) is frequently used as a diagnostic measure in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). However, it has low sensitivity for the detection of CAD. Magnetocardiography (MCG) has been proposed as an alternative tool to accurately diagnose CAD. To date, a direct comparison of MCG to ECG has not been performed. This study sought to compare them for predicting the presence of significantly obstructive CAD. The patients with chest pain or other symptoms suggestive of CAD were enrolled in the analysis. All the patients underwent a clinical evaluation, exercise ECG, MCG test, and coronary angiography (CA). CAD was defined as stenosis ≥70% in at least one major coronary artery on quantitative analysis of CA. We prospectively enrolled 202 consecutive patients who suggested CAD. The prevalence of CAD on CA was 39.1%. Sensitivity and accuracy for CAD diagnosis was higher for MCG compared with exercise ECG (sensitivities 68.4% and 40.5%, p <0.001, specificities 95.1% and 91.1%, p = 0.267, and accuracies 84.7% and 71.3%, p <0.001, respectively). There was no incremental diagnostic value of combined MCG and ECG to detect coronary artery disease (p = 0.357). For the patients with intermediate to high risk of CAD, MCG exercise test provides better diagnostic accuracy for the detection of relevant obstruction of the epicardial coronaries when directly compared to exercise ECG.

Sex and gender-stratified risks of psychological factors for adverse clinical outcomes in patients with ischemic heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundPsychological factors are associated with adverse prognosis in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, it is unknown whether these risk factors differ between women and men. MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched to identify studies assessing the risk of psychological factors for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in samples with IHD. Psychological factors included anger/hostility, anxiety, depression, psychological distress, social support, Type A behavior pattern, Type D personality, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). ResultsA total of 44 articles (64 separate reports) including 227,647 women and 321,894 men reporting confounder-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) or relative risks (RRs) were included in the primary analysis. Results based on random-effects models showed that the association between psychological factors (all combined) and MACE was stronger in men (n = 321,236; 57 reports; HR = 1.37, 95%CI 1.27–1.48) than in women (n = 226,886; 56 reports; HR = 1.21, 95%CI 1.12–1.30; p = .017). A subset of the studies focusing on women showed significant associations between anger/hostility, depression, and distress with MACE. For men, statistically significant associations were found for anxiety, depression, and distress with MACE. ConclusionsPsychological factors are associated with MACE in samples with IHD in both women and men, with a small, but significant higher risk for men. Because of the limited number of studies on other psychological factors than depression and anxiety and the current major focus on MACE reflecting lesions in the major coronary arteries which is more typical in men than women, more research is needed to better identify sex and gender differences in IHD.

Graft patency after FFR-guided versus angiography-guided coronary artery bypass grafting: the GRAFFITI trial.

The aim of this study was to assess prospectively the clinical benefits of fractional flow reserve (FFR) in guiding coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). GRAFFITI is a single-blinded, prospective, multicentre, randomised controlled trial of FFR-guided versus angiography-guided CABG. We enrolled patients undergoing coronary angiography, having a significantly diseased left anterior descending artery or left main stem and at least one more major coronary artery with intermediate stenosis, assessed by FFR. Surgical strategy was defined based on angiography, blinded to FFR values prior to randomisation. After randomisation, patients were operated on either following the angiography-based strategy (angiography-guided group) or according to FFR, i.e., with an FFR ≤0.80 as cut-off for grafting (FFR-guided group). The primary endpoint was graft patency at 12 months. Between March 2012 and December 2016, 172 patients were randomised either to the angiography-guided group (84 patients) or to the FFR-guided group (88 patients). The patients had a median of three [3; 4] lesions; diameter stenosis was 65% (50%; 80%), FFR was 0.72 (0.50; 0.82). Compared to the angiography-guided group, the FFR-guided group received fewer anastomoses (3 [3; 3] vs 2 [2; 3], respectively; p=0.004). One-year angiographic follow-up showed no difference in overall graft patency (126 [80%] vs 113 [81%], respectively; p=0.885). One-year clinical follow-up, available in 98% of patients, showed no difference in the composite of death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularisation and stroke. FFR guidance of CABG has no impact on one-year graft patency, but it is associated with a simplified surgical procedure. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01810224.