The smoker's paradox after successful fibrinolysis: reduced risk of reocclusion but no improved long-term cardiac outcome.

Background: In smokers treated with fibrinolysis for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) a paradoxical beneficial short-term outcome has been reported. This was attributed to favorable clinical and angiographic baseline variables and a better response to fibrinolysis. During follow-up infarct artery reocclusion is an important prognosticator.

Long-term anticoagulation in patients with coronary disease, and future developments.

Purpose Of Review: As anticoagulant therapy is a cornerstone in the early management of acute coronary syndrome, the question remains whether long-term anticoagulation after discharge will further improve outcome.

Recent Findings: Major trials demonstrated benefit from routine oral anticoagulation with an attained international normalized ratio over 2.0 in patients after myocardial infarction.

Sustained coronary patency after fibrinolytic therapy as independent predictor of 10-year cardiac survival Observations from the Antithrombotics in the Prevention of Reocclusion in COronary Thrombolysis (APRICOT) trial.

Background: Whether late coronary patency after myocardial infarction has prognostic impact independent of left ventricular function remains a matter of debate. Reocclusion rates in the first year after fibrinolysis vary between 20% and 30%. Of all reocclusions, about 30% present as clinical reinfarction, associated with a 2-fold-increased risk of mortality.

Prehospital fibrinolysis.

Reperfusion therapy for ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes aims at early and complete recanalization of the infarct-related artery to salvage myocardium and improve both early and late clinical outcomes. Prehospital diagnosis of ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome can be made by electrocardiography with or without transtelephonic transmission, and subsequent fibrinolytic therapy can be instituted at home or in the ambulance. Prehospital fibrinolysis decreases time to treatment by approximately 1 hour compared with in-hospital therapy resulting in a significant 15% relative risk reduction in early mortality.

The importance of an organized follow-up for the evaluation of mortality after hospital discharge in cardiac surgery.

Objectives: Does a structured follow-up, after cardiac surgery in an adult, provide additional information on the operation related mortality especially if mortality is used as an outcome parameter within the quality control?

Method: Mortality data of 1132 patients undergoing cardiac surgery in 2003 and 2004 in the Academic Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands were registered by a structured follow-up one year after surgery.

Results: One year after surgery this follow-up is missing information for eight patients (0.7%).

Peptic ulcerations are related to systemic rather than local effects of low-dose aspirin.

Background & Aims: Effervescent calcium carbasalate is a calcium-salt of acetylsalicylic acid causing less local gastric damage than acetylsalicylic acid at high doses in healthy controls. The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of peptic ulcers in a population-based cohort using bioequivalent low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (80 mg) or effervescent calcium carbasalate (100 mg).

Methods: Incident acetylsalicylic acid or effervescent calcium carbasalate users were identified from the Integrated Primary Care Information database.

Monitoring antiplatelet therapy with point-of-care platelet function assays: a review of the evidence.

Multiple studies have demonstrated that subgroups of patients receiving combination therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel fail to produce the anticipated antiplatelet effect, and various terms such as 'aspirin resistance', 'clopidogrel resistance', 'heightened post-treatment platelet reactivity' and 'residual platelet reactivity' have been introduced in the medical literature. Light transmittance aggregometry is generally considered to be the gold standard for determining platelet function, but its relevance to in vivo platelet function is questionable and the logistical demands of the method make it impossible to use in daily practice. The introduction of several point-of-care platelet function assays may be the key to the widespread clinical use of platelet function testing and may identify patients who are at risk for the occurrence of adverse cardiac events.

Effect of ranolazine, an antianginal agent with novel electrophysiological properties, on the incidence of arrhythmias in patients with non ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome: results from the Metabolic Efficiency With Ranolazine for Less Ischemia in Non ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 36 (MERLIN-TIMI 36) randomized controlled trial.

Background: Ranolazine, a piperazine derivative, reduces ischemia via inhibition of the late phase of the inward sodium current (late I(Na)) during cardiac repolarization, with a consequent reduction in intracellular sodium and calcium overload. Increased intracellular calcium leads to both mechanical dysfunction and electric instability. Ranolazine reduces proarrhythmic substrate and triggers such as early afterdepolarization in experimental models.

Impaired isotonic contractility and structural abnormalities in the diaphragm of congestive heart failure rats.

Background: Metabolic alterations and decreased isometric force generation have been demonstrated in different animal models for congestive heart failure (CHF). However, as few morphological examinations have been performed on the CHF diaphragm, it is unknown if structural abnormalities comprise a substrate for diaphragm dysfunction in CHF. Therefore, we investigated CHF diaphragm isometric and isotonic contractility together with the presence of structural abnormalities.

Risk of coronary surgery for hospital and early morbidity and mortality after initially successful percutaneous intervention.

This study examines the influence of a successful PCI upon preoperative patient profile, peroperative management and postoperative, including one-year follow-up, results. From January 1999 through December 2001, 1141 patients (91%) underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as the primary intervention for myocardial revascularization (group A) and 113 patients (9%) underwent primary CABG after an initially successful PCI (group B). Patients undergoing CABG after a failed PCI were not included.

Delayed diagnosis of a post-traumatic ventricular aneurysm?

A 52-year-old man was developed pleural effusion and congestive heart failure after a routine orthopedic operation. A compression of atrium and right ventricle, by a calcified mass was discovered. The patient remembered having a blunt chest trauma 34 years before.

ST-segment deviation on the admission electrocardiogram, treatment strategy, and outcome in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes A substudy of the Invasive versus Conservative Treatment in Unstable coronary Syndromes (ICTUS) Trial.

Background: We assessed the prognostic significance of the presence of cumulative (Sigma) ST-segment deviation on the admission electrocardiogram (ECG) in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome and an elevated troponin T randomized to a selective invasive (SI) or an early invasive treatment strategy.

Methods: A 12-lead ECG obtained at admission was available for analysis from 1163 patients. The presence and magnitude of ST-segment deviation was measured in each lead, and absolute ST-segment deviation was summed.

The impact of renal dysfunction on outcomes in the ExTRACT-TIMI 25 trial.

Objectives: The ExTRACT-TIMI 25 (Enoxaparin and Thrombolysis Reperfusion for Acute Myocardial Infarction Treatment-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 25) trial provided the opportunity to evaluate the impact of renal dysfunction on outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and compare enoxaparin (ENOX) and unfractionated heparin (UFH).

Background: It is unclear how renal dysfunction influences the balance between benefit and risk of antithrombotic therapy.

Methods: In the ExTRACT-TIMI 25 trial, 20,479 patients were randomized to UFH or ENOX.