Women With Acute Aortic Dissection Have Higher Prehospital Mortality Than Men.

Background: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) often leads to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and death before hospital arrival.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in AAD incidence by sex.

Methods: A population-based study in a city with 121,180 residents was conducted using postmortem computed tomography data to identify patients with AAD who died before hospital arrival in 2008-2020.

Nitroglycerin use and adverse clinical outcomes in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Objective: The primary care for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) includes the administration of nitroglycerin (GTN). This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of GTN before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ACS and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Nine-hundred and forty-seven patients who underwent PCI for ACS were examined and classified into two groups: those who were treated with GTN before PCI (GTN group) and those who were not (non-GTN group).

Calcium evaluation using coronary computed tomography in combination with optical coherence tomography.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can assess calcium thickness, a key factor for predicting good stent expansion; however, it underestimates coronary calcium severity due to its penetration limitation. This study aimed to evaluate computed tomography (CT) and OCT images to assess calcification. We investigated 25 left anterior descending arteries of 25 patients, using coronary CT and OCT, and assessed their calcification.

Relationship between coronary artery calcium score and bleeding events after percutaneous coronary intervention in chronic coronary syndrome.

The relationship between coronary artery calcium (CAC) and bleeding events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) is not well established. This study aimed to examine the association between CAC scores and clinical outcomes after PCI in patients with CCS. This retrospective observational study included 295 consecutive patients who underwent multidetector computer tomography and were scheduled for their first elective PCI.

Mean density of computed tomography for predicting rotational atherectomy during percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Multi-slice computed tomography (CT) allows noninvasive evaluation of the severity of coronary calcification. However, there has yet to be a definitive parameter based on the cross-sectional CT image for predicting the need for rotational atherectomy (RA). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the mean density of cross-sectional CT images to predict the need for RA during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Prediction of intracerebral hemorrhage in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using post-resuscitation electrocardiogram: An observational cohort study.

Aim: We evaluated the characteristics of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage in nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) to identify patients who required brain computed tomography as the next diagnostic workup.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 1303 consecutive patients with nontraumatic OHCA who were admitted to Miyazaki Prefectural Nobeoka Hospital between 2008 and 2020. Among these, 454 patients achieved sustained ROSC.

Incidence Rate of Hospitalization for Heart Failure in a Japanese City - An Updated Reference for Japan's Aging Society.

The prevalence of heart failure (HF) is increasing in aging societies, such as Japan. The current incidence rate (IR) of HF hospitalization in Japan is unknown. We conducted a regional population-based study assessing the IR of HF hospitalization in Nobeoka City.

Relationship Between Heart Failure Hospitalization Costs and Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction in an Advanced Aging Society.

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a basic clinical index that determines the heart failure (HF) treatment strategy. We aimed to evaluate the association between hospitalization costs for HF patient and LVEF in an advanced aging society in a region in Japan. Consecutive HF patients admitted to Miyazaki Prefectural Nobeoka Hospital between January 2015 and March 2018 were included in the study.

Association of early administration of furosemide with improved oxygenation in patients with acute heart failure.

Aims: Optimal pharmacological treatment for chronic heart failure has been established. However, treatments that can improve the prognosis of acute heart failure (AHF) are controversial. Although intravenous diuretics may be one optimal treatment option, little evidence has shown the effect of early administration of diuretics on clinical outcomes in patients with AHF.

Incidence Rate of Acute Coronary Syndrome Including Acute Myocardial Infarction, Unstable Angina, and Sudden Cardiac Death in Nobeoka City for the Super-Aged Society of Japan.

Background: This study aimed to calculate incidence rates (IR) of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), unstable angina (UAP), and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in Nobeoka city, Japan.

Methods and results: This was an observational study based on a city-wide comprehensive registration between 2015 and 2017 in Nobeoka city, Japan, using 2 databases: all patients with cardiogenic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Nobeoka city and hospitalized ACS patients from Miyazaki Prefectural Nobeoka Hospital in which all ACS patients in Nobeoka city were hospitalized except for possible rare cases of patients highly unlikely to be hospitalized elsewhere. The IRs of ACS based on the population size of Nobeoka city (125,000 persons), and their age-adjusted IRs by using the direct method and the 2015 model population of Japan were calculated.

Risk Prediction Score for Cancer Development in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: Cancer is a known prognostic factor in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but few risk assessments of cancer development after ACS have been established.

Methods and results: Of the 573 consecutive ACS admissions between January 2015 and March 2018 in Nobeoka City, Japan, 552 were analyzed. Prevalent cancer was defined as a treatment history of cancer, and incident cancer as post-discharge cancer incidence.

Association between coronary artery calcium score and stent expansion in percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Measurement of the coronary artery calcification score using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is a useful noninvasive test for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. However, whether pre-intervention assessment of the target vessel coronary artery calcification (TV-CAC) score is associated with stent expansion failure and future target lesion revascularization (TLR), remains unknown. This study aimed to determine the association between the TV-CAC score measured by MDCT and stent expansion rate in patients who underwent IVUS-guided PCI for stable angina.

Optical coherence tomography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention: a review of current clinical applications.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging high-resolution intravascular imaging modality that can provide physicians with critical information, thereby enabling precise characterization of plaque morphology and luminal geometry and facilitating pre-intervention lesion assessment. As OCT has a higher sensitivity for lipid-rich plaque characterization than intravascular ultrasound, vulnerable plaque detection by OCT has thus been investigated. By evaluating both the calcium thickness and arc, OCT can be the ideal method for determining both the indication and endpoint of rotational atherectomy for calcified lesions prior to stent implantation.

Optical Coherence Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Low-Molecular-Weight Dextran - Effect on Renal Function.

Background: The excessive volume of contrast needed is a significant limitation of optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Low-molecular-weight dextran (LMWD) has been used for OCT image acquisition instead of contrast media. This study compared the effects of OCT-guided PCI using LMWD on renal function and clinical outcomes to those of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided PCI.

Prognostic impact of the presence of on-duty cardiologist on patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted during off-hours.

Background: Owing to reduced staffing, patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during off-hours (nights, weekends, and holidays) have poorer outcomes than those admitted during regular hours. Whether the presence of an on-duty cardiologist in a hospital during off-hours is related to better outcomes for patients with AMI remains unclear. The Miyazaki Prefectural Nobeoka Hospital had a unique medical care system in that cardiologists were on call for half of the week and on duty for the other half during off-hours, thus providing an opportunity to assess the relationship between the presence of an on-duty cardiologist and patient outcomes.

Persistent Renal Dysfunction in Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background The long-term prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction who develop persistent renal dysfunction (RD) remains unclear. We investigated risk factors and prognostic implications of persistent RD after contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients with acute myocardial infarction after primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods and Results We enrolled 952 consecutive patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction.

Successful removal of side branch-jailed stent struts by reused balloon.

N/A.

Effect of pitavastatin on glucose, HbA1c and incident diabetes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials in individuals without diabetes.

Aims: Whether adverse effect of statins on glycaemic indices is common to all statins remains controversial and as yet data for pitavastatin are limited. We sought to assess the effects of pitavastatin on glycaemia and new-onset diabetes (NOD) in non-diabetic individuals using data from RCT pooled together by means of a meta-analysis.

Materials And Methods: We searched Medline, Cochrane, Embase and clinical trials registries websites until November-2014 for ≥12-week follow-up placebo or statin-controlled RCT of pitavastatin that included participants without diabetes and reported on fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c or NOD.

Lower Framingham risk score and the absence of hypertension are associated with the morning peak in the circadian variation of ST-elevation myocardial infarction onset.

There are few studies analyzing the influences of coronary risk factors on the circadian variation of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Between 2008 and 2011, 293 patients were admitted to Miyazaki Prefectural Nobeoka Hospital with STEMI. The onset time of STEMI was identified in 280 patients (age, 70.

Comparison of pitavastatin with atorvastatin in increasing HDL-cholesterol and adiponectin in patients with dyslipidemia and coronary artery disease: the COMPACT-CAD study.

Background: Many large-scale clinical trials have confirmed that statins are effective in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, resulting in reducing cardiovascular events. Recent studies have focused on the effects of statins on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Here we compared the effects of two statins on lipid profile and other metabolic parameters.