Antiplatelet Therapy in Acute Myocardial Infarction and Cardiogenic Shock: Insights From the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative.

Background: Patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) are at high risk for impaired antiplatelet activity secondary to malabsorption, systemic hypoperfusion, hypothermia, need for mechanical ventilation, and high use of analgesics. The use of antiplatelet therapy in these high-risk patients is not well studied.

Methods: Using the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative database, we analyzed patients who presented with AMI-CS at 60 hospitals from March 2018 to December 2020.

Vasopressors independently associated with mortality in acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock.

Background: Increasing vasopressor dose is associated with increasing mortality in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock (AMICS). It is unknown whether the use of vasopressors is independently harmful or if their use is secondary to decreasing intrinsic cardiac power output (CPO). Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices enhance CPO.

Impact of Age in Acute Myocardial Infarction Cardiogenic Shock: Insights From the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMICS) is associated with high mortality. Patients ≥75 years old represent an increasing proportion of those who present with AMICS and are at high risk for adverse outcomes.

Methods: The National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative includes patients with AMICS treated using a standard shock protocol with early invasive hemodynamic monitoring, mechanical circulatory support (MCS), and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Semaglutide Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in People With Overweight or Obesity (SELECT) rationale and design.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Although it has been widely appreciated that obesity is a major risk factor for CVD, treatments that produce effective, durable weight loss and the impact of weight reduction in reducing cardiovascular risk have been elusive. Instead, progress in CVD risk reduction has been achieved through medications indicated for controlling lipids, hyperglycemia, blood pressure, heart failure, inflammation, and/or thrombosis.

Baseline characteristics of patients enrolled in the Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL).

Background: EXSCEL is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examining the effect of exenatide once-weekly (EQW) versus placebo on time to the primary composite outcome (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or nonfatal stroke) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and a wide range of cardiovascular (CV) risk.

Methods: Patients were enrolled at 688 sites in 35 countries. We describe their baseline characteristics according to prior CV event status and compare patients with those enrolled in prior glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) outcomes trials.

Coronary plaque dimensions and composition by intravascular ultrasound radio frequency lesion segment analysis in stable and unstable angina patients.

Aims: We hypothesized that the plaque composition and plaque type classification differs between acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable angina (SA) patients.

Methods And Results: We analyzed culprit lesion (CL) and nonculprit lesion (NCL) of ACS patients compared with target lesion (TL) and nontarget lesion (NTL) of SA patients by intravascular ultrasound radio frequency analysis in 874 lesion segments of 424 patients (ACS: 193 patients/SA: 231 patients). Comparing all lesion segments in ACS and SA patients did not show significant differences in absolute or relative plaque composition.

Risk of restenosis and health status outcomes for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: Previous comparisons of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have demonstrated similar survival but have also generally found better health status outcomes (symptoms, function, and quality of life) with CABG. The principal limitation of PCI has been the occurrence of restenosis. No previous studies comparing the health status outcomes of PCI and CABG have examined differences in these outcomes as a function of patients' preprocedural risk for restenosis.

An invasive strategy is associated with decreased mortality in patients with unstable angina and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction: GUSTO IIb trial.

There has been much debate concerning an invasive versus a conservative strategy for patients with acute coronary syndromes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether early in-hospital catheterization reduced mortality in patients with unstable angina and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. We performed a retrospective analysis of data collected in the Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries (GUSTO) IIb trial, which compared hirudin and heparin in patients with acute coronary syndromes.