The American journal of cardiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Alteration of relation of atherogenic lipoprotein cholesterol to apolipoprotein B by intensive statin therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome (from the Limiting UNdertreatment of lipids in ACS With Rosuvastatin [LUNAR] Trial).
The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol goal of <70 mg/dl, recommended for patients with acute coronary syndrome, typically requires intensive therapy with high-dose statins. The secondary goals of non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol <100 mg/dl and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) <80 mg/dl have been recommended to reduce excess cardiovascular risk not captured by LDL cholesterol. The present post hoc analysis from the Limiting UNdertreatment of lipids in Acute coronary syndrome with Rosuvastatin (LUNAR) study examined the relation of ApoB with LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol at baseline and during treatment with intensive statin therapy. ⋯ For high-triglyceride patients, the corresponding on-treatment targets were LDL cholesterol of 68 mg/dl and non-HDL cholesterol of 92 mg/dl. In conclusion, non-HDL cholesterol is an adequate surrogate of ApoB during statin therapy, independent of triglyceride status. However, to match LDL cholesterol and ApoB treatment goals in the very-high-risk category, the current non-HDL cholesterol goal should be lowered by 8 to 10 mg/dl.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Impact of beta blockade therapy on long-term mortality after ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction in the percutaneous coronary intervention era.
Although clinical guidelines recommend long-term β-blocker (BB) therapy to decrease mortality after acute myocardial infarction, these recommendations are based predominantly on evidence from before the reperfusion and thrombolytic eras. To investigate the effects of BB therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarctions on mortality in the percutaneous coronary intervention era, a total of 5,628 consecutive patients who were admitted <24 hours after the onset of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, treated with emergent percutaneous coronary intervention, and discharged alive were studied. During a median follow-up period of 1,430 days, mortality rates did not differ between patients with and without BB therapy (5.2% vs 6.2%, p = 0.786). ⋯ However, subgroup analyses among matched populations revealed that BB treatment was associated with a significantly lower mortality risk for high-risk patients, who were defined as those with Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk scores ≥121 (hazard ratio 0.596, 95% confidence interval 0.416 to 0.854, p = 0.005) or those administered diuretics (hazard ratio 0.602, 95% confidence interval 0.398 to 0.910, p = 0.016), but not for lower risk patients. In conclusion, BB treatment was associated with reduced long-term mortality in patients after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction at higher risk, but not in those at lower risk. Although randomized controlled studies are warranted to confirm these results, the implementation of BB therapy for discharged patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction may need to be assessed on the basis of individual mortality risk in the percutaneous coronary intervention era.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Indexes of von Willebrand factor as biomarkers of aortic stenosis severity (from the Biomarkers of Aortic Stenosis Severity [BASS] study).
We correlated von Willebrand factor (VWF) activity indexes and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) with measures of aortic stenosis (AS) severity, bleeding, symptoms, and freedom from death or aortic valve replacement. Patients with AS (n = 66 [16 mild, 20 moderate, and 30 severe]) and aortic valve replacement (n = 21) were assessed with VWF antigen, VWF latex agglutination immunoturbidic activity, platelet function analyzer collagen plus adenosine diphosphate (PFA-CADP), VWF multimer ratio, and BNP level after echocardiography. In patients with AS, the mean gradient correlated with BNP (Spearman r = 0.29, p = 0.02), VWF latex agglutination immunoturbidic activity/VWF antigen ratio (r = -0.41, p <0.001), PFA-CADP (r = 0.49, p <0.001), and VWF multimer ratio (r = -0.76, p <0.001). ⋯ In 66 patients with AS, freedom from death (n = 4) or aortic valve replacement (n = 22) was associated with PFA-CADP (p = 0.003), VWF high-molecular-weight multimers (p = 0.009), and VWF latex agglutination immunoturbidic activity/VWF antigen ratio (p <0.001) but not BNP (p = 0.32). In severe AS versus aortic valve replacement, the PFA-CADP and VWF multimer ratio differed (p <0.001), but BNP and the VWF latex agglutination immunoturbidic activity/VWF antigen ratio did not. In conclusion, the VWF activity indexes were associated with AS severity and bleeding and were predictive of cardiovascular outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Treatment and outcomes of patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes in relation to initial diagnostic impressions (insights from the Canadian Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events [GRACE] and Canadian Registry of Acute Coronary Events [CANRACE]).
The early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains challenging, and a considerable proportion of patients are diagnosed with "possible" ACS on admission. The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE/GRACE(2)) and Canadian Registry of Acute Coronary Events (CANRACE) enrolled 16,618 Canadian patients with suspected ACS in 1999 to 2008. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics, use of cardiac procedures, prognostic accuracy of the GRACE risk score, and in-hospital outcomes between patients given an admission diagnosis of "definite" versus "possible" ACS by the treating physician. ⋯ The GRACE risk score demonstrated excellent discrimination for in-hospital mortality in both groups and for the entire study population. In conclusion, compared to patients with "definite" ACS on presentation, those with "possible" ACS had higher baseline GRACE risk scores but less frequently received evidence-based medical therapies within 24 hours of admission or underwent cardiac procedures during hospitalization. The GRACE risk score provided accurate risk assessment, regardless of the initial diagnostic impression.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Moderate pulmonary embolism treated with thrombolysis (from the "MOPETT" Trial).
The role of low-dose thrombolysis in the reduction of pulmonary artery pressure in moderate pulmonary embolism (PE) has not been investigated. Because the lungs are very sensitive to thrombolysis, we postulated that effective and safe thrombolysis might be achieved by a lower dose of tissue plasminogen activator. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the role of this "safe dose" thrombolysis in the reduction of pulmonary artery pressure in moderate PE. ⋯ The combination of death plus recurrent PE was 1 (1.6%) in TG and 6 (10%) in the CG (p = 0.0489). No bleeding occurred in any group, and despite a positive trend in favor of a "safe dose" thrombolysis, no significant difference was noted in the rate of individual outcomes of death and recurrent PE when assessed independently. In conclusion, the results from the present prospective randomized trial suggests that "safe dose" thrombolysis is safe and effective in the treatment of moderate PE, with a significant immediate reduction in the pulmonary artery pressure that was maintained at 28 months.