Sex-gender disparities in nonagenarians with acute coronary syndrome

Clinical profile and prognosis of young patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction managed by the emergency-intervention Codi IAM network

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Data on the clinical profile and outcomes of younger patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is scarce. This study compared clinical characteristics and outcomes between patients aged<45 years and those aged ≥ 45 years with STEMI managed by the acute myocardial infarction code (AMI Code) network. Sex-based differences in the younger cohort were also analyzed.

METHODS

This multicenter study collected individual data from the Catalonian AMI Code network. Between 2015 and 2020, we enrolled patients with an admission diagnosis of STEMI. Primary endpoints were all-cause mortality within 30 days, 1 year, and 2 years.

RESULTS

Overall, 18 933 patients (23% female) were enrolled. Of them, 1403 participants (7.4%) were aged<45 years. Younger patients with STEMI were more frequently smokers (P<.001) and presented with cardiac arrest and TIMI flow 0 before pPCI (P<.05), but the time from first medical contact to wire crossing was shorter than in the older group (P<.05). All-cause mortality rates were lower in patients aged<45 years (P<.001). Among younger patients, cardiogenic shock was most prevalent in women than in their male counterparts (P=.002), with the time from symptom onset to reperfusion being longer (P<.05). Compared with men aged<45 years, younger women were less likely to undergo pPCI (P=.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite showing high-risk features on admission, young patients exhibit better outcomes than older patients. Differences in ischemia times and treatment were observed between men and women.

Serum levels of 25-OH vitamin D levels predict cognitive impairments among acute coronary syndrome patients

BACKGROUND

The cognitive impairment after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has become a crucial clinical concern that cannot be ignored. However, studies on the early warning factors of cognitive impairment after PCI are still insufficient.

METHODS

This study reviewed the postoperative cognitive function of 284 patients who underwent PCI in our hospital from June 2019 to June 2022. During the 21-day follow-up, all participants included in the analysis were divided into the cognitive impairment (CI) group (n = 82) and the noncognitive impairment (NCI) group (n = 186) according to their Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale. Participants' serum 25(OH)D3 levels on admission and serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100β levels were measured 21 days after surgery.

RESULTS

Age more than 65 years, hypertension, operation time longer than 60 min, left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50% and serum 25(OH)D3 less than 31.41 ng/ml were the risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in ACS patients 21 days after PCI. Serum levels of 25(OH)D3, NSE, S100β and GFAP were significantly higher in patients with cognitive impairment than in patients without cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative serum NSE, S100β and GFAP levels were significantly negatively correlated with serum 25(OH)D3 levels at admission. The serum 25(OH)D3 level is a risk factor and predictor of cognitive impairment in patients with ACS after PCI.

Sex Differences in Outcomes of ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Submitted to Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND

Several studies have shown that women are usually undertreated and have worse outcomes after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), hence the need to investigate questions related to sex in Brazil to better deal with the problem.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether female sex is still associated with adverse events in a contemporary cohort of patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI).

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study of STEMI patients submitted to pPCI in a tertiary university hospital between March 2011 and December 2021. Patients were categorized into groups based on their sex at birth. The primary clinical outcome was long-term MACCE. Patients were followed-up for up to five years. All hypothesis tests had a two-sided significance level of 0.05.

RESULTS

Among 1457 patients admitted with STEMI in the study period, 1362 were included and 468 (34.4%) were women. Female patients had a higher prevalence of hypertension (73% vs. 60%, p <0.001), diabetes (32% vs. 25%, p=0.003) and Killip class 3-4 at hospital admission (17% vs. 12%, p=0.01); TIMI risk score was higher among women (4 [2, 6] vs. 3 [2, 5], p<0.001). In-hospital mortality was not different between groups (12.8% vs. 10.5%, p=0.20). In-hospital MACCE (16.0% vs. 12.6%, p=0.085) and long-term MACCE (28.7% vs. 24.4%, p=0.089) were numerically higher in women, with borderline significance. After multivariate analysis, female sex was not associated with MACCE (HR = 1.14; 95% CI 0.86 - 1.51; p = 0.36).

CONCLUSION

In a prospective cohort of STEMI patients submitted to pPCI, female patients were older and had more comorbidities at baseline, but no significant differences were found in terms of long-term adverse outcomes.

Nonagenarians admission and prognosis in a tertiary center intensive coronary care unit - a prospective study

BACKGROUND

With increasing life expectancy, the prevalence of nonagenarians with cardiovascular disease is steadily growing. However, this population is underrepresented in randomized trials and thus poorly defined, with little quality evidence to support and guide optimal management. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical management, therapeutic approach, and outcomes of nonagenarians admitted to a tertiary care center intensive coronary care unit (ICCU).

METHODS

We prospectively collected all patients admitted to a tertiary care center ICCU between July 2019 - July 2022 and compared nonagenarians to all other patients. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 3807 patients were included in the study. Of them 178 (4.7%) were nonagenarians and 93 (52%) females. Each year the prevalence of nonagenarians has increased from 4.0% to 2019, to 4.2% in 2020, 4.6% in 2021 and 5.3% in 2022. Admission causes differed between groups, including a lower rate of acute coronary syndromes (27% vs. 48.6%, p < 0.001) and a higher rate of septic shock (4.5% vs. 1.2%, p < 0.001) in nonagenarians. Nonagenarians had more comorbidities, such as hypertension, renal failure, and atrial fibrillation (82% vs. 59.6%, 23% vs. 12.9%, 30.3% vs. 14.4% p < 0.001, respectively). Coronary intervention was the main treatment approach, although an invasive strategy was less frequent in nonagenarians in comparison to younger subjects. In-hospital mortality rate was 2-fold higher in the nonagenarians (5.6% vs. 2.5%, p = 0.025).

CONCLUSION

With increasing life expectancy, the prevalence of nonagenarians in ICCU's is expected to increase. Although nonagenarian patients had more comorbidities and higher in-hospital mortality, they generally have good outcomes after admission to the ICCU. Hence, further studies to create evidence-based practices and to support and guide optimal management in these patients are warranted.

Sex Differences in Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Global Perspective

Despite increasing evidence and improvements in the care of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), sex disparities in presentation, comorbidities, access to care and invasive therapies remain, even in the most developed countries. Much of the currently available data are derived from more developed regions of the world, particularly Europe and the Americas. In contrast, in more resource-constrained settings, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of Asia, more data are needed to identify the prevalence of sex disparities in ACS, as well as factors responsible for these disparities, particularly cultural, socioeconomic, educational and psychosocial. This review summarizes the available evidence of sex differences in ACS, including risk factors, pathophysiology and biases in care from a global perspective, with a focus on each of the six different World Health Organization (WHO) regions of the world. Regional trends and disparities, gaps in evidence and solutions to mitigate these disparities are also discussed.

Sex related inequalities in the management and prognosis of acute coronary syndrome in Switzerland: cross sectional study

Objectives

To assess the differences in the management and prognosis of acute coronary syndrome in men and women who were admitted to hospital for acute coronary syndrome.

Design

Cross sectional study.

Setting

Discharge data from Swiss hospitals linked at the hospital and patient levels.

Participants

224 249 adults (18 years and older) were admitted to hospital for acute coronary syndrome between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2017 in any Swiss hospital, of which 72 947 (32.5%) were women. People who were discharged against medical advice were excluded.

Results

Women admitted to hospital with acute coronary syndrome were older than their male counterparts (mean age 74.9 years (standard deviation 12.4) v 67.0 years (13.2)). Irrespective of acute coronary syndrome type, women were less likely to undergo diagnostic procedures, such as coronary angiography (adjusted odds ratio 0.79 (95% confidence interval 0.77 to 0.82) for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction v 0.87 (0.84 to 0.91) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction)) and ventriculography (0.84 (0.82 to 0.87) v 0.90 (0.87 to 0.91)). Women were also less likely to receive treatments, such as percutaneous coronary intervention (0.67 (0.65 to 0.69) v 0.76 (0.73 to 0.78)) and coronary artery bypass graft (0.57 (0.53 to 0.61) v 0.79 (0.72 to 0.87)). Women had a poorer prognosis than men, with a higher likelihood of healthcare related complications (1.10 (1.06 to 1.15) v 1.14 (1.09 to 1.21)) and of a longer hospital stay (1.24 (1.20 to 1.27) v 1.24 (1.20 to 1.29)). In non-adjusted models, the likelihood of death in hospital was higher among women (odds ratio 1.30 (95% confidence interval 1.24 to 1.37) for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction v 1.75 (1.66 to 1.85) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction), but the association was reversed for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (adjusted odds ratio 0.87 (0.82 to 0.92)) or was non-significant for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (1.00 (0.94 to 1.06)) after adjustment for confounding variables. The main effect modifier was age: younger women were more likely to die than men of the same age and older women were less likely to die than men of the same age. For example, women who were younger than 50 years had a 38% increased likelihood of dying compared with men of the same age range (adjusted odds ratio 1.38 (1.04 to 1.83)).

Conclusions

Sex inequalities were reported in the management of heart disease in this population of patients from a high income country with good healthcare coverage. These differences affect mortality and morbidity, especially in younger women. Efforts are needed to overcome these inequalities, including educational programmes aimed at healthcare professionals.

Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Outcomes of Older Adults After Myocardial Infarction

Background Evidence on the impact of sex on prognoses after myocardial infarction (MI) among older adults is limited. We evaluated sex differences in long-term cardiovascular outcomes after MI in older adults. Methods and Results All patients with MI ≥70 years admitted to 20 Finnish hospitals during a 10-year period and discharged alive were studied retrospectively using a combination of national registries (n=31 578, 51% men, mean age 79). The primary outcome was combined major adverse cardiovascular event within 10-year follow-up. Sex differences in baseline features were equalized using inverse probability weighting adjustment. Women were older, with different comorbidity profiles and rarer ST-segment-elevation MI and revascularization, compared with men. Adenosine diphosphate inhibitors, anticoagulation, statins, and high-dose statins were more frequently used by men, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone inhibitors and beta blockers by women. After balancing these differences by inverse probability weighting, the cumulative 10-year incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events was 67.7% in men, 62.0% in women (hazard ratio [HR], 1.17; CI, 1.13-1.21; P<0.0001). New MI (37.0% in men, 33.1% in women; HR, 1.16; P<0.0001), ischemic stroke (21.1% versus 19.5%; HR, 1.10; P=0.004), and cardiovascular death (56.0% versus 51.1%; HR, 1.18; P<0.0001) were more frequent in men during long-term follow-up after MI. Sex differences in major adverse cardiovascular events were similar in subgroups of revascularized and non-revascularized patients, and in patients 70 to 79 and ≥80 years. Conclusions Older men had higher long-term risk of major adverse cardiovascular events after MI, compared with older women with similar baseline features and evidence-based medications. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for confounding factors when studying sex differences in cardiovascular outcomes.