Cardiac troponin I for prediction of clinical outcomes and cardiac function through 3-month follow-up after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Application of AMR in evaluating microvascular dysfunction after ST-elevation myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

A guidewire-free angiography-derived microcirculatory resistance (AMR) derived from Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) exhibits good diagnostic accuracy for assessing coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), but there are no relevant studies supporting the specific application of AMR in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The study aims to evaluate CMD in patients with STEMI using the AMR index.

METHODS

This study included patients with STEMI who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from June 1, 2020 to September 28, 2021. All patients were divided into two groups: the CMD (n = 215) and non-CMD (n = 291) groups. After matching, there were 382 patients in both groups.1-year follow-up major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were evaluated.

RESULTS

After matching, the primary endpoint was achieved in 41 patients (10.7%), with 27 and 14 patients in the CMD and non-CMD groups, respectively (HR 1.954 [95% CI 1.025-3.726]; 14.1% versus 7.3%, p = .042). Subgroup analysis revealed that 18 patients (4.7%) were readmitted for heart failure, with 15 and 3 in the CMD and non-CMD groups, respectively (HR 5.082 [95% CI 1.471-17.554]; 7.9% versus 1.6%, p = .010). Post-PCI AMR ≥ 250 was significantly associated with a higher risk of the primary endpoint and was its independent predictor (HR 2.265 [95% CI 1.136-4.515], p = .020).

CONCLUSION

The retrospective use of AMR with a cutoff value of ≥250 after PCI in patients with STEMI can predict a significant difference in the 1-year MACE rates when compared with a propensity score-matched group with normal AMR.

Establishment and validation of a prediction model for nonrecovery of left ventricular ejection fraction in acute myocardial infarction patients combined with decreased left ventricular ejection fraction

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the risk factors for nonrecovery of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during follow-up in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) combined with reduced LVEF, and establish and verify a risk prediction model based on these factors.

METHODS

In this study, patients with AMI who underwent PCI in a high-volume PCI center between December 2018 and December 2021 were consecutively enrolled, screened, and randomly assigned to the model establishment and validation cohorts. A predictive model method based on least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was used for establishment and validation.

RESULTS

Cardiac troponin I, myoglobin, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, multivessel disease, and no-reflow were identified as potential predictors of LVEF recovery failure. The areas under the curve were 0.703 and 0.665 in the model establishment and validation cohorts, respectively, proving that the prediction model had some predictive ability. The calibration curves of the two cohorts showed good agreement with those of the nomogram model. In addition, the decision curve analysis showed that the model had a net clinical benefit.

CONCLUSION

This prediction model can assess the risk of nonrecovery of LVEF in patients with AMI undergoing PCI combined with LVEF reduction during follow-up, and conveniently screen high-risk patients with nonrecoverable LVEF early.

Prognostic Implications of the Admission Cardiac Troponin I Levels and Door-to-Balloon Time on Clinical Outcomes in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background

The prognostic implications of the admission cTnI level and D2B time combined on in-hospital and 1-year heart failure (HF) and mortality in STEMI patients undergoing a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are remain uncertain.

Methods and Results

We divided the consecutive 1485 STEMI patients who underwent PCI from January 2015 to October 2019 at our hospital into three groups based on their admission cTnI levels: normal group (<0.1 ng/mL), middle group (0.1 to less than 3 ng/mL), and high group (≥3 ng/mL) and into two groups by their D2B times: >90 min (>90-D2B) and ≤90 min (≤90-D2B). During the in-hospital and 1-year follow-up periods, the incidence of composite clinical events increased significantly with the increase in the admission cTnI level (p < 0.05). In-hospital, the composite rate of death and HF events was significantly higher in the >90-D2B group compared to the ≤90-D2B group (p = 0.006), but its influence disappeared in the 1-year follow-up (p > 0.05). A multivariable logistic analysis revealed that, in the ≤90-D2B group, with the exception of the cTnI ≥3 ng/mL patients, the cTnI level had no effect on in-hospital or 1-year outcomes; in >90-D2B group, cTnI ≥3ng/mL increased outcomes in both periods.

Conclusion

High cTnI levels (≥3 ng/mL) on admission are independent of the D2B time for predicting in-hospital and 1-year cardiac events in STEMI patients undergoing PCI.

Prognostic value of admission high-sensitivity troponin in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Although the diagnostic usefulness of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) is well established in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), its prognostic relevance in risk stratification of patients with STEMI remains obscure. This study sought to determine the prognostic value of pre-reperfusion (admission) and post-reperfusion (12-hour) hs-cTnT in patients with STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI).

METHODS

Retrospective observational longitudinal study including consecutive patients with STEMI treated with PPCI at a university hospital in the northeast of England. hs-cTnT was measured at admission to the catheterisation laboratory and 12 hours after PPCI. Clinical, procedural and laboratory data were prospectively collected during patient hospitalisation (June 2010-December 2014). Mortality data were obtained from the UK Office of National Statistics. The study endpoints were in-hospital and overall mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 3113 patients were included. Median follow-up was 53 months. Admission hs-cTnT >515 ng/L (fourth quartile) was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (HR=2.53 per highest to lower quartiles; 95% CI: 1.32 to 4.85; p=0.005) after multivariable adjustment for a clinical model of mortality prediction. Likewise, admission hs-cTnT >515 ng/L independently predicted overall mortality (HR=1.27 per highest to lower quartiles; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.59; p=0.029). Admission hs-cTnT correctly reclassified risk for in-hospital death (net reclassification index (NRI)=0.588, p<0.001) and overall mortality (NRI=0.178, p=0.001). Conversely, 12-hour hs-cTnT was not independently associated with mortality.

CONCLUSION

Admission, but not 12-hour post-reperfusion, hs-cTnT predicts mortality and improves risk stratification in the PPCI era. These results support a prognostic role for admission hs-cTnT while challenge the cost-effectiveness of routine 12-hour hs-cTnT measurements in patients with STEMI.

Anti-apoptotic peptide for long term cardioprotection in a mouse model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury

Reperfusion therapy during myocardial infarction (MI) leads to side effects called ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury for which no treatment exists. While most studies have targeted the intrinsic apoptotic pathway to prevent IR injury with no successful clinical translation, we evidenced recently the potent cardioprotective effect of the anti-apoptotic Tat-DAXXp (TD) peptide targeting the FAS-dependent extrinsic pathway. The aim of the present study was to evaluate TD long term cardioprotective effects against IR injury in a MI mouse model. TD peptide (1 mg/kg) was administered in mice subjected to MI (TD; n = 21), 5 min prior to reperfusion, and were clinically followed-up during 6 months after surgery. Plasma cTnI concentration evaluated 24 h post-MI was 70%-decreased in TD (n = 16) versus Ctrl (n = 20) mice (p***). Strain echocardiography highlighted a 24%-increase (p****) in the ejection fraction mean value in TD-treated (n = 12) versus Ctrl mice (n = 17) during the 6 month-period. Improved cardiac performance was associated to a 54%-decrease (p**) in left ventricular fibrosis at 6 months in TD (n = 16) versus Ctrl (n = 20). In conclusion, targeting the extrinsic pathway with TD peptide at the onset of reperfusion provided long-term cardioprotection in a mouse model of myocardial IR injury by improving post-MI cardiac performance and preventing cardiac remodeling.

Pentraxin 3 might be better prognostic serum marker than IL-6, IL-10, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction after bare-metal stent implantation

Objectives:

To assess the prognostic value of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation.

Methods:

In this prospective study, PTX3, interleukin (IL-6), IL-10, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP), and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) plasma values were determined before and 24hours after BMS implantation in 97 consecutively enrolled patients with STEMI who were admitted to University Clinical Center Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina between February 2016 and February 2017. Patients were followed for 24 months to assess major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs).

Results:

At 24 hours after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), plasma values of PTX3, IL-6, hsCRP, and cTnI were significantly increased; and IL-10 levels were significantly decreased compared with the values determined before PCI. Patients with MACEs had significantly higher plasma PTX3 levels at 24 hours after BMS-PCI than in patients without MACEs. Patients with PTX3 plasma values ≥5042 ng/ml had a significantly higher risk of MACEs than patients with PTX3 levels <5.042 ng/mL. Pentraxin 3 levels exhibited strong and significant correlations with IL-6 and IL-10 levels. Pentraxin 3, cTnI, and IL-6, but not hsCRP levels have showed independent association with MACEs, according to the multivariate Cox regression analysis.

Conclusion:

Pentraxin 3 might be better serum prognostic marker than IL-6, IL-10 or high sensitivity CRP for MACEs after BMS-PCI. It might help to make better risk stratification of those patients who are undergoing BMS-PCI.

Diagnosis and prognosis of myocardial infarction on a plasmonic chip

Cardiovascular diseases lead to 31.5% of deaths globally, and particularly myocardial infarction (MI) results in 7.4 million deaths per year. Diagnosis of MI and monitoring for prognostic use are critical for clinical management and biomedical research, which require advanced tools with accuracy and speed. Herein, we developed a plasmonic gold nano-island (pGold) chip assay for diagnosis and monitoring of MI. On-chip microarray analysis of serum biomarkers (e.g., cardiac troponin I) afforded up to 130-fold enhancement of near-infrared fluorescence for ultra-sensitive and quantitative detection within controlled periods, using 10 μL of serum only. The pGold chip assay achieved MI diagnostic sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 95.54%, superior to the standard chemiluminescence immunoassay in cardiovascular clinics. Further, we monitored biomarker concentrations regarding percutaneous coronary intervention for prognostic purpose. Our work demonstrated a designed approach using plasmonic materials for enhanced diagnosis and monitoring for prognostic use towards point-of-care testing.

Diagnostic methods for the canine idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: A narrative evidence-based rapid review

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an important etiology of mortality and morbidity in dogs and its diagnosis relies on systolic dysfunction, chambers dilation, electrical instability and congestion. During the last decades veterinary cardiologists have been joining efforts to obtain diagnostic resources to correctly identify canine DCM in the preclinical stage. Unfortunately, most diagnostic resources have been used with the support of research with weak evidence, without high quality methodologies such as systematic reviews or meta-analysis. Therefore, the support of evidence-based medicine is tailored by empiricism and diagnostic criteria lose'out the ability to properly classify dogs suffering DCM. The presentation of the evidence in medicine is established by multiple sources and the most reliable source has been the presentation of evidence-based medicine from systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Rapid reviews can be interpreted as a pragmatic approach to systematic reviews and although a rapid review follows most of the critical steps of a systematic review to provide timely evidence, some components of a systematic review process are either simplified or omitted. The objective of this narrative evidence-based rapid review is twofold. First: To recognize and to stratify the level of evidence offered by rigorous selected papers about the diagnosis of DCM. Second: To classify the degree of clinical recommendation of the diagnostic resources available.

Notoginsenoside R1 for Organs Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: A Preclinical Systematic Review

Notoginsenoside R1 (NGR1) exerts pharmacological actions for a variety of diseases such as myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, acute renal injury, and intestinal injury. Here, we conducted a preclinical systematic review of NGR1 for ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury. Eight databases were searched from their inception to February 23rd, 2019; Review Manager 5.3 was applied for data analysis. CAMARADES 10-item checklist and cell 10-item checklist were used to evaluate the methodological quality. Twenty-five studies with 304 animals and 124 cells were selected. Scores of the risk of bias in animal studies ranged from 3 to 8, and the cell studies ranged from 3 to 5. NGR1 had significant effects on decreasing myocardial infarct size in myocardial I/R injury, decreasing cerebral infarction volume and neurologic deficit score in cerebral I/R injury, decreasing serum creatinine in renal I/R injury, and decreasing Park/Chiu score in intestinal I/R injury compared with controls (all P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The multiple organ protection of NGR1 after I/R injury is mainly through the mechanisms of antioxidant, anti-apoptosis, and anti-inflammatory, promoting angiogenesis and improving energy metabolism. The findings showed the organ protection effect of NGR1 after I/R injury, and NGR1 can potentially become a novel drug candidate for ischemic diseases. Further translation studies are needed.

Impact of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy on Peak Serum Troponin T Levels in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

Previous studies have reported that peak serum troponin I levels were disproportionately elevated in patients with acute anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) compared with those with normal LV mass. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the relation of peak serum troponin T levels in patients with normal LV mass and in subjects with mild, moderate, and severe LVH in patients with acute STEMI or non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) when stratified on variables that might be expected to affect serum troponin T levels. The study population consisted of 262 patients; 91 with STEMI and 161 with NSTEMI. Serum troponin levels and 2-dimensional echocardiograms were obtained within the first 24 hours of hospitalization for STEMI or NSTEMI. There was no significant difference in serum troponin T levels in LV mass and/or LVH groups (p = 0.3210). There was no significant difference in serum troponin T levels in LV mass and/or LVH groups when these data were stratified on third variables including serum creatinine >1.2 mg/dl (p = 0.3681), LV ejection fraction <60% (p = 0.0978), STEMI (p = 0.2576), NSTEMI (p = 0.4994), and location of severe coronary stenosis (p = 0.1981). The results of this study suggest that there is no association between peak serum troponin T levels and LV mass and/or LVH groups when such groups are stratified on a third variable that may influence peak serum troponin T levels.

Changes in global longitudinal strain and left ventricular ejection fraction during the first year after myocardial infarction: results from a large consecutive cohort

Aims

To determine changes of global longitudinal strain (GLS) and their predictors in relation to classical echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular (LV) function, over 1 year, in consecutive patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and initially normal or impaired LV ejection fraction (EF).

Methods and results

A total of 285 patients with MI prospectively included in the REBUS (RElevance of Biomarkers for future risk of thromb-oembolic events in UnSelected post-myocardial infarction patients) study underwent echocardiography within 72 h from admission and after 1 year. At baseline, 213 (74.7%) of MI patients had a normal EF (≥52% in men or ≥54% in women), but in 70.4% of them, an impaired GLS ( ≥ -18.0%) was observed. During 1-year follow-up, in patients with normal EF at baseline, GLS improved from -15.8% to - 17.4% (10.1% relative change); EF decreased from 62.5% to 59.9% (4.0% relative change); indexed end-diastolic volume, indexed end-systolic volume, and indexed stroke volume increased with 15.6%, 24.8%, and 10.0% of relative change, respectively (P < 0.001 for all the comparisons). In the whole cohort, initial impairment of LV function [by EF, wall motion score index (WMSI), or GLS], male gender, non-smoking, and treatment with beta-blockers were the independent predictors of GLS improvement. In the group with initially impaired EF, over 1 year GLS improved from -11.9% to - 14.8% (24.4% relative change) and EF from 44.6% to 52.6% (18.2% relative change) (P < 0.001 for both). Improvement in GLS significantly correlated with EF increase in the group with impaired EF (r = -0.41, P = 0.001) but not in the patients with normal EF (r = -0.14, P = ns).

Conclusions

Despite diveregent evolution of GLS compared with EF and ventricular volumes, one year after MI GLS significantly improved in patients with initially both normal and impaired EF. Initial impairment of LV function (by EF, WMSI, or GLS), male gender, non-smoking, and treatment with beta-blockers were independent predictors of GLS improvement. LV remodelling was present even in patients with normal EF at baseline and during follow-up, confirming limited functional assessment by EF alone.

Origin of noise in liquid-gated Si nanowire troponin biosensors

Liquid-gated Si nanowire field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors are fabricated using a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible top-down approach. The transport and noise properties of the devices reflect the high performance of the FET structures, which allows label-free detection of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) molecules. Moreover, after removing the troponin antigens the structures demonstrate the same characteristics as before cTnI detection, indicating the reusable operation of biosensors. Our results show that the additional noise is related to the troponin molecules and has characteristics which considerably differ from those usually recorded for conventional FETs without target molecules. We describe the origin of the noise and suggest that noise spectroscopy represents a powerful tool for understanding molecular dynamic processes in nanoscale FET-based biosensors.

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, left ventricular function, and outcome in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome

BACKGROUND

Cardiac troponin (cTn) levels reflect infarct size and depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). However, there is very limited information on whether cTn measured with a high-sensitivity (hs) assay would provide incremental prognostic information to the LVEF in NSTE-ACS patients.

METHODS

This was a registry-based study (SWEDEHEART registry) investigating 20,652 NSTE-ACS patients with available information on hs-cTnT (highest level recorded during the hospitalization) and the LVEF estimated using echocardiography. All patients had been followed for 1 year.

RESULTS

Hs-cTnT levels independently predicted major cardiovascular events (MACE) in cohorts with normal, slightly depressed, moderately depressed, and severely depressed LVEF. The adjusted hazard ratios in these cohorts were 1.18 (95% CI 1.13-1.23), 1.12 (95% CI 1.06-1.18), 1.12 (95% CI 1.06-1.19), and 1.21 (95% CI 1.13-1.30), respectively. Hs-cTnT levels were particularly predictive for cardiovascular mortality and readmission for heart failure. Excluding patients with previous cardiac disease did not affect the overall interrelations of hs-cTnT and LVEF with MACE.

CONCLUSIONS

Hs-cTnT levels provide incremental prognostic value independent of the LVEF in patients with NSTE-ACS. Hs-cTnT is particularly predictive for MACE in patients with severely depressed LVEF but also in those with a normal LVEF. Accordingly, a normal LVEF should not be used as an argument not to target patients to thorough workup.

Prognostic Value of New-Generation Troponins in ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in the Modern Era: The RUTI-STEMI Study

BACKGROUND

In ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), troponins are not needed for diagnosis: symptoms and ECG data are sufficient to activate percutaneous coronary intervention. This study explored the prognostic value of new-generation troponins in a real-life cohort contemporarily treated for STEMI.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We studied 1260 consecutive patients with primary STEMI treated with percutaneous coronary intervention between February 22, 2011, and August 31, 2015. We collected data on clinical characteristics and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) at 30 days and 1 year. Peak high-sensitivity troponin T and sensitive-contemporary troponin I levels were recorded. MACCEs occurred in 75 patients (6.1%) by day 30 and in 124 patients (10.8%) between day 31 and 1 year. A short-term (0-30 days) multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that age, Killip-Kimball class, and left ventricular ejection fraction were independent predictors of MACCEs. In adjusted analysis, peak high-sensitivity troponin T and sensitive-contemporary troponin I were not significant (hazard ratio, 1.23 [95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.54] [P=0.071]; and hazard ratio, 1.15 [95% confidence interval, 0.93-1.43] [P=0.200], respectively). A long-term (31 days-1 year) multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that age, female sex, diabetes mellitus, prior coronary artery disease, Killip-Kimball class, and left ventricular ejection fraction were statistically significantly associated with MACCEs. However, peak high-sensitivity troponin T and peak sensitive-contemporary troponin I were not significantly associated with MACCEs (hazard ratio, 1.03 [95% confidence interval, 0.88-1.20] [P=0.715]; and hazard ratio, 0.99 [95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.15] [P=0.856], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In the modern era, new-generation troponins do not provide significant prognostic information for predicting clinical events in STEMI. We should reconsider the value of serial troponin measurements for risk stratification in STEMI.

Acute and long-term cardioprotective effects of the Traditional Chinese Medicine MLC901 against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice

MLC901, a traditional Chinese medicine containing a cocktail of active molecules, both reduces cerebral infarction and improves recovery in patients with ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute and long-term benefits of MLC901 in ischemic and reperfused mouse hearts. Ex vivo, under physiological conditions, MLC901 did not show any modification in heart rate and contraction amplitude. However, upon an ischemic insult, MLC901 administration during reperfusion, improved coronary flow in perfused hearts. In vivo, MLC901 (4 µg/kg) intravenous injection 5 minutes before reperfusion provided a decrease in both infarct size (49.8%) and apoptosis (49.9%) after 1 hour of reperfusion. Akt and ERK1/2 survival pathways were significantly activated in the myocardium of those mice. In the 4-month clinical follow-up upon an additional continuous per os administration, MLC901 treatment decreased cardiac injury as revealed by a 45%-decrease in cTnI plasmatic concentrations and an improved cardiac performance assessed by echocardiography. A histological analysis revealed a 64%-decreased residual scar fibrosis and a 44%-increased vascular density in the infarct region. This paper demonstrates that MLC901 treatment was able to provide acute and long-term cardioprotective effects in a murine model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in vivo.

Brain-Heart Interaction: Cardiac Complications After Stroke

Neurocardiology is an emerging specialty that addresses the interaction between the brain and the heart, that is, the effects of cardiac injury on the brain and the effects of brain injury on the heart. This review article focuses on cardiac dysfunction in the setting of stroke such as ischemic stroke, brain hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The majority of post-stroke deaths are attributed to neurological damage, and cardiovascular complications are the second leading cause of post-stroke mortality. Accumulating clinical and experimental evidence suggests a causal relationship between brain damage and heart dysfunction. Thus, it is important to determine whether cardiac dysfunction is triggered by stroke, is an unrelated complication, or is the underlying cause of stroke. Stroke-induced cardiac damage may lead to fatality or potentially lifelong cardiac problems (such as heart failure), or to mild and recoverable damage such as neurogenic stress cardiomyopathy and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The role of location and lateralization of brain lesions after stroke in brain-heart interaction; clinical biomarkers and manifestations of cardiac complications; and underlying mechanisms of brain-heart interaction after stroke, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; catecholamine surge; sympathetic and parasympathetic regulation; microvesicles; microRNAs; gut microbiome, immunoresponse, and systemic inflammation, are discussed.

Using a Cloud Computing System to Reduce Door-to-Balloon Time in Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Transferred for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated the impact on clinical outcomes using a cloud computing system to reduce percutaneous coronary intervention hospital door-to-balloon (DTB) time for ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

METHODS

A total of 369 patients before and after implementation of the transfer protocol were enrolled. Of these patients, 262 were transferred through protocol while the other 107 patients were transferred through the traditional referral process.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in DTB time, pain to door of STEMI receiving center arrival time, and pain to balloon time between the two groups. Pain to electrocardiography time in patients with Killip I/II and catheterization laboratory to balloon time in patients with Killip III/IV were significantly reduced in transferred through protocol group compared to in traditional referral process group (both p < 0.05). There were also no remarkable differences in the complication rate and 30-day mortality between two groups. The multivariate analysis revealed that the independent predictors of 30-day mortality were elderly patients, advanced Killip score, and higher level of troponin-I.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that patients transferred through our present protocol could reduce pain to electrocardiography and catheterization laboratory to balloon time in Killip I/II and III/IV patients separately. However, this study showed that using a cloud computing system in our present protocol did not reduce DTB time.

Influence of apelin-12 on troponin levels and the rate of MACE in STEMI patients

BACKGROUND

During acute myocardial infarction, phosphorylated TnI levels, Ca²⁺ sensitivity and ATPase activity are decreased in the myocardium, and the subsequent elevation in Ca²⁺ levels activates protease I (caplain I), leading to the proteolytic degradation of troponins. Concurrently, the levels of apelin and APJ expression are increased by limiting myocardial injury.

METHODS

In this prospective observational study, 100 consecutive patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction were included. Patients meeting the following criteria were included in our study: (1) continuous chest pain lasting for >30 min, (2) observation of ST-segment elevation of more than 2 mm in two adjacent leads by electrocardiography (ECG), (3) increased cardiac troponin I levels, and (4) patients who underwent reperfusion therapy. We evaluated the levels of apelin-12 and troponin I on the first and seventh days after reperfusion therapy in all patients.

RESULTS

Apelin-12 was inversely correlated with troponin I levels (Spearman's correlation = -0.40) with a p value <0.001. There was variability in the apelin values on the seventh day (Kruskal-Wallis test) based on major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (p = 0.012). Using ROC curve analyses, a cut-off value of >2.2 for the association of apelin with MACE was determined, and the AUC was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.58-0.84). Survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method showed a lower rate of MACE among patients with apelin levels >2.2 (p = 0.002), and the ROC curve analysis showed a statistically significant difference in the area under the curve (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

The influence of apelin levels on troponin levels in the acute phase of STEMI is inversely correlated, whereas in the non-acute phase, low apelin values were associated with a high rate of MACE.

Combined biomarker testing for the prediction of left ventricular remodelling in ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Objective

The utility of different biomarkers for the prediction of left ventricular remodelling (LVR) following ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been evaluated in several studies. However, very few data exist on the prognostic value of combined biomarkers. The aim of this study was to comprehensively investigate the prognostic value for LVR of routinely available biomarkers measured after reperfused STEMI.

Methods

Serial measurements of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) were performed in 123 patients with STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention in this prospective observational study. Patients underwent cardiac MRI at 2 (1–4) and 125 (121–146) days after infarction. An increase in end-diastolic volume of ≥20% was defined as LVR.

Results

LVR occurred in 16 (13%) patients. Peak concentrations of the following biomarkers showed significant areas under the curves (AUCs) for the prediction of LVR—NT-proBNP: 0.68 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.76, p=0.03), hs-cTnT: 0.75 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.82, p<0.01), AST: 0.72 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.79, p<0.01), ALT: 0.66 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.75, p=0.03), LDH: 0.78 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.85, p<0.01) and hs-CRP: 0.63 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.72, p=0.05). The combination of all biomarkers yielded a significant increase in AUC to 0.85 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.91) (all vs NT-proBNP: p=0.02, all vs hs-cTnT: p=0.02, all vs AST: p<0.01, all vs ALT: p<0.01, all vs hs-CRP: p<0.01 and all vs LDH: p=0.04).

Conclusions

In patients with reperfused STEMI, the combined assessment of peak NT-proBNP, hs-cTnT, AST, ALT, hs-CRP and LDH provide incremental prognostic information for the prediction of LVR when compared with single-biomarker measurement.

Cyclosporine A in Reperfused Myocardial Infarction: The Multicenter, Controlled, Open-Label CYCLE Trial

BACKGROUND

Whether cyclosporine A (CsA) has beneficial effects in reperfused myocardial infarction (MI) is debated.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated whether CsA improved ST-segment resolution in a randomized, multicenter phase II study.

METHODS

The authors randomly assigned 410 patients from 31 cardiac care units, age 63 ± 12 years, with large ST-segment elevation MI within 6 h of symptom onset, Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade 0 to 1 in the infarct-related artery, and committed to primary percutaneous coronary intervention, to 2.5 mg/kg intravenous CsA (n = 207) or control (n = 203) groups. The primary endpoint was incidence of ≥70% ST-segment resolution 60 min after TIMI flow grade 3. Secondary endpoints included high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) on day 4, left ventricular (LV) remodeling, and clinical events at 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Time from symptom onset to first antegrade flow was 180 ± 67 min; a median of 5 electrocardiography leads showed ST-segment deviation (quartile [Q]1 to Q3: 4 to 6); 49.8% of MIs were anterior. ST-segment resolution ≥70% was found in 52.0% of CsA patients and 49.0% of controls (p = 0.55). Median hs-cTnT on day 4 was 2,160 (Q1 to Q3: 1,087 to 3,274) ng/l in CsA and 2,068 (1,117 to 3,690) ng/l in controls (p = 0.85). The 2 groups did not differ in LV ejection fraction on day 4 and at 6 months. Infarct site did not influence CsA efficacy. There were no acute allergic reactions or nonsignificant excesses of 6-month mortality (5.7% CsA vs. 3.2% controls, p = 0.17) or cardiogenic shock (2.4% CsA vs. 1.5% controls, p = 0.33).

CONCLUSIONS

In the CYCLE (CYCLosporinE A in Reperfused Acute Myocardial Infarction) trial, a single intravenous CsA bolus just before primary percutaneous coronary intervention had no effect on ST-segment resolution or hs-cTnT, and did not improve clinical outcomes or LV remodeling up to 6 months. (CYCLosporinE A in Reperfused Acute Myocardial Infarction [CYCLE]; NCT01650662; EudraCT number 2011-002876-18).

Prognostic value of plasma biomarkers in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a review of advances in the past decade

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), especially myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is a serious life-threatening cardiovascular disease. Despite dramatic therapeutic advances, there have still been more than 20% patients with ACS suffering recurrent adverse cardiovascular events 3 years after disease onset. Therefore, the aim to prevent cardiac death caused by the heart attack remains challenging. Plasma biomarkers, originally developed to complement clinical assessment and electrocardiographic examination for the diagnosis of ACS, have been reported to play important prognostic roles in predicting adverse outcomes. These biomarkers mirror different pathophysiological mechanisms in association with ACS. In this review, we focus on advances of prognostic biomarkers in the past decade for short- and long-term risk assessment and management of patients with ACS.

Prognostic Value of Troponin I for Infarct Size to Improve Preclinical Myocardial Infarction Small Animal Models

Coronary artery ligations to induce myocardial infarction (MI) in mice and rats are widely used in preclinical investigation. However, myocardial ischemic damage and subsequent infarct size are highly variable. The lack of standardization of the model impairs the probability of effective translation to the clinic. Cardiac Troponin I (cTnI) is a major clinically relevant biomarker.

AIM

In the present study, we investigated the prognostic value of cTnI for early estimation of the infarct size.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Infarcts of different sizes were induced in mice and rats by ligation, at a random site, of the coronary artery. Kinetics of the plasma levels of cTnI were measured. Heart function was evaluated by echocardiography, the percentage of infarcted left ventricle and infarct expansion index were assessed from histological section. We observed that plasma cTnI level peaked at 24 h in the infarcted rats and between 24 and 48 h in mice. Sham operated animals had a level of cTnI below 15 ng/mL. Infarct expansion index (EI) assessed 4 weeks after ligation showed a large variation coefficient of 63 and 71% in rats and mice respectively. We showed a significative correlation between cTnI level and the EI demonstrating its predictive value for myocardial injury in small animal models.

CONCLUSION

we demonstrated the importance of cTnI plasma level as a major early marker to assist in the optimal and efficient management of MI in laboratory animals model. The presented results stress the need for comparable biomarkers in the animal model and clinical trials for improved translation.

Usefulness of traditional echocardiographic parameters in assessment of left ventricular function in patients with normal ejection fraction early after acute myocardial infarction: results from a large consecutive cohort

AIMS

The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of left ventricular (LV) systolic function impairment using classical echocardiographic parameters and their relation to myocardial damage in patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (MI) with normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF ≥52% in males or ≥54% in females).

METHODS AND RESULTS

All 421 consecutive patients with MI included in the REBUS (RElevance of Biomarkers for future risk of thromboembolic events in UnSelected post-myocardial infarction patients) study underwent two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography within 72 h after admission. A normal LVEF was present in 262 (73.8%) of the 355 patients ultimately enrolled in the study. Patients with normal LVEF more often presented with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and had less comorbidities when compared with those with impaired LVEF. No differences in demographic factors or relevant medications were observed. Higher value of mean annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE), lower wall motion score index (WMSI), lower LV as well as left atrial volumes characterized patients with normal LVEF. Impaired MAPSE was present in 64.4%, WMSI >1 in 72.1%, and dilated left atrium in 33.6% of those patients. Maximal cardiac troponin concentration reflecting infarct size showed the strongest association with WMSI (β = 0.35), followed by LVEF (β = -0.29), MAPSE (β = -0.25), and indexed LV end-systolic volume (β = 0.19; P < 0.001 for all the models).

CONCLUSION

In two-third of patients with MI and normal LVEF, at least one of the other markers of systolic function was outside of the normal range. WMSI reflected the size of MI better than global LV function parameters as LVEF or MAPSE.

Prognostic value of left ventricular global function index in patients after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

AIMS

The left ventricular global function index (LVGFI) is a novel indicator of left ventricular performance. Its prognostic value in patients after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is unknown. We sought to evaluate the prognostic significance of LVGFI measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging after STEMI.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Two hundred eligible STEMI patients (56 ± 11 years, 16% female) revascularized by primary percutaneous coronary intervention were followed-up for 3.1 [2-4.1] years for major adverse cardiac events (MACE). MACE was defined as a composite of death, non-fatal myocardial re-infarction, and new congestive heart failure. All patients underwent CMR imaging within 2 [2-4] days after STEMI. Late enhancement and cine images were acquired to assess myocardial injury as well as myocardial function, including LVGFI. Patients suffering a MACE event (n = 20, 10%) had a significantly lower LVGFI (P = 0.001). In Kaplan-Meier analysis, a decreased LVGFI was associated with a reduced MACE-free survival (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed a decreased LVGFI as a predictor for MACE [hazard ratio = 4.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.46-15.67, P = 0.010] after adjusting for microvascular obstruction, left ventricular mass, and multivessel disease. In receiver operating characteristic analysis, LVGFI was a strong predictor for MACE (area under the curve = 0.73, CI 0.61-0.85). However, c-statistics revealed that LVGFI does not provide incremental prognostic information over left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (P = 0.38).

CONCLUSION

LVGFI assessed by CMR is a strong predictor of MACE within 3 years after first STEMI. A superior predictive value as compared with LVEF was not found in this study.