Usefulness of the ankle-brachial index to predict high coronary SYNTAX scores, myocardium at risk, and incomplete coronary revascularization

Focus on Prevention: Peripheral Arterial Disease and the Central Role of the Cardiologist

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a manifestation of systemic atherosclerotic disease. PAD patients have a poor prognosis with an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events, including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, limb ischemia and CV death; therefore, it is important to detect and treat PAD early. PAD and coronary artery disease (CAD) share a common pathogenesis and risk factors for development; therefore, cardiologists are in a unique position to screen, diagnosis and treat PAD. Moreover, PAD and CAD also share some treatment goals, including an aggressive modification of risk factors to reduce the risk of CV events. However, PAD remains an underdiagnosed and undertreated disease with medico-legal implications. As the role of cardiologists is expanding, the purpose of this review was to awaken the clinicians to the significance of PAD.

Quantitative Prediction of SYNTAX Score for Cardiovascular Artery Disease Patients via the Inverse Problem Algorithm Technique as Artificial Intelligence Assessment in Diagnostics

The quantitative prediction of the SYNTAX score for cardiovascular artery disease patients using the inverse problem algorithm (IPA) technique in artificial intelligence was explored in this study. A 29-term semi-empirical formula was defined according to seven risk factors: (1) age, (2) mean arterial pressure, (3) body surface area, (4) pre-prandial blood glucose, (5) low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, (6) Troponin I, and (7) C-reactive protein. Then, the formula was computed via the STATISTICA 7.0 program to obtain a compromised solution for a 405-patient dataset with a specific loss function [actual-predicted]² as low as 3.177, whereas 0.0 implies a 100% match between the prediction and observation via "the lower, the better" principle. The IPA technique first created a data matrix [405 × 29] from the included patients' data and then attempted to derive a compromised solution of the column matrix of 29-term coefficients [29 × 1]. The correlation coefficient, r², of the regression line for the actual versus predicted SYNTAX score was 0.8958, showing a high coincidence among the dataset. The follow-up verification based on another 105 patients' data from the same group also had a high correlation coefficient of r² = 0.8304. Nevertheless, the verified group's low derived average AT (agreement) (AT_avg = 0.308 ± 0.193) also revealed a slight deviation between the theoretical prediction from the STATISTICA 7.0 program and the grades assigned by clinical cardiologists or interventionists. The predicted SYNTAX scores were compared with earlier reported findings based on a single-factor statistical analysis or scanned images obtained by sonography or cardiac catheterization. Cardiologists can obtain the SYNTAX score from the semi-empirical formula for an instant referral before performing a cardiac examination.

Features of Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients with Multifocal Arterial Disease

Multifocal arterial injury is common in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular complications and death. Administration of more intensive antithrombotic therapy, particularly combinations of acetylsalicylic acid and a "vascular" dose of rivaroxaban, in patients with multifocal arterial injury is characterized by a beneficial ratio of efficiency and safety due to a pronounced decrease in the risk of cardiovascular complications. Detection of peripheral artery diseases in patients with ischemic heart disease and atherosclerotic cerebrovascular pathology makes it possible to improve the risk stratification, optimize the diagnostic tactics and clarify indications for more intensive antithrombotic therapy.

Features of Risk Stratification, Diagnosis and Secondary Prevention in Patients with Multifocal Arterial Disease. Part 1: Risk Stratification and Diagnosis

Multifocal arterial disease is common in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular complications and death. The possibility of improving the prognosis of patients with multifocal arterial disease is associated with a more efficient diagnosis of both the underlying disease and obstructive atherosclerotic lesions of other localizations and with a more intensive secondary prevention. According to observational studies, the presence of significant stenoses of the carotid arteries and, especially, lower extremities arterial disease can be predictorы of similar lesions in other vascular beds and their detection with screening methods available in clinical practice allows improvement of the diagnosis in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. On the other hand, screening of lower extremities artery diseases in patients with acute coronary syndrome can clarify indications for the use of invasive diagnostic and treatment strategy, in patients with chronic coronary artery disease it can justify more aggressive approaches to secondary prevention.

Intima-media thickness and ankle-brachial index are correlated with the extent of coronary artery disease measured by the SYNTAX score

Introduction

The extent of peripheral artery disease (PAD) measured by the ankle-brachial index (ABI) and intima-media thickness (IMT) is correlated with the complexity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in stable angina patients. However, data regarding patients with acute coronary syndromes are still lacking.

Aim

To compare coronary complexity measured by the SYNTAX score in patients with and without PAD presenting with myocardial infarction (MI).

Material and methods

Both ABI and IMT were measured in 101 consecutive patients who underwent primary diagnostic due to MI. Patients were divided into three tertile groups depending on the SYNTAX score (0-4; 5-11; 12 and more points).

Results

Mean ABI in the general population was 0.9 ±0.26, mean IMT was 0.8 ±0.3 mm and mean SYNTAX score was 7.8 ±5.4 points. We found significant correlations between ABI and SYNTAX score (p = 0.01), IMT and SYNTAX score (p < 0.001), and IMT and ABI (p < 0.001). The highest mean values of IMT (p < 0.001) and lowest mean values of ABI (p = 0.015) were found in patients in the highest SYNTAX score group. When analyzing receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, IMT had greater specificity and sensitivity than ABI.

Conclusions

Both IMT and ABI are correlated with SYNTAX score (positively for IMT and negatively for ABI values). In our study, IMT was a better predictor of SYNTAX score than ABI. Our study suggests that the higher rate of cardiovascular events in patients with PAD presenting with MI may be partially explained by greater coronary lesion complexity.

Prognostic Value of Ankle-Brachial Index in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: In-Hospital and 1-Year Outcomes From the SHINANO Registry

Concomitant coronary and peripheral artery disease is associated with higher periprocedural and long-term percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) complication rates. We evaluated in-hospital and 1-year clinical outcomes of patients with low or borderline ankle-brachial indexes (ABIs) undergoing PCIs in the drug-eluting stent era. We divided 1370 SHINANO registry patients into 3 groups-low (ABI ≤ 0.9), borderline (0.9 < ABI ≤ 1.0), and normal (1.0 ≤ ABI < 1.4). During the 1-year follow-up, more PCI-related complications occurred in the low and borderline ABI groups than in the normal ABI group (7.7% vs 8.8% vs 4.0%, respectively). Low ABI patients were more likely to experience adverse clinical events (6.3% vs 3.6% vs 3.0%, respectively; log-rank P = .020 for low vs normal ABI), with a hazard ratio of 2.27 (95% confidence interval, 1.12-4.61; P = .023), compared with patients with normal ABIs. Patients with abnormal ABIs had a significantly higher incidence of PCI-related complications and a less favorable 1-year prognosis. Routine ABI measurement before PCI may help predict PCI-related complication incidence and 1-year prognosis.

Prediction of 1-year clinical outcomes using the SYNTAX score in patients with prior heart failure undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: sub-analysis of the SHINANO registry

Although coronary artery disease (CAD) is common in patients with heart failure (HF), little is known about the prognostic significance of coronary lesion complexity in patients with prior HF undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The aim of this study was to investigate whether the coronary Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with TAXus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score could improve risk stratification in HF patients with CAD. Two hundred patients (mean age 73 ± 11 years, left ventricular ejection fraction 49 ± 15 %) with prior HF who underwent PCI were divided into two groups stratified by SYNTAX score (median value 12) and tracked prospectively for 1 year. The study endpoint was the composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and hospitalization for worsening HF. Adverse events were observed in 39 patients (19.5 %). Patients with high SYNTAX scores (n = 100) showed worse prognoses than those with low scores (n = 100) (26.0 vs. 13.0 %, respectively, P = 0.021). In multivariate Cox-regression analysis, SYNTAX score ≥12 was significantly associated with MACE (hazard ratio: 1.99, 95 % confidence interval: 1.02–3.97; P = 0.045). In patients with prior HF and CAD, high SYNTAX scores predicted a high incidence of MACE. These results suggest that the SYNTAX score might be a useful parameter for improving risk stratification in these patients.

Impact of Baseline Angiographic Complexities Determined by Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting SYNTAX Score on the Prediction of Outcome After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Although Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score based on angiographic scoring system was developed in patients with previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), few data exist regarding its prognostic utility in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We examined 272 patients with previous CABG (217 men; mean age, 70.4 ± 9.7 years) undergoing PCI. Severity of the coronary anatomy was evaluated using CABG-SYNTAX score. The primary end point of this study was cardiovascular death. The baseline CABG-SYNTAX score ranged from 2 to 53.5, with an average of 26.0 ± 10.2. In the index procedures, PCI for the native coronary accounted for nearly all patients (88%). During follow-up (median 4.1 years), 40 cardiovascular deaths had occurred. In multivariate analysis, age >75 years (hazard ratio [HR] 2.82, 95% CI 1.45 to 5.52), left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (HR 2.99, 95% CI 1.39 to 6.07), end-stage renal disease (HR 2.90, 95% CI 1.15 to 6.75), peripheral artery disease (HR 2.20, 95% CI 1.10 to 4.64), and CABG-SYNTAX score >25 (HR 2.37, 95% CI 1.19 to 5.05) were independent predictors of cardiovascular death. After creating a composite risk score in consideration of identified predictors, the freedom from cardiovascular death at 5 years was 98%, 86%, and 58% in the low (0 to 1), medium (2), and high (3 to 5) scores, respectively (p <0.001). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for cardiovascular death for the CABG-SYNTAX and composite risk scores were 0.66 and 0.77, respectively (p <0.05). In conclusion, the combination of angiographic and clinical characteristics is useful for risk stratification in patients with previous CABG undergoing PCI.

Administrative data are not sensitive for the detection of peripheral artery disease in the community

We sought to evaluate whether case ascertainment using administrative health data would be a feasible way to identify peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients from the community. Subjects' ankle-brachial index (ABI) scores from two previous prospective observational studies were linked with International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Canadian Classification of Interventions (CCI) codes from three administrative databases from April 2002 to March 2012, including the Alberta Inpatient Hospital Database (ICD-10-CA/CCI), Ambulatory Care Database (ICD-10-CA/CCI), and the Practitioner Payments Database (ICD-9-CM). We calculated diagnostic statistics for putative case definitions of PAD consisting of individual code or sets of codes, using an ABI score ⩽ 0.90 as the gold standard. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate additional predictive factors for PAD. Different combinations of diagnostic codes and predictive factors were explored to find out the best algorithms for identifying a PAD study cohort. A total of 1459 patients were included in our analysis. The average age was 63.5 years, 66% were male, and the prevalence of PAD was 8.1%. The highest sensitivity of 34.7% was obtained using the algorithm of at least one ICD diagnostic or procedure code, with specificity 91.9%, positive predictive value (PPV) 27.5% and negative predictive value (NPV) 94.1%. The algorithm achieving the highest PPV of 65% was age ⩾ 70 years and at least one code within 443.9 (ICD-9-CM), I73.9, I79.2 (ICD-10-CA/CCI), or all procedure codes, validated with ABI < 1.0 (sensitivity 5.56%, specificity 99.4% and NPV 84.6%). In conclusion, ascertaining PAD using administrative data scores was insensitive compared with the ABI, limiting the use of administrative data in the community setting.

Predictive Value of Combining the Ankle-Brachial Index and SYNTAX Score for the Prediction of Outcome After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (from the SHINANO Registry)

The Synergy Between PCI With TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score is effective in predicting clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, its prediction ability is low because it reflects only the coronary characterization. We assessed the predictive value of combining the ankle-brachial index (ABI) and SYNTAX score to predict clinical outcomes after PCI. The ABI-SYNTAX score was calculated for 1,197 patients recruited from the Shinshu Prospective Multi-center Analysis for Elderly Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (SHINANO) registry, a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study in Japan. The primary end points were major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACE; all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and stroke) in the first year after PCI. The ABI-SYNTAX score was calculated by categorizing and summing up the ABI and SYNTAX scores. ABI ≤ 0.49 was defined as 4, 0.5 to 0.69 as 3, 0.7 to 0.89 as 2, 0.9 to 1.09 as 1, and 1.1 to 1.5 as 0; an SYNTAX score ≤ 22 was defined as 0, 23 to 32 as 1, and ≥ 33 as 2. Patients were divided into low (0), moderate (1 to 2), and high (3 to 6) groups. The MACE rate was significantly higher in the high ABI-SYNTAX score group than in the lower 2 groups (low: 4.6% vs moderate: 7.0% vs high: 13.9%, p = 0.002). Multivariate regression analysis found that ABI-SYNTAX score independently predicted MACE (hazards ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.52, p = 0.029). The respective C-statistic for the ABI-SYNTAX and SYNTAX score for 1-year MACE was 0.60 and 0.55, respectively. In conclusion, combining the ABI and SYNTAX scores improved the prediction of 1-year adverse ischemic events compared with the SYNTAX score alone.

Relation of Angiographic Thrombus Burden with Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background

We planned to investigate the relationship of thrombus burden with SYNTAX score in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Material/Methods

We retrospectively enrolled 780 patients who underwent PPCI in our clinic due to STEMI. Clinical, laboratory, and demographic properties of the patients were recorded. Angiographic coronary thrombus burden was classified using thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) thrombus grades.

Results

Patients with high thrombus burden were older, with higher diabetes prevalence longer pain to balloon time, higher leukocyte count, higher admission troponin, and admission CK-MB concentrations. SYNTAX score was higher and myocardial perfusion grades were lower in patients with high thrombus burden. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed SYNTAX score as the strongest predictor of thrombus burden. ROC analysis demonstrated a sensitivity of 75.5%, specificity of 61.2%, and cut-off value of >14 (area under the curve (AUC): 0.702; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.773–0.874;P<0.001) for high thrombus burden.

Conclusions

SYNTAX score may have additional value in predicting higher thrombus burden besides being a marker of coronary artery disease severity and complexity.