Predictive value of the Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome risk score for post-acute myocardial infarction infection

Serum Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio: A Novel Predictor of Pulmonary Infection in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

AIM

In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a low serum albumin-to-creatinine ratio (sACR) is associated with elevated risk of poor short- and long-term outcomes. However, the relationship between sACR and pulmonary infection during hospitalization in patients with STEMI undergoing PCI remains unclear.

METHODS

A total of 4,507 patients with STEMI undergoing PCI were enrolled and divided into three groups according to sACR tertile. The primary outcome was pulmonary infection during hospitalization, and the secondary outcome was in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including stroke, in-hospital mortality, target vessel revascularization, recurrent myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality during follow-up.

RESULTS

Overall, 522 (11.6%) patients developed pulmonary infections, and 223 (4.9%) patients developed in-hospital MACE. Cubic spline models indicated a non-linear, L-shaped relationship between sACR and pulmonary infection (P=0.039). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that sACR had good predictive value for both pulmonary infection (area under the ROC curve [AUC]=0.73, 95% CI=0.70-0.75, P＜0.001) and in-hospital MACE (AUC=0.72, 95% CI=0.69-0.76, P＜0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that higher sACR tertiles were associated with a greater cumulative survival rate (P＜0.001). Cox regression analysis identified lower sACR as an independent predictor of long-term all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]=0.96, 95% CI=0.95-0.98, P＜0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A low sACR was significantly associated with elevated risk of pulmonary infection and MACE during hospitalization, as well as all-cause mortality during follow-up among patients with STEMI undergoing PCI. These findings highlighted sACR as an important prognostic marker in this patient population.

Canada acute coronary syndrome risk score predicts no-/slow-reflow in ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

Background

The no-/slow-reflow phenomenon following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)is associated with poor prognosis. The early identification of high-risk patients with no-/slow-reflow is critical. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive ability of the Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome (C-ACS) risk score for no-/slow-reflow in these patients.

Methods

Patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI were consecutively enrolled and divided into three groups based on their C-ACS scores: 0, 1, and ≥2. The C-ACS score was computed using the four clinical variables evaluated at admission (one point for each): age ≥75 years, heart rate >100 beats/min, systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg, and Killip class >1. No-/slow-reflow was defined as thrombolysis in a myocardial infarction flow grade of 0-2 after primary PCI. The predictive ability of the C-ACS score for no-/slow-reflow was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results

A total of 834 patients were enrolled, of whom 109 (13.1 %) developed no-/slow-reflow. The incidence of no-/slow-reflow increased from the C-ACS 0 group to the C-ACS ≥2 group (6.1 % vs 17.7 % vs 34.3 %, respectively, p < 0.001). After multivariable adjustment, the C-ACS score was an independent predictor of no-/slow-reflow (odd ratio 2.623, 95 % confidence interval 1.948-3.532, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the C-ACS score showed good discrimination for no-/slow-reflow (area under the curve 0.707, 95 % confidence interval 0.653-0.762, p < 0.001). Further subgroup analyses indicated a significant interaction between the C-ACS score and patient sex (p for interaction = 0.011). The independent association between the C-ACS score and no-/slow-reflow was only observed in male patients (odd ratio 3.061, 95 % confidence interval 1.931-4.852, p < 0.001). During a median follow-up duration of 4.3 years, the C-ACS score was independently associated with major adverse cardiovascular events independent of the occurrence of no-/slow-reflow (p for interaction = 0.212).

Conclusion

The C-ACS risk score could independently predict the no-/slow-reflow in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI, particularly in male patients.

Positive association between stress hyperglycemia ratio and pulmonary infection in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that the stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR), a parameter of relative stress-induced hyperglycemia, is an excellent predictive factor for all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, its association with pulmonary infection in patients with STEMI during hospitalization remains unclear.

METHODS

Patients with STEMI undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were consecutively enrolled from 2010 to 2020. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of pulmonary infection during hospitalization, and the secondary endpoint was in-hospital MACEs, composed of all-cause mortality, stroke, target vessel revascularization, or recurrent myocardial infarction.

RESULTS

A total of 2,841 patients were finally included, with 323 (11.4%) developing pulmonary infection and 165 (5.8%) developing in-hospital MACEs. The patients were divided into three groups according to SHR tertiles. A higher SHR was associated with a higher rate of pulmonary infection during hospitalization (8.1%, 9.9%, and 18.0%, P < 0.001) and in-hospital MACEs (3.7%, 5.1%, and 8.6%, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that SHR was significantly associated with the risk of pulmonary infection during hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] = 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-2.02, P = 0.021) and in-hospital MACEs (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.17-2.39, P = 0.005) after adjusting for potential confounding factors. The cubic spline models demonstrated no significant non-linear relationship between SHR and pulmonary infection (P = 0.210) and MACEs (P = 0.743). In receiver operating characteristic curve, the best cutoff value of SHR for pulmonary infection was 1.073.

CONCLUSIONS

The SHR is independently associated with the risk of pulmonary infection during hospitalization and in-hospital MACEs for patients with STEMI undergoing PCI.

Risk Estimation for Infection in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Development and Validation of a Predictive Score

Background

Infection during hospitalization is a serious complication among patients who suffered from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); however, there are no suitable and accurate means to assess risk. This study aimed to develop and validate a simple scoring system to predict post-AMI infection in such patients.

Methods

All patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing PCI consecutively enrolled from January 2010 to May 2016 were served as derivation cohort, and those from June 2016 to May 2018 as validation cohort, respectively. The primary endpoint was post-AMI infection during hospitalization, and all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were considered as secondary endpoints. The simplified risk model was established using logistic regression. The area under the receiver operating curve and calibration of predicted and observed infection risk were calculated.

Results

A 24-point risk score was developed, with infection risk ranging from 0.7 to 99.6% for patients with the lowest and highest score. Seven variables including age, Killip classification, insulin use, white blood cell count, serum albumin, diuretic use, and transfemoral approach were included. This model achieved the same high discrimination in the development and validation cohort (C-statistic:0.851) and revealed adequate calibration in both datasets. The incidences of post-AMI infection increased steadily across risk score groups in both development (1.3, 5.1, 26.3, and 69.1%; P < 0.001) and validation (1.8, 5.9, 27.2, and 79.2%; P < 0.001) cohort. Moreover, the risk score demonstrated good performance for infection, in-hospital all-cause death, and MACE among these patients, as well as in patients with the non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Conclusion

This present risk score established a simple bedside tool to estimate the risk of developing infection and other in-hospital outcomes in patients with STEMI undergoing PCI. Clinicians can use this risk score to evaluate the infection risk and subsequently make evidence-based decisions.

SGLT2 inhibition restrains thyroid cancer growth via G1/S phase transition arrest and apoptosis mediated by DNA damage response signaling pathways

BACKGROUND

Although the prognosis for most patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is good, the present treatment is ineffective for 5-10% patients. Several studies found sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may inhibit the growth of tumors. However, whether SGLT2 inhibitors have therapeutic effect on thyroid cancer remains unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The levels of SGLT2 in PTC and normal thyroid tissue were assessed by immunohistochemistry and clinical dataset analysis. Cell growth was detected by the CCK-8 and colony formation. Glucose uptake into thyroid cancer cell was evaluated by 2-DG uptake assay. Glycolysis were analyzed by Seahorse XF Extracellular Flux Analysis. RNA-seq were used to screen differentially expressed genes of cells treated with/without canagliflozin (a SGLT2 inhibitor). Furthermore, flow cytometry, western blot, and gene set enrichment analysis were employed to elucidate cell cycle, apoptosis and the underlying mechanism of the anticancer effect of canagliflozin. The effect of canagliflozin on thyroid cancer growth was further confirmed in vivo through xenograft formation assay.

RESULTS

SGLT2 inhibition attenuated the growth of thyroid cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Canagliflozin inhibited glucose uptake, glycolysis and AKT/mTOR signaling activation, and increased AMPK activation in thyroid cancer cell. Furthermore, canagliflozin inhibited G1/S phase transition and cyclin D1, cyclin D3, cyclin E1, cyclin E2, and E2F1 expression levels in thyroid cancer cell. In addition, canagliflozin increased apoptosis of thyroid cancer cell. Further investigation revealed that canagliflozin could increase γ-H2AX expression levels and DNA damage response signaling ATM/CHK2 activation. In thyroid cancer patients, SGLT2 was increased in thyroid cancer and positively related to cyclin D3.

CONCLUSIONS

SGLT2 inhibition may limit glucose uptake resulting in energetic crisis, following oxidative stress mediated DNA damage and cell cycle arrest, which resulted to the increased cell apoptosis and decreased proliferation of thyroid cancer cells, suggesting a potential use for SGLT2 inhibitors as thyroid cancer therapeutics.

Procalcitonin Predicts Bacterial Infection, but Not Long-Term Occurrence of Adverse Events in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

This study compiles data to determine if procalcitonin (PCT) values may predict both the risk of bacterial infection and potentially negative long-term outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). All patients with a diagnosis of ACS that had PCT levels assessed during the first 24 h of hospitalization were enrolled in this study. The primary outcome was to detect the presence of bacterial infection defined as the occurrence of fever and at least one positive blood or urinary culture with clinical signs of infection. The secondary outcome was to monitor the occurrence after 1 year of the composite outcome of all-cause mortality, stroke and myocardial infarction. Overall, 569 patients were enrolled (mean age 69.37 ± 14 years, 30% females). Of these, 44 (8%) met the criteria for bacterial infection. After multivariate analysis, PCT and SBP were found to be independent predictors of bacterial infections (OR for PCT above the cut-off 2.67, 95% CI 1.09-6.53, p = 0.032 and OR for SBP 0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99, p = 0.043). After 1 year, the composite outcome of all-cause death, MI and stroke occurred in 104 patients (18%). PCT was not found to be an independent predictor of these outcomes. In conclusion, when assessing ACS, we found that testing for PCT levels during hospital admissions procedures was a good predictor of bacterial infections but not of all-cause mortality, stroke, or myocardial infarction. Clinicaltrial.org identifier: NCT02438085.

Newly Diagnosed Infection After Admission for Acute Heart Failure: From the KCHF Registry

Background

No studies have explored the association between newly diagnosed infections after admission and clinical outcomes in patients with acute heart failure. We aimed to explore the factors associated with newly diagnosed infection after admission for acute heart failure, and its association with in‐hospital and post‐discharge clinical outcomes.

Methods and Results

Among 4056 patients enrolled in the Kyoto Congestive Heart Failure registry, 2399 patients without any obvious infectious disease upon admission were analyzed. The major in‐hospital and post‐discharge outcome measures were all‐cause deaths. There were 215 patients (9.0%) with newly diagnosed infections during hospitalization, and 2184 patients (91.0%) without infection during hospitalization. The factors independently associated with a newly diagnosed infection were age ≥80 years, acute coronary syndrome, non‐ambulatory status, hyponatremia, anemia, intubation, and patients who were not on loop diuretics as outpatients. The newly diagnosed infection group was associated with a higher incidence of in‐hospital mortality (16.3% and 3.2%, P<0.001) and excess adjusted risk of in‐hospital mortality (odds ratio, 6.07 [95% CI, 3.61–10.19], P<0.001) compared with the non‐infection group. The newly diagnosed infection group was also associated with a higher 1‐year incidence of post‐discharge mortality (19.3% in the newly diagnosed infection group and 13.6% in the non‐infection group, P<0.001) and excess adjusted risk of post‐discharge mortality (hazard ratio, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.08–2.07], P=0.02) compared with the non‐infection group.

Conclusions

Elderly patients with multiple comorbidities were associated with the development of newly diagnosed infections after admission for acute heart failure. Newly diagnosed infections after admission were associated with higher in‐hospital and post‐discharge mortality in patients with acute heart failure.

Registration

URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02334891.

Evaluation of the Prognostic Role of the Wall Motion Score Index and the SYNTAX Score II in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention by Evaluation of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events at 12-Month Follow-Up

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the wall motion score (WMS) index and the SYNTAX score II (SSII) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by evaluation of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) at the 12-month follow-up at a single center.

Material/Methods

An observational study of 430 patients with ACS undergoing PCI at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University over a 1-year period was performed. Baseline data including WMS and SSII were recorded and compared with the rates of MACEs in the study group. WMS and SSII were stratified by the tercile from low to high.

Results

Both WMS and SSII were associated with the rates of MACEs (P<0.001 and P=0.003, respectively). The incidence of MACEs was positively correlated with terciles of the WMS and SSII groups (3.7% vs 1.6% vs 7.0% [P<0.001] and 2.6% vs 5.8% vs 11.6% [P<0.001], lowest to highest, respectively). Logistic regression analyses identified combined predictors for 12-month outcome, including WMS and SSII. The use of a model combining both scores yielded a higher predictive value (area under the curve [AUC]=0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.733–0.835; P<0.001) than the use of either score alone. Using WMSs alone, the AUC was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.660–0.793; P<0.001). Using SSII alone, the AUC was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.649–0.769; P<0.001).

Conclusions

This study showed that the combined methods of the WMS index and the SSII were predictive factors of MACEs in patients with ACS following PCI at the 12-month follow-up.

Ticagrelor and the risk of infections during hospitalization in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Although ticagrelor exerts an antibacterial activity, its effect on infections in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unclear. We aimed to assess whether ticagrelor and clopidogrel affect infections in these patients during hospitalization.

METHODS

A total of 2116 consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing PCI were divided into the ticagrelor (n = 388) and clopidogrel (n = 1728) groups. The primary outcome was infection onset. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Propensity score analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the results.

RESULTS

Infections developed in 327 (15.4%) patients. There was no significant difference in infection between both groups (ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel: 13.1% vs. 16.0%, p = 0.164). Patients in the ticagrelor group had lower rates of in-hospital all-cause death and MACCE than patients in the clopidogrel group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis determined that ticagrelor and clopidogrel had a similar preventive effect on infections during hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.80-1.78, p = 0.380). Compared to the patients treated with clopidogrel, patients treated with ticagrelor had a slightly lower risk of other outcomes, but no statistical difference. Propensity score analyses demonstrated similar results for infections and other outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with clopidogrel treatment, ticagrelor treatment did not significantly alter the risk of infections during hospitalization among STEMI patients undergoing PCI, but was associated with a slightly lower risk of in-hospital all-cause death and MACCE.

Development and Validation of a Risk Score for Predicting Post-acute Myocardial Infarction Infection in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Study Protocol for an Observational Study

Background: Post-acute myocardial infarction (post-AMI) infection is an infrequent but important and serious complication in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Predicting its occurrence is essential for future prevention. However, little is known about the prediction of post-AMI infection in such patients to date. This study aims to develop and validate a new risk score based on risk factors for early prediction of infection in STEMI patients undergoing PCI. Methods: This prospective, multi-center and observational study assesses the predictive value of risk score for post-AMI infection among a cohort of patients hospitalized due to STEMI. The STEMI patients undergoing PCI enrolled between January 1st 2010 and May 31st 2016 were served as a development cohort while those enrolled from June 1st 2016 to May 31st 2018 were served as validation cohort. The primary endpoint was post-AMI infection during hospitalization, defined as infection requiring antibiotics (reflecting the clinical influence of infection compatible with the necessity for additional treatment), and all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including all-cause death, recurrent myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, and stroke were considered as secondary endpoints. The risk score model based on risk factors was established using stepwise logistic regression, and will be validated in other centers and external patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). Results: This study will provide evidence on prognostic property, reliability of scoring, comparative performance, and suitability of the novel model for screening purpose in order to be recommended for clinical practice. Discussion: Our study is designed to develop and validate a clinical risk score for predicting infection in participants with STEMI who have undergone PCI. This simple tool may therefore improve evaluation of post-AMI infection and enhance future researches into the best practices to prevent or reduce infection in such patients. Clinical Trial Registration: www.chictr.org.cn, identifier: ChiCTR1900028278.

Reduced inspiratory muscle strength increases pneumonia in patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Inspiratory muscle strength is associated with pneumonia in patients after surgery or those with subacute stroke. However, inspiratory muscle strength in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been studied.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the predictive value of inspiratory muscle strength for pneumonia in patients with AMI.

METHODS

Patients with AMI were consecutively enrolled from March 2019 to September 2019. Measurements of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) were used to estimate inspiratory muscle strength and mostly were taken within 24 hr after culprit-vessel revascularization. Patients were divided into 3 groups by MIP tertile (T1: < 56.1 cm H2O, n = 88; T2: 56.1-84.9 cm H2O, n = 88; T3: > 84.9 cm H2O, n=89). The primary endpoint was in-hospital pneumonia.

RESULTS

Among 265 enrolled patients, pneumonia developed in 26 (10%). The rates of pneumonia were decreased from MIP T1 to T3 (T1: 17%, T2: 10%, T3: 2%, P = 0.004). In-hospital all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) did not differ between groups. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed increased MIP associated with reduced risk of pneumonia (odds ratio 0.78, 95% confidence interval 0.65-0.94, P = 0.008). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that MIP had good performance for predicting in-hospital pneumonia, with an area under the curve of 0.72 (95% confidence interval 0.64-0.81, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of pneumonia but not in-hospital mortality and MACEs was increased in AMI patients with inspiratory muscle weakness. Future study focused on training inspiratory muscle may be helpful.

Validation and Comparison of Six Risk Scores for Infection in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Aims: Very few of the risk scores to predict infection in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been validated, and reports on their differences. We aimed to validate and compare the discriminatory value of different risk scores for infection.

Methods: A total of 2,260 eligible patients with STEMI undergoing PCI from January 2010 to May 2018 were enrolled. Six risk scores were investigated: age, serum creatinine, or glomerular filtration rate, and ejection fraction (ACEF or AGEF) score; Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome (CACS) risk score; CHADS₂ score; Global Registry for Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score; and Mehran score conceived for contrast induced nephropathy. The primary endpoint was infection during hospitalization.

Results: Except CHADS₂ score (AUC, 0.682; 95%CI, 0.652–0.712), the other risk scores showed good discrimination for predicting infection. All risk scores but CACS risk score (calibration slope, 0.77; 95%CI, 0.18–1.35) showed best calibration for infection. The risks scores also showed good discrimination for in-hospital major adverse clinical events (MACE) (AUC range, 0.700–0.786), except for CHADS₂ score. All six risk scores showed best calibration for in-hospital MACE. Subgroup analysis demonstrated similar results.

Conclusions: The ACEF, AGEF, CACS, GRACE, and Mehran scores showed a good discrimination and calibration for predicting infection and MACE.

The Safety and Efficacy of Inspiratory Muscle Training for Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Uncommonly high rates of pneumonia in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been observed during recent years. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) could reduce pneumonia in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and other cardiac surgeries. The relationship between IMT and AMI is unknown. Here, we describe the feasibility and potential benefit of IMT in patients at high risk for pneumonia with AMI who have undergone primary PCI.

Methods: Our study is a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-center clinical trial. A total of 60 participants will be randomized into an IMT group and control group with 30 participants in each group. Participants in the IMT group will undergo training for 15 min per session, twice a day, from 12 to 24 h after primary PCI, until 30 days post-randomization; usual care will be provided for the control group. The primary endpoint is the change in inspiratory muscle strength, the secondary endpoint included feasibility, pneumonia, major adverse cardiovascular events, length of stay, pulmonary function tests measure, and quality of life.

Discussion: Our study is designed to evaluate the feasibility of IMT and its effectiveness in improving inspiratory muscle strength in participants with AMI who have undergone primary PCI.

Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT04491760.