The Year in Non–ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome

Comparison Between Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers in Patients with Unstable Angina with Preserved Left Ventricular Systolic Function

The present study evaluated the clinical results of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) treatment in patients with unstable angina (UA) with preserved left ventricular systolic function who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) due to uncertainty regarding the long-term prognosis using ACEI or ARB. A total of 1627 UA patients with preserved left ventricular systolic function after PCI were enrolled. After propensity score matching, there were no differences in major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) (hazard ratio (HR) = .860, 95% confidence interval (CI): .465-1.590, P = .630), all-cause death (HR = .334, 95% CI: .090-1.238, P = .101), nonfatal myocardial infarction (HR = 4.929, 95% CI: .576-42.195, P = .145), stroke (HR = 1.049, 95% CI: .208-5.290, P = .954) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) (HR = 1.276, 95% CI: .537-3.031, P = .581) between the ACEI and ARB groups. In conclusion, prognoses were comparable between ACEI or ARB treatment in UA patients who had preserved left ventricular systolic function after PCI.

Associations of plasma hepcidin with mortality risk in patients with coronary artery disease

Background

Increased blood hepcidin may be associated with the presence and promotion of atherosclerosis, the association of hepcidin with mortality among coronary artery disease (CAD) patients remains unknown. We sought to assess the relationship of hepcidin and all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among CAD patients with and without acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods and Results

This study included 759 patients with ACS and 526 patients with stable CAD. After an average follow-up of 4.1 years, 154 deaths were recorded, 114 were due to CVD. After adjusting for CVD risk factors and inflammatory markers, the plasma hepcidin was positively associated with all-cause and CVD mortality in the ACS patients, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) across tertiles of hepcidin were 1.00, 2.18 (95% CI 1.23-3.94), and 2.82 (95% CI 1.59-5.12) for all-cause mortality (P_trend=0.006), and 1.00, 2.20 (95% CI 1.12-4.05), and 2.64 (95% CI 1.41-5.65) for CVD mortality (P_trend=0.01). The C-index and net reclassification improvement when including hepcidin in traditional CVD models were 1.6% and 21.5% for all-cause mortality, 1.4% and 23.5% for CVD mortality, respectively, (P<0.001).

Conclusions

Plasma hepcidin was positively associated with mortality in ACS patients. Hepcidin may be a potential biomarker for risk prediction in ACS patients.

The presence of angiographic collaterals in non-ST elevation myocardial infarction is a predictor of long-term clinical outcomes

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether the presence of angiographic coronary collaterals is a predictor of long-term clinical outcomes in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

BACKGROUND

The presence of coronary collaterals on angiography provides prognostic information in patients with STEMI, but it is unknown whether they provide prognostic information in patients with NSTEMI.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study of 931 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography of which 269 (29%) had a NSTEMI. Baseline characteristics, angiographic details, and long-term clinical outcomes including death, recurrent MI, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), stroke, and congestive heart failure (CHF) were collected. Each clinical outcome as well as the combined endpoint of death, recurrent MI, CABG, PCI stroke and CHF was compared in subjects with and without collaterals.

RESULTS

At one year, individuals with collaterals had significantly increased rates of the combined endpoint compared with those without (25% vs. 16%, P = 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, the presence of collaterals was a strong predictor of the combined endpoint of death, recurrent MI, CABG, PCI, stroke and CHF (HR 1.95, CI 95% 1.08-3.52; P = 0.027). Similarly, in the subset of 115 patients (43%) in whom the culprit artery was identified, the presence of collaterals was a strong negative predictor (HR 3.71, CI 1.31-10.57, P = 0.014), driven by a 13-fold increase in subsequent CABG.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with NSTEMI the presence of angiographic coronary collaterals is a predictor of long-term clinical outcomes primarily driven by increased rates of surgical revascularization.