Incremental Prognostic Value of Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy, Transradial Access, and Door-to-Balloon Time on Outcomes in ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Implementing a comprehensive STEMI protocol to improve care metrics and outcomes in patients with in-hospital STEMI: an observational cohort study

BACKGROUND

Patients who experience in-hospital ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (iSTEMI) represent a uniquely high-risk cohort owing to delays in diagnosis, prolonged time to reperfusion and increased mortality. Quality initiatives aimed at improving the care of this vulnerable, yet understudied population are needed.

METHODS

This study included consecutive patients with iSTEMI treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 1 January 2011 and 15 July 2019 at a single, tertiary referral centre. A comprehensive iSTEMI protocol (CSP) was implemented on 15 July 2014, incorporating: (1) cardiology fellow activation of the catheterisation lab using standardised criteria, (2) nursing chest pain protocol, (3) improved electronic access to electrocardiographic studies, (4) checklist for initial triage and management, (5) 24/7/365 catheterisation lab readiness and (6) radial-first PCI approach. Key metrics and clinical outcomes were compared before and after CSP implementation.

RESULTS

Among 125 total subjects, the post-CSP cohort (n=81) was younger, had more males and were more likely to be hospitalised for cardiac-related reasons relative to the pre-CSP cohort (n=44) who were more likely hospitalised for operative-related aetiologies. After CSP adoption, median ECG-to-first-device-activation time decreased from 113 min to 64 min (p<0.001), goal ECG-to-first-device-activation time increased from 36% to 76% of patients (p<0.001), administration of guideline-directed medical therapy prior to PCI increased from 27.3% to 65.4% (p<0.001), trans-radial access increased from 16% to 70% (p<0.001) and rates of discharge home increased from 56.8% to 76.5% (p=0.04). Statistically insignificant numerical reductions were observed post-CSP in in-hospital mortality (18.2% vs 9.9%, p=0.30), 30-day mortality (15.9% vs 12.3%, p=0.78) and 1-year mortality (27.3% vs 21.0%, p=0.57).

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of a CSP was associated with marked enhancements in key care metrics among patients with iSTEMI. Among a larger cohort, the use of a CSP yielded a significant reduction in ECG-to-first-device-activation time in a particularly vulnerable population at high risk of death.

Analysis of the Larissa Heart Failure Risk Score: Predictive Value in 9207 Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure from a Single Center

Early risk stratification is of outmost clinical importance in hospitalized patients with heart failure (HHF). We examined the predictive value of the Larissa Heart Failure Risk Score (LHFRS) in a large population of HHF patients from the Cleveland Clinic. A total of 13,309 admissions for heart failure (HF) from 9207 unique patients were extracted from the Cleveland Clinic's electronic health record system. For each admission, components of the 3-variable simple LHFRS were obtained, including hypertension history, myocardial infarction history, and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) ≥ 15%. The primary outcome was a HF readmission and/or all-cause mortality at one year, and the secondary outcome was all-cause mortality at one year of discharge. For both outcomes, all variables were statistically significant, and the Kaplan-Meier curves were well-separated and in a consistent order (Log-rank test p-value < 0.001). Higher LHFRS values were found to be strongly related to patients experiencing an event, showing a clear association of LHFRS with this study outcomes. The bootstrapped-validated area under the curve (AUC) for the logistic regression model for each outcome revealed a C-index of 0.64 both for the primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. LHFRS is a simple risk model and can be utilized as a basis for risk stratification in patients hospitalized for HF.

Gender differences in efficacy and safety of antiplatelet strategies for acute coronary syndromes

INTRODUCTION

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) represents the cornerstone of secondary prevention in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Despite its undisputed efficacy in reducing thrombotic events, DAPT increases the risk of bleeding, which is associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Novel antiplatelet strategies (i.e. in terms of timing, selection of drugs and their combinations, and modulation strategies) have been tested in randomized trials, suggesting the utility of tailored approaches in selected populations (i.e. patients at high bleeding or ischemic risk). It remains uncertain whether the effect of these strategies is influenced by sex.

AREAS COVERED

This narrative review provides an overview of available evidence surrounding sex differences in the efficacy and safety of antiplatelet strategies for ACS and analyzes the potential reasons behind these findings. Relevant content was searched for in PubMed.

EXPERT OPINION

Significant differences between women and men exist in terms of clinical presentation, pharmacotherapies, interventional management, and prognosis of ACS. However, these observations do not appear to be attributed to different pharmacodynamic effects of antiplatelet therapies between women and men. Unfortunately, a critical issue depends on women being often underrepresented in clinical trials, leading to a substantial lack of sex-specific evidence.

Culprit vessel revascularization first with primary use of a dedicated transradial guiding catheter to reduce door to balloon time in primary percutaneous coronary intervention

Background

The effect of a single transradial guiding catheter (STGC) for culprit vessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) first on door-to-balloon (D2B) time remains unclear.

Materials and methods

Between February 2017 and July 2019, 560 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were randomized into either the STGC group (n = 280) or the control group (n = 280) according to direct culprit vessel PCI with a STGC. In the STGC group, a dedicated transraidal guiding catheter (6F either MAC3.5 or JL3.5) was used for the treatment of electrocardiogram (ECG)-guided culprit vessel first and later contralateral angiography. In the control group, a universal diagnostic catheter (5F Tiger II) was used for complete coronary angiography, followed by guiding catheter selection for culprit vessel PCI. The primary endpoint was D2B time, and the secondary endpoint included catheterization laboratory door-to-balloon (C2B), procedural, fluoroscopy times, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30 days.

Results

The median D2B time was significantly shorter in the STGC group compared to the control group (53.9 vs. 58.4 min; p = 0.003). The C2B, procedural, and fluoroscopy times were also shorter in the STGC group (C2B: 17.3 vs. 24.5 min, p &lt; 0.001; procedural: 45.2 vs. 49.0 min, p = 0.012; and fluoroscopy: 9.7 vs. 11.3 min, p = 0.025). More patients achieved the goal of D2B time within 90 min (93.9% vs. 87.1%, p = 0.006) and 60 min (61.4% vs. 51.1%, p = 0.013) in the STGC group. Radial artery perforation (RAP) was significantly reduced in the STGC group compared with the control group (0.7% vs. 3.2%, P = 0.033). MACE at 30 days was similar (2.5% vs. 4.6%, P = 0.172) between the two groups.

Conclusion

ECG-guided immediate intervention on culprit vessel with a STGC can reduce D2B, C2B, procedural, and fluoroscopy times (ECG-guided Immediate Primary PCI for Culprit Vessel to Reduce Door to Device Time; NCT03272451).

Door to balloon time in primary percutaneous coronary intervention in ST elevation myocardial infarction: every minute counts

OBJECTIVES

This study examines relationships between door to balloon (D2B) time and subsequent admissions due to heart failure (HF), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and mortality for up to 1 year.

BACKGROUND

Current guidelines set 90-min for D2B time for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) as a goal, which has been shown to reduce mortality and adverse events.

METHODS

Using the MDclone ADAMS system integrated with our electronic medical records, we conducted retrospective analysis of all patients admitted due to ST-elevation myocardial infarction from home, without any history of HF or coronary disease, and who underwent PPCI during 2013-2019. Data on D2B time, baseline clinical and demographic characteristics, and outcomes of HF, ACS and mortality were collected. Adjusted HR for each of the outcomes was calculated by multivariate Cox model.

RESULTS

A total of 826 patients were included in the final analysis. D2B had no significant effect on incidence of heart failure admissions for up to 1-year follow-up. D2B had a significant effect on mortality at 180 days, showing a 30% increase for each 30-min increase (HR 1.308; CI, 1.046-1.635) as for ACS at 90 days (HR 1.307; 1.025-1.638). The 30-min D2B cutoff showed a significant increase in ACS recurrence throughout the follow-up period at 90 days (HR 2.871, 1.239-6.648), 180 days (HR 2.607, 1.255-5.413), and 1 year (HR 1.886, 1.073-3.317).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with shorter D2B times had significantly reduced mortality and recurrence of ACS, with no effect on heart failure admission incidence.

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.

Relationship of Neighborhood Deprivation and Outcomes of a Comprehensive ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Protocol

Background

We evaluated whether a comprehensive ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction protocol (CSP) focusing on guideline‐directed medical therapy, transradial percutaneous coronary intervention, and rapid door‐to‐balloon time improves process and outcome metrics in patients with moderate or high socioeconomic deprivation.

Methods and Results

A total of 1761 patients with ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction treated with percutaneous coronary intervention at a single hospital before (January 1, 2011–July 14, 2014) and after (July 15, 2014– July 15, 2019) CSP implementation were included in an observational cohort study. Neighborhood deprivation was assessed by the Area Deprivation Index and was categorized as low (≤50th percentile; 29.0%), moderate (51st –90th percentile; 40.8%), and high (>90th percentile; 30.2%). The primary process outcome was door‐to‐balloon time. Achievement of guideline‐recommend door‐to‐balloon time goals improved in all deprivation groups after CSP implementation (low, 67.8% before CSP versus 88.5% after CSP; moderate, 50.7% before CSP versus 77.6% after CSP; high, 65.5% before CSP versus 85.6% after CSP; all P<0.001). Median door‐to‐balloon time among emergency department/in‐hospital patients was significantly noninferior in higher versus lower deprivation groups after CSP (noninferiority limit=5 minutes; P_{noninferiority} high versus moderate = 0.002, high versus low <0.001, moderate versus low = 0.02). In‐hospital mortality, the primary clinical outcome, was significantly lower after CSP in patients with moderate/high deprivation in unadjusted (before CSP 7.0% versus after CSP 3.1%; odds ratio [OR], 0.42 [95% CI, 0.25–0.72]; P=0.002) and risk‐adjusted (OR, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.23–0.77]; P=0.005) models.

Conclusions

A CSP was associated with improved ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction care across all deprivation groups and reduced mortality in those from moderate or high deprivation neighborhoods. Standardized initiatives to reduce care variability may mitigate social determinants of health in time‐sensitive conditions such as ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction.

Prognostic implications and outcomes of cardiac arrest among contemporary patients with STEMI treated with PCI

Background

Cardiac arrest (CA) complicating ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with a disproportionately higher risk of mortality. We described the contemporary presentation, management, and outcomes of CA patients in the era of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods

We reviewed 1,272 consecutive STEMI patients who underwent PCI between 1/1/2011-12/31/2016 and compared characteristics and outcomes between non-CA (N = 1,124) and CA patients (N = 148), defined per NCDR definitions as pulseless arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation and/or defibrillation within 24-hr of PCI.

Results

Male gender, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, in-hospital STEMI, left main or left anterior descending culprit vessel, and initial TIMI 0 or 1 flow were independent predictors for CA. CA patients had longer door-to-balloon-time (106 [83,139] vs. 97 [74,121] minutes, p = 0.003) and greater incidence of cardiogenic shock (48.0% vs. 5.9%, p < 0.001), major bleeding (25.0% vs. 9.4%, p < 0.001), and 30-day mortality (16.2% vs. 4.1%, p < 0.001). Risk score for 30-day mortality based on presenting characteristics provided excellent prognostic accuracy (area under the curve = 0.902). However, over long-term follow-up of 4.5 ± 2.4 years among hospital survivors, CA did not portend any additional mortality risk (HR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.56–1.82, p = 0.97).

Conclusions

In a contemporary cohort of STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI, CA occurs in >10% of patients and is an important mechanism of mortality in patients with in-hospital STEMI. While CA is associated with adverse outcomes, it carries no additional risk of long-term mortality among survivors highlighting the need for strategies to improve the in-hospital care of STEMI patients with CA.

Guideline adherence and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a Japanese Registry of Acute Myocardial Infarction Diagnosed by Universal Definition (J-MINUET) substudy

BACKGROUND

The association between guideline adherence and long-term outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction in real-world clinical practice remains unclear.

METHODS

We investigated 3283 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction who were selected from a prospective, nation-wide, multicentre registry (J-MINUET) database covering 28 institutions in Japan between July 2012 and March 2014. Among the 2757 eligible patients, we evaluated the use of seven guideline-recommended therapies, including urgent revascularisation, door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less, and five discharge medications (P2Y12 inhibitors on aspirin, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, statins, lipid-lowering drugs). The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, cardiac failure and urgent revascularisation for unstable angina up to 3 years.

RESULTS

The overall median composite guideline adherence was 85.7%. Patients were divided into the following three groups: complete (100%) adherence group (n=862); moderate adherence (75% to <100%) group (n=911); and low adherence (0-75%) group (n=984). The rate of adverse cardiovascular events was significantly lower in the complete adherence group than in the low and moderate adherence groups (log rank P<0.0001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed complete guideline adherence was also significantly associated with lower adverse cardiovascular events compared with low guideline adherence (hazard ratio 0.66; 95% confidence interval 0.52-0.85; P=0.001).

CONCLUSION

The use of guideline-based therapies for patients with acute myocardial infarction in contemporary clinical practice was associated with significant decreases in adverse long-term clinical outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

UMIN Unique trial Number: UMIN000010037.

Implementation of a Comprehensive ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Protocol Improves Mortality Among Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Cardiogenic Shock

Mortality in patients with STEMI-associated cardiogenic shock (CS) is increasing. Whether a comprehensive ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) protocol (CSP) can improve their care delivery and mortality is unknown. We evaluated the impact of a CSP on incidence and outcomes in patients with STEMI-associated CS. We implemented a 4-step CSP including: (1) Emergency Department catheterization lab activation; (2) STEMI Safe Handoff Checklist; (3) immediate catheterization lab transfer; (4) and radial-first percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We studied 1,272 consecutive STEMI patients who underwent PCI and assessed for CS incidence per National Cardiovascular Data Registry definitions within 24-hours of PCI, care delivery, and mortality before (January 1, 2011, to July 14, 2014; n = 723) and after (July 15, 2014, to December 31, 2016; n = 549) CSP implementation. Following CSP implementation, CS incidence was reduced (13.0% vs 7.8%, p = 0.003). Of 137 CS patients, 43 (31.4%) were in the CSP group. CSP patients had greater IABP-Shock II risk scores (1.9 ± 1.8 vs 2.8 ± 2.2, p = 0.014) with otherwise similar hemodynamic and baseline characteristics, cardiac arrest incidence, and mechanical circulatory support use. Administration of guideline-directed medical therapy was similar (89.4% vs 97.7%, p = 0.172) with significant improvements in trans-radial PCI (9.6% vs 44.2%, p < 0.001) and door-to-balloon time (129.0 [89:160] vs 95.0 [81:116] minutes, p = 0.001) in the CSP group, translating to improvements in infarct size (CK-MB 220.9 ± 156.0 vs 151.5 ± 98.5 ng/ml, p = 0.005), ejection fraction (40.8 ± 14.5% vs 46.7 ± 14.6%, p = 0.037), and in-hospital mortality (30.9% vs 14.0%, p = 0.037). In conclusion, CSP implementation was associated with improvements in CS incidence, infarct size, ejection fraction, and in-hospital mortality in patients with STEMI-associated CS. This strategy offers a potential solution to bridging the historically elusive gap in their care.