BACKGROUND

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common arrythmia to occur after cardiovascular surgery. Inflammation being pivotal in POAF perpetuation has been utilized as a therapeutic target. Owing to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, beta-blockers (BB) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) became research interests in the pursuit for an effective POAF prevention strategy.

To determine the efficacy of NAC plus BB versus BB alone in preventing POAF in cardiac surgery patients.

A literature search using the following search engines: PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Review Central, Clinical Trials Registry, ResearchGate, Mendeley and Google Scholar for relevant randomized trials were conducted. Published and unpublished studies indexed from inception until 2023 were included. Three independent reviewers evaluated the randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for eligibility. The pooled estimates for POAF prevention as primary outcome and MACE, mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, ICU LOS and hospital LOS as secondary outcomes were measured using the RStudio statistical software.

Seven eligible RCTs allocated 1069 cardiac surgery patients to NAC + BB (n=539) and BB alone (N = 530) treatment arms. The effect estimate using random effect model disclosed significantly reduced POAF events (RR 0.62, 95% CI [0.44, 0.86], p = 0.005) in those on NAC + BB. While no statistical difference between the study arms were demonstrated in reducing mortality (RR 0.63, 95% CI [0.23, 1.73], p = 0.37); myocardial infarction (RR 1.02, 95% CI [0.49, 2.13], p = 0.96); stroke (RR 0.95, 95% CI [0.24, 3.68], p = 0.94); ICU LOS (std. mean difference 0.14, 95% CI [-0.43, 0.70], p = 0.41), and hospital LOS (std. mean difference 0.08, 95% CI [-0.06, 0.21], p = 0.19).

Among cardiac surgery patients, the use of NAC in combination with BB compared with BB alone significantly reduced POAF.

BACKGROUND

Chest pain is a common reason for emergency room visits. The HEART score is used as a risk stratification tool to aid in clinical decision making. The HEART score is a useful tool due to its good sensitivity, however it has low specificity. The SVEAT score was developed as an improved risk stratification tool which outperformed the HEART score in previous studies. Both the performance of HEART and SVEAT scores lack data in our locality.

To compare the performance of Symptoms, Vascular disease, Electrocardiography, Age, Troponin-I (SVEAT) score and History, Electrocardiography, Age, Risk factors, Troponin-I (HEART) score as predictors of in-hospital Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) among adult patients admitted in Chong Hua Hospital Cebu for chest pain.

This single-center, retrospective, observational analytic study included adult patients, ages 18 years old and above, who were admitted for chest pain from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. All patients who passed the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the data analysis. Both SVEAT and HEART scores were calculated for each of the included subjects. The performance of both scoring criteria was compared using logistic regression and area under the receiving-operator characteristic curve.

A total of 113 cases were analyzed after exclusion criteria were applied. A total of 50 (44.2%) individuals suffered MACE. The difference in AUC of both SVEAT (0.946, 95%CI) and HEART (0.936, 95%CI) was not statistically significant (95% CI – 0.013 – 0.033, p = 0.400). With a cut-off ofCONCLUSION

SVEAT and HEART scores had similar performance in predicting in hospital MACE. Using a cut-off value of
Human ; Chest Pain ; Heart ; Myocardial Infarction ; Acute Coronary Syndrome

Introduction: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a parameter that is readily available as part of a standard complete blood count (CBC). Studies have shown that an elevated RDW is associated with increased cardiovascular events including acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This cross- sectional retrospective study was conducted to determine the association of RDW in patients with ACS admitted to Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC). Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in a 500-bed tertiary care hospital in Bataan, Philippines. The clinical medical records of patients with ACS were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 811 patients was admitted as cases of ACS from January 2017 to December 2019. Using Slovin’s formula, the computed sample size was 261 patients. However, only 205 cases were included in the study in accordance to the eligibility criteria. The baseline RDW were recorded from the CBC obtained upon admission of patients with ACS. Results: Based on the data collected from January 2017 to December 2019 from patients admitted to BGHMC, there was no significant association between RDW and in-house morbidity and mortality and classification of ACS. Conclusions There were no significant association between RDW and in-house morbidity and mortality and classification of ACS. The authors recommend to conduct the study for a longer duration to have more population included and to include other parameters such as cardiac enzymes, electrocardiogram (ECG) changes and presence of co-morbidities.
Erythrocyte Indices ; Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Angina, Unstable ; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

INTRODUCTION

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a common and potentially fatal presentation of cardiovascular disease. Once a diagnosis is made, prompt intervention is crucial, with substantial effect on morbidity and even mortality.

The aim of this study was to assess the adherence of physicians of a tertiary care hospital to American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology performance measures for the management of acute STEMI patients. 

This was a descriptive retrospective chart review of acute STEMI patients seen in a tertiary care hospital over a 2-year period.

A total of 118 STEMI patients were included in the study. Mean age was 57.8 years with male predominance. High adherence rates (100% achievement score) to recommended discharge medications and counseling for smoking cessation were observed. However, performance measures for time to reperfusion therapy via percutaneous coronary intervention (average, 16.7% over 2 years) and referral to cardiac rehabilitation (average, 38.0%) were consistently low, although time to percutaneous coronary intervention improved from an average of 170 minutes to 142 minutes in the second year of this study.

For 2 consecutive years, all STEMI patients seen in our institution were adequately managed with regard to recommended medications. All patients have been advised lifestyle change, particularly smoking cessation for current smokers. There is room for improvement with regards to time to reperfusion therapy and referral to cardiac rehabilitation. Some measures have been suggested, including shortening the time to secure patient consent.

BACKGROUND: We have recently developed a new Coronary Artery Tree description and Lesion EvaluaTion (CatLet) angiographic scoring system. Our preliminary studies have demonstrated its superiority over the the Synergy between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score with respect to outcome predictions for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. The current study hypothesized that the residual CatLet (rCatLet) score predicts clinical outcomes for AMI patients and that a combination with the three clinical variables (CVs)-age, creatinine, and ejection fraction, will enhance its predicting values. METHODS: The rCatLet score was calculated retrospectively in 308 consecutively enrolled patients with AMI. Primary endpoint, major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE) including all-cause mortality, non-fatal AMI, transient ischemic attack/stroke, and ischemia-driven repeat revascularization, was stratified according to rCatLet score tertiles: rCatLet_low ≤3, rCatLet_mid 4-11, and rCatLet_top ≥12, respectively. Cross-validation confirmed a reasonably good agreement between the observed and predicted risks. RESULTS: Of 308 patients analyzed, the rates of MACCE, all-cause death, and cardiac death were 20.8%, 18.2%, and 15.3%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier curves for all endpoints showed increasing outcome events with the increasing tertiles of the rCatLet score, with P values <0.001 on trend test. For MACCE, all-cause death, and cardiac death, the area under the curves (AUCs) of the rCatLet score were 0.70 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.63-0.78), 0.69 (95% CI: 0.61-0.77), and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.63-0.79), respectively; the AUCs of the CVs-adjusted rCatLet score models were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.78-0.89), 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82-0.92), and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84-0.94), respectively. The performance of CVs-adjusted rCatLet score was significantly better than the stand-alone rCatLet score in terms of outcome predictions. CONCLUSION: The rCatLet score has a predicting value for clinical outcomes for AMI patients and the incorporation of the three CVs into the rCatLet score will enhance its predicting ability. TRIAL REGISTRATION http://www.chictr.org.cn , ChiCTR-POC-17013536.
Humans ; Coronary Artery Disease/complications* ; Death ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: The HELIOS stent is a sirolimus-eluting stent with a biodegradable polymer and titanium oxide film as the tie-layer. The study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HELIOS stent in a real-world setting. METHODS: The HELIOS registry is a prospective, multicenter, cohort study conducted at 38 centers across China between November 2018 and December 2019. A total of 3060 consecutive patients were enrolled after application of minimal inclusion and exclusion criteria. The primary endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal target vessel myocardial infarction (MI), and clinically indicated target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 1-year follow-up. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate the cumulative incidence of clinical events and construct survival curves. RESULTS: A total of 2998 (98.0%) patients completed the 1-year follow-up. The 1-year incidence of TLF was 3.10% (94/2998, 95% closed interval: 2.54-3.78%). The rates of cardiac death, non-fatal target vessel MI and clinically indicated TLR were 2.33% (70/2998), 0.20% (6/2998), and 0.70% (21/2998), respectively. The rate of stent thrombosis was 0.33% (10/2998). Age ≥60 years, diabetes mellitus, family history of coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction at admission, and device success were independent predictors of TLF at 1 year. CONCLUSION: The 1-year incidence rates of TLF and stent thrombosis were 3.10% and 0.33%, respectively, in patients treated with HELIOS stents. Our results provide clinical evidence for interventional cardiologists and policymakers to evaluate HELIOS stent. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03916432.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Sirolimus/therapeutic use* ; Drug-Eluting Stents/adverse effects* ; Prospective Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/adverse effects* ; Cardiovascular Agents/therapeutic use* ; Coronary Artery Disease/therapy* ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology* ; Thrombosis/complications* ; Polymers ; Registries

BACKGROUND: Limited data are available on the changes in the quality of care for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during China's health system reform from 2009 to 2020. This study aimed to assess the changes in care processes and outcome for STEMI patients in Henan province of central China between 2011 and 2018. METHODS: We compared the data from the Henan STEMI survey conducted in 2011-2012 ( n = 1548, a cross-sectional study) and the Henan STEMI registry in 2016-2018 ( n = 4748, a multicenter, prospective observational study). Changes in care processes and in-hospital mortality were determined. Process of care measures included reperfusion therapies, aspirin, P2Y12 antagonists, β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, and statins. Therapy use was analyzed among patients who were considered ideal candidates for treatment. RESULTS: STEMI patients in 2016-2018 were younger (median age: 63.1 vs . 63.8 years) with a lower proportion of women (24.4% [1156/4748] vs . 28.2% [437/1548]) than in 2011-2012. The composite use rate for guideline-recommended treatments increased significantly from 2011 to 2018 (60.9% [5424/8901] vs . 82.7% [22,439/27,129], P <0.001). The proportion of patients treated by reperfusion within 12 h increased from 44.1% (546/1237) to 78.4% (2698/3440) ( P <0.001) with a prolonged median onset-to-first medical contact time (from 144 min to 210 min, P <0.001). The use of antiplatelet agents, statins, and β-blockers increased significantly. The risk of in-hospital mortality significantly decreased over time (6.1% [95/1548] vs . 4.2% [198/4748], odds ratio [OR]: 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50-0.88, P = 0.005) after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS Gradual implementation of the guideline-recommended treatments in STEMI patients from 2011 to 2018 has been associated with decreased in-hospital mortality. However, gaps persist between clinical practice and guideline recommendation. Public awareness, reperfusion strategies, and construction of chest pain centers need to be further underscored in central China.
Humans ; Female ; Middle Aged ; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy* ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Aspirin/therapeutic use* ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/therapeutic use* ; Hospital Mortality ; Registries ; Treatment Outcome ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Humans ; Myocardial Infarction/surgery* ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Ventricular Function, Left

Inflammation is a major underlying mechanism in the progression of numerous cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are typical immune regulatory cells with recognized immunosuppressive properties. Despite the immunosuppressive properties, researchers have acknowledged the significance of Tregs in maintaining tissue homeostasis and facilitating repair/regeneration. Previous studies unveiled the heterogeneity of Tregs in the heart and aorta, which expanded in CVDs with unique transcriptional phenotypes and reparative/regenerative function. This review briefly summarizes the functional principles of Tregs, also including the synergistic effect of Tregs and other immune cells in CVDs. We discriminate the roles and therapeutic potential of Tregs in CVDs such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, abdominal arterial aneurysm, pulmonary arterial hypertension, Kawasaki disease, myocarditis, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Tregs not only exert anti-inflammatory effects but also actively promote myocardial regeneration and vascular repair, maintaining the stability of the local microenvironment. Given that the specific mechanism of Tregs functioning in CVDs remains unclear, we reviewed previous clinical and basic studies and the latest findings on the function and mechanism of Tregs in CVDs.
Humans ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Atherosclerosis ; Myocardial Infarction ; Phenotype

Our previous study has shown that p66^Shc plays an important role in the process of myocardial regeneration in newborn mice, and p66^Shc deficiency leads to weakened myocardial regeneration in newborn mice. This study aims to explore the role of p66^Shc protein in myocardial injury repair after myocardial infarction in adult mice, in order to provide a new target for the treatment of myocardial injury after myocardial infarction. Mouse myocardial infarction models of adult wild-type (WT) and p66^Shc knockout (KO) were constructed by anterior descending branch ligation. The survival rate and heart-to-body weight ratio of two models were compared and analyzed. Masson's staining was used to identify scar area of injured myocardial tissue, and myocyte area was determined by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining. TUNEL staining was used to detect the cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The protein expression of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a common marker of myocardial hypertrophy, was detected by Western blotting. The results showed that there was no significant difference in survival rate, myocardial scar area, myocyte apoptosis, and heart weight to body weight ratio between the WT and p66^ShcKO mice after myocardial infarction surgery. Whereas the protein expression level of BNP in the p66^ShcKO mice was significantly down-regulated compared with that in the WT mice. These results suggest that, unlike in neonatal mice, the deletion of p66^Shc has no significant effect on myocardial injury repair after myocardial infarction in adult mice.
Animals ; Mice ; Body Weight ; Cicatrix/metabolism* ; Mice, Knockout ; Myocardial Infarction/genetics* ; Oxidative Stress ; Shc Signaling Adaptor Proteins/metabolism* ; Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing, Transforming Protein 1/metabolism*