Angelo Cabiati

Incidence and Relevance of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Hospitalized With Acute Coronary Syndromes

Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs frequently in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and is associated with adverse short- and long-term outcomes. To date, however, no standardized definition of AKI has been used for patients with ACS. As a result, information on its true incidence and the clinical and prognostic relevance according to the severity of renal function deterioration are still lacking. We retrospectively studied 3,210 patients with ACS. AKI was identified on the basis of the changes in serum creatinine during hospitalization according to the AKI Network criteria. Overall, 409 patients (13%) developed AKI: 262 (64%) had stage 1, 25 (6%) stage 2, and 122 (30%) stage 3 AKI. In-hospital mortality was greater in patients with AKI than in those without AKI (21% vs 1%; p <0.001). The adjusted risk of death increased with increasing AKI severity. Compared to no AKI, the adjusted odds ratio for death was 3.5 (95% confidence interval 1.79 to 6.83) with stage 1 AKI and 31.2 (95% confidence interval 16.96 to 57.45) with stage 2 to 3 AKI. A significant parallel increase in major adverse cardiac events was also observed comparing patients without AKI and those with stage 2 to 3 AKI. In conclusion, in patients with ACS, AKI is a frequent complication, and the graded increase of its severity, as assessed using the AKI Network classification, is associated with a progressive increased risk of in-hospital morbidity and mortality.

Vitamin D plasma levels and in-hospital and 1-year outcomes in acute coronary syndromes: a prospective study.

AbstractDeficiency in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), the main circulating form of vitamin D in blood, could be involved in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). To date, however, the possible prognostic relevance of 25 (OH)D deficiency in ACS patients remains poorly defined. The purpose of this prospective study was to assess the association between 25 (OH)D levels, at hospital admission, with in-hospital and 1-year morbidity and mortality in an unselected cohort of ACS patients.We measured 25 (OH)D in 814 ACS patients at hospital presentation. Vitamin D serum levels >30 ng/mL were considered as normal; levels between 29 and 21 ng/mL were classified as insufficiency, and levels < 20 ng/mL as deficiency. In-hospital and 1-year outcomes were evaluated according to 25 (OH)D level quartiles, using the lowest quartile as a reference.Ninety-three (11%) patients had normal 25 (OH)D levels, whereas 155 (19%) and 566 (70%) had vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency, respectively. The median 25 (OH)D level was similar in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients (14.1 [IQR 9.0–21.9] ng/mL and 14.05 [IQR 9.1–22.05] ng/mL, respectively; P = .88). The lowest quartile of 25 (OH)D was associated with a higher risk for several in-hospital complications, including mortality. At a median follow-up of 366 (IQR 364–379) days, the lowest quartile of 25 (OH)D, after adjustment for the main confounding factors, remained significantly associated to 1-year mortality (P < .01). Similar results were obtained when STEMI and NSTEMI patients were considered separately.In ACS patients, severe vitamin D deficiency is independently associated with poor in-hospital and 1-year outcomes. Whether low vitamin D levels represent a risk marker or a risk factor in ACS remains to be elucidated.

Chronic kidney disease in acute coronary syndromes.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a high burden of coronary artery disease. In patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), CKD is highly prevalent and associated with poor short- and long-term outcomes. Management of patients with CKD presenting with ACS is more complex than in the general population because of the lack of well-designed randomized trials assessing therapeutic strategies in such patients. The almost uniform exclusion of patients with CKD from randomized studies evaluating new targeted therapies for ACS, coupled with concerns about further deterioration of renal function and therapy-related toxic effects, may explain the less frequent use of proven medical therapies in this subgroup of high-risk patients. However, these patients potentially have much to gain from conventional revascularization strategies used in the general population. The objective of this review is to summarize the current evidence regarding the epidemiology and the clinical and prognostic relevance of CKD in ACS patients, in particular with respect to unresolved issues and uncertainties regarding recommended medical therapies and coronary revascularization strategies.

Contrast-induced nephropathy

Radiological procedures utilizing intravascular iodinated contrast media are being widely applied for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and represent one of the main causes of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) and hospital-acquired renal failure. Although the risk of CIN is low (0.6–2.3 %) in the general population, it may be very high (up to 50 %) in selected subsets, especially in patients with major risk factors such as advanced chronic kidney disease and diabetes mellitus, and in those undergoing emergency percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Due to the lack of any effective treatment, prevention of this iatrogenic disease, which is associated with significant in-hospital and long-term morbidity and mortality and increased costs, is the key strategy. However, prevention of CIN continues to elude clinicians and is a main concern during PCI, as patients undergoing these procedures often have multiple comorbidities. The purpose of this study is to examine the pathophysiology, risk factors and clinical course of CIN, as well as the most recent studies dealing with its prevention and potential therapeutic interventions, especially during PCI.

B-type natriuretic peptide and risk of acute kidney injury in patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndromes*.

Objectives:To investigate whether admission B-type natriuretic peptide levels predict the development of acute kidney injury in acute coronary syndromes. Design:Prospective study. Setting:Single-center study, 13-bed intensive cardiac care unit at a University Cardiological Center. Patients:Six-hundred thirty-nine acute coronary syndromes patients undergoing emergency and urgent percutaneous coronary intervention. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results.We measured B-type natriuretic peptide at hospital admission in acute coronary syndromes patients (55% ST-elevation myocardial infarction and 45% non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction). Acute kidney injury was classified according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria: stage 1 was defined as a serum creatinine increase greater than or equal to 0.3 mg/dL from baseline; stage 2 as a serum creatinine increase greater than two- to three-fold from baseline; stage 3 as a serum creatinine increase greater than three-fold from baseline, or greater than or equal to 4.0 mg/dL with an acute increase greater than 0.5 mg/dL, or need for renal replacement therapy. Acute kidney injury was developed in 85 patients (13%) and had a higher in-hospital mortality than patients without acute kidney injury (14% vs 1%; p < 0.001). B-type natriuretic peptide levels were higher in acute kidney injury patients than in those without acute kidney injury (264 [112–957] vs 98 [44–271] pg/mL; p < 0.001) and showed a significant gradient according to acute kidney injury severity (224 [96–660] pg/mL in stage 1 and 939 [124–1,650] pg/mL in stage 2–3 acute kidney injury; p < 0.001). The risk of developing acute kidney injury increased in parallel with B-type natriuretic peptide quartiles (5%, 9%, 15%, and 24%, respectively; p < 0.001). When B-type natriuretic peptide was evaluated, in terms of capacity to predict acute kidney injury, the area under the curve was 0.702 (95% CI, 0.642–0.762). Conclusions:In patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndromes, B-type natriuretic peptide levels measured at admission are associated with acute kidney injury as well as its severity.

Post-procedural hemodiafiltration in acute coronary syndrome patients with associated renal and cardiac dysfunction undergoing urgent and emergency coronary angiography

We investigated the use of a 3‐hr treatment with hemodiafiltration, initiated soon after emergency or urgent coronary angiography in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with associated severe renal and cardiac dysfunction.

B-type natriuretic peptide levels in patients with pericardial effusion undergoing pericardiocentesis

OBJECTIVES Pericardial effusion is characterized by progressive accumulation of fluid within the pericardial space, resulting in increased intra-pericardial pressure and compression of the heart. As B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is secreted by the ventricles in response to increased myocardial stretch, we hypothesized that pericardial effusion, as well as its resolution, might influence BNP plasma levels. METHODS We prospectively measured, in 146 consecutive patients with pericardial effusion, BNP plasma levels at baseline, soon after, and 24h after pericardiocentesis. A scoring system based on 7 clinical and echocardiographic parameters was developed, and patients were classified according to the number of variables as having low (0-2), intermediate (3-4), or high (5-7) severity score. RESULTS Out of the 146 patients, 42 (29%) had normal values (<100pg/ml), whereas 104 (71%) had high BNP values at baseline. In the whole population, baseline BNP levels significantly decreased as the severity score increased (r=-0.21; P=0.01). 24h after pericardiocentesis, a significant increase in BNP was observed in patients with intermediate (P=0.004) score and with high (P<0.001) severity score; no increase occurred in low score patients (P=0.56). The higher was the severity score, the steeper was the increase in BNP through the three time-points considered (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study show that BNP plasma levels are suppressed in the presence of severe pericardial effusion, and that they rise after pericardiocentesis. Future studies should investigate the role of BNP in assisting clinicians in the decision-making process of pericardial fluid drainage.

Renal replacement therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction: Rate of use, clinical predictors and relationship with in-hospital mortality

OBJECTIVES We evaluated the rate of use, clinical predictors, and in-hospital outcome of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. METHODS All consecutive AMI patients admitted to the Coronary Care Unit between January 1st, 2005 and December 31st, 2015 were identified through a search of our prospectively collected clinical database. Patients were grouped according to whether they required RRT or not. RESULTS Two-thousand-eight-hundred-thirty-nine AMI patients were included. Eighty-three (3%) AMI patients underwent RRT. Variables confirmed at cross validation analysis to be associated with RRT were: admission creatinine >1.5mg/dl (OR 16.9, 95% CI 10.4-27.3), cardiogenic shock (OR 23.0, 95% CI 14.4-36.8), atrial fibrillation (OR 8.6, 95% CI 5.5-13.4), mechanical ventilation (OR 22.6, 95% CI 14.2-36.0), diabetes mellitus (OR 4.8, 95% CI 3.1-7.4), and left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (OR 9.1, 95% CI 5.6-14.7). The AUC for RRT with the combination of these predictors was 0.96 (95% CI 0.94-0.97; P<0.001). In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in RRT patients (41% vs. 2.1%, P<0.001). Oligoanuria as indication for RRT (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.7-15.4), atrial fibrillation (OR 4.3, 95% CI 1.6-11.5), mechanical ventilation (OR 20.8, 95% CI 6.1-70.4), and cardiogenic shock (OR 12.9, 95% CI 4.4-38.3) independently predicted mortality in RRT-treated patients. The AUC for in-hospital mortality prediction with the combination of these variables was 0.92 (95% CI 0.87-0.98; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Patients with AMI undergoing RRT had strikingly high in-hospital mortality. Use of RRT and its associated mortality were accurately predicted by easily obtainable clinical variables.

Natriuretic peptide B plasma concentration increases in the first 12 h of pulmonary edema recovery

BACKGROUND According to guidelines, single determination of B-type Natriuretic peptide (BNP) should be used for distinguishing between cardiac and non-cardiac acute dyspnea at the emergency room. BNP measurement is also recommended before hospital discharge in patients hospitalized for heart failure to assess prognosis and to evaluate treatment efficacy. In acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, BNP is measured using a single BNP determination, but the temporal behavior of BNP during pulmonary edema recovery is unknown. METHODS Fifty chronic low ejection fraction (<40%) heart failure patients (age 77 ± 9 years, 17 M-33F) admitted for acute pulmonary edema were studied. Patients were grouped according to 50% dyspnea recovery time into 3 groups: ≤30 min (n = 14), 30 to 60 min (n = 19), and > 60 min (n = 17). BNP was measured at arrival and 4, 8, 12 and 24 h afterwards. RESULTS At arrival, BNP was elevated in all patients without significant difference among groups. In the entire population, BNP median and interquartile range value were 791 (528-1327) pg/ml, 785(559-1299) pg/ml, 1014(761-1573) pg/ml, 1049(784-1412) pg/ml, 805(497-1271) pg/ml at arrival and 4, 8, 12 and 24 h afterwards, respectively, showing higher values at 8 and 12 h. This peculiar temporal behavior of BNP was shared by all study groups. Patients with the longest edema resolution showed the highest BNP level 8 and 12 h after admission. CONCLUSIONS In acute pulmonary edema, BNP increased up to 12 h after emergency admission regardless of dyspnea recovery time, making BNP quantitative meaning in the acute phase of pulmonary edema uncertain.

Ipotermia terapeutica moderata nel trattamento dell’arresto cardiocircolatorio e dell’infarto miocardico acuto

Mild therapeutic hypothermia improves neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest by preserving brain function. It is currently under discussion the possibility that hypothermia may also provide a protective effect on cardiac function, in particular, by reducing the infarct size in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiac arrest. Despite encouraging experimental and clinical data obtained so far may suggest a potential future indication in this population, routine use of therapeutic hypothermia in acute myocardial infarction patients needs further investigation and it is not currently recommended.