Kyehwan Kim

Long-term Prognosis and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Newly Diagnosed Diabetes Mellitus Detected after First Acute Myocardial Infarction: from KAMIR-NIH Registry

Background and Objectives After the first acute myocardial infarction (AMI), a considerable proportion of patients are newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM). However, in AMI, controversy remains regarding the disparity in prognosis between previously diagnosed DM (known-DM) and newly diagnosed DM (new-DM). Methods The study included 10,455 patients with AMI (non-DM, 6,236; new-DM, 659; known-DM, 3,560) admitted to one of 15 participating centers in Korea between November 2011 and January 2016 (average follow-up, 523 days). We compared the characteristics and clinical course of patients with known-DM and those with new- or non-DM. Results Compared to patients with known-DM, those with new-DM or non-DM were younger, more likely to be male, and less likely to have hypertension, dyslipidemia, prior stroke, angina, or myocardial infarction. Compared to patients with new-DM or non-DM (reference), those with known-DM had higher risks of major adverse cardiac events (hazard ratio [HR], 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–1.35; p=0.004), cardiac death (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.01–1.57; p=0.042), and congestive heart failure (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.20–2.08). Unlike known-DM, new-DM did not increase the risk of cardiac events (including death). Conclusions Known-DM was associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events after AMI, while new-DM had a similar risk of cardiac events as that noted for non-DM. There were different cardiovascular outcomes according to diabetes status in patients with AMI.

Prognostic value of total triiodothyronine and free thyroxine levels for the heart failure in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Background/Aims Although a low triiodothyronine (T3) state is closely associated with heart failure (HF), it is uncertain whether total T3 levels on admission is correlated with the clinical outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic value of total T3 levels for major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in patients with AMI undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods A total of 765 PCI-treated AMI patients (65.4 ± 12.6 years old, 215 women) between January 2012 and July 2014 were included and 1-year MACCEs were analyzed. We assessed the correlation of total T3 and free thyroxine (fT4) with prevalence of 1-year MACCEs and the predictive values of total T3, fT4, and the ratio of total T3 to fT4 (T3/fT4), especially for HF requiring re-hospitalization. Results Thirty patients (3.9%) were re-hospitalized within 12 months to control HF symptoms. Total T3 levels were lower in the HF group than in the non-HF group (84.32 ± 21.04 ng/dL vs. 101.20 ± 20.30 ng/dL, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed the cut-offs of total T3 levels (≤ 85 ng/dL) and T3/fT4 (≤ 60) for HF (area under curve [AUC] = 0.734, p < 0.001; AUC = 0.774, p < 0.001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, lower T3/fT4 was an independent predictor for 1-year HF in PCI-treated AMI patients (odds ratio, 1.035; 95% confidential interval, 1.007 to 1.064; p = 0.015). Conclusions Lower levels of total T3 were well correlated with 1-year HF in PCI-treated AMI patients. The T3/fT4 levels can be an additional marker to predict HF.

Prognostic value of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in patients with non-st-elevation myocardial infarction

Objective Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measurement is a well-established modality for assessing arterial stiffness and predicting cardiovascular events. However, to our knowledge, its usefulness has not been clarified among patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). This study assessed the prognostic value of baPWV in patients with NSTEMI. Patients and methods Patients (n=411, mean age, 63.8±13.5 years, 75.2% men) with NSTEMI who underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention and baPWV measurement were recruited between January 2013 and December 2015. Cardiac mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including cardiac death, re-acute myocardial infarction, revascularization, heart failure, and stroke after discharge were analyzed. The mean follow-up duration was 350 days. Results MACE and cardiac mortality occurred in 26 (6.3%) patients and 13 (3.1%) patients. Kaplan–Meier survival curves showed that MACE and cardiac mortality were significantly higher in patients with high baPWV (1708.0 cm/s). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, high baPWV (hazard ratio: 2.55; 95% confidence interval: 1.03–6.30, P=0.043) was an independent predictor of MACE even after adjusting for possible confounders. Conclusion Our findings indicate that baPWV was a strong independent prognostic factor of MACE in patients with NSTEMI. This suggests that baPWV can be a useful prognostic factor in the clinical setting for easier and less invasive prediction of MACE in patients with NSTEMI.

Prognostic value of computed tomographic coronary angiography and exercise electrocardiography for cardiovascular events

Background/Aims: This study is a head-to-head comparison of predictive values for long-term cardiovascular outcomes between exercise electrocardiography (ex-ECG) and computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) in patients with chest pain. Methods: Four hundred and forty-two patients (mean age, 56.1 years; men, 61.3%) who underwent both ex-ECG and CTCA for evaluation of chest pain were included. For ex-ECG parameters, the patients were classified according to negative or positive results, and Duke treadmill score (DTS). Coronary artery calcium score (CACS), presence of plaque, and coronary artery stenosis were evaluated as CTCA parameters. Cardiovascular events for prognostic evaluation were defined as unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, revascularization, heart failure, and cardiac death. Results: The mean follow-up duration was 2.8 ± 1.1 years. Fifteen patients experienced cardiovascular events. Based on pretest probability, the low- and intermediate-risks of coronary artery disease were 94.6%. Odds ratio of CACS > 40, presence of plaque, coronary stenosis ≥ 50% and DTS ≤ 4 were significant (3.79, p = 0.012; 9.54, p = 0.030; 6.99, p < 0.001; and 4.58, p = 0.008, respectively). In the Cox regression model, coronary stenosis ≥ 50% (hazard ratio, 7.426; 95% confidence interval, 2.685 to 20.525) was only significant. After adding DTS ≤ 4 to coronary stenosis ≥ 50%, the integrated discrimination improvement and net reclassification improvement analyses did not show significant. Conclusions: CTCA was better than ex-ECG in terms of predicting long-term outcomes in low- to intermediate-risk populations. The predictive value of the combination of CTCA and ex-ECG was not superior to that of CTCA alone.

Cardiac arrest due to coronary embolism from a metastatic sarcoma recovered through aspiration thrombectomy

Coronary embolism in patients with metastatic cancer is an uncommon cause of acute myocardial infarction (1,2). Aspiration thrombectomy becomes necessary in specific conditions, especially in cases of large thrombus or coronary embolism. Some cases of cancer embolism, with restoration of coronary flow through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using aspiration thrombectomy were reported in the literature (3,4). We report on a rare and lethal case of cardiac arrest due to acute myocardial infarction owing to coronary embolism. Coronary flow was restored and histologic confirmation was made after removal of emboli via aspiration thrombectomy.

A Rare Case of Left Ventricular Noncompaction in LEOPARD Syndrome

A 40-year-old man presented with palpitation for 2 days. His past medical history was unremarkable. Physical examination revealed that multiple lentigines of 5 mm to 15 mm that were black-brown in color, macule, flat, and scattered on the face, neck, trunk, and on both hands (Fig. 1A). Hypertelorism was found but there were no evidences of deafness, genital anomaly, and other dysmorphic features including face. His electrocardiography (ECG) indicated atrial fibrillation, left ventricular hypertrophy with a strain pattern (Fig. 1B). Transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed left ventricular noncompaction (Fig. 1D, E, and F, Supplementary Movies 1, 2, and 3). Skin biopsy had no evidences of malignancies (Fig. 1C). In addition, other disease with hyper-pigmented skin lesions including Addison’s disease, hemochromatosis, and hyperthyroidism, were excluded. A p.Typ279Cys mutation in the Exon 7 of the PTPN 11 gene on Chromosome 12q24.1 was verified by polymerase chain reaction sequencing with a total of 15 exons. Finally, he was diagnosed as LEOPARD syndrome (LS) according to criteria proposed by Voron et al. LS is an autosomal dominant congenital disorder. The prevalence and incidence of LS are unclear. “LEOPARD” is an umbrella term for seven characteristic features: lentigines, electrocardiographic abnormalities, ocular hypertelorism, pulmonary valve stenosis, abnormalities of the genitals, retarded growth, and deafness. Voron et al. proposed diagnostic criteria for LS that include 1 major criterion of multiple lentigines, at least 2 minor criteria (cardiac, ECG, genitourinary, endocrine, neurologic, cephalofacial or skeletal abnormalities), or 3 minor criteria. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, abnormal ECG, and pulmonary stenosis were common findings in LS. Interestingly, in pISSN 1975-4612 / eISSN 2005-9655 Copyright

Pharmacodynamic effects of a new fixed-dose clopidogrel–aspirin combination compared with separate administration of clopidogrel and aspirin in patients treated with coronary stents: The ACCEL-COMBO trial

Abstract Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with clopidogrel and aspirin is a widely prescribed regimen to prevent ischemic events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A fixed-dose combination (FDC) capsule (HCP0911) has been developed to provide dosing convenience and improve adherence. We compared the antiplatelet effects of single daily dose HCP0911 with separate treatment with daily 75 mg clopidogrel plus 100 mg aspirin. This was a randomized, open-label, two-period, crossover, non-inferiority study conducted in stented patients who had been treated for at least 6 months with clopidogrel and aspirin. Thirty patients were randomly assigned to receive either daily 75 mg clopidogrel plus 100 mg aspirin treatment or HCP0911 for 2 weeks and then were crossed over to the other treatment for 2 weeks. Pharmacodynamic effects were measured with VerifyNow, light transmittance aggregometry (LTA), and thromboelastography (TEG®). The primary endpoint was P2Y12 Reaction Units (PRU) measured by VerifyNow. PRUs during treatment with HCP0911 were not inferior to those during separate treatment (202 ± 52 vs. 207 ± 60 PRU; mean difference, −5 PRU; 90% confidence interval of difference, −23 to 13 PRU; P for non-inferiority = 0.015 for predetermined limit). “BASE” and Aspirin Reaction Units by VerifyNow did not differ between the two treatments. During each treatment, there were no differences in maximal and final platelet aggregations by LTA (all P values ≥0.822) and TEG® measurements. In conclusion, in stented patients, the antiplatelet effect of a fixed-dose clopidogrel–aspirin combination, HCP0911, was not inferior to separate administration of clopidogrel and aspirin.

Association between pulse pressure and body mass index in hypertensive and normotensive populations in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V, 2010–2012

The authors conducted a national cross‐sectional cohort study to evaluate the associations between pulse pressure (PP) and body mass index (BMI) and sex, according to blood pressure (BP) status. A total of 18 812 patients without a history of antihypertensive medication and cardiovascular disease were selected. There was good concordance between PP and the selected cardiovascular risk factors. PP increased with high BMI among patients with normal BP, but decreased with high BMI among patients with hypertension (HTN). BMI (ß, −0.260; SE, 0.039 [P<.001]) and male sex (ß, −4.727; SE, 1.100 [P<.001]) were negatively correlated with PP in a multivariate model adjusted for several risk factors in patients with HTN. In conclusion, PP was negatively correlated with BMI in patients with HTN, which may explain the higher cardiovascular risk in lean persons and women with HTN.

Conventional Coronary Angiography Induced Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Complicated with Cardiac Tamponade

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a transient left ventricular dysfunction that typically occurs after emotional or physical stress. TCM has a benign prognosis and serious complications are uncommon. However, though very rarely reported, cardiac tamponade has occurred on some occasions. We hereby report the case of a 70-year-old woman who underwent coronary angiography with an ergonovine provocation test to evaluate recurrent chest pain and was readmitted 7 days later presenting with TCM, followed by left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and cardiac tamponade.

Multiple Coronary Artery Microfistulas Associated with Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Left and Right Coronary Artery to the Left Ventricle

A 76-year-old woman underwent coronary angiography for chest pain. On the coronary angiogram, no significant coronary artery atherosclerotic stenosis was observed. Multiple coronary artery microfistulas, draining from the left anterior descending artery to the left ventricle and from the posterior descending artery of the right coronary artery to the left ventricle, were observed. Apical wall thickening and fistula flow from the left anterior descending artery were demonstrated by using transthoracic echocardiography. We describe a rare case of multiple coronary artery microfistulas from the left and right coronary artery to the left ventricle combined with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.