Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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Coronary spasm is an important and often overlooked etiology of chest pain. Although coronary spasm, or Prinzmetal's angina, has been thought of as benign, contemporary studies have shown serious associated adverse outcomes, including acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmia, and death. ⋯ Numerous agents have been historically described for provocative testing. We provide a review of published data for the role of provocation testing in the diagnosis of coronary spasm.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jan 2014
Comparative StudyHead-to-head comparison of 2 myocardial fibrosis biomarkers for long-term heart failure risk stratification: ST2 versus galectin-3.
ST2 and galectin-3 (Gal-3) were compared head-to-head for long-term risk stratification in an ambulatory heart failure (HF) population on top of other risk factors including N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide. ⋯ Head-to-head comparison of fibrosis biomarkers ST2 and Gal-3 in chronic HF revealed superiority of ST2 over Gal-3 in risk stratification. The incremental predictive contribution of Gal-3 to existing clinical risk factors was trivial.
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jan 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyReduction in cardiac mortality with bivalirudin in patients with and without major bleeding: The HORIZONS-AMI trial (Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction).
The purpose of this study was to determine whether, in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the reduction in cardiac mortality in those taking bivalirudin compared with unfractionated heparin plus a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (UFH+GPI) can be fully attributed to reduced bleeding. ⋯ Bivalirudin reduces cardiac mortality in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI, an effect that can only partly be attributed to prevention of bleeding. Further studies are required to identify the nonhematologic benefits of bivalirudin. (Harmonizing Outcomes With Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction; NCT00433966).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jan 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyHigh-sensitivity troponin T and risk stratification in patients with atrial fibrillation during treatment with apixaban or warfarin.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) in addition to clinical risk factors and the CHA2DS2VASc (congestive heart failure, hypertension, 75 years of age and older, diabetes mellitus, previous stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, 65 to 74 years of age, female) risk score in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). ⋯ Levels of hs-TnT are often elevated in patients with AF. The hs-TnT level is independently associated with an increased risk of stroke, cardiac death, and major bleeding and improves risk stratification beyond the CHA2DS2VASc risk score. The benefits of apixaban as compared with warfarin are consistent regardless of the hs-TnT level. (Apixaban for the Prevention of Stroke in Subjects With Atrial Fibrillation [ARISTOTLE]; NCT00412984).
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jan 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyShort-term rosuvastatin therapy for prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
This study sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of rosuvastatin in preventing contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). ⋯ Rosuvastatin significantly reduced the risk of CI-AKI in patients with DM and CKD undergoing arterial contrast medium injection. (Rosuvastatin Prevent Contrast Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Diabetes [TRACK-D]; NCT00786136).