New year marks a turning point

Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkin

Primary percutaneous coronary interventions in Iceland

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenINTRODUCTION: Acute coronary angiography with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), if executed with sufficient expertise and without undue delay, is the best therapy for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). At Landspitali-University Hospital 24 hour on-call service has been provided since December the 1st 2003. This hospital is the single center for all coronary catherizations in Iceland. This report is a review of this service during the first year. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective review was carried out of all hospital records and PCI worksheets of those who had an acute coronary angiography from December 1st 2003 until November 30th 2004. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients were investigated with acute coronary angiography, 94 men (76%) and 30 women (24%). The average age of men was 61 years (range 19 to 85 years) and women 67 years (range 38 to 84 years). The primary indication for acute coronary angiograpy was STEMI (83%), 8% non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and for the remaining 9% the procedure was performed for other reasons. Eleven patients (9%) suffered cardiac arrest prior to angiography and ten (8%) were in cardiogenic shock upon arrival to the hospital. The mean door-to-needle time was 47 minutes for all STEMI patients. In 76% of the cases the procedure started within 60 minutes and in 91% within the recommended 90 minutes. Mean hospital stay was 5 (1/2) days. Total mortality was 7% (9 patients). Of those 9 patients 5 were in cardiogenic shock at the arrival to the hospital and 4 had suffered cardiac arrest. The mortality rate among those who were neither in cardiogenic shock upon admission nor having suffered cardiac arrest was 1,7% (2 patients). During follow up for 15-27 months nine of the patients needed CABG and nine needed a repeat PCI. CONCLUSION: The experience of a 24 hour on-call service at Landspitali-University Hospital to carry out primary PCI for all patients in Iceland with STEMI proved excellent during its first year, with a short door-to-needle time, short hospital stay and low mortality.Inngangur: Kransæðavíkkun hefur rutt sér til rúms sem kjörmeðferð við bráðri kransæðastíflu með ST-hækkun þegar unnt er að beita meðferðinni án tafa. Frá 1. desember 2003 hefur Landspítali starfrækt sólarhringsgæsluvakt alla daga ársins til að meðhöndla slík tilfelli. Landspítalinn sér um alla hjartaþræðingarþjónustu á Íslandi. Greint er frá reynslunni af þessari vakt fyrsta árið sem hún var starfrækt. Sjúklingar og aðferðir: Rannsóknin var afturskyggn og fólst í könnun á sjúkraskrám og þræðingarskýrslum allra sem gengust undir bráða kransæðaþræðingu á tímabilinu 01.12.2003-30.11.2004. Niðurstöður: Alls voru gerðar 124 bráðar kransæðaþræðingar fyrsta árið sem vaktin var starfrækt, hjá 94 körlum (76%) og 30 konum (24%). Meðalaldur karla var 61 ár (aldursbil 19-85 ár) en kvenna 67 ár (aldursbil 38-84 ár). Langflestir (83%) höfðu merki hjartadreps með ST-hækkun, 8% höfðu hjartadrep án ST-hækkunar en 9% fóru í bráða kransæðamyndatöku af öðrum orsökum. Ellefu sjúklingar (9%) höfðu verið endurlífgaðir eftir hjartastopp og tíu (8%) voru í losti við komu á spítalann. Að meðaltali liðu 47 mínútur frá því sjúklingur með hjartadrep með ST-hækkun kom á spítalann þar til þræðing hófst. Í tæpum 80% tilfella hófst þræðing innan 60 mínútna og í 91% tilfella innan 90 mínútna frá komu á spítalann. Meðallegutími á spítalanum voru fimm og hálfur dagur. Alls létust 9 sjúklingar, eða 7% hópsins, þar af voru fimm í losti við komu á sjúkrahúsið og fjórir höfðu verið endurlífgaðir. Dánartíðni þeirra sem hvorki voru í losti né höfðu farið í hjartastopp fyrir hjartaþræðingu var 1,7% (tveir sjúklingar). Á 15-27 mánaða eftirfylgnitímabili fóru 9 sjúklingar í kransæðaskurðaðgerð og jafnmargir þurftu endurþræðingu og víkkun. Ályktun: Reynslan fyrsta árið af stöðugri vakt á Landspítala til að meðhöndla kransæðastíflu með bráðri kransæðaþræðingu og víkkun telst mjög góð. Tími frá komu sjúklings á sjúkrahúsið að þræðingu er stuttur, meðallegutími einnig stuttur og dánartíðni lág

Acute coronary syndrome and cardiac arrest in the elderly

The elderly are currently the fastest growing segment of clinical practice but the quality and quantity of the underlying scientific evidence to guide treatment is limited. In this thesis five different studies investigating different aspects of geriatric cardiac care are presented. In Paper I, a study of age related differences in patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome showed that elderly patients (>80 years) were more likely to receive a final diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (17% vs. 8%) but were less often investigated with coronary angiography (44% vs. 89%, p<0.0001) or echocardiography than their younger counterparts. Elderly with ACS received less medical treatment with P2Y12 antagonists and lipid lowering drugs. Regarding treatment delay: elderly with chest pain could not be shown to have a delay to hospital admission compared to their younger counterparts. Nevertheless, higher age was associated with a longer time to first ECG. These findings underscore the substantially more complex comorbidities and worse outcome among elderly patients who were less likely to receive evidence based treatment. In Paper II, the differences between elderly (>75years) patients with myocardial infarction selected for invasive or conservative treatment strategy were investigated. Heart failure, both previous history and at presentation, turned out to be higher in the conservative group compared to the invasive group. There was lower mortality in the invasive group (in-hospital 9% vs. 20%, p<0.0003) compared to the conservative group. Although it is tempting to attribute the apparently lower mortality rate to the invasive treatment strategy, such a causative assumption cannot be made due to the observational study design and risk for bias. That kind of conclusion must be confirmed by a randomized clinical trial. A protocol for such a study is discussed in Paper IV. In Paper III, elderly (>80years) STEMI patients treated with PCI were investigated during a 10-year study period. During the study period average age and co-morbidity increased, and procedural success remained constant. In addition, risk, in terms of bleeding, re-infarction, heart failure and stroke remained similar. The prognosis of elderly PCI-treated STEMI patients during the study period turned out to be unchanged despite changes in treatment and more unfavorable baseline characteristics. Also, advanced age was associated with increased risk for adverse events. In Paper V, elderly patients (>70 years) who suffered OHCA were stratified in 3 different age groups: 70-79, 80-89 and ≥90 years of age. With increasing age the 30-day survival decreased. However, even in patients above 90 years of age, defined subsets with a survival rate of more than 10% exist. In survivors, age was not a key determinant for bad neurological outcome

Primary percutaneous coronary interventions in Iceland

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenINTRODUCTION: Acute coronary angiography with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), if executed with sufficient expertise and without undue delay, is the best therapy for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). At Landspitali-University Hospital 24 hour on-call service has been provided since December the 1st 2003. This hospital is the single center for all coronary catherizations in Iceland. This report is a review of this service during the first year. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective review was carried out of all hospital records and PCI worksheets of those who had an acute coronary angiography from December 1st 2003 until November 30th 2004. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients were investigated with acute coronary angiography, 94 men (76%) and 30 women (24%). The average age of men was 61 years (range 19 to 85 years) and women 67 years (range 38 to 84 years). The primary indication for acute coronary angiograpy was STEMI (83%), 8% non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and for the remaining 9% the procedure was performed for other reasons. Eleven patients (9%) suffered cardiac arrest prior to angiography and ten (8%) were in cardiogenic shock upon arrival to the hospital. The mean door-to-needle time was 47 minutes for all STEMI patients. In 76% of the cases the procedure started within 60 minutes and in 91% within the recommended 90 minutes. Mean hospital stay was 5 (1/2) days. Total mortality was 7% (9 patients). Of those 9 patients 5 were in cardiogenic shock at the arrival to the hospital and 4 had suffered cardiac arrest. The mortality rate among those who were neither in cardiogenic shock upon admission nor having suffered cardiac arrest was 1,7% (2 patients). During follow up for 15-27 months nine of the patients needed CABG and nine needed a repeat PCI. CONCLUSION: The experience of a 24 hour on-call service at Landspitali-University Hospital to carry out primary PCI for all patients in Iceland with STEMI proved excellent during its first year, with a short door-to-needle time, short hospital stay and low mortality.Inngangur: Kransæðavíkkun hefur rutt sér til rúms sem kjörmeðferð við bráðri kransæðastíflu með ST-hækkun þegar unnt er að beita meðferðinni án tafa. Frá 1. desember 2003 hefur Landspítali starfrækt sólarhringsgæsluvakt alla daga ársins til að meðhöndla slík tilfelli. Landspítalinn sér um alla hjartaþræðingarþjónustu á Íslandi. Greint er frá reynslunni af þessari vakt fyrsta árið sem hún var starfrækt. Sjúklingar og aðferðir: Rannsóknin var afturskyggn og fólst í könnun á sjúkraskrám og þræðingarskýrslum allra sem gengust undir bráða kransæðaþræðingu á tímabilinu 01.12.2003-30.11.2004. Niðurstöður: Alls voru gerðar 124 bráðar kransæðaþræðingar fyrsta árið sem vaktin var starfrækt, hjá 94 körlum (76%) og 30 konum (24%). Meðalaldur karla var 61 ár (aldursbil 19-85 ár) en kvenna 67 ár (aldursbil 38-84 ár). Langflestir (83%) höfðu merki hjartadreps með ST-hækkun, 8% höfðu hjartadrep án ST-hækkunar en 9% fóru í bráða kransæðamyndatöku af öðrum orsökum. Ellefu sjúklingar (9%) höfðu verið endurlífgaðir eftir hjartastopp og tíu (8%) voru í losti við komu á spítalann. Að meðaltali liðu 47 mínútur frá því sjúklingur með hjartadrep með ST-hækkun kom á spítalann þar til þræðing hófst. Í tæpum 80% tilfella hófst þræðing innan 60 mínútna og í 91% tilfella innan 90 mínútna frá komu á spítalann. Meðallegutími á spítalanum voru fimm og hálfur dagur. Alls létust 9 sjúklingar, eða 7% hópsins, þar af voru fimm í losti við komu á sjúkrahúsið og fjórir höfðu verið endurlífgaðir. Dánartíðni þeirra sem hvorki voru í losti né höfðu farið í hjartastopp fyrir hjartaþræðingu var 1,7% (tveir sjúklingar). Á 15-27 mánaða eftirfylgnitímabili fóru 9 sjúklingar í kransæðaskurðaðgerð og jafnmargir þurftu endurþræðingu og víkkun. Ályktun: Reynslan fyrsta árið af stöðugri vakt á Landspítala til að meðhöndla kransæðastíflu með bráðri kransæðaþræðingu og víkkun telst mjög góð. Tími frá komu sjúklings á sjúkrahúsið að þræðingu er stuttur, meðallegutími einnig stuttur og dánartíðni lág

Percutaneous coronary intervention in the very elderly with NSTE-ACS : the randomized 80+ study.

Objective: The treatment strategy in the very elderly with NSTE-ACS is debated, as they are often under-represented in clinical trials. The aim of this multicenter randomized controlled trial was to compare invasive and conservative strategies in the very elderly with NSTE-ACS. Methods: We randomly assigned patients ≥ 80 years of age with NSTE-ACS to an invasive strategy with coronary angiography and optimal medical treatment or a conservative strategy with only optimal medical treatment. The primary outcome was the combined endpoint of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Sample size was powered for a 50% reduction of event rate in MACCE with an invasive strategy. We used intention-to-treat analysis. Results: Altogether, 186 patients were included between 2009 and 2017. The study was terminated prematurely due to slow enrollment. At 12-month follow-up, the primary outcome occurred in 31 (33.3%) of the invasive treatment group and 34 (36.6%) of the conservative treatment group, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.90 (95% CI 0.55‒1.46; p = 0.66) for the invasive group relative to the conservative group. The corresponding HR value for urgent revascularization was 0.29 (95% CI 0.10‒0.85; p = 0.02), 0.56 (95% CI 0.27‒1.18; p = 0.13) for myocardial infarction, 0.70 (95% CI 0.31‒1.58; p = 0.40) for all-cause mortality, 1.35 (95% CI 0.23‒7.98; p = 0.74) for stroke, and 1.62 (95% CI 0.67‒3.90; p = 0.28) for recurrent hospitalization for cardiac reasons. Conclusion: In the very elderly with NSTE-ACS, we did not find any significant difference in MACCE between invasive and conservative treatment groups at 12-month follow-up, possibly due to small sample size. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02126202.</p

Identifying out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with no chance of survival: An independent validation of prediction rules.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink belowBackground: The Basic life support (BLS) and Advanced life support (ALS) are known prediction rules for termination of resuscitation (TOR) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Recently, a new rule was developed by Jabre et al. We aimed to independently validate and compare the predictive accuracy of these rules. Methods: OHCA cases in Iceland from 2008 to 2017 from a population-based, prospectively registered database. Primary outcome was survival to discharge among patients that met all conditions of abovementioned rules: BLS (not witnessed by EMS personnel, no defibrillation nor ROSC before transport), ALS (BLS criteria plus not witnessed nor CPR by bystander) and Jabre (not witnessed by EMS personnel, initial rhythm non-shockable, no sustainable ROSC before third dose of adrenaline). Results: Overall, 568 OHCA patients were included in validation of TOR rules. Mean age 67, males 74%, witnessed by EMS 11%, by bystander 66% that attempted CPR in 50%, transported to hospital 60%, overall survival 20%. All rules had high specificity for mortality, 99.6-100% (95%CI 95-100). The Jabre and BLS rules had similar sensitivity 47% (43-52) vs. 44% (40-49), respectively, the sensitivity of ALS was lower, 8% (5-11). Combined use of positive BLS and Jabre rules performed the best, identifying 88/226 (39%) of futile cases transported to hospital, specificity 100% (97-100) and sensitivity 59% (55-64). Conclusions: The accuracy of the BLS and Jabre TOR rules to predict mortality after OHCA is very good and their combined use may be superior to the use of either one