Delayed, severe thrombocytemia after abciximab infusion for primary angioplasty in acute coronary syndromes: Moving between systemic bleeding and stent thrombosis

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Malignant Cough Syncope from Idiopathic Vagal Inflammation

We describe the case of a patient with malignant vasodepressive cough syncope. We demonstrated a vaso-vagal mechanism related to left vagal neuritis, by means of laryngoscopy and laryngeal electromyography. The condition resolved with steroid therapy

Zoo-led initiatives and their role in lemur conservation in situ

© 2022 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202772We examined wider society’s ability to achieve biodiversity conservation and management targets using lemurs as a case study. We evaluated the impact on lemur conservation in situ by conservation initiatives led by European zoos in Madagascar exploring the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s Conservation Database projects in terms of performed actions and achieved goals as well as communication to the public. We found that zoo-led conservation initiatives may have a positive impact on the ground and tend to achieve most conservation goals related to wild lemurs. However, we suggest that such conservation programmes should underline that they target further lemur species beyond the flagship charismatic species and that enhanced communication efforts would be beneficial to further raise public awareness.Publication fees were funded by the University of Wolverhampton’s Research Investment Fund scheme—Phase 4 (Biosciences Research Project) to S.V

Early Aggressive Versus Initially Conservative Treatment in Elderly Patients With Non–ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectivesThis study sought to determine the risk versus benefit ratio of an early aggressive (EA) approach in elderly patients with non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACS).BackgroundElderly patients have been scarcely represented in trials comparing treatment strategies in NSTEACS.MethodsA total of 313 patients ≥75 years of age (mean 82 years) with NSTEACS within 48 h from qualifying symptoms were randomly allocated to an EA strategy (coronary angiography and, when indicated, revascularization within 72 h) or an initially conservative (IC) strategy (angiography and revascularization only for recurrent ischemia). The primary endpoint was the composite of death, myocardial infarction, disabling stroke, and repeat hospital stay for cardiovascular causes or severe bleeding within 1 year.ResultsDuring admission, 88% of the patients in the EA group underwent angiography (55% revascularization), compared with 29% (23% revascularization) in the IC group. The primary outcome occurred in 43 patients (27.9%) in the EA group and 55 (34.6%) in the IC group (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53 to 1.19; p = 0.26). The rates of mortality (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.49 to 1.56), myocardial infarction (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.33 to 1.36), and repeat hospital stay (HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.45 to 1.46) did not differ between groups. The primary endpoint was significantly reduced in patients with elevated troponin on admission (HR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.80), but not in those with normal troponin (HR: 1.67; 95% CI: 0.75 to 3.70; p for interaction = 0.03).ConclusionsThe present study does not allow a definite conclusion about the benefit of an EA approach when applied systematically among elderly patients with NSTEACS. The finding of a significant interaction for the treatment effect according to troponin status at baseline should be confirmed in a larger size trial. (Italian Elderly ACS Study; NCT00510185

OUTCOMES OF ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH ST-ELEVATION OR NON-ST-ELEVATION ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME UNDERGOING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION

Acute coronary syndromes have been classified according to the finding of ST-segment elevation on the presenting ECG, with different treatment strategies and practice guidelines. However, a comparative description of the clinical characteristics and outcomes of acute coronary syndrome elderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention during index admission has not been published so far

Immediate angioplasty versus standard therapy with rescue angioplasty after thrombolysis in the Combined Abciximab REteplase Stent Study in Acute Myocardial Infarction (CARESS-in-AMI): an open, prospective, randomised, multicentre trial. Lancet 2008;371:5

Summary Background Thrombolysis remains the treatment of choice in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) cannot be done within 90 min. However, the best subsequent management of patients after thrombolytic therapy remains unclear. To assess the best management, we randomised patients with STEMI treated by thrombolysis and abciximab at a non-interventional hospital to immediate transfer for PCI, or to standard medical therapy with transfer for rescue angioplasty

One-Year Mortality in Elderly Adults with Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome: Effect of Diabetic Status and Admission Hyperglycemia

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia on admission should be considered independent predictors of mortality in elderly adults with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Twenty-three hospitals in Italy. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 75 and older with non-ST-elevation ACS (NSTEACS) (mean age 82, 47% female) (N = 645). MEASUREMENTS: Diabetic status and blood glucose levels were assessed on admission. Hyperglycemia was defined as glucose greater than 140 mg/dL. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to assess the potential confounding effect of major covariates on the association between diabetic status, admission glucose, and 1-year mortality. RESULTS: A history of diabetes mellitus was found in 231 participants (35.8%), whereas 257 (39.8%) had hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia was found in 171 participants with diabetes mellitus (70%) and 86 (21%) without diabetes mellitus. Participants with diabetes mellitus were significantly (P < .05) more likely to have had prior myocardial infarction and stroke and had lower ejection fraction and blood hemoglobin. Hyperglycemia was associated with lower (P < .05) ejection fraction and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Diabetic status and hyperglycemia were associated with greater 1-year mortality according to univariate analysis (54 participants with diabetes mellitus died (23.4%), versus 66 (15.9%) without diabetes mellitus (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.5 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0-2.1), and 60 participants with hyperglycemia died (23.3%), versus 60 (15.5%) without hyperglycemia (HR=1.6; 95% CI = 1.1-2.2), but this association was not statistically significant after adjustment for ejection fraction, age, blood hemoglobin, and eGFR. CONCLUSION: In elderly adults with NSTEACS, diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia on admission are associated with higher mortality, mostly because of preexisting cardiovascular and renal damage. J Am Geriatr Soc 2014

Impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on short-term outcome in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction during COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the international multicenter ISACS-STEMI registry

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is projected to become the third cause of mortality worldwide. COPD shares several pathophysiological mechanisms with cardiovascular disease, especially atherosclerosis. However, no definite answers are available on the prognostic role of COPD in the setting of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), especially during COVID-19 pandemic, among patients undergoing primary angioplasty, that is therefore the aim of the current study. Methods In the ISACS-STEMI COVID-19 registry we included retrospectively patients with STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between March and June of 2019 and 2020 from 109 high-volume primary PCI centers in 4 continents. Results A total of 15,686 patients were included in this analysis. Of them, 810 (5.2%) subjects had a COPD diagnosis. They were more often elderly and with a more pronounced cardiovascular risk profile. No preminent procedural dissimilarities were noticed except for a lower proportion of dual antiplatelet therapy at discharge among COPD patients (98.9% vs. 98.1%, P = 0.038). With regards to short-term fatal outcomes, both in-hospital and 30-days mortality occurred more frequently among COPD patients, similarly in pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 era. However, after adjustment for main baseline differences, COPD did not result as independent predictor for in-hospital death (adjusted OR [95% CI] = 0.913[0.658-1.266], P = 0.585) nor for 30-days mortality (adjusted OR [95% CI] = 0.850 [0.620-1.164], P = 0.310). No significant differences were detected in terms of SARS-CoV-2 positivity between the two groups. Conclusion This is one of the largest studies investigating characteristics and outcome of COPD patients with STEMI undergoing primary angioplasty, especially during COVID pandemic. COPD was associated with significantly higher rates of in-hospital and 30-days mortality. However, this association disappeared after adjustment for baseline characteristics. Furthermore, COPD did not significantly affect SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Trial registration number: NCT 04412655 (2nd June 2020)

Impact of Smoking Status on Mortality in STEMI Patients Undergoing Mechanical Reperfusion for STEMI : Insights from the ISACS–STEMI COVID-19 Registry

The so-called “smoking paradox”, conditioning lower mortality in smokers among STEMI patients, has seldom been addressed in the settings of modern primary PCI protocols. The ISACS– STEMI COVID-19 is a large-scale retrospective multicenter registry addressing in-hospital mortality, reperfusion, and 30-day mortality among primary PCI patients in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the 16,083 STEMI patients, 6819 (42.3%) patients were active smokers, 2099 (13.1%) previous smokers, and 7165 (44.6%) non-smokers. Despite the impaired preprocedural recanalization (p < 0.001), active smokers had a significantly better postprocedural TIMI flow compared with nonsmokers (p < 0.001); this was confirmed after adjustment for all baseline and procedural confounders, and the propensity score. Active smokers had a significantly lower in-hospital (p < 0.001) and 30-day (p < 0.001) mortality compared with non-smokers and previous smokers; this was confirmed after adjustment for all baseline and procedural confounders, and the propensity score. In conclusion, in our population, active smoking was significantly associated with improved epicardial recanalization and lower in-hospital and 30-day mortality compared with previous and non-smoking histor