Faculty Bibliography

Antiplatelet therapy serves an important role in the management of acute coronary syndromes and in reducing the risk of thrombotic complications from atrial fibrillation. There has been rapid development of newer and more potent antiplatelet therapies over the last several years that have further reduced ischemic complications, but with a trade-off of increased bleeding risk. Bleeding complications associated with antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies are associated with significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes, including death. Understanding the risk of bleeding associated with antiplatelet agents is critical to developing strategies to mitigate this risk.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a disproportionate burden of coronary artery disease and commonly undergo revascularization. The role and safety of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using drug-eluting stents (DESs) verses bare-metal stents in patients with CKD not on renal replacement therapy has not been fully evaluated. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of DES in patients with CKD not on renal replacement therapy. Patients were drawn from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry and were stratified by renal function based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Of the 4,157 participants, 1,108 had CKD ("low GFR" <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)), whereas 3,049 patients had normal renal function ("normal GFR" ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)). For each stratum of renal function we compared risk of death, myocardial infarction, or repeat revascularization between subjects who received DESs and bare-metal stents at the index procedure. Patients with low GFR had higher 1-year rates of death and myocardial infarction and a decreased rate of repeat revascularization compared to patients with normal GFR. Use of DESs was associated with a decreased need for repeat revascularization in the normal-GFR group (adjusted hazard ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.50 to 0.79, p <0.001) but not in the low-GFR group (hazard ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.45 to 1.06, p = 0.09). Risks of death and myocardial infarction were not different between the 2 stents in either patient population. In conclusion, presence of CKD predicted poor outcomes after PCI with high rates of mortality regardless of stent type. The effect of DES in decreasing repeat revascularization appeared to be attenuated in these patients.

BACKGROUND:Post hoc analyses of clinical trials suggest that certain patients are eligible for early discharge after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. The extent to which ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients are discharged early after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in current practice is unknown. METHODS:We examined 115,113 patients in the CathPCI Registry to assess temporal trends in length of stay (LOS) after PPCI. Baseline characteristics were compared between patients with LOS ≤2 and >2 days. Predictors of LOS >2 days were determined by logistic regression and adjusted for clustering among centers. Patterns of discharge within 2 days for low-risk patients with no inhospital complications were examined. RESULTS:From January 2005 through March 2009, mean LOS (4.0 ± 3.0 to 3.6 ± 2.7 days) (P for trend <.001) and the proportion of patients discharged after 2 days decreased (72.0%-65.9%), while predicted inhospital mortality risk remained unchanged. Patients with LOS >2 days (n = 77,471; 67.3%) were older and more likely to have had an intra-aortic balloon pump, cardiogenic shock, transfusions, and post-PPCI complications. Of 958 hospitals, 437 (45.6%) discharged at least half of their low-risk patients with no inhospital complications within 2 days. CONCLUSIONS:While the predicted risk profile has remained stable, there has been a significant decrease in LOS after PPCI. Nevertheless, hospitals vary in discharging low-risk and uncomplicated patients early. Discharge within 2 days was associated with specific patient, procedure, and hospital factors. Further study is needed to determine the safety of early discharge among patients undergoing PPCI.

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) continue to have a large impact on morbidity and mortality in the United States. Over the last two decades, there have been several advancements in the care of patients with ACS. The use of combined antiplatelet and anticoagulants and early invasive risk stratification in high risk patients has improved the rates of major adverse cardiovascular events. However, this treatment strategy increases the risk for bleeding. Studies have found an association between bleeding and subsequent mortality and morbidity in ACS patients; therefore, minimizing bleeding risk has become a priority. This review describes the prevalence of bleeding during ACS management, risk for bleeding, and strategies to reduce bleeding risk.

Red blood cell transfusion is common in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, observational data suggest that this practice may be associated with worse clinical outcomes and data from clinical trials are lacking in this population. We conducted a prospective multicenter randomized pilot trial in which 45 patients with AMI and a hematocrit level ≤30% were randomized to a liberal (transfuse when hematocrit <30% to maintain 30% to 33%) or a conservative (transfuse when hematocrit <24% to maintain 24% to 27%) transfusion strategy. Baseline hematocrit was similar in those in the liberal and conservative arms (26.9% vs 27.5%, p = 0.4). Average daily hematocrits were 30.6% in the liberal arm and 27.9% in the conservative arm, a difference of 2.7% (p <0.001). More patients in the liberal arm than in the conservative arm were transfused (100% vs 54%, p <0.001) and the average number of units transfused per patient tended to be higher in the liberal arm than in the conservative arm (2.5 vs 1.6, p = 0.07). The primary clinical safety measurement of in-hospital death, recurrent MI, or new or worsening congestive heart failure occurred in 8 patients in the liberal arm and 3 in the conservative arm (38% vs 13%, p = 0.046). In conclusion, compared to a conservative transfusion strategy, treating anemic patients with AMI according to a liberal transfusion strategy results in more patients receiving transfusions and higher hematocrit levels. However, this may be associated with worse clinical outcomes. A large-scale definitive trial addressing this issue is urgently required.

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND:Patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are generally observed overnight in the hospital. The association between same-day discharge of older patients and death or readmission is unclear. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the prevalence and outcomes of same-day discharge among older patients undergoing elective PCI in the United States. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:Multicenter cohort study. Data were from 107,018 patients 65 years or older undergoing elective PCI procedures at 903 sites participating in the CathPCI Registry between November 2004 and December 2008 and were linked with Medicare Part A claims. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on their length of stay after PCI: same-day discharge or overnight stay. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/METHODS:Death or rehospitalization occurring within 2 days and by 30 days after PCI. RESULTS:The prevalence of same-day discharge was 1.25% (95% CI, 1.19%-1.32%; n = 1339 patients) with significant variation across facilities. Patient characteristics were similar between the 2 groups, although same-day discharge patients underwent shorter procedures with less multivessel intervention. There were no significant differences in the rates of death or rehospitalization at 2 days (same-day discharge, 0.37% [95% CI, 0.16%-0.87%] vs overnight stay, 0.50% [95% CI, 0.46%-0.54%]; P = .51) or at 30 days (same-day discharge, 9.63% [95% CI, 8.17%-11.33%] vs overnight stay, 9.70% [95% CI, 9.52%-9.88%]; P = .94). Among patients with adverse outcomes, the median time to death or rehospitalization did not differ significantly between the groups (same-day discharge, 13 days [interquartile range, 7.0-21.0] vs overnight stay, 14 days [interquartile range, 7.0-21.0]; P = .96). After adjustment for patient and procedure characteristics, same-day discharge was not significantly associated with 30-day death or rehospitalization (adjusted odds ratio, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.78-1.16]). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Among selected low-risk Medicare patients undergoing elective PCI, same-day discharge is rarely implemented but is not associated with death or rehospitalization compared with overnight observation.