Influence of Stent Length on Peri–Procedural Myocardial Injury after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: About one-third of all elective PCI procedures are associated with significant myocardial injury termed peri-procedural myocardial injury (PMI), which has been associated with increased subsequent mortality. The stent length is one of the factors that can predict procedure related Troponon I release. Methods: This interventional study was carried out to evaluate the influence of stent length on peri– procedural myocardial injury by measuring post procedural release of Troponin I after percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients with e”70% stenosed single vessel disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with single stent were considered. Exclusion criteria were pre-procedural elevation of cardiac Troponin I above the 99th percentile of upper reference, severely ill patients. Total 90 consecutive patients were included. Among them 45 patients had d” 20mm long stent (group A) and rest 45 patients had > 20mm long stent (group B). Blood samples for Troponin I were collected before procedure and 12 hours after procedure. Results: Baseline characteristics including age, sex, risk factor for ischaemic heart disease and clinical diagnoses were almost similar between the two groups. During procedure no complications concurred 93.3% patients in group A and 68.9% patients in group B (p<0.05). Post procedural Troponin I level in group A was 0.47 ± 0.54 and in group B was 0.99 ± 1.09 (p<0.05). The stent length and post procedural Troponin I level had moderate correlation (r=0.41) (p<0.05). In hospital complications in two groups include persistent angina (6.7% vs. 11.1%), new ischaemic episode (0.0% vs. 4.4%) (p>0.05). There were no myocardial infarction, acute left ventricular failure, emergency CABG, arrhythmia and death in both groups. Durations of hospital stay were significantly higher in group B then group (4.53 ± 0.63 vs. 4.07 ± 0.65, p<0.05). Conclusion: The incidence of procedural myocardial injury and procedural complications are more in longer stent group. So limiting the stent length by spot-stenting the lesions rather than covering the entire vessel between lesions may reduce peri-procedural release of cTnI and improve post procedural prognosis.

Study of Lipid Profile in Newly Diagnosed Hypertensive Patients.

Back ground: Hypertension is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke. Dyslipidemia is closely associated with hypertension. Dyslipidemia and hypertension are the commonest risk factors for CVD. The aim of the present study was to compare different lipid parameters among newly diagnosed hypertensive patients with normotensive subjects in Bangladesh and find out the relationship. Methods: This study was a cross sectional study in which 42 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients who were on no antihypertensive medication and 42 subjects with normal blood pressure (normotensive) were enrolled for compare. Lipid parameters total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein ( LDLc) and high density lipoprotein (HDLc) were estimated by Enzymatic colorimetric test. Results: The mean systolic blood pressure of hypertensive and normotensive were 154.6±22.5 vs111.50±3.42 mmof.Hg and mean diastolic blood pressure were 93.2±5.20 vs 71.44± 3.21mm of Hg. The mean of SBP and DBP of hypertensive patients was found to be higher than normotensive (p< 0.05). There was significant increase in different lipid levels namely TC 199.4±44.5 vs188.7±37.9 mg/dl, TG155.9±88.8 vs 121.9±73.2 mg/dl and LDLc 119.8±35.6 vs112.7±28.6 mg/dl in hypertensive patients as compared to normotensive (p<0.05). However there was no significant difference in HDLc level. BMI and waist circumference showed significant association in hypertensive patients (p<0.001). Conclusion: Analytical results of the study revealed that hypertensive patients have been found to have close association with dyslipidemia, BMI and waist circumference. Hypertension and dyslipidemia can be modified either by proper life style changes or medical management or by the combination of the both. This study suggests that hypertensive patients need measurement of blood pressure and lipid profile at regular interval to prevent heart diseases and stroke.

Serum Creatinine and Blood Urea Nitrogen Levels in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Few studies have assessed the relation of Serum creatinine and serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). This study investigated the association between high uric acid BUN levels with the presence of Coronary artery disease. Materials and Methods: This study was designed as an observational cohort study. The study was composed of 170 patients admitted at our institution due to symptoms related to CAD. Patients having angiographic evidence of stenosis in coronary artery were as case group and without stenosis control group. Patients with high serum creatinine were defined as serum creatinine concentration with in 80-105 μmol/L and BUN level with in 10-20 μmol/L. The presence of CAD has been defined as the Gensini score being >1. Results: Patients with or without CAD were similar in terms of age (45.22±6.80 years vs. 52.87±9.31 years, p<0.01) and significant age difference was found between patients. Male gender (p<0.001) and smoking habit (p=0.003) were more frequent and statistically significant in patients with CAD. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean serum creatinine levels (92.89±20.82 μmol/L vs 108.68±23.62 μmol/L respectively, p<0.05) and serum blood urea nitrogen level (10.59±6.15 μmol/L vs. 20.37±6.73 μmol/L respectively, p<0.01) of patients with or without CAD. While looking at the correlation coefficient of Gensini score with different factors; S. creatinine, ejection fraction and BUN were significantly correlated at<0.001 and <0.04 and <0.01 level respectively. Increased serum creatinine levels were found to be independent risk factors for the presence of CAD (for serum cretinine hazard ration 3.9, p<0.001 and in case BUN hazard ration 2.08, p<0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, a significant association has been found between serum creatinine & BUN level and the presence of CAD. In addition to the evaluation of conventional risk factors in daily clinical practice, the measurement of serum creatinine and BUN level might provide significant prognostic benefits in terms of global cardiovascular risk and management of the patients.

Evaluation of Efficacy and Tolerability of Perindopril 8 mg in Bangladeshi Hypertensive Patients: Results from an Open-label, Observational, Multi-center Study (CONTROL).

Background: The CONTROL (COversyl in Newly diagnosed stage-II & unconTROlled hypertensive patients triaL) was performed with an objective to evaluate the blood pressure (BP) lowering efficacy and tolerability of Perindopril 8mg in newly diagnosed stage II patients and uncontrolled hypertensive patients among Bangladeshi population. Methods: This was an open-label, observational, multi-center study conducted in consultation centers for out-patients located in different cities of Bangladesh. Adults, aged above 18 years with newly diagnosed stage-II hypertension or uncontrolled hypertension, were recruited. Patients were treated with Perindopril 4mg daily for first 1 week, afterwards uptitrated to Perindopril 8 mg daily and continued treatment for 12 weeks. Patients were followed-up at week-1, week-4, week-8 and week-12. Results: In total, 245 patients were enrolled. Among them, 88 were newly diagnosed stage-II (Group- I) and 157 were uncontrolled (Group-II) hypertensive patients. Male and female distribution was 57% and 43% respectively. Mean age of patients was 54.5 ±11.7 years. After 12 weeks treatment, there was a significant reduction in BP from baseline (p<0.001) in overall population as well as in Group I and in Group II. In overall population, the mean BP reduction was -31/-15 mmHg (from 163.7/96.8 mmHg to 132.4/81.7 mmHg. In Group I, the reduction was -33/-16 mmHg (from 166.5/98.2 mmHg to 133.4/82.0 mmHg) and in Group II, -30/-14 mmHg (from 159.3/ 95.6 mmHg to 129.1/81.6 mmHg). 10 patients (4.1%) had to discontinue the treatment due to adverse effects. Dry cough (2%) and hypotension (1.2%) were the main cause of discontinuation. Perindopril 8mg was well tolerated as indicated by the high proportion of physicians (81%) reporting ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ tolerability at week 12. Conclusion: This study suggests that Perindopril 8mg is effective and safe in the treatment of hypertension in Bangladeshi patients.

Serum Uric Acid and Its Association with Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Few studies have assessed the relation of uric acid level with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). This study investigated the association between high uric acid levels with the presence and severity of CAD. Materials and Methods: This study was designed as an observational cohort study. The study was composed of 180 patients admitted at our institution due to symptoms related to CAD. Patients having angiographic evidence of stenosis in coronary artery were as case group and without stenosis control group. Patients with high uric acid (hyperuricemia) were defined as serum uric acid concentration >7.0mg/dl or >420 μmol/L in men and >6mg/dl or >360 μ mol/L in women. The presence of CAD has been defined as the Gensini score being >1. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the mean uric acid levels of patients with and without CAD (358.23±71.11 μmol/l vs251.32±54.92 μmol/l respectively, p<0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between ejection fraction of patients with and without CAD (54.50±9.25 vs. 63.16±6.56 respectively, p<0.001). Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between the serum uric acid level and the severity of CAD (p=<0.001, r=0.39). When patients were classified into four groups according to their Gensini score, mean serum uric acid level was found to be significantly increased across the tertiles, and a statistically significant difference was detected between the tertiles (p= <0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, a significant association has been found between serum uric acid level and the presence and severity of CAD. In addition to the evaluation of conventional risk factors in daily clinical practice, the measurement of uric acid level might provide significant prognostic benefits in terms of global cardiovascular risk and management of the patients.

Demographic Profile, Clinical Presentation & Angiographic Findings in 637 Patients with Coronary Heart Disease.

Cardiovascular diseases are the commonest cause of death globally and are the major contributor to the burden of premature mortality and morbidity. This study analyses various clinical presentations, conventional risk factors, pattern and severity of coronary heart disease on angiography among 637 patients with coronary heart disease and adult congenital heart disease who underwent cardiac evaluation at National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (NICVD), Dhaka between January 2007 to December 2008. Among them 547 (85.9%) were male and 90 (14.1%) were female. All of them were between 22 to 76 years of age with mean age 50.15±8.8. One hundred sixty nine (25.9%) patients had chronic stable angina & 398 (62.48%) patients subjected for coronary angiography for acute coronary syndrome and or old myocardial infarction and 74 (11.62%) patients with vascular and adult congenital heart disease prior to surgical treatment. Most prevalent risk factors were smoking (60%) and dyslipidaemia (60%). Thirty five percent patients were hypertensive and 10% patient had diabetes. Normal epicardial coronaries were documented in 25.59% patients which includes the patients who underwent coronary angiography prior to surgical treatment. Ninety three (14.6%) had single vessel disease, 119 (18.68%) had double vessel disease, 259 (40.66%) had triple vessel disease and 3 (0.47%) had isolated left main disease.