Feasibility of Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention via Left Snuffbox Approach

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Feasibility of coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via left snuffbox approach is still concerned. We aimed to investigate efficacy and safety of the left snuffbox approach for CAG and PCI. METHODS: Left snuffbox approach was tried in 150 patients who planned to perform CAG or PCI for suspected myocardial ischemia between 1 November 2017 and 31 March 2018. RESULTS: Success rate of radial artery (RA) cannulation via snuffbox approach was 88.0% (n=132). Among 132 individuals, 58 (43.9%) acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients were included. The diameter of snuffbox RA was significantly smaller than conventional RA (2.57 mm vs. 2.72 mm, p < 0.001) from quantitative computed angiography of 101 patients. However, CAG via snuffbox approach by 6 French sheath was successfully performed in all 132 patients. In addition, there was significant correlation between the snuffbox and conventional RA diameter (r=0.856, p < 0.001). In 42 PCI cases, including 25 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the success rate of PCI via snuffbox approach was 97.6% (n=41). Intravascular imaging-guided PCI was performed in 8 (19.5%) patients and multi-vessel PCI in 4 (9.8%) cases. Regarding vascular complication, forearm swelling with bruising, not requiring surgery or transfusion, occurred in 2 (4.9%) PCI cases. CONCLUSIONS: Left snuffbox approach is suitable for CAG and PCI compared with the conventional radial approach.

Feasibility of Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention via Left Snuffbox Approach

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES@#Feasibility of coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via left snuffbox approach is still concerned. We aimed to investigate efficacy and safety of the left snuffbox approach for CAG and PCI.@*METHODS@#Left snuffbox approach was tried in 150 patients who planned to perform CAG or PCI for suspected myocardial ischemia between 1 November 2017 and 31 March 2018.@*RESULTS@#Success rate of radial artery (RA) cannulation via snuffbox approach was 88.0% (n=132). Among 132 individuals, 58 (43.9%) acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients were included. The diameter of snuffbox RA was significantly smaller than conventional RA (2.57 mm vs. 2.72 mm, p < 0.001) from quantitative computed angiography of 101 patients. However, CAG via snuffbox approach by 6 French sheath was successfully performed in all 132 patients. In addition, there was significant correlation between the snuffbox and conventional RA diameter (r=0.856, p < 0.001). In 42 PCI cases, including 25 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the success rate of PCI via snuffbox approach was 97.6% (n=41). Intravascular imaging-guided PCI was performed in 8 (19.5%) patients and multi-vessel PCI in 4 (9.8%) cases. Regarding vascular complication, forearm swelling with bruising, not requiring surgery or transfusion, occurred in 2 (4.9%) PCI cases.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Left snuffbox approach is suitable for CAG and PCI compared with the conventional radial approach.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes after Implantation of First- and Second-Generation Overlapping Drug-Eluting Stents to Treat Diffuse Long Coronary Lesions / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Despite improved revascularization techniques, the clinical outcomes of patients with diffuse coronary artery lesions after percutaneous coronary intervention are unsatisfactory. However, few studies have compared the efficacy of first- and second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with diffuse long coronary artery lesions. METHODS: Between January 2006 and July 2012, 364 patients who were treated with DES for long coronary artery stenosis (> 30 mm) were enrolled in this study and assigned to either Group I (first-generation DES, 62.3 +/- 10.4 years, 136 males, n = 183) or Group II (second-generation DES, 64.3 +/- 10.7 years, 134 males, n = 181). The incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was compared between the two groups over 2 years of follow-up, and predictive factors associated with MACE were evaluated through a multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Although several coronary angiographic characteristics were different between the two groups, most demographic and baseline clinical variables were the same. The cumulative incidence of MACE was significantly higher in Group I than in Group II (25.7 vs. 6.6%; p < 0.001), mainly due to reduced target lesion revascularization (21.9 vs. 2.2%; p < 0.001). According to the results of the multivariate analysis, the use of a paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) (hazard ratio [HR], 5.168; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.515-10.617; p < 0.001), decreased left ventricular function (< or = 45%; HR, 3.586; 95% CI, 1.839-6.990; p < 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (HR, 2.984; 95% CI, 1.605-5.548; p < 0.001) were independent contributors to MACE. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with diffuse long coronary artery stenosis, the use of second-generation DES improved the clinical outcome compared with first-generation DES. In addition, the use of a PES, left ventricular dysfunction, and diabetes were predictors of MACE after overlapping stenting.

Is Unenhanced Abdominal CT Scan Necessary for the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis in Children?

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the question of whether a computed tomography (CT) protocol without an unenhanced phase could be used for diagnosis of appendicitis in pediatric patients who visited the emergency department (ED) with acute non-traumatic right lower abdominal pain. METHODS: We retrospectively selected 100 samples from pediatric abdominal CT scans performed in the ED and read by pediatric radiologists. Thirty emergency physicians were separately asked to evaluate the samples twice. The first evaluation was performed without the unenhanced phase (protocol A). The second evaluation was performed with both the unenhanced phase and the contrast-enhanced phase (protocol B). The sensitivity and specificity of each protocol for diagnosis of suspected acute appendicitis were determined. Intraobserver and interobserver agreements were measured using kappa statistics. RESULTS: The mean sensitivity and specificity of the two protocols were similar. The sensitivities of protocol A and protocol B were 97.13% (95% Confidence interval=96.13-98.14) and 97.60% (96.67-98.53), respectively. The specificities of protocol A and protocol B were 95.47% (94.34-96.59) and 94.67% (93.33-96.00), respectively. The mean kappa value for intraobserver agreement between results from the two protocols was 0.91 (0.88-0.93). The kappa value for interobserver agreement was 0.90 (0.89-0.91) for protocol A and 0.87 (0.86-0.88) for protocol B. CONCLUSION: It is feasible to perform a CT scan without an unenhanced phase for evaluation of suspected appendicitis in children with abdominal pain visiting the ED.

The Association of Socioeconomic Status with Three-Year Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Who Underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the clinical outcomes were associated with socioeconomic status (SES) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The author analyzed 2,358 patients (64.9 +/- 12.3 yr old, 71.5% male) hospitalized with AMI between November 2005 and June 2010. SES was measured by the self-reported education (years of schooling), the residential address (social deprivation index), and the national health insurance status (medical aid beneficiaries). Sequential multivariable modeling assessed the relationship of SES factors with 3-yr major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and mortality after the adjustment for demographic and clinical factors. During the 3-yr follow-up, 630 (26.7%) MACEs and 322 (13.7%) all-cause deaths occurred in 2,358 patients. In multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression modeling, the only lower education of SES variables was associated with MACEs (hazard ratio [HR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.91) and mortality (HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.16-3.20) in the patients with AMI who underwent PCI. The study results indicate that the lower education is a significant associated factor to increased poor clinical outcomes in patients with AMI who underwent PCI.

Predictors of Long-Term Survival in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients With Left Ventricular Dysfunction After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Predictive factors of mortality in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with left ventricular dysfunction were analyzed during 5-year clinical follow-up after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 329 ACS consecutive patients (64.6+/-11.3 years, 227 males) who underwent PCI from January 2001 to March 2006 were followed for 5 years. All patients had lower than 40% of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Patients were divided into Group I (survived longer than 5-years: n=130, 101 males) and Group II (survived shorter than 5 years: n=199, 126 males). RESULTS: The cumulative survival rate was 88.0% at 1 month, 78.0% at 6 months, 75.0% at 1 year, 67.0% at 2 years, 62.0% at 3 years, 57.0% at 4 years and 40% at 5-years. Group II was older (61.6+/-11.2 years vs. 66.4+/-11.4 years, p3.0 mg/dL (OR=2.455, 95% CI: 1.306-4.614, p=0.005), older than 65 years (OR=1.594, 95% CI: 1.152-2.206, p=0.005), and female gender (OR=1.524, 95% CI: 1.090-2.130, p=0.014). CONCLUSION: Five-year survival rate was 40% in ACS patients with left ventricular dysfunction, and the predictors for mortality were low LVEF, high serum creatinine, old age, and female gender.

The Applicability and Usefulness of Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance Using a Computed Data Source for Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis and Meningitis

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the applicability and usefulness of emergency department (ED) syndromic surveillance using a computerized data source for highly contagious, public health related diseases such as conjunctivitis and meningitis. METHODS: Between Jan 1 2007 and Dec 31 2008 we conducted a retrospective, observational study through consecutive enrollment of individuals at a university hospital with an ED census of about 156,000. ED patient data were obtained from a computerized data system, the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS). Predefined symptoms including red eye, eye injection / discharge / itching, headache, nausea, vomiting and predefined signs such as fever comparable with conjunctivitis and meningitis and ED discharge diagnosis were used as data for syndromic surveillance. Data about spinal tapping were used for agreement analysis. RESULTS: We enrolled 714 patients for ED syndromic conjunctivitis and 1,889 for ED syndromic meningitis during the study period. A positive correlation was demonstrated between ED syndromic conjunctivitis data and national ophthalmologic sentinel survey data (Pearson correlation = 0.696; p<0.001). The agreement (kapha value) between ED syndromic meningitis using chief complaints and ED discharge diagnosis and ED syndromic meningitis using chief complaints and spinal tapping order was 0.665 (p<0.001). Real outbreaks were recognized 2 to 4 weeks early by both ED syndromic surveillance of conjunctivitis and meningitis. CONCLUSION: ED syndromic surveillance methods are applicable and useful for surveillance of conjunctivitis and meningitis. Further study is needed to clarify the effectiveness of ED syndromic surveillance and the likelihood of early recognition in highly contagious public health related diseases.

A Lethal Case of Aute Zipeprol Poisoning Occurring in a Drug Addicted Old Woman

Zipeprol dihydrochloride is a non-opioid mucolytic, antitussive agent and it is frequently prescribed for respiratory symptoms such as cough and sputum. The main pharmacologic mechanisms of zipeprol are inhibition of superior laryngeal nerve stimulation and direct antagonism for stimulation of the bronchial receptors, which might have an effect for the drug's mucolytic action. Many cases of drug abuse with zipeprol have occurred world-wide due to the hallucinogenic effect of the drug. In Korea, zipeprol was reported to be the most commonly abused drug among young people for the 1990s. Zipeprol associated death was first reported since 1991 and 69 cases of death related to zipeprol abuse were further reported during 8 years (between 1991 and 1998). In addition to the hallucinogenic effect, dyspnea, extrapyramidal symptoms, seizure, cerebral edema have been reported as the signs and symptoms of toxic zipeprol overdose. However, zipeprol abuse is not common for old age people and non drug abusers. We report here on a fatal case of acute zipeprol poisoning in an eighty five year old drug addicted woman.