Demographic, management practices and in-hospital outcomes of Thai Acute Coronary Syndrome Registry (TACSR): the difference from the Western world.

BACKGROUND: To establish a national registration of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) registry in Thailand by networking health service institutions to determine the demographic, management practices, and in-hospital outcomes of patients with ACS. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The Thai ACS registry is a multi-center prospective project of nationwide registration in Thailand. Institutions were invited to participate in the registry through members of the Heart Association of Thailand. A series of workshops were organized to ensure standardization and quality control of the data and conduct of the present study. Web-based double data entry was used and the data were centrally managed and analyzed. RESULTS: The enrollment of the patients started in August 2002. After three years, records of 9,373 patients were collected from 17 hospitals. The patients were classified as ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (40.9.%), non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) (37.9%) and unstable angina (UA) (21.2%). The STEMI group was younger predominantly male, with a fewer number of diabetes than NSTEMI or UA. About half of the STEMI patients (52.6%) received reperfusion therapy. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed in 22.2% of STEMI. The median door to needle and door to balloon time were 85.0 and 122 minutes respectively. The median times to treatment were 240 minutes in the thrombolysis group and 359 minutes in the primary PCI group. Nearly half of NSTEMI and UA went to coronary angiography and about one-fourth of them received revascularization either PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting in the same admission. The total mortality rate was high in STEMI (17.0%) followed by NSTEMI (13.1%) and UA (3.0%). CONCLUSION: Thai ACS registry provides a detail of demographic, management practices, and in-hospital outcomes of patients with ACS. Time from onset to admission, door to needle time and door to balloon time were considered as suboptimal. Overall, in-hospital mortality is higher than reports from Western countries. The raising awareness among the general population about urgency of seeking medical attention for chest pain and concerted effect to improve in-hospital time delay is warranted. These data may have an impact on our health care system and alert the government to adopt an appropriate policy to solve these problems.

Diabetes mellitus and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction in Thai ACS Registry.

OBJECTIVE: To describe differences in in-hospital morbidity and mortality, presenting characteristics and management practices of diabetic and non-diabetic patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction using data from Thai ACS registry. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Thai ACS registry is a multi-center prospective project of nationwide registration in Thailand. RESULTS: The present study consisted of 3,548 patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction from 17 hospitals in about a 3-year period. About 50% of the patients with diabetes were more often female, with a greater prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia. The diabetic group was at an increased risk for congestive heart failure (adjusted odds ratio 1.84) but not increased risk for cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac mortality, and in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: There was a very high prevalence of diabetes in non-ST elevation myocardial infarction from ThaiACS registry. These patients were at increased risk for congestive heart failure as index of hospitalization but were not at increased risk for in-hospital mortality when compared with patients without diabetes.

Renal dysfunction as an independent predictor of total mortality after acute coronary syndrome: the Thai ACS Registry.

BACKGROUND: Renal insufficiency in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with poor cardiac outcome. In Asian populations, there are no data available for these associations. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Data was from the Thai ACS registry, only a new case of ACS. Clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, in-hospital mortality and 1-year mortality were compared for patients with normal or mild renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]> 60 ml/minute/1.73 m2, n = 809 [44.5%]), moderate renal dysfunction (eGFR 30-60 ml/minute/1.73 m2, n = 706 [38.9%]), and severe renal dysfunction (eGFR < 30 ml/minute/1.73 m2, n = 301 [16.6%]). RESULTS: Of the 1,816patients with mean follow-up 10.8 months, the mean age was 65 years, and 59.2 percent of the groups were male. Patients with severe renal dysfunction were significantly older, less likely to be male (45.2%, p < 0.001) and had a greater prevalence of diabetes (63.1%, p < 0.001) and hypertension (85.4%, p < 0.001). In-hospital and 1-year mortality were 13.5% and 22.5% respectively. According to discharge diagnosis, unadjusted hazard ratios for overall in-hospital mortality was statistically significant only in ST elevation MI subgroup, hazard ratio was 2.73 (95% CI, 1.72 to 4.34) and 6.27 (95% CI, 3.78 to 10.4) for moderate and severe renal dysfunction group, respectively. The risk of death for all types of ACS at 1-year follow up increased when eGFR decreased below 60 ml/minute/1.73 m2, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.66 (95% CI,1.22 to 2.23) and 1.91 (95% CI, 1.34 to 2.72) for moderate and severe renal dysfunction group, respectively. CONCLUSION: From Thai ACS registry, renal dysfunction at presentation is an independent predictor for the overall 1-year mortality and appeared to associate with an increase in hospital mortality in the subsets with STEMI

Comparison of official hours versus non-official hours: percutaneous coronary intervention in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is now a favorable treatment for acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, in non-official hours (non-OH), this modality of treatment has a questionable outcome because of the treatment delay. OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of PCI during official hours (OH) with non-OH in acute STEMI patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A prospective consecutive registry of PCI in acute ST-elevation MI patients at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from May 1999 to December 2003 were analyzed. Kaplan Meier survival analysis was used to determine the in-hospital mortality. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the prognostic factors for in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty six consecutive patients (OH-107, non-OH-149) who underwent PCI for acute STEMI were enrolled. Their mean age (61.9 +/- 12.2 vs 60.6 +/- 12.8 y, p = ns), male gender (73.8% vs 73.2%, p = ns), history of diabetes (30.2% vs 33.8%, p = ns), severity of the patients (percent of patients in Killip IV--22.4 vs 21.5, p = ns), ejection fraction (48.7 +/- 15.1 vs 45.9 +/- 14.7, p = ns), cardiopulmonary resuscitation prior PCI (15.0% vs 14.2%, p = ns), anterior MI (55.1% vs 51.0%, p = ns) were similar in both groups. Hypertension was slightly less common (39.6% vs 52.7%, p = 0.04) but smoking was more common (62.6% vs 49.0%, p = 0.03) in OH group. Door to balloon time and decision to balloon time were significantly shorter in the OH group than the non-OH group (67.9 +/- 47 vs 119.6 +/- 83 min, p < 0.001 and 60.8 +/- 35 vs 98.3 min, p < 0.001). However, the total delayed time was not statistically significantly different (402 +/- 316 vs 424 +/- 215, p = 0.55). Angiographic success rate was achieved in 98.1% for the OH group and 94.7% in the non-OH group (p = ns). In-hospital mortality rate was 10.3% and 10.7% respectively. CONCLUSION: The door to balloon time for PCI in acute STEMI patients in the non-OH group was longer than the OH group; however, the total delayed time was not different. The in-hospital mortality rate was similar.

Percutaneous carotid stenting: a novel treatment for carotid artery stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is currently a leading cause of physical disability and carries a high mortality rate. About 20% of ischemic stroke is caused by carotid artery stenosis. Carotid stenting is now another therapeutic modality for the treatment of extracranial carotid artery stenosis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: All patients who underwent carotid stenting at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from March 2001 to December 2002 were analyzed. The case success was determined by residual angiographic stenosis of less than 30% without any major adverse cardiovascular events such as death, stroke or emergency re-intervention. RESULTS: Carotid stenting was performed in 6 patients with 9 vessels disease. Their mean age was 71.8 years. Hypertension was the most common risk factor detected in all patients, followed by smoking (83.3%), dyslipidemia (83.3%) and diabetes (33.3%). One third of the patients had a prior history of stroke or transient ischemic attack and 16.6% occurred within 6 months. Five of six (83.3%) had severe coronary disease and required coronary artery bypass grafting after successful carotid stenting. The procedures were successful in all patients. The average percent of stenosis was reduced from 83.2% to 9.4%. The distal protection device was used in one-third of the cases. The average procedure time was 63.6 minutes and fluoroscopic time was 16.6 minutes. There was no evidence of stroke or death after the procedures. Only one (11.1%) developed hypotension and bradycardia that required intravenous fluid loading and inotropic support for 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Carotid stenting at our center is feasible and considered to be a safe procedure for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis. This procedure is another alternative treatment and may be superior to carotid endarterectomy, the standard treatment of carotid artery stenosis.

Worse prognosis for women who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Many reports have shown that female gender carries a worse prognosis when developing acute myocardial infarction (MI), whether or not reperfusion therapy is used. The primary percutaneous coronary intervention (1-PCI) is currently a preferable treatment for acute ST-elevation MI. However, the data concerning the difference between the outcomes in the treatment of the disease in men and women in Thailand is still insufficient. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A prospective registry of acute ST-elevation MI patients who underwent 1-PCI at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital from June 1999 to December 2002 were analyzed. Kaplan Meier survival analysis is used to determine the in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: The consecutive 184 (F-52, M-131) patients who underwent 1-PCI were recruited. Female subjects were older (66.6 +/- 12 y versus 59.0 +/- 11.6 y, p < 0.01); they also had higher percentage of diabetes (45.1 versus 27.1, p < 0.01), but a fewer number of smoker (17.7 versus 66.2, p < 0.001). The percentage of patients who had cardiogenic shock tended to be higher in women (34.6 versus 19.9, p = 0.08); however, the number of anterior wall MI and ejection fraction were not different. The mean door to balloon time (109 +/- 95 versus 99 +/- 68 minutes) and pain to balloon time (454 +/- 271 versus 372 +/- 298 minutes) were not different in both groups. The angiographic success with TIMI 3 flow was achieved in 92.3% for females and 86.9% for the males. The in-hospital mortality was significantly higher in females (23.1 versus 6.1, p = 0.002). Univariate analyses demonstrated that the feminine gender, cardiogenic shock, smoking, ejection fraction less than 40, cardiac arrest prior PCI and angiographic were the predictors for in-hospital mortality. When using multivariate analyses by Cox proportional model, only cardiogenic shock, history of hypertension and angiographic success were the significant predictors. Women had 2.15 times of in-hospital mortality higher than males; however, the confidence interval cross-over 1 (0.74-6.42) and p value was 0.16. CONCLUSION: Females tend to have a poor prognosis when they develop acute ST-elevation MI which requires treatment with 1-PCI.

Immediate and early results of mitral valve repair at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: Comparison with prosthesis mitral valve replacement, mitral valve repair has lots of advantages. After valve repair, patients have better left ventricular function, a lower rate of thromboembolism and infective endocarditis. The authors studied early experience of mitral valve repair. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From January 2000 to May 2002, 43 consecutive patients with mitral regurgitation had mitral valve repair. Valve disease was degenerative in 51.2 per cent, ischemic in 18.7 per cent, rheumatic in 13.9 per cent, infectious in 11.6 per cent, and others in 4.6 per cent. Surgical techniques included P2 quadrangular resection (n = 13; 30.95%), chordal tranfer (n = 11; 26.19%), only annuloplasty (n = 10; 23.8%), artificial chordae (n = 3; 7.14%), commissural closure (n = 3; 7.14%), and others in 2 cases (4.76%). RESULT: Immediate post-operative echocardiogram showed no or trivial regurgitation in 95 per cent and moderate regurgitation in 5 per cent. There was no operative mortality, but 1 case had hospital mortality with 1-24 months follow-up, 90 per cent of cases had FC I and the other (10%) were in FC II. CONCLUSION: This preliminary experience provided promising immediate and early result. The authors believe that mitral valve repair is safe and seems to have a much better result than mitral valve replacement. However, a randomized control study and long-term follow-up, in the future, are important.

Bilateral carotid stenting prior to coronary artery bypass graft: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Carotid stenosis is an independent possible complication of the central nervous system of patients after receiving a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). The risk increases when the patient has bilateral carotid stenosis even if asymptomatic. CASE REPORT: A 76 year-old female was admitted because of unstable angina. The coronary angiography showed triple vessel disease and required CABG for revascularization. Her physical examination revealed bilateral carotid bruits. She did not have any history of neurological deficit. Carotid Doppler showed critical stenosis of bilateral carotid arteries. The carotid angiography demonstrated 70 per cent diameter stenosis of both internal carotid arteries just above the bifurcation of the external carotid artery. A 7 x 20 mm self-expandable Smart stent was implanted first in the right carotid artery with good angiographic result. Five days later, another 7 x 20 mm self-expandable Smart stent was implanted in the left carotid artery without residual stenosis. The patient did not have any cardiovascular complications. CABG was performed 2 weeks later with a good result. The patient was discharged 10 days after CABG. CONCLUSION: Bilateral carotid stenting is feasible and produces an acceptable outcome. This procedure is an alternative treatment for preventing stroke during CABG surgery.

Initial and long-term results of coronary angioplasty: a report from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

PTCA is one of the treatments for coronary heart disease. But in Thailand, there is no available data on the long-term outcomes of patients who have undergone this procedure. To determine initial and long-term outcomes of patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), patients who underwent PTCA from January 1996 to December 1997 were enrolled. The initial results were received from the PTCA registry. The follow-up data were collected from medical records, phone calls and mail. Three hundred and forty patients (male 68.8%) were enrolled. Mean age was 61.8 +/- 10.1 years. Dyslipidemia was the most common risk factor (50.3%), followed by hypertension (44.4%), smoking (40%), and diabetes (33.8%). Indications for PTCA were chronic stable angina (47.9%), unstable angina (22.1%), acute myocardial infarction (4.3%) and post myocardial infarction angina (25.8%). Diseased vessels were left anterior descending (44.8%), right coronary artery (28.0%), left circumflex artery (25.5%), left main artery (0.9%) and saphenous vein grafts (0.8%). Initial case success rate was 93.5 per cent. Stent was implanted in 41.8 per cent of cases. In-hospital mortality rate was 1.2 per cent. Two patients (0.6%) developed Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI). Four patients (1.2%) required emergency bypass surgery (CABG). Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 6 patients (1.8%). Two hundred ninety one patients (85%) had complete follow-up data, mean follow-up time was 990 +/- 326 days. Twenty-one patients died (6.4%) but only 12 (3.5%) were cardiac in origin. Other cardiovascular events were non-fatal MI (1.2%), unstable angina (10.7%), congestive heart failure (4.6%), and chronic stable angina (41.1%). Target lesion revascularization by PTCA was done in 55 patients (16.9%) and CABG was performed in 22 patients (6.7%) Conclusion: PTCA can be performed with a high success rate and low in-hospital complications. Long-term outcomes are acceptable and comparable with Western data.