[Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in young male patient with STEMI: Unsuccessful fibrinolysis]. / Dissection coronaire spontanée dans le SCA ST+ chez un homme jeune : échec de fibrinolyse.

Spontaneous coronary artery disease (SCAD) is a particular form of acute coronary syndrome affecting preferentially female patient with few or without traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Male patient is exceptionally concerned by SCAD. We report a case of a young male patient presenting with anterolateral STEMI in relation with SCAD of Left main and left anterior descending artery (LAD). He was initially managed by fibrinolysis, which is then complicated by cardiogenic choc. Coronary angiogram covered by intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) showed an acute double occlusion of proximal LAD and the ostium of the left circumflex artery (LCX). After thrombus aspirations, the angiographic pattern recalled a SCAD, which is confirmed by OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography). The latter highlighted the intimal flap with true and false lumen involving both Left main and proximal LAD with huge thrombus burden. PCI was then performed successfully with implantation of 3 DES (Drug Eluting Stent). But given the cardiogenic shock persistence despite Dobutamin infusion and IABP, ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) was indicated. Unfortunately, the patient died of haemorrhage during ECMO implantation.

Trans-radial approach for catheterisation in non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome: an analysis of major bleeding complications in the ABOARD Study.

AIM: To determine the incidence, type and possible association with mortality of major bleeding in patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) treated with an invasive strategy using predominantly the radial approach and triple antiplatelet therapy. METHODS: In the multicentre randomised ABOARD Study, 352 patients with NSTE-ACS were randomised to an 'immediate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)' strategy or a strategy of PCI on the 'next working day'. Radial access was predominantly used in this study population. The present subanalysis evaluated the occurrence of major bleeding complications and their association with mortality at 1 month. RESULTS: Patients were treated with a triple antiplatelet therapy using high loading and maintenance doses of clopidogrel and abciximab in 99% of patients receiving PCI. The trans-radial approach was used in the vast majority of patients (84%). During the first 30 days, major bleeding complications (STEEPLE definition) occurred in 5.4% of patients (n=19), with no difference between immediate and delayed intervention. The most common bleeding complications were occult bleeding (36.8% of bleeding, n=7/19) and overt gastrointestinal bleeding (21% of bleeding, n=4/19). Patients with major bleeding had a higher peak concentration of creatinine during hospitalisation (mean±SD, 170±169 vs 97±57 µmol/l; p=0.005) and a 1-month mortality of 26.3%, much higher than patients without bleeding (0.6%, p<0.0001). Major bleeding was strongly associated with 30-day mortality (OR 50.3; 95% CI 10.1 to 249.7; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Despite the predominant use of the radial approach, major bleeding (essentially occult and gastrointestinal) remains a common complication, which is highly associated with mortality in patients with NSTE-ACS treated with optimal antithrombotic therapy.

Altered fibrin architecture is associated with hypofibrinolysis and premature coronary atherothrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: Hypofibrinolysis promotes atherosclerosis progression and recurrent ischemic events in premature coronary artery disease. We investigated the role of fibrin physical properties in this particular setting. METHODS AND RESULTS: Biomarkers of recurrent thrombosis and premature coronary artery disease (CAD) were measured in 33 young post-myocardial infarction patients with angiographic-proven CAD and in 33 healthy volunteers matched for age and sex. Ex vivo plasma fibrin physical properties were assessed by measuring fibrin rigidity and fibrin morphological properties using a torsion pendulum and optical confocal microscopy. The fibrinolysis rate was derived from continuous monitoring of the viscoelastic properties after addition of lytic enzymes. Young CAD patients had a significant increase in plasma concentration of fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1, and lipoprotein(a) as compared with controls (P<0.05). Fibrin of young CAD patients was stiffer (P=0.002), made of numerous (P=0.002) and shorter fibers (P=0.04), and lysed at a slower rate than that of controls (P=0.03). Fibrin stiffness was an independent predictor for both premature CAD and hypofibrinolysis. CONCLUSIONS: This first detailed study of clot properties in such a group of patients demonstrated that abnormal plasma fibrin architecture is an important feature of both premature CAD and fibrinolysis rate. The determinants of this particular phenotype warrant further investigation.

[Antithrombotics in pre-hospital phase of acute coronary syndromes]. / Antithrombotiques durant la phase préhospitalière des syndromes coronaires aigus.

Antithrombotic therapies are the corner stone of acute coronary syndrome management. We have the proof that many of them should be initiated during the prehospital care because their clinical benefit is time-dependent. The hypothesis that anticoagulation therapy is an effective treatment of STEMI, which benefit is time-dependent, is now validated. It is also fair to affirm that GP lIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors are the adjuvant therapy of choice for primary PCI. Indeed, these medications reduce short-term and long-term mortality. This clinical benefit is time dependent. Clopidogrel therapy is probably also a medication of the prehospital phase. It is well established now that the biological efficacy of this pro drug is loading dose dependent. It is also demonstrated that its clinical efficacy depends on the time delay between symptom onset and initiation of the therapy. However, the clinical benefit of prehospital administration remains to be established.

[Prevalence of asymptomatic atherothrombotic lesions and risk of vascular events in patients with documented coronary artery disease]. / Prévalence des lésions athérothrombotiques asymptomatiques et risques d'evénements vasculaires chez des patients ayant une maladie coronaire documentée.

Coronary arteries are the most frequent location of atherosclerosis. Coronary artery disease is the first cause of death related to atherothrombosis. In addition, patients with a prior history of acute coronary syndromes exhibit a 10% annual risk of recurrence. Although there seems to be a close correlation between the extension of CAD and the severity of atherosclerotic lesions in extra coronary arterial beds, the prevalence of these extracoronary asymptomatic lesions depends on their location. Hence, the prevalence of renal artery disease defined as stenosis > or = 50% or of peripheral artery disease defined as an ABI < 0.9 is estimated to be 20% up to 30%, whereas the prevalence of both carotid artery disease defined as stenosis > or = 70% or aortic aneurysm is estimated to be 5%. Conversely, the annual absolute risk of stroke among CAD patients is estimated at 1% while it remains unknown for vascular events related to PAD or aortic lesions. These data suggest that a systematic screening for asymptomatic extracoronary atherosclerotic lesions among CAD patients cannot be justified without a better knowledge of the prevalence of these lesions. In addition, the identification of the predicting factors for the presence and the development of these asymptomatic lesions is warranted. Finally, the potential benefit in terms of therapeutic intervention of such screening needs to be evaluated. These important issues warrant further clinical studies with appropriate design.

Impact of prior use or recent withdrawal of oral antiplatelet agents on acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Oral antiplatelet agents (OAAs) can prevent further vascular events in cardiovascular disease. How prior use or recent discontinuation of OAA affects clinical presentation of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and clinical outcomes (death, myocardial infarction [MI]) is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied and followed up for up to 30 days a cohort of 1358 consecutive patients admitted for a suspected ACS; of these, 930 were nonusers, 355 were prior users of OAA, and 73 had recently withdrawn OAA. Nonusers were at lower risk, more frequently presented with ST-elevation MI on admission, and more frequently had Q-wave MI at discharge than prior users (36.6% versus 17.5%, P<0.001; and 47.8% versus 28.2%, P<0.001, respectively). However, there was no difference regarding the incidence of death or MI at 30 days between nonusers and prior users (10.3% versus 12.4%, P=NS). In addition, prior users experienced more major bleeds within 30 days compared with nonusers (3.4% versus 1.4%, respectively; P=0.04). Recent withdrawers were admitted on average 11.9+/-0.8 days after OAA withdrawal. Interruption was primarily a physician decision for scheduled surgery (n=47 of 73). Despite a similar cardiovascular risk profile, recent withdrawers had higher 30-day rates of death or MI (21.9% versus 12.4%, P=0.04) and bleedings (13.7% versus 5.9%, P=0.03) than prior users. After multivariate analysis, OAA withdrawal was found to be an independent predictor of both mortality and bleedings at 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Among ACS patients, prior users represent a higher-risk population and present more frequently with non-ST-elevation ACS than nonusers. Although patients with a recent interruption of OAA resemble those chronically treated by OAA, they display worse clinical outcomes.

Anti-Xa activity relates to survival and efficacy in unselected acute coronary syndrome patients treated with enoxaparin.

BACKGROUND: Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is recommended in the treatment of unstable angina (UA)/non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), but no relationship has ever been shown between anticoagulation levels obtained with LMWH treatment and clinical outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: In all, 803 consecutive patients with UA/NSTEMI were treated with subcutaneous enoxaparin and were followed up for 30 days. The recommended dose of enoxaparin of 1 mg/kg BID was used throughout the population except when physicians decided on dose reduction because of a history of a recent bleeding event or because of a high bleeding risk. Anti-factor Xa activity was >0.5 IU/mL in 93% of patients; subtherapeutic anti-Xa levels (<0.5 IU/mL) were associated with lower doses of enoxaparin. The 30-day mortality rate was significantly associated with low anti-Xa levels (<0.5 IU/mL), with a >3-fold increase in mortality compared with the patients with anti-Xa levels in the target range of 0.5 to 1.2 IU/mL (P=0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed low anti-Xa activity as an independent predictor of 30-day mortality at least as strong as age, left ventricular function, and renal function. In contrast, anti-Xa activity did not predict major bleeding complications within the range of anti-Xa levels observed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: In this large unselected cohort of patients with UA/NSTEMI patients, low anti-Xa activity on enoxaparin treatment is independently associated with 30-day mortality, which highlights the need for achieving at least the minimum prescribed anti-Xa level of 0.5 IU/mL with enoxaparin whenever possible.