Effect of Metoprolol CR/XL on pulmonary artery pressure in chronic heart failure patients assessed by an implanted ultrasonic device with special emphasis on diurnal variation and exercise capacity.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the impact of Metoprolol CR/XL on the diurnal and exercise induced variation on Pulmonary Artery Pressure (PAP) in patients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) by implanted ultrasonic device. BACKGROUND: Metoprolol produces haemodynamic and clinical benefits in patients with chronic heart failure and improves survival rate. There is limited information about their effect on PAP, its diurnal and exercise induced variation in heart failure. This study evaluates the diurnal variation and effects of exercise capacity on PAP and impact of Metoprolol CR/XL (XL) on these variations on PAP in CHF patients. METHODS: In this first-in-man study, ten NYHA class III/IV patients were implanted with an ultrasonic pressure-monitoring device, followed a month later by loading with MXL 25 mg/day and uptitrated every two weeks to 200 mg/day. PAP was measured at each follow up. Diurnal variation was evaluated at baseline (no MXL), 100, and 200 mg/day MXL. Treadmill Test (TMT) was performed before and at each uptitration. Echocardiography was performed at one year. RESULTS: Uptitrating MXL caused a slight initial rise in PAP, followed by a subsequent decrease on reaching 200 mg/day dose. One patient showed repeated symptomatic rise in PAP indicating MXL intolerance and was discontinued from the uptitration. The nocturnal rise in PAP at baseline was reduced on reaching 200 mg/day MXL dose. Uptitrating MXL to 200mg7divide;day improved exercise time and metabolic equivalent tasks (METS) with no significant change in post TMT PAP. Ejection fraction also improved at one-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: PAP increases post exercise and diurnally in CHF patients. Slow and careful uptitration of MXL with simultaneous non-invasive monitoring of PAP may benefit in nocturnal rise and exercise capacity in CHF patients.

Efficacy of PercuSurge in acute myocardial infarction patients undergoing revascularization with a special emphasis on procedural time.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of the PercuSurge Guardwire(R) Plus Temporary Occlusion and Aspiration System, the actual procedural time involved and long-term follow-up in acute MI patients undergoing primary/rescue percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS & RESULTS: It was a single centred, prospective study in 67 prospective AMI patients undergoing PCI. They were divided randomly into two groups depending on whether PercuSurge was used (n=30) or not used (control n=37) during PCI. Final TIMI flow, TMP grade and the time involved in or necessary for various steps of the PCI were recorded. PercuSurge showed significantly greater achievement of TIMI III flow and TMP III grade (p<0.01). Its use was associated with less total procedural time (p<0.05). The time required from guidewire crossing to stent placement; from guidewire crossing to TIMI III flow and from predilatation/stent placement to optimal TIMI flow was significantly reduced with its use (p<0.05 for all). Slow/no-reflow was significantly reduced (p<0.001), thus reducing intracoronary vasodilators and GP IIb/IIIa antagonists requirements. A 2 years' follow-up revealed four deaths in control and one death in PercuSurge group. CONCLUSION: PercuSurge reduced the total procedural time with better and faster optimal TIMI flow and TMP grade in primary/rescue PCI and was associated with less long term events.

Intracoronary boluses of adenosine and sodium nitroprusside in combination reverses slow/no-reflow during angioplasty: a clinical scenario of ischemic preconditioning.

No or slow reflow following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), despite the presence of a patent epicardial vessel, is a serious complication resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. In the present study, we have evaluated the combination therapy of adenosine and sodium nitroprusside administered as sequential intracoronary (IC) boluses on no-reflow during PCI. Seventy-five high risk acute coronary syndrome patients who underwent PCI with evidence of initial less than TIMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction) III flow or developed deterioration in TIMI flow during the procedure were randomized to prophylactic administration of multiple boluses of IC saline solution, adenosine (12 microg/bolus) or the combination of adenosine (12 microg/bolus) and sodium nitroprusside (50 microg/bolus), sequentially. Assessment of TIMI and the TMP (tissue myocardial perfusion) grade was done and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were assessed at the end of 6 months. Slow or no-reflow was persistent in 70% patients receiving saline solution, 31% patients receiving adenosine, and 4% patient receiving the combination. IC injection with saline solution did not produce improvement in TIMI flow or TMP grade. IC injection with combination resulted in greater improvement of TIMI flow and TMP grade. The crossover of patients with no-reflow in saline solution group or adenosine with combination treatment was associated with reestablishment of TIMI II in 4 and TIMI III in 20 patients. Our data suggest that combination therapy of adenosine and nitroprusside is safe and provides better improvement in coronary flow and MACE as compared with IC adenosine alone in cases of impaired flow during coronary interventions.

Beneficial effects of the addition of fenofibrate to statin therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome after percutaneous coronary interventions.

OBJECTIVE: To find out whether the addition of fenofibrate to statin monotherapy produced any synergistic or additive beneficial effects in reducing risk factors, especially plasma fibrinogen, in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) requiring percutaneous coronary interventions. METHODS: A randomized, non-blinded, prospective study with parallel group design. One hundred two ACS patients who underwent angioplasty were randomly assigned to atorvastatin (20 mg/day, n=25), simvastatin (40 mg/day, n=27), atorvastatin-fenofibrate (10 mg/day-200 mg/day) combination (n=25) or simvastatin-fenofibrate (20 mg/day-200 mg/day) combination (n=25). The serum lipid profile and plasma fibrinogen were recorded before initiation of therapy and after three months of the respective treatments. RESULTS: All patients already had desirable lipid levels as per the National Cholesterol Education Program - Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. The addition of fenofibrate to statin monotherapy produced further benefits to the reduction in triglyceride and very low-density lipoprotein levels, and caused an increase in high-density lipoprotein levels. All the treatment groups showed a significant decrease in the plasma fibrinogen levels. Plasma fibrinogen did not correlate with study parameters such as age, body weight, hemo-dynamic characteristics and lipoprotein levels. Statin monotherapy as well as its combination with fenofibrate produced a significant decrease in the fibrinogen levels. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of fenofibrate to statins seems to be beneficial in patients with ACS. Statins decreased plasma fibrinogen significantly, contrary to results from various reports, and the addition of fenofibrate further enhanced this reduction of the novel risk factor fibrinogen.