East meets West: Bringing the ESH 2023 hypertension guidelines into Asia.

Hypertension remains a major problem worldwide, especially across the Asia-Pacific region, which reports high prevalence rates and slow improvements in treatment rate and blood pressure (BP) control rate. Asian patients with hypertension may also vary with regard to phenotype and the epidemiology of the complications of hypertension, especially when compared with Western patients. Given these differences, Western guidelines may not necessarily be applicable to countries in the Asia Pacific. This narrative review aims to provide a critical comparison between the recently published European Society of Hypertension (ESH) 2023 guidelines and existing local guidelines in select Asian countries, offer expert opinion on how to fill gaps in the ESH 2023 guidelines for hypertension in the Asian context, and examine the need for harmonisation of hypertension guidelines worldwide. This review focuses on the definition and diagnosis of hypertension, the treatment thresholds and targets, and recommendations on the use of pharmacotherapy.

Stent parameters predict major adverse clinical events and the response to platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade: findings of the ESPRIT trial.

BACKGROUND: Only limited data describe relationships between stent parameters (length and diameter), adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention, and effects of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade by stent parameters. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this post hoc analysis of the 1983 patients receiving a stent in the Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy randomized percutaneous coronary intervention trial of eptifibatide versus placebo, rates of the major adverse cardiac event (MACE) end point (death, myocardial infarction, urgent target-vessel revascularization, or thrombotic bailout) at 48 hours and 1 year were correlated with stent parameters and then analyzed by randomization to eptifibatide versus placebo. In the placebo group, MACE increased with number of stents implanted, total stent length (by quartiles of <15, 15 to <18, 18 to <30, and >or=30 mm), and total stented vessel area (by quartiles of area <141, 141 to <188, 188 to <292, and >or=292 mm(2)). By stent parameters, MACE at 48 hours was reduced in the eptifibatide group at stent lengths of 18 to <30 mm (odds ratio [OR], 0.55; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.94; P=0.030) and >or=30 mm (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.75; P=0.003), stent diameters of >2.5 to <3.5 mm (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.82; P=0.002), and with 2 stents implanted (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.69; P=0.001). In the placebo group, near-linear relationships were observed between both increasing stent length and increasing stented vessel area and MACE at 48 hours and 1 year (all, P<0.001); these gradients were flattened in the eptifibatide group (P=0.005 for stent length). CONCLUSIONS: Stent parameters predict MACE after percutaneous coronary intervention. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade mitigates much of the hazard of increasing procedural complexity.

Long-term safety and efficacy are observed after implantation of Zotarolimus-Eluting stent in real-world clinical practice.

AIMS: Zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZESs) have been shown to be safe and effective in randomised trials. We sought to report the clinical outcomes after implantation of ZES in real-world clinical practice. METHODS AND RESULTS: ZES have been approved for clinical use in Singapore since April 2005. Until December 31, 2007, a total of 219 patients had undergone implantation of ZES. After excluding 11 foreign patients with whom contact was lost, 208 patients (246 lesions, 305 stents) formed the study cohort. A high-proportion of diabetic patients (n=90, 43.3%) was included. Recommended dual antiplatelet therapy was at least 3 months (n=147) for patients treated before or 12 months (n=61) after January 2007. As of January 2008, the median follow-up duration was 19 months (range: 1 to 33 months). There were 10 (4.8%) deaths, including 7 (3.4%) cardiac deaths. Myocardial infarction occurred in 11 (5.3%) patients. The numbers of patients requiring target vessel revascularisation and target lesion revascularisation were 10 (4.8%) and 5 (2.4%) respectively. Using the ARC definition, there were two cases of definite stent thrombosis on days 7 and 17, and one case of probable stent thrombosis on day 15. CONCLUSIONS: In this real-world clinical experience, ZES was associated with a low incidence of adverse cardiac events at a medium follow-up of one and half years.

Shortening of median door-to-balloon time in primary percutaneous coronary intervention in Singapore by simple and inexpensive operational measures: clinical practice improvement program.

BACKGROUND: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the standard reperfusion strategy for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in our center. We aimed to shorten the median door-to-balloon time from over 100 minutes to 90 minutes or less. METHODS: We have been using three strategies since March 2007 to shorten the door-to-balloon time: (1) the intervention team is now activated by emergency department physicians (where previously it had been activated by coronary care unit); (2) all members of the intervention team have converted from using pagers to using cell phones; and (3) as soon as the intervention team is activated, patients are transferred immediately to the cardiac catheterization laboratory (where previously they had waited in the emergency department for the intervention team to arrive). An in-house physician and a nurse would stay with the patients before arrival of the intervention team. RESULTS: During 12 months, 285 nontransfer patients (analyzed, n = 270) underwent primary PCI. The shortest monthly median door-to-balloon time was 59 minutes; the longest monthly median door-to-balloon time was 111 minutes. The overall median door-to-balloon time for the entire 12 months was 72 minutes. On a per-month basis, the median door-to-balloon time was 90 minutes or less in 10 of 12 months. On a per-patient basis, the median door-to-balloon time was 90 minutes or less in 182 patients (67.4%). There was 1 case (0.4%) of inappropriate activation by the emergency department. While waiting for the intervention team to convene, 1 patient (0.4%) deteriorated and had to be resuscitated in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. CONCLUSIONS: Improved health care delivery can be achieved by changing simple and inexpensive operational processes.