Thomas Engstrøm - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Thomas Engstrøm

EuroIntervention, 2014

To evaluate the clinical importance of the ST peak phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronar... more To evaluate the clinical importance of the ST peak phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Continuous ST monitoring was performed in 942 STEMI patients from arrival until 90 minutes after revascularisation. ST peak was defined as ≥1 mm increase in the ST-segment during PCI compared with the ST elevation before intervention. ST peak was observed in 26.9% of patients. During median follow-up of 4.1 years, 20.7% of patients experienced a major adverse cardiac event (MACE). ST peak was associated with higher rates of mortality (13.4% versus 9.3%; p=0.044), admission for heart failure (10.6% versus 5.2%; p=0.002) and MACE (26.9% versus 18.2%; p=0.002), but not reinfarction (7.1% versus 5.2%; p=0.14). In two different Cox regression analyses, adjusting for predictors of MACE and ST peak including ST resolution and epicardial flow, ST peak remained significantly associated with MACE: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.95) and 1.41 (95% CI: 1.02-1.96). In the largest study hitherto evaluating the ST peak phenomenon during primary PCI, we demonstrated that ST peak is a strong predictor of adverse long-term outcome and provides independent prognostic information beyond that provided by ST resolution and epicardial flow.

Background-Exenatide has been demonstrated to be cardioprotective as an adjunct to primary percut... more Background-Exenatide has been demonstrated to be cardioprotective as an adjunct to primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of the post hoc analysis study was to evaluate the effect of exenatide in relation to system delay, defined as time from first medical contact to first balloon. Methods and Results-Patients with STEMI and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow 0/1 were randomly assigned to intravenous exenatide or placebo continuous infusion. Study treatment was commenced 15 minutes before intervention and maintained for 6 hours after the procedure. The patients were stratified according to median system delay (132 minutes). Final infarct size and myocardial area at risk were measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Among patients with a system delay Յ132 minutes (nϭ74), treatment with exenatide resulted in a smaller infarct size (9 grams [interquartile range (IQR), 4-13] versus 13 grams [IQR, 8-24], Pϭ0.008, corresponding to 8% [IQR, 4-12] versus 11% [IQR, 7-17] of the left ventricle, Pϭ0.015). In a regression analysis adjusting for myocardial area at risk the data points of the exenatide group lay significantly lower than for the placebo group (Pϭ0.006). In the patients with system delay Ͼ132 minutes (nϭ74) no difference was observed in infarct size expressed as grams (Pϭ0.49) or percentage (Pϭ0.46). There was significant interaction between system delay (less than or equal to median versus greater than median) and treatment allocation in terms of infarct size (Pϭ0.018). Conclusions-In this post hoc analysis, exenatide treatment was associated with a 30% decrease in final infarct size in patients with short system delay, whereas no cardioprotective effect in patients with long system delay was seen. However, this finding must be confirmed in larger studies. Clinical Trial Registration-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00835848.

The Lancet, 2016

Background Despite successful treatment of the culprit artery lesion by primary percutaneous coro... more Background Despite successful treatment of the culprit artery lesion by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation, thrombotic embolisation occurs in some cases, which impairs the prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of deferred stent implantation versus standard PCI in patients with STEMI. Methods We did this open-label, randomised controlled trial at four primary PCI centres in Denmark. Eligible patients (aged >18 years) had acute onset symptoms lasting 12 h or less, and ST-segment elevation of 0•1 mV or more in at least two or more contiguous electrocardiographic leads or newly developed left bundle branch block. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1), via an electronic web-based system with permuted block sizes of two to six, to receive either standard primary PCI with immediate stent implantation or deferred stent implantation 48 h after the index procedure if a stabilised fl ow could be obtained in the infarct-related artery. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality, hospital admission for heart failure, recurrent infarction, and any unplanned revascularisation of the target vessel within 2 years' follow-up. Patients, investigators, and treating clinicians were not masked to treatment allocation. We did analysis by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01435408.

JAMA cardiology, 2017

Ischemic postconditioning of the heart during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in... more Ischemic postconditioning of the heart during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) induced by repetitive interruptions of blood flow to the ischemic myocardial region immediately after reopening of the infarct-related artery may limit myocardial damage. To determine whether ischemic postconditioning can improve the clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In this multicenter, randomized clinical trial, patients with onset of symptoms within 12 hours, STEMI, and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grade 0-1 flow in the infarct-related artery at arrival were randomized to conventional PCI or postconditioning. Inclusion began on March 21, 2011, through February 2, 2014, and follow-up was completed on February 2, 2016. Analysis was based on intention to treat. Patients were randomly allocated 1:1 to conventional primary PCI, including stent implantation, or postconditioning performed as 4 repeated 30-second balloon occlu...

American heart journal, 2006

Coronary restenosis is more common in a total coronary occlusion (TCO) than other lesion types af... more Coronary restenosis is more common in a total coronary occlusion (TCO) than other lesion types after implantation of bare metal stents (BMS). But whereas sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) have been shown to improve the outcomes in simple coronary artery lesions, data on their efficacy in complex coronary lesions are scarce. We enrolled 127 patients with coronary artery disease and a TCO > or = 15 mm in length to have either SES or BMS implanted after successful recanalization. Outcome measures included the minimal lumen diameter, the late lumen loss, and angiographic restenosis (> 50% diameter stenosis) at 6 months follow-up and the occurrence of target vessel failure during a 7-month period. The patients were well matched in demographic and angiographic baseline characteristics, and 20% had diabetes. The reference vessel was 2.92 mm in mean, and the lesion length was 25.2 mm. At follow-up, patients who received SES had a minimal lumen diameter of 2.49 mm compared with 1.46 mm in...

The American Journal of Cardiology, 2015

We aimed to assess the risk factors and outcome of ventricular fibrillation (VF) before and durin... more We aimed to assess the risk factors and outcome of ventricular fibrillation (VF) before and during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. From 1999 to 2012, we consecutively enrolled 5,373 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. In total, 410 of the patients had VF before and 88 had VF during PPCI. During a mean follow-up of 4.2 years, 1,196 subjects died. A logistic regression model identified younger age, anterior infarct, Killip class >I at admission, and a preprocedural Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow grade of 0 to I to be significantly associated with VF before PPCI, whereas inferior infarct, a preprocedural Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow grade of 0 to I, and Killip class >I at admission were significantly associated with VF during PPCI. All-cause mortality was evaluated using the Cox regression model. Compared with the patients without VF, those with VF before or during PPCI had a significantly increased 30-day mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio = 3.40 (95% confidence interval 1.70 to 6.70) and 4.20 (95% confidence interval 1.30 to 13.30), respectively. Importantly, there was no tendency of 30-day mortality difference between VF before and during PPCI (p = 0.170). In patients with VF before or during PPCI who survived for at least 30 days, there was no increase in the long-term mortality. In conclusion, our data suggest that 30-day mortality is the same for patients with VF before PPCI compared with VF during PPCI, and the occurrence of VF before or during PPCI was associated with increased 30-day mortality but not with long-term mortality.

Open heart, 2015

Left atrial (LA) volume is a strong prognostic predictor in patients following ST-segment elevati... more Left atrial (LA) volume is a strong prognostic predictor in patients following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the change in LA volume over time (LA remodelling) following STEMI has been scarcely studied. We sought to identify predictors for LA remodelling and to evaluate the prognostic importance of LA remodelling. This is a subgroup analysis from a randomised clinical trial that evaluated the cardioprotective effect of exenatide treatment. A total of 160 patients with STEMI underwent a cardiovascular MR (CMR) 2 days after primary angioplasty and a second scan 3 months later. LA remodelling was defined as changes in LA volume or function from baseline to 3 months follow-up. Major adverse cardiac events were registered after a median of 5.2 years. Adverse LA minimum volume (LAmin) remodelling was correlated to the presence of hypertension, larger infarct size by CMR, higher peak troponin T, larger area at risk and adverse left ventricular (LV) remodellin...

Interventional Cardiology, 2010

The American journal of cardiology, Jan 11, 2015

Previous studies have shown a poor correlation between angiographic assessment of stenosis grade ... more Previous studies have shown a poor correlation between angiographic assessment of stenosis grade (%) and its functional assessment by fractional flow reserve (FFR). This study aimed to investigate whether a more comprehensive evaluation of the coronary angiogram may contribute to a better identification of flow-limiting stenoses. Coronary angiograms of 1,350 patients (1,883 lesions) were retrospectively analyzed for stenosis grade (eyeballing, %) and matched with FFR values. Angiography-derived optimal cut-off values and intervals delineating the [90% sensitivity-90% specificity] range were 50.8% [42.5-65.0%] for the left main (LM), 62.2% [50.0-72.5%] for the proximal (prox)/mid left anterior descending (LAD) artery, 66.3% [57.5-77.5%] for the prox/mid right coronary artery (RCA), 70.5% [60.0-80.0%] for the prox left circumflex/first obtuse marginal (LCX/OM1), and 71.4% [62.5-82.5%] for the more distal segments. In patients with intermediate LAD lesions, 5 angiographic parameters we...

European heart journal cardiovascular Imaging, Jan 6, 2015

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by acute completely reversible regional left vent... more Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by acute completely reversible regional left ventricle (LV) akinesia and decreased tracer uptake in the akinetic region on semi-quantitative perfusion imaging. The latter may be due to normoperfusion of the akinetic mid/apical area and basal hyperperfusion. Our aim was to examine abnormalities of perfusion in TTC, and we hypothesized that basal hyperperfusion is the primary perfusion abnormality in the acute state. Twenty-five patients were diagnosed with TTC due to (i) acute onset of symptoms, (ii) typical apical ballooning, (iii) absence of significant coronary disease, and (iv) complete remission on 4-month follow-up. The patients underwent coronary angiography (CAG), echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), and (13)NH3/(82)Rb positron emission tomography (PET) in the acute state and-except CAG-on follow-up. Patients initially had severe heart failure, mid/apical oedema but no infarction, and a rise in cardiac bio...

Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology, Jan 25, 2015

No studies in an unselected and nationwide setting have characterized the symptoms and medical hi... more No studies in an unselected and nationwide setting have characterized the symptoms and medical history of patients with sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS). The aim of this study was to identify and describe the symptoms and medical history of patients before the presentation of SADS. We have previously identified all of the autopsied sudden cardiac deaths (SCD; n = 314) in Danes aged 1-35 years between 2000-2006. After comprehensive pathological and toxicological investigation did not reveal a cause of SCD, 136 of the patients were identified as SADS. The National Patient Registry was utilized to obtain information on all in- and outpatient activity in Danish hospitals. All medical records from hospitals and general practitioners, including death certificates and autopsy reports, were reviewed. Before death, 48 (35%) SADS patients had cardiac symptoms; among these, 30 (22%) had contacted the healthcare system. Antecedent symptoms (symptoms >24 hours before death) were presen...

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Short-term mortality has been studied thoroughly in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coro... more Short-term mortality has been studied thoroughly in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), whereas long-term cause of death in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unknown. The goal of this study was to describe the association between time and cause of death in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. A centralized civil registration system, patient files, and public disease and death cause registries with an accurate record linkage were used to trace time and cause of death in 2,804 consecutive patients with STEMI (age 63 ± 13 years, 72% males) treated with primary PCI. Patients were followed up for a median of 4.7 years. During a total of 13,447 patient-years, 717 patients died. Main causes of death within the first 30 days were cardiogenic shock and anoxic brain injury after cardiac arrest. Age, culprit vessel size and flow, and the presence of heart failure and diabetes were independent predictors of mortalit...

European heart journal. Acute cardiovascular care, Jan 15, 2014

Changes in left ventricular (LV) function using echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (... more Changes in left ventricular (LV) function using echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging were assessed in a contemporary ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) population to assess whether repeated imaging is necessary. In a prospective study patients with first STEMI were treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and examined with 2D-echocardiography and CMR at baseline (<72 h) and at a three-month follow-up. A total of 138 patients were included (60±11 years). Using 2D-echocardiography at baseline preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (>50%) was found in 48 patients (35%), mild/moderate systolic dysfunction (35-50%) in 76 patients (55%) and severe dysfunction (<35%) in 14 patients (10%). Improvement in systolic function group was seen in 58 patients (64%) and 11 patients (79%) with severe systolic dysfunction at baseline were re-classified as having preserved or mild/moderate systolic dysfunction at follow...

European heart journal. Acute cardiovascular care, 2015

The impact of angiographically visible distal embolization (DE) and distal protection occurring d... more The impact of angiographically visible distal embolization (DE) and distal protection occurring during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on long-term outcome has not been studied in a contemporary ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) cohort. To evaluate the association between DE and long-term outcome in STEMI patients treated with primary PCI with or without distal protection. In this post-hoc analysis of a randomized study, 591 STEMI patients were randomized to conventional primary PCI or primary PCI with distal protection and followed for 5 years. There was no statistically significant difference in MACE rate between patients treated with or wthout distal protection (19% versus 25%; p=0.10). There seemed to be interaction between distal protection and DE in major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (p=0.08), mortality (p=0.02) and reinfarction (p=0.06), but not admission for heart failure (p=0.40). DE was related to increased risk of admission for heart fai...

European heart journal cardiovascular Imaging, 2014

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an entity mimicking acute myocardial infarction, characterized ... more Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an entity mimicking acute myocardial infarction, characterized by transient severe systolic heart failure. Echocardiographic studies suggest that diastolic dysfunction is present in TTC at presentation; however, no reports exist regarding the time course of left ventricular (LV) recovery. This study describes the recovery of LV systolic and diastolic function in TTC. We hypothesized that, in TTC, there is diastolic dysfunction at admission, and that recovery is delayed compared with systolic function. We enrolled (consecutively 2010-12) 16 patients (mean age 66, range 39-84 years) diagnosed with TTC and 20 healthy matched controls. We performed cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) at admission, pre-discharge, and 3-month follow-up. Diastolic function was assessed by LV peak filling rate (LVPFR) and left atrial (LA) emptying volumes. At admission, LV ejection fraction was low, increased at pre-discharge (37 ± 6 vs. 58 ± 6%, P < 0.001), and nor...

Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2015

BACKGROUND Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an option in certain high-risk surgic... more BACKGROUND Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an option in certain high-risk surgical patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. It is unknown whether TAVR can be safely introduced to lower-risk patients.

nos: 213-264 Everolimus-eluting stent versus bare metal stent in proximal left anterior descendin... more nos: 213-264 Everolimus-eluting stent versus bare metal stent in proximal left anterior descending ST-elevation myocardial infarction Background: ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) caused by proximal leftanterior descending (LAD) lesions have more myocardium at risk and worse outcomes than those located in other segments. The aim is to compare outcomes of patients with STEMI and proximal-LAD lesions treated with bare-metal stents (BMS) versus everolimus-eluting stents (EES). Methods: The EXAMINATION trial randomized 1498 STEMI patients to BMS vs. EES. The primary endpoint was the patient-oriented combined of all-cause death, anyrecurrent myocardial infarction (MI) and any-revascularization. The secondary endpoint included the device-oriented combined of cardiac death, target-vessel MI and target-lesion revascularization (TLR). Results: STEMI with a proximal-LAD occlusion was observed in 290 patients (BMS¼132 and EES¼158). Both groups were similar except for diabetes (12.9% vs. 24.1%; p¼0.016). At 1 year, the primary end-point was observed in 18.9% and 9.5% of patients treated with BMS and EES, respectively (p¼0.023). The secondary endpoint was observed in 11.4% and 5.1%, respectively (p¼0.053). There were no differences in cardiac death (4.5% vs. 3.8%; p¼0.750) and MI (1.5% vs. 0%; p¼0.121). BMS had higher rate of TLR compared to EES (6.8% vs. 1.3%; p¼0.014). Patients with proximal-LAD STEMI had higher mortality than patients with non proximal-LAD STEMI (5.5% vs. 2.9%; p¼0.027). Proximal-LAD lesions treated with BMS tended to increase the risk of the primary end-point compared with other segments (18.9% vs. 13.0%; p¼0.079). However, EES implanted in proximal-LAD had similar outcomes compared with other locations (9.5% vs. 12.0%; p¼0.430). Adjusting for confounders, the interaction between BMS and proximal-LAD location was associated with the primary end-point. Conclusions: Patients with STEMI and proximal-LAD lesions treated with EES have better outcomes compared with BMS at 1-year. Although further investigations are required, it seems reasonable to consider EES for proximal-LAD STEMI-lesions.

Journal of the American Heart Association, 2015

We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for ventricular fibrillation (VF) before p... more We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for ventricular fibrillation (VF) before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a prospective nationwide setting. In this case-control study, patients presenting within the first 12 hours of first STEMI who survived to undergo angiography and subsequent PPCI were enrolled. Over 2 years, 219 cases presenting with VF before PPCI and 441 controls without preceding VF were enrolled. Of the 219 case patients, 182 (83%) had STEMI with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to VF, and 37 (17%) had cardiac arrest upon arrival to the emergency room. Medical history was collected by standardized interviews and by linkage to national electronic health records. The incidence of VF before PPCI among STEMI patients was 11.6%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified novel associations between atrial fibrillation and alcohol consumption with VF. Patie...

American Heart Journal, 2015

EuroIntervention, 2014

To evaluate the clinical importance of the ST peak phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronar... more To evaluate the clinical importance of the ST peak phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Continuous ST monitoring was performed in 942 STEMI patients from arrival until 90 minutes after revascularisation. ST peak was defined as ≥1 mm increase in the ST-segment during PCI compared with the ST elevation before intervention. ST peak was observed in 26.9% of patients. During median follow-up of 4.1 years, 20.7% of patients experienced a major adverse cardiac event (MACE). ST peak was associated with higher rates of mortality (13.4% versus 9.3%; p=0.044), admission for heart failure (10.6% versus 5.2%; p=0.002) and MACE (26.9% versus 18.2%; p=0.002), but not reinfarction (7.1% versus 5.2%; p=0.14). In two different Cox regression analyses, adjusting for predictors of MACE and ST peak including ST resolution and epicardial flow, ST peak remained significantly associated with MACE: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.95) and 1.41 (95% CI: 1.02-1.96). In the largest study hitherto evaluating the ST peak phenomenon during primary PCI, we demonstrated that ST peak is a strong predictor of adverse long-term outcome and provides independent prognostic information beyond that provided by ST resolution and epicardial flow.

Background-Exenatide has been demonstrated to be cardioprotective as an adjunct to primary percut... more Background-Exenatide has been demonstrated to be cardioprotective as an adjunct to primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of the post hoc analysis study was to evaluate the effect of exenatide in relation to system delay, defined as time from first medical contact to first balloon. Methods and Results-Patients with STEMI and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow 0/1 were randomly assigned to intravenous exenatide or placebo continuous infusion. Study treatment was commenced 15 minutes before intervention and maintained for 6 hours after the procedure. The patients were stratified according to median system delay (132 minutes). Final infarct size and myocardial area at risk were measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Among patients with a system delay Յ132 minutes (nϭ74), treatment with exenatide resulted in a smaller infarct size (9 grams [interquartile range (IQR), 4-13] versus 13 grams [IQR, 8-24], Pϭ0.008, corresponding to 8% [IQR, 4-12] versus 11% [IQR, 7-17] of the left ventricle, Pϭ0.015). In a regression analysis adjusting for myocardial area at risk the data points of the exenatide group lay significantly lower than for the placebo group (Pϭ0.006). In the patients with system delay Ͼ132 minutes (nϭ74) no difference was observed in infarct size expressed as grams (Pϭ0.49) or percentage (Pϭ0.46). There was significant interaction between system delay (less than or equal to median versus greater than median) and treatment allocation in terms of infarct size (Pϭ0.018). Conclusions-In this post hoc analysis, exenatide treatment was associated with a 30% decrease in final infarct size in patients with short system delay, whereas no cardioprotective effect in patients with long system delay was seen. However, this finding must be confirmed in larger studies. Clinical Trial Registration-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00835848.

The Lancet, 2016

Background Despite successful treatment of the culprit artery lesion by primary percutaneous coro... more Background Despite successful treatment of the culprit artery lesion by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation, thrombotic embolisation occurs in some cases, which impairs the prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of deferred stent implantation versus standard PCI in patients with STEMI. Methods We did this open-label, randomised controlled trial at four primary PCI centres in Denmark. Eligible patients (aged >18 years) had acute onset symptoms lasting 12 h or less, and ST-segment elevation of 0•1 mV or more in at least two or more contiguous electrocardiographic leads or newly developed left bundle branch block. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1), via an electronic web-based system with permuted block sizes of two to six, to receive either standard primary PCI with immediate stent implantation or deferred stent implantation 48 h after the index procedure if a stabilised fl ow could be obtained in the infarct-related artery. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality, hospital admission for heart failure, recurrent infarction, and any unplanned revascularisation of the target vessel within 2 years' follow-up. Patients, investigators, and treating clinicians were not masked to treatment allocation. We did analysis by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01435408.

JAMA cardiology, 2017

Ischemic postconditioning of the heart during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in... more Ischemic postconditioning of the heart during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) induced by repetitive interruptions of blood flow to the ischemic myocardial region immediately after reopening of the infarct-related artery may limit myocardial damage. To determine whether ischemic postconditioning can improve the clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In this multicenter, randomized clinical trial, patients with onset of symptoms within 12 hours, STEMI, and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grade 0-1 flow in the infarct-related artery at arrival were randomized to conventional PCI or postconditioning. Inclusion began on March 21, 2011, through February 2, 2014, and follow-up was completed on February 2, 2016. Analysis was based on intention to treat. Patients were randomly allocated 1:1 to conventional primary PCI, including stent implantation, or postconditioning performed as 4 repeated 30-second balloon occlu...

American heart journal, 2006

Coronary restenosis is more common in a total coronary occlusion (TCO) than other lesion types af... more Coronary restenosis is more common in a total coronary occlusion (TCO) than other lesion types after implantation of bare metal stents (BMS). But whereas sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) have been shown to improve the outcomes in simple coronary artery lesions, data on their efficacy in complex coronary lesions are scarce. We enrolled 127 patients with coronary artery disease and a TCO > or = 15 mm in length to have either SES or BMS implanted after successful recanalization. Outcome measures included the minimal lumen diameter, the late lumen loss, and angiographic restenosis (> 50% diameter stenosis) at 6 months follow-up and the occurrence of target vessel failure during a 7-month period. The patients were well matched in demographic and angiographic baseline characteristics, and 20% had diabetes. The reference vessel was 2.92 mm in mean, and the lesion length was 25.2 mm. At follow-up, patients who received SES had a minimal lumen diameter of 2.49 mm compared with 1.46 mm in...

The American Journal of Cardiology, 2015

We aimed to assess the risk factors and outcome of ventricular fibrillation (VF) before and durin... more We aimed to assess the risk factors and outcome of ventricular fibrillation (VF) before and during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. From 1999 to 2012, we consecutively enrolled 5,373 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. In total, 410 of the patients had VF before and 88 had VF during PPCI. During a mean follow-up of 4.2 years, 1,196 subjects died. A logistic regression model identified younger age, anterior infarct, Killip class &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;I at admission, and a preprocedural Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow grade of 0 to I to be significantly associated with VF before PPCI, whereas inferior infarct, a preprocedural Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow grade of 0 to I, and Killip class &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;I at admission were significantly associated with VF during PPCI. All-cause mortality was evaluated using the Cox regression model. Compared with the patients without VF, those with VF before or during PPCI had a significantly increased 30-day mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio = 3.40 (95% confidence interval 1.70 to 6.70) and 4.20 (95% confidence interval 1.30 to 13.30), respectively. Importantly, there was no tendency of 30-day mortality difference between VF before and during PPCI (p = 0.170). In patients with VF before or during PPCI who survived for at least 30 days, there was no increase in the long-term mortality. In conclusion, our data suggest that 30-day mortality is the same for patients with VF before PPCI compared with VF during PPCI, and the occurrence of VF before or during PPCI was associated with increased 30-day mortality but not with long-term mortality.

Open heart, 2015

Left atrial (LA) volume is a strong prognostic predictor in patients following ST-segment elevati... more Left atrial (LA) volume is a strong prognostic predictor in patients following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the change in LA volume over time (LA remodelling) following STEMI has been scarcely studied. We sought to identify predictors for LA remodelling and to evaluate the prognostic importance of LA remodelling. This is a subgroup analysis from a randomised clinical trial that evaluated the cardioprotective effect of exenatide treatment. A total of 160 patients with STEMI underwent a cardiovascular MR (CMR) 2 days after primary angioplasty and a second scan 3 months later. LA remodelling was defined as changes in LA volume or function from baseline to 3 months follow-up. Major adverse cardiac events were registered after a median of 5.2 years. Adverse LA minimum volume (LAmin) remodelling was correlated to the presence of hypertension, larger infarct size by CMR, higher peak troponin T, larger area at risk and adverse left ventricular (LV) remodellin...

Interventional Cardiology, 2010

The American journal of cardiology, Jan 11, 2015

Previous studies have shown a poor correlation between angiographic assessment of stenosis grade ... more Previous studies have shown a poor correlation between angiographic assessment of stenosis grade (%) and its functional assessment by fractional flow reserve (FFR). This study aimed to investigate whether a more comprehensive evaluation of the coronary angiogram may contribute to a better identification of flow-limiting stenoses. Coronary angiograms of 1,350 patients (1,883 lesions) were retrospectively analyzed for stenosis grade (eyeballing, %) and matched with FFR values. Angiography-derived optimal cut-off values and intervals delineating the [90% sensitivity-90% specificity] range were 50.8% [42.5-65.0%] for the left main (LM), 62.2% [50.0-72.5%] for the proximal (prox)/mid left anterior descending (LAD) artery, 66.3% [57.5-77.5%] for the prox/mid right coronary artery (RCA), 70.5% [60.0-80.0%] for the prox left circumflex/first obtuse marginal (LCX/OM1), and 71.4% [62.5-82.5%] for the more distal segments. In patients with intermediate LAD lesions, 5 angiographic parameters we...

European heart journal cardiovascular Imaging, Jan 6, 2015

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by acute completely reversible regional left vent... more Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by acute completely reversible regional left ventricle (LV) akinesia and decreased tracer uptake in the akinetic region on semi-quantitative perfusion imaging. The latter may be due to normoperfusion of the akinetic mid/apical area and basal hyperperfusion. Our aim was to examine abnormalities of perfusion in TTC, and we hypothesized that basal hyperperfusion is the primary perfusion abnormality in the acute state. Twenty-five patients were diagnosed with TTC due to (i) acute onset of symptoms, (ii) typical apical ballooning, (iii) absence of significant coronary disease, and (iv) complete remission on 4-month follow-up. The patients underwent coronary angiography (CAG), echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), and (13)NH3/(82)Rb positron emission tomography (PET) in the acute state and-except CAG-on follow-up. Patients initially had severe heart failure, mid/apical oedema but no infarction, and a rise in cardiac bio...

Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology, Jan 25, 2015

No studies in an unselected and nationwide setting have characterized the symptoms and medical hi... more No studies in an unselected and nationwide setting have characterized the symptoms and medical history of patients with sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS). The aim of this study was to identify and describe the symptoms and medical history of patients before the presentation of SADS. We have previously identified all of the autopsied sudden cardiac deaths (SCD; n = 314) in Danes aged 1-35 years between 2000-2006. After comprehensive pathological and toxicological investigation did not reveal a cause of SCD, 136 of the patients were identified as SADS. The National Patient Registry was utilized to obtain information on all in- and outpatient activity in Danish hospitals. All medical records from hospitals and general practitioners, including death certificates and autopsy reports, were reviewed. Before death, 48 (35%) SADS patients had cardiac symptoms; among these, 30 (22%) had contacted the healthcare system. Antecedent symptoms (symptoms >24 hours before death) were presen...

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Short-term mortality has been studied thoroughly in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coro... more Short-term mortality has been studied thoroughly in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), whereas long-term cause of death in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unknown. The goal of this study was to describe the association between time and cause of death in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. A centralized civil registration system, patient files, and public disease and death cause registries with an accurate record linkage were used to trace time and cause of death in 2,804 consecutive patients with STEMI (age 63 ± 13 years, 72% males) treated with primary PCI. Patients were followed up for a median of 4.7 years. During a total of 13,447 patient-years, 717 patients died. Main causes of death within the first 30 days were cardiogenic shock and anoxic brain injury after cardiac arrest. Age, culprit vessel size and flow, and the presence of heart failure and diabetes were independent predictors of mortalit...

European heart journal. Acute cardiovascular care, Jan 15, 2014

Changes in left ventricular (LV) function using echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (... more Changes in left ventricular (LV) function using echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging were assessed in a contemporary ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) population to assess whether repeated imaging is necessary. In a prospective study patients with first STEMI were treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and examined with 2D-echocardiography and CMR at baseline (<72 h) and at a three-month follow-up. A total of 138 patients were included (60±11 years). Using 2D-echocardiography at baseline preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (>50%) was found in 48 patients (35%), mild/moderate systolic dysfunction (35-50%) in 76 patients (55%) and severe dysfunction (<35%) in 14 patients (10%). Improvement in systolic function group was seen in 58 patients (64%) and 11 patients (79%) with severe systolic dysfunction at baseline were re-classified as having preserved or mild/moderate systolic dysfunction at follow...

European heart journal. Acute cardiovascular care, 2015

The impact of angiographically visible distal embolization (DE) and distal protection occurring d... more The impact of angiographically visible distal embolization (DE) and distal protection occurring during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on long-term outcome has not been studied in a contemporary ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) cohort. To evaluate the association between DE and long-term outcome in STEMI patients treated with primary PCI with or without distal protection. In this post-hoc analysis of a randomized study, 591 STEMI patients were randomized to conventional primary PCI or primary PCI with distal protection and followed for 5 years. There was no statistically significant difference in MACE rate between patients treated with or wthout distal protection (19% versus 25%; p=0.10). There seemed to be interaction between distal protection and DE in major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (p=0.08), mortality (p=0.02) and reinfarction (p=0.06), but not admission for heart failure (p=0.40). DE was related to increased risk of admission for heart fai...

European heart journal cardiovascular Imaging, 2014

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an entity mimicking acute myocardial infarction, characterized ... more Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an entity mimicking acute myocardial infarction, characterized by transient severe systolic heart failure. Echocardiographic studies suggest that diastolic dysfunction is present in TTC at presentation; however, no reports exist regarding the time course of left ventricular (LV) recovery. This study describes the recovery of LV systolic and diastolic function in TTC. We hypothesized that, in TTC, there is diastolic dysfunction at admission, and that recovery is delayed compared with systolic function. We enrolled (consecutively 2010-12) 16 patients (mean age 66, range 39-84 years) diagnosed with TTC and 20 healthy matched controls. We performed cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) at admission, pre-discharge, and 3-month follow-up. Diastolic function was assessed by LV peak filling rate (LVPFR) and left atrial (LA) emptying volumes. At admission, LV ejection fraction was low, increased at pre-discharge (37 ± 6 vs. 58 ± 6%, P < 0.001), and nor...

Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2015

BACKGROUND Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an option in certain high-risk surgic... more BACKGROUND Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an option in certain high-risk surgical patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. It is unknown whether TAVR can be safely introduced to lower-risk patients.

nos: 213-264 Everolimus-eluting stent versus bare metal stent in proximal left anterior descendin... more nos: 213-264 Everolimus-eluting stent versus bare metal stent in proximal left anterior descending ST-elevation myocardial infarction Background: ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI) caused by proximal leftanterior descending (LAD) lesions have more myocardium at risk and worse outcomes than those located in other segments. The aim is to compare outcomes of patients with STEMI and proximal-LAD lesions treated with bare-metal stents (BMS) versus everolimus-eluting stents (EES). Methods: The EXAMINATION trial randomized 1498 STEMI patients to BMS vs. EES. The primary endpoint was the patient-oriented combined of all-cause death, anyrecurrent myocardial infarction (MI) and any-revascularization. The secondary endpoint included the device-oriented combined of cardiac death, target-vessel MI and target-lesion revascularization (TLR). Results: STEMI with a proximal-LAD occlusion was observed in 290 patients (BMS¼132 and EES¼158). Both groups were similar except for diabetes (12.9% vs. 24.1%; p¼0.016). At 1 year, the primary end-point was observed in 18.9% and 9.5% of patients treated with BMS and EES, respectively (p¼0.023). The secondary endpoint was observed in 11.4% and 5.1%, respectively (p¼0.053). There were no differences in cardiac death (4.5% vs. 3.8%; p¼0.750) and MI (1.5% vs. 0%; p¼0.121). BMS had higher rate of TLR compared to EES (6.8% vs. 1.3%; p¼0.014). Patients with proximal-LAD STEMI had higher mortality than patients with non proximal-LAD STEMI (5.5% vs. 2.9%; p¼0.027). Proximal-LAD lesions treated with BMS tended to increase the risk of the primary end-point compared with other segments (18.9% vs. 13.0%; p¼0.079). However, EES implanted in proximal-LAD had similar outcomes compared with other locations (9.5% vs. 12.0%; p¼0.430). Adjusting for confounders, the interaction between BMS and proximal-LAD location was associated with the primary end-point. Conclusions: Patients with STEMI and proximal-LAD lesions treated with EES have better outcomes compared with BMS at 1-year. Although further investigations are required, it seems reasonable to consider EES for proximal-LAD STEMI-lesions.

Journal of the American Heart Association, 2015

We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for ventricular fibrillation (VF) before p... more We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for ventricular fibrillation (VF) before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a prospective nationwide setting. In this case-control study, patients presenting within the first 12 hours of first STEMI who survived to undergo angiography and subsequent PPCI were enrolled. Over 2 years, 219 cases presenting with VF before PPCI and 441 controls without preceding VF were enrolled. Of the 219 case patients, 182 (83%) had STEMI with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to VF, and 37 (17%) had cardiac arrest upon arrival to the emergency room. Medical history was collected by standardized interviews and by linkage to national electronic health records. The incidence of VF before PPCI among STEMI patients was 11.6%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified novel associations between atrial fibrillation and alcohol consumption with VF. Patie...

American Heart Journal, 2015