Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an unusual, but increasingly recognized, cause of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), especially among younger patients without conventional risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). Although dissection of the coronary intima or media is a hallmark finding, hematoma formation within the vessel wall is often present. It remains uncle...

AIMS To examine long-term healthcare utilization and costs of patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD). METHODS AND RESULTS Linked cohort study of 94 966 patients with SCAD in England, 1 January 2001 to 31 March 2010, identified from primary care, secondary care, disease, and death registries. Resource use and costs, and cost predictors by time and 5-year cardiovascular disease (CV...

BACKGROUND Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) payment is preferred by healthcare reform in various countries but its implementation in resource-limited countries has not been fully explored. OBJECTIVES This study was aimed (1) to compare the characteristics of hospitals in Thailand that were audited with those that were not and (2) to develop a simplified scale to measure hospital coding practice....

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), an uncommon cause of myocardial infarction, typically affects a younger, otherwise healthy population. There are currently no known direct causes of this condition, although some correlations have been noted. Commonly found in women, the asymptomatic presentation in men is very rare. Herein, we report the case of an 18-year-old man who presented to...

A predisposing weakness of the vessel wall has been assumed in patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissections (sCAD). Skin biopsies from many patients with sCAD show mild connective tissue alterations. However, their assessment depends on an invasive and highly specialized technique. Clinical signs of connective tissue disease are absent in the majority of CAD patients. In this review we...

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an emerging and rare cause of acute coronary syndrome and sudden cardiac death. While it was previously reported among young females with fibromuscular dysplasia, new literature indicates that this condition could occur in older populations. Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) causes systemic necrotizing vasculitis which typically affects small to medium-...

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) should be strongly suspected in young women with few or no traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis. Prompt diagnosis and treatment improve survival. The most appropriate strategy for managing SCAD is still controversial due to the heterogeneity of this population. We describe a case of spontaneous left main coronary artery (LMCA) dissection in ...

S pontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare clinical entity of unknown cause that typically affects young women without coronary risk factors. 1–5 Initial reports were scarce and based on autopsy findings after episodes of sudden cardiac death, suggesting that the condition had a dismal prognosis. 1,2 An intimal tear was seldom found in autopsy series and, therefore, primary disrup...

BACKGROUND Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard for evaluating therapy; however, controversy exists regarding the applicability of such results to daily practice, as patients are often pre-selected and may not reflect real-world clinical settings. We studied the eligibility criteria for 3102 "real-life" patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) according to the ISCHEMIA ...