AIMS Prognostic importance of coronary vessel dominance in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess influence of coronary vessel dominance on the short- and long-term outcome after STEMI. METHODS AND RESULTS Coronary angiographic images of consecutive patients presenting with first STEMI were retrospectively reviewed to as...

AIMS To examine age-dependent in-hospital mortality for hospitalization with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in England and Wales. METHODS AND RESULTS Mixed-effects regression analysis using data from 616 011 ACS events at 255 hospitals as recorded in the Myocardial Ischemia National Audit Project (MINAP) 2003-2010; 102 415 (16.7%) patients were aged <55 years and 72 721 (11.9%) ≥85 years. Pat...

Objective: Heparin and enoxaparin possess anti-inflammatory properties. We compared the effects of these drugs on inflammatory biomarkers in patients with ST-segment Elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Method: Thirty four patients with STEMI randomly separated in two groups and received standard doses of heparin and enoxaparin. The serum concentration of Serum Amyloid A (SAA), C-Reactive Pr...

BACKGROUND The impact of the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association cholesterol guidelines on statin eligibility in individuals otherwise destined to experience cardiovascular disease (CVD) events is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed a prospective cohort of consecutive ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients from a regional STEMI system with ...

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases in Taiwan. The management strategies for STEMI are to do early diagnosis, minimize delay of medical contact, and administration of reperfusion therapy as rapidly as possible. Initial evaluation in emergency department for STEMI includes concise history taking, physical examination, electrocardio...

BACKGROUND Despite the high incidence and mortality of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) among the very elderly, risk markers for this condition remain poorly defined. This study was designed to identify independent markers of STEMI among individuals carefully selected for being healthy or manifesting STEMI in < 24 h. METHODS We enrolled participants aged 80 years or older of...

OBJECTIVE To compare the quantity, subtype, and progression of atherosclerosis by cardiac computed tomography (CT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients with stable (SAP) and unstable angina pectoris or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (UAP/n-STEMI). METHODS Forty patients with SAP and 20 with UAP/n-STEMI underwent cardiac CT and angiography with IVUS at baseline and after one...

BACKGROUND The majority of patients who suffer a ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI) are hospitalized for longer than 48 h. With the advent of reperfusion therapy, the benefits of such extended hospitalization has been questioned. The goal of this qualitative study was to identify the root causes for prolonged hospitalization in STEMI patients in order to refine future interventions to opt...

BACKGROUND Current guidelines suggest a "door-in-door-out" (DIDO) time of 30 minutes or shorter for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who arrive at a STEMI referral hospital and are transferred to a STEMI-receiving center for primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Experts previously identified 18 system practices as critical for reducing DIDO times. The objec...

OBJECTIVE Routine evaluation of performance measures for the system of care for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is needed to improve the STEMI network. We sought to evaluate the current status of reperfusion therapy for STEMI in the capital city of a developing country where a STEMI network was introduced in 2010. METHODS Data were obtained from a local registry. A to...