egory of coronary heart disease that ranges from unstable angina to ST elevation myocardial infarction (MI). Its initial evaluation relies heavily on rapid triage according to the electrocardiogram and cardiac biomarkers. The cornerstone of treatment for ST ele vation MI is rapid reperfusion, which can be achieved either by fibrinolysis or primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). When ...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to determine whether remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) initiated prior to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) could reduce myocardial infarct (MI) size in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. BACKGROUND RIC, using transient limb ischemia and reperfusion, can protect the heart against acute ischemia-reperfusion injury. ...

• Objective: To review the clinical trials of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) inhibitors for unstable angina or non–ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) and to provide a practice guide for the use of these agents in this setting. • Methods: Clinical trials relating to GPIIb/IIIa antagonists and acute coronary syndromes were identified from a MEDLINE search of articles published be...

N on-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is lower on the severity spectrum of acute coronary syndromes than is myocardial infarction (MI), resulting from complete occlusion of a major coronary artery. As the name implies, it is a syndrome that does not exhibit the dramatic ST elevation observed in the standard 12-lead ECG in chest pain patients with confirmed acute MI. The important cli...

BACKGROUND Rapid and correct diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (MI) has an important impact on patient treatment and prognosis. We compared the diagnostic performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and cardiac enriched microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients with MI. METHODS Circulating concentrations of cardiac-enriched miR-208b and miR-499 were measured by quantitative PCR i...

BACKGROUND Validation of whole blood, point-of-care testing devices for monitoring cardiac markers to aid clinicians in ruling in and ruling out myocardial infarction (MI) is necessary for both laboratory and clinical acceptance. METHODS This study evaluated the clinical diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the First Medical Cardiac Test device operated by nursing and laboratory personne...

BACKGROUND Cystatin C is reportedly a better endogenous marker of glomerular filtration rate than serum creatinine, so the prognostic value of cystatin C in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) was evaluated in the present study. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 71 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation MI <24 h from symptom onset wer...

INTRODUCTION There are many reports evaluating the effects of the amplitude of ST segment elevation in acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation (STEMI) on infarction zone and course. There are, however, few publications dealing with the effects of ST segment elevation shape in STEMI patients on their clinical course and prognosis. AIM Assessment of the rate of "tombstoning" of ST...