Browsing by Subject "Coronary Stenosis"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Downstream coronary effects of drug-eluting stents.
    (Am Heart J, 2011-10) Krasuski, Richard A; Cater, George M; Devendra, Ganesh P; Wolski, Kathy; Shishehbor, Mehdi H; Nissen, Steven E; Oberti, Carlos; Ellis, Stephen G
    BACKGROUND: Antiproliferative agents used in drug-eluting stents (DES) attenuate atherosclerosis, yet DES implantation has been linked to endothelial dysfunction. The downstream effects of DES on new lesion formation have not been previously directly examined. We sought to compare the development of de novo stenoses and need for treatment in the downstream coronary vessel of patients treated with DES or a bare-metal stent. METHODS: Angiographic images and procedural information were prospectively collected on 463 adults who underwent implantation of a single stent in a proximal coronary artery, had an appropriate control vessel for comparison, and subsequently returned for intervention. Propensity matching identified 89 pairs of patients. End points were defined as angiographic identification of a de novo stenosis or need for secondary intervention in the downstream vessel within 12 months of initial intervention. RESULTS: In the overall (P < .01) and propensity-matched cohort (P = .01), there was reduced risk of new lesions downstream to DES. No difference was seen in respective control vessels (P = .14 and P = .99). A reduced need for downstream intervention with DES was seen in both the overall (P = .01) and propensity-matched cohorts (P = .04). No difference was seen in the control vessels (P = .98 and P = .36). Multivariate proportional hazards modeling of known atherosclerosis risk factors identified stent type as the sole predictor for downstream lesions (P < .01) and downstream events (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving DES appear less likely to develop downstream stenoses and events compared with patients receiving bare-metal stents, suggesting beneficial downstream drug delivery.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Utility of observation units for young emergency department chest pain patients.
    (Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2013-02) Ely, Sora; Chandra, Abhinav; Mani, Giselle; Drake, Weiying; Freeman, Debbie; Limkakeng, Alexander T
    BACKGROUND: Determining which patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) require further work-up for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can be difficult. The utility of routine observation for cardiac testing in low-risk young adult patients has been questioned. STUDY OBJECTIVES: We investigated the rate of positive findings yielded by routine cardiac observation unit work-up in patients aged 40 years or younger. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational cohort study of patients aged 18-40 years who were evaluated for ACS in an ED-based observation unit. Data were collected by trained abstractors from electronic medical records. RESULTS: A total of 362 patients met inclusion criteria. Of those, 239 received stress testing, yielding five positive and nine indeterminate results. One other patient had acute troponin elevation while under observation. The positive stress test patients and troponin-elevated patient underwent cardiac angiography. Only one positive stress test patient showed significant coronary stenosis and received coronary interventions. In follow-up data, one patient had an adverse cardiac outcome within 1 year of index visit, but no coronary interventions. Thus, only 3 patients had adverse cardiac events, with only one patient warranting intervention discovered by observation unit stress testing and a second via serial cardiac markers. CONCLUSION: Routine observation of symptomatic young adults for ACS had low yield. Observation identified one patient with acute cardiac marker elevation and further stress testing identified only one patient with intervenable ACS, despite a high false-positive rate. This suggests that observation and stress testing should not be routinely performed in this demographic absent other high-risk features.