Volume 8 • Issue 3 • September-2022 – JCE – Journal of Cardiovascular Emergencies

Cardiac Biomarkers in 2022 – a Vital Tool for Emergency Care

Theodora Benedek, Monica Marton-Popovici — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 16:02:32 +0000

ABSTRACT
The role of cardiac biomarkers in diagnosing acute myocardial infarction is undoubted. In the 2020 guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology, the measurement of cardiac peptides to gain prognostic information has a class IIa indication in all patients with ACS. In emergency care, ruling out a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction requires documentation of normal levels of cardiac biomarkers, which remain stable or have very small variations within several hours. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge and recent progresses in the field of cardiac biomarker discovery, from their routine use in emergency rooms to their prognostic roles in modern risk assessment tools. Integrated approaches combining cardiac troponin with other biomarkers of ventricular dysfunction or inflammation, or with modern cardiac imaging in emergency care are also presented, as well as the role of modern algorithms for serial troponin measurement in the modern management of emergency departments.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Features Associated with the Risk of Cardiac Arrest in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Evelin Szabo, Lehel Bordi, Teofana Mihaila, Cristian Tolescu, Imre Benedek — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 16:11:38 +0000

ABSTRACT
Background: Cardiac arrest (CA) is the most severe complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Besides the location and severity of coronary occlusion, different factors may have significant role in the pathogenesis of AMI-related cardiac arrest (CA), but their contribution is still under investigation. The aim of the study was to investigate the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) features of myocardial injury associated with a higher risk of CA accompanying an AMI. Methods: In total, 918 myocardial segments from 54 post-AMI patients undergoing CMR imaging with delayed gadolinium enhancement were enrolled in the study, of which 18.54% presented CA during the acute phase of AMI. In all patients, infarct mass, the proportion of high transmurality extent, and scar mass at different myocardial segments were calculated using QMap software (Medis BV). Results: Compared to patients without CA, those with CA had a significantly higher infarct size (p = 0.03) and a higher degree of transmurality (29.28% vs. 14.1%, p = 0.01). The risk of CA during the acute phase was significantly higher in patients in whom the location of myocardial injury was at the level of latero-apical, anterolateral, and basal anterior segments. Group 1 presented a larger infarct size at the level of the latero-apical (33.9 ± 30.6 g vs. 13.6 ± 17.3 g, p = 0.02), anterolateral (26.5 ± 29.0 g vs. 8.9 ± 12.8 g, p = 0.02), and anterobasal segment (20.1 ± 21.5 g vs. 7.8 ± 14.7 g, p = 0.02). Conclusions: CMR imaging identified infarct mass, high transmurality degree, and large myocardial injury as features associated with an increased risk of CA in the acute phase of AMI, especially at the level of anterolateral segments.

Adhesion Molecules and Vulnerable Plaques – Promoters of Acute Coronary Syndromes

Diana Opincariu, Theodora Benedek — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 20:26:58 +0000

Biological factors that characterize extrinsic plaque vulnerability include various pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Adhesion molecules are among the initiators of the atherosclerotic process, by mediation of endothelial inflammation. The soluble forms of these adhesion molecules have been identified in the circulatory blood, with an increased level in case of subjects with atherosclerotic lesions and higher levels in patients with acute coronary syndromes or vulnerable plaques. In addition, several authors have found a significant predictive capacity of these molecules in case of patients presenting with acute coronary and cerebrovascular events. The aim of this manuscript is to provide a short description of the role of adhesion molecules in the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions towards acute coronary syndromes, as well as their capacity for predicting major adverse cardiovascular events in vulnerable cardiovascular patients.

Superficial Vein Thrombophlebitis of Lower Limb Caused by an Intra-vascular Foreign Metallic Body

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 16:57:52 +0000