Vicente Bodi

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been demonstrated to be more effective and safer than vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). This meta-analysis aims to assess the effect of DOACS vs. VKA in patients ≥ 80 and AF. Primary endpoints were stroke or systemic embolism and all-cause death. Secondary endpoints included major bleeding, intracranial bleeding, and gastrointestinal bleeding. A random-effects model was selected due to significant heterogeneity. A total of 147,067 patients from 16 studies were included, 71,913 (48.90%) treated with DOACs and 75,154 with VKA (51.10%). The stroke rate was significantly lower in DOACs group compared with warfarin group (Relative risk (RR): 0.72; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63–0.82; p < 0.001). All-cause mortality was significantly lower in DOACs group compared with warfarin group (RR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.70–0.96; p = 0.012). Compared to warfarin, DOACs were not associated with reductions in major bleeding (RR: 0.85, 95% CI 0.69–1.04; p = 0.108) or gastrointestinal bleeding risk (RR: 1.08, 95% CI 0.76–1.53; p = 0.678) but a 43% reduction of intracranial bleeding (RR: 0.47, IC 95% 0.36–0.60; p < 0.001) was observed. Our meta-analysis demonstrates that DOACs are effective and safe with statistical superiority when compared with warfarin in octogenarians with AF.

Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, and its prevalence increases with age. The growing number of older patients and their differential characteristics make its management a challenge in clinical practice. The aim of this review is to summarize the state-of-the-art in diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes in this subgroup of patients. This comprises peculiarities of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) management, updated evidence of non-STEMI therapeutic strategies, individualization of antiplatelet treatment (weighting ischemic and hemorrhagic risks), as well as assessment of geriatric conditions and ethical issues in decision making.

Background In patients with ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) reperfused with primary coronary intervention (PCI), the dynamics of endothelial cell (EC) viability, apoptosis and necrosis and its relationship with the structural consequences on the left ventricle have not been addressed so far. Design In 20 STEMI patients, we incubated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with serum drawn before reperfusion and subsequently afterwards (24, 96 h, 30 days). Viability, apoptosis and necrosis percentages were evaluated by flow cytometry. Values were compared with 12 age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects with normal coronary arteries. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) was performed during the first week after infarction. Results Serum from STEMI patients induced a progressive loss of EC viability, with a nadir of 67·7 ± 10·2% at 96 h (baseline: 75 ± 6% and controls: 80·2 ± 3·9%, P < 0·001 in both cases). This is due to an increase in apoptosis that peaked at 96 h after reperfusion (15·2 ± 7·1% vs. 11 ± 6 at baseline and 5·8 ± 1·6% in controls, P < 0·001 in both cases). However, no significant dynamic changes in EC necrosis were detected. Extensive myocardial oedema (> 30%, median of left ventricular mass) was the only CMR variable significantly associated with a higher percentage of EC apoptosis at 96 h (extensive vs. nonextensive oedema: 18·3 ± 6·8% vs. 12·1 ± 6·3%, P < 0·05). Conclusions Dynamic changes in EC viability occur in the setting of STEMI patients reperfused with PCI, these changes peak late after reperfusion, they are mainly the result of an increase of apoptosis and are associated with the presence of extensive myocardial oedema.

Despite recent advances in the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia, its biochemical identification in patients with acute chest pain is still a challenge, and alternative approaches for further improvement are needed. Metabolic alterations are the first consequences of acute myocardial ischemia. Metabolomics coupled with potent multivariate analyses allows for a simultaneous and relative quantification of thousands of different metabolites within a given sample. Thus, this discipline might exert a great impact on medical practice in cardiovascular medicine by providing a wealth of relevant biochemical data. Metabolomics is a promising tool to improve current, single biomarker-based approaches by identifying metabolic biosignatures that embody global biochemical changes in disease. This is especially relevant for conditions requiring early treatment like myocardial ischemia. This review discusses the potential application of metabolomics in the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia.

Infarct size (IS) at 1 week after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) diminishes during the first months. The incremental prognostic value of IS regression and of scar size (SS) at 6 months is unknown. We compared cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived IS at 1 week and SS at 6 months after MI for predicting late major adverse cardiac events (MACE). 250 patients underwent CMR at 1 week and 6 months after MI. IS and SS were determined as the extent of transmural late enhancement (in >50 % of wall thickness, ETLE). During 163 weeks, 23 late MACE (cardiac death, MI or readmission for heart failure after the 6 months CMR) occurred. Patients with MACE had a larger IS at 1 week (6 [4–9] vs. 3 [1–5], p p = .005) than those without MACE. Late MACE rates in IS >median were higher at 1 week (14 vs. 4 %, p = .007) and in SS >median at 6 months (12 vs. 5 %, p = .053). The C-statistic for predicting late MACE of CMR at 1 week and 6 months was comparable (.720 vs. .746, p = .1). Only ETLE at 1 week (HR 1.31 95 % CI [1.14–1.52], p