Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), a term used to cover a group of clinical symptoms compatible with acute myocardial ischemia, represents a high-risk group of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). To improve quality of care, international guidelines for the management of ACS have been established and are updated regularly. In the era of evidence based medicine, adherence to therapeutic guidelines is essential for optimal care of ACS patients. However, most data on ACS epidemiology, treatment and outcomes are derived from western population. There are limited data in Chinese population in terms of prevalence, presentation, response to treatment and clinical outcome. / Among 624 patients finished Short Form (SF)-36 questionnaires, health related quality of life (HRQoL) were compared between patients underwent PCI versus those treated conservatively across 3 age groups (<60, 60-79 and ≥80 years). PCI was performed in 73.6%,55.7% and 21.3% in patients aged <60,60-79 and older than 80 years, respectively (p<0.01). Elderly patients were more likely to be female (16.9 vs. 35.4 vs. 54.6%, p<0.01) and had more co-morbidities (p<0.01). Older patients were less likely to undergo angiography (84.8 vs. 65.2 vs. 24.8%, p<0.01). Baseline HRQoL decreased with advancing age (p<0.01). However, elderly patients who underwent PCI-experienced the most improvement in physical health than younger age groups. PCI was an independent predictor (OR, 1.79,95% CI: 1.10-2.92) of better physical health status at 6 months. In conclusion, elderly ACS patients who underwent PCI experienced the most improvement in physical health compared to younger patients. Our findings suggest that age per se should not deter against revascularization because of potential benefits in HRQOL. / In summary, this is the first registry which described patients' characteristics, treatment and management practices, and hospital outcomes over the whole spectrum of ACS in Hong Kong. The study identified gaps between guideline and clinical practice as well as the reasons of these gaps, and measured the impact of such gaps on the outcomes of patients with ACS. Compared with internationally reported data, Hong Kong patients are different in terms of age and risk factors distribution. Treatment gaps exist between international therapeutic guideline recommendations and clinical practice, especially among the high risk population, the elderly and female patients. Better understanding and narrowing these gaps between guideline and practice will lead to improvement in quality of care and clinical outcomes. Increase use ofrisk stratification models and health status assessments may improve decision making in the management of ACS. / Patients with ACS were divided into low- and high-predicted risk of mortality at 6 months using the GRACE risk score (≥142.5 was defined as high-risk). We evaluated the use of in-hospital angiography, revascularization, anti-platelet, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), beta-blockers and statins therapy between high and low-risk patients. There were 259 patients in the high- and 742 in the low-risk groups. Paradoxically, high-risk compared to low-risk patients were less likely to underwent coronary angiography and/or revascularization during the index hospitalization (33% vs. 64% and 25% vs. 50%, both p<0.01). Hospital initiated pharmacotherapies are also lower in high-risk patients (24% vs. 55% for c1opidogrel, 49% vs. 58% for ACEI/ARBs, 54% vs. 69% for beta-blockers and 56% vs. 77% for statins; all p<0.01). After adjustment, high-risk patients remained less likely to undergo revascularization (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.47; 95% CI, 0.33-0.73, p<0.001) than low-risk patients. Advanced age, increased creatinine level and higher GRACE score were independent predictors for failure to administer evidence-based therapies. Thus, patients with ACS at high risk of mortality were paradoxically less likely to undergo revascularization or receive medications according to guidelines. Better adherence to evidence-based therapies in high-risk patients may improve clinical outcome and quality of health care. / The Hong Kong ACS registry was designed to investigate epidemiology, treatment and outcome of ACS patients under current medical care system, it was conducted in a university affiliated teaching hospital from February 2006 to December 2009. Clinical characteristics and treatment data were collected at baseline, 30 days and 6 months after onset in a standard defined case report form. SF-36 questionnaire was completed after admission and at 6 months. Outcomes were evaluated mortality and morbidity in clinical aspect and quality of life in aspect of health status. / The Main findings were as followed: Totally 1001 patients admitted with ACS were recruited. Among all patients enrolled, 31.7% were diagnosed with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, 42.7% with non-S'T-segrnent myocardial infarction and 21.6% with unstable angina. The median age was 72 (interquartile range 61-79) years; 77.2% were >60 years old, and 31.5% were women. / Women presented more often with NSTE-ACS than men (77.3% of women vs. 63.2% of men, p<0.001). Despite having greater cornorbidities including hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, renal impairment and history of heart failure etc., women were observed to have higher GRACE (global registry of acute coronaryevents) score than men (128+/-32 vs. 118+/-37, p score than men (128+/-32 vs. 118+/-37, p<0.01). Women were less likely to be assigned invasive procedures (43.3% vs. 62.9%, p<0.001) as well as pharmacotherapies such as clopidogrel (41.1% vs. 58.8%, p<0.001), glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa antagonists (5.3% vs. 11.6%, p=0.001) and statins (64.1% vs. 77.2%, p<0.01) et al. than men. For in-hospital mortality, the adjusted odds ratio for men compared to women was similar (odds ratio [OR]: 1.32, 95% CI: 0.62-2.83, p=0.47). The higher 6 month mortality and major cardiac events rate in women were not significant after adjusting for differences in clinical characteristics and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (OR=1.02; 95% CI 0.62 to 1.68; p=0.95). In summary, there were differences in baseline characteristics and in the management of women and men admitted for ACS. Advanced age and high comorbidities prevalence could explain most of the difference between genders suggesting that decision making bias in clinical practice is anti-age but not anti-female. Overall, in-hospital and 6 months mortality was similar for women and men after adjustments. / Li, Rujie. / "December 2010." / Adviser: Cheuk-Man Yu. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-04, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-166). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

Background: Platelets provide the initial haemostatic plug at sites of vascular injury. They also participate in pathological thrombosis that leads to myocardial infarction, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. The outcome of an acute myocardial infarction depends not only on the formation and stability of an occlusive thrombus, but also on the efficacy of the endogenous thrombolytic process, which allows reperfusion of the infarct related artery and prevents recurrent ischaemic episodes. Various platelet function tests are available to measure the thrombogenic potential of an individual, but the sensitivity of these tests remain questionable as most of these tests use citrated blood and measure response to a particular agonist. Endogenous thrombolysis has been a neglected entity, and its beneficial effects on cardiovascular outcomes has not been studied in depth in the past, possibly as until recently there has been no available technique to measure spontaneous thrombolytic activity in native blood. The Global Thrombosis Test (GTT) is a new point of care tests that allows us to measure time to thrombus formation (Occlusion time: OT) using native blood, avoiding the use of agonists and making the test results more physiological. The GTT also measures the time to lyse this formed thrombi without use of any lytic agents (Lysis time: LT), allowing us to measure the patient’s endogenous thrombolytic potential. Aim: Our aim in this study was to detect patients who are at risk of future thrombotic events despite dual antiplatelet therapy, either due to prothrombotic tendency or due to impaired endogenous thrombolysis, and to determine if these two parameters were correlated. Methods: GTT was used to assess the thrombotic and thrombolytic activity in healthy volunteers, and in different patient populations. 100 healthy volunteers were tested using the GTT, and a normal range was established. 300 patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were included in the study, and tested using the GTT after they had been stabilized on dual antiplatelet therapy (Aspirin and Clopidogrel). All these patients were followed up for a year, to determine if their baseline GTT results were a predictor of recurrent cardiac events. The primary endpoint of the study was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), which was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke at 12 months. Results: All results were analysed using statistical package SPSS version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois). The 100 healthy volunteers were all non-smokers, and were not taking any medications. There were 55 males and 45 females, and mean age was 38±11 years (range 22-76, IQR 11). OT was normally distributed with mean OT 377.80s, and using mean ± 2SD, we derived a normal range of 185-569s (200-550s). LT demonstrated a skewed distribution with values ranging between 457 – 2934s. Using log transformation, a normal range of 592 – 1923 (600- 2000s) was established for LT. OT and LT were both prolonged in ACS patients compared to normal volunteers (p< 0.001). No association was observed between OT and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. LT was noted to be a significant and independent predictor of MACE in a multivariate model adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors. LT ≥ 3000 s was the optimal cutoff value for predicting 6 month MACE [hazard ratio (HR): 2.48, 95% CI: 1.2-4.8, P= 0.008] and cardiovascular death [HR: 4.04, 95% CI : 1.3-12.0, P= 0.012 ] and 12 month MACE [HR:1.9, 95% CI: 1.04- 3.5,P= 0.03] and cardiovascular death [HR: 3.9,95% CI: 1.34-11.9, P= 0.013 ]. LT ≥ 3000 s was observed in 23% of ACS patients. Conclusions: Our study suggests that endogenous thrombolytic activity based on lysis of platelet rich thrombi can be assessed by the point of care GTT assay, which can help in identification of ACS patients at high risk of future cardiac events. Prolongation of OT may be explained by the antiplatelet effects of Aspirin and Clopidogrel, as both these drugs prolong time to thrombus formation and hence increase OT. Further large studies are required to study factors which can reduce thrombogenic potential, and improve endogenous thrombolytic activity, which can be monitored using the GTT to improve cardiovascular outcomes.

Background In patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) or chronic kidney disease (CKD), established cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with an increased risk of recurrent events and poor outcome. Ischemic stroke after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a devastating event that carries high risks of decreased patient independence and death. Among patients with DM or CKD, the risk of an ischemic stroke within a year following an AMI is not known. Improved risk factor control is required to reduce the likelihood of CVD recurrence. Guidelines recommend target lipid profile and blood pressure values; however, data show that these targets are often not met. Therefore, there remains an urgent need for improved cardiovascular secondary preventive follow- up. Aims The aims of the present studies were to define trends in the incidence and predictors of ischemic stroke after an AMI in patients with DM or CKD. Furthermore to assess whether secondary preventive follow-up with nurse-based telephone follow-up including medication titration after CVD improves risk factor values in patients with DM or CKD and to investigate if this method performs better than usual care to implement a new treatment guideline in diabetic patients. Methods To assess the risk of post-AMI ischemic stroke, patient data were obtained from the Swedish Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admissions (RIKS-HIA). In separate studies, we compared a total of 173 233 AMI patients with and without DM, and 118 434 AMI patients with and without CKD. Within the nurse-based age-independent intervention to limit evolution of disease (NAILED) trial, we investigated a nurse-based cardiovascular secondary preventive follow-up protocol. Patients with acute coronary syndrome, stroke, or transient ischemic attack were randomized to receive either nurse-based telephone follow-up (intervention) or usual care (control). Low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels and blood pressure (BP) were measured at 1 month (baseline) and 12 months post- discharge. Intervention patients with above-target baseline values received medication titration to achieve treatment goals, while the measurements for control patients were forwarded to their general practitioners for assessment. We calculated the changes in LDL-C level and BP between baseline and 12 months post-discharge, and compared  these changes between 225 intervention patients and 215 control patients with concurrent DM or CKD. During the course of the NAILED trial, new secondary preventive guidelines for DM patients were released, including a new LDL-C target value. To assess adherence to the new guidelines within the NAILED trial, we compared LDL-C levels in the 101 intervention patients and 100 control patients with DM. Results Ischemic stroke after AMI The rates of ischemic stroke within one-year after admission for an AMI decreased over time, from 7.1% in 1998–2000 to 4.7% in 2007–2008 among DM patients, and from 4.2% to 3.7% during the same time periods for non-diabetic patients. Lower stroke risk was associated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and initiation of secondary preventive treatments in-hospital. In-hospital ischemic stroke occurred in 2.3% of CKD patients and 1.2% of non-CKD patients, with no change in these incidences over time. The rates of one-year post- discharge ischemic stroke decreased between 2003–2004 and 2009–2010 from 4.1% to 2.5% among CKD patients, and from 2.0% to 1.3% among non-CKD patients. Lower rates of post-discharge stroke were associated with PCI and statins. Cardiovascular secondary preventive follow-up Among DM and CKD patients with above-target baseline values in the NAILED trial, the median LDL-C value at 12 months was 2.2 versus 3.0 mmol/L (p&lt;0.001) and median systolic BP was 140 versus 145 mmHg (p=0.26) for intervention and control patients, respectively. Before the guideline change, 96% of the intervention and 70% of the control patients reached the target LDL-C value (p&lt;0.001). After the guideline change, the corresponding respective proportions were 65% and 36% (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion Ischemic stroke is a fairly common post-AMI complication among patients with DM and CKD. This risk of stroke has decreased during recent years, possibly due to the increased use of evidence-based therapies. Compared with usual care, cardiovascular secondary prevention including nurse-based telephone follow-up improved LDL-C values at 12 months after discharge in patients with DM or CVD, and led to more efficient implementation of new secondary preventive guidelines.

Contexto: a eficácia dos inibidores da 3-hidróxi-3-metilglutaril-coenzima (HMG-CoA) redutase (estatinas) na prevenção primária e secundária na doença cardiovascular é bem estabelecida na literatura. Contudo os benefícios destes fármacos na prevenção secundária de mortalidade e eventos cardiovasculares no paciente com Síndrome Coronariana Aguda (SCA), ainda não foram completamente esclarecidos. Objetivo: analisar os benefícios do uso das estatinas comparadas a placebo ou cuidados usuais nos pacientes com SCA quanto a redução de mortalidade (por todas as causas), infarto agudo do miocárdio (fatal e não-fatal), intervenção coronária percutânea, revascularização cirúrgica do miocárdio e hospitalização. Base de Dados: trata-se de uma revisão sistemática finalizada em 29 de Janeiro de 2012, cuja seleção dos ensaios clínicos controlados e randomizados (ECCR) foi realizada nas bases de dados eletrônicas PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, LILACS e Banco de Teses - CAPES. Coleta de Dados: a extração das informações sobre características basais dos estudos incluídos, avaliação da qualidade metodológica e desfechos não combinados foi realizada por dois investigadores de forma independente. Resultados: foram incluídos na metanálise 18 ECCR, que envolveram 15.370 pacientes com SCA. O uso das estatinas mostrou benefício na redução da mortalidade por todas as causas, diferença de risco (rd) = -0,0066 (IC 95% -0,0121 a -0,001; P=0,8459; I2=0%) e hospitalização rd = -0,0101 (IC 95% -0,0188 a -0,0014; P=2,1496; I2=76%). Quanto aos desfechos mortalidade cardiovascular, infarto agudo do miocárdio fatal e não fatal, intervenção coronária percutânea e revascularização cirúrgica do miocárdio não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos estatinas versus placebo ou cuidados usuais. Conclusões: as evidências disponíveis apontam que as estatinas causam redução na mortalidade por todas as causas e na hospitalização, porém não demonstram diferença quando comparadas ao placebo ou cuidados usuais em outros eventos de importante magnitude clínica e econômica no âmbito dos serviços de saúde e da sociedade. / Context: the effectiveness of inhibitors of 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-Coenzyme (HMG-CoA) reductase (statins) in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease is well established in the literature. However, the benefits of these drugs in secondary prevention of mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) have still not been fully clarified. Objective: to analyze the benefits of using statins compared to placebo or usual care in patients with SCA on the reduction of mortality (from all causes), myocardial infarction (fatal and non-fatal), percutaneous coronary intervention, revascularization and hospitalization. Database: this is a systematic review completed on January 29, 2012, whose selection of randomized and controlled clinical trials (ECCR) was held in electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed/Cochrane Central, LILACS and Theses database-CAPES. Data collection: two researchers performed the extraction of information about Basal characteristics of included studies, evaluation of methodological quality and outcomes not independently combined. Results: were included in the meta-analysis, involving 18 ECCR 15,370 patients with SCA. The use of statins has shown benefit in reducing mortality from all causes, risk difference (rd) = -0.0066 (CI 95% -0.0121 to -0.001; P = 0.8459; I2 = 0%) and hospitalization rd = -0.0101 (CI 95% -0.0188 to -0.0014; P = 2.1496; I2 = 76%). As to cardiovascular, myocardial infarction fatal and non-fatal coronary intervention, and percutaneous revascularization mortality outcomes, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups statins versus placebo or usual care. Conclusions: the available evidence suggests that statins cause a reduction in mortality from all causes and hospitalization, but do not demonstrate difference when compared to placebo or usual care in other important events within cost-effective clinic and economic magnitude of health services and society.

Introdução: As diretrizes atuais recomendam classificar o risco de doentes com síndrome coronária aguda (SCA), visando a embasar decisões terapêuticas e para informar pacientes e equipe de saúde. Há diversos modelos prognósticos para pacientes com SCA, que, no entanto, podem ter limitações de calibração ou discriminação em função de terem sido elaborados há vários anos e em outras populações. Objetivo: Elaborar escores prognósticos para predição de eventos desfavoráveis em 30 dias e 6 meses, em população não selecionada portadora de SCA, com ou sem supradesnivelamento do segmento ST (SST), atendida em hospital privado terciário. Métodos: Trata-se de uma coorte prospectiva de pacientes recrutados consecutivamente de 1º de agosto de 2009 até 20 de junho de 2012. Definimos como desfecho primário composto a ocorrência de óbito por qualquer causa, infarto ou reinfarto não fatais, acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) não-fatal, parada cardiorrespiratória revertida e sangramento maior. As variáveis preditoras foram selecionadas a partir de dados clínicos, laboratoriais, eletrocardiográficos e da terapêutica. O modelo final foi obtido por meio de regressão logística e submetido à validação interna, utilizando-se técnica de bootstrap. A performance, calibração e discriminação do modelo final foram avaliadas com a estatística Brier escore, o teste de Hosmer-Lemeshow e a área sob a curva ROC (AROC), respectivamente. Resultados: A amostra de desenvolvimento dos escores foi de 760 pacientes, dos quais 132 com diagnóstico de SCA com SST e 628 com SCA sem SST. A média de idade foi de 63,2 anos (± 11,7), sendo 583 homens (76,7%). O modelo final para predição de eventos em 30 dias contém cinco variáveis preditoras: idade >=70 anos, antecedente de neoplasia, fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo (FEVE) ?40%, valor de troponina I > 12,4ng/ml e trombólise química. O valor de P do teste de Hosmer-Lemeshow foi 0,72. Na validação interna, a estatística C foi de 0,71, e Brier escore, 0,06. O modelo final para predição de eventos em 6 meses é composto das seguintes variáveis: antecedente de neoplasia, FEVE <40%, trombólise química, troponina I >14,3ng/ml, creatinina >1,2mg/dl, antecedente de doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica (DPOC) e hemoglobina <13,5g/dl. O valor de P do teste de Hosmer-Lemeshow foi 0,38. Na validação interna, a estatística C foi de 0,69, e Brier escore, 0,08. Conclusão: Desenvolvemos escores (Escores HCor) de fácil utilização e boa performance para predição de eventos adversos em 30 dias e 6 meses em pacientes com síndrome coronária aguda, com ou sem SST, atendidos em hospital terciário privado. / Introduction: Current guidelines recommend classifying the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with the aim of improving therapeutic decisions and better communicate prognosis to patients and healthcare personnel. There are several prognostic models for ACS patients. However, these may have limited calibration and discrimination as they were elaborated several years ago and using different populations. Objective: To develop prognostic scores for prediction of unfavorable events on 30 days and 6 months in an unselected population of ST-segment elevation ACS or non-ST-segment elevation ACS, admitted to a private tertiary hospital. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort enrolling all eligible patients from August 1, 2009 to June 20, 2012. Our primary composite endpoint for both the 30-day and 6-month models was death from any cause, non-fatal myocardial infarction or re-infarction, non-fatal cerebrovascular accident (CVA), non-fatal cardiac arrest and major bleeding. Predicting variables were selected for clinical, laboratory, electrocardiographic and therapeutic data. We elaborated the final models using logistic regression, and used boostrap analysis for internal validation. We used Brier score, Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and area under the ROC curve to assess global performance, calibration and discrimination, respectively. Results: We considered 760 patients for the development sample, of which 132 had ST-segment elevation ACS and 628 non-ST-segment elevation ACS. The mean age was 63.2 years (± 11.7), and 583 were men (76.7%). The final model to predict 30-day events is comprised by five independent variables: age >= 70 years, history of cancer, ejection fraction (LVEF) ? 40%, troponin I value of ?12.4 ng /ml and chemical thrombolysis. Hosmer-Lemeshow p-value was 0.72. In the internal validation analysis, C statistics was 0.71 and Brier score 0.06. The final model to predict 6-month events also includes history of of neoplasia, LVEF ? 40%, chemical thrombolysis, troponin >14.3 ng/ml, and three additional variables: creatinine ? 1.2 mg/dl, history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hemoglobin ? 13.5 g/dl. Hosmer-Lemeshow p-value was 0.38. In the internal validation analysis, C statistics was 0.69 and Brier score 0.08. Conclusion: We elaborated prognostic scores (HCor Score) of easy application and good performance for predicting adverse events in 30 days and 6 months for patients with ST-elevation and non-ST elevation ACS admitted to a tertiary private hospital.

No Brasil são realizadas aproximadamente três milhões de cirurgias por ano. Apesar dos avanços nas técnicas cirúrgicas e anestésicas, a mortalidade e o custo relacionados a estes procedimentos estão aumentando, sendo fundamental o desenvolvimento de estratégias para redução da mortalidade. A ocorrência de um infarto agudo do miocárdio (IAM) perioperatório prolonga a estadia hospitalar e aumenta a mortalidade. A fisiopatologia do IAM perioperatório pode envolver a instabilização de placas de ateroscleose com trombose ou o desbalanço entre oferta e consumo de oxigênio secundário à anemia ou hipotensão. Dependendo do mecanismo predominante, o prognóstico e tratamento podem ser diferentes. Apesar disto, faltam estudos clínicos desenhados para estabelecer a fisiopatologia do IAM perioperatório em pacientes que sobreviveram a estes eventos. O achado de lesões complexas na cineangiocoronariografia, embora possa ocorrer em pacientes com doença arterial coronária (DAC) estável, é mais freqüente em pacientes com angina instável e IAM, estando claramente relacionado com ruptura e instabilização da placa. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar os achados angiográficos, incluindo as características das lesões coronarianas, em pacientes divididos em três grupos diagnósticos distintos: Síndromes Coronarianas Agudas (SCA) após operações não cardíacas, SCA espontâneas e doença arterial coronária estável. Entre fevereiro de 2006 e junho de 2010, foram avaliadas e comparadas as características clínicas e angiográficas de 120 pacientes com SCA após operações não cardíacas (grupo SCAPO), 120 pacientes que procuraram o serviço de emergência com SCA espontâneas (grupo SCAES) e 240 pacientes do ambulatório de DAC crônica (grupo DAC crônica). Os filmes das cineangiocoronariografias foram avaliados por um hemodinamicista experiente sem conhecimento do diagnóstico clínico. As cineangiocoronariografias foram avaliadas quanto ao número, localização e presença de lesões do tipo II da Classificação de Ambrose e de lesões complexas. Quatrocentos e oitenta pacientes e 1470 lesões foram avaliadas. Não houve diferença entre os grupos com relação ao sexo (p=0,51), à prevalência de diabetes (p=0,23) ou hipertensão arterial sistêmica (p=0,837). Os pacientes do grupo SCAPO eram mais idosos do que os dos grupos SCAES e DAC crônica (média de idade 67,8 anos x 64,5 anos x 61,9 anos, respectivamente; p<0,001). No grupo SCAPO, 45% dos pacientes apresentavam lesões do tipo II da Classificação de Ambrose x 56,7% dos pacientes do grupo SCAES e 16,4% dos pacientes do grupo DAC crônica (p<0,001). Os pacientes do grupo SCAES apresentaram maior número de lesões complexas do que aqueles do grupo SCAPO, que, por sua vez, apresentaram maior número de lesões complexas do que os pacientes do grupo DAC crônica (79,2% x 56,7% x 31,8%; p< 0,001). Concluímos que, em pacientes com SCA perioperatórias e SCA espontâneas, as lesões complexas e lesões do tipo II da classificação de Ambrose são mais freqüentes do que em pacientes com DAC estável e em aproximadamente metade dos casos SCA perioperatória ocorre a instabilização e ruptura de placa desencadeando um IAM tipo 1 / Annually, nearly three million noncardiac surgeries are performed in Brazil. Despite improvements in surgical and anesthetic techniques, mortality and cost related to these procedures are raising. Strategies for reducing mortality are needed. Patients experiencing a myocardial infarction (MI) after noncardiac surgeries have a high mortality and prolonged hospital stay. The pathophysiology of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the perioperative setting may involve thrombosis over a vulnerable plaque or decreased oxygen supply secondary to anemia or hypotension. Depending on the predominant mechanism, prognosis and treatment may be different. There are no studies designed to establish this pathophysiology in patients that survived a perioperative MI. Although the presence of complex lesions in coronary angiography may occur in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, it is far more common in unstable angina and MI and, strongly associated to plaque disruption. The purpose of this study was to compare the angiographic characteristics between ACS in the perioperative setting (PACS), in the emergency room - spontaneous ACS (SACS), and stable CAD patients. Between February 2006 and June 2010 clinical and angiographic data were prospectively recorded into a database for consecutive patients that had ACS after noncardiac surgery (n=120), and for 120 patients with SACS. We also collected data for a control group of 240 patients with stable CAD. All angiographies were analyzed by a single expert observer who was unaware of the patients clinical diagnosis. The number and location of coronary lesions with obstructions greater than 50% were recorded. Each lesion was classified based on Ambroses classification and if they had a complex morphology. The presence of Ambroses type II and complex lesions was compared between the three groups. Four hundred and eighty patients and 1470 lesions were analyzed. There were no differences between the three groups in the prevalence of male sex (p=0.521), hypertension (p=0.837) or diabetes (p=0.230). Patients in PACS were older than patients of SACS or CAD groups (mean age 67.8±10.2 years x 64.5±12.4years x 61.9±9.7years, respectively; p<0.001). In PACS, 45% of patients had Ambroses type II lesions x 56.7% in SACS group and 16.4% in CAD group (p<0.001). Patients in PACS had less complex lesions than patients in SACS, but more lesions than patients in CAD group (56.7% x 79.2% x 31.8%, respectively; p< 0.001). In conclusion, patients with perioperative ACS and spontaneous SCA have more Ambroses type II and complex lesions than patients with stable CAD. Nearly 50% of patients with perioperative myocardial infarction have evidence of coronary plaque rupture, characterizing a type 1 MI

A pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa, teve como objetivos implementar e avaliar uma intervenção educativa para enfermeiros voltada ao reconhecimento precoce e manejo das alterações glicêmicas em pacientes com diagnóstico de síndrome coronariana aguda e identificar o número de inclusões de pacientes ao protocolo hospitalar de tratamento das alterações glicêmicas antes e após intervenção educativa aplicada aos Enfermeiros. Foi realizada em duas Etapas. A Etapa Um (De Investigação) consistiu na identificação dos participantes da pesquisa, no manejo do diabetes e do protocolo de tratamento hospitalar. A Etapa Dois consistiu na Implementação e Avaliação do Programa Educativo (PE) para enfermeiros, que foi desenvolvido em três fases: reconhecimento dos sujeitos e mobilização afetiva; discussão de casos clínicos com foco na problematização e retomada de situações clínicas vivenciadas;, mobilização de conceitos e avaliação do Programa Educativo. O PE foi estruturado com base no trabalho de Puschel em sua tese de doutorado e em métodos psicodramáticos e no referencial problematizador de Paulo Freire. Participaram do PE todos os 14 enfermeiros da Unidade Coronariana do Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, em São Paulo, sendo resguardados os preceitos éticos de desenvolvimento de pesquisas. Os resultados evidenciaram grupo de participantes jovem, com experiências profissionais variadas. A análise de conteúdo das respostas aos questionários aplicados na Etapa Um e na Fase três da Etapa Dois permitiu construir seis categorias: Conhecimento, Manifestações Clínicas, Raciocínio Clínico, Tomada de Decisão, Manejo das alterações glicêmicas e Intervenções de Enfermagem. Após aplicação do PE em todas as categorias houve a inserção de novos elementos com maior destaque ao aprofundamento dos aspectos relacionados à fisiopatologia, aos sinais e sintomas e às complicações agudas; maior preocupação com a identificação precoce de situações predisponentes a eventos de hipoglicemia; maior consistência na descrição das ações contempladas no protocolo institucional de tratamento principalmente em relação à dose e à frequência das insulinas utilizadas. As cenas dramatizadas nas fases um e três e a discussão dos casos clínicos promoveram grande interação e confiança no grupo e agregação de conceitos. O número de inclusões de pacientes no protocolo hospitalar de tratamento no trimestre que antecedeu a implementação do programa educativo foi de um enquanto que no trimestre posterior ao PE foram de três. Os participantes atribuíram conceitos de excelentes e bons ao conteúdo, à metodologia, ao desempenho da instrutora, à participação, às expectativas, aos recursos e objetivos do PE, O estudo abre perspectivas para utilização de novas estratégias educativas para o desenvolvimento de profissionais de saúde com foco na atenção aos indivíduos com doença crônica / The research was qualitative, aimed to implement and evaluate an educational intervention for nurses aimed at early recognition and management of glucose in patients with acute coronary syndrome and identify the number of inclusions of patients to hospital protocol for treatment of changes glucose before and after educational intervention applied to nurses was carried out in two steps. Step A (Investigation) involved the identification of research participants in the management of diabetes and treatment protocol hospital. Step Two was the Implementation and Evaluation of Educational Program (EP) for nurses, which was developed in three stages: recognition of subjects and affective mobilization, clinical case discussions focusing on questioning and resumption of clinical situations experienced, mobilizing concepts and evaluation of the educational program. The EP was structured based on Puschel and Psychodramatic methods and problem-solving framework of Paulo Freire. EP participated all 14 nurses of the Coronary Care Unit of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, being safeguarded the ethical development of research. The results showed group of young participants with varied professional experiences. A content analysis of responses to questionnaires applied in Step One and Step Two Phase Three possible to build six categories: Knowledge, Clinical Manifestations, Clinical Reasoning, Decision Making, Management of glucose and Nursing Interventions. After application of PE in all categories was the insertion of new elements, most notably the deepening of the aspects related to the pathophysiology, signs and symptoms and the acute complications; biggest concern with the early identification of conditions predisposing to nocturnal hypoglycemia; greater consistency in the description of the actions contemplated in institutional treatment protocol especially in relation to the dose and frequency of insulin used. Dramatized scenes in phases one and three and the discussion of clinical cases promoted great interaction and confidence in the group and aggregation concepts. The number of inclusions of patients in hospital protocol treatment in the quarter prior to the implementation of the educational program was a while later in the quarter to PE were three. Participants attributed concepts of good and excellent content, methodology, instructor performance, participation, expectations, resources and objectives of the EP, the study opens new perspectives for the use of educational strategies for the development of health professionals with focus on attention to individuals with chronic disease

Dans les pays « développés », les syndromes coronariens aigus (SCA) représentent une pathologie fréquente et grave et les maladies cardiovasculaires restent la première cause de mortalité en Europe. Au cours de la dernière décennie, pourtant, plusieurs travaux épidémiologiques ont suggéré une baisse sensible de l'incidence des infarctus et la mortalité cardiovasculaire est dorénavant en recul dans de très nombreux pays, dont la France. La cardiologie est une des disciplines médicales qui a connu les plus grands bouleversements au cours des 25 dernières années et la prise en charge des SCA ainsi que le profil des patients ont considérablement évolué. Dans ce contexte, il nous a paru intéressant d'étudier la manière dont le devenir des patients présentant un infarctus aigu pouvait participer à cette baisse générale de la mortalité cardio-vasculaire. A partir de quatre enquêtes longitudinales successives répertoriant les SCA (USIK 1995, USIC 2000, FAST-MI 2005, FAST-MI 2010) et de l’observatoire national des actes de cardiologie interventionnelle (ONACI), nous avons observé, après standardisation sur les caractéristiques initiales des différentes cohortes, une baisse spectaculaire de la mortalité quel que soit le type de SCA (avec sus-décalage ST [SCA ST+] ou ST-elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] ; sans sus-décalage ST [SCA ST-] ou non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction [NSTEMI]). Cette évolution peut être expliquée par plusieurs paramètres : amélioration de la prise en charge globale, meilleur suivi des recommandations, changement de profils des patients (pour les STEMI), développement de la stratégie invasive et utilisation de nouvelles thérapeutiques, évolution des techniques de cardiologie interventionnelle… Ainsi, il apparaît que l'amélioration du pronostic des patients atteints d'infarctus est bien un des éléments ayant pu contribuer à la baisse de la mortalité cardiovasculaire. L’enjeu aujourd’hui est de maintenir ces résultats, de renforcer les mesures de prévention et d’améliorer le pronostic à long terme en développant notamment les programmes d’éducation thérapeutique. / In developed countries, acute coronary syndromes (ACS) represent a common and serious disease, and cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in Europe. During the last decade, however, several epidemiological studies have suggested a significant reduction in the incidence of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality in many countries, including France. Over the past 25 years, Cardiology has dramatically evolved and the management of ACS, as well as patient risk profile have substantially changed. In this context, we aimed to evaluate how the outcomes of patients with acute myocardial infarction could participate in the general decline in cardiovascular mortality. From four successive longitudinal surveys including ACS (USIK 1995, USIC 2000, FAST-MI 2005, FAST-MI 2010) and the national observatory of interventional cardiology (ONACI) we observed, after standardization of the cohorts on baseline clinical characteristics, a dramatic decline in mortality regardless of the type of ACS (STEMI, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, NSTEMI, non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction). This evolution can be explained by several factors: overall improvement in organization of care, better implementation of recommendations, substantial change in the patient risk profile (for STEMI), increasing use of invasive strategy and adjunctive therapies, improved technique for Interventional Cardiology ... Therefore, the improved prognosis of patients with myocardial infarction appears to be one of the factors that have contributed to the decline in cardiovascular mortality. For the future, the challenge will be to maintain these results, strengthen preventive measures and improve long-term prognosis in particular by developing the therapeutic education programs.

This thesis aims to describe the initial phase of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in overall terms from a national perspective and to evaluate the impact of an information campaign designed to inform the public about how to act when suspecting an ACS. A total of 1939 patients at 11 hospitals in Swedenwith diagnosed ACS and symptom onset outside hospital completed a questionnaire(I-IV).In Study V, a questionnaire was completed by 116 patients withACS before the campaign and 122 after it. Register data were followed every year to evaluate ambulance use and emergency department (ED) visits. With regard to symptoms, patients with ST-elevation ACS (STE-ACS) more frequently had associated symptoms and pain with an abrupt onset reaching maximum intensity within minutes. However, fewer than half the patients with STE-ACS had this type of symptom onset. There were more similarities than differences between genders and differences between age groups were minor (I). Three-quarters of the patients interpreted the symptoms as cardiac in origin. The majority contacted a family member after symptom onset, whereas few called directly for an ambulance. Approaching someone after symptom onset and the belief that the symptoms were cardiac in origin were factors associated with a shorter pre-hospital delay (II). Half the patients went to hospital by ambulance. Independent factors for ambulance use were knowledge of the importance of quickly seeking medical care and calling for an ambulance when experiencing chest pain, severe symptoms, abrupt onset of pain, STE-ACS, increasing age and distance to hospital of &gt; 5 km. Reasons for not calling for an ambulance were thinking self-transport would be faster or not being ill enough (III). Pain with abrupt onset, STE-ACS, symptoms such as vertigo or near syncope, experiencing the pain as frightening, interpreting the pain as cardiac in origin and knowledge were major factors associated with a short delay between symptom onset and decision to seek medical care, patient decision time (IV). The information campaign did not result in a reduction in patient decision time, but it appeared to increase ambulance use and the number of patients seeking the ED for acute chest pain (V).

Management of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) in an emergency department setting is challenging due to the complexity of the disease and the multi-disciplinary care environment, leading to the need for standardized protocols to ensure patient safety and care quality. Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for ACS are prevalent but they are not directly applicable in the ED setting due to their complex narrative nature. In this thesis we present a knowledge modeling solution, using semantic web technologies, to computerize the ACS CPG published by the American Heart Association. Our knowledge modeling approach provides a modular characterization of the CPG knowledge and offers unique mechanisms to (a) update the knowledge model in response to periodic CPG updates; and (b) streamline the ACS management clinical pathway in response to resource constraints at an institution. The computerized CPG will serve as an ACS management decision support system, targeting tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia.