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Maarten L Simoons

Publications and source records attributed to Maarten L Simoons.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The effect of ITF-1697 on reperfusion in patients undergoing primary angioplasty. Safety and efficacy of a novel tetrapeptide, ITF-1697.

AIM: ITF-1697 is a C-reactive protein-derived tetrapeptide that, based on pre-clinical studies, is thought to reduce reperfusion injury. We performed a dose-finding study to assess safety, preliminary efficacy and clinical outcome of prolonged i.v. infusion of ITF-1697 in patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who were eligible for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a multicentre dose-finding study that was randomised, double blind, and placebo-controlled. Four hundred and two patients were enrolled. Intravenous infusion of four dosages of ITF-1697 (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 microg/kg/min) or placebo was started before PCI and continued for 24 h. After interim analysis of data from 242 patients the study continued with the 0.1 and 1.0 microg/kg/min ITF-1697 regimes. Analysis did not raise any safety concerns. Post-procedure perfusion, assessed by TIMI flow, corrected TIMI frame count, blushgrade and ST-segment resolution, was similar for the placebo, 0.1 and 1.0 microg/kg/min regimes. Furthermore, the results showed no differences between the treatment regimes in enzymatic infarct size or clinical outcome up to 30 days. CONCLUSION: ITF-1697 was well tolerated. However, neither a dose-relation nor improvement of perfusion, clinical outcome or reduction of myocardial damage could be demonstrated with ITF-1697 during and after primary PCI for AMI.

Adult↗

Reconstruction of the 12-lead electrocardiogram from reduced lead sets.

In clinical practice, continuous recording of all leads of the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is often not possible. We wanted to assess how well absent, noisy, or defective leads can be reconstructed from different lead subsets and how well lead reconstruction performs over time. A data set of 234 24-hour ECG recordings was divided into an equally sized training and test set. Precordial leads were systematically removed, and for all lead subsets including both limb leads and at least one precordial lead, the absent leads were reconstructed using general and patient-specific reconstruction templates. Reconstruction performance was measured by correlation between the original and reconstructed leads over the QRS and T waves, by average and maximum absolute ST differences, and by agreement when a clinical decision rule was applied. Reconstruction performance over time was evaluated at baseline, at 20 minutes, and 1, 6, 12 and 24 hours after the start of each recording. Reconstruction accuracy was high (correlation > or =0.932, average ST difference < or =30 microV, agreement > or =94.9%) with general reconstruction for lead sets with 1 or 2 precordial leads removed but was less satisfactory when more leads were missing. Patient-specific reconstruction performed well when up to 4 precordial leads were removed (correlation > or =0.967, average ST difference < or =26 microV, agreement > or =95.7%). Patient-specific reconstruction performance initially slightly decreased and then stabilized over time but remained much better than general reconstruction after 24 hours. Accurate reconstruction of the 12-lead ECG from lead subsets is possible over time. General reconstruction allows reconstruction of 1 or 2 precordial leads, whereas up to 4 leads can be reconstructed well using patient-specific reconstruction.

Angina, Unstable↗

Evaluating the benefits of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors in heart failure at baseline in acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether the use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors, in addition to heparin and aspirin, imparts an incremental benefit in a subgroup of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) who had congestive heart failure (CHF) symptoms at presentation. METHODS: We analyzed patients enrolled in the Platelet IIb/IIIa in Unstable Angina: Receptor Suppression Using Integrilin Therapy (PURSUIT) trial, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the use of eptifibatide versus placebo for patients with ACS without persistent ST-elevation. We compared the clinical characteristics and 30-day outcomes for 861 patients who had Killip class II or III CHF symptoms with those of 8558 patients who had no CHF symptoms. RESULTS: Odds ratios for the primary end point, 30-day death or non-fatal myocardial infarction, in the placebo group versus the eptifibatide group were similar for patients with and without CHF (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.8-1.5; odds ratio, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.0-1.3). However, adverse events were almost twice as frequent for patients with CHF compared with patients with no CHF (24.5% vs 14%). CONCLUSIONS: Although patients with non-ST-segment elevation ACS who have CHF have markedly worse outcomes than patients without CHF symptoms, we did not find an incremental benefit from the use of eptifibatide in this seriously ill subgroup.

Aged↗

Six-month outcomes of percutaneous coronary balloon angioplasty in acute coronary syndromes: Results from the PURSUIT trial.

BACKGROUND: Potent inhibition of the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor has improved the acute outcome of patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). For patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous balloon angioplasty without coronary stenting in the era of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade, the long-term prognosis is less clear. OBJECTIVE: To examine the six-month outcome of patients who received eptifibatide within a randomized clinical trial and subsequently underwent balloon angioplasty. METHODS: Patients included in this substudy were enrolled in the Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa in Unstable Angina: Receptor Suppression Using Integrilin Therapy (PURSUIT) trial, a randomized study evaluating the efficacy of eptifibatide in reducing the incidence of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) in non-ST segment elevation ACS. During the index hospitalization, 1151 (12.2%) of the PURSUIT patients underwent percutaneous balloon angioplasty without coronary stenting. RESULTS: Eptifibatide was associated with a significant reduction in the adjudicated composite end point of death or MI at six months after randomization in patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) (P=0.037). A trend toward a beneficial effect was evident before the procedure (4.7% versus 6.9%; P=0.13) and at 30 days (12.1% versus 15.3%; P=0.12). The incidence of repeat revascularization was relatively low for patients undergoing PTCA, with no difference observed between the eptifibatide and placebo groups (16.3% versus 14.8%; P=0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Eptifibatide was associated with a sustained beneficial effect to six months in patients with ACS undergoing PTCA. It reduced the incidence of preprocedural MI. The rate of repeat revascularization at six months was low and was not significantly altered by eptifibatide.

Acute Disease↗

Prognostic importance of new small Q waves following non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic importance of new small Q waves following an acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: We assessed 6-month mortality in 10501 patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes who had survived 30 days and had both admission and 30-day electrocardiograms. Patients were stratified by whether they had no new Q waves (n = 9447), new 30- to 40-ms Q waves (n = 733), or new > or =40-ms Q waves (n = 321). RESULTS: Mortality was higher in patients with 30- to 40-ms Q waves than in those with no new Q waves (3.4% [25/733] vs. 2.4% [227/9447], P = 0.005), and even higher in those with > or =40-ms Q waves (5.3% [17/321], P = 0.002). After adjustment for baseline risk predictors, mortality remained higher in patients with new 30- to 40-ms Q waves (odds ratio [OR] = 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85 to 1.98; P = 0.23) and those with new > or =40-ms Q waves (OR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.13 to 3.09; P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Patients with new small Q waves following a non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome are at increased risk of adverse outcomes. These small Q waves should be considered diagnostic of myocardial infarction. Further research should investigate whether even smaller QRS changes are prognostically important.

Acute Disease↗

Myeloperoxidase serum levels predict risk in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) have gained attention as critical mediators of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Myeloperoxidase (MPO), a hemoprotein abundantly expressed by PMNs and secreted during activation, possesses potent proinflammatory properties and may contribute directly to tissue injury. However, whether MPO also provides prognostic information in patients with ACS remains unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: MPO serum levels were assessed in 1090 patients with ACS. We recorded death and myocardial infarctions during 6 months of follow-up. MPO levels did not correlate with troponin T, soluble CD40 ligand, or C-reactive protein levels or with ST-segment changes. However, patients with elevated MPO levels (>350 microg/L; 31.3%) experienced a markedly increased cardiac risk (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.25 [1.32 to 3.82]; P=0.003). In particular, MPO serum levels identified patients at risk who had troponin T levels below 0.01 microg/L (adjusted HR 7.48 [95% CI 1.98 to 28.29]; P=0.001). In a multivariate model that included other biochemical markers, troponin T (HR 1.99; P=0.023), C-reactive protein (1.25; P=0.044), vascular endothelial growth factor (HR 1.87; P=0.041), soluble CD40 ligand (HR 2.78; P<0.001), and MPO (HR 2.11; P=0.008) were all independent predictors of the patient's 6-month outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ACS, MPO serum levels powerfully predict an increased risk for subsequent cardiovascular events and extend the prognostic information gained from traditional biochemical markers. Given its proinflammatory properties, MPO may serve as both a marker and mediator of vascular inflammation and further points toward the significance of PMN activation in the pathophysiology of ACS.

Abciximab↗

Troponin T levels and risk of 30-day outcomes in patients with the acute coronary syndrome: prospective verification in the GUSTO-IV trial.

BACKGROUND: A third-generation troponin T assay with improved precision and a lower detection limit has been developed. However, the appropriate cutoff for identifying patients with the acute coronary syndrome who are at low risk of subsequent mortality has not been established. METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of data from the Fragmin and fast Revascularization during InStability in Coronary artery disease II (FRISC-II) trial suggested that a cutoff below 0.1 microg/L for troponin T levels might be more useful in risk stratification. A prospective validation of two cutoff levels (0.03 microg/L and 0.01 microg/L) was performed in 7115 patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome from the Global Utilization of Strategies To open Occluded arteries IV (GUSTO-IV) trial. RESULTS: Patients with troponin T levels >0.1 microg/L had greater 30-day mortality (5.5% [201/3679]) than did those with levels <or=0.1 microg/L (2.2% [75/3436], P <0.001). A cutoff value of 0.03 microg/L provided better discrimination between high and low risk: 5.1% (234/4552) versus 1.6% (42/2563). However, a cutoff value at the lower limit of detection, 0.01 microg/L, provided the best discrimination: 5.0% (254/5123) versus 1.1% (22/1992) (P<0.001). This cutoff level had the highest negative predictive value; it also discriminated best for the combined endpoint of death and myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: Using a cutoff of <or=0.01 microg/L for the third-generation troponin T assay, the detection level of the assay, is useful for identifying patients with the acute coronary syndrome who are at low risk of subsequent mortality.

Acute Disease↗

Effect of revascularization on mortality associated with an elevated white blood cell count in acute coronary syndromes.

Inflammation is increasingly recognized as having an important role in patients with acute coronary syndromes. We sought to determine whether an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count would predict subsequent mortality and whether revascularization would have a protective effect. We analyzed data from 10,480 patients with acute coronary syndromes enrolled in the PURSUIT trial who had a WBC count measured on admission. WBC count values were stratified by quartiles, and death rates at 6 months were examined in univariate and multivariate analyses. Propensity analysis was performed to assess the effect of revascularization on the relation between WBC count and mortality. In the lowest quartile of WBC count, mortality was 4.0%; it was 5.8% in the second quartile, 6.7% in the third quartile, and 8.0% in the fourth quartile (p <0.001). In a multivariable model incorporating baseline demographic and clinical variables, an increasing WBC count was a significant predictor of death, with a hazard ratio of 1.07 per 1,000/microl increment in WBC count (p <0.001). Furthermore, the interaction term between mortality due to an elevated WBC count and benefit of in-hospital revascularization was significant (hazard ratio 0.94, p = 0.032), suggesting that the excess risk due to an elevated WBC count was attenuated by revascularization. An elevated WBC count at hospital admission, although only a crude index of inflammation, nevertheless is an independent predictor of death at 6 months in patients with acute coronary syndromes. This finding supports a pivotal role for inflammation in acute coronary syndromes. Importantly, this study suggests that in-hospital revascularization may mitigate some of the excess risk due to inflammation.

Acute Disease↗

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and other risk markers for the separate prediction of mortality and subsequent myocardial infarction in patients with unstable coronary artery disease: a Global Utilization of Strategies To Open occluded arteries (GUSTO)-IV substudy.

BACKGROUND: Biochemical markers are useful for prediction of cardiac events in patients with non-ST-segment-elevation acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The associations between N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and other biochemical and clinical risk indicators, as well as their prognostic value concerning the individual end points of death and myocardial infarction (MI), were elucidated in a large cohort of ACS patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: NT-proBNP, troponin T, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were analyzed in blood samples obtained at a median of 9.5 hours from symptom onset in 6809 of 7800 ACS patients in the Global Utilization of Strategies To Open occluded arteries-IV (GUSTO-IV) trial. Levels of NT-proBNP were correlated independently with age, female gender, low body weight, diabetes, renal dysfunction, history of MI, heart failure, heart rate, ongoing myocardial damage, and time since onset of ischemia. Increasing quartiles of NT-proBNP were related to short- and long-term mortality that reached 1.8%, 3.9%, 7.7%, and 19.2%, (P<0.001), respectively, at 1 year. Levels of troponin T, CRP, heart rate, and creatinine clearance, in addition to ST-segment depression, were also correlated independently with 1-year mortality, but NT-proBNP was the marker with the strongest relation. In contrast, only troponin T, creatinine clearance, and ST-segment depression were independently related to future MI. The combination of NT-proBNP and creatinine clearance provided the best prediction, with a 1-year mortality of 25.7% with both markers in the top quartile vs 0.3% with both markers in the bottom quartile. CONCLUSIONS: The use of NT-proBNP appears to add critical prognostic insight to the assessment of patients with ACS.

Abciximab↗

Anti-platelet factor 4/heparin antibodies: an independent predictor of 30-day myocardial infarction after acute coronary ischemic syndromes.

BACKGROUND: We postulated that antibodies to platelet factor 4/heparin complex might contribute to recurrent ischemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed serum from patients enrolled in the placebo/unfractionated heparin arm of the GUSTO IV-ACS trial who had high likelihood of prior heparin exposure. We selected 109 patients without thrombocytopenia with the 30-day primary end point (death, myocardial infarction [MI], or revascularization) and 109 age-, gender-, and race-matched controls who did not achieve the primary end point. An ELISA for anti-platelet factor 4/heparin antibodies was performed using 48-hour serum samples. The analyses were done by blinded investigators, and the results were correlated with clinical outcomes. Twenty-three of 218 patients (10.6%) had anti-PF4/heparin antibodies. Patients with anti-PF4/heparin antibodies were more likely to have death or MI (30.4% versus 11.3%, P=0.011) or MI (21.7% versus 6.2%, P=0.008) than patients who were negative for the antibody. After multiple logistic regression analysis, anti-PF4/heparin antibodies remained a predictor of 30-day death or MI (odds ratio, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.4 to 11.3; P=0.0093) and MI (odds ratio, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.4 to 15.0; P=0.0108). The antibody was not associated with the composite end point (death, MI, or revascularization) or with death or revascularization alone. CONCLUSIONS: Antibodies to the platelet factor 4/heparin complex are a novel, independent predictor of myocardial infarction at 30 days in patients presenting with acute coronary ischemic syndromes. This finding may explain the previous association between thrombocytopenia and adverse events in patients with acute coronary syndrome and may have important implications for the choice of anticoagulant regimens.

Acute Disease↗

Serum level of the antiinflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 is an important prognostic determinant in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Convincing evidence suggests that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. The inflammatory response is an important determinant of atherosclerotic plaque instability. Therefore, we investigated the prognostic impact of key inflammatory players, namely the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) and the antiinflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10), in patients with acute coronary syndromes. METHODS AND RESULTS: IL-10, CRP, and troponin T were measured at baseline and before discharge in 547 patients enrolled in the placebo group of the c7E3 Anti Platelet Therapy in Unstable Refractory angina (CAPTURE) trial. Death and nonfatal myocardial infarction were recorded during 6-month follow-up. IL-10 levels did not correlate with troponin T concentrations but were inversely correlated with CRP levels (P<0.001). Patients with elevated IL-10 levels (>3.5 pg/mL; n=276) were at significantly lower risk compared with patients with elevated IL-10 levels (hazard ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25 to 0.76; P=0.002). The predictive value of IL-10 was independent of myocardial necrosis but significantly interacted with CRP levels. CRP-positive patients with IL-10 serum levels above the calculated threshold value of 3.5 pg/mL were protected from the increased cardiac risk of CRP-positive patients with low IL-10 levels (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.63; P=0.003). Moreover, discharge IL-10 levels >2.5 pg/mL were associated with lower cardiac risk during 6-month follow-up (hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.83; P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated IL-10 serum levels are associated with a more favorable prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndromes and elevated CRP levels. These data demonstrate the importance of the balance between proinflammatory and antiinflammatory markers as a major determinant of patients' outcome in acute coronary syndromes.

Acute Disease↗

Soluble CD40 ligand in acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: CD40 ligand is expressed on platelets and released from them on activation. We investigated the predictive value of soluble CD40 ligand as a marker for clinical outcome and the therapeutic effect of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibition in patients with acute coronary syndromes. METHODS: Serum levels of soluble CD40 ligand were measured in 1088 patients with acute coronary syndromes who had previously been enrolled in a randomized trial comparing abciximab with placebo before coronary angioplasty and in 626 patients with acute chest pain. RESULTS: The levels of soluble CD40 ligand were elevated (above 5.0 microg per liter) in 221 patients with acute coronary syndromes (40.6 percent). Among patients receiving placebo, elevated soluble CD40 ligand levels indicated a significantly increased risk of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction during six months of follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio as compared with patients with low levels of the ligand [< or =5.0 microg per liter], 2.71; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.51 to 5.35; P=0.001). The prognostic value of this marker was validated in the patients with chest pain, among whom elevated soluble CD40 ligand levels identified those with acute coronary syndromes who were at high risk for death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio as compared with those with low levels of the ligand, 6.65; 95 percent confidence interval, 3.18 to 13.89; P<0.001). The increased risk in patients with elevated soluble CD40 ligand levels was significantly reduced by treatment with abciximab (adjusted hazard ratio as compared with those receiving placebo, 0.37; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.20 to 0.68; P=0.001), whereas there was no significant treatment effect of abciximab in patients with low levels of soluble CD40 ligand. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with unstable coronary artery disease, elevation of soluble CD40 ligand levels indicated an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Elevation of soluble CD40 ligand identifies a subgroup of patients at high risk who are likely to benefit from antiplatelet treatment with abciximab.

Abciximab↗

Troponin and C-reactive protein have different relations to subsequent mortality and myocardial infarction after acute coronary syndrome: a GUSTO-IV substudy.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate C-reactive protein (CRP) and troponin T (TnT) as predictors of risk of the individual end points of mortality and myocardial infarction (MI) in a large cohort of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND: Both CRP and TnT predict risk of future coronary events in patients with ACS. However, the relationships between the levels of the markers and the individual end points are still unclear. METHODS: Baseline levels of CRP and TnT were determined in 7,108 patients with ACS not undergoing early revascularization in the Global Use of Strategies To Open occluded arteries trial IV (GUSTO-IV) trial and related to outcome at 30 days. RESULTS: Quartiles of TnT related to 30-day mortality, which was 1.1%, 3.7%, 3.7%, and 7.4% (p < 0.001) and to the rate of MI: 2.5%, 6.7%, 7.2%, and 5.6% (p < 0.001). Quartiles of CRP also related to 30-day mortality, which was 2.0%, 3.3%, 3.9%, and 6.3% (p < 0.001), whereas there was no relationship to the 30-day rate of MI: 5.6%, 4.7%, 5.2%, and 5.9% (p = 0.48). On multivariable analysis, both TnT and CRP were independent predictors of mortality, but only TnT was a predictor of MI. The combination of CRP and TnT provides an even better risk stratification of mortality, with 0.3% and 9.1% death rates, respectively, when both markers are in the bottom versus top quartiles. CONCLUSIONS: In ACS, baseline levels of TnT and CRP are independently related to 30-day mortality. Any detectable elevation of TnT, but not of CRP, is also associated with an increased risk of subsequent MI. Regarding mortality, the combination of both markers provides a better risk stratification than either one alone.

Acute Disease↗

Acute myocardial infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction is a common disease with serious consequences in mortality, morbidity, and cost to the society. Coronary atherosclerosis plays a pivotal part as the underlying substrate in many patients. In addition, a new definition of myocardial infarction has recently been introduced that has major implications from the epidemiological, societal, and patient points of view. The advent of coronary-care units and the results of randomised clinical trials on reperfusion therapy, lytic or percutaneous coronary intervention, and chronic medical treatment with various pharmacological agents have substantially changed the therapeutic approach, decreased in-hospital mortality, and improved the long-term outlook in survivors of the acute phase. New treatments will continue to emerge, but the greatest challenge will be to effectively implement preventive actions in all high-risk individuals and to expand delivery of acute treatment in a timely fashion for all eligible patients.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

Prognostic significance of angiogenic growth factor serum levels in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: In patients with acute coronary syndromes, compensatory processes are initiated, including angiogenesis and endothelial regeneration of ruptured or eroded plaques. Angiogenic growth factors like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are upregulated during ischemia. However, it is unknown whether their serum levels are related to clinical outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured VEGF, HGF, and bFGF levels in 1090 patients with acute coronary syndromes. Angiographic evaluation was performed at baseline as well as death, and nonfatal myocardial infarctions were recorded during 6-month follow-up. HGF and VEGF, but not bFGF, were significantly and independently associated with the patients' outcome. Patients with elevated VEGF serum levels suffered from adverse outcome (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.50 [1.52 to 4.82]; P=0.002). VEGF elevation was associated with evidence of ischemia and was a significant predictor of the effect of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition. In contrast, patients with high HGF levels had a significantly lower event rate compared with patients with low HGF levels (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.33 [0.21 to 0.51]; P<0.001). HGF levels did not correlate with evidence of ischemia and did not predict the effect of abciximab. Intriguingly, however, HGF levels significantly correlated with angiographically visible collateralization of the target vessel (22.4% versus 10.5%; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The angiogenic growth factors VEGF and HGF are independent predictors of the patients' prognosis in acute coronary syndromes. Whereas VEGF elevation correlated with the evidence of myocardial ischemia and indicated an adverse outcome, HGF elevation was independent of ischemia and associated with improved collateralization as well as a favorable prognosis.

Abciximab↗