Non-ST Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is a treatment strategy that includes direct referral to a PCI center for intermediate to high-risk patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), both cost-effective and non-inferior for major adverse cardiac events (MACE)? HYPOTHESIS: Prehospital triage with the modified \[History-ECG-Age-Risk factors\] (HEAR) score and a high sensitivity (hs) point-of-care troponin (POCT) leads to a faster diagnosis of ACS, faster time to coronary angiography (CAG) and/or treatment with PCI, shorter length of stay, quicker availability of ambulances and more satisfaction and quality of life of patients. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. STUDY POPULATION: Patients ≥18 years with an intermediate to high risk for NSTE -ACS (defined as a modified HEAR score ≥ 4) INTERVENTION: applying modified HEAR score and hs POCT to identify patients for direct rule out (very low risk), transfer to the nearest hospital for rapid rule-out and/or fast-track diagnosis by CT coronary imaging (intermediate risk) or direct referral to a PCI center for CAG (high risk). USUAL CARE/COMPARISON: Assessment of ACS at the nearest hospital. In case PCI is scheduled: transfer to nearest PCI center. OUTCOME MEASURES: primary endpoints: healthcare costs and non-inferiority for MACE (all cause death, confirmed ACS, re ACS, and unplanned PCI or CABG) at 30 days. Secondary: MACE after rule out ACS at 30 days, Quality of life (EQ5D5L) and cost-effectiveness at 12 months. SAMPLE SIZE: 1048 patients. COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS / BIA: It is expected that the intervention group will reduce healthcare costs and potentially improve health-related quality of life in this target population. Cost-effectiveness will be expressed as cost per QALY gained. We assume a large potential saving more than € 37 million if 100% implemented. TIME SCHEDULE: 48 months; 36 month inclusion, follow-up 12 months

The goal of this multi-center observational study is to learn about the effectiveness of magnetocardiography in rapid and accurate identification of ischemia in patients with suspected NSTE-ACS.

The goal of this study is to compare the possible beneficial effect of beetroot juice supplementation versus the usual management during hospitalization to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy after cardiac catheterizations. The study includes patients diagnosed with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome with a possible indication for catheterism and high risk of kidney injury related to iodinated contrast. The intervention group will drink 500 mL (2 glasses daily, at breakfast and dinner) of beetroot juice added to the usual diet for 7 days or until hospital discharge and will receive the recommendation to maintain a diet rich in inorganic nitrates. The control group will receive the usual diet and recommendations. In both cases, other therapies will be prescribed to prevent contrast-induced nephropathy (hydration and statins) if there is no contraindication. Our hypothesis is that a compound present in beetroot juice, inorganic nitrates, can prevent the deterioration of kidney function related to contrast due to its vasodilatory effect, in addition to improving the subsequent prognosis of coronary heart disease due to its anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects, protector of the endothelium and inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Beetroot juice could also be beneficial in this context due to the antioxidant effect of the betalains it contains.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD), and more recently, post percutaneous coronary intervention (post-PCI) FFR has emerged as an independent predictor of cardiovascular events, enabling the identification of cases requiring additional optimization of the implanted stent. Modern technologies allow less invasive alternatives to traditional FFR measurement - angiography-based vessel fractional flow reserve (vFFR) and derivative ΔvFFR, which is calculated by a difference between the post-PCI vFFR and pre-PCI vFFR. In large clinical studies, the good accuracy between vFFR and FFR - measured before and after PCI - has been confirmed. However, insufficient data is available about the value of post-vFFR and ΔvFFR as prognostic values and indicators of patient health. This is a prospective multicenter register study analyzing the association between the value of ΔvFFR, vFFR after PCI and adverse clinical outcomes, residual angina and quality of life using the validated Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) and EuroQol 5-level 5-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L). Patients undergoing PCI for chronic coronary syndromes (CCS), non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NST-ACS) or ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) will be enrolled in this study.

For patients with ACS undergoing PCI, intensive lipid-lowering including PCSK9 monoclonal antibody should be started as soon as possible, that is, lower LDL-C level should be achieved as soon as possible. Compared with conventional lipid-lowering regimen, it is expected that the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events can still be reduced after drug discontinuation. Therefore, the optimization strategy of "for patients with ACS undergoing PCI, intensive lipid-lowering with PCSK9 monoclonal antibody can be started as soon as possible" is proposed.