Predicting Outcomes for Left Main Acute Coronary Syndrome

In hospitalized patients with left main acute coronary symptom (LM-ACS), electrocardiographic characteristics can predict prognosis.

In a study to be presented at the American College of Cardiology 65th Scientific Session & Expo in Chicago, IL on April 2, Tomonori Itoh and colleagues at Memorial Heart Center, Morioka, Japan offered an analysis.

The team found that prevalence and degree of ST-segment elevation at lead aVL but not aVR in a group of patients who did not survive to leave the hospital were significantly higher than in those patients who lived.

They found that the width of the QRS complex at lead V3 was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality for patients with LM-ACS.

The team said ECG characteristics should be assessed in addition to the GRACE risk score in these patients, since these characteristics can be used to evaluate risk and outcomes.

The patients were in a group of 90 who had LM-ACS.

In-hospital mortality was 28.9%.

The patients who later died also were more likely to have experienced severe pump failure and to have had higher unconsciousness levels.