Article Text
Abstract
Background Myocardial haemorrhage is a prognostically important complication of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Persistence of haemoglobin degradation products within infarct scar tissue and the potential clinical significance have not been investigated.
Methods and Results Patients who sustained an acute STEMI were enrolled in a cohort study (BHF MR-MI; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02072850). 211 patients (mean (SD) age 57 (11) years, 77% male) had evaluable T2* cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging (1.5 Tesla) 2 days 6 months post-MI. Myocardial haemorrhage was defined as a hypointense infarct core with T2* signal <20ms. At 2 days, 79 (37%) patients had evidence of myocardial haemorrhage. At 6 months, 47 (59%) patients had a hypointense infarct core and 32 (41%) did not. None of the patients had de novo haemorrhage after the first CMR scan. Clinical associates of a persistent hypointense core at 6 months included hypertension (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 0.28 (0.08, 0.95); p = 0.040), heart rate (1.08 (1.03, 1.13); p = 0.001), systolic blood pressure (1.06 (1.01, 1.12); p = 0.015), neutrophil count (2.19 (1.01, 4.74); p = 0.048), left anterior descending as culprit artery (9.26 (1.26, 67.99); p = 0.029), infarct size (1.10 (1.03, 1.17); p = 0.004) and initial haemorrhage size (1.34 (1.06, 1.66); p = 0.012). A hypointense infarct core with T2*-mapping at 6 months was associated with worsening LV end-diastolic volume (regression coefficient (95% confidence interval) 15.43 (1.35, 29.50); p = 0.032) and worsening left ventricular ejection fraction (-4.15 (-7.40, -0.89); p = 0.013).
Conclusion Persistence of haemoglobin degradation products at 6 months post-STEMI is common and prognostically important.
- cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
- myocardial haemorrhage
- ST-elevation myocardial infarction