Baseline clinical characteristics of the patients
| Non-coronary group | Stable angina group | Unstable angina group | Myocardial infarction group | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age and left ventricular ejection fraction presented as mean (SEM). | ||||
| *Twelve patients did not undergo coronary angiography during the hospital stay (three patients because of refusal, eight patients because of lack of approval by their physicians, and one patient because of non-fatal haemorrhagic stroke). Nine of these patients had documented coronary artery disease (CAD) on a previous coronary angiography and all patients with unstable angina had ischaemic ECG changes during hospitalisation. | ||||
| †Left ventricular ejection fraction was measured using two dimensional echocardiography. | ||||
| ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; NA, not applicable; ND, not determined; rtPA, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. | ||||
| Age (years) | 36.1 (4.0) | 65.8 (5.4) | 69.9 (4.2) | 62.6 (1.9) |
| Number (male/female) | 11 (7/4) | 9 (6/3) | 11 (7/4) | 42 (29/13) |
| Medical history | ||||
| Dyslipidaemia | 0 (0%) | 5 (55.6%) | 3 (27.3%) | 20 (47.6%) |
| Hypertension | 1 (9%) | 6 (66.7%) | 6 (54.5%) | 18 (42.9%) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 0 (0%) | 3 (33.3%) | 1 (9.1%) | 9 (21.4%) |
| Smokers | 3 (27%) | 3 (33.3%) | 5 (45.5%) | 21 (50.0%) |
| Familial CAD | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (18.2%) | 7 (16.7%) |
| Number of diseased coronary arteries* | ||||
| 1 | ND | 3 (33.3%) | 5 (45.5%) | 11 (26.2%) |
| 2 | ND | 2 (22.2%) | 3 (27.3%) | 14 (33.3%) |
| 3 | ND | 3 (33.3%) | 1 (9.1%) | 9 (21.4%) |
| Thrombus | ND | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 23 (54.8%) |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%)† | ND | 55.5 (5.0) | 55.1 (3.6) | 51.8 (1.8) |
| Treatment during hospital stay | ||||
| Primary coronary angioplasty | NA | 0 (0%) | 3 (27.3%) | 12 (28.6%) |
| Delayed coronary angioplasty | NA | 0 (0%) | 3 (37.3%) | 22 (52.4%) |
| Thrombolysis (accelerated rtPA) | NA | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (11.9%) |
| Unfractionated heparin | NA | 0 (0%) | 1 (9.1%) | 13 (31.0%) |
| Low molecular weight heparin | NA | 0 (0%) | 9 (81.8%) | 29 (69.0%) |
| Abciximab | NA | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 14 (33.3%) |
| Aspirin | 1 (9%) | 7 (77.8%) | 11 (100%) | 41 (97.6%) |
| Ticlopidine or clopidogrel | 0 (0%) | 1 (11.1%) | 6 (54.5%) | 26 (61.9%) |
| Intravenous vasopressors | NA | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (9.5%) |
| Nitrates | 0 (0%) | 2 (22.2%) | 4 (36.4%) | 11 (26.2%) |
| Diuretics | 1 (9%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (14.3%) |
| β Blockers | 0 (0%) | 5 (55.6%) | 9 (81.8%) | 33 (78.6%) |
| ACE inhibitors | 1 (9%) | 3 (33.3%) | 3 (27.3%) | 19 (45.2%) |
| Calcium inhibitors | 0 (0%) | 5 (55.6%) | 3 (27.3%) | 2 (4.8%) |
| Statins | 0 (0%) | 3 (33.3%) | 3 (27.3%) | 29 (69.0%) |
| Insulin | 0 (0%) | 2 (22.2%) | 1 (9.1%) | 6 (14.3%) |