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IntroductionMyocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) predominantly affects younger females. Women with a history of gestational hypertension (GH), preeclampsia (PE), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are subjected to an elevated lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease. However, data on the potential association between these obstetric complications and MINOCA is lacking. Therefore, the current study aimed to provide insight in the prevalence of metabolic and hypertensive pregnancy disorders (MHPD) in MINOCA patients and their clinical characteristics.MethodsIn this observational cohort study conducted at the Zuyderland Medical Center and Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands, patients were enrolled if they were identified as having MINOCA. Data on individual patient characteristics, laboratory results, electrocardiography as well as (non-)invasive imaging procedures were derived from the electronic health record system. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about prior MHPD including GDM, GH, and PE. Patients were grouped into those with MHPD and those with prior uncomplicated normotensive pregnancy (or pregnancies; NP).ResultsAfter excluding patients without 1-year follow-up (n = 53), 86 female MINOCA patients remained eligible for analysis. Of the total female population, 25 (29.1%) patients had MHPD, including GH (n = 19; 22.1%), PE (n = 4; 4.7%), and GDM (n = 7; 8.1%). The MHPD patients showed higher rates of chronic hypertension (84.0 vs. 55.7%; p = 0.013), hypercholesterolemia (64.0 vs. 34.4%; p = 0.012), a family history of CVD (84.0 vs. 45.9%; p = 0.001), gout or rheumatic arthritis (16.0 vs. 1.6%; p = 0.024), and were more often non-smokers (45.8 vs. 78.3%; p = 0.004), compared to the NP patients. Moreover, MHPD patients were more likely to use cardiovascular medications at baseline. A trend toward no specific cause found for the MINOCA event was observed in MHPD patients compared to the NP group (64.0 vs. 42.6%, p = 0.072).ConclusionA history of metabolic and hypertensive pregnancy disorders occurred in one-third of female MINOCA patients. In these patients, conventional cardiovascular risk factors were more prevalent compared to NP patients. In most MHPD patients, the specific cause for MINOCA remained unclear.

Introduction In patients with myocardial infarction, the decision to treat a nonculprit lesion is generally based on its physiological significance. However, deferral of revascularisation based on nonischaemic fractional flow reserve (FFR) values in these patients results in less favourable outcomes compared with patients with stable coronary artery disease, potentially caused by vulnerable nonculprit lesions. Intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging allows for in vivo morphological assessment of plaque ‘vulnerability’ and might aid in the detection of FFR-negative lesions at high risk for recurrent events.Methods and analysis The PECTUS-obs study is an international multicentre prospective observational study that aims to relate OCT-derived vulnerable plaque characteristics of nonflow limiting, nonculprit lesions to clinical outcome in patients with myocardial infarction. A total of 438 patients presenting with myocardial infarction (ST-elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction) will undergo OCT-imaging of any FFR-negative nonculprit lesion for detection of plaque vulnerability. The primary study endpoint is a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction or unplanned revascularisation) at 2-year follow-up. Secondary endpoints will be the same composite at 1-year and 5-year follow-up, target vessel failure, target vessel revascularisation, target lesion failure and target lesion revascularisation.Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the region Arnhem-Nijmegen. The results of this study will be disseminated in a main paper and additional papers with subgroup analyses.Trial registration number NCT03857971.

Aims: Whether patients with MINOCA (myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries) have better outcomes than patients with obstructive coronary artery disease remains contradictory. The current study focussed on the clinical profile and prognosis of MINOCA patients. Methods and results: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) admitted to the Isala hospital in Zwolle, the Netherlands, between 2006 and 2014. A total of 7693 patients were categorized into three groups: MINOCA, single-vessel obstructive ACS (SV-ACS), and multi-vessel obstructive ACS (MV-ACS). MINOCA patients (5.2% of the total population) were more likely to be female (51.5% vs. 30.3% and 26.0% in SV-ACS and MV-ACS, respectively, p