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The relationship between a history of hypertension and the quality of its control in routine clinical practice and the risk of acute myocardial infarction was examined in a multicenter, casecontrol study conducted in Argentina between November 1991 and August 1994, within the framework of the FRICAS study. The cases were 939 patients with acute myocardial infarction and without a history of ischemic heart disease. The controls were 949 subjects identified in the same centers as the cases and admitted with a wide spectrum of acute disorders unrelated to known or suspected risk factors for acute myocardial infarction. The odds ratios and the 95% confidence intervals were derived from multiple logistic regression equations, including terms for age, gender, education, social status, exercise, smoking status, cholesterolemia, history of diabetes, body mass index, and family history of myocardial infarction. The quality of hypertension control was assessed with the most recent blood pressure reading reported by the subjects. Seventy-two percent of hypertensive cases and 62.6% of hypertensive controls had a history of antihypertensive therapy by self-report, when admitted to the medical center. The adjusted odds ratio for acute myocardial infarction due to hypertension was 2.58 (95% confidence interval, 2.08-3.19). The odds ratio was 2.42 (95% confidence interval, 1.88-3.11) when hypertensives reported that their greatest systolic value was below 200 mm Hg (moderate status) and 4.12 (95% confidence interval, 2.87-5.89) when it was above 200 mm Hg (severe status). When the highest diastolic blood pressure value was below 120 mm Hg (moderate status), the risk increased to 2.48 (95% confidence intervals, 1.90-3.24) and to 4.12 (95% confidence interval, 2.83-5.99) when it was above 120 mm Hg (severe status). If the most recent systolic blood pressure was ≥140 mm Hg, the odds ratio was 2.59 (95% confidence interval, 1.96-3.41), and it was 3.42 (95% confidence interval, 2.40-4.87) when the value was >140 mm Hg. If the most recent diastolic blood pressure was ≤90 mm Hg, the risk increased more than two fold (odds ratio=2.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.91-3.22), and if it was >90 mm Hg, it increased nearly four-fold (odds ratio=3.72; 95% confidence interval, 2.33-5.96). In smokers, the odds ratio was 2.28 in the absence of hypertension and increased to 7.51 when hypertension was present. In this Argentine population, hypertension is a strong and independent risk factor for acute myocardial infarction. In routine clinical practice, the control of blood pressure to levels below 140/90 seems to be required in order to reduce part (but not all) of the risk of acute myocardial infarction in hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determines if coronary stenting could be used as a primary modality in the early phase of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to improve the procedural success of balloon angioplasty. Higher event-free survival in the stent than in the coronary angioplasty group; Increase in thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow.

Hyperglycemia with or without pre-existing diabetes mellitus, occurs frequently in the setting of acute coronary syndrome. Previous studies have demonstrated that hyperglycemia is highly prevalent and is associated with an increased risk of hospital complications and death. The underlying pathophysiology related an adverse clinical outcome to hyperglycemia is unclear, and it is uncertain whether increased serum glucose is simply a marker of adverse outcomes or their cause. Detrimental effects of hyperglycemia on the cardiovascular system are multiple. Glycemia control with insulin would prevent adverse outcomes. Numerous glucose-control protocols have been developed and tested proving to be safe and effective. In an initiative from the Emergency Council of the Argentine Society of Cardiology, local experts analyzed the management of hyperglycemia in acute coronary syndrome. The main objective of the prevent statement is to summarize the current state of knowledge on glycemic control, and to offer general recommendations regarding glucose management in the coronary care unit.

Reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction has dramatically reduced mortality. Coronary angioplasty and thrombolysis are the most effective reperfusion techniques. The controversy about which of the two methods is best has been superseded by a search for the most rapid and effective way of inducing reperfusion, given the overriding importance of time for saving myocardial tissue. Consequently, pharmaco-invasive strategies, prehospital thrombolysis and rapid patient transport systems have all been implemented. Typically, a certain percentage of patients do not undergo reperfusion for a range of reasons, one of the most important being treatment delay. Trends in Latin America are similar to those in other parts of the world: there is an increasing use of angioplasty instead of thrombolysis and a significant number of patients do not undergo reperfusion. Some patient registries indicate that hospital mortality tends to be higher than in Europe or the United States. There are numerous reasons for the difference, among which are a delay in presentation and a lack of access to properly equipped hospitals because of social inequality. Scientific societies have a key role to play in promoting awareness about the importance of early diagnosis and treatment throughout the health-care community, health authorities, and society in general.