Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026
Evaluation of Coronary Flow Reserve After Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion in Rats
Published on: June 28, 2019
Prognostic value of flow-mediated dilatation following myocardial infarction
Marco Guazzi1, Giuseppe Reina, Paola Gripari
1University of Milano, San Paolo Hospital, Cardiopulmonary Unit, Cardiology Division, Milano, Italy.
Insights
Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) can help predict cardiovascular events after myocardial infarction (MI). Patients with diabetes and lower FMD have a significantly higher risk of future cardiovascular events.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Biology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Risk stratification for cardiovascular events post-myocardial infarction (MI) is crucial.
- Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) shows promise as a prognostic indicator.
- This study evaluates FMD's prognostic value in uncomplicated MI patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prognostic value of flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in patients following a myocardial infarction (MI).
- To determine if FMD can improve risk stratification for subsequent cardiovascular events.
Main Methods:
- 179 post-MI patients (mean age 64.8 years) underwent brachial artery ultrasound to measure FMD.
- Patients were monitored for subsequent cardiovascular events over a mean period of 13.7 months.
- Medical chart review was used for data collection and event tracking.
Main Results:
- 45 cardiovascular events occurred during follow-up.
- Diabetes diagnosis and FMD (percent arterial diameter change
- Kaplan-Meier analysis showed event-free survival rates ranging from 38.5% to 88.7% based on diabetes status and FMD.
Conclusions:
- Non-invasive FMD is a potential risk factor after MI.
- FMD may provide additional information for conventional cardiovascular risk stratification.
- Further studies are needed to validate these findings.
Background:
Risk stratification for subsequent cardiovascular events following a myocardial infarction (MI) is an important area of research. Previous findings indicate flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) may be a valuable prognostic indicator. This study investigates the prognostic value of FMD in patients suffering an uncomplicated MI.
Methods:
One hundred and seventy nine post-MI patients [110 male/69 female, mean age: 64.8+/-10.0 years, ejection fraction: 51.9+/-12.2%] were included in this analysis. Ultrasound images of the brachial artery were used to determine FMD following reactive hyperemia. Subjects were tracked for subsequent cardiovascular events [myocardial infarction, heart failure, additional interventions (percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass)] following data collection via medical chart review.
Results:
There were 45 subsequent cardiovascular events during a mean tracking period of 13.7 (+/-9.5) months. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed a diagnosis of diabetes (ROC area: 0.67, p=0.001, 95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.77) and percent change in arterial diameter (ROC area: 0.63, p=0.01, 95% confidence interval: 0.53-0.73, optimal threshold:
Conclusions:
Non-invasive FMD is a potential risk factor after MI and may add information to conventional risk stratification. This will need to be tested in further studies.
