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Central pulse pressure amplification is associated with more extensive and severe coronary artery disease

Asli Tanindi1, Aycan Fahri Erkan, Aslihan Alhan

  • 1Ufuk University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiology , Ankara , Turkey.

Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal : SCJ
|February 27, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Increased augmentation index (AIx), a central pulse waveform characteristic, is linked to coronary artery disease (CAD) extent and severity. This noninvasive measure may aid risk stratification before coronary angiography.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

  • Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) poses a significant global health burden.
  • Accurate assessment of CAD extent and severity is crucial for effective patient management.
  • Noninvasive methods for evaluating CAD risk are highly desirable in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between noninvasively determined central pulse waveform characteristics and the extent/severity of CAD.
  • To assess the utility of augmentation index (AIx) in predicting moderate to severe CAD.
  • To explore the role of AIx in risk stratification for patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Main Methods:

  • 145 patients with stable angina pectoris, unstable angina pectoris, or acute myocardial infarction were included.
  • Coronary angiography was performed, and Gensini and SYNTAX scores were calculated.
  • Noninvasive pulse wave analysis (PWA) was conducted using the SphygmoCor system.

Main Results:

  • Higher AIx tertiles correlated with increased CAD extent and severity (higher Gensini/SYNTAX scores, lower myocardial blush grade).
  • AIx of 24.45% effectively predicted moderate to severe CAD (SYNTAX score ≥ 23) with high AUC (0.96), sensitivity (88%), and specificity (93%).
  • AIx showed significant correlation with Gensini and SYNTAX scores across different CAD patient subgroups after adjustments.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated AIx is significantly associated with the presence and severity of CAD.
  • AIx may serve as a valuable noninvasive tool for cardiovascular risk stratification in outpatient settings.
  • This finding supports the use of AIx in selected patients prior to coronary angiography for enhanced risk assessment.
Abstract

Keywords:
Augmentation indexSYNTAX scoreextent and severity of coronary artery diseasepulse waveform analysis

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