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Published on: April 13, 2015
Long-Term Change in Flow Rates in Patients with Coronary Slow Flow
Gokturk Ipek1, Tugay Kamber1, Hale Yilmaz1
1Cardiology Department, Siyami Ersek Cardiothoracic Surgery Center, Istanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Coronary slow flow (CSF) did not significantly change in corrected coronary frame rate (CFR) or status over a median of 2.6 years. This suggests limited long-term reversibility of CSF in patients with chronic coronary syndrome.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Vascular Physiology
Background:
- Coronary slow flow (CSF) impairs coronary artery blood flow, potentially leading to severe cardiovascular events.
- Etiology and long-term reversibility of CSF, including frame count changes, remain insufficiently understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term changes in corrected coronary frame rate (CFR) and CSF status in patients with chronic coronary syndrome.
- To assess the reversibility of CSF patterns over a median follow-up of 2.6 years.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 48 patients with chronic coronary syndrome and CSF undergoing serial angiography.
- CSF defined as a corrected coronary frame rate (CFR) >27.
- Comparison of CFR and CSF status between initial and follow-up angiographies (median 2.6 years).
Main Results:
- No significant changes were observed in median CFR for LAD, Cx, or RCA arteries between the two angiographies.
- CSF status showed no significant change in LAD, Cx, or RCA between baseline and follow-up.
- No significant differences in demographic features or laboratory parameters were found across groups based on CSF status improvement.
Conclusions:
- Long-term follow-up (median 2.6 years) revealed no significant changes in median CFR or CSF status in the overall patient group.
- The findings suggest limited spontaneous reversibility of coronary slow flow patterns over several years.
Introduction:
Coronary slow flow (CSF) is a condition characterized by impaired blood flow rates in the coronary arteries. It can result in severe cardiovascular outcomes. There is no sufficient evidence regarding the certain etiology and reversibility of slow flow patterns and changes in frame counts with long-term management.
Methods:
We retrospectively enrolled 48 patients with chronic coronary syndrome and CSF who underwent a second angiography. A corrected coronary frame rate (CFR) >27 was defined as CSF. We created 3 groups according to the change in CSF status as the improved, not changed, and worsened groups. We compared the CFR and CSF status of the patients between the first and second angiographies within a median of 2.6 years.
Results:
We determined a nonsignificant change in cCFR in left anterior descending (LAD) artery (34.4 [18.9] vs. 31.59 [10.3], p = 0.35), circumflex (Cx) artery (42.84 [12.56] vs. 40.66 [13.2], p = 0.35), and right coronary artery (RCA) (57.80 [30.13] vs. 50.32 [19.5], p = 0.11). In the comparison of CSF status of LAD (75% vs. 63%, p = 0.27), Cx (96% vs. 83%, p = 0.09), RCA (94% vs. 94%, p = 1.0) between first and second angiographies, there was no significant change. In the comparison of the 3 groups according to the improvement of CSF status, there was no significant difference in demographic features, change in laboratory parameters, and time between the groups.
Conclusion:
There was no significant change in the median CFR and CSF status in the overall group between the two angiographies after 3 years.
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