title: Brachial reactivity and extent of coronary artery disease in patients with first ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: We examined peripheral endothelial function, as measured by brachial artery reactivity, in 49 stable patients with a first episode of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction to examine the relation between extent of coronary disease and peripheral vascular reactivity. Brachial artery reactivity was assessed by ultrasound and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was calculated as the change in brachial artery diameter after release of suprasystolic blood pressure cuff inflation. FMD was classified as abnormal in (< or =6%) 19 patients (group 1) and as normal in 30 patients (group 2). Average FMDs were 2 +/- 2% in group 1 and 11 +/- 4% in group 2. Patients in group 1 were older (62 +/- 5 vs 54 +/- 11 years, p = 0.02) and more often had a history of hypertension (n = 10, 52%, vs 6, 20%, p = 0.017). Patients with abnormal endothelial function (group 1) had a larger number of coronary obstructive (>or =50%) lesions (3.6 +/- 2.4 vs 2.0 +/- 1.7, p = 0.01) and more extensive coronary disease (1.9 +/- 0.8 vs 1.4 +/- 0.8 vessel disease, p = 0.05). In patients with 3-vessel disease, FMD was lower (4.0 +/- 1.8% vs 8.2 +/- 0.8%, p = 0.04) than in those with lesser coronary involvement. In conclusion, in patients with a first episode of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, there was a strong correlation between extent of coronary artery disease and brachial artery reactivity. Patients with localized coronary disease had relatively normal brachial reactivity, whereas those with diffuse coronary disease had more severe abnormal brachial artery reactivity.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center and the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport School of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Offer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Amir
authors.forename: Ronen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: Avinoam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shiran
authors.forename: Moshe Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Flugelman
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Halon
authors.forename: Basil S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*