Predictors of post-stress LVEF drop 6 months after reperfused myocardial infarction: a gated myocardial perfusion SPECT study.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the predictive factors of myocardial stunning as assessed by the drop in post-stress Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) in patients with a recent history of myocardial infarction (MI).


METHODS
We prospectively included 215 consecutive patients admitted for acute MI who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with a greater than or equal to grade-3 TIMI flow in the culprit vessel. Six months after discharge, a post-stress/rest 99mTc-sestamibi gated SPECT was performed. The perfusion score was evaluated visually using a 17-segment model. The LVEF drop was considered significant if the post-stress LVEF was ≥ 5% below the rest LVEF (QGS® software).


RESULTS
A post-stress LVEF drop was observed in 51 (24%) patients. Patients with an LVEF drop were more likely than patients with a stable post-stress LVEF to have diabetes (22% vs. 10%, p = 0.048), significant ischemia (SDS > 2) (51% vs. 28% p = 0.003) and higher rest LVEF [62% (56-69) vs. 56% (49-63) p < 0.001]. In contrast, summed rest score, related to infarct size, did not differ between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified SDS > 2 (OR 3.78, 95% CI 1.8-7.92, p < 0.001), diabetes (OR 3.35, 95% CI 1.33-8.49; p = 0.011) and rest LVEF (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.12, p < 0.001) as independent explanatory variables of an LVEF drop.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with recent MI and post-procedural grade-3 TIMI flow, ischemia and diabetes were independent predictive factors of myocardial stunning. The higher incidence of reversible perfusion abnormalities validates the model of myocardial stunning in the post-MI period, and excludes the potential involvement of myocardial necrosis.
Cardiology Department, CHU Dijon, 14 rue P. Gaffarel, 21000, Dijon, France. charles.guenancia@gmail.com
C
C
Guenancia
A
A
Cochet
O
O
Humbert
I
I
Dygai-Cochet
L
L
Lorgis
M
M
Zeller
K
K
Stamboul
F
F
Brunotte
Y
Y
Cottin
D000368:Aged; D055426:Cardiac-Gated Single-Photon Emission Computer-Assisted Tomography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; D017682:Myocardial Stunning / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D015424:Reperfusion; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*