title: Favorable outcomes of patients with vasospastic angina associated with cardiac arrest.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The long-term survival of vasospastic angina (VSA) patients is generally good, so long as they remain on calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and avoid smoking. However, the pathogenesis, appropriate treatments, and prognosis of VSA associated with cardiac arrest remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the clinical features and long-term outcomes of patients with VSA associated with cardiac arrest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighteen consecutive patients with VSA associated with cardiac arrest [13 patients resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and 5 resuscitated after in-hospital-cardiac arrest] were retrospectively analyzed. Sixteen of the eighteen patients were smokers. None had other cardiac diseases possibly causing cardiac arrest. Although 1 patient resuscitated after OHCA later died of cerebral hypoxia, the remaining 17 were discharged without complications. One patient died of cancer 50 months after resuscitation. The other 16 patients are still alive and none have shown ventricular arrhythmias, syncope, or cardiac arrest during a mean follow-up of 67 months. All are treated with long-acting CCBs/nitrates and successfully quit smoking. Six patients received implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). However, none demonstrated any ventricular arrhythmias and appropriate ICD actuation was achieved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Appropriate medical treatment can achieve favorable long-term outcomes even for patients with VSA associated with cardiac arrest.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashina
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan. Electronic address: tetsuo.yagi@nifty.com.
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Namekawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mibiki
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Manjirou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakuramoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Sendai City Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Juri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Komatsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009566:Nitrates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D009566:Nitrates
keywords: Outcome; Resuscitation; Sudden cardiac arrest; Treatment; Vasospastic angina