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Acute aortic dissection is a rare but deadly disease first described over 200 years ago by the physician to the late King George II on necropsy. Over the ensuing 2 centuries, the understanding of the pathophysiology, presentation, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up has matured. In an effort to understand the contemporary treatment of this disease, the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD) has enrolled over 2000 patients over the past 12 years. In this article we summarize the key lessons learned from this multi-national registry of patients presenting with acute aortic dissection.

IMPORTANCE Little is known about cardiac adverse events among patients with nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). OBJECTIVE To compare myocardial infarction (MI) and mortality rates between patients with nonobstructive CAD, obstructive CAD, and no apparent CAD in a national cohort. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective cohort study of all US veterans undergoing elective coronary angiography for CAD between October 2007 and September 2012 in the Veterans Affairs health care system. Patients with prior CAD events were excluded. EXPOSURES Angiographic CAD extent, defined by degree (no apparent CAD: no stenosis >20%; nonobstructive CAD: ≥1 stenosis ≥20% but no stenosis ≥70%; obstructive CAD: any stenosis ≥70% or left main [LM] stenosis ≥50%) and distribution (1,2, or 3 vessel). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was 1-year hospitalization for nonfatal MI after the index angiography. Secondary outcomes included 1-year all-cause mortality and combined 1-year MI and mortality. RESULTS Among37 674 patients, 8384 patients (22.3%) had nonobstructive CAD and 20 899 patients (55.4%) had obstructive CAD. Within 1 year, 845 patients died and 385 were rehospitalized for MI. Among patients with no apparent CAD, the 1-year MI rate was 0.11% (n = 8, 95% CI, 0.10%–0.20%) and increased progressively by 1-vessel nonobstructive CAD, 0.24% (n = 10, 95% CI, 0.10%–0.40%); 2-vessel nonobstructive CAD, 0.56% (n = 13, 95% CI, 0.30%–1.00%); 3-vessel nonobstructive CAD, 0.59% (n = 6, 95% CI, 0.30%–1.30%); 1-vessel obstructive CAD, 1.18% (n = 101, 95% CI, 1.00%–1.40%); 2-vessel obstructive CAD, 2.18% (n = 110, 95% CI, 1.80%–2.60%); and 3-vessel or LM obstructive CAD, 2.47% (n = 137, 95% CI, 2.10%–2.90%). After adjustment, 1-year MI rates increased with increasing CAD extent. Relative to patients with no apparent CAD, patients with 1-vessel nonobstructive CAD had a hazard ratio (HR) for 1-year MI of 2.0 (95% CI, 0.8–5.1); 2-vessel nonobstructive HR, 4.6 (95% CI, 2.0–10.5); 3-vessel nonobstructive HR, 4.5 (95% CI, 1.6–12.5); 1-vessel obstructive HR, 9.0 (95% CI, 4.2–19.0); 2-vessel obstructive HR, 16.5 (95% CI, 8.1–33.7); and 3-vessel or LM obstructive HR, 19.5 (95% CI, 9.9–38.2). One-year mortality rates were associated with increasing CAD extent, ranging from 1.38% among patients without apparent CAD to 4.30% with 3-vessel or LM obstructive CAD. After risk adjustment, there was no significant association between 1- or 2-vessel nonobstructive CAD and mortality, but there were significant associations with mortality for 3-vessel nonobstructive CAD (HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1–2.5), 1-vessel obstructive CAD (HR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4–2.6), 2-vessel obstructive CAD (HR, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.1–3.7), and 3-vessel or LM obstructive CAD (HR, 3.4; 95% CI, 2.6–4.4). Similar associations were noted with the combined outcome. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cohort of patients undergoing elective coronary angiography, nonobstructive CAD, compared with no apparent CAD, was associated with a significantly greater 1-year risk of MI...

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Mortality is high after discharge from the hospital among patients with type B acute aortic dissection. Partial thrombosis of the false lumen, as compared with complete patency, is a significant independent predictor of postdischarge mortality in these patients.

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Objectives This study sought to examine the contemporary incidence, predictors and outcomes of acute kidney injury in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions. Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious and potentially preventable complication of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) that is associated with adverse outcomes. The contemporary incidence, predictors, and outcomes of AKI are not well defined, and clarifying these can help identify high-risk patients for proactive prevention. Methods A total of 985,737 consecutive patients underwent PCIs at 1,253 sites participating in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry Cath-PCI registry from June 2009 through June 2011. AKI was defined on the basis of changes in serum creatinine level in the hospital according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria. Using multivariable regression analyses with generalized estimating equations, we identified patient characteristics associated with AKI. Results Overall, 69,658 (7.1%) patients experienced AKI, with 3,005 (0.3%) requiring new dialysis. On multivariable analyses, the factors most strongly associated with development of AKI included ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) presentation (odds ratio [OR]: 2.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.53 to 2.67), severe chronic kidney disease (OR: 3.59; 95% CI: 3.47 to 3.71), and cardiogenic shock (OR: 2.92; 95% CI: 2.80 to 3.04). The in-hospital mortality rate was 9.7% for patients with AKI and 34% for those requiring dialysis compared with 0.5% for patients without AKI (p < 0.001). After multivariable adjustment, AKI (OR: 7.8; 95% CI: 7.4 to 8.1, p <0.001) and dialysis (OR: 21.7; 95% CI: 19.6 to 24.1; p <0.001) remained independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions Approximately 7% of patients undergoing a PCI experience AKI, which is strongly associated with in-hospital mortality. Defining strategies to minimize the risk of AKI in patients undergoing PCI are needed to improve the safety and outcomes of the procedure.

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