High levels of PTX3, D-dimer and BNP were found to be independent, long-term predictors of all-cause mortality in chest pain patients with a suspected ACS. hsCRP and BNP also predicted future myocardial infarction.

A reduced risk of fatal coronary artery disease has been associated with a high intake of (n-3) fatty acids (FA) and a direct cardioprotective effect by their incorporation into myocardial cells has been suggested. Based on these observations, the omega-3 index (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid in cell membranes of RBC expressed as percent of total FA) has been suggested as a new risk marker for cardiac death. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the omega-3 index as a prognostic risk marker following hospitalization with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The omega-3 index was measured at admission in 460 patients with an ACS as defined by Troponin-T (TnT) > or = 0.02 microg/L. During a 2-y follow-up, recurrent myocardial infarctions (MI) (defined as TnT > 0.05 microg/L with a typical MI presentation) and cardiac and all-cause mortality were registered. Cox regression analyses were used to relate the risk of new events to the quartiles of the omega-3 index at inclusion. After correction for age, sex, previous heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, brain natriuretic peptide, creatinine, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerol, homocysteine, BMI, and medication, there was no significant reduction in risk for all-cause mortality, cardiac death, or MI with increasing values of the index. In conclusion, we could not confirm the omega-3 index as a useful prognostic risk marker following an ACS.

The long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a recently identified member of the pentraxin protein family that includes C-reactive protein. PTX3 is produced by the major cell types involved in atherosclerotic lesions in response to inflammatory stimuli, and elevated plasma levels are found in several conditions including acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The aim of this study was to assess the value of PTX3 as a prognostic marker of mortality and recurrent ischaemic events in a consecutive series of patients admitted with acute chest pain and potential ACS. The patients received follow-up for 24 months. Blood samples were taken on admission for measurement of PTX3, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and troponin T. All-cause mortality at 24 months in the study cohort was 15.2%. Patients in the upper PTX3 quartiles had a significantly higher death risk than those in the lowest quartile (Q3: hazard ratio [HR] 2.36; 95% CI 1.12-4.99; p = 0.024, and Q4: HR 3.60; 95% CI 1.68-7.72; p = 0.001). Elevated BNP levels were also significantly associated with a fatal outcome (Q3: HR 3.05; 95% CI 1.16-7.99; p = 0.024; and Q4: HR 3.90; 95% CI 1.48-10.26; p = 0.006). Elevation in hsCRP was not associated with increased death risk. As PTX3 predicted mortality independently of BNP, the combination of these two biomarkers showed an incremental prognostic value. PTX3 is a new biomarker related to inflammation that, independently of BNP, strongly predicts long-term all-cause mortality in patients with acute chest pain. The combination of these two biomarkers enhances the prognostic value over either marker alone.

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