Coronary Artery Aneurysms in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (From a United States Based National Cohort)

This study aimed to study group differences in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) based on the presence or absence of associated coronary artery aneurysms (CAA). The cause-and-effect relationship between CAAs and STEMI is largely unknown. The Nationwide Readmission database was used to identify and study group differences of patients with STEMI and with and without CAA from 2014 to 2018. The primary outcome in the 2 groups was mortality. Secondary outcomes in the 2 groups included differences in clinical outcomes, cardiovascular interventions performed, and prevalence of coronary artery dissection. The total number of patients with STEMI included was 1,038,299. In this sample, 1,543 (0.15%) had CAA. Compared with those without CAA, patients with CAAs and STEMI were younger (62.6 vs 65.4), more likely to be male (78 vs 66%), and had a higher prevalence of a history of Kawasaki disease (2.5 vs 0.01%). A difference exists in the prevalence of coronary dissection in patients with STEMI with and without CAA (73% vs 1%). Patients with CAA were more often treated with coronary artery bypass grafting (13.1 vs 5.6%), thrombectomy (16.5 vs 6%), and bare-metal stent implantation (8 vs 4.4). Patients in the CAA STEMI group had lower all-cause mortality (6.3 vs 11.7%). In conclusion, there are important differences in patients with STEMI with and without CAA, which include, but are not limited to, factors such as patient profile, the risk for coronary dissection, treatment, outcomes, and mortality.