Invest Clin 65(1): 70 - 82, 2024 https://doi.org/10.54817/IC.v65n1a07
Corresponding Author: Yiming Ni, Department of Cardiac Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Medical
College of Zhejiang University, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, ZhejiangChina.. Email: 1183020@zju.edu.cn
Comparison of clinical efficacy and
prognosis between interventional occlusion
and surgical treatment for acute myocardial
infarction with ventricular septal
perforation.
Chenyao Ni, Peng Hu and Yiming Ni
Department of Cardiac Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College
of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Keywords: acute myocardial infarction; interventricular septal perforation; interventional
occlusion; Killip class; EuroScore II; NYHA class; 6-minute walk test.
Abstract. This retrospective study compared the clinical outcomes and
prognostic factors in acute myocardial infarction-related patients with inter-
ventricular septal perforation (AMI-VSP) who underwent interventional occlu-
sion (IO group) or surgical intervention (SI group). Forty-six patients were ana-
lyzed based on comprehensive clinical data, laboratory results, and follow-up
evaluations. The SI group had higher EuroScore II scores and more patients in
Killip class IV. Both treatments showed improved laboratory indices, but the IO
group had higher left ventricular ejection fraction and lower levels of specific
biomarkers. The postoperative hospital stay and total hospitalization time were
shorter in the IO group. Survival rates did not significantly differ between the
two groups during the follow-up period. Logistic regression analysis identified
a history of coronary heart disease as a significant risk factor affecting progno-
sis and survival rates. Both interventional occlusion and surgical intervention
proved effective, with IO showing faster recovery and more favorable prognoses,
while surgery was preferred for severe cases. Coronary heart disease was a key
factor influencing postoperative survival in AMI-VSP patients.
Acute myocardial infarction with ventricular septal perforation: intervention vs. surgery 71
Vol. 65(1): 70 - 82, 2024
Comparación de la eficacia clínica y el pronóstico entre
la oclusión intervencionista y el tratamiento quirúrgico
en el infarto agudo de miocardio con perforación del septo
ventricular.
Invest Clin 2024; 65 (1): 70 – 82
Palabras clave: infarto agudo de miocardio; perforación del septo interventricular;
oclusión intervencionista; clasificación de Killip; EuroScore II; clase
NYHA; prueba de marcha de 6 minutos.
Resumen. Este estudio retrospectivo comparó los resultados clínicos y
los factores pronósticos en pacientes con infarto agudo de miocardio con per-
foración del septo interventricular (AMI-VSP) que se sometieron a oclusión in-
tervencionista (grupo OI) o intervención quirúrgica (grupo IQ). Se analizaron
cuarenta y seis pacientes en función de datos clínicos completos, resultados de
laboratorio y evaluaciones de seguimiento. El grupo IQ tenía puntajes más altos
de EuroScore II y más pacientes en la clase IV de Killip. Ambos tratamientos
mostraron mejoras en los índices de laboratorio, pero el grupo OI tenía una
fracción de eyección ventricular izquierda más alta y niveles más bajos de cier-
tos biomarcadores. La estancia hospitalaria posoperatoria y el tiempo total de
hospitalización fueron más cortos en el grupo OI. Las tasas de supervivencia
no diferían significativamente entre los dos grupos durante el período de segui-
miento. El análisis de regresión logística identificó la historia de enfermedad
coronaria como un factor de riesgo significativo que afecta el pronóstico y las
tasas de supervivencia. Tanto la oclusión intervencionista como la intervención
quirúrgica resultaron efectivas, con la oclusión intervencionista mostrando una
recuperación más rápida y pronósticos más favorables, mientras que la cirugía
se prefería para casos graves. La enfermedad coronaria fue un factor clave que
influyó en la supervivencia posoperatoria en pacientes con AMI-VSP.
Received: 06-08-2023 Accepted: 07-11-2023
INTRODUCTION
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is
characterized by severe ischemic necrosis re-
sulting from coronary artery occlusion, lead-
ing to high clinical morbidity and mortality
rates. Complications such as interventricu-
lar septal perforation (VSP), papillary mus-
cle rupture, cardiogenic shock, and free wall
rupture are all frequently observed in AMI
patients 1,2. Among these complications, VSP
is a rare and lethal complication of AMI that
is mainly represented by cardiogenic shock
or acute heart failure 3,4. Available data indi-
cate that the clinical incidence of this condi-
tion is approximately 0.17% to 0.31% among
AMI patients, with a meagre one-month sur-
vival rate of only 6% under drug treatment
alone 5,6. Surgical intervention currently rep-
resents an effective approach for managing
VSP following AMI. Compared to pharmaco-
therapy, timely surgical intervention can sig-
nificantly enhance surgical success rates and
improve patient survival rates 7. In recent
72 Ni et al.
Investigación Clínica 65(1): 2024
years, interventional techniques have rap-
idly advanced, and interventional occlusion
has emerged as a viable treatment method
for VSP patients, boasting advantages such
as reduced trauma, shorter procedure dura-
tion, and rapid postoperative recovery. For
patients with suitable anatomical charac-
teristics, including the appropriate size and
shape of the VSP, interventional occlusion
may serve as a potential alternative to sur-
gical intervention 8. However, it should be
noted that interventional occlusion is fre-
quently associated with residual shunting
in postoperative patients, as the underlying
myocardial infarction causes necrosis of car-
diomyocytes, leading to the thinning of the
infarcted myocardium and interstitial fibro-
sis 9,10.
Consequently, even with successful clo-
sure, residual shunting may persist due to
cardiac alterations. Residual shunting is a
critical factor impacting cardiac function
and postoperative recovery 11. In order to
comprehensively evaluate the clinical utility
of interventional occlusion, a retrospective
analysis was conducted on 46 AMI-VSP-relat-
ed patients at The First Affiliated Hospital
of Medical College of Zhejiang University,
aiming to assess the therapeutic effects and
prognosis of interventional occlusion and
surgical intervention, and providing valu-
able insights to enhance the clinical survival
rates of AMI-VSP related patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study design and patients
In this retrospective study, a total of 55
patients diagnosed with AMI complicated by
VSP treated at The First Affiliated Hospital
of Medical College of Zhejiang University
from January 2015 to December 2021 were
included. The subjects in this study met the
following criteria. (1) Patients were older
than 18 years old. (2) Patients with AMI di-
agnosed by ECG, coronary angiography and
transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). (3)
TTE confirmed the existence of interventric-
ular septal echo continuity with shunt from
left to right. (4) Left ventriculography indi-
cated that the contrast medium flows from
the left ventricle to the right ventricle. Pa-
tients with a history of congenital heart dis-
ease or old myocardial infarction with VSP
were excluded.
Clinical data collection procedure
The clinical data of the patients were
obtained from the hospital’s medical record
system following standardized protocols.
Trained professionals conducted follow-up
assessments via telephone. The collected
clinical data encompassed various aspects,
including patient demographics such as age
and gender, as well as the presence of co-
morbidities (hypertension, diabetes, hyper-
lipidemia, coronary heart disease, ventricu-
lar aneurysm, and renal disease). The data of
the examination results of the patients after
admission, the time from AMI to VSP, the to-
tal hospitalization time and the postopera-
tive hospital stay were also collected.
Examination results mainly included
infarction location (anterior/extensive ante-
rior or others), culprit lesion (left anterior
descending artery (LAD), left circumflex
artery (LCX), right coronary artery (RCA),
diameter of VSR, pulmonary circulation /
systemic circulation (Qp/Qs), EuroScore II
score and Killip classification. Additionally,
preoperative and postoperative laboratory
examination results were recorded, encom-
passing parameters such as left ventricular
ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular
end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), cardiac
troponin I (cTNI), creatine kinase-MB (CK-
MB), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic pep-
tide (NT-proBNP), low-density lipoprotein
(LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), as-
partate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine
aminotransferase (ALT). Before discharge,
one patient died of operation failure in the
IO group, and two patients died in the SI
group, so the data from postoperative labo-
ratory examination were not included in the
statistics.
Acute myocardial infarction with ventricular septal perforation: intervention vs. surgery 73
Vol. 65(1): 70 - 82, 2024
During the follow-up period, adverse
events (death and residual shunting) were
documented. Additional data collected
during follow-up included LVEF, LVEDD,
New York Heart Association (NYHA) class,
6-minute walk test results, and specific time
points for the initial and final follow-up as-
sessments.
Statistical analysis
The data in this study were analyzed us-
ing IBM Statistic Package for Social Science
(SPSS)® 26.0 statistical software (IBM, Ar-
monk, NY, USA). Continuous variables were
described using mean ± standard deviation
(x±SD), and the differences between groups
were compared by t-tests. The continuous
variables that were not normally distributed
are expressed in the form of medians and
quartiles, and the differences between groups
were analyzed by the Mann-Whithey U-tests.
The classified variables were described in the
form of frequency (percentage) [n (%)], and
the differences between groups were com-
pared by analysis of variance or Fisher exact
tests. The survival rate of patients during the
follow-up period was analyzed using the Ka-
plan-Meier survival curve, generated using
the https://hiplot.com.cn website, and the
log-rank tests were used to assess the differ-
ences between groups.
Furthermore, univariate and multi-
variate logistic regression was performed to
evaluate the factors affecting the prognosis
and survival of AMI-VSP-related patients, age,
treatment modality, hypertension, diabetes,
hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, Eu-
roScore II, LVEF, LVEDD, NT-proBNP, cTnI,
and CK-MB were included as variables in the
analysis. Variables with statistically signifi-
cant results in the univariate analysis were
subsequently subjected to multivariate logis-
tic regression analysis. The logistic regres-
sion analysis results were expressed as odds
ratio (OR) with corresponding 95% confi-
dence intervals. Statistical significance was
p<0.05, indicating a statistically significant
difference between the analyzed data.
RESULTS
Results of patient recruitment
From a total of 55 AMI-VSP-related pa-
tients screened for inclusion in the study
were excluded three patients with congeni-
tal heart disease, two patients with VSP re-
sulting from old myocardial infarction, and
four patients who were unable to comply
with the follow-up protocol. Ultimately, 46
patients were enrolled in the study, and all
the patients were divided into two groups
based on the treatment modality, includ-
ing the interventional occlusion group (IO
group, n=20) and the surgical intervention
group (SI group, n=26). The follow-up peri-
od ranged from July 14th, 2015, to February
18th, 2021, with a maximum follow-up dura-
tion of 1069 days, a minimum of 11 days,
and an average follow-up time of 625.00
(417.05-811.00). The mean follow-up time
was 605.00 (445.00-815.00) days in the IO
group and 657.50 (398.75-795.75) days in
the SI group (Fig. 1).
Characteristics of AMI-VSR-related
patients
The average age of all the patients
was 63.50 ± 3.86 years, with 35 (76.09%)
patients over 60 years and 35 (60.87%) fe-
male. Regarding comorbidities and past
medical history, there were 23 (50.00%)
patients with hypertension and diabetes, 24
(52.17%) patients with hyperlipidemia, 15
(32.61 %) patients with coronary heart dis-
ease, 13 (28.26%) patients with ventricular
aneurysms and nine (19.57%) patients with
renal diseases. There were no significant dif-
ferences in age, gender, or distribution of
comorbidities between the IO group and the
SI group (p>0.05). Analysis of hospitaliza-
tion time revealed that the total hospital-
ization time and postoperative hospital stay
were significantly shorter in the IO group
compared to the SI group (p<0.001). The
time from AMI to VSP was similar between
the two groups (p>0.05). The EuroScore
II score in the IO group was 12.00 (12.00,
74 Ni et al.
Investigación Clínica 65(1): 2024
13.00), which was lower than that in the SI
group (p>0.05). It was also found that the
Killip grade of most patients (interventional
occlusion group vs surgery group = 85% vs.
84.62%) was grade III/IV, and there was no
significant difference in the distribution of
Killip grades between the two groups (p>
0.05). The above information is shown in
Table 1.
Results of coronary angiography
and trans thoraciceechocardiography
Analysis of coronary angiography re-
sults showed that 84.78% of patients had
anterior wall infarction or extensive ante-
rior wall infarction, and 58.70% had apical
perforation. Most patients had involvement
of a single culprit lesion (63.04%), with the
LAD (91.30%) being the most frequent one.
There were no significant differences in the
location of myocardial infarction, location of
VSP and culprit lesion between the IO group
and the SI group (p>0.05).
TTE results revealed that the diameter
of VSP in the IO group was 11.30±1.75 mm,
which was significantly smaller than that
in the SI group (p<0.001). The Qp/Qs ra-
tio was 2.82±0.37 and also lower in the IO
group compared to the SI group (p<0.001).
Preoperative and postoperative variables
in AMI-VSR related patients
Table 2 presents the preoperative and
postoperative laboratory examination re-
sults in both groups. In the preoperative pe-
riod, the IO occlusion group exhibited sig-
nificantly lower levels of cTNI (47.30±8.53
ng/mL) and ALT (466.05 ± 170.35 U/L)
compared to the SI group (p<0.05). The
two groups had no significant difference
in other laboratory tests (p>0.05). The
value of LVEF in both groups increased in
Fig. 1. Cumulative survival curves during the follow-up period of IO group and SI group. The survival rate of
IO group was 85.00% (the blue line), and the SI group was 80.77% (the red line).
Acute myocardial infarction with ventricular septal perforation: intervention vs. surgery 75
Vol. 65(1): 70 - 82, 2024
Table 1. Data and examination results of AMI-VSP related patients after admission.
Variables Total (n=46) IO group (n=20) SI group (n=26) t /χ2/Z value p
Age (year, x±s) 63.50±3.86 64.10±4.46 63.35±3.86 0.305 0.762
Age over 60 [n(%)] 35(76.09) 16(80.00) 19(73.08) 0.039 0.844
Gender (female,%) 28(60.87) 12(60.00) 16(61.54) 0.011 0.916
Comorbidities [n(%)] Hypertension 23(50.00) 10(50.00) 13(50.00) 0.000 1.000
Diabetes 23(50.00) 11(55.00) 12(46.15) 0.354 0.552
Hyperlipidemia 24(52.17) 11(55.00) 13(50.00) 0.113 0.736
Coronary heart disease 15(32.61) 6(30.00) 9(34.62) 0.110 0.741
Ventricular Aneurysm 13(28.26) 6(30.00) 7(26.92) 0.053 0.818
Renal disease 9(19.57) 4(20.00) 5(19.23) 0.000 1.000
Location of infarction [n(%)] Anterior/Extensive anterior 39(84.78) 16(80.00) 23(88.46) 0.143 0.705
Others 7(15.22) 4(20.00) 3(11.54)
Number of Culprit lesion [n(%)] 1 29(63.04) 13(65.00) 16(61.54) 0.297 0.862
2 11(23.91) 5(25.00) 6(23.08)
3 6(13.04) 2(10.00) 4(15.38)
Culprit lesion [n(%)] LAD 42(91.3) 17(85.00) 25(96.15) 0.114 0.945
LCX 16(34.78) 7(35.00) 9(34.62)
RCA 11(23.91) 5(25.00) 6(23.08)
VSR location [n(%)] Apical 27(58.70) 13(65.00) 14(53.85) 0.630 0.730
Anterior 13(28.26) 5(25.00) 8(30.77)
Posterior 6(13.04) 2(10.00) 4(15.38)
Echocardiographic findings (x±s) Diameter of VSR (mm) 15.50±4.36 11.30±1.75 18.73±2.62 10.944 0.001
Qp/Qs 3.11±0.49 2.82±0.37 3.34±0.46 4.157 0.001
Time elapsed [days,M(P25,P75)] From AMI to VSR 2.00(1.00,3.00) 2.00(1.00,3.00) 2.00(1.00,3.00) 0.323 0.746
Total hospitalization time 15.00(13.00,18.25) 13.00(13.00,15.00) 18.00(17.00,20.00) 5.749 0.001
Postoperative hospital stay 11.00(9.00,14.00) 9.00(8.00,11.00) 13.50(13.00,14.00) 5.835 0.001
EuroSCORE II [%,M(P25,P75)] 12.00(13.00,14.00) 12.00(12.00,13.00) 13.00(12.00,14.75) 1.454 0.146
Killip class [n(%)] I/II 7(15.22) 3(15.00) 4(15.38) 0.006 0.997
III 14(30.43) 6(30.00) 8(30.77)
IV 25(54.35) 11(55.00) 14(53.85)
VSR, ventricular septal rupture; AMI, acute myocardial infarction; LAD, left anterior descending artery; LCX, left circumflex artery; RCA, right coronary
artery; Qp/Qs, pulmonary circulation / systemic circulation; EuroSCORE II, European heart surgery risk assessment system II.
76 Ni et al.
Investigación Clínica 65(1): 2024
Table 2
Preoperative and postoperative laboratory examination results of patients.
Variables Pre-operation t /Z p p Post-operation t /Z pp
IO group (n=20) SI group (n=26) IO group (n=19) SI group (n=24)
LVEF [%,M(P25,P75),
x±s]
43.00
(41.00,45.00)
45.00
(41.00,48.00) 1.527 0.127 48.84±1.80 46.83±3.57 2.397 0.022
LVEDD (mm,x±s) 50.70±2.05 51.85±2.78 1.545 0.129 49.84±1.77 50.00±1.72 0.295 0.769
NT-pro BNP [pg/
mL,M(P25,P75),x±s]
7523.00
(6523.00,9631.00)
8662.00
(7533.00,9674.00) 1.396 0.163 5527.11±1647.88 5552.38±1607.29 0.051 0.960
LDL (mmol/L,x±s) 1.89±0.27 1.89±0.23 0.070 0.945 1.71±0.21 1.68±0.23 0.467 0.643
HDL [mmol/
L,M(P25,P75),x±s]0.73(0.65,0.81) 0.69
(0.59,0.93) 0.078 0.938 0.80±0.16 0.81±0.18 0.143 0.887
CTnI (ng/mL,x±s) 47.30±8.53 53.15±5.90 2.750 0.009 43.00±6.94 48.29±8.17 2.380 0.022
CK-MB [ng/
mL,M(P25,P75)]
6.38
(5.19,8.51)
6.82
(5.69,8.84) 1.385 0.166 3.59(3.25,4.85) 4.95(3.84,5.41) 2.423 0.015
AST (U/L,x±s) 42.85±4.84 39.81±8.65 1.512 0.138 36.00±4.99 37.75±9.01 0.808 0.424
ALT (U/L,x±s) 466.05±170.35 565.23±131.41 2.231 0.031 216.05±146.73 387.38±122.81 4.168 <0.001
LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; LVEDD, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter; NT-pro BNP, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide; LDL, low-den-
sity lipoprotein; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; cTnI, cardiac troponin I; CK-MB, creatine kinase-MB; AST, aspartate transaminase; ALT, alanine transaminase.
Acute myocardial infarction with ventricular septal perforation: intervention vs. surgery 77
Vol. 65(1): 70 - 82, 2024
the postoperative period, and the result of
the IO group was higher than that of the SI
group (p<0.05). The results of cTNI and CK-
MB in both groups were significantly lower
than those in the preoperative period, and
the treatment results in the IO group were
lower than those in the SI group. Moreover,
the values of LVEDD, NT-proBNP, LDL, AST
and ALT decreased in the postoperative pe-
riod, but there was no significant difference
between the two groups (p>0.05). The HDL
levels increased in both groups in the post-
operative period, with the SI group exhibit-
ing slightly higher average values, although
the difference was not significant (p>0.05).
Characteristics of AMI-VSP-related
patients during the follow-up period
As shown in Table 3, the survival rate
during the follow-up period was 85.00% (17
/20) in the IO group and 80.77% (21/26) in
the SI group. The results of the NYHA class
revealed that 31.58% of patients had class I,
and 47.37% had class II. The IO group dem-
onstrated higher average LVEF and better
results in the 6-minute walk test compared
to the SI group (p>0.05), while the average
LVEDD was lower in the IO group (p>0.05).
Analysis of survival curves in AMI-VSP-
related patients
We employed the Kaplan-Meier curve to
analyze the survival rates of the two groups
of patients. The analysis indicated no sig-
nificant difference in survival rates between
the two groups during the follow-up period
(p>0.05).
Univariable and multivariable regression
analyses for prognostic factors
Univariable logistic regression and
multivariable logistic regression were used
to analyze the risk factors affecting the sur-
vival of patients in both groups in the post-
operative period. The results showed that
coronary heart disease, EuroScore II, LVEF,
NT-proBNP, cTNI, and CK-MB were all signifi-
cant influencing factors (p<0.05). Multivar-
iate logistic regression analysis revealed that
coronary heart disease may significantly af-
fect patients’ prognosis and survival rate (p
<0.05). The analysis results of each index
are presented in Table 4.
DISCUSSION
Interventional occlusion and surgical
intervention have demonstrated efficacy
in enhancing patients’ survival rate
and prognosis
This retrospective study aimed to ana-
lyze the clinical outcomes and prognosis of
46 patients with AMI complicated by VSP who
underwent either interventional occlusion or
surgical intervention. Our analysis of patient
data revealed a higher prevalence of female
Table 3
Results of prognostic indexes of patients in two groups.
Variables Total (n=46) IO group (n=20) SI group (n=26) t /χ2 p
Adverse events 8(17.39) 3(15.00) 5(19.23) 0.000 1.000
12(26.09) 5(25.00) 7(26.92) 0.022 0.883
LVEF (%, x±s) 50.84±2.27 51.59±1.66 50.24±2.55 1.967 0.057
LVEDD (mm, x±s) 47.26±2.31 46.65±2.29 47.76±2.26 1.505 0.141
NYHA class [n(%)] 12(31.58) 6(35.29) 6(28.57) 0.306 0.858
18(47.37) 8(47.06) 10(47.62)
8(21.05) 3(17.65) 5(23.81)
6-min walk test (m, x±s) 339.92±55.50 347.12±58.14 334.10±53.99 0.714 0.480
LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; LVEDD, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter; NYHA class, New York
Heart Association class.
78 Ni et al.
Investigación Clínica 65(1): 2024
individuals and those over 60 years old, align-
ing with the findings of Yip et al. 12, who ob-
served a higher risk of AMI with VSP in older
individuals and women. The underlying mech-
anism for this higher incidence in advanced
age and females remains unclear, but it may
be attributed to age-related changes in left
ventricular compliance and myocardial struc-
ture 12. Differences in the cardiac collagen
skeleton and collagen matrix in the infarcted
myocardium between genders may contrib-
ute to the observed disparities 13. The loca-
tion of myocardial infarction and perforation
was found to be closely associated with post-
operative mortality, with the anterior wall and
extensive anterior wall of the myocardium be-
ing predominantly affected and the infarcted
vessels primarily involving the left anterior
descending branch 14,15.
Notably, there were no significant dif-
ferences in baseline characteristics, includ-
ing sex, age, location of myocardial infarc-
tion and VSP between the two groups. Thus,
comparing both groups’ preoperative and
postoperative laboratory measurements
could better elucidate the clinical effects of
the different treatments. A comparison of
preoperative and postoperative laboratory
measurements revealed higher LVEF and
LDL levels and decreased LVEDD, NT-proB-
NP, HDL, CTnI, CK-MB, AST, and ALT lev-
els in both groups. Clinically, LVEF reflects
the extent of myocardial injury or myocar-
dial stunning in AMI patients and serves as
an important prognostic indicator for AMI
mortality 16. NT-proBNP, derived from B-type
natriuretic peptide released by cardiomyo-
cytes, reflects heart injury to some extent 17.
CTnI and CK-MB are specific markers with
clinical sensitivity for myocardial injury 18.
Moreover, Kaplan-Meier survival analy-
sis showed that the postoperative survival
rates of both groups were approximately 80%
and had no significant difference. Previous
studies have highlighted a generally higher
clinical mortality rate of AMI combined with
VSP, ranging from 40% to 80% 19. So our re-
sults indicate that both interventional oc-
clusion and surgery intervention are effec-
tive treatment measures for AMI-VSP-related
Table 4
Correlation analysis of prognostic and survival factors in patients with AMI-VSP.
Predictor Univariables OR (95% CI) pMultivariables OR (95% CI) p
Age 0.846(0.668-1.072) 0.166
Modality of treatment 0.741(0.155-3.554) 0.708
Hypertension 0.242(0.043-1.361) 0.107 0.285(0.028-2.895) 0.288
Diabetes 3.706(0.661-20.765) 0.136 0.159(0.012-2.068) 0.160
Hyperlipidemia 0.6(0.125-2.873) 0.523
Coronary heart disease 0.103(0.018-0.605) 0.012 0.074(0.006-0.891) 0.040
EuroScore II 18.957(1.879-191.235) 0.013
LVEF 0.663(0.445-0.988) 0.044
LVEDD 1.245(0.915-1.694) 0.164
NT-proBNP 1.001(1.000-1.002) 0.032 1.001(0.999-1.003) 0.272
cTnI 1.231(1.026-1.476) 0.025 1.04(0.770-1.404) 0.798
CK-MB 3.302(1.394-7.823) 0.007
EuroSCORE II, European heart surgery risk assessment system II; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction;
LVEDD, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter; NT-pro BNP, N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide; cTnI, cardiac
troponin I; CK-MB, creatine kinase-MB.
Acute myocardial infarction with ventricular septal perforation: intervention vs. surgery 79
Vol. 65(1): 70 - 82, 2024
patients, effectively improving cardiac func-
tion and survival rates.
Furthermore, the prognosis of the two
groups was analyzed, revealing further im-
provements in the LVEF and NYHA classes.
The results of the 6-minute walk test also
demonstrated significant enhancement in
cardiovascular function among the patients.
While the reliability and validity of NYHA
scores have been debated, they are widely
used to assess cardiac function improve-
ments following heart disease treatment
20,21. The 6-minute walk test is commonly
employed to evaluate endurance and walk-
ing ability in patients with various condi-
tions and serves as a reference indicator for
assessing the recovery of cardiac function
22. The improvements observed in the above-
mentioned indices in both groups support
the notion that interventional occlusion and
surgery intervention can effectively improve
patient prognosis.
Patients in the SI group were relatively
more severely affected
Significant differences were observed
in VSP diameter and Qp/Qs results between
the two groups. The SI group displayed sig-
nificantly larger perforation diameters and
higher Qp/Qs values. Additionally, the Eu-
roScore II score and the number of patients
with Killip class IV were slightly higher in
the SI group compared to the IO group.
EuroScore II is one of the effective scoring
systems for evaluating the risk of cardio-
vascular surgery. The higher the score, the
higher the risk 23. The Killip classification is
one of the ways to reflect the cardiac func-
tion of patients with AMI. Generally, a high
Killip class means that the cardiac function
of patients is poor and the area of myocar-
dial infarction is larger 24. Notably, the pre-
operative cTnI value was significantly higher
in the SI group than in the IO group. These
findings collectively suggest that while both
groups presented with severe conditions,
the SI group exhibited a more severe clinical
profile. Surgical intervention becomes an ef-
fective life-saving measure when the size and
shape of the VSP hinder successful occlusion
through interventional means 25.
Interventional occlusion is more conducive
to postoperative patient recovery
Our results show that the therapeutic
effect of the IO group was relatively better,
and patients’ recovery rate was faster than
surgical treatment. Postoperative labora-
tory measurements indicated lower levels
of NT-proBNP, cTnI, and CK-MB in the IO
group compared to the SI group. Notably,
the reductions in cTnI and CK-MB, specific
markers of myocardial injury, were more pro-
nounced in the IO group. Additionally, the
total hospitalization time and postopera-
tive hospital stay were significantly shorter
in the IO group, indicating a faster recovery
rate among these patients. Prognostic in-
dices in the IO group also showed slightly
better outcomes. Yi et al. 26 have noted that
timely interventional occlusion stabilizes he-
modynamics and improves patient survival
rates when the perforation diameter is less
than 12 mm. The interventional occlusion
procedure primarily employs the femoral
artery or internal jugular vein for occluder
insertion, resulting in a lesser impact on the
patient’s body than surgical thoracotomy.
Furthermore, due to the smaller perforation
diameter, patients in the IO group likely ex-
perienced a milder clinical condition, con-
tributing to faster recovery.
Coronary heart disease represents
an important factor influencing the
prognosis and survival rate of AMI-VSP-
related patients
Despite advancements in medical tech-
nology that have improved the success rate
of surgical treatment for AMI-VSP-related pa-
tients, many patients still succumb to post-
operative complications, particularly cardio-
genic shock 27. In this study, the majority of
patients were older and presented with one
or more comorbidities, including hyperten-
sion, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and coronary
80 Ni et al.
Investigación Clínica 65(1): 2024
heart disease. Previous studies have identi-
fied hypertension and hyperlipidemia as
risk factors affecting the prognosis of AMI
patients 28. Our logistic regression analysis
identified a history of coronary heart dis-
ease as an essential factor influencing pa-
tient prognosis and survival rates. Coronary
heart disease represents a significant cause
of cardiac systolic dysfunction, and AMI is
an acute manifestation of this condition
29,30. Obstructive coronary heart disease has
been associated with a higher incidence of
myocardial infarction 31. Therefore, when
patients possess a history of coronary heart
disease, careful consideration should be giv-
en to the selection of appropriate treatment
methods and timing to improve postopera-
tive survival rates.
The results of our study demonstrate
that interventional occlusion is a viable al-
ternative to surgical intervention for pa-
tients with AMI complicated by VSP under
specific conditions, exhibiting satisfactory
clinical efficacy and survival rates. There-
fore, interventional occlusion represents an
ideal choice for the clinical treatment of AMI
patients with VSR. We also found that coro-
nary heart disease can serve as a significant
factor affecting the prognosis and survival
rate of patients. It should be noted that this
study employed a retrospective design, and
the research data were limited. Moreover,
the follow-up duration for some patients was
relatively short, which may have affected the
study’s outcomes. Future considerations
should include prospective studies with ex-
panded sample sizes to reduce the potential
for bias and further support the conclusions
drawn in this study.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
None.
Ethical compliance
The ethics committee of The First Affil-
iated Hospital of Medical College of Zhejiang
University approved this study. Signed writ-
ten informed consent were obtained from all
participants before the study.
Funding
This study did not receive any funding
in any form.
Conflict of interests
The authors declared no conflict of in-
terest.
Author’s ORCID numbers
Chenyao Ni: 0009-0000-9662-4093
Peng Hu: 0009-0000-4780-0492
Yiming Ni: 0000-0002-2909-6734
Author contributions
CN and YN designed the study and per-
formed the experiments, CN and PH collect-
ed the data, YN and PH analyzed the data,
and CN and YN prepared the manuscript. All
authors read and approved the final manu-
script.
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