Background: Early risk stratification plays a crucial role in the treatment of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Selvester score is an electrocardiography (ECG)-based method for estimating infarcted myocardial mass, however it has not been studied in NSTEMI before. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between Selvester score and cardiovascular outcomes in a 1-year follow-up period in NSTEMI patients.
Methods: One hundred and forty-three consecutive patients with NSTEMI were analyzed. TIMI and GRACE risk scores were calculated accordingly. Selvester score was calculated on surface ECG as reported in prior studies. Syntax score was calculated using an online calculator. The study population was divided into two groups based on a cut-off value from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for the discriminative ability of Selvester score for mortality: low score (≤ 4), and high score (> 4) groups.
Results: Age was higher, left ventricle ejection fraction and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were significantly lower, and TIMI, GRACE and SYNTAX scores were significantly higher in the high Selvester score group. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, ejection fraction [hazard ratio (HR): 0.926, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.883-0.971, p = 0.002] and Selvester score > 4 (HR: 3.335, 95% CI: 1.306-8.503, p = 0.012) were found to be independent predictors of adverse events after 1 year of follow-up.
Conclusions: Selvester score is a fast and feasible method that has prognostic value for mortality and other major adverse outcomes in low and intermediate risk NSTEMI patients treated with urgent percutaneous coronary intervention for 12 months.
Keywords: 12-lead electrocardiogram; Major adverse cardiac event; Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.