Background: Because myocardial infarction (MI) after emergency endoscopy for upper gastrointestinal bleeding carries high mortality, we investigated factors associated with procedure-related MI in high-risk patients.
Methods: Consecutive patients with coronary artery disease or age-based risk for coronary artery disease (men, age >45 years; women, >55 years) who underwent emergency endoscopy were enrolled at a single ED. Demographic, laboratory, and outcome data were recorded. Patients fit 1 of 3 groups: MI before endoscopy (pre-panendoscopy [PES] MI), MI after endoscopy (post-PES MI), or non-MI.
Results: We enrolled 108 high-risk patients, including 5 (4.6%) with MI diagnosed preendoscopy. Five patients (4.6%) had MIs postendoscopy. Compared with non-MI patients, significantly more post-PES MI patients had heart disease (60.0% vs 12.2%; P = .021), lower systolic pressure on arrival (86.2 +/- 16.6 vs 128.0 +/- 27.2 mm Hg; P = .002), lower diastolic pressure on arrival (50.0 +/- 6.3 vs 69.5 +/- 15.8 mm Hg; P = .003), lower hemoglobin on arrival (6.7 +/- 1.1 vs 9.1 +/- 2.4 g/dL; P = .021), and more persistent shock status preendoscopy (80.0% vs 13.3%; P = .002). There was no significant difference in factors including duration of procedure and rates of recurrent bleeding, postprocedure complication, and mortality.
Conclusions: Heart disease, lower blood pressure or hemoglobin level on arrival, and persistent shock before endoscopy are associated with increased risk for procedure-related MI.