Objectives: We investigate the association between noninvasively determined central pulse waveform characteristics and the extent and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients undergoing coronary angiography with the clinical diagnosis of CAD.
Design: We included 145 consecutive patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP), unstable angina pectoris (USAP), or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who were decided to undergo coronary angiography. Gensini and SYNTAX scores were calculated. Noninvasive PWA was performed with the SphygmoCor system.
Results: Dividing the patients into tertiles according to augmentation index (AIx), more patients had significant CAD with higher Gensini and SYNTAX scores and lower myocardial blush grade (MBG) (p < 0.001 for all) in the third tertile. The AIx value to predict the presence of moderate to severe CAD as determined by SYNTAX score ≥ 23 was 24.45% (ROC analysis AUC: 0.96; sensitivity 88%, specificity: 93%, 95% CI: 0.93-0.99, p < 0.001). AIx was significantly correlated with Gensini and SYNTAX scores in SAP, USAP, and AMI patients after adjusting for age, gender, height, heart rate, hypertension, and diabetes.
Conclusions: Increased AIx is associated with the presence and severity of CAD, and it may be used in selected patients during cardiovascular evaluation in outpatient settings for risk stratification prior to coronary angiography.
Keywords: Augmentation index; SYNTAX score; extent and severity of coronary artery disease; pulse waveform analysis.