Impact of Cardiogenic Vomiting in Patients with STEMI: A Study From China

BACKGROUND Different patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have different symptoms. A third of them may have medical emergencies caused by symptoms such as vomiting and syncope. These concomitant symptoms may influence subsequent therapy and final outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether cardiogenic vomiting is a predictor of clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI. MATERIAL AND METHODS We classified 152 STEMI patients from different areas into 2 groups on the basis of vomiting: group A and group B. Their demographics and conditions of hospitalization were recorded. After follow-up, major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were regarded as study endpoints for the effect of cardiogenic vomiting in STEMI patients. RESULTS We found no significant difference in demographic and clinical characteristics of the 2 groups (P>0.05). The hospitalized conditions of group A were more serious than in group B. During a follow-up of 6 months, MACE rate was higher in vomiting patients (42; 67.7%) compared with group B (25; 27.8%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that cardiogenic vomiting was an independent predictor of clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Cardiogenic vomiting is a useful predictor of major adverse cardiac events in STEMI patients for the hospitalization and after discharge.