Usefulness of the CHA2DS2-VASc Score to Predict Adverse Outcomes in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Without Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Abstract

The prognostic value of the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients without atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention remains uncertain. We examine the association of the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in this population and compared its risk prediction with 2 other commonly used risk scores (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events [GRACE] and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction [TIMI]). A total of 3,745 consecutive ACS patients without AF who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention during 2013 to 2017 were classified into 4 groups according to the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score: low (0 to 1), moderate (2 to 3), high (4 to 5), and very high (>5). Incidences of MACE including cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke in-hospital and during a median follow-up of 33 months were compared among the 4 groups. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were generated to compare CHA₂DS₂-VASc with GRACE and TIMI for risk prediction. The incidences of in-hospital MACE (3.5%, 6.6%, 7.6%, and 9.1%, p <0.001) and mid-term follow-up MACE (4.5%, 7.1%, 13.1%, and 16.1%, p <0.001) were significantly higher as the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score increased. The CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was an independent predictor of subsequent MACE (hazard ratio = 1.31, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.39, p <0.001), and the very high-risk score group showed 3.8-fold increased risk of MACE than the low-risk score group. Receiver-operating characteristic curves showed that the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was comparable to the GRACE score and to TIMI-STEMI, but, better than the TIMI-NSTEMI/unstable angina pectoris score in terms of predicting MACE. In conclusion, higher CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was independently associated with increased risk of MACE in the ACS patients without AF who underwent PCI.