CHA2 DS2 -VASc score, a simple clinical tool for early prediction of no-reflow phenomenon in patients undergoing emergency percutaneous coronary revascularization.

Introduction: Slow flow/no reflow (SF/NR) phenomenon during emergency percutaneous revascularization is a feared complication associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes. CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc score has been proposed for the risk stratification but a very limited evidences are available regarding the accuracy of this system. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess the predictive value of CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc score for predicting SF/NR phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 596 consecutive patients undergoing PCI for STEMI at a tertiary care cardiac center of Karachi, Pakistan. Baseline -VASc sore was calculated and development of SF/NR phenomenon during primary PCI was recorded. Predictive value of the score was assessed through area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and sensitivity and specificity were computed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the predictive strength of the score. Results: A total of 596 patients were included, mean age was 56.28±11.44 years, and 75.7%(451) were male. The slow/no reflow phenomenon during the procedure was observed in 36.6%(218) of the patients. CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc≥2 was observed in 50.2%(299) of the patients. The CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc score was significantly higher in SF/NR patients, 2.06±1.25 vs. 1.37±1.33; P<0.001. The AUC of CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc score was 0.652 [0.607-0.696], CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc≥2 had sensitivity and specificity of 65.6% [58.9% to 71.9%] and 58.3% [53.6% to 63.7%] respectively for predicting SF/NR. CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc≥2 was insignificant on multivariate with odds ratio of 1.48 [0.72 -3.04]; P=0.283. Conclusion: CHA₂ DS₂ -VASc risk stratification system has moderate discriminating power for the stratification of SF/NR phenomenon during primary PCI.