Clinical outcomes and characteristics of acute myocardial infarction patients with developing fever after percutaneous coronary intervention

Abstract

The incidence of fever complicating percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is rare. However, little is known regarding the cause of fever after PCI. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the clinical characteristics of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), with or without fever, after PCI. We enrolled a total of 926 AMI patients who underwent PCI. Body temperature (BT) was measured every 4 hours or 8 hours for 5 days after PCI. Patients were divided into two groups according to BT as follows: BT<37.7°C (no-fever group) and BT ≥37.7°C (fever group). The 2 years clinical outcomes were compared subsequently. Fever after PCI was associated with higher incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-2.28; <i>P</i>=0.021), all-cause death (HR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.18-4.45; <i>P</i>=0.014), cardiac death (CD) (HR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.02-6.76; <i>P</i>=0.049), and any revascularization (HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.02-2.81; <i>P</i>=0.044) than without fever. In women, prior chronic kidney disease, lower left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, higher LV wall motion score index, white blood cell count, peak creatine kinase-myocardial band level, and longer PCI duration were associated with fever after PCI. Procedures such as an intra-aortic balloon pump, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, continuous renal replacement therapy, central and arterial line insertion, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation were related to fever after PCI. Fever after PCI in patients with AMI was associated with a higher incidence of MACE, all-cause death, CD, and any revascularization at the 2 years mark than in those without fever.