Reduction of Ischemic Myocardium With Ranolazine-Treatment in Patients With Acute Myocardial Ischemia

Summary

The aim of the RIMINI-Trial is to examine the effect of Ranolazine on ischemic myocardium in acute myocardial ischemia. A pilot-trial by Venkatamaran et al. recently demonstrated, that the area of ischemic myocardium in patients with stable coronary artery disease can be reduced by Ranolazine-treatment2. This effect was shown by significantly reduced areas of atypical or dysfunctional myocardium in SPECT-examinations. The dimension of myocardial damage (i.e. area of ischemic myocardium) is directly related to the rate of complications (i.e. left-ventricular pump failure, malignant arrhythmia) and the grade of Rehabilitation to daily life (i.e. persistent reduced left-ventricular ejection fraction). In patients with stable angina pectoris, Ranolazine is used with beneficial results1. Ranolazine improves diastolic blood flow and therefore microcirculation in the myocardium by reducing diastolic tension (via inhibiting late Na+-Influx and consecutive Ca2+-Overload). Recently published data2 showed that treatment with Ranolazine significantly reduces the ischemic area in chronic damaged myocardium. This is due the effect of improved microcirculation in hibernating myocardium. Early administration of Ranolazine and improvement of microcirculation in patients with acute damaged myocardium (i.e. directly after acute ischemia) should lead to a recruitment and re-uptake of cardiac activity of hibernating myocardium. For the RIMINI-Trial patients are given Ranolazine on top of the guideline-based treatment to reduce the area of acute ischemic myocardium. Patients with unstable angina pectoris and proof of acute cardiac ischemia, proof of myocardial dyskinesia and angina pectoris in the patient history will receive unaltered guideline-based therapy for acute cardiac ischemia5,6. All necessary procedures will be performed to stabilize patients to a hemodynamically compensated state and patients are then transferred to receive cardiac catheterization (angiography and angioplasty if necessary). After patients are stabilized Ranolazine will be given additionally to guideline based medication. The measurement of the ischemic myocardial area will be done via three functional echocardiographies with speckle tracking technique10. A statistical evaluation of ischemic myocardial area before and after treatment with Ranolazine/Placebo will be done after conclusion of the RIMINI-Trial to show the effect of Ranolazine in acute myocardial ischemia.

Timeline

Start

2013-08

Primary completion

2015-06

Completion

2015-06

Publications

• Background Morrow DA, Scirica BM, Karwatowska-Prokopczuk E, Murphy SA, Budaj A, Varshavsky S, Wolff AA, Skene A, McCabe CH, Braunwald E; MERLIN-TIMI 36 Trial Investigators. Effects of ranolazine on recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes: the MERLIN-TIMI 36 randomized trial. JAMA. 2007 Apr 25;297(16):1775-83. doi: 10.1001/jama.297.16.1775.
• Background Venkataraman R, Belardinelli L, Blackburn B, Heo J, Iskandrian AE. A study of the effects of ranolazine using automated quantitative analysis of serial myocardial perfusion images. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2009 Nov;2(11):1301-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2009.09.006.
• Background El-Kadri M, Sharaf-Dabbagh H, Ramsdale D. Role of antiischemic agents in the management of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). Cardiovasc Ther. 2012 Feb;30(1):e16-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-5922.2010.00225.x. Epub 2010 Sep 15.
• Background Van de Werf F, Bax J, Betriu A, Blomstrom-Lundqvist C, Crea F, Falk V, Filippatos G, Fox K, Huber K, Kastrati A, Rosengren A, Steg PG, Tubaro M, Verheugt F, Weidinger F, Weis M; ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines (CPG). Management of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with persistent ST-segment elevation: the Task Force on the Management of ST-Segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction of the European Society of Cardiology. Eur Heart J. 2008 Dec;29(23):2909-45. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehn416. Epub 2008 Nov 12. No abstract available.
• Background Task Force for Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes of European Society of Cardiology; Bassand JP, Hamm CW, Ardissino D, Boersma E, Budaj A, Fernandez-Aviles F, Fox KA, Hasdai D, Ohman EM, Wallentin L, Wijns W. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes. Eur Heart J. 2007 Jul;28(13):1598-660. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehm161. Epub 2007 Jun 14. No abstract available.
• Background Andersen GO, Knudsen EC, Aukrust P, Yndestad A, Oie E, Muller C, Seljeflot I, Ueland T. Elevated serum osteoprotegerin levels measured early after acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction predict final infarct size. Heart. 2011 Mar;97(6):460-5. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2010.206714. Epub 2011 Jan 26.
• Background Lunde K, Solheim S, Aakhus S, Arnesen H, Abdelnoor M, Egeland T, Endresen K, Ilebekk A, Mangschau A, Fjeld JG, Smith HJ, Taraldsrud E, Grogaard HK, Bjornerheim R, Brekke M, Muller C, Hopp E, Ragnarsson A, Brinchmann JE, Forfang K. Intracoronary injection of mononuclear bone marrow cells in acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 2006 Sep 21;355(12):1199-209. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa055706.
• Background Miller TD, Gibbons RJ. Measuring myocardium at risk in acute myocardial infarction--a continuing challenge. J Nucl Cardiol. 2010 Oct;17(5):778-80. doi: 10.1007/s12350-010-9278-3. No abstract available.
• Background Geyer H, Caracciolo G, Abe H, Wilansky S, Carerj S, Gentile F, Nesser HJ, Khandheria B, Narula J, Sengupta PP. Assessment of myocardial mechanics using speckle tracking echocardiography: fundamentals and clinical applications. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2010 Apr;23(4):351-69; quiz 453-5. doi: 10.1016/j.echo.2010.02.015.
• Schwemer TF, Radziwolek L, Deutscher N, Diermann N, Sehner S, Blankenberg S, Friedrich FW. Effect of Ranolazine on Ischemic Myocardium IN Patients With Acute Cardiac Ischemia (RIMINI-Trial): A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 2019 Jan;24(1):62-69. doi: 10.1177/1074248418784290. Epub 2018 Jun 24.

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