Documentation of Impaired Coronary Blood Flow in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Background: In the current study, the effects of moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on coronary blood flow in patients with angiographically proven normal coronary arteries was evaluated. Methods and Results: A total of 85 patients with moderate to severe COPD and 39 age- and sex-matched control partcipants, who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography and found to have normal epicardial coronary angiogram constituted the COPD and control groups, respectively. The 2 groups were compared for Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) frame counts in each major coronary artery. The TIMI frame count of the COPD group was significantly higher than that of control group for all 3 major individual coronary arteries: left anterior descending (corrected), 37±13 vs 20±4; right coronary artery, 32±14 vs 21±4; and left circumflex artery, 34±12 vs 20±5, (P<0.001 for all). In addition, TIMI frame counts in individual coronary arteries were found to be positively correlated with forced expiratory volume 1 s percent, serum high sensitive C-reactive protein and fibrinogen concentrations, in the COPD group. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that an increased slow coronary flow might be a manifestation of harmful effects of COPD on the coronary circulation, regardless of the underlying mechanism. (Circ J 2010; 74: 346-352)