Epitranscriptomic Blood Biomarkers for Coronary Artery Disease - A Prospective Cohort Study (IHD-EPITRAN)

Peripheral blood samples (TEMPUS(TM) whole blood samples, EDTA plasma and heparin plasma, total volume 40ml) taken during (1) initial hospitalisation and (2) three month follow-up visit after hospital stay (follow-up samples are not taken from coronary CT healthy control patients).

Collection of the clinically insignificant small piece of heart's right atrial appendage tissue during either standard cannulation of the right atrium for the installation of the heart-lung machine in the beginning of the operation or additionally for routine surgical protocol.

Patients in the study CABG and AVR cohorts are invited to both pre- and postoperative (3-month time-point), and in the case of PCI cohort only to postoperative, appointments led by experienced clinical cardiologists. The appointments will include clinical anamnesis, status and assessment of morbidity level with combined use of Canadian Cardiovascular Society grading of Angina Pectoris (CCS), New York Heart Association Classification for Heart Failure (NYHA) classification systems and Short Form 36 (SF36) Health Survey. The CT imaging control cohort is not invited to these appointments.

In order to acquire comprehensive insight into the patients' functional heart status, all appointments are supplemented with echocardiographic evaluation for both functional as well as structural parameters. Detailed echocardiographic analysis criteria for the IHD-EPITRAN study are prespecified in the research plan.