Real-World Experience and Outcomes With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Protected Versus Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: Insights from the Veteran Affairs Clinical Assessment Reporting and Tracking Program.

The practice patterns and outcomes of protected left main (PLM) and unprotected left main (ULM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined in contemporary US clinical practice. Data were collected from all Veteran Affairs catheterization laboratories participating in the Clinical Assessment Reporting and Tracking Program between 2009 and 2019. The analysis included 4,351 patients who underwent left main PCI, of whom 1,306 pairs of PLM and ULM PCI were included in a propensity-matched cohort. Selected temporal trends were also assessed. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) outcomes at 1 year, which was defined as a composite of all-cause mortality, rehospitalization for myocardial infarction (MI), rehospitalization for stroke, or urgent revascularization. Patients who underwent ULM PCI compared with patients who underwent PLM PCI were older (age 71.5 vs 69.2 years, p <0.001), more clinically complex, and more likely to present with acute coronary syndrome. In the propensity-matched cohort, radial access was used more often for ULM PCI (21% [273] vs 14% [185], p <0.001) and ULM PCI was more likely to involve the left main bifurcation (22% vs 14%, p = 0.003) and require mechanical circulatory support (10% [134] vs 1% [17], p <0.001). The 1-year MACEs occurred more frequently with ULM PCI than PLM PCI (22% [289] vs 16% [215], p ≤0.001) and all-cause mortality was also higher (16% [213] vs 10% [125], p ≤0.001). In the matched cohort, there was a low incidence of rehospitalization for MI (4% [48] ULM vs 4% [48] PLM, p = 1.000) or revascularization (7% [94] ULM vs 6% [84] PLM, p = 0.485). In this real-world experience, patients who underwent PLM PCI had better 1-year outcomes than those who underwent ULM PCI; however, in both groups, there was a high rate of mortality and MACEs at 1 year despite a relatively low rate of MI or revascularization.

Outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Protected versus Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: Insights from the VA CART Program.

Background: Practice patterns and outcomes of protected left main (PLM) and unprotected left main (ULM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as well as the differences between these types of PCI, are not well defined in real-world clinical practice. Methods: Data collected from all Veteran Affairs (VA) catheterization laboratories participating in the Clinical Assessment Reporting and Tracking Program between 2009 and 2019. The analysis included 4,351 patients undergoing left main PCI, of which 1,306 pairs of PLM and ULM PCI were included in a propensity matched cohort. Patients and procedural characteristics were compared between PLM and ULM PCI. Temporal trends were also assessed. Peri-procedural and one-year major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were compared using cumulative incidence plots. The primary outcome was MACE outcomes at 1-year, which was defined as a composite of all-cause mortality, rehospitalization for myocardial infarction (MI), rehospitalization for stroke or urgent revascularization. Results: ULM PCI patients in comparison to PLM PCI were older (71.5 vs 69.2; P < 0.001), more clinically complex and more likely to present with ACS. In the propensity matched cohort, radial access was used more often for ULM PCI (21% [273] vs. 14% [185], P < 0.001), and ULM PCI was more likely to involve the LM bifurcation (22% vs 14%; P = 0.003) and require mechanical circulatory support (10% [134] vs 1% [17]; P <0.001). One-year MACE occurred more frequently with ULM PCI compared to PLM PCI (22% [289] vs. 16% [215]; P = < 0.001) and all-cause mortality was also higher (16% [213] vs. 10% [125]; P = < 0.001). In the matched cohort there was a low incidence of rehospitalization for MI (4% [48] ULM vs. 4% [48] PLM; P = 1.000) or revascularization (7% [94] ULM vs. 6% [84] PLM; P = 0.485). Conclusions: Veterans undergoing PLM PCI had better one-year outcomes than those undergoing ULM PCI, but in both groups there was a high rate of mortality and MACE at one-year despite a relatively low rate of MI or revascularization.

Chest pain and coronary endothelial dysfunction after recovery from COVID-19: A case series.

Endothelial cell damage related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been described in multiple vascular beds, and many survivors of COVID-19 report chest pain. This case series describes two previously healthy middle-aged individuals who survived COVID-19 and were subsequently found to have symptomatic coronary endothelial dysfunction months after initial infection.

Endotheliitis and Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with COVID-19: Its Role in Thrombosis and Adverse Outcomes.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2), emerging in Wuhan, China and developing into a pandemic with rapidly emerging cardiovascular manifestations [...].

Coronary Physiology in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.

Coronary angiography has been the principle modality for assessing the severity of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease for several decades. However, there is a complex relationship between angiographic coronary stenosis and the presence or absence of myocardial ischemia. Recent technological advances now allow for the assessment of coronary physiology in the catheterization laboratory at the time of diagnostic coronary angiography. Early studies focused on coronary flow reserve (CFR) but more recent work has demonstrated the physiologic accuracy and prognostic value of the fractional flow reserve (FFR) and instantaneous wave free ratio (iFR) for the assessment of coronary artery disease. These measurements have been validated in large multi-center clinical trials and have become indispensable tools for guiding revascularization in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. The physiological assessment of chest pain in the absence of epicardial coronary artery disease involves coronary thermodilution to obtain the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) or Doppler velocity measurement to determine the coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR). Physiology-based coronary artery assessment brings "personalized medicine" to the catheterization laboratory and allows cardiologists and referring providers to make decisions based on objective findings and evidence-based treatment algorithms. The purpose of this review is to describe the theory, technical aspects, and relevant clinical trials related to coronary physiology assessment for an intended audience of general medical practitioners.

Multimodality Imaging Involving Magnetic Resonance Facilitates Giant Symptomatic Myxoma Resection.

Myxoma, the most common adult primary cardiac tumor, can manifest with profound symptoms. The preferred treatment of symptomatic myxoma is surgical resection, which can be curative. Preoperatively, multimodality imaging provides crucial information on the number, size, location, and proximity of myxoma or myxomas to adjacent structures, thereby facilitating an optimal operative approach. This report presents a case of symptomatic, giant left atrial myxoma and the utility of multimodality imaging to guide surgical planning.

Percutaneous Left Main Coronary Intervention: A Review of Plaque Modification in Left Main Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis has long been recognized as a marker of increased morbidity and mortality. Current treatment algorithms for LMCA stenosis consider both percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug eluting stents (DES) and coronary bypass surgery, each with advantages based on individual patient characteristics. Since the LMCA is the largest artery in the coronary tree, plaque volume and calcification is greater than other coronary segments and often extends to the distal bifurcation segment. In LMCA bifurcation lesions, larger minimal stent area is strongly associated with better outcome in the DES era. Plaque modification strategies such as rotational, orbital, or laser atherectomy are effective mechanisms to reduce plaque volume and alter compliance, facilitating stent delivery and stent expansion. We present a case of a calcified, medina class 1,1,1 LMCA lesion where intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and orbital atherectomy were employed for optimal results. In this context, we review the evidence of plaque modification devices and the rationale for their use in unprotected left main PCI.

Heart Failure After Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack in Insulin-Resistant Patients Without Diabetes Mellitus Treated With Pioglitazone.

BACKGROUND: The IRIS trial (Insulin Resistance Intervention After Stroke) demonstrated that pioglitazone reduced the risk for both cardiovascular events and diabetes mellitus in insulin-resistant patients. However, concern remains that pioglitazone may increase the risk for heart failure (HF) in susceptible individuals. METHODS: In IRIS, patients with insulin resistance but without diabetes mellitus were randomized to pioglitazone or placebo (1:1) within 180 days of an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack and followed for ≤5 years. To identify patients at higher HF risk with pioglitazone, we performed a secondary analysis of IRIS participants without HF history at entry. HF episodes were adjudicated by an external review, and treatment effects were analyzed using time-to-event methods. A baseline HF risk score was constructed from a Cox model estimated using stepwise selection. Baseline patient features (individually and summarized in risk score) and postrandomization events were examined as possible modifiers of the effect of pioglitazone. Net cardiovascular benefit was estimated for the composite of stroke, myocardial infarction, and hospitalized HF. RESULTS: Among 3851 patients, the mean age was 63 years, and 65% were male. The 5-year HF risk did not differ by treatment (4.1% pioglitazone, 4.2% placebo). Risk for hospitalized HF was low and not significantly greater in pioglitazone compared with placebo groups (2.9% versus 2.3%, P=0.36). Older age, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, obesity, edema, high C-reactive protein, and smoking were risk factors for HF. However, the effect of pioglitazone did not differ across levels of baseline HF risk (hazard ratio [95% CI] for pioglitazone versus placebo for patients at low, moderate, and high risk: 1.03 [0.61-1.73], 1.10 [0.56-2.15], and 1.08 [0.58-2.01]; interaction P value=0.98). HF risk was increased in patients with versus those without incident myocardial infarction in both groups (pioglitazone: 31.4% versus 2.7%; placebo: 25.7% versus 2.4%; P<0.0001). Edema, dyspnea, and weight gain in the trial did not predict HF hospitalization but led to more study drug dose reduction with a lower mean dose of pioglitazone versus placebo (29±17 mg versus 33±15 mg, P<0.0001). Pioglitazone reduced the composite outcome of stroke, myocardial infarction, or hospitalized HF (hazard ratio, 0.78; P=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: In IRIS, with surveillance and dose adjustments, pioglitazone did not increase the risk of HF and conferred net cardiovascular benefit in patients with insulin resistance and cerebrovascular disease. The risk of HF with pioglitazone was not modified by baseline HF risk. The IRIS experience may be instructive for maximizing the net benefit of this therapy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00091949.

Cardiac Outcomes After Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack: Effects of Pioglitazone in Patients With Insulin Resistance Without Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance is highly prevalent among patients with atherosclerosis and is associated with an increased risk for myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. The IRIS trial (Insulin Resistance Intervention after Stroke) demonstrated that pioglitazone decreased the composite risk for fatal or nonfatal stroke and MI in patients with insulin resistance without diabetes mellitus, after a recent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. The type and severity of cardiac events in this population and the impact of pioglitazone on these events have not been described. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of the effects of pioglitazone, in comparison with placebo, on acute coronary syndromes (MI and unstable angina) among IRIS participants. All potential acute coronary syndrome episodes were adjudicated in a blinded fashion by an independent clinical events committee. RESULTS: The study cohort was composed of 3876 IRIS participants, mean age 63 years, 65% male, 89% white race, and 12% with a history of coronary artery disease. Over a median follow-up of 4.8 years, there were 225 acute coronary syndrome events, including 141 MIs and 84 episodes of unstable angina. The MIs included 28 (19%) with ST-segment elevation. The majority of MIs were type 1 (94, 65%), followed by type 2 (45, 32%). Serum troponin was 10× to 100× upper limit of normal in 49 (35%) and >100× upper limit of normal in 39 (28%). Pioglitazone reduced the risk of acute coronary syndrome (hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-0.94; P=0.02). Pioglitazone also reduced the risk of type 1 MI (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.96; log-rank P=0.03), but not type 2 MI (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.58-1.91; P=0.87). Similarly, pioglitazone reduced the risk of large MIs with serum troponin >100× upper limit of normal (hazard ratio, 0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.87; P=0.02), but not smaller MIs. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with insulin resistance without diabetes mellitus, pioglitazone reduced the risk for acute coronary syndromes after a recent cerebrovascular event. Pioglitazone appeared to have its most prominent effect in preventing spontaneous type 1 MIs. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00091949.

Cellularity and structure of fresh human coronary thrombectomy specimens; presence of cells with markers of progenitor cells.

Acute coronary syndromes and acute myocardial infarctions are often related to plaque rupture and the formation of thrombi at the site of the rupture. We examined fresh coronary thrombectomy specimens from patients with acute coronary syndromes and assessed their structure and cellularity. The thrombectomy specimens consisted of platelets, erythrocytes and inflammatory cells. Several specimens contained multiple cholesterol crystals. Culture of thrombectomy specimens yielded cells growing in various patterns depending on the culture medium used. Culture in serum-free stem cell enrichment medium yielded cells with features of endothelial progenitor cells which survived in culture for a year. Immunohistochemical analysis of the thrombi revealed cells positive for CD34, cells positive for CD15 and cells positive for desmin in situ, whereas cultured cell from thrombi was desmin positive but pancytokeratin negative. Cells cultured in endothelial cell medium were von Willebrand factor positive. The content of coronary thrombectomy specimens is heterogeneous and consists of blood cells but also possibly cells from the vascular wall and cholesterol crystals. The culture of cells contained in the specimens yielded multiplying cells, some of which demonstrated features of haematopoietic progenitor cells and which differentiated into various cell-types.

Optimization of dose distributions for bifurcated coronary vessels treated with catheter-based photon and beta emitters using the simulated annealing algorithm.

The dose distributions in the bifurcated vessels treated with a catheter-based delivery system are complicated by the geometry of bifurcation consisting of a main and a branch vessel at different angles, and it is difficult to generate satisfactory dose distributions. We hypothesize that increasing the number of dwell positions can result in better dose distributions. An optimization method based on the simulated annealing was developed to demonstrate the validity of this idea. In this method, the source in the branch treatment was allowed to take up to five dwell positions. A cost function was constructed to deliver the prescription dose to the planning targets with penalties for both overdosing and underdosing. By using the optimization algorithm, it was found that for 90 degrees to 60 degrees bifurcated vessels an optimized single dwell position treatment scheme can be as effective as the schemes that include up to five dwell positions. As the bifurcation angle becomes smaller than 60 degrees, the dose distributions generated with the single dwell position scheme become less satisfactory than the more complicated treatment schemes with multiple dwell positions. By using a three-dwell-position treatment scheme for the 192Ir source, the overdosing can be kept under 166% even at a bifurcation angle of 20 degrees.

Comparison of coronary artery specific leukocyte-platelet conjugate formation in unstable versus stable angina pectoris.

This study evaluates transcoronary changes in neutrophil and platelet activation and conjugate formation in patients with angina pectoris secondary to coronary artery disease. We examined parameters of neutrophil and platelet activation as well as the neutrophil-platelet conjugate formation in patients who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography. Thirty-nine patients with chest pain referred for cardiac catheterization were studied (23 patients with unstable angina pectoris [UAP] and 16 with stable angina pectoris [SAP]). Before coronary angiography, blood samples were obtained simultaneously from the aortic root and coronary sinus to assess leukocyte (CD11b) and platelet (CD62P) activation and leukocyte-platelet conjugates. There was a 94% increase in CD62-expressing platelets from the aorta to the coronary sinus in patients with UAP compared with a 49% increase in patients with SAP. The percentage of neutrophil-platelet conjugates increased by 22% in patients with UAP compared with a 16% decrease in those with SAP (p <0.01). In contrast, monocyte-platelet binding across the coronary bed increased to a similar degree in both groups. This study demonstrates an increase in neutrophil-platelet conjugates across the coronary circulation in UAP, compatible with a higher activation state in both cell types.

Dose distributions in bifurcated coronary vessels treated with catheter-based photon and beta emitters in intravascular brachytherapy.

The dose distributions in the bifurcated vessels treated with intravascular brachytherapyline sources are complicated and depend on the bifurcation geometry consisting of a main and a branch vessel at different angles. To investigate the dosimetric effects at the bifurcation, calculations were performed on branching vessels of various bifurcation angles ranging from 20 degrees to 90 degrees. Two catheter based delivery systems were considered in the calculations using a 40 mm long radioactive sources of 192Ir or 90Sr/Y. It was assumed that the bifurcated vessel was treated in twoseparate source insertions, once for the main vessel and later for the branch vessel. Calculations were performed for different values of source gap from 0 to 9 mm, at the junction of main and branch vessels. Our results indicate that main vessel always receives a higher dose (up to 200%) when the branch vessel is also treated. Hot spots at portions of the main vessel near the junction cannot be totally avoided without severely underdosing the branch vessel. For bifurcation angle greater than 45 degrees, a 4 mm source gap can almost ensure that overdosing of the main vessel does not exceed 60% and underdosing of the branch vessel does not exceed 10% for 192Ir. However, for 90Sr/Y, the same is not possible unless the bifurcation angle is larger than 70 degrees. Dose heterogeneity using 90Sr/Y is more sensitive to the value of source gap than 192Ir because 90Sr/Y source provides a sharper dose-fall-off than 192Ir. For both photon and beta emitters, there is no acceptable solution for bifurcation angles less than 30 degrees, where the activity of the line source has a uniform distributions. Appropriate choice of gap at the junction can only help to reduce either overdosing of the main vessel or underdosing of the branch vessel, but not both.

Electromechanical mapping for detecting myocardial viability and ischemia in patients with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy.

This study was designed to evaluate several electromechanical mapping parameters for assessment of myocardial viability and inducible ischemia as defined by dipyridamole single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) imaging at rest in patients with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy. Unipolar voltage, normalized unipolar voltage, bipolar voltage, and fragmentation were compared with tracer uptake at rest and reversibility on stress or rest quantitative technetium-99m sestamibi SPECT imaging in 32 patients with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy (left ventricular ejection fraction 0.24 +/- 0.08). In dysfunctional myocardial segments, logistic regression showed unipolar voltage, normalized unipolar voltage, and bipolar voltage to be predictive of viable myocardium (> or = 60% tracer uptake at rest) and was significantly higher in viable than in nonviable segments (p <0.01). A unipolar voltage of > or = 7.1 mV was the best predictor of viable myocardium. In dysfunctional viable segments, unipolar voltage was significantly higher in reversible than in fixed segments (p <0.001), and a unipolar voltage of > or = 8.5 mV had optimal power for identifying reversibility on dipyridamole SPECT imaging. We conclude that in patients with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy, unipolar voltage can identify viable from nonviable myocardium and reversible from fixed viable defects as defined by dipyridamole technetium-99m sestamibi SPECT imaging.