Prognostic impact of vasopressor test in transcatheter edge-to-edge repair of secondary mitral regurgitation: The PETIT study.

BACKGROUND: Vasopressor test (VPT) might be useful in patients with functional mitral regurgitation (MR) and left ventricular dysfunction (MITRA-FR-like patients) during transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER). AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of VPT. METHODS: MR treated with TEER were included in a multicenter prospective registry. VPT was used intraprocedurally in patients with left ventricular dysfunction and/or hypotension. The 1-year echocardiographic and clinical outcomes were compared according to the use of VPT. The primary endpoint was a combination of mortality + heart failure (HF) readmission at 1-year. RESULTS: A total of 1115 patients were included, mean age was 72.8 ± 10.5 years and 30.4% were women. VPT was performed in 128 subjects (11.5%), more often in critically ill patients with biventricular dysfunction. Postprocedurally the VPT group had greater rate of MR ≥ 2+ (46.9% vs. 31.7%, p = 0.003) despite greater number of devices (≥2 clips, 52% vs. 40.6 p = 0.008) and device repositioning or new clip in 12.5%. At 1-year, the primary endpoint occurred more often in the VPT group (27.3% vs. 16.9%, p = 0.002) as well as all-cause mortality (21.9% vs. 8.1%, p ≤ 0.001) but no differences existed in HF readmission rate (14.8% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.610), cardiovascular mortality (4.4% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.713) or residual MR ≥ 2+ (51.1% vs 51.7%, p = 0.371). CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic evaluation of MR during TEER procedure through VPT was performed in patients with worse baseline risk who also presented higher all-cause mortality at 1-year follow-up. However, 1-year residual MR, cardiovascular mortality and HF readmission rate remained comparable suggesting that VPT might help in the management of MITRA-FR-like patients.

Spanish cardiac catheterization and coronary intervention registry. 32nd official report of the Interventional Cardiology Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (1990-2022).

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: This article presents the annual activity report of the Interventional Cardiology Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (ACI-SEC) for the year 2022. METHODS: All Spanish centers with catheterization laboratories were invited to participate. Data were collected online and were analyzed by an external company in collaboration with the members of the board of the ACI-SEC. RESULTS: A total of 111 centers participated. The number of diagnostic studies increased by 4.8% compared with 2021, while that of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) remained stable. PCIs on the left main coronary artery increased by 22%. The radial approach continued to be preferred for PCI (94.9%). There was an upsurge in the use of drug-eluting balloons, as well as in intracoronary imaging techniques, which were used in 14.7% of PCIs. The use of pressure wires also increased (6.3% vs 2021) as did plaque modification techniques. Primary PCI continued to grow and was the most frequent treatment (97%) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Most noncoronary procedures maintained their upward trend, particularly percutaneous aortic valve implantation, atrial appendage closure, mitral/tricuspid edge-to-edge therapy, renal denervation, and percutaneous treatment of pulmonary arterial disease. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish cardiac catheterization and coronary intervention registry for 2022 reveals a rise in the complexity of coronary disease, along with a notable growth in procedures for valvular and nonvalvular structural heart disease.

Constrictive pericarditis heart failure in a patient with atrial fibrillation: A diagnostic challenge.

Constrictive pericarditis is an infrequent cause of heart failure. Diagnosis is challenging and requires a high level of suspicion. Subtle echocardiographic findings, as the pericardial bounce, could be the clue to diagnosis.

Overlapping versus single long stents in long chronic total occlusions: insights of the Iberian CTO Registry.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether the availability of long drug-eluting stents modify the PCI strategy of long CTO. To describe the contemporary PCI strategy of long chronic total occlusions (CTO) using overlapping (OS) or single long stents (SS) and to analyze its results. METHODS: 2842 consecutive CTO PCIs were included. Those with an occlusion length ≥20 mm in which ≥1 drug eluting stent (DES) was implanted were analyzed. We compared procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes of CTO treated with OS or SS. RESULTS: 1088 CTO PCIs were analyzed (79.9% males; 64.7±10.6 years). Mean J-score was 2.8±0.9. A SS was used in 38.5% of cases and OS in 61.5%. Total stent length was 64.1±29.9 mm; it was higher in the OS group (OS: 79.9±25.5 mm vs. SS: 38.3±14.7 mm; P<0.0001). Mean number of stents in the OS group was 2.3±1. Very long stents (≥40 mm) were used in 27.4% of cases, more frequently in the OS group (OS:32.4% vs. SS:19.3%; P<0.0001). After a mean follow-up of 19±15.9 months, the rate of adverse events (MACE) was 2% (cardiac death: 1.6%, myocardial infarction: 1.6%, target lesion revascularization: 1.9% and stent thrombosis: 0.18%) with no significant differences between both groups. Overlapping was not an independent predictor of MACE. CONCLUSIONS: In long CTO PCIs, OS is more frequently used than single stenting, especially in more complex procedures. Clinical outcomes at a mid-term follow-up are favorable. Using newer generation DES, overlapping was not an independent predictor of MACE; however, a trend toward a higher event rate was observed in the OS group.

Safety and feasibility of transradial access for percutaneous coronary intervention in chronic total occlusions.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Transfemoral access is the most frequently used vascular approach in chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary interventions (CTO-PCI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a transradial access CTO-PCI program and its impact on angiographic and clinical results and length of hospital stay. METHODS: Retrospective multicenter cohort study including 2550 consecutive CTO-PCI procedures included in a multicenter registry with accurate information on vascular access. A total of 896 procedures were performed as radial-only access while 1654 were performed through at least 1 femoral puncture. Clinical and angiographic data were collected. RESULTS: The mean age was 66.3± 11.4 years. The mean Japan-chronic total occlusion score (2.7±0.3) was similar in the 2 groups. Successful revascularization was achieved in 2009 (79.6%) cases, 78.2% and 82.1% in the femoral and radial access cohorts, respectively (P=.002). Periprocedural in-hospital complications were observed in 5.1% and 2.3% (P=.02), with fewer access site-dependant vascular complications in the transradial cohort (2.3% vs 0.2%; P=.009). The mean length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the transradial access group (0.89±1.4 vs 2.2±3.2 days, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: A transradial program for CTO-PCI is safe and effective in most CTO lesions. The transradial strategy has fewer vascular complications and shorter length of hospital stay without compromising the success rate.

Practical Echocardiographic Approach of the Regurgitant Mitral Valve Assessment.

Mitral regurgitation is the second-most frequent valvular heart disease in Europe after degenerative aortic stenosis. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and its prevalence is expected to increase with population aging. Echocardiography is the first diagnostic approach to assess its severity, constituting a challenging process in which a multimodality evaluation, integrating quantitative, semiquantitative and qualitative methods, as well as a detailed evaluation of the morphology and function of both left ventricle and atria is the key. In this review, we would like to provide a practical diagnosis approach on the mitral valve regurgitation mechanism, severity quantification, and planning of future therapeutic options.

Impact of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors on mortality during the COVID Pandemic among STEMI patients undergoing mechanical reperfusion: Insight from an international STEMI registry.

BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised on a potential interaction between renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASI) and the susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). No data have been so far reported on the prognostic impact of RASI in patients suffering from ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during COVID-19 pandemic, which was the aim of the present study. METHODS: STEMI patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and enrolled in the ISACS-STEMI COVID-19 registry were included in the present sub-analysis and divided according to RASI therapy at admission. RESULTS: Our population is represented by 6095 patients, of whom 3654 admitted in 2019 and 2441 in 2020. No difference in the prevalence of SARSCoV2 infection was observed according to RASI therapy at admission (2.5% vs 2.1%, p = 0.5), which was associated with a significantly lower mortality (adjusted OR [95% CI]=0.68 [0.51-0.90], P = 0.006), confirmed in the analysis restricted to 2020 (adjusted OR [95% CI]=0.5[0.33-0.74], P = 0.001). Among the 5388 patients in whom data on in-hospital medication were available, in-hospital RASI therapy was associated with a significantly lower mortality (2.1% vs 16.7%, OR [95% CI]=0.11 [0.084-0.14], p < 0.0001), confirmed after adjustment in both periods. Among the 62 SARSCoV-2 positive patients, RASI therapy, both at admission or in-hospital, showed no prognostic effect. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to investigate the impact of RASI therapy on the prognosis and SARSCoV2 infection of STEMI patients undergoing PPCI during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both pre-admission and in-hospital RASI were associated with lower mortality. Among SARSCoV2-positive patients, both chronic and in-hospital RASI therapy showed no impact on survival.

Prognostic value of SYNTAX score and SYNTAX score II in an 'all-comers' population treated with angoplasty.

OBJECTIVES: The SYNTAX score and SYNTAX score II have a high predictive capacity for adverse cardiovascular events. We aimed to demonstrate that both scores were good predictors of long-term adverse outcomes in an 'all-comers' population treated with a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: In the study, we included 785 patients who received an angioplasty at our center between January 2011 and December 2012. The patients were distributed in tertiles according to the SYNTAX score and SYNTAX score II values; for the SYNTAX score - low ≤6.5 (n = 225); mid >6.5, <11.5 (n = 229); high ≥11.5 (n = 221); and for the SYNTAX score II PCI: low ≤20.5 (n = 226); mid >20.5, < 29.6 (n = 221); and high ≥29.6 (n = 218). RESULTS: The rates of major adverse cardiovascular events, death, cardiac death and new revascularizations at 3 years were significantly higher in the highest tertile of both the scores. For SYNTAX score: major adverse cardiovascular events, 12-15.3-21.7%, P < 0.001; death, 7.6-8.3-14%, P = 0.04; cardiac death, 3.2-2.7-7.5%, P = 0.03; new revascularizations, 4.5-8.6-10.4%, P = 0.001. For SYNTAX score II PCI: major adverse cardiovascular events, 8-10.9-28.9%, P < 0.001; death, 3.1-3.6-21.5%, P < 0.001; cardiac death, 0.9-0.5-11.4%, P < 0.001; new revascularizations, 4.5-8.2-11.3%, P = 0.03. CONCLUSION: The SYNTAX score II showed better predictive capacity than the SYNTAX score for major adverse cardiovascular events, death and cardiac death, with no difference noted for new revascularizations, and it was an independent predictor for these events in an 'all-comers' population.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic and diabetes on mechanical reperfusion in patients with STEMI: insights from the ISACS STEMI COVID 19 Registry.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested the COVID pandemic may have indirectly affected the treatment and outcome of STEMI patients, by avoidance or significant delays in contacting the emergency system. No data have been reported on the impact of diabetes on treatment and outcome of STEMI patients, that was therefore the aim of the current subanalysis conducted in patients included in the International Study on Acute Coronary Syndromes-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (ISACS-STEMI) COVID-19. METHODS: The ISACS-STEMI COVID-19 is a retrospective registry performed in European centers with an annual volume of > 120 primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and assessed STEMI patients, treated with primary PCI during the same periods of the years 2019 versus 2020 (March and April). Main outcomes are the incidences of primary PCI, delayed treatment, and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 6609 patients underwent primary PCI in 77 centers, located in 18 countries. Diabetes was observed in a total of 1356 patients (20.5%), with similar proportion between 2019 and 2020. During the pandemic, there was a significant reduction in primary PCI as compared to 2019, similar in both patients with (Incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.79 (95% CI: 0.73-0.85, p < 0.0001) and without diabetes (IRR 0.81 (95% CI: 0.78-0.85, p < 0.0001) (p int = 0.40). We observed a significant heterogeneity among centers in the population with and without diabetes (p < 0.001, respectively). The heterogeneity among centers was not related to the incidence of death due to COVID-19 in both groups of patients. Interaction was observed for Hypertension (p = 0.024) only in absence of diabetes. Furthermore, the pandemic was independently associated with a significant increase in door-to-balloon and total ischemia times only among patients without diabetes, which may have contributed to the higher mortality, during the pandemic, observed in this group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the treatment of patients with STEMI, with a similar reduction in primary PCI procedures in both patients with and without diabetes. Hypertension had a significant impact on PCI reduction only among patients without diabetes. We observed a significant increase in ischemia time and door-to-balloon time mainly in absence of diabetes, that contributed to explain the increased mortality observed in this group of patients during the pandemic. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04412655.

Procedural, Functional and Prognostic Outcomes Following Recanalization of Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions. Results of the Iberian Registry.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: There is current controversy regarding the benefits of percutaneous recanalization (PCI) of chronic total coronary occlusions (CTO). Our aim was to determine acute and follow-up outcomes in our setting. METHODS: Two-year prospective registry of consecutive patients undergoing PCI of CTO in 24 centers. RESULTS: A total of 1000 PCIs of CTO were performed in 952 patients. Most were symptomatic (81.5%), with chronic ischemic heart disease (59.2%). Previous recanalization attempts had been made in 15%. The mean SYNTAX score was 19.5 ± 10.6 and J-score was > 2 in 17.3%. A retrograde procedure was performed in 92 patients (9.2%). The success rate was 74.9% and was higher in patients without previous attempts (82.2% vs 75.2%; P = .001), those with a J-score ≤ 2 (80.5% vs 69.5%; P = .002), and in intravascular ultrasound-guided PCI (89.9% vs 76.2%, P = .001), which was an independent predictor of success. In contrast, severe calcification, length > 20mm, and blunt proximal cap were independent predictors of failed recanalization. The rate of procedural complications was 7.1%, including perforation (3%), myocardial infarction (1.3%), and death (0.5%). At 1-year of follow-up, 88.2% of successfully revascularized patients showed clinical improvement (vs 34.8%, P < .001), which was associated with lower mortality. At 1-year of follow-up, the mortality rate was 1.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with other national registries, patients in the Iberian registry undergoing PCI of a CTO showed similar complexity, success rate, and complications. Successful recanalization was strongly associated with functional improvement, which was related to lower mortality.

Impacto de la angiografía coronaria rotacional en la cantidad total de contraste administrado y la exposición a las radiaciones ionizantes en pacientes en los que se realizan procedimientos coronarios invasivos: revisión sistemática y metaanálisis / Impact of rotational coronary angiography in the amount of iodinated contrast and the exposure to ionising radiations in patients undergoing invasive coronary procedures: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Resumen Antecedentes: Los procedimientos coronarios invasivos conllevan la administración de contraste y la exposición a radiaciones ionizantes, comportando un incremento de la morbimortalidad. La angiografía coronaria rotacional (ACR) permite adquirir múltiples proyecciones con una inyección de contraste. Hasta la fecha, no hay metaanálisis específicos comparando la ACR y la angiografía coronaria convencional (ACC) en pacientes en los que se realizan procedimientos coronarios invasivos, tanto diagnósticos como diagnósticos y terapéuticos. El objetivo de este metaanálisis es evaluar el impacto de la ACR en la cantidad de contraste, y la radiación ionizante en procedimientos coronarios invasivos. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos PubMed y Ovid para identificar estudios tanto diagnósticos como diagnósticos y terapéuticos que comparasen ACR y ACC. Los estudios fueron evaluados sobre la calidad y los sesgos, y fueron incluidos si contemplaban alguna de las siguientes variables de valoración: volumen de contraste, radiación ionizante medida como producto dosis-área, Kerma-aire o tiempo de fluoroscopia. Resultados: Dieciséis estudios, totalizando 2,327 pacientes, fueron incluidos en el análisis final (1,146 pacientes recibieron ACR y 1,181, ACC), objetivándose diferencias significativas en volumen de contraste (diferencia estándar de medias (intervalo de confianza al 95%) −1.887 (−2.472 a −1.302); p < 0.001), producto dosis-área (−0.726 (−1.034 a −0.418); p < 0.001), Kerma-aire (−0.842 (−1.104 a −0.581); p < 0.001) y tiempo de fluoroscopia (0.263 (−0.496 a −0.030); p = 0.027). Conclusiones: La ACR permite reducir el volumen de contraste y la radiación, evaluada como producto dosis-área, Kerma-aire y tiempo de fluoroscopia en pacientes a los que se les realizan procedimientos coronarios invasivos.

Abstract Background: Invasive coronary procedures involve the administration of iodinated contrast and the exposure to ionising radiations, increasing morbidity and mortality. The rotational coronary angiography (RCA) allows acquiring multiple projections with a unique injection of iodinated contrast. To date, there are no meta-analyses specifically comparing RCA and conventional coronary angiography (CCA) in patients undergoing invasive coronary procedures, whether diagnostic or diagnostic and therapeutic. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the impact of RCA on the amount of iodinated contrast and the exposure to ionising radiations during invasive coronary procedures. Methods: A search in PubMed and Ovid databases was conducted to identify studies, including diagnostic and diagnostic and therapeutic studies, comparing RCA and CCA. The manuscripts were evaluated on quality and biases, and were included if they analysed any of the following endpoints: volume of contrast and exposure to ionising radiations measured as dose-area product, and Kerma-air or fluoroscopy time. Results: Sixteen studies, with a total of 2,327 patients, were included in the final analysis (1,146 patients underwent RCA and 1,181 patients underwent CCA), with significant differences being detected in volume of contrast (standard difference in means (95% confidence interval) −1.887 (−2.472 to −1.302); P < .001), dose-area product (−0.726 (−1.034 to −0.418); P < .001), Kerma-air (−0.842 (−1.104 to −0.581); P < .001), and fluoroscopy time (0.263 (−0.496 to −0.030); P = .027). Conclusions: RCA reduces the volume of contrast and the exposure to radiation, evaluated as dose-area product, Kerma-air, and fluoroscopy time, in patients undergoing invasive coronary procedures.

Congenital multiple coronary arteriovenous fistulas.

Coronary arteriovenous fistulas are congenital or acquired abnormalities characterized by abnormal communication between the coronary circulation and cardiac chambers or other vessels. Frequently, patients are asymptomatic and their diagnosis can be carried out incidentally by echocardiography. Knowing the echocardiographic findings characteristic of this malformation will prevent the diagnosis from going unnoticed.

TIOMAX: A Spanish Multicenter Registry of the real-world use of the TItanium OptiMAX® biostent: TIOMAX: Registro Español Multicéntrico Del Biostent De Titanio OptiMAX® En La Vida Real.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the safety and efficacy of the new cobalt-chromium bioactive stent Titan Optimax® (Hexacath, France) with its predecessor, Titan-2® . BACKGROUND: The TIOMAX registry includes 784 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with these stents in 21 Spanish hospitals. METHODS: Analysis of all patients in the registry without exclusion criteria, candidates for revascularization (March-2013/July-2014). Initially 273 patients received Titan-2® , and the next 511 received the Optimax® after its launch. RESULTS: Mean age was 65.8 ± 13.0 (78.1% men); 49.2% were STEACS patients (n = 322), 29.8% NSTEACS, and 27.3% had stable angina or silent ischemia. Most STEACS patients (76.4% of n = 322) were treated <24 hr after developing symptoms. All-cause death (D), cardiac death (CD), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and stent thrombosis (ST) at 1 month were 1.1, 0.8, 0.1, and 0.5%, respectively, with no significant differences between groups. At 1 year, the death rate was 5.5% for Titan-2 vs. 4.1% for Optimax® , CD was 1.8% for both groups, ST 1.1 vs. 0.6%, new AMI 3.3 vs. 2.5% and target lesion revascularization (TLR) 3.7 vs. 2.9%. The primary endpoint of the composite event (CE) of D/AMI/TLR/ST occurred in 10.3% vs. 7.6% (p = 0.211). Patients with STEACS (N = 322: Titan-2/Optimax: 103/209) had better outcomes for secondary events, device-oriented failure CD/AMI/TLR (7.8% vs. 5.0%; p = 0.330), and non-fatal CE of AMI/ST/TLR (7.8% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: The Titan Optimax retains the efficacy and safety of Titan 2. It appears to perform better in the subgroup of STEACS patients, by reducing the non-fatal CE of AMI/ST/TLR.

[Impact of rotational coronary angiography in the amount of iodinated contrast and the exposure to ionising radiations in patients undergoing invasive coronary procedures: A systematic review and meta-analysis]. / Impacto de la angiografía coronaria rotacional en la cantidad total de contraste administrado y la exposición a las radiaciones ionizantes en pacientes en los que se realizan procedimientos coronarios invasivos: revisión sistemática y metaanálisis.

BACKGROUND: Invasive coronary procedures involve the administration of iodinated contrast and the exposure to ionising radiations, increasing morbidity and mortality. The rotational coronary angiography (RCA) allows acquiring multiple projections with a unique injection of iodinated contrast. To date, there are no meta-analyses specifically comparing RCA and conventional coronary angiography (CCA) in patients undergoing invasive coronary procedures, whether diagnostic or diagnostic and therapeutic. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the impact of RCA on the amount of iodinated contrast and the exposure to ionising radiations during invasive coronary procedures. METHODS: A search in PubMed and Ovid databases was conducted to identify studies, including diagnostic and diagnostic and therapeutic studies, comparing RCA and CCA. The manuscripts were evaluated on quality and biases, and were included if they analysed any of the following endpoints: volume of contrast and exposure to ionising radiations measured as dose-area product, and Kerma-air or fluoroscopy time. RESULTS: Sixteen studies, with a total of 2,327 patients, were included in the final analysis (1,146 patients underwent RCA and 1,181 patients underwent CCA), with significant differences being detected in volume of contrast (standard difference in means [95% confidence interval] -1.887 [-2.472 to -1.302]; P<.001), dose-area product (-0.726 [-1.034 to -0.418]; P<.001), Kerma-air (-0.842 [-1.104 to -0.581]; P<.001), and fluoroscopy time (0.263 [-0.496 to -0.030]; P=.027). CONCLUSIONS: RCA reduces the volume of contrast and the exposure to radiation, evaluated as dose-area product, Kerma-air, and fluoroscopy time, in patients undergoing invasive coronary procedures.

Prospective evaluation of the development of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing rotational coronary angiography vs. conventional coronary angiography: CINERAMA study. / Evaluación prospectiva del desarrollo de nefropatía inducida por contraste en pacientes con síndrome coronario agudo tratados con angiografía coronaria rotacional vs. angiografía coronaria convencional: Estudio CINERAMA.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Rotational coronary angiography (RCA) requires less contrast to be administered and can prevent the onset of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) during invasive coronary procedures. The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of RCA on CIN (increase in serum creatinine ≥0.5mg/dl or ≥25%) after an acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: From April to September 2016, patients suffering acute coronary syndromes who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography, with the possibility of ad hoc coronary angioplasty, were prospectively enrolled. At the operator's discretion, patients underwent RCA or conventional coronary angiography (CCA). CIN (primary endpoint), as well as analytical, angiographic and clinical endpoints, were compared between groups. RESULTS: Of the 235 patients enrolled, 116 patients received RCA and 119 patients received CCA. The RCA group was composed of older patients (64.0±11.8 years vs. 59.7±12.1 years; p=0.006), a higher proportion of women (44.8 vs. 17.6%; p<0.001), patients with a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (76±25 vs. 86±27ml/min/1.73 m2; p=0.001), and patients who underwent fewer coronary angioplasties (p<0.001) compared with the CCA group. Furthermore, the RCA group, received less contrast (113±92 vs. 169±103ml; p<0.001), including in diagnostic procedures (54±24 vs. 85±56ml; p<0.001) and diagnostic-therapeutic procedures (174±64 vs. 205±98ml; p=0.049) compared with the CCA group. The RCA group presented less CIN (4.3 vs. 22.7%; p<0.001) compared to the CCA group, and this finding was maintained in the regression analysis (Adjusted relative risk: 0.868; 95% CI: 0.794-0.949; p=0.002). There were no differences in clinical endpoints between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: RCA was associated with lower administration of contrast during invasive coronary procedures in acute coronary syndrome patients, resulting in lower incidence of CIN, in comparison with CCA.

Change in growth differentiation factor 15, but not C-reactive protein, independently predicts major cardiac events in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Among the numerous emerging biomarkers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and growth-differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) have received widespread interest, with their potential role as predictors of cardiovascular risk. The concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers, however, are influenced, among others, by physiological variations, which are the natural, within-individual variation occurring over time. The aims of our study are: (a) to describe the changes in hsCRP and GDF-15 levels over a period of time and after an episode of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) and (b) to examine whether the rate of change in hsCRP and GDF-15 after the acute event is associated with long-term major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE). Two hundred and Fifty five NSTE-ACS patients were included in the study. We measured hsCRP and GDF-15 concentrations, at admission and again 36 months after admission (end of the follow-up period). The present study shows that the change of hsCRP levels, measured after 36 months, does not predict MACE in NSTEACS-patients. However, the level of GDF-15 measured, after 36 months, was a stronger predictor of MACE, in comparison to the acute unstable phase.