Outcomes of the novolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold in real world clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Most of the current data regarding the use of bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) come from everolimus-eluting stent platforms. Adverse events with the everolimus-eluting BRSs which are the most comprehensively characterized BRS, hampered the clinical use of other BRS. There is paucity of published data regarding long term use of novolimus-eluting BRS. METHODS: This study sought to evaluate the performance of novolimus-eluting BRS device at midterm follow-up in real world clinical practice. One hundred and forty-four patients (mean age 57.5±9.7 years, 78.5% male) treated with 206 scaffolds between October 2015 and December 2017 were enrolled. A device-oriented composite endpoint (DOCE) comprising cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI), clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) and rate of scaffold thrombosis were investigated. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 33±9 months, DOCE occurred in 9 patients (6.3%) of which cardiac death occurred in 2 patients (1.4%), and clinically driven TLR in 7 patients (4.9%), TV-MI in one patient. Target vessel revascularization (TVR) was observed in nine patients. None of the patients experienced scaffold thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: The use of novolimus-eluting BRS in this real-world population achieved good clinical outcomes.

A novel predictor of radial spasm: arterial stiffness.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between radial artery spasm (RAS) and arterial stiffness (AS) measured by the oscillometric method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 123 consecutive patients scheduled for elective coronary angiography in a single default radial center were enrolled for the study. AS [namely, augmentation pressure; augmentation index (AIx); and pulse wave velocity] was assessed using a validated oscillometric device (Mobil-O-Graph NG 24 h PWA). Central arterial pressures were also recorded. In the cath lab, the number of puncture attempts, total procedural time (TPT), and largest catheter size were noted. If greater than two catheters were required to complete imaging, it was additionally specified. RAS was considered to exist if two or more of predefined clinical features were present. RESULTS: RAS was observed in 20 (16.3%) patients. Patients were divided into two distinct groups in terms of the occurence of RAS. In the RAS(+) group, the proportion of hypertensive individuals was significantly higher, whereas there were fewer smokers. With respect to operational data, TPT (24.3±9.8 vs. 29.3±9.1 mins; P=0.038) and procedures carried out with more than one puncture attempts were significantly higher in the RAS(+) group. Among all oscillometric parameters, augmentation pressure, AIx, and PR were found to be higher in the RAS(+) group. According to multivariate analysis, TPT (P=0.029) and AIx (odds ratio: 1.044, 95% confidence interval=0.977-1.117; P=0.009) were found to be independent predictors of RAS. CONCLUSION: Along with conventional risk factors, AS assessment, as a practical, noninvasive method, may help to predict RAS in angiographic procedures.

Adjusting the QRS Duration by Body Mass Index for Prediction of Response to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: Does One QRS Size Fit All?

BACKGROUND: QRS duration (QRSd) is known to be affected by body weight and length. We tested the hypothesis that adjusting the QRSd by body mass index (BMI) may provide individualization for patient selection and improve prediction of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) response. METHODS: A total of 125 CRT recipients was analyzed to assess functional (≥1 grade reduction in NYHA class) and echocardiographic (≥15% reduction in LVESV) response to CRT at 6 months of implantation. Baseline QRSd was adjusted by BMI to create a QRS index (QRSd/BMI) and tested for prediction of CRT response in comparison to QRSd. RESULTS: Overall, 81 patients (65%) responded to CRT volumetrically. The mean QRS index was higher in CRT responders compared to nonresponders (6.2 ± 1.1 vs 5.2 ± 0.8 ms.m(2) /kg, P < 0.001). There was a positive linear correlation between the QRS index and the change in LVESV (r = 0.487, P < 0.001). Patients with a high QRS index (≥5.5 ms.m(2) /kg, derived from the ROC analysis, AUC = 0.787) compared to those with a prolonged QRSd (≥150 ms, AUC = 0.729) had a greater functional (72% vs 28%, P < 0.001) and echocardiographic (80% vs 44%, P < 0.001) improvement at 6 months. QRS index predicted CRT response at regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Indexing the QRSd by BMI improves patient selection for CRT by eliminating the influence of body weight and length on QRSd. QRS index is a novel indicator that provides promising results for prediction of CRT response.