Shockwave intravascular lithotripsy as a novel strategy for balloon undilatable heavily calcified chronic total occlusion lesions.

BACKGROUND: The successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in chronic total occlusion (CTO) improves the long-term outcome in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Heavy calcification remains one of the strongest predictors of an unfavorable outcome of PCI. In this case series study, shockwave intravascular lithotripsy (S-IVL)-a novel balloon-based coronary system facilitating modification of calcified coronary lesions was evaluated. METHODS: The study population consisted of five heavily calcified, undilatable-CTOs lesions treated with S-IVL selected out of all consecutive CTO-PCI patients performed at two high-volume cardiac centers. RESULTS: The registry included 5 patients successful CTO - S-IVL procedures with an average J-CTO of 2.6 points. In the short-term follow-up period, including the first 30 days, no cases of acute in-stent thrombosis, target lesion failure, or major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events were noted. CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that this approach can be safe and useful in the treatment of complex calcified CTO lesions.

Intravascular Lithotripsy as a Novel Treatment Method for Calcified Unprotected Left Main Diseases-Comparison to Rotational Atherectomy-Short-Term Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The unprotected calcified Left Main disease represents a high-risk subset for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and it is associated with a higher number of periprocedural complications and an increased rate of in-stent thrombosis and restenosis. Adequate lesion preparation plays a crucial role in achieving a favorable PCI outcome. Rotational Atherectomy (RA) is a well-established plaque-modifying method; nevertheless, the data regarding the effectiveness of RA in LM diseases is scarce. Recently, the novel ShockWave-Intravascular-Lithotripsy(S-IVL) device has been introduced to the PCI armamentarium in order to modify the calcified plaque. METHODS: We performed a retrospective evaluation of 44 consecutive subjects who underwent the LM-PCI, and who were supported by either the RA or S-IVL. RESULTS: The Rota group consisted of 29 patients with a mean syntax score of 28.0 ± 7.5. The S-IVL group was composed of 15 subjects with a syntax score of 23.3 ± 13.0 There were no statistical differences regarding MACE between the RA and Shockwave arms of the in-hospital group (10.3% vs. 6.7%), or in the six month (17.2% vs. 13.3%) follow-up group. CONCLUSIONS: RA and S-IVL could be safe and effective therapeutic strategies for calcified LM disease. Further studies with a higher number of participants and longer follow-up times are warranted to establish the potential benefits of RA and S-IVL for the management of LM stenosis.

Long-term clinical follow-up of the resorbable magnesium scaffolds in acute coronary syndrome patients.

BACKGROUND: Research on the resorbable magnesium scaffolds (RMSs) has shown their safety and effectiveness in stable clinical conditions. It seems that this new therapeutic option could be promising for selected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. AIMS: Our analysis aims to analyse the long-term performance of RMSs among ACS patients. METHODS: The study population consisted of consecutive ACS patients treated with the implantation of at least one RMS. The Magmaris ACS Registry was designed as a single-arm observational registry in the 'real-world' treatment practice setting. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 193 patients, predominantly male (78%), at a mean (SD) age of 64 (9) years and with the typical risk factors of ACS. Unstable angina (UA) was the indication for revascularisation in 32.1%, non-ST-segment myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in 65.8% and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) only in 2.1%. During the mean 24 months of follow-up, ten cases (5.2%) of target lesion failure (TLF) were diagnosed, of which five cases (2.6%) were clinically driven target lesion failure (CD-TLR), four cases (2.1%) of asymptomatic scaffold restenosis and one case (0.5%) of target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI). No cardiac deaths and 2 non-cardiac deaths (2.2%, both fatal strokes) were observed. No cases of scaffold thrombosis were observed during the median 24-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the RMSs in selected ACS patients is associated with procedural safety and promising early and long-term clinical efficacy and safety outcomes. Proper lesion selection is key to the long-term success of bioresorbable technology in this patient population.

Efficacy and safety of shockwave intravascular lithotripsy (S-IVL) in calcified unprotected left main percutaneous coronary intervention - short-term outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Left main (LM) disease is associated with a large myocardial ischemic territory. Calcification with co-existing undilatable lesions is a predictor of poor clinical outcomes following LM percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). AIM: To evaluate the safety and efficiency of shockwave intravascular lithotripsy (S-IVL) in highly calcified LM diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study population consisted of sixteen patients qualified for PCI - mainly males (81.3%) with coronary artery disease (CAD) treated with left main S-IVL PCI due to unsuccessful attempts of plaque modification with a non-compliant (NC) balloon catheter, or rotational devices. Clinical success was defined as effective stent delivery and deployment (with less than < 20% in-stent residual stenosis) with preserved coronary flow TIMI-3 (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) at the end of the procedure. RESULTS: The most frequent indication for PCI was acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (62.5%). In these high-risk (average Syntax score 24) patients, clinical success of PCI was achieved in 100% of cases. In the short-term observation, we recorded two major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) including one fatal, acute stent thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the use of S-IVL is safe and effective as a bail-out strategy to manage LM lesions resistant to high-pressure NC balloon inflation. Despite encouraging initial results, future large studies with long-term observation are required to evaluate the safety and efficacy of S-IVL in LM stenosis.

Early outcome of magnesium bioresorbable scaffold implantation in acute coronary syndrome-the initial report from the Magmaris-ACS registry.

OBJECTIVES: The Magmaris-ACS Registry is the first assessment of the Magmaris implantation in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) population. BACKGROUND: Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BRS), the newest coronary stent technology, was developed to overcome the limitations of the metallic drug-eluting stents (DES). Current promising data of the Magmaris in patients with stable angina have encouraged to validate the second generation BRS in ACS indications. METHODS: The study population consisted of the consecutive patients who underwent PCI with the Magmaris BRS in the settings of ACS. Patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction were excluded from enrolment. Baseline demographic and angiographic characteristics, as well as 30-day and 6-month clinical, follow up were prospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty patients were enrolled at mean age 62.9 ± 8.4 years (unstable angina-52% and non-ST-segment myocardial infarction [NSTEMI]-48%). Treated fifty-one de novo lesions were located in LAD (37%), LCx (14%), and RCA (49%), respectively. Angiographic success in the target lesion was 100%. One case of recurrent ischemia was observed a day after the index procedure, due to the significant distal edge dissection a regular metallic DES overlapping Magmaris was implanted. No other in-hospital events occurred (procedural success 98%). Six-Month follow up showed none device-oriented endpoints such as cardiac mortality, target vessel myocardial infarction or target vessel revascularization. None early scaffold thrombosis was reported. CONCLUSION: The use of the Magmaris BRS in non-ST elevation ACS patient is associated with a procedural safety and promising early angiographic and clinical outcomes. Long-term follow-up and further evaluation in large prospective randomized controlled trials are needed.