In adults with stable angina, PCI vs. a placebo procedure reduced angina symptoms at 12 wk.

SOURCE CITATION: Rajkumar CA, Foley MJ, Ahmed-Jushuf F, et al; ORBITA-2 Investigators. A placebo-controlled trial of percutaneous coronary intervention for stable angina. N Engl J Med. 2023;389:2319-2330. 38015442.

Antihypertensive therapy reduced incident dementia vs. placebo at a median 4.3 y.

SOURCE CITATION: Peters R, Xu Y, Fitzgerald O, et al. Blood pressure lowering and prevention of dementia: an individual patient data meta-analysis. Eur Heart J. 2022;43:4980-90. 36282295.

Statins increase muscle pain or weakness at 1 y, with an absolute excess of 11 events/1000 person-y.

SOURCE CITATION: Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaboration. Effect of statin therapy on muscle symptoms: an individual participant data meta-analysis of large-scale, randomised, double-blind trials. Lancet. 2022;400:832-45. 36049498.

In older adults with hypertension, chlorthalidone vs. hydrochlorothiazide did not reduce major CV events or deaths at 2.4 y.

SOURCE CITATION: Diuretic Comparison Project Writing Group; Ishani A, Cushman WC, Leatherman SM, et al. Chlorthalidone vs. hydrochlorothiazide for hypertension-cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 2022;387:2401-10. 36516076.

In HF with secondary mitral regurgitation, transcatheter mitral valve repair reduced HF hospitalizations at 5 y.

SOURCE CITATION: Stone GW, Abraham WT, Lindenfeld J, et al; COAPT Investigators. Five-year follow-up after transcatheter repair of secondary mitral regurgitation. N Engl J Med. 2023;388:2037-2048. 36876756.

In acute decompensated HF, adding acetazolamide to IV loop diuretics reduced congestion at 3 d.

SOURCE CITATION: Mullens W, Dauw J, Martens P, et al. Acetazolamide in acute decompensated heart failure with volume overload. N Engl J Med. 2022;387:1185-95. 36027559.

Three versus 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy duration in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: The American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) recommend at least 12 months of a P2Y12 inhibitor and low dose aspirin in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) treated with a stent. Since that recommendation, several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have studied an abbreviated duration of DAPT in ACS. Therefore, we sought to perform a meta-analysis of RCTs comparing 3- versus 12-month DAPT in patients presenting with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases were searched until July 31, 2022, for RCTs comparing 3- versus 12-month DAPT in patients with ACS undergoing PCI. Outcomes assessed were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), cardiovascular mortality, all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stent thrombosis (ST) and bleeding. A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: We included 5 trials comprising 16,781 patients with an ACS that underwent PCI. There was no significant difference in MACE (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.76-1.11), cardiovascular mortality (RR: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.38-4.17), or all-cause mortality (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.48-1.77) between the 2 groups. In addition, there was no difference in rates of MI (RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.74-1.30), or ST (RR: 1.30; 95% CI: 0.55-3.05) between 3- and 12-month DAPT. However, compared with 12-month DAPT, 3-month DAPT significantly reduced risk of major bleeding (RR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.43-0.64). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ACS undergoing PCI, 3-month DAPT reduced risk of bleeding without evidence of harm.

Does the ISCHEMIA Trial Apply to My Patients?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The ISCHEMIA trial demonstrated no difference in myocardial infarction or death in patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or large ischemia territory treated either with invasive revascularization or optimal medical therapy. Whether the findings of the randomized control trial relates to real-world outcomes is uncertain. RECENT FINDINGS: Contemporary guideline-directed medical therapy has had a significant impact on the prognosis of coronary artery disease. Various observational data appear to indicate limited generalizability of the ISCHEMIA trial in different populations. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the optimal modality of therapy in patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia. The applicability of ISCHEMIA and ISCHEMIA-CKD trials still requires further validation.

Tocilizumab in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A Meta Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: To date, only dexamethasone has been shown to reduce mortality in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients. Tocilizumab has been recently added to the treatment guidelines for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but data remain conflicting. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Electronic databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane central were searched from March 1, 2020, until March 10, 2021, for randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of tocilizumab in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The outcomes assessed were all-cause mortality, mechanical ventilation, and time to discharge. RESULTS: Nine studies (with 6490 patients) were included in the analysis. In total, 3358 patients received tocilizumab, and 3132 received standard care/placebo. Pooled analysis showed a significantly decreased risk of all-cause mortality (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-0.98, p = 0.02) and progression to mechanical ventilation (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.71-0.89, p < 0.0001) in the tocilizumab arm compared to standard therapy or placebo. In addition, there was a trend towards improved median time to hospital discharge (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.12-1.45, p = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Tocilizumab therapy improves outcomes of mortality and need for mechanical ventilation, in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection compared with standard therapy or placebo. Our findings suggest the efficacy of tocilizumab therapy in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and strengthen the concept that tocilizumab is a promising therapeutic intervention to improve mortality and morbidity in COVID-19 patients.

In ACS treated with drug-eluting stents and 3 mo of DAPT, ticagrelor monotherapy reduced clinical events at 1 y vs. DAPT.

SOURCE CITATION: Kim BK, Hong SJ, Cho YH, et al. Effect of ticagrelor monotherapy vs ticagrelor with aspirin on major bleeding and cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome: the TICO randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2020;323:2407-16. 32543684.

Safety of transradial access compared to transfemoral access with hemostatic devices (vessel plugs and suture devices) after percutaneous coronary interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Comparing the safety of transradial access (TRA) and conventional hemostasis with transfemoral access (TFA) and vascular closure devices (vessel plugs and suture devices) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions. BACKGROUND: TRA for PCIs is associated with fewer bleeding and vascular complications compared with TFA. Vascular closure devices (VCD) are often used post TFA to establish early hemostasis and mitigate bleeding risk. However, the comparative efficacy of TRA and TFA with VCDs remains controversial. METHOD: Electronic database were systematically searched for all pertinent studies from inception through January 2020. Randomized studies, registry data, and abstracts published in peer-reviewed indexed journals were included. The short-term outcomes: major bleeding, vascular complications, and closure device failure were evaluated. Random-effects model was used to pool individual study results. RESULTS: Twelve studies (8 observational, 4 randomized) including 7,961 patients (TRA: 3,121 patients, TFA and vessel plugs: 3,157 patients, TFA & suture devices: 1,683 patients) were included in the analysis. Major bleeding was significantly lower with TRA compared with TFA and vessel plugs (odds ratio [OR] 0.22, 95%CI 0.11-0.44, p < .00001) and TFA & suture devices (OR 0.12, 95%CI 0.05-0.28, p < .00001). Vascular complications were significantly lower with TRA compared to TFA and vessel plugs (OR 0.25, 95%CI 0.13-0.49, p < .0001) and TFA & suture devices (OR 0.13, 95%CI 0.04-0.41, p = 0.0005). Rates of closure device failure were lower for TRA compared to TFA & suture devices (OR 0.13, 95%CI 0.04-0.41, p = .0005), but similar to TFA & vessel plugs (OR 0.23, 95%CI 0.01-4.28, p = .33), although confidence intervals were wide. All analysis revealed a low to moderate level of heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: TRA with conventional hemostasis is safer than TFA with hemostasis via vessel plugs or suture devices and should be considered best practice.

Etiologies, trends, and predictors of readmission in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Recent trials have shown benefits with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on nonculprit coronary vessels in select ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). However, readmission rates and causes in this high-risk group are unknown. Objective of this study is to explore pattern, causes and factors associated with 30-day readmission after multivessel PCI in STEMI patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nationwide Readmissions Data (NRD) between 2010 and 2014 was utilized to identify multivessel PCI cases in STEMI patients using appropriate ICD-9 codes. We evaluated 30-day readmission rate and factors associated with 30-day readmission. Hierarchical logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with 30-day readmission. Among 22,257 STEMI patients who survived to discharge after multivessel PCI, 2,302 (10.3%) were readmitted within 30-days. Subsequent unresolved/aggravated cardiac issues most commonly triggered readmission (62.66%). Among cardiac causes, heart failure and ischemic heart disease were most frequent etiologies. Advancing age (OR: 1.073, 95%CI: 1.026 to 1.122, p = .002), female sex (OR: 1.36, 95%CI: 1.23 to 1.50, p < .001), comorbid conditions like chronic kidney disease (CKD; OR: 1.35, 95%CI: 1.17 to 1.57, p = .001), congestive heart failure (CHF; OR: 1.40, 95%CI: 1.24 to 1.57, p = .04), anemia (OR: 1.16, 95%CI: 1.002 to 1.34, p = .04), and utilization of a mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device (OR: 1.45, 95%CI: 1.19 to 1.77, p < .001) during the index procedure were predictive of subsequent readmission within 30 days. CONCLUSION: In this large nationally representative study, nearly one in 10 patients were readmitted within 30 days from discharge after index admission for multivessel PCI in STEMI, most commonly for cardiac causes.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis and heart failure.

Severe aortic stenosis (AS) and heart failure (HF) represent an important and high-risk group of patients who are often referred for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) due to high risk for surgical intervention. Thus far, randomized controlled trials have shown comparable outcomes between TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with severe AS and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. In the current review, we will discuss (1) the pathophysiology of HF in patients with severe AS, (2) role of imaging modalities in management, (3) role of biomarkers of HF on prognosis, (4) impact of other valvular heart diseases, (5) evidence from the contemporary trials on the role of TAVR in patients with severe AS and HF, and (6) future directions and research.

Impact of Obesity on Outcomes in a Multiethnic Cohort of Medical Intensive Care Unit Patients.

PURPOSE: To examine the association of obesity with in-hospital mortality and complications during critical illness. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of a multiethnic cohort of 699 patients admitted to medical intensive care unit between January 2010 and May 2011 at Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai West Hospitals, tertiary care centers in New York City. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30] and in-hospital mortality. Subgroup analysis was performed in elderly patients (age ≥65 years). RESULTS: Compared to normal BMI, obese patients had lower in-hospital mortality (24.4% vs 17.6%, P = .04). On multivariate analysis, obesity was independently associated with lower in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27-0.89, P = .018). There was no significant difference in rates of mechanical ventilation, reintubation, and vasopressor requirement across BMI categories. In subgroup analysis, elderly obese patients did not display lower in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.40-1.82, P = .68). CONCLUSION: Our study supports the hypothesis that obesity is associated with decreased mortality during critical illness. However, this finding was not observed among elderly obese patients. Further studies should explore the interaction between age, obesity, and outcomes in critical illness.

Therapeutic Options for In-Stent Restenosis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a complex disease process that became apparent shortly after the introduction of stents into clinical practice. This review seeks to define in-stent restenosis (ISR) as well as to summarize the major treatment options that have been developed and studied over the past two decades. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent developments in drug-coated balloons and bioresorbable vascular scaffolds have added new potential treatments for ISR. Two recent network meta-analyses performed a head-to-head comparison of all the various treatment modalities in order to identify the best approach to management of ISR. Current data suggests that repeat stenting with second-generation drug-eluting stents is most likely to lead to the best angiographic and clinical outcomes. In situations where repeat stenting is not preferable, drug-coated balloon therapy seems to be a reasonably effective alternative.

Impact of total occlusion of culprit artery in acute non-ST elevation myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: Total occlusion (TO) of the culprit artery usually presents with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. A subset of patients with TO present as non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) without classic ST-elevation on the electrocardiogram. This may lead to delay in identification of these patients and further management. We performed a meta-analysis to estimate the difference in outcomes between totally occluded and non-occluded culprit arteries in patients with NSTEMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Our literature search yielded seven studies with 40 777 patients. The outcomes assessed were clinical presentation (Killip class), left ventricular ejection fraction, time to angiography, major cardiac adverse events (MACE) and all-cause mortality. The generic inverse or Mantel-Haenszel method was used to pool relevant outcomes and the mean difference (MD) or relative risk (RR) was calculated. A total of 10 415 (25.5%) patients had an occluded culprit artery with a predominant infero-lateral distribution (40% right coronary and 33% left circumflex artery). There was an increased risk of both MACE (short-term RR: 1.41; CI: 1.17, 1.70; P = 0.0003; I2 = 26%; medium- to long-term RR: 1.32; CI: 1.11, 1.56; P = 0.001; I2 = 25%) and all-cause mortality (short-term RR: 1.67; CI: 1.31, 2.13; P < 0.0001; I2 = 41%; medium to long-term RR: 1.42; CI: 1.08, 1.86; P = 0.01; I2 = 32%) with TO of the culprit artery. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis suggests that patients with NSTEMI who demonstrate a totally occluded culprit vessel on coronary angiography are at higher risk of mortality and major adverse cardiac events. Better risk stratification tools are needed to identify such high-risk acute coronary syndrome patients to facilitate earlier revascularization and potentially to improve outcomes.

Intravascular ultrasound-guided vs angiography-guided drug-eluting stent implantation in complex coronary lesions: Meta-analysis of randomized trials.

The relative outcomes of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with angiography-guided PCI with drug-eluting stent (DES) in complex lesions have not been established. We sought to compare the efficacy and safety of IVUS-guided PCI with angiography-guided PCI in patients with complex coronary lesions treated with DES. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched to identify all randomized trials comparing IVUS-guided vs angiography-guided DES implantation. We evaluated major adverse cardiac events (MACE), all-cause and cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization (TLR), target vessel revascularization (TVR), and stent thrombosis outcomes at the longest reported follow-up. Random-effects modeling was used to calculate pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% CIs. RESULTS: Eight trials comprising 3,276 patients (1,635 IVUS-guided and 1,641 angiography-guided) enrolling only patients with complex lesions were included. Mean follow-up was 1.4±0.5years. Compared with angiography-guided PCI, patients undergoing IVUS-guided PCI had significantly lower MACE (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.51-0.80, P=.0001), TLR (RR 0.62, 95% CI 0.45-0.86, P=.004), and TVR (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.87, P=.007). There were no significant differences for stent thrombosis, cardiovascular death, or all-cause death. In meta-regression analysis, IVUS-guided PCI was of greatest benefit in reducing MACE in patients with acute coronary syndromes, diabetes, and long lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis demonstrates a significant reduction in MACE, TVR, and TLR with IVUS-guided DES implantation in complex coronary lesions.