Association Between History of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Coronary Artery Disease Assessed by Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography.

Importance: Adverse pregnancy outcomes are recognized risk enhancers for cardiovascular disease, but the prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis after these conditions is unknown. Objective: To assess associations between history of adverse pregnancy outcomes and coronary artery disease assessed by coronary computed tomography angiography screening. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional study of a population-based cohort of women in Sweden (n = 10 528) with 1 or more deliveries in 1973 or later, ascertained via the Swedish National Medical Birth Register, who subsequently participated in the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Bioimage Study at age 50 to 65 (median, 57.3) years in 2013-2018. Delivery data were prospectively collected. Exposures: Adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, preterm delivery, small-for-gestational-age infant, and gestational diabetes. The reference category included women with no history of these exposures. Main Outcomes and Measures: Coronary computed tomography angiography indexes, including any coronary atherosclerosis, significant stenosis, noncalcified plaque, segment involvement score of 4 or greater, and coronary artery calcium score greater than 100. Results: A median 29.6 (IQR, 25.0-34.9) years after first registered delivery, 18.9% of women had a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes, with specific pregnancy histories ranging from 1.4% (gestational diabetes) to 9.5% (preterm delivery). The prevalence of any coronary atherosclerosis in women with a history of any adverse pregnancy outcome was 32.1% (95% CI, 30.0%-34.2%), which was significantly higher (prevalence difference, 3.8% [95% CI, 1.6%-6.1%]; prevalence ratio, 1.14 [95% CI, 1.06-1.22]) compared with reference women. History of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia were both significantly associated with higher and similar prevalence of all outcome indexes. For preeclampsia, the highest prevalence difference was observed for any coronary atherosclerosis (prevalence difference, 8.0% [95% CI, 3.7%-12.3%]; prevalence ratio, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.14-1.45]), and the highest prevalence ratio was observed for significant stenosis (prevalence difference, 3.1% [95% CI, 1.1%-5.1%]; prevalence ratio, 2.46 [95% CI, 1.65-3.67]). In adjusted models, odds ratios for preeclampsia ranged from 1.31 (95% CI, 1.07-1.61) for any coronary atherosclerosis to 2.21 (95% CI, 1.42-3.44) for significant stenosis. Similar associations were observed for history of preeclampsia or gestational hypertension among women with low predicted cardiovascular risk. Conclusions and Relevance: Among Swedish women undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography screening, there was a statistically significant association between history of adverse pregnancy outcomes and image-identified coronary artery disease, including among women estimated to be at low cardiovascular disease risk. Further research is needed to understand the clinical importance of these associations.

Clinical and angiographic outcomes of bioabsorbable vs. permanent polymer drug-eluting stents in Sweden: a report from the Swedish Coronary and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR).

AIMS: Randomized clinical trials have consistently demonstrated the non-inferiority of bioabsorbable polymer drug-eluting stents (BP-DES) with respect to DES having permanent polymers (PP-DES). To date, the comparative performance of BP- and PP-DES in the real world has not been extensively investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: From October 2011 to June 2016, we analysed the outcomes associated with newer generation DES use in Sweden. After stratification according to the type of DES received at the index procedure, a total of 16 504 and 79 106 stents were included in the BP- and PP-DES groups, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier estimates for restenosis at 2 years were 1.2% and 1.4% in BP- and PP-DES groups, respectively. Definite stent thrombosis (ST) was low in both groups (0.5% and 0.7% in BP- and PP-DES groups, respectively). The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for either restenosis or definite ST did not differ between BP- and PP-DES [adjusted HR 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-1.21; P = 0.670 and adjusted HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.57-1.09; P = 0.151, respectively]. Similarly, there were no differences in the adjusted risk of all-cause death and myocardial infarction (MI) between the two groups (adjusted HR for all-cause death 1.01, 95% CI 0.82-1.25; P = 0.918 and adjusted HR for MI 1.05, 95% CI 0.93-1.19; P = 0.404). CONCLUSION: In a large, nationwide, and unselected cohort of patients, percutaneous coronary intervention with BP-DES implantation was not associated with an incremental clinical benefit over PP-DES use at 2 years follow-up.

Real-life clinical outcomes with everolimus eluting platinum chromium stent with an abluminal biodegradable polymer in patients from the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR).

BACKGROUND: No previous studies have evaluated the performance of the Synergy stent in a large real-life population. OBJECTIVES: To describe the initial real-life experience with a novel everolimus eluting platinum chromium stent with abluminal biodegradable polymer (SYNERGY) in unselected patients from a nationwide registry. METHODS: All implanted Synergy stents were compared with other new generation drug eluting stents (n-DES) with >1,000 implantations in Sweden between March 2013 and October 2015. Restenosis, definite stent thrombosis (ST), myocardial infarction (MI) and death rates were assessed using propensity score and Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 7,886 of Synergy stents and 64,429 other n-DES (BioMatrix, N = 1,953; Orsiro, N = 4,946; Promus Element Plus, N= 2,543; Promus Premier, N= 20,414; Xience Xpedition, N= 7,971, Resolute/Resolute Integrity, N = 19,021; Ultimaster, N = 1,156; Resolute Onyx, N = 6,425) were implanted in 42,357 procedures. Restenosis and stent thrombosis occurred in 642 and 314 cases, respectively, in the overall population at 1 year. The cumulative rate of restenosis (1.1% vs. 1.0%, adjusted HR: 1.24 95% CI: 0.88-1.75; P = 0.21) and ST (0.4% vs. 0.5%, adjusted HR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.63-1.50; P = 0.17) up to 1 year was low in both the Synergy group and the other n-DES group. Death occurred in 5.2% versus 4.5% (adjusted HR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.96-1.36; P = 0.11) and MI in 3.2% versus 3.5%, (adjusted HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.93-1.33; P = 0.24) up to 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: In a large real-life population the Synergy stent appears to be safe and effective with a low rate of restenosis and ST comparable with other n-DES. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of thrombus aspiration during ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: a six month composite endpoint and risk of stroke analyses of the TASTE trial.

BACKGROUND: Routine thrombus aspiration during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) did not reduce the primary composite endpoint in the "A Randomised Trial of Routine Aspiration ThrOmbecTomy With PCI Versus PCI ALone in Patients With STEMI Undergoing Primary PCI" (TOTAL) trial. We aimed to analyse a similar endpoint in "The Thrombus Aspiration in ST-Elevation myocardial infarction in Scandinavia" (TASTE) trial up to 180 days. METHODS: In TASTE, 7244 patients with STEMI were randomised to thrombus aspiration followed by PCI or to PCI alone. We analysed the quadruple composite endpoint of cardiovascular death, cardiogenic shock, rehospitalisation for myocardial infarction, or new hospitalisation for heart failure. Furthermore, an extended net-benefit composite endpoint including stent thrombosis, target vessel revascularization or stroke within 180 days was analysed. RESULTS: The primary quadruple composite endpoint occurred in 8.7 % (316 of 3621) in the thrombus aspiration group compared to 9.3 % (338 of 3623) in the PCI alone group (hazard ratio (HR), 0.93; 95 % confidence interval (CI); 0.80 - 1.09, P = 0.36) and the extended net-benefit composite endpoint in 12.0 % (436) vs. 13.2 % (479) (HR, 0.90; 95 % CI; 0.79 - 1.03, P = 0.12). Stroke within 30 days occurred in 0.7 % (27) vs. 0.7 % (24) (HR, 0.89; 95 % CI; 0.51-1.54, P = 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: A large and an extended composite endpoint analysis from the TASTE trial did not demonstrate any clinical benefit of routine thrombus aspiration during PCI in patients with STEMI. There was no evidence of an increased risk of stroke with thrombus aspiration.

Prognosis of elderly patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention in 2001 to 2011: A report from the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR) registry.

BACKGROUND: Elderly patients constitute a growing part of the population presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The use of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in this high-risk population remains poorly investigated. METHODS: Using the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR), we identified consecutive patients with STEMI 80 years or older undergoing primary PCI during a 10-year period. Temporal trends in care and 1-year prognosis were investigated, and long-term outcome was compared with a reference group of patients with STEMI aged 70 to 79 years. Relative survival was calculated by dividing the observed survival rate with the expected survival rate of the general population. Adjusted end points were calculated using Cox regression. RESULTS: In total, 4,876 elderly patients with STEMI were included. During the study period, average age and presence of comorbidity increased, as well as the use of antithrombotic therapy. Procedural success remained constant. One-year mortality was exclusively reduced between the most recent vs the earliest cohort, whereas the risk of reinfarction, heart failure, stroke, and bleeding remained similar. The risk of death was higher for elderly patients early after PCI, after which the prognosis was slightly better compared with the general population. Long-term risk of adverse events increased markedly with age. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of patients older than 80 years treated with primary PCI for STEMI was relatively unchanged during the 10-year inclusion period, despite changes in patient characteristics and treatment. Advanced age increased the risk of adverse events, but survivors of the early phase after PCI had a slightly improved prognosis compared with the general population.

Lower risk of stent thrombosis and restenosis with unrestricted use of 'new-generation' drug-eluting stents: a report from the nationwide Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR).

AIMS: To compare the long-term outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention with 'new-generation' drug-eluting stents (n-DES) to 'older generation' DES (o-DES), and bare-metal stents (BMS) in a real-world population. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated 94 384 consecutive stent implantations (BMS, n = 64 631; o-DES, n = 19 202; n-DES, n = 10 551) in Sweden from November 2006 to October 2010. All cases of definite stent thrombosis (ST) and restenosis were documented in the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR). Older generation DES were classified as: Cypher and Cypher Select (Cordis Corporation, Miami, FL, USA), Taxus Express and Taxus Liberté (Boston Scientific Corporation), and Endeavor (Medtronic Inc.) and n-DES as: Endeavor Resolute (Medtronic Inc.), XienceV, Xience Prime (Abbott Laboratories) and Promus, Promus Element (Boston Scientific Corporation). The Cox regression analyses unadjusted and adjusted for clinical and angiographic covariates showed a statistically significant lower risk of restenosis in n-DES compared with BMS [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.29; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.25-0.33] and o-DES (HR 0.62; 95% CI: 0.53-0.72). A lower risk of definite ST was found in n-DES compared with BMS (HR 0.38; 95% CI: 0.28-0.52) and o-DES (HR, 0.57; 95% CI: 0.41-0.79). The risk of death was significantly lower in n-DES compared with o-DES (adjusted HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.63-0.95) and BMS (adjusted HR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.46-0.67). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous coronary intervention with n-DES is associated with a 38% lower risk of clinically meaningful restenosis, a 43% lower risk of definite ST, and a 23% lower risk of death compared with o-DES in this observational study from a large real-world population.

[More coronary computed tomography angiographies and less exercise electrocardiograms in patients under investigation for coronary artery disease?] / DT kranskärl bör användas oftare vid misstänkt kranskärlssjukdom.

Chronic coronary syndrome is a clinical diagnosis based on medical history and risk factors. To confirm diagnosis, an anatomical or functional assessment is recommended. Selection of diagnostic test is guided by clinical likelihood, patient characteristics, local expertise and availability. If the likelihood is low to intermediate, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is recommended; if intermediate to high, a functional non-invasive test, such as stress echocardiography, is recommended. As compared with other non-invasive diagnostic tests, exercise electrocardiogram has the lowest sensitivity and is only recommended when other imaging diagnostic tests are unavailable. The availability of CCTA is unequal and inadequate in most parts of Sweden. Efforts to increase the availability are called for.

Fully independent external validation of the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement 30-day (TAVR-30) hospital readmission model.

BACKGROUND: Early and late readmissions after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) are common and associated with worse outcome. A risk prediction model (TAVR-30) was recently developed using readily available clinical variables to identify patients at risk for hospital readmission within 30 days after TAVR. We performed an independent external validation of the TAVR-30 model. METHODS: The Swedish TAVR-registry, linked together with other mandatory national registries was used to identify all TAVR procedures, variables from the original model, hospitalizations and deaths between the years 2008 to 2021. RESULTS: A total of 8459 patients underwent TAVR, 7693 patients had complete data and were included in the analysis. Out of these, 928 patients experienced a readmission within 30 days. Using the estimates from the original model, a concordance (c)-index of 0.51, a calibration slope of 0.07 and intercept of -0.62 were obtained respectively, overall implying poor model performance. CONCLUSIONS: This independent external validation indicates poor performance of the TAVR-30 model in a Swedish setting. Further research is needed to develop more reliable tools for predicting the risk of early hospital readmission after TAVR, as well as, for providing a deeper understanding of how to develop risk models that performs well in patients with multiple underlying comorbidities.

Coronary artery restenosis and target lesion revascularisation in women by pregnancy history.

BACKGROUND: Women's pregnancy history is associated with incident risk of coronary artery disease with some evidence also suggesting a relevance for prognosis following treatment. OBJECTIVES: To study the associations between maternal history of preterm delivery, a history of small for gestational age infant, parity and age at first delivery with clinical restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we included 6027 women <65 years undergoing their first PCI 2006-2017, merging clinical register data on PCI procedures in Sweden with comprehensive registry data on deliveries since 1973. We used proportional hazards regression to study the association between aspects of pregnancy history and clinical restenosis in per-segment analyses, and with target lesion revascularisation (TLR) in per-patient analyses. We adjusted models for procedural-related and patient-related predictors of restenosis. RESULTS: During 15 981 segment-years of follow-up, 343 (3.7%) events of clinical restenosis occurred. We found no strong evidence of associations between the studied aspects of pregnancy history and clinical restenosis following PCI. For example, the restenosis HR for a history of preterm delivery in the fully adjusted model was 1.09 (95% CI 0.77 to 1.55) and the TLR HR was 1.18 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.52). CONCLUSION: Risk of restenosis following treatment with PCI did not differ by the studied aspects of pregnancy history, including preterm delivery, in young and middle-aged women. Larger studies are needed to obtain more precise estimates.

Regional assessment of availability for transcatheter aortic valve implantation in Sweden: a long-term observational study.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an increasingly important treatment option for patients with severe aortic stenosis. Its best implementation is debated, as few centres with high volumes are associated with better outcomes, while centralisation might lead to an inferior availability of treatment for patients living far away. The aim of this study was to investigate the implementation of TAVI in Sweden with a focus on regional differences in terms of availability, short-term mortality and waiting times. METHODS: All patients undergoing TAVI between 2008 and 2020 from the Swedish Transcatheter Cardiac Intervention Registry (SWENTRY) were included. SWENTRY was linked to the National Cause of Death Registry and to publicly available geospatial data from Statistics Sweden. RESULTS: A total of 7280 patients were included. Over time, TAVI interventions increased markedly, while surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) remained constant. There were no statistically significant regional differences in incidence between counties with or without a local TAVI centre (p = 0.7) and no clustering tendencies around regions with a local TAVI centre (p = 0.99). Thirty-day mortality improved over time without evidence of regional differences. No regional differences in waiting time from decision to intervention were found for TAVI centre regions and non-TAVI centre regions (p = 0.7). CONCLUSION: This nationwide study indicated no regional differences in terms of availability, short-term mortality or waiting times. An organisation with a few specialised centres was found to be sufficient to provide national coverage of TAVI interventions.

Applied coronary physiology for planning and guidance of percutaneous coronary interventions. A clinical consensus statement from the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) of the European Society of Cardiology.

The clinical value of fractional flow reserve and non-hyperaemic pressure ratios are well established in determining an indication for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). In addition, over the last 5 years we have witnessed a shift towards the use of physiology to enhance procedural planning, assess post-PCI functional results, and guide PCI optimisation. In this regard, clinical studies have reported compelling data supporting the use of longitudinal vessel analysis, obtained with pressure guidewire pullbacks, to better understand how obstructive CAD contributes to myocardial ischaemia, to establish the likelihood of functionally successful PCI, to identify the presence and location of residual flow-limiting stenoses and to predict long-term outcomes. The introduction of new functional coronary angiography tools, which merge angiographic information with fluid dynamic equations to deliver information equivalent to intracoronary pressure measurements, are now available and potentially also applicable to these endeavours. Furthermore, the ability of longitudinal vessel analysis to predict the functional results of stenting has played an integral role in the evolving field of simulated PCI. Nevertheless, it is important to have an awareness of the value and challenges of physiology-guided PCI in specific clinical and anatomical contexts. The main aim of this European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions clinical consensus statement is to offer up-to-date evidence and expert opinion on the use of applied coronary physiology for procedural PCI planning, disease pattern recognition and post-PCI optimisation.

SYNTAX score and Clinical SYNTAX score as predictors of very long-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions: a substudy of SIRolimus-eluting stent compared with pacliTAXel-eluting stent for coronary revascularization (SIRTAX) trial.

AIMS: To investigate the ability of SYNTAX score and Clinical SYNTAX score (CSS) to predict very long-term outcomes in an all-comers population receiving drug-eluting stents. METHODS AND RESULTS: The SYNTAX score was retrospectively calculated in 848 patients enrolled in the SIRolimus-eluting stent compared with pacliTAXel-Eluting Stent for coronary revascularization (SIRTAX) trial. The CSS was calculated using age, and baseline left ventricular ejection fraction and creatinine clearance. A stratified post hoc comparison was performed for all-cause mortality, cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), ischaemia-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR), definite stent thrombosis, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 1- and 5-year follow-up. Tertiles for SYNTAX score and CSS were defined as SS(LOW) ≤ 7, 7< SS(MID) ≤ 14, SS(HIGH) >14 and CSS(LOW) ≤ 8.0, 8.0 17.0, respectively. Major adverse cardiac events rates were significantly higher in SS(HIGH) compared with SS(LOW) at 1- and 5-year follow-up, which was also seen at 5 years for all-cause mortality, cardiac death, MI, and TLR. Stratifying outcomes across CSS tertiles confirmed and augmented these results. Within CSS(HIGH), 5-year MACE increased with use of paclitaxel- compared with sirolimus-eluting stents (34.7 vs. 21.3%, P = 0.008). SYNTAX score and CSS were independent predictors of 5-year MACE; CSS was an independent predictor for 5-year mortality. Areas-under-the-curve for SYNTAX score and CSS for 5-year MACE were 0.61 (0.56-0.65) and 0.62 (0.57-0.67), for 5-year all-cause mortality 0.58 (0.51-0.65) and 0.66 (0.59-0.73) and for 5-year cardiac death 0.63 (0.54-0.72) and 0.72 (0.63-0.81), respectively. CONCLUSION: SYNTAX score and to a greater extent CSS were able to stratify risk for very long-term adverse clinical outcomes in an all-comers population receiving drug-eluting stents. Predictive accuracy for 5-year all-cause mortality was improved using CSS. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00297661.

Long-Term Outcome Following Coronary Artery Stenting by History of Preterm Delivery.

Background: Women are at a greater risk of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) after percutaneous coronary intervention than men. A history of preterm delivery is a female-specific risk factor for coronary artery disease, but its relevance in the treatment of coronary artery disease is unknown. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between a history of preterm delivery and MACE after the first coronary artery stenting. Methods: We included a nationwide sample of 5,766 Swedish women aged ≤65 years receiving their first coronary stent during 2006 to 2017. To adjust for periprocedural characteristics and estimate the association between a history of preterm delivery and MACE at >30 days from stenting, we used proportional hazards regression. We also investigated mortality by history of preterm delivery. Results: During a median follow-up time of 3.7 years (IQR: 1.3-6.7 years), 1,200 (20.8%) women had a MACE. In total, 963 (16.7%) women had a history of preterm delivery. A history of preterm delivery was associated with a higher risk of MACE (adjusted HR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.03-1.38) and mortality (adjusted HR ratio: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.02-1.85). Similar associations were observed when excluding women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy or diabetes. Subgroup analyses suggested that women with a history of early preterm delivery had lower risk of MACE than those who had late preterm delivery (P = 0.04). Conclusions: History of preterm delivery is associated with worse prognosis following the first coronary artery stenting in women and warrants consideration as a risk factor also in the secondary prevention setting.

Validation of the academic research consortium high bleeding risk criteria in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 studies and 67,862 patients.

BACKGROUND: To assess the performance of the Academic Research Consortium High Bleeding Risk (ARC-HBR) criteria in stratifying the risk of bleeding and ischaemic events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: MEDLINE, COCHRANE, Web of Sciences, and SCOPUS were searched for studies aimed at validating the ARC-HBR criteria in patients treated with PCI. The primary outcome measure of this meta-analysis was major bleeding. RESULTS: The analysis included 10 studies encompassing 67,862 patients undergoing PCI; the HBR definition was fulfilled in 44.7% of the cases. The risk of major bleeding was significantly higher in HBR vs. Non-HBR group (RR, 2.56, 95% CI 2.28-2.89). The average C-statistic was 0.64 (95% CI 0.60-0.68), indicating modest discrimination. The risk of intracranial hemorrhage, gastrointestinal bleeding, fatal bleeding, ischaemic stroke, cardiac death and all-cause death was higher in HBR vs. Non-HBR group. Despite a higher incidence of myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis in patients deemed at HBR, the rate of target lesion revascularization was comparable between groups (RR, 1.01, 95% CI 0.88-1.16). The mean effect size for the cumulative incidence of major bleeding exceeded the HBR cut-off value of 4% for all major criteria except one, and for two out of six minor criteria, namely age ≥ 75 years and moderate CKD. CONCLUSION: The ARC-HBR definition identifies patients at higher risk of major bleeding and other adverse cardiovascular events after PCI. Almost all major criteria, but also two of the minor criteria, were individually associated with rates of major bleeding above 4% thus fulfilling the definition of major HBR criteria.

Coronary Artery Restenosis in Women by History of Preeclampsia.

Background A history of preeclampsia is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease and experimental evidence suggests that a history of preeclampsia also increases the risk of restenosis. However, the extent to which a history of preeclampsia is associated with risk of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in women is unknown. Methods and Results We included 6065 parous women aged ≤65 years with first percutaneous coronary intervention on 9452 segments 2006 to 2017, linking nationwide data on percutaneous coronary intervention and delivery history in Sweden. Main outcomes were clinical restenosis and target lesion revascularization within 2 years. We accounted for segment-, procedure-, and patient-related potential predictors of restenosis in proportional hazards regression models. Restenosis occurred in 345 segments (3.7%) and target lesion revascularization was performed on 383 patients (6.3%). A history of preeclampsia was neither significantly associated with risk of restenosis (predictor-accounted hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.41-1.23]) nor target lesion revascularization (0.74 [95% CI, 0.51-1.07]) compared with a normotensive pregnancy history. When term and preterm preeclampsia were investigated separately, segments in women with a history of term preeclampsia had a lower risk of restenosis (predictor-accounted HR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.21-0.94]). A history of preeclampsia was not significantly associated with death by any cause within 2 years of the index procedure (predictor-accounted HR 1.06, [95% CI, 0.62-1.80]). Conclusions A history of preeclampsia was not associated with increased risk of restenosis but instead some evidence pointed to a decreased risk. To facilitate future studies and allow for replication, concomitant collection of data on pregnancy complication history and percutaneous coronary intervention outcomes in women is warranted.

Trends in Clinical Practice and Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery.

Background The use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to treat unprotected left main coronary artery disease has expanded rapidly in the past decade. We aimed to describe nationwide trends in clinical practice and outcomes after PCI for left main coronary artery disease. Methods and Results Patients (n=4085) enrolled in the SCAAR (Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry) as undergoing PCI for left main coronary artery disease from 2005 to 2017 were included. A count regression model was used to analyze time-related differences in procedural characteristics. The 3-year major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event rate defined as death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and repeat revascularization was calculated with the Kaplan-Meier estimator and Cox proportional hazard model. The number of annual PCI procedures grew from 121 in 2005 to 589 in 2017 (389%). The increase was greater for men (479%) and individuals with diabetes (500%). Periprocedural complications occurred in 7.9%, decreasing from 10% to 6% during the study period. A major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event occurred in 35.7% of patients, falling from 45.6% to 23.9% (hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.41-0.78; P=0.001). Radial artery access rose from 21.5% to 74.2% and intracoronary diagnostic procedures from 14.0% to 53.3%. Use of bare-metal stents and first-generation drug-eluting stents fell from 19.0% and 71.9%, respectively, to 0, with use of new-generation drug-eluting stents increasing to 95.2%. Conclusions Recent changes in clinical practice relating to PCI for left main coronary artery disease are characterized by a 4-fold rise in procedures conducted, increased use of evidence-based adjunctive treatment strategies, intracoronary diagnostics, newer stents, and more favorable outcomes.

Sex-Related Differences in Thrombus Burden in STEMI Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Women have a worse prognosis after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) than men. The prognostic role of thrombus burden (TB) in influencing the sex-related differences in clinical outcomes after STEMI has not been clearly investigated. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the sex-related differences in TB and its clinical implications in patients with STEMI. METHODS: Individual patient data from the 3 major randomized clinical trials of manual thrombus aspiration were analyzed, encompassing a total of 19,047 patients with STEMI, of whom 13,885 (76.1%) were men and 4,371 (23.9%) were women. The primary outcome of interest was 1-year cardiovascular (CV) death. The secondary outcomes of interest were recurrent myocardial infarction, heart failure, all-cause mortality, stroke, stent thrombosis (ST), and target vessel revascularization at 1 year. RESULTS: Patients with high TB (HTB) had worse 1-year outcomes compared with those presenting with low TB (adjusted HR for CV death: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.10-2.12; P = 0.01). In unadjusted analyses, female sex was associated with an increased risk for 1-year CV death regardless of TB. After adjustment, the risk for 1-year CV death was higher only in women with HTB (HR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.18-1.28; P < 0.001), who also had an increased risk for all-cause death and ST than men. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with STEMI, angiographic evidence of HTB negatively affected prognosis. Among patients with HTB, women had an excess risk for ST, CV, and all-cause mortality than men. Further investigations are warranted to better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to excess mortality in women with STEMI and HTB.

Relationship between peripheral arterial reactive hyperemia and residual platelet reactivity after 600 mg clopidogrel.

Clopidogrel reduces long-term ischemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome or stable angina (SA) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Endothelial function improvement has been proposed, among other factors, for this beneficial effect of clopidogrel, but whether this might be associated to its anti-platelet action remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that clopidogrel improvement of peripheral vascular endothelial function might be associated with inhibition of platelet aggregation. Endothelial function was evaluated before and at least 12 h after 600 mg clopidogrel in 43 SA pts undergoing elective PCI by: (a) reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (measuring the Endoscore); (b) circulating endothelial microparticles (EMPs). Response to clopidogrel was measured with point-of-care VerifyNow P2Y12 assay and expressed as platelet reaction unit (PRU) and percent platelet inhibition (%PI). High platelet reactivity after clopidogrel was defined as PRU ≥ 240. Endothelial function improved after clopidogrel in 20 pts. Changes in Endoscore (Δ Endoscore) were significantly correlated with both PRU (r = -0.61, P < 0.001) and %PI (r = 0.57, P < 0.001). Endoscore significantly increased after clopidogrel in pts with PRU < 240 (0.38 ± 0.26 to 0.57 ± 0.33, P < 0.001), but did not in pts with PRU ≥ 240 (0.53 ± 0.31 to 0.40 ± 0.37, P = 0.12). EMPs were also significantly reduced in pts with PRU < 240 (222 [140-593] to 142 [83-371]/µl, P = 0.001), while no changes were observed in pts with PRU ≥ 240 (256 [178-531] to 388 [238-499]/µl, P = 0.55). In patients with stable coronary artery disease, a single 600 mg clopidogrel loading dose improves vascular endothelial function. This improvement is associated with optimal platelet inhibition and it is not observed in patients with post-clopidogrel high platelet reactivity.

Clinical outcomes with unselected use of an ultrathin-strut sirolimus-eluting stent: a report from the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR).

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the real-world clinical performance of a sirolimus-eluting ultrathin-strut drug-eluting stent (DES) (Orsiro) in a large nationwide cohort of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS: From the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry, the two-year outcomes of 4,561 patients implanted with Orsiro (Orsiro group) and 69,570 receiving other newer-generation DES (n-DES group) were analysed. The rate of definite stent thrombosis was low in both groups (0.67% and 0.83% for Orsiro and n-DES, respectively; adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.55-1.46, p-value 0.66). Restenosis was also infrequent (1.5% vs 2.0% with Orsiro and n-DES, adjusted HR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.63-1.03, p-value=0.09). The risk of target lesion revascularisation by PCI was lower in the Orsiro group (1.6% vs 2.3%, adjusted HR 0.75, 95% CI: 0.60-0.94, p-value=0.013). All-cause mortality and myocardial infarction did not show a statistically significant difference between the two groups (mortality of 7.5% in both groups, adjusted HR 0.99, 95% CI: 0.72-1.35, p-value=0.94; 6.0% vs 5.2% for myocardial infarction, adjusted HR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00-1.43, p-value=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: In a nationwide scenario, the use of a sirolimus-eluting ultrathin-strut DES portended favourable clinical outcomes.