Long-Term Primary Patency Rate After Nitinol Self-Expandable Stents Implantation in Long, Totally Occluded Femoropopliteal (TASC II C & D) Lesions.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular therapy for long femoropopliteal lesions using percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty or first-generation of peripheral stents has been associated with unacceptable one-year restenosis rates. However, with recent advances in equipment and techniques, a better primary patency rate is expected. This study was conducted to detect the long-term primary patency rate of nitinol self-expandable stents implanted in long, totally occluded femoropopliteal lesions TransAtlantic Inter-Society Census (TASC II type C & D), and determine the predictors of reocclusion or restenosis in the stented segments. METHODS: The demographics, clinical, anatomical, and procedural data of 213 patients with 240 de novo totally occluded femoropopliteal (TASC II type C & D) lesions treated with nitinol self-expandable stents were retrospectively analysed. Of these limbs, 159 (66.2%) presented with intermittent claudication, while 81 (33.8%) presented with critical limb ischaemia. The mean-time of follow-up was 36±22.6 months, (range: 6.3-106.2 months). Outcomes evaluated were, primary patency rate and predictors of reocclusion or restenosis in the stented segments. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 70.9±9.3 years, with male gender 66.2%. Mean pre-procedural ABI was 0.45±0.53. One-hundred-and-seventy-five (73%) lesions were TASC II type C, while 65 (27%) were type D lesions. The mean length of the lesions was 17.9±11.3mm. Procedure related complications occurred in 10 (4.1%) limbs. There was no periprocedural mortality. Reocclusion and restenosis were detected during follow-up in 45 and 30 limbs respectively, and all were re-treated by endovascular approach. None of the patients required major amputation. Primary patency rates were 81.4±1.1%, 77.7±1.9% and 74.4±2.8% at 12, 24, and 36 months respectively. Male gender, severe calcification, and TASC II D lesion were independent predictors for reocclusion, while predictors of restenosis were DM, smoking and TASC II D lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of long, totally occluded femoropopliteal (TASC II C & D) lesions with nitinol self-expandable stents is safe and is associated with highly acceptable long-term primary patency rates.

Abciximab therapy improves 1-month survival rate in unselected patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing routine infarct artery stent implantation.

BACKGROUND: The impact of abciximab therapy on mortality in unselected patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing routine primary infarct-related artery (IRA) stent implantation is not yet defined, and previous randomized studies have produced conflicting results. METHODS: A strategy of IRA stenting alone as opposed to IRA stenting plus abciximab was compared in a series of 561 consecutive unselected patients with AMI. Abciximab treatment was strongly encouraged for all patients. The contraindication for abciximab therapy was a high risk of major bleeding as assessed by the operator before mechanical intervention. RESULTS: Of 561 patients, 348 patients underwent abciximab therapy and 213 underwent primary IRA stenting alone. The 1-month overall mortality rate was 2.9% in the abciximab group and 10.8% in the stent alone group (P <.001). The relative reduction in mortality rate was 73% for patients overall, 77% in the subset of patients aged < or =70 years (mortality rate, 1.2% vs 5.2%, P =.020), 57% in patients aged >70 years (7.7% vs 18%, P =.043), 63% in patients with cardiogenic shock (17% vs 46%, P =.022), and 77% in patients without cardiogenic shock (1.3% vs 5.6%, P =.002). Multivariate analyses on the basis of all patients, and on the subset of patients aged < or =70 years, showed that abciximab therapy was independently related to the risk of death at 1 month. No differences were seen between groups in the procedural success rate (99.1% vs 98.1%) or in the incidence rates of nonfatal reinfarction (0.3% vs 1.9%) or repeat target vessel revascularization (1.7% vs 1.9%). CONCLUSION: The results of this study strongly support the use of abciximab therapy in nonselected patients with AMI undergoing routine IRA stent implantation. The mechanism of the clinical benefit of abciximab was not related to the patency of the IRA.

Relation of time to treatment and mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary coronary angioplasty.

The benefit of thrombolysis is dependent on time to treatment, but there is lack of evidence of this relation in patients undergoing primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The hypothesis that the relation of time to treatment to mortality is dependent on patient risk was tested in a series of 1,336 patients who underwent successful primary PTCA and were stratified into "low-risk" and "not low-risk" patient groups according to the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction criteria. After stratification, 942 patients (71%) were at not low risk, and 394 (29%) were at low risk. The 6-month mortality rate was 9.3% for not low-risk patients and 1.3% for low-risk patients (p <0.001). Among not low-risk patients, longer time to treatment was associated with increased age and a greater incidence of cardiogenic shock. Unadjusted mortality of the not low-risk patients increased from 4.8% to 12.9%, with increasing time to reperfusion up to 6 hours, whereas mortality of the low-risk group was constant, with an increased time to reperfusion. For the not low-risk group, the univariate analysis revealed a relation between time to treatment and mortality (odds ratio 1.35; 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 1.73, p = 0.017). Time to reperfusion was not an independent predictor of mortality at multivariate analysis. Mortality for not low-risk patients who undergo successful primary PTCA is related to the delay from symptom onset to treatment. The effects of other variables associated with a longer time to reperfusion may have a stronger impact on mortality, obscuring the incremental value of time to reperfusion at multivariate analysis.

Relation between preintervention angiographic evidence of coronary collateral circulation and clinical and angiographic outcomes after primary angioplasty or stenting for acute myocardial infarction.

It is unknown if collateral circulation (CC) has a beneficial effect on outcomes of patients who undergo mechanical intervention in the first hours after onset of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study analyzes the relation between CC and outcome in patients with AMI who underwent primary angioplasty or stenting within 6 hours of symptom onset. The analysis was performed in a series of 1,164 consecutive patients. The contribution of clinical, angiographic, and procedural variables to the angiographic and clinical outcomes was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analysis and the Cox proportional hazard model, respectively. Of 1,164 patients, 264 (23%) had angiographic evidence of CC. Patients with CC had a lower incidence of diabetes (11% vs 16%, p = 0.033), anterior AMI (41% vs 55%, p <0.001), cardiogenic shock (9% vs 14%, p = 0.029), anterograde TIMI grade flow >1 (10% vs 21%, p <0.001), and a greater incidence of preinfarction angina (43% vs 32%, p = 0.001), multivessel disease (59% vs 47%, p = 0.001), and total chronic occlusion (20% vs 10%, p <0.001). At 6 months, the mortality rate was lower in patients with CC compared with patients without CC (4% vs 9%, p = 0.011), whereas there were no differences in the incidence of reinfarction, target vessel revascularization, and angiographic restenosis. After multivariate analysis, CC did not emerge as a significant variable in relation to 6-month clinical and angiographic outcomes. CC does not exert a protective effect in patients who undergo mechanical intervention in the first 6 hours of AMI onset.

Abciximab therapy improves survival in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by early cardiogenic shock undergoing coronary artery stent implantation.

The impact of abciximab therapy on mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who are undergoing infarct-related artery (IRA) stent implantation, which is complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS) due to predominant ventricular failure has not been established, whereas concluded randomized trials comparing IRA stenting plus abciximab with IRA stenting alone in patients with AMI have produced conflicting results. Moreover, these trials have excluded patients with CS from randomization. This study sought to determine whether IRA stenting plus abciximab treatment has an impact on 1-month mortality compared with IRA stenting alone in consecutive patients with AMI complicated by CS due to predominant ventricular failure. Of 77 patients with CS and IRA stenting, 44 had abciximab therapy, whereas 33 underwent primary IRA stenting alone. There were no differences between groups in major baseline characteristics except for a higher incidence of women in the stent alone group compared with the abciximab group (36% vs 14%, p = 0.020). The 1-month overall mortality rate was 18% in the abciximab group and 42% in the stent alone group (p <0.020). There were no differences between groups in reinfarction and target vessel revascularization rates. Multivariate analysis showed that abciximab therapy was the only variable that was independently related to 1-month mortality (odds ratio 0.36; 95% confidence intervals 0.15 to 0.86, p = 0.021). The results of this study support the use of abciximab in patients with AMI complicated by CS who are undergoing IRA stent implantation. The mechanism of the clinical benefit of abciximab at 1 month was not related to the patency of the IRA.

Does gender affect the clinical outcome of patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention?

This study sought to determine the impact of female gender on clinical outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS) due to predominant ventricular failure undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We analyzed gender-related differences in procedural, angiographic, and clinical outcomes in 208 consecutive patients with AMI complicated by CS. Out of 208 patients with CS, 65 were women and 143 men. Women were older than men (74 +/- 10 years vs. 66 +/- 12 years; P < 0.001) and had a greater incidence of a history of hypertension (43% vs. 29%; P = 0.041). The 6-month mortality rate was 42% in women and 31% in men (P = 0.157). There were no differences between groups in reinfarction rate and target vessel revascularization rate. Multivariate analysis showed age as the only variable independently related to the 6-month mortality, while female gender was not related to the risk of death. The benefit of early PCI is similar in women and men, and any potential referral bias in the use of PCI based on gender differences should be avoided.