Periprocedural myocardial infarction in patients undergoing complex versus noncomplex percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Limited data are available on the risk of periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI) in patients undergoing complex versus noncomplex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: We assessed the risk of periprocedural MI according to the fourth Universal definition of myocardial infarction (UDMI) and several other criteria among patients undergoing elective PCI in a prospective, single-center registry. Complex PCI included at least one of the following: 3 coronary vessels treated, ≥3 stents implanted, ≥3 lesions treated, bifurcation with 2 stents implanted, total stent length >60 mm, treatment of chronic total occlusion, and use of rotational atherectomy. RESULTS: Between 2017 and 2021, we included 1010 patients with chronic coronary syndrome, of whom 226 underwent complex PCI (22.4%). The rate of periprocedural MI according to the fourth UDMI was significantly higher in complex compared to noncomplex PCI patients (26.5% vs. 14.5%, p < 0.001). Additionally, periprocedural MI was higher in the complex PCI group using SCAI (4% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.009), ARC-2 (13.7% vs. 8.0%, p = 0.013), ISCHEMIA (5.8% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.002), and EXCEL criteria (4.9% vs. 2.0%, p = 0.032). SYNTAX periprocedural MI occurred at low rates in both groups (0.9% vs. 0.6%, p = 0.657). Complex PCI was an independent predictor of the fourth UDMI periprocedural MI (odds ratio [OR] 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.27, p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with chronic coronary syndrome undergoing elective PCI, complex PCI is associated with a significantly higher risk of periprocedural MI using multiple definitions. These findings highlight the importance of considering upfront this risk in the planning of complex PCI procedures.

Platelet Inhibition with Ticagrelor 60 mg Versus 90 mg Twice Daily in Elderly Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Rationale and Design of the PLINY THE ELDER Trial.

BACKGROUND: Elderly status is steadily increasing among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and a potent P2Y12 receptor inhibitor is the cornerstone of treatment to prevent recurrent thrombotic complications in patients with ACS. However, DAPT in older patients is challenged by a concurrent heightened risk of ischemia and bleeding. The aim of this study is to evaluate the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profile of a lower dose of ticagrelor (60 mg twice daily) among elderly patients during the early phase of ACS. STUDY DESIGN: PLINY THE ELDER (PLatelet INhibition with two different doses of potent P2y12 inhibitors in THE ELDERly population) (NCT04739384) is a prospective, randomized, open-label, crossover trial to evaluate the non-inferiority of a lower dose of ticagrelor (60 mg twice daily) compared with a standard dose (90 mg twice daily) among elderly patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A total of 50 patients, aged 75 years or more, with indication to potent P2Y12 receptor inhibitors will be randomized within 3 days from PCI for the index ACS. Patients with indication to oral anticoagulant therapy, treatment with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, or active bleeding will be excluded. The primary endpoint is platelet reactivity determined by P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) (VerifyNow, Accumetrics, San Diego, CA, USA) after treatment with ticagrelor 60 or 90 mg twice daily for 14 days. Secondary endpoints will include other pharmacodynamic tests of ADP-induced aggregation (light transmittance aggregometry and multiple electrode aggregometry) and determination of pharmacokinetic profile (plasma levels of ticagrelor and its metabolite AR-C124910XX) by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. CONCLUSIONS: The PLINY THE ELDER trial will determine whether a lower dose of ticagrelor confers non-inferior platelet inhibition compared with the standard dose in the early phase of ACS among elderly patients undergoing PCI, informing future clinical investigation.

Effects of colchicine on platelet aggregation in patients on dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel.

Platelets aggregation leading to thrombosis plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and of stent thrombosis. Antiplatelet therapy with aspirin plus an ADP-receptor inhibitor (ticagrerol, prasugrel or clopidogrel) is recommended to reduce the risk of other platelet-mediated events. Clopidogrel is recommended in patients with Chronic Coronary Syndromes (CCS) or in ACS patients at high bleeding risk. Unfortunately, up to 30% of patients are non-responders to clopidogrel and show residual high platelet reactivity (HPR). Colchicine (COLC) is a drug with cardiovascular effects. We have demonstrated that COLC might exert protective cardiovascular effects by interfering with cytoskeleton rearrangement, a phenomenon involved in platelet aggregation. Here, we investigate in vitro the effects of colchicine on platelet aggregation of patients on DAPT with clopidogrel. Platelets obtained from 35 CCS patients on therapy with clopidogrel were pre-incubated with COLC 10 µM before being stimulated with ADP (20 µM), or TRAP (25 µM) at 0, 30, 60 and 90 min to measure max aggregation by LTA. Platelets not COLC-preincubated served as controls. Seven patients were pre-selected as clopidogrel non-responders. COLC significantly reduced TRAP-induced platelet aggregation in clopidogrel responders and non-responders. Interestingly, COLC inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation in clopidogrel non-responders in which ADP still caused activation despite DAPT. We demonstrate that COLC inhibits platelet aggregation in clopidogrel non-responders with HPR despite DAPT with this ADP receptor-inhibitor. Further in vivo studies should be designed to evaluate the opportunity to prescribe colchicine after ACS/CCS to overcome the clopidogrel limitations in the DAPT therapy.

Prognostic Factors in Patients With Stemi Undergoing Primary PCI in the Clopidogrel Era: Role of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy at Admission and the Smoking Paradox on Long-Term Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Several clinical and laboratory variables have an impact on the prognosis of STEMI patients undergoing PPCI; however, little is known about the role of ongoing DAPT at the time of the event and the smoking status as prognostic factors affecting the outcome of these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seven-hundred and thirteen consecutive STEMI patients undergoing PPCI, admitted to the S. Anna and S. Sebastiano Hospital (Caserta, Italy) and to the OLV Clinic (Aalst, Belgium), between March 2009 and December 2011, were retrospectively enrolled. Rescue PCI was the only exclusion criterion. Primary end-point was the combination of death for all causes, re-infarction, stroke, and target lesion revascularization (TLR). Patients already on DAPT at admission (26.4%) showed a significant increase in the event rate at univariate analysis (HR 2.34, CI 1.62-3.75, P < 0.05), while current smokers (56.5%) had a lower event rate, as compared to non-smokers (HR 0.67, CI 0.46-0.96, P < 0.05). In smoking patients already on DAPT at admission, a lower event rate was observed than in non-smoking patients on DAPT. Although, patients already on DAPT had a higher-risk profile (renal impairment, ongoing statin treatment, ST resolution <50%, and Killip class >1 were more frequently present than in patients not on DAPT), Cox regression analysis confirmed that both DAPT (HR 1.74, 95%CI 1.20-2.53, P < 0.01) and smoking status (HR 0.69, 95%CI 0.48-1.00, P < 0.05) retained their statistical significance, as they and were significantly associated with a worse and a better outcome, respectively, underlying their role as independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Not being a current smoker and ongoing DAPT at admission, in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI, represent independent negative prognostic value.

Evolving concepts of angiogram: fractional flow reserve discordances in 4000 coronary stenoses.

AIMS: The present analysis addresses the potential clinical and physiologic significance of discordance in severity of coronary artery disease between the angiogram and fractional flow reserve (FFR) in a large and unselected patient population. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between September 1999 and December 2011, FFR and percent diameter stenosis (DS) as assessed by quantitative coronary angiography were obtained in 2986 patients (n = 4086 coronary stenoses), in whom at least one stenosis was of intermediate angiographic severity. Fractional flow reserve correlated slightly but significantly with DS [-0.38 (95% CI: -0.41; -0.36); P < 0.001]. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of a ≥ 50% DS for predicting FFR ≤ 0.80 were 61% (95% CI: 59; 63), 67% (95% CI: 65; 69), and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.56; 0.72), respectively. In different anatomical settings, sensitivity and specificity showed marked variations between 35 to 74% and 58 to 76%, respectively, resulting in a discordance in 35% of all cases for these thresholds. For an angiographic threshold of 70% DS, the diagnostic performance by the Youden's index decreased from 0.28 to 0.11 for the overall population. CONCLUSION: The data confirm that one-third of a large patient population shows discordance between angiogram ≥ 50%DS and FFR ≤ 0.8 thresholds of stenosis severity. Left main stenoses are often underestimated by the classical 50% DS cut-off compared with FFR. This discordance offers physiologic insights for future trials. It is hypothesized that the discordance between angiography and FFR is related to technical limitations, such as imprecise luminal border detection by angiography, as well as to physiologic factors, such as variable minimal microvascular resistance.

Fractional flow reserve-guided versus angiography-guided coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is well established for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, yet little is known about candidates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 2006 to 2010, we retrospectively included in this registry 627 consecutive patients treated by coronary artery bypass graft surgery having at least 1 angiographically intermediate stenosis. In 429 patients, coronary artery bypass graft surgery was based solely on angiography (angiography-guided group). In 198 patients, at least 1 intermediate stenosis was grafted with an FFR ≤0.80 or deferred with an FFR >0.80 (FFR-guided group). The end point was major adverse cardiovascular events at 3 years, defined as the composite of overall death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization. The rate of angiographic multivessel disease was similar in the angiography-guided and FFR-guided groups (404 [94.2%] versus 186 [93.9%]; P=0.722). In the FFR-guided group, this was significantly downgraded after FFR measurements to 86.4% (P<0.001 versus before FFR) and was associated with a smaller number of anastomoses (3 [2-3] versus 3 [2-4]; P<0.001) and rate of on-pump surgery (49% versus 69%; P<0.001). At 3 years, major adverse cardiovascular events were not different between the angiography-guided and FFR-guided groups (12% versus 11%; hazard ratio, 1.030; 95% confidence interval, 0.627-1.692; P=0.908). However, the FFR-guided group compared with the angiography-guided group presented a significantly lower rate of angina (Canadian Cardiovascular Society class II-IV, 31% versus 47%; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: FFR-guided coronary artery bypass graft surgery was associated with a lower number of graft anastomoses and a lower rate of on-pump surgery compared with angiography-guided coronary artery bypass graft surgery. This did not result in a higher event rate during up to 36 months of follow-up and was associated with a lower rate of angina.

ACEF and clinical SYNTAX score in the risk stratification of patients with heavily calcified coronary stenosis undergoing rotational atherectomy with stent implantation.

AIM: To assess ACEF (age, creatinine, and ejection fraction) and Clinical SYNTAX (CSS) score in the risk stratification of patients with heavily calcified stenosis undergoing rotational atherectomy with stent implantation (rota-stenting). METHODS AND RESULTS: ACEF and CSS were calculated in 221 consecutive patients with stable angina undergoing rota-stenting. Mean age of the patients was 74 ± 10 years, left ventricular ejection fraction was 61 ± 18%, and final burr size 1.78 ± 0.24 mm, with 2.6 ± 0.9 burrs used for each patient. Primary end-point was MACE at one-year defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization. Post-hoc analysis was performed by stratifying the clinical outcome according to ACEF and CSS tertiles. At 1 year there was a significantly higher MACE rate in the high tertile of ACEF (24% for ACEFHigh vs. 13% for ACEFMid vs. 9% for ACEFLow; P = 0.017) and CSS (25% for CSSHigh vs. 12% for CSSMid vs. 8% for CSSLow; P = 0.008). The predictive accuracy for both ACEF and CSS was moderate (c-statistics, 0.629 and 0.638, respectively). CONCLUSION: Both ACEF and CSS predict with moderate accuracy MACE at 1-year in patients with heavily calcified coronary stenosis undergoing rotational atherectomy with stent implantation.

"The INOCA-IT: Rationale and design of a multicenter registry investigating ischemia in patients with non-obstructive coronary artery (INOCA) disease in Italy".

BACKGROUND: Ischemia with non-obstructive coronary artery (INOCA) disease is being progressively acknowledged as one of the pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) in an increasingly wide range of clinical pictures. Although the research has already begun to move towards a defined diagnostic pathway and a specific medical therapy for this disease, at present it remains a clinical challenge, especially if not thoroughly investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: The INOCA IT Multicenter Registry RF-2019-12369486 is a prospective, multicentric, non-randomized, single-arm, open label clinical study which aims to evaluate the efficacy of a stratified diagnostic and therapeutic approach on adverse events prevention and symptom relief in Italian patients with INOCA disease. The study population includes patients with a clinical presentation of CCS for angina and/or positive stress test for myocardial ischemia and evidence of non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) at coronary angiography. In these patients a complete invasive coronary physiology assessment is performed with the guidewire-based measurement of coronary flow reserve (CFR) and index of microvascular resistance (IMR), followed by acetylcholine (ACh) spasm provocation test. On the basis of the results of coronary function testing, patients are stratified into different INOCA endotypes (coronary microvascular disease, vasospastic angina, microvascular spasm, non-cardiac chest pain) and given a tailored medical therapy in accordance with the latest scientific evidence. At one year follow-up the impact of such a target therapy on angina class and quality of life, as well as on cardiovascular adverse events (hospitalization and coronary revascularization) is evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The INOCA-IT Multicenter Registry will inform clinicians on sex-specific prevalence of INOCA in Italy and will show the impact of a stratified diagnostic and therapeutic approach on symptoms burden and prognosis of INOCA patients.

Contemporary Evidence and Practice on Right Heart Catheterization in Patients with Acute or Chronic Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) has a global prevalence of 1-2%, and the incidence around the world is growing. The prevalence increases with age, from around 1% for those aged <55 years to >10% for those aged 70 years or over. Based on studies in hospitalized patients, about 50% of patients have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and 50% have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HF is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and HF-related hospitalizations are common, costly, and impact both quality of life and prognosis. More than 5-10% of patients deteriorate into advanced HF (AdHF) with worse outcomes, up to cardiogenic shock (CS) condition. Right heart catheterization (RHC) is essential to assess hemodynamics in the diagnosis and care of patients with HF. The aim of this article is to review the evidence on RHC in various clinical scenarios of patients with HF.

A comparison between radial artery compression devices for patent hemostasis after transradial percutaneous interventions.

OBJECTIVES: Patent hemostasis (PH) is essential for preventing radial artery occlusion (RAO) after trans-radial procedures; however, it remains unclear how it should be obtained. The aim of this multicenter randomized study was to evaluate whether the use of an adjustable device (AD), inflated with a pre-determined amount of air (AoA), was more effective than a non-adjustable device (non-AD) for achieving PH, thereby reducing the incidence of RAO. METHODS: We enrolled a total of 480 patients undergoing transradial procedure at 3 Italian institutions. Before the procedure, a modified Reverse Barbeau Test (mRBT) was performed in all patients to evaluate the AoA to be eventually inflated in the AD. After the procedure, patients were randomized into 2 groups: (1) AD Group, using TR-Band (Terumo) inflated with the pre-determined AoA; and 2) non-AD Group, using RadiStop (Abbott). An RBT was performed during compression to demonstrate the achievement of PH, as well as 24 hours later to evaluate the occurrence of RAO. RESULTS: PH was more often obtained in the AD Group compared with the non-AD Group (90% vs 64%, respectively, P less than .001), with no difference in terms of bleedings. RAO occurred more often in the non-AD Group compared with the AD Group (10% vs 3%, respectively, P less than .001). Of note, mRBT was effective at guiding AD inflation and identifying high-risk patients in whom PH was more difficult to obtain. CONCLUSIONS: The use of AD, filled with a predetermined AoA, allowed PH significantly more often compared with non-AD, providing a significantly reduced incidence of RAO.

Intentional coronary revascularization versus conservative therapy in patients after peripheral artery revascularization due to critical limb ischemia: the INCORPORATE trial.

OBJECTIVES: INCORPORATE trial was designed to evaluate whether default coronary-angiography (CA) and ischemia-targeted revascularization is superior compared to a conservative approach for patients with treated critical limb ischemia (CLI). Registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03712644) on October 19, 2018. BACKGROUND: Severe peripheral artery disease is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and poor outcomes. METHODS: INCORPORATE was an open-label, prospective 1:1 randomized multicentric trial that recruited patients who had undergone successful CLI treatment. Patients were randomized to either a conservative or invasive approach regarding potential coronary artery disease (CAD). The conservative group received optimal medical therapy alone, while the invasive group had routine CA and fractional flow reserve-guided revascularization. The primary endpoint was myocardial infarction (MI) and 12-month mortality. RESULTS: Due to COVID-19 pandemic burdens, recruitment was halted prematurely. One hundred eighty-five patients were enrolled. Baseline cardiac symptoms were scarce with 92% being asymptomatic. Eighty-nine patients were randomized to the invasive approach of whom 73 underwent CA. Thirty-four percent had functional single-vessel disease, 26% had functional multi-vessel disease, and 90% achieved complete revascularization. Conservative and invasive groups had similar incidences of death and MI at 1 year (11% vs 10%; hazard ratio 1.21 [0.49-2.98]). Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) trended for hazard in the Conservative group (20 vs 10%; hazard ratio 1.94 [0.90-4.19]). In the per-protocol analysis, the primary endpoint remained insignificantly different (11% vs 7%; hazard ratio 2.01 [0.72-5.57]), but the conservative approach had a higher MACCE risk (20% vs 7%; hazard ratio 2.88 [1.24-6.68]). CONCLUSION: This trial found no significant difference in the primary endpoint but observed a trend of higher MACCE in the conservative arm.

Cangrelor in contemporary patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction pretreated with Ticagrelor: Pharmacodynamic data from the POMPEII study.

Background: There are limited data to assess pharmacodynamic (PD) profiles of patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and receiving cangrelor after pretreatment with ticagrelor. Methods: The PharmacOdynaMic effects of cangrelor in PatiEnts wIth acute or chronIc coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (POMPEII) registry (NCT04790032) is a prospective study conducted at Federico II University of Naples enrolling all patients undergoing PCI receiving cangrelor at operator's discretion. PD assessments were performed with 3 assays: (1) the gold standard light transmittance aggregometry (LTA) (20- and 5-µM adenosine diphosphate [ADP] stimuli); (2) VerifyNow P2Y12-test; (3) Multiplate electrode aggregometry (MEA), ADP-test. Results: We analyzed 13 STEMI patients pretreated with ticagrelor within 1 h at the time they underwent primary PCI receiving cangrelor. All patients showed low maximal platelet aggregation at 30-minute during cangrelor infusion, as well as at 3 h and 4-6 h (corresponding to 1 h and 2-4 h after stopping cangrelor infusion) with no cases of high residual platelet reactivity. These results were consistent with all assays. Conclusions: PD data show that in contemporary real-world STEMI patients pretreated within 1 h with ticagrelor undergoing primary PCI, adding cangrelor resulted in fast and potent platelet inhibition, thus suggesting that cangrelor may bridge the gap until ticagrelor reaches its effect.

Long-term clinical outcome after fractional flow reserve- versus angio-guided percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with intermediate stenosis of coronary artery bypass grafts.

BACKGROUND: Fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided percutaneous revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]) of intermediate stenosis in native coronary artery is safe and associated with better clinical outcomes as compared with an angiography-guided PCI. It is unknown whether this applies to coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs). METHODS: We included 223 patients with CABG and with stable or unstable angina and an intermediate stenosis involving an arterial or a venous graft. Patients were divided into 2 groups: FFR guided (n = 65, PCI performed in case of FFR ≤0.80) and angio guided (n = 158, PCI performed based on angiographic evaluation). Primary end point was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event, defined as death, myocardial infarction, target vessel failure, and cerebrovascular accident (CVA). RESULTS: The 2 groups were similar in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in 23 patients (35%) of the FFR-guided group and 90 patients (57%) of the angio-guided group (P < .01). In the FFR-guided group, PCI was more often performed in arterial grafts as compared with the angio-guided group (16 [70%] vs 12 [13%], respectively; P < .01). Follow-up was obtained in 96% of patients at a median of 3.8 years (1.6-4.0 years). At multivariate analysis, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event rate was significantly lower in the FFR-guided group as compared with the angio-guided group (18 [28%] vs 77 [51%], hazard ratio 0.33 [0.11-0.96], P = .043]. Procedure costs were overall reduced in the FFR-guided group (€2240 ± €652 vs €2416 ± €522, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: An FFR-guided PCI of intermediate stenosis in bypass grafts is safe and results in better clinical outcomes as compared with an angio-guided PCI. This clinical benefit is achieved with a significant overall reduction in procedural costs.

Quantitative angiography and optical coherence tomography for the functional assessment of nonobstructive coronary stenoses: comparison with fractional flow reserve.

BACKGROUND: The purpose was to compare 3-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography (3D-QCA) with optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the functional assessment of nonobstructive coronary stenoses, as evaluated by fractional flow reserve (FFR). METHODS: Fifty-five nonobstructive coronary stenoses (30%-50% diameter stenosis by visual estimation) were assessed in 36 patients using FFR, 2-dimensional QCA (2D-QCA), 3D-QCA, and OCT. RESULTS: Angiographic stenosis severity by 2D-QCA was 34% ± 13% diameter stenosis, and minimal lumen diameter (MLD) was 1.77 ± 0.58 mm. Fractional flow reserve values were 0.85 ± 0.10. Correlation coefficients between FFR and MLD or minimal lumen area (MLA) were highly significant for both 2D- and 3D-QCA (all P < .001), but higher R(2) values were observed for 3D-QCA measurements. Although significant, correlation coefficients between OCT and FFR data were weak (R(2) = 0.28, P = .001 for MLD and R(2) = 0.23, P = .003 for MLA). Correlation coefficients with FFR were significantly higher for 3D-QCA than for OCT (P values for MLD and MLA = .043 and .042, respectively). Nonobstructive stenoses with MLD >1.53 mm or MLA >2.43 mm(2) are unlikely to be hemodynamically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In nonobstructive coronary stenoses, anatomical parameters derived from 3D-QCA can best identify lesions with preserved FFR values.

Synergistic effect of thrombus aspiration and abciximab in primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies failed to assess the individual prognostic role of thrombus aspiration (TA) or abciximab in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI), due their prevalent combined use. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 644 consecutive ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients treated with pPCI were included in this retrospective registry from January 2006 to December 2008. Patients were divided in: (a) Group 1, with conventional pPCI; (b) Group 2, with pPCI and abciximab; (c) Group 3, with pPCI and TA; (d) Group 4, with pPCI and abciximab plus TA. Primary end point was the composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs, defined as overall mortality, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, and major bleedings) at 1 year. Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were not different among the groups, with the exception of a younger age in group 4. The two groups of patients treated with TA (group 3 and 4) received more frequently direct stenting (P < 0.001 vs. group 1 for both), presented higher rate of end-procedural TIMI flow grade 3 (P < 0.001 vs. group 1 for both), and lower rate of no-reflow (P = 0.016 and P < 0.001 vs. group 1, respectively). Patients of group 2 presented a borderline nonsignificant trend toward higher rate of end-procedural TIMI flow grade 3 (P = 0.083 vs. group 1). MACEs at 1 year were 43 (29%) in group 1 versus 25 (22%) in group 2 versus 24 (19%) in group 3 versus 32 (13%) in group 4 (log-rank P = 0.001). At the multivariate Cox regression analysis, combined TA plus abciximab in group 4 [hazard ratio (HR): 0.48, confidence interval (CI) 95% 0.28-0.84, P = 0.01] and a higher left ventricular ejection fraction (HR: 0.97, CI 95% 0.95-0.98, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with lower MACE rate. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of pharmacologic and mechanic antithrombotic treatment during pPCI was associated with better 1-year clinical outcome.

Impact of negative lesion characteristics of chronic total occlusions on procedural outcome and strategy.

OBJECTIVE: In the past, certain lesion characteristics of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) have been shown to have an influence on guidewire crossing and thus percutaneous coronary interventional outcome. However, a clear description of the individual impact of these characteristics on procedural outcome, procedural characteristics and treatment strategy is lacking. The purpose of this study was to give a "weight"to these individual characteristics and evaluate their influence on interventional strategy. METHODS: Between November 2011 and May 2013, a non-randomized, prospective study was conducted in the hospitals of Genk and Aalst, leading to the inclusion of 132 consecutive patients. Lesions were classified according to the J-CTO (Multicenter CTO Registry of Japan) score (Morino et al., 2011). Both antegrade and retrograde procedures were performed. For antegrade procedures, a step-up strategy was applied. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed and compared with the results of Morino et al.The study end point was general procedural success, defined as successful stenting with thrombosis in myocardial infarction 3 flow. RESULTS: Overall procedural success was achieved in 74% and according to J-CTO criteria, in 92% (easy), 82% (intermediate), 77% (difficult) and 40% (very difficult), respectively. Independent predictors included bending, blunt stump, multivessel PCI and a retrograde approach with corresponding odds ratios for failure of 5.3, 2.7, 2.8 and 4.0, respectively. CONCLUSION: Lesion characteristics of CTOs remain important in the prediction of success. In this study, bending and a blunt stump at the entry site came forth as the most important independent predictors of failure.

Uric acid plasma levels are associated with C-reactive protein concentrations and the extent of coronary artery lesions in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Many studies have pointed out that inflammation plays a pivotal role in pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) because several inflammatory molecules impair the endothelial functions in the coronary circulation and promote atherothrombotic events. Recently, many clinical/experimental evidences indicate that elevated plasma levels of uric acid (UA) might be considered a risk factor for developing ACS. It has been reported that elevated UA doses impair physiologic functions of endothelial cells, shifting them toward a pro atherothrombotic phenotype. In the present manuscript, we investigated the relationship between UA plasma levels, inflammatory burden, and extension of coronary atherosclerotic disease in patients with ACS. Patients with a clinical presentation of ACS (ST-elevated and non-ST-elevated myocardial infarction) admitted to the Vanvitelli Catheterization Laboratory at Monaldi Hospital in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemia, were retrospectively analyzed. Biochemical profile, type of ACS presentation, as well as extension of coronary atherosclerosis were assessed. A total of 132 ACS patients were included in the analysis, and grouped into 3 tertiles according to the UA values (UA < 4.72 mg/dl, UA between 4.72 and 6.15 mg/dl, and UA > 6.15 mg/dl). Patients with UA plasma levels ≥ 6.15 mg/dL showed higher levels of C-reactive protein (mean of 5.1 mg/dL) as compared to patients with lower UA plasma levels. Moreover, the former group of patients showed higher levels of cardiac troponin and CPK, and presented more often with multivessel disease and complex coronary stenosis (type C of Ellis classification). Even though monocentric and with limited sample size, the present study shows that plasma levels of UA and hs-CRP are elevated in ACS patients and are associated with a more severe coronary disease, suggesting a potential role of UA in the pathophysiology of acute coronary events.

Invasive Assessment of Coronary Microcirculation: A State-of-the-Art Review.

A significant proportion of patients presenting with signs and symptoms of myocardial ischemia have no "significant" epicardial disease; thereby, the assessment of coronary microcirculation gained an important role in improving diagnosis and guiding therapy. In fact, coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) could be found in a large proportion of these patients, supporting both symptoms and signs of myocardial ischemia. However, CMD represents a diagnostic challenge for two main reasons: (1) the small dimension of the coronary microvasculature prevents direct angiographic visualization, and (2) despite the availability of specific diagnostic tools, they remain invasive and underused in the current clinical practice. For these reasons, CMD remains underdiagnosed, and most of the patients remain with no specific treatment and quality-of-life-limiting symptoms. Of note, recent evidence suggests that a "full physiology" approach for the assessment of the whole coronary vasculature may offer a significant benefit in terms of symptom improvement among patients presenting with ischemia and non-obstructive coronary artery disease. We analyze the pathophysiology of coronary microvascular dysfunction, providing the readers with a guide for the invasive assessment of coronary microcirculation, together with the available evidence supporting its use in clinical practice.

Myocardial mass affects diagnostic performance of non-hyperemic pressure-derived indexes in the assessment of coronary stenosis.

Background Several non-hyperemic pressure-derived Indexes (NHPI) have been introduced for the assessment of coronary stenosis, showing a good correlation with fractional flow reserve (FFR). Notably, either the assessment of NHPI during adenosine administration (NHPIADO) or the Hybrid Approach (NHPIHA), combining NHPI with FFR, have been showed to increase the accuracy of such indexes. It remains unclear whether diagnostic performance might be affected by the extent of the subtended myocardial mass. METHODS: We enrolled consecutive patients with an intermediate coronary stenosis assessed with NHPI and FFR. NHPI were also measured during adenosine (ADO) administration (NHPIADO). The amount of jeopardized myocardium was assessed using the Duke Jeopardy Score (DJS). With FFR as reference, we assessed the accuracy of NHPI, NHPIADO and NHPIHA according to the extent of the subtended myocardium. RESULTS: One-hundred-seventy stenoses from 151 patients were grouped according to the DJS as follows: A) Small Extent (SE, n = 82); B) Moderate Extent (ME, n = 53); C) Large Extent (LE, n = 35). As compared with FFR, NHPI showed a significantly different accuracy, as assessed by the Youden's index, according to the extent of the jeopardized myocardium (SE: 0.39 ± 0.05, ME: 0.68 ± 0.06, LE: 0.28 ± 0.06, p < 0.001). Conversely, both the NHPIADO (SE: 0.76 ± 0.02, ME: 0.88 ± 0.02, LE: 0.82 ± 0.02, p = 0.72) and NHPIHA (SE: 0.82 ± 0.07, ME: 0.84 ± 0.02, LE: 0.88 ± 0.02, p = 0.70) allowed for a better diagnostic accuracy regardless of the amount of myocardium subtended. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic performance of NHPI might be affected by the extent of myocardial territory subtended by the coronary stenosis. A hybrid approach might be useful to overcome this limitation.