Angiography after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest without ST-Segment Elevation.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction is a frequent cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, the benefits of early coronary angiography and revascularization in resuscitated patients without electrocardiographic evidence of ST-segment elevation are unclear. METHODS: In this multicenter trial, we randomly assigned 554 patients with successfully resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of possible coronary origin to undergo either immediate coronary angiography (immediate-angiography group) or initial intensive care assessment with delayed or selective angiography (delayed-angiography group). All the patients had no evidence of ST-segment elevation on postresuscitation electrocardiography. The primary end point was death from any cause at 30 days. Secondary end points included a composite of death from any cause or severe neurologic deficit at 30 days. RESULTS: A total of 530 of 554 patients (95.7%) were included in the primary analysis. At 30 days, 143 of 265 patients (54.0%) in the immediate-angiography group and 122 of 265 patients (46.0%) in the delayed-angiography group had died (hazard ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.63; P = 0.06). The composite of death or severe neurologic deficit occurred more frequently in the immediate-angiography group (in 164 of 255 patients [64.3%]) than in the delayed-angiography group (in 138 of 248 patients [55.6%]), for a relative risk of 1.16 (95% CI, 1.00 to 1.34). Values for peak troponin release and for the incidence of moderate or severe bleeding, stroke, and renal-replacement therapy were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without ST-segment elevation, a strategy of performing immediate angiography provided no benefit over a delayed or selective strategy with respect to the 30-day risk of death from any cause. (Funded by the German Center for Cardiovascular Research; TOMAHAWK ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02750462.).

Left atrial appendage closure in end-stage renal disease and hemodialysis: Data from a German multicenter registry.

BACKGROUND: Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has emerged as an alternative to oral anticoagulation (OAC) for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). OAC treatment has been proven feasible in mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD). In contrast, the optimal antithrombotic management of AF patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is unknown and LAAC has not been proven in these patients in prospective randomized clinical trials. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to evaluate safety and efficacy of LAAC in patients with ESRD. METHODS: Patients undergoing LAAC were collected in a German multicenter real-world observational registry. A composite endpoint consisting of the occurrence of ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack, systemic embolism, and/or major clinical bleeding was assessed. Patients with ESRD were compared with propensity score-matched patients without severe CKD. ESRD was defined as a glomerular filtration rate < 15 ml/min/1.73 m2 or chronic hemodialysis treatment. RESULTS: A total of 604 patients were analyzed, including 57 with ESRD and 57 propensity-matched patients. Overall, 596 endocardial and 8 epicardial LAAC procedures were performed. Frequency of major complications was 7.0% (42/604 patients) in the overall cohort, 8.8% (5/57 patients) in patients with ESRD, and 10.5% (6/57 patients) in matched controls (p = 0.75). The estimated event-free survival of the combined endpoint after 500 days was 90.7 ± 4.5% in patients with ESRD and 90.2 ± 5.5% in matched controls (p = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: LAAC had comparable procedural safety and clinical efficacy in patients with ESRD and patients without severe CKD.

The novel cystatin C, lactate, interleukin-6, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (CLIP)-based mortality risk score in cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) still reaches excessively high mortality rates. This analysis is aimed to develop a new easily applicable biomarker-based risk score. METHODS AND RESULTS: A biomarker-based risk score for 30-day mortality was developed from 458 patients with CS complicating AMI included in the randomized CULPRIT-SHOCK trial. The selection of relevant predictors and the coefficient estimation for the prognostic model were performed by a penalized multivariate logistic regression analysis. Validation was performed internally, internally externally as well as externally in 163 patients with CS included in the randomized IABP-SHOCK II trial. Blood samples were obtained at randomization. The two trials are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01927549 and NCT00491036), are closed to new participants, and follow-up is completed. Out of 58 candidate variables, the four strongest predictors for 30-day mortality were included in the CLIP score (cystatin C, lactate, interleukin-6, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide). The score was well calibrated and yielded high c-statistics of 0.82 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-0.86] in internal validation, 0.82 (95% CI 0.75-0.89) in internal-external (temporal) validation, and 0.73 (95% CI 0.65-0.81) in external validation. Notably, it outperformed the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II and IABP-SHOCK II risk score in prognostication (0.83 vs 0.62; P < 0.001 and 0.83 vs. 0.76; P = 0.03, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A biomarker-only score for 30-day mortality risk stratification in infarct-related CS was developed, extensively validated and calibrated in a prospective cohort of contemporary patients with CS after AMI. The CLIP score outperformed other clinical scores and may be useful as an early decision tool in CS.

One-Year Outcomes after PCI Strategies in Cardiogenic Shock.

BACKGROUND: Among patients with acute myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, and multivessel coronary artery disease, the risk of a composite of death from any cause or severe renal failure leading to renal-replacement therapy at 30 days was found to be lower with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the culprit lesion only than with immediate multivessel PCI. We evaluated clinical outcomes at 1 year. METHODS: We randomly assigned 706 patients to either culprit-lesion-only PCI or immediate multivessel PCI. The results for the primary end point of death or renal-replacement therapy at 30 days have been reported previously. Prespecified secondary end points at 1 year included death from any cause, recurrent myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, rehospitalization for congestive heart failure, the composite of death or recurrent infarction, and the composite of death, recurrent infarction, or rehospitalization for heart failure. RESULTS: As reported previously, at 30 days, the primary end point had occurred in 45.9% of the patients in the culprit-lesion-only PCI group and in 55.4% in the multivessel PCI group (P=0.01). At 1 year, death had occurred in 172 of 344 patients (50.0%) in the culprit-lesion-only PCI group and in 194 of 341 patients (56.9%) in the multivessel PCI group (relative risk, 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76 to 1.01). The rate of recurrent infarction was 1.7% with culprit-lesion-only PCI and 2.1% with multivessel PCI (relative risk, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.29 to 2.50), and the rate of a composite of death or recurrent infarction was 50.9% and 58.4%, respectively (relative risk, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.00). Repeat revascularization occurred more frequently with culprit-lesion-only PCI than with multivessel PCI (in 32.3% of the patients vs. 9.4%; relative risk, 3.44; 95% CI, 2.39 to 4.95), as did rehospitalization for heart failure (5.2% vs. 1.2%; relative risk, 4.46; 95% CI, 1.53 to 13.04). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock, the risk of death or renal-replacement therapy at 30 days was lower with culprit-lesion-only PCI than with immediate multivessel PCI, and mortality did not differ significantly between the two groups at 1 year of follow-up. (Funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Program and others; CULPRIT-SHOCK ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01927549 .).

Impact of chronic total occlusion and revascularization strategy in patients with infarct-related cardiogenic shock: A subanalysis of the culprit-shock trial.

BACKGROUND: The impact of coronary artery chronic total occlusion (CTO) and its management with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the setting of myocardial infarction (MI) related cardiogenic shock (CS) remains unclear. METHODS: This is a pre-specified analysis from the culprit-lesion-only PCI vs multivessel PCI in CS (CULPRIT-SHOCK) trial which randomized patients presenting with MI and multivessel disease complicated by CS to a culprit-lesion-only or immediate multivessel PCI strategy. CTO was defined by central core-laboratory evaluation. The independent associations between the presence of CTO and adverse outcomes at 30 days and 1 year were assessed using multivariate logistics models. RESULTS: A noninfarct related CTO was present in 157 of 667 (23.5%) analyzed patients. Patients presenting with CTO had more frequent diabetes mellitus or prior PCI but less frequently presented with ST segment elevation MI as index event. The presence of CTO was associated with higher rate of death at 30 days (adjusted Odds ratio 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-2.60). Rate of death at 1 year was also increased but did not reach statistical significance (adjusted Odds ratio 1.62; 95%CI 0.99-2.66). Compare to immediate multivessel PCI, a strategy of culprit-lesion-only PCI was associated with lower rates of death or renal replacement therapy at 30 days in patients with and without CTO (Odds ratio 0.79 95%CI 0.42-1.49 and Odds ratio 0.67 95%CI 0.48-0.96, respectively), without significant interaction (P = .68). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with MI-related CS and multivessel disease, the presence of CTO is associated with adverse outcomes while a strategy of culprit-lesion-only PCI seems beneficial regardless of the presence of CTO.

Extracorporeal life support in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock - Design and rationale of the ECLS-SHOCK trial.

BACKGROUND: In acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock the use of mechanical circulatory support devices remains controversial and data from randomized clinical trials are very limited. Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) - venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation - provides the strongest hemodynamic support in addition to oxygenation. However, despite increasing use it has not yet been properly investigated in randomized trials. Therefore, a prospective randomized adequately powered clinical trial is warranted. STUDY DESIGN: The ECLS-SHOCK trial is a 420-patient controlled, international, multicenter, randomized, open-label trial. It is designed to compare whether treatment with ECLS in addition to early revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention or alternatively coronary artery bypass grafting and optimal medical treatment is beneficial in comparison to no-ECLS in patients with severe infarct-related cardiogenic shock. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to one of the two treatment arms. The primary efficacy endpoint of ECLS-SHOCK is 30-day mortality. Secondary outcome measures such as hemodynamic, laboratory, and clinical parameters will serve as surrogate endpoints for prognosis. Furthermore, a longer follow-up at 6 and 12 months will be performed including quality of life assessment. Safety endpoints include peripheral ischemic vascular complications, bleeding and stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The ECLS-SHOCK trial will address essential questions of efficacy and safety of ECLS in addition to early revascularization in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.

Combined Intrahospital Remote Ischemic Perconditioning and Postconditioning Improves Clinical Outcome in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

RATIONALE: Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) or ischemic postconditioning (PostC) may protect the myocardium from ischemia-reperfusion injury in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether combined intrahospital RIC and PostC or PostC alone in addition to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reduce long-term clinical events after ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: The present study is a post hoc analysis of a prospective trial which randomized 696 ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients with symptoms <12 hours 1:1:1 to either combined RIC and PostC in addition to primary PCI, PostC alone in addition to primary PCI, or conventional PCI (control). Three cycles of RIC were performed by inflation of an upper arm blood pressure cuff for 5 minutes followed by deflation for 5 minutes. PostC was performed after primary PCI via 4 cycles of 30 seconds balloon occlusions followed by 30 seconds of reperfusion. Major adverse cardiac events consisting of cardiac death, reinfarction, and new congestive heart failure were assessed during long-term follow-up. Follow-up data were obtained in 97% of patients in median 3.6 years after the index event (interquartile range, 2.9-4.2 years). Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 10.2% of patients in the combined RIC and PostC group and in 16.9% in the control group (odds ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.32-0.97; P=0.04). The difference was driven by a significantly reduced rate of new congestive heart failure in the RIC and PostC group (2.7% versus 7.8%; odds ratio, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.13-0.84; P=0.02). In contrast, PostC alone did not reduce major adverse cardiac events compared with controls (14.1% versus 16.9%; odds ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.48-1.35; P=0.41), and the reduction of new congestive heart failure was not statistically significant (3.5% versus 7.8%; odds ratio, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.18-1.03; P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cardioprotection by combined intrahospital RIC and PostC in addition to primary PCI significantly reduced the rate of major adverse cardiac events and new congestive heart failure after ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT02158468.

Mild Hypothermia in Cardiogenic Shock Complicating Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Experimental trials suggest improved outcome by mild therapeutic hypothermia for cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction. The objective of this study was to investigate the hemodynamic effects of mild therapeutic hypothermia in patients with cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: Patients (n=40) with cardiogenic shock undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention without classic indications for mild therapeutic hypothermia underwent randomization in a 1:1 fashion to mild therapeutic hypothermia for 24 hours or control. The primary end point was cardiac power index at 24 hours; secondary end points included other hemodynamic parameters and serial measurements of arterial lactate. RESULTS: No relevant differences were observed for the primary end point of cardiac power index at 24 hours (mild therapeutic hypothermia versus control: 0.41 [interquartile range, 0.31-0.52] versus 0.36 [interquartile range, 0.31-0.48] W/m2; P=0.50; median difference, -0.025 W/m2; 95% CI, -0.12 to 0.06). Similarly, all other hemodynamic measurements were not statistically different. Arterial lactate levels at 6, 8, and 10 hours were significantly higher in patients in the mild therapeutic hypothermia group with a slower decline ( P for interaction=0.03). There were no differences in 30-day mortality (60% versus 50%; hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.55-2.94; P=0.55). CONCLUSIONS: In this randomized trial, mild therapeutic hypothermia failed to show a substantial beneficial effect on cardiac power index at 24 hours in patients with cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01890317.

Intraaortic Balloon Pump in Cardiogenic Shock Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction: Long-Term 6-Year Outcome of the Randomized IABP-SHOCK II Trial.

BACKGROUND: The role of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP) in cardiogenic shock is still a subject of intense debate despite the neutral results of the IABP-SHOCK II trial (Intraaortic Balloon Pump in Cardiogenic Shock II) with subsequent downgrading in international guidelines. So far, randomized data on the impact of IABP on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction are lacking. Furthermore, only limited evidence is available on general long-term outcomes of patients with cardiogenic shock treated by contemporary practice. METHODS: The IABP-SHOCK II trial is a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial. Between 2009 and 2012, 600 patients with cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction undergoing early revascularization were randomized to IABP versus control. RESULTS: Long-term follow-up was performed 6.2 years (interquartile range 5.6-6.7) after initial randomization. Follow-up was completed for 591 of 600 patients (98.5%). Mortality was not different between the IABP and the control group (66.3% versus 67.0%; relative risk, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.88-1.11; P=0.98). There were also no differences in recurrent myocardial infarction, stroke, repeat revascularization, or rehospitalization for cardiac reasons (all P>0.05). Survivors' quality of life as assessed by the EuroQol 5D questionnaire and the New York Heart Association class did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: IABP has no effect on all-cause mortality at 6-year long-term follow-up. Mortality is still very high, with two thirds of patients with cardiogenic shock dying despite contemporary treatment with revascularization therapy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov/. Unique identifier: NCT00491036.

PCI Strategies in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction and Cardiogenic Shock.

BACKGROUND: In patients who have acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock, early revascularization of the culprit artery by means of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves outcomes. However, the majority of patients with cardiogenic shock have multivessel disease, and whether PCI should be performed immediately for stenoses in nonculprit arteries is controversial. METHODS: In this multicenter trial, we randomly assigned 706 patients who had multivessel disease, acute myocardial infarction, and cardiogenic shock to one of two initial revascularization strategies: either PCI of the culprit lesion only, with the option of staged revascularization of nonculprit lesions, or immediate multivessel PCI. The primary end point was a composite of death or severe renal failure leading to renal-replacement therapy within 30 days after randomization. Safety end points included bleeding and stroke. RESULTS: At 30 days, the composite primary end point of death or renal-replacement therapy had occurred in 158 of the 344 patients (45.9%) in the culprit-lesion-only PCI group and in 189 of the 341 patients (55.4%) in the multivessel PCI group (relative risk, 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71 to 0.96; P=0.01). The relative risk of death in the culprit-lesion-only PCI group as compared with the multivessel PCI group was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.72 to 0.98; P=0.03), and the relative risk of renal-replacement therapy was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.49 to 1.03; P=0.07). The time to hemodynamic stabilization, the risk of catecholamine therapy and the duration of such therapy, the levels of troponin T and creatine kinase, and the rates of bleeding and stroke did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients who had multivessel coronary artery disease and acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock, the 30-day risk of a composite of death or severe renal failure leading to renal-replacement therapy was lower among those who initially underwent PCI of the culprit lesion only than among those who underwent immediate multivessel PCI. (Funded by the European Union 7th Framework Program and others; CULPRIT-SHOCK ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01927549 .).

Radial versus femoral artery access for percutaneous coronary artery intervention in patients with acute myocardial infarction and multivessel disease complicated by cardiogenic shock: Subanalysis from the CULPRIT-SHOCK trial.

BACKGROUND: The use and impact of transradial artery access (TRA) compared to transfemoral artery access (TFA) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (MI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS) remain unclear. METHODS: This is a post hoc analysis of the CULPRIT-SHOCK trial where patients presenting with MI and multivessel disease complicated by CS were randomized to a strategy of culprit-lesion-only or immediate multivessel PCI. Arterial access was left at operator's discretion. Adjudicated outcomes of interest were the composite of death or renal replacement therapy (RRT) at 30 days and 1 year. Multivariate logistic models were used to assess the association between the arterial access and outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 673 analyzed patients, TRA and TFA were successfully performed in 118 (17.5%) and 555 (82.5%) patients, respectively. Compared to TFA, TRA was associated with a lower 30-day rate of death or RRT (37.3% vs 53.2%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.34-0.96), a lower 30-day rate of death (34.7% vs 49.7%; aOR: 0.56; 95% CI 0.33-0.96), and a lower 30-day rate of RRT (5.9% vs 15.9%; aOR: 0.40; 95% CI 0.16-0.97). No significant differences were observed regarding the 30-day risks of type 3 or 5 Bleeding Academic Research Consortium bleeding and stroke. The observed reduction of death or RRT and death with TRA was no longer significant at 1 year (44.9% vs 57.8%; aOR: 0.85; 95% CI 0.50-1.45 and 42.4% vs 55.5%, aOR: 0.78; 95% CI 0.46-1.32, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing PCI for acute MI complicated by CS, TRA may be associated with improved early outcomes, although the reason for this finding needs further research.

Extracorporeal life support system during cardiovascular procedures: Insights from the German Lifebridge registry.

The frequency of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device application has increased in recent years. Besides implantation in the emergency setting, such as circulatory arrest, MCS is also increasingly used electively to ensure hemodynamic stability in high-risk patients, for example, during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), valve interventions or off-pump coronary bypass surgery. Lifebridge (Zoll Medical GmbH, Germany) is a compact percutaneous MCS device widely used in daily clinical routine. The present study aimed to investigate the indications, feasibility, and outcomes after use of Lifebridge in cardiac interventions, evaluating a large-scale multicenter database. A total of 60 tertiary cardiovascular centers were questioned regarding application and short-term outcomes after the use of the Lifebridge system (n = 160 patients). Out of these 60 centers, eight consented to participate in the study (n = 39 patients), where detailed data were collected using standardized questionnaires. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patient population, procedural as well as follow-up data were recorded and analyzed. In 60 interrogated centers, Lifebridge was used in 74% of emergency cases and 26% in the setting of planned interventions. The subcohort interrogated in detail displayed the same distribution of application scenarios, while the main cardiovascular procedure was high-risk PCI (82%). All patients were successfully weaned from the device and 92% (n = 36) of the patients studied in detail survived after 30 days. As assessed 30 days after insertion of the device, bleeding requiring red blood cell (RBC) transfusion constituted the main complication, occurring in 49% of cases. In our analysis of clinical data, the use of Lifebridge in cardiac intervention was shown to be feasible. Further prospective studies are warranted to identify patients who benefit from hemodynamic MCS support despite the increased rate of RBC transfusion due to challenges in access sites during cardiovascular procedures.

Lactate and other biomarkers as treatment target in cardiogenic shock.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cardiogenic shock remains beside sudden cardiac death the most outcome relevant complication of acute myocardial infarction. Over the last two decades as confirmation of the benefit of early revascularization no further relevant improvement in outcome could be achieved. Biomarkers are important for diagnosis, monitoring, and management in cardiogenic shock patients. RECENT FINDINGS: A bunch of different biomarkers have been associated with prognosis in patients with cardiogenic shock. In routine use standard parameters such as serum lactate or serum creatinine are still most important in monitoring these patients. These established markers outperformed novel markers in prognostic impact in recent trials. SUMMARY: Biomarkers serve as important treatment targets and may help physicians in therapeutic decision-making. Furthermore, the complex pathophysiology of cardiogenic shock may be better understood by investigation of different biomarkers.

Genome-wide association study of myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, acute stroke, acute kidney injury and delirium after cardiac surgery - a sub-analysis of the RIPHeart-Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was the identification of genetic variants associated with postoperative complications after cardiac surgery. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, double-blind, multicenter, randomized trial (RIPHeart). We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 1170 patients of both genders (871 males, 299 females) from the RIPHeart-Study cohort. Patients undergoing non-emergent cardiac surgery were included. Primary endpoint comprises a binary composite complication rate covering atrial fibrillation, delirium, non-fatal myocardial infarction, acute renal failure and/or any new stroke until hospital discharge with a maximum of fourteen days after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 547,644 genotyped markers were available for analysis. Following quality control and adjustment for clinical covariate, one SNP reached genome-wide significance (PHLPP2, rs78064607, p = 3.77 × 10- 8) and 139 (adjusted for all other outcomes) SNPs showed promising association with p < 1 × 10- 5 from the GWAS. CONCLUSIONS: We identified several potential loci, in particular PHLPP2, BBS9, RyR2, DUSP4 and HSPA8, associated with new-onset of atrial fibrillation, delirium, myocardial infarction, acute kidney injury and stroke after cardiac surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01067703, prospectively registered on 11 Feb 2010.

A Multicenter Trial of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning for Heart Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is reported to reduce biomarkers of ischemic and reperfusion injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, but uncertainty about clinical outcomes remains. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, double-blind, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial involving adults who were scheduled for elective cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass under total anesthesia with intravenous propofol. The trial compared upper-limb RIPC with a sham intervention. The primary end point was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or acute renal failure up to the time of hospital discharge. Secondary end points included the occurrence of any individual component of the primary end point by day 90. RESULTS: A total of 1403 patients underwent randomization. The full analysis set comprised 1385 patients (692 in the RIPC group and 693 in the sham-RIPC group). There was no significant between-group difference in the rate of the composite primary end point (99 patients [14.3%] in the RIPC group and 101 [14.6%] in the sham-RIPC group, P=0.89) or of any of the individual components: death (9 patients [1.3%] and 4 [0.6%], respectively; P=0.21), myocardial infarction (47 [6.8%] and 63 [9.1%], P=0.12), stroke (14 [2.0%] and 15 [2.2%], P=0.79), and acute renal failure (42 [6.1%] and 35 [5.1%], P=0.45). The results were similar in the per-protocol analysis. No treatment effect was found in any subgroup analysis. No significant differences between the RIPC group and the sham-RIPC group were seen in the level of troponin release, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of stay in the intensive care unit or the hospital, new onset of atrial fibrillation, and the incidence of postoperative delirium. No RIPC-related adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Upper-limb RIPC performed while patients were under propofol-induced anesthesia did not show a relevant benefit among patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. (Funded by the German Research Foundation; RIPHeart ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01067703.).

Percutaneous short-term active mechanical support devices in cardiogenic shock: a systematic review and collaborative meta-analysis of randomized trials.

AIMS: Evidence on the impact on clinical outcome of active mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices in cardiogenic shock (CS) is scarce. This collaborative meta-analysis of randomized trials thus aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of percutanzeous active MCS vs. control in CS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Randomized trials comparing percutaneous active MCS to control in patients with CS were identified through searches of medical literature databases. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to analyse the primary endpoint of 30-day mortality and device-related complications including bleeding and leg ischaemia. Mean differences (MD) were calculated for mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), and arterial lactate. Four trials randomizing 148 patients to either TandemHeart™ or Impella® MCS (n = 77) vs. control (n = 71) were identified. In all four trials intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) served as control. There was no difference in 30-day mortality (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.44, P = 0.98, I2 = 0%) for active MCS compared with control. Active MCS significantly increased MAP (MD 11.85 mmHg, 95% CI 3.39 to 20.31, P = 0.02, I2 = 32.7%) and decreased arterial lactate (MD - 1.36 mmol/L, 95% CI - 2.52 to - 0.19, I2 = 0%, P = 0.02) at comparable CI (MD 0.32, 95% CI - 0.24 to 0.87, P = 0.14, I2 = 44.1%) and PCWP (MD - 5.59, 95% -15.59 to 4.40, P = 0.14, I2 = 81.1%). No significant difference was observed in the incidence of leg ischaemia (RR 2.64, 95% CI 0.83 to 8.39, P = 0.10, I2 = 0%), whereas the rate of bleeding was significantly increased in MCS compared to IABP (RR 2.50, 95% CI 1.55 to 4.04, P < 0.001, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Results of this collaborative meta-analysis do not support the unselected use of active MCS in patients with CS complicating AMI.

A first in human evaluation of a novel contrast media saving device.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the usability and contrast volume savings of the novel DyeVert™ System. BACKGROUND: During coronary diagnostic and interventional procedures, a substantial portion of injected contrast does not contribute to vessel imaging due to reflux into the ascending aorta. Contrast volume is the primary physician modifiable risk factor for prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury CI-AKI which is a frequent complication in patients undergoing coronary angiographic procedures and is related to increases in morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. METHODS: In this pilot trial, 44 patients undergoing coronary diagnostic and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures were enrolled in two centers. All procedures were conducted using a manual manifold injection setup and the DyeVert System, which facilitates the diversion of excess contrast volume prior to injection into the patient. Direct measurements of both the amount of contrast that was attempted to be injected and the actual volume injected into the patient were taken. RESULTS: The difference between the two amounts indicated the volume saved. Procedure types included 34 diagnostic studies and 10 PCI. The mean percent volume saved by the DyeVert System was 47%, with a corresponding P value of <0.0001 achieving the pre-specified level of greater than 15% of contrast media being saved. Mean volume savings were similar for both diagnostic (47 ± 9%) and PCI (50 ± 9%) procedures. Image quality was good in 43/44 (98%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: The DyeVert System substantially decreases contrast delivered to patients during diagnostic or interventional coronary procedures while maintaining adequate image quality. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relationship between diabetes and ischaemic injury among patients with revascularized ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

AIMS: Studies comparing reperfusion efficacy and myocardial damage between diabetic and non-diabetic patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are scarce and have reported conflicting results. The aim was to investigate the impact of preadmission diabetic status on myocardial salvage and damage as determined by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and to evaluate its prognostic relevance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 792 patients with STEMI at 8 sites. CMR core laboratory analysis was performed to determine infarct characteristics. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal re-infarction and new congestive heart failure, were recorded at 12 months. Patients were categorized according to preexisting diabetes mellitus (DM), and according to insulin-treated DM (ITDM) and non-insulin-treated DM (NITDM). RESULTS: One-hundred and sixty (20%) patients had DM and 74 (9%) were insulin-treated. There was no difference in the myocardial salvage index, infarct size, microvascular obstruction and left ventricular ejection fraction between all patient groups (all P > .05). Patients with DM were at higher risk of MACE (11% vs 6%, P = .03) than non-DM patients. After stratification according to preadmission anti-diabetic therapy, MACE rate was comparable between NITDM and non-DM (P > .05), whereas the group of ITDM patients had significantly worse outcome (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic patients with STEMI, especially those having ITDM, had an increased risk of MACE. The adverse clinical outcome was, however, not explained by an impact of DM on reperfusion success or myocardial damage. Clinical trial registry number: NCT00712101.