Characteristics and clinical outcomes in patients with prior chest radiation undergoing TAVR: Observations from PARTNER-2.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to investigate the viability of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) in patients with prior chest radiation therapy (cXRT). BACKGROUND: Since patients with prior cXRT perform poorly with surgical aortic valve replacement, TAVR can be a viable alternative. However, clinical outcomes after TAVR in this patient population have not been well studied. METHODS: From the pooled registry of the placement of aortic transcatheter valves II trial, we identified patients with and without prior cXRT who underwent TAVR (n = 64 and 3923, respectively). The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death and any stroke at 2 years. Time to event analyses were shown as Kaplan-Meier event rates and compared by log-rank testing. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated and compared by Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the primary outcome between the patients with and without prior cXRT (30.7% vs. 27.0%; p = 0.75; HR, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-1.77). Rates of myocardial infarction, vascular complications, acute kidney injury, or new pacemaker implant after TAVR were not statistically different between the two groups. The rate of immediate reintervention with a second valve for aortic regurgitation after TAVR was higher among the patients with prior cXRT. However, no further difference was observed during 2 years follow-up after discharge from the index-procedure hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: TAVR is a viable alternative for severe symptomatic AS in patients who had cXRT in the past.

Multicenter experience with valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement compared with primary, native valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

BACKGROUND: Valve-in-valve (ViV) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) offers an alternative to reoperative surgical aortic valve replacement. The short- and intermediate-term outcomes after ViV TAVR in the real world are not entirely clear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective analysis of a consecutive series of 121 ViV TAVR patients and 2200 patients undergoing primary native valve TAVR from 2012 to 2017 at six medical centers. The main outcome measures were in-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction, acute kidney injury, and pacemaker implantation. RESULTS: ViV patients were more likely male, younger, prior coronary artery bypass graft, "hostile chest," and urgent. 30% of the patients had Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score <4%, 36.3% were 4%-8% and 33.8% were >8%. In both groups many patients had concomitant coronary artery disease. Median time to prosthetic failure was 9.6 years (interquartile range: 5.5-13.5 years). 82% of failed surgical valves were size 21, 23, or 25 mm. Access was 91% femoral. After ViV, 87% had none or trivial aortic regurgitation. Mean gradients were <20 mmHg in 54.6%, 20-29 mmHg in 30.6%, 30-39 mmHg in 8.3% and ≥40 mmHg in 5.87%. Median length of stay was 4 days. In-hospital mortality was 0%. 30-day mortality was 0% in ViV and 3.7% in native TAVR. There was no difference in in-hospital mortality, postprocedure myocardial infarction, stroke, or acute kidney injury. CONCLUSION: Compared to native TAVR, ViV TAVR has similar peri-procedural morbidity with relatively high postprocedure mean gradients. A multidisciplinary approach will help ensure patients receive the ideal therapy in the setting of structural bioprosthetic valve degeneration.

Cardiology providers' recommendations for treatments and use of patient decision aids for multivessel coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Rates of recommending percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) vary across clinicians. Whether clinicians agree on preferred treatment options for multivessel coronary artery disease patients has not been well studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: We distributed a survey to 104 clinicians from the Northern New England Cardiovascular Study Group through email and at a regional meeting with 88 (84.6%) responses. The survey described three clinical vignettes of multivessel coronary artery disease patients. For each patient vignette participants selected appropriate treatment options and whether they would use a patient decision aid. The likelihood of choosing PCI only or PCI/CABG over CABG only was modeled using a multinomial regression. Across all vignettes, participants selected CABG only as an appropriate treatment option 24.2% of the time, PCI only 25.4% of the time, and both CABG or PCI as appropriate treatment options 50.4% of the time. Surgeons were less likely to choose PCI over CABG (RR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03, 0.59) or both treatments over CABG only (RR 0.10, 95% CI 0.03, 0.34) relative to cardiologists. Overall, 65% of participants responded they would use a patient decision aid with each vignette. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of consensus on the appropriate treatment options across cardiologists and surgeons for patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. Treatment choice is influenced by both patient characteristics and clinician specialty.

Improving the prediction of long-term readmission and mortality using a novel biomarker panel.

OBJECTIVE: Several short-term readmission and mortality prediction models have been developed using clinical risk factors or biomarkers among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The use of biomarkers for long-term prediction of readmission and mortality is less well understood. Given the established association of cardiac biomarkers with short-term adverse outcomes, we hypothesized that 5-year prediction of readmission or mortality may be significantly improved using cardiac biomarkers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plasma biomarkers from 1149 patients discharged alive after isolated CABG surgery from eight medical centers were measured in a cohort from the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group between 2004 and 2007. We assessed the added predictive value of a biomarker panel with a clinical model against the clinical model alone and compared the model discrimination using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves. RESULTS: In our cohort, 461 (40%) patients were readmitted or died within 5 years. Long-term outcomes were predicted by applying the STS ASCERT clinical model with an AUROC of 0.69. The biomarker panel with the clinical model resulted in a significantly improved AUROC of 0.74 (p value <.0001). Across 5 years, the hazard ratio for patients in the second to fifth quintile predicted probabilities from the biomarker augmented STS ASCERT model ranged from 2.2 to 7.9 (p values <.001). CONCLUSIONS: We report that a panel of biomarkers significantly improved prediction of long-term readmission or mortality risk following CABG surgery. Our findings suggest biomarkers help clinical care teams better assess the long-term risk of readmission or mortality.

Association of plasma-soluble ST2 and galectin-3 with cardiovascular events and mortality following cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac surgery induces hemodynamic stress on the myocardium, and this process can be associated with significant post-operative morbidity and mortality. Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) and galectin-3 (gal-3) are biomarkers of myocardial remodeling and fibrosis; however, their potential association with post-operative changes is unknown. METHODS: We measured peri-operative plasma sST2 and gal-3 levels in two prospective cohorts (TRIBE-AKI and NNE) of over 1800 patients who underwent cardiac surgery. sST2 and gal-3 levels were evaluated for association with a composite primary outcome of cardiovascular event or mortality over median follow-up periods of 3.4 and 6.0 years, respectively, for the two cohorts. Meta-analysis of hazard ratio estimates from the cohorts was performed using random effects models. RESULTS: Cohorts demonstrated event rates of 70.2 and 66.8 per 1000 person-years for the primary composite outcome. After adjustment for clinical covariates, higher post-operative sST2 and gal-3 levels were significantly associated with cardiovascular event or mortality [pooled estimate HRs: sST2 1.29 (95% CI 1.16, 1.44); gal-3 1.26 (95% CI 1.09, 1.46)]. These associations were not significantly modified by pre-operative congestive heart failure or AKI. CONCLUSIONS: Higher post-operative sST2 and gal-3 values were associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular event or mortality. These two biomarkers should be further studied for potential clinical utility for patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

sST2 as a novel biomarker for the prediction of in-hospital mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Objectives: Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) biomarker is an emerging predictor of adverse clinical outcomes, but its prognostic value for in-hospital mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is not well understood. This study measured the association between operative sST2 levels and in-hospital mortality after CABG. Methods: A prospective cohort of 1560 CABG patients were analyzed from the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group Biomarker Study. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality after CABG surgery (n = 32). Results: After risk adjustment, patients in the third tercile of pre-, post- and pre-to-postoperative sST2 values experienced significantly greater odds of in-hospital death compared to patients in the first tercile of sST2 values. The addition of both postoperative and pre-to-postoperative sST2 biomarker significantly improved ability to predict in-hospital mortality status following CABG surgery, compared to using the EuroSCORE II mortality model alone, (c-statistic: 0.83 [95% CI: 0.75, 0.92], p value 0.0213) and (c-statistic: 0.83 [95% CI: 0.75, 0.92], p value 0.0215), respectively. Conclusion: sST2 values are associated with in-hospital mortality after CABG surgery and postoperative and pre-to-post operative sST2 values improve prediction. Our findings suggest that sST2 can be used as a biomarker to identify adult patients at greatest risk of in-hospital death after CABG surgery.

A multi-center analysis of readmission after cardiac surgery: Experience of The Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Readmissions after cardiac surgery are common and associated with increased morbidity, mortality and cost of care. Policymakers have targeted coronary artery bypass grafting to achieve value-oriented health care milestones. We explored the causes of readmission following cardiac surgery among a regional consortium of hospitals. METHODS: Using administrative data, we identified patients readmitted to the same institution within 30 days of cardiac surgery. We performed standardized review of readmitted patients' medical records to identify primary and secondary causes of readmission. We evaluated causes of readmission by procedure and tested for univariate associations between characteristics of readmitted patients and nonreadmitted patients in our clinical registry. RESULTS: Of 2218 cardiac surgery patients, 272 were readmitted to the index hospital within 30 days for a readmission rate of 12.3%. Median time to readmission was 9 days (interquartile range 4-16 days) and only 13% of patients were evaluated in-office before readmission. Readmitted patients were more likely to have had valve surgery (31.3% vs 22.7%) than patients not readmitted. Readmitted patients were also more likely to have preoperative creatinine more than or equal to 2 mg/dL (P = .015) or congestive heart failure (CHF) (P = .034), require multiple blood transfusions or sustained inotropic support (P < .001), and experience postoperative atrial fibrillation (P = .022) or renal insufficiency (P < .001). Infection (26%), pleural or pericardial effusion (19%), arrhythmia (16%), and CHF (11%) were the most common primary etiologies leading to readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Ensuring early follow-up for high-risk patient groups while improving early detection and management of the principal drivers of readmission represent promising targets for decreasing readmission rates.

The Association between Cytokines and 365-Day Readmission or Mortality in Adult Cardiac Surgery.

Cardiac surgery results in a multifactorial systemic inflammatory response with inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-10 and 6 (IL-10 and IL-6), shown to have potential in the prediction of adverse outcomes including readmission or mortality. This study sought to measure the association between IL-6 and IL-10 levels and 1-year hospital readmission or mortality following cardiac surgery. Plasma biomarkers IL-6 and IL-10 were measured in 1,047 patients discharged alive after isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery from eight medical centers participating in the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group between 2004 and 2007. Readmission status and mortality were ascertained using Medicare, state all-payer claims, and the National Death Index. We evaluated the association between preoperative and postoperative cytokines and 1-year readmission or mortality using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox's proportional hazards modeling, adjusting for covariates used in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons 30-day readmission model. The median follow-up time was 1 year. After adjustment, patients in the highest tertile of postoperative IL-6 values had a significantly increased risk of readmission or death within 1 year (HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.03-1.85), and an increased risk of death within 1 year of discharge (HR: 4.88; 95% CI: 1.26-18.85) compared with patients in the lowest tertile. However, postoperative IL-10 levels, although increasing through tertiles, were not found to be significantly associated independently with 1-year readmission or mortality (HR: 1.25; 95% CI: .93-1.69). Pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 may be postoperative markers of cardiac injury, and IL-6, specifically, shows promise in predicting readmission and mortality following cardiac surgery.

Does Use of Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery Grafting Reduce Long-Term Risk of Repeat Coronary Revascularization? A Multicenter Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have demonstrated that patients receiving bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) conduits during coronary artery bypass grafting have better long-term survival than those receiving a single internal mammary artery (SIMA), data on risk of repeat revascularization are more limited. In this analysis, we compare the timing, frequency, and type of repeat coronary revascularization among patients receiving BIMA and SIMA. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective analysis of 47 984 consecutive coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries performed from 1992 to 2014 among 7 medical centers reporting to a prospectively maintained clinical registry. Among the study population, 1482 coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries with BIMA were identified, and 1297 patients receiving BIMA were propensity-matched to 1297 patients receiving SIMA. The primary end point was freedom from repeat coronary revascularization. RESULTS: The median duration of follow-up was 13.2 (IQR, 7.4-17.7) years. Patients were well matched by age, body mass index, major comorbidities, and cardiac function. There was a higher freedom from repeat revascularization among patients receiving BIMA than among patients receiving SIMA (hazard ratio [HR], 0.78 [95% CI, 0.65-0.94]; P=0.009). Among the matched cohort, 19.4% (n=252) of patients receiving SIMA underwent repeat revascularization, whereas this frequency was 15.1% (n=196) among patients receiving BIMA (P=0.004). The majority of repeat revascularization procedures were percutaneous coronary interventions (94.2%), and this did not differ between groups (P=0.274). Groups also did not differ in the ratio of native versus graft vessel percutaneous coronary intervention (P=0.899), or regarding percutaneous coronary intervention target vessels; the most common targets in both groups were the right coronary (P=0.133) and circumflex arteries (P=0.093). In comparison with SIMA, BIMA grafting was associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality at 12 years of follow-up (HR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.69-0.91]; P=0.001), and there was no difference in in-hospital morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: BIMA grafting was associated with a reduced risk of repeat revascularization and an improvement in long-term survival and should be considered more frequently during coronary artery bypass grafting.

Temporal Trends in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Appropriateness: Insights From the Clinical Outcomes Assessment Program.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether the appropriate use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has improved over time and whether trends in PCI appropriateness have been accompanied by changes in the use of PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: We applied appropriate use criteria to determine the appropriateness of all 51 872 PCI performed in Washington State from 2010 through 2013. We evaluated the number of PCIs performed from 2006 through 2013 to provide a comparator period that preceded statewide appropriateness assessment beginning in 2010. Between 2010 and 2013, the overall number of PCI decreased by 6.8% (13 267 PCIs in 2010 to 12 193 in 2013) with a 43% decline in the number of PCIs for elective indications (3818 PCIs in 2010 to 2193 PCIs in 2013). The decline in the use of elective PCI was significantly larger after the onset of statewide PCI appropriateness assessment in 2010 (P=0.03). The proportion of elective PCIs classified as appropriate increased from 26% in 2010 to 38% in 2013, whereas the proportion of inappropriate PCIs decreased from 16% to 13% (P<0.001 for trends). Significant improvements in the proportion of inappropriate PCI were limited to the tertile of hospitals with the largest decline in PCIs classified as inappropriate (25% in 2010 to 12% in 2013; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In Washington State, the use of PCI for elective indications has decreased over time with concurrent improvements in PCI appropriateness. However, improvements in PCI appropriateness were limited to a minority of hospitals. Understanding processes at these high-performing hospitals may inform efforts to improve PCI appropriateness.

Why Are We Weighting? Understanding the Estimates From Propensity Score Weighting and Matching Methods.

BACKGROUND: Propensity score methods are used in observational studies to compensate for the lack of random allocation by balancing measured baseline characteristics between treated and untreated patients. We sought to explain the treatment effect estimates derived from different propensity score methods. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of long-term mortality after single internal mammary artery versus bilateral internal mammary artery (BIMA) conduit in 47 984 index isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures from 1992 to 2014 in the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group registry using multivariable Cox regression, 1:1 propensity score matching, inverse probability weighting (IPW) among the treated, and IPW among the overall population treatment estimates. RESULTS: The mean duration of follow-up was 13.2 (interquartile range, 7.4-17.7) years. In multivariable Cox regression, the adjusted hazard ratio for mortality was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.75-0.92) in patients receiving BIMA compared with a single internal mammary artery. The 1:1 propensity matched (hazard ratio, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.69-0.91]) and IPW among the treated (hazard ratio, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.75-0.92]) estimates showed a protective treatment effect of BIMA use on mortality. However, the IPW estimate of treatment effect for the overall population showed an increased risk of mortality after BIMA that was not statistically significant (hazard ratio, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.94-1.24]). CONCLUSIONS: While the multivariable Cox regression, 1:1 propensity matching, and IPW treatment effect in the treated estimates demonstrate that BIMA was associated with a statistically significantly decreased risk of mortality, the IPW treatment effect in the average study population showed an increased risk of mortality associated with BIMA that was not statistically significant. This is attributed to the different populations (weighted to look like the overall study population versus treated group) represented by the 2 IPW approaches. Determining how the study population is balanced is a large driver of the treatment effect. Ultimately, the treatment effect estimate desired should drive the choice of the propensity score method.

The Northern New England Rapid Deployment Valve Experience: Survival and Procedural Outcomes From 2015 to 2021.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal approach and choice of initial aortic valve replacement (AVR) is evolving in the growing era of transcatheter AVR. Further survival and hemodynamic data are needed to compare the emerging role of rapid deployment (rdAVR) versus stented (sAVR) valve options for AVR. METHODS: The Northern New England Cardiovascular Database was queried for patients undergoing either isolated AVR or AVR + coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with rdAVR or sAVR aortic valves between 2015 and 2021. Exclusion criteria included endocarditis, mechanical valves, dissection, emergency case status, and prior sternotomy. This resulted in a cohort including 1,616 sAVR and 538 rdAVR cases. After propensity weighting, procedural characteristics, hemodynamic variables, and survival outcomes were examined. RESULTS: The breakdown of the overall cohort (2,154) included 1,164 isolated AVR (222 rdAVR, 942 sAVR) and 990 AVR + CABG (316 rdAVR, 674 sAVR). After inverse propensity weighting, cohorts were well matched, notable only for more patients <50 years in the sAVR group (4.0% vs 1.9%, standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.12). Cross-clamp (89 vs 64 min, SMD = -0.71) and cardiopulmonary bypass (121 vs 91 min, SMD = -0.68) times were considerably longer for sAVR versus rdAVR. Immediate postreplacement aortic gradient decreased with larger valve size but did not differ significantly between comparable sAVR and rdAVR valve sizes or overall (6.5 vs 6.7 mm Hg, SMD = 0.09). Implanted rdAVR tended to be larger with 51% either size L or XL versus 37.4% of sAVR ≥25 mm. Despite a temporal decrease in pacemaker rate within the rdAVR cohort, the overall pacemaker frequency was less in sAVR versus rdAVR (4.4% vs 7.4%, SMD = 0.12), and significantly higher rates were seen in size L (10.3% vs 3.7%, P < 0.002) and XL (15% vs 5.6%, P < 0.004) rdAVR versus sAVR. No significant difference in major adverse cardiac events (4.6% vs 4.6%, SMD = 0.01), 30-day survival (1.5% vs 2.6%, SMD = 0.08), or long-term survival out to 4 years were seen between sAVR and rdAVR. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid deployment valves offer a safe alternative to sAVR with significantly decreased cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times. Despite larger implantation sizes, we did not appreciate a comparative difference in immediate postoperative gradients, and although pacemaker rates are improving, they remain higher in rdAVR compared with sAVR. Longer-term hemodynamic and survival follow-up are needed.

Long-term outcomes of endoscopic vein harvesting after coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND: Use of endoscopic saphenous vein harvesting has developed into a routine surgical approach at many cardiothoracic surgical centers. The association between this technique and long-term morbidity and mortality has recently been called into question. The present report describes the use of open versus endoscopic vein harvesting and risk of mortality and repeat revascularization in northern New England during a time period (2001 to 2004) in which both techniques were being performed. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 2001 to 2004, 8542 patients underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures, 52.5% with endoscopic vein harvesting. Surgical discretion dictated the vein harvest approach. The main outcomes were death and repeat revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting) within 4 years of the index admission. The use of endoscopic vein harvesting increased from 34% in 2001 to 75% in 2004. In general, patients undergoing endoscopic vein harvesting had greater disease burden. Endoscopic vein harvesting was associated with an increased adjusted risk of bleeding requiring a return to the operating room (2.4 versus 1.7; P=0.03) but a decreased risk of leg wound infections (0.2 versus 1.1; P<0.001). Use of endoscopic vein harvesting was associated with a significant reduction in long-term mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.60 to 0.92) but a nonsignificant increased risk of repeat revascularization (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.96 to 1.74). Similar results were obtained in propensity-stratified analysis. CONCLUSIONS: During 2001 to 2004 in northern New England, the use of endoscopic vein harvesting was not associated with harm. There was a nonsignificant increase in repeat revascularization, and survival was not decreased.

Concordance of Guideline-Based Risk Stratification and Selection of Patients for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation or Surgical Replacement.

The 2020 American Health Association/American College of Cardiology valve guidelines recommend surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for symptomatic patients with aortic stenosis (AS) age <65 years and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for patients with AS age >80 years. We analyzed TAVI versus SAVR practice patterns using age-based recommendations. We compared 2016-to-2019 TAVI and isolated SAVR in northern New England at 5 centers according to guideline-recommended age groups. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of TAVI for the intermediate age group. The study was approved by each site's institutional review board in accordance with ongoing participation and quality improvement efforts in the Northern New England Cardiovascular Study Group. Among 4,161 patients with isolated severe AS, TAVI increased from 2016 to 2019: 55.8% versus 76.1%, p <0.01 for trend. SAVR for patients with AS age >80 years was uncommon and decreased over time: 13.1% versus 1.6%, p <0.01. TAVI utilization nearly doubled over time in young patients with AS age <65 years (14.3% vs 26.2%, p <0.01). Preference for SAVR decreased by 50% over time (p <0.01) in the intermediate age group (65 to 80 years). Independent predictors of TAVI among patients aged 65 to 80 years included older age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, previous stroke, and coronary artery bypass grafting, whereas vascular disease and clinical urgency favored SAVR. In conclusion, consistent with current American Health Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines, TAVI was the treatment of choice in >97% of severe patients with AS age >80 years by 2019. TAVI utilization in patients <65 years has doubled over time and thus may not reflect current guideline recommendations. TAVI is the preferred choice in those aged 65 to 80 years, especially among patients with previous stroke or coronary artery bypass grafting.

Comparative effectiveness of revascularization strategies for early coronary artery disease: A multicenter analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this analysis was to examine the comparative effectiveness of coronary artery bypass grafting versus percutaneous coronary intervention among patients aged less than 60 years. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, retrospective analysis of all cardiac revascularization procedures from 2005 to 2015 among 7 medical centers. Inclusion criteria were age less than 60 years and 70% stenosis or greater in 1 or more major coronary artery distribution. Exclusion criteria were left main 50% or greater, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, emergency status, and prior revascularization procedure. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final study cohort included 1945 patients who underwent cardiac surgery and 2938 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary end point was all-cause mortality stratified by revascularization strategy. Secondary end points included stroke, repeat revascularization, and 30-day mortality. We used inverse probability weighting to balance differences among the groups. RESULTS: After adjustment, there was no significant difference in 30-day mortality (surgery: 0.8%; percutaneous coronary intervention: 0.7%, P = .86) for patients with multivessel disease. Patients undergoing surgery had a higher risk of stroke (1.3% [n = 25] vs 0.07% [n = 2], P < .001). Overall, surgery was associated with superior 10-year survival compared with percutaneous coronary intervention (hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.88; P = .002). Repeat procedures occurred in 13.4% (n = 270) of the surgery group and 36.4% (n = 1068) of the percutaneous coronary intervention group, with both groups mostly undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention as their second operation. Accounting for death as a competing risk, at 10 years, surgery resulted in a lower cumulative incidence of repeat revascularization compared with percutaneous coronary intervention (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.28-0.40; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients aged less than 60 years with 2-vessel disease that includes the left anterior descending or 3-vessel coronary artery disease, surgery was associated with greater long-term survival and decreased risk of repeat revascularization.

The National Cardiovascular Data Registry Data Quality Program 2020: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.

The National Cardiovascular Data Registry is a group of registries maintained by the American College of Cardiology Foundation. These registries are used by a diverse constituency to improve the quality and outcomes of cardiovascular care, to assess the safety and effectiveness of new therapies, and for research. To achieve these goals, registry data must be complete and reliable. In this article, we review the process of National Cardiovascular Data Registry data collection, assess data completeness and integrity, and report on the current state of the data. Registry data are complete. Accuracy is very good but variable, and there is room for improvement. Knowledge of the quality of data is essential to ensuring its appropriate use.

Unravelling the Difference Between Men and Women in Post-CABG Survival.

Objectives: Women have a worse prognosis after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery compared to men. We sought to quantify to what extent this difference in post-CABG survival could be attributed to sex itself, or whether this was mediated by difference between men and women at the time of intervention. Additionally, we explored to what extent these effects were homogenous across patient subgroups. Methods: Time to all-cause mortality was available for 102,263 CABG patients, including 20,988 (21%) women, sourced through an individual participant data meta-analysis of five cohort studies. Difference between men and women in survival duration was assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimates, and Cox's proportional hazards model. Results: During a median follow-up of 5 years, 13,598 (13%) patients died, with women more likely to die than men: female HR 1.20 (95%CI 1.16; 1.25). We found that differences in patient characteristics at the time of CABG procedure mediated this sex effect, and accounting for these resulted in a neutral female HR 0.98 (95%CI 0.94; 1.02). Next we performed a priori defined subgroup analyses of the five most prominent mediators: age, creatinine, peripheral vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and heart failure. We found that women without peripheral vascular disease (PVD) or women aged 70+, survived longer than men (interaction p-values 0.04 and 6 × 10-5, respectively), with an effect reversal in younger women. Conclusion: Sex differences in post-CABG survival were readily explained by difference in patient characteristics and comorbidities. Pre-planned analyses revealed patient subgroups (aged 70+, or without PVD) of women that survived longer than men, and a subgroup of younger women with comparatively poorer survival.

Does tight glucose control prevent myocardial injury and inflammation?

Hyperglycemia has been postulated to be cardiotoxic. We addressed the hypothesis that uncontrolled blood glucose induces myocardial damage in diabetic patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery receiving continuous insulin infusion in the immediate postoperative period. Our primary aim was to assess the degree of tight glycemic control for each patient and to link the degree of glycemic control to intermediate outcome of myocardial damage. We prospectively enrolled 199 consecutive patients with diabetes undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery from October 2003 through August 2005. Preoperative hemoglobin A1c and glucose measures were collected from the surgical admission. We measured biomarkers of myocardial damage (cardiac troponin I) and metabolic dysfunction (blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c) to identify a difference among patients under tight (90-100% of glucose measures < or = 150 mg/dL) or loose (<90%) glycemic control. All patients received continuous insulin infusion in the immediate postoperative period. We discovered 45.6% of the patients were in tight control. We found tight glycemic control resulted in no significant difference in troponin I release. Mean cardiac troponin I for tight and loose control was 4.9 and 8.5 (ng/mL), p value .3.We discovered patients varied with their degree of control, even with established protocols to maintain glucose levels within the normal range. We were unable to verify tight glycemic control compared to loose control was significantly associated with decreased cardiac troponin I release. Future studies are needed to evaluate the cardiotoxic mechanisms of hyperglycemia postulated in this study.

Geographic and Demographic Variability in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Dispersion in the United States.

Background Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has transformed the management of aortic valve stenosis. However, little national data are available characterizing the geographic and demographic dispersion of this disruptive technology relative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Methods and Results In this US claims-based study, we analyzed a 100% sample of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries from 2012 to 2017 and examined national rates of TAVR versus SAVR. Procedure rates were compared across years as a function of age, sex, race, and geography for TAVR and SAVR beneficiaries. There was significant growth in TAVR from 15.4 beneficiaries/100 000 enrollees in 2012 to 90.6 in 2017 (P<0.001). SAVR rates declined from 92.8 beneficiaries/100 000 enrollees in 2012 to 63.5 in 2017 (P<0.001). The growth of TAVR varied as a function of age (P<0.0001). While TAVR was the dominant strategy among beneficiaries ≥85 and 75 to 84 years old, SAVR was more common among beneficiaries 65 to 74 years old. TAVR was also used more frequently than SAVR among women (P<0.001). While TAVR increased among all races, it was less commonly used among non-White beneficiaries (P<0.001). Contemporary use of TAVR relative to SAVR varied significantly by geographic location, with a TAVR:SAVR ratio in 2017 of 1.24 in the Midwest and 1.68 in the Northeast (P<0.001). Conclusions In 2017, the number of Medicare beneficiaries receiving TAVR exceeded SAVR for the first time in the United States. There is significant variation, however, in the geographic expansion of TAVR and in patient demographics relative to SAVR.