Remote proctoring in complex percutaneous coronary intervention aided by mixed reality technology.

Aims: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) has a lower success rate and a higher complication rate compared to PCI of non-occluded coronary arteries. Co-operation and supervision by a more experienced operator (proctoring) are associated with improved success of CTO procedures. This study aims to assess the feasibility of remote proctoring using web-based communication and mixed reality technology in CTO procedures. Methods and results: The PCI operator was equipped with a Microsoft HoloLens 2 head-mounted display enabling visual and verbal interaction including holographic annotations with a remote proctor. Ten CTO procedures were performed by a single PCI operator assisted by a remote proctor. Audio and video communication was successfully established in all procedures. All procedures were possible to perform with a Microsoft HoloLens 2 head-mounted display. The PCI operator experienced the remote proctoring as useful. Conclusion: Remote proctoring of CTO procedures using mixed reality technology was feasible. The impact of the method regarding procedural and patient outcomes needs to be assessed in new studies.

OCT or Angiography Guidance for PCI in Complex Bifurcation Lesions.

BACKGROUND: Imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with better clinical outcomes than angiography-guided PCI. Whether routine optical coherence tomography (OCT) guidance in PCI of lesions involving coronary-artery branch points (bifurcations) improves clinical outcomes as compared with angiographic guidance is uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial at 38 centers in Europe. Patients with a clinical indication for PCI and a complex bifurcation lesion identified by means of coronary angiography were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to OCT-guided PCI or angiography-guided PCI. The primary end point was a composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as death from a cardiac cause, target-lesion myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target-lesion revascularization at a median follow-up of 2 years. RESULTS: We assigned 1201 patients to OCT-guided PCI (600 patients) or angiography-guided PCI (601 patients). A total of 111 patients (18.5%) in the OCT-guided PCI group and 116 (19.3%) in the angiography-guided PCI group had a bifurcation lesion involving the left main coronary artery. At 2 years, a primary end-point event had occurred in 59 patients (10.1%) in the OCT-guided PCI group and in 83 patients (14.1%) in the angiography-guided PCI group (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.50 to 0.98; P = 0.035). Procedure-related complications occurred in 41 patients (6.8%) in the OCT-guided PCI group and 34 patients (5.7%) in the angiography-guided PCI group. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with complex coronary-artery bifurcation lesions, OCT-guided PCI was associated with a lower incidence of MACE at 2 years than angiography-guided PCI. (Funded by Abbott Vascular and others; OCTOBER ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03171311.).

Takotsubo syndrome in Sørlandet Hospital Arendal 2010-16. / Takotsubosyndrom ved Sørlandet sykehus Arendal 2010­16.

BAKGRUNN: Takotsubosyndrom er en akutt hjertesykdom med symptomer som ved akutt hjerteinfarkt, men med åpne koronararterier og regionale funksjonsforstyrrelser i venstre ventrikkel. Vi har undersøkt forekomst av og forløp ved tilstanden hos pasienter i Agder og Telemark. MATERIALE OG METODE: Alle pasienter innlagt i Sørlandet sykehus Arendal fra 1. mars 2010 til 31. januar 2016 med diagnosen takotsubosyndrom ble inkludert og fulgt til 15. september 2016. RESULTATER: Totalt ble det inkludert 91 episoder med takotsubosyndrom fordelt på 90 pasienter, hvorav 93 % var kvinner og 88 % var over 60 år. Forekomsten var 3,3 per 100 000 innbyggere per år i perioden og det var 19,9 % årlig økning. Takotsubosyndrom forelå ved 2,3 % av alle undersøkelser med koronar angiografi ved indikasjon akutt hjerteinfarkt. Behandlingstrengende komplikasjoner oppsto ved 39 % av innleggelsene. 7 % av pasientene døde i løpet av oppfølgingstiden (median 985 dager), og 3 % fikk residiv. FORTOLKNING: Takotsubosyndrom er en viktig differensialdiagnose ved mistanke om akutt hjerteinfarkt, spesielt hos eldre kvinner, og det er registrert økende forekomst. Mange pasienter har behandlingstrengende komplikasjoner i akuttfasen. Ventrikkelfunksjonen blir normal i løpet av seks måneder, men residiv kan forekomme.