Angiographic findings and treatment of coronary sinus spasm during left ventricular lead placement: A case report.

A 71-year-old man with ischemic cardiomyopathy, a left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction of 23 %, left bundle branch block with a QRS duration of 160 milliseconds, and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia was admitted for cardiac resynchronization therapy combined with an implantable defibrillator. During LV lead placement, the guiding sheath encountered strong resistance during deep coronary sinus (CS) cannulation. CS venography showed a complete occlusion, and we diagnosed venospasm because the occlusion self-resolved after several minutes. After administering intravenous isosorbide dinitrate and waiting several minutes without manipulating the catheters, we could successfully place the LV lead in the target branch. Although CS spasm is considered a rare complication of LV lead placement, in some cases catheter manipulation can trigger it. Therefore, clinicians should recognize its possibility and be aware of the associated angiographic findings and treatment. Learning objective: In some cases, coronary sinus (CS) spasm can be triggered during left ventricular lead placement. It presents as occlusion with abrupt tapering on CS venography. After administering intravenous nitrates and waiting several minutes without manipulating the catheters, the spasm resolves and the catheter can be advanced.

Impact of Controlling a Nutritional Status Score on Wound Healing in Patients with Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia after Endovascular Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is the most advanced stage of peripheral artery disease. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to avoid major amputation in CLTI patients. Malnutrition worsens the condition of CLTI patients, and therefore, it may be important to evaluate the nutritional status in patients with CLTI. This study was designed to evaluate the baseline patient characteristics and the influence of the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score on the clinical results. METHOD AND RESULTS: A retrospective, single-center, non-randomized study was conducted to evaluate the associations of death, major amputation, and wound healing rate at 12 months with the CONUT score on admission. Consecutive CLTI patients (mean age 73.2 ± 10.4 years; 84 males) who underwent endovascular therapy (EVT) for infra-popliteal lesions at Fukuoka University Hospital from January 2014 to May 2019 were enrolled and divided into two groups (higher and lower CONUT score groups). The higher CONUT group showed a higher percentage of dialysis (66.7% vs. 33.9%, p < 0.001) and a higher clinical frailty scale (5.9 ± 1.4 vs. 4.9 ± 1.9, p = 0.005) than the lower CONUT group. Rates of amputation-free survival were 89.5% and 69.8% in the lower and higher CONUT groups, respectively. In addition, rates of wound healing at 12 months were 98.0% and 78.3% in the lower and higher CONUT groups, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that a higher CONUT score was an independent predictor for delayed wound healing (OR: 11.2; 95% CI: 1.29-97.5; p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: An assessment of the nutritional status using the CONUT score could be useful for predicting wound healing, and earlier nutritional intervention may improve the outcome of CLTI patients. Early examination and treatment, along with raising awareness of the issue, may be important for improving the prognosis.

Efficacy of Super Slow Inflation as Lesion Preparation for Drug-Coated Balloons in Femoropopliteal Lesions.

Background: Drug-coated balloon strategies in endovascular therapy often result in severe dissection, so lesion preparation must be improved. We evaluated the efficacy of a gradual inflation method, termed "super slow inflation" (SSI), in preparing lesions to avoid severe dissections. Methods and Results: The association between balloon pressure and the dilatation of a model constricted vessel, as well as the load applied to the balloon surface, were determined using a burst leak detector for a quick inflation (QI; 1 atm/s) protocol and SSI (1 atm/20 s). A retrospective, single-center, non-randomized study evaluated differences in vessel dissection patterns after balloon angioplasty depending on inflation method in 81 consecutive patients (mean [±SD] age 74.6±9.2 years; 54 males) who underwent balloon angioplasty for de novo femoropopliteal lesions between January 2017 and March 2019. In the constricted vessel model, vessel dilatation increased gradually using SSI, with the maximum dilatation load being approximately 100 g lower for the SSI than QI protocol. In patients, the rate of severe vessel dissection was significantly lower in the SSI than non-SSI group (17.6% vs. 55.2%, respectively; P<0.001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that SSI was an independent factor preventing severe dissection (odds ratio 0.18; 95% confidence interval 0.06-0.53; P=0.002). Conclusions: SSI is a gentle and effective method for the preparation of femoropopliteal lesions to reduce the incidence of severe angiographic dissection when using drug-coated balloons.