Nationwide improvement of door-to-balloon times in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction requiring primary percutaneous coronary intervention with out-of-hospital 12-lead ECG recording and transmission.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Reducing door-to-balloon times for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients has been shown to improve long-term survival. We aim to reduce door-to-balloon time for STEMI patients requiring primary percutaneous coronary intervention by adoption of out-of-hospital 12-lead ECG transmission by Singapore's national ambulance service. METHODS: This was a nationwide, before-after study of STEMI patients who presented to the emergency departments (ED) and required percutaneous coronary intervention. In the before phase, chest pain patients received 12-lead ECGs in the ED. In the after phase, 12-lead ECGs were performed by ambulance crews and transmitted from the field to the ED. Patients whose ECG showed greater than or equal to 2 mm ST-segment elevation in anterior or greater than or equal to 1 mm ST-segment elevation in inferior leads for 2 or more contiguous leads and symptom onset of less than 12 hours' duration were eligible for percutaneous coronary intervention activation before arrival. RESULTS: ECGs (2,653) were transmitted by the ambulance service; 180 (7%) were suspected STEMI. One hundred twenty-seven patients from the before and 156 from the after phase met inclusion criteria for analysis. Median door-to-balloon time was 75 minutes in the before and 51 minutes in the after phase (median difference=23 minutes; 95% confidence interval 18 to 27 minutes). Median door-to-balloon times were significantly reduced regardless of presentation hours. Overall, there was significant reduction in door-to-activation, door-to-ECG, and door-to-cardiovascular laboratory times. No significant difference was found pertaining to adverse events. CONCLUSION: This study describes a nationwide implementation of out-of-hospital ECG transmission resulting in reduced door-to-balloon times, regardless of presentation hours. Out-of-hospital ECG transmission should be adopted as best practice for management of chest pain.

Short- and mid-term safety and effectiveness of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in a failing surgical aortic bioprosthesis.

OBJECTIVES: The feasibility of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with a failing surgical aortic bioprosthesis has been reported from single centres. We present results from a multi-centre feasibility study in such patients followed for 1 year after TAVI. METHODS: This study evaluated 18 patients undergoing implantation with the 18-Fr CoreValve TAVI prosthesis in a failing surgical aortic bioprosthesis at three centres in Germany. Subject inclusion requirements included ≥ 75 years old and either surgical risk with logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation ≥ 15% or ≥ 1 high-risk co-morbidity. RESULTS: Implanted subjects were 79 ± 4 years old, 67% males, 78% NYHA Class III/IV, with logistic EuroSCORE 34 ± 14, and had failed surgical bioprostheses from six manufacturers. The procedure was considered technically successful in 94% (17/18) of cases. One subject was converted to surgery during the procedure. Mortality at 30 days and 1 year was 11% (2/18) and 28% (5/18), respectively. Two cardiac deaths occurred, including 1 within 30 days. Two subjects had strokes, both within 30 days. After 30 days and 1 year, respectively, 86 and 73% of subjects improved at least 1 NYHA class and the remainder had no change. No aortic regurgitation was reported beyond mild (Grade 1) at 6- and 12-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with a failing aortic surgical bioprosthesis were successfully implanted with a TAVI prosthesis in this multi-centre feasibility study. Outcomes at 30 days were within expectations for this very high-risk subgroup and improvements were sustained through 12 months.

Feasibility of transradial coronary angiography and intervention using a single Ikari left guiding catheter for ST elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Transradial coronary intervention (TRI) has been widely adopted in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients but there is limited literature on the use of a single catheter for both diagnostic angiography and intervention. We aim to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of TRI with a single Ikari left (IL) guiding catheter in STEMI patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 362 consecutive STEMI patients from August 2007 to December 2008. We assessed the feasibility of TRI with a single IL and compared this strategy with conventional transfemoral intervention (TFI) on the following outcomes: (1) door to perfusion time, (2) total procedural duration, (3) total fluoroscopy duration, and (4) major adverse cardiac events (MACE) by intention to treat analysis. RESULTS: TRI was attempted in 185 patients. There were no failed radial cannulations. Overall success rate of primary TRI with a single IL was 96.9% and there were only 2 failures that required conversion to TFI. Compared to TFI, TRI with IL tended to a shorter median door to perfusion time, 90 (IQR 76.0 - 119.5) versus 98 (IQR 80.8 - 120.5) minutes (P = 0.07) and a shorter median procedure duration of 34 (IQR 27.0 - 45.0) versus 37 (IQR 28.0 - 49.3) minutes (P = 0.06). The median fluoroscopy duration was longer in the TRI group. MACE were comparable between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: In experienced centers, TRI with a single IL catheter for STEMI is a feasible and effective approach and outcomes are comparable to conventional TFI.

Percutaneous double-valve interventions for aortic stenosis and pure mitral regurgitation.

Percutaneous interventions for valvular heart disease are rapidly gaining momentum. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation for aortic stenosis in patients with high surgical risk and percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip have been shown to be noninferior to surgery. Little is known about the combination of these interventions in patients with mixed valvular disease. The investigators present 2 patients, both with acute device successes but contrasting outcomes, and attempt to glean some insights from these patients.

Iatrogenic dissection of the ascending aorta during TAVI sealed with the CoreValve revalving prosthesis.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is rapidly becoming an accepted treatment option for a selected group of high risk or inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis. However, this procedure is not without complications. We report a case of acute type A aortic dissection due to balloon aortic valvuloplasty during TAVI that was successfully sealed by the CoreValve prosthesis, thus avoiding surgical intervention.

Sequential CoreValve implantation for a mal-positioned prosthesis during transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Transcatheter aortic-valve implantation is rapidly emerging as an effective, safe, and sustainable alternative for a specific subset of high-surgical risk and/or inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis. However, technical challenges remain for this relatively new procedure, not the least mal-positioning of the transcatheter prosthesis resulting in acute aortic regurgitation. We report a case of deep implantation of a CoreValve prosthesis that was inadvertently pulled out of the aortic annulus during repositioning. The patient received a second sequential CoreValve successfully.

Three-year experience of primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in a hospital without on-site cardiac surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery capability, despite receiving only a class IIb recommendation in the ACC/AHA practice guidelines, can be performed effectively and safely. We reviewed the fi rst 3 years of our experience. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective single centre review of all patients receiving primary PCI for STEMI between 2003 and 2005. Demographic, procedural and outcome data were analysed. RESULTS: There were 259 patients who underwent primary PCI. The mean age was 55.3 +/- 12.3 years. Median door-to-balloon time was 97.5 minutes and 45.2% and 52.9% had anterior and inferior STEMI, respectively. The majority of patients presented with Killip class I (87.6%); however, 5.8% were in Killip class IV. Single vessel disease was found in 47.1%. Angiographic PCI success (defined as residual stenosis <50% with TIMI 3 fl ow) was achieved in 89.1%. Usage of stents, distal protection and aspiration devices were 97.2%, 27.8% and 34.1 %, respectively; 9.3% required intra-aortic balloon pump insertion. No patients required transfer for emergency coronary bypass surgery as a result of PCI complications. Post-PCI ST resolution >50% was achieved in 80.6%. The mean post-infarct left ventricular ejection fraction was 44.1%. In-hospital, 30-day, 6-month and 1-year mortality rates were 2%, 2.8%, 4.0% and 4.8%, respectively. Clinically driven target lesion revascularisation rate was 2.8% at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are comparable to those from on-site surgical centres. This supports the feasibility and safety of primary PCI in cardiac centres without on-site cardiac surgery.

Timing of hospital presentation after acute cerebral infarction and patients' acceptance of intravenous thrombolysis.

INTRODUCTION: Intravenous thrombolysis has been shown to improve outcome after acute cerebral infarction if given within 3 hours of symptom onset. There are no data in Singapore on the timing of hospital presentation after acute cerebral infarction as well as factors and reasons for delayed presentation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As intravenous thrombolysis has recently been licensed for use in acute cerebral infarction in Singapore, we studied 100 consecutive acute cerebral infarction admitted to the Singapore General Hospital for timing of hospital presentation, reasons associated with delay in presentation and hypothetical acceptance of intravenous thrombolysis. RESULTS: Only 9% of patients presented to hospital within 2 hours of symptom onset. Factors associated with hospital presentation within 2 hours were a large stroke and lack of pre-hospital consultation. Failure to recognise the severity of symptoms and inability to seek medical attention unaided were the 2 most common reasons for delayed presentation. One-third of patients or their relatives hypothetically would accept intravenous thrombolysis, suggesting that a thrombolysis service is feasible at the Singapore General Hospital. However, it would be hindered by the low proportion of patients who present early to hospital after symptom onset. CONCLUSION: Our results support the need for a public education programme to highlight the identification of stroke symptoms and the need to present to hospital as soon as possible after the onset of stroke symptoms.