Design and rationale of a randomized noninferiority trial to evaluate the SurVeil drug-coated balloon in subjects with stenotic lesions of the femoropopliteal artery - the TRANSCEND study.

BACKGROUND: Drug-coated balloons (DCBs), developed to reduce restenosis after percutaneous intervention in peripheral arterial disease (PAD), have been shown to be safe and efficacious, particularly in treating PAD affecting the femoropopliteal segment. The SurVeil DCB uses an excipient intended to optimize both the uniformity and transfer of paclitaxel to the vessel wall, allowing for efficient drug loading and lower systemic exposure than currently available DCBs, Heretofore, clinical outcomes have not previously been compared to other DCBs. STUDY DESIGN AND OBJECTIVES: This prospective, multicenter, international, randomized, single-blind, trial will compare 1:1 the SurVeil DCB with the IN.PACT Admiral DCB for treatment of patients with Rutherford classification 2 to 4 due to femoral and/or popliteal arterial disease. The trial will randomize 446 subjects (with reference vessel diameter 4-7 mm and total lesion length ≤180 mm). Subjects will be followed for 60 months. The primary efficacy endpoint is 1 year primary patency, defined as composite freedom from clinically-driven target-lesion revascularization (TLR) and binary restenosis (core lab-adjudicated duplex ultrasound peak systolic velocity ratio ≥2.4, or ≥50% stenosis via angiography). The primary safety endpoint is composite freedom from device- and procedure-related death through 30 days and freedom from target limb major amputation and clinically-driven target vessel revascularization through 12 months. The primary analysis is a test of noninferiority of the SurVeil vs. IN.PACT Admiral on the primary efficacy and safety endpoints according to absolute deltas of 15.0% and 10.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The Randomized And Controlled Noninferiority Trial to Evaluate Safety and Clinical Efficacy of the SurVeil DCB in the Treatment of Subjects with Stenotic Lesions of the Femoropopliteal Artery Compared to the Medtronic IN.PACT Admiral (TRANSCEND) study will assess safety and efficacy of the SurVeil DCB relative to a commonly used DCB.

An electronic cardiac rehabilitation referral system increases cardiac rehabilitation referrals.

AIM: Although cardiac rehabilitation attendance is associated with improved clinical outcomes for patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), it remains underutilized nationally. We sought to determine whether replacing traditional, paper-based referrals for cardiac rehabilitation for patients with AMI with an electronic referral system would increase utilization. METHODS AND RESULTS: We implemented the change from traditional, paper-based referrals to electronic referrals at the Massachusetts General Hospital on 10 December 2013. Using a segmented regression approach to control for other secular effects, we assessed an association between the intervention and inpatient referrals, total referrals, cardiac rehabilitation attendance at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the rate of inpatient referral to cardiac rehabilitation after AMI. We analyzed 1895 referral records over a 30-month period. After the intervention, the total referrals to our cardiac rehabilitation program increased by a factor of 1.8, largely attributable to a 17-fold increase in inpatient referrals (P<0.0001 for both). CONCLUSION: Even relative to pre-existing secular trends, switching to an electronic referral system was associated with an increase in referral volume for cardiac rehabilitation for patients with AMI. Electronic care innovations may improve the ability of provider organizations to provide guideline-oriented care for patients with coronary artery disease.

Prescription of Guideline-Based Medical Therapies at Discharge After Carotid Artery Stenting and Endarterectomy: An NCDR Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Carotid artery revascularization was previously found to incrementally reduce stroke risk among patients with carotid stenosis treated with medical therapy. However, the frequency with which optimal medical therapies are used at discharge after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) is not known, and the influence of patient, operator, and hospital characteristics on the likelihood of prescription is poorly understood. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study of 23 112 patients undergoing CAS or CEA between January 2007 and June 2012 at US hospitals participating in the CARE registry (Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy), we examined antiplatelet therapy and statin utilization at discharge. Hierarchical multivariable logistic regression was used in adjusted analyses. RESULTS: Antiplatelet agents and statins were prescribed at discharge in 99% and 78%, respectively, after CAS and 93% and 75%, respectively, after CEA. After adjustment, antiplatelet therapy was more often prescribed after CAS than CEA (odds ratio 2.4 [95% confidence interval 1.68-3.45]), but statin prescription was equally likely (odds ratio 1.11 [95% confidence interval 0.84-1.49]). Operator specialty (medical>radiology/surgery) and hospital community setting (suburban>urban>rural) independently predicted antiplatelet and statin agent use at discharge, whereas hospital geographic location (Northeast>Midwest/South>West) predicted use of statins but not antiplatelet therapy at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: US antiplatelet agent and statin discharge prescription rates were suboptimal after both CAS and CEA and varied by revascularization modality, operating physician specialty, and hospital characteristics. Improved and more uniform utilization after these procedures will be critical to the success of comprehensive stroke risk reduction efforts.

SCAI/SVM expert consensus statement on carotid stenting: Training and credentialing for carotid stenting.

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) has become an integral part of the therapeutic armamentarium offered by cardiovascular medicine programs for the prevention of stroke. The purpose of this expert consensus statement is to provide physician training and credentialing guidance to facilitate the safe and effective incorporation of CAS into clinical practice within these programs. Since publication of the 2005 Clinical Competence Statement on Carotid Stenting, there has been substantial device innovation, publication of numerous clinical trials and observational studies, accumulation of extensive real-world clinical experience and widespread participation in robust national quality improvement initiatives [5]. Collectively, these advances have led to substantial evolution in the selection of appropriate patients, as well as in the cognitive, technical and clinical skills required to perform safe and effective CAS. Herein, we summarize published guidelines, describe training pathways, outline elements of competency, offer strategies for tracking outcomes, specify facility, equipment and personnel requirements, and propose criteria for maintenance of CAS competency.

Roll-in experience from the Cardiovascular Outcomes with Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL) study.

PURPOSE: To describe the experience and results from the roll-in phase of the Cardiovascular Outcomes with Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL) study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CORAL roll-in database was used to describe the baseline characteristics of the patients in the roll-in cohort, all of whom underwent renal artery stent placement; to evaluate CORAL site performance; to compare estimates of lesion (stenosis) severity made by site interventionalists with the central CORAL angiographic core laboratory readings; and to report outcomes after renal artery stent placement. During the roll-in phase, 239 patients (mean age, 70.2 y ± 9.0; 49% male) underwent renal artery stent procedures. Angiographic core laboratory analysis of renal arteriograms was done, and participants were followed at 1 month and 9 months. RESULTS: Major angiographic complications were identified in 28 (13%) subjects. Kidney function remained unchanged at the short (2-4 weeks) follow-up interval. Improvement in systolic blood pressure with use of distal embolic protection devices (n = 161) did not show any clinical benefit over nonuse of such devices (n = 78) in this small series. At 9 months, there were significantly more endpoints reported by site in subjects with bilateral renal artery stenosis (P = .01) and prior history of stroke (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: In the roll-in phase of the CORAL study, a significant number of angiographic complications were identified. No effect was seen on estimated glomerular filtration rate after renal artery stent placement, but systolic blood pressure decreased significantly.

Impact of glomerular filtration rate on clinical outcomes after carotid artery revascularization in 11,832 patients from the CARE registry.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the association of kidney function with carotid artery revascularization outcomes in a large contemporary database. BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased mortality and adverse cardiovascular events after coronary intervention. There are limited data evaluating the association between CKD and adverse events among patients undergoing carotid artery revascularization procedures. METHODS: The Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy (CARE) Registry is a voluntary registry of 168 hospitals. Using data from the CARE Registry, we examined registry patients undergoing carotid artery revascularization by either carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting (CAS) from May 2005 through March 2010. Patients were divided into four groups according to their glomerular filtration rate (GFR), as estimated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study Group equation using preprocedural serum creatinine levels. RESULTS: The analysis included 11,832 patients who underwent carotid revascularization (6,899 CAS and 4,933 CEA). Patients with lower GFR were older, more frequently female, had more comorbidities, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, peripheral arterial disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and reduced left ventricular function, and were more likely to undergo CAS than CEA. In the overall population, CKD was associated with higher unadjusted in-hospital and 30-day rates of the combined endpoint of death, stroke, and myocardial infarction and the individual endpoint of stroke. After adjustment for baseline and preprocedural characteristics, CKD was not an independent predictor of adverse events in either CAS or CEA. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CKD have a greater number of comorbidities and worse unadjusted in-hospital and 30-day outcomes; CKD was not, however, an independent predictor of in-hospital and 30-day outcomes after carotid artery revascularization.

Carotid artery stenting of a contralateral occlusion and in-hospital outcomes: results from the CARE (Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy) registry.

OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to study the characteristics and outcomes of patients with contralateral carotid artery occlusions (CCOs) undergoing elective carotid artery stenting (CAS). BACKGROUND: CCOs are associated with adverse neurological events following carotid endarterectomy. METHODS: In-hospital outcomes were examined in patients with and without CCO undergoing elective CAS in the Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy (CARE) registry. A CCO was defined as a 100% occlusion of the contralateral internal carotid artery. To minimize differences in measured comorbidities, a 3:1 propensity matching analysis was performed comparing 42 clinical and demographic variables between CCO and non-CCO patients from the CARE registry. The primary endpoint was a composite of in-hospital death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke. RESULTS: Between April 2005 and January 2012, 13,993 eligible patients underwent elective CAS, of whom 1,450 (10%) had CCO. There were 5,500 CAS procedures (1,375 CCO and 4,125 non-CCO) identified in the propensity analysis. The primary composite endpoint occurred in 29 (2.1%) and 107 (2.6%) patients with and without CCO, respectively (adjusted odds ratio: 0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.53 to 1.23, p = 0.316). CONCLUSIONS: In the CARE registry, there was no evidence that the presence of a CCO was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke in patients undergoing elective CAS. These findings may have implications on the selection of carotid revascularization procedures for such patients.

Influence of site and operator characteristics on carotid artery stent outcomes: analysis of the CAPTURE 2 (Carotid ACCULINK/ACCUNET Post Approval Trial to Uncover Rare Events) clinical study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the CAPTURE 2 (Carotid ACCULINK/ACCUNET Post Approval Trial to Uncover Rare Events) study for physician- or site-related variables associated with differential outcomes for carotid artery stenting (CAS). BACKGROUND: The CAPTURE 2 trial is an ongoing, prospective, nonrandomized, independently adjudicated, multicenter clinical study enrolling high-surgical-risk patients undergoing CAS. METHODS: In this assessment of the CAPTURE 2 study, the American Heart Association carotid endarterectomy guideline limits were used to define acceptable site and physician CAS outcomes; therefore, the resulting population of nonoctogenarian, asymptomatic subjects in this analysis is confined to 3,388 (of the total 5,297) subjects treated at 180 U.S. hospitals by 459 operators between March 2006 and January 2009. RESULTS: The rates of death, stroke, and myocardial infarction and death and stroke (DS) at 30 days were 3.5% and 3.3%, respectively, for the full CAPTURE 2 study cohort and 2.9% and 2.7%, respectively, for the asymptomatic, nonoctogenarian subgroup. In this subgroup, two-thirds of sites (118 of 180, 66%) had no DS events. Within the remaining sites, an inverse relationship between event rates and hospital patient volume as well as between event rates and individual operator volume was observed. The DS rates trended lower for interventional cardiologists compared with other specialties. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes from the largest prospectively gathered, independently adjudicated, multicenter CAS study indicate that CAS can be safely performed in a variety of hospital settings by physicians with various specialties. The most important determinant of perioperative CAS outcomes was both site and operator CAS volume. A threshold of 72 cases was found to be necessary for consistently achieving a DS rate below 3% in this later-phase single arm study; background era and non-study operator experience will affect this determination. (Second Phase of "Carotid RX ACCULINK/RX ACCUNET Post-Approval Trial to Uncover Unanticipated or Rare Events"; NCT00302237).

Clinical features and outcomes of carotid artery stenting by clinical expert consensus criteria: a report from the CARE registry.

BACKGROUND: In 2007, a multispecialty society task force published a clinical expert consensus document (CECD) on carotid stenting (CAS), containing recommendations for appropriate patient selection and quality of care. The CECD also inspired creation of a large, national registry of carotid revascularization, the Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy (CARE) registry. Our goal here was to investigate whether initial CAS procedures submitted to CARE conformed to CECD recommendations, and examine their clinical outcomes. METHODS: We analyzed CAS procedures for the period January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2008. These were grouped into those that conformed to CECD recommendations [CECD(+), n = 4,636, 79.8%] and those that did not [CECD(-), n = 1,168, 20.2%]. RESULTS: The CECD(+) patients were older than CECD(-) patients (71.5 +/- 10.3 vs. 67.6 +/- 10.3 years, P = 0.001, respectively), and more frequently had chronic kidney disease (46.9% vs. 17.8%, P = 0.001), chronic lung disease (33.0% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.001), ejection fraction

Percutaneous revascularization of persistent renal artery in-stent restenosis.

Percutaneous renal artery stenting is a common means of treating atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis. However, renal artery restenosis remains a frequent problem. The optimal treatment of restenosis has not been established and may involve percutaneous renal artery angioplasty or deployment of a second stent. Other modalities include cutting balloon angioplasty, repeat stenting with drug-eluting stents or endovascular brachytherapy. Most recently, use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-covered stents may offer a new and innovative way to treat recurrent renal artery stenosis. We describe a case in a patient who initially presented with renal insufficiency and multi-drug hypertension in the setting of severe bilateral renal artery stenosis. Her renal artery stenosis was initially successfully treated by percutaneous deployment of bilateral bare metal renal artery stents. After initial improvement of her hypertension and renal insufficiency, both parameters declined and follow-up duplex evaluation confirmed renal artery in-stent restenosis. Owing to other medical co-morbidities she was felt to be a poor surgical candidate and was subsequently treated first with bilateral cutting balloon angioplasty and second with drug-eluting stent deployment. Each procedure was associated with initial improvement of renal function and blood pressure control, which then later deteriorated with the development of further significant in-stent restenosis. It was then decided to treat the restenosis using PTFE-covered stents. At 12 months of follow-up, the blood pressure had remained stable and renal function had normalized. The covered stents remained free of any significant neointimal tissue or obstruction.

The Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy (CARE) registry: objectives, design, and implications.

This is the first comprehensive national registry that will provide data characterizing contemporary results of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS). Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has become the standard revascularization therapy to prevent stroke in patients with carotid artery disease, while carotid artery stenting (CAS) offers a percutaneous alternative in selected patients. Given the rapid growth in the numbers of CAS procedures being performed, there is a critical need for a national program to assess quality outcomes. The Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy (CARE) Registry was developed through a multispecialty collaboration resulting in a comprehensive data collection tool for carotid revascularization procedures. The intent of the CARE registry is to collect and analyze clinical data to measure clinical practice, patient outcomes, and enable quality improvement for carotid revascularization. Finally, the CARE Registry satisfies the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data reporting criteria for reimbursement.

External iliac artery endofibrosis in an amateur runner: hemodynamic, angiographic, histopathological evaluation and percutaneous revascularization.

We describe a case of external iliac artery endofibrosis in an amateur competitive runner. The diagnosis was made by a combination of hemodynamic, angiographic and histopathological assessment and percutaneous revascularization was performed using a balloon expandable stent.

Indications for renal arteriography at the time of coronary arteriography: a science advisory from the American Heart Association Committee on Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiac Catheterization, Council on Clinical Cardiology, and the Councils on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention and on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease.

Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis is commonly present in patients with clinically manifest atherosclerosis in other vascular beds and is independently associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Screening tests such as renal angiography should be selectively applied to patients at high risk for renal artery stenosis who are potential candidates for revascularization. This multispecialty consensus document describes the rationale for patient selection for screening renal angiography at the time of cardiac catheterization.