Treatment of femoropopliteal atherosclerotic lesions using the ranger paclitaxel-coated balloon catheter: 12-month results from an all-comers registry.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate 12-month effectiveness of the endovascular treatment of femoropopliteal (FP) atherosclerotic lesions with the Ranger drug-coated balloon (DCB) in a real-world setting. METHODS: In this prospective, observational, multicenter trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02462005) 172 consecutive patients with 226 de novo, restenosed, or reoccluded native superficial femoral and/or popliteal artery lesions were treated with the Ranger paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty. Mean lesion length was 129 mm (5-400 mm). Fifty-nine (26%) of 226 lesions were moderately or heavily calcified. Provisional stenting was conducted in 55 (22%) of 226 lesions. Main effectiveness outcomes were procedural success, 6- and 12-month hemodynamic or clinical improvement, and primary patency based and clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: Procedural success (<30% residual stenosis and no major adverse event within 30 days) was achieved in 126 (73%) of 172 patients with DCB alone and in all patients if bailout procedures were included. Primary patency was 91.0% at 6 months and 84.1% at 12 months. Freedom TLR was 92.4% at 6 months and 89.2% at 12 months. ABI, pain-free walking distance and Rutherford category improved significantly (P<0.001) after 6 and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that angioplasty with the Ranger paclitaxel-coated balloon with provisional stenting is efficacious for the treatment of a broad range of femoropopliteal atherosclerotic lesions. No safety concerns arose.

The 24-Month Results of the Lutonix Global SFA Registry: Worldwide Experience With Lutonix Drug-Coated Balloon.

OBJECTIVES: The Global SFA Registry sought to assess safety, clinical benefit, and outcomes of the Lutonix 035 drug-coated balloon (DCB) in a heterogeneous, real-world patient population at 12 and 24 months. BACKGROUND: Numerous clinical studies have evaluated the use of angioplasty for revascularization of femoropopliteal arteries in peripheral arterial disease with restenosis rates of 40% to 60% at 6 to 12 months. Data from recent studies document decreased restenosis rates and improvement in patency in patients receiving angioplasty of femoropopliteal arteries with DCBs. METHODS: The multicenter, prospective study enrolled 691 patients in 38 centers from 10 countries treated with the Lutonix 035 DCB in femoropopliteal lesions. The primary safety endpoint was freedom from a composite of target vessel restenosis, major index limb amputation, and device- or procedure-related death at 30 days. The primary effectiveness endpoint was freedom from target lesion restenosis at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were acute device and procedural success and clinically assessed primary patency. RESULTS: Freedom at 30 days from the composite safety endpoint was 99.4%. Freedom from target lesion restenosis was 93.4%/89.3% for the overall population, 93.2%/88.2% for long lesions up to 500 mm, and 90.7%/84.6% for in-stent restenosis at 12/24 months. Clinically assessed primary patency by Kaplan-Meier estimates was 85.4%/75.6% at 12/24 months. More than 76% of patients showed improvement of at least 1 Rutherford category. CONCLUSIONS: The Global SFA Registry 24-month outcomes confirm the Lutonix 035 DCB is a safe and effective long-term treatment option in real-world patients with peripheral arterial disease with superficial femoral artery lesions, also in long lesions and in-stent restenosis. (Lutonix Global SFA Registry; NCT01864278).

Reproducibility and reliability of the ankle-brachial index as assessed by vascular experts, family physicians and nurses.

The reliability of ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurements performed by different observer groups in primary care has not yet been determined. The aims of the study were to provide precise estimates for all effects influencing the variability of the ABI (patients' individual variability, intra- and inter-observer variability), with particular focus on the performance of different observer groups. Using a partially balanced incomplete block design, 144 unselected individuals aged > or = 65 years underwent double ABI measurements by one vascular surgeon or vascular physician, one family physician and one nurse with training in Doppler sonography. Three groups comprising a total of 108 individuals were analyzed (only two with ABI < 0.90). Errors for two repeated measurements for all three observer groups did not differ (experts 8.5%, family physicians 7.7%, and nurses 7.5%, p = 0.39). There was no relevant bias among observer groups. Intra-observer variability expressed as standard deviation divided by the mean was 8%, and inter-observer variability was 9%. In conclusion, reproducibility of the ABI measurement was good in this cohort of elderly patients who almost all had values in the normal range. The mean error of 8-9% within or between observers is smaller than with established screening measures. Since there were no differences among observers with different training backgrounds, our study confirms the appropriateness of ABI assessment for screening peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and generalized atherosclerosis in the primary case setting. Given the importance of the early detection and management of PAD, this diagnostic tool should be used routinely as a standard for PAD screening. Additional studies will be required to confirm our observations in patients with PAD of various severities.