In-hospital and 1-year outcomes with drug-eluting versus bare metal stents in saphenous vein graft intervention: a report from the EVENT registry.

OBJECTIVES: To compare outcomes of patients receiving drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare metal stents (BMS) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of saphenous vein bypass grafts (SVG). BACKGROUND: Long-term benefits of DES versus BMS are well established for native vessel PCI. Benefit in patients undergoing SVG intervention is less certain. We used data from a multicenter registry (evaluation of drug eluting stents and ischemic events, EVENT) to compare outcomes among patients treated with DES versus BMS 1-year following SVG interventions. METHODS: Between July 2004 and December 2007, 684 patients in EVENT underwent SVG PCI (515 DES only, 169 BMS only). The primary endpoint was a composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization between hospital discharge and 1-year follow-up. Propensity score stratification was used to adjust for differences between groups. RESULTS: Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients treated with DES and BMS were similar. The DES group had fewer men and a higher prevalence of prior PCI. Patients receiving DES had less angiographic thrombus, less frequent use of embolic protection devices, greater total stent length, and smaller maximum stent diameters. Unadjusted outcomes between discharge and 1-year follow-up did not differ between the groups. After risk adjustment, the primary outcome was less frequent among patients treated with DES (adjusted HR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.27-0.84, P < 0.01) with similar relative benefits across the individual endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing SVG PCI in a "real world" registry analyzed using propensity score stratification, treatment with DES compared with BMS was associated with reduced MACE at 1 year following PCI.

Survival of an octogenarian after rupture of the left ventricular free wall caused by myocardial infarction.

Left ventricular free wall rupture is an uncommon complication after a myocardial infarction that is associated with a high mortality rate from pericardial tamponade, especially in the elderly. Early recognition and management of this clinical entity affects the outcome; therefore, a high index of suspicion is imperative. We present a case of an 80-year-old man admitted with myocardial infarction, who had subsequent findings of left ventricular free wall rupture complicated by pericardial tamponade. Emergent surgical repair led to successful recovery. A brief overview of the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of this challenging and potentially fatal complication is presented.

Impact of drug eluting stent length on outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (from the EVENT registry).

In randomized trials, longer drug-eluting stent (DES) length has been associated with adverse clinical events. We used data from the EVENT registry to examine the impact of DES length on outcomes in routine clinical practice. We identified 5,425 unselected consecutive patients from the EVENT registry who had a single vessel treated with DES for nonemergency indications from 2004 through 2007. The association between stented length and short- and long-term outcomes was analyzed in ordinal categories (<15, 15 to 19, 20 to 24, and >24 mm) and as a continuous variable. There were few differences in baseline characteristics across categories. At 1 year, there was a stepwise increase in major adverse cardiac events (composite of death, myocardial infarction [MI], and target lesion revascularization [TLR]) with increasing stent length (8.0%, 10.1%, 11.8%, and 14.8%, p <0.001) and a similar relation with TLR (3.0%, 3.1%, 3.3%, and 5.0%, p = 0.02). After adjusting for demographic, clinical, angiographic, and treatment characteristics, longer stent length remained associated with 1-year major adverse cardiac events (adjusted hazard ratio 1.17 per 10-mm increase stent length) and TLR (hazard ratio 1.20 per 10 mm), but not with stent thrombosis. In conclusion, longer DES length is associated with increased adverse events, predominantly periprocedural MI, but also an increased rate of TLR.

Prevalence of fracture and fragment embolization of Bard retrievable vena cava filters and clinical implications including cardiac perforation and tamponade.

BACKGROUND: Vena cava filters represent an alternative treatment option for patients with contraindications to anticoagulation, or they might serve as adjunctive treatment for continued emboli despite anticoagulation. The fracture of a filter strut with subsequent end-organ embolization is a rarely reported but potentially life-threatening occurrence. METHODS: We sought to determine the prevalence of fracture and embolization of the Bard Recovery (first generation) and the Bard G2 (second generation) vena cava filters. A retrospective, single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted by evaluating all patients who received either a Bard Recovery or Bard G2 filter from April 2004 until January 2009. A total of 189 patients had undergone implantation: 1 pregnant woman and 35 patients who died were excluded from our study. In addition, 10 patients who had the filter removed were also excluded. Ultimately, 80 patients participated in the trial. Subjects underwent fluoroscopy to assess the filter's integrity. Embolized struts were localized by fluoroscopy. Echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography were performed in patients with fragment embolization to the heart. RESULTS: Thirteen of 80 patients had at least 1 strut fracture (16%). At least 1 strut in 7 of the 28 Bard Recovery filters fractured and embolized (25%). In 5 of these 7 cases, patients had at least 1 fragment embolize to the heart (71%). Three patients experienced life-threatening symptoms of ventricular tachycardia and/or tamponade, including 1 patient who experienced sudden death at home. Six of 52 Bard G2 filters fractured (12%). In 2 of these 6 cases, the patients had asymptomatic end-organ fragment embolization. CONCLUSION: The Bard Recovery and Bard G2 filters had high prevalences of fracture and embolization, with potentially life-threatening sequelae.