Clinical features and long-term outcomes in patients under 35 years with coronary artery disease: Nested case-control study.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a globally significant cardiovascular condition, ranking among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. CAD has been predominantly associated with advanced age and classic cardiovascular risk factors. However, over the past decades, there has been a concerning rise in its occurrence among young adults, including patients under 35 years old. The present study analyzes the clinical features and outcomes of patients aged ≤35 years with CAD, compared to two age-matched control groups. METHOD: A nested case-control study of ≤35-year-old patients referred for coronary angiography due to clinical suspicion of CAD. Patients were divided into three groups: patients ≤35 years with CAD, subjects ≤35 years without CAD, and young patients ≥36-40 years with CAD. RESULTS: Of the 19321 coronary angiographies performed at our center over 10 years, 408 (2.1%) patients were ≤40 years old, 109 patients aged ≤35 years. Risk factors that showed a relationship with the presence of CAD were smoking (OR 2.49; 95% CI 1.03-6.03; p=0.042) and family history of coronary disease (OR 6.70; 95% CI 1.46-30.65; p=0.014). The group aged ≤35 years with CAD exhibited a risk of major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE) (HR 13.3; 95% CI 1.75-100; p<0.001) than subjects ≤35 years without CAD. The probability of major adverse cardiovascular events was associated with being ≤35 years old, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and depression. CONCLUSION: Patients aged ≤35 exhibited a poor long-term prognosis, with a high risk of new revascularization and acute myocardial infarction during the follow-up period. Focusing on preventive measures can have a significant impact on overall prognosis.

Comparison of Stroke and Bleeding Risk Profile in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Chronic Kidney Disease.

Clinical decision making on anticoagulation in patients with chronic kidney disease with atrial fibrillation (AF) is challenging. The current strategies are based on small observational studies with conflicting results. This study explores the impact of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the embolic-hemorrhagic balance among a large cohort of patients with AF. The study cohort included 15,457 patients diagnosed with AF between January 2014 and April 2020. The risk of ischemic stroke and major bleeding was determined by competing risk regression. During a mean follow-up of 4.29 ± 1.82 years, 3,678 patients (23.80%) died, 850 (5.50%) had an ischemic stroke, and 961 (6.22%) had a major bleeding. The incidence of stroke and bleeding increased as baseline GFR decreased. Interestingly, in GFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2, the bleeding risk was clearly higher than the embolic risk. As GFR decreased, anticoagulation was associated with an increased bleeding risk (subdistribution hazard ratio 1.700, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13 to 2.54, p = 0.009 for patients with GFR 30 to 59 ml/min/1.73 m2 and 2.00, 95% CI 0.77 to 5.21, p = 0.156 for subjects with <30 ml/min/1.73 m2 compared with those with GFR >60 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively), but it was not associated with a decrease in embolic risk in patients with GFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2 (subdistribution hazard ratio 1.91, 95% CI 0.73 to 5.04, p = 0.189) In GFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2, the increase of major bleeding risk was higher than the increase of ischemic stroke risk, with a negative anticoagulation balance (greater increase in bleeding than reduction in embolism).

Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement: Illustrative Case Reports and Review of State-of-Art.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is one of the most common heart valve diseases, associated a with poor prognosis since significant TR is associated with an increased mortality risk compared to no TR or mild regurgitation. Surgery is the standard treatment for TR, although it is associated with high morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospitalization, particularly in tricuspid reoperation after left-sided surgery. Thus, several innovative percutaneous transcatheter approaches for repair and replacement of the tricuspid valve have gathered significant momentum and have undergone extensive clinical development in recent years, with favorable clinical outcomes in terms of mortality and rehospitalization during the first year of follow-up. We present three clinical cases of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement in an orthotopic position with two different innovative systems along with a review of the state-of-the-art of this emergent topic.

Impact of multisite artery disease on clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention: an analysis from the e-Ultimaster registry.

BACKGROUND: Multisite artery disease is considered a 'malignant' type of atherosclerotic disease associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, but the impact of multisite artery disease on clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unknown. METHODS: Patients enrolled in the large, prospective e-Ultimaster study were grouped into (1) those without known prior vascular disease, (2) those with known single-territory vascular disease, and (3) those with known two to three territories (i.e coronary, cerebrovascular, or peripheral) vascular disease (multisite artery disease). The primary outcome was coronary target lesion failure (TLF), defined as the composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and clinically driven target lesion revascularization at 1-year. Inverse propensity score weighted (IPSW) analysis was performed to address differences in baseline patient and lesion characteristics. RESULTS: Of the 37 198 patients included in the study, 62.3% had no prior known vascular disease, 32.6% had single-territory vascular disease, and 5.1% had multisite artery disease. Patients with known vascular disease were older and were more likely to be men and to have more co-morbidities. After IPSW, the TLF rate incrementally increased with the number of diseased vascular beds (3.16%, 4.44%, and 6.42% for no, single, and multisite artery disease, respectively, P < 0.01 for all comparisons). This was also true for all-cause death (2.22%, 3.28%, and 5.29%, P < 0.01 for all comparisons) and cardiac mortality (1.26%, 1.91%, and 3.62%, P ≤ 0.01 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with previously known vascular disease experienced an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events and mortality post-PCI. This risk is highest among patients with multisite artery disease.Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02188355.

Bleeding and embolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation and cancer.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The impact of cancer on clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess how cancer influences the prediction and risk of embolic and hemorrhagic events in patients with AF. METHODS: The study population comprised 16 056 patients from a Spanish health area diagnosed with AF between 2014 and 2018. Of these, 1137 (7.1%) had a history of cancer. During a median follow-up of 4.9 years, we assessed the relationship between cancer and bleeding and embolic events by competing risk analysis, considering death as a competing risk. RESULTS: No association was detected between an increased risk of embolic events and cancer overall (sHR, 0.73; 95%CI, 0.41-1.26), active cancer, or any subgroup of cancer. However, cancer was associated with an increased risk of bleeding, although only in patients with active cancer (sHR, 1.42; 95%CI, 1.20-1.67) or prior radiotherapy (sHR, 1.40; 95%CI, 1.19-1.65). Both the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores showed suboptimal performance to predict embolic and bleeding risk (c-statistic <0.50), respectively, in nonanticoagulated patients with active cancer. The ratio between the increase in bleeding and the decrease in embolisms with anticoagulation was similar in patients with and without cancer (5.6 vs 7.8; P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Cancer was not associated with an increased risk of embolic events in AF patients, only with an increased risk of bleeding. However, active cancer worsened the ability of the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores to predict embolic and bleeding events, respectively, in nonanticoagulated patients.

First-in-Human Treatment of Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation Using a Novel Cross-Caval Heterotopic Device.

A 79-year-old woman, previously surgically treated for mitral and aortic valve replacement, experienced recurrent torrential tricuspid regurgitation after 2 transcatheter edge-to-edge repair procedures. Heart team assessment deemed the patient high risk for redo surgery and excluded transcatheter edge-to-edge repair and orthotopic replacement. The patient was then scheduled for a novel cross-caval device implantation.

Stroke prevention during and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: From cerebral protection devices to antithrombotic management.

Since its conception, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has undergone important improvements both in the implantation technique and in transcatheter devices, allowing an enthusiastic adoption of this therapeutic approach in a wide population of patients previously without a surgical option and managed conservatively. Nowadays, patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis are typically managed with TAVI, regardless of their risk to surgery, improving the prognosis of patients and thus achieving an exponential global expansion of its use. However, thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications remain a latent concern in TAVI recipients. Both complications can appear simultaneously in the periprocedural period or during the follow-up, and when minor, they resolved without apparent sequelae, but in a relevant percentage of cases, they are devastating, overshadowing the benefit achieved with TAVI. Our review outlines the etiology and incidence of thromboembolic complications associated with TAVI, the main current strategies for their prevention, and the implications of its pharmacological management at the follow-up in a TAVI population, mostly frail and predisposed to bleeding complications.

Percutaneous mitral valve repair in patients developing severe mitral regurgitation early after an acute myocardial infarction: A review.

Acute mitral regurgitation (MR) may develop in the setting of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) because of papillary muscle dysfunction or rupture. Severe acute MR in this scenario is a life-threatening complication associated with hemodynamic instability and pulmonary edema, and has been linked to a worse prognosis even after reperfusion. Patients treated solely with medical therapy have the highest mortality rates. Surgery has been the only treatment strategy until recently, but the results of the technique are hindered by high rates of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the development of less invasive interventions for correcting MR would be ideal. We aimed to review the current role of transcatheter interventions in this clinical setting.

Validation of Embolic and Bleeding Risk Scores in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Cancer.

Little is known about the prediction of atrial fibrillation (AF) risk scores in patients with cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive ability of the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores in patients with AF and cancer. Overall, 16,056 patients with AF diagnosed between 2014 and 2018 from a Spanish health area, including 1,137 patients with cancer, were observed during a median follow-up of 4.9 years. Although discrimination was similar between patients with cancer and patients without cancer who were treated with anticoagulation therapy (0.56 and 0.58), in patients with cancer who were not treated with anticoagulation therapy, c-statistic of CHA2DS2-VASc was poor and significantly lower than in the patients without cancer (0.42 vs 0.65). The overall precision of the CHA2DS2-VASc score was good throughout the follow-up (Brier score < 0.1), in patients with and without cancer. Regarding the HAS-BLED score, calibration and discrimination were poor in patients with cancer (c-statistic 0.51), similar to those in patients without cancer (c-statistic 0.53). In patients with cancer who were not treated with anticoagulation therapy, the embolic risk CHA2DS2-VASc score = 1 was similar to CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 2. Only patients with AF and cancer and CHA2DS2-VASc score = 0 presented a low risk of embolic events (negative predictive value 100%). A HAS-BLED score > 3 was not associated with higher bleeding risk in patients with cancer (p > 0.05). In summary, in patients with cancer and with AF, neither the CHA2DS2-VASc score nor the HAS-BLED score was useful for predicting embolic and hemorrhagic events, respectively. However, a CHA2DS2-VASc score 0 is useful to identify patients with AF and cancer who are at low embolic risk.

6-Month Outcomes of the TricValve System in Patients With Tricuspid Regurgitation: The TRICUS EURO Study.

BACKGROUND: Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is frequently associated with significant morbidity and mortality; such patients are often deemed to be at high surgical risk. Heterotopic bicaval stenting is an emerging, attractive transcatheter solution for these patients. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 30-day safety and 6-month efficacy outcomes of specifically designed bioprosthetic valves for the superior and inferior vena cava. METHODS: TRICUS EURO (Safety and Efficacy of the TricValve® Transcatheter Bicaval Valves System in the Superior and Inferior Vena Cava in Patients With Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation) is a nonblinded, nonrandomized, single-arm, multicenter, prospective trial that enrolled patients from 12 European centers between December 2019 and February 2021. High-risk individuals with severe symptomatic TR despite optimal medical therapy were included. The primary endpoint was quality-of-life (QOL) improvement measured by Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class improvement at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (mean age 76 ± 6.8 years, 83% women) were treated using the TricValve system. All patients at baseline were in NYHA functional class III or IV. At 30 days, procedural success was 94%, with no procedural deaths or conversions to surgery. A significant increase in QOL at 6 months follow-up was observed (baseline and 6-month Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire scores 42.01 ± 22.3 and 59.7 ± 23.6, respectively; P = 0.004), correlating with a significant improvement in NYHA functional class, with 79.4% of patients noted to be in functional class I or II at 6 months (P = 0.0006). The rates of 6-month all-cause mortality and heart failure hospitalization were 8.5% and 20%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The dedicated bicaval system for treating severe symptomatic TR was associated with a high procedural success rate and significant improvements in both QOL and functional classification at 6 months follow-up.

Coronary Artery Disease in Very Young Patients: Analysis of Risk Factors and Long-Term Follow-Up.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common chronic condition in the elderly. However, the earlier CAD begins, the stronger its impact on lifestyle and costs of health and social care. The present study analyzes clinical and angiographic features and the outcome of very young patients undergoing coronary angiography due to suspected CAD, including a nested case-control study of ≤40-year-old patients referred for coronary angiography. Patients were divided into two groups: cases with significant angiographic stenosis, and controls with non-significant stenosis. Of the 19,321 coronary angiographies performed in our center in a period of 10 years, 504 (2.6%) were in patients ≤40 years. The most common cardiovascular risk factors for significant CAD were smoking (OR 2.96; 95% CI 1.65-5.37), dyslipidemia (OR 2.18; 95% CI 1.27-3.82), and family history of CAD (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.05-3.75). The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at follow-up was significantly higher in the cases compared to controls (HR 2.71; 95% CI 1.44-5.11). Three conventional coronary risk factors were directly related to the early signs of CAD. MACE in the long-term follow-up is associated to dyslipidaemia and hypertriglyceridemia. Focusing efforts for the adequate control of CAD in young patients is a priority given the high socio-medical cost that this disease entails to society.

A Score to Assess Mortality After Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair.

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification for transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER) is paramount in the decision-making process for treating severe mitral regurgitation (MR). OBJECTIVES: This study sought to create and validate a user-friendly score (MitraScore) to predict the risk of mortality in patients undergoing TEER. METHODS: The derivation cohort was based on a multicentric international registry that included 1,119 patients referred for TEER between 2012 and 2020. Score discrimination was assessed using Harrell's c-statistic, and the calibration was evaluated with the Gronnesby and Borgan goodness-of-fit test. An external validation was carried out in 725 patients from the GIOTTO registry. RESULTS: After multivariate analysis, we identified 8 independent predictors of mortality during the follow-up (2.1 ± 1.8 years): age ≥75 years, anemia, glomerular filtrate rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, left ventricular ejection fraction <40%, peripheral artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high diuretic dose, and no therapy with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors. The MitraScore was derived by assigning 1 point to each independent predictor. The c-statistic was 0.70. Per each point of the MitraScore, the relative risk of mortality increased by 55% (HR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.44-1.67; P < 0.001). The discrimination and calibration for mortality prediction was better than those of EuroSCORE II (c-statistic 0.61) or Society of Thoracic Surgeons score (c-statistic 0.57). The MitraScore maintained adequate performance in the validation cohort (c-statistic 0.66). The score was also predictive for heart failure rehospitalization and was correlated with the probability of clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The MitraScore is a simple prediction algorithm for the prediction of follow-up mortality in patients treated with TEER.

Incidence and Predictors of Bleeding in Patients With Cancer and Atrial Fibrillation.

Despite patients with cancer having a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), little is known about the predictors of outcomes in this population. This study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of bleeding in patients with AF and cancer. The study population comprised 16,056 patients from a Spanish health area diagnosed with AF between 2014 and 2018 (1,137 with cancer). Competing risk analysis were used to evaluate the association of cancer and bleeding. Discrimination and calibration of bleeding risk scores were assessed by the concordance statistic and the Brier score, respectively. During a median follow-up of 4.9 years, the incidence of bleeding in patients with cancer was 13.2 per 100 patients/year. After multivariate adjustment, a significant association between cancer and bleeding was detected (subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR] 1.18, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.30, p = 0.001), specifically in patients with active cancer or previous radiotherapy. Early age, male gender, diabetes, and anticoagulation were independent predictors of bleeding. However, only anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonist (sHR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.78, p = 0.026), not with direct oral anticoagulants (sHR 1.25, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.85, p = 0.270), was associated with bleeding. Discrimination and calibration of Hypertension, Abnormal renal/liver function, Stroke, Bleeding history or predisposition, Labile INR, Elderly, and Drugs/alcohol concomitantly (HAS-BLED), AnTicoagulation and Risk factors In Atrial fibrillation (ATRIA), and Hepatic or renal disease, Ethanol abuse, Malignancy, Older (age ≥75 years), Reduced platelet count or function, Rebleeding risk, Hypertension, Anaemia, Genetic factors, Excessive fall risk and Stroke (HEMORR2HAGES) scores were poor in patients with cancer (concordance statistic <0.6 and Brier score >0.1). In summary, cancer was associated with an increased risk of bleeding in patients with AF. The predictive ability of bleeding risk scores was poor in this population. Anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonist but not with direct oral anticoagulants, was an independent predictor of bleeding in patients with cancer.

Conservative, surgical, and percutaneous treatment for mitral regurgitation shortly after acute myocardial infarction.

AIMS: Severe mitral regurgitation (MR) following acute myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with high mortality rates and has inconclusive recommendations in clinical guidelines. We aimed to report the international experience of patients with secondary MR following acute MI and compare the outcomes of those treated conservatively, surgically, and percutaneously. METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective international registry of consecutive patients with at least moderate-to-severe MR following MI treated in 21 centres in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The registry included patients treated conservatively and those having surgical mitral valve repair or replacement (SMVR) or percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR) using edge-to-edge repair. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. A total of 471 patients were included (43% female, age 73 ± 11 years): 205 underwent interventions, of whom 106 were SMVR and 99 PMVR. Patients who underwent mitral valve intervention were in a worse clinical state (Killip class ≥3 in 60% vs. 43%, P < 0.01), but yet had lower in-hospital and 1-year mortality compared with those treated conservatively [11% vs. 27%, P < 0.01 and 16% vs. 35%, P < 0.01; adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.46, P < 0.01]. Surgical mitral valve repair or replacement was performed earlier than PMVR [median of 12 days from MI date (interquartile range 5-19) vs. 19 days (10-40), P < 0.01]. The immediate procedural success did not differ between SMVR and PMVR (92% vs. 93%, P = 0.53). However, in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates were significantly higher in SMVR than in PMVR (16% vs. 6%, P = 0.03 and 31% vs. 17%, P = 0.04; adjusted HR 3.75, 95% CI 1.55-9.07, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Early intervention may mitigate the poor prognosis associated with conservative therapy in patients with post-MI MR. Percutaneous mitral valve repair can serve as an alternative for surgery in reducing MR for high-risk patients.

Imaging in Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement: State-of-Art Review.

Mitral regurgitation is the second-most frequent valvular heart disease in Europe and it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Recognition of MR should encourage the assessment of its etiology, severity, and mechanism in order to determine the best therapeutic approach. Mitral valve surgery constitutes the first-line therapy; however, transcatheter procedures have emerged as an alternative option to treat inoperable and high-risk surgical patients. In patients with suitable anatomy, the transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral leaflet repair is the most frequently applied procedure. In non-reparable patients, transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) has appeared as a promising intervention. Thus, currently TMVR represents a new treatment option for inoperable or high-risk patients with degenerated or failed bioprosthetic valves (valve-in-valve); failed repairs, (valve-in-ring); inoperable or high-risk patients with native mitral valve anatomy, or those with severe annular calcifications, or valve-in-mitral annular calcification. The patient selection requires multimodality imaging pre-procedural planning to select the best approach and device, study the anatomical landing zone and assess the risk of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. In the present review, we aimed to highlight the main considerations for TMVR planning from an imaging perspective; before, during, and after TMVR.

Safety and Feasibility of MitraClip Implantation in Patients with Acute Mitral Regurgitation after Recent Myocardial Infarction and Severe Left Ventricle Dysfunction.

Patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) after myocardial infarction (MI) have an increased risk of mortality. Transcatheter mitral valve repair may therefore be a suitable therapy. However, data on clinical outcomes of patients in an acute setting are scarce, especially those with reduced left ventricle (LV) dysfunction. We conducted a multinational, collaborative data analysis from 21 centers for patients who were, within 90 days of acute MI, treated with MitraClip due to severe MR. The cohort was divided according to median left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF)-35%. Included in the study were 105 patients. The mean age was 71 ± 10 years. Patients in the LVEF < 35% group were younger but with comparable Euroscore II, multivessel coronary artery disease, prior MI and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Procedure time was comparable and acute success rate was high in both groups (94% vs. 90%, p = 0.728). MR grade was significantly reduced in both groups along with an immediate reduction in left atrial V-wave, pulmonary artery pressure and improvement in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. In-hospital and 1-year mortality rates were not significantly different between the two groups (11% vs. 7%, p = 0.51 and 19% vs. 12%, p = 0.49) and neither was the 3-month re-hospitalization rate. In conclusion, MitraClip intervention in patients with acute severe functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) due to a recent MI in an acute setting is safe and feasible. Even patients with severe LV dysfunction may benefit from transcatheter mitral valve intervention and should not be excluded.

New Cancer Diagnosis After Bleeding in Anticoagulated Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background Bleeding is frequent in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with oral anticoagulant therapy, and may be the first manifestation of underlying cancer. We sought to investigate to what extent bleeding represents the unmasking of an occult cancer in patients with AF treated with oral anticoagulants. Methods and Results Using data from CardioCHUVI-AF (Retrospective Observational Registry of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation From Vigo's Health Area), 8753 patients with AF aged ≥75 years with a diagnosis of AF between 2014 and 2017 were analyzed. Of them, 2171 (24.8%) experienced any clinically relevant bleeding, and 479 (5.5%) were diagnosed with cancer during a follow-up of 3 years. Among 2171 patients who experienced bleeding, 198 (9.1%) were subsequently diagnosed with cancer. Patients with bleeding have a 3-fold higher hazard of being subsequently diagnosed with new cancer compared with those without bleeding (4.7 versus 1.4 per 100 patient-years; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 3.2 [95% CI, 2.6-3.9]). Gastrointestinal bleeding was associated with a 13-fold higher hazard of new gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis (HR, 13.4; 95% CI, 9.1-19.8); genitourinary bleeding was associated with an 18-fold higher hazard of new genitourinary cancer diagnosis (HR, 18.1; 95% CI, 12.5-26.2); and bronchopulmonary bleeding was associated with a 15-fold higher hazard of new bronchopulmonary cancer diagnosis (HR, 15.8; 95% CI, 6.0-41.3). For other bleeding (nongastrointestinal, nongenitourinary, nonbronchopulmonary), the HR for cancer was 2.3 (95% CI, 1.5-3.6). Conclusions In patients with AF treated with oral anticoagulant therapy, any gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or bronchopulmonary bleeding was associated with higher rates of new cancer diagnosis. These bleeding events should prompt investigation for cancers at those sites.

Usefulness of Bleeding After Acute Coronary Syndromes for Unmasking Silent Cancer.

There is a growing body of evidence on the incidence and negative prognostic impact of postdischarge hemorrhagic complications after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the risk of subsequent cancer after postdischarge bleeding in these patients is currently poorly known. The aim of this study was to assess the association of postdischarge bleeding with newly diagnosed cancers after an ACS. Data from a single-center registry of 3,644 ACS patients, who were discharged with dual antiplatelet therapy and treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, were used to investigate the association between postdischarge bleeding and diagnosis of cancer. During a median follow-up of 56.2 months, bleeding events were documented in 1,216 patients and newly diagnosed cancers in 227 patients. Postdischarge bleeding was associated with cancer diagnosis (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 3.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.62 to 4.50), but only spontaneous bleeding (adjusted HR 4.38, 95% CI 3.31 to 5.79). This association was stronger as the severity of the bleeding increased (HR 1.52, 4.88, 7.30, and 12.29, for BARC type 1, 2, 3a, and 3b bleeding, respectively). Positive predictive values for cancer diagnosis of postdischarge bleeding was 7.7%. Median time from bleeding to cancer was 4.6 months. In conclusion, spontaneous postdischarge bleeding in ACS patients is strongly associated with subsequent cancer diagnosis within the first 6 months. A prompt evaluation of bleeding could be useful for enabling an early detection of cancer in these patients.

Clinical outcomes of state-of-the-art percutaneous coronary revascularisation in patients with three-vessel disease: two-year follow-up of the SYNTAX II study.

AIMS: The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the favourable outcomes of state-of-the-art PCI in the SYNTAX II trial, demonstrated at one year, were maintained at two-year follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: The SYNTAX II study was a multicentre, single-arm study that investigated the impact of a contemporary PCI strategy on clinical outcomes in 454 patients with de novo three-vessel coronary artery disease, without left main disease. Clinical outcomes in SYNTAX II were compared to the predefined PCI (SYNTAX-I PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (SYNTAX-I CABG) cohorts from the landmark SYNTAX trial (SYNTAX-I), selected on the basis of equipoise for long-term (four-year) mortality utilising the SYNTAX score II. At two years, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE: a composite of all-cause death, any stroke, myocardial infarction, or revascularisation) in SYNTAX II were significantly lower compared to SYNTAX-I PCI (13.2% vs. 21.9%, p=0.001). Furthermore, similar two-year outcomes for MACCE were evident between SYNTAX II PCI and SYNTAX-I CABG (13.2% vs. 15.1%, p=0.42). CONCLUSIONS: At two years, clinical outcomes with the SYNTAX II strategy remained superior to the predefined SYNTAX-I PCI cohort, and similar to the predefined SYNTAX-I CABG cohort.