[ESC guidelines 2023 on the management of endocarditis : What is new?] / ESC-Leitlinien 2023 zum Management der Endokarditis : Was ist neu?

In August 2023 the new European guidelines on the management of infective endocarditis were published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Numerous recommendations were revised and supplemented by new ones. This review article outlines the essential modifications of the current ESC guidelines focusing on the prevention including antibiotic prophylaxis, the role of the endocarditis team, the revision of the diagnostic criteria, the paradigm shift towards oral antibiotic treatment, the timing and the indications for surgical treatment as well as the relevance of infections of cardiovascular implantable electronic devices.

PCI Strategies in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction and Cardiogenic Shock.

BACKGROUND: In patients who have acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock, early revascularization of the culprit artery by means of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves outcomes. However, the majority of patients with cardiogenic shock have multivessel disease, and whether PCI should be performed immediately for stenoses in nonculprit arteries is controversial. METHODS: In this multicenter trial, we randomly assigned 706 patients who had multivessel disease, acute myocardial infarction, and cardiogenic shock to one of two initial revascularization strategies: either PCI of the culprit lesion only, with the option of staged revascularization of nonculprit lesions, or immediate multivessel PCI. The primary end point was a composite of death or severe renal failure leading to renal-replacement therapy within 30 days after randomization. Safety end points included bleeding and stroke. RESULTS: At 30 days, the composite primary end point of death or renal-replacement therapy had occurred in 158 of the 344 patients (45.9%) in the culprit-lesion-only PCI group and in 189 of the 341 patients (55.4%) in the multivessel PCI group (relative risk, 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71 to 0.96; P=0.01). The relative risk of death in the culprit-lesion-only PCI group as compared with the multivessel PCI group was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.72 to 0.98; P=0.03), and the relative risk of renal-replacement therapy was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.49 to 1.03; P=0.07). The time to hemodynamic stabilization, the risk of catecholamine therapy and the duration of such therapy, the levels of troponin T and creatine kinase, and the rates of bleeding and stroke did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients who had multivessel coronary artery disease and acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock, the 30-day risk of a composite of death or severe renal failure leading to renal-replacement therapy was lower among those who initially underwent PCI of the culprit lesion only than among those who underwent immediate multivessel PCI. (Funded by the European Union 7th Framework Program and others; CULPRIT-SHOCK ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01927549 .).

Cardiac MRI Texture Analysis of T1 and T2 Maps in Patients with Infarctlike Acute Myocarditis.

Purpose To assess the diagnostic potential of texture analysis applied to T1 and T2 maps obtained with cardiac MRI for the diagnosis of acute infarctlike myocarditis. Materials and Methods This prospective study from August 2012 to May 2015 included 39 participants (overall mean age ± standard deviation, 34.7 years ± 12.2 [range, 18-63 years]; mean age of women, 46.1 years ± 10.8 [range, 24-63 years]; mean age of men, 29.8 years ± 9.2 [range, 18-56 years]) from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Myocarditis (MyoRacer) trial with clinical suspicion of acute myocarditis and infarctlike presentation. Participants underwent biventricular endomyocardial biopsy, cardiac catheterization, and cardiac MRI at 1.5 T, in which native T1 and T2 mapping as well as Lake Louise criteria (LLC) were assessed. Texture analysis was applied on T1 and T2 maps by using a freely available software package. Stepwise dimension reduction and texture feature selection was performed for selecting features enabling the diagnosis of myocarditis by using endomyocardial biopsy as the reference standard. Results Endomyocardial biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of acute myocarditis in 26 patients, whereas 13 participants had no signs of acute inflammation. Mean T1 and T2 values and LLC showed a low diagnostic performance, with area under the curve in receiver operating curve analyses as follows: 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45, 0.85) for T1, 0.67 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.85) for T2, and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.42, 0.79) for LLC. Combining the texture features T2 run-length nonuniformity and gray-level nonuniformity resulted in higher diagnostic performance with an area under the curve of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.73, 1.00) (P < .001) and a sensitivity and specificity of 89% [95% CI: 81%, 93%] and 92% [95% CI: 77%, 93%], respectively. Conclusion Texture analysis of T2 maps shows high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of acute infarctlike myocarditis. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Relationship between microvascular obstruction and adverse events following primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: an individual patient data pooled analysis from seven randomized trials.

AIMS: Microvascular obstruction (MVO) is the underlying cause for the no-reflow phenomenon in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The association between MVO assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and prognosis has not been convincingly demonstrated. We sought to determine the relationship between MVO assessed early after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in STEMI and all-cause mortality, hospitalization for heart failure (HF), and reinfarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a pooled analysis using individual patient data from seven randomized primary PCI trials in which MVO was assessed within 7 days after reperfusion by CMR using late gadolinium enhancement imaging (n = 1688). Clinical follow-up was performed for at least 6 months after the index event. Median time to CMR after STEMI was 3 days [interquartile range (IQR) 2-4], and median duration of clinical follow-up was 365 days (IQR 188-374). Microvascular obstruction was present in 960 (56.9%) of patients, and median MVO (percent left ventricular myocardial mass) was 0.47% (IQR 0.00-2.54). A graded response was present between the extent of MVO (per 1.0% absolute increase) and subsequent mortality [Cox adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.19, P < 0.0001] and hospitalization for HF (Cox adjusted HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.05-1.12, P < 0.0001). Microvascular obstruction remained significantly associated with all-cause mortality even after further adjustment for infarct size (Cox adjusted HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.17, P = 0.03). MVO was not significantly related to subsequent reinfarction (P = 0.29). CONCLUSIONS: The presence and extent of MVO measured by CMR after primary PCI in STEMI are strongly associated with mortality and hospitalization for HF within 1 year.

Percutaneous short-term active mechanical support devices in cardiogenic shock: a systematic review and collaborative meta-analysis of randomized trials.

AIMS: Evidence on the impact on clinical outcome of active mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices in cardiogenic shock (CS) is scarce. This collaborative meta-analysis of randomized trials thus aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of percutanzeous active MCS vs. control in CS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Randomized trials comparing percutaneous active MCS to control in patients with CS were identified through searches of medical literature databases. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to analyse the primary endpoint of 30-day mortality and device-related complications including bleeding and leg ischaemia. Mean differences (MD) were calculated for mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), and arterial lactate. Four trials randomizing 148 patients to either TandemHeart™ or Impella® MCS (n = 77) vs. control (n = 71) were identified. In all four trials intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) served as control. There was no difference in 30-day mortality (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.44, P = 0.98, I2 = 0%) for active MCS compared with control. Active MCS significantly increased MAP (MD 11.85 mmHg, 95% CI 3.39 to 20.31, P = 0.02, I2 = 32.7%) and decreased arterial lactate (MD - 1.36 mmol/L, 95% CI - 2.52 to - 0.19, I2 = 0%, P = 0.02) at comparable CI (MD 0.32, 95% CI - 0.24 to 0.87, P = 0.14, I2 = 44.1%) and PCWP (MD - 5.59, 95% -15.59 to 4.40, P = 0.14, I2 = 81.1%). No significant difference was observed in the incidence of leg ischaemia (RR 2.64, 95% CI 0.83 to 8.39, P = 0.10, I2 = 0%), whereas the rate of bleeding was significantly increased in MCS compared to IABP (RR 2.50, 95% CI 1.55 to 4.04, P < 0.001, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Results of this collaborative meta-analysis do not support the unselected use of active MCS in patients with CS complicating AMI.

A first in human evaluation of a novel contrast media saving device.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the usability and contrast volume savings of the novel DyeVert™ System. BACKGROUND: During coronary diagnostic and interventional procedures, a substantial portion of injected contrast does not contribute to vessel imaging due to reflux into the ascending aorta. Contrast volume is the primary physician modifiable risk factor for prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury CI-AKI which is a frequent complication in patients undergoing coronary angiographic procedures and is related to increases in morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. METHODS: In this pilot trial, 44 patients undergoing coronary diagnostic and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures were enrolled in two centers. All procedures were conducted using a manual manifold injection setup and the DyeVert System, which facilitates the diversion of excess contrast volume prior to injection into the patient. Direct measurements of both the amount of contrast that was attempted to be injected and the actual volume injected into the patient were taken. RESULTS: The difference between the two amounts indicated the volume saved. Procedure types included 34 diagnostic studies and 10 PCI. The mean percent volume saved by the DyeVert System was 47%, with a corresponding P value of <0.0001 achieving the pre-specified level of greater than 15% of contrast media being saved. Mean volume savings were similar for both diagnostic (47 ± 9%) and PCI (50 ± 9%) procedures. Image quality was good in 43/44 (98%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: The DyeVert System substantially decreases contrast delivered to patients during diagnostic or interventional coronary procedures while maintaining adequate image quality. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relationship between diabetes and ischaemic injury among patients with revascularized ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

AIMS: Studies comparing reperfusion efficacy and myocardial damage between diabetic and non-diabetic patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are scarce and have reported conflicting results. The aim was to investigate the impact of preadmission diabetic status on myocardial salvage and damage as determined by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and to evaluate its prognostic relevance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 792 patients with STEMI at 8 sites. CMR core laboratory analysis was performed to determine infarct characteristics. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal re-infarction and new congestive heart failure, were recorded at 12 months. Patients were categorized according to preexisting diabetes mellitus (DM), and according to insulin-treated DM (ITDM) and non-insulin-treated DM (NITDM). RESULTS: One-hundred and sixty (20%) patients had DM and 74 (9%) were insulin-treated. There was no difference in the myocardial salvage index, infarct size, microvascular obstruction and left ventricular ejection fraction between all patient groups (all P > .05). Patients with DM were at higher risk of MACE (11% vs 6%, P = .03) than non-DM patients. After stratification according to preadmission anti-diabetic therapy, MACE rate was comparable between NITDM and non-DM (P > .05), whereas the group of ITDM patients had significantly worse outcome (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic patients with STEMI, especially those having ITDM, had an increased risk of MACE. The adverse clinical outcome was, however, not explained by an impact of DM on reperfusion success or myocardial damage. Clinical trial registry number: NCT00712101.

Multivessel versus culprit lesion only percutaneous revascularization plus potential staged revascularization in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: Design and rationale of CULPRIT-SHOCK trial.

BACKGROUND: In acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS), up to 80% of patients present with multivessel coronary artery disease. Currently, the best revascularization strategy is unknown. Therefore, a prospective randomized adequately powered clinical trial is warranted. STUDY DESIGN: The CULPRIT-SHOCK study is a 706-patient controlled, international, multicenter, randomized, open-label trial. It is designed to compare culprit lesion only percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with possible staged non-culprit lesion revascularization versus immediate multivessel PCI in patients with CS complicating acute myocardial infarction. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to one of the two treatment arms. The primary efficacy endpoint of CULPRIT-SHOCK is 30-day mortality and severe renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy. Secondary outcome measures such as hemodynamic, laboratory, and clinical parameters will serve as surrogate endpoints for prognosis. Furthermore, an intermediate- and long-term follow-up at 6 and 12 months will be performed. Safety endpoints include the assessment of bleeding and stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The CULPRIT-SHOCK trial will address the question of optimal revascularization strategy in patients with multivessel disease and acute myocardial infarction complicated by CS.

Rotational atherectomy before paclitaxel-eluting stent implantation in complex calcified coronary lesions: Two-year clinical outcome of the randomized ROTAXUS trial.

BACKGROUND: In the randomized ROTAXUS trial, routine lesion preparation of complex calcified coronary lesions using rotational atherectomy (RA) prior to paclitaxel-eluting stent implantation did not reduce the primary endpoint of angiographic late lumen loss at 9 months compared to stenting without RA. So far, no long-term data of prospective head-to-head comparisons between both treatment strategies have been reported. METHODS AND RESULTS: ROTAXUS randomly assigned patients with complex calcified coronary lesions to RA followed by stenting (n = 120) or stenting without RA (n = 120). The primary endpoint of the current analysis was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 2-year follow-up defined as the composite of death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization (TVR). At 2 years, MACE occurred in 32 patients in the RA group and 37 patients in the standard therapy group (29.4% vs. 34.3%, P = 0.47). The rates of death (8.3% vs. 7.4%, P = 1.00), myocardial infarction (8.3% vs. 6.5%, P = 0.80), target lesion revascularization (TLR, 13.8% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.58), and TVR (19.3% vs. 22.2%, P = 0.62) were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Despite high rates of initial angiographic success, nearly one third of patients enrolled in ROTAXUS experienced MACE within 2-year follow-up, with no differences between patients treated with or without RA.

Antecedent hypertension and myocardial injury in patients with reperfused ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Antecedent hypertension is associated with poor outcome in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Whether differences in myocardial salvage, infarct size and microvascular injury contribute to the adverse outcome is unknown. We investigated the association between antecedent hypertension and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters of myocardial salvage and damage in a multicenter CMR substudy of the AIDA-STEMI trial (Abciximab Intracoronary versus intravenously Drug Application in ST-elevation myocardial infarction). METHODS: We analyzed 792 consecutive STEMI patients reperfused within 12 h after symptom onset. Patients underwent CMR imaging for assessment of myocardial salvage, infarct size and microvascular obstruction within 10 days after infarction. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were recorded at 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: Antecedent hypertension was present in 540 patients (68 %) and was associated with a significantly increased baseline risk profile (advanced age, higher body mass index, higher incidence of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, previous angioplasty and multivessel disease, p < 0.001 for all). MACE were more frequent in patients with hypertension as compared to patients without hypertension (45 [8 %] vs. 8 [3 %], p < 0.01). Antecedent hypertension remained an independent predictor of MACE after multivariate adjustment (hazard ratio 3.42 [confidence interval 1.45-8.08], p < 0.01). There was, however, no significant difference in the area at risk, infarct size, myocardial salvage index, extent of microvascular obstruction, and left ventricular ejection fraction between the groups (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite a higher rate of MACE in contemporary reperfused STEMI patients with antecedent hypertension, there was no difference in reperfusion efficacy, infarct size and reperfusion injury as visualized by CMR. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00712101 .

Shock Index as a Predictor of Myocardial Damage and Clinical Outcome in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Data on the prognostic value of the shock index in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are scarce. Furthermore, the relationship of the shock index with myocardial damage is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the shock index with markers of myocardial damage and clinical outcome in patients with STEMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: This multicenter study analyzed 791 patients. Patients were categorized in 2 groups according to the admission shock index (optimized cut-off=0.62). Infarct severity was determined by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Patients with cardiogenic shock that were unable to undergo CMR acquisition were excluded. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were defined as a composite of death, reinfarction and congestive heart failure within 12 months. Patients with elevated admission shock index (n=321 [40.6%]) had a significantly larger area-at-risk (37.6 [27.8-50.4] % of left ventricular volume [LV] vs. 34.3 [24.5-46.0] % LV, P=0.02), larger infarct size (19.5 [10.7-28.0] % LV vs. 14.9 [7.7-22.3] % LV, P<0.001), lower myocardial salvage index (46.2 [27.9-64.5] vs. 53.5 [36.5-75.2], P<0.001), and a larger extent of microvascular obstruction (0.3 [0.0-2.2] % LV vs. 0.0 [0.0-1.4] % LV, P=0.01). An elevated shock index was associated with reduced MACE-free survival (P<0.001). Furthermore, the admission shock index was identified as an independent predictor of MACE (hazard ratio=2.92 [1.24-4.22], P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: STEMI patients with an elevated admission shock index had more pronounced myocardial and microvascular damage. Moreover, the shock index was independently associated with MACE at 12 months.

Management of cardiogenic shock.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) remains the most common cause of death in patients with acute myocardial infarction although mortality could be reduced from formerly ∼80% to 40-50%. In addition to percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting, catecholamines, fluids, intraaortic balloon pumping (IABP), and also active assist devices are widely used for CS management. However, there is only limited evidence for any of the above treatments except for early revascularization and the relative ineffectiveness of IABP. This updated review will therefore outline the management of CS complicating acute myocardial infarction with major focus on evidence-based revascularization techniques, intensive care unit treatment including ventilation, transfusion regimens, adjunctive medication, and mechanical support devices.

The relation between hypointense core, microvascular obstruction and intramyocardial haemorrhage in acute reperfused myocardial infarction assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: Intramyocardial haemorrhage (IMH) and microvascular obstruction (MVO) represent reperfusion injury after reperfused ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with prognostic impact and "hypointense core" (HIC) appearance in T2-weighted images. We aimed to distinguish between IMH and MVO by using T2 (*)-weighted cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and analysed influencing factors for IMH development. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 151 patients with acute STEMI underwent CMR after primary angioplasty. T2-STIR sequences were used to identify HIC, late gadolinium enhancement to visualise MVO and T2 (*)-weighted sequences to detect IMH. IMH(+)/IMH(-) patients were compared considering infarct size, myocardial salvage, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow, reperfusion time, ventricular volumes, function and pre-interventional medication. Seventy-six patients (50%) were IMH(+), 82 (54%) demonstrated HIC and 100 (66%) MVO. IMH was detectable without HIC in 16 %, without MVO in 5% and HIC without MVO in 6%. Multivariable analyses revealed that IMH was associated with significant lower left ventricular ejection fraction and myocardial salvage index, larger left ventricular volume and infarct size. Patients with TIMI flow grade ≤1 before angioplasty demonstrated IMH significantly more often. CONCLUSIONS: IMH is associated with impaired left ventricular function and higher infarct size. T2 and HIC imaging showed moderate agreement for IMH detection. T2 (*) imaging might be the preferred CMR imaging method for comprehensive IMH assessment. KEY POINTS: Intramyocardial haemorrhage is a common finding in patients with acute reperfused myocardial-infarction. T 2 (*) imaging should be the preferred CMR method for assessment of intramyocardial haemorrhage. Intramyocardial haemorrhage can be considered as an important influencing factor on patient's outcome.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: a biomarker substudy of the Intraaortic Balloon Pump in Cardiogenic Shock II (IABP-SHOCK II) trial.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is the leading cause of death in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Biomarkers might help in risk stratification and understanding of pathophysiology. Preliminary data suggests that patients with CS face a profound increase in the osteocyte-derived hormone fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), which acts as a negative regulator of serum phosphate levels. The present study aimed to assess the predictive role of FGF-23 for clinical outcome in a large cohort of CS patients with and without renal dysfunction. METHODS: In the randomized Intraaortic Balloon Pump in Cardiogenic Shock II (IABP-SHOCK II) trial, 600 patients with CS complicating AMI were assigned to therapy with or without IABP. Our predefined biomarker substudy included 182 patients. Blood sampling was performed in a standardized procedure at three different time points (day 1 (day of admission), day 2 and day 3). Differences in outcome of patients with FGF-23 levelsmedian were compared by log-rank testing. Stepwise logistic regression modeling was performed to identify predictors of death at 30 days and Cox regression analysis for time to death during the first year. RESULTS: At all three time points, nonsurvivors had significantly higher FGF-23 levels compared to survivors (P<0.001 for all). Patients with FGF-23 levels above the median (395 RU/mL [interquartile range 102;2,395]) were characterized by an increased 30-day mortality and 1-year mortality. In multivariable analysis FGF-23 levels remained independent predictors for 30-day (odds ratio per 10log 1.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11 to 2.92; P=0.02) and 1-year mortality (hazard ratio 1.50, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.04, P=0.009). After stratifying the patients according to their baseline serum creatinine levels, the negative prognostic association of increased FGF-23 was only significant in those with serum creatinine greater than median. CONCLUSIONS: In CS, high levels of FGF-23 are independently related to a poor clinical outcome. However, this prognostic association appears only to apply in patients with impaired renal function. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00491036. Registered 22 June 2007.

Redo surgical aortic valve replacement for bioprosthetic structural valve deterioration.

OBJECTIVES: To compare isolated primary bioprosthetic surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) with isolated redo surgical aortic valve replacement (rSAVR) due to structural valve deterioration (SVD). METHODS: Clinical data of consecutive patients who underwent primary isolated SAVR and isolated rSAVR due to SVD between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2022, at Leipzig Heart Center were retrospectively compared with regard to the primary outcome of all-cause mortality or stroke during hospitalization. Secondary outcomes of interest included myocardial infarction, re-exploration for bleeding, and permanent pacemaker implantation. RESULTS: A total of 2620 patients, 39.5% females, with a median EuroSCORE II of 1.7 [interquartile range (IQR) 1.1-2.7] were identified, of which rSAVR was performed in 174 patients (6.6%). Patients undergoing primary SAVR were older (69 vs 67 years of age, P = 0.001) and were less likely to have a history of prior stroke (0.9% vs 4.0%, P = 0.003). Although both all-cause death and death or stroke occurred less often following primary SAVR (0.5% vs 5.8%, and 2.2% vs 6.9%, respectively; P < 0.001), prior surgery was not associated with adverse clinical outcome in multivariable analysis. In a matched comparison of 322 patients, rates of death or stroke did not differ between groups (4.8% for both rSAVR and SAVR, P = 1.0). CONCLUSIONS: Although redo surgery for SVD is associated with increased rates of early mortality and stroke by univariate analysis, much of this increased risk can be accounted for by comorbidities. Patients undergoing rSAVR on an elective basis can expect an outcome similar to that of primary SAVR.

Microvascular Obstruction in Patients With Anterior STEMI Treated With Supersaturated Oxygen.

Background: Supersaturated oxygen (SSO2) delivered into the left anterior descending coronary artery after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been shown to reduce infarct size, but its effects on microvascular obstruction (MVO) are unknown. The aim of this study was to compare MVO in patients with anterior STEMI treated with SSO2 after successful primary PCI from 2 studies (the optimized SSO2 pilot and IC-HOT) with similar patients from 7 randomized trials who underwent primary PCI without SSO2 treatment. Methods: A total of 874 patients with anterior STEMI who underwent MVO assessment using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging within 10 days after primary PCI were included, of whom 90 patients (10.3%) were treated with SSO2. The primary end point was the extent of MVO as a continuous measure in a weighted multivariable model. The secondary end point was the presence of MVO. Results: SSO2 therapy was independently associated with a lower extent of MVO compared with no SSO2 therapy (coefficient, -1.35; 95% CI, -2.58 to -0.11; P = .03). SSO2 therapy was also associated with a borderline lower risk of any MVO (adjusted odds ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.31-1.00; P = .051). Conclusions: In the present individual patient data pooled analysis from 9 studies, SSO2 therapy was associated with less MVO after successful primary PCI for anterior STEMI.

Mortality in patients with normal left ventricular function requiring emergency VA-ECMO for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock due to coronary malperfusion.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze outcomes in patients with normal preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) undergoing venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) therapy due to postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCCS) related to coronary malperfusion. METHODS: Retrospective single-center analysis in patients with normal preoperative LVEF treated with VA-ECMO for coronary malperfusion-related PCCS between May 1998 and May 2018. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality, which was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of mortality. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 62,125 patients underwent cardiac surgery at our institution. Amongst them, 59 patients (0.1%) with normal preoperative LVEF required VA-ECMO support due to coronary malperfusion-related PCCS. The mean duration of VA-ECMO support was 6 days (interquartile range 4-7 days). The 30-day mortality was 50.8%. Under VA-ECMO therapy, a complication composite outcome of bleeding, re-exploration for bleeding, acute renal failure, acute liver failure, and sepsis occurred in 51 (86.4%) patients. Independent predictors of 30-day mortality were lactate levels > 9.9 mmol/l before VA-ECMO implantation (odds ratio [OR]: 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5-7.0; p = 0.002), delay until revascularization > 278 minutes (OR: 2.9; 95% CI 1.3-6.4; p = 0.008) and peripheral arterial artery disease (OR: 3.3; 95% 1.6-7.5; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rates are high in patients with normal preoperative LVEF who develop PCCS due to coronary malperfusion. The early implantation of VA-ECMO before the development of profound tissue hypoxia and early coronary revascularization increases the likelihood of survival. Lactate levels are useful to define optimal timing for the VA-ECMO initiation.

Outcomes of Single versus Sequential Vein Grafts in Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Insights from a Large Tertiary Care Center.

BACKGROUND: Saphenous venous grafts (SVG) remain the most widely used conduits in coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Data comparing outcomes of single saphenous venous grafting (SinCABG) versus sequential venous grafting (SeqCABG), however, are limited. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2012, 2,375 patients with 3-vessel coronary artery disease underwent isolated elective CABG at the Leipzig Heart Center with a left internal mammary artery graft to left anterior descending artery and ≥2 distal SVG anastomoses. Of these, 1,278 received ≥2 singular saphenous venous grafts (SinCABG) and 563 received ≥1 sequential saphenous vein grafts with >1 distal anastomoses (SeqCABG). The primary end point was long term survival. Secondary outcomes included short-term survival, early postoperative outcomes as well as early and late graft patency. RESULTS: At 30-days, mortality was 1.3% following SinCABG as compared to 2.3% after SeqCABG (p=0.13). The postoperative complications rate did not differ between groups. Early postoperative coronary angiographies were performed in 127 patients (7%), while clinically indicated follow-up coronary angiographies were performed in 372 patients (20%) over a median follow up of 5 years (IQR 1.7-8.9). No differences in early or late patency rates were found between both grafting techniques (p=0.79 and p=0.39, respectively). The median duration of long-term clinical follow-up was 8.4 years (IQR 5.6-11.4). Long-term survival rates at 1, 5, 10 and 15 years in SinCABG versus SeqCABG were 95% versus 94%, 83% versus 82%, 63% versus 62%, and 47% versus 41%, respectively (p=0.22). CONCLUSIONS: Short and long-term mortality as well as early and late graft patency rates did not differ in patients undergoing SinCABG as compared to patients undergoing SeqCABG.