2023 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes : Statement of endorsement by the NVVC.

This review discusses the new recommendations in the 2023 European Society of Cardiology guidelines on the management of acute coronary syndrome and provides a perspective on topics specific to clinical practice in the Netherlands, including pre-treatment, antiplatelet agent strategies, the use of risk scores and logistical considerations with regard to the timing of coronary angiography.

Less bleeding by omitting aspirin in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients: Rationale and design of the LEGACY study.

BACKGROUND: Early aspirin withdrawal, also known as P2Y12-inhibitor monotherapy, following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) can reduce bleeding without a trade-off in efficacy. Still the average daily bleeding risk is highest during the first months and it remains unclear if aspirin can be omitted immediately following PCI. METHODS: The LEGACY study is an open-label, multicenter randomized controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of immediate P2Y12-inhibitor monotherapy versus dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for 12 months in 3,090 patients. Patients are randomized immediately following successful PCI for NSTE-ACS to 75-100 mg aspirin once daily versus no aspirin. The primary hypothesis is that immediately omitting aspirin is superior to DAPT with respect to major or minor bleeding defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding, while maintaining noninferiority for the composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction and stroke compared to DAPT. CONCLUSIONS: The LEGACY study is the first randomized study that is specifically designed to evaluate the impact of immediately omitting aspirin, and thus treating patients with P2Y12-inhibitor monotherapy, as compared to DAPT for 12 months on bleeding and ischemic events within 12 months following PCI for NSTE-ACS.

Final five-year results of the REMEDEE Registry: Real-world experience with the dual-therapy COMBO stent.

OBJECTIVES: This final report from the REMEDEE Registry assessed the long-term safety and efficacy of the dual-therapy COMBO stent in a large unselected patient population. BACKGROUND: The bio-engineered COMBO stent (OrbusNeich Medical BV, The Netherlands) is a dual-therapy pro-healing stent. Data of long-term safety and efficacy of the this stent is lacking. METHODS: The prospective, multicenter, investigator-initiated REMEDEE Registry evaluated clinical outcomes after COMBO stent implantation in daily clinical practice. One thousand patients were enrolled between June 2013 and March 2014. RESULTS: Five-year follow-up data were obtained in 97.2% of patients. At 5-years, target lesion failure (TLF) (composite of cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction, or target lesion revascularization) was present in 145 patients (14.8%). Definite or probable stent thrombosis (ST) occurred in 0.9%, with no additional case beyond 3-years of follow-up. In males, 5-year TLF-rate was 15.6 versus 12.6% in females (p = .22). Patients without diabetes mellitus (DM) had TLF-rate of 11.4%, noninsulin-treated DM 22.7% (p = .001) and insulin-treated DM 41.2% (p < .001). Patients presenting with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) had higher incidence of TLF compared to non-ACS (20.4 vs. 13.3%; p = .008), while incidence with STE-ACS was comparable to non-ACS (10.7 vs. 13.3%; p = .43). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous coronary intervention with the dual-therapy COMBO stent in unselected patient population shows low rates of TLF and ST to 5 years. Remarkably, no case of ST was noted beyond 3 years.

Sex differences in 1-year clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention with COMBO stents: From the COMBO collaboration.

BACKGROUND: The COMBO drug eluting stent is a novel device with luminal endothelial progenitor cell capture technology for rapid homogeneous endothelialization. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined for sex differences in 1-year outcomes after COMBO stenting from the COMBO collaboration, a pooled patient-level dataset from the MASCOT and REMEDEE multicenter registries. The primary endpoint was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target vessel-myocardial infarction (TV-MI), or clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR). Secondary outcomes included stent thrombosis (ST). Adjusted outcomes were assessed using Cox regression methods. The study included 861 (23.8%) women and 2,753 (76.2%) men. Women were older with higher prevalence of several comorbidities including diabetes mellitus. Risk of 1-year TLF was similar in both sexes (3.8% vs. 3.9%, HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.59-1.42, p = .70), without sex differences in the incidence of cardiac death (1.6% vs. 1.5%, p = .78), TV-MI (1.5% vs. 1.1%, p = .32), or CD-TLR (2.0% vs. 2.2%, p = .67). Definite or probable ST occurred in 0.4% women and 1.0% men (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.06-1.11, p = .069). CONCLUSIONS: Despite greater clinical risks at baseline, women treated with COMBO stents had similarly low 1-year TLF and other ischemic outcomes compared to men.

One-Year COMBO Stent Outcomes in Acute Coronary Syndrome: from the COMBO Collaboration.

PURPOSE: The COMBO biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent includes endothelial progenitor cell capture (EPC) technology for rapid endothelialization, which may offer advantage in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). We sought to analyze the performance of the COMBO stent by ACS status and ACS subtype. METHODS: The COMBO collaboration (n = 3614) is a patient-level pooled dataset from the MASCOT and REMEDEE registries. We evaluated outcomes by ACS status, and ACS subtype in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-STEMI (NSTEMI) versus unstable angina (UA). The primary endpoint was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target lesion revascularization. Secondary outcomes included stent thrombosis (ST). RESULTS: We compared 1965 (54%) ACS and 1649 (46.0%) non-ACS patients. ACS presentations included 40% (n = 789) STEMI, 31% (n = 600) NSTEMI, and 29% (n = 576) UA patients. Risk of 1-year TLF was greater in ACS patients (4.5% vs. 3.3%, HR 1.51 95% CI 1.01-2.25, p = 0.045) without significant differences in definite/probable ST (1.1% vs 0.5%, HR 2.40, 95% CI 0.91-6.31, p = 0.08). One-year TLF was similar in STEMI, NSTEMI, and UA (4.8% vs 4.8% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.60), but definite/probable ST was higher in STEMI patients (1.9% vs 0.5% vs 0.7%, p = 0.03). Adjusted outcomes were not different in MI versus UA patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the novel EPC capture technology, COMBO stent PCI was associated with somewhat greater risk of 1-year TLF in ACS than in non-ACS patients, without significant differences in stent thrombosis. No differences were observed in 1-year TLF among ACS subtypes.

One-year clinical outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease treated with COMBO stents: From the COMBO collaboration.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) experience greater ischemic events including clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR). Whether the COMBO biodegradable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent promotes better outcomes in these patients by virtue of endothelial progenitor cell capture technology is unknown. OBJECTIVE: We examined one-year outcomes by CKD status from the COMBO collaboration. METHODS: The COMBO collaboration was a patient-level pooled dataset from the REMEDEE and MASCOT registries (3,614 patients) of all-comers undergoing attempted COMBO stent PCI. The primary endpoint was one-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI) or CD-TLR. Secondary endpoints included stent thrombosis (ST). RESULTS: The study included 6.4% (n = 231) CKD and 93.6% (n = 3,361) non-CKD patients. CKD patients were older and included more women with greater prevalence of several comorbidities but similar rate of acute coronary syndrome (50.6% vs. 54.5%, p = .26). CKD patients underwent radial PCI less often (56.1% vs. 70.3%, p < .001) and received clopidogrel (78.6% vs. 68.3%) more often (p = .004). One-year TLF occurred in 7.9% CKD vs. 3.7% non-CKD patients, p = .001. CKD patients also demonstrated greater incidence of cardiac death (6.2% vs. 1.2%, p < .0001), TV-MI (2.7% vs. 1.1%, p = .04) but similar CD-TLR (2.7% vs 2.2%, p = .61) and definite/probable ST (1.4% vs. 0.8%, p = .42), compared to non-CKD patients. CONCLUSIONS: CKD patients treated with COMBO stents had significantly greater incidence of one-year TLF compared to non-CKD patients driven by cardiac death and to a lesser extent TV-MI but not CD-TLR. They had similar rates of definite/probable ST.

Three-year clinical outcomes after dual-therapy COMBO stent placement: Insights from the REMEDEE registry.

BACKGROUND: The bio-engineered COMBO stent (OrbusNeich Medical BV, The Netherlands) is a dual-therapy pro-healing stent. This novel technology may allow a shorter duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after stenting. We present the first 3 year clinical outcomes of patients treated with COMBO stent. METHODS AND RESULTS: The prospective, multicenter, investigator-initiated, all-comers REMEDEE Registry evaluates clinical outcomes after COMBO stent treatment. A 1,000 patients were enrolled between June 2013 and March 2014. Patients had a mean of 65 years ±11, 26% of the patients were females and 18% diabetics. More than 50% of patients presented with acute coronary syndrome, 60% of treated lesions were AHA/ACC lesion type B2 or C. Target lesion failure (TLF) at 3 year follow-up occurred in 10.7% of patients (N = 105). The separate components cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization occurred in 4.1%, 2.0%, and 7.1%, respectively of patients. Definite stent thrombosis (ST) was observed in 0.7% of all patients. At 3-year follow-up there were only 73 patients taking DAPT. CONCLUSIONS: At 3-year follow-up, patients treated with COMBO stent in the present large prospective all-comers cohort, continue to show good clinical outcomes. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01874002. CONDENSED ABSTRACT: The COMBO stent is a sirolimus-eluting stent with a luminal anti-CD34-antibody layer, that binds endothelial progenitor cells. These cells can differentiate to endothelial cells and stimulate early endothelialization of the stent. The REMEDEE Registry is the first large, multicenter, prospective, cohort study evaluating the clinical outcomes of 1,000 all-comers patients treated with COMBO stent. Target lesion failure at 3 year follow-up was 10.7% and the rate of definite ST was 0.7%.

Five-year follow-up of the endothelial progenitor cell capturing stent versus the paxlitaxel-eluting stent in de novo coronary lesions with a high risk of coronary restenosis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the long-term safety and clinical efficacy of the Genous endothelial progenitor cell capturing stent (ECS) compared with the TAXUS Liberté paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) in lesions with a high risk of restenosis. BACKGROUND: Instead of the use of cytotoxic or cytostatic drugs in drug-eluting stents, a "pro-healing" approach in ECS may overcome impeded healing response due to delayed functional endothelialization of the stent struts. METHODS: In the prospective, randomized TRIAS pilot study 193 patients with coronary artery lesions carrying a high risk of restenosis were included (ECS: n = 98, PES: n = 95). The primary focus of this analysis was target vessel failure (TVF) at 5 years. Dual antiplatelet therapy was prescribed for ≥1 month after ECS and for ≥6 months after PES. RESULTS: At 5 years follow-up, no significant differences were found in TVF (ECS 24% vs. PES 29%, risk difference 95% confidence interval (RDCI) -17.3% to 7.4%). Between 2 and 5 years after the index procedure, low numbers of TVF were observed in ECS compared with PES (ECS 4% vs. PES 16%, RDCI -20.8% to -2.3%). There was no definite stent thrombosis in ECS compared with four patients in the PES group. CONCLUSION: This is the first randomized study providing very long-term clinical efficacy and safety of the ECS in lesions carrying a high risk of restenosis. At 5 years follow-up, TVF rates in ECS group are numerically lower compared with PES due to an increase of events between 2 and 5 years after the index procedure.

Evaluation of clinical outcomes after COMBO stent treatment in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are at increased risk of complications after percutaneous coronary intervention with stent placement compared to patients with stable angina (SA) treated in an elective setting. The novel pro-healing COMBO stent is a bio-engineered drug eluting stent designed to promote vessel healing. Therefore, the stent may reduce this difference in clinical outcomes between elective and ACS-patients and prevent late stent thrombosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: The European, prospective, multicenter, 1000 all-comers patient REMEDEE registry evaluates clinical outcomes after COMBO stent placement in ACS- and elective patients. The primary endpoint at 12 months is target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization. A total of 49.9% (n = 498) of patients presented with acute coronary syndrome. TLF was 7.1% in ACS patients, definite and probable stent thrombosis was observed in 0.5% of ACS patients and in all within 9 days post stenting. We found no significant difference in TLF between ACS and non-ACS patients and a low overall rate of TLF. CONCLUSIONS: The COMBO stent is a safe and efficient device for patients presenting with ACS. Low ST rate and only early stent thrombosis were observed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Amsterdam Investigator-initiateD Absorb strategy all-comers trial (AIDA trial): a clinical evaluation comparing the efficacy and performance of ABSORB everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold strategy vs the XIENCE family (XIENCE PRIME or XIENCE Xpedition) everolimus-eluting coronary stent strategy in the treatment of coronary lesions in consecutive all-comers: rationale and study design.

BACKGROUND: The Absorb everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (AbsorbBVS) is a completely resorbable device engineered to overcome the limitations of permanent metallic stents, providing temporary scaffolding and antiproliferative drug delivery for the treatment of obstructive coronary artery disease. METHODS: The objective of the AIDA trial is to evaluate the efficacy and performance in an contemporary all-comer population of the AbsorbBVS strategy vs the XIENCE family everolimus-eluting metallic coronary stent system in the treatment of coronary lesions. The AIDA trial is a prospective, randomized (1:1), active-control, single-blinded, all-comer, noninferiority trial. A total of 2,690 subjects will be enrolled with broad inclusion and limited exclusion criteria according to the "Instructions for Use" of the AbsorbBVS strategy. The study population includes both simple and complex lesions, in patients with stable and acute coronary syndrome. The follow-up continues for 5years. The primary end point of the trial is target vessel failure, defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization, at 2years. This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with number NCT01858077. CONCLUSION: The AIDA trial will provide the first randomized direct comparison between the everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold and the everolimus-eluting metallic stent in contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention practice.

Percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome due to graft failure: use of bare-metal and drug-eluting stents and subsequent long-term clinical outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To describe clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) due to graft failure. BACKGROUND: Limited data are available on outcome after PCI for graft failure-induced ACS in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era. METHODS: Patients were identified who underwent PCI either with DES or BMS for ACS due to graft failure between January 2003 and December 2008. Follow-up was performed at 1 year and April 2011. The primary endpoint was the composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target vessel revascularization (TVR). Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated at 1 and 5-year follow-up. Predictors were identified by backward selection in Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: A total of 92 patients underwent PCI, of which 77 were treated with bare metal stents (BMS) and 15 with DES. Patient and procedural characteristics were similar in both groups. Mean follow-up was 3.2 years. Five-year composite event rate was 65.9% after BMS vs. 43.4% after DES implantation (P = 0.17). Individual endpoints were comparable in both groups. Recurrence of angina, hospitalization, and repeat interventions were similar. After multivariable adjustment, the use of DES was not associated with a significant reduction in the primary endpoint (HR = 0.44, 0.18-1.04, p = 0.06). CONCLUSION: In patients presenting with ACS due to acute graft failure, long-term outcomes remain poor. In a nonrandomized comparison with BMS, DES use was not associated with significant improved long-term clinical outcomes.

Clinical outcomes after bare-metal stenting in diabetic patients with lesions carrying a low risk of restenosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical results of diabetic patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery lesions carrying a low risk of restenosis treated with a bare-metal stent (BMS). BACKGROUND: There is a discrepancy between current international guidelines on the use of BMS in diabetics with low risk of restenosis coronary artery lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Registry data from diabetic patients who underwent non-urgent PCI in a high-volume tertiary referral hospital in the Netherlands was used. The main outcomes were target lesion revascularization (TLR) and the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization at 1-year of follow-up. A total of 1,951 patients were included, of which 1,596 non-diabetics (non-DM), 231 non-insulin requiring diabetics (NIRDM), and 124 insulin requiring diabetics (IRDM).TLR rates in non-DM versus NIRDM were similar (6.3% vs. 5.6%; P = 0.68), whereas TLR in IRDM was higher (6.3% vs. 11.3%; P = 0.03). The composite of cardiovascular clinical outcomes was not significantly different in non-DM versus NIRDM (9.5% vs. 13.4%; P = 0.07), though in IRDM the incidence was higher (9.5% vs. 17.7%; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: No differences were observed in TLR or composite clinical endpoint at 1-year between non-DM and NIRDM after BMS placement in coronary artery lesions carrying a low risk of restenosis. The presence of IRDM was associated with higher TLR rates when treated with BMS. These results imply that BMS placement may be considered in patients with NIRDM but further work is required to define treatment strategies and, more importantly, improve the outcomes in diabetics.

Short- and long-term prognostic value of the TIMI risk score after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the short- and long-term predictive value of the TIMI risk score regarding mortality for patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). BACKGROUND: Data on the long-term predictive value of the TIMI risk score is sparse. METHODS: We used data from 3,609 STEMI patients undergoing PPCI in a high-volume PCI center in The Netherlands. Cumulative event rates according to TIMI score variables were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. The original TIMI risk score was modified based on the availability of the data in the single center registry. RESULTS: Higher TIMI scores were associated with significantly higher mortality at short- and long-term follow-up (P < 0.001 for both). Age and Killip Class IV at presentation were significant predictors for both short- and long-term mortality. Patients with an anterior MI, heart frequence >100 beats per minute, or systolic blood pressure <100 mmHG had a worse short-term prognosis compared to those who had not. However, long-term mortality was nonsignificantly different. The presence of a history of diabetes/hypertension and weight had only long-term prognostic value. Time to PPCI did not have any prognostic value. CONCLUSIONS: Our current report shows that the TIMI risk score has both short- and long-term discriminative value. The different variables contained in the TIMI risk score predict short-term prognosis, others predominantly long-term mortality, whereas some are predictive for both.

Multiple biomarkers for the prediction of short and long-term mortality after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: the Amsterdam Groningen collaboration.

Multiple biomarkers improve prognostication for long-term mortality in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, one-third of mortality after STEMI occurs within initial discharge. Our objective was to determine whether multiple biomarkers (glucose, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)) predict both short-term as long-term mortality in STEMI. We used a patient-pooled dataset of consecutive STEMI patients, with complete biomarkers, who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in two single centers (Amsterdam and Groningen). With a previously developed multimarker risk score, based on three biomarkers, patients were indicated as low-, intermediate- or high risk. Cumulative 4-year mortality was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with a log-rank test. We compared short-term and long-term mortality with a landmark set at 30 days because previous studies have shown that mortality largely occurs within 30 days. A total of 2,355 STEMI-patients were treated with primary PCI. The mortality rates in the low- (n = 1,531), intermediate- (n = 403) and high-risk (n = 421) groups were 4.8, 16.1, and 43.9 %, respectively. The differences were observed at a follow-up up to 30 days (log-rank p < 0.001) as well as after 30 days (log-rank p < 0.001). A multimarker risk score, based on admission levels of glucose, NT-proBNP, and eGFR identifies STEMI patients at low-, intermediate-, and high-risk for short-term and long-term mortality.

Multiple biomarkers at admission are associated with angiographic, electrocardiographic, and imaging cardiovascular mechanistic markers of outcomes in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The multimarker risk score, based on estimated glomerular filtration rate, glucose, and N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), has been shown to predict mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). In this study, we investigated the relation between the multimarker risk score and cardiovascular mechanistic markers of outcomes in STEMI patients undergoing PPCI. METHODS: Complete biomarkers were available in 197 patients with STEMI. Angiographic Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow grade and myocardial blush grade at the end of the PPCI, electrocardiographic ST-segment resolution (STR) at the time of last contrast injection and 240 minutes after last contrast, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and infarct size at 4 to 6 months after the index event were available. RESULTS: In linear regression models, higher multimarker scores were associated with worse angiographic (P < .01 for both outcomes), electrocardiographic (P < .001 for the association with STR at last contrast, and P < .01 for STR at 240 minutes), and CMR outcomes (P < .01 for both). CONCLUSIONS: The multimarker risk score is associated with angiographic, electrocardiographic, and CMR mechanistic markers of outcomes. These data support the ability of the multimarker risk score to identify patients at high risk for suboptimal reperfusion and CMR outcomes and may aid in the early triage of patients who stand to benefit most of adjuvant treatments in STEMI.

P2Y12 platelet inhibition in clinical practice.

Platelet adhesion, activation and aggregation play a pivotal role in atherothrombosis. Intracoronary atherothrombosis is the most common cause of the development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and plays a central role in complications occurring around percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) including recurrent ACS, procedure-related myocardial infarction or stent thrombosis. Inhibition of platelet aggregation by medical treatment impairs formation and progression of thrombotic processes and is therefore of great importance in the prevention of complications after an ACS or around PCI. An essential part in the platelet activation process is the interaction of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) with the platelet P2Y12 receptor. The P2Y12 receptor is the predominant receptor involved in the ADP-stimulated activation of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor. Activation of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor results in enhanced platelet degranulation and thromboxane production, and prolonged platelet aggregation. The objectives of this review are to discuss the pharmacological limitations of the P2Y12 inhibitor clopidogrel, and describe the novel alternative P2Y12 inhibitors prasugrel and ticagrelor and the clinical implications of the introduction of these new medicines.

[Deviating from guideline-recommended diagnostic work-up in general practice: examples involving high-sensitivity troponin and CRP testing]. / Afwijken van richtlijnen bij diagnostiek in de huisartsenpraktijk.

While clinical guidelines are essential for decision-making based on the latest evidence, they are not all-encompassing for any given patient or context. As such, deviating from guideline recommendations is common practice and can be attributed to contextual, ethical, clinical, or scientific factors. In the setting of diagnostic testing deviating from recommended diagnostic work-up may result in both over- and under-testing. In this Clinical Lesson we discuss two scenarios in primary care, one involving high-sensitivity troponin testing in a patient with episodes of chest discomfort, and the other involving CRP testing in a pediatric patient with acute-onset abdominal pain.

Three-year clinical follow-up of an unselected patient population treated with the genous endothelial progenitor cell capturing stent.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the 3-year clinical outcome in our single-center cohort of mainly unselected patients treated with the endothelial progenitor cell capturing stent (ECS). The ECS is coated with CD34+ antibodies specifically targeting the circulating endothelial progenitor cells population to accelerate endothelialization that in turn may prevent the occurrence of in-stent restenosis and stent thrombosis (ST). METHODS: All patients in our study had coronary artery lesions that were treated with an ECS. The majority of patients had complex lesions with an estimated high risk of restenosis. RESULTS: A total of 405 patients were enrolled. The primary end-point of target lesion failure (TLF) was defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization (TLR). At 3 years, TLF was 18.3% and TLR was 14.2%. Early ST occurred in 2 patients. No cases of late and very late definite ST were reported. CONCLUSIONS: This single-center study demonstrates the safety at 3 years of the ECS in an unselected patient population, including a fair number of patients with complex lesions, reflecting daily practice. Our data compare well with drug-eluting stent and bare metal stent registries enrolling unselected patient populations. Importantly, in our analysis, no cases of late or very late definite ST were reported.

Coronary stenting with the Genous™ Bio-Engineered R Stent™ in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the Genous™ Bio-engineered R stent™ in elderly patients undergoing non-urgent percutaneous coronary intervention. The elderly have an increased risk of (temporary) discontinuation of clopidogrel, which is associated with a higher risk of developing stent thrombosis (ST). METHODS AND RESULTS: In the e-HEALING registry, 2,651 patients were <65, 1,403 were 65-74 and 869 were ≥ 75 years old. The 12-month primary outcome was target vessel failure (TVF), defined as target vessel-related car-diac death or myocardial infarction and target vessel revascularization. Secondary outcomes included target lesion revascularization (TLR) and ST. Cumulative event rates were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with a log-rank test. TVF occurred significantly more often in elderly patients compared with younger patients (7.0% in patients aged < 65, 8.8% in patients aged 65-74 and 11.7% in patients aged ≥ 75 years, P<0.001). There was a trend to higher TLR with increasing age (log-rank P=0.06) and no difference in ST. CONCLUSIONS: The 1-year results of the Genous stent in a population of elderly patients show a significantly higher TVF rate compared with younger patients, mainly driven by a higher mortality. Although there was a trend to higher TLR rates with increasing age, there was no difference in ST. This attests to the safety of this therapy for the elderly, in whom there could be concerns with administering long-term dual antiplatelet therapy.

Long-Term Performance of the COMBO Dual-Therapy Stent: Results from the REMEDEE Registry.

BACKGROUND: Data of long-term safety and efficacy of the COMBO dual-therapy stent is lacking. REMEDEE Registry evaluated the COMBO stent and showed low clinical event rates up to 3 year. We report the clinical outcomes at 4-year follow-up of this registry. METHODS: The REMEDEE Registry is a prospective, multicenter registry with minimal exclusion criteria, evaluating clinical outcomes after treatment with the COMBO stent. A 1000 patients were enrolled between June 2013 and March 2014. Target lesion failure (TLF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI) and target lesion revascularization (TLR), at 4-year follow-up was the primary focus of this analysis. RESULTS: Four-year follow-up data were obtained in 97.3% of patients. TLF was present in 117 patients (11.9%). Cardiac death occurred in 45 patients (4.6%), TV-MI was observed in 25 patients (2.6%) and TLR was performed in 73 patients (7.5%). Of the 7.5% TLR at 4 years, 1.5% were beyond 2 years. Definite ST was seen in 7 patients (0.7%) and probable ST in 1 (0.1%). No definite or probable ST occurred between 3 and 4 years follow-up. At 4-year follow-up, 93.1% of patients were free of ischemic symptoms. CONCLUSION: This registry showed excellent 4-year results after COMBO stent placement, with no ST beyond 3 years.