Early prognosis and predictor analysis for positive coronary angiography after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

BACKGROUND: Key predictors of survival after OHCA have been described in the literature. Current guidelines recommend emergency angiography in patients without an obvious extra-cardiac cause of arrest. However, the value of this strategy is debated. Moreover, diagnosis of acute coronary ischaemia after OHCA remains challenging, especially in patients without ST-segment elevation. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to identify qualitative variables associated with an increased chance of 30-d survival after OHCA. The secondary objective was to identify predictors of 30-d survival among patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and patients without ST-segment elevation. Afterwards, we sought to identify parameters associated with acute coronary ischaemia and positive coronary angiography in patients without ST-segment elevation. METHODS: Retrospective single-centre study including 123 patients resuscitated from OHCA. Baseline characteristics, resuscitation settings and angiographic findings were analysed. RESULTS: The predictors of 30-d survival after OHCA included witnessed cardiac arrest, haemodynamic instability and coronary angiography. Convertible cardiac rhythm, history of coronary disease and presence of at least two cardiovascular risk factors were associated with acute coronary ischaemia. Predictors for a positive angiography in patients without ST-segment elevation included history of coronary disease, gender, diabetes, dyslipidaemia and presence of at least two cardiovascular risk factors (all p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: We identified qualitative predictors of 30-day survival after OHCA. Our findings suggest that the recognition of acute coronary ischaemia after OHCA might be improved. The identification of risk criteria may help to select the best candidates for emergency angiography.

Elevation of biomarkers and long-term outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The impact of an elevation of cardiac biomarkers occurring after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on long-term outcome remains controversial. Most available data are based on observational registries using multivariable analysis. In this study, a case-control approach was used to assess separately the impact of post-PCI elevation of CK-MB on the short-term in-hospital outcome and on the long-term outcome after hospital discharge. METHODS: Between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2008, a postprocedural rise of CK-MB was observed in 363 among 8346 consecutive PCI procedures (4·3%). The overall in-hospital mortality for patients with or without CK-MB elevation after PCI was 8·5% and 1·5%, respectively (P < 0·001). For 245 hospital survivors with CK-MB elevation, we found 245 control cases matched for 9 relevant clinical parameters in our PCI database during the same period. The long-term survival of these patients was assessed by KM estimates. RESULTS: Despite an increased in-hospital mortality among patients with periprocedural elevation of CK-MB, the long-term outcome of patients who are discharged alive is independent of CK-MB release, curves of overall survival and of survival free of recurrence of myocardial infarction being similar up to 10 years after hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: In our population, the elevation of CK-MB after PCI identified a high-risk subgroup for in-hospital mortality but had no impact on the long-term prognosis, once the patient is discharged alive from the hospital.

Aberrantly inserted chordae tendineae without significant mitral regurgitation.

Aberrantly inserted chordae tendineae in the left atrial side are a rare find. We report here the case of a young patient with aberrantly inserted chordae tendineae not causing significant mitral regurgitation. Because the patient remained asymptomatic and the anomalous chord of the left atrium could be considered within normal human anatomic variation, the authors decided to only monitor the patient's condition for the time being.

Double papillary fibroelastoma: beautiful, innocent flowers in the left heart.

Papillary fibroelastoma is a rare, benign tumor, and multiple papillary fibroelastomas are even more uncommon. In an asymptomatic patient scheduled for carotid endarterectomy, transthoracic echocardiography discovered a fibroelastoma on the mitral valve. Then, transesophageal echocardiography showed another fibroelastoma on the aortic valve. Because he also needed a right coronary artery bypass, the patient underwent surgical excision of both masses. Fibroelastomas are not always as innocent as they seem, and surgical excision is necessary because of their potential for systemic or coronary embolization. Transoesophageal echocardiography may improve the diagnosis of multiple papillary fibroelastomas.

Predictive value of thromboembolic risk scores before an atrial fibrillation ablation procedure.

INTRODUCTION: It is not clear whether transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) should be performed prior to a planned atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation in all patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The objectives of this study were to determine in 681 consecutive patients: (i) the relationship between the CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores, the presence of a thrombogenic milieu and left atrial (LA) volume; (ii) the need for TEE in patients with low and intermediate thromboembolic risk assessed; and (iii) the predictive accuracy of the these 2 scores for the presence of thrombi in the LA/LAA (LA appendage) before a planned AF ablation. The prevalence of thrombi was 1%. All patients with thrombi had LA dilatation, a CHADS2 score ≥ 1 and a CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 2. CHADS2 or CHA2DS2-VASc scores <2 had an almost maximal negative predictive capability of excluding the presence of a thrombus (99.8% and 100%, respectively; 95% CI: 99-100). A CHADS2 score ≥ 2 had a sensitivity and specificity of 86% (95% CI: 42-100) and 82% (95% CI: 79-85), respectively, to predict the presence of a thrombus in the LA/LAA, while a CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 2 had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95% CI: 59-100) and 67% (95% CI: 63-70). The area under the curve for CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores ≥ 2 was 0.928 (95% CI: 0.906-0.946) and 0.933 (95% CI: 0.912-0.951), respectively. CONCLUSION: Not all patients undergoing planned endocardial pulmonary vein isolation need preprocedural TEE. Both scores <2 had an almost maximal negative predictive capability of excluding the presence of a thrombus in the LA/LAA.

Rapid progression of coronary artery stenosis revealed by stress echocardiography.

We present the case of a patient with initially insignificant coronary atherosclerosis with rapid progression revealed by dobutamine stress echocardiography, despite the absence of a major risk factor. A 61-year-old woman, complaining of chest pain, palpitations and dyspnoea on exertion, was referred to our department for outpatient assessment. Coronary angiography performed two months earlier revealed an insignificant stenosis of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. Holter monitoring revealed malignant ventricular arrhythmias during angina episodes.The results of maximal treadmill exercise testing were negative, but those of the dobutamine stress echocardiography were positive. The angiographic re-evaluation revealed a rapid progression of stenosis of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery. Percutaneous coronary angioplasty with stenting was successfully performed.The outcome of patients with insignificant angiographic stenosis and no major risk factor is not necessarily favourable. Therefore, these patients should receive intensive therapy for the management of risk factors and careful clinical monitoring, including dobutamine stress echocardiography.

Belgium: coronary and structural heart interventions from 2010 to 2015.

In a ranking of the gross domestic product per capita in 2015, Belgium ranked 19th in the world according to the International Monetary Fun1d and the World Bank. It has a Human Development Index of 0.890, in which it is preceded by only 20 other countries in the world. This is, at least in part, due to a well-developed social security system on which all citizens can rely. Over the last 5-10 years, however, this system has come under increasing pressure. This has resulted in insufficient, incomplete and late reimbursement of all technologies that were introduced over the last ten years in the cathlab: intracoronary imaging techniques are not reimbursed at all, and FFR only to a vastly insufficient degree. For several structural heart interventions, a system of limited and incomplete reimbursement has recently been set up, with a requirement to organise these procedures within the frames of hospital networks. Numbers of PCIs have risen by 15% over the last four years, coinciding with an increase in the number of cathlabs by 50%, aiming at better access to primary PCI for STEMI patients. This has also resulted in a decrease in the average procedure volume per centre. Two thirds of PCIs are performed via the radial access. DES penetration has increased to 74%, approaching 100% in some centres, while the uptake of BRS has been very limited so far.

Usefulness of a Gentle and Short Hemostasis Using the Transradial Band Device after Transradial Access for Percutaneous Coronary Angiography and Interventions to Reduce the Radial Artery Occlusion Rate (from the Prospective and Randomized CRASOC I, II, and III Studies).

The study sought to evaluate the benefit of the reduction in intensity and duration of the hemostasis obtained with the transradial (TR) Band compression device on the radial artery occlusion (RAO) rate. RAO is the most frequent complication of TR access for cardiac catheterization and limits future use of this safe route. Its occurrence must be minimized. Between 2009 and 2016, 3,616 TR accesses were randomized to TR Band hemostasis during 3 consecutive protocols: CRASOC I (Compression of Radial ArterieS without Occlusion): 13 versus 10 cc of air into the TR Band and for 4 hours of continuous compression; CRASOC II: 10 cc of air for 3 hours versus 2 hours of compression; and CRASOC III: 10 cc of air for 2 hours versus 1.5 hours of compression and virtual 4F introducer as default sheath (both arms). Radial artery patency was assessed by plethysmography at 24 hours, using Doppler for doubtful or negative plethysmography. The primary end point, 24 hours of RAO, was markedly reduced when hemostasis was soft (10 cc of air) and short (1.5 hours) and resulted in a 2.3% rate of RAO versus 9.4% for 13 cc, 4 hours. Hemostasis was obtained in 89% of patients with only 10 cc of air and in 97% of patients with less than the recommended 13 cc. About 8% of patients required more than the 1.5 hours of hemostasis time. In conclusion, short and soft hemostasis with the TR Band device leads to a low RAO rate.

The 2011-2012 pilot European Society of Cardiology Sentinel Registry of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: 12-month clinical outcomes.

AIMS: Our aim was to assess one-year outcomes of patients enrolled in the pilot European Sentinel Registry of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI). METHODS AND RESULTS: One-year outcomes of 4,571 patients (81.4±7.2 years, 2,291 [50.1%] male) receiving TAVI with the SAPIEN XT (57.3%) or CoreValve prosthesis at 137 European centres were analysed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression techniques. At one year, 3,341 patients were alive, 821 had died, and 409 were lost to follow-up. Of 2,125 patients who underwent functional assessment, 1,916 (90%) were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class I/II at one year, with functional improvement from baseline noted in 1,682 patients (88%). One-year survival based on 4,564 patients was estimated at 79.1%. Independent baseline predictors of mortality were increasing age and logistic EuroSCORE, the presence of NYHA III/IV, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and atrial fibrillation. Female gender was associated with a 4% survival benefit at one year. Vascular access routes other than transfemoral were associated with poorer survival. Procedural failure and major periprocedural complications had an adverse impact on survival. CONCLUSIONS: Contemporary European experience attests to the effectiveness of routine TAVI in unselected elderly patients.

Distal 'buddy-in-jail' technique: a complementary 'Jail with stent' method for stent delivery.

Delivery of coronary stents can be challenging, but the use of a second or 'buddy' wire helps the progression of equipment through tortuous and rigid vessels. We successfully positioned a coronary stent in a distal lesion, intentionally jailing the buddy wire during stent delivery. The jailed wire was then used to proceed further with proximal coronary stenting. We report 10 cases using either the jailed or the non-jailed wire for this modified 'buddy-in-jail' technique.

Echocardiographic Parameters Associated With Asymmetrical Structural Remodeling In Patients With Or Without Atrial Fibrillation.

OBJECTIVES: Left atrial (LA) dilation can evolve into asymmetrical remodeling. The aim of this study was to determine the echocardiographic parameters associated with LA asymmetric structural remodeling (ASR) in patients with and without nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 170 patients with a dilated LA were prospectively enrolled. ASR was defined as an atrium shape that is no longer ellipsoidal (LA basal dimension measured at the junction between the pulmonary vein and atrium greater than the mitral annular dimension). Symmetric structural remodeling (SSR) was defined as all other cases. Echocardiographic parameters of LA function and left ventricular diastolic function, measured by pulsed-wave Doppler and Tissue Doppler Imaging, were analyzed to identify the parameters associated with ASR. The mean age of the patients was 67 ± 11 years. Forty-one percent had a stable sinus rhythm (SR), and 59% had AF. LA-ASR was detected in 66% of the patients: 55% with AF and 45% with SR (p=0.002). The mean LA-ASR and LA-SSR volume indexes were 49 ± 14 ml/m² and 29 ± 13 ml/m², respectively (p<0.001). LA systolic myocardial velocity (p=0.036) and peak systolic pulmonary venous flow velocity (p=0.033) were the parameters best associated with ASR. The sensitivity and specificity of both parameters, based on ROC curve analysis, were 77 and 70%, respectively. The AUC was 0.765 (95% CI: 0.662-0.849, p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: LA dilation is associated with a great number of asymmetrical structural remodeling. Echocardiographic parameters that reflect LA reservoir function are best associated with asymmetrical remodeling.

Prospective, multi-center evaluation of a silicon carbide coated cobalt chromium bare metal stent for percutaneous coronary interventions: two-year results of the ENERGY Registry.

BACKGROUND: Novel bare metal stents with improved stent design may become a viable alternative to drug-eluting stents in certain patient groups, particularly, when long-term dual antiplatelet therapy should be avoided. PURPOSE: The ENERGY registry aimed to assess the safety and benefits of a cobalt-chromium thin strut bare metal stent with a passive coating in a large series of patients under real-world conditions. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This prospective registry recruited 1016 patients with 1074 lesions in 48 centers from April to November 2010. The primary endpoint was the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction and clinically driven target lesion revascularization. RESULTS: More than half of the lesions (61.0%) were type A/B1 lesions, mean lesion length was 14.5±6.5mm and mean reference vessel diameter 3.2±0.5mm. MACE rates at 6, 12 and 24months were 4.9%, 8.1% and 9.4%, target lesion revascularization rates 2.8%, 4.9% and 5.4% and definite stent thrombosis rates 0.5%, 0.6% and 0.6%. Subgroups showed significant differences in baseline and procedural characteristics which did not translate into significantly different clinical outcomes. Specifically, MACE rates at 24months were 13.5% in diabetics, 8.6% in small stents and 9.6% in acute coronary syndrome patients. CONCLUSION: The population of ENERGY reflects real-world conditions with bare metal stents being mainly used in simple lesions. In this setting, percutaneous coronary intervention using a cobalt-chromium thin strut bare metal stent with a passive coating showed very good results up to 24months. (ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT01056120) SUMMARY FOR ANNOTATED TABLE OF CONTENTS: The ENERGY international registry evaluated the safety and benefits of a cobalt-chromium thin strut bare metal stent with passive coating in 1016 patients under real-world conditions until 2years. Results were encouraging with a low composite rate of cardiac death, myocardial infarction and clinically driven target lesion revascularization, even in the pre-defined high risk groups of diabetes, stents ≤2.75mm and acute coronary syndrome.

Local and general anaesthesia do not influence outcome of transfemoral aortic valve implantation.

BACKGROUND: There is great variability for the type of anaesthesia used during TAVI, with no clear consensus coming from comparative studies or guidelines. We sought to detect regional differences in the anaesthetic management of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in Europe and to evaluate the relationship between type of anaesthesia and in-hospital and 1 year outcome. METHODS: Between January 2011 and May 2012 the Sentinel European TAVI Pilot Registry enrolled 2807 patients treated via a transfemoral approach using either local (LA-group, 1095 patients, 39%) or general anaesthesia (GA-group, 1712 patients, 61%). RESULTS: A wide variation in LA use was evident amongst the 10 participating countries. The use of LA has increased over time (from a mean of 37.5% of procedures in the first year, to 57% in last 6 months, p<0.01). MI, major stroke as well as in-hospital death rate (7.0% LA vs 5.3% GA, p=0.053) had a similar incidence between groups, confirmed in multivariate regression analysis after adjusting for confounders. Dividing our population in tertiles according to the Log-EuroSCORE we found similar mortality under LA, whilst mortality was higher in the highest risk tertile under GA. Survival at 1 year, compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis, was similar between groups (log-rank: p=0.1505). CONCLUSIONS: Selection of anaesthesia appears to be more influenced by national practice and operator preference than patient characteristics. In the absence of an observed difference in outcomes for either approach, there is no compelling argument to suggest that operators and centres should change their anaesthetic practice.

Full conversion from transfemoral to transradial approach for percutaneous coronary interventions results in a similar success rate and a rapid reduction of in-hospital cardiac and vascular major events.

AIMS: The transradial approach (TRA) for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) recently emerged as a safer vascular access with a similar rate of MACE but a lower success rate requiring crossover to another approach when compared to the transfemoral approach (TFA). METHODS AND RESULTS: In our hospital the introduction of the TRA in November 2003 resulted in a progressive decline of TFA use. Over the five years of conversion to TRA, from 2002 (100% TFA) to 2007 (98% TRA), major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and all in-hospital vascular and bleeding events, related or not to vascular access, were prospectively collected to assess performances of each approach in the specific setting of PCI (percutaneous coronary interventions). Data of 1,928 TFA and 1,672 TRA for a total of 3,600 consecutive PCI procedures are reported. PCI success rate was unchanged by TRA (96.1% versus 95.3% for TFA, NS). TRA was associated with a reduction in the rate of post-PCI myocardial infarction (2.3% versus 3.6% for TFA, p=0.023) and with a significant reduction of MACE (3.8% versus 5.2% for TFA, p=0.041). TRA use was also associated with a marked reduction of blood transfusion and surgery for post-PCI bleeding (0.2% versus 1.5% for TFA, p<0.001), despite more frequent prescription of downstream glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (23.7% versus 7.4% for TFA, p<0.001). Thus, TRA resulted in a rapid and significant reduction of all major in-hospital adverse events, cardiac as well as non-cardiac, pooled in a "Net Adverse Clinical Event (NACE) index" of non-desirable events: death, myocardial infarction, stroke, urgent CABG surgery, surgery for bleeding and vascular events and blood transfusion. Such events occurred in 4.1% of TRA (n=69) as compared to 7% of TFA (n=134) (p<0.001), accounting for a 41% relative reduction of this NACE index by TRA. By multivariate analysis, TRA was related to a better in-hospital outcome (OR 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-0.87; p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: TRA for PCI provides the same success rate as TFA but significantly reduces post hoc related complications.

The 2011-12 pilot European Sentinel Registry of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: in-hospital results in 4,571 patients.

AIMS: The aim of this prospective multinational registry is to assess and identify predictors of in-hospital outcome and complications of contemporary TAVI practice. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Transcatheter Valve Treatment Sentinel Pilot Registry is a prospective independent consecutive collection of individual patient data entered into a web-based case record form (CRF) or transferred from compatible national registries. A total of 4,571 patients underwent TAVI between January 2011 and May 2012 in 137 centres of 10 European countries. Average age was 81.4±7.1 years with equal representation of the two sexes. Logistic EuroSCORE (20.2±13.3), access site (femoral approach: 74.2%), type of anaesthesia and duration of hospital stay (9.3±8.1 days) showed wide variations among the participating countries. In-hospital mortality (7.4%), stroke (1.8%), myocardial infarction (0.9%), major vascular complications (3.1%) were similar in the SAPIEN XT and CoreValve (p=0.15). Mortality was lower in transfemoral (5.9%) than in transapical (12.8%) and other access routes (9.7%; p<0.01). Advanced age, high logistic EuroSCORE, pre-procedural ≥grade 2 mitral regurgitation and deployment failure predicted higher mortality at multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Increased operator experience and the refinement of valve types and delivery catheters may explain the lower rate of mortality, stroke and vascular complications than in historical studies and registries.

Comparison of late results of percutaneous coronary intervention among stable patients ≤65 versus >65 years of age with an occluded infarct related artery (from the Occluded Artery Trial).

Although opening an occluded infarct-related artery >24 hours after myocardial infarction in stable patients in the Occluded Artery Trial (OAT) did not reduce events over 7 years, there was a suggestion that the effect of treatment might differ by patient age. Baseline characteristics and outcomes by treatment with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus optimal medical therapy alone were compared by prespecified stratification at age 65 years. A p value <0.01 was prespecified as significant for OAT secondary analyses. The primary outcome was death, myocardial infarction, or New York Heart Association class IV heart failure. Patients aged >65 years (n = 641) were more likely to be female, to be nonsmokers, and to have hypertension, lower estimated glomerular filtration rates, and multivessel disease compared to younger patients (aged ≤65 years, n = 1,560) (p <0.001). There was no significant observed interaction between treatment assignment and age for the primary outcome after adjustment (p = 0.10), and there was no difference between PCI and optimal medical therapy observed in either age group. At 7-year follow-up, younger patients tended to have angina more often compared to the older group (hazard ratio 1.21, 99% confidence interval 1.00 to 1.46, p = 0.01). The 7-year composite primary outcome was more common in older patients (p <0.001), and age remained significant after covariate adjustment (hazard ratio 1.42, 99% confidence interval 1.09 to 1.84). The rate of early PCI complications was low in the 2 age groups. The trend toward a differential effect of PCI in the young versus the old for the primary outcome was likely driven by measured and unmeasured confounders and by chance. PCI reduces angina to a similar degree in the young and old. In conclusion, there is no indication for routine PCI to open a persistently occluded infarct-related artery in stable patients after myocardial infarction, regardless of age.

Low rate of conversion to transfemoral approach when attempting both radial arteries for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention: a study of 1,826 consecutive procedures.

AIMS: Despite a proven safety profile, the transradial approach (TRA) for coronary procedures is regarded by many as complicated and the second-choice arterial access, with a high conversion rate to transfemoral access (TFA). This study reports causes of failure and the contemporary success rate of TRA when both radial arteries are attempted first before converting to TFA. METHODS: This prospective, single-center study included 1,826 consecutive patients referred for cardiac catheterization, which was performed by two trained operators between January 2005 and June 2007. Procedural data were reported in a specific database. RESULTS: The procedural success rate through TRA (attempting one or both radial arteries) was 98.8%. One hundred and thirty-five radial attempts failed. Inability to puncture or to wire the artery accounted for 52.6% of failures, inability to reach coronary or graft ostia accounted for 20.7% and the remaining failures were related to the inability to reach a contralateral mammary graft. By multivariate analysis, the best predictors for failures were peripheral artery disease (PAD) (odds ratio [OR] 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.8; p = 0.016), bedside clinical assessment of either a "small radial artery" size (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.4 to 5.0; p = 0.003) or a "difficult access" (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.9; p = 0.006). The number of failed attempts regresses annually by about 40% (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.8; p < 0.001), thus demonstrating a continuous learning curve. Although rare, hematoma combined with swelling (3.8%) arises more frequently in females (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4-3.9; p = 0.001) and elderly patients (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0- 3.7; p = 0.040). CONCLUSION: The TRA can be safely proposed for all patients, with a low conversion rate to TFA when an attempt on both radial arteries is considered first.