Association between living alone and all-cause mortality of young and middle-aged patients with acute myocardial infarction: analysis of the China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry.

BACKGROUND: Lack of social support is a known predictor of the prognosis after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although as a common factor associated with social support, there are limited data on long-term prognostic impact of living status in young and middle-aged patients with AMI. METHODS: We analyzed data from the China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) Registry, consecutive AMI young and middle-aged patients admitted at 108 hospitals in China between January 2013 and September 2014 were included. Eligible patients were assigned to living alone and not living alone groups based on their living status. The primary endpoint was 2-year all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoints included in-hospital mortality and 2-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs; a composite of all-cause mortality, MI, or stroke). Multilevel logistic and multilevel Cox regression models were used to evaluate the effect of living status on short-term and long-term outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 8307 consecutive AMI young and middle-aged patients were included, 192 (2.3%) patients were living alone. Of the analyzed patients, living alone was associated with 2-year all-cause mortality and MACCEs among all analyzed patients after multivariate adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 2.171 [1.210-3.895], P = 0.009; adjusted HR = 2.169 [1.395-3.370], P = 0.001), but not with poorer in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis suggested that living alone was associated with both 2-year all-cause mortality and MACCEs in AMI young and middle-aged patients but did not show an extra effect on the in-hospital mortality after covariate adjustment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration number: NCT01874691; Registered 31 October 2012.

Causal impact of gut microbiota and associated metabolites on pulmonary arterial hypertension: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) exhibit a distinct gut microbiota profile; however, the causal association between gut microbiota, associated metabolites, and PAH remains elusive. We aimed to investigate this causal association and to explore whether dietary patterns play a role in its regulation. METHODS: Summary statistics of gut microbiota, associated metabolites, diet, and PAH were obtained from genome-wide association studies. The inverse variance weighted method was primarily used to measure the causal effect, with sensitivity analyses using the weighted median, weighted mode, simple mode, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO), and MR-Egger methods. A reverse Mendelian randomisation analysis was also performed. RESULTS: Alistipes (odds ratio [OR] = 2.269, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.100-4.679, P = 0.027) and Victivallis (OR = 1.558, 95% CI 1.019-2.380, P = 0.040) were associated with an increased risk of PAH, while Coprobacter (OR = 0.585, 95% CI 0.358-0.956, P = 0.032), Erysipelotrichaceae (UCG003) (OR = 0.494, 95% CI 0.245-0.996, P = 0.049), Lachnospiraceae (UCG008) (OR = 0.596, 95% CI 0.367-0.968, P = 0.036), and Ruminococcaceae (UCG005) (OR = 0.472, 95% CI 0.231-0.962, P = 0.039) protected against PAH. No associations were observed between PAH and gut microbiota-derived metabolites (trimethylamine N-oxide [TMAO] and its precursors betaine, carnitine, and choline), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), or diet. Although inverse variance-weighted analysis demonstrated that elevated choline levels were correlated with an increased risk of PAH, the results were not consistent with the sensitivity analysis. Therefore, the association was considered insignificant. Reverse Mendelian randomisation analysis demonstrated that PAH had no causal impact on gut microbiota-derived metabolites but could contribute to increased the levels of Butyricicoccus and Holdemania, while decreasing the levels of Clostridium innocuum, Defluviitaleaceae UCG011, Eisenbergiella, and Ruminiclostridium 5. CONCLUSIONS: Gut microbiota were discovered suggestive evidence of the impacts of genetically predicted abundancy of certain microbial genera on PAH. Results of our study point that the production of SCFAs or TMAO does not mediate this association, which remains to be explained mechanistically.

Levosimendan Reverses Cardiac Malfunction and Cardiomyocyte Ferroptosis During Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction via Connexin 43 Signaling Activation.

PURPOSE: In recent decades, the occurrence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has outweighed that of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction by degrees, but few drugs have been demonstrated to improve long-term clinical outcomes in patients with HFpEF. Levosimendan, a calcium-sensitizing cardiotonic agent, improves decompensated heart failure clinically. However, the anti-HFpEF activities of levosimendan and underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. METHODS: In this study, a double-hit HFpEF C57BL/6N mouse model was established, and levosimendan (3 mg/kg/week) was administered to HFpEF mice aged 13 to 17 weeks. Different biological experimental techniques were used to verify the protective effects of levosimendan against HFpEF. RESULTS: After four weeks of drug treatment, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, cardiac hypertrophy, pulmonary congestion, and exercise exhaustion were significantly alleviated. Junction proteins in the endothelial barrier and between cardiomyocytes were also improved by levosimendan. Among the gap junction channel proteins, connexin 43, which was especially highly expressed in cardiomyocytes, mediated mitochondrial protection. Furthermore, levosimendan reversed mitochondrial malfunction in HFpEF mice, as evidenced by increased mitofilin and decreased ROS, superoxide anion, NOX4, and cytochrome C levels. Interestingly, after levosimendan administration, myocardial tissue from HFpEF mice showed restricted ferroptosis, indicated by an increased GSH/GSSG ratio; upregulated GPX4, xCT, and FSP-1 expression; and reduced intracellular ferrous ion, MDA, and 4-HNE levels. CONCLUSION: Regular long-term levosimendan administration can benefit cardiac function in a mouse model of HFpEF with metabolic syndromes (namely, obesity and hypertension) by activating connexin 43-mediated mitochondrial protection and sequential ferroptosis inhibition in cardiomyocytes.

Individual or familial diabetes in relation to eight cardiovascular diseases: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Diabetes is associated with increased risk of certain cardiovascular diseases, yet the causality remains to be determined. Meanwhile, given that first-degree relatives share 50% of genes, the effect of familial diabetes is also worthy of attention. Therefore, we sought to investigate the causal relations of individual or familial diabetes with eight cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, cardiac death, pulmonary embolism, transient ischemic attack, and ischemic stroke. METHODS AND RESULTS: Applying two-sample Mendelian randomization, we selected instruments for genetic predisposition to individual or familial diabetes based on published genome-wide association studies. The primary analyses were conducted using the random-effects inverse-variance weighted method. We found that genetically predicted individual diabetes was causally associated with higher risks of myocardial infarction (odd ratio [OR] = 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.13; P < 0.0001), hypertension (OR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03-1.13; P = 0.0006), and ischemic stroke (OR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.05-1.15; P < 0.0001). Genetically predicted paternal diabetes could increase the risk of ischemic stroke (OR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.04-1.30; P = 0.0061). Genetically predicted maternal diabetes could increase the risk of myocardial infarction (OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.09-1.29; P = 0.0001). Genetically predicted siblings' diabetes was causally associated with higher risks of myocardial infarction (OR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.08-1.27; P = 0.0001) and hypertension (OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.06-1.34; P = 0.0036). No significant differences were observed in other outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study supports causal effects of not only individual but also familial diabetes on the development of cardiovascular diseases, which will help realize the potential effect of family history in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

De-escalation of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: An Updated Meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of 21 Studies and 38,741 Patients.

ABSTRACT: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is recommended among patients with established acute coronary syndrome. In this meta-analysis, we sought to compare the clinical outcomes between de-escalation versus unchanged DAPT based on both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. The primary outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events for observational studies and net clinical events for RCTs. Four RCTs and 17 observational studies with a total of 38,741 patients were included. Net clinical events were more common with unchanged DAPT than with de-escalation in RCTs [odd ratio (OR): 1.71; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21-2.43; I2 = 69.4%], which was mainly due to higher risks of any bleeding (OR: 1.81; 95% CI, 1.14-2.88; I2 = 75.5%) and major bleeding (OR: 1.58; 95% CI, 1.02-2.46; I2 = 0), without significant differences in ischaemic events. However, trial sequential analysis revealed that sufficient information was obtained just for net clinical events, not for respective ischaemic or bleeding events in RCTs. In the analysis based on real-world observational studies, the risks of myocardial infarction (OR: 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61-0.98; I2 = 0) and stroke (OR: 0.42; 95% CI, 0.22-0.81; I2 = 0) were lower with the unchanged DAPT group. Therefore, de-escalation of DAPT led to a marked reduction in net clinical events compared with unchanged DAPT in RCTs, which was mainly due to reduced bleeding events. However, sufficient information for ischaemic events was not obtained. In the analysis based on real-world observational studies, myocardial infarction and stroke were more common with de-escalation, which should arise our attention.

Impact of percutaneous coronary intervention on chronic total occlusion in the non-infarct-related artery in patients with STEMI: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to compare the clinical outcomes between culprit-only percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus multivessel PCI (MV-PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) accompanied by chronic total occlusion (CTO) in the non-infarct-related artery(non-IRA). DESIGN: Studies that compared culprit-only PCI versus MV-PCI in patients with STEMI accompanied by CTO in the non-IRA were included. Random odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. RESULTS: Eight studies with 2,259 patients were included. The results suggested that in patients with STEMI accompanied by CTO in the non-IRA, culprit-only PCI was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (OR: 2.89; 95% CI: 2.09-4.00; I2 = 0.0%), cardiac death (OR: 3.12; 95% CI: 2.05-4.75; I2 = 16.8%), stroke (OR: 2.80; 95% CI: 1.04-7.53; I2 = 0.0%), major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE; OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.39-3.06; I2 = 54.0%), and heart failure (OR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.22-3.24; I2 = 0.0%) compared with staged MV-PCI, which were mainly derived from retrospective studies. No differences were observed in myocardial infarction or revascularization. Pooled multivariable adjusted results consistently indicated that staged MV-PCI was superior to culprit-only PCI. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with STEMI accompanied by CTO in the non-IRA, staged MV-PCI may be better compared with culprit-only PCI due to potential reduced risks of all-cause mortality, cardiac death, stroke, MACE, and heart failure. Meanwhile, further randomized trials are warranted to confirm or refute our findings.

[Baroreflex ActivationTherapy for Heart Failure].

Heart failure (HF) is the endstage of multiple cardiovascular diseases.Impaired autonomic regulation and sympathetic-parasympathetic imbalance are considered key factors in HF progression.Baroreflex activation therapy (BAT),a novel device-based therapy which stimulates the carotid sinuses and regulates autonomic function,has demonstrated good efficacy in treating HF and improving prognosis.This review summarized the results of the latest relevant studies to provide support for further study of BAT.

Benefit-risk profile of extended dual antiplatelet therapy beyond 1 year in patients with high risk of ischemic or bleeding events after PCI.

The benefits and harms of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) continuation with aspirin and clopidogrel beyond 1 year after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation for high ischemic or bleeding risk patients remain unclear. All consecutive patients undergoing PCI were prospectively included in the Fuwai PCI Registry from January 2013 to December 2013. We evaluated 7521 patients who were at high risk for thrombotic or hemorrhagic complications and were events free at 1 year after the index procedure. "TWILIGHT-like" patients with high risk of bleeding or ischemic events were defined by clinical and angiographic criteria. The primary ischemic outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events [MACCE] (a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke). Median follow-up duration was 2.4 years. The risk of MACCE was significantly lower in DAPT>1-year group (n = 5252) than DAPT≤1-year group (n = 2269) (1.5% vs. 3.8%; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27-0.50; P < .001). This difference was largely driven by a lower risk of all-cause death. In contrast, the risk of Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2, 3 or 5 bleeding was statistically similar between the two groups (1.0% vs. 1.1%; HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.50-1.28; P = .346). Results were consistent after multivariable regression and propensity-score matching. Prolonged DAPT beyond 1 year after DES implantation resulted in a significantly lower rate of atherothrombotic events, including a mortality benefit, with no higher risk of clinically relevant bleeding in "TWILIGHT-like" patients who were at high-risk for ischemic or bleeding events.

Association of lipoprotein(a) with platelet aggregation and thrombogenicity in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

This study aimed to evaluate the association of lipoprotein(a) levels with platelet aggregation and thrombogenicity in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to investigate the ischemic outcome on this population. Lipoprotein(a) and modified thrombelastography were measured in 6601 consecutive patients underwent PCI on dual antiplatelet therapy. Cox proportional regression analysis was applied to illustrate the ischemic events in a 2-year follow up. The mean levels of lipoprotein(a) were 29.0 mg/dl. Patients with higher lipoprotein(a) levels had significantly accelerated fibrin generation (lower K time and bigger α angle) and greater clot strength (higher maximum amplitude (MA)) than patients with lower lipoprotein(a) levels (P < .001). Moreover, the higher lipoprotein(a) group also exhibited significantly higher adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induced platelet aggregation (MAADP) by thrombelastography platelet mapping assay than lower lipoprotein(a) group. Cox regression analyzes revealed that patients with higher lipoprotein(a) levels had a 16% higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (HR 1.159, 95%CI: 1.005-1.337, P = .042) compared with patients with lower lipoprotein(a) levels. This association persisted after adjustment for a broad spectrum of risk factors (HR 1.174, 95%CI: 1.017-1.355, P = .028). High plasma lipoprotein(a) levels were associated with increased platelet aggregation and ischemic events in patients underwent PCI. Lipoprotein(a) might indicate the need for prolonged antiplatelet therapy.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Complexity and Risk of Adverse Events in relation to High Bleeding Risk among Patients Receiving Drug-Eluting Stents: Insights from a Large Single-Center Cohort Study.

Background/Aim: The relation between complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), high bleeding risk (HBR), and adverse events after coronary artery implantation of drug-eluting stents has been incompletely characterized. This study sought to investigate the ischemic and bleeding events after complex PCI including stratification according to HBR estimated by PARIS bleeding risk score. Methods: Between January 2013 and December 2013, 10,167 consecutive patients undergoing PCI were prospectively enrolled in Fuwai PCI Registry. Complex PCI was defined when having at least one of the following characteristics: 3 vessels treated, ≥3 stents implanted, ≥3 lesions treated, bifurcation with 2 stents implanted, total stent length >60 mm, treatment of chronic total occlusion, unprotected left main PCI, in-stent restenosis target lesion, and severely calcified lesion. The primary ischemic endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, definite/probable stent thrombosis, and target lesion revascularization), and primary bleeding endpoint was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Results: The median duration of follow-up was 29 months. In adjusted Cox regression analysis, patients having complex PCI procedures experienced higher risks of MACE (hazard ratio (HR): 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38-1.92; P < 0.001), compared with noncomplex PCI. In contrast, the risk of clinically relevant bleeding was statistically similar between the 2 groups (HR: 0.86 [0.66-1.11]; P = 0.238). There was no statistical interaction between HBR (PARIS bleeding score ≥8 or <8) and complex PCI in regard to MACE (adjusted P interaction = 0.388) and clinically relevant bleeding (adjusted P interaction = 0.279). Conclusions: Patients who had undergone complex PCI resulted in substantially more ischemic events, without an increase in clinically relevant bleeding risk, and these associations did not seem to be modified by HBR status. More intensified antiplatelet therapy may be beneficial for patients with complex percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures.

Two-Year Outcomes after Left Main Coronary Artery Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients Presenting with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: We aim to evaluate long-term outcomes after left main coronary artery (LMCA) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND: PCI of the LMCA has been an acceptable revascularization strategy in stable coronary artery disease. However, limited studies on long-term clinical outcomes of LMCA PCI in ACS patients are available. METHODS: A total of 6429 consecutive patients with ACS undergoing PCI in Fuwai Hospital in 2013 were enrolled. Patients are divided into LMCA group and Non-LMCA group according to whether the target lesion was located in LMCA. Prognosis impact on 2-year major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) is analyzed. RESULTS: 155 (2.4%) patients had target lesion in LMCA, while 6274 (97.6%) patients belong to the non-LMCA group. Compared with non-LMCA patients, LMCA patients have generally more comorbidities and worse baseline conditions. Two-year follow-up reveals that LMCA patients have significantly higher rate of cardiac death (2.6% vs. 0.7%, p = 0.034), myocardial infarction (7.1% vs. 1.8%, p < 0.001), in-stent thrombosis (4.5% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.001), and stroke (7.1% vs. 6.4%, p = 0.025). After adjusting for confounding factors, LMCA remains independently associated with higher 2-year myocardial infarction rate (HR = 2.585, 95% CI = 1.243-5.347, p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: LMCA-targeted PCI is an independent risk factor for 2-year myocardial infarction in ACS patients.

Differential Diagnosis, Clinical Characteristics, and Interventions of Braid-Like Coronary Artery: Case Series Analysis Based on Optical Coherence Tomography.

AIM: Based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), we aimed to determine the diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and interventions of braid-like coronary arteries, which are rare and tend to be diagnosed as a woven coronary artery (WCA) anomaly. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified braid-like lesions on coronary angiography (CAG) in 7 patients (6 men; median age 47 years; age range 26 to 57 years). All patients were heavy smokers. Four patients were diagnosed with an old myocardial infarction and the other 3 with unstable angina. The braid-like lesions were located in the left anterior descending arteries in 2 patients and in the right coronary arteries in the other 5. TIMI grade 2 flow was observed in all involved vessels. OCT findings of all lesions were consistent with recanalization of organized thrombi, which consisted of septa that divided the lumen into multiple small cavities communicating with each other. No separate three-layered structure could be defined. Based on the significance of the stenosis and its related symptoms, drug-eluting stents were implanted in all of the lesions. All patients experienced symptomatic improvement after the intervention and were followed up event-free for 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Braid-like coronary arteries are likely to undergo recanalization of organized thrombi rather than WCA according to our OCT findings. The majority of cases affect men who smoke heavily. Percutaneous stent implantation may be beneficial in selected patients when feasible.

Apolipoprotein B/A-I Ratio Predicts Lesion Severity and Clinical Outcomes in Diabetic Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia plays a crucial role in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Paucity of data is available concerning the effect of apolipoprotein (apo) B/A-I ratio on the severity and outcomes in diabetic patients with ACS. This study investigated these associations in a Chinese cohort undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.Methods and Results:In 2013, a total of 2,563 diabetic patients concomitant with ACS were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the apoB/apoA-I ratio on admission: <0.63 (n=1,279, 49.9%) and ≥0.63 (n=1,284, 50.1%). Angiographic complexity and severity were determined by SYNTAX score (SS). A higher apo ratio was significantly associated with higher proportions of acute myocardial infarction (MI) and intermediate-high SS. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the apo ratio was an independent factor of complicated lesions (OR 1.341, 95% confidence interval 1.039-1.730, P=0.024). Moreover, consistent results were found in the subgroups of normal concentrations of conventional lipid parameters. During a median follow-up period of 878 days, significant differences were found in periprocedural MI (1.0% vs. 2.2%, P=0.019) and total events of MI (2.0% vs. 3.3%, P=0.028). After adjusting for confounders, a high apo ratio remained independently predictive of MI, the risk of which was doubled during the periprocedural period and in the long term. CONCLUSIONS: The ApoB/apoA-I ratio is an independent predictor for complicated lesions and future MI in patients with diabetes and ACS.

Contribution of ESC DAPT guideline-endorsed high thrombotic risk features to long-term clinical outcomes among patients with and without high bleeding risk after PCI.

BACKGROUND: Whether the underlying risk of high bleeding risk (HBR) influences the relationship of high thrombotic risk (HTR) features with adverse events after drug-eluting stent implantation remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate (1) the prognostic effect of ESC guideline-endorsed HTR features on long-term clinical outcomes and (2) whether the outcomes of HTR versus non-HTR features vary by HBR status. METHODS: Ten thousand one hundred sixty-seven consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention between January 2013 and December 2013 were prospectively enrolled in Fuwai PCI Registry. Patients who are at HTR were defined as: diffuse multivessel disease in diabetic patients, chronic kidney disease, at least three stents implanted, at least three stents lesions treated, bifurcation with two stents implanted, total stent length > 60 mm, or treatment of chronic total occlusion. The definition of HBR was based on the Academic Research Consortium for HBR criteria. The primary ischemic outcome was major adverse cardiac event (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization and stent thrombosis. The primary bleeding outcome was clinically relevant bleeding, defined according to Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2, 3 or 5 bleeding. RESULTS: With a 2.4-year median follow-up, 4430 patients (43.6%) having HTR experienced a significantly higher risk of MACE (hazard ratio [HR] adjust: 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34-1.82; P < 0.001) and device-oriented composite endpoint (composite of cardiac death, target-vessel MI, and target lesion revascularization) (HRadjust: 1.52 [1.27-1.83]; P < 0.001), compared to those having non-HTR. The risk of clinically relevant bleeding did not differ between groups (HRadjust: 0.85 [0.66-1.08]; P = 0.174). Associations between HTR and adverse events were similar in HBR and non-HBR groups, without evidence of interaction (all Pinteraction > 0.05); however, adverse event rates were highest among subjects with both HTR and HBR. CONCLUSIONS: ESC guideline-endorsed HTR was associated with significantly increased risk of MACE without any significant differences in clinically relevant bleeding. The presence of HBR does not emerge as a modifier of cardiovascular risk for patients at HTR, suggesting more potent and longer antiplatelet therapy may be beneficial for this patient population.

Lipoprotein(a) levels are associated with coronary severity but not with outcomes in Chinese patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The association between lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease is of great interest but still controversial. This study sought to investigate the impact of Lp(a) on coronary severity and long-term outcomes of patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 6714 consecutive patients who received PCI were enrolled to analyze the association between Lp(a) and coronary severity and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Patients were divided into tertiles according to Lp(a) levels on admission. Coronary severity was evaluated by SYNTAX scoring system. The MACCE included recurrent myocardial infarction, unplanned target vessel revascularization, stent thrombosis, ischemic stroke and all-cause mortality. Significantly, Lp(a) levels were positively associated with coronary severity (p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed Lp(a) was an independent predictor of intermediate to high SYNTAX score. During an average of 874 days follow-up, 755 patients presented with MACCE (11.25%) were reported. The incidence rates of MACCE, all-cause mortality, cardiac death, target vessel revascularization, recurrent myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, stroke and bleeding were not statistically different among the Lp(a) tertile groups. Furthermore, both Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses found no relationship between Lp(a) and cardiovascular outcomes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Lp(a) is an independent predictor of the prevalence of more complex coronary artery lesions (SYNTAX score ≥ 23) in patients with PCI. In addition, our study has shown that Lp(a) has no relationship with long-term cardiovascular outcomes in Chinese patients with PCI.

Effect of prior stroke on long-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions in Chinese patients: A large single-center study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of prior stroke on long-term outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). BACKGROUND: Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and prior stroke history have more serious clinical and angiographic conditions, which make the choice of treatment strategy complex. METHODS: A total of 10,724 consecutive patients who underwent PCI from January 2013 to December 2013 were enrolled. 2-Year clinical outcomes between patients with prior stroke (n = 1150) and those with no prior stroke (n =9574) were compared. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with prior stroke was 10.72%. These patients had higher clinical risks (age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors) and more extensive coronary disease (higher pre-PCI and residual SYNTAX scores). During the 2-year follow-up, patients with prior stroke had a higher incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), all-cause death, stent thrombosis and stroke than those without prior stroke (14.3% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.02; 2.3% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.01; 1.6% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.01; 3.3% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.01, respectively). Multivariable regression analyses identified a positive association between prior stroke and risk of stroke (HR = 2.07, 95%CI: 1.35-3.19, p < 0.01). Propensity score matched analyses (962 pairs) indicated that the only primary end point that differed in incidence between the groups was stroke and prior stroke was the only independent predictor of stroke (HR = 2.31, 95%CI: 1.20-4.45, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Prior stroke history was the only predictor of risk of post-PCI stroke. The noncerebrovascular adverse events were not increased after adjusted analyses of baseline characteristics and propensity analyses.

Platelet reactivity in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

This study aimed to evaluate the platelet reactivity in real-world patients with different chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to examine whether high residual platelet reactivity (HRPR) is associated with higher incidence of adverse cardiovascular events in a 2-year follow up. A total of 10 724 consecutive patients receiving DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel after PCI throughout 2013 were enrolled. We applied modified thromboelastography (mTEG) in 6745 patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional regression analysis were applied to illustrate end points for patients. The prevalence of HRPR for adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was higher in patients with CKD3-5 than patients with CKD1-2 (47.0% vs. 37.3%, p = 0.002), but not for arachidonic acid (AA). No significant difference was observed for MACCE between patients with or without HRPR for ADP (HR 1.004, 95%CI: 0.864-1.167, p = 0.954). Patients with HRPR for ADP was associated with less bleeding events than patients without HRPR for ADP (HR 0.795, 95%CI: 0.643-0.982, p = 0.034). In this large cohort of real-world patients after PCI, the deterioration of renal function was linked to HRPR for ADP. HRPR was not associated with MACCE in patients with CKD in a 2-year follow up. Bleeding risks were significantly lower in PCI patients with versus without HRPR for ADP.

Rationale and design of the DEAR-OLD trial: Randomized evaluation of routinely Deferred versus EARly invasive strategy in elderly patients of 75 years or OLDer with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Comparing with conservative strategy, early invasive approach has been shown to be beneficial for initially stabilized patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). However, concerns of increased risk of bleeding and other complications associated with early revascularization in patients aged ≥75 years persist. A routinely deferred invasive strategy aiming to facilitate revascularization after stabilizing the culprit lesion predominates across China. AIM: The aim was to compare efficacy and safety of deferred invasive strategy versus guideline-recommended early invasive strategy in initially stabilized Chinese patients aged ≥75 years with NSTEMI. METHODS: Twenty qualified centers from 10 different provinces throughout mainland China will contribute to the study. Eligible patients will be central randomized to a routine deferred invasive approach or an early invasive approach (coronary angiography >72 hours or <24 hours of admission and appropriate revascularization). Patients meeting the inclusion criteria but not randomized for any reason will be registered. The primary end point of the present study is a composite of all-cause mortality, nonlethal (re) MI, ischemic stroke, and urgent revascularization at 1 year. Noninferiority design is used, and the inferiority margin was set to be 5%. The goal is to enroll 696 patients with expected primary end point rates of 30%, 2-tailed α of .05, power of 80%, and dropout rate of 5%. CONCLUSIONS: The DEAR-OLD trial is a prospective, nationwide, multicenter, noninferiority-designed, open-label randomized clinical trial evaluating efficacy and safety of routinely deferred invasive strategy compared with early invasive strategy in Chinese elderly patients with NSTEMI.

Biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents versus second-generation drug-eluting stents in patients with and without diabetes mellitus: a single-center study.

BACKGROUND: To improve outcomes in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention remain an unmet clinical need. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of G2-DESs and BP-DESs in patients with and without DM in a single center in China. METHODS: A total of 7666 consecutive patients who exclusively had G2-DES or BP-DES implantation throughout 2013 in our center were studied. The primary efficacy endpoint was any target lesion revascularization (TLR), whereas the primary safety endpoint was a composite of death or myocardial infarction (MI) at 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: G2-DESs had a similar occurrence of death, non-fatal MI, TLR, stroke, and stent thrombosis compared with BP-DESs in patients with DM (all P > 0.05). The incidence of TVR and TLR was lower for G2-DESs than for BP-DESs in patients without DM (3.2% vs. 5.1%, P = 0.002; 2.2% vs. 4.5%, P < 0.001, respectively). Kaplan-Meier analysis also showed better TVR- and TLR-free survival rates for G2-DESs than for BP-DESs in patients without DM. Multivariate analysis showed that a BP-DES was an independent risk factor for TLR (hazard ratio 1.963, 95% confidence interval 1.390-2.772, P < 0.001) in patients without DM, which was not predictive of other components of major adverse cardiac events (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: G2-DESs have better efficacy, represented by a reduced risk of TLR, and similar safety compared with BP-DESs in patients without DM. G2-DESs have similar efficacy and safety compared with BP-DESs in patients with DM at 2-year follow-up.

Clinical outcomes and influencing factors of in-stent restenosis after stenting for symptomatic stenosis of the vertebral V1 segment.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate 30-day and long-term clinical outcomes and influencing factors of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after stenting for symptomatic stenosis of the vertebral V1 segment. METHODS: The clinical and follow-up data of 301 consecutive patients (mean age, 64 ± 8 years; 252 men) with symptomatic V1 stenosis who underwent stenting at the Fuwai Hospital between January 2010 and June 2016 were collected retrospectively. The 30-day and long-term follow-up of stroke and death after stenting and the recurrence of symptoms, ISR, and repeated revascularization were assessed. RESULTS: Technical success was 100%. The mean stenosis of lesions was reduced from 82.8% ± 7.6% to 4.4% ± 4.0% immediately after 312 stents (165 bare-metal stents [BMSs] and 147 drug-eluting stents) were implanted. The overall risk of combined any stroke and death was 1.0% (3/301) within 30 days after stenting. The rates of freedom from any stroke and death were 98.2%, 96.8%, and 91.4% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 2.9 ± 1.5 years, 46 (15.8%) patients developed ISR, of whom 19 (6.5%) were symptomatic. Twenty-two (7.6%) patients with ISR underwent repeated revascularization. The primary and assisted patency rates were 90.0% and 95.4%, 82.6% and 90.3%, and 80.3% and 87.9% at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively. BMS (hazard ratio, 2.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-4.06; P < .05) and diabetes (hazard ratio, 1.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-3.37; P = .04) were independently associated with an increased risk of ISR. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous stent placement for symptomatic V1 stenosis is safe and associated with a good long-term patency rate. BMS and diabetes are independent predictive factors of ISR.