Annual operator volume among patients treated using percutaneous coronary interventions with rotational atherectomy and procedural outcomes: Analysis based on a large national registry.

BACKGROUND: Low operator and institutional volume are associated with poorer procedural and long-term clinical outcomes in the general population of patients treated with percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). AIM: To assess the relationship between operator experience and procedural outcomes of patients treated with PCI and rotational atherectomy (RA). METHODS: Data for conducting the current analysis were obtained from the national registry of percutaneous coronary interventions (ORPKI) maintained in cooperation with the Association of Cardiovascular Interventions (AISN) of the Polish Cardiac Society. The study covers data from January 2014 to December 2020. RESULTS: During the investigated period, there were 162 active CathLabs, at which 747,033 PCI procedures were performed by 851 operators (377 RA operators [44.3%]). Of those, 5188 were PCI with RA procedures; average 30 ± 61 per site/7 years (Me: 3; Q1-Q3: 0-31); 6 ± 18 per operator/7 years (Me: 0; Q1-Q3: 0-3). Considering the number of RA procedures annually performed by individual operators during the analyzed 7 years, the first quartile totaled (Q1: < =2.57), the second (Q2: < =5.57), and the third (Q3: < =11.57), while the fourth quartile was (Q4: > 11.57). The maximum number of procedures was 39.86 annually per operator. We demonstrated, through a nonlinear relationship with annualized operator volume and risk-adjusted, that operators performing more PCI with RA per year (fourth quartile) have a lower number of the overall periprocedural complications (p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: High-volume RA operators are related to lower overall periprocedural complication occurrence in patients treated with RA in comparison to low-volume operators.

6-year results of BiOSS stents in coronary bifurcation treatment.

BACKGROUND: The wide variation in bifurcation anatomy has generated an ongoing search for stents explicitly designed for coronary bifurcations, and to date, results have been underachieved. METHODS: The POLBOS I and POLBOS II were international, multicentre, randomized, open-label, controlled trials. Patients were randomly assigned to BiOSS Expert (in POLBOS I, biodegradable polymer eluting paclitaxel)/BiOSS LIM (in POLBOS II, biodegradable polymer eluting sirolimus) stent implantation or regular drug-eluting stent (rDES) deployment. A provisional T-stenting strategy was the default treatment option. The primary endpoint of this pooled data study was the cumulative rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) consisting of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) and target lesion revascularization (TLR). Telephone follow-up was performed annually up to 72 months. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: POLBOS I-NCT02192840, POLBOS II-NCT02198300). RESULTS: The total study population consisted of 445 patients, 222 patients in the BiOSS group and 223 patients in the rDES group. The follow-up rate was 93.7% in the BiOSS group and 91.9% in the rDES group. At 72 months, there was no significant difference between BiOSS and rDES groups regarding MACE (25.7% vs 25.1%, HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.73-1.52), cardiac death (3.1% vs 4.0%, HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.43-2.34), MI (3.6% vs 4.9%, HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.32-2.89), TLR (18.9% vs 16.1%, HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.75-1.83) and stent thrombosis rates (0.9% vs 0.5%, HR 1.21, 95CI 0.75-2.09). CONCLUSIONS: At the 6-year follow-up, clinically significant clinical events did not differ between BiOSS stents and rDES.

BALLOON AORTIC VALVULOPLASTY WITH VALVER BALLOON CATHETER IN ADULTS WITH SEVERE AORTIC STENOSIS AS A BRIDGE OR PALLIATIVE TREATMENT.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: We aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of performing balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) with Valver balloon catheter (Balton, Poland) in adults with severe aortic stenosis as a bridge or palliative treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: We identified consecutive patients who underwent BAV procedures between May 2019 and March 2020 using Valver balloon catheters. Demographic data, medical history, and clinical characteristics were retrospectively collected in all study patients together with periprocedural data as well as 12-month follow-up data. RESULTS: Results: We included 18 patients. The mean population age was 78.1±8.9 years, and women were 61.1%. The most common co-morbidities were arterial hypertension (88.9%), dyslipidemia (83.3%), and coronary artery disease (72.2%). The baseline mean aortic valve pressure gradient was 49.94±27.02 mmHg and the mean aortic valve area (AVA) was 0.65±0.20 cm2. In all cases, the procedure was performed from the femoral access via the 8F sheath. Two Valver balloon catheter sizes were used 18x40mm (33.3%) and 20x40mm (66.7%). Three periprocedural complications were observed, and none was associated with the Valver balloon catheter per se. The transthoracic echocardiography after the procedure revealed a decrease in the mean pressure gradient of 11.1±8.85 mmHg, and an increase in AVA of 0.21±0.19 cm2. At 12-month follow-up, the mortality rate was 38.9%. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: BAV is a procedure increasingly performed in catheterization laboratories worldwide. This paper confirmed the relative safety of BAV with Valver balloon catheters in the modern era, showing a low incidence of valve and vascular complications.

Safety and efficacy of a sirolimus-eluting coronary stent with ultra-thin strut for treatment of atherosclerotic lesions (TALENT): a prospective multicentre randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Supraflex is a sirolimus-eluting stent with a biodegradable polymer coating and ultra-thin struts. We aimed to compare Supraflex with the standard of care, Xience, an everolimus-eluting stent with a durable polymer coating, regarding clinical outcomes with a randomised trial in an all-comer population. METHODS: We did a prospective, randomised, single-blind, multicentre study (TALENT) across 23 centres in Europe (the Netherlands, Poland, the UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Italy). Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older, had one or more coronary artery stenosis of 50% or greater in a native coronary artery, saphenous venous graft, or arterial bypass conduit, and had a reference vessel diameter of 2·25-4·50 mm. Patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention in an all-comer manner. We randomly assigned patients (1:1) to implantation of either a sirolimus-eluting stent with a biodegradable polymer coating and ultra-thin struts (Supraflex) or an everolimus-eluting stent with a durable polymer coating (Xience). Randomisation was done by local investigators by use of a web-based software with random blocks according to centre. The primary endpoint was a non-inferiority comparison of a device-oriented composite endpoint-cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction, or clinically indicated target lesion revascularisation-between groups at 12 months after the procedure, assessed in an intention-to-treat population. On assumption of 1-year composite endpoint prevalence of 8·3%, a margin of 4·0% was defined for non-inferiority of the Supraflex group compared with the Xience group. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02870140. FINDINGS: Between Oct 21, 2016, and July 3, 2017, 1435 patients with 1046 lesions were randomly assigned to Supraflex, of whom 720 received the index procedure, and 715 patients with 1030 lesions were assigned to Xience, all receiving the index procedure. At 12 months, the primary endpoint had occurred in 35 patients (4·9 %) in the Supraflex group and in 37 patients (5·3%) in the Xience group (absolute difference -0·3% [one-sided 95% upper confidence bound 1·6%], pnon-inferiority<0·0001). Definite or probable stent thrombosis prevalence, a safety indicator, was low in both groups and did not differ between them. INTERPRETATION: The Supraflex stent was non-inferior to the Xience stent for a device-oriented composite clinical endpoint at 12 months in an all-comer population. Supraflex seems a safe and effective alternative drug-eluting stent to other stents in clinical practice. FUNDING: European Cardiovascular Research Institute.

The impact of the extent of side branch disease on outcomes following bifurcation stenting.

OBJECTIVES: To define the impact of side branch (SB) lesion length on clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on bifurcation lesions. BACKGROUND: The role of the SB lesion length remains questionable in PCI planning and its implication on clinical outcome is controversial. METHODS: Data from the retrospective multicenter EBC-P2BiTO registry were analyzed. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction excluding periprocedural, or stent thrombosis at 13 months median follow-up (IQR 11-28). By using propensity scores for inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), the comparison of treatment groups was adjusted to correct for potential confounding. RESULTS: Among 1,252 patients, SB was normal in 489 (39%), diseased in 763 (61%) cases. MACE occurred in 68 patients (5.4%). The optimal discriminant SB lesion length for MACE was ≥10 mm, with an area under the curve of 0.71 (p < .01). The incidence of MACE was higher among patients with SB lesions ≥10 mm (8%) than with normal SB (4.1%) (hazard ratio [HR], 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-5.3; p = .001, IPTW-adjusted) or SB lesions <10 mm (5.1%) (HR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-3.3; p = .048, IPTW-adjusted), being similar between these last two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In bifurcation PCI, SB lesion length ≥ 10 mm identifies patients at higher risk of MACE than those with <10 mm SB lesions and those without SB disease, considering that no differences were observed among these last two groups. Careful planning is mandatory when approaching bifurcations with long SB lesions.

Conservative treatment as a therapeutic option for penetrating aortic ulcer of the aortic arch in a patient with bicuspid aortic valve.

Penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU) is ulceration of an aortic atherosclerotic plaque penetrating through the internal lamina into the media. PAU is a rare condition and occurs in 2% - 7% of acute aortic syndromes (AAS); however, the actual incidence is unknown because of asymptomatic patients. One may treat it conservatively as well as surgically. We present a case of a 54-year-old man, who was admitted to hospital due to the exaggeration of exertional chest pain and persistent headaches. During coronary angiography, the suspicion of PAU was raised. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis. Transesophageal echocardiography showed bicuspid aortic valve with minimal calcification, the dilated ascending aorta, large atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic arch with ulceration (thickness: 5.0 - 5.5mm, diameter: 5 - 6 mm, depth: 3 - 4 mm), without intramural hematoma. Conservative treatment was chosen with uneventful 2-year follow-up. Although surgical management is advocated for patients with PAU type A, we demonstrated that type A PAU can be successfully treated conservatively as well.

An optical coherence tomography study of neointimal morphology and strut coverage at different time intervals from implantation of biodegradable polymer-coated sirolimus-eluting stents.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to capture the evolution of neointima after implantation of a biodegradable polymer-coated, sirolimus-eluting, cobalt-chromium coronary stent system (BP-DES). BACKGROUND: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) suggests that in-stent neointimal morphology influences clinical outcomes after DES implantation. METHODS: Sixty patients treated with single BP-DES implantation were examined by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and OCT at 3, 6, and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: Median late lumen loss by QCA (mm) was 0.04 (IQR 0, 0.08), 0.17 (IQR 0, 0.32), and 0.14 (IQR 0.07, 0.31) at 3, 6, and 12-month follow-up respectively (P = 0.03). OCT cross-section multilevel analysis showed uncovered struts in 3.90%, 1.78%, and 0.02% of struts respectively (P = 0.03). The corresponding malapposition rates were 0.12%, 0.04%, and 0%. Lipid-rich neointima was observed only at 12-month follow-up in one restenotic lesion (0.77% cross-sections) that was accountable for the only target vessel revascularization. The homogeneous pattern was prevalent at all three time points, but its incidence displayed an upward trend (3 months: 59%; 6 months: 71%; 12 months: 88%) despite no difference in neointimal volume between 6 and 12 months. Conversely, a trend could be observed of decreasing incidence of heterogeneous pattern as the follow-up length increased. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of a single-type BP-DES, the majority of stent struts were covered within 3 months from implantation. While the quantitative neointimal accumulation plateaued at 6 months with no further significant increase beyond 6 months, the neointima continued to evolve qualitatively and mature along with better strut coverage between 6 and 12 months after implantation.

The effects of types of guidewires and pressure applied during stent implantation in the main vessel on the incidence of damage to coronary guidewires during angioplasty of coronary bifurcation lesions-Wide Beast study.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the impact of stent inflation pressure and type of guidewire on "jailed" coronary guidewire damage occurring during bifurcation angioplasty. BACKGROUND: Despite new techniques and treatment options during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) we still observe peri- and postoperative complications for to various known and unknown reasons. METHODS: Patients undergoing PCI within the coronary bifurcation were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Pilot 50 or BMW guidewire and pressure ≤12 or >12 atm. After PCI each "jailed" guidewire was evaluated under an optical microscope. The Wide Beast Scale (WBS) was developed for the internal purposes of the study and was used for qualitative assessment. Also, the inflation pressure, the patients' characteristics and the technical parameters of the procedure were recorded. RESULTS: The clinical characteristics were similar in all the groups. There was no statistical significance of the degree of damage, rated on the WBS, for either guidewire group with respect to inflation pressure (P = 0.49). The prevalence of guidewire damage was higher in the BMW versus the Pilot 50 group (98.4% vs 67.4% respectively, P = 0.00001) as was the severity of the damage (grades 3 and 4) in BMW versus Pilot 50 (55.6% vs 13.0% respectively, P = 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: The inflation pressure during stent implantation had no impact on "jailed" guidewire damage. The difference in the prevalence of serious damage and total damage number was statistically significant for the BMW guidewire compared to the Pilot50. The BMW guidewire was an independent predictor of the degree of damage to the guidewire.

Platelet distribution width as the prognostic marker in coronary bifurcation treatment.

BACKGROUND: Mean platelet volume (MPV) was proved to be a reliable prognostic factor in cardiac patients. However, platelet distribution width (PDW) was disclosed to be more specific marker of platelet reactivity. The aim of study was to evaluate whether baseline PDW value can predict the outcome in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with drug-eluting stent implantation within coronary bifurcation lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a two-centre observational study, which included patients who underwent PCI within bifurcation lesions between January 2014 and December 2014. Thrombocytopenia below 100 000/µL and STEMI were the exclusion criteria. Analysed data came entirely from in-hospital records and information obtained from the 12-month telephone follow-up. RESULTS: We included 269 patients. Mean PDW value was 13·4 ± 2·5 fL, whereas median was 13 (Q1 < 11·6 fL, Q2 11·6-13 fL, Q3 13-14·8 fL and Q4 > 14·8 fL). We found strong correlation between PDW and MPV (r = 0·96, P < 0·001), but no correlation was revealed between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and PDW (r = 0·003, P = 0·95) as well as RDW and MPV (r = 0·0018, P = 0·98). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve showed that PDW for cutoff 15·8% can predict MACE rate with sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 47% (area under curve - AUC 0·654; P = 0·01). A ROC curve for PDW categorized by 1-year TLR rate was described by optimal cutoff 16·3%, with sensitivity 69% and specificity 54% (AUC 0·697; P = 0·0015). CONCLUSIONS: PDW is an affordable and reliable predictor of 1-year MACE and TLR rate after PCI within coronary bifurcation lesions.

Viral Nucleic Acids in the Serum Are Dependent on Blood Sampling Site in Patients with Clinical Suspicion of Myocarditis.

BACKGROUND: The meaning of viral nucleic acids in the myocardium in many cases is difficult for clinical interpretation, whereas the presence of viral nucleic acids in the serum is a marker of active infection. We determined the diagnostic value of viral nucleic acids in ventricular serum and peripheral serum samples in comparison with endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) specimens in patients with clinically suspected myocarditis. METHODS: The viral nucleic acid evaluation was performed in serum samples and EMB specimens by real-time PCR in 70 patients (age: 47 ± 16 years). The biopsy specimens were examined by histo- and immunohistochemistry to detect inflammatory response. RESULTS: The viral nucleic acids were detected in ventricular and peripheral serum, and EMB samples of 10 (14%), 14 (20%), and 32 (46%) patients, respectively. Notably, viral nucleic acids of the same virus as in the EMB sample were present more often in ventricular than in peripheral serum (60 vs. 7%, p = 0.01). A significant concurrence was observed between the positive and the negative results of viral nucleic acids present in EMB and ventricular serum (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The detection of the same viral nucleic acid type in the myocardium and in ventricular serum being significantly more frequent than in the peripheral serum may suggest that the site of the blood collection is important for more precise and reliable confirmation of the active viral replication in the heart.

First-in-man study of dedicated bifurcation sirolimus-eluting stent: 12-month results of BiOSS LIM® Registry.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to assess the effectiveness and safety profile of a new dedicated bifurcation stent - sirolimus-eluting BiOSS LIM® (Balton, Poland) in 12-month Registry. BACKGROUND: The optimal approach to coronary bifurcations treatment by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been still a subject of debate. Dedicated bifurcation stents are one of the proposed solutions. METHODS: This was the international, 3-center registry, which enrolled patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) and stable angina. Provisional T-stenting was the obligatory strategy of the treatment. Angiographic control was planned at 12 months. The primary endpoint was cumulative rate of death, myocardial infarction (MI) and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 12 months. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients with coronary bifurcations were enrolled (mean age 66.4 ± 11 years, 28.3% of female). There were 21.7% of patients with NSTE-ACS, 78.3% with hypertension, 38.3% with diabetes, 28.3% had previous MI, and 46.7% and 10% underwent prior revascularization, respectively, PCI and coronary artery bypass graft. The device success rate was 100%. Side branch was treated with an additional classical drug-eluting stent implantation in 23.3% of cases. At 12 months, the cumulative major adverse cardiovascular events rate was 11.7%. During follow-up (11 ± 1 months) there was 1 non-cardiac death (1.7%), 1 non-ST-elevated myocardial infarction (1.7%) due to restenosis and no case of stroke or in-stent thrombosis. Overall TLR was 8.3% (clinically driven TLR - 1.7%, angiographically driven - 6.6%). Mean late lumen loss was as follows: In main vessel - 0.35 ± 0.33 mm, in main branch - 0.34 ± 0.27 mm and in side branch - 0.18 ± 0.38 mm. CONCLUSION: Dedicated bifurcation stent BiOSS® LIM proved to be feasible device, with promising safety and long-term clinical effectiveness in the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions, including distal left main stem stenosis.

Novel sirolimus-eluting stent Prolim® with a biodegradable polymer in the all-comers population: one year clinical results with quantitative coronary angiography and optical coherence tomography analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and the efficacy of the novel sirolimus-eluting Prolim® stent with a biodegradable polymer in the all-comers population. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled all patients with stable coronary artery disease or acute coronary syndrome treated with Prolim® stent between January and December 2013 in two interventional cardiology centers in Poland. Angiographic control was planned at 12 months, in which 15 % of patients (randomly chosen) underwent optical coherence tomography imaging. The primary end-point was the cumulative rate of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization at 12 months. RESULTS: There were 204 patients enrolled, in whom 238 Prolim® stents were deployed (1.17 stent per patient). The mean age was 68 ± 10 years and 32.8 % were females. The examined stent was implanted in 5.9 % in STEMI patients, in 21.6 % - in NSTE-ACS and in 72.5 % - in patients with stable coronary artery disease. The Prolim® stent was most frequently implanted in right coronary artery (38.2 %) followed by left anterior descending artery (34.0 %). The cumulative major adverse cardiovascular events rate at 12 months was 6.9 %, and the clinically-driven target lesion revascularization rate - 5.4 %. At 12 months in quantitative coronary angiography the late lumen loss was 0.21 ± 0.18 mm, and in optical coherence tomography the mean neointima burden was 24.6 ± 8.6 %. CONCLUSIONS: Sirolimus-eluting Prolim® stent with a biodegradable polymer is a feasible device with a very good safety profile and long-term clinical effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02545985 .

Dedicated bifurcation paclitaxel-eluting stent BiOSS Expert® in the treatment of distal left main stem stenosis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess prospectively the effectiveness and safety profile of distal left main stem (LMS) stenosis treatment with dedicated bifurcation paclitaxel-eluting stent BiOSS Expert®. BACKGROUND: Angioplasty of distal LMS stenosis is always a high-risk procedure, and optimal treatment is uncertain. METHODS: This was a prospective international 2-center study, which enrolled patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) or stable angina with distal left main stenosis. All patients were treated with the dedicated bifurcation stent BiOSS Expert®. Provisional T-stenting was the obligatory strategy. Angiographic control was performed after 12 months. The primary end-point was cumulative rate of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 12 months. Angiographic end-points included late lumen loss, percent diameter stenosis, and binary restenosis rate. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients with distal LMS stenosis were enrolled. Seven patients (13%) were enrolled during NSTE-ACS, 77.8% were hypertensive, 27.8% were diabetic, 51.9% had previous MI, 53.7% underwent prior percutaneous coronary intervention, and 16.7% coronary artery bypass graft. The mean SYNTAX score was 21.52 ± 6.50. The device success rate was 100%. The mean BiOSS Expert stent parameters were as follows: 4.07 ± 0.26 mm × 3.36 ± 0.26 mm × 16.61 ± 1.72 mm and in side branch the other stent (classical drug-eluting stent) was implanted in 25.9% of cases. The overall TLR was 9.3%. There were no death, stent thrombosis, or acute MI. In the univariate regression analysis, the only factor associated with higher risk for TLR was the SYNTAX score value. CONCLUSIONS: The dedicated bifurcation stent BiOSS Expert® proved to be a feasible device, with promising safety and long-term clinical effectiveness in the treatment of distal LMS stenosis.

Percutaneous Coronary Interventions with Sirolimus-Eluting Alex Plus Stents in Patients with or without Diabetes: 4-Year Results.

We characterized the performance, as well as the safety, of a second-generation thin-strut sirolimus-eluting stent with a biodegradable polymer, Alex Plus (Balton, Poland), implanted in patients with type 2 diabetes (DM) with a 4-year follow-up. We defined the primary endpoint as the 48-month rate of major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE), including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target lesion revascularization (TLR). The secondary endpoints were all-cause death, cardiac death, MI, and TLR rates at 12, 24, 36, and 48 months. We enrolled 232 patients in whom 282 stents were implanted, including 97 DM and 135 non-DM patients. The mean age of the DM patients was 69.5 ± 10.1 years and females accounted for 30% of the patients. DM patients had higher rates of arterial hypertension (97% vs. 88%, p = 0.016), dyslipidemia (86% vs. 70%, p = 0.005), prior MI (61% vs. 40%, p = 0.002), prior PCI (65% vs. 50%, p = 0.020), and prior CABG (14% vs. 5.9%, p = 0.029). We recorded statistically significant differences for MACE (HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.01-3.41, p = 0.046), cardiac death (HR 4.46, 95% CI 1.44-13.8, p = 0.010), and MI (HR 3.17, 95% CI 1.10-9.12, p = 0.033), but not for TLR, between DM and non-DM patients in terms of the analyzed endpoints at 4 years. Our study showed that Alex Plus was efficient and safe in a contemporary cohort of real-world DM patients undergoing percutaneous revascularization.

The Randomized, Multicenter, Open-Label, Controlled POLBOS 3 Trial Comparing Regular Drug-Eluting Stents and the Sirolimus-Eluting BiOSS LIM C Dedicated Coronary Bifurcation Stent: Four-Year Results.

This multicenter, randomized study aimed to compare the sirolimus-eluting BiOSS LIM C dedicated coronary bifurcation stent with second-generation -limus drug-eluting stents (rDESs) in the treatment of non-left main (non-LM) coronary bifurcation. The deployment of a single stent in the main vessel-main branch across a side branch was the default strategy in all patients. The primary endpoint was the rate of major cardiovascular events (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization) at 48 months. We enrolled 230 patients, allocating 116 patients to the BiOSS LIM C group and 114 patients to the rDES group. Most procedures were elective (BiOSS vs. rDES: 48.3% vs. 59.6%, p = 0.09) and performed in bifurcations within the left anterior descending/diagonal branch (BiOSS vs. rDES: 51.7% vs. 61.4%, p = 0.15). At 48 months, there were no statistically significant differences between the BiOSS and rDES groups in terms of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target lesion revascularization (TLR) as follows: MACEs-18.1% vs. 14.9%, HR 1.36, 95% CI 0.62-2.22, and p = 0.33; cardiac death-4.3% vs. 3.5%, HR 1.23, 95% CI 0.33-4.56, and p = 0.75; MI-2.6% vs. 3.5%, HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.17-3.23, and p = 0.68; and TLR-11.2% vs. 7.9%, HR 1.66, 95% CI 0.75-3.71, and p = 0.21. The implantation success rate of the BiOSS LIM C stent was very high, and the cumulative MACE rates were promising. The POLBOS 3 trial sets an important benchmark for treating non-LM coronary bifurcations (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03548272).

Side branch predilatation during percutaneous coronary bifurcation intervention: Long-term mortality analysis.

BACKGROUND: Side branch predilatation (SBPD) during coronary bifurcation interventions is a technique that is not recommended by the latest guidelines. However, the data about the clinical outcomes after SBPD are surprisingly few. AIMS: The current study aimed to explore the association between SBPD and mortality in long-term follow-up. METHODS: All patients with coronary bifurcation stenoses revascularized with percutaneous coronary intervention were included in a prospective registry. Patients with stable angina and a bifurcation lesion with ≥50% diameter stenosis were included in the current analysis. Patients were assigned to two groups - those with SBPD(+) and those without SBPD(-). Propensity score matching was performed to equalize the risk factors and severity of coronary artery disease between the groups. A Kaplan-Meier analysis with a log-rank test for between-group differences was also performed. RESULTS: From January 2013 to June 2021, 813 patients were included in the final study population. The mean age was 67 (10) years. After propensity score matching, 648 patients remained for analysis - 324 in each group. At a median follow-up of 57 months patients in the SBPD(+) group had a higher all-cause mortality (n = 107 (33%) vs. n = 98 [30.2%]; P = 0.045) and cardiovascular mortality (n = 82 [25.3%] vs. n = 70 [21.6%]; P = 0.03) when compared with SBPD(-) patients. SBPD was independently associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSION: SBPD treatment of coronary bifurcation stenoses is associated with worse patient survival in the follow-up of up to 8 years. SBPD treatment gives better angiographic results, but this did not translate into better clinical outcomes.

Twelve-month clinical results from the new cobalt-chromium sirolimus-eluting dedicated bifurcation stent BiOSS LIM C Registry.

Introduction: Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in bifurcations are still challenging and are associated with higher risks of periprocedural complications as well as restenosis and stent thrombosis. The aim of this paper was to summarize 12 months of clinical results of the prospective, first-in-man registry assessing the BiOSS LIM C stent (Balton, Poland). Material and methods: In the prospective two-center registry we enrolled patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) and stable coronary artery disease. Provisional T-stenting was the default treatment strategy. The primary endpoint was defined as the rate of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) and clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) in 12-month follow-up. Results: The study population consisted of 95 patients (mean age: 66.8 ±9.8 years, 17.9% were females). A BiOSS LIM C stent was implanted in the left main (LM) in 53 (55.8%) cases. There were 25.2% of patients with NSTE-ACS, 33.7% with diabetes, 90.5% with hypertension, and 53.7% had previous MI. The device success rate was 100%. An additional regular drug-eluting stent was deployed in the side branch in 18.9% of cases. Proximal optimization technique and final kissing balloon (FKB) technique were used in 53.7% and 30.5% of cases, respectively. MI type 4a was registered in 4 (4.2%) cases. At 12 months the MACE rate was 9.5%, cardiac death 1.1%, MI 2.1% and clinically driven TLR 6.3%. All incidents, apart from one TLR, appeared in the LM subgroup. Conclusions: Our registry might suggest that PCI using the BiOSS LIM C in coronary bifurcations is feasible and might be an option for percutaneous revascularization.

48-Month Clinical Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in an All-Comers Population with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Chronic Coronary Syndrome Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with a Sirolimus-Eluting Stent.

We characterized the performance as well as safety of a second-generation thin-strut sirolimus-eluting stent with a biodegradable polymer, Alex Plus (Balton, Poland), deployed in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) setting. We enrolled patients who were subjected to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between July 2015 and March 2016 and took into consideration demographics, clinical and laboratory data, and clinical outcomes. We defined the primary endpoint as the 48-month rate of major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE), including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target lesion revascularization (TLR). The secondary endpoints were all-cause death, cardiac death, MI, and TLR rates at 12-, 24-, 36-, and 48 months. We enrolled 232 patients in whom 282 stents were implanted, including 88 ACS and 144 chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) patients. The mean age of the ACS population was 67 ± 13 years old, and 32% of it consisted of females. Patients with ACS were characterized by lower rates of arterial hypertension (85.2% vs. 95.8%, p = 0.004), dyslipidemia (67% vs. 81.9%, p = 0.01), prior MI (34.1% vs. 57.6%, p < 0.001), and prior PCI (35.2% vs. 68.8%, p < 0.001). At 48 months, among the ACS patients, the rates of MACE, death, cardiac death, MI, and TLR were 23.9%, 11.4%, 7.9%, 9.1%, and 10.2%, respectively. No stent thrombosis cases were reported. Multivariable Cox regression revealed that the statistically significant MACE predictors were massive calcifications in coronary arteries (HR 9.0, 95% CI 1.75-46.3, p = 0.009), post-dilatation (HR 3.78, 95% CI 1.28-11.2, p = 0.016), prior CABG (HR 6.64, 95% CI 1.62-27.1, p = 0.008), vitamin K antagonist use (HR 5.99, 95% CI 1.29-27.8, p = 0.022), and rivaroxaban use (HR 51.7, 95% CI 4.48-596, p = 0.002). The study findings show that Alex Plus was effective and safe in a contemporary cohort of real-world ACS patients undergoing primary PCI. The outcomes were comparable between the ACS and chronic coronary syndrome patients, with a trend of lower TLR in ACS patients at 4 years.

Clinical Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in Complex, High-Risk Indicated Procedure (CHIP) and High-Bleeding-Risk (HBR) Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Sirolimus-Eluting Stent Implantation: 4-Year Results.

We aimed to characterize the performance and safety of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in complex, high-risk indicated procedure (CHIP) and high-bleeding-risk (HBR) patients at a 4-year follow up. We included all consecutive patients who underwent PCI with the sirolimus-eluting coronary stent Alex Plus (Balton, Poland) between July 2015 and March 2016. We analyzed various baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and clinical outcomes. We enrolled 232 patients in whom 282 stents were implanted, including 81 patients meeting the CHIP criteria and 76 patients meeting the HBR criteria. In the whole population, the mean age was 68 ± 11 years, and 23.7% were females. Most procedures were performed from radial access (83.2%) using a 6F guiding catheter (95.7%). The lesions were mostly predilated (61.6%), and postdilatation was performed in 37.9%. The device success was 99.6% (in one case, a second stent was required due to heavy calcifications). Additional stents were deployed in 39% of cases due to edge dissection (6.9%), side branch stenting (5.2%), or diffuse disease (26.9%). Myocardial infarction (MI) type 4a was revealed in 2.2% of cases. At 4 years, the MACE rates for the whole population and for CHIP and HBR patients were 23.3%, 29.6%, and 27.6%, respectively. CHIP patients had a higher risk of MACEs (29.6% vs. 19.9%, HR 1.69, p = 0.032) and cardiac death (11.1% vs. 4.6%, HR 2.50, p = 0.048). There were no differences for MI (7.4% vs. 6.6%, p = 0.826) and TLR (18.5% vs. 12.6%, p = 0.150). HBR patients were also characterized by a higher risk of MACEs (27.6% vs. 21.2%, HR 1.84, p = 0.049) and cardiac death (17.1% vs. 1.9%, HR 9.61, p < 0.001). There were no differences for MI (7.9% vs. 6.4%, p = 0.669) and TLR (11.8% vs. 16.0%, p = 0.991). PCI in CHIP and HBR patients is feasible with a low rate of periprocedural complications. Nevertheless, CHIP and HBR patients are at a high risk of future adverse events and require strict surveillance to improve outcomes.

The Comparison of Predicting Factors and Outcomes of MINOCA and STEMI Patients in the 5-Year Follow-Up.

The long-term outcomes of patients with myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) are still not well known. This study aimed to compare the characteristics and outcomes between MINOCA and STEMI patients in a 5-year follow-up. Between 2010 and 2015 we identified 3171 coronary angiography procedures performed due to acute coronary syndrome, from which 153 had a working MINOCA diagnosis, and the final diagnosis of MINOCA was ascribed to 112 (5.8%) patients. Additionally, we matched 166 patients with STEMI and obstructive coronary arteries as the reference group. In MINOCA patients (mean age of 63 years), there were more females (60% vs. 26%, p < 0.001), and patients presented most frequently with NSTEMI (83.9%). Patients with MINOCA had more frequent atrial fibrillation (22% vs. 5.4%, p < 0.001) and higher left ventricular ejection fraction (59 ± 10% vs. 54 ± 10%, p < 0.001) compared to STEMI patients. We observed only a trend for a higher rate of MACE in STEMI patients at 5 years (11.6% vs. 18.7%, HR 1.82, 95% CI 0.91-3.63, p = 0.09). In multivariable Cox regression, only beta-blocker use was a protective factor (a trend observed), with HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.10-1.15, p = 0.082 of future MACE. The outcomes of MINOCA and STEMI patients were comparable in the 5-year follow-up.