Impact of diabetes mellitus and poor glycemic control on the prevalence of left atrial low-voltage areas and rhythm outcome in patients with atrial fibrillation ablation.

INTRODUCTION: Left atrial low-voltage areas (LVAs) are known to be correlated with atrial scarring and atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after ablation. However, the association between LVAs and glycemic status before ablation has not been fully clarified. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations among the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), glycemic control, and the prevalence of LVAs in patients with AF ablation. METHODS: In total, 912 (age, 68 ± 10 years; female, 299 [33%]; persistent AF, 513 [56%]) consecutive patients who underwent initial AF ablation were included. A preprocedure glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥7% was set as the cutoff for poor glycemic control in patients with DM. LVAs were defined as areas with a bipolar voltage of <0.5 mV covering ≥5 cm2 of left atrium. RESULTS: LVAs existed in 208 (23%) patients, and 168 (18%) patients had DM. LVAs were found more frequently in patients with DM and poor glycemic control. On multivariate analysis, DM with HbA1c ≥7% was an independent predictor of LVAs (odds ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.6-6.7; p = .001). In patients with LVAs, freedom from AF recurrence during the 24-month study period was significantly lower in patients who had DM with HbA1c ≥7% than in those without DM (37.9% vs. 54.7%, p = .02). CONCLUSION: In patients with AF ablation, LVAs were found more frequently in patients with DM and poor glycemic control. DM with HbA1c ≥7% was an independent predictor of LVAs.

Two-year real world clinical outcomes after intravascular imaging device guided percutaneous coronary intervention with ultrathin-strut biodegradable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent.

BACKGROUND: There are little clinical data on imaging-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) 1 year after the biodegradable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stents (BP-SES) implantation, when the polymer disappears. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 2455 patients who underwent successful PCI with BP-SES or durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stents (DP-EES) between September 2011 and March 2021, and compared 2-year clinical outcomes of BP-SES (n = 459) with DP-EES (n = 1996). The outcome measures were target lesion revascularization (TLR) and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, and stent thrombosis. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model and inverse probability weighting (IPW) analysis based on the propensity score were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The 2-year cumulative incidences of TLR (BP-SES: 4.9% vs. DP-SES: 6.1%, p = 0.304) and MACE (10.3% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.159) were similar between the two groups. Multivariable and IPW analysis revealed the risks of TLR (p = 0.388 and p = 0.500) and MACE (p = 0.139 and p = 0.083) also had no significant difference. There was a significant interaction between none/mild and moderate/severe calcification with respect to MACE and TLR (adjusted p for interaction = 0.036 and 0.047, respectively). The risk of MACE was significantly lower in BP-SES than in DP-EES in lesions with none/mild calcification (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30-0.91), while it was similar in those with moderate/severe calcification (aHR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.58-1.55). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with DP-EES, BP-SES demonstrated durable 2-year clinical outcomes. However, BP-SES showed better clinical performance than DP-EES for lesions with none/mild calcification.

Impact of Immunosuppressive Therapy on Lead Dislodgement After Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Implantation.

BACKGROUNDS: Lead dislodgement is a severe complication in cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation. Inflammation after CIED implantation results in the development of adhesions between lead and tissues, resulting in the lead becoming fixed in the body. In patients with immunosuppressive therapy, however, adhesion is inhibited by anti-inflammatory effects. However, the association between lead dislodgement and immunosuppressive therapy has not been clarified. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between lead dislodgement and immunosuppressive therapy. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that lead dislodgement more frequently occur in patients with immunosuppressive therapy than those without. METHODS: In total, 651 consecutive patients who underwent CIED implantation or lead addition (age, 76 ± 11 years; and males, 374 [58%], high voltage device, 121 [19%], lead addition 23 [4%]) were retrospectively enrolled. Immunosuppressive therapy was with regular steroids or immunosuppressants. Lead placement was guided by fluoroscopy, and active fixation leads were used. Restraint of the upper limb by chest tape was performed for 1 week after the procedure. Lead dislodgement was defined as a change in lead position and/or lead failure requiring reoperation. RESULTS: Twenty (3.1%) patients received immunosuppressive therapy. Among these, 15 (2.3%) patients regularly took steroids and 8 (1.2%) took immunosuppressants. Lead dislodgement occurred in 10 (1.5%) patients. Lead dislodgement was more frequent in patients with immunosuppressive therapy than in those without (3 [15%] vs. 7 [1%], p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: In patients with CIED implantation or lead addition, lead dislodgement is more frequent in patients with immunosuppressive therapy than in those without.

Early vascular healing of ultra-thin strut polymer-free sirolimus-eluting stents in acute coronary syndrome: USUI-ACS study.

Ultra-thin strut polymer-free sirolimus-eluting stent (UPF-SES) have two novel characteristics, ultra-thin strut and polymer-free coating, which have the potential to achieve early re-endotherialization. However, a little is known whether early vascular healing of UPF-SES can be achieved in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the vascular healing after an implantation of UPF-SES in patients with ACS using optical coherence tomography (OCT) at 3 months after the stent implantation. From September 2020 and January 2021, a total of 31 consecutive patients presenting with ACS who underwent OCT-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and 3 month follow-up OCT examination were enrolled in the USUI-ACS study. The endpoints of this study were neointimal strut coverage, malapposition, and mean neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) thickness at 3 month follow-up. Over a mean follow-up of 91 days after the initial PCI, the follow-up OCT was examined. The median percentage of covered struts was 98.4% and malapposed struts 0%, and the mean NIH thickness was 80 µm. UPF-SES exhibited an excellent early vascular healing at 3 months in patients with ACS.