Ethnic minorities treated with new-generation drug-eluting coronary stents in two European randomised clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Several ethnic minorities have an increased risk of cardiovascular events, but previous European trials that investigated clinical outcome after coronary stenting did not assess the patients' ethnic background. AIMS: To compare ethnic minority and Western European trial participants in terms of both cardiovascular risk profile and 1­year clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS: In the BIO-RESORT and BIONYX randomised trials, which assessed new-generation drug-eluting stents, information on patients' self-reported ethnic background was prospectively collected. Pooled patient-level data of 5803 patients, enrolled in the Netherlands and Belgium, were analysed in this prespecified analysis. The main endpoint was target vessel failure after 1 year. RESULTS: Patients were classified as belonging to an ethnic minority (n = 293, 5%) or of Western European origin (n = 5510, 95%). Follow-up data were available in 5772 of 5803 (99.5%) patients. Ethnic minority patients were younger, less often female, more often current smokers, more often medically treated for diabetes, and more often had a positive family history of coronary artery disease. The main endpoint target vessel failure did not differ between ethnic minority and Western European patients (3.5% vs 4.9%, hazard ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.38-1.33; p = 0.28). There was also no difference in mortality, myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularisation rates. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the unfavourable cardiovascular risk profile of ethnic minority patients, short-term clinical outcome after treatment with contemporary drug-eluting stents was highly similar to that in Western European patients. Further efforts should be made to ensure the enrolment of more ethnic minority patients in future coronary stent trials.

New-generation drug-eluting coronary stents in octogenarians: Patient-level pooled analysis from the TWENTE I-IV trials.

BACKGROUND: Patients aged ≥80 years are often treated with new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES), but data from randomized studies are scarce owing to underrepresentation in most trials. We assessed 1-year clinical outcome of octogenarians treated with new-generation DES versus younger patients. METHODS: We pooled patient-level data of 9,204 participants in the TWENTE, DUTCH PEERS, BIO-RESORT, and BIONYX (TWENTE I-IV) randomized trials. The main clinical end point was target vessel failure (TVF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (MI), or clinically indicated target vessel revascularization. RESULTS: The 671 octogenarian trial participants had significantly more comorbidities. TVF was higher in octogenarians than in 8,533 patients <80 years (7.3% vs 5.3%, hazard ratio [HR]: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.0-1.83, P = .04). The cardiac death rate was higher in octogenarians (3.9% vs 0.8%, P < .001). There was no significant between-group difference in target vessel MI (2.3% vs 2.3%, P = .88) and repeat target vessel revascularization (1.9% vs 2.8%, P = .16). In multivariate analyses, age ≥ 80 years showed no independent association with TVF (adjusted HR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.76-1.42), whereas the risk of cardiac death remained higher in octogenarians (adjusted HR: 3.38, 95% CI: 2.07-5.52, P < .001). In 6,002 trial participants, in whom data on major bleeding were recorded, octogenarians (n = 459) showed a higher major bleeding risk (5.9% vs 1.9%; HR: 3.08, 95% CI: 2.01-4.74, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Octogenarian participants in 4 large-scale randomized DES trials had more comorbidities and a higher incidence of the main end point TVF. Cardiac mortality was higher in octogenarians, whereas there was no increase in MI or target vessel revascularization rates. Treatment of octogenarian patients with new-generation DES appears to be safe and effective.

Three contemporary thin-strut drug-eluting stents implanted in severely calcified coronary lesions of participants in a randomized all-comers trial.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess the 2-year clinical performance of three drug-eluting stents in all-comer patients with severely calcified coronary lesions. BACKGROUND: Severe lesion calcification increases cardiovascular event risk after coronary stenting, but there is a lack of data on the clinical outcome of all-comers with severely calcified lesions who were treated with more recently introduced drug-eluting stents. METHODS: The BIO-RESORT trial (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01674803) randomly assigned 3,514 all-comer patients to biodegradable polymer Synergy everolimus-eluting stents (EES) or Orsiro sirolimus-eluting stents (SES), versus durable polymer Resolute Integrity zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES). In a post hoc analysis, we assessed 783 patients (22.3%) with at least one severely calcified target lesion. RESULTS: At 2-year follow-up (available in 99% of patients), the main composite endpoint target vessel failure occurred in 19/252 (7.6%) of the EES and in 33/265 (12.6%) of the ZES-treated patients (p = .07). Target vessel failure occurred in 24/266 (9.1%) of the SES-treated patients (vs. ZES: p = .21). There was a difference in target vessel revascularization, which was required in EES in 6/252 (2.4%) patients and in ZES in 20/265 (7.7%) patients (p = .01); the target vessel revascularization rate in SES was 9/266 (3.4%, vs. ZES: p = .04). Multivariate analysis showed that implantation of EES, but not SES, was independently associated with lower target vessel revascularization rates than in ZES. CONCLUSIONS: In BIO-RESORT participants with severely calcified target lesions, treatment with EES was associated with a lower 2-year target vessel revascularization rate than treatment with ZES.

Three-year clinical outcome in all-comers with "silent" diabetes, prediabetes, or normoglycemia, treated with contemporary coronary drug-eluting stents: From the BIO-RESORT Silent Diabetes study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with coronary disease may have unknown diabetes or prediabetes. We evaluated 3-year outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with contemporary drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with silent diabetes, prediabetes, and normoglycemia. METHODS: All BIO-RESORT trial (NCT01674803) participants without known diabetes, enrolled at our center, were invited for oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) and measurements of fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). RESULTS: OGTT detected silent diabetes in 68 (6.9%), prediabetes in 132 (13.4%), and normoglycemia in 788 (79.8%) of all 988 study participants. Follow-up was available in 986 (99.8%) patients. The main endpoint target vessel failure (TVF: cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction [MI], or target vessel revascularization) differed between groups (14.8, 9.9, and 5.6%; p = .002), driven by MI during the first 48 hr and by cardiac death (p < .001; p = .026). Between 48 hr and 3-years, there was no significant between-group difference in TVF, target vessel MI, and target vessel revascularization. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that silent diabetes was independently associated with TVF (adjusted HR: 2.52, 95%-CI: 1.26-5.03). An alternative diagnostic approach-HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose-detected silent diabetes and prediabetes in 33 (3.3%) and 217 (22.0%) patients, and normoglycemia in 738 (74.7%); TVF rates were 12.1, 7.9, and 6.0% (p = .23). CONCLUSION: In patients without known diabetes, abnormal glucose metabolism by OGTT was independently associated with higher 3-year TVF rates after PCI with contemporary DES. This difference was driven by periprocedural MI and cardiac death. After the first 48 hr, the rates of TVF, target vessel MI, and target vessel revascularization were low and did not differ significantly between metabolic groups.

Thin composite wire strut, durable polymer-coated (Resolute Onyx) versus ultrathin cobalt-chromium strut, bioresorbable polymer-coated (Orsiro) drug-eluting stents in allcomers with coronary artery disease (BIONYX): an international, single-blind, randomised non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: During the past decade, many patients had zotarolimus-eluting stents implanted, which had circular shape cobalt-chromium struts with limited radiographic visibility. The Resolute Onyx stent was developed to improve visibility while reducing strut thickness, which was achieved by using a novel composite wire with a dense platinum-iridium core and an outer cobalt-chromium layer. We did the first randomised clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of this often-used stent compared with the Orsiro stent, which consists of ultrathin cobalt-chromium struts. METHODS: We did an investigator-initiated, assessor-blinded and patient-blinded, randomised non-inferiority trial in an allcomers population at seven independently monitored centres in Belgium, Israel, and the Netherlands. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older and required percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents. After guide wire passage with or without predilation, members of the catheterisation laboratory team used web-based computer-generated allocation sequences to randomly assign patients (1:1) to either the Resolute Onyx or the Orsiro stent. Randomisation was stratified by sex and diabetes status. Patients and assessors were masked to allocated stents, but treating clinicians were not. The primary endpoint was target vessel failure at 1 year, a composite of cardiac death, target-vessel-related myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularisation, and was assessed by intention to treat (non-inferiority margin 2·5%) on the basis of outcomes adjudicated by an independent event committee. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02508714. FINDINGS: Between Oct 7, 2015, and Dec 23, 2016, 2516 patients were enrolled, 2488 of whom were included in the intention-to-treat analysis (28 withdrawals or screening failures). 1243 participants were assigned to the Resolute Onyx group, and 1245 to the Orsiro group. Overall, 1765 (70·9%) participants presented with acute coronary syndromes and 1275 (51·2%) had myocardial infarctions. 1-year follow-up was available for 2478 (99·6%) patients. The primary endpoint was met by 55 (4·5%) patients in the Resolute Onyx group and 58 (4·7%) in the Orsiro group. Non-inferiority of Resolute Onyx to Orsiro was thus established (absolute risk difference -0·2% [95% CI -1·9 to 1·4]; upper limit of the one-sided 95% CI 1·1%; pnon-inferiority=0·0005). Definite or probable stent thrombosis occurred in one (0·1%) participant in the Resolute Onyx group and nine (0·7%) in the Orsiro group (hazard ratio 0·11 [95% CI 0·01-0·87]; p=0·0112). INTERPRETATION: The Resolute Onyx stent was non-inferior to Orsiro for a combined safety and efficacy endpoint at 1-year follow-up in allcomers. The low event rate in both groups suggests that both stents are safe, and the very low rate of stent thrombosis in the Resolute Onyx group warrants further clinical investigation. FUNDING: Biotronik and Medtronic.

Very thin strut biodegradable polymer everolimus-eluting and sirolimus-eluting stents versus durable polymer zotarolimus-eluting stents in allcomers with coronary artery disease (BIO-RESORT): a three-arm, randomised, non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: In patients with coronary artery disease, treated with durable polymer-coated drug-eluting stents, the life-long presence of the polymer might delay arterial healing. Novel very thin strut biodegradable polymer stents, which leave only a bare metal stent after polymer resorption, might improve long-term outcome. We investigated in allcomers the safety and efficacy of three stents eluting either everolimus, sirolimus, or zotarolimus, often clinically used but never compared, of which the biodegradable polymer everolimus-eluting stent was never before assessed in allcomers. METHODS: The large-scale, investigator-initiated, multicentre, assessor and patient blinded, three-arm, randomised, BIO-RESORT non-inferiority trial was done at four clinical sites in the Netherlands. All-comer patients were aged 18 years or older, capable of providing informed consent, and required a percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stent implantation according to clinical guidelines or the operators' judgment. Exclusion criteria were: participation in another randomised drug or device study before reaching the primary endpoint of that study; planned surgery necessitating interruption of dual antiplatelet therapy within the first 6 months; known intolerance to components of the investigational product or medication required; uncertainty about the adherence to follow-up procedures or an assumed life expectancy of less than 1 year; or known pregnancy. Web-based computer-generated allocation sequences randomly assigned patients (1:1:1) to treatment with very thin strut biodegradable polymer everolimus-eluting or sirolimus-eluting stents (which differ substantially in type, amount, distribution, and resorption speed of their respective coating), or thin strut durable polymer zotarolimus-eluting stents. The primary endpoint was a composite of safety (cardiac death or target vessel-related myocardial infarction) and efficacy (target vessel revascularisation) at 12 months of follow up with a very thin strut biodegradable polymer of either everolimus-eluting or sirolimus-eluting stents, compared with durable polymer zotarolimus-eluting stents, analysed by intention to treat (non-inferiority margin 3·5%). This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01674803. FINDINGS: From Dec 21, 2012, to Aug 24, 2015, 3514 patients were enrolled and analysed, of whom 2449 (70%) had acute coronary syndromes, which included 1073 (31%) ST-elevation myocardial infarctions. 12 month follow-up of 3490 (99%) patients (three lost to follow-up; 21 withdrawals) was available. The primary endpoint was met by 55 (5%) of 1172 patients assigned to everolimus-eluting stents, 55 (5%) of 1169 assigned to sirolimus-eluting stents and 63 (5%) of 1173 assigned to zotarolimus-eluting stents. Non-inferiority of the everolimus-eluting stents and sirolimus-eluting stents compared with zotarolimus-eluting stents was confirmed (both -0·7% absolute risk difference, 95% CI -2·4 to 1·1; upper limit of one sided 95% CI 0·8%, pnon-inferiority<0·0001). Definite stent thrombosis (defined by the Academic Research Consortium) occurred in four (0·3%) of 1172 patients who were allocated to everolimus-eluting stents, four (0·3%) of 1169 patients who were allocated to sirolimus-eluting stents, and three (0·3%) of 1173 patients who were allocated to zotarolimus-eluting stents (log-rank p=0·70 for both comparisons with zotarolimus-eluting stents). INTERPRETATION: At 12 month follow-up, both very thin strut drug-eluting stents with dissimilar biodegradable polymer coatings (eluting either everolimus or sirolimus) were non-inferior to the durable polymer stent (eluting zotarolimus) in treating allcomers with a high proportion of patients with acute coronary syndromes. The absence of a loss of 1 year safety and efficacy with the use of these two biodegradable polymer-coated stents is a prerequisite before assessing their potential longer-term benefits. FUNDING: Biotronik, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic.

Three-Year Clinical Outcome of Patients with Coronary Disease and Increased Event Risk Treated with Newer-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents: From the Randomized DUTCH PEERS Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Limited data is available on the long-term outcome of patients with increased cardiovascular event risk, treated with newer-generation durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DES). METHODS: We therefore assessed 3-year follow-up data of high-risk versus low- to intermediate-risk patients of the randomized DUTCH PEERS trial (NCT01331707). In both risk groups we also compared patients treated with Resolute Integrity versus Promus Element DES. Patients were categorized as "high-risk" if they met ≥1 of the following criteria: (1) diabetes (17.9%); (2) previous myocardial infarction (21.9%); (3) previous coronary revascularization (25.8%); (4) chronic renal failure (3.5%); (5) left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30% (1.5%); and (6) age ≥75 years (17.3%). RESULTS: At the 3-year follow-up, the incidence of the composite endpoint target vessel failure (TVF) (13.2 vs. 7.5%; logrank p < 0.001) and 2 of its components - cardiac death (4.7 vs. 1.5%; logrank p < 0.001) and target vessel revascularization (7.3 vs. 4.7%; logrank p = 0.03) - was higher in high-risk (n = 957) versus low- to intermediate-risk patients (n = 854). Among high-risk patients, treatment with Resolute Integrity (n = 481) and Promus Element stents (n = 476) was similarly safe and efficacious (TVF: 13.3 vs. 13.1%; logrank p = 0.95; definite-or-probable stent thrombosis: 1.7 vs. 1.7%; logrank p = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: The newer-generation Resolute Integrity and Promus Element stents showed similar results in terms of safety and efficacy for treating high-risk patients, who had significantly higher event rates than patients with low-to-intermediate risk.

Current MitraClip experience, safety and feasibility in the Netherlands.

PURPOSE: Data on MitraClip procedural safety and efficacy in the Netherlands are scarce. We aim to provide an overview of the Dutch MitraClip experience. METHODS: We pooled anonymised demographic and procedural data of 1151 consecutive MitraClip patients, from 13 Dutch hospitals. Data was collected by product specialists in collaboration with local operators. Effect on mitral regurgitation was intra-procedurally assessed by transoesophageal echocardiography. Technical success and device success were defined according to modified definitions of the Mitral Valve Academic Research Consortium (MVARC). RESULTS: Median age was 76 (interquartile range 69-82) years and 59% were males. Patients presented with ≥moderate mitral regurgitation and a predominance of functional mitral regurgitation (72%). Overall, 611 (53%) patients were treated with one Clip, 486 (42%) with ≥2 Clips and 54 (5%) received no Clip. The number of patients with ≥2 Clips increased from 22% in 2009 to 52% in 2016. Device success and technical success were 91 and 95%, respectively, and were consistent over the years. Significant reduction of mitral regurgitation by MitraClip was achieved in 94% of patients and was observed more often in patients with functional mitral regurgitation (95% vs. 91%, p = 0.025). Device time declined from 145 min in 2009 to 55 min in 2016. CONCLUSION: MitraClip experience in the Netherlands is growing with excellent technical success and device success. Over the years, device time decreased and more patients were treated with ≥2 Clips.

Impact of severe lesion calcification on clinical outcome of patients with stable angina, treated with newer generation permanent polymer-coated drug-eluting stents: A patient-level pooled analysis from TWENTE and DUTCH PEERS (TWENTE II).

BACKGROUND: The outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention with newer generation permanent polymer-coated drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with severely calcified lesions is greatly unknown. We assessed the impact of severe lesion calcification on clinical outcome in patients with stable angina who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with newer generation DES. METHODS: TWENTE and DUTCH PEERS randomized trials enrolled 1423 patients with stable angina, who were categorized into patients with versus without severe target lesion calcification. A patient-level pooled analysis assessed clinical outcome, including target vessel failure (TVF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization (TVR). RESULTS: Patients with severe calcification (n = 342) were older (66.6 ± 9.1 vs 64.2 ± 9.8 years, P < .001) and had more diabetes (25.7% vs 20.4%, P = .04) than other patients (n = 1081). Patients with calcified lesions had higher rates of TVF (16.4% vs 9.8%, pLogrank = .001), cardiac death (4.4% vs 1.5%, P = .03), target vessel myocardial infarction (7.6% vs 3.4%, P = .001), and definite stent thrombosis (1.8% vs 0.4%, P = .02). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that severe calcification was an independent risk factor of 2-year TVF (HR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.02-1.99, pLogrank = .04); landmark analysis showed that this was based on a difference during the first year (periprocedural: 5.8% vs. 3.1%, pLogrank = .02; first year: 7.5% vs. 3.8%, pLogrank = .007; second year: 4.1% vs. 3.3%, pLogrank = .54). CONCLUSION: In patients with stable angina, severe target lesion calcification is associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events following treatment with newer generation permanent polymer-coated DES. This increase in risk is restricted to the first year of follow-up, which is an encouraging finding.

Long-term outcome and chest pain in patients with true versus non-true bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents in the TWENTE trial.

The objective of this study is to assess 3-year clinical outcome of patients with true bifurcation lesions (TBLs) versus non-true bifurcation lesions (non-TBLs) following treatment with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES). TBLs are characterized by the obstruction of both main vessel and side-branch. Limited data are available on long-term clinical outcome following TBL treatment with newer-generation DES. We performed an explorative sub-study of the randomized TWENTE trial among 287 patients who had bifurcated target lesions with side-branches ≥2.0 mm. Patients were categorized into TBL (Medina classes: 1.1.1; 1.0.1; 0.1.1) versus non-TBL to compare long-term clinical outcome. A total of 116 (40.4 %) patients had TBL, while 171 (59.6 %) had non-TBL only. Target-lesion revascularization rates were similar (3.5 vs. 3.5 %; p = 1.0), and definite-or-probable stent thrombosis rates were low (both <1.0 %). The target-vessel myocardial infarction (MI) rate was 11.3 versus 5.3 % (p = 0.06), mostly driven by (periprocedural) MI ≤48 h from PCI. All-cause mortality and cardiac death rates were 8.7 versus 3.5 % (p = 0.06) and 3.5 versus 1.2 % (p = 0.22), respectively. The 3-year major adverse cardiac event rate for patients with TBL versus non-TBL was 20.0 versus 11.7 % (p = 0.05). At 1-, 2-, and 3-year follow-up, 6.5, 13.0, and 11.0 % of patients reported chest pain at less than or equal moderate physical effort, respectively, without any between-group difference. Patients treated with second-generation DES for TBL had somewhat higher adverse event rates than patients with non-TBL, but dissimilarities did not reach statistical significance. Up to 3-year follow-up, the vast majority of patients of both groups remained free from chest pain.

Three-year clinical outcome of patients with bifurcation treatment with second-generation Resolute and Xience V stents in the randomized TWENTE trial.

BACKGROUND: Only limited data from large randomized clinical trials have been published on the long-term performance of second-generation drug-eluting stents in bifurcation lesions. METHODS: We investigated in patients in the randomized TWENTE trial the long-term safety and efficacy of treating bifurcation lesions with 2 widely applied second-generation drug-eluting stents, the zotarolimus-eluting Resolute stent (Medtronic Inc, Santa Rosa, CA) and the everolimus-eluting Xience V stent (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA). Three-year follow-up was available in 99.3%. Patients were categorized into treatment for ≥1 bifurcation lesion versus treatment for nonbifurcation lesions only. RESULTS: Among the 1,391 patients of the TWENTE trial, 362 (26%) were treated for bifurcation lesions. At 3-year follow-up, target-vessel failure did not differ between patients treated for bifurcation versus nonbifurcation lesions (13.1% vs 12.6%; P = .84), whereas the periprocedural myocardial infarction rate was higher in patients with bifurcation lesions (6.9% vs 3.1%; P < .01). Of the 362 patients with bifurcation lesion treatment, 179 (49.4%) were treated with Resolute and 183 (50.6%) with Xience V. There was no significant difference in target-vessel failure between the Resolute and Xience V groups with bifurcation treatment (13.6% vs 12.6%; P = .78), and their incidence of definite-or-probable stent thrombosis was low and similar (1.1% vs 0.5%, respectively; P = .62). CONCLUSION: Despite a significant difference in periprocedural myocardial infarction, 3-year clinical outcome after implantation of second-generation stents was favorable and similar for patients with and without bifurcation lesions. In addition, we observed no difference in long-term clinical outcome after bifurcation lesion treatment with Resolute and Xience V stents.

Clinical outcome of patients with implantation of second-generation drug-eluting stents in the right coronary ostium: insights from 2-year follow-up of the TWENTE trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to assess the impact on clinical outcome of right coronary artery (RCA) ostial coverage with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES). BACKGROUND: Treatment of the aorta-ostial (AO) region of the RCA with bare metal stents and first-generation DES has been associated with a higher risk of target-lesion revascularization (TLR). METHODS: Of the 1,391 patients of the prospective TWENTE trial, we identified 321 (23%) with single-vessel RCA treatment, who were categorized into stenting with AO stent coverage (AOC) versus stenting without AOC. The AO region was defined as 3 mm from the aortic orifice. RESULTS: The 67 (20.9%) patients with AOC showed more severe lesion calcifications than the 254 patients without AOC (31.3% vs. 12.6%; P < 0.01). In the AOC group, there was a higher prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and family history of coronary disease (75.4% vs. 61.6%, and 68.7% vs. 53.5%, respectively; P = 0.03). During 2-year follow-up, patients in the AOC group had a higher incidence of TLR (7.5% vs. 1.6%; P = 0.02). Following adjustment for confounders, AOC independently predicted TLR with an adjusted hazard ratio of 4.1 (95% CI: 1.17-14.39; P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: AO treatment of the RCA with second-generation DES is feasible, but our data suggest that stent coverage of the right AO segment remains a predictor of TLR.

Three-year clinical outcome after treatment of chronic total occlusions with second-generation drug-eluting stents in the TWENTE trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare long-term outcome of patients treated for chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions versus patients treated for non-CTO lesions only. BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for CTO lesions generally have a higher adverse event risk than PCI for non-CTO lesions. However, long-term outcome data from prospective studies with second-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) use in CTO lesions is scarce. METHODS: We analyzed in this substudy of the TWENTE trial the data of 674 patients, who had stable angina and were electively treated with second-generation DES (Resolute zotarolimus-eluting or Xience V everolimus-eluting stents). Main outcome parameter was target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (MI), or target lesion revascularization (TLR). RESULTS: Patients with CTO lesions (n = 59, 8.8%) were more often treated for lesions in small vessels (94.9% vs. 63.1%, P < 0.001), long lesions (52.5% vs. 17.7%, P < 0.001) and multiple vessels (42.4% vs. 22.4%, P < 0.001), and were less often males (62.7% vs. 74.6%, P < 0.05) than patients with non-CTO lesions (n = 615, 91.2%). J-CTO scores ≥2 were present in 56% of CTO lesions. Despite significant differences in characteristics of patients, lesions, and interventional procedures, the TLF rate at 3-year follow-up was similar for both groups (13.6% vs. 12.9%, P = 0.89). In addition, a patient-oriented composite endpoint (any death, MI or revascularization) did not differ between groups (18.6% vs. 18.8%, P = 0.97). CONCLUSION: Patients treated with second-generation DES for CTO lesions showed at 3-year follow-up an incidence of adverse clinical events that was low and similar to patients with non-CTO lesions only.

Comparison of 3 biodegradable polymer and durable polymer-based drug-eluting stents in all-comers (BIO-RESORT): rationale and study design of the randomized TWENTE III multicenter trial.

AIM: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 2 novel drug-eluting stents (DES) with biodegradable polymer-based coatings versus a durable coating DES. METHODS AND RESULTS: BIO-RESORT is an investigator-initiated, prospective, patient-blinded, randomized multicenter trial in 3540 Dutch all-comers with various clinical syndromes, requiring percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with DES implantation. Randomization (stratified for diabetes mellitus) is being performed in a 1:1:1 ratio between ORSIRO sirolimus-eluting stent with circumferential biodegradable coating, SYNERGY everolimus-eluting stent with abluminal biodegradable coating, and RESOLUTE INTEGRITY zotarolimus-eluting stent with durable coating. The primary endpoint is the incidence of the composite endpoint target vessel failure at 1 year, consisting of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target vessel revascularization. Power calculation assumes a target vessel failure rate of 8.5% with a 3.5% non-inferiority margin, giving the study a power of 85% (α level .025 adjusted for multiple testing). The impact of diabetes mellitus on post-PCI outcome will be evaluated. The first patient was enrolled on December 21, 2012. CONCLUSIONS: BIO-RESORT is a large, prospective, randomized, multicenter trial with three arms, comparing two DES with biodegradable coatings versus a reference DES with a durable coating in 3540 all-comers. The trial will provide novel insights into the clinical outcome of modern DES and will address the impact of known and so far undetected diabetes mellitus on post-PCI outcome.

Antithrombotic therapy in patients undergoing TAVI: an overview of Dutch hospitals.

PURPOSE: To assess current antithrombotic treatment strategies in the Netherlands in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). METHODS: For every Dutch hospital performing TAVI (n = 14) an interventional cardiologist experienced in performing TAVI was interviewed concerning heparin, aspirin, thienopyridine and oral anticoagulation treatment in patients undergoing TAVI. RESULTS: The response rate was 100 %. In every centre, a protocol for antithrombotic treatment after TAVI was available. Aspirin was prescribed in all centres, concomitant clopidogrel was prescribed 13 of the 14 centres. Duration of concomitant clopidogrel was 3 months in over two-thirds of cases. In 2 centres, duration of concomitant clopidogrel was based upon type of prosthesis: 6 months versus 3 months for supra-annular and intra-annular prostheses, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Leaning on a small basis of evidence and recommendations, the antithrombotic policy for patients undergoing TAVI is highly variable in the Netherlands. As a standardised regimen might further reduce haemorrhagic complications, large randomised clinical trials may help to establish the most appropriate approach.

Invasiveness of previous treatment for peripheral arterial disease and risk of adverse cardiac events after coronary stenting.

Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PADs), undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), have higher adverse event risks. The effect of invasiveness of PADs treatment on PCI outcome is unknown. This study assessed the impact of the invasiveness of previous PADs treatment (invasive or non-invasive) on event risks after PCI with contemporary drug-eluting stents. This post-hoc analysis pooled 3-year patient-level data of PCI all-comer patients living in the eastern Netherlands, previously treated for PADs. PADs included symptomatic atherosclerotic lesion in the lower or upper extremities; carotid or vertebral arteries; mesenteric arteries or aorta. Invasive PADs treatment comprised endarterectomy, bypass surgery, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, stenting or amputation; non-invasive treatment consisted of medication and participation in exercise programs. Primary endpoint was (coronary) target vessel failure: composite of cardiac mortality, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or clinically indicated target vessel revascularization. Of 461 PCI patients with PADs, information on PADs treatment was available in 357 (77.4%) patients; 249 (69.7%) were treated invasively and 108 (30.3%) non-invasively. Baseline and PCI procedural characteristics showed no between-group difference. Invasiveness of PADs treatment was not associated with adverse event risks, including target vessel failure (20.5% vs. 16.0%; HR: 1.30, 95%-CI 0.75-2.26, p = 0.35), major adverse cardiac events (23.3% vs. 20.4%; HR: 1.16, 95%-CI 0.71-1.90, p = 0.55), and all-cause mortality (12.1% vs. 8.3%; HR: 1.48, 95%-CI 0.70-3.13, p = 0.30). In PADs patients participating in PCI trials, we found no significant relation between the invasiveness of previous PADs treatment and 3-year outcome after PCI. Consequently, high-risk PCI patients can be identified by consulting medical records, searching for PADs, irrespective of the invasiveness of PADs treatment.

Ten-year mortality after treating obstructive coronary atherosclerosis with contemporary stents in patients with or without concomitant peripheral arterial disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous studies in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients showed a higher 3-year adverse event risk, including all-cause mortality, in those with concomitant peripheral arterial disease (PADs). Ten-year data of mortality and causes of death are scarce. This analysis assessed PCI patients, treated with contemporary drug-eluting stents, the impact of concomitant PADs on very long-term mortality, and causes of death. METHODS: We assessed PCI all-comers from our center who participated in the TWENTE and DUTCH PEERS trials (clinicaltrials.gov:NCT01066650, NCT01331707), comparing patients with versus without PADs. Life status was checked in the Dutch Personal Records Database; causes of death were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: Of 2705 study patients, 668 (24.7%) died during follow-up: 88/212 (41.5%) patients with PADs and 580/2493 (23.1%) without PADs. In PADs patients, the 10-year rate of all-cause mortality was about twice as high as in patients without PADs (41.5% vs.23.1%, HR: 2.05, 95%-CI: 1.64-2.57, p<0.001). For both groups, the rates of patients dying from various causes of death were: cardiac (14.1% vs.6.8%), vascular (2.8% vs. 1.1%), non-cardiovascular (17.4% vs. 9.8%), and unclear causes (7.1% vs. 5.3%), without a statistically significant between-group difference. When multivariate analysis was adjusted for between-group differences in cardiovascular risk profile, PADs remained predictor of all-cause mortality (adjusted HR: 1.38, 95%-CI: 1.08-1.75, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The 10-year all-cause mortality rate in PCI patients with concomitant PADs was almost twice as high as in those without PADs. Age and other traditional cardiovascular risk factors were higher in patients with PADs, but after correction for these confounders PADs still accounted for almost 40% increase in mortality.

Women treated with second-generation zotarolimus-eluting resolute stents and everolimus-eluting xience V stents: insights from the gender-stratified, randomized, controlled TWENTE trial.

BACKGROUND: Women are underrepresented in clinical research, and few data are available from randomized head-to-head comparisons of second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) in female patients. Aim of this study was to assess safety and efficacy of two second-generation DES in women. In TWENTE-a prospective, randomized, comparative DES trial-"real-world" patients were stratified for gender before randomization for Resolute or Xience V stents. METHODS: Target vessel failure (TVF; cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and clinically indicated target vessel revascularization) after 1 year was the predefined endpoint. RESULTS: Among 1,391 patients, 382 (27.5%) women were randomized to Resolute (n = 192) and Xience V (n = 190). Baseline and procedural characteristics were similar for females in both study arms, except for smaller vessel and stent diameters in Resolute-treated lesions. After 1 year, TVF (8.9 vs. 8.4%; adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41-2.20, P = 0.91) and a patient-oriented composite endpoint (13.0 vs. 12.1%, P = 0.79) did not differ significantly between women in both arms. Women were older than men (P < 0.01) and had more often diabetes mellitus (26.4 vs. 19.8%, P = 0.01) and hypertension (63.6 vs. 52.5%, P < 0.01), but there was no significant gender difference in TVF (adjusted OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.73-1.92, P = 0.50). CONCLUSIONS: This gender-stratified TWENTE trial analysis resulted in no significant difference in safety and efficacy outcomes between Resolute- and Xience V-treated females.

Outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention using ultrathin-strut biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting versus thin-strut durable polymer zotarolimus-eluting stents in patients with comorbid peripheral arterial disease: a post-hoc analysis from two randomized trials.

Background: In patients with peripheral arterial disease (PADs), who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), little is known about the potential impact of using different new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) on outcome. In PCI all-comers, the results of most between-stent comparisons-stratified by strut thickness-suggested some advantage of coronary stents with ultrathin-struts. The current post-hoc analysis aimed to assess outcomes of PCI with ultrathin-strut biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stents (BP-SES) vs. thin-strut durable polymer zotarolimus-eluting stents (DP-ZES) in patients with PADs. Methods: We pooled 3-year patient-level data from two large-scale randomized all-comer trials to compare Orsiro ultrathin-strut BP-SES vs. Resolute-type thin-strut DP-ZES in trial participants with concomitant PADs. BIO-RESORT (December 2012 to August 2015) and BIONYX (October 2015 to December 2016) included all-comer patients who were aged 18 years or older, capable of providing informed consent, and required a PCI. The trials had web-based randomization, with block sizes of 4 and 8, performed in a 1:1:1 or 1:1 fashion. Assessors, research staff, and patients were blinded to the type of stent used. We assessed the composite main clinical endpoint target vessel failure [TVF: cardiac death, target vessel related myocardial infarction (MI), or clinically indicated target vessel revascularization (TVR)], its components, and stent thrombosis. Results: Of 4,830 trial participants, 360 had PADs: 177 (49.2%) were treated with BP-SES and 183 (50.8%) with DP-ZES. Baseline characteristics were similar. For BP-SES, the 3-year TVF rate was 11.0% and for DP-ZES 17.9% [hazard ratio (HR): 0.59, 95% CI: 0.33-1.04; P=0.07]. For BP-SES, the TVR rate was lower than for DP-ZES (4.1% vs. 11.0%; HR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.15-0.86; P=0.016), but this did not translate into between-group differences in cardiac death or MI. In small vessels (<2.75 mm), the TVR rate was also lower in BP-SES (5.6% vs. 13.9%; HR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11-0.91; P=0.024). Definite-or-probable stent thrombosis rates were 1.2% and 2.3% (P=0.43). Conclusions: In PCI patients with PADs, the 3-year TVF incidence was numerically lower in the ultrathin-strut BP-SES vs. the thin-strut DP-ZES group. Furthermore, TVR risk was significantly lower in ultrathin-strut BP-SES, mainly driven by a lower TVR rate in small vessels. Trial Registration: BIO-RESORT trial: clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01674803); BIONYX trial: clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02508714).

Incidence of periprocedural myocardial infarction following stent implantation: comparison between first- and second-generation drug-eluting stents.

BACKGROUND: First- and second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) differ in coating materials, which may influence the incidence of periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI). OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of PMI between first- and second-generation DES, using the current Academic Research Consortium (ARC) definition of PMI. METHODS: We assessed 800 patients treated with first- (Taxus Liberté or Endeavor) or second-generation DES (Xience V or Resolute). Each DES group consisted of 200 consecutive patients, who were treated during the transition from first- to second-generation DES. Routine peri-interventional assessment of cardiac biomarkers was performed to compare the incidence of PMI between DES groups according to the updated definition by the ARC: 2x upper reference limit of creatine kinase (CK), confirmed by CK-MB elevation. RESULTS: In 800 patients, a total of 1,522 DES (363 Taxus; 385 Endeavor; 382 Xience V; 392 Resolute) were implanted to treat 1,232 lesions. Patient characteristics did not differ between groups. In patients receiving second-generation DES, more multivessel percutaneous coronary interventions were performed (P = 0.01). The overall incidence of PMI was 4.75%. Between first- and second-generation DES, there was no significant difference in PMI (5.5% vs. 4.0%; P = 0.29). In a multivariate analysis, only the total number of stents implanted (P < 0.001) and presentation with acute coronary syndrome (P = 0.02) were independent predictors of PMI. CONCLUSION: Using the revised ARC definition, we found no significant difference in PMI between first- and second-generation DES. Overall, PMI occurred in 4.75%, which is 58% lower than with use of the historical PMI definition.