Implant-based multi-parameter telemonitoring of patients with heart failure and a defibrillator with vs. without cardiac resynchronization therapy option: a subanalysis of the IN-TIME trial.

AIMS: In the IN-TIME trial, automatic daily implant-based multiparameter telemonitoring significantly improved clinical outcomes in patients with chronic systolic heart failure and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). We compared IN-TIME results for ICD and CRT-D subgroups. METHODS: Patients with LVEF ≤ 35%, NYHA class II/III, optimized drug treatment, no permanent atrial fibrillation, and a dual-chamber ICD (n = 274) or CRT-D (n = 390) were randomized 1:1 to telemonitoring or no telemonitoring for 12 months. Primary outcome measure was a composite clinical score, classified as worsened if the patient died or had heart failure-related hospitalization, worse NYHA class, or a worse self-reported overall condition. RESULTS: The prevalence of worsened score at study end was higher in CRT-D than ICD patients (26.4% vs. 18.2%; P = 0.014), as was mortality (7.4% vs. 4.1%; P = 0.069). With telemonitoring, odds ratios (OR) for worsened score and hazard ratios (HR) for mortality were similar in the ICD [OR = 0.55 (P = 0.058), HR = 0.39 (P = 0.17)] and CRT-D [OR = 0.68 (P = 0.10), HR = 0.35 (P = 0.018)] subgroups (insignificant interaction, P = 0.58-0.91). CONCLUSION: Daily multiparameter telemonitoring has a potential to reduce clinical endpoints in patients with chronic systolic heart failure both in ICD and CRT-D subgroups. The absolute benefit seems to be higher in higher-risk populations with worse prognosis.

Acute and long-term results of bifurcation stenting (from the Coroflex Registry).

Angioplasty of bifurcation lesions represents a continuing challenge. A total of 421 consecutive patients were prospectively followed in a registry on bifurcation stenting with a high-end bare metal stent (Coroflex, BBraun, Berlin, Germany), allowing side branch percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty through the stent struts without distraction of the main vessel stent from the vessel wall or other distortions. This approach obviated the 2-wire technique and kissing balloons. Detailed data, including lesion location, stenosis morphology, procedural success, and hospital and follow-up major adverse cardiac events (MACEs; acute myocardial infarction, death, revascularization, hospitalization due to angina), were collected from 6 European centers. Of the patients, 60% had stable angina, 23% had unstable angina pectoris/non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and 17% had ST-elevation myocardial infarction. In 17% of patients, the main vessel alone was stented; in 71%, stenting of the main vessel was complemented by side branch percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Technical success (residual stenosis <50%) in the 2 branches was achieved in 90% (main vessel in 99%). The rate of MACEs at discharge was 2%. After 6 months, 17% of patients had undergone target lesion revascularization or coronary artery bypass grafting. The total 6-month MACE rate was 22%. In conclusion, successful bifurcation stenting with a low MACE rate is possible in most patients using a simplified approach with a dedicated high-end bare metal stent.

[Noninvasive angiography of coronary bypass grafts with cardio-CT in a cardiology practice]. / Nichtinvasive Angiographie koronarer Bypassgefässe mit dem Cardio-CT in einer kardiologischen Praxis.

BACKGROUND: The role of coronary artery bypass surgery as a key foundation in the therapy of coronary artery disease remains unchanged: in Germany in 2001, 75,537 coronary bypass procedures were performed. However, the endurance of coronary bypass grafts is limited: after 3 years, 20-30% of the bypass grafts have occluded. The myocardial infarct rate significantly increases 8 years after bypass surgery. Since the clinical outcome of the patients is closely related to the patency rate of their bypass grafts, it would be important for the patients to have the patency rate of their bypass grafts assessed on time to detect any occluded bypass grafts before the majority of the grafts become occluded. Recently, multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) offers an attractive tool for this purpose. This paper describes our first experiences with MSCT in our cardiology practice and regards whether this new method provides relevant information for a cardiology practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Studies were performed at the Heart Diagnostic Center in Munich with an Mx 8000 four-row spiral CT with an effective slice thickness of 1.3 mm, 120 kV at 300 mA and approximately 120 ml of contrast medium in double bolus technique. Image reconstruction was performed for 5 heart phases between 50% and 70% of the RR intervals. Thus, a total of over 1,500 slices were reconstructed. 74 patients without angina or proof of myocardial ischemia had noninvasive bypass angiography at a mean of 5 years after surgery. RESULTS: Of the total of 220 investigated bypass grafts, 132 were venous and 88 were arterial. 177 bypass grafts were classified as open, 42 as occluded; and one venous bypass graft was highly narrowed. Compared with cardiac catheterization, the sensitivity of the cardio-CT regarding the occlusion of a bypass graft was 100% with a specificity of 96%. The only "false positive" occlusion was a LIMA with a small lumen. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that noninvasive bypass angiography with the ultrafast multi-slice CT (MSCT) provides relevant information for the practicing cardiologist. Noninvasive bypass angiography with a cardio-CT predominantly aims at asymptomatic patients without proof of myocardial ischemia ("bypass check") for the detection of asymptomatic occluded bypass grafts as early as possible. In patients with asymptomatic bypass occlusion, considering a coronary or bypass intervention for prognostic reasons is an option. It is important to note that in our study in a mean of 5 years after bypass surgery almost every third patient had an unexpected bypass graft occlusion.