Pulmonary Vein Intervention for Severe Pulmonary Vein Stenosis After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation　- A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis (PVS) is a serious complication of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. The objective of this study was to describe interventional treatments for PVS after AF ablation and long-term outcomes in Japanese patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: This multicenter retrospective observational study enrolled 30 patients (26 [87%] male; median age 55 years) with 56 severe PVS lesions from 43 PV interventional procedures. Twenty-seven (90%) patients had symptomatic PVS and 19 (63%) had a history of a single AF ablation. Of the 56 lesions, 41 (73%) were de novo lesions and 15 (27%) were retreated. Thirty-three (59%) lesions were treated with bare metal stents, 14 (25%) were treated with plain balloons, and 9 (16%) were treated with drug-coated balloons. All lesions were successfully treated without any systemic embolic event. Over a median follow-up of 584 days (interquartile range 265-1,165 days), restenosis rates at 1 and 2 years were 35% and 47%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed devices <7 mm in diameter (hazard ratio [HR] 2.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-6.0; P=0.040) and totally occluded lesions (HR 3.33; 95% CI 1.21-9.15; P=0.020) were independent risk factors for restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: All PVS lesions were successfully enlarged by the PV intervention; however, restenosis developed in approximately half the lesions within 2 years.

Diagnostic performance of coronary angiography utilizing intraprocedural 320-row computed tomography with minimal contrast medium.

Recently developed coronary angiography with intraprocedural 320-row computed tomography can be performed in a catheterization laboratory (XACT) by injecting contrast medium from a place close to the coronary arteries, thereby requiring a minimal amount of contrast medium. However, its clinical application has not yet been established. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of XACT angiography with a minimal volume of contrast medium in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 167 coronary segments were analyzed in 14 patients (9 males, median age 70 years) with suspected CAD by XACT angiography with 7.5 ml of contrast medium and invasive coronary angiography (ICA) with standard techniques. The segmental-based diagnostic accuracy of XACT angiography in detecting stenosis of ≥ 50% and ≥ 75% and visualized by ICA was good (sensitivity: 74% and 62%, specificity: 99% and 99%, positive predictive value: 93% and 80%, and negative predictive value: 97% and 97%, respectively). These results suggest that XACT angiography with a very low amount of contrast medium may have strong clinical utility for screening coronary arteries in patients with renal dysfunction or undergoing clinical procedures such as pacemaker implantation.

Role of the Dynamic Contact Angle on Splashing.

In this Letter, we study the splashing behavior of droplets upon impact onto a variety of substrates with different wetting properties, ranging from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic surfaces. In particular, we study the effects of the dynamic contact angle on splashing. The experimental approach uses high-speed imaging and image analysis to recover the apparent contact angle as a function of the spreading speed. Our results show that neither the Capillary number nor the so-called splashing parameter are appropriate to characterize the splashing behavior under these circumstances. However, we show that the maximum dynamic advancing contact angle and the splashing ratio ß adequately characterize the splashing behavior.

Epidemiological and outcome data in Japanese patients with deep vein thrombosis with and without malignancy.

There are very few epidemiological studies on Japanese patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In particular, mortality rate differences in Japanese DVT patients with and without malignancy have rarely been evaluated. To elucidate these differences, we enrolled 211 patients who had been diagnosed with de-novo acute DVT of the pelvis or lower extremities between January 2012 and December 2015. The clinical characteristics, treatment information, and follow-up data were retrospectively assessed. We compared these variables in patients with (n = 120) and without (n = 91) concomitant malignancies. The median age of patients was 67 years, 33.7% were male, and 82.9% patients were treated with oral anticoagulants including direct oral anticoagulants. The clinical characteristics and treatment provided were almost identical in the two groups with some exceptions. Three-year survival rates of the total population, patients with malignancy, and patients without malignancy were 80.6, 67.6, and 97.6%, respectively (log-rank p < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that malignancy was independently associated with high risk of 3-year all-cause mortality with an adjusted hazard ratio of 9.1 (95% confidence interval; 2.1-39.0, p = 0.003). Bootstrap validation demonstrated an acceptable index corrected slope of 0.766 without significant overfitting in a multivariable model. In conclusion, we analyzed epidemiological data on Japanese patients with DVT. Malignancy was independently associated with increased 3-year all-cause mortality.

Importance of reassessment to identify trajectories of chronic transition of clinical indicators in post-myocardial infarction management.

Despite advances in multidisciplinary acute care for myocardial infarction (MI), the clinical need to manage heart failure and elevated mortality risks in the remote phase of MI remains unmet. Various prognostic models have been established using clinical indicators obtained during the acute phase of MI; however, most of these indicators also show chronic changes in the post-MI phase. Although relevant guidelines recommend follow-up assessments of some clinical indicators in the chronic phase, systematic reassessment has not yet been fully established and implemented in a real-world clinical setting. Therefore, clinical evidence of the impact of such chronic transitions on the post-MI prognosis is lacking. We speculate that post-MI reassessment of key clinical indicators and the impact of their chronic transition patterns on long-term prognoses can improve the quality of post-MI risk stratification and help identify residual risk factors. Several recent studies have investigated the impact of the chronic transition of some clinical indicators, such as serum albumin level, mitral regurgitation, and left-ventricular dysfunction, on post-MI prognosis. Interestingly, even in MI survivors with these indicators within their respective normal ranges in the acute phase of MI, chronic transition to an abnormal range was associated with worsening cardiovascular outcomes. On the basis of these recent insights, we discuss the clinical significance of post-MI reassessment to identify the trajectories of several clinical indicators and elucidate the potential residual risk factors affecting adverse outcomes in MI survivors.

Efficacy of Cardiac Computed Tomography for Obstructive Mechanical Valve Thrombosis Under Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

We encountered a patient in a state of shock who required venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in whom cardiac computed tomography was instrumental in diagnosing obstructive mechanical mitral valve thrombosis as well as in the differentiation of other probable diseases. Because the patient was on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, computed tomography imaging required some ingenuity. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Different types of Kounis syndrome caused by different episodes of bee sting anaphylaxis: Misfortunes never come singly.

We report our experience with a 69-year-old man who had different types of Kounis syndrome over a short time frame, caused by two episodes of bee sting anaphylaxis. After his first allergic reaction to a bee sting, he experienced a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction; he was treated with percutaneous coronary intervention for near-occlusion of his right coronary artery. This episode was deemed type 2 Kounis syndrome. Four weeks later, we electively treated the nonculprit residual stenosis in his left anterior descending artery. Unfortunately, 2 weeks after this elective procedure, he experienced anaphylactic shock due to a second bee sting. Electrocardiography showed ST elevation in the anterior leads, and emergent coronary angiography showed thrombotic occlusion of the newly implanted stent in the left anterior descending artery. This second episode was deemed type 3 Kounis syndrome. Learning objectives: This is a rare example of different types of Kounis syndrome resulting from repeated exposures to an allergic source, an example that deepens our understanding of Kounis syndrome. This patient's experience illustrates the need for careful evaluation of the indications for revascularization of nonculprit lesions in patients with a history of Kounis syndrome.

Antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention: current status and future perspectives.

Antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been changing in parallel with the development of drug-eluting stents (DES) and antiplatelet agents. The recommendation of dual antiplatelet therapy duration is getting shorter due to the decreased risk of stent thrombosis in new-generation DES, the use of a P2Y12 inhibitor as a monotherapy, and the increasing prevalence of high bleeding risk patients. Antithrombotic therapy after PCI has also changed due to the introduction of direct oral anticoagulants. Aspirin-free P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy is now being evaluated in several prospective studies as a novel strategy of antiplatelet therapy after PCI. This review shows a current status and provides future perspectives for the antiplatelet therapy after PCI.

Pathophysiological evaluations of initial plaque development after heart transplantation via serial multimodality imaging and cytokine assessments.

BACKGROUND: Detailed morphological characteristics of de novo and donor-transmitted plaques and the association of serum T-lymphocyte cytokine levels with plaque progression of coronary allograft vasculopathy within 1 year after heart transplantation are unknown. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis of data in a prospectively maintained database, 40 heart transplant recipients were included. We performed serial 3 vessel optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound analyses, at the 8 week (baseline) and 12 month post-transplantation follow-ups, and serum cytokine measurements (n = 23). The correlation between serum cytokines and Δplaque burden (between baseline and follow-up) was evaluated depending on plaque morphology. RESULTS: Thirteen de novo plaques (maximum intimal thickness ≥0.5 mm at the 12 month follow-up without plaques at baseline) were identified in 8 recipients, and 31 donor-transmitted plaques (maximum intimal thickness ≥0.5 mm at baseline) were detected in 17 recipients. Compared with donor-transmitted plaques, the Δplaque burden in the de novo plaques, with mainly fibrous morphology, was high (38.8% [29.6%-41.2%] vs 8.7% [1.33%-13.6%], p < 0.001). Stratification of the morphology of donor-transmitted plaques revealed that the Δplaque burden in fibrous plaques (10.6% [7.0%-18.0%]) was similar to that in fibroatheroma (10.3% [8.7%-23.8%]). Serum interleukin-31 levels at baseline correlated with fibrous plaque proliferation (r = 0.73, p = 0.007) even under immunosuppressive conditions, whereas other cytokines (interleukin-1ß, interleukin-17, and interferon-gamma) were mostly undetectable. CONCLUSIONS: Intimal fibrous proliferation contributed to the progression of donor-transmitted and de novo plaques. Serum interleukin-31 levels at baseline may contribute to intimal fibrous proliferation within 1 year after heart transplantation.

Serum Albumin and Bleeding Events After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction (from the HAGAKURE-ACS Registry).

Low serum albumin (SA) on admission in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been reported to be associated with adverse cardiovascular events. The relation between low SA and post-AMI bleeding events is presently unknown. We analyzed 1,724 patients with AMI enrolled in the HAGAKURE-ACS registry who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention from January 2014 to December 2018. To assess the influence of low SA at admission, patients were divided into 3 groups according to the albumin tertiles: the low SA group (<3.8 g/100 ml), the middle SA (MSA) group (3.8 to 4.1 g/100 ml), and the normal SA (NSA) group (≥4.2 g/100 ml). The primary end point was the incidence of Global Utilization of Streptokinase and Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Occluded Coronary Arteries moderate/severe bleeding. The cumulative 3-year incidence of the primary end point was significantly higher in the low SA group than in the MSA and NSA groups (30.8% and 11.9% vs 7.7%; p <0.001). In the landmark analysis at 30 days, the cumulative incidences of the primary end point were also significantly higher in the low SA group than in the MSA and NSA groups, both within and beyond 30 days (20.1% and 6.1% vs 3.5%; p <0.001, and 12.4% and 6.2% vs 4.5%; p <0.001, respectively). After adjusting for confounders, the low SA group showed excess risk of bleeding events relative to NSA (hazard ratio 1.56; 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 2.30; p = 0.026), whereas risk of bleeding was neutral in MSA relative to NSA (hazard ratio 0.94; 95% confidence interval 0.63 to 1.34; p = 0.752). In conclusion, low SA at admission was independently associated with higher risk for bleeding events in patients with AMI undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Simple risk-score model for in-hospital major bleeding based on multiple blood variables in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: In-hospital bleeding is associated with poor prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We sought to investigate whether a combination of pre-procedural blood tests could predict the incidence of in-hospital major bleeding in patients with AMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1684 consecutive AMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were recruited and randomly divided into derivation (n = 1010) and validation (n = 674) cohorts. A risk-score model was created based on a combination of parameters assessed on routine blood tests on admission. In the derivation cohort, multivariate analysis revealed that the following 5 variables were significantly associated with in-hospital major bleeding: hemoglobin level < 12 g/dL (odds ratio [OR], 3.32), white blood cell count >10,000/µL (OR, 2.58), platelet count <150,000/µL (OR, 2.51), albumin level < 3.8 mg/dL (OR, 2.51), and estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (OR, 2.31). Zero to five points were given according to the number of these factors each patient had. Incremental risk scores were significantly associated with a higher incidence of in-hospital major bleeding in both cohorts (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of risk models showed adequate discrimination between patients with and without in-hospital major bleeding (derivation cohort: area under the curve [AUC], 0.807; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.759-0.848; validation cohort: AUC, 0.793; 95% CI, 0.725-0.847). CONCLUSIONS: Our novel laboratory-based bleeding risk model could be useful for simple and objective prediction of in-hospital major bleeding events in patients with AMI.

Differences in routes of guiding catheters for left coronary artery according to access sites assessed by the combined angiography-computed tomography system.

Differences in guiding catheters (GCs) manipulations and selections among different access sites are currently unclear. We examined the differences in the routes of GCs for the left coronary artery (LCA) among the right radial, left radial, and femoral approaches. We used a combined angiography-computed tomography (CT) system that enabled to perform CT scans during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We enrolled 88 patients who underwent CT scans during LCA PCI or percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation. To evaluate the route of GCs, we analyzed the positions of the catheter's contact point on the contralateral aortic wall to the LCA ostium, which were expressed by the angle formed by the vertical line and the diagonal line from the GC shaft to the center of the aorta. The procedures were performed via the right radial in 47 cases, left radial in 20, and femoral approach in 21. The positions of the catheter's contact point were significantly different depending on the approaches (interquartile range - 3.7 [- 14.3 to 7.8], - 46.5 [- 76.9 to - 9.3], and - 30.7 [- 39.4 to - 22.4] degrees, respectively; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that access sites and LCA ostium locations had significant impacts on the positions of the catheter's contact point. The routes of LCA GCs were different among the right radial, left radial, and femoral approaches.

Predictors and outcomes of neoatherosclerosis in patients with in-stent restenosis.

BACKGROUND: In-stent restenosis (ISR), especially for neoatherosclerosis, is still a major problem of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) even in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of neoatherosclerosis on prognosis after PCI for ISR. METHODS: Between March 2009 and December 2017, 313 ISR lesions in patients undergoing an OCT-guided PCI in five hospitals were retrospectively enrolled. Neoatherosclerosis was defined as a lipid neointima or calcified neointima. We examined the association between neoatherosclerosis and the clinically driven target lesion revascularisation (CD-TLR) rates. RESULTS: In 313 ISR lesions, 64 lesions (20.4%) had bare metal stents and 241 lesions (77.0%) had drug-eluting stents (DES). Among them, 47.0% of lesions (147 lesions) had neoatherosclerosis. A multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that eGFR (odds ratio [OR] 0.986, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.974-0.998; p=0.023), the time from PCI to the ISR (OR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06-1.22; p<0.001) and DES-ISR (OR 2.48, 95% CI: 1.18-5.43; p=0.019) were independent predictors for neoatherosclerosis. A multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that neoatherosclerosis was an independent predictor of CD-TLR. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicentre ISR registry, OCT imaging demonstrated that eGFR, the time from PCI to the ISR and DES-ISR were independent predictors for neoatherosclerosis and that neoatherosclerosis in ISR lesions had a worse impact on the CD-TLR rate.

Multiple percutaneous coronary interventions worsen outcomes for subsequent surgical correction of chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Objective: We investigated whether or not a history of multiple percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) is associated with clinical outcomes after surgery for ischemic mitral regurgitation. Methods: A total of 309 patients with chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40% who underwent restrictive mitral annuloplasty were classified as follows: patients with no or 1 previous PCI (nonmultiple PCI group [n = 211]) and patients with 2 or more previous PCIs (multiple PCIs group [n = 98]). Mean follow-up duration was 53 ± 40 months. Results: Before surgery, there were no intergroup differences in patient demographic characteristics except for lower estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with multiple PCIs. These patients underwent concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting less frequently with a lower number of distal anastomoses (P < .05 for both). The 30-day mortality was 3.3% and 2.0% in the nonmultiple and multiple PCIs group, respectively (P = .72). During follow-up, there were 157 deaths. Patients with multiple PCIs showed lower 5-year survival rate (44% vs 64%; P = .002). After adjustments with inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting, multiple PCIs history was an independent risk factor for mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.4; 95% confidential interval, 1.1-1.7; P = .002). Patients with multiple PCIs showed less improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (interaction effect P < .001). Conclusions: In patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation, a history of previous multiple PCIs was associated with increased risk of long-term postoperative mortality, with less improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction.