Longitudinal Stent Deformation: Precise Diagnosis With Optical Coherence Tomography.

Longitudinal stent deformation is a recognized complication of coronary angioplasty; however, it is difficult to detect angiographically. This case illustrates the value of OCT to identify and correctly diagnose longitudinal stent deformation.

First-in-man randomised comparison of the Angiolite durable fluoroacrylate polymer-based sirolimus-eluting stent versus a durable fluoropolymer-based everolimus-eluting stent in patients with coronary artery disease: the ANGIOLITE trial.

AIMS: The durable fluoroacrylate polymer-based sirolimus-eluting stent (Angiolite SES) has shown promising preclinical and clinical results regarding inflammatory vascular reaction and neointimal healing. We aimed to compare performance between the Angiolite SES and an everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: The ANGIOLITE trial, a prospective, randomised, multicentre trial, compared the restenosis parameters of both stents in de novo coronary lesions. The primary endpoint was late lumen loss at six-month angiographic follow-up. In-stent healing was assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The main clinical endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF) evaluated up to 24 months. A total of 223 patients were randomised 1:1 to EES or SES. At six months, in-stent late lumen loss was 0.08 mm (±0.38) for EES vs 0.04 mm (±0.39) for SES (difference=-0.04 mm, 95% CI: -0.15, 0.07, p for non-inferiority=0.002). By OCT, the rate of uncovered to total number of struts score >30% was comparable between the groups whereas neointimal thickness was reduced in the SES arm (9.0% [7.6, 10.6] vs 9.9% [8.5, 11.3], p=0.41; and 86.4 [81.6, 91.2] µm vs 72.1 [68.2, 76.0] µm, p<0.01, respectively). At 24 months, TLF occurred in eight patients (7.6% [3.3, 14.5]) in the EES arm and in seven patients (7.1% [2.9, 14.0]) in the SES arm (p=0.88). The definite/probable stent thrombosis rate was comparable between the groups (1.9% [0.2, 6.7] vs 1.0% [0.0, 5.5] EES vs SES, respectively; p=0.59). CONCLUSIONS: This trial demonstrates similar antirestenotic efficacy at midterm follow-up of the Angiolite SES vs an EES. Clinical endpoints were comparable between the groups at two-year follow-up. Visual summary. Main results of the ANGIOLITE trial.

Long-term Event Reduction After Left Atrial Appendage Closure. Results of the Iberian Registry II.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Many patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation are still left without protection due to a contraindication for anticoagulants. This study aimed to establish the occurrence of stroke and major bleeding events in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and left atrial appendage closure with long-term follow-up and to explore the factors associated with higher long-term mortality. METHODS: Analysis of a multicenter single cohort prospectively recruited from 2009 to 2015. Thromboembolic and bleeding events were compared with those expected from CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores. Multivariate analysis examined variables associated with mortality during follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 598 patients (1093 patient-years) with a contraindication for anticoagulants were recruited (median 75.4 years). The success rate of left atrial appendage closure device implantation was 95.8%. Thirty patients (5%) experienced periprocedural complications. The rate of events (per 100 patient-years) during follow-up (mean 22.9 months; median 16.1 months) was as follows: death 7.0%; ischemic stroke 1.6% (vs 8.5% expected according to CHA2DS2-VASc; P < .001); intracranial hemorrhage 0.8%; gastrointestinal bleeding 3.2%; severe bleeding 3.9% (vs 6.3% expected by HAS-BLED, P = .002). These results were improved in the subgroup of 176 patients with follow-up > 24 months (mean follow-up 46.6 months, 683 patient-years) for severe bleeding 2.6% (vs 6.3% expected by HAS-BLED, P < .033). The factors significantly associated with higher mortality were age (HR, 1.1), intracranial hemorrhage (HR, 6.8), and stroke during follow-up (HR, 2.7). CONCLUSIONS: Left atrial appendage closure significantly reduced the incidence of stroke and bleeding events and the benefit was maintained. Intracranial hemorrhage, age and stroke were associated with higher mortality.

Clinical outcomes in myocardial infarction and multivessel disease after a cardiac rehabilitation programme: Partial versus complete revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Current guideline recommendations encourage culprit vessel only percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel disease. However, recent studies have shown a better clinical outcome in patients who receive multivessel PCI. AIM: To measure and compare clinical outcomes between partial revascularization (PR) versus complete revascularization (CR) in patients with STEMI and multivessel disease who underwent a cardiac rehabilitation programme. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 282 patients with STEMI and multivessel disease who received PR or CR and were subsequently enrolled in a cardiac rehabilitation programme between July 2006 and November 2013 at La Paz University Hospital. The incidences of cardiovascular events, new PCI, hospital admissions for cardiovascular reasons and mortality were compared between the PR and CR groups. RESULTS: Overall, 143 patients received PR and 139 received CR. Baseline characteristics were similar in both groups, except for mean age (59.3 vs. 56.7 years; P=0.02), diabetes mellitus prevalence (34.3% vs. 20.1%; P=0.01) and number of arteries with stenosis (2.6 vs. 2.3; P=0.001). During the mean follow-up of 48.0±25.9 months, a cardiovascular event occurred in 23 (16.1%) PR patients and 20 (14.4%) CR patients, with no statistically significant differences in the early (hazard ratio: 0.61, 95% confidence interval: 0.19-1.89) or late (hazard ratio: 1.40, 95% confidence interval: 0.62-3.14) follow-up periods. Cox regression, adjusted for age, sex, presence of diabetes mellitus and number of affected coronary vessels, showed no difference in new cardiovascular event risk. CONCLUSIONS: There were no statistical differences in clinical outcomes between PR and CR among patients who received cardiac rehabilitation.

Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty and closure of the left atrial appendage: Synergy of two procedures in one percutaneous intervention.

Mitral stenosis (MS) is frequently associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) as a consequence of hemodynamic and inflammatory changes in the left atrium. Both conditions predispose to thrombus formation, with frequent involvement of the left atrial appendage (LAA), and consequent increase in the incidence of systemic thromboembolic events. Percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) reduces the risk of thromboembolism in patients with significant mitral stenosis. Percutaneous LAA closure is also associated with a reduction in thromboembolic risk in patients with AF, but there are no data regarding the use of this technique in patients with significant mitral valve disease. We report the case of a 57-year-old-woman with significant MS and permanent AF, in New York Heart Association functional class II, who despite adequate oral anticoagulation with acenocoumarol, presented several clinical episodes of systemic thromboembolism in the last four years. It was decided to perform a combined percutaneous procedure, including both PMV and percutaneous LAA closure with the Amplatzer Cardiac Plug device. No significant acute complications occurred and the patient was discharged on indefinite treatment with acenocoumarol associated with aspirin 100 mg/d for three months. After a one-year follow-up, there have been no new embolic episodes or other complications.

[Glycaemic management in type 1 and 2 diabetes patients undergoing interventional cardiology procedures. Heart and Diabetes Working Group. Sociedad Espan˜ola de Cardiologi´a. Sociedad Espan˜ola de Diabetes]. / Control glucémico de los pacientes con diabetes tipo 1 y 2 tratados mediante procedimientos de cardiología intervencionista.

Despite the growing number of therapeutic alternatives available as well as general reviews and treatment guidelines for the treatment of diabetes, physicians are often left without a clear pathway of therapy to follow in specific clinical contexts such as interventional cardiology. The present document proposes a consensus treatment algorithm, based both on a critical appraisal of evidence from recent clinical trials and on value judgements supported by the authors' collective clinical knowledge and experience, in an attempt to guide practitioners when choosing the most appropriate alternatives in the context of glycemic management in type 1 and 2 diabetic patients scheduled to undergo interventional cardiology procedures in a haemodynamic laboratory.

3D Transesophageal echocardiographic guidance and monitoring of percutaneous aortic valve replacement.

We describe a preliminary clinical experience with 3D transesophageal echocardiography (3D TEE) in an 84-year-old man with severe aortic stenosis and multiple comorbidity, who underwent percutaneous aortic valve implantation. Although 3D TEE monitoring is not a standard procedure during aortic valve replacement procedure (PAVR), when used in combination with conventional 2D-TEE contributes to improving adequate patient selection and provides more accurate information to the interventional cardiologist during positioning, deployment, and early function of the prosthesis.