Concordance between vessel-specific and vascular territory coronary functional assessment: A comparison of quantitative flow ratio and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) are utilized for assessing coronary artery disease (CAD) significance. We aimed to analyze their concordance and prognostic impact. AIMS: We aimed to analyze the concordance between QFR and MPS and their risk stratification. METHODS: Patients with invasive coronary angiography and MPS were categorized as concordant if QFR ≤ 0.80 and summed difference score (SDS) ≥ 4 or if QFR > 0.80 and SDS < 4; otherwise, they were discordant. Concordance was classified by coronary territory involvement: total (three territories), partial (two territories), poor (one territory), and total discordance (zero territories). Leaman score assessed coronary atherosclerotic burden. RESULTS: 2010 coronary territories (670 patients) underwent joint QFR and MPS analysis. MPS area under the curve for QFR ≤ 0.80 was 0.637. Concordance rates were total (52.5%), partial (29.1%), poor (15.8%), and total discordance (2.6%). Most concordance occurred in patients without significant CAD or with single-vessel disease (89.5%), particularly without MPS perfusion defects (91.5%). Leaman score (odds ratio [OR]: 0.839, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.805-0.875, p < 0.001) and MPS perfusion defect (summed stress score [SSS] ≥ 4) (OR: 0.355, 95% CI: 0.211-0.596, p < 0.001) were independent predictors for discordance. After 1400 days, no significant difference in death/myocardial infarction was observed based on MPS assessment, but Leaman score, functional Leaman score, and average QFR identified higher risk patients. CONCLUSIONS: MPS showed good overall accuracy in assessing QFR significance but substantial discordance existed. Predictors for discordance included higher atherosclerotic burden and MPS perfusion defects (SSS ≥ 4). Leaman score, QFR-based functional Leaman score, and average QFR provided better risk stratification for all-cause death and myocardial infarction than MPS.

Guide catheter extension use are associated with higher procedural success in chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary interventions.

BACKGROUND: Guide catheter extensions (GCEs) increase support and facilitate equipment delivery, but aggressive instrumentation may be associated with a higher risk of complications. AIM: Our aim was to assess the impact of GCEs on procedural success and complications in patients submitted to chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: We analyzed data from the multicenter LATAM CTO Registry. Procedural success was defined as <30% residual stenosis and TIMI 3 distal flow. Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) was defined as the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, and stroke. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to compare outcomes with and without GCE use. RESULTS: From August 2010 to August 2021, 3049 patients were included. GCEs were used in 438 patients (14.5%). In unadjusted analysis, patients in the GCE group were older and had more comorbidities. The median J-CTO score and its components were higher in the GCE group. After PSM, procedural success was higher with GCE use (87.7% vs. 80.5%, p = 0.007). The incidence of coronary perforation (odds ratio [OR]: 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78-2.71, p = 0.230), bleeding (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 0.41-2.41, p = 0.986), in-hospital death (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 0.54-3.62, p = 0.495) and MACCE (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.52-2.19, p = 0.850) were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: In a contemporary, multicenter cohort of patients undergoing CTO PCI, GCEs were used in older patients, with more comorbidities and complex anatomy. After PSM, GCE use was associated with higher procedural success, and similar incidence of adverse outcomes.

Bone density, microarchitecture and estimated strength in stone formers: a cross-sectional HR-pQCT study.

BACKGROUND: Low areal bone mineral density (BMD), increased fracture risk and altered bone remodeling have been described among stone formers (SFs), but the magnitude of these findings differs by age, sex, menopausal status and urinary calcium (uCa). This study aimed to investigate volumetric BMD (vBMD), bone microarchitecture and biomechanical properties by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and finite element analysis (FEA) in young SFs, irrespective of calciuria, further distinguishing trabecular from cortical compartments. METHODS: HR-pQCT/FEA was performed at the distal tibia (DT) and distal radius (DR) in 106 SFs (57 males and 49 premenopausal females; median age 37 years) and compared with 106 non-SFs (NSFs) retrieved from an existing database, matched for age, sex and body mass index (BMI). Biochemical/hormonal serum and urinary parameters were obtained from SFs. RESULTS: SFs exhibited significantly lower trabecular number (TbN) and higher trabecular separation (TbSp) than NSFs at both anatomical sites and lower cortical porosity in the DR. In a subgroup analysis separated by sex, female SFs presented significantly lower TbvBMD, relative bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and TbN and higher TbSp than NSFs at both sites, while male SFs showed significantly lower stiffness and failure load. Multivariate analysis showed TbN to be independently associated with sex and BMI at both sites and with uCa at the DR. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that bone disease represents an early event among SFs, associated at least in part with calcium excretion and mainly characterized by trabecular bone microarchitecture impairment, especially among women, but with reduced bone strength parameters in men.

Outcomes of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery: Insights from the LATAM CTO registry.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the outcomes of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with and without prior coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. BACKGROUND: Data on the outcomes of CTO PCI in patients with versus without CABG remains limited and with scarce representation from developing regions like Latin America. METHODS: We evaluated patients undergoing CTO PCI in 42 centers participating in the LATAM CTO registry between 2008 and 2020. Statistical analyses were stratified according to CABG status. The outcomes of interest were technical and procedural success and in-hospital major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). RESULTS: A total of 1662 patients were included (n = 1411 [84.9%] no-CABG and n = 251 [15.1%] prior-CABG). Compared with no-CABG, those with prior-CABG were older (67 ± 11 vs. 64 ± 11 years; p < 0.001), had more comorbidities and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (52.8 ± 12.8% vs. 54.4 ± 11.7%; p = 0.042). Anatomic complexity was higher in the prior-CABG group (J-CTO score 2.46 ± 1.19 vs. 2.10 ± 1.22; p < 0.001; PROGRESS CTO score 1.28 ± 0.89 vs. 0.91 ± 0.85; p < 0.001). Absence of CABG was associated with lower risk of technical and procedural failure (OR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.43-0.85 and OR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.40-0.83, respectively). No significant differences in the incidence of in-hospital MACCE (3.8% no-CABG vs. 4.4% prior-CABG; p = 0.766) were observed between groups. CONCLUSION: In a contemporary multicenter CTO-PCI registry from Latin America, prior-CABG patients had more comorbidities, higher anatomical complexity, lower success, and similar in-hospital adverse event rates compared with no-CABG patients.

Late clinical outcomes of myocardial hybrid revascularization versus coronary artery bypass grafting for complex triple-vessel disease: Long-term follow-up of the randomized MERGING clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: This article aimed to compare the outcomes after hybrid revascularization with conventional coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. BACKGROUND: The concept of hybrid coronary revascularization combines the advantages of CABG and percutaneous coronary intervention to improve the treatment of patients with complex multivessel disease. METHODS: The Myocardial hybrid revascularization versus coronary artERy bypass GraftING for complex triple-vessel disease-MERGING study is a pilot randomized trial that allocated 60 patients with complex triple-vessel disease to treatment with hybrid revascularization or conventional CABG (2:1 ratio). The primary outcome was the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or unplanned repeat revascularization at 2 years. RESULTS: Clinical and anatomical characteristics were similar between groups. After a mean follow-up of 802 ± 500 days, the primary endpoint rate was 19.3% in the hybrid arm and 5.9% in the CABG arm (p = NS). The incidence of unplanned revascularization increased over time in both groups, reaching 14.5 versus 5.9% in the hybrid and in the CABG groups, respectively (p = .4). Of note, in the hybrid group, there were no reinterventions driven by the occurrence of stent restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Hybrid myocardial was feasible but associated with increasing rates of major adverse cardiovascular events during 2 years of clinical follow-up, while the control group treated with conventional surgery presented with low rates of complications during the same period. In conclusion, before more definitive data arise, hybrid revascularization should be applied with careful attention in practice, following a selective case-by-case indication.

Patients with COVID-19 who experience a myocardial infarction have complex coronary morphology and high in-hospital mortality: Primary results of a nationwide angiographic study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore angiographic patterns and in-hospital outcomes of patients with concomitant coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and myocardial infarction (MI). BACKGROUND: Patients with COVID-19 may experience MI during the course of the viral infection. However, this association is currently poorly understood. METHODS: This is a multicenter prospective study of consecutive patients with concomitant COVID-19 and MI who underwent coronary angiography. Quantitative and qualitative coronary angiography were analyzed by two observers in an independent core lab. RESULTS: A total of 152 patients were included, of whom 142 (93.4%) had COVID-19 diagnosis confirmation. The median time between symptom onset and hospital admission was 5 (1-10) days. A total of 83 (54.6%) patients presented with ST-elevation MI. The median angiographic Syntax score was 16 (9.0-25.3) and 69.0% had multi-vessel disease. At least one complex lesion was found in 73.0% of patients, 51.3% had a thrombus containing lesion, and 57.9% had myocardial blush grades 0/1. The overall in-hospital mortality was 23.7%. ST-segment elevation MI presentation and baseline myocardial blush grades 0 or 1 were independently associated with a higher risk of death (HR 2.75, 95%CI 1.30-5.80 and HR 3.73, 95%CI 1.61-8.61, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who have a MI in the context of ongoing COVID-19 mostly present complex coronary morphologies, implying a background of prior atherosclerotic disease superimposed on a thrombotic milieu. The in-hospital prognosis is poor with a markedly high mortality, prompting further investigation to better clarify this newly described condition.

Percutaneous endovascular delivery of calcium chloride to the intact porcine carotid artery: A novel animal model of arterial calcification.

OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the effect of endovascular administration of calcium chloride to the carotid artery of swines, to create a model of arterial calcification. METHODS: Fifteen Large White pigs were used for the study. Via endovascular treatment, carotid arteries were exposed during 9 min to either calcium chloride (experimental artery) or saline (control artery) with the use of the TAPAS catheter. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging was obtained at baseline, postprocedure and at 30 days. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging was obtained in vitro after carotids were harvested. Longitudinally cut parallel arterial segments were placed in a system of delicate clamps and underwent uniaxial strain test. All arteries underwent histopathological examination. RESULTS: Calcium chloride treated segments showed extensive circumferential parietal calcification evident on both IVUS and OCT. Reduction in minimal lumen area on IVUS was evident in experimental arteries both at 24 hr and 30 days postprocedure. Histopathologic assessment (Von Kossa stain) confirmed medial calcification with mild intimal thickening. Biomechanical testing showed treated segments to have smaller breaking strength and less elastic deformation than controls. CONCLUSION: We developed a nonexpensive, reproducible model of early carotid medial calcification in pigs. Our model has the potential to help the development of research to unravel mechanisms underlying arterial calcification, the use of current or new devices to treat calcified lesions as well as to serve as an option for training interventionalists on the use of such devices.

Renal denervation in patients with heart failure secondary to Chagas' disease: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Chagas disease is one of the most relevant endemic parasitic diseases in Latin America, affecting approximately 6 million people. Overt Chagas heart disease is an ominous condition, occurring in 20-30% of infected individuals, which has besides the persistent myocarditis a peculiar intracardiac ganglionic neuronal depletion and dysautonomy. This study aims to evaluate the safety and feasibility of renal denervation for patients with advanced symptomatic Chagas cardiomyopathy. METHODS: Open-label prospective pilot study that randomized patients with Chagas heart disease to either renal denervation or conservative treatment (2:1 ratio). The primary endpoint was the incidence of major adverse events at 9 months, defined as a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, need for renal artery invasive treatment, or worsening renal function. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients were allocated for renal denervation (n = 11) or conservative treatment (n = 6). Included patients had severe symptomatic heart disease, with markedly depressed left ventricular function (average ejection fraction 26.7 ± 4.9%). For patients randomized to renal denervation, the procedure was performed successfully and uneventfully. After 9 months, the primary endpoint occurred in 36.4% of patients in the renal denervation group and 50.0% in the control arm (p = .6). After 9 months, clinical, laboratory, functional, echocardiographic, and quality of life parameters were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that renal denervation is safe and feasible in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy, warranting future studies to better evaluate the clinical efficacy of the interventional strategy in improving the prognosis of this high-risk population.

Merely subintimal coronary plaque modification improves health status: Not all CTO recanalization failures are alike?

Failed CTO angioplasty was divided in two groups: with and without "subintimal plaque modification." At 1-month, patients treated with "subintimal plaque modification" had larger increases in health status as assessed by the Seattle Angina Questionnaire. The relatively small sample size and the lack of a longer follow-up period does not allow definite conclusion in terms of safety or clinical events.

Risk and timing of clinical events according to diabetic status of patients treated with everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds versus everolimus-eluting stent: 2-year results from a propensity score matched comparison of ABSORB EXTEND and SPIRIT trials.

OBJECTIVES: to compare the occurrence of clinical events in diabetics treated with the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (Absorb BVS; Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA) versus everolimus-eluting metal stents (EES; XIENCE V; Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA) BACKGROUND: There are limited data dedicated to clinical outcomes of diabetic patients treated with bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) at 2-year horizon. METHODS: The present study included 812 patients in the ABSORB EXTEND study in which a total of 215 diabetic patients were treated with Absorb BVS. In addition, 882 diabetic patients treated with EES in pooled data from the SPIRIT clinical program (SPIRIT II, SPIRIT III and SPIRIT IV trials) were used for comparison by applying propensity score matching using 29 different variables. The primary endpoint was ischemia driven major adverse cardiac events (ID-MACE), including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemia driven target lesion revascularization (ID-TLR). RESULTS: After 2 years, the ID-MACE rate was 6.5% in the Absorb BVS vs. 8.9% in the Xience group (P = 0.40). There was no difference for MACE components or definite/probable device thrombosis (HR: 1.43 [0.24,8.58]; P = 0.69). The occurrence of MACE was not different for both diabetic status (insulin- and non-insulin-requiring diabetes) in all time points up to the 2-year follow-up for the Absorb and Xience groups. CONCLUSION: In this largest ever patient-level pooled comparison on the treatment of diabetic patients with BRS out to two years, individuals with diabetes treated with the Absorb BVS had a similar rate of MACE as compared with diabetics treated with the Xience EES. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Angiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation by video-densitometry in the setting of TAVI: Echocardiographic and clinical correlates.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to investigate a new angiographic method for aortic regurgitation (AR) severity assessment in the setting of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). BACKGROUND: AR after TAVI is common but challenging to quantitate, especially in the cath-lab. METHODS: In 228 patients, AR was quantitated before and after TAVI by echocardiography and by video-densitometric analysis of aortograms. Contrast time-density curves for the aortic root (the reference region) and the left ventricular outflow tract, LVOT were generated. LVOT-AR was calculated as the area under the curve of the LVOT as a fraction of the area under the curve of the reference region. RESULTS: LVOT-AR was 0.10 ± 0.08, 0.13 ± 0.10 and 0.28 ± 0.14 in none-trace, mild and moderate-severe post-TAVI AR as defined by echocardiography (P < 0.001) and a cutpoint of >0.17 corresponded to moderate-severe AR on echocardiography (area under the curve = 0.84). At follow-up (median, 496 days), patients with LVOT-AR ≤ 0.17 showed a significant reduction of LV mass index (LVMi; 121 [95-148] vs. 140 [112-169] g/m2 , P = 0.009) and the prevalence of LV hypertrophy (LVH; 64 vs. 88%, P = 0.001) compared to baseline. In patients with LVOT-AR > 0.17, LVMi (149 [121-178] vs. 166 [144-188] g/m2 , P = 0.14) and the prevalence of LVH (74 vs. 87%, P = 0.23) did not show a significant change. Compared to patients with LVOT-AR ≤ 0.17, those with LVOT-AR > 0.17 had an increased 30-day (16.4% vs. 7.1%, P = 0.035) and one year mortality (32.9 vs. 14.2%, log rank P value = 0.001; HR: 2.690 [1.461-4.953], P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: LVOT-AR > 0.17 corresponds to greater than mild AR as defined by echocardiography and predicts impaired LV reverse remodeling and increased early and midterm mortality after TAVI. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Long-term forecasting and comparison of mortality in the Evaluation of the Xience Everolimus Eluting Stent vs. Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization (EXCEL) trial: prospective validation of the SYNTAX Score II.

AIMS: To prospectively validate the SYNTAX Score II and forecast the outcomes of the randomized Evaluation of the Xience Everolimus-Eluting Stent Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization (EXCEL) Trial. METHODS AND RESULTS: Evaluation of the Xience Everolimus Eluting Stent vs. Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization is a prospective, randomized multicenter trial designed to establish the efficacy and safety of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the everolimus-eluting stent compared with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in subjects with unprotected left-main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease and low-intermediate anatomical SYNTAX scores (<33). After completion of patient recruitment in EXCEL, the SYNTAX Score II was prospectively applied to predict 4-year mortality in the CABG and PCI arms. The 95% prediction intervals (PIs) for mortality were computed using simulation with bootstrap resampling (10 000 times). For the entire study cohort, the 4-year predicted mortalities were 8.5 and 10.5% in the PCI and CABG arms, respectively [odds ratios (OR) 0.79; 95% PI 0.43-1.50). In subjects with low (≤22) anatomical SYNTAX scores, the predicted OR was 0.69 (95% PI 0.34-1.45); in intermediate anatomical SYNTAX scores (23-32), the predicted OR was 0.93 (95% PI 0.53-1.62). Based on 4-year mortality predictions in EXCEL, clinical characteristics shifted long-term mortality predictions either in favour of PCI (older age, male gender and COPD) or CABG (younger age, lower creatinine clearance, female gender, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction). CONCLUSION: The SYNTAX Score II indicates at least an equipoise for long-term mortality between CABG and PCI in subjects with ULMCA disease up to an intermediate anatomical complexity. Both anatomical and clinical characteristics had a clear impact on long-term mortality predictions and decision making between CABG and PCI.

Risk stratification in 3-vessel coronary artery disease: Applying the SYNTAX Score II in the Heart Team Discussion of the SYNTAX II trial.

BACKGROUND: Heart Team (HT) and the SYNTAX Score II (SSII) have been integrated to the contemporary guidelines with the aim to provide a multidisciplinary decision-making process between coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). AIMS: To prospectively assess the agreement between the HT decision and the SSII recommendation regarding the revascularization strategy in patients with 3-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) of the SYNTAX II trial. METHODS: The SSII predicts the 4-year mortality of an individual patient both after PCI and after CABG. Patients were treated by PCI when the SSII predicted a mortality risk favoring PCI or when risk predictions were equipoise between PCI and CABG. However, the HT could overrule the SSII and recommend either CABG or PCI. RESULTS: A total of 202 patients have been screened and 24 did not fulfill inclusion criteria. The median age was 67.0 (IQR 59.0-73.3), and 167 (82.7%) were male. The HT endorsed SSII treatment recommendation, for CABG or PCI, in 152 patients (85.4%). Three patients had preference for PCI, irrespective of the HT decision. The main reason for the HT to overrule the SSII and recommend CABG was the prospect of a more complete revascularization (21 of 25 patients). Patients recommended for CABG by the HT had significantly higher anatomical SYNTAX score (P = 0.03) and higher predicted mortality risk for PCI (P = 0.04) when compared with patients that were enrolled in the trial. CONCLUSION: The SYNTAX score II showed to be a suitable tool for guiding treatment decisions of patients with 3-vessel coronary artery disease being endorsed by the HT in the vast majority of the patients that have been enrolled in the SYNTAX II trial.

Comparison between two- and three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography bifurcation analyses for the assessment of bifurcation lesions: A subanalysis of the TRYTON pivotal IDE coronary bifurcation trial.

BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) provides more accurate measurements by minimizing inherent limitations of two-dimensional (2D) QCA. The aim of this study was to compare the measurements between 2D and 3D QCA analyses in bifurcation lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 114 cases with non-left main bifurcation lesions in the TRYTON pivotal IDE Coronary Bifurcation Trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01258972) were analyzed using a validated bifurcation QCA software (CAAS 5.10, Pie Medical Imaging, Maastricht, the Netherlands). All cases were analyzed in matched projections between pre- and post-procedure. The 2D analysis was performed using one of two angiographic images used for 3D reconstruction showing a larger distal bifurcation angle. In the treated segments (stent and balloon), there were no differences in minimal luminal diameter (MLD) between 2D and 3D, while diameter stenosis (DS) was significantly higher in 2D compared to 3D both pre-procedure and post-procedure (53.9% for 2D vs. 52.1% for 3D pre-procedure, P < 0.01; 23.2% for 2D vs. 20.9% for 3D post-procedure, P = 0.01). In the sub-segment level analysis, lengths of proximal main branch, distal main branch, and side branch were consistently shorter in 2D compared to 3D both pre-procedure and post-procedure. Using 3D QCA, the anatomic location of the smallest MLD or the highest DS was relocated to a different bifurcation sub-segment in a considerable proportion of the patients compared to when 2D-QCA was used (kappa values: 0.50 for MLD, 0.55 for DS). CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed differences in addressing anatomical severity and location of coronary bifurcation lesions between in vivo 2D and 3D QCA analyses. More studies are needed to investigate potential clinical benefits in using 3D approach over 2D QCA for the assessment of bifurcation lesions.

Predictive Performance of SYNTAX Score II in Patients With Left Main and Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease-analysis of CREDO-Kyoto registry.

BACKGROUND: SYNTAX score II (SSII) provides individualized estimates of 4-year mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in order to facilitate decision-making between these revascularization methods. The purpose of the present study was to assess SSII in a real-world multicenter registry with distinct regional and epidemiological characteristics. METHODS AND RESULTS: Long-term mortality was analyzed in 3,896 patients undergoing PCI (n=2,190) or CABG (n=1,796) from the Coronary REvascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto (CREDO-Kyoto) PCI/CABG registry cohort-2. SSII discriminated well in both CABG and PCI patient groups (concordance index [c-index], 0.70; 95% CI: 0.68-0.72; and 0.75, 95% CI: 0.72-0.78) surpassing anatomical SYNTAX score (SS; c-index, 0.50; 95% CI: 0.47-0.53; and 0.59, 95% CI: 0.57-0.61). SSII had the best discriminative ability to separate low-, medium- and high-risk tertiles, and calibration plots showed good predictive performance for CABG and PCI groups. Use of anatomical SS as a reference improved the overall reclassification provided by SSII, with a net reclassification index of 0.5 (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: SSII has robust prognostic accuracy, both in CABG and in PCI patient groups and, compared with the anatomical SS alone, was more accurate in stratifying patients for late mortality in a real-world complex coronary artery disease Eastern population.

Temporal evolution of strut light intensity after implantation of bioresorbable polymeric intracoronary scaffolds in the ABSORB cohort B trial-an application of a new quantitative method based on optical coherence tomography.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative light intensity analysis of the strut core by optical coherence tomography (OCT) may enable assessment of changes in the light reflectivity of the bioresorbable polymeric scaffold from polymer to provisional matrix and connective tissues, with full disappearance and integration of the scaffold into the vessel wall. The aim of this report was to describe the methodology and to apply it to serial human OCT images post procedure and at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months in the ABSORB cohort B trial. METHODS AND RESULTS: In serial frequency-domain OCT pullbacks, corresponding struts at different time points were identified by 3-dimensional foldout view. The peak and median values of light intensity were measured in the strut core by dedicated software. A total of 303 corresponding struts were serially analyzed at 3 time points. In the sequential analysis, peak light intensity increased gradually in the first 24 months after implantation and reached a plateau (relative difference with respect to baseline [%Dif]: 61.4% at 12 months, 115.0% at 24 months, 110.7% at 36 months), while the median intensity kept increasing at 36 months (%Dif: 14.3% at 12 months, 75.0% at 24 months, 93.1% at 36 months). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative light intensity analysis by OCT was capable of detecting subtle changes in the bioresorbable strut appearance over time, and could be used to monitor the bioresorption and integration process of polylactide struts.

Risk Burden of Cancer in Patients Treated With Abbreviated Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After PCI: Analysis of Multicenter Controlled High-Bleeding Risk Trials.

BACKGROUND: Oncological patients with coronary artery disease face an elevated risk of hemorrhagic and ischemic events following percutaneous coronary intervention. Despite medical guidelines recommending minimal dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) duration for patients with cancer, dedicated data on abbreviated DAPT in this population is lacking. This study aims to evaluate the occurrence of ischemic and hemorrhagic events in patients with cancer compared with other high-bleeding risk individuals. METHODS: Patient-level data from 4 high-bleeding risk coronary drug-eluting stent studies (ONYX One, LEADERS FREE, LEADERS FREE II, and SENIOR trials) treated with short DAPT were analyzed. The comparison focused on patients with high-bleeding risk with and without cancer, assessing 1-year rates of net adverse clinical events (all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, revascularization, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium [BARC] types 3 to 5 bleeding) and major adverse clinical events (all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke). RESULTS: A total of 5232 patients were included, of whom 574 individuals had cancer, and 4658 were at high-bleeding risk without previous cancer. Despite being younger with fewer risk factors, patients with cancer had higher net adverse clinical event (HR, 1.25; P=0.01) and major adverse clinical event (HR, 1.26; P=0.02), primarily driven by all-cause mortality and major bleeding (BARC 3-5), but not myocardial infarction, stroke, stent thrombosis, or repeat revascularization. Cancer was an independent predictor of net adverse clinical event (P=0.005), major adverse clinical event (P=0.01), and major bleeding (P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The present work is the first report on abbreviated DAPT dedicated to patients with cancer. Cancer is a major marker of adverse outcomes and these events had high lethality. Despite short DAPT, patients with cancer experienced higher rates of major bleeding compared with patients without cancer with high-bleeding risk, which occurred mainly after DAPT discontinuation. These findings reinforce the need for a more detailed and individualized stratification of those patients. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifiers: NCT03344653, NCT01623180, NCT02843633, NCT0284.

Evaluation of success and complications scores for chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary interventions: insights from the LATAM registry.

Chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention is a complex procedure and is associated with considerable risk of complications. Several success and complication scores have been developed; however, data regarding their external validation in other populations such as Latin America are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the main predictors of success and complications in a broad cohort of procedures in the Latin American (LATAM) CTO registry. From April 2008 to December 2023, 3706 consecutive procedures listed in the LATAM CTO Registry were screened. Of these, 2835 procedures had sufficient information to analyze the J-CTO, PROGRESS, ORA, CL-score, and CASTLE success scores. The complication scores were PROGRESS (MACE, Mortality, and Pericardiocentesis) and OPEN CLEAN. The J-CTO and CASTLE scores demonstrated the highest areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.718 and 0.703, respectively. The AUC value for the CL-score was 0.685, while the PROGRESS score had an AUC of 0.598 and the ORA AUC was 0.545. The level of agreement between scores was low; only 4% of the procedures were classified as difficult or very difficult by all scores and less than 1% were classified as easy by all 5 scores. Among the complication scores, PROGRESS Mortality (AUC 0.651) and PROGRESS MACE (AUC 0.588) showed the best performance, identifying groups with over 10% event rate. These results may improve the selection of revascularization techniques, especially for patient demographics that are historically underrepresented in CTO research.

Bioresorbable drug-eluting magnesium-alloy scaffold for treatment of coronary artery disease.

The introduction of metallic drug-eluting stents has reduced the risk of restenosis and widened the indications of percutaneous coronary intervention in treatment of coronary artery disease. However, this medical device can induce hypersensitive reaction that interferes with the endothelialization and healing process resulting in late persistent or acquired malapposition of the permanent metallic implant. Delayed endotheliaization and malapposition may lead to late and very late stent thrombosis. Bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) have been introduced to potentially overcome these limitations, as they provide temporary scaffolding and then disappear, liberating the treated vessel from its cage. Magnesium is an essential mineral needed for a variety of physiological functions in the human body and its bioresorbable alloy has the strength-to-weight ratio comparable with that of strong aluminum alloys and alloy steels. The aim of this review is to present the new developments in Magnesium BRS technology, to describe its clinical application and to discuss the future prospects of this innovative therapy.

B-type natriuretic peptide and N-terminal Pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in severe aortic stenosis: a comprehensive literature review.

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-pro BNP) are cardiac biomarkers that are released in response to increased ventricular and atrial wall stress. Aortic stenosis (AS) leads to hemodynamic changes and left ventricular hypertrophy and may be associated with natriuretic peptide levels. Several studies have shown that increased natriuretic peptide levels are correlated with AS severity and can predict the need for intervention. It can be useful in risk stratification, monitoring follow-up, and predicting cardiovascular outcomes of patients with severe AS. This paper aims to summarize the evidence of the role of BNP and NT-pro BNP in AS, before and after intervention.