Ultrasonographic assessment and clinical outcomes after deployment of a suture-mediated femoral vascular closure device.

INTRODUCTION: Data regarding changes in the arterial vascular wall after the deployment of suture-mediated vascular closure devices (VCD) at the femoral site in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary angiography (CAG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are sparse. This study investigated the occurrence of structural vascular changes or adverse vascular complications at the access site in the short term after the deployment of a suture-mediated intravascular VCD. METHODS: Ninety-three patients (72% males) with a mean age of 62 ± 11 years were enrolled. Duplex sonography was conducted at the access site at baseline, 24 hours and 30 days after femoral puncture in patients with successful VCD deployment. Vessel diameter, flow velocities, the severity of atherosclerosis, and the intravascular or perivascular tissue alterations in both the right common femoral artery (RCFA) and right external iliac artery (REILA) were assessed. Vascular complications were documented. RESULTS: There were no significant changes regarding the diameter of the RCFA in the transverse and longitudinal view, peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the RCFA, PSV ratio of the RCFA to REILA, the resistive index of the RFCA and the severity of arterial wall abnormalities before femoral puncture, the day following VCD deployment and 30 days after (p = NS for all) in the general population and in patients with diabetes mellitus, on oral anticoagulants or with mild peripheral artery disease (p = NS for all markers). Device failure was observed in four cases. Few (4.4%) patients had vascular complications, which included exclusively major or minor haematomas, most of which did not persist at the 30-day follow up. CONCLUSION: The use of a suture-mediated VCD was safe and was not associated with adverse vascular wall changes at the femoral access site 30 days after deployment in patients undergoing CAG and/or PCI.

Impaired Endothelial Glycocalyx Predicts Adverse Outcome in Subjects Without Overt Cardiovascular Disease: a 6-Year Follow-up Study.

We investigated whether disturbance of glycocalyx integrity is related with increased cardiovascular risk. In 600 healthy subjects, we measured perfused boundary region (PBR), a marker of glycocalyx integrity, in sublingual microvessels with diameter ranging 5-25 µm using a dedicated camera (Sideview Darkfield Imaging). Increased PBR indicates reduced glycocalyx thickness. We prospectively monitored the occurrence of cardiovascular events (MACE-death, myocardial infarction, and stroke) during a 6-year follow-up. Fifty-seven MACE were documented. Increased values of PBR5-25 predicted higher risk for MACE in a model including sex, age, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, family history of coronary disease, treatment with ACEi/ARBs, or lipid-lowering agents (hazard ratio (HR), 6.44, p = 0.011; net reclassification improvement (NRI), 28%; C-statistic: 0.761). PBR5-25 was an independent and additive predictor of outcome when added in a model including the European Heart SCORE, diabetes, family history of CAD, and medication (HR, 4.71; NRI: 39.7%, C-statistic from 0.653 to 0.693; p < 0.01).Glycocalyx integrity is an independent and additive predictor to risk factors for MACE at 6-year follow-up in individuals without cardiovascular disease. ClinicalTrials.govIdentifier:NCT04646252. PBR5-25 was an independent and additive predictor of adverse cardiovascular events in a model including the European Heart SCORE, diabetes, family history of coronary disease, and medication (HR: 4.71, NRI: 39.7%, C-statistic from 0.653 to 0.693; p < 0.01, NRI:37.9%).

Vascular conditioning prevents adverse left ventricular remodelling after acute myocardial infarction: a randomised remote conditioning study.

AIMS: Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) alleviates ischemia-reperfusion injury via several pathways, including micro-RNAs (miRs) expression and oxidative stress modulation. We investigated the effects of RIC on endothelial glycocalyx, arterial stiffness, LV remodelling, and the underlying mediators within the vasculature as a target for protection. METHODS AND RESULTS: We block-randomised 270 patients within 48 h of STEMI post-PCI to either one or two cycles of bilateral brachial cuff inflation, and a control group without RIC. We measured: (a) the perfusion boundary region (PBR) of the sublingual arterial microvessels to assess glycocalyx integrity; (b) the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV); (c) miR-144,-150,-21,-208, nitrate-nitrite (NOx) and malondialdehyde (MDA) plasma levels at baseline (T0) and 40 min after RIC onset (T3); and (d) LV volumes at baseline and after one year. Compared to baseline, there was a greater PBR and PWV decrease, miR-144 and NOx levels increase (p < 0.05) at T3 following single- than double-cycle inflation (PBR:ΔT0-T3 = 0.249 ± 0.033 vs 0.126 ± 0.034 µm, p = 0.03 and PWV:0.4 ± 0.21 vs -1.02 ± 0.24 m/s, p = 0.03). Increased miR-150,-21,-208 (p < 0.05) and reduced MDA was observed after both protocols. Increased miR-144 was related to PWV reduction (r = 0.763, p < 0.001) after the first-cycle inflation in both protocols. After one year, single-cycle RIC was associated with LV end-systolic volume reduction (LVESV) > 15% (odds-ratio of 3.75, p = 0.029). MiR-144 and PWV changes post-RIC were interrelated and associated with LVESV reduction at follow-up (r = 0.40 and 0.37, p < 0.05), in the single-cycle RIC. CONCLUSION: RIC evokes "vascular conditioning" likely by upregulation of cardio-protective microRNAs, NOx production, and oxidative stress reduction, facilitating reverse LV remodelling. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT03984123.

Optimal Blood Pressure Control Improves Left Ventricular Torsional Deformation and Vascular Function in Newly Diagnosed Hypertensives: a 3-Year Follow-up Study.

We investigated the effects of optimizing blood pressure control on cardiac deformation and vascular function. For this purpose, in 200 untreated patients with essential hypertension, we assessed at baseline as well as after 3 years of optimal blood pressure control: arterial stiffness and coronary microcirculatory function as well as longitudinal and torsional deformation parameters. Compared to baseline, after 3 years of optimal blood pressure control, there was an improvement of longitudinal strain, twisting as well as untwisting parameters of the left ventricle. In parallel, there was an improvement in coronary microcirculatory function, arterial stiffness, left ventricular mass, and ventricular-arterial interaction. The reduction of arterial stiffness was independently associated with the respective improvement of cardiac deformation markers and coronary flow reserve after adjusting for blood pressure improvement. Blood pressure optimization improves LV longitudinal and torsional mechanics in hypertensives in parallel with arterial stiffness, resulting in improved ventricular-arterial interaction and coronary flow reserve. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02346695.

Effects of Different Antidiabetic Medications on Endothelial Glycocalyx, Myocardial Function, and Vascular Function in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: One Year Follow-Up Study.

BACKGROUND: Poor glycaemic control affects myocardial function. We investigated changes in endothelial function and left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation in poorly controlled type 2 diabetics before and after glycaemic control intensification. METHODS: In 100 poorly-controlled diabetic patients (age: 51 ± 12 years), we measured at baseline and at 12 months after intensified glycaemic control: (a) Pulse wave velocity (PWV, Complior); (b) flow-mediated dilatation (FMD, %) of the brachial artery; (c) perfused boundary region (PBR) of the sublingual arterial micro-vessels (side-view dark-field imaging, Glycocheck); (d) LV global longitudinal strain (GLS), peak twisting (pTw), peak twisting velocity (pTwVel), and peak untwisting velocity (pUtwVel) using speckle tracking echocardiography, where the ratio of PWV/GLS was used as a marker of ventricular-arterial interaction; and (e) Malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyls (PCs) plasma levels. RESULTS: Intensified 12-month antidiabetic treatment reduced HbA1c (8.9 ± 1.8% (74 ± 24 mmol/mol) versus 7.1 ± 1.2% (54 ± 14 mmol/mol), p = 0.001), PWV (12 ± 3 versus 10.8 ± 2 m/s), PBR (2.12 ± 0.3 versus 1.98 ± 0.2 µm), MDA, and PCs; meanwhile, the treatment improved GLS (-15.2 versus -16.9%), PWV/GLS, and FMD% (p < 0.05). By multi-variate analysis, incretin-based agents were associated with improved PWV (p = 0.029), GLS (p = 0.037), PBR (p = 0.047), and FMD% (p = 0.034), in addition to a reduction of HbA1c. The patients with a final HbA1c ≤ 7% (≤ 53 mmol/mol) had greater reduction in PWV, PBR, and markers of oxidative stress, with a parallel increase in FMD and GLS, compared to those who had HbA1c > 7% (> 53 mmol/mol). CONCLUSIONS: Intensified glycaemic control, in addition to incretin-based treatment, improves arterial stiffness, endothelial glycocalyx, and myocardial deformation in type 2 diabetes after one year of treatment.

Differential effects of inhibition of interleukin 1 and 6 on myocardial, coronary and vascular function.

BACKGROUND: Anakinra, an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 receptor blocker, are used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. We investigated the differential effects of anakinra and tocilizumab on myocardial and vascular function in an atherosclerosis model of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: 120 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were randomized to anakinra (n = 40), tocilizumab (n = 40) or prednisolone (n = 40) for 3 months. Primary outcome measure was the change of left ventricular longitudinal strain after 3 months of treatment. Additionally, we measured coronary flow reserve, flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls as oxidative stress markers and C-reactive protein blood levels at baseline and post-treatment. RESULTS: At baseline, patients among the three treatment arms had similar age, sex, disease activity score and atherosclerotic risk factors. Compared with baseline, all patients had improved longitudinal strain (- 16% vs. - 17.8%), coronary flow reserve (2.56 vs. 2.9), malondialdehyde (2.0 vs. 1.5 µM/L), protein carbonyls (0.0132 vs. 0.0115 nmol/mg), and C-reactive protein post-treatment. In all patients, the percent decrease of malondialdehyde was correlated with percent increase of longitudinal strain (p < 0.001). Compared with tocilizumab and prednisolone, anakinra treatment resulted in a greater improvement of longitudinal strain (18.7% vs. 9.7% vs. 6%) and coronary flow reserve (29% vs. 13% vs. 1%), while pulse wave velocity and brachial blood pressure were improved only after tocilizumab treatment (11 ± 3 vs. 10.3 ± 2 m/s p < 0.05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Anakinra is associated with an improvement in cardiac function and tocilizumab with improvement in vascular function. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https:// http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT03288584.

The role of ventricular-arterial coupling in cardiac disease and heart failure: assessment, clinical implications and therapeutic interventions. A consensus document of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Aorta & Peripheral Vascular Diseases, European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, and Heart Failure Association.

Ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC) plays a major role in the physiology of cardiac and aortic mechanics, as well as in the pathophysiology of cardiac disease. VAC assessment possesses independent diagnostic and prognostic value and may be used to refine riskstratification and monitor therapeutic interventions. Traditionally, VAC is assessed by the non-invasive measurement of the ratio of arterial (Ea) to ventricular end-systolic elastance (Ees). With disease progression, both Ea and Ees may become abnormal and the Ea/Ees ratio may approximate its normal values. Therefore, the measurement of each component of this ratio or of novel more sensitive markers of myocardial (e.g. global longitudinal strain) and arterial function (e.g. pulse wave velocity) may better characterize VAC. In valvular heart disease, systemic arterial compliance and valvulo-arterial impedance have an established diagnostic and prognostic value and may monitor the effects of valve replacement on vascular and cardiac function. Treatment guided to improve VAC through improvement of both or each one of its components may delay incidence of heart failure and possibly improve prognosis in heart failure. In this consensus document, we describe the pathophysiology, the methods of assessment as well as the clinical implications of VAC in cardiac diseases and heart failure. Finally, we focus on interventions that may improve VAC and thus modify prognosis.

Pulse wave velocity to global longitudinal strain ratio in hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Arterial elastance to left ventricular elastance ratio assessed by echocardiography is widely used as a marker of ventricular-arterial coupling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated whether the ratio of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, as a marker of arterial stiffness, to global longitudinal strain, as a marker of left ventricular performance, could be better associated with vascular and cardiac damage than the established arterial elastance/left ventricular elastance index. In 299 newly-diagnosed untreated hypertensives we measured, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and carotid intima-media thickness, coronary-flow reserve, arterial elastance/left ventricular elastance, global longitudinal strain, and markers of left ventricular diastolic function (E/A and E') by echocardiography. RESULTS: Pulse wave velocity-to-global longitudinal strain ratio (PWV/GLS) was lower in hypertensives than controls (-0.61 ± 0.21 vs -0.45 ± 0.11 m/sec%, P < 0.001). Low PWV/GLS values were associated with carotid-intima media thickness > 0.9 mm (P = 0.003), E/A ≤ 0.8 (P = 0.019) and E' ≤ 9 cm/sec (P = 0.002) and coronary-flow reserve < 2.5 (P = 0.017), after adjustment for age, sex and mean arterial pressure. Low PWV/GLS was also associated with increased left ventricular mass and left atrial volume in the univariate (P = 0.003 and 0.038) but not in the multivariate model. In hypertensives, there was no significant association of arterial elastance-to-left ventricular elastance index with carotid intima media thickness, coronary flow reserve, E/A, E', or left atrial volume with the exception of an inverse association with left ventricular mass (P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Pulse wave velocity-to-global longitudinal strain ratio but not the echocardiography-derived arterial elastance-to left ventricular elastance index is related to impaired carotid-intima media thickness, coronary-flow reserve and diastolic function in hypertensives.

HDL cholesterol levels and endothelial glycocalyx integrity in treated hypertensive patients.

Endothelial dysfunction indicates target organ damage in hypertensive patients. The integrity of endothelial glycocalyx (EG) plays a vital role in vascular permeability, inflammation and elasticity, and finally to cardiovascular disease. The authors aimed to investigate the role of increased HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, which usually are considered protective against cardiovascular disease, in EG integrity in older hypertensive patients. The authors studied 120 treated hypertensive patients older than 50 years were divided regarding HDL-C tertiles in group HDLH (HDL-C ≥ 71 mg/dL, upper HDL-C tertile) and group HDLL (HDL-C < 71 mg/dL, two lower HDL-C tertiles). Increased perfusion boundary region (PBR) of the sublingual arterial microvessels (ranging from 5 to 9 µm) using Sideview Darkfield imaging (Microscan, Glycocheck) was measured as a non-invasive accurate index of reduced EG thickness. PBR 5-9 was significantly decreased in group HDLH (P = 0.04). In the whole population, HDL-C was inversely but moderately related to PBR 5-9 (r = -0.22, P = 0.01). In a multiple linear regression analysis model, using age, BMI, smoking habit, HDL-C, LDL-C, and office SBP, as independent variables, the authors found that BMI (ß = 0.25, P = 0.006) independently predicted PBR 5-9 in the whole population. In older hypertensive patients, HDL-C ranging between 71 and 101 mg/dL might moderately protect EG and subsequently endothelial function. Future studies in several groups of low- or high-risk hypertensives are needed in order to evaluate the beneficial role of extremely elevated HDL-C regarding cardiovascular risk evaluation as well as endothelial glycocalyx as a novel index of target organ damage in essential hypertension.

Association of impaired endothelial glycocalyx with arterial stiffness, coronary microcirculatory dysfunction, and abnormal myocardial deformation in untreated hypertensives.

We investigated the association of endothelial glycocalyx damage with arterial stiffness, impairment of coronary microcirculatory function, and LV myocardial deformation in 320 untreated hypertensives and 160 controls. We measured perfused boundary region (PBR) of the sublingual microvessels, a marker inversely related with glycocalyx thickness, coronary flow reserve (CFR), and Global Longitudinal strain (GLS) by echocardiography, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and central systolic blood pressure (cSBP). Hypertensives had higher PBR, PWV cSBP, and lower CFR and GLS than controls (P < .05). In hypertensives, increased PBR was associated with increased cSBP, PWV, and decreased CFR and GLS after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking LV mass, heart rate, hyperlipidemia, and office SBP (P < .05). PBR had an additive value to PWV, CFR, and office SBP for the prediction of abnormal GLS (x2  = 2.4-3.8, P for change = .03). Endothelial glycocalyx is impaired in untreated hypertensives and is related to arterial stiffness, coronary, and myocardial dysfunction.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and heart failure: a position statement from the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.

The coexistence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and heart failure (HF), either with reduced (HFrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), is frequent (30-40% of patients) and associated with a higher risk of HF hospitalization, all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality. The most important causes of HF in T2DM are coronary artery disease, arterial hypertension and a direct detrimental effect of T2DM on the myocardium. T2DM is often unrecognized in HF patients, and vice versa, which emphasizes the importance of an active search for both disorders in the clinical practice. There are no specific limitations to HF treatment in T2DM. Subanalyses of trials addressing HF treatment in the general population have shown that all HF therapies are similarly effective regardless of T2DM. Concerning T2DM treatment in HF patients, most guidelines currently recommend metformin as the first-line choice. Sulphonylureas and insulin have been the traditional second- and third-line therapies although their safety in HF is equivocal. Neither glucagon-like preptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, nor dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitors reduce the risk for HF hospitalization. Indeed, a DPP4 inhibitor, saxagliptin, has been associated with a higher risk of HF hospitalization. Thiazolidinediones (pioglitazone and rosiglitazone) are contraindicated in patients with (or at risk of) HF. In recent trials, sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, empagliflozin and canagliflozin, have both shown a significant reduction in HF hospitalization in patients with established CV disease or at risk of CV disease. Several ongoing trials should provide an insight into the effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with HFrEF and HFpEF in the absence of T2DM.

Effects of 6-month treatment with the glucagon like peptide-1 analogue liraglutide on arterial stiffness, left ventricular myocardial deformation and oxidative stress in subjects with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Incretin-based therapies are used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. We investigated the changes in arterial stiffness and left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation after 6-month treatment with the GLP-1 analogue liraglutide in subjects with newly diagnosed T2DM. METHODS: We randomized 60 patients with newly diagnosed and treatment-naive T2DM to receive either liraglutide (n = 30) or metformin (n = 30) for 6 months. We measured at baseline and after 6-month treatment: (a) carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) (b) LV longitudinal strain (GLS), and strain rate (GLSR), peak twisting (pTw), peak twisting velocity (pTwVel) and peak untwisting velocity (pUtwVel) using speckle tracking echocardiography. LV untwisting was calculated as the percentage difference between peak twisting and untwisting at MVO (%dpTw-UtwMVO), at peak (%dpTw-UtwPEF) and end of early LV diastolic filling (%dpTw-UtwEDF) (c) Flow mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery and percentage difference of FMD (FMD%) (d) malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyls (PCs) and NT-proBNP. RESULTS: After 6-months treatment, subjects that received liraglutide presented with a reduced PWV (11.8 ± 2.5 vs. 10.3 ± 3.3 m/s), MDA (0.92 [0.45-2.45] vs. 0.68 [0.43-2.08] nM/L) and NT-proBNP (p < 0.05) in parallel with an increase in GLS (- 15.4 ± 3 vs. - 16.6 ± 2.7), GLSR (0.77 ± 0.2 vs. 0.89 ± 0.2), pUtwVel (- 97 ± 49 vs. - 112 ± 52°, p < 0.05), %dpTw-UtwMVO (31 ± 10 vs. 40 ± 14), %dpTw-UtwPEF (43 ± 19 vs. 53 ± 22) and FMD% (8.9 ± 3 vs. 13.2 ± 6, p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences of the measured markers in subjects that received metformin except for an improvement in FMD. In all subjects, PCs levels at baseline were negatively related to the difference of GLS (r = - 0.53) post-treatment and the difference of MDA was associated with the difference of PWV (r = 0.52) (p < 0.05 for all associations) after 6-month treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Six-month treatment with liraglutide improves arterial stiffness, LV myocardial strain, LV twisting and untwisting and NT-proBNP by reducing oxidative stress in subjects with newly diagnosed T2DM. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03010683.

Association of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use and in-hospital outcomes in patients with acute heart failure.

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) constitute a beneficial therapy in chronic heart failure, but their use in the acute heart failure (AHF) setting remains rather unexplored. To assess the effect of MRAs administered during hospitalization on in-hospital outcomes of patients with AHF, we performed a post-hoc analysis of the Acute Heart Failure Global Registry of Standard Treatment (ALARM-HF). Patients of the original study cohort (n = 4953) were categorized according to in-hospital MRA treatment status as MRA-treated (n = 1439) and untreated (n = 3514) subjects. Nearest-neighbor propensity score with 1:1 matching yielded a subsample of pairs of MRA-treated and MRA-untreated patients (n = 1003 in each treatment group) that were balanced in an extensive list of baseline characteristics. In-hospital mortality between MRA-treated and untreated patients were assessed by Cox regression analysis before and after adjustment for known prognostic factors and other concomitantly administered intravenous and oral HF specific therapies. In the matched cohort, in-hospital mortality was 4.2 vs 10.8% in MRA-treated vs untreated patients. Treatment with MRAs was associated with a reduction of in-hospital mortality [HR 0.372 (95% CI, 0.261-0.532), p < 0.001]. This association remained significant after adjustment for known prognostic factors and co-administered intravenous and oral HF therapies [HR: 0.618 (95% CI, 0.383-0.995), p = 0.048]. In conclusion, MRA therapy administered during hospitalization for AHF was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality. The role of MRAs in AHF deserves further examination in adequately powered randomized controlled studies.

Antiplatelet treatment in diabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a GReek AntiPlatElet registry substudy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We compared the clinical outcome of diabetic versus nondiabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the GReek AntiPlatElet (GRAPE) registry. PATIENTS AND METHODS: GRAPE is a prospective observational study, focusing on contemporary antiplatelet use in moderate-risk to high-risk ACS patients receiving PCI. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), (composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, urgent revascularization, and stroke) and bleeding events (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium definition) at 1 year of follow-up were analyzed using propensity score adjustment. A subanalysis according to diabetes mellitus (DM) status was performed. RESULTS: Out of 2047 registered patients, 469 (22.9%) were diabetic. Complete 1-year follow-up was available in 95.1% of patients. MACE occurred in 12.2 and 7.2% of those patients with and without DM, respectively [adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.27 (0.89-1.79), P=0.2]. Observed BARC type ≥3 bleeding risk was not higher in diabetic patients: adjusted HR (95% CI)=1.20 (0.79-1.84). In the subgroup of clopidogrel-treated patients (N=238), MACE rate was significantly higher in diabetic compared with nondiabetic cohort [13.4 vs. 9%, adjusted HR (95% CI)=1.68 (1.07-2.64), P=0.03]. In the subgroup of ticagrelor-treated or prasugrel-treated patients (N=228), MACE rate did not differ significantly between diabetic and nondiabetic patients: 9.6 versus 5%, adjusted HR (95% CI)=1.35 (0.77-2.37), P=0.38. CONCLUSION: In 'real-life' ACS undergoing PCI, diabetic patients have higher - although not significantly - MACE rate and no difference in bleeding events. This difference in MACE was significant among clopidogrel-treated patients, whereas when newer antiplatelet agents were used the negative impact of DM on ischemic events was eliminated.

Bilateral sphenopalatine ganglion block reduces blood pressure in never treated patients with essential hypertension. A randomized controlled single-blinded study.

BACKGROUND: Sympathetic fibers connect sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) with the central nervous system. We aimed to study the effect of SPG block in blood pressure (BP) in never treated patients with stage I-II essential hypertension. METHODS: We performed bilateral SPG block with lidocaine 2% in 33 hypertensive patients (mean age 48±12years, 24 men) and a sham operation with water for injection in 11 patients who served as the control group (mean age 51±12years, 8 men). All patients have been subjected to 24h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring prior and a month after the SBG block in order to estimate any differences in blood pressure parameters. We defined as responders to SBG block those patients with a 24h SBP decrease ≥5mmHg. RESULTS: We found that 24h and daytime DBP (p=0.02) as well as daytime DBP load (p=0.03) were decreased in the study group a month after SPG block. In addition, a significant response was noted in 12/33 responders (36%) regarding: a. SBP and DBP during overall 24h and daytime (p<0.001) and night-time periods, b. pre-awake and early morning SBP and c. SBP (daytime and night-time) and DBP (daytime) load. No differences regarding BP were found in the sham operation group. CONCLUSIONS: SPG block is a promising, minimally invasive option of BP decrease in hypertensives, probably through SNS modulation. Additionally, due to its anesthetic effect, SPG block might act as a method of selection for those hypertensive patients with an activated SNS before any other invasive antihypertensive procedure.

Cangrelor in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Current Status and Perspectives.

Cangrelor is an intravenously administered P2Y12 receptor antagonist with very fast, potent, and quickly reversible action. In the CHAMPION PHOENIX trial, cangrelor provided an improved anti-ischemic protection compared with clopidogrel, without increasing the risk of severe bleeding. Cangrelor is currently approved by drug regulating authorities for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) without prior treatment with a P2Y12 receptor antagonist and not receiving a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, while its use is endorsed with a class IIb recommendation by the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. Several subanalyses of CHAMPION PHOENIX trial have tried to elucidate the role of cangrelor in PCI, including its usefulness during a 2-hour landmark analysis, impact on intraprocedural stent thrombosis, and reduction in myocardial infarction (MI) rate. The influence of gender, geographic region, access site, and bivalirudin use on cangrelor's effects has also been reported. In patients with ST elevation MI and in clinical scenarios of disturbed absorption of oral antiplatelet agents or in need of an intravenous agent, cangrelor may surpass oral agents' drawbacks. Transitioning to an oral agent is mandatory following cangrelor infusion discontinuation, although ticagrelor may be administered earlier without any pharmacodynamic interaction. Nevertheless, the clinical role of cangrelor in conjunction with administration of prasugrel or ticagrelor remains unclear. Accruing real-life experience is expected to improve our understanding of cangrelor's role in everyday clinical practice.

Combination antiplatelet treatment in coronary artery disease patients: A necessary evil or an overzealous practice?

In seeking to improve care in coronary artery disease patients, further platelet inhibition has been occasionally applied beyond that provided by aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor antagonist. This review aims to offer insights about the rationale, the efficacy and safety of combination antiplatelet therapy, involving three or more agents. Overall, the use of glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors did not significantly modify the treatment effect of different antiplatelet strategies, including double vs standard clopidogrel, prasugrel vs clopidogrel, ticagrelor vs clopidogrel, cangrelor vs clopidogrel, and vorapaxar vs placebo. With the caveat that the use of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor was not randomized, adding such an agent to aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor antagonist appears to carry a significantly increased bleeding potential. Moreover, adding vorapaxar to aspirin- and clopidogrel-treated patients is associated with more bleeding events, while the bleeding potential is further exacerbated in cases of quadruplicate antiplatelet treatment including aspirin, clopidogrel, vorapaxar, and a GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor. In ST-segment elevation, myocardial infarction patients' administration of an intravenous antiplatelet agent (GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor or cangrelor), in addition to aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor antagonist, efficiently bridges the pharmacodynamic gap of oral agents. Cilostazol on top of aspirin and clopidogrel appears to be safe, although of questionable clinical benefit. In conclusion, combination antiplatelet therapy should be reserved only for selected cases and following thoughtful consideration of the associated risk/benefit ratio.

Coincidental ganglionated plexus modification during radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation and post-ablation arrhythmia recurrence.

AIMS: Vagal responses (VR) during left atrial ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment have been reported to be associated with less recurrences, presumably because they are a sign of ganglionated plexi modification. Our objective was to evaluate whether coincidentally elicited VR during left atrial ablation are associated with lower AF recurrence rates. METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a post hoc analysis of a prospective study of 291 patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Vagal responses were defined as episodes of heart rate <40 bpm or asystole lasting >5 s elicited during energy application. Sixty-eight patients (23.4%) had a VR during ablation. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, mean recurrence-free survival was 449 days (95% confidence interval 411-488) in patients with VR when compared with 435 days (95% confidence interval 415-455) in those without (P = 0.310). The 12-month recurrence rate estimates were 25 and 27%, respectively. In an unadjusted Cox model, VR was associated with an odds ratio for recurrence of 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.46-1.28). CONCLUSION: Coincidentally elicited VR during radiofrequency PVI in patients with paroxysmal AF do not appear to be related to lower risk of arrhythmia recurrence. This may mean that, even if a VR is truly a sign of coincidental ablation of a ganglionated plexus, this does not necessarily mean that a therapeutic modification has been effected, at least to a degree associated with clinical benefit.