Use of robotic assistance to reduce proximity and air-sharing during percutaneous cardiovascular intervention.

Aim: Traditional percutaneous cardiovascular interventions require close physical proximity between the patients and the healthcare team, posing occupational hazards that range from radiation exposure to interpersonal air contamination. Materials & methods: Prospective single-arm pilot study (n = 10) to investigate robotic-assisted intervention as a strategy to reduce proximity during the procedure. Primary end point: composite of angiographic success, intervention performed with the team positioned >2 meters from the patient for ≥50% procedure duration, and absence of in-hospital death or acute target lesion occlusion. Results: The composite primary end point was achieved in 100% of cases. Conclusion: Robotic-assisted percutaneous intervention provided successful invasive treatment while reducing proximity and shared air space between the care-delivery team and the patient during the procedure. Trial registration number: NCT04379453 (Clinicaltrials.gov).

Lay abstract Minimally invasive therapies for cardiovascular diseases are techniques that limit the size of incisions needed and so lessen wound healing time, but traditionally require close contact between the patients and the healthcare team. This fact poses hazards that range from radiation exposure to the spread of airborne diseases. We developed a small study of ten patients to investigate whether a new method of robotic-assisted stent implantation for the treatment of a heart attack would reduce proximity between the patient and medical staff during the procedure. To evaluate the effectiveness of that strategy, we assessed the success of the procedure (by analyzing the images of the operation), the amount of time the team was positioned more than 2 meters from the patient and the occurrence of complications during the hospitalization. We concluded that this method of robotic-assisted stent implantation after a heart attack provided successful treatment while reducing proximity and shared air space between the care-delivery team and the patient.

Robotic-assisted intervention strategy to minimize air exposure during the procedure: a case report of myocardial infarction and COVID-19.

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is traditionally a manual procedure executed by one or more operators positioned at a close distance from the patient. The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has imposed severe restrictions to such an interventional environment. The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is transmitted mainly through expelled respiratory particles, which are known to travel approximately 3-6 feet away from infected persons. During PCI, that contamination range obligatorily poses the team and the patient to direct air exposure. We herein present a case report with the description of a minimum-contact strategy to reduce interpersonal air exposure during PCI. The approach designed to minimize proximity between the patient and the healthcare team included the performance of robotic-assisted PCI, operated by unscrubbed cardiac interventionalists from a control cockpit located outside the catheterization suite. Also included, was the delineation of the potential zone of respiratory particle spread; a circle measuring 4 meters (13.1 feet) in diameter was traced on the floor of the cath lab with red tape, centered on the patient's mouth and nose. The team was rigorously trained and advised to minimize time spent within the 4-meter perimeter as much as possible during the procedure. Following this strategy, a 60-year-old male with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and COVID-19 was treated with successful coronary implantation of two stents in the obtuse marginal branch and one stent in the circumflex artery. The total duration of the procedure was 103 minutes and 22 seconds. During most of the procedure, the 4-meter spread zone was not entered by any personnel. For each individual team member, the proposed strategy was effective in ensuring that they stayed outside of the 4-meter area for the majority of their work time, ranging from 96.9% to 59.7% of their respective participation. This case report illustrates the potential of robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary intervention in reducing physical proximity between the team and the patient during the procedure.

Enhanced inflammatory response to coronary stenting marks the development of clinically relevant restenosis.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of coronary stenting on the release of cytokines and cell-mediated immunity factors and to evaluate the association between inflammation and clinical outcomes at 6 months. BACKGROUND: Circulating levels of inflammatory markers and cytokines are elevated in patients with acute coronary syndromes and are related to an unfavorable outcome. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of coronary stenting on the release of cytokines and cell-mediated immunity factors and to evaluate the association between inflammation and clinical outcomes at 6 months. METHODS: Forty patients with single native coronary artery disease treated with stenting were enrolled. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected before and 6 h, 48 h, and 12 weeks after stenting. Serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (markers of inflammation) and serum-soluble interleukin-2 receptor for T-lymphocyte activation (sIL2-R, marker of cell-mediated immunity) were measured. Patients also were evaluated clinically one, 3, and 6 months post-stenting or when they presented with cardiovascular symptoms to identify major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, MI, revascularization). RESULTS: Concentrations of interleukins 6 and 8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha peaked at 6 h (11.0, 12.6, and 5.3 pg/ml, respectively). The peak level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (2.77 mg/dL) occurred 48 h post stenting, while sIL2-R peaked (495 U/ml) at 12 weeks. Patients who experienced restenosis had higher levels of C-reactive protein at 48 h (4.94 vs. 1.84 mg/dl; P = 0.043) and of IL-8 at 6 h (26.75 vs. 13.55 pg/mL; P = 0.048) than those without restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Proinflammatory cytokines and inflammatory markers are released into the peripheral circulation early after coronary stenting, and increased levels of some are associated with clinically relevant restenosis.

Comparison of direct stenting versus stenting with predilation for the treatment of selected coronary narrowings.

Direct stenting may reduce costs, procedure times, and injury to the vessel wall, positively influencing acute and late results. This study was designed to demonstrate 6-month clinical outcome equivalence between direct and standard stenting techniques. Four hundred eleven patients (425 lesions) were randomized in 7 sites to undergo direct (210 patients, 216 lesions) or conventional (201 patients, 209 lesions) stent implantation. Lesions with severe calcification were excluded. Angiographic success rate was 100% in the direct stent group (2.8% requiring balloon predilation) and 98.6% in the predilation group (p = 0.12). Direct stenting was associated with decreased use of balloons (0.15 vs 1.09 balloons/lesion treated) and with a trend toward a reduction of procedure time (22.7 +/- 15.0 vs 25.6 +/- 18.2 minutes; p = 0.073). Fluoroscopy time and contrast volume were not different between groups. At 6-month follow-up, the incidences of death (direct [1.4%] vs predilation [2.5%]), myocardial infarction (5.3% vs 5.0%), and target vessel revascularization (8.2% vs 10.5%) were similar in both groups. Major adverse cardiac event-free survival rate was 87.5% for those who underwent the direct stent technique and 85.5% for patients who underwent predilation (p = 0.0002 for equivalence). In conclusion, direct stenting is at least equivalent to the standard technique in terms of 6-month clinical outcomes when performed on selected coronary lesions without significant calcification. This strategy is associated with decreased use of balloons, but, in general, does not significantly reduce procedure times.

Endocardite infecciosa na infância e adolescência / Infective Endocarditis in Infants and Adolescents

PURPOSE--To assess infective endocarditis (IE) predisposing factors, etiologic agents and hospital course in infants and adolescents. METHODS--We Studied 222 patients admitted under compatible IE diagnosis, from 1985 to 1990. The population of this study is fifty patients (23//) under 16 years of age. RESULTS--Rheumatic valvular disease, as predisposing cardiopathy was proeminent within 9 to 16 years of age, markedly Statistical difference when compared to age range of 0 to 8 years (p < 0.05). Among congenital cardiopathies, the most frequent were: interventricular septal defect (26.0//) and tetralogy of Fallot (21.7//). Blood cultures, surgical material or emboli cultures were positive in 35 (70.0//) assessed patients. Streptococcus viridans (45.7//) and Staphylococcus aureus (42.8//) were the etiologic agents most often isolated. It was found that endocarditis by Staphylococcus aureus had mortality rate of 53.3//[(clinical (66.6//) and surgical (44.4//)], (p < 0.05) when compared to those by Streptococcus viridans; with total mortality of 6.2//(no clinical death and 16.6//in the surgical group). Total in-hospital mortality (clinical and surgical) was 26.0//(13 deaths). CONCLUSION--IE in infants and adolescents in this studied population presented Streptococcus viridans responsible for 46.7//of patients with endocarditis and the Staphylococcus aureus for 42.8//were the etiologic agents most often found. Total, clinical and surgical mortality was greater in patients with endocarditis by Staphylococcus aureus when compared with those by Streptococcus viridans. Among the congenital cardiopathies, whether operated on or not, ventricular septal defect and of Fallot's tetralogy were the most involved ones; rheumatic cardiopathy Still remains a significant predisposing factor to infective IE in our country