Randomized Clinical Trial of Hybrid vs. Surgical vs. Percutaneous Multivessel Coronary Revascularization: 5­year Follow-up of HREVS Trial.

Aim      To evaluate 5-year results of the HREVS (Hybrid REvascularization Versus Standarts) study.Material and methods  The study included 155 consecutive patients with multivessel coronary artery disease who were randomized into 3 groups: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (n=50), hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) (n=52) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (n=53) according to the consensus of the cardiology team on the technical and clinical feasibility of each of the three coronary revascularization strategies. The primary endpoint of the study was residual ischemia 12 months after revascularization according to data of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Secondary endpoints were major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) over 5 years of follow-up, which included all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and clinically determined repeat myocardial revascularization.Results Baseline characteristics of patients did not differ between study groups. Median residual ischemia determined by SPECT data after 12 months was not statistically significantly different in the CABG, HCR and PCI groups: 6.7 [4.6; 8.8]%, 6.4 [4.3; 8.5]% and 7.9 [5.9; 9.8]%, respectively (p=0.45). Mean follow-up period was 76.5 months (at least 60 months). There were no statistically significant differences in all-cause mortality between the CABG, HCR and PCI groups, 10.6, 12.8 and 8.2 %, respectively (p=0.23). Statistically significant differences between the groups of CABG, HCR and PCI in the incidence of myocardial infarction (12.8; 8.5 and 16.3 %; p=0.12), stroke (4.2; 6.4 and 10.2 % ; p=0.13), repeat revascularization for clinical indications (23.4; 23.4 and 34.7 %; p=0.11) were not observed either. However, the cumulative 5-year MACCE value was similar in the HCR group and the CABG group but significantly lower than in the PCI group (51.1, 51.1 and 69.4 %, respectively; p = 0.03).Conclusion      HCR that combines advantages of PCI and CABG is a promising strategy for coronary revascularization in multivessel coronary artery disease. HCR demonstrates satisfactory long-term results comparable to those of CABG but superior to PCI. To confirm the safety and efficacy of HCR, a large multicenter study is required that would have a sufficient power to evaluate clinical endpoints.

Mechanism of Vascular Injury in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

The aim of the study was to determine the potential mechanism of vascular complications due to "catheter-vascular wall" interaction in transcatheter aortic valve replacement using experimental and numerical analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of full-scale bench tests and numerical simulations were carried out using the CoreValve commercial transfemoral delivery system for aortic valve bioprosthesis (Medtronic Inc., USA). Full-scale tests were carried out using a phantom of the vascular system (a polymeric silicone model of Transcatheter Aortic Valve; Trandomed 3D Inc., China) with simulation of all stages of delivery system movement along the vascular bed. They involved introduction into the common femoral artery, movement along the abdominal and thoracic parts of the aorta, the aortic arch, and positioning the system to the implantation site. The force arising from the passage of the delivery system was assessed using sensors of a Z50 universal testing machine (Zwick/Roell, Germany). Numerical simulation of transcatheter valve replacement procedure was carried out in a similar way with allowance for the patient-specific anatomy of the recipient's aorta using the finite element method in the Abaqus/CAE environment (Dassault Systèmes, France). RESULTS: It was found that in the process of the delivery system passing through the vascular system, there occurred force fluctuations associated with catheter bending and its interaction with the aortic wall in the region of its arch. For example, in the initial straight portions, the pushing force was 3.8-7.9 N; the force increased to the maximum (11.1 and 14.4 N with and without the prosthesis) with bending of the distal portion of the catheter. A similar increase was observed when performing numerical simulation with high-quality graphic visualization of stress on the "spots" of contact between the catheter and the vascular wall with an increase in stress to 0.8 MPa. CONCLUSION: Numerical and full-scale bench tests prove the significant effect of the properties of delivery system catheter for transcatheter aortic valve replacement on the interaction with the aortic walls.

Myocardial revascularization in Russian Federation for acute coronary syndrome in 2016-2020.

Aim    To analyze the number of cases of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) [ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (nSTEACS)] and results of myocardial revascularization for ACS as a part of the monitoring performed by the Ministry of Health Care of Russia*. This analysis allows, on one hand, providing control of morbidity and mortality of patients with socially significant pathologies and, on the other hand, monitoring the effectivity of treatments to identify and correct their shortcomings. Time-related changes in results of myocardial revascularization performed for ACS patients in the Russian Federation in 2020 were analyzed and compared with the values of 2016-2019 based on data of the Russian Ministry of Health Care monitoring.Material and methods    Yearly absolute, relative, and calculated indices of revascularization for ACS were analyzed and compared based on data of the Russian Ministry of Health Care monitoring in 2016-2020.Results    In the Russian Federation in 2020, the lowest number of hospitalizations for ACS (403, 931) was recorded with an unprecedented ratio of 1 / 1.8 for STEMI/nSTEACS, respectively. In Russia in 2020, the proportion of primary percutaneous coronary interventions (pPCI) for STEMI continued growing; it reached 44% and peaked to the maximum for 2016-2020. At the same time, the thrombolytic therapy (TLT) remained essential in the structure of reperfusion strategies during those years (24.0-27.3 % of all STEMI cases). Total death rate of admitted patients with STEMI in Russia was stable at the level of 13.1-14.6 %. In 2020, there were no significant differences in quality indexes of the treatment for STEMI from the previous period (2016-2019). A yearly relative increase in the number of PCIs for STEACS (from 16 % in 2016 to 30 % in 2020 and from 30% to 46% for high-risk nSTEACS) was observed. In 2020, a significant increase in death rate was observed for nSTEACS as a whole (to 4.1 %) and for individual subgroups (high-risk nSTEACS, to 4.5 %; after PCI for nSTEACS, to 1.8 %; and after PCI for high-risk nSTEACS, to 2.8 %) whereas mean death rate values in these subgroups in 2016-2019 were 2.75 %, 3.45 %, 1.5 %, and 2.3 %, respectively.Conclusion    The analysis of revascularization indexes in ACS patients based on the Ministry of Health Care of Russia monitoring performed in 2016-2020 showed a number of positive trends, including an increase in the total number of revascularization procedures; a decrease in the time from the disease onset to the endovascular treatment; an increase in the availability of stenting for severe ACS; and general stabilization of the mortality. On the other hand, the Russian Federation is considerably behind European countries in several qualitative and quantitative parameters of health care in ACS, such as pPCI availability, symptom-to-balloon time, total mortality of all hospitalized STEMI patients, and revascularization for nSTEACS. Despite the gradual improvement of relative quantitative indexes of myocardial revascularization for ACS, negative changes in the absolute number of myocardial revascularizations for various forms of ACS and a notable increase in the death rate in nSTEACS were observed in 2020, including patients after PCI. There is no doubt that the negative results of myocardial revascularization in Russia in 2020 were due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.* monitoring of measures to reduce the mortality from ischemic heart disease (letters of the Ministry of Health Care of the Russian Federation of 13.03.2015 # 17-6 /10 / 1-177 and of 24.07.2015 # 17-9 / 10 / 2-4128), which includes monthly collection of data on the Federal Research Institute for Health Organization and Informatics portal, the Automated System for Monitoring of Medical Statistics, at http://asmms.mednet.ru.

[Predictors of Coronary Plaque Vulnerability in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease].

Aim      To identify new predictors for vulnerability of atherosclerotic coronary plaques in patients with stable ischemic heart disease (sIHD).Material and methods  This prospective, single-center study included 58 patients with sIHD. Unstable plaques were detected with virtual histology intravascular ultrasound of proximal and medium segments of a coronary artery without significant lesions according to coronarography data. Indexes of inflammation, dyslipidemia and carbohydrate metabolism were considered as candidate predictors for coronary plaque vulnerability.Results In 56 coronary arteries, 58 plaques were detected, 12 of which (20.7 %) were unstable. Vulnerable plaques differed morphologically from stable ones by a greater size of the necrotic core (35.1±8.5 % vs. 24.0±13.2 %; р=0.008), calcified nodules (2.0 [1.0; 5.0] % vs. 1.0 [0; 2.0] %; р=0.006), and a lower content of fibrous components (54.9±10.2 % vs. 66.4±15.8 %; р=0.02). In addition, vulnerable plaques more frequently narrowed the arterial lumen by >70 % of the lumen area (33.3 % vs. 2.2 %; р=0.0006). Correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and calcium volume (r= -0.4104; р=0.023); a positive correlation between the blood glucose level as determined by the oral glucose tolerance test and the lipid component (r=0.48198; р=0.033); and a negative correlation between the apolipoprotein A level and the calcium volume (r= -0.4297; р=0.008).Conclusion      The study demonstrated a high prevalence of vulnerable plaques in nontarget coronary arteries in patients with sIHD. In this process, dyslipidemia indexes (LDL, apolipoproteins A) correlate with the calcium volume whereas blood glucose, as measured in the oral glucose tolerance test, correlates with the lipid component of coronary plaque.

Prognostic Model of Typical Complications Caused by Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

The aim of the study was to develop a prognostic model based on statistical discriminant analysis to assess the risk of postoperative disturbance of cardiac conduction and paraprosthetic regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data of 10 patients implanted with CoreValveTM prostheses (Medtronic Inc., USA) were used to develop prognostic models. To that end, we analyzed changes in hemodynamic and functional parameters provided by echocardiography in the pre- and postoperative periods. RESULTS: We observed significant positive changes in the severity of left ventricular myocardial hypertrophy; on the contrary, volume indicators did not significantly change, which might be associated with the concentric type of left ventricular hypertrophy. The discriminant analysis made it possible to determine major (preoperative) morphological and functional indicators associated with the two most common complications of the procedure: left bundle branch block and paraprosthetic regurgitation. Left ventricular posterior wall thickness, interventricular septal thickness, left atrium dimension, and myocardial mass are the critical factors that determine the development of these complications. CONCLUSION: In the prognostic model, the proposed weighting coefficients allow one to assess the risk of postoperative complications; however, the presence of false-positive results requires further refinement of these coefficients within the linear equation.

[Immediate results of three methods of surgical myocardial revascularization in multivessel lesion of the coronary bed]. / Neposredstvennye rezul'taty trekh metodov khirurgicheskoi revaskuliarizatsii miokarda pri mnogososudistom porazhenii koronarnogo rusla.

INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PTI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are currently the most commonly used techniques of myocardial revascularization. However, each of the methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. The creation of hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) was based on an attempt to combine the benefits of CABG and PTI. AIM: The study was aimed at assessing the immediate results of three methods of surgical myocardial revascularization in patients with multivessel lesions of the coronary bed in stable ischaemic heart disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study enrolled a total of 155 patients randomized into three groups of myocardial revascularization: HCR, CABG and PTI. In the HCR group, the first stage consisted in minimally invasive myocardial revascularization with the anterior descending artery (ADA) followed by PTI (within 1-3 days) with implantation of drug-eluting second-generation stents Xience to other coronary vessels. In the CABG and PTI groups we performed CABG and PTI, respectively, using the Xience stents. In all three groups we assessed the procedural success, frequency of major adverse cardiovascular events and bleeding. RESULTS: Full myocardial revascularization was achieved in all three groups in more than 90% of cases. No statistically significant differences in either the procedural success rate or frequency of major adverse cardiovascular events between the CABG, PTI and HCR were revealed. The PTI group was characterized by the lowest frequency of bleeding, need for rehabilitation, and length of hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Hybrid revascularization with the use of minimally invasive direct myocardial revascularization with the ADA followed by PTI with second-generation drug-eluting stents to other coronary arteries is a method of choice in treatment of patients with multivessel lesions of coronary arteries.

[Transcatheter aortic valve implantation under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation]. / Transkateternaia implantatsiia aortal'nogo klapana v usloviiakh ékstrakorporal'noi membrannoi oksigenatsii.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become the standard treatment for advanced age and high risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. The incidence of life-threatening complications during TAVI has significantly decreased over the last decade due to advanced current surgical experience. However, there is a risk of perioperative life-threatening complications which can require emergency hemodynamic support. Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may represent an effective strategy for immediate hemodynamic stabilization until further treatment of the underlying complication. It is presented case report of TAVI under ECMO performed at the Kemerovo Research Institute for Complex Issues of Cardiovascular Diseases. Emergency ECMO represents a feasible strategy for stabilization until further treatment of life-threatening complications during TAVI.

[Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques of coronary arteries in patients with stable coronary artery disease: 12-months follow-up].

RELEVANCE: A key objective of modern cardiology is the assessment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) risk in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) to develop preventive measures and choose optimal treatment strategies. OBJECTIVE: Detect vulnerable plaques of non-target coronary arteries in patients with stable CAD during routine percutaneous coronary intervention using virtual-histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) and view their morphology over time. MATERIALS AND METHODS:  The prospective observational cohort study included 58 patients with stable CAD. After stenting of a target vessel, VH-IVUS was carried out in proximal and middle segments (6-8 cm) of a non-target coronary artery with no significant stenosis according to coronary angiography. Twelve months later, all patients underwent coronary angiography with re-IVUS of previously detected lesions. Death, myocardial infarction, rehospitalization, and unplanned myocardial revascularization due to vulnerable plaques were the endpoints of the study. RESULTS: IVUS with virtual histology revealed 58 lesions of non-target coronary arteries in 56 (96.5 %) patients. Two patients had no lesions in non-target coronary arteries. A large necrotic core with thin cap (thin-cap fibroatheroma) was detected in 12 (20.7 %) plaques, six of which had additional ACS risk criteria (stenosis area >70 % and / or lumen area <4 mm2). Within the 12­month follow-up period, three patients (one with a vulnerable plaque in IVUS) were hospitalized with a clinical picture of ACS. One cardiac death was registered in a patient with the IVUS vulnerable plaque. 7 of 12 vulnerable plaques stabilized in 12 months. CONCLUSION: 1) The data presented indicate a high rate (20.7 %) of vulnerable plaques of non-target coronary arteries in patients with stable CAD who underwent stenting; 2) Two (16.6 %) patients with vulnerable plaques reached endpoints (death and rehospitalization) within the 12­month follow-up period; 3) An analysis of atherosclerotic plaques in non-target coronary arteries over time showed that vulnerable plaques stabilized and did not cause ACS in more than half of cases (7 of 12); 4) Plaques that were not vulnerable according to IVUS were not likely to destabilize within the 12­month follow-up period.

[Transcutaneous coronary intervention with the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with acute coronary syndrome]. / Chreskozhnoe koronarnoe vmeshatel'stvo s primeneniem ékstrakorporal'noi membrannoi oksigenatsii u bol'nykh s ostrym koronarnym sindromom.

Analysed herein are the in-hospital and remote (12 months) results of transcutaneous coronary interventions (TCI) carried out in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (nSTE-ACS) and multivessel coronary artery disease with the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). From 2013 to 2015, the study included a total of 18 patients with nSTE-ACS and multivessel coronary artery disease who had been denied "open" surgical myocardial revascularization. The mean values (scores) of the scales in the group were as follows: GRACE - 119.7±67.6, SYNTAX Score - 33.5±8.1, Euroscore II - 5.2±21.9. The ejection fraction was averagely moderately low - 49.3±19.4%. During the in-hospital stay of the patients and 12 months after TCI we assessed the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE): death, myocardial infarction, acute cerebral circulation impairment/transitory ischaemic attack, repeat revascularization of the target vessel - both as separate parameters and in a composite form. Additionally, we analysed perioperative and in-hospital complications, their structure, the volume of replacement therapy with blood components and the length of hospital stay. During the in-hospital period and at 12 months of follow up, the composite number of cases of adverse cardiovascular events amounted to 1 (5.5%) and 3 (16.5%), respectively. One patient died during in-hospital treatment and one more lethal outcome was registered by 12 months of follow up; hence, the mortality rate amounted to 1 (5.5%) and 2 (11%) cases, respectively. Stroke was observed in 1 (5.5%) patient only during the in-hospital period. No repeat revascularisation of the target vessel was performed. By the end of the hospital stay, BARC type 3-5 haemorrhagic complications were observed in 50% of patients. The in-hospital and remote (12 months) results of high-risk TCI with ECMO support in patients with nSTE-ACS and multivessel coronary artery disease, who had been denied surgical revascularization demonstrated an acceptable level of unfavourable outcomes. This approach may be regarded as a method alternative to revascularization and used in an utterly severe cohort of patients.

[Outcomes of Various Revascularisation Strategies in the Elderly STEMI Patients With Multi-Vessel Coronary Pathology].

AIM: to assess safety and efficacy of single stage complete revascularization by multivessel stenting as primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in elderly and middle aged patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included in this analysis data on 327 of 1690 STEMI patients who had undergone pPCI from 2009 to 2013. Age of 103 patients was more or equal 65 and of 224 less or equal 64 years. Multivessel stenting (MS) during pPCI was carried out in 26 and 65, while strategy of staged revascularization (SR) was implemented in 77 and 129 individuals among older and younger patients, respectively. During follow-up for 12 months we registered deaths, myocardial infarctions, and unplanned target vessel revascularizations. RESULTS: In each age group ( more or equal 65 and less or equal 64 years) there were no significant differences in clinical and demographic characteristics between subgroups of patients subjected to MS and SR. MS appeared to be safe and effective irrespective of age. Mortality during first 30-days was higher among patients aged more or equal 65 years. However, within each age group there were no significant differences in 1 year results between MS and SR subgroups.

[Results of a Randomized Study: Multivessel Stenting and Staged Revascularization in Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Using Second Generation Drug Covered Stents].

Lack of evidence base on the use of 2-nd generation drug covered stents in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with multivessel lesions in coronary vascular bed makes it important to conduct studies of new devices in a framework of multivessel stenting in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and staged revascularization. Controversial data on outcomes of the strategy of multiple revascularization in STEMI might be related to the use of previous generation coronary stents in this category of patients. Aim of this study was assessment of one year outcomes of multivessel stenting in a framework of PPCI and staged revascularization (8.6+/-4.2 days between stages) with the use of 2-nd generation drug covered stents. We showed that both multivessel stenting and staged revascularuzation might be effective options of revascularization in STEMI with the use of 2-nd generation drug covered stents and maintenance of limited time interval between PCI on infarct related artery and PCI on other coronary vessels with significant stenotic lesions. This strategy was associated with low rate of adverse cardiovascular events.

[Long-term results of different approaches to revascularization in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome and multiple coronary atherosclerosis]. / Otdalennye rezul'taty razlichnykh podkhodov k revaskuliarizatsii pri ostrom koronarnom sindrome bez pod''ema segmenta ST i mnozhestvennom koronarnom ateroskleroze.

AIM: To assess the long-term results of different approaches to treating patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE ACS) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MVCAD). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 150 patients with NSTE ACS, in whom coronary angiography revealed MVCAD, were examined. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the selected treatment policy: 1) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (n=91 (60.6%)); 2) coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (n=40 (26.6%)); and 3) only medical treatment (n=9 (6%)). The mean follow-up was 27.6±3.5 months. RESULTS: The medical treatment policy in this patient sample demonstrates the worst results, with the majority of cardiovascular events developing in the hospital period. PCI in patients with NSTE ACS and multiple coronary atherosclerosis has a number of objective limitations in this patient sample, leading to suboptimal treatment outcome. CONCLUSION: The use of CABG or PCI as a myocardial revascularization technique in patients with NSTE ACS and MVCAD is characterized by a comparable satisfactory survival in the hospital and long-term follow-up periods. 12% of patients do not receive revascularization due to the extremely high risk from any of coronary blood restoring methods, which results in very many deaths largely occurring during the hospital period.

[Role of the SYNTAX score in assessing the outcomes of percutaneous interventions in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction].

Based on the findings of a single-centre study of 327 patients presenting with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) subjected to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) we examined the prognostic role of severity of atherosclerotic multivascular lesion (ML) of the coronary bed. The patients were subdivided into three groups depending on the quantitative index assessing severity of coronary atherosclerosis in points with the help of the SYNTAX scale. Group One was composed of 207 patients with the SYNTAX score≤22 points (moderate lesion), Group Two comprised 89 patients with severe coronary atherosclerosis and the SYNTAX equalling 23-32 points, whereas 31 patients were included into Group Three with extremely severe lesion and the SYNTAX score>32 points. During 30 days and 12 months of follow up we assessed the effect of severity of coronary atherosclerosis on the outcomes of myocardial revascularization. The end points of the study were such unfavourable cardiovascular events as death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), secondary unplanned revascularization (SUR) of coronary arteries and in-stent thrombosis (IST). We obtained the findings suggesting that severity of the lesion of the coronary bed according to the SYNTAX scale>23 is associated with a decrease in the global myocardial contractility, increased incidence of postinfarction cardiosclerosis (PICS) and more pronounced manifestation of acute left ventricular insufficiency as compared to patients with moderately pronounced coronary atherosclerosis (SYNTAX<23 points). Characteristic features of patients with severe and utterly severe atherosclerotic lesions of the coronary bed were three-vessel lesions and a trend towards a decrease in the incidence rate of success of the primary PCI as compared with patients having moderate severity of coronary atherosclerosis. The prognostic significance of the SYNTAX score was evidenced both at the stage of the 30-day and 12-month period of follow up, which manifested itself in a considerable increase of frequency of fatal outcomes, in-stent thrombosis and the composite end point amongst patients with severity of the coronary bed lesion by the SYNTAX score>23 points. Thus, the SYNTAX scale developed and adapted for optimal choice of the method of revascularization in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) may successfully be used for stratification of the risk and search for optimal strategies of treatment also amongst patients with STEMI in multivascular lesions of the coronary bed, subjected to urgent revascularization with the help of primary PCI.

[Results of endovascular revascularization in elderly patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in multivessel disease in relation to the degree of coronary atherosclerosis].

AIM: To investigate the impact of the degree of coronary atherosclerosis evaluated by the SYNTAX scale on the early and late results of endovascular revascularization in elderly and middle-aged patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The investigation enrolled 327 consecutively admitted patients with STEMI and multivessel coronary bed disease, who had received revascularization within the first 12 hours after disease onset via primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The clinical, demographic, and angiographic characteristics of the patients, as well as the specific features of chosen revascularization strategies and treatment outcomes were compared in two groups of 103 elderly patients (≥65 years of age) and 224 middle-aged patients (≤64 years) in relation to the severity of coronary bed lesion according to the SYNTAX scale. RESULTS: By and large, severe coronary atherosclerosis (≥23 SYNTAX scores) was related to reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and clinical manifestations of acute heart failure in all the analyzed patients regardless of their age and this was most markedly associated with the risk factors of cardiovascular events in the elderly patients. The elderly patients with severe coronary atherosclerosis (≥23 SYNTAX scores) were noted to have the lowest frequency of successful PCIs and higher 30-day mortality rates after primary PCI. CONCLUSION: The SYNTAX scale is of high prognostic value in the patients with STEMI, by determining the results of endovascular revascularization in elderly and middle-aged patients. The elderly patients with STEMI and severe coronary atherosclerosis are at very high risk for poor outcome within 30 days of follow-up after primary CPI, which necessitates a search for optimal revascularization strategies for this category of patients.

[In-hospital Outcomes and Complications of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Different Age Groups].

AIM: to assess early (in-hospital) results of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation (STE) myocardial infarction (MI) in different age groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled in this study 356 patients with STEMI who underwent PCI within 24 hours of the disease during 1 year (2012). According to age all patients were divided into 2 groups: "young" ( less or equal 70 years) and "older" (>70 years). RESULTS: Compared with young in older group there were more patients with renal (53.84 vs. 19.78%) and myocardial (23.07 vs. 6.83%, =0.0000) dysfunction, hypertension (97.43 vs. 83.81% =0.0018), history of MI (19.23 vs. 10.43%, =0,3736), and acute heart failure at admission (32.04 vs. 13.95%, =0.0003), and less smokers (10.25 vs. 34.53%). Hospital mortality in older group was higher (8.97 vs. 1.43%, =0.0007) despite effective PCI. Rate of hemorrhagic complications (major bleedings+hemotransfusions) was also higher in older group (5.12 vs. 0.71%, =0.0077). CONCLUSION: Compared with younger older STEMI patients were characterized by more severe initial clinical condition and worse early results of primary PCI with higher mortality and rate of hemorrhagic complications. Thus the problem of improvement of management of this group of patients during hospitalization remains to be actual.

Modeling of transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Patient specific vs general approaches based on finite element analysis.

BACKGROUND: There are two main methods used for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) FEA modeling for medical devices development: patient specific and general approaches. Advantages and disadvantages of both approaches have never been compared in a single study. METHOD: Here we propose a bioinformatic algorithm to evaluate the accuracy of patient specific and generalized FEA approaches with regards to proximity configuration of the implanted stent reconstructed by computed tomography. In addition, in this study we also assessed the impact of the level of detail on FEA accuracy in the patient specific approach. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that in certain cases, the generalized approach can ensure the same accuracy as the patient specific approach. Therefore, considering high cost effectiveness of the generalized approach, we identify it as more feasible in the context of TAVR. Furthermore, we suggest that high level of detail can improve the reproducibility of modeling results in the patient specific approach. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may help medical engineers to better understand the peculiarities of both approaches and therefore make the right decision when choosing a particular approach for computer modeling. Future studies are required to validate our observations.

Experimental model of rat aorta angioplasty with a Paclitaxel releasing balloon catheter.

We present an original and safe experimental model of the rat aorta angioplasty with a paclitaxel-releasing balloon catheter. No toxic effects of the drug on experimental animals were detected.