Application of Antithrombotic Drugs in Patients with Acute Type B Aortic Dissection Underwent Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair.

This study aimed to evaluate the safety and necessity of antithrombotic drugs for acute type B aortic dissection (TBAD) treated with thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).The patients of acute TBAD treated with TEVAR were retrospectively enrolled from January 2007 to October 2022 in General Hospital of Northern Theater Command. The primary outcomes such as mortality and aortic adverse events [stroke, paraplegia, limb ischemia, organ failure (renal and intestinal tract), endoleak, redissection, aortic rupture, reintervention, and mortality] were recorded and evaluated at 1 month (early term) and 18 months (late term).The 697 patients of TBAD treated with TEVAR were divided into the antithrombotic (AT) group (n = 208) and nonantithrombotic (NAT) group (n = 489). The incidence of early mortality, early aortic adverse events, and the 18 months of cumulative freedom from all-cause mortality and aortic adverse events were not significantly different between the AT and NAT groups (2.4% versus 1.4%, 2.9% versus 4.5%, 94.7% versus 96.5% and 88.4% versus 89.9%, respectively). Log-rank tests also indicated that there were no significant differences. In multivariate Cox regression models, only pleural effusion, partially thrombosed of false lumen, maximum diameter of false lumen, and branch involvement were independent predictors of mortality, whereas the systolic blood pressure (SBP), pleural effusion, partially thrombosed of false lumen, true lumen compression, maximum diameter of false lumen, branch involvement were independent predictors of adverse aortic events.The antithrombotic drug for acute TBAD treated with TEVAR does not influence the mortality and aortic events in the early and late terms.

Long-Term Imaging Evolution and Clinical Prognosis Among Patients With Acute Penetrating Aortic Ulcers: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background Acute penetrating aortic ulcers (PAUs) are reported to dynamically evolve into different clinical outcomes ranging from regression to aortic rupture, but no practice guidelines are available in China. Methods and Results All 109 patients with acute PAUs were monitored clinically. At 30 days follow-up, 31 patients (28.44%) suffered from aortic-related adverse events, a composite of aortic-related mortality, aortic dissection, or an enlarged ulcer. In addition, 7 (6.42%) patients had clinically related adverse events, including all-cause mortality, cerebral stroke, nonfatal myocardial infarction, acute heart failure alone or acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure, acute renal failure, arrhythmia, and bleeding events. In the present study, the intervention criteria for the Chinese PAU population included a PAU diameter of 12.5 mm and depth of 9.5 mm. The multivariate analysis showed that an ulcer diameter >12.5 mm (hazard ratio [HR], 3.846; 95% CI, 1.561-9.476; P=0.003) and an ulcer depth >9.5 mm (HR, 3.359; 95% CI, 1.505-7.494; P=0.003) were each independent predictors of aortic-related events. Conclusions Patients with acute PAUs were at high risk for aortic-related adverse events and clinically related adverse events within 30 days after onset. Patients with an ulcer diameter >12.5 mm or an ulcer depth >9.5 mm have a higher risk for disease progression, and early intervention may be recommended.

A drug-eluting Balloon for the trEatment of coronarY bifurcatiON lesions in the side branch: a prospective multicenter ranDomized (BEYOND) clinical trial in China.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions remains challenging; a simple strategy has been preferred as of late, but the disadvantage is ostium stenosis or even occlusion of the side branch (SB). Only a few single-center studies investigating the combination of a drug-eluting stent in the main branch followed by a drug-eluting balloon in the SB have been reported. This prospective, multicenter, randomized study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of a paclitaxel-eluting balloon (PEB) compared with regular balloon angioplasty (BA) in the treatment of non-left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions. METHODS: Between December 2014 and November 2015, a total of 222 consecutive patients with bifurcation lesions were enrolled in this study at ten Chinese centers. Patients were randomly allocated at a 1:1 ratio to a PEB group (n = 113) and a BA group (n = 109). The primary efficacy endpoint was angiographic target lesion stenosis at 9 months. Secondary efficacy and safety endpoints included target lesion revascularization, target vessel revascularization, target lesion failure, major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCEs), all-cause death, cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and thrombosis in target lesions. The main analyses performed in this clinical trial included case shedding analysis, base-value equilibrium analysis, effectiveness analysis, and safety analysis. SAS version 9.4 was used for the statistical analyses. RESULTS: At the 9-month angiographic follow-up, the difference in the primary efficacy endpoint of target lesion stenosis between the PEB (28.7% ± 18.7%) and BA groups (40.0% ±â€Š19.0%) was -11.3% (95% confidence interval: -16.3% to -6.3%, Psuperiority <0.0001) in the intention-to-treat analysis, and similar results were recorded in the per-protocol analysis, demonstrating the superiority of PEB to BA. Late lumen loss was significantly lower in the PEB group than in the BA group (-0.06 ±â€Š0.32 vs. 0.18 ± 0.34 mm, P < 0.0001). For intention-to-treat, there were no significant differences between PEB and BA in the 9-month percentages of MACCEs (0.9% vs. 3.7%, P = 0.16) or non-fatal myocardial infarctions (0 vs. 0.9%, P = 0.49). There were no clinical events of target lesion revascularization, target vessel revascularization, target lesion failure, all-cause death, cardiac death or target lesion thrombosis in either group. CONCLUSIONS: In de novo non-left main coronary artery bifurcations treated with provisional T stenting, SB dilation with the PEB group demonstrated better angiographic results than treatment with regular BA at the 9-month follow-up in terms of reduced target lesion stenosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02325817; https://clinicaltrials.gov.

Predictors of contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients with coronary artery disease receiving contrast agents twice within 30 days.

BACKGROUND: None of study mentioned about contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in people who have received contrast agents twice within in a short period of time. This study is trying to identify the predictors. METHODS: We enrolled 607 patients between Oct. 2010 and Jul. 2015 who received contrast agents twice within 30 days in the Department of Cardiology of the General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region. The primary outcome was CI-AKI within 72 h after contrast agent exposure. Patients were divided into groups A (n = 559) and group B (n = 48) according to whether CI-AKI occurred after the second agent. RESULTS: Patients in group B (CI-AKI occurred after the second agent) had a more rapid heart rate and more usage of diuretics and digitalis. In group B, CI-AKI occurred more frequently after the first agent. Multivariate logistic regression showed that diuretic (P = 0.006) and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) usage (P = 0.012) were independent predictors of CI-AKI after the first agent. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/Angiotensin II receptor antagonist (ACEI/ARB) usage (P = 0.039), IABP usage (P = 0.040) and CI-AKI occurring after administration of the first agent (P = 0.015) were independent predictors of CI-AKI after the second. Furthermore, dividing the patients into tertiles of the time interval between the two agents showed that CI-AKI occurred more frequently when the second agent was administered within 1-3 days after the first exposure than within 4-6 days (12.4% vs. 5.0%, P = 0.008) or ≥ 7 days (12.4% vs. 6.4%, P = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Diuretic and IABP usage are independent predictors of CI-AKI following exposure to a first contrast agent. The major predictors of CI-AKI after exposure to a second agent are time since the first contrast exposure, ACEI/ARB usage, and IABP usage. More importantly, a three-day interval between the two agents is associated with a higher incidence of CI-AKI following the second administration.

Analysis of failure factors in retrograde wire-guided intervention for chronic total occlusion.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate failure factors in retrograde wire-guided cannulation (retrograde approach) for the treatment of coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO). METHODS: Data of 285 patients treated for CTO using retrograde approach in the General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region from August 2004 to May 2016 were collected. RESULTS: The average age of the 285 patients was 63.89 ± 11.3 years old. Multivariate analysis revealed that the operation risk factors include the number of diseased vessels, collateral circulation, as well as whether anterograde intervention for CTO target vessels was previously performed (OR = 0.875, 95% CI = 0.779-0.940, P= 0.026) and whether other vessels were intervened (OR = 22.372, 95% CI = 2.059-243.031, P= 0.011). CONCLUSION: Based on the present study, the success rate of retrograde approach for CTO was negatively correlated with the number of diseased vessels and collateral circulation. It was furthermore of importance whether anterograde intervention for CTO target vessels was previously performed and whether other vessels beside CTO vessels were intervened, which were also risk factors.

Photothermal-assisted surface-mediated gene delivery for enhancing transfection efficiency.

The development of gene therapy puts forward the requirements for efficient delivery of genetic information into diverse cells. However, in some cases of transfection, especially those for transfecting some primary cells and for delivering large size plasmid DNA (pDNA), the existing conventional transfection methods show poor efficiency. How to further improve transfection efficiency in these hard-to-achieve issues remains a crucial challenge. Here, we report a photothermal-assisted surface-mediated gene delivery based on a polydopamine-polyethylenimine (PDA-PEI) surface. The PDA-PEI surface was prepared through PEI-accelerated dopamine polymerization, which showed efficiency in the immobilization of PEI/pDNA polyplexes and remarkable photothermal properties. Upon IR irradiation, we observed improved transfection efficiencies of two important hard-to-achieve transfection issues, namely the transfection of primary endothelial cells, which are kinds of typical hard-to-transfect cells, and the transfection of cells with large-size pDNA. We demonstrate that the increases of transfection efficiency were due to the hyperthermia-induced pDNA release, the local cell membrane disturbance, and the polyplex internalization. This work highlights the importance of local immobilization and release of pDNA to gene deliveries, showing great potential applications in medical devices in the field of gene therapy.

Optimal use of fielder XT guidewire enhances the success rate of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Chronic total occlusion (CTO) is found in 18-31% of patients who undergo coronary angiography. Successful recanalization of CTOs is associated with reduced recurrent angina pectoris rates and increased long-term survival. Although the success rate of CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO-PCI) has improved, CTO-PCI remains technically challenging. The Fielder XT guidewire was designed for CTO lesions. To validate whether the use of the guidewire increases the success rate, we compared the results of CTO-PCI with or without the guidewire. We hypothesized that the use of Fielder XT guidewire can increase the success rate of CTO-PCI. AIM: To investigate whether the use of Fielder XT guidewire increases the final procedural success of CTO-PCI via the anterograde approach. METHODS: Between January 2013 and December 2015, a retrospective study was conducted on 1230 consecutive patients with CTO who received PCI via the anterograde approach at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command. The patients were divided into an XT Group (n = 686) and a no-XT Group (n = 544) depending on whether Fielder XT guidewire was used. Both groups were compared for clinical parameters, lesion-related characteristics, procedural outcomes and in-hospital complications. The data were statistically analyzed using Pearson's χ 2 test for categorical variables, and Students' t test was used to compare the quantitative data. Significant independent factors and a risk ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) were assessed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 1230 patients were recruited; 75.4% of the patients were male, and 55.8% of the patients were in the XT group. The overall success rate was 83.9%, with 87.8% in the XT group. Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, factors positively associated with procedural success were the use of Fielder XT guidewire (P = 0.005, 95%CI: 1.172-2.380) and systolic blood pressure (P = 0.011, 95%CI: 1.003-1.022), while factors negatively associated with procedural success were blunt stump (P = 0.013, 95%CI: 1.341-11.862), male sex (P = 0.016, 95%CI: 0.363-0.902), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class (P = 0.035, 95%CI: 0.553-0.979), contrast amount (P = 0.018, 95%CI: 0.983-0.998) and occlusion time (P = 0.009, 95%CI: 0.994-0.999). No significant differences were found between the XT group and the no-XT group with respect to clinical parameters, lesion-related characteristics, coronary artery rupture [3 (0.4%) vs 8 (1.5%), P = 0.056], in-hospital death [2 (0.3%) vs 6 (1.1%), P = 0.079] or in-hospital target lesion revascularization [3 (0.4%) vs 7 (1.3%), P < 0.099]. However, there were significant differences between the groups with respect to success rate [602 (87.8%) vs 430 (79.0%), P < 0.001], procedure time [(74 ± 23) vs (83 ± 21), P < 0.001], stent length [(32.0 ± 15.8) vs (37.3 ± 17.6), P < 0.001], contrast amount [(148 ± 46) vs (166 ± 43), P < 0.001], post-PCI myocardial infarction [43 (6.3%) vs 59 (10.8%), P = 0.004], major adverse cardiovascular event [44 (6.4%) vs 57 (10.7%), P = 0.007], side branch loss [31 (4.5%) vs 44 (8.1%), P = 0.009], contrast-induced nephropathy [29 (4.2%) vs 40 (7.4%), P = 0.018] and no reflow [8 (1.2%) vs 14 (2.9%), P = 0.034]. CONCLUSION: The use of Fielder XT guidewire shortens the Procedure and increases the success rate of CTO-PCI, and is also associated with reduced complication rates.