Clinical Outcomes of Percutaneous Transcatheter Release of Stuck Mechanical Mitral Valve With Cerebral Embolic Protection.

BACKGROUND: Surgery or fibrinolysis is the currently available evidence-based treatment for obstructive mechanical valve thrombus. We reported the feasibility and short-term outcomes of percutaneous transcatheter therapy with cerebral embolic protection. Mid- and long-term outcomes remain unknown. METHODS: From 2020 to 2023, 24 patients underwent percutaneous transcatheter release of stuck leaflets with cerebral embolic protection for obstructive mitral mechanical valve thrombus. The indications for the transcatheter therapy were failed fibrinolysis, contraindications for fibrinolysis, not willing for fibrinolysis, or high risk for surgery. The study participants were followed up for a median period of 344.50 (65.00-953.75) days. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in 91.67% (n=22) of procedures. During the follow-up, 12.50% (n=3) all-cause death, 4.17% (n=1) stroke, and 16.67% (n=4) recurrence were seen. The mean survival time free from death was 1101.48 (95% CI, 929.49-1273.47) days, stroke was 1211.38 (95% CI, 1110.40-1312.35) days, and recurrence was 907.71 (95% CI, 760.20-1055.21) days. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter release of the stuck mitral mechanical valve with cerebral embolic protection is an alternative therapy with promising mid-term outcomes where surgery or fibrinolysis is not possible or in failed fibrinolysis subsets.

Clinical Outcomes Following Transcatheter Mitral Valve-in-Valve Replacement Using a Meril Myval Transcatheter Heart Valve.

AIM: Transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve (TMViV) replacement for degenerated surgically implanted bioprosthetic valves has been described by both transseptal and transapical approaches. The balloon-expandable Myval transcatheter valve (Meril Life Sciences, Vapi, India) is commonly used for transcatheter valve-in-valve procedures in India. This study aimed to report in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year outcomes of Myval patients who underwent TMViV in a single tertiary care centre in India. METHODS: Symptomatic patients with surgical bioprosthetic mitral valve failure with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV symptoms, despite optimal medical therapy and high or very high risk for redo surgery, were assigned to TMViV following heart team discussions. Data were retrospectively collected and outcomes assessed. RESULTS: Twenty patients were treated, with mean age 64.4 years, 60% were female, and mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) predicted risk of operative mortality score was 8.1. The failure mechanism was combined stenosis and regurgitation in 60% of patients. Technical success was achieved in 100% of patients. The mean postprocedure and 30-day gradients were 4.6±2.7 and 6.3±2.1, respectively. None of them had significant valvular or paravalvular leaks or left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. All-cause mortality at 1 year was 10%, and all survivors were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I or II. CONCLUSION: TMViV replacement with a Meril Myval can be safely performed with high technical success, and low 30-day and 1-year mortality.

Safety and feasibility of intravascular ultrasound guided zero-contrast percutaneous coronary intervention-A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: There are published reports of safety and feasibility of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) without contrast, using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and coronary physiology guidance in chronic kidney disease population. We prospectively evaluated the safety and feasibility of zero-contrast PCI technique. METHODS: In this prospective study, we hypothesized that PCI is feasible without contrast, using IVUS guidance alone without mandatory coronary physiology to rule out slow-flow or no-flow at the end of PCI in a population at risk of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). In this study, we included 31 vessels in 27 patients at risk of CI-AKI and assessed the primary outcome of technical success at the end of PCI. Major adverse cardio-cerebro vascular events (MACCE) and percent change in estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) one month after PCI were the secondary outcomes of the study. RESULTS: The primary outcome was met in 87.1%(n = 27) of the procedures. Technical failure was seen in 12.9%(n = 4) of the procedures. None of the patients developed MACCE at one-month follow-up. The median percent change in eGFR at one-month follow-up was -8.19%(-24.40%, +0.92%). There was no newer initiation of renal replacement therapy at one-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Zero-contrast PCI is safe and feasible in selective coronary anatomies with IVUS guidance. Coronary physiology is not mandatory to rule out slow-flow or no-flow at the end of procedure. Contrast may be needed to tide over the crisis during the possible complications, namely slow-flow, geographical miss and intraprocedural thrombus.

Comparison of resting and adenosine-free pressure indices with adenosine-induced hyperemic fractional flow reserve in intermediate coronary lesions.

OBJECTIVE: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) using adenosine has been the gold standard in the functional assessment of intermediate coronary stenoses in the catheterization laboratory. We aim to study the correlation of adenosine-free indices such as whole cycle Pd/Pa [the ratio of mean distal coronary pressure (Pd) to the mean pressure observed in the aorta (Pa)], instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR), and contrast-induced submaximal hyperemia (cFFR) with FFR. METHODS: This multicenter, prospective, observational study included patients with stable angina or acute coronary syndrome (>48 h since onset) with discrete intermediate coronary lesions (40-70% diameter stenosis). All patients underwent assessment of whole cycle Pd/Pa, iFR, cFFR, and FFR. We then evaluated the correlation of these indices with FFR and assessed the diagnostic efficiencies of them against FFR ≤0.80. RESULTS: Of the 103 patients from three different centers, 83 lesions were included for analysis. The correlation coefficient (r value) of whole cycle Pd/Pa, iFR, and cFFR in relation to FFR were +0.84, +0.77, and +0.70 (all p values < 0.001), respectively, and the c-statistic against FFR ≤0.80 were 0.92 (0.86-0.98), 0.89(0.81-0.97), and 0.91 (0.85-0.97) (all p values < 0.001), respectively. The best cut-off values identified by receiver-operator characteristic curve for whole cycle Pd/Pa, iFR, and cFFR were 0.94, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively, for an FFR ≤0.80. By the concept of "adenosine-free zone" (iFR = 0.86-0.93), 59% lesions in this study would not require adenosine. CONCLUSION: All the three adenosine-free indices had good correlation with FFR. There is no difference in the diagnostic accuracies among the indices in functional evaluation of discrete intermediate coronary stenoses. However, further validation is needed before adoption of adenosine-free pressure parameters into clinical practice.

Predictors of short-term outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in cardiogenic shock complicating STEMI-A tertiary care center experience.

BACKGROUND: Studying the outcomes in patients presenting with cardiogenic shock with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (CS-STEMI) and undergoing primary or rescue percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may give an insight to the unmet needs in STEMI-care in our region and may help in future recommendations in improving survival. MATERIALS AND METHODOLGY: During the period from January 2001- June 2017, there were 114 patients included in the study. The demographic, clinical and angiographic characteristics were compared between the survivors and non-survivors. All these variables were also compared between two-time frames (Phase 1- January 2001 to June 2007; Phase 2- July 2007 to June 2017). RESULTS: Among patients undergoing PCI for STEMI, 7.5% were in cardiogenic shock. In-hospital mortality for the patients included in the study was 53.5%. Total ischemic time (OR=0.99, 0.99-1; p=0.02), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (OR=0.90, 0.82-0.98; p=0.02), need for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (OR=0.12, 0.24-0.66; p=0.01), and post PCI TIMI flows (OR=0.08, 0.02-0.29; p<0.001) were the significant determinants of in-hospital mortality in the regression analysis. There was no significant change in mortality between the two phases of the study, though there was a reduction in total ischemic and door-to-balloon times, transfer admissions, use of thrombolytics, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, intra-aortic balloon pump, and mechanical ventilation in phase 2. CONCLUSION: Patients presenting in CS-STEMI and undergoing PCI continue to experience high mortality rates, despite improvements in total ischemic times. Further improvement in the systems-of-care are required to bring about reduction in mortality in this high-risk subset.

Epidermal bulla: A dermatology complication of radial artery compression band.

Patent hemostasis technique is used with the trans radial (TR) band to prevent radial artery occlusion following diagnostic coronary angiogram or percutaneous coronary intervention using radial artery access. We report epidermal bulla as a complication of TR band usage and a modified patent hemostasis technique using barbeau test to prevent this complication.

Proximal ulnar artery aneurysm following a Bentall procedure for type A aortic dissection.

Non-traumatic or infective peripheral aneurysms of the upper extremities are rare. We report a case of an aneurysm involving the left proximal ulnar artery leading to upper limb ischemia in a patient following a Bentall procedure for a type A dissection.

Prevalence of parameters of suboptimal scaffold deployment following angiographic guided bioresorbable vascular scaffold implantation in real world practice - an optical coherence tomography analysis.

AIM: To assess the prevalence of suboptimal bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS, Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California) deployment in real world practice with intracoronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention using BVS and the final optimization assessed with OCT imaging in two tertiary care centers between December 2012 and February 2015 were evaluated for parameters of suboptimal scaffold deployment by OCT. RESULTS: Overall, 36 scaffolds were implanted in 27 patients during this period. Mean age of the population was 54.7±8.2years and 19 (70.4%) were type B2/C lesions. The prevalence of parameters of suboptimal scaffold deployment were: underexpansion-22(61.1%), geographic miss-3(8.3%), tissue prolapse-7(25.9%), scaffold pattern irregularity-1(2.8%), longitudinal elongation-7(38.8%). Of the 7 overlaps imaged: excessive overlap was observed in 3 and scaffold gap in one. The median duration of follow up was 679days (range 193-963days). There were four events during this period. None were associated with suboptimal scaffold deployment. CONCLUSION: OCT based parameters of suboptimal scaffold deployment are common in real world scenario and were not associated with adverse outcomes on long term follow up. These findings need to be confirmed in larger studies.

Papillary fibroelastoma of tricuspid valve presenting as pulmonary embolism.

A 65-year-old gentleman was admitted with recurrent dyspnea. Two-dimensional and transesophageal echocardiography revealed a highly mobile echogenic mass attached to the tricuspid valve. A (99m)Tc lung perfusion scan was suggestive of pulmonary embolism. The patient underwent surgical resection of the mass. Histopathological examination revealed a papillary fibroelastoma.

Coronary intervention in anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (ARCA) from the left sinus of valsalva (LSOV): a single center experience.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the technical challenges in percutaneous coronary intervention of Anomalous right coronary artery arising from the left sinus of valsalva. METHODS: Between year 2008 and 2012, a total of 17 patients underwent PCI for an angiographically significant lesion in the right coronary artery of an anomalous origin in the LSOV. Their procedure details such as usage of catheters, radiation time, amount of contrast used were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients with anomalous right coronary artery underwent PCI during the above mentioned period. 8 patients had type A origin, 3 had type B origin and the remaining 6 had type C origin. Type A origin RCA were successfully cannulated in 6 patients with Judkins left 5.0 and in 2 patients using Judkins left 4.0. Extra back up (EBU) 3.5 were doing well in 2 patients of Type B origin and the remaining one patient was successfully cannulated using Judkins left 4.0. In type C origin 4 patients had successful cannulation with Amplatz Left 1.0, 1 patient with Amplatz Left 2.0 and 1 patient with Judkins left 4.0. The mean fluoroscopic time was 20.7 min and amount of contrast used was 210 ml. CONCLUSION: PCI of anomalous RCA origin from LSOV requires appropriate guide catheter selection according to the anatomy of origin for successful cannulation and to reduce the contrast usage and radiation exposure.

Characteristics, treatment and one-year outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndrome in a tertiary hospital in India.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of death in India. Data on outcome of CAD is scarce in the Indian population. This study determined the characteristics, treatment and one-year outcomes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in an Indian Cardiac Centre. METHODS: We carried out a cross sectional retrospective analysis of 1468 ACS patients hospitalized between January 2008 and December 2010 and followed up for 1 year in the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai. Mortality at 1 year, its determinants and 1 year major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were determined. RESULTS: The patients were aged 62.2 ± 11.2 years; males (75.2%) and had ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (33.9%), non ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (44.2%) and unstable angina (21.9%). Key pharmacotherapy included aspirin (98.2%), clopidogrel (95.1%), statins (95.6%), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (50.6%) and beta blocker (83.1%). Angiography rate was 80.6%. In the STEMI group, 53.3% had primary angioplasty, 20.3% were thrombolysed and 16.1% received sole medical therapy. Overall coronary artery bypass graft rate was 12.4%. At one year, all-cause mortality and composite MACE were 2.5% and 9.7%, respectively. MACE included death (2.5%), reinfarction (4.0%), resuscitated cardiac arrest (1.8%), stroke (1.1%) and bleeding (0.4%). Main factors associated with mortality were combined left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction (OR = 20.0, 95% CI = 6.63-69.4) and positive troponin I (OR = 12.56, 95% CI = 1.78-25.23). Troponin I independently predicted mortality. CONCLUSIONS: ACS population was older than previously described in India. Evidence-based pharmacotherapy and interventions, and outcomes were comparable to the developed nations.

Outcome of primary PCI - an Indian tertiary care center experience.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and outcomes of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Indian Scenario. METHODS: Between January 2005 and December 2012, consecutive STEMI patients who underwent PPCI within 12 h of onset of chest pain were prospectively enrolled in a PPCI registry. Patient demographics, risk factors, procedural characteristics, time variables and in-hospital and 30 day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [death, reinfarction, bleeding, urgent coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) and stroke] were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 672 patients underwent PPCI during this period. The mean age was 52 ± 13.4 years and 583 (86.7%) were males, 275 (40.9%) were hypertensives and 336 (50%) were diabetics. Thirty one (4.6%) patients had cardiogenic shock (CS). Anterior myocardial infarction was diagnosed in 398 (59.2%) patients. The median chest pain onset to hospital arrival time, door-to-balloon time and total ischemic times were 200 (10-720), 65 (20-300), and 275 (55-785) minutes respectively. In-hospital adverse events occurred in 54 (8.0%) patients [death 28 (4.2%), reinfarction 8 (1.2%), major bleeding 9 (1.3%), urgent CABG 4 (0.6%) and stroke 1 (0.14%)]. Nineteen patients with CS died (mortality rate - (61.3%)). At the end of 30 days, 64 (9.5%) patients had MACE [death 35 (5.2%), reinfarction 10 (2.1%), major bleeding 10 (1.5%), urgent CABG 4 (0.6%) and stroke 1 (0.1%)]. CONCLUSION: Our study has shown that PPCI is feasible with good outcomes in Indian scenario. Even though the recommended door-to-balloon time can be achieved, the total ischemic time remained long. CS in the setting of STEMI was associated with poor outcomes.

Primary percutaneous thrombus aspiration alone as definitive intervention for left main coronary artery occlusion presenting as acute anterior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Primary angioplasty and stenting remains the standard of care for patients presenting with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Recently, thrombus aspiration has been shown to improve the myocardial perfusion and outcomes in STEMI. In a subset of patients thrombus aspiration may result in optimal perfusion and minimal residual stenosis. These patients may be managed without additional stenting. Three patients with anterior wall STEMI were successfully managed with thrombus aspiration alone without additional stenting. All three are doing well at 30 day follow up with significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction.

Single coronary artery from the right coronary sinus with proximal origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery and left circumflex as distal continuation of the right coronary artery: a rare variant.

A single coronary artery is a rare coronary anomaly. A 68-year-old male underwent coronary angiography for recent inferior wall myocardial infarction. It revealed a common coronary trunk arising from the right sinus of Valsalva and bifurcated into the right coronary artery (RCA) and anterior descending coronary arteries. The RCA, after its usual distribution in the right atrioventricular groove, continued as the left circumflex artery in the left atrioventricular groove. There were significant stenoses in the mid and distal RCA, which were treated percutaneously.

Percutaneous coronary intervention in cardiogenic shock complicating acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction-a single centre experience.

BACKGROUND: Mortality in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS) approaches 70 - 80%, regardless of the type of pharmacological treatment. Early revascularisation improves survival in AMI with CS. Our aim is to assess the predictors of mid-term outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and CS. METHODS: Forty-one patients who underwent primary or rescue PCI for CS were analysed comparing their baseline, angiographic, PCI data, 30-day and 1-year survival. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between survivors and non-survivors in baseline characters, except for more number of transfer admissions (P= 0.0005), and cardiopulmonary resuscitations (P= 0.015) in the later group. The mean time between myocardial infarction (MI) onset to shock and MI onset to revascularisation were 12.8 ± 12.9 hours and 17.0 ± 16.8 hours, respectively. Patients with better pre-procedure thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow in the infarct-related artery (IRA) had better survival (P= 0.0005). Successful PCI was achieved in 48.8% of patients. The 30-day mortality was 56.1% and all were prior to hospital discharge. Patients with successful PCI had better short-term survival in comparison with patients with failed PCI (80% vs 9.6%). Eighteen patients who survived at 30 days were followed up for 12-72 months (mean 28.5 ± 5.4 months). Fifteen patients survived at 1 year after PCI and all were in good functional status. CONCLUSION: Mortality remains high even with PCI. Achieving IRA patency with TIMI 3 flow is the main determinant of survival. Survival and functional status are good in patients who are discharged from hospital.