Twisting method for reducing friction during insertion of a sheath introducer and a sheathless guiding catheter.

A sheathless system that inserts a catheter directly into the artery can reduce puncture site-related complications through a 2-Fr reduction of the outer diameter. However, the gap between the dilator and the guiding catheter of the sheathless system is larger than the gap between the dilator and sheath of the introducer system, resulting in stronger insertion resistance. A twisting method with rapid alternating rotation of a device to the left and right during insertion can reduce the insertion resistance. This method can be effective with the sheathless system which has a larger gap. To examine the effect of size reduction on the sheathless system and the effect of insertion resistance reduction using the twisting method, we developed an insertion simulator and compared insertion resistance to a 5-Fr sheath introducer and a 5-Fr sheathless system, with and without the twisting method. The insertion simulator pushed a sheath introducer or a sheathless system toward a mock artery consisted with a 5-mm urethane and a 1-mm rubber sheet by an electrical motor with or without twisting motion generated by a crank shaft. Insertion resistance during the penetration was measured by a tension meter. The insertion resistance was less with the 5-Fr sheathless system than with the 5-Fr sheath introducer. The resistance reduced further with use of twisting for both the sheathed and sheathless catheters. In conclusion, the experiment suggests the benefits of twisting insertion of a sheathless guiding catheter for reduction of puncture site-related complications.

A Prospective Multicenter Study Using a Virtual 3 Fr Percutaneous Coronary Intervention System: The V3 Registry.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety and feasibility of virtual 3 Fr (V3), sheathless 5 Fr percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: A small-diameter guiding catheter (GC) makes less-invasive PCI possible. The V3 is an extremely slender PCI system; however, the outcome of using this system has not yet been determined. METHODS: The V3 registry is a prospective, multicenter, non-randomized study that enrolled patients who underwent elective V3-PCI. The primary endpoint was clinical success rate, and the secondary endpoints were PCI success rate in all cases, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) at 30 days, and access-site complications. RESULTS: A total of 260 patients with 321 lesions were enrolled. Of this group, 70% were male and the mean age was 70.8 ± 10.0 years. Type B2/C lesions comprised 50.7% of the total. The clinical success rate was 95.8%, and the PCI success rate was 99.2%. PCI failure was reported in 2 chronic total occlusion cases. No MACCE was reported. Although there was no major bleeding, hematoma occurred at the puncture site in 12.7% of cases. There was a single radial artery occlusion (0.4%) without symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: PCI with the V3 was safe and feasible. Radial artery occlusion and major bleeding complications were extremely low. However, access-site hematoma frequently complicated catheter exchange.

Staged interventional management of a massive thrombus related to coronary artery ectasia in acute coronary syndrome.

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE), which is reported in 0.3-5.3% of coronary angiograms, is known as a risk factor of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Optimal treatment of CAE in ACS has not yet been established because of few clinical reports and no randomized trial. We describe a 78-year-old woman in whom thrombolysis with recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator, heparin and dual antiplatelet therapy were performed, and an angiogram after 3 days revealed the disappearance of massive thrombus in the CAE of the left circumflex coronary artery. Staged percutaneous coronary intervention and multidisciplinary procedure are feasible to treat ACS with massive thrombus.

[A case of coronary stent thrombosis occurring repeatedly in the perioperative period].

A 60-year-old man with angina was scheduled for total gastrectomy, splenectomy, and cholecystectomy. Bare-metal stents were implanted into his left anterior descending coronary artery four weeks before the operation. Aspirin and clopidogrel were administered until one week before the operation and then injection of to 15,000 units of heparin per day was given. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane, remifentanil and fentanyl. At 330 minutes after starting the operation, 2-mm ST segment elevation was observed and it recovered immediately. After the operation, new 9-mm ST segment elevation in leads V2-V6 was observed. Emergent cardiac catheterization showed occlusion of the coronary artery with in-stent thrombosis. An additional stent was implanted and 10,000 units of heparin per day was injected. After five days, new stent thrombosis occurred and an additional stent was implanted. Administration of aspirin, clopidogrel and cilostazol was started immediately. Anesthesiologists should pay attention to the kind of coronary stent, consider the timing of the operation, and continue administration of aspirin.

Correlations of adiponectin level with insulin resistance and atherosclerosis in Japanese male populations.

OBJECTIVE: Adiponectin, which is secreted specifically by adipose tissue, has been shown to have an anti-atherosclerotic effect and to improve insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the correlations of plasma adiponectin concentration with insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. DESIGN AND METHODS: We investigated the relationships of adiponectin concentration with insulin sensitivity, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hCRP) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in male inhabitants of rural communities in Japan. hCRP and PWV were used as an indexes of atherosclerosis. RESULTS: A negative correlation was found between homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) as an index of insulin resistance and adiponectin concentration. Results of stepwise regression analysis for adiponectin showed that age, HOMA and serum triglyceride (TG) were independently correlated with adiponectin. Multiple regression analysis for lipid profile was also performed and revealed that adiponectin and HOMA were independently correlated with TG and serum high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol but not with serum total cholesterol. A significant negative correlation was found between adiponectin and hCRP in all subjects, and a significant negative correlation between adiponectin and PWV was also found in subjects equal or less than 70 years old. When HOMA was added to this analysis, HOMA was found to be independently correlated with hCRP and PWV, but the adiponectin level did not appear to be a significant predictor of hCRP or PWV. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that adiponectin plays a role in lipid metabolism and correlates with atherosclerosis either directly or through insulin resistance.

Angiotensin II receptor blocker prevents increased arterial stiffness in patients with essential hypertension.

BACKGROUND: High pulse wave velocity (PWV) is related to cardiovascular risk in essential hypertension (EHT). It is reported that short-term treatment with an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) decreases PWV, as well as blood pressure (BP), and increases the serum adiponectin, known as an adipocytokine, which has an anti-atherosclerotic effect. However, it is not known whether long-term treatment with ARB prevents the increase in PWV independently of the reduction of BP, and whether adiponectin is related to the chronic effect of ARB on PWV. METHODS AND RESULTS: In order to examine the short-term effect of ARB on PWV, 9 subjects with EHT had PWV measured before and after treatment with an ARB for 1 month. The treatment significantly reduced PWV and BP. For evaluation of the long-term effect of ARB therapy, 56 consecutive subjects with EHT who were already taking anti-hypertensive drugs other than an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor had their PWV measured. We divided the EHT subjects into 2 groups: (1) the ARB group (EHT treated with an ARB for at least 6 months) and (2) the control group (EHT treated with anti-hypertensive drugs other than an ARB). Although there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in BP, age or body mass index, the PWV value in the ARB group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Moreover, the serum adiponectin concentration in the ARB group was significantly higher than that in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment with ARB inhibits the progression of arterial stiffness independent of BP reduction. One of the mechanisms may be related to the increased serum adiponectin concentration after treatment with an ARB.

Impaired endothelial alpha-2 adrenergic receptor-mediated vascular relaxation in the fructose-fed rat.

To investigate the vascular endothelial dysfunction in the insulin resistance syndrome, muscarinic and alpha2-adrenergic mediated relaxations were studied in the fructose-fed rat. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either fructose-rich chow (FFR, n=14) or normal chow (CNT, n=13) for 8 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured by the tail-cuff method. A 3 mm segment of mesenteric artery was cannulated and pressurized, pretreated with prazosin (10(-6) mol/l) and propranolol (3x10(-6) mol/l), then pre-contracted with serotonin (10(-6) mol/l). Endothelium-dependent relaxation was induced by addition of acetylcholine (ACh, 10(-9)-10(-4) mol/l) or a selective alpha2-agonist, B-HT 920 (10(-9)-10(-5) mol/l), with or without the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, L-NAME (10(-4) mol/l). SBP was significantly elevated in FFR but not in CNT. Plasma triglyceride in FFT (241+/-115 mg/dl) was significantly (p<0.01) higher than in CNT (84+/-34 mg/dl). Insulin and insulin/glucose ratio were higher but not significantly. Plasma glucose was not different between the two groups. In the dose-response curves to ACh, maximum relaxation and ED50 were similar between FFR and CNT. Moreover, L-NAME shifted the dose-response curves similarly to the right in both groups. Dose-response curves to B-HT 920, however, showed less relaxation in FFR than in CNT (p<0.05). B-HT 920-induced relaxations were mostly abolished by L-NAME. It is concluded that endothelial alpha2-adrenergic relaxation, predominantly mediated by NO, is likely more sensitive to the development of insulin resistance than muscarinic receptor relaxation in this 8-weeks FFR model. This early impairment of endothelial alpha2-adrenergic relaxation may contribute to the development of hypertension and insulin resistance in the FFR.