Clinical features, future cardiac events, and prognostic factors following percutaneous coronary intervention in young female patients.

BACKGROUND: The proportion of young females among the patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is relatively small, and information on their clinical characteristics is limited. This study investigated the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors for future cardiac events in young females who underwent PCI. METHODS: This multicenter observational study included 187 consecutive female patients aged < 60 years who underwent PCI in seven hospitals. The primary composite endpoint was the incidence of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 52.1 ± 6.1 years and 89 (47.6%) had diabetes, and renal dysfunction (an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) was observed in 38 (20.3%). During a median follow-up of 3.3 years, the primary endpoint occurred in 28 patients. The Cox proportional hazards models showed that renal dysfunction was an independent predictor for the primary endpoint (hazard ratio 3.04, 95% confidence interval 1.25-7.40, p = 0.01), as well as multivessel disease (hazard ratio 2.79, 95% confidence interval 1.12-6.93, p = 0.03). Patients with renal dysfunction had a significantly higher risk for the primary endpoint than those without renal dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Renal dysfunction was strongly associated with future cardiac events in young females who underwent PCI.

Impact of right coronary artery dominance on the long-term mortality in the patients with acute total/subtotal occlusion of unprotected left main coronary artery.

BACKGROUND: Patients with a right dominant coronary artery anatomy account for a significant proportion of acute myocardial infarction cases, and this condition is associated with a better prognosis. However, there are limited data on the impact of coronary dominance on patients with acute total/subtotal occlusion of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA). METHODS: This study aimed to assess the impact of right coronary artery (RCA) dominance on long-term mortality in patients with acute total/subtotal occlusion of the ULMCA. From a multicenter registry, 132 cases of consecutive patients who had undergone emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) due to acute total/subtotal occlusion of the ULMCA were reviewed. RESULTS: Patients were classified into two groups according to the size of their RCA (dominant RCA group, n = 29; non-dominant RCA group, n = 103). Long-term outcomes were examined according to the presence of dominant RCA. Cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) occurred in 52.3 % of patients before revascularization. All-cause death was significantly lower in the dominant RCA group than in the non-dominant RCA group. In the Cox regression model, dominant RCA was an independent predictor of all-cause death, as well as total occlusion of ULMCA, collateral from RCA, chronic kidney disease, and CPA. Patients were further analyzed according to the degree of stenosis of the ULMCA; patients with non-dominant RCA and total occlusive ULMCA had the worst outcome compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: A dominant RCA might improve long-term mortality in patients with acute total/subtotal occlusion of the ULMCA who were treated with PCI.

Long-term outcomes of percutaneous revascularization for internal mammary artery-left anterior descending artery bypass failure.

Despite the excellent long-term results of internal mammary artery (IMA)-left anterior descending (LAD) bypass, percutaneous revascularization of IMA is sometimes required for IMA-LAD bypass failure. However, its clinical outcomes have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term clinical outcomes, including target lesion revascularization (TLR) following contemporary percutaneous revascularization of failed IMA bypass graft. We examined data of 59 patients who had undergone percutaneous revascularization of IMA due to IMA-LAD bypass failure at nine hospitals. Patients with IMA graft used for Y-composite graft or sequential bypass graft were excluded. The incidence of TLR was primarily examined, whereas other clinical outcomes including cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization were also evaluated. Mean age of the enrolled patients was 67.4 ± 11.3 years, and 74.6% were men. Forty patients (67.8%) had anastomotic lesions, and 17 (28.8%) underwent revascularization within three months after bypass surgery. Procedural success was achieved in 55 (93.2%) patients. Stent implantation was performed in 13 patients (22.0%). During a median follow-up of 1401 days (interquartile range, 282-2521 days), TLR was required in six patients (8.5% at 1, 3, and 5 years). Patients who underwent percutaneous revascularization within 3 months after surgery tended to have a higher incidence of TLR. Clinical outcomes of IMA revascularization for IMA-LAD bypass failure were acceptable.

＜Editors' Choice＞ Prevalence of acute coronary syndrome during the pandemic of COVID-19 in the Tokai Region of Japan.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has had a great impact on medical care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of hospital admissions has been lower and the rate of in-hospital mortality has been higher in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Western countries. However, in Japan, it is unknown whether the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the incidence of ACS. In the study, eleven hospitals in the Tokai region participated. Among enrolled hospital, we compared the incidence of ACS during the COVID-19 pandemic (April and May, 2020) with that in equivalent months in the preceding year as the control. During the study period; April and May 2020, 248 patients with ACS were admitted. Compared to April and May 2019, a decline of 8.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2-12.1; P = 0.33] in admissions for ACS was observed between April and May 2020. There was no significant difference in the strategy for revascularization and in-hospital deaths between 2019 and 2020. In conclusion, the rate of admission for ACS slightly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the same months in the preceding year. Moreover, degeneration of therapeutic procedures for ACS did not occur.

Clinical Outcomes Following Emergent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Total/Subtotal Occlusion of the Left Main Coronary Artery.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding the clinical features, outcomes and prognostic factors in patients presenting with acute total/subtotal occlusion of the unprotected left main coronary artery (LMCA) remain limited.Methods and Results:From a multi-center registry, 134 patients due to acute total/subtotal occlusion of the unprotected LMCA were reviewed. Emergency room (ER) status classification was defined according to the presence of cardiogenic shock and cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) in the ER (class 1=no cardiogenic shock; class 2= cardiogenic shock but not CPA; and class 3=CPA). In-hospital mortality and cerebral performance category (CPC) as the endpoints were evaluated. One-half (67/134) of the enrolled patients presented with total occlusion of the unprotected LMCA. Regarding ER status classification, class 1, 2, and 3 were observed in 30.6%, 45.5%, and 23.9% of the patients, respectively. In-hospital mortality occurred in 73 (54.5%) patients; of the remaining patients, 52 (85.3%) could be discharged with a CPC 1 or 2. ER status classification (odds ratio 4.4 [95% confidence interval: 2.33-10.67]; P<0.001) and total occlusion of the unprotected LMCA (odds ratio 8.29 [95% confidence interval 2.93-23.46]; P<0.001) were strong predictors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Acute total/subtotal occlusion involving the unprotected LMCA appeared to be associated with high in-hospital mortality. ER status classification and initial flow in the unprotected LMCA were significant predictive factors of in-hospital mortality.

Clinical characteristics and treatment of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection in Young Women Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) has recently been recognized as a cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), especially in young women. However, the characteristics, optimal treatment, and prognosis of patients who experience SCAD have not been fully described. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected from a multicenter registry. Among 187 young women less than 60 years of age who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, 19 (10.2%) with SCAD were identified through coronary angiography. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were investigated. RESULTS: Those with SCAD less frequently exhibited coronary risk factors, such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and smoking, than those without SCAD. Intense emotional and/or physical stress was more frequently observed as a prominent precipitating factor in cases of SCAD. All 19 SCAD patients presented with ACS, 7 of whom were treated using stents, and the other 12 treated without stents. During a median follow-up of 960 days (interquartile range, 686-1504 days), two recurrent coronary artery dissections occurred within 7 days, both of which occurred in a vessel other than that in which primary dissection occurred. There were no deaths or recurrent dissection after 1 week. CONCLUSION: SCAD was not uncommon among young Japanese women requiring percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients with SCAD exhibited fewer coronary risk factors and more precipitating factors than those without SCAD, and long-term clinical outcomes after an early period appeared to be favorable.

Does RV lead positioning provide additional benefit to cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with advanced heart failure?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The left ventricular (LV) stimulation site is currently recommended to position the lead at the lateral wall. However, little is known as to whether right ventricular (RV) lead positioning is also important for cardiac resynchronization therapy. This study compared the acute hemodynamic response to biventricular pacing (BiV) at two different RV stimulation sites: RV high septum (RVHS) and RV apex (RVA). METHODS AND RESULTS: Using micro-manometer-tipped catheter, LV pressure was measured during BiV pacing at RV (RVA or RVHS) and LV free wall in 33 patients. Changes in LV dP/dt(max) and dP/dt(min) from baseline were compared between RVA and RVHS. BiV pacing increased dP/dt(max) by 30.3 +/- 1.2% in RVHS and by 33.3 +/- 1.7% in RVA (P = n.s.), and decreased dP/dt(min) by 11.4 +/- 0.7% in RVHS and by 13.0 +/- 1.0% in RVA (P = n.s.). To explore the optimal combination of RV and LV stimulation sites, we assessed separately the role of RV positioning with LV pacing at anterolateral (AL), lateral (LAT), or posterolateral (PL) segment. When the LV was paced at AL or LAT, the increase in dP/dt(max) with RVHS pacing was smaller than that with RVA pacing (AL: 12.2 +/- 2.2% vs 19.3 +/- 2.1%, P < 0.05; LAT: 22.0 +/- 2.7% vs 28.5 +/- 2.2%, P < 0.05). There was no difference in dP/dt(min) between RVHS- and RVA pacing in individual LV segments. CONCLUSIONS: RVHS stimulation has no overall advantage as an alternative stimulation site for RVA during BiV pacing. RVHS was equivalent with RVA in combination with the PL LV site, while RVA was superior to RVHS in combination with AL or LAT LV site.

Diagnostic usefulness of postexercise systolic blood pressure response for detection of coronary artery disease in patients with echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Although exercise-induced electrocardiographic ST segment changes are used to detect coronary artery disease (CAD), their diagnostic value is markedly decreased in patients with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. There have been no reports concerning postexercise systolic blood pressure (SBP) response in patients with ultrasound echocardiographic (UCG) LV hypertrophy and CAD. METHODS: Sixty-six patients with both UCG-LV hypertrophy (LV mass index 134 g/m2 or greater for men or 110 g/m2 or greater for women) and positive ST depression of at least 0.1 mV during treadmill exercise testing were studied. Coronary cineangiograms showed normal coronary arteries in 19 patients (group 1) and significant CAD in 47 patients (group 2). The SBP ratio was calculated by dividing the SBP 3 min after exercise (3 min SBP) by the SBP at peak exercise (peak SBP). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in LV mass index, SBP at rest, exercise duration, ST depression (at rest and exercise-induced) or 3 min SBP. However, the SBP ratio was significantly higher in group 2 compared with group 1 (0.87+/-0.11 versus 1.01+/-0.18; P=0.004). Analysis of relative cumulative frequency distributions revealed an SBP ratio of 0.92 as the cutoff point for distinguishing a UCG-LV hypertrophy patient with CAD from one without CAD. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy with an SBP ratio of 0.92 and an ST segment depression of at least 0.1 mV on treadmill exercise testing for detecting CAD in patients with UCG-LV hypertrophy were 77%, 74% and 76%, respectively. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the ratio of early post-exercise SBP to peak exercise SBP may be diagnostically useful in detecting CAD in patients with positive ST depression during an exercise test and UCG-LV hypertrophy.

Changes in repolarization properties with long-term cardiac memory modify dispersion of repolarization in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Transient T wave changes after cessation of preexcitation have been attributed to cardiac memory. However, there have been no reports on the effects of long-term cardiac memory on repolarization dispersion before and after catheter ablation in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated 47 patients with an accessory pathway (AP; 24 manifest left-sided, 14 manifest right-sided, and 9 concealed left-sided). Repolarization dispersion was analyzed by two methods, recovery time (RT) dispersion and newly proposed T wave width (WT), from 87-lead body surface maps before, 1 day after, and 7 days after catheter ablation. RT dispersion and WT were significantly correlated before, 1 day after, and 7 days after catheter ablation (r = 0.78). In patients with preexcitation, RT dispersion and WT increased significantly (P < 0.05) 1 day after catheter ablation (178 +/- 32 msec and 172 +/- 30 msec) compared with those before (154 +/- 24 msec and 156 +/- 18 msec) and 7 days after catheter ablation (147 +/- 19 msec and 156 +/- 16 msec), respectively. However, there were no significant changes in RT dispersion and WT before and after catheter ablation in concealed WPW syndrome. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that the abrupt changes in activation sequence increase repolarization dispersion in the presence of previous cardiac memory, and that the dispersion decreases days or weeks after alteration of activation sequence by catheter ablation, with development of new cardiac memory in patients with manifest WPW syndrome.