Implication of the new definition of pulmonary hypertension in patients evaluated for heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The 2018 World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension (WSPH) changed the definition of pulmonary hypertension (PH) with a new threshold of mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) above 20 mmHg. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the profile and prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure (HF) considered for heart transplantation with the new definition of PH. METHODS: Patients with chronic HF considered for heart transplantation were classified as mPAP≤20mmHg, mPAP 20-25 mmHg, and mPAP≥25mmHg. Using a multivariate Cox model, we compared the mortality of patients with mPAP20-25mmHg, and mPAP≥25mmHg versus those with mPAP≤20mmHg. RESULTS: Of 693 patients with chronic HF considered for heart transplantation, 12.7%, 77.5% and 9.8% were classified as mPAP20-25mmHg, mPAP≥ 25mmHg and mPAP≤20mmHg. Patients of mPAP ≥ 25mmHg and mPAP 20-25 mmHg categories were older than mPAP ≤ 20 mmHg (56 versus 55 and 52 year-old, p = 0.02) with more frequent co-morbidities. Within 2.8 years, the mPAP20-25mmHg category displayed a higher risk of mortality compared with those of the mPAP≤20mmHg category (aHR 2.75, 95% CI 1.27-5.97, p = 0.01). Overall, the new PH definition using a threshold of mPAP >20 mmHg was associated with a higher risk of death (adj HR 2.71, 95% CI 1.26-5.80) than the previous definition (mPAP >25 mmHg, aHR: 1.35 95% CI 1.00-1.83, p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: One out of 8 patients with severe HF are reclassified as having PH following the 2018 WSPH. Patients with mPAP20-25 evaluated for heart transplantation displayed significant co-morbidities and high mortality rates.

Beta-blocker prescription and outcomes in uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction: Insight from the ePARIS registry.

BACKGROUND: Systematic prescription of beta-blockers after myocardial infarction remains an open question in the era of revascularization, especially for patients with uncomplicated myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate in a real-life registry the proportion of patients with uncomplicated myocardial infarction (preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and no cardiovascular event within the first 6 months), and to report their characteristics, outcomes and beta-blocker use. METHODS: We included 1887 consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction from the prospective ePARIS registry. Patients were divided into three groups: the "uncomplicated myocardial infarction" group (n=1060), defined by a left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 40% and a 6-month period free from cardiovascular events; the "complicated myocardial infarction" group (n=366), defined by a left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 40% and a recurrent cardiovascular event in the first 6 months; and the "left ventricular dysfunction" group (n=461), defined by a left ventricular ejection fraction<40%. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 2.7 years (interquartile range 1.0-4.9 years), the "uncomplicated myocardial infarction" group was at low mortality risk compared with the "complicated myocardial infarction" group (hazard ratio 0.38, 95% confidence interval 0.25-0.58; P<0.01) and the "left ventricular dysfunction" group (hazard ratio 0.22, 95% confidence interval 0.15-0.32; P<0.01). Beta-blockers were prescribed at discharge predominantly in the "uncomplicated myocardial infarction" group (93%) compared with 87% in the "complicated myocardial infarction" group and 81% in the "left ventricular dysfunction" group. CONCLUSIONS: Beta-blockers are less prescribed in patients who may need them the most. The benefit of beta-blockers-largely prescribed in lower-risk patients-remains to be shown beyond the first 6 months for these patients with no left ventricular dysfunction and no recurrent events.

On- Versus Off-Hours Presentation and Mortality of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Treated With Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to assess the association between admission time with patient's care, procedure characteristics, and clinical outcomes within a contemporary ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) network of patients referred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: The effect of admission time on STEMI patient's outcomes remains controversial when primary PCI is the preferred reperfusion strategy. METHODS: Characteristics and clinical outcomes of 2,167 consecutive STEMI patients admitted in a tertiary PCI-capable center were collected. On-hours were defined as admission from Monday through Friday between 8 am and 6 pm and off-hours as admission during night shift, weekend, and nonworking holidays. In-hospital and 1-year all-cause mortality were assessed as well as key time delays. RESULTS: A total of 1,048 patients (48.3%) were admitted during on-hours, and 1,119 patients (51.7%) during off-hours. Characteristics were well-balanced between the 2 groups, including rates of cardiac arrest (7.9% vs. 8.8%; p = 0.55) and cardiogenic shock (12.3% vs. 14.7%; p = 0.16). Median symptom-to-first medical contact time and median first medical contact-to-sheath insertion time did not differ according to on- versus off-hours admission (120 min vs. 126 min; p = 0.25 and 90 min vs. 93 min; p = 0.58, respectively), as well as the rate of radial access for catheterization (85.6% vs. 87.5%; p = 0.27). There was no association between on- versus off-hours groups and in-hospital (8.1% vs. 7.0%; p = 0.49) or 1-year mortality (11.0% vs. 11.1%; p = 0.89), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In a contemporary organized STEMI network, patients admitted in a high-volume tertiary primary PCI center during on-hours or off-hours had similar management and 1-year outcomes.

Performing diagnostic coronary angiography to evaluate high-risk cardiac donors: A French nationwide cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Allograft shortage might be overcome by the use of hearts from expanded-criteria donors (ECD) but their estimated high-risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) results in a limited utilization of these hearts for transplantation. We aimed to determine if performing coronary angiography (CA) in ECD enhances cardiac procurement and to develop a predictive model estimating their probability of absence of CAD. METHODS: We retrospectively used the French National Transplant Registry CRISTAL and considered all donors aged 45 to 70 with ≥ 1 organ harvested between March 2012 and June 2014 to derive a high-risk donor population. Of 515 donors with ≥ 1 CAD risk factor and no obvious contraindication for cardiac procurement, 230 underwent CA. Coefficients estimated by multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the impact of CA on procurement and build the predictive model. RESULTS: Among CA donors, 133 had CAD, 53 (23%) with at least one stenosis ≥ 50%. Predictors of cardiac graft offer were female gender, age below 60, no cardiac arrest, no intravenous adrenaline/dobutamine requirement and no treated hypercholesterolemia. CA increased the probability of procurement by 9% (p = 0.028). Female gender, non-vascular cause of death, absence of diabetes and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (p < 0.05) were associated with a normal CA and used for the prediction model. The area under the ROC curve of the model was 0.70. Specificity for the highest quartile was 82%. CONCLUSION: Performing CA in ECD enhances cardiac procurement. When CA is not feasible, we defined a clinical score allowing accurate estimation of normal CA probability.

Periprocedural myocardial infarction and injury in elective coronary stenting.

Aims: To assess the incidence, risk factors and prognosis of periprocedural myocardial infarction (MI) and myocardial injury in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and results: We included all consecutive patients who underwent elective PCI with a negative troponin level at admission from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2015. The primary endpoint was defined as the composite of periprocedural MI (Type 4a MI), stent thrombosis (Type 4b MI), and myocardial injury according to the Third universal definition of MI. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of periprocedural MI and myocardial injury and its relation to 30-day and 1-year clinical outcome. Of the 1390 elective PCI patients, the primary endpoint occurred in 28.7% of patients, including 7.0% of Type 4a MI, 0.14% of Type 4b MI, and 21.6% of myocardial injury. Independent risk factors for the occurrence of the primary endpoint were left main PCI, total stent length >30 mm, multiple stenting, chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min) and age >75 years. At 30 days, patients with periprocedural MI and myocardial injury had a higher rate of cardiovascular events [5.5% vs. 1.2%, adjusted hazard ratio (adjHR) = 3.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-6.9; P < 0.001] mainly driven by ischaemic events (3.2% vs. 0.6%, HR 5.9, 95% CI 2.9-20; P < 0.0001). At 1-year, the risk of ischemic events remained higher in the periprocedural MI and myocardial injury group (adjHR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6; P = 0.004). Conclusions: Periprocedural MI and injury are frequent complications of elective PCI associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular events at 30 days and 1 year.

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury and mortality in ST elevation myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVES: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a common and potentially severe complication in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). There is no consensus on the best definition of CI-AKI to identify patients at risk of haemodialysis or death. The objective of this study was to assess the association of CI-AKI, using four definitions, on inhospital mortality, mortality or haemodialysis requirement over 1-year follow-up, in patients with STEMI treated with pPCI. METHODS: In this prospective, observational study, all patients with STEMI referred for pPCI were included. We identified independent variables associated with CI-AKI and mortality. RESULTS: We included 1114 consecutive patients with STEMI treated by pPCI. CI-AKI occurred in 18.3%, 12.2%, 15.6% and 10.5% of patients according to the CIN, Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN), Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of kidney function, and End-stage kidney disease (RIFLE) Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and RIFLE Chronic Kidney Disease - Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) definitions, respectively. The RIFLE (CKD-EPI) definition was the most discriminant definition to identify patients at higher risk of inhospital mortality (27.1% vs 4.0%; adjusted OR 2.7 (95% CI 1.4 to 5.1), p=0.003), 1-year mortality (27.4% vs 6.6%; adjusted OR 2.8 (95% CI 1.5 to 5.3), p=0.002) and haemodialysis requirement at 1-year follow-up (15.6% vs 2.7%; adjusted OR 6.7 (95% CI 3.3 to 13.6), p=0.001). Haemodynamic instability, cardiac arrest, preexisting renal failure, elderly age and a high contrast media volume were independently associated with 1-year mortality. Of interest, contrast-media volume was not correlated to increase of creatininaemia (r=0.06) or decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (r=0.05) after percutaneous coronary intervention in our population. CONCLUSIONS: CI-AKI is a frequent and serious complication of STEMI treated by pPCI. The RIFLE definition is the most accurate definition to identify patients with CI-AKI at high risk of mortality or haemodialysis.

Effect of intracoronary administration of AAV1/SERCA2a on ventricular remodelling in patients with advanced systolic heart failure: results from the AGENT-HF randomized phase 2 trial.

AIMS: Restoration of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2a) activity through gene transfer improved cardiac function in experimental and pilot studies in humans with heart failure. The AGENT-HF (NCT01966887) trial investigated the impact of adeno-associated virus (AAV1)/SERCA2a on ventricular remodelling using multimodality non-invasive cardiac imaging. METHODS AND RESULTS: AGENT-HF was a single centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adult patients with NYHA class III-IV ischaemic or non-ischaemic heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35%. Eligible patients were randomized to receive a single intracoronary infusion of either 1 × 1013 DNase-resistant particles of AAV1/SERCA2a or placebo. The primary endpoint was change in left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), measured by cardiac computed tomography at 6 month follow-up. We planned to include 40 patients but the trial was terminated prematurely as the sponsor suspended further enrolment following neutral results of the CUPID-2 outcome trial. At the time of termination, nine patients were randomized with five patients infused with AAV1/SERCA2a and four with placebo. At 6 months, LVESV was increased in both groups compared with baseline: median (interquartile range) in AAV1/SERCA2a vs. placebo: 13 (13;14) mL vs. 3.5 (-36;36) mL, P = 0.74, with a mean difference between groups of 11.4 mL in favour of placebo. No safety issues were noted. CONCLUSION: AGENT-HF failed to demonstrate any improvement in ventricular remodelling in response to AAV1/SERCA2a at the dose studied. However, because of premature termination, the study was underpowered to demonstrate an effect of AAV1/SERCA2a and these data should be interpreted with caution.

Low level exercise echocardiography helps diagnose early stage heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a study of echocardiography versus catheterization.

BACKGROUND: Increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) with exercise is an early sign of heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The abnormal exercise increase in LVEDP is nonlinear, with most change occurring at low-level exercise. Data on non-invasive approach of this condition are scarce. Our objective was assessing E/e' to estimate low level exercise LVEDP using a direct invasive measurement as the reference method. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty patients with LVEF >50 % prospectively underwent both exercise cardiac catheterization and echocardiography. E/e' was measured at rest and during low-level exercise. Abnormal LVEDP was defined as >16 mmHg. Patients with a history of coronary artery disease and/or abnormal LV morphology were classified as having apparent cardiac disease (CD). Thirty-four (57 %) patients had elevated LVEDP only during exercise. Most of the change in LVEDP occurred since the first exercise level (25 W). There was a correlation between LVEDP and septal E/e' at rest and during exercise. Lateral E/e' and E/average e' ratio had worse correlations with LVEDP. In the whole population, exercise septal E/e' at 25 W had the best accuracy for abnormal exercise LVEDP, area under curve (AUC) = 0.79. However, while low-level exercise septal E/e' had a high accuracy in CD patients (n = 26, AUC = 0.96), E/e' was not linked to LVEDP in patients without CD (n = 34). CONCLUSION: Low-level exercise septal E/e' is valuable for predicting abnormal exercise LVEDP in patients with preserved LVEF and apparent CD. However, this new diagnosis approach appears not reliable in patients with normal LV morphology and without coronary artery disease. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01714752.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST elevation myocardial infarction in nonagenarians.

OBJECTIVE: To assess outcomes following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) in nonagenarian patients. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre retrospective study between 2006 and 2013 in five international high-volume centres and included consecutive all-comer nonagenarians treated with primary PCI for STEMI. There were no exclusion criteria. We enrolled 145 patients and collected demographic, clinical and procedural data. Severe clinical events and mortality at 6 months and 1 year were assessed. RESULTS: Cardiogenic shock was present at admission in 21%. Median (IQR) delay between symptom onset and balloon was 3.7 (2.4-5.6) hours and 60% of procedures were performed through the transradial approach. Successful revascularisation of the culprit vessel was obtained in 86% of the cases (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow of 2 or 3). Major or clinically relevant bleeding was observed in 4% of patients. Median left ventricular ejection fraction post PCI was 41.5% (32.0-50.0). The in-hospital mortality was 24%, with 6 months and 1-year survival rates of 61% and 53%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, primary PCI in nonagenarians with STEMI was achieved and feasible through a transradial approach. It is associated with a high rate of reperfusion of the infarct-related artery and 53% survival at 1 year. These results suggest that primary PCI may be offered in selected nonagenarians with acute myocardial infarction.

Stopping or continuing clopidogrel 12 months after drug-eluting stent placement: the OPTIDUAL randomized trial.

AIM: This open-label, randomized, and multicentre trial tested the hypothesis that, on a background of aspirin, continuing clopidogrel would be superior to stopping clopidogrel at 12 months following drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients (N = 1799) who had undergone placement of ≥1 DES for stable coronary artery disease or acute coronary syndrome were included in 58 French sites (January 2009-January 2013). Patients (N = 1385) free of major cardiovascular/cerebrovascular events or major bleeding and on aspirin and clopidogrel 12 months after stenting were eligible for randomization (1:1) between continuing clopidogrel 75 mg daily (extended-dual antiplatelet therapy, DAPT, group) or discontinuing clopidogrel (aspirin group). The primary outcome was net adverse clinical events defined as the composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or major bleeding. Follow-up was planned from a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 36 months after randomization. Owing to slow recruitment, the study was stopped after enrolment of 1385 of a planned 1966 patients. Median follow-up after stenting was 33.4 months. The primary outcome occurred in 40 patients (5.8%) in the extended-DAPT group and 52 in the aspirin group (7.5%; hazard ratio 0.75, 95% confidence interval 0.50-1.28; P = 0.17). Rates of death were 2.3% in the extended-DAPT group and 3.5% in the aspirin group (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.34-1.22; P = 0.18). Rates of major bleeding were identical (2.0%, P = 0.95). CONCLUSIONS: Extended DAPT did not achieve superiority in reducing net adverse clinical events compared to 12 months of DAPT after DES placement. The power of the OPTIDUAL trial was however low and reduced by premature termination of enrolment. CLINICALTRIALSGOV NUMBER: NCT00822536.

Impact of renal failure on all-cause mortality and other outcomes in patients treated by percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Patients with renal failure (RF) have been systematically excluded from clinical trials; consequently their outcomes have not been well studied in the setting of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). AIMS: To compare cardiovascular outcomes after contemporary PCI in patients with versus without RF, according to clinical presentation (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI], acute coronary syndrome [ACS] or stable coronary artery disease [sCAD]). METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing PCI with stent were prospectively included from 2007 to 2012. RF was defined as creatinine clearance<60mL/min. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality; secondary endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE: composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke and target lesion revascularization [TLR]), TLR and Academic Research Consortium definite/probable stent thrombosis (ST) at 1 year. RESULTS: Among 5337 patients, 23% had PCI for STEMI, 34% for ACS and 43% for sCAD, while 27% had RF. RF patients had a higher unadjusted death rate than those with preserved renal function (nRF) in all PCI indication groups (STEMI, 41% vs. 7.5%; ACS, 19% vs. 6%; sCAD, 10% vs. 3%; P<0.0001 for all). The rate of MACCE was also higher in RF patients whatever the PCI indication (STEMI, 45% vs. 15%; ACS, 23% vs. 14%; sCAD, 14% vs. 9%; P<0.05 for all). Rates of TLR (5.5-7.4%) and ST (<2.5%) were similar (P>0.05 for both). sCAD-RF and STEMI-nRF patients had similar rates of mortality (P=0.209) and MACCE (P=0.658). RF was independently associated with mortality, with a doubled relative risk in STEMI versus ACS and sCAD groups (odds ratio 5.3, 95% confidence interval 3.627-7.821 vs. 2.1, 1.465-3.140 and 2.3, 1.507-3.469, respectively; P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: RF is a stronger independent predictor of death after PCI in STEMI than in ACS or sCAD patients. sCAD-RF and STEMI-nRF patients had similar prognoses.

Sex-related differences after contemporary primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Whether outcomes differ for women and men after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains controversial. AIM: To compare 1-year outcomes after primary PCI in women and men with STEMI, matched for age and diabetes. METHODS: Consecutive women with STEMI of<24 hours' duration referred (August 2007 to January 2011) for primary PCI were compared with men matched for age and diabetes. Rates of all-cause mortality, target vessel revascularization (TVR) and major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (death/myocardial infarction/stroke) were assessed at 1 year. RESULTS: Among 775 consecutive patients, 182 (23.5%) women were compared with 182 matched men. Mean age was 69±15 years, 18% had diabetes. Patient characteristics were similar, except for lower creatinine clearance (73±41 vs 82±38 µmol/L; P=0.041), more cardiogenic shock (14.8% vs 6.6%; P=0.017) and less radial PCI (81.3% vs 90.1%; P=0.024) in women. Rates of 1-year death (22.7% vs 18.1%), TVR (8.3% vs 6.0%) and MACCE (24.3% vs 20.9%) were not statistically different in women (P>0.05 for all). After exclusion of patients with shock (10.7%) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (6.6%), death rates were even more similar (11.3% vs 11.8%; P=0.10). Female sex was not independently associated with death (odds ratio 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.55-1.87; P=0.97). CONCLUSION: In our consecutive unselected patient population, women had similar 1-year outcomes to men matched for age and diabetes, after contemporary primary PCI for STEMI, despite having a higher risk profile at baseline.

Efficacy and safety of 12 versus 48 months of dual antiplatelet therapy after implantation of a drug-eluting stent: the OPTImal DUAL antiplatelet therapy (OPTIDUAL) trial: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and thienopyridine is required after placement of coronary drug-eluting stents (DES) to prevent thrombotic complications. Current clinical guidelines recommend at least 6 to 12 months of treatment after a DES implantation, but it may be beneficial to apply dual antiplatelet therapy for a longer duration. METHODS/DESIGN: The optimal dual antiplatelet therapy (OPTIDUAL) study aims to compare the benefits and risks of dual antiplatelet therapy applied for either 12 or 48 months. We will examine the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with DES for the treatment of coronary lesions. The OPTIDUAL study is an open-label multicenter, randomized, national trial that will include 1,966 patients treated with DES. All patients will be treated with dual antiplatelet therapy for 12 months (+/- 3). Then, patients with no MACCE or major bleeding will be randomized to receive either 36 additional months of clopidogrel plus aspirin or aspirin only. The primary end-point is the combination of death from all causes, myocardial infarction, stroke and major bleeding. The secondary end points include the individual components of the primary end-point, stent thrombosis, repeat revascularization of the treated vessel and minor bleeding. DISCUSSION: This randomized trial is designed to assess the benefits and safety of 12 versus 48 months of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients that receive a DES. We aim to determine whether substantial prolongation of clopidogrel (a thienopyridine) after DES implantation offers an advantage over its discontinuation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00822536.

Multislice computed tomography to rule out coronary allograft vasculopathy in heart transplant patients.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed if invasive coronary angiogram (CA) could be replaced by multislice (64- or 256-row) computed tomography (MSCT) to systematically rule out coronary allograft vasculopathy in heart transplant patients. METHODS: Electrocardiogram-gated contrast-enhanced MSCT (64-row for the first 25 patients and 256-row for the others) was compared with CA. MSCT parameters, adapted to the patient's weight, included 120 kV, 800 mAs, 0.625-mm slice thickness, and 0.42/0.27-second rotation time. The primary end point was the negative predictive value (NPV) of MSCT for the detection of significant (>50%) coronary stenosis. Secondary end points were the comparison of X-ray (mSv) and iodine contrast agent (ml) exposures. RESULTS: The study prospectively included 102 patients (mean age, 53±14 years). Transplantation occurred 6±5 years before inclusion. At CA, 41.8% had stenosis ≤50% and 8% had stenosis>50%. Among the 1,308 angiographic coronary segments ≥1.5 mm, 1,250 (95.6%) were evaluable by MSCT. The NPV of MSCT was 96.6% by patient analysis and 99.7% by segment analysis. The positive predictive value (PPV) was 45.5%. The total volume of contrast agent was 139±43 vs 91±12 vs 56±19 ml (p<0.05) with 64-row MSCT, 256-row MSCT, and CA, respectively. The effective radiation dose was higher using retrospective gating (17.8±5.5 mSv, p<0.05), but similar with prospective gating (6.2±1.9 mSv, p = 0.571) compared with CA (6.0±3.5 mSv). CONCLUSION: Newer generations of MSCT (64- or 256-row) have a good NPV and may represent an alternative to invasive CA to rule out significant (>50%) coronary vasculopathy in heart transplant patients, despite a low PPV.

Accuracy of multislice computed tomography in the preoperative assessment of coronary disease in patients scheduled for heart valve surgery.

BACKGROUND: Coronary angiography (CA), an invasive and expensive procedure, is still recommended in most patients referred for elective valve surgery. Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) is a promising alternative technique to rule out significant coronary artery lesions. AIM: To evaluate MSCT in detecting significant coronary artery lesions in patients referred for elective valve surgery. METHODS: Between August 2007 and December 2010, patients referred for elective valve surgery were identified prospectively and underwent 64-slice MSCT and CA. We compared significant coronary stenoses, defined as a reduction of luminal diameter ≥ 50%, to establish the diagnostic accuracy of MSCT. All coronary segments were analysed and uninterpretable lesions were scored positive. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients were included (62.5% male; mean age 65 ± 12 years), the majority had aortic insufficiency (37.7%) or aortic stenosis (32.0%). The prevalence of significant coronary artery stenoses was 27.1%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of MSCT were 77%, 89%, 71% and 91%, respectively, in a patient-based analysis; 82%, 86%, 64% and 94% in a revascularization-based analysis; 67%, 94%, 52% and 97% in a vessel-based analysis; and 65%, 98%, 52% and 99% in a segment-based analysis. Overall, CA could have been avoided in 65% of patients. CONCLUSION: In patients referred for elective valve surgery, MSCT had a high diagnostic accuracy to rule out significant coronary stenoses. However, larger multicenter studies in an unselected population of patients are needed to determine its place within the range of diagnostic tool in the preoperative assessment of valvular heart disease.

Impact of anticoagulation on ionic and nonionic contrast media effect on thrombogenesis and fibrinolysis: The PEPCIT study.

OBJECTIVES: The effect of ionic low osmolar contrast media (ICM) and nonionic iso-osmolar CM (NICM) on acute thrombotic complications of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is subject to controversies possibly related to a potential interaction with anticoagulation regimens. We sought to compare physical and morphological properties of fibrin clots made in the presence of ioxaglate (ICM), iodixanol (NICM) versus control and to evaluate the effect of four anticoagulants used in PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Maximum platelet aggregation (MPA%), maximum elastic modulus (EM, dyne/cm(2) ) fiber density (n/10(-5) /µm(2) ), and lysis front velocity (nm/sec) of fibrin rich clot (FRC) were measured simultaneously using peripheral blood from 12 patients undergoing elective PCI. We compared the effects of adding iodixanol or ioxaglate or saline (control) to blood with enoxaparin, unfractionated heparin, fondaparinux, and bivalirudin. Iodixanol and ioxaglate led to nonsignificant reduction in MPA compared to control (33.6% ± 16.9%, 28.2% ± 18.9%, and 40.7% ± 13.9%, respectively, P = ns). Fibrin formed with iodixanol was stiffer (42.7 ± 41.9, 18.7 ± 3.7, and 15.9 ± 9 dyne/cm(2) , P < 0.01) and displayed more fibrin fibers (1089 ± 175, 260 ± 108, and 456 ± 131 n/10(-5) /µm(2) , respectively, P < 0.01) than with ioxaglate or control. This resulted in a profound reduction in the lysis front velocity (191 ± 95, 261 ± 112, and 360 ± 153 nm/sec). None of the four anticoagulants displayed any significant interaction on the effect of contrast media. CONCLUSIONS: The prothrombogenic effect of iodixanol is related primarily to an increase in fibrin stiffness with subsequent delayed fibrinolysis, something not seen with ioxaglate. Anticoagulation does not appear to have any impact on this fibrin clot abnormalities.

One-year clinical outcomes in patients with chronic renal failure treated by percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stent.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) apply in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). AIMS: To compare DES with bare metal stents (BMS) for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in CRF patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients treated by PCI were allocated to four groups according to type of stent used (DES versus BMS) and creatinine clearance (CrCl). CRF was defined as CrCl less than 60 mL/minute. Cardiovascular death, major adverse cardiac events (MACE, defined as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke and target lesion revascularization [TLR]), TLR and definite stent thrombosis (ST) were recorded at 1 year. RESULTS: We note that 1376 consecutive patients underwent PCI with stent within 18 months: 534 (39%) and 492 (36%) patients without CRF and 224 (16%) and 126 (9%) patients with CRF were treated with BMS and DES, respectively. In the entire cohort, patients treated with DES had a higher restenosis risk profile. BMS were predominantly (87%) used for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. At 1 year, 6.2% had cardiovascular death, 15.8% MACE, 7.3% TLR and 1.5% ST. Cardiovascular death and MACE occurred less frequently in DES groups. The TLR rate was not significantly different in the CRF groups (BMS 9.8% vs DES 7.1%; P=0.44). No excess of ST was observed in the DES groups and use of DES was independently associated with absence of MACE and TLR. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CRF, DES appear to be at least as effective as BMS--despite a higher restenosis risk profile--with no excess of ST at 1 year.