Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction Without Standard Modifiable Risk Factors: The ARIC Study Community Surveillance.

Background Prevention strategies targeting standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs; diabetes, hypertension, smoking, hypercholesterolemia) are critical to improving cardiovascular disease outcomes. However, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among individuals who lack 1 or more SMuRFs is not uncommon. Moreover, the clinical characteristics and prognosis of SMuRFless individuals are not well characterized. Methods and Results We analyzed AMI hospitalizations from 2000 to 2014 captured by the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Community) study community surveillance. AMI was classified by physician review using a validated algorithm. Clinical data, medications, and procedures were abstracted from the medical record. Main study outcomes included short- and long-term mortality within 28 days and 1 year of AMI hospitalization. Between 2000 and 2014, a total of 742 (3.6%) of 20 569 patients with AMI were identified with no documented SMuRFs. Patients without SMuRFs were less likely to receive aspirin, nonaspirin antiplatelet therapy, or beta blockers and less often underwent angiography and revascularization. Compared with those with one or more SMuRFs, patients without SMuRFs had significantly higher 28-day (odds ratio, 3.23 [95% CI, 1.78-5.88]) and 1-year (hazard ratio, 2.09 [95% CI, 1.29-3.37]) adjusted mortality. When examined across 5-year intervals from 2000 to 2014, the incidence of 28-day mortality significantly increased for patients without SMuRFs (7% to 15% to 27%), whereas it declined for those with 1 or more SMuRFs (7% to 5% to 5%). Conclusions Individuals without SMuRFs presenting with AMI have an increased risk of all-cause mortality with an overall lower prescription rate for guideline-directed medical therapy. These findings highlight the need for evidence-based pharmacotherapy during hospitalization and the need to discover new markers and mechanisms for early risk identification in this population.

A Case of Valve-in-Valve-in-Valve for Severe Aortic Regurgitation: Is Lifetime Management Upon Us?

BACKGROUND: The incremental use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement will inexorably lead to structural valve deterioration and the need for both a second and third valvular interventions, raising the question of feasibility. CASE SUMMARY: We present the case of a 76-year-old man that presented with cardiogenic shock refractory to inotropic support. His workup revealed severe bioprosthetic aortic regurgitation 5 years after undergoing transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implantation. After confirming anatomical suitability with multimodality imaging, he underwent uncomplicated valve-in-valve-in-valve (ViViV) implantation of a 23 mm Edwards S3 Ultra valve with rapid clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Whether in the form of stenosis or severe regurgitation as in our patient, ViViV is feasible. Careful preprocedural planning and confirmation of anatomical suitability with multimodality imaging are key for success and safety.

P2Y12 inhibitor versus aspirin monotherapy for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events: meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Aim: To compare the efficacy and safety of P2Y12 inhibitor or aspirin monotherapy for secondary prevention in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Methods and results: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases were searched to identify randomized trials comparing monotherapy with a P2Y12 inhibitor versus aspirin for secondary prevention in patients with ASCVD (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or peripheral artery disease). The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Secondary outcomes were myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, all-cause mortality, and major bleeding. A random-effects model was used to calculate risk ratios (RR) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) and heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the Higgins I2 value. A total of 9 eligible trials (5 with clopidogrel and 4 with ticagrelor) with 61 623 patients were included in our analyses. Monotherapy with P2Y12 inhibitors significantly reduced the risk of MACE by 11% (0.89, 95% CI 0.84-0.95, I2 = 0%) and MI by 19% (0.81, 95% CI 0.71-0.92, I2 = 0%) compared with aspirin monotherapy. There was no significant difference in the risk of stroke (0.85, 95% CI 0.73-1.01), or all-cause mortality (1.01, 95% CI 0.92-1.11). There was also no significant difference in the risk of major bleeding with P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy compared with aspirin (0.94, 95% CI 0.72-1.22, I2 = 42.6%). Results were consistent irrespective of the P2Y12 inhibitor used. Conclusion: P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy for secondary prevention is associated with a significant reduction in atherothrombotic events compared with aspirin alone without an increased risk of major bleeding.

Management of STEMI during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned in 2020 to prepare for 2021.

As the prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 continues to increase, there is an increasing possibility that patients with COVID-19 may presen with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). With social distancing and restricted access to preventive healthcare and emergency services, the management of acute cardiac emergencies such as myocardial infarction has suffered collateral damage. Thus far, global trends suggest a decrease in STEMI activations with possible worse outcomes due to delayed presentation and management. In this review, we discuss the challenges to STEMI management in the COVID-19 era and provide potential solutions for adherence to evidence-based therapies as the pandemic progresses into the year 2021.

Transcatheter mitral valve repair/replacement for primary mitral regurgitation.

This review outlines the first trial experience with transcatheter therapy for mitral regurgitation (MR), developed from the EVEREST II MitraClip trial in a trial population comprised predominantly of patients with degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR). Subsequent experience with MitraClip and several other devices has been mostly in functional MR patients. At the same time, there has been ongoing experience with MitraClip in DMR, and a variety of other devices have been developed for catheter-based treatment of MR. Annuloplasty devices have been indicated for DMR, and the potential for transcatheter annuloplasty to be used, in conjunction with other catheter techniques, such as chordal replacement, as it is in standard mitral repair, is developing. Transcatheter mitral valve replacement will clearly have some role for MR of both functional and degenerative etiologies, when repair is not feasible or fails. This review will discuss the evidence base and future development of these mitral repair and replacement approaches for DMR.

MitraClip Therapy for Mitral Regurgitation: Secondary Mitral Regurgitation.

Therapy for mitral regurgitation (MR) has been synonymous with mitral valve surgery. Operative approaches for degenerative MR repair have been associated with excellent results, with durable long term outcomes. Surgery for functional MR has been less successful. MitraClip has shown promise for functional MR, especiall in patinets who are high risk for surgery. The aggregate of nonrandomized global experience with MitraClip in functional MR has been consistent in showing improvements in symptoms and left ventricular remodeling. It remains to be seen how MitraClip therapy will compare with best medical therapy. The COAPT trial will clarify this question.

Percutaneous vascular plug for incomplete surgical left atrial appendage closure.

Surgical left atrial appendage (LAA) exclusion has a failure rate as high as 60% due to persistent residual flow in the LAA or large LAA remnants. We describe a novel technique for treatment of incomplete surgical LAA ligation, and define the mechanism that led to persistence of the remnant LAA without any thrombus formation.

High pacing rates for management of aortic insufficiency after balloon aortic valvuloplasty or transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Aortic insufficiency (AI) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is difficult to manage when associated with congestive heart failure. AI after balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) may be catastrophic, especially in patients who are not candidates for TAVR. We describe the use of urgent temporary pacing, followed by permanent pacing, to increase the heart rate to diminish diastolic filling time for the short term management of AI after BAV or TAVR. The strategy is particularly useful in patients who already have permanent pacemakers, which are common in this population.

Antegrade approach for TAVR with total occlusion of the descending aorta.

The antegrade approach for aortic valve interventions is well known but has not been widely used for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures. We encountered a patient with no possibility of retrograde access due to a totally occluded abdominal aorta who had a failed attempt at apical TAVR. We describe antegrade TAVR despite occlusion of the abdominal aorta, with the arterial limb of the requisite veno-arterial loop created using bilateral arm access, a novel version of the previously described antegrade approach.

Low profile vascular plugs for paravalvular leaks after TAVR.

BACKGROUND: Paravalvular leak (PVL) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is associated with less good outcomes. The use of percutaneous plugs is among the strategies to treat PVL after TAVR. Plugs have been limited by the need to pass 4-6 F delivery sheaths between the TAVR stent frame and the native valve leaflets. METHODS: The study population consists of six patients who had at least moderate aortic insufficiency (AI), and also developed symptoms of heart failure after TAVR. We describe in detail the use of low profile vascular plugs that require crossing the leaks with only a 4 F diagnostic catheter. RESULTS: Low profile vascular plugs were successfully deployed in all six patients without significant complications. Fluoroscopy time ranged 16.7-69.4 min (44.8 ± 18.8 min). Contrast volume ranged 15-100 mL (45 ± 34 mL). One plug was used in five, and two adjacent plus in one case. AI severity was reduced from moderate or severe to mild or less in four patients, from severe to moderate in one, and in one, there was no change. Five of six patients were treated electively and were significantly improved in terms of both echocardiographic PVL and also symptoms. The one who did not have echocardiographic improvement did not improve clinically and expired one month later. CONCLUSIONS: PVL closure can be consistently accomplished after TAVR with low profile vascular plugs. Careful analysis of PVL location on echo before closure greatly facilitates finding the fluoroscopic location of the leak. Decreases in PVL severity are associated with significant clinical improvement.

Longer-term outcomes of paclitaxel stent implantation as an initial treatment strategy for sirolimus-eluting stent restenosis.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine the long-term clinical outcomes after an initial strategy of paclitaxeleluting stent (PES) implantation for de novo sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) restenosis. BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment of drug-eluting stent (DES) restenosis is unknown. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing PES implantation for SES restenosis were identified. Patients were considered eligible for inclusion if: (1) the initial target lesion for the SES was de novo; (2) the SES restenotic lesion had not been previously treated; and (3) at least 1 year had passed since the PES implantation. RESULTS: A total of 130 consecutive patients with 142 restenotic SES lesions were treated with PES. Mean patient age was 66.4 +/- 11 years, diabetes was present in 37.1%, and the target lesion was focal in 67.8%. Over a median of 453 days (range, 365-789 days), out-ofhospital major adverse cardiac events occurred in 33 patients (25.4%). Out-of-hospital death occurred in 2 patients (due to sepsis and cancer), myocardial infarction in 1 patient (0.8%), and target lesion revascularization (TLR) in 30 patients (23.8%). There were no episodes of stent thrombosis. There was no difference in freedom from TLR between lesions with focal or non-focal pattern (log rank p = 0.52), although the time to recurrence was later in focal compared to non-focal lesions (323 +/- 26 days versus 216 +/- 17 days; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: An initial treatment strategy of PES implantation for SES restenosis appears safe and provides reasonable outcomes at more than 1-year follow up.

Coronary artery aneurysm formation after drug-eluting stent implantation.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have had a profound impact on the practice of interventional cardiology. Important safety concerns regarding DES have been widely publicized and acknowledged. The primary emphasis has been placed on late stent thrombosis and the adverse sequela which result. Another emerging adverse effect of DES is coronary aneurysm (CAA) formation. We report on a patient who developed CAA formation after DES implantation but not at the site of previous bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation. We also review the current understanding of DES-associated CAA formation.

Prognostic significance of post-clopidogrel platelet reactivity assessed by a point-of-care assay on thrombotic events after drug-eluting stent implantation.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine whether platelet reactivity on clopidogrel therapy, as measured by a point-of-care platelet function assay, is associated with thrombotic events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DESs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Platelet reactivity on clopidogrel (post-treatment reactivity) was measured with the VerifyNow P2Y12 assay (Accumetrics Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) in 380 patients undergoing PCI with sirolimus-eluting stents. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was used to derive the optimal cut-off value for post-treatment reactivity in predicting 6 month out-of-hospital cardiovascular (CV) death, non-fatal MI, or stent thrombosis. The mean post-treatment reactivity was 184 +/- 85 PRU (P2Y12 reaction units). The optimal cut-off for the combined endpoint was a post-treatment reactivity > or =235 PRU [area under the curve 0.711 (95% confidence interval 0.529-0.893), P = 0.03], which was similar to the threshold of the upper tertile (231 PRU). Patients with post-treatment reactivity greater than the cut-off value had significantly higher rates of CV death (2.8 vs. 0%, P = 0.04), stent thrombosis (4.6 vs. 0%, P = 0.004), and the combined endpoint (6.5 vs. 1.0%, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: High post-treatment platelet reactivity measured with a point-of-care platelet function assay is associated with post-discharge events after PCI with DES, including stent thrombosis. Investigation of alternative clopidogrel dosing regimens to reduce ischaemic events in high-risk patients identified by this assay is warranted.

Unrecognized stent embolization causing recurrent chest pain.

Numerous methods have been described for retrieving or addressing stents that have embolized in the coronary arteries. Almost all of these prior reports address the "freshly" embolized stent with retrieval or deployment occurring during the same index procedure during which the embolization occurred. We describe a case of a thrombosed, chronically embolized coronary stent.