Twenty-Four-Hour Pulsatile Hemodynamics Predict Brachial Blood Pressure Response to Renal Denervation in the SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED Trial.

BACKGROUND: Renal denervation (RDN) lowers blood pressure (BP), but BP response is variable in individual patients. We investigated whether measures of pulsatile hemodynamics, obtained during 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, predict BP drop following RDN. METHODS: From the randomized, sham-controlled SPYRAL HTN-OFF MED Pivotal trial, we performed a post hoc analysis of BP waveforms from 111 RDN patients and 111 sham controls, obtained with a brachial cuff-based sphygmomanometer. Waveforms were acquired during ambulatory BP monitoring at diastolic BP level and processed with validated ARCSolver algorithms to derive hemodynamic parameters (augmentation index; augmentation pressure; backward and forward wave amplitude; estimated aortic pulse wave velocity). We investigated the relationship between averaged 24-hour values at baseline and the change in 24-hour BP at 3 months in RDN patients, corrected for observed trends in the sham group. RESULTS: There was a consistent inverse relationship between baseline augmentation index/augmentation pressure/backward wave amplitude/forward wave amplitude/estimated aortic pulse wave velocity and BP response to RDN: the decrease in 24-hour systolic BP/diastolic BP was 7.8/5.9 (augmentation index), 8.0/6.3 (augmentation pressure), 6.7/5.4 (backward wave amplitude), 5.7/4.7 (forward wave amplitude), and 7.8/5.2 (estimated aortic pulse wave velocity) mm Hg greater for patients below versus above the respective median value (P<0.001 for all comparisons, respectively). Taking augmentation index/augmentation pressure/backward wave amplitude/forward wave amplitude/estimated aortic pulse wave velocity into account, a favorable BP response following RDN, defined as a drop in 24-hour systolic blood pressure of ≥5 mm Hg, could be predicted with an area under the curve of 0.70/0.74/0.70/0.65/0.62 (P<0.001 for all, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that pulsatile hemodynamics, obtained during 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, may predict BP response to RDN.

Renal denervation reduces office and ambulatory heart rate in patients with uncontrolled hypertension: 12-month outcomes from the global SYMPLICITY registry.

OBJECTIVES: Renal denervation (RDN) can reduce sympathetic activity and blood pressure (BP) in patients with hypertension. The effects on resting and ambulatory heart rate (HR), also regulated by the sympathetic nervous system, are not established. METHODS: Herein, we report 12-month outcomes from the Global SYMPLICITY Registry on office and ambulatory HR and BP in patients with uncontrolled hypertension (n = 846). RESULTS: HR declined in correlation with the HR at baseline and at 12 months, in particular, in patients in the upper tertile of HR (>74 bpm). BP reduction was similar in the tertiles of HR at baseline. Similar effects were observed when 24-h ambulatory HR and SBP were determined. Office HR was similarly decreased when patients were on a ß-blocker or not. Antihypertensive treatment remained unchanged during the 12-month period of the Global SYMPLICITY Registry. CONCLUSION: RDN reduces BP independent from HR. A HR reduction is dependent on baseline HR and unchanged by ß-blocker treatment. The effects of RDN on SBP and HR are durable up to 1 year. HR reduction might be a target for RDN in patients with high HR at baseline, which needs to be scrutinized in prospective trials.

The rise, fall, and possible resurrection of renal denervation.

Renal denervation has a chequered history. Dramatic reductions in blood pressure after denervation of the renal arteries were observed in early trials, but later trials in which denervation was tested against a sham procedure produced neutral results. Although a sound pathophysiological basis exists for interruption of the renal sympathetic nervous system as a treatment for hypertension, trial data to date are insufficient to support renal denervation as an established clinical therapy. In this Perspectives article, we summarize the currently available trial data, device development, and trials in progress, and provide recommendations for future trial design.

Comparison of zotarolimus- and everolimus-eluting coronary stents: final 5-year report of the RESOLUTE all-comers trial.

BACKGROUND: Newer-generation drug-eluting stents that release zotarolimus or everolimus have been shown to be superior to the first-generation drug-eluting stents. However, data comparing long-term safety and efficacy of zotarolimus- (ZES) and everolimus-eluting stents (EES) are limited. RESOLUTE all-comers (Randomized Comparison of a Zotarolimus-Eluting Stent With an Everolimus-Eluting Stent for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) trial compared these 2 stents and has shown that ZES was noninferior to EES at 12-month for the primary end point of target lesion failure. We report the secondary clinical outcomes at the final 5-year follow-up of this trial. METHODS AND RESULTS: RESOLUTE all-comer clinical study is a prospective, multicentre, randomized, 2-arm, open-label, noninferiority trial with minimal exclusion criteria. Patients (n=2292) were randomly assigned to treatment with either ZES (n=1140) or EES (n=1152). Patient-oriented composite end point (combination of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and any revascularizations), device-oriented composite end point (combination of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and clinically indicated target lesion revascularization), and major adverse cardiac events (combination of all-cause death, all myocardial infarction, emergent coronary bypass surgery, or clinically indicated target lesion revascularization) were analyzed at 5-year follow-up. The 2 groups were well-matched at baseline. Five-year follow-up data were available for 98% patients. There were no differences in patient-oriented composite end point (ZES 35.3% versus EES 32.0%, P=0.11), device-oriented composite end point (ZES 17.0% versus EES 16.2%, P=0.61), major adverse cardiac events (ZES 21.9% versus EES 21.6%, P=0.88), and definite/probable stent thrombosis (ZES 2.8% versus EES 1.8%, P=0.12). CONCLUSIONS: At 5-year follow-up, ZES and EES had similar efficacy and safety in a population of patients who had minimal exclusion criteria. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00617084.

SYMPLICITY HTN-Japan - First Randomized Controlled Trial of Catheter-Based Renal Denervation in Asian Patients - .

BACKGROUND: SYMPLICITY HTN-Japan is a prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing renal artery denervation (RDN) with standard pharmacotherapy for treatment of resistant hypertension (systolic blood pressure [SBP] ≥160 mmHg on ≥3 anti-hypertensive drugs including a diuretic for ≥6 weeks). When SYMPLICITY HTN-3 failed to meet the primary efficacy endpoint, the HTN-Japan enrollment was discontinued before completion. METHODS AND RESULTS: The 6-month change in office and 24-h ambulatory SBP were compared between RDN (n=22) and control (n=19) subjects. Mean baseline office SBP was 181.0±18.0 mmHg and 178.7±17.8 mmHg for the RDN and control groups, respectively. The 6-month office SBP change was -16.6±18.5 mmHg for RDN subjects (P<0.001) and -7.9±21.0 mmHg for control subjects (P=0.117); the difference between the 6-month change in RDN and control subjects was -8.64 (95% CI: -21.12 to 3.84, P=0.169). Mean 24-h SBP was 164.7±18.3 (RDN group) and 163.3±17.2 mmHg (control group). The 24-h 6-month SBP change for the RDN group was -7.52±11.98 mmHg (P=0.008) and -1.38±10.2 mmHg (P=0.563) for control subjects; the between-group difference in SBP change was -6.15 (95% CI: -13.23 to 0.94, P=0.087). No major adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: SYMPLICITY HTN-Japan, the first randomized controlled trial of RDN in an Asian population, was underpowered for the primary endpoint analysis and did not demonstrate a significant difference in 6-month BP change between RDN and control subjects.

12-month blood pressure results of catheter-based renal artery denervation for resistant hypertension: the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Results of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 (Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension) trial confirmed the safety but not the efficacy of renal denervation for treatment-resistant hypertension at 6 months post procedure. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to analyze the 12-month SYMPLICITY HTN-3 results for the original denervation group, the sham subjects who underwent denervation after the 6-month endpoint (crossover group), and the sham subjects who did not undergo denervation after 6 months (non-crossover group). METHODS: Eligible subjects were randomized 2:1 to denervation or sham procedure. Subjects were unblinded to their treatment group after the 6-month primary endpoint was ascertained; subjects in the sham group meeting eligibility requirements could undergo denervation. Change in blood pressure (BP) at 12 months post randomization (6 months for crossover subjects) was analyzed. RESULTS: The 12-month follow-up was available for 319 of 361 denervation subjects and 48 of 101 non-crossover subjects; 6-month denervation follow-up was available for 93 of 101 crossover subjects. In denervation subjects, the 12-month office systolic BP (SBP) change was greater than that observed at 6 months (-15.5 ± 24.1 mm Hg vs. -18.9 ± 25.4 mm Hg, respectively; p = 0.025), but the 24-h SBP change was not significantly different at 12 months (p = 0.229). The non-crossover group office SBP decreased by -32.9 ± 28.1 mm Hg at 6 months, but this response regressed to -21.4 ± 19.9 mm Hg (p = 0.01) at 12 months, increasing to 11.5 ± 29.8 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS: These data support no further reduction in office or ambulatory BP after 1-year follow-up. Loss of BP reduction in the non-crossover group may reflect decreased medication adherence or other related factors. (Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension [SYMPLICITY HTN-3]; NCT01418261).

First report of the Global SYMPLICITY Registry on the effect of renal artery denervation in patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

UNLABELLED: This study aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of renal denervation using the Symplicity system in real-world patients with uncontrolled hypertension (NCT01534299). The Global SYMPLICITY Registry is a prospective, open-label, multicenter registry. Office and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressures (BPs) were measured. Change from baseline to 6 months was analyzed for all patients and for subgroups based on baseline office systolic BP, diabetic status, and renal function; a cohort with severe hypertension (office systolic pressure, ≥160 mm Hg; 24-hour systolic pressure, ≥135 mm Hg; and ≥3 antihypertensive medication classes) was also included. The analysis included protocol-defined safety events. Six-month outcomes for 998 patients, including 323 in the severe hypertension cohort, are reported. Mean baseline office systolic BP was 163.5±24.0 mm Hg for all patients and 179.3±16.5 mm Hg for the severe cohort; the corresponding baseline 24-hour mean systolic BPs were 151.5±17.0 and 159.0±15.6 mm Hg. At 6 months, the changes in office and 24-hour systolic BPs were -11.6±25.3 and -6.6±18.0 mm Hg for all patients (P<0.001 for both) and -20.3±22.8 and -8.9±16.9 mm Hg for those with severe hypertension (P<0.001 for both). Renal denervation was associated with low rates of adverse events. After the procedure through 6 months, there was 1 new renal artery stenosis >70% and 5 cases of hospitalization for a hypertensive emergency. In clinical practice, renal denervation resulted in significant reductions in office and 24-hour BPs with a favorable safety profile. Greater BP-lowering effects occurred in patients with higher baseline pressures. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01534299.

Impact of renal denervation on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure: results from SYMPLICITY HTN-3.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies of catheter-based renal artery denervation have not systematically performed ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) to assess the efficacy of the procedure. OBJECTIVES: SYMPLICITY HTN-3 (Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension) was a prospective, blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial. The current analysis details the effect of renal denervation or a sham procedure on ABPM measurements 6 months post-randomization. METHODS: Patients with resistant hypertension were randomized 2:1 to renal denervation or sham control. Patients were on a stable antihypertensive regimen including maximally tolerated doses of at least 3 drugs including a diuretic before randomization. The powered secondary efficacy endpoint was a change in mean 24-h ambulatory systolic blood pressure (SBP). Nondipper to dipper (nighttime blood pressure [BP] 10% to 20% lower than daytime BP) conversion was calculated at 6 months. RESULTS: The 24-h ambulatory SBP changed -6.8 ± 15.1 mm Hg in the denervation group and -4.8 ± 17.3 mm Hg in the sham group: difference of -2.0 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.0 to 1.1; p = 0.98 with a 2 mm Hg superiority margin). The daytime ambulatory SBP change difference between groups was -1.1 (95% CI: -4.3 to 2.2; p = 0.52). The nocturnal ambulatory SBP change difference between groups was -3.3 (95 CI: -6.7 to 0.1; p = 0.06). The percent of nondippers converted to dippers was 21.2% in the denervation group and 15.0% in the sham group (95% CI: -3.8% to 16.2%; p = 0.30). Change in 24-h heart rate was -1.4 ± 7.4 in the denervation group and -1.3 ± 7.3 in the sham group; (95% CI: -1.5 to 1.4; p = 0.94). CONCLUSIONS: This trial did not demonstrate a benefit of renal artery denervation on reduction in ambulatory BP in either the 24-h or day and night periods compared with sham (Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension [SYMPLICITY HTN-3]; NCT01418261).

A controlled trial of renal denervation for resistant hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Prior unblinded studies have suggested that catheter-based renal-artery denervation reduces blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension. METHODS: We designed a prospective, single-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. Patients with severe resistant hypertension were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to undergo renal denervation or a sham procedure. Before randomization, patients were receiving a stable antihypertensive regimen involving maximally tolerated doses of at least three drugs, including a diuretic. The primary efficacy end point was the change in office systolic blood pressure at 6 months; a secondary efficacy end point was the change in mean 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure. The primary safety end point was a composite of death, end-stage renal disease, embolic events resulting in end-organ damage, renovascular complications, or hypertensive crisis at 1 month or new renal-artery stenosis of more than 70% at 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 535 patients underwent randomization. The mean (±SD) change in systolic blood pressure at 6 months was -14.13±23.93 mm Hg in the denervation group as compared with -11.74±25.94 mm Hg in the sham-procedure group (P<0.001 for both comparisons of the change from baseline), for a difference of -2.39 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI], -6.89 to 2.12; P=0.26 for superiority with a margin of 5 mm Hg). The change in 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure was -6.75±15.11 mm Hg in the denervation group and -4.79±17.25 mm Hg in the sham-procedure group, for a difference of -1.96 mm Hg (95% CI, -4.97 to 1.06; P=0.98 for superiority with a margin of 2 mm Hg). There were no significant differences in safety between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This blinded trial did not show a significant reduction of systolic blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension 6 months after renal-artery denervation as compared with a sham control. (Funded by Medtronic; SYMPLICITY HTN-3 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01418261.).

Three vs twelve months of dual antiplatelet therapy after zotarolimus-eluting stents: the OPTIMIZE randomized trial.

IMPORTANCE: The current recommendation is for at least 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy after implantation of a drug-eluting stent. However, the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy with specific types of drug-eluting stents remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical noninferiority of 3 months (short-term) vs 12 months (long-term) of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with zotarolimus-eluting stents. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: The OPTIMIZE trial was an open-label, active-controlled, 1:1 randomized noninferiority study including 3119 patients in 33 sites in Brazil between April 2010 and March 2012. Clinical follow-up was performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Eligible patients were those with stable coronary artery disease or history of low-risk acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing PCI with zotarolimus-eluting stents. INTERVENTIONS: After PCI with zotarolimus-eluting stents, patients were prescribed aspirin (100-200 mg daily) and clopidogrel (75 mg daily) for 3 months (n = 1563) or 12 months (n = 1556), unless contraindicated because of occurrence of an end point. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was net adverse clinical and cerebral events (NACCE; a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, or major bleeding); the expected event rate at 1 year was 9%, with a noninferiority margin of 2.7%. Secondary end points were major adverse cardiac events (MACE; a composite of all-cause death, MI, emergent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or target lesion revascularization) and Academic Research Consortium definite or probable stent thrombosis. RESULTS: NACCE occurred in 93 patients receiving short-term and 90 patients receiving long-term therapy (6.0% vs 5.8%, respectively; risk difference, 0.17 [95% CI, -1.52 to 1.86]; P = .002 for noninferiority). Kaplan-Meier estimates demonstrated MACE rates at 1 year of 8.3% (128) in the short-term group and 7.4% (114) in the long-term group (HR, 1.12 [95% CI, 0.87-1.45]). Between 91 and 360 days, no statistically significant association was observed for NACCE (39 [2.6%] vs 38 [2.6%] for the short- and long-term groups, respectively; HR, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.66-1.60]), MACE (78 [5.3%] vs 64 [4.3%]; HR, 1.22 [95% CI, 0.88-1.70]), or stent thrombosis (4 [0.3%] vs 1 [0.1%]; HR, 3.97 [95% CI, 0.44-35.49]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In patients with stable coronary artery disease or low-risk ACS treated with zotarolimus-eluting stents, 3 months of dual antiplatelet therapy was noninferior to 12 months for NACCE, without significantly increasing the risk of stent thrombosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01113372.

Rationale and design of a large registry on renal denervation: the Global SYMPLICITY registry.

AIMS: Hypertension is a global healthcare concern associated with a wide range of comorbidities. The recognition that elevated sympathetic drive plays an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension led to the use of renal artery denervation to interrupt the efferent and afferent sympathetic nerves between the brain and kidneys to lower blood pressure. Clinical trials of the Symplicity™ renal denervation system have demonstrated that radiofrequency ablation of renal artery nerves is safe and significantly lowers blood pressure in patients with severe resistant (systolic BP >160 mmHg) hypertension. Smaller ancillary studies in hypertensive patients suggest a benefit from renal denervation in a variety of conditions such as chronic kidney disease, glucose intolerance, sleep apnoea and heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Global SYMPLICITY registry, which incorporates the GREAT SYMPLICITY registry initiated in Germany, is being conducted worldwide to evaluate the safety and efficacy of treatment with the Symplicity renal denervation system in real-world uncontrolled hypertensive patients, looking first at subjects with severe resistant hypertension to confirm the results of prior clinical trials, but then also subjects with a wider range of baseline blood pressure and coexisting comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: The rationale, design and first baseline data from the Global SYMPLICITY registry are presented.

Clinical outcomes after zotarolimus and everolimus drug eluting stent implantation in coronary artery bifurcation lesions: insights from the RESOLUTE All Comers Trial.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated clinical outcomes after treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions with second generation drug eluting stents (DES). DESIGN: Post hoc analysis of a randomised, multicentre, non-inferiority trial. SETTING: Multicentre study. PATIENTS: All comers study with minimal exclusion criteria. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were treated with either zotarolimus or everolimus eluting stents. The patient population was divided according to treatment of bifurcation or non-bifurcation lesions and clinical outcomes were compared between groups. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Clinical outcomes within 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 2265 patients were included in the present analysis. Two-year follow-up data were available in 2223 patients: 1838 patients in the non-bifurcation group and 385 patients in the bifurcation group. At 2-year follow-up the bifurcation and the non-bifurcation lesion groups showed no significant differences in terms of cardiac death (2.3 vs 2.1, p=0.273), target lesion failure (9.7% vs 13.8%, p=0.255), major adverse cardiac events (11.5% vs 15.1%, p=0.305), target lesion revascularisation (4.7% vs 6.0%, p=0.569), and definite or probable stent thrombosis (1.6% vs 1.8%, p=0.419). CONCLUSIONS: The use of second generation DES for the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions was associated with similar long term mortality and clinical outcomes compared with non-bifurcation lesions.

Impact of overlapping newer generation drug-eluting stents on clinical and angiographic outcomes: pooled analysis of five trials from the international Global RESOLUTE Program.

BACKGROUND: Overlapping first generation sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents are associated with persistent inflammation, fibrin deposition and delayed endothelialisation in preclinical models, and adverse angiographic and clinical outcomes--including death and myocardial infarction (MI)--in clinical studies. OBJECTIVES: To establish as to whether there are any safety concerns with newer generation drug-eluting stents (DES). DESIGN: Propensity score adjustment of baseline anatomical and clinical characteristics were used to compare clinical outcomes (Kaplan-Meier estimates) between patients implanted with overlapping DES (Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent (R-ZES) or R-ZES/other DES) against no overlapping DES. Additionally, angiographic outcomes for overlapping R-ZES and everolimus-eluting stents were evaluated in the randomised RESOLUTE All-Comers Trial. SETTING: Patient level data from five controlled studies of the RESOLUTE Global Clinical Program evaluating the R-ZES were pooled. Enrollment criteria were generally unrestrictive. PATIENTS: 5130 patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 2-year clinical outcomes and 13-month angiographic outcomes. RESULTS: 644 of 5130 patients (12.6%) in the RESOLUTE Global Clinical Program underwent overlapping DES implantation. Implantation of overlapping DES was associated with an increased frequency of MI and more complex/calcified lesion types at baseline. Adjusted in-hospital, 30-day and 2-year clinical outcomes indicated comparable cardiac death (2-year overlap vs non-overlap: 3.0% vs 2.1%, p=0.36), major adverse cardiac events (13.3% vs 10.7%, p=0.19), target-vessel MI (3.9% vs 3.4%, p=0.40), clinically driven target vessel revascularisation (7.7% vs 6.5%, p=0.32), and definite/probable stent thrombosis (1.4% vs 0.9%, p=0.28). 13-month adjusted angiographic outcomes were comparable between overlapping and non-overlapping DES. CONCLUSIONS: Overlapping newer generation DES are safe and effective, with comparable angiographic and clinical outcomes--including repeat revascularisation--to non-overlapping DES.

Three vs twelve months of dual antiplatelet therapy after Zotarolimus-Eluting Stents the OPTIMIZE andomized trial

The current recommendation is for at least 12 months of dual antiplatelettherapy after implantation of a drug-eluting stent. However, the optimal duration of dualantiplatelet therapy with specific types of drug-eluting stents remains unknown.OBJECTIVE To assess the clinical noninferiority of 3 months (short-term) vs 12 months(long-term) of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronaryintervention (PCI) with zotarolimus-eluting stents.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS The OPTIMIZE trialwas an open-label, active-controlled, 1:1randomized noninferiority study including 3119 patients in 33 sites in Brazil between April2010 and March 2012. Clinical follow-up was performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Eligiblepatients were those with stable coronary artery disease or history of low-risk acute coronarysyndrome (ACS) undergoing PCI with zotarolimus-eluting stents.INTERVENTIONS After PCI with zotarolimus-eluting stents, patients were prescribed aspirin(100-200mg daily) and clopidogrel (75mg daily) for 3 months (n = 1563) or 12 months(n = 1556), unless contraindicated because of occurrence of an end point.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary end pointwas net adverse clinical and cerebralevents (NACCE; a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, or majorbleeding); the expected event rate at 1 year was 9%, with a noninferiority margin of 2.7%.Secondary end points were major adverse cardiac events (MACE; a composite of all-causedeath, MI, emergent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or target lesion revascularization)and Academic Research Consortium definite or probable stent thrombosis.RESULTS NACCE occurred in 93 patients receiving short-term and 90 patients receivinglong-term therapy...

Catheter-based renal denervation for resistant hypertension: rationale and design of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 Trial.

Hypertension represents a significant global public health concern, contributing to vascular and renal morbidity, cardiovascular mortality, and economic burden. The opportunity to influence clinical outcomes through hypertension management is therefore paramount. Despite adherence to multiple available medical therapies, a significant proportion of patients have persistent blood pressure elevation, a condition termed resistant hypertension. Recent recognition of the importance of the renal sympathetic and somatic nerves in modulating blood pressure and the development of a novel procedure that selectively removes these contributors to resistant hypertension represents an opportunity to provide clinically meaningful benefit across wide and varied patient populations. Early clinical evaluation with catheter-based, selective renal sympathetic denervation in patients with resistant hypertension has mechanistically correlated sympathetic efferent denervation with decreased renal norepinephrine spillover and renin activity, increased renal plasma flow, and has demonstrated clinically significant, sustained reductions in blood pressure. The SYMPLICITY HTN-3 Trial is a pivotal study designed as a prospective, randomized, masked procedure, single-blind trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of catheter-based bilateral renal denervation for the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension despite compliance with at least 3 antihypertensive medications of different classes (at least one of which is a diuretic) at maximal tolerable doses. The primary effectiveness endpoint is measured as the change in office-based systolic blood pressure from baseline to 6 months. This manuscript describes the design and methodology of a regulatory trial of selective renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension among patients who have failed pharmacologic therapy.

Frequency and impact of bleeding in elective coronary stent clinical trials--utility of three commonly used definitions.

BACKGROUND: Bleeding events are common after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and have been shown to increase mortality in studies of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and anti-thrombotic therapy. Despite this evidence, bleeding has not been included as a traditional major endpoint in clinical trials of low-risk populations enrolled in PCI clinical trials. Thus, the impact of specific bleeding definitions has not been evaluated fully among these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using patient-level pooled data from sirolimus and zotarolimus drug-eluting stent clinical trials, we identified bleeding events using three common definitions of bleeding, ACUITY, TIMI, and GUSTO, and assessed the impact on mortality and MI at 12 months after PCI. The GUSTO, ACUITY, and TIMI classifications identified bleeding rates of 2.3%, 1.9%, and 2.1%, respectively. The GUSTO criteria classified all 118 suspected bleeding events. There were 22 (18.6%) and 8 (6.8%) suspected bleeding events that did not meet ACUITY and TIMI criteria, respectively. The combined endpoint of all-cause death or myocardial infarction (MI) at 12 months was significantly higher for patients with a bleeding event compared with those who did not bleed [hazard ratio 1.95 (95% CI 1.06-3.60)]. CONCLUSION: There is a substantial variability in the utility and inclusiveness of three widely used bleeding definitions in identifying clinically significant bleeding events in clinical trials of low risk patients undergoing PCI with DES. Patients with bleeding after elective PCI have an increased one-year risk of death or MI compared to those patients who do not bleed.

Rationale and design of the clinical evaluation of the Resolute Zotarolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent System in the treatment of de novo lesions in native coronary arteries (the RESOLUTE US clinical trial).

BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting stents (DES) are commonly used to treat obstructive coronary disease and avoid restenosis. Newer DES have been developed to improve effectiveness and safety. We describe a clinical trial to evaluate a DES with a novel polymer that may improve the antirestenosis effectiveness while maintaining the safety standards of currently Food and Drug Administration-approved DES. METHODS: The RESOLUTE US Trial is a multicenter, nonrandomized trial prospectively designed to compare the Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent (R-ZES) to the Food and Drug Administration-approved Endeavor ZES using patient-level historical control data, adjusting for baseline covariates through propensity score. The stents differ primarily in the polymer, which, in the R-ZES, is designed to elute zotarolimus over a longer period. The study will enroll up to 1,574 patients with ischemic heart disease due to de novo native coronary lesions suitable for 1- or 2-vessel treatment with stents from 2.25 to 4.0 mm in diameter. The primary end point is target lesion failure at 12 months postprocedure, defined as the composite of cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction (MI), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization by percutaneous or surgical methods. Secondary end points include device, lesion and procedural success, death, MI, cardiac death and MI, composites of these clinical events, and stent thrombosis at each follow-up assessment up to 5 years postprocedure. CONCLUSIONS: The RESOLUTE US Trial (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT00726453) is a prospective, multicenter, observational study with a patient-level historical control designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the R-ZES for the treatment of de novo lesions in native coronary arteries.

Comparison of zotarolimus-eluting and everolimus-eluting coronary stents.

BACKGROUND: New-generation coronary stents that release zotarolimus or everolimus have been shown to reduce the risk of restenosis. However, it is unclear whether there are differences in efficacy and safety between the two types of stents on the basis of prospectively adjudicated end points endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration. METHODS: In this multicenter, noninferiority trial with minimal exclusion criteria, we randomly assigned 2292 patients to undergo treatment with coronary stents releasing either zotarolimus or everolimus. Twenty percent of patients were randomly selected for repeat angiography at 13 months. The primary end point was target-lesion failure, defined as a composite of death from cardiac causes, any myocardial infarction (not clearly attributable to a nontarget vessel), or clinically indicated target-lesion revascularization within 12 months. The secondary angiographic end point was the extent of in-stent stenosis at 13 months. RESULTS: At least one off-label criterion for stent placement was present in 66% of patients. The zotarolimus-eluting stent was noninferior to the everolimus-eluting stent with respect to the primary end point, which occurred in 8.2% and 8.3% of patients, respectively (P<0.001 for noninferiority). There were no significant between-group differences in the rate of death from cardiac causes, any myocardial infarction, or revascularization. The rate of stent thrombosis was 2.3% in the zotarolimus-stent group and 1.5% in the everolimus-stent group (P=0.17). The zotarolimus-eluting stent was also noninferior regarding the degree (+/-SD) of in-stent stenosis (21.65+/-14.42% for zotarolimus vs. 19.76+/-14.64% for everolimus, P=0.04 for noninferiority). In-stent late lumen loss was 0.27+/-0.43 mm in the zotarolimus-stent group versus 0.19+/-0.40 mm in the everolimus-stent group (P=0.08). There were no significant between-group differences in the rate of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: At 13 months, the new-generation zotarolimus-eluting stent was found to be noninferior to the everolimus-eluting stent in a population of patients who had minimal exclusion criteria. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00617084.)

Clinical and angiographic results with the next-generation resolute stent system: a prospective, multicenter, first-in-human trial.

OBJECTIVES: The RESOLUTE trial examined the safety and efficacy of a next-generation zotarolimus-eluting coronary stent, Resolute (Medtronic CardioVascular Inc., Santa Rosa, California). BACKGROUND: Revascularization benefits associated with current drug-eluting stents are often diminished in the presence of complex coronary lesions and in certain patient cohorts. Resolute uses a new proprietary polymer coating that extends the duration of drug delivery to match the longer healing duration often experienced in more complex cases. METHODS: The RESOLUTE trial was a prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter study of the Resolute stent in 139 patients with de novo coronary lesions with reference vessel diameters > or =2.5 and < or =3.5 mm and lesion length > or =14 and < or =27 mm. The primary end point was 9-month in-stent late lumen loss by quantitative coronary angiography. Secondary end points included major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30 days, 6, 9, and 12 months; acute device, lesion, and procedure success; and 9-month target vessel failure (TVF), target lesion revascularization (TLR), stent thrombosis, neointimal hyperplastic (NIH) volume, and percent NIH volume obstruction. RESULTS: The 9-month in-stent late lumen loss was 0.22 +/- 0.27 mm. Cumulative MACE were 4.3%, 4.3%, 7.2%, and 8.7% at 30 days, 6, 9, and 12 months, respectively. Acute lesion, procedure, and device success rates were 100.0%, 95.7%, and 99.3%, respectively. At 9 months, TLR was 0.0%, TVF was 6.5%, stent thrombosis was 0.0%, NIH volume was 6.55 +/- 7.83 mm(3), and percent NIH volume obstruction was 3.73 +/- 4.05%. CONCLUSIONS: In this feasibility study, the Resolute stent demonstrated low in-stent late lumen loss, minimal neointimal hyperplastic ingrowth, low TLR, no stent thrombosis, and acceptable TVF and MACE. (The RESOLUTE Clinical Trial; NCT00248079).

Effect of everolimus-eluting stents in different vessel sizes (from the pooled FUTURE I and II trials).

The everolimus-eluting stent (EES) has been shown to significantly decrease neointimal proliferation at 6 months compared with the bare metal stent (BMS) in patients with de novo coronary lesions. We report mid-term outcomes based on different vessel sizes in the combined FUTURE I and II trials. In the prospective, randomized, FUTURE I trial (single center) and expanded FUTURE II trial (multicenter), 106 patients (107 lesions) were randomized to EESs (n = 49 lesions) or BMSs (n = 58 lesions). Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on preprocedure reference diameter as assessed by quantitative coronary angiography (small vessel < 2.75 mm, medium vessel 2.75 to 3.25 mm, and large vessel > 3.25 mm). At 6-month follow-up, EESs decreased in-stent late lumen loss (decreased rate range of 78% to 94%), resulting in significantly larger minimum lumen area as assessed by intravascular ultrasound (increased range of 34% to 42%) compared with the BMS across all vessel sizes. There were no cases of in-stent restenosis with EESs at any vessel size but 8 cases with BMSs (5 in small vessels). No stent thrombosis, aneurysm formation, or late stent incomplete apposition was observed in any group. The EES appears to be effective for treatment of de novo coronary lesions in decreasing neointimal proliferation at 6-month follow-up compared with BMSs, regardless of vessel size.