Increased CMV disease and "severe" BK viremia with belatacept vs. sirolimus three-drug maintenance immunosuppression.

OBJECTIVES: Belatacept may provide benefit in delayed graft function, but its association with infectious complications is understudied. We aim to assess the incidence of CMV and BK viremia in patients treated with sirolimus or belatacept as part of a three-drug immunosuppression regimen after kidney transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Kidney transplant recipients from 01/01/2015 to 10/01/2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Maintenance immunosuppression was either tacrolimus, mycophenolate and sirolimus (B0) or tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and belatacept (5.0 mg/kg monthly) (B1). Primary outcomes of interest were BK and CMV viremia which were followed until the end of the study period. Secondary outcomes included graft function (serum creatinine, eGFR) and acute rejection through 12 months. RESULTS: Belatacept was initiated in patients with a higher mean kidney donor profile index (B0:0.36 vs. B1:0.44, p = .02) with more delayed graft function (B0:6.1% vs. B1:26.1%, p < .001). Belatacept therapy was associated with more "severe" CMV viremia >25,000 copies/mL (B0:1.2% vs. B1:5.9%, p = .016) and CMV disease (B0:0.41% vs. B1:4.2%, p = .015). However, there was no difference in the overall incidence of CMV viremia >200 IU/mL (B0:9.4% vs. B1:13.5%, p = .28). There was no difference in the incidence of BK viremia >200 IU/mL (B0:29.7% vs. B1:31.1%, p = .78) or BK-associated nephropathy (B0:2.4% vs. B1:1.7%, p = .58), but belatacept was associated with "severe" BK viremia, defined as >10,000 IU/mL (B0:13.0% vs. B1:21.8%, p = .03). The mean serum Cr was significantly higher with belatacept therapy at 1-year follow up (B0:1.24 mg/dL vs. B1:1.43 mg/dL, p = .003). Biopsy-proven acute rejection (B0:1.2% vs. B1:2.6%, p = .35) and graft loss (B0:1.2% vs. B1:0.84%, p = .81) were comparable at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Belatacept therapy was associated with an increased risk of CMV disease and "severe" CMV and BK viremia. However, this regimen did not increase the overall incidence of infection and facilitated comparable acute rejection and graft loss at 12-month follow up.

Calcific Plaque Modification by Acoustic Shockwaves: Intravascular Lithotripsy in Cardiovascular Interventions.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To provide a review of recent literature on the treatment of moderate-to-severe calcification in coronary and peripheral vasculature with intravascular lithotripsy (Shockwave Medical, Santa Clara, CA). RECENT FINDINGS: Moderate-to-severe calcific plaques constitute a significant proportion of lesions treated with transcatheter interventions in the coronary and peripheral vascular beds and portend lower procedural success rates, increased periprocedural major adverse events, and unfavorable long-term clinical outcomes compared to non-calcific plaques. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a new technique that uses acoustic shock waves in a balloon-based system to induce fracture in the calcium deposits to facilitate luminal gain and stent expansion. IVL demonstrated high procedural success and low complication rates in the management of moderate-to-severe calcification in coronary and peripheral vascular beds and led to large luminal gain by modification of calcific plaque as assessed by optical coherence tomography. Further studies will determine the role of IVL in an integrated, protocolized approach to the treatment of severely calcified plaques in the coronary and peripheral vascular beds.

Optical Coherence Tomography in Acute Coronary Syndromes.

Advances in intravascular imaging have enabled assessment of the underlying plaque morphology in acute coronary syndromes, which allows for the initiation of individualized therapy. The atherothrombotic substrates for acute coronary syndromes consist of plaque rupture, erosion, and calcified nodule, whereas spontaneous coronary artery dissection, coronary artery spasm, and coronary embolism constitute rarer nonatherothrombotic etiologies. This review provides a brief overview of the data from clinical studies that have used intravascular optical coherence tomography to assess the culprit plaque morphology. We discuss the usefulness of intravascular imaging for effective treatment of patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes by percutaneous coronary intervention.

External elastic lamina vs. luminal diameter measurement for determining stent diameter by optical coherence tomography: an ILUMIEN III substudy.

AIMS: Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided external elastic lamina (EEL)-based stent sizing is safe and as effective as intravascular ultrasound in achieving post-procedural lumen dimensions. However, when compared with automated lumen diameter (LD) measurements, this approach is time-consuming. We aimed to compare vessel diameter measurements and stent diameter selection using either of these approaches and examined whether applying a correction factor to automated LD measurements could result in selecting similar stent diameters to the EEL-based approach. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively compared EEL-based measurements vs. automated LD in reference segments in 154 OCT acquisitions and derived a correction factor for stent sizing using the ratio of EEL to LD measurements. We then prospectively applied the correction factor in 119 OCT acquisitions. EEL could be adequately identified in 100 acquisitions (84%) at the distal reference to allow vessel diameter measurement. Vessel diameters were larger with EEL-based vs. LD measurements at both proximal (4.12 ± 0.74 vs. 3.14 ± 0.67 mm, P < 0.0001) and distal reference segments (3.34 ± 0.75 vs. 2.64 ± 0.65 mm, P < 0.0001). EEL-based downsizing led to selection of larger stents vs. an LD-based upsizing approach (3.33 ± 0.47 vs. 2.70 ± 0.44, P < 0.0001). Application of correction factors to LD [proximal 1.32 (IQR 1.23-1.37) and distal 1.25 (IQR 1.19-1.36)] resulted in discordance in stent sizing by >0.25 mm in 63% and potentially hazardous stent oversizing in 41% of cases. CONCLUSION: EEL-based stent downsizing led to selection of larger stent diameters vs. LD upsizing. While applying a correction factor to automated LD measurements resulted in similar mean diameters to EEL-based measurements, this approach cannot be used clinically due to frequent and potentially hazardous stent over-sizing.

The year in review: advances in interventional cardiology in 2019.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Major studies in interventional cardiology in 2019 have added substantial new evidence for pharmaco-invasive management of coronary artery disease. The review highlights the main findings of a selection of these trials and summarizes their impact on clinical practice. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent randomized studies examining the efficacy of revascularization or medical treatment in stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD), treatment of acute coronary syndromes, emerging interventional devices, adjunctive pharmacotherapy, and intravascular imaging and physiology guidance have substantially advanced the evidenced-based knowledge in interventional cardiology. SUMMARY: Patients with SIHD and at least moderate myocardial ischemia have similar event-free survival after an initial conservative strategy of optimal medical therapy versus an upfront invasive strategy. Quality of life and angina-free status are significantly improved with revascularization. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting provide similar 5-year outcomes in patients with left main coronary artery disease and low or intermediate disease complexity. An initially conservative management is equally effective as an early invasive approach in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without ongoing ischemia. Patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease benefit from staged complete revascularization after primary PCI. Post-PCI, patients with atrial fibrillation requiring anticoagulation can safely and effectively be treated with P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy without aspirin. Lastly, intravascular imaging guidance improves post-PCI outcomes, warranting increased use in clinical practice.