Long-term patient and kidney survival after coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, or medical therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease: a propensity-matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Revascularization in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) is often deferred because of concern over progression of renal failure. HYPOTHESIS: Revascularization with either coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) leads to progression of renal failure, but improves survival compared with medical therapy in patients with CKD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Linkages between the British Columbia Cardiac Registry and the British Columbia Renal Registry of patients with established CAD and CKD who underwent CABG, PCI, or were treated medically were propensity matched. Overall patient survival was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazard model. Primary renal outcomes, defined as patients requiring long-term dialysis or progressive loss in kidney function, were analyzed using a competing risk approach. RESULTS: On the basis of the matched cohort, the risk of renal outcome in the first three months was the highest in the CABG group, but comparable between the PCI and the medical group (estimated probability at 3 months: 12.7% for CABG, 5.4% for PCI, 4.4% for medical; P<0.01). The estimated probability for the renal outcome at 24 months was similar across the groups: 37.9% for CABG, 37.6% for PCI, and 35.2% for medical therapy (P=0.62). The mortality risk at 24 months was lower for CABG (3.9%) compared with PCI (14.5%) or medical therapy (16.4%) (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: In patients with CAD and CKD who undergo the current practice of CABG, PCI, or are treated with medical therapy, progression of renal failure is higher in the first 3 months for CABG, but similar for all groups at 24 months. The 2-year mortality is lower in patients treated with CABG compared with PCI or medical therapy.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection: association with predisposing arteriopathies and precipitating stressors and cardiovascular outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Nonatherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection (NA-SCAD) is underdiagnosed and an important cause of myocardial infarction in young women. The frequency of predisposing and precipitating conditions and cardiovascular outcomes remains poorly described. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with NA-SCAD prospectively evaluated (retrospectively or prospectively identified) at Vancouver General Hospital were included. Angiographic SCAD diagnosis was confirmed by 2 experienced interventional cardiologists and categorized as type 1 (multiple lumen), 2 (diffuse stenosis), or 3 (mimic atherosclerosis). Fibromuscular dysplasia screening of renal, iliac, and cerebrovascular arteries were performed with angiography or computed tomographic angiography/MR angiography. Baseline, predisposing and precipitating conditions, angiographic, revascularization, in-hospital, and long-term events were recorded. We prospectively evaluated 168 patients with NA-SCAD. Average age was 52.1±9.2 years, 92.3% were women (62.3% postmenopausal). All presented with myocardial infarction. ECG showed ST-segment elevation in 26.1%, and 3.6% had ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation arrest. Fibromuscular dysplasia was diagnosed in 72.0%. Precipitating emotional or physical stress was reported in 56.5%. Majority had type 2 angiographic SCAD (67.0%), only 29.1% had type 1, and 3.9% had type 3. The majority (134/168) were initially treated conservatively. Overall, 6 of 168 patients had coronary artery bypass surgery and 33 of 168 had percutaneous coronary intervention in-hospital. Of those treated conservatively (n=134), 3 required revascularization for SCAD extension, and all 79 who had repeat angiogram ≥26 days later had spontaneous healing. Two-year major adverse cardiac events were 16.9% (retrospectively identified group) and 10.4% (prospectively identified group). Recurrent SCAD occurred in 13.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Majority of patients with NA-SCAD had fibromuscular dysplasia and type 2 angiographic SCAD. Conservative therapy was associated with spontaneous healing. NA-SCAD survivors are at risk for recurrent cardiovascular events, including recurrent SCAD.

Chronic kidney injury in patients after cardiac catheterisation or percutaneous coronary intervention: a comparison of radial and femoral approaches (from the British Columbia Cardiac and Renal Registries).

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a well-recognised complication of cardiac catheterisation and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) after catheterisation and PCI has not been fully evaluated. A number of risk factors have been implicated in the development of AKI following cardiac catheterisation. Transradial access could lead to a lower incidence of CKD after catheterisation or PCI because of less catheter contact with aortic atheroma, and reduced potential for atheroembolism. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of CKD onset and its association with arterial access in patients after cardiac catheterisation or PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Linkages between the British Columbia (BC) Cardiac Registry (N=69 214) patients who underwent catheterisation or PCI between 1999 and 2005 and the BC Renal Database were determined. Within 6 months after the cardiac procedure 0.4% of patients developed dialysis dependency, 0.2% in the transradial versus 0.4% in the transfemoral group (p<0.0001); 0.3% of patients developed stage 4 or 5 CKD, 0.1% in the transradial versus 0.4% in the transfemoral group (p<0.0001); 0.9% of patients developed new CKD, 0.2% in the transradial versus 1.2% in the transfemoral group (p<0.0001). After adjusting for baseline characteristics the femoral access site had an OR of 4.36 (95% CI 2.48 to 7.66) for the development of the composite end point of new dialysis, new stage 4 or 5 CKD or new CKD. CONCLUSIONS: In this large database of current practice coronary catheterisation and PCI, the incidence of CKD onset within 6 months of the procedure was 0.9%. The transradial access site is associated with less CKD than the femoral approach.

Brewing the right cocktail for radial intervention.

Radial access angioplasty has increased in popularity worldwide due to its decrease of access site complications, early patient mobility, patient comfort and lower costs. In a minority of patients, radial artery occlusion and radial artery spasm occurs. Because of the dual blood supply to the hand, radial artery occlusion is not associated with major clinical sequelae but prevention is important. Radial artery spasm rarely leads to serious vascular complications but can cause patient discomfort and can result in prolonging or failure of the procedure. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies have been evaluated to prevent radial artery occlusion and radial artery spasm. A number of pharmacological 'cocktails' have been successfully tested but there is currently no agreement on the optimal combination of agents. In order to evaluate the best strategy to prevent radial artery occlusion and radial artery spasm we reviewed the relevant studies to date. From these studies it is clear that a 'cocktail' of agents should be given before transradial coronary angiography or angioplasty. A combination of heparin, nitroglycerin and verapamil is associated with the best preventive outcome.

StentBoost used to guide management of a critical ostial right coronary artery lesion.

This report describes a case of a critical ostial lesion of a dominant right coronary artery (RCA) in a patient with poor left ventricular function due to a previous anterior infarction and documented late drug-eluting stent thrombosis of the RCA. The precise non-invasive determination of the proximal edge of a previously deployed stent by a new imaging technique, StentBoost, showed the lesion not only to be proximal to the stent in the uncovered ostium, but also restricted to the section outside the stent. This, together with the patient's clinical factors, suggested that stent placement was the optimal treatment strategy.

Effects of endothelin-1 and endothelin-1 receptor blockade on cardiac output, aortic pressure, and pulse wave velocity in humans.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor. Its effect on arterial wave reflections and central pressure augmentation is unknown. We studied whether ET-1, in plasma concentrations present in disease, increases pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx) and therefore compromises cardiac output, and whether the ET-1 receptor blocker VML-588 (previously AXV-034343 and Ro 61-1790) prevents such effects. Nine healthy men received a 2-hour infusion with ET-1 (2.5 ng x kg(-1) x min(-1)) superimposed on vehicle or VML-588 (0.05, 0.20, or 0.40 mg x kg(-1) x h(-1)) (randomized order). Arterial tonometry and pulse wave contour analysis were used to assess aortic PWV and central aortic pressures and impedance cardiography for cardiac output. ET-1 slightly increased mean arterial pressure and peripheral resistance but had no significant effect on systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. PWV increased from 5.4+/-0.2 to 5.7+/-0.3 m/s (P<0.05), AIx from 9.9+/-3.3 to 17.2+/-3.8 (P<0.05), central systolic blood pressure by 8.7+/-1.7 mm Hg (P<0.05), and central pulse pressure by 5.1+/-1.9 mm Hg (P<0.05). This was associated with a fall in cardiac output by approximately 18% (P<0.05). VML-588 caused a slight decrease in brachial mean arterial pressure, PWV, and AIx, and prevented the effects of ET-1 on central hemodynamics without a clear dose-response effect. In summary, ET-1 in plasma concentrations as found in renal failure and heart failure accelerates PWV, causes a disproportionate increase in central aortic systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure, and decreases cardiac output. These effects can be prevented with an ET-1 receptor blocker such as VML-588. This makes it worthwhile to focus on endothelin as a target to prevent ventricular hypertrophy and to maintain cardiac function in diseases associated with high ET-1.