Operational relevance of the Sydney Declaration: The example of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Forensics Command.

In 2022, a group of eminent forensic scientists published The Sydney Declaration - Revisiting the essence of forensic science through its fundamental principles in Forensic Science International. The Sydney Declaration was delivered to revisit "the essence of forensic science, its purpose, and fundamental principles". At its heart, revisiting these foundational principles is hoped to "benefit forensic science as a whole to be more relevant, effective and reliable". But can these principles be translated operationally by a forensic services provider to achieve the benefits prescribed? How do we make the leap from a theoretical concept and begin to put it into practice to bring about the real and meaningful change that the declaration hopes to achieve? In this paper we will attempt to discuss how the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Forensics Command has reflected on the Sydney Declaration by relating reforms developed and implemented to our operating model with some selected principles. We hope to show that while the Sydney Declaration could be perceived as academic and disconnected from operations, it has the potential to impact and positively influence reforms and changes for forensic science providers. The AFP Forensics Command experience shows the operational relevance of The Sydney Declaration.

The everolimus eluting Synergy MegatronTM drug-eluting stent platform: Early outcomes from the European Synergy MegatronTM Implanters' Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Synergy MegatronTM is an everolimus-drug eluting stent that may offer advantages in the treatment of aorto-ostial disease and large proximal vessels. AIMS: To report the short- to medium-term clinical outcomes from the European Synergy MegatronTM Implanters' Registry. METHODS: This registry was an investigator-initiated study conducted at 14 European centers. The primary outcome was target lesion failure (TLF), defined as the composite of cardiovascular death, target vessel myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularisation. RESULTS: Five hundred seventy-five patients underwent PCI with MegatronTM between 2019 and 2021. Patients were 69 ± 12 years old, 26% had diabetes mellitus, 24% had moderate-severe left ventricular impairment and 59% presented with an acute coronary syndrome. 15% were deemed prohibitively high risk for surgical revascularisation. The target vessel involved the left main stem in 55%, the ostium of the RCA in 13% and was a true bifurcation (Medina 1,1,1) in 50%.  At 1 year, TLF was observed in 40 patients, with 26 (65%) occurring within the first 30 days. The cumulative incidence of TLF was 4.5% at 30 days and 8.6% (95% CI 6.3-11.7) at 1 year. The incidence of stent thrombosis was 0.5% with no late stent thromboses. By multivariate analysis, the strongest independent predictors of TLF were severe left ventricular impairment (HR 3.43, 95% CI: 1.67-6.76, p < 0.001) and a target vessel involving the left main (HR 4.00 95% CI 1.81-10.15 p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Use of the Synergy MegatronTM everolimus eluting stent in a 'real-world' setting shows favorable outcomes at 30 days and 1 year.

Arrhythmia and Death Following Percutaneous Revascularization in Ischemic Left Ventricular Dysfunction: Prespecified Analyses From the REVIVED-BCIS2 Trial.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular arrhythmia is an important cause of mortality in patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. Revascularization with coronary artery bypass graft or percutaneous coronary intervention is often recommended for these patients before implantation of a cardiac defibrillator because it is assumed that this may reduce the incidence of fatal and potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias, although this premise has not been evaluated in a randomized trial to date. METHODS: Patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction, extensive coronary disease, and viable myocardium were randomly assigned to receive either percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) plus optimal medical and device therapy (OMT) or OMT alone. The composite primary outcome was all-cause death or aborted sudden death (defined as an appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy or a resuscitated cardiac arrest) at a minimum of 24 months, analyzed as time to first event on an intention-to-treat basis. Secondary outcomes included cardiovascular death or aborted sudden death, appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy or sustained ventricular arrhythmia, and number of appropriate ICD therapies. RESULTS: Between August 28, 2013, and March 19, 2020, 700 patients were enrolled across 40 centers in the United Kingdom. A total of 347 patients were assigned to the PCI+OMT group and 353 to the OMT alone group. The mean age of participants was 69 years; 88% were male; 56% had hypertension; 41% had diabetes; and 53% had a clinical history of myocardial infarction. The median left ventricular ejection fraction was 28%; 53.1% had an implantable defibrillator inserted before randomization or during follow-up. All-cause death or aborted sudden death occurred in 144 patients (41.6%) in the PCI group and 142 patients (40.2%) in the OMT group (hazard ratio, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.82-1.30]; P=0.80). There was no between-group difference in the occurrence of any of the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: PCI was not associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality or aborted sudden death. In patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, PCI is not beneficial solely for the purpose of reducing potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov; Unique identifier: NCT01920048.

Percutaneous coronary intervention of native coronary artery versus saphenous vein graft in patients with prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery: Rationale and design of the multicenter, randomized PROCTOR trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) frequently require repeat percutaneous revascularization due to advanced age, progressive coronary artery disease and bypass graft failure. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of either the bypass graft or the native coronary artery may be performed. Randomized trials comparing native vessel PCI with bypass graft PCI are lacking and long-term outcomes have not been reported. METHODS: PROCTOR (NCT03805048) is a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial, that will include 584 patients presenting with saphenous vein graft (SVG) failure and a clinical indication for revascularization, as determined by the local Heart Team. The trial is designed to compare the clinical and angiographic outcomes in patients randomly allocated in a 1:1 fashion to either a strategy of native vessel PCI or SVG PCI. The primary study endpoint is a 3-year composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACE: all-cause mortality, non-fatal target coronary territory myocardial infarction [MI], or clinically driven target coronary territory revascularization). At 3-years, after evaluation of the primary endpoint, follow-up invasive coronary angiography will be performed. Secondary endpoints comprise individual components of MACE at 1, 3 and 5 years follow-up, PCI-related MI, MI >48 hours after index PCI, target vessel failure, target lesion revascularization, renal failure requiring renal-replacement therapy, angiographic outcomes at 3-years and quality of life (delta Seattle Angina Questionnaire, Canadian Cardiovascular Society Grading Scale and Rose Dyspnea Scale). CONCLUSION: PROCTOR is the first randomized trial comparing an invasive strategy of native coronary artery PCI with SVG PCI in post-CABG patients presenting with SVG failure.

Clinical Outcomes and OCT Analysis After Culotte Stenting With 2nd- and 3rd-Generation Everolimus-Eluting Stents: Two-Year Follow-Up of the CELTIC Bifurcation Study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to provide 2-year clinical outcomes for patients with Medina 1,1,1 bifurcation lesions treated with a culotte technique, comparing Synergy and Xience drug eluting stent (DES) platforms. A sub-group analysis of 9-month Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) was performed to assess stent healing. METHODS: A total of 170 patients with non-left main stem Medina 1,1,1 lesions, were randomized to treatment with Synergy or Xience DES. The primary outcome was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, target vessel failure, stent thrombosis and angiographic restenosis. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of 30 bifurcations were carried out on OCT images taken at 9-month follow-up. RESULTS: After 2 years, the primary outcome had occurred in 17.7% of patients in the Synergy group and 18.8% of patients in the Xience group. The non-inferiority test was met (p = 0.0055). MACCE occurred in 7.3% of all patients by 2 years. OCT analysis found smaller stent and lumen areas in patients treated with Synergy stents. There was a higher proportion of malapposed struts in patients treated with Xience stents. CONCLUSIONS: The first report of the CELTIC bifurcation study demonstrated a low MACCE rate after 9 months. There was little accrual of events after this timepoint. There was no difference in clinical outcomes between the platforms tested. OCT analysis demonstrated excellent healing of both platforms.

Outcomes following PCI in CABG candidates during the COVID-19 pandemic: The prospective multicentre UK-ReVasc registry.

OBJECTIVES: To describe outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients who would usually have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom, cardiac surgery for coronary artery disease (CAD) was dramatically reduced during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many patients with "surgical disease" instead underwent PCI. METHODS: Between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2020, 215 patients with recognized "surgical" CAD who underwent PCI were enrolled in the prospective UK-ReVasc Registry (ReVR). 30-day major cardiovascular event outcomes were collected. Findings in ReVR patients were directly compared to reference PCI and isolated CABG pre-COVID-19 data from British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS) and National Cardiac Audit Programme (NCAP) databases. RESULTS: ReVR patients had higher incidence of diabetes (34.4% vs 26.4%, P = .008), multi-vessel disease with left main stem disease (51.4% vs 3.0%, P < .001) and left anterior descending artery involvement (94.8% vs 67.2%, P < .001) compared to BCIS data. SYNTAX Score in ReVR was high (mean 28.0). Increased use of transradial access (93.3% vs 88.6%, P = .03), intracoronary imaging (43.6% vs 14.4%, P < .001) and calcium modification (23.6% vs 3.5%, P < .001) was observed. No difference in in-hospital mortality was demonstrated compared to PCI and CABG data (ReVR 1.4% vs BCIS 0.7%, P = .19; vs NCAP 1.0%, P = .48). Inpatient stay was half compared to CABG (3.0 vs 6.0 days). Low-event rates in ReVR were maintained to 30-day follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: PCI undertaken using contemporary techniques produces excellent short-term results in patients who would be otherwise CABG candidates. Longer-term follow-up is essential to determine whether these outcomes are maintained over time.

Intravascular lithotripsy for treatment of calcific coronary lesions in ST elevation myocardial infarction.

AIMS: To describe the utility and safety of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in the setting of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective analysis, across six UK sites of all patients in whom IVL was used for coronary calcium modification of the culprit lesion during primary PCI for STEMI. The 72 patients were included. IVL was used in de-novo culprit lesions in 57 (79%) of cases and culprit in-stent restenoses in 11 (15%) of cases. In four cases (6%) it was used in a newly deployed stent when this was under-expanded due to inadequate calcium modification. Of the 30 cases in which intracoronary imaging was available for stent analysis, the average stent expansion was 104%. Intra-procedural stent thrombosis occurred in one case (1%), and no-reflow in three cases (4%). The 30 day MACE rates were 18%. CONCLUSION: IVL appears to be feasible and safe for use in the treatment of calcific coronary artery disease in the setting of STEMI.

Initial Experiences of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Using a New-Generation Everolimus-Eluting Stent Platform.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes from the new Synergy Megatron drug-eluting stent (DES) platform (Boston Scientific) are not yet reported. This study sought to evaluate periprocedural outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using this technology. METHODS: This was a retrospective study across two United Kingdom centers of 139 patients undergoing PCI of 146 coronary lesions using the Synergy Megatron DES. The primary endpoint was the rate of cardiovascular death. The secondary endpoint was the rate of a composite of non-fatal myocardial infarction, target-vessel revascularization, in-stent restenosis, and probable/definite stent thrombosis. Available intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging was reviewed post hoc and evaluated according to predefined IVUS optimization criteria. RESULTS: Mean follow-up duration was 137.3 ± 38.3 days. The primary endpoint occurred in 0.7% of patients and the secondary endpoint occurred in 0.0% of patients. There were no cases of longitudinal stent deformation (LSD); in patients undergoing an IVUS-guided procedure, our criteria for successful IVUS optimization was achieved in 74.1% of left main stem (LMS) and 83.3% of right coronary artery (RCA) lesions. Mean minimal stent area (MSA) was 14.5 ± 3.4 mm² in the LMS, 10.0 ± 2.5 mm² in the left anterior descending coronary artery, 9.8 ± 3.0 mm² in the left circumflex, and 12.2 ± 4.0 mm² in the RCA. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated very low rates of short-term major adverse cardiovascular events with no cases of LSD or acute/subacute stent thrombosis. It highlights the overexpansion capabilities of the Synergy Megatron DES platform. The technology safely and effectively facilitates IVUS-optimized stent parameters for the treatment of large proximal vessels and bifurcations.

Acute Treatment and 5-Year Follow-up of Longitudinal Deformation of a Bioresorbable Scaffold.

A 46-year-old man with type 1 diabetes underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with bioresorbable scaffold implantation for a long segment of physiologically significant left anterior descending coronary artery disease. The procedure was complicated by longitudinal stent deformation (LSD). The images carry several important educational messages for clinicians. First, as with all stents, LSD is possible in extreme circumstances. Second, as the device is not seen angiographically, it is imperative that optical coherence tomography be performed to confirm LSD. When recognized and treated, the procedural and long-term outcomes are good for this complication.

Definitions and Clinical Trial Design Principles for Coronary Artery Chronic Total Occlusion Therapies: CTO-ARC Consensus Recommendations.

Over the past 2 decades, chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention has developed into its own subspecialty of interventional cardiology. Dedicated terminology, techniques, devices, courses, and training programs have enabled progressive advancements. However, only a few randomized trials have been performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CTO percutaneous coronary intervention. Moreover, several published observational studies have shown conflicting data. Part of the paucity of clinical data stems from the fact that prior studies have been suboptimally designed and performed. The absence of standardized end points and the discrepancy in definitions also prevent consistency and uniform interpretability of reported results in CTO intervention. To standardize the field, we therefore assembled a broad consortium comprising academicians, practicing physicians, researchers, medical society representatives, and regulators (US Food and Drug Administration) to develop methods, end points, biomarkers, parameters, data, materials, processes, procedures, evaluations, tools, and techniques for CTO interventions. This article summarizes the effort and is organized into 3 sections: key elements and procedural definitions, end point definitions, and clinical trial design principles. The Chronic Total Occlusion Academic Research Consortium is a first step toward improved comparability and interpretability of study results, supplying an increasingly growing body of CTO percutaneous coronary intervention evidence.

Safety and efficacy of the NovaCross microcatheter in facilitating crossing of chronic total occlusion coronary lesions: a multicenter, single-arm clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the novel NovaCross microcatheter system in patients with ischemic heart disease due to coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO). METHODS: A total of 191 subjects between the ages of 25-80 years were recruited in 10 investigational sites. Each subject underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of a CTO lesion using the NovaCross microcatheter, equipped with expandable nitinol scaffolds to enhance guidewire penetration and crossing of the CTO lesion. The primary safety endpoint was procedural major adverse cardiac events [composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), or urgent target vessel revascularization]. The primary efficacy endpoint was to assess the ability of the NovaCross microcatheter to successfully facilitate the placement of a guidewire beyond a native coronary CTO in the true vessel lumen. After the PCI, subjects remained in hospital until a 12-lead ECG and blood tests for cardiac biomarkers were taken at 3-6 h and 8-16 h post-procedure. RESULTS: No deaths, urgent revascularization, or urgent coronary artery bypass surgery were reported. The reported MI rate according to the protocol definition was 12.3%, and technical success was achieved in 75.3% of the subjects regardless of CTO procedure technique. In 89.2% of the subjects, the NovaCross succeeded in penetrating the proximal CTO cap, and in 25.8% of the subjects, the extendable portion of the NovaCross crossed the full length of the CTO lesion. CONCLUSIONS: The NovaCross met both the primary safety endpoint and the primary efficacy endpoint. We, therefore, conclude that the device is well tolerated, effective, and could be easily adopted by interventional cardiologists.

Antegrade Chronic Total Occlusion Strategies: A Technical Focus for 2020.

Chronic total occlusions (CTOs) are common in patients with ischaemic heart disease. In many countries, patients with CTOs are underserved by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). One of the barriers to CTO PCI is the technical challenges of these procedures. Improvements in technique and dedicated devices for CTO PCI, combined with advances in procedural strategy, have resulted in a dramatic increase in procedural success and outcomes. Antegrade wiring (AW) is the preferred initial strategy in short CTOs, where the proximal cap and course of the vessel is understood. For many longer, more complex occlusions, AW has a low probability of success. Dissection and re-entry techniques allow longer CTOs and those with ambiguous anatomy to be crossed safely and efficiently, and CTO operators must also be familiar with these strategies. The CrossBoss and Stingray system is currently the primary targeted re-entry device used during antegrade dissection and re-entry (ADR), and there continues to be an evolution in its use to increase procedural efficiency. In contrast to older ADR techniques, targeted re-entry allows preservation of important side-branches, and there is no difference in outcomes compared to intraplaque stenting.

Intravascular Healing Is Not Affected by Approaches in Contemporary CTO PCI: The CONSISTENT CTO Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess angiographic, imaging, and clinical outcomes following chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with dissection and re-entry techniques (DART) and subintimal (SI) stenting compared with intimal techniques. BACKGROUND: Reliable procedural success and safety in CTO PCI require the use of DART to treat the most complex patients. Potential concerns regarding the durability of DART with SI stenting still need to be addressed. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm trial of patients with appropriate indications for CTO PCI. RESULTS: Successful CTO PCI was performed in 210 of 231 patients (91% success). At 1 year, the primary endpoint of target vessel failure (cardiac death, myocardial infarction related to the target vessel, or any ischemia-driven revascularization) occurred in 5.7% of patients, meeting the pre-set performance goal. Major adverse cardiovascular events (all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization) occurred in 10% at 1 year and 17% by 2 years and was not influenced by DART. Quality-of-life measures significantly improved from baseline to 12 months. There was no difference in intravascular healing assessed using optical coherence tomography at 12 months for patients treated with DART and SI stenting compared with intimal strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Contemporary CTO PCI is associated with medium-term clinical outcomes comparable with those achieved in other complex PCI cohorts and significant improvements in quality of life. The use of DART with SI stenting does not adversely affect intravascular healing at 12 months or medium-term major adverse cardiovascular events. (Consistent CTO Trial; NCT02227771).

Intravascular ultrasound to guide left main stem intervention: a NOBLE trial substudy.

AIMS: We aimed to investigate the association between the use and findings of IVUS with clinical outcomes in the PCI arm of a randomised trial of LMS PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: The NOBLE trial randomised patients with LMS disease to treatment by PCI or CABG. Of 603 patients treated by PCI, 435 (72%) underwent post-PCI IVUS assessment, 224 of which were analysed in a core laboratory. At five years, the composite of MACCE was 18.9% if post-PCI IVUS was performed versus 25.0% if it was not performed (p=0.45, after adjustment). Overall repeat revascularisation was not reduced (10.6% vs 16.5%, p=0.11); however, LMS TLR was (5.1% vs 11.6%, p=0.01) if IVUS was used. For comparison of stent expansion, LMS MSA was split into tertiles. We found no significant difference in MACCE, death, myocardial infarction or stent thrombosis between tertiles. There was a significant difference between the lower and upper tertiles for repeat revascularisation (17.6% vs 5.2%, p=0.02) and LMS TLR (12.2% vs 0%, p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Post-PCI IVUS assessment and adequate stent expansion are not associated with reduced MACCE; however, there is an association with reduced LMS TLR. The use of intracoronary imaging to prevent stent underexpansion in LMS PCI is likely to improve outcomes.

Incidence of "shocktopics" and asynchronous cardiac pacing in patients undergoing coronary intravascular lithotripsy.

AIMS: Coronary intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a novel approach to vascular calcium modification that restores vessel compliance allowing effective lesion expansion. In this study we report the capacity for coronary IVL to precipitate ventricular ectopics ("shocktopics") and asynchronous cardiac pacing. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a retrospective review of all cases of coronary IVL (n=54) undertaken in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, between September 2018 and March 2019. The indication for PCI was chronic stable angina in 46.1% (n=26), non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) in 33.3% (n=18) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in 18.5% (n=10) of patients. The incidence of coronary IVL-provoked ventricular capture was 77.8% (n=42). Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified heart rate as the only independent predictor of an increased risk of IVL-induced ventricular capture. Patients with a heart rate <65 bpm prior to IVL were sixteen-fold more likely (OR 16.3 [2.4-110.8], p=0.004) to experience events compared to patients with a heart rate ≥65 bpm. "Shocktopic" beat morphology was largely uniform in each patient and appeared dependent on the target lesion location, in keeping with mechano-electric coupling through activation of local stretch-activated cardiomyocyte channels. No adverse clinical events occurred as a result of coronary IVL-induced capture. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary IVL with the Shockwave Medical system is associated with a high incidence of "shocktopics" and asynchronous cardiac pacing that is largely dependent on the resting heart rate. There have been no clinical events associated with this phenomenon, but further systematic evaluation is warranted.

Percutaneous coronary angioplasty versus coronary artery bypass grafting in the treatment of unprotected left main stenosis: updated 5-year outcomes from the randomised, non-inferiority NOBLE trial.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is increasingly used in revascularisation of patients with left main coronary artery disease in place of the standard treatment, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The NOBLE trial aimed to evaluate whether PCI was non-inferior to CABG in the treatment of left main coronary artery disease and reported outcomes after a median follow-up of 3·1 years. We now report updated 5-year outcomes of the trial. METHODS: The prospective, randomised, open-label, non-inferiority NOBLE trial was done at 36 hospitals in nine northern European countries. Patients with left main coronary artery disease requiring revascularisation were enrolled and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive PCI or CABG. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE), a composite of all-cause mortality, non-procedural myocardial infarction, repeat revascularisation, and stroke. Non-inferiority of PCI to CABG was defined as the upper limit of the 95% CI of the hazard ratio (HR) not exceeding 1·35 after 275 MACCE had occurred. Secondary endpoints included all-cause mortality, non-procedural myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularisation. Outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01496651. FINDINGS: Between Dec 9, 2008, and Jan 21, 2015, 1201 patients were enrolled and allocated to PCI (n=598) or CABG (n=603), with 17 subsequently lost to early follow-up. 592 patients in each group were included in this analysis. At a median of 4·9 years of follow-up, the predefined number of events was reached for adequate power to assess the primary endpoint. Kaplan-Meier 5-year estimates of MACCE were 28% (165 events) for PCI and 19% (110 events) for CABG (HR 1·58 [95% CI 1·24-2·01]); the HR exceeded the limit for non-inferiority of PCI compared to CABG. CABG was found to be superior to PCI for the primary composite endpoint (p=0·0002). All-cause mortality was estimated in 9% after PCI versus 9% after CABG (HR 1·08 [95% CI 0·74-1·59]; p=0·68); non-procedural myocardial infarction was estimated in 8% after PCI versus 3% after CABG (HR 2·99 [95% CI 1·66-5·39]; p=0·0002); and repeat revascularisation was estimated in 17% after PCI versus 10% after CABG (HR 1·73 [95% CI 1·25-2·40]; p=0·0009). INTERPRETATION: In revascularisation of left main coronary artery disease, PCI was associated with an inferior clinical outcome at 5 years compared with CABG. Mortality was similar after the two procedures but patients treated with PCI had higher rates of non-procedural myocardial infarction and repeat revascularisation. FUNDING: Biosensors.

A Technical Focus on Antegrade Dissection and Re-entry for Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions: a Practice Update for 2019.

Coronary chronic total occlusions (CTOs) are a commonly encountered lesion. These present in a diverse patient population with variable anatomy. Technical success rates of ~90% are achievable for CTO lesions in centers with appropriate expertise. Many lesions can be crossed with wire-based techniques. However, the most anatomically complex and technically challenging lesions will often require more advanced approaches such as retrograde access and/or the application of blunt dissection techniques in the vessel to safely navigate long and/or ambiguous CTO segments. Retrograde dissection and re-entry (RDR) and antegrade dissection and re-entry (ADR) strategies are often needed to treat such lesions. In many circumstances, ADR offers a safe and efficient means to successfully cross a CTO lesion. Therefore, operators must remain cognizant of the risks and benefits of differing technical approaches during CTO percutaneous coronary intervention, particularly when both ADR and RDR are feasible. This article provides an overview of the ADR technique in addition to updated approaches in contemporary clinical practice.

Patient-oriented composite endpoints and net adverse clinical events with ticagrelor monotherapy following percutaneous coronary intervention: insights from the randomised GLOBAL LEADERS trial.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of 23-month ticagrelor monotherapy following one-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on the rates of patient-oriented composite endpoints (POCE) and net adverse clinical events (NACE). METHODS AND RESULTS: The rates of site-reported Academic Research Consortium (ARC)-2 defined POCE (all-cause death, any stroke, any myocardial infarction or any revascularisation) and NACE (POCE or bleeding type 3 or 5 according to the Bleeding ARC [BARC]) were reported up to two years by intention-to-treat principle in the randomised, multicentre, open-label GLOBAL LEADERS study comparing two antiplatelet strategies in 15,991 patients undergoing PCI. The experimental strategy consisted of aspirin with ticagrelor for one month followed by ticagrelor monotherapy for 23 months, whereas the reference treatment consisted of 12-month DAPT followed by 12-month aspirin monotherapy. At two years, POCE occurred in 1,050 (13.2%) patients in the experimental group and in 1,131 (14.2%) in the reference group (HR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.85-1.01, p=0.085). NACE occurred in 1,145 (14.4%) patients in the experimental group and in 1,237 (15.5%) patients in the reference group (HR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85-1.00, p=0.057). In pre-specified subgroup analyses, no significant treatment-by-subgroup interactions were found for either POCE or NACE at two years. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental treatment strategy of one-month DAPT followed by 23 months of ticagrelor alone did not result in a significant reduction in the rates of site-reported POCE or NACE, when compared to the reference treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01813435.

Erratum to: Common and Uncommon CTO complications.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.15420/icr.2018.10.2.].