Impact of COVID-19 on heart failure hospitalization and outcome in India - A cardiological society of India study (CSI-HF in COVID 19 times study - "The COVID C-HF study").

OBJECTIVES: The presentation and outcomes of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) during COVID times (June 2020 to Dec 2020) were compared with the historical control during the same period in 2019. METHODS: Data of 4806 consecutive patients of acute HF admitted in 22 centres in the country were collected during this period. The admission patterns, aetiology, outcomes, prescription of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) and interventions were analysed in this retrospective study. RESULTS: Admissions for acute heart failure during the pandemic period in 2020 decreased by 20% compared to the corresponding six-month period in 2019, with numbers dropping from 2675 to 2131. However, no difference in the epidemiology was seen. The mean age of presentation in 2019 was 61.75 (±13.7) years, and 59.97 (±14.6) years in 2020. There was a significant decrease in the mean age of presentation (p = 0.001). Also. the proportion of male patients decreased significantly from 68.67% to 65.84% (p = 0.037). The in-hospital mortality for acute heart failure did not differ significantly between 2019 and 2020 (4.19% and 4.,97%) respectively (p = 0.19). The proportion of patients with HFrEF did not change in 2020 compared to 2019 (76.82% vs 75.74%, respectively). The average duration of hospital stay was 6.5 days. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of ADHF patients admitted during the Covid pandemic did not differ significantly. The length of hospital stay remained the same. The study highlighted the sub-optimal use of GDMT, though slightly improving over the last few years.

Two-year safety and efficacy of Indigenous Abluminus Sirolimus Eluting Stent. Does it differ amongst diabetics? - Data from en-ABLe- REGISTRY.

Introduction: To evaluate the efficacy/safety profile of the Abluminus DES+ over 2-years follow-up in the "real-world" scenario in diabetics as compared to non-diabetics. Methods: In prospective, all-comers, open-label registry conducted at 31 sites, patients were analyzed for 1 & 2-year outcomes with the primary endpoint defined as 3P-MACE of CV death, target vessel related myocardial infarction (TV-MI), ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR)/target vessel revascularization (TVR) apart from Stent thrombosis (ST). Results: Of 2500 patients of PCI with 3286 Abluminus-DES+, 1641 (65.64%) were non-diabetics while859 (34.36%) were diabetics. The 3-P MACE for the cohort at 1 & 2 years were 2.9%, and 3.16%; TLR/TVR - 1.4% at both the intervals for 2493 patients at 2 yrs. follow-up. TV-MI & ST were 0.36% and0.56% at 1st and 2nd year respectively. The 3P-MACE was lower in non-diabetics at 1 & 2 years (2.3%vs 4.2%; 2.4% vs 4.7% respectively). For components of MACE, CV mortality (0.9 vs 1.9% at 1 yr ; 1.0vs 2.1% at 2 years) was significant (P < 0.05) while TLR (1.1 vs 1.9% at 1 yr. & 1.1 vs 2.1% at 2 yrs.) and TV-MI (0.9 vs 1.9% at 1 yr. & 1 vs 2.1% at 2 years) were similar for diabetics and non-diabetics so was ST (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Abluminus-DES+ showed excellent 2-year safety and efficacy with low 3-P MACE which was higher in diabetics driven by higher CV death but similar TLR, TV-MI and ST.

Correlation Between Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring and Office Blood Pressure Measurement in Patients with Hypertension: A Community Study.

BACKGROUND: The current gold standard for blood pressure (BP) measurements is based on office BP measurements (OBPMs) by a sphygmomanometer or a digital device. Ambulatory BP measurement (ABPM) is a noninvasive method for continuous monitoring of BP over a period during routine activities of the patient. Thus, ABPM offers multiple BP readings during the patients' daily routine as compared to the single reading by OBPM at rest. A good correlation exists between mean 24-hour BP readings and the prediction of cardiovascular events. The present multicenter observational study was aimed to assess the correlation between ABPM and OBPM in patients with newly diagnosed, controlled, or uncontrolled hypertension in the community setting. Our hypothesis was to test if ABPM provides any further value in those hypertensive patients in whom the office blood pressure levels are controlled. A supplementary hypothesis was whether obtaining ABPM in patients with newly diagnosed or uncontrolled hypertension yields any value over and beyond OBPM. Another objective was to find out the applicability of ABPM in the community setting where the medical care is provided by primary care family physicians and not by specialists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods A total of 1000 patients were analysed for this study. Those with controlled hypertension were assigned to Group A, and those with newly diagnosed/untreated hypertension comprised Group B. Group A was followed up during Visit 2 and Group B was followed up during Visit 2 and either Visit 3 or Visit 4 to assess the BP measurements by ABPM and OBPM. RESULTS: The correlation between ABPM and OBPM showed minimal variation in the BP readings of Group A subjects at Visit 2. A variation in BP readings was observed in Group B at Visit 2. Furthermore, the correlation was established between ABPM and OBPM noted for Group B subjects during Visit 3, and minimal variation was noted during Visit 4. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions A good correlation was observed between ABPM and OBPM during both visits in patients in Groups A and B. However, a notable variation was noted in the diastolic BP readings. Thus, large-scale clinical studies are required to detect the prevalence of hypertension, masked hypertension, and dipping patterns associated with hypertension and other related medical co-morbidities.

Spontaneous Renal Artery Dissection in COVID-19 Pneumonia: Potential Danger of Cytokine Storm.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly spread across the globe since its first detection in March 2020. Its widespread manifestations and vascular complications are increasingly being reported even in young and middle-aged patients. Hyperinflammation is a continuum of host's exaggerated inflammatory response representing cytokine dysregulation/storm which produces coagulopathy and vascular endothelial dysfunction, apart from a prothrombotic state. Cytokine storm or direct viral invasion of the vascular endothelial cells through surface angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors may result in endothelial dysfunction which can potentially result in dissection. Only a few case reports have been published in the literature describing vascular dissection without any inciting factors in COVID-19 patients. Herein, we present the first case report of bilateral renal artery dissection in a 41-year-old male patient who recently recovered from COVID-19 and was managed successfully in stages after many medical hurdles.

Targeting "diabetic" coronary artery disease merging the properties of sirolimus coated balloon with sirolimus eluting stent.

BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a challenging subset of population as they experience worse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention than patients without diabetes. We evaluated the 2-year efficacy and safety profile of the Abluminus DES+ in patients with diabetes within the population enrolled in the large multicenter en-ABL e-registry. METHODS: Multicenter, prospective, all-comers registry performed in 31 centers in India. We analyze patients according to the diagnosis of DM and insulin dependency (ID or Non-ID): non-DM (1641 patients), NIDDM (721 patients), IDDM (138 patients). The primary endpoint was a composite of device-oriented major adverse cardiac events (MACE): cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR)/ target vessel revascularization (TVR) at 2-year. Stent thrombosis (ST) at any time point was also recorded. RESULTS: The MACE rate at 2-year follow-up was 3.0% in the overall population with DM patients showing a higher rate of primary endpoint compared to non-DM (4.4% vs. 2.4%, P=0.025). Rate of cardiac death was actually low and consistent between the 2 groups (1.7% vs. 0.9%, P=0.100). At 2-year follow-up, the rate of ST was 0.9% in DM patients versus 0.5% in non-DM, P=0.213. CONCLUSIONS: At 2-year follow-up, the Abluminus DES+ technology that merges the features of a sirolimus coated balloon with those of a bioresorbable polymer drug eluting stent appears to be safe and effective. This safety/efficacy profile was consistent in patients with or without DM.

Consensus document: management of heart failure in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a known predisposing factor for heart failure (HF). The growing burden of these two conditions and their impact on health of the individual and on society in general needs urgent attention from the health care professionals. Availability of multiple treatment choices for managing T2DM and HF may make therapeutic decisions more complex for clinicians. Recent cardiovascular outcome trials of antidiabetic drugs have added very robust evidence to effectively manage subjects with this dual condition. This consensus statement provides the prevalence trends and the impact of this dual burden on patients. In addition, it concisely narrates the types of HF, the different treatment algorithms, and recommendations for physicians to comprehensively manage such patients.

Self-blood pressure measurement as compared to office blood pressure measurement in a large Indian population; the India Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: India Heart Study (IHS) is aimed at investigating the agreement between office blood pressure measurement (OBPM) and self (S)BPM in a hypertension-naive population. METHODS: A total of 18 918 individuals (aged 42.6 ±â€Š11.7 years, 62.7% men), visiting 1237 primary care physicians across India, underwent OBPM. They performed SBPM for a period of 1 week using a validated oscillometric BP monitor that was preprogrammed to adhere to a guideline-based SBPM-schedule and blinded to the results. Thereafter, individuals underwent a second OBPM. Available laboratory results were obtained. Thresholds for elevated OBPM and SBPM were 140/90 and 135/85 mmHg, respectively. RESULTS: On the basis of first-visit OBPM and SBPM, there were 5787 (30.6%) individuals with normotension; 5208 (27.5%) with hypertension; 4485 (23.7%) with white-coat hypertension (WCH) and 3438 (18.2%) with masked hypertension. Thus, a diagnosis contradiction between SBPM and first-visit OBPM was seen in 9870 (41.9%) individuals. On the basis of second-visit OBPM, the normotension, hypertension, WCH and masked hypertension prevalence values were 7875 (41.6%); 4857 (25.7%); 2397 (12.7%) and 3789 (20.0%). There was poor agreement (kappa value 0.37) between OBPM of visit 1 and 2 with a diagnosis difference in 6027 (31.8%) individuals. The majority of masked hypertension and WCH individuals had BP values close to thresholds. CONCLUSION: There was a poor agreement between OBPM of visit1 and visit 2. Likewise, the agreement between OBPM at both visits and SBPM was poor. SBPM being considered to have a better correlation with patient prognosis should be the preferred method for diagnosing hypertension.

Sirolimus coated balloon for the management of coronary in-stent restenosis: long term clinical results from nanolute study

BACKGROUND: We sought to investigate the performance of Sirolimus coated balloon (SCB) MagicTouch (Concept Medicals) in patients with in-stent restenotic lesions in native coronary vessels. METHODS: NANOLUTE is prospective, multi-centre, all-comers registry enrolling real world patients from routine clinical practice. We analysed 211 consecutive patients treated with MagicTouch SCB for in-stent restenotic lesions in coronary arteries. The primary endpoint of the study is Major Adverse Cardiac Event (MACE) at 6-month and procedural success. MACE is comprised of Target Lesion/Vessel Revascularization (TLR/TVR), Target Vessel Myocardial Infarction (TV-MI) and cardiac death. Procedural success is defined as technical and angiographic success in the absence of MACE at the time of discharge. The secondary endpoint is MACE assessed at 1 -year. RESULTS: Among total 450 patients enrolled in NANOLUTE, 211 patients had in-stent restenotic lesions. We specifically analysed those patients. The average age of enrolled patients was 60.60 ± 9.58 years mainly dominated by male patients (80.1%). Almost half of the patients had diabetes mellitus (54%) and 46% patients were acutely presented. Left anterior descending accounted for majority of the treated lesions (47.6%). Among 225 ISR lesions treated, 44 % lesions were diffuse while 53.8% lesions were focal. At 6 months 100% patients completed the follow-up and MACE rate was found to be 3.8% [Cardiac death: 0%, TV-MI: 0.5%, TLR/TVR: 3.3%]. At 1 year, 95.7% patients completed the follow-up and MACE rate was reported as 5.0% [Cardiac death: 0%, TV-MI: 0.5%, TLR/TVR: 4.5%]. At 2 years, 84.4% patients completed the follow-up and the incidence of MACE was 6.2%. There was no cardiac death reported in this cohort. As NANOLUTE is on-going study the follow-up of rest of the patient is yet to come. CONCLUSION: Sirolimus coated balloon angioplasty is safe and feasible in in-stent restenotic setting and showed good clinical outcome at 1-year and 2-year. Therefore, use of a SCB is an attractive treatment option for coronary in-stent restenosis, withholding the need for additional stent implantation. (AU)

A novel nanocarrier sirolimus-coated balloon for coronary interventions: 12-Month data from the Nanoluté Registry.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the Nanoluté registry was to observe the clinical performance of a novel sirolimus coated balloon (SCB) (Concept Medical Research Private Limited, India) for the treatment of coronary de-novo and restenotic lesions. METHODS: All patients treated with SCB between July 2012 and September 2015 were enrolled at Indian centres and clinically followed for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-procedure. Primary endpoints were procedural success and device-oriented adverse cardiac events (DOCE) at 12 months. DOCE were defined as a composite of cardiac death, target lesion revascularization (TLR) and target vessel-myocardial infarction. RESULTS: A total of 394 SCB were used in 332 patients to treat 356 lesions. In-stent restenosis and small coronary vessel disease occurred in 46% and 43% of the patients respectively. Mean balloon length and diameter (average ±â€¯SD) were 21.83 ±â€¯6.70 mm and 2.69 ±â€¯0.45 mm respectively. All patients with 1 year follow-up were included. Overall DOCE rate was 4.2% (n = 14) which included death 0.3% (n = 1), TLR 3.6% (n = 12) and myocardial infarction 0.3% (n = 1). CONCLUSION: The Nanoluté prospective registry, is the first clinical evidence of the safety and feasibility of this type of SCB, both in patients with in-stent restenosis or de novo lesions.

Merging the properties of a sirolimus coated balloon with those of a bioresorbable polymer sirolimus eluting stent to address the "diabetes issue". Results from the En-Abl multicenter registry.

BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have poorer outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention than patients without diabetes. The Abluminus DES+™ drug-eluting stent (DES) features a novel technology of fusion coating of PLLA bioresorbable polymer on both the abluminal surface of the stent and exposed parts of the balloon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy/safety profile of the Abluminus DES+ in an all-comers population with minimal exclusion criteria and with a specific focus on diabetic patients. METHODS: Multicenter, prospective, all-comers registry performed in 31 centers in India. Patients were analyzed according to the diagnosis of DM and insulin dependency (ID or Non ID): non-DM (1256 patients), NIDDM (498 patients), IDDM (99 patients). The primary endpoint was a composite of device-oriented major adverse cardiac events (MACE): cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (MI), and ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR)/ target vessel revascularization (TVR) at 1 year. Stent thrombosis (ST) at any time point was also recorded. RESULTS: The MACE rate at 1 year in the overall population was 2.3% and it was mainly driven by a 1.57% rate of TLR/TVR. Although patients with IDDM showed slightly higher figures for MACE (non-DM 2.3%, NIDDM 2.8%, IDDM 4%, P=0.09), as well as for single end-points, none of them reached statistical significance. The rate of ST was 0.56%, 0.4%, 1% for non-DM, NIDDM and IDDM group, respectively (P=0.6). CONCLUSIONS: The performance of the Abluminus DES+ is consistent among patients with or without diabetes, regardless the insulin dependency.

Efficacy and safety of the intensive dose of rosuvastatin 40mg/day in patients with acute coronary syndrome and at high risk of cardiovascular disease-ROSUVEES-2.

BACKGROUND: Randomized clinical trials have established the benefits of statin therapy in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) via their pleiotropic effects. AIM OF THE STUDY: This was a 12-week, open-label, multicenter, postmarketing observational study evaluating the efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin 40 mg/day in very high-risk or high-risk Indian patients according to NCEP ATP III guidelines. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and sixty two patients (age: 30 to 69 years) with evidence of coronary artery disease, hospitalized with chest pain with/without electrocardiogram changes and with non-ST segment elevation ACS and ST segment elevation ACS who received optimal reperfusion therapy were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the percent change from baseline in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels at 6 and 12 weeks of treatment. Other lipid parameters, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), glycosylated hemoglobin, and clinical biochemical parameters were also assessed. RESULTS: At 12 weeks, intensive therapy with rosuvastatin 40mg/day significantly reduced LDL-C (p<0.001), total cholesterol (TC) (p<0.001), triglyceride (p<0.01), TC/high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (p<0.001), non-HDL-C (p<0.001), LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (p<0.001), and hsCRP (p=0.034) in very high-risk and high-risk patients with ACS. Overall, 54.5% (61/112) patients achieved LDL-C goal of <70mg/dL. However, the change in HDL-C and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) were not significant. Few adverse events including myalgia were reported during the study. CONCLUSION: Results of this study showed that 40mg dose of rosuvastatin, initiated early and continued for 12 weeks, was effective in terms of reducing LDL cholesterol and was well tolerated.

Cardiovascular risk profile and management of atrial fibrillation in India: Real world data from RealiseAF survey.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia with high risk for many cardiovascular (CV) complications. Adherence to recommended management guidelines is important to avoid complications. In India, there is little knowledge on how AF is managed in real world. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of patients in India enrolled in RealiseAF survey between February 2010 and March 2010 with a diagnosis of AF within the last 12 months. RESULTS: From 15 centers, 301 patients {mean age 59.9 years (14.4); 52.5% males} were recruited. AF was controlled in 50% of patients with 77 (26.7%) in sinus rhythm and 67 (23.3%) with heart rate <80beats/min. Hypertension (50.8%), valvular heart disease (40.7%), heart failure (25.9%), and diabetes (20.4%) were the most common underlying CV diseases. Increased risk for stroke (CHADS2 score≥2) was present in 36.6%. Most of the patients (85%) were symptomatic. AF was paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent in 28.7%, 22.7%, and 34.3% respectively. In 14%, AF was diagnosed as first episode. Forty-six percent of patients had rate control, 35.2% rhythm control, 0.3% both strategies, and 18.4% received no therapy for AF before the visit. At the end of the visit, adoption to rate control strategy increased to 52.3% and patients with no therapy decreased to 7%. CONCLUSION: AF in India is not adequately controlled. Concomitant CV risk factors and risk of stroke are high. The study underscores the need for improved adoption of guideline-directed management for optimal control of AF and reducing the risk of stroke.

ESSENS dyslipidemia: A placebo-controlled, randomized study of a nutritional supplement containing red yeast rice in subjects with newly diagnosed dyslipidemia.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence suggests prolonged exposure to lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), starting at a younger age, substantially lowers cardiovascular (CV) risk. Accordingly, the CV pandemic affecting younger population in low- to low-middle-income countries, where statin usage is poor even in secondary prevention, may benefit from lipid-lowering nutritional products, as nutritional intervention is generally preferred in these cultures. However, the safety and efficacy of such preparations have not been systematically tested. METHODS: In this multicenter, double-blind study, 191 statin-free subjects with newly-diagnosed hyperlipidemia (LDL-C >120 mg/dL, 3.11 mmol/L) and no evidence of CV disease were randomized to one capsule of a proprietary bioactive phytonutrient formulation containing red yeast rice, grape-seed, niacinamide, and folic acid (RYR-NS) or matched placebo twice daily, along with lifestyle modification, for 12 wk. RESULTS: Mean baseline LDL-C levels were 148.5 ± 24.0 mg/dL (3.85 ± 0.62 mmol/L) and 148.6 ± 21.9 mg/dL (3.85 ± 0.57 mmol/L) in the RYR-NS and placebo groups respectively. Compared with placebo, RYR-NS resulted in a significant reduction in LDL-C (-29.4% versus -3.5%, P < 0.0001) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C; -29.8% versus -10.3%, P < 0.0001) at 12 wk. With RYR-NS, 43.4% individuals attained desirable LDL-C levels and 55.4% desirable non-HDL-C levels by week 12, compared to only 0% and 1.1%, respectively, at baseline. No safety issues were observed. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the efficacy and safety of RYR-NS in lowering LDL-C and non-HDL-C after 12 wk, with magnitude of LDL-C reduction being comparable to that seen with moderate-intensity statin therapy. Further long-term studies are required to determine the impact of RYR-NS on treatment adherence and clinical outcomes.

The ABS mother-daughter platforms

Name and manufacturer: There are two versions of the AdvancedBifurcation Systems (ABS) (ABS, Los Angeles, CA, USA) motherdaughter(MD) platforms: the ABS MD-P (bifurcation stent - provisional),and the ABS MD-Bi (bifurcating stent).Approval status: Not yet approved for clinical use.Platform: Stainless steel.Strut thickness: 105 microns.Coating: Not coated, available in bare metal only.Specific stent design: The MD platform consists of two catheters,a mother catheter (MC) and a daughter catheter (DC). On themother catheter (MC), a mother-daughter stent (MDS) is mountedwhich is positioned as main branch stent. On the DC, a daughterstent (DS) is mounted in cases where the operator prefers to performan upfront two-stent strategy (the MD-Bi) or, in cases wherethe operator prefers the provisional single stenting strategy, there isno stent mounted on the DC (MD-P)...

Clinical outcomes with Biolimus (A9)™ eluting stent, 'BioMatrix' in diabetic patients--interim results from multicenter post market surveillance registry in India.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this registry is to establish safety and efficacy of BioMatrix, BioMatrix™-Biolimus A9™ eluting stent in diabetic population in India. BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a major predisposing factor for coronary artery disease. Prognosis for diabetic population patients presenting with coronary artery disease who undergo coronary revascularization is inferior to non diabetics and remains an independent risk factor of restenosis, need for revascularization, and overall mortality. Stent thrombosis is a potential complication of first generation, permanent polymer drug-eluting stents. Biodegradable polymer is a good relief in this era and its utility in diabetic patients will be a major advantage for them. METHODS: 334 patients with diabetes mellitus and requiring angioplasty, implanted with BioMatrix stent were followed at 1, 6, 12 and 24 months who entered in a multicenter registry in India. We analyzed the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and stent thrombosis (ST) at 1, 6, 12 and 24 months. RESULTS: The mean age was 58.71 ± 9.2 years, 81% were males, comorbidity index was 1.6 ± 1.02, and 59.1% presented with acute coronary syndrome. The incidence of adverse event rates was: MACE 1.27%. There were no incidences of myocardial infarction (MI) and target vessel revascularization (TVR). Definite stent thrombosis occurred only in 2 patients. CONCLUSION: In this registry of diabetic population treated with BioMatrixTM-Biolimus A9TM eluting stent (BioMatrix), the reported incidence of MACE and ST were much lower than previously published results. The 1- and 2-year follow-up result supports favorable clinical outcomes of using BioMatrix stents as a suitable alternative to contemporary DES available during PCI in diabetic patients.

First-in-human evaluation of the novel BioMime sirolimus-eluting coronary stent with bioabsorbable polymer for the treatment of single de novo lesions located in native coronary vessels - results from the meriT-1 trial.

AIMS: We report the initial human evaluation of the novel BioMimeTM sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) (Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., Gujarat, India) with an ultra-thin stent platform (65 µm) and a biodegradable polymer for the treatment of de novo coronary lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS: The meriT-1 trial was a prospective, non-randomised, single-arm, single-centre, first-in-human evaluation of the safety, feasibility and performance of the BioMime SES. Lesion criteria included non-occlusive stenosis ≤ 19 mm in length located in native coronary vessels. Clinical follow-up (FU) was performed at 1, 8 and 12 months; all patients were assigned for angiographic FU at eight months. A total of 30 patients (30 lesions) were enrolled between March 2009 and February 2010. Mean age was 49.9 years, 30% were diabetics, and 36.7% had previous myocardial infarction (MI). Baseline median [25%, 75% interquartile range] lesion length, reference diameter and % diameter stenosis were 15.51 mm [12.74, 20.27], 2.94 mm [2.71, 3.34], and 80.5% [67.0%, 90.7%], respectively. Overall, there was one stent implanted per lesion and procedural success was 100%. At eight-month angiographic FU (26/30), median in-stent late lumen loss was 0.15 mm [0.09, 0.33]; also, there were no cases of binary restenosis within the treated segment. Clinical FU at 12 months (100%) demonstrated absence of MACE (cardiac death, MI and target lesion revascularisation) and stent thrombosis (ST). CONCLUSIONS: The novel BioMime SES demonstrated excellent performance in single coronary lesions including high procedural success and efficacy, as demonstrated by the relatively low late lumen loss (a surrogate of neointimal hyperplasia) at eight-month angiographic FU. Overall, there were no safety concerns in this preliminary evaluation including absence of MACE or ST up to 12 months.

A comparative evaluation of prasugrel and clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVE: Primary objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of Prasugrel vs. Clopidogrel in the patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by measuring inhibition of platelet aggregation after loading and maintenance dose of both the drugs. The patients were also assessed for safety of the drugs. METHODS: This was a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, comparative, multicentric clinical trial in patients with acute coronary syndrome (unstable angina, non-ST elevation MI and ST elevation MI) undergoing PCI. The patients were randomly assigned to receive prasugrel (loading dose of 60 mg followed by maintenance dose of 10-mg once daily) or clopidogrel (loading dose of 300 mg followed by maintenance dose of 75 mg once daily) for a period of 12 weeks. All the patients were co-prescribed aspirin 325 mg with both the drugs. The primary efficacy end point in this study was percentage inhibition of ADP induced platelet aggregation (IPA) at 4 +/- 1 hours after the loading dose and at 30 +/- 3 days during maintenance treatment. The platelet aggregation of both the drugs was measured by whole blood aggregometer using 10 mmol of ADP as an aggregant. Though this study was not powered to see the difference in clinical efficacy parameters, the patients were observed for the incidence of nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, re-hospitalization, death, or need for urgent revascularization due to a cardiac ischemic event at days 30 and 90 during the study. The safety of study drugs were evaluated by incidence of major bleeding, reported adverse drug reaction and alterations of any laboratory parameters. RESULT: A total of 220 patients were enrolled at 11 centres across India. Ten patients were given the loading dose of prasugrel or clopidogrel but did not underwent PCI due to change in investigator's decision to go for PCI. Out of 210 eligible patients, 21 patients were discontinued during the study. 157 patients were evaluated for platelet inhibition after loading dose at 4 hours and 150 patients at day 30 during maintenance phase of antiplalelet therapy. The investigators could not perform this test in remaining patients due to urgency and criticality of the patients. 189 patients were observed for the incidence of nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, rehospitalisation, urgent revascularisation or death due to a cardiac ischemic event. All eligible patients who received at least a loading dose were evalauted for safety. In prasugrel group, 85 and 77 patients were evaluated for IPA at 4 hours and day 30 respectively whereas in clopdogrel group 72 and 73 patients were tested for IPA at 4 hours and at 30 days. Patients in prasugrel group have demonstrated significantly higher inhibition of platelets as compared to clopidogrel group (82.5% vs 71.1%) at 4 hours and at 30 days (84.1% vs 67.4%). The difference in inhibition of platelets between prasugrel and clopidogrel after loading dose and maintenenace dose was statistically significant (p < or = 0.01). The patients were also evaluated for drug hyporesponsiveness to antiplatelet therapy if IPA was < 20% at day 30 from the baseline. More patients on prasugrel have shown response to antiplatlet therapy than on clopidogrel (97.4% vs 87.6%). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). There was no difference observed during the study in the incidence of nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, death, rehospitalisation or need for urgent revascularisation due to a cardiac event between prasugrel and clopidogrel. Both the drugs were found to be to be well tolerated and have comparable safety profile. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that prasugrel is more effective than clopidogrel as an anti platelet drug as evident by inhibition of platelet aggregation. More patients on clopidogrel are likely to have poor response to therapy as compared to prasugrel. Both the drugs were well tolerated and have comparable safety profile.