Efficacy of thrombus aspiration in cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction and high thrombus burden.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Current guidelines do not recommend routine thrombus aspiration in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) because no benefits were observed in previous randomized trials. However, there are limited data in cardiogenic shock (CS) complicating AMI. METHODS: We included 575 patients with AMI complicated by CS. The participants were stratified into the TA and no-TA groups based on use of TA. The primary outcome was a composite of 6-month all-cause death or heart failure rehospitalization. The efficacy of TA was additionally assessed based on thrombus burden (grade I-IV vs V). RESULTS: No significant difference was found in in-hospital death (28.9% vs 33.5%; P=.28), or 6-month death, or heart failure rehospitalization (32.4% vs 39.4%; HRadj: 0.80; 95%CI, 0.59-1.09; P=.16) between the TA and no-TA groups. However, in 368 patients with a higher thrombus burden (grade V), the TA group had a significantly lower risk of 6-month all-cause death or heart failure rehospitalization than the no-TA group (33.4% vs 46.3%; HRadj: 0.59; 95%CI, 0.41-0.85; P=.004), with significant interaction between thrombus burden and use of TA for primary outcome (adjusted Pint=.03). CONCLUSIONS: Routine use of TA did not reduce short- and mid-term adverse clinical outcomes in patients with AMI complicated by CS. However, in select patients with a high thrombus burden, the use of TA might be associated with improved clinical outcomes. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02985008).

An aspiration catheter stuck in a patient with acute coronary syndrome: an unanticipated complication.

A 62-year-old man presented with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Thrombectomy using an aspiration catheter was performed, but the wire lumen of the catheter had been torn during the catheter was removed. The aspiration catheter could not be retrieved into the guide catheter, and the entire system along with the guide catheter was removed.

The outcome of primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with stent thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a recommended management strategy for patients with de novo ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Still, the efficacy of primary PCI in-stent thrombosis (ST) induced STEMI is unclear. The aim was to assess the clinical characteristics and the in-hospital outcomes of patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI caused by acute, sub-acute, or late ST. METHODS: A sample of hundred consecutive patients who presented with STEMI due to ST were included in this study. The angiographic evidence of a flow-limiting thrombus or total vessel occlusion (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade 0 to II) at the site of the previous stent implant was taken as ST. Primary PCI was performed, and all enrolled patients and in-hospital mortality were observed. RESULTS: Male patients were 69, and the mean age was 58.9 ± 7.78 years. ST was categorized as acute in 40 patients, sub-acute in 53, and late in the remaining seven patients. Killip class III/IV was observed in 45 patients. Dissection was observed in 25, under deployment in 74, and/or malposition in 24 patients. Thrombus aspiration was performed in 97, plain old balloon angioplasty in 76, and stenting in 22 patients. Final TIMI III flow was achieved in 32 patients. During a mean hospital stay of 4.93 ± 2.46 days, the mortality rate was 27%. CONCLUSION: In-hospital mortality after primary PCI was observed in more than 1/4th of the patients with STEMI due to ST undergoing primary PCI.

Well-Developed Coronary Collateral Circulation Is Associated With Higher Thrombus Burden in the Setting of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the relationship between coronary collateral circulation (CCC) and intracoronary thrombus burden in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). CCC and thrombus burden are predictive of clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI. METHODS: Patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled (n = 172). CCC was graded according to the Cohen-Rentrop classification. Patients were classified as insufficient (grade 0 or 1, n = 134) or well-developed (grade 2 or 3; n = 38) CCC. The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction scale was used to evaluate intra-coronary thrombus burden. The low-thrombus-burden group comprised those with grades 0 to 2, and the high-thrombus-burden group comprised those with grades 3 or 4. RESULTS: Right coronary artery infarcts had a 13.830-fold higher chance of having well-developed CCC than did left anterior descending artery infarcts (P < .001). Circumflex artery infarcts had a 7.904-fold higher chance of well-developed CCC than did left anterior descending artery infarcts (P = .016). High thrombus burden was associated with a 4.393-fold higher chance for well-developed CCC than was low thrombus burden (P = .030). Low albumin levels were related to a greater chance of having well-developed CCC (P = .046). CONCLUSION: Patients with well-developed CCC have higher thrombus burden than do those with insufficient CCC. Because well-developed CCC is an indicator of more severe underlying lesions, we speculate that patients with severe lesions are more prone to experience more complicated STEMI with high thrombus burden.

Manual Coronary Thrombectomy in Primary PCI: What a Satisfaction it is Sometimes to Look Into the Catheter.

An 89-year-old woman was referred to our cath lab for a primary percutaneous coronary intervention following electrocardiographic evidence of inferior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. A coronary angiography revealed single- vessel disease with complete occlusion of the right coronary artery. After crossing the occlusion with a guidewire, we proceeded with manual thrombectomy using the Eliminate Aspiration Catheter (Terumo Europe). To our knowledge, this is the longest coronary thrombus ever reported to be removed in its entirety.

Challenges in Primary PCI: How to Treat a Large Intracoronary Thrombus With TIMI 3 Flow?

This case highlights 2 important issues: the immediate management of large intracoronary thrombus in the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction setting with TIMI 3 flow, and the risks/benefits associated with sealing a plaque in an unobstructed artery by stenting. Potent antithrombotic therapy with a view to subsequent intracoronary imaging to define etiology and plaque morphology appears to be a reasonable initial strategy in this specific population. Furthermore, for patients with acute coronary syndromes diagnosed with plaque erosion by optical coherence tomography and residual diameter stenosis <70%, deferred stenting appears a viable option.

In Search of Coronary Thrombosis as the Cause of Myocardial Infarction: Unraveling a 20th-Century Mystery.

For the greater part of the 20th century, the pathophysiology of acute myocardial infarction regarding whether thrombosis was either present or primary was debated until 1973 when pathologists and clinicians met and by consensus, finally decided that the data supported that transmural infarction (what we now refer to as ST elevation myocardial infarction or STEMI) was caused by thrombus in the vessel supplying the infarcted territory. As the data for this consensus came from pathological analysis, it took another 7 years until angiographic and interventional data in humans with acute presentations of transmural infarction convincingly indicated that thrombus was indeed responsible. Subsequently, in patients presenting with either syndromes of unstable angina or nontransmural (later called non-ST elevation) myocardial infarction, it was established through angiographic and other interventional approaches that thrombus formation was also causative in a substantial proportion of these patients. This article reviews the history and this search for causation of myocardial infarction that now has resulted in present therapies that have saved innumerable lives over the last 30 to 40 years.

The association of PRECISE-DAPT score with thrombus burden in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: The presence of intracoronary thrombus is associated with adverse events in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). PRECISE-DAPT score is used to detect the bleeding risk in STEMI patients who are on dual antiplatelet therapy. Recently, the PRECISE-DAPT score was shown to be related to cardiovascular events. We aimed to investigate the association of PRECISE-DAPT score with thrombus burden in patients with STEMI. METHODS: A retrospective analysis with 204 STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention was conducted in this study. Thrombus burden grade and PRECISE-DAPT score were calculated for each subject. Patients were divided into two groups as high thrombus burden (HTB) (grade 4, 5) and low thrombus burden (LTB) (grade 1, 2 and 3) based on thrombus burden grade. The PRECISE-DAPT scores were compared between thrombus burden groups. RESULTS: The mean age in HTB (N = 136) was 63.7 (11.3), and 64.7% were male. HTB had a higher PRECISE-DAPT score than LTB (p < .0001). PRECISE-DAPT score, baseline troponin I levels, ejection fraction, and pain to balloon time were independent predictors of HTB. CONCLUSIONS: PRECISE-DAPT score was an independent predictor of HTB in patients with STEMI.

Impact of Large Thrombus Burden on Very Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients Presenting With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

OBJECTIVES: The impact of large thrombus burden (LTB) on very long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is unknown. We compared very long-term clinical outcomes in STEMI patients with either LTB or small thrombus burden (STB). METHODS: Between 2002 and 2004, thrombus burden (TB) was evaluated in consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In occluded infarct-related arteries, TB was reclassified after flow restoration. LTB was defined as thrombus ≥2 vessel diameters. Major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate was evaluated at 10-year follow-up and survival data were collected up to 15 years post PCI. RESULTS: A total of 812 patients were enrolled, and TB assessment was available for 806 patients (99.3%); 580 patients (72.0%) had STB and 226 patients (28.0%) had LTB. Patients with LTB experienced more no reflow (4.0% vs 0.5%; P<.01) and distal embolization (17.3% vs 3.4%; P<.001) than STB patients. Ten-year MACE rate (42.5% vs 42.4%; P=.59), 10-year mortality rate (27.0% vs 26.4%; P=.75), and 15-year mortality rate (31.9% vs 35.9%; P=.29) were similar between STB and LTB groups, respectively. By landmark analysis, MACE rate was higher in the LTB group (15.9% vs 8.8%; P<.01) at 30 days, but not beyond (31.6% vs 36.9%; P=.28). There was no difference in mortality at any time point (at 30 days, 9.7% vs 6.2%; P=.08; beyond 30 days, 17.3% vs 20.5%; P=.48). LTB was an independent predictor of MACE at 30 days post PCI (hazard ratio, 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-2.51; P=.04). CONCLUSIONS: In STEMI patients, LTB might identify a subpopulation at high risk of no-reflow, distal embolization, and early ischemic events, but is not associated with worse clinical outcomes at long-term follow-up.

Can OCT change the therapeutic strategy in ACS due to plaque erosion?

The pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes was thought to be coronary thrombosis over a plaque rupture. Autopsy studies revealed that not all cases were due to plaque rupture, even denuded endothelium or calcific nodule can beget a thrombus. Introduction of OCT made, in vivo recognition of lesion morphology clear. Plaque ruptures are most common and need primary angioplasty. Recent studies established plaque erosion is responsible for ACS in one third of the cases and majority of them present as Non ST elevation myocardial infarction and commonly found in young patients without major risk factors. Evidence from recent studies suggested that stenting can be deferred and they can be managed conservatively with good long term outcomes. More randomized trials are needed comparing plaque rupture and plaque erosion as regards conservative versus invasive management. If these studies substantiate the concept of conservative management, it will lead to a paradigm shift in their management.

Lateral ST-elevation myocardial infarction after donation of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in a naïve donor.

A 34-year-old man presented with central chest pain heralded by bilateral arm numbness, tingling and pain soon after donation of 1000 mL of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CP). ECG showed ST-elevation in lateral leads and coronary angiogram showed large thrombus in diagonal branch of the left anterior descending artery. The patient underwent successful thrombus aspiration and percutaneous coronary intervention of diagonal branch. In this report, we describe a case of coronary thrombosis leading to ST-elevation myocardial infarction in a naïve plasma donor after donation of COVID-19 CP.

Undiagnosed Cardiac Sarcoidosis Causing Refractory Heart Failure After Acute Myocardial Infarction due to Thromboembolism.

A 61-year-old woman suffered chest pain and was admitted to a nearby hospital emergency department. She was diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction probably due to thromboembolism in the left anterior descending coronary artery and aspiration thrombectomy was performed. Afterwards, she developed refractory heart failure with severe global left ventricular dysfunction and was transferred to our hospital. An 18F-FDG-PET/CT scan revealed abnormal 18F-FDG uptake in non-infarcted regions of the left ventricle. Non-caseating granulomas were detected by biopsy from a skin eruption. She was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis. In cases of refractory heart failure which cannot be explained only by myocardial infarction, evaluation of other undiagnosed cardiomyopathies is important for optimal management.