Concomitant Mitral Regurgitation in Severe Aortic Stenosis　- A Report From the CURRENT AS Registry.

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of concomitant mitral regurgitation (MR) has not been well addressed in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS).Methods and Results:We analyzed 3,815 patients from a retrospective multicenter registry of severe AS in Japan (CURRENT AS registry). We compared the clinical outcomes between patients with moderate/severe MR and with none/mild MR according to the initial treatment strategy (initial aortic valve replacement [AVR] or conservative strategy). The primary outcome measure was a composite of aortic valve-related death or heart failure hospitalization. At baseline, moderate/severe MR was present in 227/1,197 (19%) patients with initial AVR strategy and in 536/2,618 (20%) patients with a conservative strategy. The crude cumulative 5-year incidence of the primary outcome measure was significantly higher in patients with moderate/severe MR than in those with none/mild MR, regardless of the initial treatment strategy (25.2% vs. 14.4%, P<0.001 in the initial AVR strategy, and 63.3% vs. 40.7%, P<0.001 in the conservative strategy). After adjusting confounders, moderate/severe MR was not independently associated with higher risk for the primary outcome measure in the initial AVR strategy (hazard ratio [HR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-1.83, P=0.69), and in the conservative strategy (HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.93-1.37, P=0.22). CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant moderate/severe MR was not independently associated with higher risk for the primary outcome measure regardless of the initial treatment strategy.

Effect of Multiple Prior Percutaneous Coronary Interventions on Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

BACKGROUND: The effect of multiple prior percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) before subsequent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on long-term outcomes has not been well elucidated.Methods and Results:Between 2007 and 2016, 1,154 patients undergoing primary isolated CABG in our institution had no prior PCI (Group N), 225 had a single prior PCI (Group S), and 272 had multiple prior PCIs (Group M). Cumulative incidences of all-cause death, cardiac death and myocardial infarction (MI) at 10 years post-CABG were highest in Group M. After adjusting for confounders, the risk of all-cause death was higher in Group M than in Group N (hazard ratio [HR] 1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.91; P<0.01). Between Groups N and S, however, the risk of all-cause death was not different. The risks of cardiac death and MI were likewise higher in Group M than in Group N (HR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.55-3.71; P<0.01 and HR, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.16-11.5; P=0.03, respectively), but not different between Groups N and S. The risk of repeat revascularization was not different among any of the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple prior PCIs was associated with higher risks of long-term death and cardiovascular events. The incidence of repeat revascularization after CABG was low regardless of the history of single/multiple PCIs.

Percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary arterial bypass grafting in patients with multi-vessel coronary revascularization (from the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry/cohort-2).

OBJECTIVE: To assess long-term outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent only compared with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with triple-vessel disease. BACKGROUND: Selection between PCI and CABG is still a clinically relevant issue in the management of patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease. METHODS: Among 15,939 patients enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry/cohort-2, the current study population consisted of 2,193 patients who underwent elective multi-vessel coronary revascularization including left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) either by PCI with sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) only (N = 945) or CABG (N = 1,248). RESULTS: The cumulative 5-year incidence of and the adjusted risk for the primary outcome measure (a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], or stroke) were not significantly different between PCI and CABG groups (22.6% vs. 23.0%, p = .40, and HR: 1.13, 95%CI: 0.91-1.40, p = .26). The risk of PCI relative to CABG for all-cause death and stroke was also insignificant (HR: 1.19, 95%CI: 0.92-1.53, p = .19; HR: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.62-1.27, p = .51). The adjusted 5-year risk for MI, hospitalization for heart failure (HF), any coronary revascularization and major bleeding was significantly different between the groups (HR: 1.59, 95%CI: 1.10-2.30, p = .01; HR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.05-2.11, p = .02; HR: 3.70, 95%CI: 2.91-4.70, p < .0001; HR: 0.18, 95%CI: 0.14-0.22, p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients who underwent coronary revascularization for multiple vessels including LAD, PCI using SES as compared with CABG was associated with a comparable 5-year risk for death/MI/stroke as well as for mortality, but with a markedly higher risk for any coronary revascularization.

Diabetes Mellitus and Long-Term Risk for Heart Failure After Coronary Revascularization.

BACKGROUND: The effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) status on the long-term risk for heart failure (HF) in patients undergoing coronary revascularization has not been adequately evaluated.Methods and Results:In this study, 15,231 patients who underwent coronary revascularization in the CREDO-Kyoto Registry Cohort-2 were divided into 2 groups according to DM status (DM group: n=5,999; Non-DM group: n=9,232). The DM group was further divided into 2 groups according to insulin treatment (insulin-treated DM [ITDM]: n=1,353; non-insulin-treated DM [NITDM]: n=4,646). The primary outcome measure was HF hospitalization. The cumulative 5-year incidence of HF hospitalization was significantly higher in the DM than non-DM group (11.0% vs. 6.6%, respectively; log-rank P<0.0001), and in the ITDM than NITDM group (14.6% vs. 10.0%, respectively; log-rank P<0.0001). After adjusting for confounders, the increased risk of HF hospitalization with DM relative to non-DM remained significant (hazard ratio [HR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-1.67, P<0.0001), whereas the risk associated with ITDM relative to NITDM was not significant (HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.96-1.43, P=0.12). CONCLUSIONS: The adjusted long-term risk for HF hospitalization after coronary revascularization was significantly higher in DM than non-DM patients, regardless of revascularization strategy, but did not differ between ITDM and NITDM patients.

Exacerbation of mitral regurgitation after tricuspid valve replacement for isolated tricuspid regurgitation.

A 74-year-old woman, with a history of aortic valve replacement and open mitral commissurotomy due to rheumatic aortic and mitral stenosis, presented with dyspnea. She developed severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR), requiring tricuspid valve replacement (TVR). Despite an uneventful postoperative course, she was readmitted for dyspnea 2 months later. Trans-thoracic echocardiogram revealed severe mitral regurgitation (MR), despite mild MR at the time of TVR, which has not been previously reported. The main MR mechanism was increased left ventricular preload due to improved TR. Increased diuresis has controlled her congestive heart failure, but her MR remained moderate.

Insights into the mechanism of paradoxical low-flow, low-pressure gradient severe aortic stenosis: association with reduced O2 consumption by the whole body.

The mechanism of reduced stroke volume index (SVi) in paradoxical low-flow, low-pressure gradient (PLFLPG) aortic stenosis (AS) remains unclarified. Guyton et al. ( 21 ) demonstrated that SVi is determined by whole body O2 consumption (V̇o2) in many subjects, including patients with heart disease. We hypothesized that reduced SVi in PLFLPG AS is associated with reduced V̇o2 by the whole body. This study investigated the relationship between V̇o2, SVi, and AS severity in patients with AS to examine the association between reduced V̇o2 and PLFLPG AS. In 59 patients (24 men and 35 women, mean age: 78 ± 7 yr old) with severe AS, SVi, AS severity, and type were evaluated by echocardiography, and V̇o2 was measured by the fraction of O2 in expired gases. SVi and V̇o2 were significantly decreased in 20 patients with PLFLPG AS compared with 39 patients with non-PLFLPG AS (30 ± 4 vs. 41 ± 7 ml/m2 and 2.4 ± 0.5 vs. 3.0 ± 0.5 ml·min-1·kg-1, respectively, P < 0.01). The SVi-to-V̇o2 ratio was not different between the two groups (13.1 ± 2.6 vs. 13.6 ± 2.1, not significant). SVi was independently correlated with V̇o2 ( r = 0.74, P < 0.01) but not with the aortic valve area index. Categorized PLFLPG AS was also significantly associated with reduced V̇o2 ( P < 0.001). PLFLPG AS is associated with reduced V̇o2 by the whole body, which may offer insights into the mechanism of PLFLPG AS. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Paradoxical low-flow, low-pressure gradient severe aortic stenosis (PLFLPG AS) is an important and problematic subtype, and its central pathophysiology with reduced stroke volume is yet to be clarified. We hypothesized and subsequently clarified that reduced stroke volume in PLFLPG AS is associated with reduced O2 consumption by the whole body. This study suggests important insights into the mechanism of PLFLPG AS and may further promote studies to investigate further mechanisms and novel treatment.

Surgical Ineligibility and Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With Severe Coronary Artery Disease.

BACKGROUND: In patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD) requiring coronary revascularization, the prevalence of surgical ineligibility and its clinical effect on long-term outcomes remain unclear.Methods and Results:Among 15,939 patients with first coronary revascularization in the CREDO-Kyoto percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)/coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) registry cohort-2, we identified 3,982 patients with triple-vessel or left main disease (PCI: n=2,188, and CABG: n=1,794). Surgical ineligibility as documented in hospital charts was present in 142 (6.5%) of 2,188 PCI-patients, which was mainly related to comorbidities and advanced age. The cumulative 5-year incidence of the primary outcome measure (all-cause death/myocardial infarction/stroke) was much higher in PCI-patients with surgical ineligibility than in PCI-patients without surgical ineligibility and in CABG-patients (52.5%, 27.6%, and 24.0%, respectively, log-rank P<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, the excess risk of PCI-patients with surgical ineligibility relative to CABG-patients was substantial (hazard ratio [HR] 1.97, 95% CI 1.51-2.58, P<0.001), while the excess risk of PCI-patients without surgical ineligibility relative to CABG-patients was modest, but remained significant (HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.19-1.59, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with severe CAD, PCI-patients with surgical ineligibility had worse long-term outcomes as compared with those without surgical ineligibility and CABG-patients.

Valve Hemodynamics and Clinical Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement for a Small Aortic Annulus.

The hemodynamics and outcomes in patients with a small aortic annulus (SAA) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with a second-generation transcatheter heart valve remain unclear. We investigated whether TAVR with a Sapien XT (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) influences postprocedural valve hemodynamics and long-term outcome in high-risk SAA patients compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).We retrospectively identified 94 SAA patients who underwent aortic valve replacement (TAVR = 35 and SAVR = 59). SAA was defined as an aortic annulus diameter ≤ 20 mm, measured by preprocedural transesophageal echocardiography.The mean age was 80.2 years. The mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons-Predicted Risk of Mortality was 6.8%. The post-procedural peak transvalvular velocity and mean pressure gradient were significantly lower in the TAVR cohort than in the SAVR cohort, whereas the postprocedural aortic valve area was significantly higher in the TAVR cohort. Severe prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) occurred less frequently after TAVR than SAVR (TAVR 2.9% versus SAVR 22.0%, P = 0.01). The two-year mortality in SAA patients was similar between the two groups.TAVR with a Sapien XT in SAA patients improved the valve hemodynamics and reduced the incidence of PPM compared with SAVR. TAVR patients had a similar 2-year mortality despite higher risk baseline characteristics. To avoid PPM and the consequent poor outcomes, TAVR can be considered an alternative option to SAVR in high surgical risk patients with SAA.

Surgical as Opposed to Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Improves Basal Interventricular Septal Hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Basal interventricular septum (IVS) hypertrophy (BSH) with reduced basal IVS contraction and IVS-aorta angle is frequently associated with aortic stenosis (AS). BSH shape suggests compression by the longitudinally elongated ascending aorta, causing basal IVS thickening and contractile dysfunction, further suggesting the possibility of aortic wall shortening to improve the BSH. Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), as opposed to transcatheter AVR (TAVR), includes aortic wall shortening by incision and stitching on the wall and may potentially improve BSH. We hypothesized that BSH configuration and its contraction improves after SAVR in patients with AS. Methods and Results: In 32 patients with SAVR and 36 with TAVR for AS, regional wall thickness and systolic contraction (longitudinal strain) of 18 left ventricular (LV) segments, and IVS-aorta angle were measured on echocardiography. After SAVR, basal IVS/average LV wall thickness ratio, basal IVS strain, and IVS-aorta angle significantly improved (1.11±0.24 to 1.06±0.17; -6.2±5.7 to -9.1±5.2%; 115±22 to 123±14°, P<0.001, respectively). Contractile improvement in basal IVS was correlated with pre-SAVR BSH (basal IVS/average LV wall thickness ratio or IVS-aorta angle: r=0.47 and 0.49, P<0.01, respectively). In contrast, BSH indices did not improve after TAVR. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AS, SAVR as opposed to TAVR improves associated BSH and its functional impairment.

Early Surgery vs. Surgery After Watchful Waiting for Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: There is no large-scale study comparing postoperative mortality after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) between initial treatment with AVR vs. eventual AVR after conservative management. Methods and Results: We analyzed data from a multicenter registry enrolling 3,815 consecutive patients with severe AS. Of 1,808 asymptomatic patients, 286 patients initially underwent AVR (initial AVR group), and 377 patients were initially managed conservatively and eventually underwent AVR (AVR after watchful waiting group). Mortality after AVR was compared between the 2 groups. Subgroup analysis according to peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) at diagnosis was also conducted. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in 5-year overall survival (OS; 86.0% vs. 84.1%, P=0.34) or cardiovascular death-free survival (DFS; 91.3% vs. 91.1%, P=0.61), but on subgroup analysis of patients with Vmax ≥4.5 m/s at diagnosis, the initial AVR group was superior to the AVR after watchful waiting group in both 5-year OS (88.4% vs. 70.6%, P=0.003) and cardiovascular DFS (91.9% vs. 81.7%, P=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic severe AS patients who underwent AVR after watchful waiting had a postoperative survival rate similar to those who initially underwent AVR. In a subgroup of patients with Vmax ≥4.5 m/s at diagnosis, however, the AVR after watchful waiting group had worse postoperative survival rate than the initial AVR group.

Effects of Age and Sex on Clinical Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Relative to Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With Triple-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease.

BACKGROUND: Age and sex are important considerations in the choice between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in daily clinical practice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 25 816 patients enrolled in the multicenter Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto (CREDO-Kyoto; Cohort-1, n=9877; Cohort-2, n=15 939), the present study population consisted of 5651 patients (men, n=3998; women, n=1653) with triple-vessel coronary artery disease who were considered to be pertinent in comparisons of PCI with CABG (PCI, n=3165; CABG, n=2486). Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the tertiles of age: ≤65 years (n=1972), 66 to 73 years (n=1820), and ≥74 years (n=1859). The excess adjusted mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG was significant in patients ≥74 years of age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.79; P=0.006), whereas the risks were neutral in patients ≤65 years of age (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.73-1.53; P=0.78) and in patients 66 to 73 years of age (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.78-1.36; P=0.85; interaction P=0.003). The excess mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG was significant in men (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03-1.50; P=0.02) and trended to be significant in women (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.98-1.84; P=0.07) without significant interaction between sex and the mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG (interaction P=0.40). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant association between age and the mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG with excess risk in patients ≥74 years of age and neutral risk in younger patients. There was no significant sex-related difference in the mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG.

Five-Year Clinical Outcome of Asymptomatic vs. Symptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis After Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND: There is discordance regarding the effect of symptom status before aortic valve replacement (AVR) on long-term outcome after AVR in severe aortic stenosis (AS).Methods and Results:The CURRENT AS registry is a multicenter retrospective registry enrolling 3,815 consecutive patients with severe AS. Among 1,196 patients managed with the initial AVR strategy, long-term clinical outcomes were compared between the symptomatic patients (n=905), and asymptomatic patients (n=291). Median follow-up interval was 1337 days with a 91% follow-up rate at 2 years. AVR was performed in 886 patients (98%) in the symptomatic group and in 287 patients (99%) in the asymptomatic group. Symptomatic patients were older and more often had comorbidities than asymptomatic patients with similar echocardiographic AS severity. The cumulative 5-year incidences of all-cause death and heart failure (HF) hospitalization were significantly higher in symptomatic patients than in asymptomatic patients (25.6% vs. 15.4%, P=0.001, and 14.2% vs. 3.8%, P<0.001, respectively). On landmark analysis at 30 days after AVR, the differences in mortality and HF hospitalization between the 2 groups were mainly observed beyond 30 days. CONCLUSIONS: When managed with the initial AVR strategy, the long-term outcomes of symptomatic severe AS were worse than those of asymptomatic severe AS. Early AVR strategy might be recommended in some selected asymptomatic severe AS patients with reasonable operative risk.

Abdominal surgery for gastric cancer following coronary artery bypass grafting using an in situ right gastroepiploic artery graft.

BACKGROUND: The right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) is often used for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in Japan. As gastric cancer has a high prevalence in many Asian countries, we investigated problems with surgery for gastric cancer after CABG using the RGEA. METHODS: A total of 860 patients underwent CABG using the RGEA between January 1997 and December 2006. Of these, 13 patients underwent surgery for gastric cancer after CABG. In all cases, the RGEA was harvested by the skeletonization technique, and an antegastric route was used for the anastomosis. RESULTS: Dissection for the No. 6 lymph node was not performed in all cases because of the risk of graft injury. Graft injury during gastric surgery occurred in one patient and post-operative ventricular fibrillation (VF) was observed in two patients. One case of hospital death due to VF and two cases of remote death were encountered. CONCLUSIONS: In planning a resection for gastric cancer following a CABG with a patent RGEA graft, the potential for graft injury must be anticipated. In advanced stages of gastric cancer when the RGEA needs to be resected to dissect the No.6 lymph node, a pre-operative percutaneous coronary intervention or a reoperative CABG may be indicated.

Early Safety and Efficacy of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for Asian Nonagenarians (from KMH Registry).

As Japan has one of the most rapidly aging populations in the world, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is likely to be performed in increasing numbers of older people. There is little information on either the efficacy or the safety of TAVI in nonagenarians in Asia.From October 2013 to June 2015, 112 consecutive patients underwent TAVI with Edwards SAPIEN XT valves in our institution. We compared 25 patients aged at least 90 years (mean 91.6 ± 1.7 years) with 87 patients aged under 90 years (mean 82.5 ± 6.0 years) at the time of TAVI. All definitions of clinical endpoints and adverse events were based on the Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 definitions.The median follow-up interval was 561.5 days (the first and third quarters, 405.0 and 735.8 days). Nonagenarians had a higher logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE), Euro II score, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons predictive risk of mortality (STS) score, and a prevalence of clinical frailty scale ≥ 4. The rate of device success, and the 30-day and 6-month mortalities were not different between patients aged ≥ 90 years and < 90 years (96.0% versus 92.0%, P = 0.68; both 0%, P = 1.00; 4.0% versus 3.5%, P = 0.32, respectively). At six months, clinical efficacy and time-related valve safety were also similar in the two groups (12.5% versus 13.4%, P = 1.00; 4.5% versus 10.3%, P = 0.68, respectively). The cumulative 1-year mortalities were not significantly different between the two groups (8.4% versus 9.4%, P = 0.94, respectively).TAVI can contribute to acceptable clinical results and benefits in a carefully selected group of nonagenarians in Asia.

Favorable Clinical Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Japanese Patients　- First Report From the Post-Approval K-TAVI Registry.

BACKGROUND: Very limited data exist on the outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) since Japanese marketing approval of the first TAVI device.Methods and Results:The Kyoto University-related hospital Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (K-TAVI) registry includes prospectively collected data from 6 participating hospitals in Japan. We included 302 patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI using the SAPIEN XT balloon-expandable valve via transfemoral (TF; n=203, 67%) or transapical (TA; n=99, 33%) approach between October 2013 and September 2015. Device success rate, based on the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria, was very high in the TF (97.0%) and TA (99.0%) groups. The 30-day mortality rates were 1.5% and 1.0% in the TF and TA groups, respectively. Major complications included stroke (transient or persistent: 2.3%), annulus rupture (1.0%), coronary intervention (1.0%), major vascular complications (1.7%), and permanent pacemaker implantation (5.4%). The procedure times of the post-proctoring period (n=210) were decreased compared with those of the proctoring period (n=89) without affecting the clinical outcomes. The survival rates at 6 and 12 months were 96.9% and 92.5% in the TF group, and 93.9% and 91.8% in the TA group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The K-TAVI registry data revealed that the early outcomes of TAVI using the SAPIEN XT were favorable in real-world Japanese patients.

Comparison of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Disease - 5-Year Outcome From CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG Registry Cohort-2 - .

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating long-term (≥5 years) outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease (ULMCAD) are still limited, despite concerns for late adverse events after drug-eluting stents implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 1,004 patients with ULMCAD (PCI: n=364, CABG: n=640) among 15,939 patients with first coronary revascularization enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry cohort-2. The primary outcome measure in the current analysis was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke (death/MI/stroke). The cumulative 5-year incidence of and the adjusted risk for death/MI/stroke were significantly higher in the PCI group than in the CABG group (34.5% vs. 24.1%, log-rank P<0.001, adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.48 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-2.05, P=0.02]). The adjusted risks for all-cause death was not significantly different between the 2 groups. Regarding the stratified analysis by the SYNTAX score, the adjusted risk for death/MI/stroke was not significantly different between the 2 groups in patients with low (<23) or intermediate (23-33) SYNTAX score, whereas it was significantly higher in the PCI group than in the CABG group in patients with high (≤33) SYNTAX score. CONCLUSIONS: CABG as compared with PCI was associated with better long-term outcome in patients with ULMCAD, especially those with high anatomical complexity.

Mitral regurgitation is associated with similar loss of von Willebrand factor large multimers but lower frequency of anemia compared with aortic stenosis.

Background: Various cardiovascular diseases cause acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS), which is characterized by a decrease in high-molecular-weight (large) von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimers. Mitral regurgitation (MR) has been reported as a cause of AVWS. However, much remains unclear about AVWS associated with MR. Objectives: To evaluate VWF multimers in MR patients and examine their impact on clinical characteristics. Methods: Moderate or severe MR patients (n = 84) were enrolled. VWF parameters such as the VWF large multimer index (VWF-LMI), a quantitative value that represents the amount of VWF large multimers, and clinical data were prospectively analyzed. Results: At baseline, the mean hemoglobin level was 12.9 ± 1.9 g/dL and 58 patients (69.0%) showed loss of VWF large multimers defined as VWF-LMI < 80%. VWF-LMI in patients with degenerative MR was lower than in those with functional MR. VWF-LMI appeared to be restored the day after mitral valve intervention, and the improvement was maintained 1 month after the intervention. Seven patients (8.3%) had a history of bleeding, 6 (7.1%) of whom had gastrointestinal bleeding. Gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed in 23 patients (27.4%) to investigate overt gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia, etc. Angiodysplasia was detected in 2 of the 23 patients (8.7%). Conclusion: Moderate or severe MR is frequently associated with loss of VWF large multimers, and degenerative MR may cause more severe loss compared with functional MR. Mitral valve intervention corrects the loss of VWF large multimers. Gastrointestinal bleeding may be relatively less frequent and hemoglobin level remains stable in MR patients.

Life Expectancy of Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis in Relation to Age and Surgical Risk Score.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data regarding shorter life expectancy after aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). METHODS: Among 3815 patients with severe AS enrolled in the CURRENT AS (Contemporary outcomes after sURgery and medical tREatmeNT in patients with severe Aortic Stenosis) registry, there were 1469 patients (initial AVR: n = 647; conservative strategy: n = 822) with low surgical risk, 1642 patients (initial AVR: n = 433; conservative strategy: n = 1209) with intermediate surgical risk, and 704 patients (initial AVR: n = 117; conservative strategy: n = 587) with high surgical risk. Among 1163 patients who actually underwent surgical AVR as the initial strategy, patients were divided into 4 groups according to age <65 years (n = 185), 65 to 74 (n = 394), 75 to 80 (n = 345), and >80 (n = 239). The expected survival of the general Japanese population was obtained from the Statistics Bureau of Japan. The surgical risk was estimated using The Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) score. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 3.7 years. The cumulative incidences of all-cause death were significantly lower in the initial AVR strategy than in the initial conservative strategy across the 3 STS groups. Shorter life expectancy after surgical AVR was seen especially in younger patients. The observed mortality in low-risk patients was comparable to the expected mortality across all the age-groups, while intermediate-risk patients aged <75 years, and high-risk patients across all age-groups had higher mortality compared with the expected mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The risk stratification according to age and STS score might be useful to estimate shorter life expectancy after AVR, and these findings have implications for decision making in the choice of surgical or transcatheter AVR.

Modifiers of the Risk of Diabetes for Long-Term Outcomes After Coronary Revascularization: CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG Registry.

Background: Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for adverse outcomes after coronary revascularization. Objectives: This study sought to determine high-risk subgroups in whom the excess risks of diabetes relative to nondiabetes are particularly prominent and thus may benefit from more aggressive interventions. Methods: The study population consisted of 39,427 patients (diabetes: n = 15,561; nondiabetes: n = 23,866) who underwent first percutaneous coronary intervention (n = 33,144) or coronary artery bypass graft (n = 6,283) in the pooled CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG (Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) registry. The primary outcome measure was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral endpoints (MACCE), which was defined as a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Results: With median follow-up of 5.6 years, diabetes was associated with significantly higher adjusted risks for MACCE. The excess adjusted risks of diabetes relative to nondiabetes for MACCE increased with younger age (≤64 years: adjusted HR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.19-1.41; P < 0.001; 64-73 years: adjusted HR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.16-1.33; P < 0.001; >73 years: adjusted HR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.10-1.23; P < 0.001; P interaction < 0.001), mainly driven by greater excess adjusted mortality risk of diabetes relative to nondiabetes in younger tertile. No significant interaction was observed between adjusted risk of diabetes relative to nondiabetes for MACCE and other subgroups such as sex, mode of revascularization, and clinical presentation of acute myocardial infarction. Conclusions: The excess risk of diabetes relative to nondiabetes for MACCE was profound in the younger population. This observation suggests more aggressive interventions for secondary prevention in patients with diabetes might be particularly relevant in younger patients.