The Impact of HIV Upon the PCI Results: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to comprehensively evaluate the latest evidences and summarise the impact of HIV on PCI outcomes. A PRISMA guided literature search was conducted on 14 February 2024 in Web of Science, PubMed, Virtual Health Library, Google Scholar and Scopus. We searched with the term '("percutaneous coronary intervention" OR "PCI") AND ("human immunodeficiency virus" OR "HIV" OR "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome" OR "AIDS")' after selecting the keywords from randomly chosen included papers. We included 8 papers of 781 screened records. HIV (+) patients had significant in-hospital, 1-year and overall (event at the last follow up point) all-cause mortality compared to HIV (-) group (OR: 1.73, 95%CI: 1.57-1.90, p < 0.01), (OR: 1.39, 95%CI: 1.07-1.81, p = 0.01) and (OR: 1.69, 95%CI: 1.55-1.85, p < 0.01), respectively. HIV (+) patients had significantly higher odds of developing MACE (OR: 1.35, 95%CI: 1.12-1.62, p = 0.001) compared to the HIV (-) group. No differences between both groups were detected regarding in-hospital and overall CV mortality, TVR, TLR, post-PCI TIMI grade 3 flow, cerebrovascular accidents and recurrent coronary events (p > 0.05). Our study revealed that people with HIV who underwent PCI in this modern era may have worse short and long-term PCI outcomes. This finding highlights the need for specialised cardiovascular care protocols for the HIV population. However, enhanced clinical management and preventative measures are imperative to improve PCI success rates in patients with HIV.

Acute myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke: differences and similarities in reperfusion therapies-a review.

Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) share a number of similarities. However, important differences in pathophysiology demand a disease-tailored approach. In both conditions, fast treatment plays a crucial role as ischaemia and eventually infarction develop rapidly. Furthermore, in both fields, the introduction of fibrinolytic treatments historically preceded the implementation of endovascular techniques. However, in contrast to STEMI, only a minority of AIS patients will eventually be considered eligible for reperfusion treatment. Non-invasive cerebral imaging always precedes cerebral angiography and thrombectomy, whereas coronary angiography is not routinely preceded by non-invasive cardiac imaging in patients with STEMI. In the late or unknown time window, the presence of specific patterns on brain imaging may help identify AIS patients who benefit most from reperfusion treatment. For STEMI, a uniform time window for reperfusion up to 12 h after symptom onset, based on old placebo-controlled trials, is still recommended in guidelines and generally applied. Bridging fibrinolysis preceding endovascular treatment still remains the mainstay of reperfusion treatment in AIS, while primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the strategy of choice in STEMI. Shortening ischaemic times by fine-tuning collaboration networks between ambulances, community hospitals, and tertiary care hospitals, optimizing bridging fibrinolysis, and reducing ischaemia-reperfusion injury are important topics for further research. The aim of this review is to provide insights into the common as well as diverging pathophysiology behind current reperfusion strategies and to explore new ways to enhance their clinical benefit.

Coronary bypass surgery for multivessel disease after percutaneous coronary intervention in acute coronary syndromes: why, for whom, how early?

Multivessel coronary artery disease is present in ∼50% of patients with acute coronary syndrome and, compared with single-vessel disease, entails a higher risk of new ischaemic events and a worse prognosis. Randomized controlled trials have shown the superiority of 'complete revascularization' over culprit lesion-only treatment. Trials, however, only included patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and evidence regarding complete revascularization with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery after culprit lesion-only PCI ('hybrid revascularization') is lacking. The CABG after PCI is an open, non-negligible therapeutic option, for patients with non-culprit left main and/or left anterior descending coronary artery disease where evidence in chronic coronary syndrome patients points in several cases to a preference of CABG over PCI. This valuable but poorly studied 'PCI first-CABG later' option presents, however, relevant challenges, mostly in the need of interrupting post-stenting dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for surgery to prevent excess bleeding. Depending on patients' clinical characteristics and coronary anatomical features, either deferring surgery after a safe interruption of DAPT or bridging DAPT interruption with intravenous short-acting antithrombotic agents appears to be a suitable option. Off-pump minimally invasive surgical revascularization, associated with less operative bleeding than open-chest surgery, may be an adjunctive strategy when revascularization cannot be safely deferred and DAPT is not interrupted. Here, the rationale, patient selection, optimal timing, and adjunctive strategies are reviewed for an ideal approach to hybrid revascularization in post-acute coronary syndrome patients to support physicians' choices in a case-by-case patient-tailored approach.

Dissociations between spontaneous electroencephalographic features and the perturbational complexity index in the minimally conscious state.

The analysis of spontaneous electroencephalogram (EEG) is a cornerstone in the assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). Although preserved EEG patterns are highly suggestive of consciousness even in unresponsive patients, moderately or severely abnormal patterns are difficult to interpret. Indeed, growing evidence shows that consciousness can be present despite either large delta or reduced alpha activity in spontaneous EEG. Quantifying the complexity of EEG responses to direct cortical perturbations (perturbational complexity index [PCI]) may complement the observational approach and provide a reliable assessment of consciousness even when spontaneous EEG features are inconclusive. To seek empirical evidence of this hypothesis, we compared PCI with EEG spectral measures in the same population of minimally conscious state (MCS) patients (n = 40) hospitalized in rehabilitation facilities. We found a remarkable variability in spontaneous EEG features across MCS patients as compared with healthy controls: in particular, a pattern of predominant delta and highly reduced alpha power-more often observed in vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) patients-was found in a non-negligible number of MCS patients. Conversely, PCI values invariably fell above an externally validated empirical cutoff for consciousness in all MCS patients, consistent with the presence of clearly discernible, albeit fleeting, behavioural signs of awareness. These results confirm that, in some MCS patients, spontaneous EEG rhythms may be inconclusive about the actual capacity for consciousness and suggest that a perturbational approach can effectively compensate for this pitfall with practical implications for the individual patient's stratification and tailored rehabilitation.

Laminar evoked responses in mouse somatosensory cortex suggest a special role for deep layers in cortical complexity.

It has been suggested that consciousness is closely related to the complexity of the brain. The perturbational complexity index (PCI) has been used in humans and rodents to distinguish conscious from unconscious states based on the global cortical responses (recorded by electroencephalography, EEG) to local cortical stimulation (CS). However, it is unclear how different cortical layers respond to CS and contribute to the resulting intra- and inter-areal cortical connectivity and PCI. A detailed investigation of the local dynamics is needed to understand the basis for PCI. We hypothesized that the complexity level of global cortical responses (PCI) correlates with layer-specific activity and connectivity. We tested this idea by measuring global cortical dynamics and layer-specific activity in the somatosensory cortex (S1) of mice, combining cortical electrical stimulation in deep motor cortex, global electrocorticography (ECoG) and local laminar recordings from layers 1-6 in S1, during wakefulness and general anaesthesia (sevoflurane). We found that the transition from wake to sevoflurane anaesthesia correlated with a drop in both the global and local PCI (PCIst ) values (complexity). This was accompanied by a local decrease in neural firing rate, spike-field coherence and long-range functional connectivity specific to deep layers (L5, L6). Our results suggest that deep cortical layers are mechanistically important for changes in PCI and thereby for changes in the state of consciousness.

Elevated levels of plasma inactive stromal cell derived factor-1α predict poor long-term outcomes in diabetic patients following percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Since the complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), appropriate risk estimation is needed in diabetic patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, there is no useful biomarker to predict outcomes in this population. Although stromal cell derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), a circulating chemokine, was shown to have cardioprotective roles, the prognostic impact of SDF-1α in diabetic patients with CAD is yet to be fully elucidated. Moreover, roles of SDF-1α isoforms in outcome prediction remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prognostic implication of three forms of SDF-1α including total, active, and inactive forms of SDF-1α in patients with DM and after PCI. METHODS: This single-center retrospective analysis involved consecutive patients with diabetes who underwent PCI for the first time between 2008 and 2018 (n = 849). Primary and secondary outcome measures were all-cause death and the composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke (3P-MACE), respectively. For determining plasma levels of SDF-1α, we measured not only total, but also the active type of SDF-1α by ELISA. Inactive isoform of the SDF-1α was calculated by subtracting the active isoform from total SDF-1α. RESULTS: Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed increased risk of both all-cause death and 3P-MACE in patients with elevated levels of inactive SDF-1α. However, plasma levels of total and active SDF-1α were not associated with cumulative incidences of outcome measures. Multivariate Cox hazard analyses repeatedly indicated the 1 higher log-transformed inactive SDF-1α was significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio (HR): 2.64, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-5.34, p = 0.008) and 3P-MACE (HR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.12-5.46, p = 0.02). Moreover, the predictive performance of inactive SDF-1α was higher than that of total SDF-1α (C-statistics of inactive and total SDF-1α for all-cause death: 0.631 vs 0.554, for 3P-MACE: 0.623 vs 0.524, respectively). CONCLUSION: The study results indicate that elevated levels of plasma inactive SDF-1α might be a useful indicator of poor long-term outcomes in diabetic patients following PCI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study describes a retrospective analysis of a prospective registry database of patients who underwent PCI at Juntendo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan (Juntendo Physicians' Alliance for Clinical Trials, J-PACT), which is publicly registered (University Medical Information Network Japan-Clinical Trials Registry, UMIN-CTR 000035587).

Efficacy of revascularization in CTO patients based on hibernating myocardium therapy.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) is still uncertain, especially for patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. This study aimed to assess hibernating myocardium (HM), as determined by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET), and to compare the benefits of PCI and optimal medical therapy (OMT). METHODS: A retrospective study collected data from 332 patients with CTO and ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. The study compared patients who underwent PCI or OMT via propensity score matching (PSM) analysis which was performed with a 1:2 matching protocol using the nearest neighbour matching algorithm. The primary endpoint of the study was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiac death, readmission for worsening heart failure (WHF), revascularization and myocardial infarction (MI). RESULTS: After PSM, there were a total of 246 individuals in the PCI and OMT groups. Following Cox regression, hibernating myocardium/total perfusion defect (HM/TPD) was identified as an independent risk factor (hazard ratio (HR): 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.008-1.052, p = .007). The cut-off value of HM/TPD was 38%. The results of the subgroup analysis suggest that for patients with HM/TPD >38%, the OMT group had a greater risk of MACE (p = .035). A sensitivity analysis restricting patients with single-vessel CTO lesions, HM/TPD remained an independent predictor (HR 1.025, 95% CI 1.008-1.043, p = .005). CONCLUSION: HM/TPD is an independent predictor of MACE, and for patients with HM/TPD > 38%, CTO-PCI had a lower risk of MACE compared with OMT. However, further validation is still needed through large-scale studies.

Assessing Quality in Interventional Practice: Identifying Meaningful and Actionable Metrics.

Interventional cardiologists should insist on quality assessment techniques that indisputably reflect the merit of care delivered. Only measurable outcomes and metrics that are modifiable should be identified and collected. An evaluation process should be adopted that genuinely appraises clinical practice, incorporating appropriate benchmarks for comparison.

International survey of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention operators.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) practice has received limited study. AIM: To examine the contemporary CTO PCI practice. METHODS: We performed an online, anonymous, international survey of CTO PCI operators. RESULTS: Five hundred forty-five CTO PCI operators and 190 interventional cardiology fellows with an interest in CTO PCI participated in this survey. Almost half were from the United States (41%), most (93%) were men, and the median h/week spent in the hospital was 58. Median annual case numbers were 205 (150-328) for PCIs and 20 (5-50) for CTO PCIs. Almost one-fifth (17%) entered CTO cases into registries, such as PROGRESS-CTO (55%) and EuroCTO (20%). More than one-third worked at academic institutions (39%), 31% trained dedicated CTO fellows, and 22% proctored CTO PCI. One-third (34%) had dedicated CTO PCI days. Most (51%) never discharged CTO patients the same day, while 17% discharged CTO patients the same day >50% of the time. After successful guidewire crossing, 38% used intravascular imaging >90% of the time. Most used CTO scores including J-CTO (81%), PROGRESS-CTO (35%), and PROGRESS-CTO complications scores (30%). Coronary artery perforation was encountered within the last month by 19%. On a scale of 0-10, the median comfort levels in treating coronary artery perforation were: covered stents 8.8 (7.0-10), coil embolization 5.0 (2.1-8.5), and fat embolization 3.7 (0.6-7.3). Most (51%) participants had a complication cart/kit and 25% conducted regular complication drills with catheterization laboratory staff. CONCLUSION: Contemporary CTO PCI practices vary widely. Further research on barriers to following the guiding principles of CTO PCI may improve patient outcomes.

Prevalence and prognostic impact of complex percutaneous coronary intervention among octogenarians.

BACKGROUND: The number of octogenarians referred to percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is rising steadily. The prevalence and prognostic impact of complex PCI (CPCI) in this vulnerable population has not been fully evaluated. METHODS: Patients ≥80 years old who underwent PCI between 2012 and 2019 at Mount Sinai Hospital were included. Patients were categorized based on PCI complexity, defined as the presence of at least one of the following criteria: use of atherectomy, total stent length ≥60 mm, ≥3 stents implanted, bifurcation treated with at least 2 stents, PCI involving ≥3 vessels, ≥3 lesions, left main, saphenous vein graft or chronic total occlusion. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target-vessel revascularization (TVR), within 1 year after PCI. Secondary outcomes included major bleeding. RESULTS: Among 2657 octogenarians, 1387 (52%) underwent CPCI and were more likely to be men and to have cardiovascular risk factors or comorbidities. CPCI as compared with no-CPCI was associated with a higher 1-year risk of MACE (16.6% vs. 11.1%, adjusted HR 1.3, 95% CI 1.06-1.77, p value 0.017), due to an excess of MI and TVR, and major bleeding (10% vs. 5.8%, adjusted HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.20-2.55, p value 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Among octogenarians, CPCI was associated with a significantly higher 1-year risk of MACE, due to higher rates of MI and TVR but not of all-cause death, and of major bleeding. Strategies to reduce complications should be implemented in octogenarians undergoing CPCI.

Outcomes of ultra-low contrast percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased risk of contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) and requirement for renal replacement therapy (RRT). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate our single center experience of ultra-low contrast PCI in patients with CKD and to characterize 1 year outcomes. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of ultra-low contrast PCI at our institution between 2016 and 2022. Patients with CKD3b-5 (eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73m2), not on RRT who underwent ultra-low contrast PCI ( < 30 mL of contrast during PCI) were included. Primary outcomes included change in eGFR post-procedurally, and death, RRT requirement, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 1 year follow-up. RESULTS: One hundred patients were included in the study. The median age was 67 years old and 28% were female. The median baseline eGFR was 21.5 mL/min/1.73m2 (IQR 14.08-32.0 mL/min/1.73m2). A median of 8.0 mL (IQR 0-15 mL) of contrast was used during PCI. Median contrast use to eGFR ratio was 0.37 (IQR 0-0.59). There was no significant difference between pre-and postprocedure eGFR (p = 0.84). At 1 year, 8% of patients died, 11% required RRT and 33% experienced MACE. The average time of RRT initiation was 7 months post-PCI. Forty-four patients were undergoing renal transplant evaluation, of which 17 (39%) received a transplant. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced CKD, ultra-low contrast PCI is feasible and safe with minimal need for peri-procedural RRT. Moreover, ultra-low contrast PCI may allow for preservation of renal function in anticipation of renal transplantation.

Cardiovascular outcomes of complex bifurcation lesions following double kissing crush or nano-crush techniques: The multicenter EVOLUTE-CRUSH V study.

BACKGROUND: Double kissing crush (DKC) and nano-crush (NC) techniques are frequently used, but the comparison for both techniques is still lacking. The goal of this multicenter study was to retrospectively assess the midterm clinical results of DKC and NC stenting in patients with complex bifurcation lesions (CBLs). METHODS: A total of 324 consecutive patients [male: 245 (75.6%), mean age: 60.73 ± 10.21 years] who underwent bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention between January 2019 and May 2023 were included. The primary endpoint defined as the major cardiovascular events (MACE) included cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TVMI), or clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR). Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was performed to reduce treatment selection bias. This is the first report comparing the clinical outcomes of DKC and NC stenting in patients with CBL. RESULTS: The initial revascularization strategy was DKC in 216 (66.7%) cases and NC in 108 (33.3%) patients. SYNTAX scores [25.5 ± 6.73 vs. 23.32 ± 6.22, p = 0.005] were notably higher in the NC group than the DKC group. The procedure time (76.98 ± 25.1 vs. 57.5 ± 22.99 min, p = 0.001) was notably higher in the DKC group. The incidence of MACE (18.5 vs. 9.7%, p = 0.025), clinically driven TLR (14.8 vs. 6%, p = 0.009), and TVMI (10.2 vs. 4.2%, p = 0.048) were notably higher in the NC group than in the DKC group. The midterm MACE rate in the overall population notably differed between the NC group and the DKC group (adjusted HR (IPW): 2.712, [95% CI: 1.407-5.228], p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: In patients with CBLs, applying the DKC technique for bifurcation treatment had better ischemia-driven outcomes than the NC technique.

Reasons for repeat urgent cardiac procedures within the same day.

BACKGROUND: With advances in technology and technique, the expectations are that patients undergoing procedures in the cardiac catheterization laboratory will not need to return for a repeat procedure within the same day. OBJECTIVES: Report why subjects undergoing cardiac procedures return urgently to the catheterization laboratory for a repeat procedure during the same day. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who were brought back to the cardiac catheterization laboratory within the same day for a repeat procedure. The reasons for index and repeat procedure were identified. Patients who were transferred from an outside center after an initial procedure at other centers were excluded. RESULTS: Between November 2013 and January 2022, 55,942 catheterization procedures were performed at our institution, of which 140 entries were included in our analysis. Common reasons for the index procedure were diagnostic angiography (35.0%), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, 29.2%), and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (15.0%). The most common reason for bringing these patients back to the cardiac catheterization laboratory within the same day was vascular complications (24.2%), followed by repeat PCI (20.7%), need for hemodynamic support (15.0%), heart team discussion and PCI (10%), and pacemaker implantation (10%). Acute limb ischemia was the most commonly identified vascular complication (7.1%), followed by pseudoaneurysm (5%). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that a very small number of patients underwent repeat procedures within the same day. Special attention should be paid to vascular access and closure and assessment of recurrent chest pain postprocedure, as these are the main reasons for same-day repeat procedures.

Concomitant percutaneous coronary intervention in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) frequently have coronary artery disease requiring percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Usually, PCI and TAVI are performed in two separate procedures and current studies are investigating potential benefits regarding the order. However, the two interventions may also be performed simultaneously, thereby limiting the risk associated with repeated vascular access. Data evaluating benefit and harm of concomitant procedures are scarce. AIMS: Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate concomitant PCI (coPCI) in TAVI patients regarding Valve Academic Research Consortium 3 (VARC-3) endpoints and long-term mortality. METHODS: A total of 2233 consecutive TAVI patients from the EVERY-VALVE registry were analyzed according to the VARC-3 endpoint definitions. A total of 274 patients had undergone TAVI and concomitant PCI (coPCI group). They were compared to 226 TAVI patients who had received PCI within 60 days before TAVI in a stepwise approach (swPCI group) and to the remaining 1733 TAVI patients who had not undergone PCI recently (noPCI group). RESULTS: Overall median age was 81.4 years, median Society of Thoracic Surgeons score was 4.0%. Patients in the coPCI and in the swPCI group were predominantly male with reduced left-ventricular ejection fraction. Rates of VARC-3 composite endpoints technical success and 30-day device success were comparable between all three groups. Mortality rates at 3 years after TAVI were similar (coPCI, 34.2% vs. swPCI, 31.9% vs. noPCI, 34.0% p = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: coPCI during TAVI seems comparable in a retrospective analysis. Compared to a stepwise approach, it has similar rates of composite endpoints technical success and device success as well as long-term mortality.

Stent dislodgement during withdrawal attempt into the guiding-catheter: A step-by-step retrieval technique.

Catheter-induced stent dislodgement may occur when attempting to withdraw the stent into the guide-catheter particularly in cases of guiding-catheter co-axiality issues. We present the management of a catheter-induced stent dislodgement with simultaneous loss of wire position.

Intravascular ultrasound-guided STAR 2.0: A new technique for chronic total occlusion recanalization.

The use of the subintimal space has allowed a massive advancement in the field of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The STAR technique is the first of subintimal techniques. Despite a high acute success rate, follow-up results showed unfavorable outcomes with half of the treated patients showing restenosis/reocclusion at 6 months. We present three cases in which a modification of the STAR technique guided by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), namely the STAR 2.0, was used as a bailout for successful PCI of chronic total occlusions.

Long term clinical outcome of sirolimus drug coated balloons in large coronary vessels.

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of drug coating balloons (DCB) for the treatment of lesions in large coronary vessel are limited. AIMS: Our study aimed to evaluate the performance of a sirolimus DCB in large coronary arteries. METHODS: We analyzed all the procedures included in the EASTBOURNE Registry (NCT03085823) enrolling patients with a clinical indication to percutaneous coronary intervention performed by a sirolimus DCB according to investigator judgment. In the present analysis, a cut-off of 2.75 mm was used to define large coronary arteries. Primary endpoint of the study was clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 24 months whereas secondary endpoint included procedural success, myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac death and total mortality. RESULTS: Among the 2123 patients and 2440 lesions enrolled in the EASTBOURNE study between 2016 and 2020, 757 patients/810 lesions fulfilled the criteria for the present analysis. Mean reference vessel diameter was 3.2 ± 0.3 mm with mean lesion length of 22 ± 7 mm. Procedural success was high (96%) and at 2-year follow up the device showed a good efficacy with a TLR rate of 9%. There were 34 deaths (4.5%), 30 MIs (4%) and 8 BARC type 3-5 bleedings (1.1%). In-stent restenosis (629 lesions) and de novo lesions (181) were associated with 11% and 4% rates of TLR at 2 years, respectively (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical performance of a sirolimus DCB in large coronary artery vessels shows promising signals at 2-year follow up, both in de novo and in-stent restenosis lesions.

Percutaneous coronary intervention with ridaforolimus eluting-stents in small vessel coronary artery disease.

INTRODUCTION: The ridaforolimus-eluting stent (RES) system uses a novel cobalt alloy-based coronary stent with a durable elastomeric polymer eluting ridaforolimus. AIM OF STUDY: To assess the safety and efficacy of small diameter (2.25 mm) RES (EluNIR) in small coronary artery disease. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter, single-arm, open-label clinical trial. Clinical follow-up was performed at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year after the procedure. Target lesions were located in native coronary arteries or bypass graft conduits, with visually estimated diameter of ≥2.25 mm to ≤2.5 mm. The primary endpoint was combined device success, defined as final in-stent residual diameter stenosis <30%, without 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). RESULTS: A total of 81 patients were enrolled in the study. Twenty-three patients (28%) had acute coronary syndrome (ACS) at presentation and 37 (46%) had prior myocardial infarction (MI). Most of the target lesions were located in the circumflex coronary artery (44%) and were classified as B2/C grade according to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology classification. The final mean minimal lumen diameter, mean reference vessel diameter, and mean residual percent diameter stenosis were 2.0 ± 0.2 mm, 2.3 ± 0.1 mm, and 14 + 6.6%, respectively. The primary endpoint of device success without 30-day MACE was achieved in 98.8% of the patients. Target lesion failure (TLF) at 6 months was 1.2%. Thirty-day and 1-year MACE rates were 1.2% and 2.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The EluNIR 2.25 mm stent shows excellent results in small coronary artery disease and adds another tool in the treatment of this complex lesion type.

Applicability of J-CTO channel score to predict microcatheter tracking during retrograde percutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total occlusions: Insights from the SURFING MICRO registry.

BACKGROUND: The J-chronic total occlusion (CTO) channel score can predict guidewire tracking of the collateral channels (CCs), but its efficacy in predicting microcatheter tracking has never been tested in the setting of retrograde CTO-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). AIMS: Predicting microcatheter collateral tracking during retrograde CTO-PCIs. METHODS: A total of 189 patients undergoing retrograde CTO-PCI from April 2017 to August 2021 were screened. The primary outcome of interest was a correlation between J-CTO channel score and microcatheter tracking failure (MTF) after successful CC tracking by the guidewire. The independent association between anatomical features of the J-CTO channel score and the primary outcome of interest was explored. RESULTS: After adjustment, only small size (adjusted OR: 12.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.79-89.82; p = 0.01) and continuous bends (adjusted OR: 14.15, 95% CI: 2.77-72.34; p < 0.001) remained significantly associated with an increased risk of MTF for septal collaterals. The small size was the only predictor of the MTF for epicardial collaterals (OR: 6.39, 95% CI: 1.13-35.96; p = 0.020) at univariate analysis. Patients in the MTF group had a lower incidence of procedural success compared with patients in the microcatheter tracking success (MTS) group (40.0% vs. 93.9%, p < 0.001) and had a higher incidence of collateral perforations (20.0% vs. 3.0%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Small and tortuous septal collaterals, identified by a score ≥3, are associated with an increased risk of MTF, lower incidence of procedural success, and higher risk of procedural complications driven by collateral perforations.

Mechanical circulatory support versus vasopressors alone in patients with acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have compared Impella use to intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) use in patients with acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Our objective was to compare clinical outcomes in patients with AMI-CS undergoing PCI who received Impella (percutaneous left ventricular assist device) without vasopressors, IABP without vasopressors, and vasopressors without mechanical circulatory support (MCS). METHODS: We queried the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) using ICD-10 codes (2015-2018) to identify patients with AMI-CS undergoing PCI. We created three propensity-matched cohorts to examine clinical outcomes in patients receiving Impella versus IABP, Impella versus vasopressors without MCS, and IABP versus vasopressors without MCS. RESULTS: Among 17,762 patients, Impella use was associated with significantly higher in-hospital major bleeding (31.4% vs. 13.6%; p < 0.001) and hospital charges (p < 0.001) compared to IABP use, with no benefit in mortality (34.1% vs. 26.9%; p = 0.06). Impella use was associated with significantly higher mortality (42.3% vs. 35.7%; p = 0.02), major bleeding (33.9% vs. 22.7%; p = 0.001), and hospital charges (p < 0.001), when compared to the use of vasopressors without MCS. There were no significant differences in clinical outcomes between IABP use and the use of vasopressor without MCS. CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of retrospective data of patients with AMI-CS undergoing PCI, Impella use was associated with higher mortality, major bleeding, and in-hospital charges when compared to vasopressor therapy without MCS. When compared to IABP use, Impella was associated with no mortality benefit, along with higher major bleeding events and in-hospital charges. A vasopressor-only strategy suggested no difference in clinical outcomes when compared to IABP. This study uses the NIS for the first time to highlight outcomes in AMI-CS patients undergoing PCI when treated with vasopressor support without MCS, compared to Impella and IABP use.