Intravascular Lithotripsy for Calcium Modification in Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) has been shown to be safe and effective for calcium modification in nonocclusive coronary artery disease (CAD), but there are only case reports of its use in calcified chronic total occlusions (CTO). We report data from an international multicenter registry of IVL use during CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and provide provisional data regarding its efficacy and safety. During the study period, IVL was used in 55 of 1053 (5.2%) CTO PCI procedures. IVL was used within the occluded segment after successful CTO crossing in 53 procedures and during incomplete CTO crossing in 2 cases. The mean J-CTO score was 3.1. CTO PCI technical and procedural success was achieved in 53 (96%) and 51 (93%) cases. Six patients had a procedural complication, with 3 main vessel perforations (5%). Two had covered stent implantation, one required pericardiocentesis, and one was managed conservatively. All had combination therapy with another calcium modification device. Two patients had a procedural myocardial infarction (PMI) (4%), and two others had a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) (4%) at a median follow-up of 13 (4-21) months. IVL can effectively facilitate calcium modification during CTO PCI. More data are required to establish the efficacy and safety of IVL and other calcium modification devices when used extraplaque or in combination during CTO PCI.

Plasma dimethylglycine and risk of incident acute myocardial infarction in patients with stable angina pectoris.

OBJECTIVE: Dimethylglycine is linked to lipid metabolism, and increased plasma levels may be associated with adverse prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease. We evaluated the relationship between plasma dimethylglycine and risk of incident acute myocardial infarction in a large prospective cohort of patients with stable angina pectoris, of whom approximately two thirds were participants in a B-vitamin intervention trial. Model discrimination and reclassification when adding plasma dimethylglycine to established risk factors were obtained. We also explored temporal changes and the test-retest reliability of plasma dimethylglycine. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Four thousand one hundred fifty patients (72% men; median age 62 years) were included. Plasma dimethylglycine was associated with several traditional coronary artery disease risk factors. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years, 343 (8.3%) patients experienced an acute myocardial infarction. The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for acute myocardial infarction was 1.95 (1.42-2.68; P<0.001) when comparing plasma dimethylglycine quartile 4 to 1 in a Cox regression model adjusted for age, sex, and fasting status. Adjusting for traditional coronary artery disease risk factors only slightly modified the estimates, which were particularly strong among nonsmokers and among patients with serum triglyceride or apolipoprotein B100 levels ≤ median (P for interaction=0.004, 0.004, and 0.03, respectively). Plasma dimethylglycine improved discrimination and reclassification and had high test-retest reliability. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma dimethylglycine is independently related to incident acute myocardial infarction and enhances risk prediction in patients with stable angina pectoris. Our results motivate further studies on the relationship between 1-carbon metabolism and atherothrombosis. A potential interplay with lipid and energy metabolism merits particular attention.

Catheter-induced Vasospasm of the Anatomically Normal Right Coronary Artery in a Patient With Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Obstructive Disease in the Left Anterior Descending Artery; A Challenging Case Report and Review of the Literature.

This case report illustrates the clinical course and management strategy of severe catheter-induced vasospasm of the right coronary artery (RCA) resulting in brief cardiac arrest in a male patient in his 60s presenting with Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and obstructive disease in the left anterior descending artery (LAD). The patient was successfully resuscitated and further stay was uneventful. Optical coherence tomography imaging following administration of intracoronary isosorbide dinitrate confirmed normal coronary anatomy and flow restoration in the RCA, suggesting that the index episode was probably a vasospasm of the RCA. After establishing coronary flow in the RCA, the stenosis in the LAD was treated with a drug-eluting stent. Invasive cardiologists should be aware of the catheter-induced coronary artery spasm, which may have important clinical implications particularly in the presence of concomitant atherosclerotic disease in other coronary arteries (in our case the LAD). This approach helps to avoid unnecessary coronary stenting.

Guideline-Recommended Time Less Than 90 Minutes From ECG to Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Is Associated with Major Survival Benefits, Especially in Octogenarians: A Contemporary Report in 11 226 Patients from NORIC.

Background Using contemporary data from NORIC (Norwegian Registry of Invasive Cardiology) we investigated the predictive value of patient age and time from ECG diagnosis to sheath insertion (ECG-2-sheath) in primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods and Results Data from 11 226 patients collected from all centers offering 24/7/365 primary percutaneous coronary intervention service were explored. For patients aged <80 years the mortality rates were 5.6% and 7.6% at 30 days and 1 year, respectively. For octogenarians the corresponding rates were 15.0% and 24.2%. The Cox hazard ratio was 2.02 (1.93-2.11, P value <0.0001) per 10 years of patient age. Time from ECG-2-sheath was significantly associated with mortality with a 3.6% increase per 30 minutes of time. Using achievement of time goal <90 minutes in patients aged >80 years and mortality at 30 days, mortality was 10.5% and 17.7% for <90 or ≥90 minutes, respectively. The number needed to prevent 1 death was 39 in the whole population and 14 in the elderly. Restricted mean survival gains during median 938 days of follow-up in patients with ECG-2-sheath time <90 minutes were 24 and 76 days for patients aged <80 and ≥80 years, respectively. Conclusions Time from ECG-diagnosis to sheath insertion is strongly correlated with mortality. This applies especially to octogenarians who derive the most in terms of absolute mortality reduction. Registration URL: https://helsedata.no/en/forvaltere/norwegian-institute-of-public-health/norwegian-registry-of-invasive-cardiology/.

Impact of transcatheter aortic valve implantation on left ventricular function recovery, mass regression and outcome in patients with aortic stenosis: protocol of the TAVI-NOR prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a widely used treatment option as an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) at high or intermediate surgical risk. TAVI improves symptoms, induces reverse left ventricular (LV) remodelling and increases overall survival. However, a careful patient selection is essential to achieve better outcome. Evidence on LV functional recovery and LV mass regression after TAVI based on contemporary registry data is scarce. The impact of TAVI on the arterial vasculature is also less explored. METHOD AND ANALYSES: This is a study of 600 consecutive patients with AS who underwent a TAVI at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. Demographics, clinical data, arterial haemodynamics and echocardiographic parameters were prospectively collected. In the present paper, we describe the design, major scientific objectives and echocardiography imaging protocol of the TAVI-NOR (TAVI in western NORway) study. The main objectives are: To explore the impact of TAVI on cardiac structure and function in patients with severe AS, identify the echocardiographic predictors of reverse LV remodelling, assess survival benefits according to baseline risk profile, evaluate long-term therapeutic success as reflected by reduction in valvular-arterial impedance and to investigate the impact of various types of blood pressure response immediately after TAVI on clinical outcome. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK vest, ref. number 33814) and the Institutional Data Protection Services. Patients' consent was waived. The study findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and presentation in national and international scientific meetings and conferences. TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The study was registered in the international database: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT04417829.

Glycated hemoglobin and long-term prognosis in patients with suspected stable angina pectoris without diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Associations of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels to incident coronary and cardiovascular events among non-diabetic patients with coronary artery disease are unclear. We investigated relations of HbA1c to long-term prognosis in such patients. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 2519 patients undergoing elective coronary angiography for suspected stable angina pectoris (SAP) was divided into pre-defined categories according to HbA1c (%) levels (<5.0, 5.0-5.6 (reference), 5.7-6.4), and followed for median 4.9 years. The primary end-point was major coronary events (including non-fatal and fatal acute myocardial infarctions, and sudden cardiac death). Secondary end-points were death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were obtained by Cox regression. RESULTS: Median age at inclusion was 62 years, 73% were males, median HbA1c was 5.6% and random plasma-glucose 5.4 mmol/L. After multivariate adjustment, HbA1c levels within the pre-diabetic range were not associated with risk of major coronary events, HR (95% CI): 1.13 (0.79-1.62); P=0.49, death from CVD or all-cause mortality HR (95% CI): 0.95 (0.55-1.66) and 1.04 (0.70-1.53), respectively; P≥0.85. Similarly, there was no significant association between HbA1c values within the lowest category and risk of study outcomes, (P≥0.18). CONCLUSION: In non-diabetic patients with suspected SAP, there was no overall association between HbA1c levels and prognosis, questioning an independent role of glycemia in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic complications in these patients.