The RANGER II superficial femoral artery trial: 1-year results of the long lesion cohort.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the RANGER II SFA long lesion cohort analysis was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Ranger drug-coated balloon (DCB) in patients with lesion lengths greater than 100 mm. METHODS: Patients from the RANGER II SFA randomized controlled trial and long balloon sub-study were included in the long lesion cohort if their baseline lesion measurement was > 100 mm and if they had been treated with a RANGER DCB. Patients had symptomatic lower limb peripheral artery disease and Rutherford classification 2-4 symptomatology. The endpoints of interest included the 12-month target lesion primary patency and freedom from major adverse events (MAEs).Additional patient outcomes including changes in Rutherford classification were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 129 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in the long lesion cohort. Mean lesion length was 144.5 ± 31.7 mm. Seventy-five lesions had Peripheral Arterial Calcium Scoring System (PACSS) grades 3 (33.3%, 43/129) and 4 (24.8%, 32/129). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the primary patency rate at 12 months was 88.0%. The rate of freedom from MAEs at 12 months was 95.1% (117/123; 95% CI: 89.7%, 98.2%); all MAEs were clinically driven target lesion revascularization (4.9%, 6/123). The 12-month mortality rate was 2.4% (3/125). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with lesions > 100 mm treated with Ranger DCBs demonstrated excellent 1-year safety and efficacy results, comparable to those of the overall RANGER II SFA randomized clinical trial. This suggests that the Ranger DCB can provide consistent results regardless of lesion length. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03064126).

Acute Outcomes With a Novel Plaque Modification System in Real-World Femoropopliteal Lesions.

PURPOSE: To report outcomes of a multicenter feasibility study using the FLEX Vessel Prep (VP) System, a novel technology that facilitates plaque incision and lumen gain in stenosed or occluded femoropopliteal arteries prior to balloon angioplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred fifty-five patients (mean age 71.8±9.1 years) were treated with the FLEX VP System at 38 centers between December 2015 and November 2017. Average lesion length was 133±88 mm. Average baseline stenosis was 92%±11%; 112 (44.3%) of 253 patients presented with a chronic total occlusion. Conventional or drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty was performed in all patients after vessel preparation. Vessel measurements were derived from angiograms acquired at baseline, after FLEX passage, and after subsequent ancillary procedures. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify baseline or procedure variables that predicted the need for provisional stenting. RESULTS: Average percent reduction in vessel stenosis following treatment with the FLEX VP System was 27%±17%. No flow-limiting dissection, vessel perforation, or embolization was observed; 15 (5.9%) patients had minor (type A or B) dissections. Provisional stenting was performed in 49 (19.2%) patients. Average stenosis following angioplasty ± stenting was 9.1%±7.4%; 9 (3.6%) patients had significant residual stenosis ≥30%. Logistic regression analyses found that patients with dissections, longer lesions, and those receiving conventional balloon dilation alone were most likely to undergo stenting. CONCLUSION: In a real-world patient population with long, complex femoropopliteal lesions, use of the FLEX VP System as vessel preparation for angioplasty improved acute outcomes compared to historical controls. The rate of provisional stenting was low, and no serious vessel complications were observed.

Weight Outcomes of Latino Adults and Children Participating in the Y Living Program, a Family-Focused Lifestyle Intervention, San Antonio, 2012-2013.

INTRODUCTION: US Latinos have disproportionately higher rates of obesity and physical inactivity than the general US population, putting them at greater risk for chronic disease. This evaluation aimed to examine the impact of the Y Living Program (Y Living), a 12-week family-focused healthy lifestyle program, on the weight status of adult and child (aged ≥7 years) participants. METHODS: In this pretest-posttest evaluation, participants attended twice-weekly group education sessions and engaged in physical activity at least 3 times per week. Primary outcome measures were body mass index ([BMI], zBMI and BMI percentile for children), weight, waist circumference, and percentage body fat. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and mixed effects models were used to evaluate pretest-posttest differences (ie, absolute change and relative change) for adults and children separately. RESULTS: BMI, weight, waist circumference, and percentage body fat improved significantly (both absolutely and relatively) among adults who completed the program (n = 180; all P ≤ .001). Conversely, child participants that completed the program (n = 72) showed no improvements. Intervention effects varied across subgroups. Among adults, women and participants who were obese at baseline had larger improvements than did children who were obese at baseline or who were in families that had an annual household income of $15,000 or more. CONCLUSION: Significant improvements in weight were observed among adult participants but not children. This family-focused intervention has potential to prevent excess weight gain among high-risk Latino families.

1-Year Results From the RANGER II SFA Randomized Trial of the Ranger Drug-Coated Balloon.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Ranger drug-coated balloon (DCB) (paclitaxel dose density 2 µg/mm2) for treating superficial femoral artery or proximal popliteal artery lesions. BACKGROUND: Paclitaxel-coated balloon treatment prevents reinterventions, but dose and coating characteristics differ among balloons and necessitate discrete confirmation of safety and effectiveness. METHODS: Patients with symptomatic lower limb ischemia (Rutherford classification 2 to 4) were randomized 3:1 to treatment with the Ranger DCB or standard percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). Twelve-month primary target lesion patency, freedom from major adverse events (i.e., target lesion revascularization, major amputations, death within 1 month of the index procedure), and patient outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean lesion length was 82.5 ± 48.9 mm for the Ranger DCB group (n = 278) and 79.9 ± 49.3 mm for the control group (n = 98). Ranger DCB was superior to PTA (82.9% [n = 194 of 234] vs. 66.3% [n = 57 of 86]) with observed 12-month primary patency rates yielding a difference of 16.6% (95% confidence interval: 5.5% to 27.7%; p = 0.0013). Noninferior freedom from major adverse events (94.1% [n = 241 of 256] vs. 83.5% [n = 76 of 91]) was demonstrated with a difference of 10.6% (95% confidence interval: 2.5% to 18.8%; noninferiority p < 0.0001). Primary patency rate curves showed significant separation by Kaplan-Meier analysis (log-rank p = 0.0005), with rates of 89.8% and 74.0% estimated at day 365 for the Ranger DCB and PTA cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The low-dose Ranger DCB demonstrated significantly better effectiveness than standard PTA through 1 year and a good safety profile. (Ranger™ Paclitaxel Coated Balloon vs Standard Balloon Angioplasty [RANGER II SFA]; NCT03064126).

Subclinical atherosclerosis in primary antiphospholipid syndrome.

To test the atherosclerosis hypothesis in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) we measured intima media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries and other cardiovascular risk factors in 44 patients with PAPS (mean age 35 +/- 12 years), in 25 patients with inherited thrombophilia (mean age 40 +/- 10 years), and in 34 normal controls (mean age 38 +/- 11 years). The frequency of smoking, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was similar across groups. IMT was almost similar across groups at age groups below 40 years but IMT was greater in PAPS than controls at the common carotid (P = 0.01), at the bifurcation (P = 0.003), and at the internal carotid (P = 0.005) in the age group over 40 years. Atherosclerosis is a possibility in PAPS patients in their fourth decade of life or older.