Meta-analysis of bioabsorbable versus durable polymer drug-eluting stents in 20,005 patients with coronary artery disease: an update.

OBJECTIVES: To perform an updated meta-analysis comparing biodegradable polymer drug eluting stents (BP-DES) and durable polymer drug eluting stents (DP-DES). BACKGROUND: BP-DES have been suggested to reduce late stent thrombosis (LST) rates as compared to first generation DP-DES. Recently, second generation DP-DES have replaced older DES, but comparison of these stents with BP-DES has not yielded consistent results. METHODS: Medline/Web databases were searched for studies comparing BP-DES and DP-DES, and reporting rates of overall/cardiac mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), LST, target lesion revascularization (TLR) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) and late lumen loss (LLL), with a follow-up ≥6 months. RESULTS: Twenty studies (20,005 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. Median follow-up time was 1 year. Compared with DP-DES, BP-DES showed lower LLL (in stent: weighted mean difference WMD -0.45 mm, 95% CI -0.66 to -0.24 mm, P = 0.00001; in segment: WMD -0.15 mm, 95% CI = -0.24 to -0.06 mm, P = 0.001) and lower rates of LST (OR 0.51, 95% CI = 0.30 to 0.86, P = 0.01), although they did not improve mortality, MI, TLR, and TVR rates. BP-DES coated with sirolimus or novolimus, in comparison with biolimus or paclitaxel, were associated with reduced LLL (P < 0.0001 for subgroups). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with DP-DES, BP-DES significantly reduce LLL and LST rates, without clear benefits on harder endpoints. The efficacy of BP-DES in preserving lumen patency seems larger for sirolimus and novolimus DES.

Subacute endocarditis caused by Yersinia enterocolitica: a case report.

Yersinia enterocolitica is an unusual cause of septicaemia, usually occurring in immunocompromised hosts. Endocardial involvement is rare and generally presents as acute endocarditis. We describe the case of a 73-y-old woman, apparently without risk factors for endocarditis, admitted to hospital for persistent fever of unknown origin, arthralgia, and weight loss. Y. enterocolitica was isolated from blood and urine cultures, and echocardiography showed a pedunculated vegetation attached to the non-coronary cusp of the aortic valve. Symptoms and fever resolved after 3 days of intravenous cefotaxime plus amikacin, which were continued for the 2 weeks of her hospital stay; this treatment was followed by intravenous ceftriaxone after discharge. We hypothesized that a chemotherapy course administered 2 months previously for breast cancer might have been a predisposing factor for the Y. enterocolitica valvular infection and that immune system recovery contributed to mitigate the clinical presentation as subacute endocarditis.

Drug-eluting compared to bare metal stents in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis: a meta-analysis.

AIMS: To systematically review literature comparing bare metal stent (BMS) to drug-eluting stent (DES) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis. ESRD patients on dialysis often suffer from accelerated atherosclerosis and higher rate of stent-related complications including major adverse cardiovascular events. Because dialysis usually qualifies ineligibility for randomized clinical trials, an evidenced-based stent choice for these patients is scarce. METHODS: PUBMED, CINHAL, COCHRANE, EMBASE and WEB OF SCIENCE were searched for studies comparing BMS vs. DES outcome in ESRD patients on dialysis. RESULTS: Twenty studies including 64 232 patients were considered. The use of DES was significantly associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.76-0.89], death from a cardiovascular cause (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.76-0.84) and target lesion revascularization/target vessel revascularization (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.53-1.00). No significant difference was found in stent thrombosis (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.50-2.33) and myocardial infarction incidence (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.69-1.20). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis shows a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality with the use of DES over BMS in dialyzed patients. Despite the lack of randomized studies, systematic use of DES in these high-risk patients should thus reasonably be considered as a first option in percutaneous coronary intervention candidates.

Below normal pre-procedural cardiac troponin I levels are associated with an adverse prognosis after percutaneous coronary interventions.

AIMS: To evaluate the prognostic implications of baseline cardiac troponin (cTn) values in the normal range in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients successfully treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated the correlation between pre-procedural cTnI levels and major clinical adverse events at three years of follow-up in 1,063 consecutive stable CAD patients with normal baseline cTnI levels, successfully treated with PCI. Patients with pre-procedural cTnI levels in the upper tertile showed an increased long-term risk of overall death (HR 3.17, 95% CI: 1.62 to 6.21; p=0.0001), cardiac death (HR 5.09, 95% CI: 2.30 to 11.25; p=0.002), myocardial infarction (MI) (HR 2.34, 95% CI: 1.45 to 3.76; p=0.003) and target vessel failure (TVF) (HR 1.91, 95% CI: 1.28 to 2.84; p=0.006). Pre-procedural cTnI levels remained significantly correlated after adjustment for clinical and angiographic findings. Analysis of pre-PCI values eliminated any association of post-PCI values with prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: In stable CAD patients successfully treated with PCI, pre-procedural cTnI levels, in the upper limits of the normal range, are associated with hard cardiac endpoints.

Variant angina associated with coronary artery endothelial dysfunction and myocardial bridge: a case report and review of the literature.

The association of variant angina (VA) and myocardial bridges is a rare finding. We describe a case of VA with recurrent coronary spasm triggered by different stimuli at the site of a myocardial bridge. The interplay of endothelial dysfunction, coronary vasoconstriction and myocardial bridging was detected by intracoronary acetylcholine test and IVUS. We speculate that mechanical stimulation at the bridge site caused endothelial dysfunction and enhanced local susceptibility to vasoconstrictor stimuli. Variant angina should always be suspected in cases of ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome without any significant angiographic coronary stenosis.