Stentless percutaneous coronary intervention with directional coronary atherectomy and drug-coated balloon angioplasty in worsening angina patients with metal allergies.

Metal allergy is a concern in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation because of its potential association with poor cardiovascular outcomes, such as stent thrombosis and recurrent in-stent restenosis requiring revascularization. Although stentless PCI with drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty is theoretically useful for patients with metal allergies, DCB angioplasty alone for huge plaques in large vessels may yield inadequate luminal enlargement and coronary deep dissection, leading to insufficient results. Directional coronary atherectomy (DCA) is effective to reduce plaque volume. However, the efficacy of DCA followed by DCB (DCA/DCB) angioplasty in patients with metal allergies has never been described. We present two cases wherein stentless PCI with DCA/DCB angioplasty was an alternative revascularization strategy for patients with metal allergy and concomitant worsening angina pectoris involving proximal left anterior descending artery stenoses. Preoperative evaluation using coronary computed tomography angiography in Case 1 and intravascular ultrasound in Case 2 was useful to determine the possible use of the DCA/DCB procedure for huge plaques in large vessels. Learning objective: Revascularization for patients with metal allergy with worsening angina pectoris due to stenoses of the proximal main arteries is often challenging because of the necessity to avoid stent implantation. As stentless percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is theoretically useful in such settings, PCI with directional coronary atherectomy (DCA)/drug-coated balloon angioplasty can be one of the treatable strategies. Preoperative evaluation of plaque morphology for the suitability of DCA procedure is important.

Acute Myocardial Infarction After Surgical Closure of Coronary Artery Fistula: Importance of Anticoagulant Therapy.

We present a case of a coronary arteriovenous fistula between the left circumflex (LCX) and the atrium with LCX ectasia. Four months after surgical closure of the fistula, the patient experienced acute myocardial infarction caused by thrombosis in the LCX. Antiplatelet drugs were replaced with anticoagulant agents, and the patient was followed up without adverse events. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction (NACMI) Risk Score for Prediction of In-Hospital Mortality.

Background: In-hospital mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is higher in those with COVID-19 than in those without COVID-19. The factors that predispose to this mortality rate and their relative contribution are poorly understood. This study developed a risk score inclusive of clinical variables to predict in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 and STEMI. Methods: Baseline demographic, clinical, and procedural data from patients in the North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction registry were extracted. Univariable logistic regression was performed using candidate predictor variables, and multivariable logistic regression was performed using backward stepwise selection to identify independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Independent predictors were assigned a weighted integer, with the sum of the integers yielding the total risk score for each patient. Results: In-hospital mortality occurred in 118 of 425 (28%) patients. Eight variables present at the time of STEMI diagnosis (respiratory rate of >35 breaths/min, cardiogenic shock, oxygen saturation of <93%, age of >55 â€‹years, infiltrates on chest x-ray, kidney disease, diabetes, and dyspnea) were assigned a weighted integer. In-hospital mortality increased exponentially with increasing integer risk score (Cochran-Armitage χ2, P â€‹< â€‹.001), and the model demonstrated good discriminative power (c-statistic â€‹= â€‹0.81) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow, P â€‹= â€‹.40). The increasing risk score was strongly associated with in-hospital mortality (3.6%-60% mortality for low-risk and very high-risk score categories, respectively). Conclusions: The risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 and STEMI can be accurately predicted and discriminated using readily available clinical information.

Get Out of Jail: Managing an Entrapped Balloon Using Subintimal Plaque Modification.

Balloon entrapment is a potentially fatal complication of percutaneous coronary intervention. This report describes the use of subintimal plaque modification for the management of entrapped balloons. This technique, commonly done during chronic total occlusion angioplasty, was used successfully to retrieve the balloon. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Triaging Down the 2021 Chest Pain Guidelines.

We applied the 2021 AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR chest pain guidelines to a case of a 76-year-old woman with no known coronary disease presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain and an intermediate probability of acute coronary syndrome. Her workup per the guidelines involved rapid electrocardiogram, high-sensitivity troponins, nuclear stress testing, and eventually coronary invasive angiography. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

No-reflow phenomenon and in vivo cholesterol crystals combined with lipid core in acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The release of lipid-laden plaque material subsequent to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) may contribute to the no-reflow phenomenon. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between in vivo cholesterol crystals (CCs) detected by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the no-reflow phenomenon after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute STEMI. METHODS: We investigated 182 patients with STEMI. Based on the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade after PCI, patients were divided into a no-reflow group (n = 31) and a reflow group (n = 151). On OCT, CCs were defined as thin, high-signal intensity regions within a plaque. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predictors for the no-reflow phenomenon. RESULTS: The prevalence of CCs was higher in the no-reflow group than the reflow group (no-reflow group, 77% vs. reflow group, 53%; p = 0.012). The multivariable logistic model showed that the CC number, lipid arc and ostial lesions were positive independent predictors of no-reflow. The combination of a lipid arc ≥ 139°and CC number ≥ 12 showed good predictive performance for the no-reflow phenomenon (sensitivity, 48%; specificity, 93%; and accuracy, 86%). CONCLUSION: In vivo CCs at the culprit plaque are associated with the no-reflow phenomenon after PCI in patients with STEMI. The combination of the number of CCs and lipid arc can predict the no-reflow phenomenon after PCI with a high accuracy of 86%.

Successful Intervention for a Thrombosed Giant Coronary Artery Aneurysm in Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.

We report the case of a 13-year-old who presented with an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction caused by a thrombotic occlusion of an aneurysmal left anterior descending coronary artery. Our patient was diagnosed and treated for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and underwent successful balloon angioplasty and aspiration thrombectomy.(Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Iatrogenic Aortocoronary Dissection During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Investigation and Management.

We present a case of iatrogenic aortocoronary dissection sustained during routine percutaneous coronary intervention for stable angina. Careful wiring of the true lumen and stent implantation to seal off the dissection flap prevented immediate complications, and computed tomography aortography guided a conservative approach to manage the residual aortic dissection. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Aspiration After Sealing the Entrance by Stenting Is a Promising Method to Treat Subintimal Hematoma.

Creation of a distal re-entry site is widely performed to treat subintimal hematoma. However, this method has a risk of further vessel damage. The present aspiration technique after sealing the entry site by stenting is more promising because the hematoma can be reduced without additional vessel damage. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

The importance of side branch preservation in the treatment of chronic total occlusions with bifurcation lesions.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the predictive factors for suboptimal result in side branch (SB) in chronic total occlusion (CTO) bifurcation lesions and clinical outcomes of patients with suboptimal result in SB. BACKGROUND: There is little evidence on the optimal strategy for bifurcation lesions in CTO. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 314 consecutive bifurcation lesions in CTO with SB ≥ 2.5 mm in 3 hospitals from March 2010 to June 2018. Patients were divided into the two groups based on the suboptimal SB treatment (SST) and optimal SB treatment (OST) groups. The baseline characteristics, procedural and clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. This study also evaluated the predictors of suboptimal result in SB. RESULTS: Suboptimal result in SB occurred in 47 cases. Presence of stenosis in SB, bifurcations located within the occluded segment and sub-intimal tracking at SB ostium was an independent predictor of suboptimal result in SB. The cumulative incidence of target lesion revascularization (TLR) in all lesions was not significantly different between the two groups, however, TLR in right coronary artery (RCA) was significantly higher in the SST group. In the Cox regression analysis, suboptimal result in SB in RCA and sub-intimal tracking were independent predictors of TLR for MB. In patients with bifurcations located within the occluded segment, usage of two-stent technique was significantly lower in the SST group. CONCLUSIONS: Meticulous procedures are required for SB preservation to improve not only SB prognosis but also MB, especially in RCA.

Blast Injury: A Very Rare Cause of Left Coronary Artery Dissection.

Acute coronary artery dissection commonly occurs in young women without cardiovascular risk factors. Predisposing factors, including fibromuscular dysplasia or other vasculopathies, have been demonstrated in its etiology. Here we report the case of a 46-year-old-man who presented with left anterior descending coronary artery dissection caused by blast injury after a bomb explosion. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Right Ventricular Infarction Presenting With Refractory Hypoxia Due to Shunting Across a Patent Foramen Ovale.

Right ventricular infarction is often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Here, we report a case of right ventricular infarction associated with persistent hypoxia due to acute right-to-left shunting through a patent foramen ovale. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

A Tale of 2 Aneurysms: Cardiogenic Shock Secondary to Vascular Behçet's Syndrome.

A patient with vascular Behçet's syndrome (BS), a subtype of BS with mainly venous/arterial manifestations, presented with a left main aneurysm/thrombus and cardiogenic shock. The clinical diagnosis of BS includes mucocutaneous, vascular, and neurologic criteria. It is important to consider vascular BS as a nonatherosclerotic cause of coronary aneurysms. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Impact of age on reperfusion success and long-term prognosis in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction - A cardiac magnetic resonance imaging study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary collateral circulation and conditioning from remote ischemic coronary territories may protect culprit myocardium in the elderly, and younger STEMI patients could suffer from larger infarcts. We evaluated the impact of age on myocardial salvage and long-term prognosis in a contemporary STEMI cohort. METHODS: Of 1603 included STEMI patients 807 underwent cardiac magnetic resonance. To assess the impact of age on infarct size and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) as well as the composite endpoint of death and re-hospitalization for heart failure we stratified the patients by an age cut-off of 60 years. RESULTS: Younger STEMI patients had smaller final infarcts (10% vs. 12%, P = 0.012) and higher final LVEF (60% vs. 58%, P = 0.042). After adjusting for multiple potential confounders age did not remain significantly associated with infarct size and LVEF. During 4-year follow-up, the composite endpoint occurred less often in the young (3.2% vs. 17.2%; P < 0.001) with a univariate hazard ratio of 5.77 (95% CI, 3.75-8.89; p < 0.001). Event estimates of 4 subgroups (young vs. elderly and infarct size beyond vs. below median) showed a gradual increase in the occurrence of the composite endpoint depending on both age and acute infarct size (log-rank p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Having a STEMI after entering the seventh decade of life more than quadrupled the risk of future death or re-hospitalization for heart failure. Risk of death and re-hospitalization depended on both advanced age and infarct size, albeit no substantial difference was found in infarct size, LVEF and salvage potential between younger and elderly patients with STEMI.

Electrocardiographic Recognition of Unprotected Left Main ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Looking Beyond aVR.

ST-segment elevation in aVR has traditionally been used for electrocardiographic identification of left main coronary artery (LM) myocardial infarction. We present two ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) cases with acute total occlusion of the LM without aVR ST-segment elevation. This report reviews the different electrocardiographic discriminators suggestive of unprotected LM STEMI. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Optimisation of oral anticoagulants for patients with atrial fibrillation within 12 months after percutaneous coronary intervention: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The optimal antithrombotic strategy, especially regarding oral anticoagulants (OACs) for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with bleeding and thrombosis risk after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), remains unknown. This study explored the optimal oral anticoagulants for AF patients after PCI using a meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomised controlled trials were identified from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library through December 2020. Risk ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and random-effects models were used to compare different antithrombotic strategies through network meta-analysis, and the combination of antithrombotic agents was ranked according to the surface under the cumulative ranking curve and rankograms. Interval plots were drawn to observe pairwise comparisons between the different strategies. RESULTS: Five studies of 11,532 patients were included. Factor IIa inhibitor 110 mg bid plus a P2Y12 inhibitor had the greatest advantage for reducing Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) major or minor bleeding; Factor Xa inhibitor plus a P2Y12 inhibitor had the greatest advantage for reducing International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis major bleeding. For patients at risk of stroke plus all-cause death, factor IIa inhibitor 150 mg bid plus a P2Y12 inhibitor should be prioritised, and for those at risk of myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis, vitamin K antagonists plus a P2Y12 inhibitor were preferred. CONCLUSION: Factor IIa inhibitor 110 mg, factor IIa inhibitor 150 mg, factor Xa inhibitor and vitamin K antagonists should be selected in different situations.

Propensity-score-matched comparison of safety, efficacy, and outcome of intravascular lithotripsy versus high-pressure PTCA in coronary calcified lesions.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding safety, efficacy, and outcome of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in comparison to standard techniques are lacking. This study sought to compare IVL with non-compliant high-pressure balloon percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA). METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective propensity-score-matched study to compare procedural success in 57 consecutive patients who received IVL-guided PCI in calcified coronary lesions with 171 matched patients who were treated with high-pressure PTCA with a non-compliant (NC)-balloon. The mean minimal lumen diameter (MLD) for the IVL group was 1.08 ± 0.51 mm, and the median percent diameter stenosis on quantitative angiography was 70.2% (interquartile range, 60.2-78.6%). MLD in the high-pressure dilatation group was 0.97 ± 0.43 mm, and the median percent diameter stenosis was 71.5% (interquartile range, 58.5-77.0%). IVL-guided PCI reduced median stenosis to 17.5% (interquartile range, 9.3-19.8%) with an acute gain of 0.93 ± 0.7 mm. High-pressure dilatation resulted in a final median stenosis of 19.3% (interquartile range, 13.33-28.5%). Procedural success was significantly higher (82.5% vs. 61.4%; p: 0.0035) in the IVL group. MACE through 12 months occurred in 10.5% of cases in the IVL group and in 11.1% of the high-pressure group (p = 0.22). Angiographic complications (coronary dissection, slow or no reflow, new coronary thrombus formation, abrupt vessel closure) were very low (0.2% vs. 0.12%). CONCLUSION: IVL resulted in a significantly higher rate of procedural success compared to high- pressure NC-balloon dilatation in patients with calcified coronary lesions. The rate of MACE through 12 months was similar to the standard therapy.

Association Between Thrombogenicity Indices and Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

The association between thrombogenicity and coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) has been poorly explored in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In our real-world clinical practice (N = 116), thrombogenicity was evaluated with thromboelastography and conventional hemostatic measures, and CMD was defined as index of microcirculatory resistance of >40 U using the invasive physiologic test. High platelet-fibrin clot strength (P-FCS) (≥68 mm) significantly increased the risk of postprocedural CMD (odds ratio: 4.35; 95% CI: 1.74-10.89). Patients with both CMD and high P-FCS had a higher rate of ischemic events compared to non-CMD subjects with low P-FCS (odds ratio: 5.58; 95% CI: 1.31-23.68). This study showed a close association between heightened thrombogenicity and CMD and their prognostic implications after reperfusion in acute myocardial infarction patients.

Risk prediction of bleeding and MACCE by PRECISE-DAPT score post-PCI.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend the PRECISE-DAPT (PD) score to adapt duration of dual antiplatelet therapy due to bleeding risk. However, there is first evidence that PD predicts mortality and ischemic events as well. METHODS: We investigated PD Score in 994 patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PD was correlated with clinically frequently used scores. Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) bleeding were assessed during one-year follow-up. RESULTS: 524 patients had PD < 25 and 470 patients PD ≥ 25 (47%). Rate of major and minor bleeding was higher in the PD ≥ 25 group (major bleeding: Hazard ratio [HR] 2.9, 95% confidence interval [Cl] 1.01-8.16, p = 0.049; minor bleeding: HR 3.94, 95% Cl 1.36-9.19, p = 0.0096). Rate of MACCE, death and myocardial infarction were higher as well (MACCE: HR 2.0, 95% Cl 1.52-2.71, p < 0.0001; death: HR 3.9, 95% Cl 2.12-5.68, p < 0.0001; MI: HR 2.1, 95% Cl 1.26-3.43, p = 0.0041). Rate of stroke/transient ischemic attack did not differ between groups. Discriminative potency to predict major and minor bleeding, MACCE, death and MI were high with nearly equal cut-off values calculated by Youden's index (YI) (major bleeding: Area under the curve [AUC] 0.66; p = 0.026; YI 32; minor bleeding: AUC 0.72; p = 0.001; YI 28; MACCE: AUC 0.62; p < 0.0001; YI 24). CONCLUSION: In our cohort, PD score predicted bleeding moderately in post-PCI patients. In this study, ischemic events were predicted as well. Adaption of antiplatelet therapy duration by PD score is accurate. Nevertheless, it should be well-balanced with patient-related risk for ischemic events.

Update on Cardioprotective Strategies for STEMI: Focus on Supersaturated Oxygen Delivery.

Despite the fact that door-to-balloon times have been greatly reduced, the rates of death and the incidence of heart failure in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) have plateaued. There is still an unmet need to further reduce MI size in the reperfusion era. Most adjunctive therapies to enhance myocardial salvage have failed, but some have shown promise. Currently, the only adjunctive therapy in a pivotal trial that has demonstrated reductions in infarct size is localized delivery of supersaturated oxygen (SSO2) therapy. This review provides background on prior infarct size reduction efforts. The authors describe the preclinical data that shows the effectiveness of SSO2 in reducing MI size, improving regional myocardial blood flow and cardiac function, and reducing adverse left ventricular remodeling-presumably by reducing patchy areas of residual ischemia within the reperfused risk zone. Potential mechanisms by which SSO2 is beneficial are described, including the delivery of high levels of dissolved oxygen through plasma to ischemic, but viable, vascular and myocardial cells, thus allowing their survival and function. The authors then describe the SSO2 clinical trials, demonstrating that in patients with anterior ST-segment elevation MI, SSO2 therapy safely and effectively reduces infarct size, improves cardiac function, and reduces adverse left ventricular remodeling.