Alternative therapeutic strategies for patients with severe end-stage coronary artery disease not amenable to conventional revascularization

Although there have been remarkable advances in medical therapy, percutaneous coronary interventions, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery, complete revascularization remains a challenge given the more complex coronary artery disease prevalent in contemporary practice. The lack of donors for cardiac transplantation will fuel the search for effective alternative strategies for dealing with patients with severe ischemic heart disease not amenable to conventional revascularization techniques. Percutaneous laser revascularization clearly diminishes anginal symptoms; however, the blinded trials have provided conflicting results, with one study showing a definite decrease in angina and another suggesting that the placebo effect may play a major role in this modality. Similarly, surgical transmyocardial laser revascularization is limited by the lack of consistent improvement in objective measurements of ischemia and the potential confounding mechanisms of denervation and the placebo effect, and thus should be reserved for only the most highly selected patients. Although enhanced external counterpulsation is associated with an improvement in anginal symptoms and exercise tolerance, this modality is limited by its availability, tolerability, and rigid exclusion criteria. Of the alternative strategies available, therapeutic angiogenesis holds the most promise. However, the long-term results of ongoing randomized clinical trials require further scrutiny. Novel methods for vascular reconstruction are evolving techniques, but should be viewed currently as mainly experimental methods. The common goals of these new treatment options would be to reduce symptoms, decrease morbidity, and potentially improve mortality by reducing ischemia through favorably impacting myocardial oxygen supply and demand. The optimal management of patients with severe end-stage coronary artery disease not amenable to conventional revascularization techniques will continue to remain a challenge for the clinician and will be the main focus of basic cardiovascular research and clinical trials in the new millennium.

Evaluation of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and the Society for Coronary Angiography and Interventions lesion classification system in the current "stent era" of coronary interventions (from the ACC-National Cardiovascular Data Registry)

In 1988 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Coronary Angioplasty proposed a lesion classification system to stratify lesions by difficulty and risk to better understand the outcomes of coronary interventions. It was a 3-level (A, B, and C) classification based on 11 lesion characteristics. A modification, dividing the intermediate B category into B1 and B2, is also in common use. Recently, a simplification of this classification was evaluated using the large Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Registry (SCAI I = non-C/patent; SCAI II = C/patent; SCAI III = non-C/occluded; SCAI IV = C/occluded). The lesion classification systems were evaluated in 61,926 patients from the ACC National Cardiovascular Data Registry who underwent single-vessel percutaneous coronary intervention between January 1998 and September 2000. Stents were placed in 74.5% of patients. Logistic models for lesion success and complications were constructed and compared. The c statistic for success using the ACC/AHA original classification system was 0.69, 0.71 for the modified ACC/AHA system, and 0.75 for the SCAI classification. The range of complication and success rates was greater using the SCAI models, and the logistic models for success and complication were more robust for the SCAI system. Thus, in the large ACC-National Cardiovascular Data Registry, with a high percentage of stent usage, the simpler SCAI lesion classification provided better discrimination for success and complications than the more complex ACC/AHA lesion classification system-original or modified.

Management of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary revascularization

While performance of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains the domain of specialized cardiologists, patients undergoing PCI are cared for by noninvasive cardiologists, internists, and primary care physicians. Therefore, patient care is optimized when the entire patient care team understands procedural risks and complications as well as optimum patient management before, during, and after PCI. Before PCI, patients with contrast dye allergies should be identified and pretreated with steroids and an H1-blocker. Hydration should be initiated and maintained before and after the procedure to minimize the risks for contrast nephropathy. Periprocedure, patients should be monitored clinically for evidence of ischemia. In patients with significant groin, flank, abdominal, or back pain, as well as those with decrease in hematocrit or unexplained hypotension, the diagnosis of groin or retroperitoneal hematoma should be considered and promptly evaluated. Groin tenderness, pulsatile mass, or bruit should prompt evaluation for possible femoral pseudoaneurysm or arteriovenous fistulae. After the procedure, all patients treated with coronary stents should receive aspirin plus clopidogrel. Patients who develop typical anginal symptoms between the 1st and 6th to 8th months after PCI are likely to have restenosis and can be evaluated by an imaging study or repeated catheterization.

Supplemental value of troponin I combined with a clinical risk model to predict in-hospital events in intermediate and high risk patients with acute coronary syndromes

To evaluate the supplemental value of serial troponin I (Trp) measurements when combined with a clinical model composed of six clinical parameters in predicting in-hospital adverse event rates, a total of 118 consecutive patients admitted over a 23-month period with intermediate- or high-risk unstable angina or non-Q wave myocardial infarction (MI) as defined by AHCPR criteria who had coronary angiography within 72 hours of hospitalization were studied. Presenting clinical characteristics were graded using a previously validated variation of the Braunwald criteria (RUSH model). The RUSH model clinical score includes six clinical parameters: age, diabetes, intravenous nitroglycerin, pre-admission calcium-channel and beta-blocker, ST depression and post-MI angina (< 2 weeks), and creates an estimated probability of MI or death. The RUSH model was compared to serial Trp levels drawn at 6-hour intervals (0, 6 and 12 hours). An abnormal Trp value was defined as > 2.0 mg/dl. Outcome measures included death, MI, recurrent chest pain and new ST or T changes and enzyme elevation. One death, 23 MIs and 24 other adverse clinical events occurred. The event group had a RUSH score predictive of 12.7 12.4% risk and the no-event group had a score of 13.2 10.2% risk (p = 0.64). The Trp positive group had a clinical score predicting 14.2 13.2% risk and the Trp negative group had a score of 11.7 9.3% risk (p = 0.21). Patients with elevated Trp had an adverse event rate of 32/50 (64%) vs. 21/68 (31%) in patients with normal Trp (p < 0.0004). Elevated Trp had 60.4% sensitivity and 72.3% specificity, odds ratio of 3.97 (1.71 9.33), as well as 64% positive and 69.1% negative predictive values for predicting adverse events. Thus, there was significant incremental value to adding Trp to the clinical score when predicting outcomes in patients with intermediate- and high-risk clinical scores. When Trp was abnormal, it was useful when predicting higher risk; if Trp was normal, it was useful predicting lower but still elevated risk. Consequently, in a population selected for intermediate and high risk, the presence or absence of elevated Trp I is a sensitive and specific additive predictor to clinical score to predict need for revascularization and adverse in-hospital outcomes, as suggested in current guidelines.

Percutaneous coronary interventions in octogenarians in the American College of Cardiology-National Cardiovascular Data Registry: development of a nomogram predictive of in-hospital mortality

OBJECTIVES

We sought to evaluate the results of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in elderly patients in contemporary practice.

BACKGROUND

Prior studies of PCI in the elderly population demonstrate increased in-hospital mortality, but these studies are limited by small population size.

METHODS

Using the American College of Cardiology-National Cardiovascular Data Registry (ACC-NCDR) of 100,253 patients, the in-hospital outcomes in all 8,828 PCI procedures performed on octogenarians were evaluated. Patients underwent PCI between 1998 and 2000 at over 145 participating centers.

RESULTS

The mean age was 83.72 +/- 3.02 years, with female preponderance (53%). The PCI was considered angiographically successful in 93%, stents were placed in 75%, and the post-PCI length of stay was 3.3 +/- 5.1 days. Overall in-hospital mortality was 3.77% but was only 1.35% in PCI without recent myocardial infarction (MI) within one week (p < 0.0001). Patients having PCI within 6 h of the onset of their MI had an increase in mortality tenfold (13.79%) compared with patients without a recent MI (p < 0.0001). All groups that were defined based on time of PCI after MI onset up to seven days had increased mortality (all p < 0.0001). Older age (odds ratio [OR] of 1.03 per incremental year), depressed ejection fraction (EF) (OR 0.69 per 10 points for EF <60%), and time of PCI after MI onset (<6 h, OR 6.87; 6 to 24 h, OR 5.66; 24 h to one week, OR 2.93) were most strongly predictive of outcome by multivariate analysis. The predicted mortality from the multivariate model correlated well with the observed in-hospital mortality up to 20% mortality. A 254-point nomogram was constructed employing the logistic model using a weighted point system.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients > or = 80 years old, PCI has good success and acceptable mortality. The presence of an acute or recent MI substantially increases the risk of in-hospital death.

Risk stratification post-myocardial infarction: is early coronary angiography the more effective strategy?

The primary management strategy for the post-myocardial infarction patient continues to be controversial despite published guidelines. In part, this is the consequence of study designs that are not directly applicable to individual patients, but also to the rapidly changing pharmacological and mechanical device armamentarium that rapidly renders clinical trial results obsolete within a few years. This review attempts to highlight those areas where there is consensus as well as to explicate those situations where common clinical practice appears to be in conflict with accepted guidelines.

Frequency of abrupt vessel closure and side branch occlusion after percutaneous coronary intervention in a 6.5-year period (1994 to 2000) at a single medical center

The aims of this study were to analyze the contemporary trends in the changing incidence of abrupt vessel closure (AVC) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), to determine the impact of intracoronary stenting and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs) on complication rates and etiologies, and to determine the incidence of side branch occlusion (SBO) as the etiology of AVC in the stent era, complications occurring during 3,300 consecutive PCIs performed from April 1994 to December 2000 at a single referral institution. In this consecutive patient cohort of PCI cases collected over a 6.5-year period, AVC occurred in 103 of 3,300 cases (3.12%). Linear regression analysis over this time frame documented a steadily decreasing incidence of AVC from 5.9% in 1994 to 1.1% in 2000 (-0.76%/per year, 95% confidence interval -0.99 to 0.52, p <0.05). Analysis using Pearson's correlation showed that the decreasing incidence of AVC was inversely correlated with the increasing percentage of intracoronary stents placed over this time period (r = -0.94, p <0.001). Additionally, GPI use increased from 0% in 1995 to 36.0% in 2000 (p = 0.009). The absolute incidence of SBO of a major branch vessel remained relatively stable over this 6.5-year period. However, SBO appeared to be increasing as the etiology of AVC, and accounted for 9.0% of AVC in 1995 compared with 28.0% of AVC in 2000. This increasing trend of the percentage of SBO as the etiology of AVC appeared to correlate with the increased use of stents (r = 0.85, p = 0.015). Thus, the incidence of AVC steadily decreased over the 6.5-year time period, and was associated with the increased use of stents and GPIs; conversely, SBO accounted for an increasing percentage of AVC over this time period.

Development of a risk adjustment mortality model using the American College of Cardiology-National Cardiovascular Data Registry (ACC-NCDR) experience: 1998-2000

OBJECTIVES

We sought to develop and evaluate a risk adjustment model for in-hospital mortality following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures using data from a large, multi-center registry.

BACKGROUND

The 1998-2000 American College of Cardiology-National Cardiovascular Data Registry (ACC-NCDR) dataset was used to overcome limitations of prior risk-adjustment analyses.

METHODS

Data on 100,253 PCI procedures collected at the ACC-NCDR between January 1, 1998, and September 30, 2000, were analyzed. A training set/test set approach was used. Separate models were developed for presentation with and without acute myocardial infarction (MI) within 24 h.

RESULTS

Factors associated with increased risk of PCI mortality (with odds ratios in parentheses) included cardiogenic shock (8.49), increasing age (2.61 to 11.25), salvage (13.38) urgent (1.78) or emergent PCI (5.75), pre-procedure intra-aortic balloon pump insertion (1.68), decreasing left ventricular ejection fraction (0.87 to 3.93), presentation with acute MI (1.31), diabetes (1.41), renal failure (3.04), chronic lung disease (1.33); treatment approaches including thrombolytic therapy (1.39) and non-stent devices (1.64); and lesion characteristics including left main (2.04), proximal left anterior descending disease (1.97) and Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions lesion classification (1.64 to 2.11). Overall, excellent discrimination was achieved (C-index = 0.89) and application of the model to high-risk patient groups demonstrated C-indexes exceeding 0.80. Patient factors were more predictive in the MI model, while lesion and procedural factors were more predictive in the analysis of non-MI patients.

CONCLUSIONS

A risk adjustment model for in-hospital mortality after PCI was successfully developed using a contemporary multi-center registry. This model is an important tool for valid comparison of in-hospital mortality after PCI.

Coronary angiographic morphology in unstable angina: comparative observations of culprit lesions in saphenous vein grafts versus native coronary arteries

GOAL

To compare angiographic characteristics of culprit lesions in saphenous vein grafts (SVG) with those in native coronary arteries (NCA) in patients presenting with unstable angina (UA).

METHODS

Over 4 years, a total of 445 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention during hospitalization for UA were identified using a prospectively collected database. Patients with enzyme or electrocardiographic (ECG) evidence for acute myocardial infarction were excluded. Single culprit lesions in SVGs were identified by angiographic and ECG criteria in 214 patients and in NCAs in 231 patients. Culprit lesions were clearly identifiable by clinical and angiographic correlation in all cases. Morphologic analysis of the culprit lesions was performed using the Ambrose classification.

RESULTS

The SVG group had male predominance (86.4% vs. 66.7%; p = 0001) and was older (67.3 +/- 9.9 years vs. 64.0 +/- 12.2 years; p = 0.0017) compared to the NCA group. Left ventricular ejection fraction was lower in the SVG group (53.8 +/- 15.5% vs. 57.5 +/- 15.2%; p = 0.063). There was a higher incidence of thrombotic-appearing lesions in SVG culprit lesions than in NCAs (31.3% vs. 6.5%; p = 0.001). There was also a higher incidence of ulcerated plaque in SVGs (36.9% vs. 22.1%; p = 0.001). Total occlusions were more common in NCAs (13.0% vs. 7.9%; p = 0.084). The composite incidence of thrombus, ulcerated plaque and total occlusion was more frequent in SVG lesions (59.4% vs. 39.8%; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In UA, culprit lesions of SVGs assessed angiographically demonstrate morphology consistent with ulcerated plaque and thrombus more frequently than lesions in NCAs, but total occlusions are more common in NCAs. Angiographically-evident active thrombotic and ulcerated lesions underlie acute ischemic syndromes more frequently in SVGs than in native vessels.

Report of an undeployed stent causing the unraveling of a coronary artery guidewire being used for sidebranch protection

We report a case of a 70-year-old male who was undergoing elective angioplasty of the left anterior descending coronary artery. During the procedure, a coronary guidewire became unraveled after positioning an undeployed stent; we describe its successful retrieval by removal of the undeployed stent. Although sidebranch protection and placement of a stent with the guidewire left in place is commonly performed without complication, it should be realized that this practice is not without hazard because of the unusual, but serious consequences that could ensue if the entrapped wire were to unravel.

Evaluation of the Society for Coronary Angiography and Interventions' lesion classification system in 14,133 patients with percutaneous coronary interventions in the current stent era

We recently showed that the ACC/AHA coronary lesion classification could be simplified with no loss of predictive value (SCAI I = patent/non-C; SCAI II = patent/C; SCAI III = occluded/non-C; SCAI IV = occluded/C). We now test this system in a database reflecting current stent usage. Data from 14,133 patients with single-native-vessel interventions recorded in the Society for Coronary Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Registry from July 1996 to July 1999 were analyzed. Stents were used in 60.2% of procedures. Logistic models predicting angiographic success suggested a slight, clinically insignificant preference for the SCAI classification (c-statistic = 0.692 vs. 0.670). Models using clinical variables to predict major complications were superior to models using only lesion classification. Lesion characteristics were related to outcomes primarily in elective (not acute myocardial infarction) patients. In the current PCI device era, the simpler SCAI classification using 7 variables predicted interventional success and complications as well as or better than the ACC/AHA system requiring 26.