Sex-specific outcomes following revascularization with zotarolimus-eluting stents: comparison of angiographic and late-term clinical results

Association of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Genes Polymorphism With In-Sent Restenosis of Bare Metal Stents vs Drug-Eluting Stents in Egyptians

Despite its unequivocal superiority compared with balloon angioplasty, coronary stenting did not abolish restenosis. We aimed to evaluate the associations between a common single nucleotide polymorphism occurring in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genes and the risk of in-stent restenosis (ISR) of bare metal stents vs drug-eluting stents (BMS vs DES) implanted in Egyptian patients. Two hundred patients who had coronary stenting were divided into group I (n = 98) who received a BMS and group II (n = 102) who received a DES. eNOS and ACE genes polymorphism were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We found that the GA and AA genotypes of the eNOS gene were associated with the ISR with both BMS and DES. However, the ACE gene was not associated with ISR. We concluded that eNOS gene polymorphism is associated with ISR. Hypertension, stent length, and AA genotype of the eNOS gene were found to be independent predictors of the occurrence of ISR after both BMS and DES use.

The effect of sex differences on neointimal characteristics of in-stent restenosis in drug-eluting stents: An optical coherence tomography study

Background

Previous studies have demonstrated that there are sex-related differences in atherosclerosis. However, in terms of the nature of in-stent restenosis (ISR) neointima, the effect of gender on the results is unclear.

Methods

Patients with ISR of drug-eluting stents (DES) who underwent OCT examination in Senior Department of Cardiology of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital from March 2010 to March 2022 were included. The patients were divided into male and female groups.

Results

In this study, a total of 230 DES-ISR patients and 249 DES-ISR target lesions were analyzed. OCT data showed that compared to females, males have a higher incidence of thin-cap fibrous atherosclerosis (TCFA) (37.4% [n = 77] vs. 9.3% [n = 4], p < 0.001) and in-stent neoatherosclerosis (ISNA) (82.0% [n = 169] vs. 62.8% [n = 27]). p = 0.005). In addition, a multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that male was independently associated with a higher incidence of ISNA (OR: 2.659, 95% CI: 1.239-5.707; p = 0.012) and TCFA (OR: 4.216, 95% CI: 1.370-12.976; p = 0.012).

Conclusion

For DES-ISR patients, the incidence of ISNA in female was significantly lower than that in male and vulnerability of neointimal pattern is lower in female than in male.

Risk prediction of in-stent restenosis among patients with coronary drug-eluting stents: current clinical approaches and challenges

Introduction: In-stent restenosis (ISR) has been one of the biggest limitations to the success of percutaneous coronary intervention for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). The introduction of drug-eluting stent (DES) was a revolution in the treatment of CAD because these devices drastically reduced ISR to very low levels (<5%). Subsequently, newer generation DES treatments have overcome the drawbacks of first-generation DES, i.e. delayed endothelialization, and late stent thrombosis. However, the issue of late ISR, including neoatherosclerosis after DES implantation especially in high-risk patients and complex lesions, still exists as a challenge to be overcome.Areas covered: We discuss the mechanisms of ISR development including neoatherosclerosis, past and current clinical status of ISR, and methods to predict and overcome this issue from pathological and clinical points of view.Expert opinion: The initial drawbacks of first-generation DES, such as delayed endothelial healing and subsequent risk of late stent thrombosis, have been improved upon by the current generation DES. To achieve better long-term clinical outcomes, further titration of drug-release and polymer degradation profile, strut thickness as well as material innovation are needed.

Sex differences in the outcomes of stent implantation in mini-swine model

Sex-related differences have been noted in cardiovascular anatomy, pathophysiology, and treatment responses, yet we continued to drive evaluation of vascular device development in animal models without consideration of animal sex. We aimed to understand sex-related differences in the vascular responses to stent implantation by analyzing the pooled data of endovascular interventions in 164 Yucatan mini-swine (87 female, 77 male). Bare metal stents (BMS) or drug-eluting stents (DES) were implanted in 212 coronary arteries (63 single BMS implantation, 68 single DES implantation, 33 overlapped BMS implantation, and 48 overlapped DES implantation). Histomorphological parameters were evaluated from vascular specimens at 3-365 days after stent implantation and evaluated values were compared between female and male groups. While neointima formation at all times after implantation was invariant to sex, statistically significant differences between female and male groups were observed in injury, inflammation, adventitial fibrosis, and neointimal fibrin deposition. These differences were observed independently, i.e., for different procedure types and at different follow-up timings. Only subtle temporal sex-related differences were observed in extent and timing of resolution of inflammation and fibrin clearance. These subtle sex-related differences may be increasingly important as interventional devices meld novel materials that erode and innovations in drug delivery. Erodible materials may act differently if inflammation has a different temporal sequence with sex, and drug distribution after balloon or stent delivery might be different if the fibrin clearance speaks to different modes of pharmacokinetics in male and female swine.

Sex-based influence on clinical outcomes after drug-eluting stent implantation in real-world patients: insight from the FOCUS registry

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the impact of sex on clinical outcomes after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in real-world patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total number of 4720 patients (3365 males and 1355 females) undergoing the second-generation cobalt-chromium sirolimus-eluting stent (CoCr-SES) implantation from the FOCUS registry were included in this analysis. The cumulative incidences of major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) (1.5% vs. 2.4%; p = .03), cardiovascular death (0.5% vs. 1.0%; p = .02) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) (0.3% vs. 0.8%; p = .01) within six months were significantly higher in females and the risks of MACE (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.5 (0.3-0.9); p = .01) and TVR (adjusted HR 0.1(0.0-0.5); p = .001) remained significant in multivariate analysis. Reversely, the cumulative incidences of MACE (5.4% vs. 4.8%; p = .04) and any revascularization (5.1% vs. 3.3%; p = .01) were significantly higher in males beyond six months and the risks of all-cause death (adjusted HR 1.6 (1.1-2.5); p = .03) and cardiovascular death (adjusted HR 1.9 (1.1-3.6); p = .03) turned out to be significant in multivariate analysis. Notes: All cumulative incidences were presented as male vs. female; all HRs were calculated as male relative to female.

CONCLUSIONS

Females were associated with higher risk of early adverse events, while, males were associated with higher risk of late adverse events. Key messages Females undergoing PCI are typically older, have more cardiovascular risk factors, while, males in need of PCI are more frequently associated with complex lesions. The overall three-year cumulative incidences of adverse events are not significantly different between males and females but numerically higher in males. Females are associated with significantly higher risks of MACE and TVR within six months, while, males are associated with significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality beyond 6 months.

Treatment, outcomes, costs, and quality of life of women and men with acute coronary syndromes who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention: results from the antiplatelet therapy observational registry

BACKGROUND

Treatment, outcomes, costs, and quality of life after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were compared between women and men with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) using data from the Antiplatelet Therapy Observational Registry (APTOR).

METHODS

Fourteen European countries participated in this noninterventional, prospective, observational cohort registry, which enrolled patients with ACS who underwent PCI from 2007 to 2009. The 12-month outcomes included bleeding, cardiovascular events, and mortality. Quality of life was measured using the EQ-5D™ (EuroQol Group) health index and the visual analog scale.

RESULTS

The APTOR registry included 4546 patients, of whom 1047 (23%) were women and 3499 (77%) were men. The women were older (mean age, 67 vs 61 years) and had higher rates of diabetes mellitus and hypertension. A greater proportion of the men were smokers (40% vs 30%). Approximately 70% of the patients underwent PCI on the day of the qualifying ACS event. Women and men received similar medications at the time of PCI, hospital discharge, and 12-month follow-up visit. Bleeding, cardiovascular events, and mortality occurred at higher rates in women than in men, but the differences were not statistically significant. At 12 months post-PCI, women reported lower quality-of-life scores on the EQ-5D™ health index and the visual analog scale than did men. The mean total cost of care was £6252 (€7189) for women and £5841 (€6717) for men; the differences may be driven by resource use after discharge from the hospital.

CONCLUSION

Women with ACS tended to be older and had more comorbidities than men, but both sexes experienced similar outcomes after 1 year. This study indicated no differences in treatment between sexes.

Gender differences in clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary interventions with zotarolimus-eluting stents: insights from the Korean Endeavor Registry

BACKGROUND

The impact of gender on outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with second-generation drug-eluting stents is not known in Asian patients. The authors studied outcomes after PCI with zotarolimus-eluting stent in unselected consecutive series of Asian patients according to gender.

METHODS

Outcomes among patients treated with zotarolimus-eluting stents from multicenter registry were evaluated by gender. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events, composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization at 1 year.

RESULTS

Of 2,840 patients, 855 (30.1%) were women. Comparatively, women were older; more frequently had diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; less frequently women were current smokers, had previous myocardial infarctions and previous PCIs; were more likely to have culprit lesions in left anterior descending coronary artery; and underwent more multilesion PCIs. After adjustment for baseline differences, women were still at lower risk of major adverse cardiac events (38 [4.4%] versus 137 [6.9%], adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30-0.89, P = 0.018), mainly driven by target lesion revascularization (24 [2.8%] versus 106 [5.3%], adjusted HR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.24-0.70, P = 0.001) at 1 year, although rates of cardiac death, myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis were similar between genders. These results were consistent after propensity score-matched population analysis (for major adverse cardiac events, adjusted HR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.18-0.69, P = 0.012; for target lesion revascularization, adjusted HR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.15-0.69, P = 0.004) and were also constant among various high-risk subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite greater baseline clinical and angiographic risk, the use of the zotarolimus-eluting stent is associated with favorable outcomes among Asian women treated with PCI.

The Generations of Drug-Eluting Stents and Outcomes in Women

Drug-eluting stents have become one of the mainstays of percutaneous coronary artery revascularization. Since their introduction, there have been many developments in this technology including the optimization of the stent platform, novel polymer coatings, and antiproliferative drugs. Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, the prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease is lower, and women comprise a minority of patients included in clinical trials assessing the performance of drug-eluting stents. This article reviews the advances in drug-eluting stent technology and the studies reporting outcomes in women after implantation of these stents.

Sex differences in neointimal hyperplasia following endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent implantation

Inconsistent results in outcomes have been observed between the genders after drug-eluting stent implantation. The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in neointimal proliferation for the Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) and the Driver bare-metal stent (BMS). A total of 476 (n = 391 ZES, n = 85 BMS) patients whose volumetric intravascular ultrasound analyses were available at 8-month follow-up were studied. At 8 months, neointimal obstruction and maximum cross-sectional narrowing (CSN) were significantly lower in women than in men receiving ZES (neointimal obstruction 15.5 ± 9.5% vs 18.2 ± 10.9%, p = 0.025; maximum CSN 30.3 ± 13.2% vs 34.8 ± 15.0%, p = 0.007). Conversely, these parameters tended to be higher in women than in men receiving BMS (neointimal obstruction 36.3 ± 15.9% vs 27.5 ± 17.2%, p = 0.053; maximum CSN 54.3 ± 18.6% vs 45.6 ± 18.3%, p = 0.080). There was a significant interaction between stent type and gender regarding neointimal obstruction (p = 0.001) and maximum CSN (p = 0.003). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that female gender was independently associated with lower neointimal obstruction (p = 0.027) and maximum CSN (p = 0.004) for ZES but not for BMS. Compared to BMS, ZES were independently associated with a reduced risk for binary restenosis in both genders (odds ratio for women 0.003, p = 0.001; odds ratio for men 0.191, p <0.001), but the magnitude of this risk reduction with ZES was significantly greater in women than men (p = 0.015). In conclusion, female gender is independently associated with decreased neointimal hyperplasia in patients treated with ZES. The magnitude of risk reduction for binary restenosis with ZES is significantly greater in women than in men.

Restenosis after PCI. Part 1: pathophysiology and risk factors

Restenosis is a complex disease for which the pathophysiological mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated, but are thought to include inflammation, proliferation, and matrix remodeling. Over the years, many predictive clinical, biological, (epi)genetic, lesion-related, and procedural risk factors for restenosis have been identified. These factors are not only useful in risk stratification of patients, they also contribute to our understanding of this condition. Furthermore, these factors provide evidence on which to base treatment tailored to the individual and aid in the development of novel therapeutic modalities. In this Review, we will evaluate the available evidence on the pathophysiological mechanisms of restenosis and provide an overview of the various risk factors, together with the possible clinical application of this knowledge.