Impact of the clinical syntax score on 5-year clinical outcomes after sirolimus-eluting stents implantation

Impact of preprocedural biological markers on 10-year mortality in the SYNTAXES trial

BACKGROUND

Creatinine clearance (CrCl) is an independent determinant of mortality in predictive models of revascularisation outcomes for complex coronary artery disease.

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the impact of preprocedural biological markers on 10-year mortality following coronary revascularisation.

METHODS

The SYNTAX Extended Survival (SYNTAXES) study evaluated the 10-year vital status follow-up of 1,800 patients with de novo three-vessel (3VD) and/or left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) randomised to include percutaneous or surgical coronary revascularisation. The associations between mortality and preprocedural C-reactive protein (CRP), haemoglobin, HbA1c, CrCl, fasting triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were analysed.

RESULTS

Out of 1,800 patients, 460 patients died before the 10-year follow-up. CRP, HbA1c and CrCl with threshold values of ≥2 mg/L, ≥6% (42 mmol/mol) and <60 ml/min, respectively, were associated with 10-year all-cause death (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.35 [1.01-1.82], 1.51 [1.16-1.95], and 1.46 [1.07-2.00], respectively). There was no significant interaction between the biological markers on all-cause mortality and the type of revascularisation. Preprocedural lipid markers were not significantly associated with 10-year all-cause death, but the non-use of statins was a determinant factor of worse prognosis (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.68 [1.26-2.25]).

CONCLUSIONS

Preprocedural biomarkers, such as CRP and HbA1c, are associated with long-term mortality post revascularisation, regardless of the revascularisation technique. Conventional lipidic biomarkers associated with high-risk of cardiovascular events seem to be effectively mitigated by the long-term use of statins, whereas the non-use of statins was a factor of a worse prognosis, emphasising the importance of pharmacological treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

SYNTAXES ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03417050. SYNTAX ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00114972.

Risk Stratification for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score is a semiquantitative angiographic score developed to prospectively characterize the disease complexity of the coronary vasculature. With more than 50 validation studies, the SYNTAX score is the most-studied risk model in the setting of percutaneous coronary intervention. In this article, the evolutionary journey of the SYNTAX score is reviewed, with emphasis on its sequential modifications and adaptations, now culminating in the development and validation of the SYNTAX score II.

Validation of the Ability of SYNTAX and Clinical SYNTAX Scores to Predict Adverse Cardiovascular Events After Stent Implantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

To compare the predicative ability of SYNTAX (Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) and clinical SYNTAX scores for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) after stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Studies were identified by electronic and manual searches. Twenty-six studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled C-statistics of SYNTAX score for 1- and 5-year all-cause mortality (ACM) were 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61-0.68) and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.59-0.65), respectively, with weak heterogeneity. The 1- and 5-year ACM pooled C-statistics for clinical SYNTAX scores were significantly higher at 0.77 and 0.71, respectively (Ps < .05). Both scoring systems predicted 1- and 5-year MACE equally well. The pooled risk ratio of the SYNTAX score for predicting 1-year ACM per unit was 1.04 (95% CI: 1.03-1.05). Calibration analysis indicated SYNTAX scores overestimated the risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events in each risk stratum. The SYNTAX score demonstrated minimal discrimination in predicting 1- or 5-year adverse cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with CAD. The clinical SYNTAX score could further improve the predictive capability for ACM but not MACE.

Description of a Heart Team approach to coronary revascularization and its beneficial long-term effect on clinical events after PCI

OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND

We present a first description of a Heart Team (HT)-guided approach to coronary revascularization and its long-term effect on clinical events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The HT approach is a structured process to decide for coronary bypass grafting (CABG), PCI or conservative therapy in ad hoc situations as well as in HT conferences. As a hypothesis, during the long-term course after a PCI performed according to HT rules, a low number of late revascularizations, especially CABGs, are expected (F-PCI study).

METHODS

In this monocentric study, the HT approach to an all-comer population was first analyzed and described in general with the help of a database. Next the use of a HT approach was described for a more homogeneous subgroup with newly detected CAD (1.CAD). Those patients in whom the HT decision was PCI (which was a 1.PCI) were then studied with the help of questionnaires for clinical events during a very long-term follow-up. Events were CABG, PCI, diagnostic catheterization (DCath) and death.

RESULTS

A significant number of patients were presented to HT conferences: 22 % out of all 11,174 catheterizations, 24 % out of all 7867 CAD cases and 35 % out of 3408 1.CAD cases. Most of these patients had multi-vessel disease (MVD). Conference decisions were isolated CABG in 46-66 %, PCI in 10-14 %, valvular surgery in 9-16 %, HTx in 10-21 % (Endstage heart failure candidates for surgery) and conservative therapy (Medical or no therapy, additional diagnostic procedures or no adherence to recommended therapy) in 2-3 %. However, most PCIs, ad hoc and elective, were performed under Heart Team rules, but without conference. During follow-up of 1.PCI patients (Kaplan-Meier analysis), CABG occurred in only 15 % of patients, PCI in 37 % and DCath in 65 %; mortality of any course was 51 %. Mortalities were similar in one-vessel disease and in a population of the same year, matched for age and sex (p < 0.057), but mortality was higher in 1.PCI patients with MVD (p < 0.001). Beyond 2 years, Kaplan-Meier curves were linear.

CONCLUSION

The structured Heart Team approach is an effective tool for ad hoc and conference-based clinical decision-making with a sustained clinical benefit. This is demonstrated in low late CABG (and PCI) rates after a 1.PCI, without elevated mortality. The all-comer population supports the universal value of these data. Stable annual event rates late after PCI suggest a conversion to stable CAD. Heart Team conferences are also important tools in cases of valvular and end-stage heart disease.

Validation of Scoring Systems That Predict Outcomes in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery

Several risk stratification scores, based on angiographic or clinical parameters, have been developed to evaluate outcomes in patients with left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study aims to validate the predictive ability of different risk scoring systems with regard to long-term outcomes after CABG. This single-center study retrospectively re-evaluated the Synergy Between PCI with TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score; EuroSCORE; age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) score; modified ACEF score; clinical SYNTAX; logistic clinical SYNTAX score (logistic CSS); and Parsonnet scores for 305 patients with LMCAD who underwent CABG. The endpoints were 5-year rate of all-cause death and major adverse cardio-cerebral events (MACCEs), including cardiovascular (CV) death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke and target vessel revascularization (TVR). Compared with the SYNTAX score, other scores were significantly higher in discriminative ability for all-cause death (SYNTAX vs others: P < 0.01). The EuroSCORE ≥6 showed significant outcome difference on all-cause death, CV death, MI, and MACCE (P < .01). Multivariate analysis indicated the SYNTAX score was a non-significant predictor for different outcomes. Adjusted multivariate analysis revealed that the EuroSCORE was the strongest predictor of all-cause death (hazard ratio[HR]: 1.17; P < 0.001), CV death (HR: 1.16; P < 0.001), and MACCE (HR: 1.09; P = 0.01). The ACEF score and logistic CSS were predictive factors for TVR (HR: 0.25, P = 0.03; HR: 0.85, P = 0.01). The EuroSCORE scoring system most accurately predicts all-cause death, CV death, and MACCE over 5 years, whereas low ACEF score and logistic CSS are independently associated with TVR over the 5-year period following CABG in patients with LMCAD undergoing CABG.

Learning from the Cardiologists and Developing Eluting Stents Targeting the Mtor Pathway for Pulmonary Application; A Future Concept for Tracheal Stenosis

Tracheal stenosis due to either benign or malignant disease is a situation that the pulmonary physicians and thoracic surgeons have to cope in their everyday clinical practice. In the case where tracheal stenosis is caused due to malignancy mini-interventional interventions with laser, apc, cryoprobe, balloon dilation or with combination of more than one equipment and technique can be used. On the other hand, in the case of a benign disease such as; tracheomalacia the clinician can immediately upon diagnosis proceed to the stent placement. In both situations however; it has been observed that the stents induce formation of granuloma tissue in both or one end of the stent. Therefore a frequent evaluation of the patient is necessary, taking also into account the nature of the primary disease. Evaluation methodologies identifying different types and extent of the trachea stenosis have been previously published. However; we still do not have an effective adjuvant therapy to prevent granuloma tissue formation or prolong already treated granuloma lesions. There have been proposed many mechanisms which induce the abnormal growth of the local tissue, such as; local pressure, local stress, inflammation and vascular endothelial growth factor overexpression. Immunomodulatory agents inhibiting the mTOR pathway are capable of inhibiting the inflammatory cascade locally. In the current mini-review we will try to present the current knowledge of drug eluting stents inhibiting the mTOR pathway and propose a future application of these stents as a local anti-proliferative treatment.