Long-term safety and performance of the orbital atherectomy system for treating calcified coronary artery lesions: 5-Year follow-up in the ORBIT I trial

[When orbital exceeds its limits!]

High calcified PCI are challenging because immediate and follow-up results are not optimal. We recommend using a specific preparation of these lesions, especially using atherectomy which can itself provide complications. We illustrate our comments with a clinical case where we have decided to treat a long-calcified lesion from left main to distal left artery descending with a specific preparation according orbital atherectomy. Procedure was complicated by a coronary perforation with favorable evolution. This case allows to report how to prevent a such complication and to remember how should we have to treat it.

[REFORCE registry]

Severe coronary artery calcification, too often underestimated, increases the complexity of percutaneous coronary interventions. Atherectomy is one of preferred approach for the preparation of calcified lesions before stent placement. Orbital atherectomy is a new method that has proven to be safe and effective in the preparation of calcium plaques (ORBIT I and ORBIT II studies). The recent introduction in France allows to perform a prospective registry named REFORCE. Its main objective is to include 300 patients in order to evaluate security and safety of the device in France during routine use.

Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Orbital Atherectomy in Improving the Outcome of Percutaneous Corornary Intervention in People With Diabetes

The optimal approach to deal with severe coronary artery calcification (CAC) in people with diabetes remains ill-defined. People with diabetes have a significant risk of developing severe vessel calcification and coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. Individuals with diabetes mainly present with severe multivessel stenosis, diffuse coronary calcification, and severe atherosclerosis, which are poor prognostic factors of revascularization procedures. Studies have shown that the revascularization of arteries in people with diabetes often results in worse outcomes than in people without diabetes. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been recommended as the standard of care for people with DM and complex anatomic diseases, including left main CAD. However, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is more acceptable to patients in clinical practice because of decreased trauma and rapid recovery. Severe CAC has traditionally been challenging for PCI and a frequent indication for surgical revascularization. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of orbital atherectomy (OA) in improving PCI outcomes in patients with diabetes and identify possible adverse effects that preclude its use.  The study is reported according to PRISMA and analyzed according to Cochrane guidelines on synthesis without meta-analysis. A comprehensive literature search of EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and MEDLINE was conducted for studies that utilized OA before PCI in people with diabetes. A reference list of the eligible articles was also screened. A narrative synthesis was done by representing the data on the effect direction plot, followed by vote counting. Eighteen studies were included in the analysis. Success rate/successful stent delivery was >90%, while freedom from angiographic complication and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were both >80% on the effect direction plot for people with diabetes and those without diabetes. People with diabetes had low event rates similar to those without diabetes. OA appears to be a viable treatment approach for people with diabetes. However, RCTs with a longer duration of follow-up are required to establish the appropriate treatment strategy for severe CAC in people with diabetes.

Safety and Efficacy of Orbital Atherectomy in the All-Comer Population: Mid-Term Results of the Lower Silesian Orbital Atherectomy Registry (LOAR)

BACKGROUND

Coronary calcifications represent a challenging subset for the interventional cardiologist performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and are well-established risk factors for adverse outcomes. Adequate plaque modification prior to stent implantation is critical to achieve an optimal outcome following PCI. Recently, a novel orbital atherectomy device has been introduced into clinical practice to modify calcified plaques. We evaluated the mid-term safety and efficacy of OA in a high-risk "all-comers" population.

METHODS

We evaluated 96 consecutive patients with severely calcified coronary lesions who underwent PCI facilitated by the orbital atherectomy device.

RESULTS

In-hospital MACCE was 5.2% without target lesion revascularization. At 6-month follow-up, the MACCE rate was 10.4% with a concomitant TLR rate of 1%.

CONCLUSIONS

Our mid-term data showed good safety and efficacy of orbital atherectomy as a plaque-modifying tool in an all-comers cohort with severely calcified coronary lesions.

Outcomes of Orbital Atherectomy for the Treatment of Severely Calcified Coronary Artery Lesions

Background Orbital atherectomy (OA) is used to prepare severely calcified coronary artery lesions before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is used to determine the plaque volume and degree of stenosis within the arterial vessel. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of OA for treating severely calcified coronary lesions and determined if IVUS impacted these outcomes. Methods We retrospectively collected data from a single center of patients with severe coronary artery calcification who underwent OA. The data on baseline characteristics and procedural and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 374 patients underwent OA. The mean age was 69 ± 12.7; 53.6% were Black, and 38% were female. Hypertension was present in 96% of the patients, followed by hyperlipidemia in 79.4%, diabetes mellitus in 53.7%, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 22.7%. More patients had presented with a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) compared to ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) at 36.3% versus 4.3%, respectively. The radial artery was used in 35.4% of the cases, and the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was the most commonly treated vessel with OA at 61%, followed by the right coronary artery (RCA) at 30.7%. IVUS was utilized in 63.4% of cases. The most common complication of the procedure was perforation and dissection at an equal proportion of 1.3% among all patients. The no-reflow rate was 0.5%, and 0.5% developed post-procedural myocardial infarction (MI). The average length of stay was 4.7 days, while a marginal proportion, at 10.5%, had same-day discharge with no recorded complications. Conclusion In this analysis of patients with severely calcified coronary lesions, OA had low rates of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and was considered a safe and effective treatment for complex coronary lesions.

Contemporary percutaneous management of coronary calcification: current status and future directions

Severe coronary artery calcification is one of the greatest challenges in attaining success in percutaneous coronary intervention, limiting acute and long-term results. In many cases, plaque preparation is a critical prerequisite for delivery of devices across calcific stenoses and also to achieve adequate luminal dimensions. Recent advances in intracoronary imaging and adjunctive technologies now allow the operator to select the most appropriate strategy in each individual case. In this review, we will revisit the distinct advantages of a complete assessment of coronary artery calcification with imaging and application of appropriate and contemporary plaque modification technologies in achieving durable results in this complex lesion subset.

Contemporary Interventional Approach to Calcified Coronary Artery Disease

Calcific coronary artery disease is an increasingly prevalent entity in the catheterization laboratory which has implications for stenting and expected outcomes. With new interventional techniques and equipment, strategies to favorably modify coronary calcium prior to stenting continue to evolve. This paper sought to review the latest advances in the management of severe coronary artery calcification in the catheterization laboratory and discuss contemporary percutaneous interventional approaches.

Contemporary Management of Severely Calcified Coronary Lesions

Coronary artery calcification is increasingly prevalent in our patient population. It significantly limits the procedural success of percutaneous coronary intervention and is associated with a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events both in the short-term and long-term. There are several modalities for modifying calcified plaque, such as balloon angioplasty (including specialty balloons), coronary atheroablative therapy (rotational, orbital, and laser atherectomy), and intravascular lithotripsy. We discuss each modality’s relative advantages and disadvantages and the data supporting their use. This review also highlights the importance of intravascular imaging to characterize coronary calcification and presents an algorithm to tailor the calcium modification therapy based on specific coronary lesion characteristics.

Contemporary tools and devices for coronary calcium modification

With the aging population, up to a third of patients referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have moderate or severe calcified lesions assessed by coronary angiography. The presence of coronary calcium is associated with difficult device delivery, sub-optimal stent deployment, and prolonged procedures, with more complications. Furthermore, it is known that sub-optimal stent expansion is associated with poor clinical outcomes. In this manuscript we describe how to quantify the severity of coronary calcium, review the armamentarium of contemporary devices available for calcium modification, and provide a systematic approach to device selection, assessment of successful calcium modification, and stent optimization.

Breaking the deadlock of calcified coronary artery lesions: A contemporary review

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of severely calcified lesions is known to result in lower procedural success rates, higher complication rates, and worse long-term clinical outcomes compared to noncalcified lesions. Adequate lesion preparation through calcium modification is crucial in ensuring procedural success and reducing adverse cardiovascular outcomes. There are numerous calcium modification devices currently available whose usefulness depends on the nature of the calcific disease and its anatomical distribution. It can be challenging for the interventionists to decide which device is best suited for their patient. There is also emerging evidence for intravascular imaging in guiding selection of calcium modification devices using parameters such as calcium distribution and depth that directly impact on procedural success and clinical outcomes. In this review we aim to discuss the pathophysiology of coronary calcification, evaluate strategies and technologies of calcium modification and propose an A-M-A-S-A algorithm in managing calcified coronary lesions.

Active matter therapeutics

Nanotherapies based on micelles, liposomes, polymersomes, nanocapsules, magnetic nanoparticles, and noble metal nanoparticles have been at the forefront of drug delivery in the past few decades. Some of these nanopharmaceuticals have been commercially applied to treat a wide range of diseases, from dry eye syndrome to cancer. However, the majority involve particles that are passive, meaning that they do not change shape, and they lack motility; the static features can limit their therapeutic efficacy. In this review, we take a critical look at an emerging field that seeks to utilize active matter for therapeutics. In this context, active matter can be broadly referred to as micro or nanosized constructs that energetically react with their environment or external fields and translate, rotate, vibrate or change shape. Essentially, the recent literature suggests that such particles could significantly augment present-day drug delivery, by enhancing transport and increasing permeability across anatomical barriers by transporting drugs within solid tumor microenvironments or disrupting cardiovascular plaque. We discuss examples of such particles and link the transport and permeability properties of active matter to potential therapeutic applications in the context of two major diseases, namely cancer and heart disease. We also discuss potential challenges, opportunities, and translational hurdles.

Orbital Atherectomy and Heavily Calcified Saphenous Vein Graft Intervention

Percutaneous coronary intervention in the diseased saphenous vein graft differs significantly from that in the diseased native coronary artery. After being exposed to arterial pressures over time, vein grafts have substantially different plaque characteristics, with more inflammatory cells, more diffuse disease, and less calcification. Severe calcification of saphenous vein grafts, although uncommon, poses a high risk of stent underexpansion. Orbital atherectomy for treatment of de novo calcified coronary lesions has been associated with better outcomes at 5-year follow-up. However, there are no published data on the use of orbital atherectomy to treat severely calcified saphenous vein graft lesions. We present the case of a 77-year-old woman with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction who underwent successful orbital atherectomy to prepare a severely calcified saphenous vein graft lesion for stent implantation.

Calcific lesion preparation for coronary bifurcation stenting

Bifurcating coronary lesions are a very common challenge in interventional cardiology because of the technical complexity in their treatment, the risk of side branch occlusion and an overall worse outcome when compared to non-bifurcating lesions. The presence of calcifications represents further complexity due to the difficulty in device delivery and stent expansion as well as enhanced risk of side branch occlusion. Rotational and orbital atherectomy, scoring and cutting balloons, coronary lithoplasty are available tools which have been introduced over the last three decades to overcome such issue. Nevertheless, their application in different contexts of bifurcations presents specific caveats and the studies directed at comparing such techniques have never been expressly oriented in the subset of the bifurcating lesion. In this paper, we review these devices and their usefulness in bifurcations by analyzing consistent data from clinical trials, and we propose a practical algorithm for the treatment of severely calcified bifurcating lesions according to their anatomical features.

How Should We Treat Heavily Calcified Coronary Artery Disease in Contemporary Practice? From Atherectomy to Intravascular Lithotripsy

Heavily calcified and densely fibrotic coronary lesions continue to represent a challenge for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as they are difficult to dilate, and it is difficult to deliver and implant drug-eluting stents (DES) properly. Poor stent deployment is associated with high rates of periprocedural complications and suboptimal long-term clinical outcomes. Thanks to the introduction of several adjunctive PCI tools, like cutting and scoring balloons, atherectomy devices, and to the novel intravascular lithotripsy technology, the treatment of such lesions has become increasingly feasible, predictable and safe. A step-wise progression of strategies is described for coronary plaque modification, from well-recognised techniques to techniques that should only be considered when standard manoeuvres have proven unsuccessful. We highlight these techniques in the setting of clinical examples how best to apply them through better patient and lesion selection, with the main objective of optimising DES delivery and implantation, and subsequent improved outcomes.

Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Orbital and Rotational Atherectomy in Calcified Narrowings in Patients Who Underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

We aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of rotational atherectomy (RA) and orbital atherectomy (OA) during percutaneous coronary intervention in an all-comer population with severely calcified lesions. We included all patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with OA or RA in our institution from October 2013 until October 2016. Comparison of baseline and procedural characteristics, along with acute complication rates and postprocedural cardiac enzyme elevation, was performed. There were 191 RA and 57 OA patients. Other than creatinine clearance, which was lower in patients with OA (p = 0.01), there were no differences in baseline characteristics. OA was more frequent in left anterior descending artery lesions (p = 0.02), whereas RA was more common in right coronary artery lesions (p = 0.01). Intracoronary imaging rates were above 60% in both groups. There was a higher rate of coronary dissections with OA compared with RA (p = 0.003), but there was no difference in periprocedural events. Maximal troponin levels were similar in both groups. Residual stenosis measured by intravascular ultrasound in 29 patients revealed no significant differences between OA and RA (p = 0.58). In conclusion, RA and OA have similar safety and efficacy profiles in treating patients with calcified coronary lesions, and intracoronary imaging is highly beneficial in identifying coronary injury after atherectomy procedures.

Orbital and rotational atherectomy during percutaneous coronary intervention for coronary artery calcification

Severe coronary artery calcification (CAC) increases the complexity of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by inhibiting optimal stent expansion, leading to an increased risk of death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, and stent thrombosis. Coronary atherectomy modifies and debulks calcified plaque to facilitate PCI. Although there is no clear consensus, and further studies are needed, the decision to perform atherectomy should be based upon the presence of fluoroscopic CAC or with the use of intravascular imaging. The management of CAC in the modern era relies on rotational and orbital atherectomy to prepare the lesion to facilitate stent delivery and optimal expansion. While the two technologies differ in equipment, technique, and mechanism of action, the available literature suggests similar efficacy and safety of the two systems, although head-to-head comparisons are limited. While rotational and orbital atherectomy have been shown to have excellent procedural success in terms of facilitating stent delivery, no system has been shown to reduce long-term major adverse cardiovascular events, although the definitive trial for orbital atherectomy has not been completed. Additional trials are needed to find the population who would derive the most benefit of atherectomy and to compare the two systems in a prospective manner.

The successful use of autologous skin in management of guidewire-induced distal coronary perforation

The successful use of autologous skin to management may provide a useful and widely applicable method for dealing with the troublesome complication of guidewire‐induced coronary perforation.

Novel Use of an Orbital Atherectomy Device for In-Stent Restenosis: Lessons Learned

We present a case of a 67-year-old man with stage III chronic kidney disease, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and high surgical risk who presented with two episodes of acute coronary syndrome attributed to in-stent restenosis (ISR) associated with heavily calcified lesions. In this case, we were able to improve luminal patency with orbital atherectomy system (OAS); however, withdrawal of the device resulted in a device/stent interaction, causing failure of the device. Given limitations in current evidence and therapies, managing ISR can be a technical and cognitive challenge. Balloon expansion of the affected region often provides unsatisfactory results, possibly related to significant calcium burden. OAS could be an efficacious way of reestablishing luminal patency in ISR lesions, as these lesions are often heavily calcified.

Patient Selection and Procedural Considerations for Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System

Despite advances in technology, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of severely calcified coronary lesions remains challenging. Rotational atherectomy is one of the current therapeutic options to manage calcified lesions, but has a limited role in facilitating the dilation or stenting of lesions that cannot be crossed or expanded with other PCI techniques due to unfavourable clinical outcome in long-term follow-up. However the results of orbital atherectomy presented in the ORBIT I and ORBIT II trials were encouraging. In addition to these encouraging data, necessity for sufficient lesion preparation before implantation of bioresorbable scaffolds lead to resurgence in the use of atherectomy. This article summarises currently available publications on orbital atherectomy (Cardiovascular Systems Inc.) and compares them with rotational atherectomy.

Atherectomy Devices for the Treatment of Calcified Coronary Lesions

The presence of moderate and severe coronary artery calcification (CAC) is associated with higher rates of angiographic complications during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as well as higher major adverse cardiac events compared with noncalcified lesions. Diabetes mellitus, a risk factor for CAC, is increasing in the United States. Vessel preparation before PCI with atherectomy can facilitate successful stent delivery and expansion that may otherwise not be possible. We review here CAC prevalence, risk factors, and impact on PCI, as well as the currently available coronary atherectomy devices including rotational atherectomy, orbital atherectomy, and laser atherectomy.