Direct Drug-Eluting Stenting to Reduce Stent Restenosis

The NITRATE-OCT study-inorganic nitrate reduces in-stent restenosis in patients with stable coronary artery disease: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial

Background

Coronary angioplasty and stent insertion is a first line treatment for patients with coronary artery disease, however it is complicated in the long-term by in-stent restenosis (ISR) in a proportion of patients with an associated morbidity. Despite this, currently there are no effective treatments available for the prevention of ISR. Repeat percutaneous revascularisation carries increased risks of major adverse cardiovascular events and a higher incidence of stent failure. In this study we report the efficacy of dietary inorganic nitrate in the prevention of ISR in a prospective, double-blind, randomised controlled trial.

Methods

NITRATE-OCT is a double-blind, randomised, single-centre, placebo-controlled phase II trial. 300 patients who were planned to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and drug eluting stent (DES) implantation for stable angina were randomised on a 1:1 basis to receive a daily dose of either dietary inorganic nitrate or placebo for 6 months. Block randomisation was used and patients stratified according to diabetes status. The patients then underwent quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) at baseline and at 6 months and optical coherence tomography at 6 months to quantify ISR. The primary endpoint was the QCA quantified decrease of in-stent/in-segment diameter from the baseline measure at 6 months i.e., in-stent and in-segment late-lumen loss (LLL). The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02529189.

Findings

From November 1st 2015 and March 31st 2020, NITRATE-OCT enrolled 300 patients with angina, with 150 each randomised to receive 70 mL of nitrate-containing beetroot juice or placebo (nitrate-deplete) juice for 6 months. Procedural characteristics were similar between the groups. The primary endpoint was available in 208 patients: 107 and 101 in the nitrate and placebo groups, respectively. There was a statistically significant effect of inorganic nitrate on both primary endpoints: in-stent LLL decreased by 0.16 mm (95% CI:0.06-0.25; P = 0.001) with mean = 0.09 ± 0.38 mm in the inorganic nitrate group versus 0.24 ± 0.33 mm in the placebo group; (P = 0.0052); and in-segment LLL decreased by 0.24 mm (95% CI:0.12-0.36; P < 0.001) with mean = 0.02 ± 0.52 mm in the inorganic nitrate group and 0.26 ± 0.37 mm in the placebo group (P = 0.0002). Inorganic nitrate treatment was associated with a rise in the plasma nitrate concentration of ∼6.1-fold and plasma nitrite (NO2 -) of ∼2.0-fold at 6 months. These rises were associated with sustained decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 6 months compared to baseline with a change SBP of -12.06 ± 15.88 mmHg compared to the placebo group of 2.52 ± 14.60 mmHg (P < 0.0001).

Interpretation

In patients who underwent PCI for stable coronary artery disease, a once-a-day oral inorganic nitrate treatment was associated with a significant decrease in both in-stent and in-segment LLL.

Funding

This trial and KSR was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (DRF-2014-07-008) and NIHR ACL, HW and this study were supported by The NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre, IC was funded by The North and East London Clinical Research Network, CL, GM were funded by The Barts Charity Cardiovascular Programme MRG00913 and MO was funded by The British Heart Foundation Project Grant PG/19/4/33995.

The Effects of Ticagrelor Combined with Tirofiban on Coagulation Function, Serum Myocardial Injury Markers, and Inflammatory Factor Levels in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) refers to the acute necrosis of part of the myocardium caused by persistent and severe myocardial ischemia. This study is aimed at investigating the efficacy of tirofiban combined with ticagrelor in AMI patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and its effects on plasma activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), D-dimer (D-D) levels, myocardial injury markers, and inflammatory factors.

Methods

68 AMI patients with AMI who received PCI were divided into control group and observation group (n =34) according to postoperative treatment methods. Both groups received ticagrelor tablets (90 mg). The observation group was additionally given tirofiban (10 μg/kg). APTT, FIB, D-D, serum myoglobin (MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-6, myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels and the peak time in both groups were detected. The incidence of cardiovascular events and drug safety were compared.

Results

After treatment, APTT was increased, and FIB and D-D levels were decreased in both groups. After treatment, the APTT in the observation group was longer, and FIB and D-D levels were lower than those in the control group. The peak time of serum MB and cTnI in the observation group was earlier than that in the control group. The levels of serum MB and cTnI in the observation group were lower than those in the control group. After treatment, serum CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, and MPO levels were decreased. And the incidence of cardiovascular events was reduced.

Conclusion

Tirofiban combined with ticagrelor can improve coagulation function, protect myocardium, relieve inflammation, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with AMI after PCI.

Spontaneous ruptured aortic plaque and injuries: insights for aging and acute aortic syndrome from non-obstructive general angioscopy

Recent advances in non-obstructive general angioscopy (NOGA) have enabled the detection of aortic atherosclerosis. The incidence of spontaneous ruptured aortic plaques (SRAPs) and aortic injuries was found to be high in patients diagnosed with or suspected of having coronary artery disease. These facts may result in a paradigm shift for diseases such as aging and acute aortic syndrome because the incidence of systemic embolic diseases and aortic disease are assumed be high. Aortic thromboembolism has been thought to be mainly iatrogenic and is referred to as "cholesterol embolization syndrome" or "cholesterol crystal embolization", although the cholesterol crystals (CCs) were not demonstrated routinely as real images. Atheromatous materials, fibrins, calcifications, macrophages, and a mixture of such substances are released through a puff or puff-chandelier rupture. Among atheromatous materials, CCs can be easily detected clinically in sampled blood via polarized light microscopy. Atheromatous materials include rich CCs and free monolayers, and multilayer CCs are released when the atheromatous materials from vulnerable plaques break into pieces, such as in puff or puff-chandelier rupture. Released SRAPs seem to be asymptomatic; however, accumulation of SRAPs referred to as accumulated spontaneous asymptomatic plaques may cause aging through systemic "embolic" processes, such as mechanical obstruction and an inflammasome pathway. Unique findings in "atherosclerotic" acute aortic syndrome, such as a clear boundary between the dissected lesion and the normal lesion, fissure/fissure bleeding suggesting an entry or a reentry, and subintimal blood flow detected through NOGA are reported. Fissure/fissure bleeding and subintimal blood flow may be the first or last triggers of "atherosclerotic" acute aortic syndrome. Pre-emptive diagnosis and risk stratification of acute "atherosclerotic" aortic dissection and feedback for endovascular therapy may be enabled through the use of NOGA in the future.

Real World Experience of a Biodegradable Polymer Sirolimus-Eluting Stent (Yukon Choice PC Elite) in Patients with Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Angioplasty: A Multicentric Observational Study (The Elite India Study)

BACKGROUND:

The durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DPDES) reduce the risk of repeated target vessel revascularisation (TLR) compared with BMS, but are associated with increased risk of late adverse events. In broadly inclusive populations, the biodegradable-polymer drug-eluting stents (BPDES) have favourable results compared with DPDES in the long term. However, its use in primary angioplasty has not been adequately studied, and data of real-world clinical experience is lacking.

AIM:

Aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of Yukon Choice PC Elite sirolimus-eluting stent (a novel BPDES) in STEMI patients undergoing primary angioplasty.

METHODS:

We have presented here one-year clinical follow-up data of the Yukon Choice PC Elite sirolimus-eluting stent in patients undergoing primary angioplasty. A total of 636 patients were enrolled in this single arm, prospective observational study from five centres.

RESULTS:

This multicentric observational study showed excellent safety and efficacy profile of the novel device at one year follow up. The device-oriented composite endpoint (DOCE) of cardiac death, target-vessel reinfarction, and target-lesion revascularisation (TLR) was 2.7%, and the patient-oriented composite endpoint (POCE) of all-cause death, any myocardial infarction, and any revascularisation was 4.2% at one year. Definite or probable stent thrombosis rate was 0.6%, and no events were recorded beyond 6 months of follow up.

CONCLUSIONS:

In patients with STEMI undergoing primary angioplasty, the use of Yukon Choice PC Elite (biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent) has excellent results at one year. It, therefore, represents an attractive alternative to second generation DES in this high-risk population.

Percutaneous coronary intervention using drug-eluting stents versus coronary artery bypass graft surgery in left main coronary artery disease an updated meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Objectives

To compare the safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using drug-eluting stent (DES) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for the treatment of left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease.

Background

Several new randomized trials have recently examined the clinical outcomes of PCI and CABG in LMCA disease. However, the results of these studies were inconsistent.

Materials and Methods

We searched five online electronic databases to identify all the randomized clinical trials assessing the outcomes of PCI using DES and CABG in patients with LMCA. The clinical outcomes were the major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE), all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and repeat revascularization (RR).

Results

A total of 5 randomized clinical trials with 4595 LMCA patients were included in this meta-analysis. For one year follow-up, the results indicated that PCI were associated with a lower risk of stroke (RR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.07–0.65, P = 0.007), a higher risk of RR (RR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.28–2.33, P < 0.001) than CABG. Moreover, for long-term follow-up, there were significant higher risks of MACCE and RR with PCI versus CABG (MACCE: HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.11–1.44, P = 0.001; RR: HR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.42–2.05, P < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in all-cause death and MI risks, regardless of follow-up duration.

Conclusions

PCI is noninferior to CABG in short term follow-up of patients with LMCA disease, but CABG is more safety and efficacy than PCI using DES in long-term follow-up.

Does direct stenting with drug-eluting stents improve outcome? A meta-analysis of 10,900 patients

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to summarize the outcomes of patients undergoing direct stenting (DS) with drug-eluting stents (DES) compared to those who underwent balloon predilatation.

BACKGROUND

DS has been associated with improved outcomes in the bare-metal stent era. Although DS with DES implantation has been increasingly adopted in clinical practice, its safety and effectiveness remain controversial.

METHODS

The search criteria identified 546 studies in the Medline/PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases from 2001 to July 2014. From these, seven studies totaling 10,900 patients were selected. Summarized estimates [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals] were obtained using a random-effects model. The primary outcomes were a composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), and repeat revascularization. The secondary outcomes included a composite of death and MI and the rates of target lesion revascularization (TLR).

RESULTS

Overall, 4101 (38%) and 6799 (62%) patients underwent DS with DES and balloon pre-dilatation, respectively. DS with DES reduced the likelihood of MACE (OR: 0.81 [0.71-0.93]). Additionally, DS with DES was associated with reduced rates of death/MI (OR: 0.76 [0.62-0.92]), and TLR (OR: 0.66 [0.44-0.98]).

CONCLUSIONS

DS with DES is safe and may be associated with better outcomes in selected patients. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of tripterygium glycosides on restenosis following endovascular treatment

The mechanism and associated factors of restenosis following intravascular stent implantation remain to be elucidated. The present two‑part experimental and clinical study aimed to investigate the effects of tripterygium glycosides on in‑stent restenosis subsequent to intra‑arterial therapy. Following endovascular stent implantation in rabbit iliac arteries, post‑stent outcomes were evaluated in cyclosporine groups, low‑dose and high‑dose tripterygium glycosides groups and controls. Post‑operative angiography indicated that vessel diameters were similar between groups; however, at 28 days after receiving the therapeutic agents, vessels of the cyclosporine and tripterygium glycosides groups were significantly larger than those of the controls. Furthermore, three groups of patients had comparable baseline levels of interleukin (IL)‑10, IL‑18 and C‑reactive protein, and intima‑media thickness. However, 1 month after stent implantation, levels of IL‑10 and IL‑18 were markedly reduced in the high‑ and low‑dose tripterygium glycosides groups compared with controls. At 6 months after surgery, the stent patency rate in patients with bare stents was significantly lower than in patients receiving tripterygium glycosides (P≤0.009). In addition, the ankle‑brachial index was also higher than in those without tripterygium glycosides (P<0.001). Results of the experimental and clinical studies suggest that tripterygium glycosides may inhibit and possibly aid in the prevention of in‑stent restenosis formation following endovascular treatment of lower‑extremity artery disease.