Optimal Stenting Is the Gold Standard: We Have Plenty of Data and New Questions Arise

Decision-Making During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Guided by Optical Coherence Tomography: Insights From the LightLab Initiative

BACKGROUND

Use of intracoronary imaging is associated with improved outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Yet, the impact of intracoronary imaging on real-time physician decision-making during PCI is not fully known.

METHODS

The LightLab Initiative is a multicenter, prospective, observational study designed to characterize the use of a standardized optical coherence tomography (OCT) workflow during PCI. Participating physicians performed pre-PCI and post-PCI OCT in accordance with this workflow and operator assessments of lesion characteristics and treatment plan were recorded for each lesion based on angiography alone and following OCT. Physicians were categorized as having low (n=15), intermediate (n=13), or high (n=14) OCT use in the year preceding participation.

RESULTS

Among 925 patients with 1328 lesions undergoing PCI, the prescribed OCT workflow was followed in 773 (84%) of patients with 836 lesions. Operator lesion assessment and decision-making during PCI changed with OCT use in 86% (721/836) of lesions. Pre-PCI OCT use changed operator decision-making in 80% of lesions, including lesion assessment (45%), vessel preparation strategy (27%), stent diameter (37%), and stent length (36%). Post-PCI OCT changed stent optimization decision-making in 31% of lesions. These findings were consistent across strata of physician prior OCT experience.

CONCLUSIONS

A standardized OCT workflow impacted PCI decision-making in 86% of lesions, with a predominant effect on pre-PCI lesion assessment and planning of treatment strategy. This finding was consistent regardless of operator experience level and provides insight into mechanisms by which intravascular imaging might improve PCI outcomes.

Study on the Mechanism of Cardiac Intensive Care after Thoracoscopic Surgery

Objective

To explore the mechanism of intensive care of the heart after thoracoscopic surgery.

Methods

104 patients with severe cardiac disease were selected after thoracoscopic surgery in our hospital, received nursing care after surgery, and divided into control group (n = 53) and research group (n = 51) according to different nursing methods. Before nursing, the research group carried out targeted nursing and prevention of postoperative complications. The quality of life, complications, anxiety, depression and satisfaction scores, 6-minute walking distance, self-care ability scores, and cardiac function were compared between the two groups.

Results

Patients' quality of life scores improved significantly in both groups after treatment, but the increase was greater in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05); the incidence of complications was 18.9% and 5.9% in the study and control groups, respectively, and the incidence of complications was lower in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05); and the incidence of complications was lower in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05). After care, patients' anxiety and depression scores were significantly lower, and satisfaction scores were significantly higher in both groups, with a greater change in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05); after care, patients' 6-minute walking distance was significantly higher in both groups, with a greater change in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05); after care, LVEF indicators were significantly higher, and LVESD and LVED indicators were significantly higher, with a greater change in the study group than in the control group. After care, LVEF indexes increased significantly in both groups, while LVESD and LVED indexes decreased significantly in the study group, with a greater change than in the control group (P < 0.05); after care, systolic blood pressure and heart rate increased significantly in both groups, with a greater increase in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05); after care, systolic blood pressure and heart rate increased significantly in both groups, with a more significant increase.

Conclusion

Targeted nursing for patients with severe cardiac disease after thoracoscopic surgery has a significant effect, which can improve patients' anxiety and depression, significantly improve patients' self-care ability and quality of life, and at the same time improve patients' cardiac function, heart rate, and blood pressure, with high patient satisfaction.

How to Validate in silico Deployment of Coronary Stents: Strategies and Limitations in the Choice of Comparator

This study aims at proposing and discussing useful indications to all those who need to validate a numerical model of coronary stent deployment. The proof of the reliability of a numerical model is becoming of paramount importance in the era of in silico trials. Recently, the ASME V&V Standard Committee for medical devices prepared the V&V 40 standard document that provides a framework that guides users in establishing and assessing the relevance and adequacy of verification and validation activities performed for proving the credibility of models. To the knowledge of the authors, only a few examples of the application of the V&V 40 framework to medical devices are available in the literature, but none about stents. Specifically, in this study, the authors wish to emphasize the choice of a relevant set of experimental activities to provide data for the validation of computational models aiming to predict coronary stent deployment. Attention is focused on the use of ad hoc 3D-printed mock vessels in the validation plan, which could allow evaluating aspects of clinical relevance in a representative but controlled environment.