A higher volume of fibrotic tissue on virtual histology prior to coronary stent implantation predisposes to more pronounced neointima proliferation

Comparisons of Drug-Eluting Balloon versus Drug-Eluting Stent in the Treatment of Young Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND

The incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the younger population has been increasing gradually in recent years. The objective of the present study is to investigate the safety and effectiveness of drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) in young patients with AMI.

METHODS

All consecutive patients with AMI aged ≤ 45 years were retrospectively enrolled. The primary endpoint was a device-oriented composite endpoint (DOCE) of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (MI), or target lesion revascularization (TLR). The secondary study endpoints included heart failure and major bleeding events.

RESULTS

A total of 276 young patients presenting with AMI were finally included. The median follow-up period was 1155 days. Patients treated with DEBs had a trend toward a lower incidence of DOCEs (3.0% vs. 11.0%, p = 0.12) mainly driven by the need for TLR (3.0% vs. 9.1%, p = 0.19) than those treated with DESs. No significant differences between the two groups were detected in the occurrence of cardiac death (0.0% vs. 0.5%, p = 0.69), MI (0.0% vs. 1.4%, p = 0.40), heart failure (0.0% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.39), or major bleeding events (1.5% vs 4.8%, p = 0.30). Multivariate regression analysis showed that DEBs were associated with a trend toward a lower risk of DOCEs (HR 0.13, 95% CI [0.02, 1.05], p = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the present study suggested that DEBs might be a potential treatment option in young patients with AMI. A larger scale, randomized, multicenter study is required to investigate the safety and effectiveness of DEBs in this setting.

The presence of long and heavily calcified lesions predisposes for fracture in patients undergoing stenting of the first part of the subclavian artery

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence and risk factors of subclavian artery stent fractures and to investigate their impact on in-stent restenosis development.

METHODS

One hundred eight patients (65 females; median age, 58.3 years [interquartile range, 53.4-65.5 years]) with steno-occlusive disease of the first part of the subclavian artery who underwent stenting (N = 108 stents; balloon-expandable, 83.3%; self-expandable, 16.7%) between 2005 and 2015 and returned for a fluoroscopic examination of the implanted stents in 2017 were included in our study. Fractures were type I (single strut fracture), type II (multiple strut fractures without deformation), type III (multiple strut fractures with deformation), type IV (multiple strut fractures with acquired transection but without gap), or type V (multiple strut fractures with acquired transection with gap in the stent body). Stent patency was monitored by duplex ultrasound imaging. The Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's exact tests; Kaplan-Meier, receiver operating characteristic, and logistic regression analyses; as well as a log-rank test were used as statistical methods.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 73.8 months (interquartile range, 35.6-104.2 months). Thirty-eight fractures (35.2%) were detected; fractures were type I in 13, type II in 12, type III in 6, type IV in 4, and type V in 3 cases. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed the presence of long (≥20 mm) lesions (odds ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-8.4; P = .012) and heavy calcification (odds ratio, 4.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-12.7; P = .002) to be significant independent predictors of stent fracture. The primary patency rates were significantly worse (P = .035) in patients with stent fracture compared with those without stent fracture.

CONCLUSIONS

Stent fractures frequently occur. Patients with long and/or heavily calcified lesions require closer follow-up.