Stent thrombosis in the setting of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction in the contemporary practice: results from the TOTAL randomized trial

The aim was to know the risk and predictive factors of stent thrombosis (ST) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the contemporary practice. The TOTAL [ThrOmbecTomy with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus PCI ALone] randomized trial, being the largest trial performed in the setting of STEMI with a general application of the recent recommendations, represents a unique opportunity to know the current real-world incidence of ST as well as its associated factors. A total of 10 064 patients that received ≥1 coronary stent in the TOTAL trial comprise the study population. The risk, predictive factors, and clinical implications of ST was studied. During 1-year follow-up, 155 patients (1.54%) suffered definitive or probable ST (59 acute, 67 subacute, and 29 late). Previous infarction, the number of stents, the previous use of clopidogrel, and the use of diuretics at discharge were independent predictors for ST, whereas the use of upfront glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, radial access, and treatment with statins at discharge were independent protective factors. The number of stents, stent diameter, upfront treatment with IIb/IIIa inhibitors, previous treatment with clopidogrel, and treatment with statins at discharge were independently associated with the risk of early ST. Only previous infarction was associated with the risk of late ST. In the contemporary practice, ST still constitutes a frequent complication of primary PCI for STEMI, occurring in 1.5% of patients. Independent predictors are different depending on the time of ST.

Vascular Wall Reactions to Coronary Stents-Clinical Implications for Stent Failure

Coronary stents belong to the most commonly implanted devices worldwide. A number of different types of stent exist, with very different mechanical and biochemical characteristics that influence their interactions with vascular tissues. Inappropriate inflammatory reactions are the major cause of the two major complications that follow implantation of stents in a percentage as high as 5-20%. It is therefore important to understand these reactions and how different they are among different generations of stents.

Statin Therapy and Diabetes Do Not Affect Aneurysm Occlusion or Clinical Outcomes After Pipeline Embolization Device Treatment: A Preliminary Study

BACKGROUND

The effect of statins and diabetes on angiographic and clinical outcomes in aneurysms treated with pipelines has not been adequately reported. Our aim is to assess the effect of concurrent statin medications and diabetes mellitus (DM) on aneurysm occlusion status and outcomes in patients treated with the pipeline embolization device.

METHODS

A retrospective review of our institution's database of aneurysms treated with the pipeline embolization device between 2013 and 2017 was conducted. We collected data about statin therapy status and intensity, and identified patients with a documented history of DM. Our primary outcome was aneurysm obliteration seen on digital subtracted angiography or magnetic resonance angiography at last follow-up.

RESULTS

We identified 151 patients with 182 aneurysms for this cohort, with a median radiographic follow-up time of 7.2 months (6.1-14.5). Thirty-nine patients were taking statins, and 112 patients did not receive statins. Log-rank tests revealed no statistically significant difference in occlusion rates between patients with and without statin therapy (P = 0.30). A history of DM was documented in 11 patients, with 14 aneurysms in total; 140 patients with 168 aneurysms had no history of DM. Similarly, there were no differences in occlusion rates between the diabetic and nondiabetic groups in multivariate analysis (P = 0.24). Only 2 patients showed significant in-stent stenosis on angiographic follow up, and both were diabetic.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis did not identify a statistically significant association between statin therapy or DM and higher occlusion rates or better outcomes after pipeline embolization. Diabetic patients may have a theoretic risk of significant in-stent stenosis.

Lack of Association between Statin Use and Angiographic and Clinical Outcomes after Pipeline Embolization for Intracranial Aneurysms

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Use of statin medications has been demonstrated to improve clinical and angiographic outcomes in patients receiving endovascular stent placement for coronary, peripheral, carotid, and intracranial stenoses. We studied the impact of statin use on long-term angiographic and clinical outcomes after flow-diverter treatment of intracranial aneurysms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a post hoc analysis from pooled patient-level datasets from 3 Pipeline Embolization Device studies: the International Retrospective Study of the Pipeline Embolization Device, the Pipeline for Uncoilable or Failed Aneurysms Study, and the Aneurysm Study of Pipeline in an Observational Registry. We analyzed data comparing 2 subgroups: 1) patients on statin medication, and 2) patients not on statin medication at the time of the procedure and follow-up. Angiographic and clinical outcomes were compared by using the χ² test, Fisher exact test, or Wilcoxon rank sum test.

RESULTS

We studied 1092 patients with 1221 aneurysms. At baseline, 226 patients were on statin medications and 866 patients were not on statin medications. The mean length of clinical and angiographic follow-up was 22.1 ± 15.1 months and 28.3 ± 23.7 months, respectively. There were no differences observed in angiographic outcomes at any time point between groups. Rates of complete occlusion were 82.8% (24/29) versus 86.4% (70/81) at 1-year (P = .759) and 93.3% (14/15) versus 95.7% (45/47) at 5-year (P = 1.000) follow-up for statin-versus-nonstatin-use groups, respectively. There were no differences in any complication rates between groups, including major morbidity and neurologic mortality (7.5% versus 7.1%, P = .77).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found no association between statin use and angiographic or clinical outcomes among patients treated with the Pipeline Embolization Device.

Association between RDW and stent thrombosis in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

Stent thrombosis is a rare but potentially fatal complication of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). In recent years, the predictive and prognostic value of the red cell distribution width (RDW) as an indicator of inflammation has been shown in many cardiovascular diseases. Aim of this study was to examine the predictive value of RDW for stent thrombosis in patients who underwent successful stent implantation for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).In this retrospective study, 146 patients who underwent successful PCI to native coronary artery due to STEMI previously and presented with acute coronary syndrome with stent thrombosis were included (stent thrombosis group). A total of 175 patients who had similar procedural characteristics (type, diameter, and length of stent) and not had stent thrombosis were consisted control group.Patients were divided into tertiles according to the admission RDW values (12.9 ± 0.4, 14.2 ± 0.4, and 16.3 ± 1.5, respectively). Stent thrombosis developed in 47 (40.9%) patients in the lowest tertile, 39 (37.9%) patients in mid tertile, and 60 (58.3%) patients in the highest tertile (P = 0.006). Female gender ratio was statistically significantly higher in the 3rd tertile (13 [11.3%], 8 [7.8%], 24 [23.3%], P = 0.003, respectively). RDW (OR: 1.397 [95% CI 1.177-1.657], P < 0.001) and platelet count (OR: 1.008 [95% CI 1.004-1.012], P < 0.001) remained independent predictors of stent thrombosis after multivariate logistic regression analysis. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that, admission RDW values higher than 13.9 can predict the development of stent thrombosis with a sensitivity of 57% and a specificity of 52% (The area under the ROC curve: 0.59 [95% CI 0.53-0.65] P = 0.007).High RDW values found to be independently associated with the development of stent thrombosis in patients with STEMI.