The relation of polymer structure of stent used in patients with acute coronary syndrome revascularized by stent implantation with long-term cardiovascular events

INTRODUCTION

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have revolutionized percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by improving event-free survival compared to older stent designs. However, early-generation DES with polymer matrixes have raised concerns regarding late stent thrombosis due to delayed vascular healing. To address these issues, biologically bioabsorbable polymer drug-eluting stents (BP-DES) and polymer-free drug-eluting stents (PF-DES) have been developed.

AIM

The aim of the present study is to evaluate and compare the long-term effects of different stent platforms in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing PCI.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective, observational study involving 1192 ACS patients who underwent urgent PCI. Patients were treated with thin- strut DP-DES, ultra-thin strut BP-DES, or thin-strut PF-DES. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TVMI), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CITLR) at 12 months and 4 years.

RESULTS

The baseline demographics and clinical characteristics of patients in the three stent subgroups were similar. No significant differences were observed in target lesion failure (TLF), cardiac mortality, TVMI, and stent thrombosis (ST) rates among the three subgroups at both 12 months and 4 years. However, beyond the first year, the rate of CITLR was significantly lower in the ultra-thin strut BP-DES subgroup compared to thin-strut DP-DES, suggesting potential long-term advantages of ultra-thin strut BP-DES. Additionally, both ultra-thin strut BP-DES and thin-strut PF-DES demonstrated lower ST rates after the first year compared to thin-strut DP-DES.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights the potential advantages of ultra-thin strut BP-DES in reducing CITLR rates in the long term, and both ultra-thin strut BP-DES and thin-strut PF-DES demonstrate lower rates of ST beyond the first year compared to thin-strut DP-DES. However, no significant differences were observed in overall TLF, cardiac mortality and TVMI rates among the three stent subgroups at both 12 months and 4 years.

Predictive value of PRECISE-DAPT score for long-term all-cause mortality in atrial fibrillation patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Introduction

Atrial fibrillation (AF) may co-exist in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). In patients with NSTEMI, AF should therefore be regarded as an important risk factor irrespective of its presentation. To predict outcomes in AF patients presenting with NSTEMI, early risk stratification can help to identify the patients with a possible poor long-term prognosis. The development of the PRECISE-DAPT score aimed to predict the risk of bleeding in patients who underwent stent implantation and received dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), providing a valuable tool for assessing bleeding risk in this specific patient population.

Aim

To assess the performance of the PRECISE-DAPT score in predicting long-term prognosis in AF patients with NSTEMI.

Material and methods

Five hundred and twenty-six consecutive AF patients presenting with NSTEMI were included in the present study. The PRECISE-DAPT score was calculated in each case and evaluated for the association of increased mortality in the study population, who survived in-hospital but died in the long term.

Results

All-cause mortality deaths occurred in 278 (52.6%) patients. Higher PRECISE-DAPT score, shorter duration of P2Y12 inhibitor therapy, decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and a history of diabetes mellitus (DM) were all associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in the multivariable logistic regression model.

Conclusions

High PRECISE-DAPT score was associated with higher long-term all-cause mortality in AF patients presenting with NSTEMI.

Predictive value of the age, creatinine and ejection fraction score in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention with bail-out tirofiban therapy

INTRODUCTION

In patients who have undergone interventional cardiac procedures, the risk of bleeding is higher than in patients who received conservative treatment due to multiple medications and comorbidities.

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the age, creatinine and ejection fraction (ACEF) score for predicting bleeding events and to compare short- and long-term clinical outcomes according to the ACEF score in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) with bail-out tirofiban therapy (BOTT).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 2,543 patients were included and divided into three groups according to the following ACEF score tertiles: T1 (ACEFlow ≤ 1.033), T2 (1.033 < ACEFmid ≤ 1.371), and T3 (ACEFhigh > 1.371). The main outcomes measured were the incidence rates of relevant bleeding events and mortality within 30 days and 3 years after the procedure.

RESULTS

A total of 73 (2.9%) patients had Bleeding Academic Research Consortium bleeding events of grades 3, 4 or 5 and 104 (4%) patients died in a 30-day period. The ACEF score was effective at predicting 30-day bleeding (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC): 0.658, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.579-0.737; p < 0.001), 30-day mortality (AUC = 0.701, 95% CI: 0.649-0.753; p < 0.001) and 3-year mortality (AUC = 0.778, 95% CI: 0.748-0.807; p < 0.001) events. Considering the ACEF score tertiles, T3 patients presented greater 30-day bleeding (1.6%, 2.8% and 4.1%; odds ratio (OR) = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.37-4.80), 30-day mortality (1.7%, 3.5% and 7.1%; OR = 4.53, 95% CI: 2.51-8.18) and 3-year mortality (6.4%, 11% and 19.8%; hazard ratio = 3.56, 95% CI: 2.58-4.91) risks.

CONCLUSIONS

The ACEF score is a user-friendly tool with excellent predictive value for bleeding events and mortality in patients undergoing pPCI with BOTT.

Speckle tracking echocardiography in severe patient-prosthesis mismatch

BACKGROUND

Although aortic valve replacement (AVR) when successfully performed boasts low mortality rates in selected patients, prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) can be found in the majority of these individuals. Limited research is available supporting the benefit of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in patients with severe PPM. This study sought to assess myocardial strain using 2D-STE to determine the relationship between subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and aortic PPM in patients undergoing AVR with preserved LV ejection fraction.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We retrospectively examined all consecutive patients with isolated AVR who presented to our center from 2005 to 2018. The data of 1086 patients were analyzed. Severe PPM was defined as an indexed effective orifice area of 0.65 cm²/m² or less. As a result of the detailed assessment, 54 patients meeting the eligibility criteria were included in the study. Baseline data were collected and compared between the two groups of patients with severe PPM (n = 27) and those with normofunctional aortic prosthesis valve as a control group (n = 27). All patients underwent baseline echocardiography. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS) were evaluated by 2D-STE.

RESULTS

When compared with controls, patients with severe PPM had significantly decreased GLS (18.6 ± 2.9 vs. 21.4 ± 2.1; p < 0.01) and GCS (17.2 ± 3.6 vs. 21.7 ± 2.1; p < 0.01) values.

CONCLUSION

In addition to standard clinical and echocardiographic parameters, GLS and GCS suggest subclinical dysfunction and have incremental value in patients with severe PPM.

The effects of weight loss after sleeve gastrectomy on left ventricular systolic function in men versus women

PURPOSE

To evaluate and compare the effects of weight lost after sleeve gastrectomy on left ventricular (LV) systolic function using both two-dimensional speckle tracking (2D-STE) and three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) in men versus women.

METHODS

In 53 obese patients referred for sleeve gastrectomy, 2D-STE and 3DE were performed prior to and 6 months after surgery.

RESULTS

The study included 53 obese patients (62.3% female; mean age 36.8 ± 10.7 years). Six months after surgery, all patients demonstrated a significant decrease in body mass index, body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, LV end-diastolic dimension, myocardial wall thickness, LV mass, LV mass index, LV mass/height(2.7) , LV end-diastolic volume, LV end-systolic volume, and stroke volume as well as an increase in SV index and ejection fraction. There was no significant difference in measured variables between men and women at baseline or postsurgery, except for baseline LV end-diastolic dimension, and baseline and after surgery LV mass, LV mass index, and LV mass/height(2.7) , which were all significantly higher in men.

CONCLUSIONS

Sleeve gastrectomy improves LV systolic function and contributes to reverse LV remodeling in both genders. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 44:492-499, 2016.

The advantages of live/real time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography during assessments of pulmonary stenosis

This report sought to compare live/real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3D-TEE) with two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2D-TEE) and to determine whether there are advantages to using 3D-TEE on patients with pulmonary stenosis (PS). Sixteen consecutive adult patients (50 % male and 50 % female; mean age 33 ± 13.4 years) with PS and indications of TEE were prospectively enrolled in this study. Following this, initial 2D-TEE and 3D-TEE examinations were performed, and 3D-TEE images were analyzed using an off-line Q-lab software system. Finally, the 2D-TEE and 3D-TEE findings were compared. In the present study, 3D-TEE allowed us to obtain the en face views of pulmonary valves (PVs) in all but one patient. While this patient was without a PV due to a previous tetralogy of Fallot operation, we could detect the type of PV in the other 15 (93.7 %) patients by using 3D-TEE. Due to poor image quality, the most stenotic area was not measurable in only one (6.2 %) of the patients. In eight (50 %) of the patients, severity and localization of stenosis were more precisely determined with 3DTEE than with 2D-TEE. The PVs' maximal annulus dimensions were found to be significantly larger when they were measured using 3D modalities. This study provides evidence of the incremental value of using 3D-TEE rather than 2D-TEE during assessments of PS, specifically in cases where special conditions (pregnancy, pulmonary regurgitation, and concomitant atrial septal defects) cause recordings of the transvalvular peak gradient to be inaccurate. Therefore, 3D-TEE should be used as a complementary imaging tool to 2D-TEE during routine echocardiographic examinations.

Aortic root abscess complicated by fistulization in a young patient with bicuspid aortic valve

Aortic root abscess is a relatively common complication of aortic valve endocarditis. However, aortic root abscess and formation of a fistula from the aortic root to the right ventricular outflow tract in the setting of a native bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a rare event. We present consecutive echocardiographic images of unruptured periaortic abscess and fistulization of it to the right ventricle in 24 hours, in a patient with BAV and fever of unexplained origin.