Background
Randomized trials have shown that fractional flow reserve (FFR) guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves clinical outcome and reduces costs compared with visually guided ...PCI. FFR has been measured during invasive coronary angiography (ICA), but can now be derived noninvasively from coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography (cCTA) images (FFRCT). The potential value of FFRCT in clinical decision making is unknown.
Hypothesis
Use of FFRCT can reduce costs and improve outcomes among patients with suspected coronary artery disease.
Methods
We used clinical data from 96 patients in the DISCOVER‐FLOW (Diagnosis of Ischemia‐Causing Stenoses Obtained Via Noninvasive Fractional Flow Reserve) study and outcomes data from the literature to project the initial management costs and 1‐year death/myocardial infarction rates associated with 5 clinical strategies: (1) ICA with PCI based on visual angiographic assessment, (2) ICA with FFRICA‐guided PCI, (3) cCTA followed by ICA and PCI based on visual assessment, (4) cCTA followed by ICA with FFRICA‐guided PCI, and (5) cCTA FFRCT and PCI of lesions with FFRCT ≤0.80.
Results
The projected initial management costs were highest for the ICA/visual strategy ($10 702), and lowest for the cCTA/FFRCT/ICA strategy ($7674). The use of FFRCT to select patients for ICA and PCI would result in 30% lower costs and 12% fewer events at 1 year compared with the most commonly used ICA/visual strategy.
Conclusions
A strategy of using FFRCT to guide the selection of patients for ICA and PCI might reduce costs and improve clinical outcomes in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.
Background and Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (RFs) in Latvia from the population-based cross-sectional study performed in 2019−2020 and ...to compare the results with a similar study done in 2009−2010. Materials and Methods: The target sample of 6000 individuals representing a cross-section of Latvia’s inhabitants (aged 25−74) was formed using stratified two-stage cluster sampling. The survey had two components: (1) an interview using a pre-specified questionnaire and (2) physical examination (height, weight, arterial pressure) and collection of venous blood samples to measure levels of fasting glucose (Glu), total cholesterol (TC), high and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C/LDL-C), and triglycerides (Tg). In total, 4070 individuals were interviewed (32% non-response), from which 2218 (55%) individuals underwent physical examination and collection of blood samples. Results: The most frequently observed RFs were high LDL-C (62.0%), smoking (45.3%), and arterial hypertension (36.8%), while the prevalence of self-reported high cholesterol and hypertension was 19.3 and 18.6%, respectively. A decrease in the prevalence of hypertension, high LDL-C, and Glu was noted. Smoking decreased in younger men. The mean number of five most important cardiovascular RFs was 2.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0, 2.1); 2.3 (95% CI 2.2, 2.4) for men and 1.8 (95% CI 1.7, 19) for women. The average number of RFs has decreased by 0.3 in 10 years, t(5883) = −7.2, p < 0.001. Conclusions: Although the prevalence of cardiovascular RFs remains noteworthy, an improvement in the risk profile of the Latvian population has been observed over the past decade. The study shows subjective self-underestimation of cardiovascular risk.
Amateur sport has significant influence on peoples’ physical activity and affects the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. The population of competing amateur athletes has not been sufficiently ...studied, and there is a huge gap between functional results of untrained individuals and professional athletes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the exercise capacity and chrono-tropic, inotropic capacity in amateur athletes with different training programmes, as assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing. In a longitudinal prospective study, 600 amateur athletes who performed high dynamic load sports, according to the Mitchell Classification of Sports, were assessed. The individuals underwent standard maximum cardiopulmonary exercise testing on the ISO certified Master screen CPX system. The exercise capacity was dependent on the training programme organisation, regularity and duration, but it was not dependent on age. During maximum work-rate, the functional parameters of the cardiorespiratory system and inotropic capacity were significantly dependent on duration of the training programme. Chronotropic and inotropic capacity, as well as cardiorespiratory adaptation were significantly higher for competing amateur athletes of both genders than for untrained individuals. The study showed that amateur athletes with a training programme 300 minutes per week had higher exercise capacity, which was based on the individually suitable training programme, and higher aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Regular pre-competition medical assessment of amateur athletes can be used to objectively evaluate their health condition, adaptation, cardiac risk and make changes in the athletes’ training programme.
Background Fractional flow reserve calculated from coronary CT (FFRCT ) is a novel method for determining lesion-specific ischemia. Objective To assess the effect of CT quality on accuracy of FFRCT , ...we compared performance of FFRCT with severe stenosis by CT in relation to image quality; heart rate; signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); and common CT artifacts, including calcification, motion, and poor contrast enhancement. Methods FFRCT was performed on 159 vessels in 103 patients undergoing CT, FFRCT , and FFR. Ischemia was defined as FFRCT and FFR ≤ 0.80, and severe stenosis by CT was defined by ≥50% reduction in luminal diameter. FFRCT and CT stenosis were compared with FFR, which served as the reference. Results On a vessel basis, accuracy of FFRCT was higher than CT stenosis for satisfactory or poor quality CTs (87.5% vs 64.6%), for heart rates > 65 beats/min (100% vs 52.9%), and for SNR less than the median (26.3) (84.4% vs 64.1%). Accuracy of FFRCT was superior to CT stenosis in the presence of calcification (85.7% vs 66.7%), motion (90.5% vs 57.1%), and poor contrast opacification (100.0% vs 71.4%). Similar relations were observed for exploratory analyses of FFRCT and CT stenosis on a patient basis. In 42 subjects who underwent coronary calcium scanning, accuracy of FFRCT was 77.8% (n = 18), 100% (n = 11), and 100% (n = 13) for coronary calcium scores of 0–100, 101–400, and >400, respectively. Conclusions Accuracy of FFRCT is superior to CT stenosis for determining lesion-specific ischemia. The performance of FFRCT remains robust across an array of factors known to adversely affect CT quality.
Objectives The aim of this study was to report the long-term clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) versus coronary artery bypass grafting ...(CABG) for ostial/midshaft lesions in an unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA). Background Data regarding outcomes in these patients are limited. Methods Of a total of 2,775 patients enrolled in the DELTA multinational registry, 856 patients with isolated ostial/midshaft lesions in an ULMCA treated by PCI with DES (n = 482) or CABG (n = 374) were analyzed. Results At a median follow-up period of 1,293 days, there were no significant differences in the propensity score–adjusted analyses for the composite endpoint of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), and cerebrovascular accident (hazard ratio HR: 1.21, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.79 to 1.86; p = 0.372), all-cause death (HR: 1.35, 95% CI: 0.80 to 2.27; p = 0.255), the composite endpoint of all-cause death and MI (HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 0.83 to 2.12; p = 0.235) and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (HR: 1.34, 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.93; p = 0.113). These results were sustained after propensity-score matching. However, a higher incidence of target vessel revascularization (HR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.03 to 3.64; p = 0.039) was observed in the PCI compared with the CABG group, with a trend toward higher target lesion revascularization (HR: 2.00, 95% CI: 0.90 to 4.45; p = 0.090). Conclusions This study demonstrates that PCI for ostial/midshaft lesions in an ULMCA is associated with clinical outcomes comparable to those observed with CABG at long-term follow-up, despite the use of older first-generation DES.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a serious problem in pediatric cardiology. Despite the relatively low incidence, the mortality is high. The conservative therapy does not improve the prognosis, and ...possibilities of heart transplantation are limited. There are multiple trials of use of stem cells for ischemic heart disease in the adult population. This allows us to believe that the method has perspectives in pediatric cardiology. We performed the cell therapy for seven patients, six of them had complete one yr follow‐up after procedure. Five to 30 milliliters of bone marrow was aspirated from the iliac crest and 17 to 122 million BMCs were isolated. The average basal EF was 33.5%. We observed increasing of EF up to 54% (=9.54, p=0.00154) in a 6‐month period and up to 54.5% (=10.82, p= 0.00315) after one yr. The changes of LVEDV also were observed. The LVEDV decreased in average per 13.05%. There were no observed side effects or heart rhythm disorders. Intramyocardial administration of bone marrow‐derived progenitor cells proved to be a technically feasible and safe method. Up until now, the results obtained have been promising and we suppose that bone marrow‐derived progenitor cell intramyocardial transplantation can be used.
Background and AimAtherosclerosis is considered to be a systemic disease; however, evidence exists on the heterogeneous nature of atherosclerotic disease. To date, continuous research seeks to ...determine the morphological differences between carotid and coronary artery disease. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of morphological characteristics assessed by virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) between carotid and coronary plaque composition among patients with and without a history of cerebrovascular events. MethodsThis study was a single-center prospective study (n = 100; age 69.6 ± 8.4). All patients were scheduled for carotid or coronary artery stenting and underwent VH-IVUS examination of the carotid and coronary arteries before intervention. ResultsThere was a modest, but statistically significant correlation between the carotid and coronary necrotic core (NC r = 0.46, P < 0.01), fibrofatty (FF r = 0.38, P < 0.01), dense calcium (r = 0.56, P < 0.01), and fibrous (r = 0.42, P < 0.01) plaque composition. The high amount of NC was detected in both arteries of the carotid artery stenting (CAS) group with higher proportion in the coronary artery (20.2% ± 9.4 % vs. 22.7% ± 6.8%, P = 0.02). More fibrolipid content was observed in carotid plaque compared to coronary (19.6% ± 9.9% vs. 12.2% ± 8.1%, P < 0.01). Patients with a history of cerebrovascular events had a numerically greater proportion of necrotic tissue in the carotid artery compared to asymptomatic and symptomatic CAS group patients (23.5% ± 10.7% vs. 18.9% ± 8.2% and 18.7% ± 9.5%, P = 0.11). ConclusionThe percentage of all analyzed plaque components was moderately correlated between coronary and carotid artery plaques. Nevertheless, the proportion of NC plaque tissue was greater in the coronary arteries, while the carotid arteries showed more %FF atherosclerotic lesions. CAS group patients with a history of cerebrovascular events had a tendency of greater proportion of necrotic tissue in analyzed carotid plaques compared to others in the CAS group. Relevance for PatientsIn this study, we found that patients with a history of cerebrovascular event had a tendency of increased NC content in culprit lesion of carotid artery. Complementary use of non-invasive and invasive imaging modalities allows to detect high-risk atherosclerotic plaques and adjust treatment strategy.
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents is an accepted alternative to surgery for the treatment of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease, but the long-term ...outcome in elderly patients is unclear. Aim of our study was to compare the clinical outcomes of octogenarians with ULMCA disease treated either with PCI with drug-eluting stents or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The primary study end point was the composite of death, cerebrovascular accident, and myocardial infarction at follow-up. A total of 304 consecutive patients with ULMCA stenosis treated with PCI or CABG and aged ≥80 years were selected and analyzed in a large multinational registry. Two hundred eighteen were treated with PCI and 86 with CABG. During the hospitalization, a trend toward a higher mortality rate was reported in PCI-treated patients (3.5% vs 7.3%, p = 0.32). At a median follow-up of 1,088 days, the incidence of the primary end point was similar in the 2 groups (32.6% vs 30.2%, p = 0.69). Incidence of target vessel revascularization at follow-up was higher in PCI-treated patients (10% vs 4.2%, p = 0.05). At multivariate analysis, left ventricular ejection fraction was the only independent predictor of the primary end point (hazard ratio 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.91 to 0.98, p = 0.001). After adjustment with propensity score, the revascularization strategy was not significantly correlated to the incidence of the primary end point (hazard ratio 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.57 to 1.71, p = 0.95). In octogenarians, no difference was observed in the occurrence of the primary end point after PCI or CABG for the treatment of ULMCA disease. However, the rate of target vessel revascularization was higher in the PCI group.
The cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) survey II is a joint initiative between the European Heart Rhythm Association and the Heart Failure Association. It compiles real world data about cardiac ...resynchronisation therapy in European Society of Cardiology member states. 11 088 patients assigned to implantation of CRT with pacemaker function (CRT-P) or CRT with an incorporated defibrillator (CRT-D) were enrolled in the survey starting 1 October 2015 till 31 December 2016 and for each patient, an electronic case report form (eCRF) was completed. Each participating country had each eCRF data-point benchmarked against the total cohort. In total, 79 patients were included from Latvia. The mean age of patients was 68.1, similar to the total cohort of other ESC member states, and 21.8% of patients were female. Latvian patients compared to other countries more often had permanent atrial fibrillation, NYHA class III and IV, ejection fraction 35 %. CRT-Ds and multipolar lead implantation rates were higher. Peri-procedural complication rates were similarly low in both groups. At discharge, prescribed medication rates were similar but more frequently MRAs, ivabradine and calcium channel blockers were prescribed and slightly less frequently ACE inhibitors/ARBs were prescribed. The CRT survey II is a valuable resource that describes ongoing practice of cardiac resynchronisation therapy around Europe and benchmarking against the total cohort is nationally significant for each participating country.
Background In prior unblinded studies, cardiac neuromodulation therapy (CNT) employing a sequence of variably timed short and longer atrioventricular intervals yielded sustained reductions of ...systolic blood pressure (SBP) in patients with hypertension. The effects of CNT on SBP were investigated in this double‐blind randomized pilot study. Methods and Results Eligible patients had daytime ambulatory SBP (aSBP) ≥130 mm Hg and office SBP ≥140 mm Hg despite taking ≥1 antihypertensive medication, and an indication for a dual‐chamber pacemaker. Patients underwent Moderato device implantation, which was programmed as a standard pacemaker during a 1‐month run‐in phase. Patients whose daytime aSBP was ≥125 mm Hg at the end of this period were randomized (1:1, double blind) to treatment (CNT) or control (CNT inactive). The primary efficacy end point was the between‐group difference of the change in 24‐hour aSBP at 6 months. Of 68 patients initially enrolled and who underwent implantation with the Moderato system, 47 met criteria for study continuation and were randomized (26 treatment, 21 control). The mean age was 74.0±8.7 years, 64% were men, left ventricular ejection fraction was 59.2%±5.7%, and aSBP averaged 141.0±10.8 mm Hg despite the use of 3.3±1.5 antihypertensive medications; 81% had isolated systolic hypertension. Six months after randomization, aSBP was 11.1±10.5 mm Hg (95% CI, −15.2 to −8.1 mm Hg) lower than prerandomization in the treatment group compared with 3.1±9.5 mm Hg (−7.4 to 1.2 mm Hg) lower in controls, yielding a net treatment effect of 8.1±10.1 mm Hg (−14.2 to −1.9 mm Hg) ( P =0.012). There were no Moderato device– or CNT‐related adverse events. Conclusions CNT significantly reduced 24‐hour aSBP in patients with hypertension with a clinical indication for a pacemaker. The majority of patients had isolated systolic hypertension, a particularly difficult group of patients to treat. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02837445.
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