Summary Background Two large trials have reported contradictory results at 1 year after thrombus aspiration in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In a 1-year follow-up of the largest ...randomised trial of thrombus aspiration, we aimed to clarify the longer-term benefits, to help guide clinical practice. Methods The trial of routine aspiration ThrOmbecTomy with PCI versus PCI ALone in Patients with STEMI (TOTAL) was a prospective, randomised, investigator-initiated trial of routine manual thrombectomy versus percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) alone in 10 732 patients with STEMI. Eligible adult patients (aged ≥18 years) from 87 hospitals in 20 countries were enrolled and randomly assigned (1:1) within 12 h of symptom onset to receive routine manual thrombectomy with PCI or PCI alone. Permuted block randomisation (with variable block size) was done by a 24 h computerised central system, and was stratified by centre. Participants and investigators were not masked to treatment assignment. The trial did not show a difference at 180 days in the primary outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, or heart failure. However, the results showed improvements in the surrogate outcomes of ST segment resolution and distal embolisation, but whether or not this finding would translate into a longer term benefit remained unclear. In this longer-term follow-up of the TOTAL study, we report the results on the primary outcome (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, or heart failure) and secondary outcomes at 1 year. Analyses of the primary outcome were by modified intention to treat and only included patients who underwent index PCI. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT01149044. Findings Between Aug 5, 2010, and July 25, 2014, 10 732 eligible patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to thrombectomy followed by PCI (n=5372) or to PCI alone (n=5360). After exclusions of patients who did not undergo PCI in each group (337 in the PCI and thrombectomy group and 331 in the PCI alone group), the final study population comprised 10 064 patients (5035 thrombectomy and 5029 PCI alone). The primary outcome at 1 year occurred in 395 (8%) of 5035 patients in the thrombectomy group compared with 394 (8%) of 5029 in the PCI alone group (hazard ratio HR 1·00 95% CI 0·87–1·15, p=0·99). Cardiovascular death within 1 year occurred in 179 (4%) of the thrombectomy group and in 192 (4%) of 5029 in the PCI alone group (HR 0·93 95% CI 0·76–1·14, p=0·48). The key safety outcome, stroke within 1 year, occurred in 60 patients (1·2%) in the thrombectomy group compared with 36 (0·7%) in the PCI alone group (HR 1·66 95% CI 1·10–2·51, p=0·015). Interpretation Routine thrombus aspiration during PCI for STEMI did not reduce longer-term clinical outcomes and might be associated with an increase in stroke. As a result, thrombus aspiration can no longer be recommended as a routine strategy in STEMI. Funding Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Network and Centre for Trials Internationally, and Medtronic Inc.
Patients with STEMI were assigned to primary PCI with or without thrombectomy. At 180 days, there was no significant between-group difference in the primary outcome of death or cardiovascular events. ...Patients in the thrombectomy group had a higher rate of stroke at 30 days.
Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), when available, is the most effective method of achieving reperfusion in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
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However, a major limitation of primary PCI is the possibility of distal embolization of thrombus and failure to restore flow at the microvascular level. Measures of microvascular tissue reperfusion, such as the degree of ST-segment resolution or angiographic myocardial blush grade, have been shown to predict the rate of death after primary PCI.
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Removal of the thrombus by manual thrombectomy before stent deployment has the potential of reducing distal embolization and improving microvascular perfusion. Small, randomized . . .
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) on early and late outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), and to evaluate the ...predictive factors of poorer outcomes in such patients.
This was a multicentre study including a total of 2075 consecutive patients who had undergone TAVI. Patients were grouped according the estimated glomerular filtration rate as follows: CKD stage 1-2 (≥60 mL/min/1.73 m(2); n = 950), stage 3 (30-59 mL/min/1.73 m(2); n = 924), stage 4 (15-29 mL/min/1.73 m(2); n = 134) and stage 5 (<15 mL/min/1.73 m² or dialysis; n = 67). Clinical outcomes were evaluated at 30-days and at follow-up (median of 15 6-29 months) and defined according to the VARC criteria. Advanced CKD (stage 4-5) was an independent predictor of 30-day major/life-threatening bleeding (P = 0.001) and mortality (P = 0.027), and late overall, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality (P < 0.01 for all). Pre-existing atrial fibrillation (HR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.47-3.58, P = 0.001) and dialysis therapy (HR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.17-2.97, P = 0.009) were the predictors of mortality in advanced CKD patients, with a mortality rate as high as 71% at 1-year follow-up in those patients with these 2 factors. Advanced CKD patients who had survived at 1-year follow-up exhibited both a significant improvement in NYHA class (P < 0.001) and no deterioration in valve hemodynamics (P = NS for changes in mean gradient and valve area over time).
Advanced CKD was associated with a higher rate of early and late mortality and bleeding events following TAVI, with AF and dialysis therapy determining a higher risk in these patients. The mortality rate of patients with both factors was unacceptably high and this should be taken into account in the clinical decision-making process in this challenging group of patients.
Objectives We sought to determine whether radial artery access is associated with increased radiation exposure during cardiac catheterization and whether this relationship differs between operators, ...after adjustment for clinical and patient characteristics associated with greater radiation exposure. Background Although previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between radial access and increased radiation exposure to the patient during fluoroscopy-guided cardiac procedures, such studies did not account for differences in operator technique or clustering of patients, procedure complexity, or patient size. Those studies included data from few operators. Methods Data were collected prospectively on 5,954 diagnostic cardiac catheterizations performed at a tertiary cardiac center. A multilevel regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between radial artery access and radiation exposure. Results After adjustment for multiple factors, radial access was associated with increased exposure (beta = 0.22, p < 0.0001) when compared with the use of femoral access, as measured using the logarithmically transformed air kerma (LogAK). On average, radial access accounted for a 23% increase in measured AK. This was consistent between operators. There were observed differences in the mean LogAK between operators (p = 0.0158), as well as substantial variation in measured LogAK between patients within each operator's practice (p < 0.001). Conclusions Radial artery access cardiac catheterization was associated with increased radiation exposure to the patient when compared with femoral access. The measured AK was still far below the threshold for deterministic effects in most patients studied. Observed variations in AK between and within operators may point to better opportunities to reduce exposure.
The relationship of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) to long-term adverse events (AEs) is controversial. Although an association with AEs has been previously reported, it is unclear whether CIN is ...causally related to these AEs.
We obtained long-term (> or =1 yr) follow-up on 294 patients who participated in a randomized, double-blind comparison of two prevention strategies for CIN (iopamidol versus iodixanol). A difference in the incidence of AEs between patients who had developed CIN and those who had not was performed using a chi(2) test and Poisson regression analysis. A similar statistical approach was used for the differences in AEs between those who received iopamidol or iodixanol. Multiple definitions of CIN were used to strengthen and validate the results and conclusions.
The rate of long-term AEs was higher in individuals with CIN (all definitions of CIN). After adjustment for baseline comorbidities and risk factors, the adjusted incidence rate ratio for AEs was twice as high in those with CIN. Randomization to iopamidol reduced both the incidence of CIN and AEs.
The parallel decrease in the incidence of CIN and AEs in one arm of this randomized trial supports a causal role for CIN.
The authors sought to prospectively determine the safety and efficacy of next-day discharge using the Vancouver 3M (Multidisciplinary, Multimodality, but Minimalist) Clinical Pathway.
Transfemoral ...transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an alternative to surgery in high- and intermediate-risk patients; however, hospital stays average at least 6 days in most trials. The Vancouver 3M Clinical Pathway is focused on next-day discharge, made possible by the use of objective screening criteria as well as streamlined peri- and post-procedural management guidelines.
Patients were enrolled from 6 low-volume (<100 TAVR/year), 4 medium-volume, and 3 high-volume (>200 TAVR/year) centers in Canada and the United States. The primary outcomes were a composite of all-cause death or stroke by 30 days and the proportion of patients successfully discharged home the day following TAVR.
Of 1,400 screened patients, 411 were enrolled at 13 centers and received a SAPIEN XT (58.2%) or SAPIEN 3 (41.8%) valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California). In centers enrolling exclusively in the study, 55% of screened patients were enrolled. The median age was 84 years (interquartile range: 78 to 87 years) with a median STS score of 4.9% (interquartile range: 3.3% to 6.8%). Next-day discharge home was achieved in 80.1% of patients, and within 48 h in 89.5%. The composite of all-cause mortality or stroke by 30 days occurred in 2.9% (95% confidence interval: 1.7% to 5.1%), with neither component of the primary outcome affected by hospital TAVR volume (p = 0.51). Secondary outcomes at 30 days included major vascular complication 2.4% (n = 10), readmission 9.2% (n = 36), cardiac readmission 5.7% (n = 22), new permanent pacemaker 5.7% (n = 23), and >mild paravalvular regurgitation 3.8% (n = 15).
Adherence to the Vancouver 3M Clinical Pathway at low-, medium-, and high-volume TAVR centers allows next-day discharge home with excellent safety and efficacy outcomes.
The COMPLETE (Complete vs Culprit-only Revascularization to Treat Multi-vessel Disease After Early PCI for STEMI) trial demonstrated that staged nonculprit lesion percutaneous coronary intervention ...(PCI) reduced major cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD).
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of nonculprit-lesion PCI timing on major CV outcomes and also the time course of the benefit of complete revascularization.
Following culprit-lesion PCI, 4,041 patients with STEMI and multivessel CAD were randomized to staged nonculprit-lesion PCI or culprit-lesion only PCI. Randomization was stratified according to investigator-planned timing of nonculprit-lesion PCI: during or after the index hospitalization. The first coprimary outcome was the composite of CV death or myocardial infarction (MI). In pre-specified analyses, hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for each time stratum. Landmark analyses of the entire population were performed within 45 days and after 45 days.
For nonculprit-lesion PCI planned during the index hospitalization (actual time: median 1 day), CV death or MI was reduced with complete revascularization compared with culprit-lesion only PCI (HR: 0.77; 95% confidence interval CI: 0.59 to 1.00). For nonculprit lesion PCI planned to occur after hospital discharge (actual time: median 23 days), CV death or MI was also reduced with complete revascularization (HR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.97; interaction p = 0.62). Landmark analyses demonstrated an HR of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.59 to 1.24) during the first 45 days and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.54 to 0.89) from 45 days to the end of follow-up for intended nonculprit lesion PCI versus culprit lesion only PCI.
Among STEMI patients with multivessel disease, the benefit of complete revascularization over culprit-lesion only PCI was consistent irrespective of the investigator-determined timing of nonculprit-lesion intervention. The benefit of complete revascularization on hard clinical outcomes emerged mainly over the long term.
Background It is unclear if holding angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) prior to coronary angiography reduces contrast-induced acute kidney injury ...(AKI). We undertook a randomized trial to investigate the effect of holding ACEI/ARB therapy prior to coronary angiography on the incidence of AKI. Methods We randomly assigned 208 patients with moderate renal insufficiency (creatinine ≥ 1.7 mg/dL within 3 months and/or documented creatinine ≥ 1.5 mg/dL within 1 week before cardiac catheterization) to hold ACEI/ARB ≥24 hours preprocedure or continue ACEI/ARB. The primary outcome was the incidence of AKI defined as an absolute rise in serum creatinine of ≥0.5 mg/dL from baseline and/or a relative rise in serum creatinine of ≥25% compared with baseline measured at 48 to 96 hours postcardiac catheterization. Results All patients were taking an ACEI (72.1%) or ARB (27.9%) prior to randomization. At 48 to 96 hours, the primary outcome occurred in 18.4% of patients who continued ACEI/ARB compared with 10.9% of the patients who held ACEI/ARB (hazard ratio 0.59, 95% CI 0.30-1.19, P = .16). In a prespecified secondary outcome, there was a lower rise in mean serum creatinine after the procedure in patients who held ACEI/ARB (0.3 ± 0.5 vs 0.1 ± 0.3 mg/dL, P = .03). The clinical composite of death, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, congestive heart failure, rehospitalization for cardiovascular cause, or need for dialysis preprocedure occurred in 3.9% who continued ACEI/ARB compared with 0% who held the ACEI/ARB (hazard ratio 0.11, 95% CI 0.01-2.96, P = .06). Conclusion In this pilot study of patients with moderate renal insufficiency undergoing cardiac catheterization, with-holding ACEI/ARB resulted in a non-significant reduction in contrast-induced AKI and a significant reduction in post-procedural rise of creatinine. This low cost intervention could be considered when referring a patient for cardiac catheterization.
The globe is currently in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. This pandemic has placed considerable stress on health care resources and providers. This ...document from the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology- Association Canadienne de Cardiologie d'intervention, specifically addresses the implications for the care of patients in the cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The key principles of this document are to maintain essential interventional cardiovascular care while minimizing risks of COVID-19 to patients and staff and maintaining the overall health care resources. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, procedures will be increased or reduced based on the current level of restriction to health care services. Although some consistency across the country is desirable, provincial and regional considerations will influence how these recommendations are implemented. We believe the framework and recommendations in this document will provide crucial guidance for clinicians and policy makers on the management of coronary and structural procedures in the CCL as the COVID-19 pandemic escalates and eventually abates.
Le monde est actuellement en pleine pandémie de COVID-19 qui entraîne une morbidité et une mortalité importantes. Cette pandémie a exercé une pression considérable sur les ressources et les prestataires de soins de santé. Ce document de l'Association Canadienne de Cardiologie d'Intervention - Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology, traite spécifiquement des implications associées aux soins des patients du laboratoire de cathétérisme cardiaque (LCC) au Canada pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Les recommandations principales de ce document sont de maintenir les soins d'intervention cardiovasculaires essentiels tout en minimisant les risques de COVID-19 pour les patients et le personnel et en maintenant les ressources globales de soins de santé. À mesure que la pandémie de COVID-19 évolue, les procédures seront accrues ou réduites en fonction du niveau réactualisé de restriction des services de soins de santé. Bien qu'une certaine cohérence soit souhaitable dans l'ensemble du pays, des considérations provinciales et régionales influenceront la manière dont ces recommandations seront mises en œuvre. Nous pensons que le cadre et les recommandations de ce document fourniront des orientations cruciales aux cliniciens et aux décideurs politiques sur la gestion des procédures coronaires et structurelles dans le LCC à mesure que la pandémie de COVID-19 s'aggrave et finit par s'atténuer.
The aim of this study was: 1) to evaluate the acute and late outcomes of a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) program including both the transfemoral (TF) and transapical (TA) approaches; ...and 2) to determine the results of TAVI in patients deemed inoperable because of either porcelain aorta or frailty.
Very few data exist on the results of a comprehensive TAVI program including both TA and TF approaches for the treatment of severe aortic stenosis in patients at very high or prohibitive surgical risk.
Consecutive patients who underwent TAVI with the Edwards valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Inc., Irvine, California) between January 2005 and June 2009 in 6 Canadian centers were included.
A total of 345 procedures (TF: 168, TA: 177) were performed in 339 patients. The predicted surgical mortality (Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score) was 9.8 +/- 6.4%. The procedural success rate was 93.3%, and 30-day mortality was 10.4% (TF: 9.5%, TA: 11.3%). After a median follow-up of 8 months (25th to 75th interquartile range: 3 to 14 months) the mortality rate was 22.1%. The predictors of cumulative late mortality were peri-procedural sepsis (hazard ratio HR: 3.49, 95% confidence interval CI: 1.48 to 8.28) or need for hemodynamic support (HR: 2.58, 95% CI: 1.11 to 6), pulmonary hypertension (PH) (HR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.17 to 3), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (HR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.38 to 3.84), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (HR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.09 to 2.83). Patients with either porcelain aorta (18%) or frailty (25%) exhibited acute outcomes similar to the rest of the study population, and porcelain aorta patients tended to have a better survival rate at 1-year follow-up.
A TAVI program including both TF and TA approaches was associated with comparable mortality as predicted by surgical risk calculators for the treatment of patients at very high or prohibitive surgical risk, including porcelain aorta and frail patients. Baseline (PH, COPD, CKD) and peri-procedural (hemodynamic support, sepsis) factors but not the approach determined worse outcomes.