Transvenous lead extraction (TLE) for cardiac implantable electric device (CIED) infection is becoming increasingly common, but is believed to be particularly risky in elderly patients. This study ...aimed to clarify the safety and effectiveness of TLE in the elderly, evaluating the use of both non-laser and laser extraction tools. We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics, device type, indications, procedures, and clinical results in younger (YG; age: 15–79 years;
n
= 48) and elderly groups (EG; age: ≥ 80 years;
n
= 27) of patients who underwent percutaneous TLE between April 2014 and December 2019 at our hospital. The average age was 68 and 88 years in the YG and EG, respectively. Indications for TLE were infection in 33 (68.8%) patients and other in 15 (30.6%) patients in the YG, and infection in all 27 (100%) EG patients. Bloodstream infection was detected in 9 and 4 patients in the YG and EG, respectively, with methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus epidermidis
being the most common causative pathogen. All TLE procedures were performed under general anesthesia in an operating room with cardiovascular surgeon backup. An excimer laser sheath (76 leads), a laser followed by a mechanical sheath (45 leads), Evolution RL
®
(17 leads), a mechanical sheath (9 leads), and manual traction (one lead) were employed to extract a total of 148 leads (98 and 50 in the YG and EG, respectively). A mechanical sheath or Evolution RL
®
was more frequently used in the YG. The respective average implantation durations in the YG and EG were 5.3 and 5.0 years, respectively, which were comparable (
p
= 0.46). Procedural success rates were identical between the YG and EG (99% vs. 100%, respectively). There was only one procedure-related complication in the entire cohort (cardiac tamponade in a YG patient). Taken together, the success rates of TLE were high in the EG, with no complications, with extraction being the indication for infection in all EG patients. Percutaneous TLE was safe and effective in elderly patients using both non-laser and laser techniques.
Background: Little evidence is available regarding the long-term outcome in elderly patients after deferral of revascularization based on fractional flow reserve (FFR).Methods and Results: From the ...J-CONFIRM registry (long-term outcomes of Japanese patients with deferral of coronary intervention based on fractional flow reserve in multicenter registry), 1,262 patients were divided into 2 groups according to age: elderly and younger patients (aged ≥75 or <75 years, respectively). The primary endpoint was the cumulative 5-year incidence of target vessel failure (TVF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (TVMI), and clinically driven target vessel revascularization (CDTVR). Cumulative 5-year incidence of TVF was not significantly different between elderly and younger patients (14.3% vs. 10.8%, P=0.12). Cardiac death occurred more frequently in elderly patients than younger patients (4.4% vs. 0.8%, P<0.001), whereas TVMI and CDTVR did not differ between groups (1.3% vs. 0.9%, P=0.80; 10.7% vs. 10.1%, P=0.80, respectively). FFR values in lesions with diameter stenosis <50% were significantly higher in elderly patients than in younger patients (0.88±0.07 vs. 0.85±0.07, P=0.01), whereas this relationship was not observed in those with diameter stenosis ≥50%.Conclusions: Elderly patients had no excess risk of ischemic events related to the deferred coronary lesions by FFR, although FFR values in mild coronary artery stenosis were modestly different between elderly and younger patients.
Transvenous lead extraction has been possible since the 1980s. However, complications during lead extraction, such as the distal end fragment of the lead remaining in the myocardium or venous system ...and injury to the veins or heart, have been reported.
The purpose of this study was to examine our method for complete removal of a separated lead, as extraction of long-term implanted devices is difficult using standard methods and may require additional procedures. The removal of leads with inner conductor coil and lead tip separated from outer insulation, conductor coil, and proximal ring electrode using a multipurpose catheter is reported.
In total, 345 consecutive patients who underwent transvenous lead extraction (TLE) from April 2014 to March 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Lead characteristics, device type, and indications for extraction were further analyzed in 20 patients who developed separation of the proximal ring electrode and outer conductor coil from the inner conductor and distal tip at the time of extraction.
Extractions were performed using an excimer laser sheath laser and a Byrd polypropylene telescoping sheath (n = 15); laser, Byrd polypropylene telescoping sheath, and Evolution RL (n = 2); laser and Evolution RL (n = 3); Byrd polypropylene telescoping sheath and Evolution RL (n = 1); Byrd polypropylene telescoping sheath only (n = 4); and Evolution RL only (n = 2). Twenty-seven leads implanted for more than 10 years had lead separation. A multipurpose catheter was used to protect the fragile leads from further damage. All leads were completely extracted.
All distal tip-to-proximal ring electrode separated leads were successfully removed using laser and other sheaths with the assistance of a multipurpose catheter, without any part of the leads remaining in the heart.
Background: Hyperpolypharmacy is associated with adverse outcomes in older adults, but because literature on its association with cardiovascular (CV) outcomes after acute decompensated heart failure ...(ADHF) is sparse, we investigated the relationships among hyperpolypharmacy, medication class, and death in patients with HF.Methods and Results: We evaluated the total number of medications prescribed to 884 patients at discharge following ADHF. Patients were categorized into nonpolypharmacy (<5 medications), polypharmacy (5–9 medications), and hyperpolypharmacy (≥10 medications) groups. We examined the relationship of polypharmacy status with the 2-year mortality rate. The proportion of patients taking ≥5 medications was 91.3% (polypharmacy, 55.3%; hyperpolypharmacy, 36.0%). Patients in the hyperpolypharmacy group showed worse outcomes than patients in the other 2 groups (P=0.002). After multivariable adjustment, the total number of medications was significantly associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio HR per additional increase in the number of medications, 1.05; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.01–1.10; P=0.027). Although the number of non-CV medications was significantly associated with death (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02–1.13; P=0.01), the number of CV medications was not (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.92–1.10; P=0.95).Conclusions: Hyperpolypharmacy due to non-CV medications was associated with an elevated risk of death in patients after ADHF, suggesting the importance of a regular review of the prescribed drugs including non-CV medications.
Background: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) has a poor prognosis and common comorbidities may be contributory. However, evidence for the association between dementia and clinical outcomes in ...patients with is sparse and it requires further investigation into risk reduction.Methods and Results: We assessed the clinical profiles and outcomes of 1,026 patients (mean age 77.8 years, 43.2% female) with ADHF enrolled in the CURE-HF registry to evaluate the relationship between investigator-reported dementia status and clinical outcomes (all-cause death, cardiovascular (CV) death, non-CV death, and HF hospitalization) over a median follow-up of 2.7 years. In total, dementia was present in 118 (11.5%) patients, who experienced more drug interruptions and HF admissions due to infection than those without dementia (23.8% vs. 13.1%, P<0.01; 11.0% vs. 6.0%, P<0.01, respectively). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that dementia patients had higher mortality rates than those without dementia (log-rank P<0.001). After multivariable adjustment for demographics and comorbidities, dementia was significantly associated with an increased risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.93, P=0.02) and non-CV death (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–2.62, P=0.03), but no significant associations between dementia and CV death or HF hospitalization were observed (both, P>0.1).Conclusions: In ADHF patients dementia was associated with aggravating factors for HF admission and elevated risk of death, primarily non-CV death.
The optimal strategy for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with multi-vessel disease (MVD) is still controversial. Residual anatomical features alone are not ...sufficient to appropriately stratify patient risk. Our aim was to assess the effectiveness of the residual Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score (rSS) combined with clinical factors to predict long-term clinical outcomes in ACS patients. A total of 120 patients with ACS and MVD undergoing PCI were recruited from the SHINANO 5-year registry: a prospective, multi-center, cohort study. The rSS combined with clinical factors (Combined Score) were calculated based on the residual coronary angiogram and each clinical feature after primary PCI. The Combined Score was calculated by replacing SS with rSS using the SYNTAX score II (SSII) calculator. We grouped the Combined Score in two groups according to the cut-off value calculated by the ROC curve (the C-statistic was 0.82 95% CI 0.74–0.91) for all-cause mortality. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality during the 5-year follow-up. The Combined Score was associated with long-term mortality in Cox-regression analysis (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.05–1.11,
P
< 0.001). The mortality rate was significantly higher in the high-score group compared with the low-score group (5.7% vs 38.0%;
P
< 0.001). In ACS with MVD, the Combined Score might be considered an important tool to predict long-term mortality following PCI.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has currently become a major concern in the aging society owing to its substantial and growing prevalence. Recent investigations regarding ...sacubitril/valsartan have suggested that there is a gender difference in the efficacy of the medication in HFpEF cohort. However, information of gender difference in clinical profiles, examination, and prognosis have not been well investigated. The present study aimed to evaluate the differences in baseline characteristics and outcomes between women and men in a Japanese HFpEF cohort. We analyzed the data from our prospective, observational, and multicenter cohort study. Overall, 1036 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure were enrolled. We defined patients with an ejection fraction (EF) of ≥ 50% as HFpEF. Patients with severe valvular disease were excluded; the remaining 379 patients (women:
n
= 201, men:
n
= 178) were assessed. Women were older than men median: 85 (79–89) years vs. 83 (75–87) years,
p
= 0.013. Diabetes mellitus, hyperuricemia, and coronary artery disease were more prevalent in men than in women (34.8% vs. 23.9%,
p
= 0.019, 23.6% vs. 11.4%,
p
= 0.002, and 23.0% vs. 11.9%,
p
= 0.005, respectively). EF was not significantly different between women and men. The cumulative incidence of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for congestive heart failure (CHF) was significantly lower in women than in men (log-rank
p
= 0.040). Women with HFpEF were older and less often exhibited an ischemic etiology; further, they were associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular death or hospitalization for CHF compared with men in the Japanese population.
Little is known about the impact of changes in body mass index (BMI) after the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on long-term outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). ...Therefore, this study aimed to clarify this issue. We investigated data on CAD obtained from the SHINANO Registry, a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study, from 2012 to 2013 in Nagano, Japan. One year after PCI, the enrolled patients were divided into the following three groups based on changes in BMI by tertiles: reduced, maintained, and elevated BMI. The associations among the groups and the 4-year outcomes major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), all-cause death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, and stroke were examined. Five hundred seventy-two patients were divided into the reduced, maintained, and elevated BMI groups. Over the 4-year follow-up period, the cumulative incidence of MACEs was 10.5% (60 cases). In the Kaplan–Meier analysis, the incidence rates of MACE were significantly higher in the reduced BMI group than in the maintained and elevated BMI groups 17.7% versus (vs.) 7.3% vs. 9.0%,
p
= 0.004. Multivariable cox regression analysis showed that the reduced group showed increased risks of MACEs (hazard ratio 2.15; 95% confidence interval 1.29–3.57;
p
= 0.003). The long-term clinical outcomes of patients with CAD who underwent PCI were affected by the reduction in BMI after PCI. Furthermore, the elevation of BMI after PCI was not a poor prognostic factor.
Nutritional status is a novel approach to prognostic assessment in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, assessment of nutritional status in elderly patients is challenging due to the ...significant differences between young patients. The TCBI (Triglycerides × Total cholesterol × Body Weight Index) is a novel and simple nutritional index for predicting long-term outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. This retrospective study evaluated the efficacy of TCBI in 597 elderly (≥ 75 years) patients enrolled in the SHINANO 5 year registry. The SHINANO 5 year registry, a prospective observational multicenter cohort study, had enrolled 1501 consecutive patients who underwent elective/urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In this study, patients were categorized into TCBI quartile groups. The primary endpoints were the occurrence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including all-cause death, stroke, and myocardial infarction at 5 year. The mean duration of follow up was 4.3 ± 1.7 years. The average patient age was 80.9 ± 4.3 years. MACCE was observed in 61 (40.9%) patients in the lowest TCBI quartile group. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated an inverse relationship between MACCE and TCBI (log-lank
P
< 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that low TCBI significantly predicted the incidence of MACCE (hazard ratio: 1.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.03–2.00;
P
= 0.031). The TCBI is useful in predicting long-term outcomes in elderly patients undergoing PCI.
Although high thromboembolic risk was assumed in elderly patients with heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), inadequate control of prothrombin time/international normalized ratio was often ...observed in patients using vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). We hypothesized that patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) would have a better outcome than those treated with VKAs. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacies of DOACs and VKAs in elderly patients with HF and AF. We retrospectively analyzed data from a multicenter, prospective observational cohort study. A total of 1036 patients who were hospitalized for acute decompensated HF were enrolled. We assessed 329 patients aged > 65 years who had non-valvular AF and divided them into 2 groups according to the anticoagulant therapy they received. A subgroup analysis was performed using renal dysfunction based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; mL/min/1.73 m
2
). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and the secondary outcomes were non-cardiovascular death or stroke. The median follow-up period was 730 days (range 334–1194 days). The primary outcome was observed in 84 patients; non-cardiovascular death, in 25 patients; and stroke, in 14 patients. The Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the DOAC group than in the VKA group (log-rank
p
= 0.033), whereas the incidence rates of non-cardiovascular death (log-rank
p
= 0.171) and stroke (log-rank
p
= 0.703) were not significantly different in the crude population. DOAC therapy was not associated with lower mortality in the crude population (log-rank
p
= 0.146) and in the eGFR ≥ 45 mL/min/1.73 m
2
subgroup (log-rank
p
= 0.580). However, DOAC therapy was independently associated with lower mortality after adjustments for age, diabetes mellitus, and albumin level (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.30–0.99;
p
= 0.045) in the eGFR < 45 mL/min/1.73 m
2
subgroup. Compared with VKA therapy, DOAC therapy was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality in the elderly HF patients with AF and renal dysfunction.
PDF