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Introduction and Objectives: The PEACE study (Performance of a sirolimus-eluting balloon strategy in acute and chronic coronary syndromes) investigated for the first time whether a sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) (Magic Touch, Concept Medical, India) is associated with different outcomes depending on whether it is used in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or chronic coronary syndromes (CCS)., Methods: This was a post-hoc analysis from the all-comers EASTBOURNE Registry (NCT03085823). Out of 2083 patients enrolled, an SCB was used to treat 968 (46.5%) ACS and 1115 (53.5%) CCS patients. The primary endpoint was target lesion revascularization at 12 months, while secondary endpoints were angiographic success and major adverse cardiovascular events., Results: Baseline demographics, mean reference vessel diameter and mean lesion length were comparable between ACS and CCS. Predilatation was more commonly performed in ACS (P=.007). SCB was inflated at a standard pressure in both groups with a slight trend toward longer inflation time in ACS. Angiographic success was high in both groups (ACS 97.4% vs CCS 97.7%, P=.820) with limited bailout stenting. Similarly, at 12 months the cumulative incidence of target lesion revascularization (ACS 6.6% vs CCS 5.2%, P=.258) was comparable between ACS and CCS. Conversely, a higher rate of major adverse cardiovascular events in acute presenters was mainly driven by myocardial infarction recurrencies (ACS 10.4% vs CCS 8.3%, P=.009). In-stent restenosis showed a higher proportion of target lesion revascularization and major adverse cardiovascular events than de novo lesions, independently of the type of presentation at the index procedure., Conclusions: This SCB shows good performance in terms of acute and 1-year outcomes independently of the clinical presentation., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: Invasive coronary procedures involve the administration of iodinated contrast and the exposure to ionising radiations, increasing morbidity and mortality. The rotational coronary angiography (RCA) allows acquiring multiple projections with a unique injection of iodinated contrast. To date, there are no meta-analyses specifically comparing RCA and conventional coronary angiography (CCA) in patients undergoing invasive coronary procedures, whether diagnostic or diagnostic and therapeutic. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the impact of RCA on the amount of iodinated contrast and the exposure to ionising radiations during invasive coronary procedures., Methods: A search in PubMed and Ovid databases was conducted to identify studies, including diagnostic and diagnostic and therapeutic studies, comparing RCA and CCA. The manuscripts were evaluated on quality and biases, and were included if they analysed any of the following endpoints: volume of contrast and exposure to ionising radiations measured as dose-area product, and Kerma-air or fluoroscopy time., Results: Sixteen studies, with a total of 2,327 patients, were included in the final analysis (1,146 patients underwent RCA and 1,181 patients underwent CCA), with significant differences being detected in volume of contrast (standard difference in means [95% confidence interval] -1.887 [-2.472 to -1.302]; P<.001), dose-area product (-0.726 [-1.034 to -0.418]; P<.001), Kerma-air (-0.842 [-1.104 to -0.581]; P<.001), and fluoroscopy time (0.263 [-0.496 to -0.030]; P=.027)., Conclusions: RCA reduces the volume of contrast and the exposure to radiation, evaluated as dose-area product, Kerma-air, and fluoroscopy time, in patients undergoing invasive coronary procedures., (Copyright © 2017 Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The benefit of primary angioplasty may be reduced if there are delays to reperfusion. Identification of the variables associated with these delays could improve health care., Methods: Analysis of the Codi Infart registry of Catalonia and of the time to angioplasty depending on the place of first medical contact., Results: In 3832 patients analyzed, first medical contact took place in primary care centers in 18% and in hospitals without a catheterization laboratory in 37%. Delays were longer in these 2 groups than in patients attended by the outpatient emergency medical system or by hospitals with a catheterization laboratory (P < .0001, results in median): first medical contact to reperfusion indication time was 42minutes in both (overall 35minutes); first medical contact to artery opening time was 131 and 143minutes, respectively (overall 121minutes); total ischemia time was 230 and 260minutes (overall 215minutes). First medical contact to artery opening time > 120minutes was strongly associated with first medical contact in a center without a catheterization laboratory (OR, 4.96; 95% confidence interval, 4.14-5.93), and other factors such as age, previous coronary surgery, first medical contact during evening hours, nondiagnostic electrocardiogram, and Killip class ≥ III. Mortality at 30 days and 1 year was 5.6% and 8.7% and was independently associated with age, longer delay to angioplasty, Killip class ≥ II, and first medical contact in a center with a catheterization laboratory., Conclusions: In more than 50% of patients requiring primary angioplasty, the first medical contact occurs in centers without a catheterization laboratory, which is an important predictor of delay from diagnosis to artery opening., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The beneficial effect of coronary collateral circulation (CC) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of CC before reperfusion with primary angioplasty (PA) on the long-term prognosis of these patients., Methods: Retrospective observational study of a cohort of 947 patients treated with PA and TIMI grade ≤ 1 flow in a single center from 2005 to 2013. Propensity score matching was used to create 2 groups of 175 patients each, matched by the degree of CC (Rentrop 0-1 vs Rentrop 2-3). In the matched cohort, we determined the impact of CC on total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and a combined adverse cardiovascular event endpoint for a median follow-up of 864 (interquartile range, 396-1271) days., Results: Of a total of 947 patients included, 735 (78%) had Rentrop 0 to 1 and 212 (22%) had Rentrop 2 to 3. During follow-up, 105 patients died, 71 from cardiovascular causes. In the matched cohort, the total mortality rate was similar between the 2 groups (Rentrop 0-1 [8.8%] vs Rentrop 2-3 [6.3%]; HR = 1.22; 95%CI, 0.50-2.94; P = .654). There were no differences in cardiovascular mortality (Rentrop 0-1 [4.6%] vs Rentrop 2-3 [2.3%]; sHR = 0.49; 95%CI, 0.14-1.62; P = .244) or the composite endpoint including cardiovascular death, reinfarction, target vessel revascularization, and coronary artery bypass surgery (Rentrop 0-1 [18.8%] vs Rentrop 2-3 [13.1%]; sHR = 0.68; 95%CI, 0.40-1.15; P = .157)., Conclusions: In this contemporary series, the presence of good CC before PA was not associated with better long-term clinical outcomes., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: Thrombus aspiration allows analysis of intracoronary material in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Our objective was to characterize this material by immunohistology and to study its possible association with patient progress., Methods: This study analyzed a prospective cohort of 142 patients undergoing primary angioplasty with positive coronary aspiration. Histological examination of aspirated samples included immunohistochemistry stains for the detection of plaque fragments. The statistical analysis comprised histological variables (thrombus age, degree of inflammation, presence of plaque), the patients' clinical and angiographic features, estimation of survival curves, and logistic regression analysis., Results: Among the histological markers, only the presence of plaque (63% of samples) was associated with postinfarction clinical events. Factors associated with 5-year event-free survival were the presence of plaque in the aspirate (82.2% vs 66.0%; P = .033), smoking (82.5% smokers vs 66.7% nonsmokers; P = .036), culprit coronary artery (83.3% circumflex or right coronary artery vs 68.5% anterior descending artery; P = .042), final angiographic flow (80.8% II-III vs 30.0% 0-I; P < .001) and left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 35% at discharge (83.7% vs 26.7%; P < .001). On multivariable Cox regression analysis with these variables, independent predictors of event-free survival were the presence of plaque (hazard ratio, 0.37; 95%CI, 0.18-0.77; P = .008), and left ventricular ejection fraction (hazard ratio, 0.92; 95%CI, 0.88-0.95; P < .001)., Conclusions: The presence of plaque in the coronary aspirate of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction may be an independent prognostic marker. CD68 immunohistochemical stain is a good method for plaque detection., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Non-atherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an uncommon but probably underdetected pathological substrate for acute coronary syndrome. Clinical associations have been noted, like female gender and young age, but its pathophysiology is not yet fully understood. In this report we describe the case of a 50-year-old woman, without cardiovascular risk factors presenting with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, in whom SCAD was diagnosed. Treatment was initially conservative but due to aggravation of the dissection she eventually underwent a complex percutaneous coronary intervention, requiring implantation of multiple stents, but with a good clinical outcome. The procedure was guided by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Carefully analyzing the combined pictures of OCT and angiography, the dissection appeared to be filled with a clear fluid, but not contrast., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The implantation of bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) is an emerging technique used in percutaneous coronary interventions. Their application has been extended to more complex lesions, although evidence is only available for simple lesions. The present study evaluated scaffold implantation in long lesions, focusing on overlapping scaffolds., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients eligible for stenting with everolimus-eluting poly-L-lactic acid-based BRS with a minimum total scaffold length of 28mm, irrespective of the number of BRS used. The main target parameters were major adverse cardiac events, comprising cardiac death, any myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization, and target lesion failure, including cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. A subgroup analysis included patients with overlapping BRS., Results: A total of 250 patients were included. The reason for angiography was stable coronary artery disease in 36.4% (91 of 250), an acute coronary syndrome in 61.6% (154 of 250), and other reasons in 2.0% (5 of 250). Procedural success was achieved in 97.8% (267 of 273) of the lesions. During follow-up, the 12-month rates of major adverse cardiac event, target lesion failure, and scaffold thrombosis were 8.5%, 6.6%, and 2.3%, respectively. Subgroup analysis of 239 patients showed that there were no statistically relevant differences between patients with and without overlapping scaffolds after a 12-month follow-up., Conclusions: Long-segment stenting with a single scaffold or with multiple overlapping scaffolds is technically feasible with adequate mid-term outcomes. However, large-scale randomized studies are needed to provide further proof of concept., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a pathological phenomenon with a negative impact on outcomes in different clinical scenarios. Its mechanism in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not completely understood, and measures to prevent it are not uniform. We set out to study the incidence, clinical relevance, predictors and possible implications for patient management of AKI in ACS., Methods: Using data from a multicenter national registry on ACS, we retrospectively analyzed predictors of AKI and its impact on outcomes (in-hospital complications and one-year mortality). All ACS types were included. AKI was defined as an increase in serum creatinine of ≥0.3 mg/dl (≥26.4 μmol/l) and/or by ≥1.5 times baseline., Results: A total of 7808 ACS patients were included in the analysis, 1369 (17.5%) of whom developed AKI. AKI was shown to be an independent predictor of in-hospital major bleeding (odds ratio [OR] 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19-3.64; p=0.01), mortality (OR 4.72; 95% CI 2.94-7.56; p<0.001) and one-year mortality (hazard ratio 2.01; 95% CI 1.51-2.68; p<0.001). The incidence of AKI was associated with older age, history of hypertension, renal failure and stroke/transient ischemic attack, Killip class >1 on admission and left ventricular ejection fraction <50%. Performance of coronary angiography or angioplasty were not associated with AKI. Diuretics during admission were predictors of AKI only in patients in Killip class 1., Conclusions: AKI is an important finding in ACS, with a significant impact on hard clinical endpoints such as in-hospital and one-year mortality. It is associated with easily identifiable clinical factors and an invasive strategy does not increase its incidence., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Unlabelled: INTRODUCTION AND , Objectives: Visual angiographic assessment continues to be used when decisions are made on whether to revascularize ambiguous coronary lesions. Multiple factors, other than the degree of stenosis, have been associated with the functional significance of a coronary lesion. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of interventionists to visually predict the functional significance of a coronary lesion and the clinical and angiographic characteristics associated with errors in prediction., Methods: We conducted a concordance study of the functional significance of coronary lesions predicted by experienced interventionists and fractional flow reserve values measured by intracoronary pressure wire in 665 intermediate lesions (40%-70% diameter stenosis) in 587 patients. We determined which factors were independently associated with errors in prediction., Results: There was disagreement between the predicted fractional flow reserve value of ≤ 0.80 and the observed value in 30.1% of the lesions (overestimation: 11.3%; underestimation, 18.8%). Stent location in an artery other than the anterior descending artery or in a bifurcation was associated with overestimation. Male sex, severe calcification, and a greater myocardial territory distal to the lesion were significantly associated with the functional significance of the underestimated lesion., Conclusions: Even when taking into account angiographic and clinical characteristics, there is a high rate of disagreement between visual estimation and direct measurement of intermediate coronary stenosis in relation to its functional significance. Specific angiographic and clinical characteristics are associated with an increased tendency to overestimate or underestimate the significance of lesions., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: New scores have been developed and validated in the US for in-hospital mortality risk stratification in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty: the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) risk score and the Mayo Clinic Risk Score (MCRS). We sought to validate these scores in a European population with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to compare their predictive accuracy with that of the GRACE risk score., Methods: In a single-center ACS registry of patients undergoing coronary angioplasty, we used the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), a graphical representation of observed vs. expected mortality, and net reclassification improvement (NRI)/integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) analysis to compare the scores., Results: A total of 2148 consecutive patients were included, mean age 63 years (SD 13), 74% male and 71% with ST-segment elevation ACS. In-hospital mortality was 4.5%. The GRACE score showed the best AUC (0.94, 95% CI 0.91-0.96) compared with NCDR (0.87, 95% CI 0.83-0.91, p=0.0003) and MCRS (0.85, 95% CI 0.81-0.90, p=0.0003). In model calibration analysis, GRACE showed the best predictive power. With GRACE, patients were more often correctly classified than with MCRS (NRI 78.7, 95% CI 59.6-97.7; IDI 0.136, 95% CI 0.073-0.199) or NCDR (NRI 79.2, 95% CI 60.2-98.2; IDI 0.148, 95% CI 0.087-0.209)., Conclusion: The NCDR and Mayo Clinic risk scores are useful for risk stratification of in-hospital mortality in a European population of patients with ACS undergoing coronary angioplasty. However, the GRACE score is still to be preferred., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The use of the jailed guidewire technique is highly useful when treating bifurcation lesions by provisional stenting. However, at the time of withdrawal, the guidewire can suffer damage and even fracture. The aim of this study was to evaluate structural damage in both polymer-coated and nonpolymer-coated jailed guidewires., Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2012, an observational study was conducted using stereoscopic microscopy to evaluate 135 jailed guidewires (45 nonpolymer-coated and 90 polymer-coated) previously used in the percutaneous treatment of bifurcation lesions. Damage after withdrawal was classified as mild, moderate, or severe., Results: Age and sex distributions were similar in both groups of patients treated with polymer-coated and nonpolymer-coated guidewires. However, operators selected polymer-coated guidewires more frequently when treating more complex bifurcations and in diabetic patients. Some type of microscopic damage was observed in 25 of the guidewires analyzed (18%). Paradoxically, damage was more common in nonpolymer-coated guidewires (53.0% vs 1.1%; P<.001). None of the guidewires suffered complete fracture., Conclusions: Coronary guidewires that are jailed during the treatment of bifurcations using provisional stenting often suffer nonsevere microscopic damage. Although polymer-coated guidewires were used in more complex bifurcation lesions, paradoxically, they were damaged less frequently., (Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The interventional cardiologist chooses a specific stent type based on the risk-benefit profile for each case. In general, drug-eluting stents should be considered in all clinical conditions, except if there are concerns or contraindications for prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy. The aim of this work was to describe the use of bare-metal vs. drug-eluting stents in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after an acute coronary syndrome in Portuguese hospitals, according to patients' demographic and clinical characteristics and institutional characteristics., Methods: Within the EURopean Hospital Benchmarking Processes (EURHOBOP) study, we retrospectively assessed 3009 consecutive patients in 10 Portuguese hospitals in 2009. Only patients with stents implanted during PCI (n=1194) were analyzed., Results: A total of 425 patients (36%) received a bare-metal stent and 769 patients (64%) received a drug-eluting stent. A history of previous PCI, current non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, anterior descending artery as the infarct-related artery and being initially admitted to a hospital with a catheterization laboratory were associated with drug-eluting stent implantation. Age under 45 or over 80, anemia and previous anticoagulation and/or atrial fibrillation were associated with bare-metal stent use., Conclusions: Approximately two-thirds of patients received drug-eluting stents, which were less frequently implanted in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, aged over 80 years, female, with a previous history of stroke, anticoagulation and/or atrial fibrillation and anemia. Patients who had previously undergone PCI and those with the anterior descending artery as the infarct-related artery were more likely to receive a drug-eluting stent., (Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: Invasive and pharmacological treatment of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction reduces the rate of ischemic events but not bleeding complications. The objective of this study was to compare clinical results and bleeding complications between femoral and radial access routes in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction., Methods: An evaluation was performed of the population of the Examination study, a randomized, multicenter, clinical trial that included 1498 patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction who underwent emergency angioplasty. Subanalysis of this population was conducted to compare patients by type of access (femoral vs radial). The primary end point was a composite of: all-cause death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, and bleeding., Results: Femoral and radial access routes were used in 825 (55%) and 673 (45%) patients, respectively. More bleeding complications (major and minor) were seen with femoral access than radial access (5.9% vs 2.8%; P<.004), largely due to a greater incidence of minor bleeding with femoral access (4.6% vs 1.9%; P=.005). After adjustment for confounders, survival analysis showed a reduction in the primary composite end point in patients with radial access (hazard ratio=0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.56-0.96; P=.022)., Conclusions: In patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction, the radial approach is an effective technique that improves prognosis and reduces bleeding complications., (Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: Current clinical guidelines for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) suggest prehospital activation of the cardiac catheterization team. In previous protocols in our center activation occurred once patients arrived at the hospital. In January 2011, we initiated a new primary angioplasty activation protocol from prehospital locations. Our objective was to quantify the influence of this change on reperfusion times., Methods: A total of 173 consecutive STEMI patients (n=73/100 before/after initiation of the new protocol), diagnosed in a prehospital setting within 12 hours of symptom onset, were analyzed. The time between the patient's arrival at the hospital and beginning of the angioplasty procedure was termed the cath lab activation delay., Results: The new protocol resulted in a 37-min reduction in system delay (166 [132-235] min before vs. 129 [105-166] min after, p<0.001), mostly driven by a 64% reduction in cath lab activation delay (55 [0-79] min before vs. 20 [0-54] min after, p=0.001). This reduction was mainly observed outside working hours. The percentage of patients treated with a system delay ≤ 120 min increased from 14.5% before the new protocol to 41.8% afterwards (p=0.001)., Conclusions: Prehospital activation of the cardiac catheterization team resulted in earlier reperfusion of STEMI patients., (Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The transradial approach is associated with a reduction in vascular access-related complications after primary percutaneous coronary interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of the routine use of transradial access in primary angioplasty and to evaluate how it affects subgroups with less favorable characteristics., Methods: We analyzed 1029 consecutive patients with an ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome treated with primary angioplasty., Results: Transradial access was the primary approach in 93.1% of the patients. The success rate of primary angioplasty was 95.9%, and 87.6% of the patients were event-free 30 days after the procedure. Crossover was required in 3.0% of the patients with primary transradial access, and this rate remained stable over the years. Predictors of the need for crossover were age older than 75 years (odds ratio=2.50, 95% confidence interval, 1.09-5.71; P=.03) and a history of ischemic heart disease (odds ratio=2.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-6.24; P=.02). Primary transfemoral access use was higher in women older than 75 years. Use of the transradial approach in this subgroup did not affect reperfusion time or the success of angioplasty, although there was a greater need for crossover (10.9% vs 2.6%; P=.006). Among patients in cardiogenic shock, the transradial approach was used in 51.5%; reperfusion times and angioplasty success rates were similar to those obtained with transfemoral access, but there was a greater need for crossover., Conclusions: Transradial access can be used safely and effectively in most primary angioplasty procedures. In older women and in patients in cardiogenic shock, there is a higher crossover requirement, with no detriment to reperfusion time., (Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Background: Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) were recently approved for percutaneous coronary intervention in Europe. The aim of this position statement is to review the information and studies on available BVS, to stimulate discussion on their use and to propose guidelines for this treatment option in Portugal., Methods and Results: A working group was set up to reach a consensus based on current evidence, discussion of clinical case models and individual experience. The evidence suggests that currently available BVS can produce physiological and clinical improvements in selected patients. There are encouraging data on their durability and long-term safety. Initial indications were grouped into three categories: (a) consensual and appropriate - young patients, diabetic patients, left anterior descending artery, long lesions, diffuse disease, and hybrid strategy; (b) less consensual but possible - small collateral branches, stabilized acute coronary syndromes; and (c) inappropriate - left main disease, tortuosity, severe calcification., Conclusion: BVS are a viable treatment option based on the encouraging evidence of their applicability and physiological and clinical results. They should be used in appropriate indications and will require technical adaptations. Outcome monitoring and evaluation is essential to avoid inappropriate use. It is recommended that medical societies produce clinical guidelines based on high-quality registries as soon as possible., (Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)

The "accordion effect" is a mechanical remodeling of the arterial wall produced by endoluminal introduction of stiff guidewires, leading to vessel wall shortening and development of multiple eccentric constrictions. This phenomenon is unresponsive to vasodilators and may lead to unnecessary stenting of the pseudo-lesions. It must be suspected with the development of multiple lesions and when a tortuous artery assumes a linear shape after advancing distally a stiff wire. In the situation of a complete occlusion of the artery the diagnosis may be challenging. Stenting in this scenario can be demanding because of the difficulty to appropriately size the length of the stent to the true lesion. We present a case of an unrecognized accordion phenomenon in an occluded coronary artery with a long dissection treated with two stents that after retrieving the wire were insufficient to cover the whole dissection., (Copyright © 2012 Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: Intracoronary ultrasound estimation of the functional significance of intermediate angiographic lesions has mainly been based on measuring the minimal lumen area. These estimates take no account of lesion length and pay insufficient attention to long coronary lesions., Methods: We included 61 lesions with visual angiographic stenosis of 40% to 70% that required treatment with a ≥20mm stent, studied with ultrasound and fractional flow reserve. Three-dimensional analysis of the ultrasound study was conducted offline and blinded to fractional reserve values. Angiographic and ultrasound parameters were correlated with fractional reserve., Results: From the angiography we obtained data on mean reference diameter (2.87 [0.57] mm), length (29.8 [10.01] mm), and severity of stenosis (50.3% [8.7]%). Mean fractional flow reserve was 0.78 (0.09). We found a weak linear correlation (R) between fractional reserve and the ultrasound parameters that did not include lesion length: fractional reserve-minimal luminal area (R=0.4; P=.003). The correlation was stronger when lesion length was included: fractional reserve-volume of plaque (R=-0.65; P<.0005); fractional reserve-length/mean luminal area (R=0.73; P<.0005). The strongest correlation came from the product of mean stenosis by area multiplied by lesion length (R=-0.78; P<.0005)., Conclusions: In long coronary lesions, the correlation between ultrasound-measured minimal lumen area and functional significance is weak. In these cases, estimates of functional significance should incorporate lesion length or be derived from direct fractional flow reserve measurement., (Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: Coronary bifurcation lesions can be approached using a simple or a complex strategy. In clinical trials with first-generation drug-eluting stents, the complex strategy was not superior to the simple approach. However, to date, the best strategy when using second-generation drug-eluting stents has not been defined., Methods: We performed a prospective randomized study comparing a simple vs a complex strategy involving T-stenting for the percutaneous revascularization of bifurcation lesions using the everolimus-eluting stent. Angiographic and clinical follow-up were performed at 9 months., Results: We included 70 lesions in 69 patients, who were randomized to the simple (34 lesions, 33 patients) or complex strategy (36 lesions and patients). In all, 85.6% of the lesions included were true bifurcations. The crossover rate was 17.1%. The binary restenosis rate was 12.1%, with no differences between the groups. Side branch restenosis tended to be higher with the simple strategy in the intention to treat analysis (10.7% vs 0%) but not in the per protocol analysis (5.9% vs 4.2%). The incidence of major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization) was 9.2%, with no differences between groups. There were no cases of stent thrombosis., Conclusions: According to the clinical and angiographic findings, the complex strategy was not significantly superior to the simple approach in the revascularization of bifurcation lesions with second-generation everolimus-drug eluting stents., (Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In recent years, various specific techniques and materials have been developed for the treatment of coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO)., Objective: To evaluate the current situation in the treatment of CTO (techniques and material) in our setting., Methods: We evaluated data on techniques and material used in the CIBELES (ChronIc coronary occlusion treated By EveroLimus Eluting Stent) trial, a randomized comparison of sirolimus- and everolimus-eluting stents in 207 patients with CTO in 13 centers in Spain and Portugal., Results: A radial approach was used in 23% of patients, and retrograde techniques were used in only 5%. A high number of balloons were used (2.2±0.9 per patient). Microcatheters were used in 33% of patients, and post-dilatation balloons in only 25%. The mean number of stents implanted per patient was 2.1±1.0, with a mean total stent length of 49±24 mm. Other devices and techniques used were: Tornus penetration catheter in 4% of patients, rotational atherectomy in 2%, and cutting balloon in 1%. Intracoronary ultrasound was used in only 6% of patients. In 34% of cases, operators used guidewires that were not specifically for CTO. Considerable variability between centers was detected in the use of different techniques, the highest and lowest variability being observed in the use of intracoronary ultrasound and the use of CTO guidewires, respectively., Conclusions: In the CIBELES trial, techniques and devices specifically designed for the treatment of CTO were used in a relatively low proportion of patients. Considerable variability between centers was detected., (Copyright © 2012 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.)