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The purpose of this study is to provide a contemporary qualitative and quantitative analysis of coronary angiograms from a large series of women enrolled in the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) study who had suspected ischemic chest pain. Previous studies have suggested that women with chest pain have a lower prevalence of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with men. Detailed analyses of angiographic findings relative to risk factors and outcomes are not available. All coronary angiograms were reviewed in a central core laboratory. Quantitative measurement of percent stenosis was used to assess the presence and severity of disease. Of the 323 women enrolled in the pilot phase, 34% had no detectable, 23% had measurable but minimal, and 43% had significant ( > 50% diameter stenosis) CAD. Of those with significant CAD, most had multivessel disease. Features suggesting complex plaque were identified in < 10%. Age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, prior myocardial infarction (MI), current hormone replacement therapy, and unstable angina were all significant, independent predictors of presence of significant disease (p < 0.05). Subsequent hospitalization for a cardiac cause occurred more frequently in those women with minimal and significant disease compared with no disease (p = 0.001). The common findings of no and extensive CAD among symptomatic women at coronary angiography highlight the need for better clinical noninvasive evaluations for ischemia. Women with minimal CAD have intermediate rates of rehospitalization and cardiovascular events, and thus should not be considered low risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender-based outcomes have not been evaluated in unselected patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DESs). We investigated whether gender influences the relative safety and efficacy of DESs compared with bare metal stents (BMSs) in routine clinical practice. Using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dynamic Registry, in-hospital and 1-year outcomes were stratified by gender in patients who received ≥1 DES (486 women, 974 men) or BMS (631 women, 1,132 men). There were significant baseline differences by gender, including older age and a higher prevalence of co-morbidities in women and more previous coronary artery disease in men. There were no gender-related differences in in-hospital myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, and death in those treated with BMSs or DESs. Antiplatelet use and stent thrombosis (1.3% of women vs 1.2% of men, p = 0.85) were similar at 1 year with DESs. At 1 year, patients with DESs had a lower rate of repeat PCI (14.1% in women vs 9.5%, p = 0.02; 12.0% in men vs 8.8%, p = 0.02). Adjusted 1-year outcomes in patients with BMSs and DESs, including death and myocardial infarction, were independent of gender. Use of DESs was the only factor, other than age, that conferred a lower risk for the need for repeat PCI in women (relative risk 0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.41 to 0.89, p = 0.01) and men (relative risk 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 0.91, p = 0.001). In conclusion, the widespread use of DESs is safe and has decreased clinically driven revascularization compared with BMSs equally in women and men. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rotational atherectomy is used to debulk calcified or complex coronary stenoses. Whether aggressive burr sizing with minimal balloon dilation (<1 atm) to limit deep wall arterial injury improves results is unknown. Patients being considered for elective rotational atherectomy were randomized to either an "aggressive" strategy (n = 249) (maximum burr/artery >0.70 alone, or with adjunctive balloon inflation < or = 1 atm), or a "routine" strategy (n = 248) (maximum burr/artery < or =0.70 and routine balloon inflation > or =4 atm). Patient age was 62 +/- 11 years. Fifty-nine percent routine and 60% aggressive strategy patients had class III to IV angina. Fifteen percent routine and 16% aggressive strategy patients had a restenotic lesion treated; lesion length was 13.6 versus 13.7 mm. Reference vessel diameter was 2.64 mm. Maximum burr size (1.8 vs 2.1 mm), burr/artery ratio (0.71 vs 0.82), and number of burrs used (1.9 vs 2.7) were greater for the aggressive strategy, p <0.0001. Final minimum lumen diameter and residual stenosis were 1.97 mm and 26% for the routine strategy versus 1.95 mm and 27% for the aggressive strategy. Clinical success was 93.5% for the routine strategy and 93.9% for the aggressive strategy. Creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) was >5 times normal in 7% of the routine versus 11% of the aggressive group. CK-MB elevation was associated with a decrease in rpm of >5,000 from baseline for a cumulative time >5 seconds, p = 0.002. At 6 months, 22% of the routine patients versus 31% of the aggressive strategy patients had target lesion revascularization. Angiographic follow-up (77%) showed minimum lumen diameter to be 1.26 mm in the routine group versus 1.16 mm in the aggressive group, and the loss index 0.54 versus 0.62. Dichotomous restenosis was 52% for the routine strategy versus 58% for the aggressive strategy. Multivariable analysis indicated that left anterior descending location (odds ratio 1.67, p = 0.02) and operator-reported excessive speed decrease >5,000 rpm (odds ratio 1.74, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with restenosis. Thus, the aggressive rotational atherectomy strategy offers no advantage over more routine burr sizing plus routine angioplasty. Operator technique reflected by an rpm decrease of >5,000 from baseline is associated with CK-MB elevation and restenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with persistent severe mitral regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may benefit from mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER). Using the Nationwide Readmission Database, we identified patients who had M-TEER within 6 months after TAVR and compared their outcomes with patients who had M-TEER without previous recent TAVR during the same calendar year between 2014 and 2020. Because Nationwide Readmission Database data do not cross years, analysis was restricted to the last half of each calendar year. End points included in-hospital mortality and 30-day and 90-day postdischarge rehospitalization rates. In 23,885 M-TEER patients, 396 (1.7%) had a previous recent TAVR. The number of post-TAVR M-TEER procedures increased progressively over time from 16 in 2014 to 92 in 2020. Patients who had M-TEER after a recent TAVR versus those without previous TAVR had similar in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio 0.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12 to 1.23, p = 0.11), but higher rates of 30-day all-cause hospitalization and heart failure hospitalization (adjusted odds ratios 1.34, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.79, p = 0.04 and 1.63, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.36, p = 0.009, respectively). Nonetheless, in patients who underwent M-TEER post-TAVR, the cumulative 90-day all-cause hospitalization and heart failure hospitalization rates were less after M-TEER compared with before M-TEER (from 45.7% to 31.5%, p = 0.007, and from 29.0% to 16.6%, respectively, both p = 0.005). In conclusion, M-TEER procedures after TAVR in the United States are increasing. Patients with M-TEER after TAVR had similar in-hospital mortality as those who underwent M-TEER without recent TAVR, but higher 30-day hospitalization rates. Nonetheless, 90-day hospitalization rates were decreased after M-TEER in patients with previous TAVR., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Stone has received speaker honoraria from Medtronic, Pulnovo, Infraredx, Abiomed, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim; has served as a consultant to Abbott, Daiichi Sankyo, Ablative Solutions, CorFlow, Apollo Therapeutics, Cardiomech, Gore, Robocath, Miracor, Vectorious, Abiomed, Valfix, TherOx, HeartFlow, Neovasc, Ancora, Elucid Bio, Occlutech, Impulse Dynamics, Adona Medical, Millennia Biopharma, Oxitope, Cardiac Success, HighLife; and has equity/options from Ancora, Cagent, Applied Therapeutics, Biostar family of funds, SpectraWave, Orchestra Biomed, Aria, Cardiac Success, Valfix, Xenter. Dr. Stone's employer, Mount Sinai Hospital, receives research grants from Abbott, Abiomed, Bioventrix, Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Phillips, Biosense-Webster, Shockwave, Vascular Dynamics, Pulnovo, and V-wave. Family disclosure: Dr. Stone's daughter is an employee at IQVIA. Dr. Abbott is Consulting – Abbott, Medtronic, Penumbra, Rapid AI, and Research – Boston Scientific, Microport, Med Alliance, Shockwave. The remaining authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Infective endocarditis (IE) of prosthetic or bioprosthetic heart valves is a serious complication associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Data on the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of IE after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in the United States are limited. We used the 2013 to 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Databases to determine the incidence of early IE after TAVI and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in the US. Clinical characteristics, independent predictors, and outcomes of patients with IE post-TAVI were examined. In 29,306 TAVI and 66,077 SAVR patients, the incidence rates of early IE were 1.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5% to 1.9%) and 2.5% (95% CI 2.3% to 2.9%) per person-year, respectively. In a propensity-matched cohort of 15,138 TAVI and 15,030 SAVR patients (weighted), there were no significant differences in the incidence rates of IE (1.7% [95% CI 1.4% to 2.0%] vs 1.9% [95% CI 1.6% to 2.2%] per person-year, log-rank p = 0.29) or in the median (interquartile range) time to IE (91 [48 to 146] vs 92 [61 to 214] days, p = 0.13). Staphylococcus (30.4%), Streptococcus (29.9%), and Enterococcus (20.5%) were the most common causative organisms of IE post-TAVI. Younger age, history of heart failure, need for permanent pacemaker placement, cardiac arrest, major bleeding, and sepsis during the index TAVI hospitalization were independently associated with an increased risk of IE. In-hospital mortality rate during readmission for IE was 15.6%. In conclusion, in a nationally representative cohort of TAVI patients in the US, the incidence rate of early IE was 1.7% per person-year. Age, co-morbid conditions, invasive procedures, and complications during the index hospitalization were associated with incident IE post-TAVI., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)