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Background: The impact of preexisting left bundle branch block (LBBB) in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) recipients is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of preexisting LBBB on clinical outcomes after TAVR., Methods and Results: This multicenter study evaluated 3404 TAVR candidates according to the presence or absence of LBBB on baseline ECG. TAVR complications and causes of death were defined according to Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 definitions. Follow-up outpatient visits or telephone interviews were conducted at 30 days, 12 months, and yearly thereafter. Echocardiography examinations were performed at baseline, at hospital discharge, and at 1-year follow-up. Preexisting LBBB was present in 398 patients (11.7%) and was associated with an increased risk of permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI; 21.1% versus 14.8%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.12-2.04) but not death (7.3% versus 5.5%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.84-2.12) at 30 days. At a mean follow-up of 22±21 months, there were no differences between patients with and without preexisting LBBB in overall mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.75-1.18) and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.68-1.21). In a subanalysis of 2421 patients without PPI at 30 days and with complete follow-up about the PPI, preexisting LBBB was not associated with an increased risk of PPI or sudden cardiac death. Patients with preexisting LBBB had a lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at baseline and at 1-year follow-up ( P <0.001 for both), but those with low LVEF exhibited a similar increase in LVEF over time after TAVR compared with patients with no preexisting LBBB ( P=0.327)., Conclusions: Preexisting LBBB significantly increased the risk of early (but not late) PPI after TAVR, without any significant effect on overall mortality or cardiovascular mortality. Preexisting LBBB was associated with lower LVEF pre-TAVR but did not prevent an increase in LVEF post-TAVR similar to patients without LBBB.

Background: A catheter-based approach after fibrinolysis is recommended if fibrinolysis is likely to be successful in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. We designed a 2x2 randomized, open-label, multicenter trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the paclitaxel-eluting stent and tirofiban administered after fibrinolysis but before catheterization to optimize the results of this reperfusion strategy., Methods and Results: We randomly assigned 436 patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction to (1) bare-metal stent without tirofiban, (2) bare-metal stent with tirofiban, (3) paclitaxel-eluting stent without tirofiban, and (4) paclitaxel-eluting stent with tirofiban. All patients were initially treated with tenecteplase and enoxaparin. Tirofiban was started 120 minutes after tenecteplase in those patients randomly assigned to tirofiban. Cardiac catheterization was performed within the first 3 to 12 hours after inclusion, and stenting (randomized paclitaxel or bare stent) was applied to the culprit artery. The primary objectives were the rate of in-segment binary restenosis of paclitaxel-eluting stent compared with that of bare-metal stent and the effect of tirofiban on epicardial and myocardial flow before and after mechanical revascularization. At 12 months, in-segment binary restenosis was similar between paclitaxel-eluting stent and bare-metal stent (10.1% versus 11.3%; relative risk, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.74 to 1.52; P=0.89). However, late lumen loss (0.04+/-0.055 mm versus 0.27+/-0.057 mm, P=0.003) was reduced in the paclitaxel-eluting stent group. No evidence was found of any association between the use of tirofiban and any improvement in the epicardial and myocardial perfusion. Major bleeding was observed in 6.1% of patients receiving tirofiban and in 2.7% of patients not receiving it (relative risk, 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.86 to 5.73; P=0.14)., Conclusions: This trial does not provide evidence to support the use of tirofiban after fibrinolysis to improve epicardial and myocardial perfusion. Compared with bare-metal stent, paclitaxel-eluting stent significantly reduced late loss but appeared not to reduce in-segment binary restenosis., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00306228.