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A 65-year-old man with end-stage renal failure, severe aortic stenosis, and triple vessel coronary artery disease was admitted for percutaneous coronary intervention to the left anterior descending artery prior to transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

A 73-year-old man, with a previous long drug-eluting stent (DES) from the mid-portion of the left main stem artery (LMS) to proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD), underwent elective coronary angiogram due to worsening anginal symptoms and an abnormal myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) showing ischemia in the LAD territory.

A 78-year-old male patient with a history of coronary artery disease (he had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery 4 years ago), heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction, diabetes mellitus, and transient ischemic attack presented to the emergency department with complaints of dyspnea (New York Heart Association Class 4) despite the optimal medical therapy.

Background: Although first-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) devices have effectively achieved their main goal of reducing restenosis, their safety has been limited by suboptimal polymer biocompatibility, delayed stent endothelialization, and local drug toxicity, which ultimately prompted the development of new-generation DES options carrying biocompatible or even biodegradable polymers., Aims: We sought to assess the vessel-healing pattern of the novel sirolimus-eluting Inspiron DES (Scitech Medical) using serial optical coherence tomography (OCT) and assuming the hypothesis that this thin-strut (75-μm), biodegradable-polymer DES promotes a faster healing, with very early strut coverage., Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm study enrolling 68 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention guided by OCT. These patients were consecutively assigned into 3 groups. The first group had its OCT imaging follow-up performed at 3 months, the second group at 2 months, and the third group at 1 month., Results: Mean age was 59.5 years, 70.6% were male, 41.2% had type 2 diabetes, and 29.4% presented with acute coronary syndrome. A total of 72 lesions were treated and 1.06 stents were implanted per patient. OCT assessment of the stents at 1, 2, and 3 months showed a strut coverage of 90.41%, 93.96%, and 97.21%, respectively (P=.04)., Conclusion: The Inspiron DES showed an early strut healing pattern, with >90% of the struts covered by neointima within the first month and with almost all struts covered by the third month.

Objective: Thinner stent struts might lead to a higher risk of recoil and subsequently a smaller minimal stent area (MSA), which is known to be the strongest predictor of stent failure. We compared procedural performance between an ultrathin-strut biodegradable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (BP-SES) and a durable-polymer zotarolimus-eluting stent (DP-ZES) using intracoronary imaging., Methods: A consecutive cohort of patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with either BP-SES or DP-ZES in a pseudorandomized fashion between July 2018 and October 2019. In the present subanalysis, we included cases in which post-PCI imaging with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) or optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed. The primary endpoint of the study was MSA. Secondary endpoints included percentage stent expansion and presence of residual edge disease, malapposition, tissue protrusion, submedial edge dissections, or edge hematoma., Results: A total of 141 treated lesions (78 BP-SES and 63 DP-ZES) in 127 patients were analyzed. Median age was 69.3 years (interquartile range [IQR], 57.3-75.6) and 74.0% of patients were male. All baseline and procedural characteristics were comparable between both groups. Median MSA was 5.80 mm² (IQR, 4.40-7.24) for BP-SES and 6.35 mm² (IQR, 4.76-8.31) for DP-ZES (P=.15). No significant differences in stent expansion, residual edge disease and presence of malapposition, tissue protrusion, submedial edge dissections, or edge hematomas were found. Stent diameter and stent length were found to be independent predictors of MSA., Conclusions: No significant differences in MSA were found between lesions treated with BP-SES vs DP-ZES. BP-SES and DP-ZES were comparable in terms of procedural performance.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and outcomes of treatment with the subintimal tracking and re-entry technique for stent-jailed side branch (SB-STAR). SB occlusion is a serious complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, conventional strategies may fail to recanalize the stent-jailed SB., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients who underwent elective PCI and were treated with SB-STAR at the Sapporo Cardiovascular Clinic in Japan. SB was treated for severe stenosis, reduced thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow grade, or ischemic signs after main vessel stenting. Technical success during the procedure and clinical and angiographic follow-up findings at 6 months were analyzed., Results: Of the 13,431 PCI procedures performed between January 2016 and June 2021, SB-STAR was performed in 10 patients. The angiographic success rate was 100%. At the 6-month follow-up, no deaths or target-vessel revascularizations had occurred. All patients underwent angiographic follow-up, and 8 of the 10 patients (80%) who underwent SB-STAR had confirmed patency., Conclusions: SB-STAR can be a bailout strategy to improve the critical situation of stent-jailed SB occlusion. At 6-month follow-up, the SB-STAR had good patency as well as good clinical outcomes.

Background: The treatment of a coronary bifurcation with a single stent (the provisional stenting technique) is associated with a good outcome in most cases. In the majority of cases, after provisional stenting technique, a residual significant angiographic stenosis is associated with the absence of ischemia when fractional flow reserve (FFR) is measured. Jailing an optical pressure guidewire in the side branch (SB) could potentially reduce unnecessary SB interventions after provisional stenting technique. The aim of this study was to compare distal pressure to aortic pressure ratio (Pd/Pa) measurements between 2 second-generation optical pressure guidewires in bifurcation treatment-a jailed wire (JW) and a second free-floating wire (FW) advanced into the SB after stenting., Methods: In an in vitro bifurcation hydrodynamic model with pressure sensors, a JW was advanced into the SB and the FW into the main branch. Bifurcation stenting is performed with the proximal optimization technique (POT)-side-POT technique using a 3.0 x 22-mm stent, a 4.0 x 12-mm noncompliant balloon for the POT, and a 2.5 x 12-mm semicompliant balloon for the SB opening. The same steps were performed in a second model where a surgical clamp was placed in the main vessel to lower overall absolute values pressures., Results: A strong correlation was found between JW and FW values (Pearson's coefficient, r=0.91). All wires could be safely retrieved., Conclusion: In bifurcation stenting, the Pd/Pa value of a second-generation optical pressure guidewire jailed in the SB is reliable compared with a FW inserted after stent implantation.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to describe the immediate and long-term vascular effects of OAS in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and moderate to severely calcified lesions., Background: Debulking the calcified atherosclerotic plaque with the orbital atherectomy system (OAS) can potentially enhance vessel compliance and increase the chance of reaching a desirable angioplasty result., Methods: A total of 7 patients were evaluated both at baseline and at 6-month follow-up. Following a diagnostic peripheral angiogram, patients with significant SFA disease had a baseline intravascular optical coherence tomography (IV-OCT) and the lesion was treated with OAS. Repeat IV-OCT was performed after atherectomy and after drug-coated balloon, if used. Patients were also evaluated with angiography and IV-OCT imaging at their 6-month follow-up., Results: The majority of tissue removed was fibrous tissue. During follow-up, luminal volume increased for 4 of the 7 patients from baseline to 6-month follow-up and decreased in 3 patients. On average there was a 6% increase of luminal volume (P<.01 compared with baseline). A recent virtual histology algorithm was used for automatic classification of IV-OCT images unaided by any reader. The algorithm used convolutional neural networks to identify regions as either calcium, fibrous, or lipid plaque, and it agreed with an expert reader 82% of the time., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, the current report is the first to describe vascular effects of OAS in medial calcified lesions immediately after and at follow-up using IV-OCT in patients with severe PAD.

Objective: In this secondary analysis of the PACIFY randomized trial, we assessed whether dose and timing of fentanyl have implications for the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ticagrelor loading during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods: Among 212 patients undergoing clinically indicated coronary angiography, a total of 70 required PCI and received 180 mg oral ticagrelor. Of these, thirty-two patients received no fentanyl and 38 received fentanyl (with variability in the timing of administration and cumulative dose among those randomized to fentanyl, given that both were provided at the interventional cardiologist's discretion). A time-weighted cumulative fentanyl exposure variable was calculated based on total dose of fentanyl and proximity in time of fentanyl administrations to the ticagrelor load. Patients were stratified based on receiving above or below the median time-weighted cumulative dose. Outcomes included ticagrelor concentrations by mass spectrometry (24-hour area under the curve) and platelet function measured using both VerifyNow platelet reactivity units (PRU) and light-transmission aggregometry (LTA)., Results: Unadjusted ticagrelor 24-hour area under the curve was significantly lower across the categories of increasing fentanyl exposure (P=.02). In adjusted regression models, this difference only remained when comparing the no-fentanyl group with the time-weighted cumulative dose above the median group (P=.04). Similarly, with the no-fentanyl group as the reference, adjusted models testing 2-hour PRU and LTA values demonstrated significant differences (with less platelet inhibition for both tests) only among those with time-weighted cumulative fentanyl exposures above the median value (5.1 μg/min)., Conclusions: We have previously shown that fentanyl slows absorption of oral ticagrelor, attenuating its effect on platelet inhibition. We now demonstrate this mechanism appears to be dose- and time-dependent.

We present the first case series using Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy (S-IVL; Shockwave Medical), a novel coronary calcium modification device, in patients with heavily calcified unprotected left main (LM) coronary artery disease (CAD). Decisions regarding surgical vs percutaneous revascularization in LM-CAD patients are based on anatomical complexity and perceived surgical risk. In this series, we present the use of S-IVL in a patient with LM-CAD with multivessel disease who declined surgery, a patient with an isolated LM-CAD and severe cardiomyopathy, and a late nonagenarian patient where surgical revascularization was not an option.

Historically, in calcified coronary lesions, rotational atherectomy can result in side-branch occlusion in up to 10% of the cases. This can potentially result in significant ischemia depending on the territory involved. Our modification of the GuideLiner technique avoids the added risk of guide-catheter dissection from two guides in the left main and can also be used in non-left main bifurcations.

A 44-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with central crushing chest pain and dynamic anterior ST elevation on a background of a known left bundle-branch block on her electrocardiogram. Past medical history included insulin-dependent diabetes, asthma, fibromyalgia, and a gradually failing kidney transplant. This case demonstrates the rarely utilized niche role for intracoronary thrombolysis in STEMI treatment in the modern angioplasty era.

A 62-year-old man was referred for percutaneous coronary intervention of a severe circumflex lesion. The guidewire became entangled in the previously implanted left anterior descending artery stent. The left main was engaged with a second guide catheter, followed by balloon dilations, various microcatheters, and laser atherectomy. The wire eventually fractured without protruding into the aorta. The circumflex lesion was stented with two stents, followed by left main stenting that covered the fragment. Caution should be used when wiring through stents; wire fracture can be treated with stent implantation, as long as the wire fragment does not protrude into the aorta.

Background: Previous studies have suggested a benefit of cilostazol in addition to standard dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), reducing in-stent late luminal loss and restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with bare-metal and drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. However, there is a paucity of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) assessment of neointimal tissue hyperplasia (NIH) after triple-antiplatelet therapy (TAPT), especially in diabetic patients treated with DES., Methods: This prospective, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in diabetic patients randomized (1:1) to receive either standard DAPT (aspirin and clopidogrel) vs TAPT with cilostazol for a minimum of 12 months after PCI with Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent (E-ZES). The primary endpoint was the 9-month comparison of percentage of NIH in both groups. Additionally, we compared in-stent late lumen loss, binary restenosis, major adverse cardiac event (MACE; cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and restenosis) rates, and the incidence of vascular/bleeding complications., Results: In total, 133 diabetic patients were enrolled (cilostazol cohort = 65 patients) with 56.4% male and mean age of 60.8 years. Overall, the two cohorts were comparable in terms of baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics, except for the reference vessel diameter, which was smaller among patients randomized to cilostazol (2.48 ± 0.46 mm vs 2.69 ± 0.48 mm; P=.01). At 9 months, there was a non-significant trend toward less percentage of NIH obstruction in the TAPT cohort (33.2 ± 8.29% vs 35.1 ± 8.45%; P=.07). However, this finding did not impact angiographic late-lumen loss (0.60 ± 0.46 mm cilostazol group vs 0.64 ± 0.48 mm control group; P=.30) and binary restenosis (9.8% vs 6.8%; P=.99). MACE rate also did not significantly differ between the cohorts (13.8% cilostazol group vs 8.8% control group; P=.81). Of note, the addition of a third antiplatelet agent did not increase vascular and bleeding complications., Conclusion: In diabetic patients treated with E-ZES, TAPT with cilostazol did not add any significant benefit in terms of NIH suppression or MACE reduction.

Aims: As more elderly and co-morbid patients require percutaneous revascularization, 1 year of dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) becomes concerning. Synergy stents (Boston Scientific) allow for early cessation of DAPT. This study assessed those in our unit who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a Synergy stent to examine a minimum of 6 months of clinical outcomes after early discontinuation of DAPT., Methods and Results: All non-trial patients in our unit who had PCI with a Synergy stent from August 2013 to February 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up was by medical record review or direct contact for postprocedural complications or adverse events. In total, 185 patients underwent PCI with a Synergy stent over 1 year prior. The mean patient age was 72.0 ± 11.0 years (range, 41-97 years). Stenting involved left main stem (14.1%), multivessel disease (33.0%), and chronic total occlusion (33.0%). DAPT discontinuation occurred in 78.4% by 3 months with no stent thrombosis. Three patients required target-vessel revascularization (TVR) by 1 year. There were no cardiac deaths or myocardial infarctions. Twenty-five patients were able to have non-cardiac procedures within the study period., Conclusion: The use of the Synergy everolimus-eluting stent allows for early discontinuation of DAPT, reducing risk of bleeding complications and facilitating non-cardiac procedures, without an increase in stent thrombosis and with excellent results for TVR.

Background: In observational studies of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), surgical ineligibility is associated with increased mortality. Whether the use of hemodynamic support during PCI can mitigate the adverse prognostic importance of surgical ineligibility is unknown., Methods and Results: We sought to evaluate the association between request for surgical consultation (presumed surgical ineligibility) prior to PCI and clinical outcomes in 427 patients with multivessel coronary artery disease or unprotected left main disease and severely reduced left ventricular systolic function undergoing PCI assisted by hemodynamic support (intraaortic balloon pump or Impella) from the PROTECT II randomized trial. Patients in whom surgical consultation was requested prior to PCI (n = 201) were compared with those in whom surgical consultation was not requested (n = 226). The primary endpoint of this analysis was the composite of 90-day major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Demographic and procedural variables were similar between patients receiving surgical consultation and patients not receiving surgical consultation, with the exception that the prevalence of prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery was significantly higher in patients not receiving surgical consultation (42.0% vs 25.4%; P<.001); these patients also had a higher proportion of lesions within a saphenous vein graft, and a greater prevalence of moderate/severe vessel calcification. MACCE rate at 90 days was similar in patients receiving surgical consultation compared with patients not receiving surgical consultation (23.4% vs 29.0%, respectively; P=.19)., Conclusions: In this high-risk cohort of patients undergoing hemodynamically supported PCI, clinical outcome was not associated with an antecedent request for surgical consultation (presumed surgical ineligibility). Whether the use of hemodynamically supported PCI can lessen the risk conferred by surgical ineligibility requires further study.

The presence of coronary artery calcium is indicative of advanced coronary artery disease and is a predictor of clinical events including stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrest. Recognition of the risk factors and the clinical implications associated with coronary artery calcium is vital in identifying both preventative measures as well as treatment options. Non-invasive and invasive strategies can help quantify these calcified lesions and aid in appropriate patient selection for possible use of atheroablative devices. While mild to moderately calcified lesions can be predilated with balloon angioplasty, severely calcified vessels may be resistant to adequate predilatation and preclude stent delivery and optimal expansion, potentially increasing the risk of early and late complications. The use of atherectomy devices is an invaluable treatment option for these complex lesions, given the ability for plaque modification and changing the compliance of heavily calcified vessels, increasing procedural success rates.

Objective: To determine the safety and efficacy of administering prasugrel at the time of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and switching to clopidogrel, without reloading., Background: Prasugrel has faster onset of action and appears to be of greater benefit than clopidogrel, particularly early after PCI. However, long-term prasugrel increases bleeding. Many physicians at Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) administer prasugrel before PCI and switch to clopidogrel afterward. The safety and efficacy of this strategy has not been studied., Methods: We performed a retrospective study using electronic medical records and identified patients at GMC who underwent PCI between February 1, 2009 and January 31, 2012 and received a loading dose of prasugrel with a subsequent switch to clopidogrel, without reloading. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), defined as death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or stent thrombosis, 7 days after the first dose of clopidogrel. Secondary endpoints included MACE at 30 days, individual MACE components at 7 and 30 days post procedure, and bleeding as defined by the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) at 1 day and 30 days., Results: A total of 151 patients met inclusion criteria. One patient suffered a MACE on day 7 (0.7%; 95% confidence interval, 0.03%-3.33%). One patient had an MI between 8-30 days. Two patients had BARC bleeding (type 2 and type 3b) 30 days post PCI., Conclusions: In this small, retrospective analysis, the results of loading patients with prasugrel for PCI and switching them to clopidogrel without a loading dose appear to be encouraging.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of everolimus-eluting stent (EES) use compared with first-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) use in diabetic patients undergoing multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Background: Although the benefits of EES over first-generation DES were demonstrated for the general population, there is a paucity of data in diabetic patients with multivessel disease., Methods: The retrospective study cohort included 429 consecutive diabetic patients who underwent native multivessel PCI, defined as ≥2 same-generation DESs in ≥2 different native vessel territories during the index procedure. The primary safety endpoint was the combined incidence of death, non-fatal Q-wave myocardial infarction, and definite stent thrombosis (ST) at 1 year., Results: At 1 year, the primary safety endpoint was reached in 2.9% of the patients in the EES group, which was significantly lower than the 9.3% noted with first-generation DES (P=.03). The occurrence of definite or probable ST was lower in the EES group (0% vs. 3.7%; P=.04). Similarly, there was a trend toward lower all-cause mortality (2.9% vs. 8.5%; P=.05) and cardiac death (1% vs. 4.9%; P=.08) in the EES group. However, there were no significant differences in the rates of target lesion revascularization (12.6% vs. 9.3%; P=.33) between groups. In a multivariate model, EES was independently associated with a lower risk of composite primary endpoint compared with first-generation DES (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.94)., Conclusion: In diabetic patients undergoing native multivessel PCI, the use of EES was associated with superior 1-year safety as compared with use of first-generation DES.

Background: A strategy of percutaneous bifurcation intervention with provisional bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation followed by drug-eluting balloon (DEB) treatment represents a valuable opportunity in patients not compliant with long-duration dual-antiplatelet therapy. We used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess coronary bifurcation lesions treated by BMS and DEB, and secondarily, to better explore the association between stent geometry and tissue coverage., Methods: Twelve patients underwent frequency-domain OCT 6 months after undergoing percutaneous bifurcation intervention with BMS implantation followed by kissing DEB. The same type of BMS was correspondingly implanted in silicone bifurcation models and scanned by microcomputed tomography., Results: Overall, a total 2914 struts were analyzed, revealing 0.6% malapposed struts and 3.1% uncovered struts, with neointimal thickness of covered struts measured at 0.19 ± 0.13 mm. Findings were homogeneous among patients with the exception of one outlier who presented a significant distortion of the stent geometry, suggesting proximal cell rewiring prior to kissing DEB, as supported by the microcomputed tomography model. This pattern was not present in the other cases, which showed struts optimally apposed and nicely scaffolding the side-branch ostium., Conclusion: This is the first study describing the effects of DEB in percutaneous bifurcation interventions according to OCT parameters. The results show that a strategy of kissing DEB following BMS is associated with low neointimal thickness and high rate of covered stent struts. Moreover, these results appear to be dependent on the quality of bifurcation intervention, with distal cell rewiring more favorable than proximal cell rewiring.

A 58-year-old man presented to our hospital with effort angina. Ten months prior, he was treated with a Bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS). During the current admission, an image angiographically compatible with in-BVS restenosis at the circumflex ostium with a radiolucent image in the ostial left anterior descending artery was shown. BVS failure is very infrequent and this is one of the first cases of BVS restenosis described. Thus, data on the best management option are scarce. We treated it like a drug-eluting stent restenosis, performing first an intracoronary optical coherence tomography scan in order to identify the left descending radiolucent image and to prepare the best treatment strategy.

Background: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and cytokines seem to play a pivotal role in arterial healing after stent implantation. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a high-resolution imaging technique, we aimed to assess the influence of circulating EPCs and levels of Il-1 cytokines on stent coverage and in-stent proliferation., Methods: Eighty-nine patients were randomly treated with either Xience V drug-eluting stent (DES; n = 48) or bare-metal stent (BMS) postdilated with the SeQuent Please drug-eluting balloon (DEB; n = 41). EPC populations (CD34+/CD133+ and CD34+/CD133+/KDR+ EPC) and cytokines (Il-1ra, Il-18, and Il-1α) were measured before percutaneous coronary intervention using flow cytometry or immunoassay. Vessel remodeling was analyzed using coronary angiography and OCT at 6-month follow-up., Results: Indexed neointimal volume and maximal proliferation thickness correlated inversely with EPC levels in the entire study population (r = -0.220; P=.04 and r = -0.253; P=.02) and the BMS + DEB subgroup (r = -0.344; P=.03 and r = -0.374; P=.02). Late lumen loss (LLL) was associated with the proatherogenic Il-18 concentration in the main population (r = 0.342; P=.01) and the BMS + DEB group (r = 0.471; P=.01). In the DES subgroup, associations with proliferation and LLL were lacking. Associations for stent strut coverage were not observed., Conclusions: A high EPC count seems to be a favorable individual patient factor, since it was associated with less instent proliferation. Contrarily, high Il-18 levels lead to more LLL, which emphasizes its proatherogenic properties.

Objectives: Drug-eluting stent (DES) implantations with low final cross-sectional area (CSA) are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. However, there is no guidance to facilitate optimal stent deployment (SD). The stent optimization (STOP) study was performed to assess DES routine postdilatation (PD) following implantation with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance., Methods: Forty-eight patients were included in this single-center prospective study. All DESs were deployed at 16 atm for 20 seconds and underwent routine non-compliant balloon PD (minimum 20 atm for 10 seconds). IVUS performed after SD (blinded) and PD (unblinded) measured CSA at 4 stent reference points. Optimal deployment was defined as distal and proximal stent CSA ≥60% distal and proximal reference CSA; mid and minimum stent CSA ≥70% of distal reference CSA. All per-protocol criteria were required to define optimal SD. Suboptimally deployed DESs underwent further PD with IVUS guidance (IVPD)., Results: Fifty-two lesions were treated in 48 patients. CSA increased by 20% following PD. STOP criteria were only achieved in 21% of DESs after SD compared to 54% after PD. IVPD was performed in 20 DESs, which increased CSA by a further 21%. STOP criteria were eventually attained in 81% cases (P<.001 for all comparisons)., Conclusion: DES deployment leads to suboptimal deployment, which can be optimized by routine PD. IVUS identifies DES implantations that benefit from further PD. Optimizing final DES-CSA may have longterm clinical benefits, although a randomized study is required.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of true bifurcation lesions (Medina classification 1, 1, 1; 1, 0, 1; or 0, 1, 1) is challenging and may involve either a 1-stent strategy with provisional side branch stenting, or a 2-stent strategy. Diabetes mellitus is associated with greater atherosclerotic burden and higher incidence of bifurcation lesions, and unfavorable outcomes after PCI. It is unknown whether use of newer everolimus-eluting stent (EES) implantation impacts relative outcomes of 1-stent and 2-stent strategies in patients with diabetes., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with diabetes mellitus and complex true bifurcation lesions (side branch diameter >2.0 mm) who underwent PCI with EES between February 2010 and December 2011. We grouped subjects based on initial treatment to a 1-stent (n = 81) or 2-stent (n = 54) strategy, and compared baseline characteristics, quantitative coronary angiography, and 1-year major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) rates, defined as death, myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization (TLR), or target vessel revascularization (TVR)., Results: Baseline characteristics were well matched. A 2-stent strategy was associated with larger side-branch reference vessel diameter at baseline and post PCI. In-hospital events included 1 periprocedural myocardial infarction in each group and no deaths. At 1 year, there was no significant difference between 1-stent and 2-stent strategies in TVR rates (6.2% vs 3.7%; P=.53), TLR (both 3.7%; P>.99), or MACE (7.4% vs 3.7%; P=.37)., Conclusion: In this series of diabetic patients undergoing complex bifurcation PCI using EES implantation, there was no difference between 1-stent and 2-stent strategies with respect to ischemic events at 1 year.

Atherosclerosis begins in the teenage years and progresses over time in susceptible individuals. It is unknown, however, whether coronary angiography in middle-aged adults showing no evidence of atherosclerosis identifies individuals at low risk for subsequent development of coronary artery disease (CAD). We identified 4068 patients ≥40 years of age who had at least two coronary angiograms between January 1, 1990 and March 31, 2011. Of these, 227 patients (5.8%) had no CAD and 251 patients (6.4%) had mild atherosclerotic disease (stenosis <30%) on the initial angiogram. Patients in the normal-angiogram group were younger, more often female, and less likely to use tobacco than patients in the mild-atherosclerosis group, while rates of diabetes and hypertension were the same. Angiographic evidence of any CAD and obstructive CAD was apparent in 26% and 4.8%, respectively of the normal-angiogram group on subsequent angiography performed 75 ± 46 months later. Myocardial infarction and revascularization occurred in 4.8% and 3.5%, respectively. Progression of CAD (odds ratio = 10.2), development of obstructive CAD (odds ratio = 8.9), myocardial infarction (odds ratio = 2.7), and revascularization (odds ratio = 8.4) were more frequent in the mild-atherosclerosis group. In summary, 26% of middle-aged adults with a normal coronary angiogram who had subsequent angiography for clinical reasons developed CAD, although the annual rates of myocardial infarction or revascularization were very low. Even mild atherosclerosis on the initial angiogram increased the rate of progression of CAD by 10-fold and the rate of revascularization by 8-fold.

Novel techniques for percutaneous revascularization of chronic total occlusions or other complex coronary lesions utilize the subintimal space to safely and efficiently traverse the occluded coronary segment. Antegrade and retrograde dissection reentry is gaining popularity, and is an elegant method to successfully cross coronary chronic total occlusions. We describe a "subintimal space plaque modification" that involves use of antegrade and retrograde dissection reentry techniques to treat "balloon-uncrossable" coronary lesions.

Aims: Longitudinal deformation has been described as a new complication affecting new-generation thin-strut coronary stents. Benchmark tests have suggested that the platinum-chromium (PtCr) Element coronary stent platform (Boston Scientific) might present increased susceptibility to this complication. Our study assessed the incidence of longitudinal stent deformation in a large single-center study population., Methods and Results: A total of 337 consecutive Promus Element PtCr stents deployed in an all-comer population underwent quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) analysis. Postdeployment QCA measured/nominal stent length ratio (SLR) was considered as a surrogate estimate of longitudinal stent deformation and averaged 0.95 ± 0.04 in the entire population. This small postdeployment reduction of stent length had no clinical relevance, leading to 3 cases (0.9%) of trivial geographical miss, which did not require further interventions. Plaque prolapse through the stent struts was observed in 19 cases (5.6%). Only 1 case of typical "concertina" effect (0.3%) complicated an ostial stenosis treatment requiring deployment of a second stent, while in 3 cases (0.9%), stent struts adapted to severely tortuous and calcified vessels mimicked longitudinal stent deformation, without further complications. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between need for predilation and lower SLR values, while postdilation independently predicted higher SLR., Conclusions: Systematic QCA analysis of a large single-center all-comers PCI population treated with PtCr stents failed to detect any clinically relevant longitudinal stent deformation. Complex lesions needing predilation were associated with a reduced SLR; conversely, postdilation was associated with QCA stent measures close to nominal. Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT01759719.

Background: The prognostic implications of clinically silent coronary artery fistula (CAF) and its intermediate/long-term outcomes after transcatheter closure have not been well studied, especially in children., Aims: This study intended to determine the prognostic implications of asymptomatic CAF and to evaluate the intermediate follow-up outcomes following transcatheter occlusion with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in children., Methods: Eighteen children with congenital CAF were divided into two groups: the intervention group (n = 14; maximal coronary artery diameter [MCD] ≥5 mm and/or fistulous orifice diameter [FOD] >2 mm), and the non-intervention group (n = 4; MCD <5 mm and FOD ≤2 mm). Patients in the intervention group received percutaneous occlusion with PDA occluder. Clinical outcomes and follow-up data were analyzed and compared between different groups., Results: Patients with clinically silent CAF were followed for 8-130 months. At the mean follow-up of 36 months, patients in the non-intervention group did not show any changes in the measured parameters over time. In contrast, patients in the intervention group showed significant increase of MCD (8.31 ± 2.16 mm to 12.75 ± 3.01 mm; P=.001) and FOD (3.75 ± 3.42 mm to 4.82 ± 1.81 mm; P=.03). In addition, 3 cases of aneurysm formation and 2 cases of mild heart failure were detected before the patients received the attempted transcatheter closure. A total of 14 patients underwent cardiac catheterization with an attempt to close the CAF. Placement of occlusion devices succeeded in 10 patients (71.5%) and failed in 4 patients (28.5%). Ten children with successful transcatheter closure were followed 3-62 months (median, 36 months). At the medial time of 36 months, all patients with closure were in New York Heart Association functional class I and asymptomatic. The MCD decreased from 9.66 ± 3.86 mm to 7.82 ± 3.83 mm (P=.36)., Conclusion: All asymptomatic CAFs in children with MCD ≥5 mm and/or FOD >2 mm should be closed as early as possible to prevent later complications. Transcatheter closure of CAF using the PDA occluder is an effective and safe approach in appropriately selected children and showed favorable intermediate-term follow-up outcomes.

Remote-controlled robotic-enhanced percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was developed to improve procedural outcomes, reduce operator radiation exposure, and improve ergonomics. Critics questioned whether protection of the operator might result in increased radiation exposure to the patient and increase contrast media use. We studied this in a single-center comparison of robotic-enhanced versus traditional PCIs. A total of 40 patients who enrolled in the PRECISE study and had PCI with the CorPath 200 robotic system (Corindus Vascular Robotics) were compared to 80 consecutive patients who underwent conventional PCI. All patients had obstructive coronary artery disease, evidence of myocardial ischemia, and clinical indications for single-vessel PCI. Baseline demographics of the 40 robotic and 80 traditional PCIs were similar. Only 2 robotic-assisted cases required conversion to manual PCI. All patients had a final residual stenosis <30%. Robotic-enhanced PCI was associated with trends toward lower duration of fluoroscopy (10.1 ± 4.7 min vs 12.3 ± 7.6 min; P=.05), radiation dose (1389 ± 599 mGy vs 1665 ± 1026 mGy; P=.07), and contrast volume (121 ± 47 mL vs 137 ± 62 mL; P=.11). In conclusion, the initial experience with robotic-enhanced PCI was not associated with increased fluoroscopy duration, radiation, or contrast media exposure to patients, and compared favorably to the traditional approach.

We report a subacute bioresorbable scaffold thrombosis caused by stent collapse into a heavily calcified lesion.

Objective: To find out the safety and success rate of transradial coronary angiography and angioplasty among a Chinese population., Design: This was a prospective study performed on 2845 consecutive patients in a single interventional center at the first affiliated hospital, Nanjing Medical University, in Nanjing from August 2012 to July 2013. Allen's test was carried out on all patients who were involved in the study. Patients with abnormal Allen's test, cardiogenic shock, those on hemodialysis, and foreigners were excluded from the study. Our goal was to determine the efficacy and complications of coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) through the radial approach in our local population., Results: The mean age of our patients was 64 ± 7.5 years with 1628 males (57.2%) and 1217 females (42.8%). A total of 1537 patients (54.0%) were hypertensive, while 501 patients (17.6%) were diabetic. Six patients (0.002%) had previous coronary artery bypass surgery. None of our patients had any bleeding disorder. A total of 1416 CAGs (49.8%) and 1429 PCIs (50.2%) were performed. The success rate was 97.6% for CAG and 96.3% for PCI. Seven patients (0.25%) had minor hematoma and 49 patients (1.7%) had reduced radial pulse 3-4 hours post procedure., Conclusion: Transradial coronary intervention is safe and practical. It should be favored over femoral artery as an initial access point.

Kissing-balloon inflation has been developed for percutaneous bifurcation interventions to improve outcomes and reduced angiographic (re)stenosis. However, this procedure is sometimes technically challenging due to inability to deliver the side-branch (SB) balloon across the structure of the main vessel stent(s). The balloon anchoring technique is reported to enable equipment delivery through complex lesions. However, the most important limitation is injury at the site of balloon inflation. In this paper, we describe an improved in-stent anchoring technique to facilitate balloon delivery to SB and at the same time avoid intimal injury.

Objectives: We conducted a meta-analysis to assess outcomes for a single-stent (SS) strategy versus a double-stent (DS) strategy in treatment of distal unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) lesions in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era., Background: Routine use of DES implantation has contributed to improved outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for disease involving the ULMCA. However, PCI for ULMCA bifurcation lesions continues to be technically demanding and is an independent predictor of poor outcomes. While a number of stenting techniques have been described, the optimal strategy remains unknown., Methods: SS treatment was defined as stenting of the main branch alone and DS treatment as stenting of both the main and side branches. Our co-primary endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and its individual components., Results: We identified 7 observational studies involving 2328 patients. Mean duration of follow-up was 32 months. We adopted the random effect model when computing the combined odds ratio (OR). There was decreased risk of MACE with SS strategy (20.4%) versus DS strategy (32.8%) (OR, 0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.73). There was also decreased target vessel/target lesion revascularization (TLR/TVR) with SS strategy (10.1%) versus DS strategy (24.3%) (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.25-0.49)., Conclusion: Compared to the DS strategy of percutaneous ULMCA bifurcation intervention, an SS approach may be associated with better outcomes.

For percutaneous coronary intervention, 6 Fr guiding catheters are the current standard. However, when treating complex coronary lesions, stent delivery is sometimes difficult with a 6 Fr system because of limited back-up support. Several strategies have been proposed in order to overcome this disadvantage, including active/passive guiding- catheter support, wire support, and the anchor-balloon technique. The 4-in-6 mother-child technique is one of the most effective techniques to deliver stents into complex lesions. In the present study, we introduced a new technique in which a second guidewire was used as a buddy wire in combination with the 4 Fr mother-child technique in a case in which stent delivery via the standard 4-in-6 technique failed.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) during elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a rare but potentially lethal clinical condition. Pharmacological inotropic support and mechanical circulatory assistance with intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) counterpulsation remains the gold-standard treatment. We report the case of a patient who developed refractory CS during elective PCI and was successfully managed with concomitant use of IABP and the Impella 2.5 L support device.

Background: Same-day discharge after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), if achieved with acceptable safety, could result in greater patient satisfaction and potential cost savings. Comparative analyses reporting the safety outcomes of same-day discharge vs overnight stay after elective PCI are lacking., Methods: Data of same-day discharge and overnight-stay patients undergoing elective PCI in a high-volume center were compared. We specifically evaluated the incidence of net adverse cardiovascular events (NACE; i.e., death, myocardial infarction, stroke, target vessel revascularization, vascular complication, and major bleeding) within 48 hours post index procedure among both groups and at 30 days., Results: A total of 188 cases were evaluated, with 93 discharged the same day and 95 after overnight stay following elective PCI. Baseline characteristics were similar, except for older age (73.0 ± 7 years vs. 64.0 ± 12 years; P<.001), more prior PCI (49.5% vs. 34.7%; P<.001), and prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery (16.1% vs. 11.6%; P=.01) in the same-day discharge group. Procedural characteristics were similar in both groups. No significant difference in the NACE rate was found between the groups at 48 hours (0 [0%] vs. 2 [2.1%]; P=.25) or at 30 days (3 [3.2%] vs. 6 [6.3%]; P=.26)., Conclusion: In the population studied, same-day discharge after PCI is safe and feasible. Adequately powered randomized prospective studies are necessary to confirm these results.

Background: Some modifications introduced in the design of the new generation of drug-eluting stent (DES) to improve their flexibility may entail a reduction in their longitudinal strength. This study sought to evaluate the longitudinal deformation of DESs by multislice computed tomography (MSCT)., Methods: This study included DESs that could have been potentially deformed by mechanical actions such as: (1) catheter impingement; (2) postdilation; (3) kissing balloon; and (4) intravascular imaging after implantation. Patients on atrial fibrillation or with overlapping stents were excluded. All patients underwent stent length evaluation by MSCT 9-12 months after implantation., Results: Forty-five stents were included: 15 platinum chromium (PtCr-DES), 15 cobalt chromium (CoCr-DES), and 15 stainless-steel (SS-DES). The relative longitudinal deformation by stent type was 6.93 ± 5.82% for PtCr-DES, 6.19 ± 5.79% for CoCr- DES, and 4.03 ± 4.07% for SS-DES (P=.31). Among the mechanical actions studied, only catheter impingement was related to longitudinal stent deformation (P<.01). After adjustment, only catheter impingement (P<.01) and nominal stent length (P=.049) were independently related to longitudinal deformation. There were no stent fractures., Conclusions: Longitudinal deformation of DESs is common in all the studied platforms when subject to longitudinal forces. Guiding catheter impingement is the only mechanical action significantly associated with DES shortening.

The "GuideLiner" is an easy-to-use catheter designed for deep seating in coronary arteries. The GuideLiner can be used to provide extra guidance support for equipment delivery during difficult coronary interventions or for coaxial alignment in tortuous vessels. There are a few GuideLiner-related complications reported in the literature, which include stent damage on advancement or on withdrawal, dissection, pressure dampening and ischemia, kinking of the balloon, and displacement of the GuideLiner catheter distal marker. We report another unique and previously unreported GuideLiner-related complication and its successful management. In our case, we experienced dislodgment of the distal cylinder of the GuideLiner from the push rod into the aortic root. The embolized cylinder was removed percutaneously using a novel approach without any complications.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the long-term safety and clinical effectiveness of the Xience V everolimus-eluting stent (EES) compared to both Taxus paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) and Cypher sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in an unselected patient population., Background: There are limited long-term data comparing Xience V EES vs the first-generation Cypher SES., Methods: This retrospective analysis included 6069 patients treated with Cypher SES, Taxus PES, or Xience V EES from 2003-2009 at our institution. Patients were followed by telephone contact or office visit up to 2 years after the index procedure., Results: Baseline characteristics were generally comparable, with the exception of a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, history of angioplasty, and coronary bypass surgery among Xience V EES patients. At 2 years, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events was 13.3% (Xience V EES) vs 17.8% (Cypher SES) vs 22% (Taxus PES) (P<.001). The main drivers for the differences in event rates were lower mortality, the need for target vessel revascularization, and Q-wave myocardial infarction. Stent thrombosis was lowest in Xience V EES patients (0.2% vs 1.2% SES vs 0.7% PES, respectively; P=.01). A landmark analysis after 1 year showed that the benefits of Xience V EES continued in long-term follow-up., Conclusions: In a contemporary clinical United States practice with an unselected patient population, Xience V EES use was associated with improved safety profile and reduction of all-cause mortality and stent thrombosis when compared to both first-generation drug-eluting stents. This superiority continues to widen from 1 to 2 years.

Objectives: To compare outcomes of elective percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in same-day discharge and overnight hospital stays., Background: Advances in PCI techniques and equipment have allowed same-day discharge after elective PCI. In this study, we investigated the safety of same-day discharge ambulatory PCI in patients according to age, creatinine, and ejection fraction (ACEF) scores., Methods: The ambulatory PCI group consisted of all PCIs with same-day discharge, while the overnight-stay group consisted of all elective PCIs with in-hospital observation and discharge the following day. Patients were stratified into tertiles based on ACEF score: low (<1.08), mid (≥1.08 and <1.31), and high (≥1.31). The primary endpoint was 30-day major adverse cardiac events, defined as readmission, all-cause mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Propensity score matching was done to evaluate outcomes based on similar baseline characteristics., Results: There were 16,407 elective PCIs, of which 21.2% were in the ambulatory group. Patients who stayed overnight had similar 30-day composite outcomes as their same-day discharge counterparts in the high ACEF score (odds ratio [OR], 1.213; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.625-2.355; P=.57) and mid ACEF score (OR, 0.636; 95% CI, 0.356-1.134; P=.13) comparisons, but had worse outcomes in the low ACEF score comparison (OR, 1.867; 95% CI, 1.134-3.074; P=.01)., Conclusions: In this single-center registry, patients who underwent same-day discharge ambulatory PCI had no worse outcomes, and in some cases better outcomes, than overnight-stay patients; this result was found in the group as a whole, as well as in all ACEF score subcategories.

Coronary stent fracture is an increasingly recognized complication mainly involving drug-eluting stents. Important clinical implications, including in-stent restenosis and stent thrombosis, have been associated with this phenomenon. Variable incidence rates and several predisposing factors have been reported, but no general agreement exists on the best treatment strategy. We report a case of recurrent multiple left anterior descending artery sirolimus-eluting stent fractures, with variable clinical presentations ranging from recurrent angina to acute myocardial infarction and ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest, that were ultimately treated with coronary artery bypass surgery.

Background: Bifurcations remain a challenging subset for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Specifically, it is unclear whether bifurcations on left anterior descending (LAD) coronary arteries have the same prognosis of bifurcations on left circumflex (LCX) or right coronary arteries (RCA). We compared the results of PCI for bifurcation lesions, focusing on target vessel., Methods: Patients undergoing bifurcation PCI on the LAD were compared to those undergoing bifurcation PCI on the LCX and on the RCA. The primary endpoint was the long-term major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate, defined as death, myocardial infarction, or target lesion revascularization (TLR)., Results: A total of 2376 subjects were included, with 71.1% treated on the LAD, 21.5% on the LCX, and 7.4% on the RCA. Early MACE rates were similarly uncommon in the LAD (2.0%), RCA (2.3%), or LCX (1.2%) groups (P=.46). Long-term outcomes (22.81 ± 2.7 months) were also similar, with MACE in 12.6%, 14.9%, and 12.4% (P=.39), death in 4.0%, 4.5%, and 4.5% (P=.83), myocardial infarction in 3.8%, 3.6%, and 3.0% (P=.23), and stent thrombosis in 1.5%, 2.2%, and 1.7% (P=.64), despite an apparent increase in TLR rates in the LCX group (12.4%) vs LAD (8.9%) or RCA (7.3%) groups (P=.04). However, after multivariable adjustment, the risk of all long-term adverse events was similar irrespective of target vessel., Conclusions: Bifurcations localized in the LCX and RCA are associated with event rates at least as high as those in the LAD. Thus, care should be taken to skillfully perform PCI and maximize post-PCI medical therapy wherever the bifurcation lesion is located.

Objective: We present a systematic review and meta-analysis of the frequency, consequences, and treatment of stent loss during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Background: Stent loss during PCI has received limited study., Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of 18 case series and 45 case reports published between 1991 and 2012 on stent loss during PCI. Data on the frequency of stent loss, treatment strategies, and clinical outcomes were collected., Results: A total of 1048 stents were lost in 968 PCIs. Stent loss occurred in 919 of 71,655 PCIs (1.3%; 95% confidence interval, 0.8%-2.8%). The incidence of stent loss in studies published before 2000, between 2000 and 2005, and after 2005 was 5%, 1%, and 0.3%, respectively (P<.001). Of the 1048 lost stents, 698 (66%) were successfully retrieved from the coronary circulation, 130 (12%) were deployed, 27 (3%) were crushed, and 28 (3%) were left untreated; treatment of 165 stents (16%) was not reported. A complication occurred in 171 patients (19%), of whom 98 (57%) had coronary artery bypass graft surgery, 31 (18%) myocardial infarction, 33 (19%) died, 10 (6%) had bleeding requiring transfusion, 5 (3%) had vascular access complications, and 1 patient (0.6%) had a cerebrovascular accident (some patients had more than one event)., Conclusions: The incidence of stent loss during PCI is low and has been decreasing. Although the lost stents were successfully retrieved in most cases, stent loss was associated with high rates of complications, such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery, myocardial infarction, and death.

Background and Aims: Malapposition of stent struts to the arterial wall and suboptimal stent expansion have been linked with poor outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The purpose of this study was to use optical coherence tomography (OCT) to investigate stent strut malapposition in relation to calcium distribution., Methods and Results: Twenty-three PCI patients underwent OCT before and after stent deployment. Patient and procedural details and lesion characteristics - including the extent and depth of calcification - were measured, and the number of malapposed struts following final postdilatation was quantified. Patient and lesion characteristics associated with malapposition were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The mean lesion length was 25.2 ± 10.8 mm, with a minimal lumen area (MLA) of 2.2 ± 1.2 mm². Eight percent of all stent struts were malapposed, most commonly in the proximal part of the stent. By univariate analysis, the percentage of malapposed struts was found to correlate with the circumferential extent of calcification (P=.04); however, no correlation was seen with the depth of calcification. Using multivariate analysis, the circumferential extent of vessel wall calcification was the only plaque feature found to correlate with the percentage of malapposed struts (P=.01)., Conclusions: Using OCT to assess vessel wall characteristics, the circumferential extent of superficial calcification seen, and not the depth, correlated well with the percentage of malapposed struts following PCI.