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It is unclear whether the beneficial effects of intravascular imaging–guided stent optimization vary by clinical presentation during complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In this prespecified, stratified subgroup analysis from RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI (Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravascular Imaging Guidance versus Angiography-Guidance on Clinical Outcomes After Complex PCI), we sought to compare the outcomes between intravascular imaging vs angiography guidance according to clinical presentation. Patients with complex coronary artery lesions were randomly assigned to undergo either intravascular imaging–guided PCI or angiography-guided PCI in a 2:1 ratio. The primary endpoint was target vessel failure (TVF), which is a composite of cardiac death, target vessel–related myocardial infarction, or clinically driven target vessel revascularization. Of 1,639 patients, 832 (50.8%) presented with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and 807 (49.2%) with chronic coronary syndrome. During a median follow-up of 2.1 years (Q1-Q3: 1.4-3.0 years), there was no significant interaction between the treatment effect of intravascular imaging and clinical presentation (P for interaction = 0.19). Among patients with ACS, the incidences of TVF were 10.4% in the intravascular imaging group and 14.6% in the angiography group (HR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.48-1.15; P = 0.18). Among patients with CCS, the incidences of TVF were 5.0% in the intravascular imaging group and 10.4% in the angiography group (HR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.27-0.80; P = 0.006). Achieving stent optimization by intravascular imaging resulted in a reduced risk of TVF among patients with ACS who were randomly assigned to intravascular imaging–guided PCI for complex coronary lesions (optimized vs unoptimized, 6.5% vs 14.1%; HR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27-0.87; P = 0.02) but not those with CCS (5.4% vs 4.7%, HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.53-2.59; P = 0.69). No significant interaction was observed between the benefits of intravascular imaging and clinical presentation in the risk of TVF. Stent optimization by intravascular imaging was particularly important for ACS patients. (Intravascular Imaging- Versus Angiography-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention For Complex Coronary Artery Disease [RENOVATE]; NCT03381872) [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distal radial access (DRA) as an alternative access route lacks evidence, despite its recent reputation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of DRA on the basis of daily practice. The KODRA (Korean Prospective Registry for Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Distal Radial Approach) trial was a prospective multicenter registry conducted at 14 hospitals between September 2019 and September 2021. The primary endpoints were the success rates of coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The secondary endpoints included successful distal radial artery puncture, access-site crossover, access site–related complications, bleeding events, and predictors of puncture failure. A total of 4,977 among 5,712 screened patients were recruited after the exclusion of 735 patients. The primary endpoints, the success rates of CAG and PCI via DRA, were 100% and 98.8%, respectively, among successful punctures of the distal radial artery (94.4%). Access-site crossover occurred in 333 patients (6.7%). The rates of distal radial artery occlusion and radial artery occlusion by palpation were 0.8% (36 of 4,340) and 0.8% (33 of 4,340) at 1-month follow-up. DRA-related bleeding events were observed in 3.3% of patients, without serious hematoma. Multilevel logistic regression analysis identified weak pulse (OR: 9.994; 95% CI: 7.252-13.774) and DRA experience <100 cases (OR: 2.187; 95% CI: 1.383-3.456) as predictors of puncture failure. In this large-scale prospective multicenter registry, DRA demonstrated high success rates of CAG and PCI, with a high rate of puncture success but low rates of distal radial artery occlusion, radial artery occlusion, bleeding events, and procedure-related complications. Weak pulse and DRA experience <100 cases were predictors of puncture failure. (Korean Prospective Registry for Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Distal Radial Approach [KODRA]; NCT04080700) [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although benefits of intravascular imaging (IVI) in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been observed in previous studies, it is not known whether changes in contemporary practice, especially with application of standardized optimization protocols, have improved clinical outcomes. The authors sought to investigate whether clinical outcomes of IVI-guided PCI are different before and after the application of standardized optimization protocols in using IVI. 2,972 patients from an institutional registry (2008-2015, before application of standardized optimization protocols, the past group) and 1,639 patients from a recently published trial (2018-2021 after application of standardized optimization protocols, the present group) were divided into 2 groups according to use of IVI. The primary outcome was 3-year target vessel failure (TVF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization. Significant reduction of TVF was observed in the IVI-guided PCI group compared with the angiography-guided PCI group (10.0% vs 6.7%; HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.61-0.97; P = 0.027), mainly driven by reduced cardiac death or myocardial infarction in both past and present IVI-guided PCI groups. When comparing past IVI and present IVI groups, TVF was significantly lower in the present IVI group (8.5% vs 5.1%; HR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.42-0.94; P = 0.025), with the difference being driven by reduced target vessel revascularization in the present IVI group. Consistent results were observed in inverse-probability-weighting adjusted analysis. IVI-guided PCI improved clinical outcomes more than angiography-guided PCI. In addition, application of standardized optimization protocols when using IVI further improved clinical outcomes after PCI. (Intravascular Imaging- Versus Angiography-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention For Complex Coronary Artery Disease [RENOVATE-COMPLEX-PCI]; NCT03381872 ; and the institutional cardiovascular catheterization database of Samsung Medical Center: Long-Term Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in Patient Undergoing CABG or PCI; NCT03870815) [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An elevated heart rate at admission or discharge is known to be associated with poor cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The association between post-discharge average office-visit heart rate and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with AMI has rarely been studied. We analyzed data for 7840 patients from the COREA-AMI registry who had their heart rates measured at least three times after hospital discharge. The office-visit heart rates were averaged and categorized into four groups by quartiles (<68, 68–74, 74–80, and >80 beats per minute). The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. During a median of 5.7 years of follow-up, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) affected 1357 (17.3%) patients. An average heart rate higher than 80 bpm was associated with an increased incidence of MACE compared to the reference average heart rate of 68–74 bpm. When dichotomized into <74 or ≥74 bpm, a lower average heart rate was not associated with MACE in patients with LV systolic dysfunction, in contrast to those without LV systolic dysfunction. An elevated average heart rate at office visits after AMI was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes. Heart rate monitoring at office visits after discharge provides an important predictor related to cardiovascular events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims In patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and multivessel coronary artery disease, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of non-infarct-related artery reduces death or MI. However, whether selective PCI guided by fractional flow reserve (FFR) is superior to routine PCI guided by angiography alone is unclear. The current trial sought to compare FFR-guided PCI with angiography-guided PCI for non-infarct-related artery lesions among patients with acute MI and multivessel disease. Methods and results Patients with acute MI and multivessel coronary artery disease who had undergone successful PCI of the infarct-related artery were randomly assigned to either FFR-guided PCI (FFR ≤0.80) or angiography-guided PCI (diameter stenosis of >50%) for non-infarct-related artery lesions. The primary end point was a composite of time to death, MI, or repeat revascularization. A total of 562 patients underwent randomization. Among them, 60.0% underwent immediate PCI for non-infarct-related artery lesions and 40.0% were treated by a staged procedure during the same hospitalization. PCI was performed for non-infarct-related artery in 64.1% in the FFR-guided PCI group and 97.1% in the angiography-guided PCI group, and resulted in significantly fewer stent used in the FFR-guided PCI group (2.2 ± 1.1 vs. 2.5 ± 0.9, P < 0.001). At a median follow-up of 3.5 years (interquartile range: 2.7–4.1 years), the primary end point occurred in 18 patients of 284 patients in the FFR-guided PCI group and in 40 of 278 patients in the angiography-guided PCI group (7.4% vs. 19.7%; hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.25–0.75; P = 0.003). The death occurred in five patients (2.1%) in the FFR-guided PCI group and in 16 patients (8.5%) in the angiography-guided PCI group; MI in seven (2.5%) and 21 (8.9%), respectively; and unplanned revascularization in 10 (4.3%) and 16 (9.0%), respectively. Conclusion In patients with acute MI and multivessel coronary artery disease, a strategy of selective PCI using FFR-guided decision-making was superior to a strategy of routine PCI based on angiographic diameter stenosis for treatment of non-infarct-related artery lesions regarding the risk of death, MI, or repeat revascularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background& Aims: Data regarding the relationship between malnutrition and clinical outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is limited. The study aims to evaluate the clinical impact of malnutrition in AMI patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods and Results: The COREA-AMI registries identified 10,161 AMI patients who underwent PCI from January 2004 to August 2014. Patients with geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) scores of <82, 82 to <92, 92 to <98, and ≥98 were categorized as having severe, moderate, mild malnutrition risk, and absence of risk, respectively. Associations of GNRI with Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) 3 or 5 bleeding, all-cause death, and major cardiovascular events (MACEs; a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or ischemic stroke) were evaluated. Over 50% of AMI patients were malnourished, with 25.0%, 22.7%, and 4.9% having mild, moderate, and severe malnutrition risks, respectively. Over a median 4.9-year follow-up, patients with malnutrition risk had higher risks of BARC 3 or 5 bleeding (adjusted hazard ratios [aHRs], 1.27, 1.55, and 2.02 for mild, moderate, and severe, respectively; p < 0.001), all-cause death (aHRs, 1.26, 1.46, and 1.85 for mild, moderate, and severe, respectively; p < 0.001), and MACEs (aHRs, 1.14, 1.32, and 1.67 for mild, moderate, and severe, respectively; p < 0.001) than patients without risk.Conclusion: Elevated malnutrition risk was common among AMI patients undergoing PCI and was strongly associated with a higher risk of major bleeding, all-cause death, and major ischemic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current guidelines for the management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) recommend potent P2Y12 inhibitors rather than clopidogrel to prevent ischemic events. However, their ischemic benefits are offset by an increased major bleeding risk. We compared the efficacy and safety of triple antiplatelet therapy with cilostazol in the first month after AMI. This study investigated 16,643 AMI patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) in nationwide, real-world, multicenter registries in Korea. Patients were divided into DAPT (aspirin and clopidogrel, n = 11,285), Triple (aspirin, clopidogrel and cilostazol, n = 2547), and Potent (aspirin and ticagrelor/prasugrel, n = 2811) groups. The primary outcomes were net adverse clinical events (NACE), a composite of death from any cause, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and TIMI major bleeding one month after AMI. After adjusting for covariates, there were no statistically significant differences in the risk of death from any cause, MI, or stroke between the three groups. However, the risk of TIMI major bleeding was significantly greater in the Potent group than in the DAPT and Triple groups (p < 0.001). Accordingly, NACE was significantly higher in the DAPT (HR 1.265; 95% CI 1.006–1.591, p = 0.044) and Potent groups (HR 1.515; 95% CI 1.142–2.011, p = 0.004) than in the Triple group. Triple antiplatelet therapy with cilostazol was associated with an improved net clinical outcome in the first month after AMI without increasing the risk of bleeding compared to potent or standard P2Y12 inhibitor-based DAPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antiplatelet therapy deescalation has been suggested as an alternative to standard treatment with potent dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for 1 year in low bleeding risk patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention to mitigate the increased risk of bleeding. Whether this strategy preserves the ischemic and survival benefits of potent DAPT is uncertain. Methods: We performed a pairwise meta-analysis in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention treated with either 1-year standard potent DAPT versus deescalation therapy (potent DAPT for 1–3 months followed by either reduced potency DAPT or ticagrelor monotherapy for up to 1 year). Randomized trials comparing standard DAPT versus deescalation therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were searched through MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, and proceedings of international meetings. The primary end point was 1-year all-cause mortality. Results: The meta-analysis included 6 trials in which 20 837 patients were randomized to potent DAPT for 1 to 3 months followed by deescalation therapy for up to 1 year (n=10 392) or standard potent DAPT for 1 year (n=10 445). Deescalation therapy was associated with lower 1-year rates of all-cause mortality compared with standard therapy (odds ratio, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.59–0.95]; P =0.02). Deescalation therapy was also associated with lower rates of major bleeding (odds ratio, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.48–0.72]; P <0.0001), with no significant difference in major adverse cardiac events (major adverse cardiovascular events; odds ratio, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.77–1.04]; P =0.14). Conclusions: In low bleeding risk patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, compared with 1-year of potent DAPT, antiplatelet therapy deescalation therapy after 1 to 3 months was associated with decreased mortality and major bleeding with similar rates of major adverse cardiovascular events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The available data are not sufficient to understand the clinical impact of statin intensity in elderly patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Using the COREA-AMI registry, we sought to compare the clinical impact of high- versus low-to-moderate-intensity statin in younger (<75 years old) and elderly (≥75 years old) patients. Of 10,719 patients, we included 8,096 patients treated with drug-eluting stents. All patients were classified into high-intensity versus low-to-moderate-intensity statin group according to statin type and dose at discharge. The primary end point was target-vessel failure (TVF), a composite of cardiovascular death, target-vessel MI, or target-lesion revascularization (TLR) from 1 month to 12 months after index PCI. Results: In younger patients, high-intensity statin showed the better clinical outcomes than low-to-moderate-intensity statin (TVF: 79 [5.4%] vs. 329 [6.8%], adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59–0.99; P = 0.038). However, in elderly patients, the incidence rates of the adverse clinical outcomes were similar between two statin-intensity groups (TVF: 38 [11.4%] vs. 131 [10.6%], aHR 1.1; 95% CI 0.76–1.59; P = 0.63). Conclusions: In this AMI cohort underwent PCI, high-intensity statin showed the better 1-year clinical outcomes than low-to-moderate-intensity statin in younger patients. Meanwhile, the incidence rates of adverse clinical events between high- and low-to-moderate-intensity statin were not statistically different in elderly patients. Further randomized study with large elderly population is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)–guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). IVUS-guided PCI has been associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes. However, the beneficial effect of IVUS-guided PCI in patients with AMI in the drug-eluting stent era remains unclear. Patients who underwent PCI with drug-eluting stents were selected from 10,719 patients enrolled in a multicenter AMI registry. The included patients were classified into 2 groups according to the use or nonuse of IVUS. The primary outcome was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization, during long-term follow-up. A total of 9,846 patients were treated with IVUS-guided PCI (n = 2,032) or angiography-guided PCI (n = 7,814). IVUS-guided PCI was associated with reduced MACE (HR: 0.779; 95% CI: 0.689-0.880; P < 0.001). The results were consistent after multivariable regression and propensity score matching. One-year landmark analysis showed a lower risk for MACE within 1 year (HR: 0.766; 95% CI: 0650-0.903; P = 0.002) and beyond 1 year (HR: 0.796; 95% CI: 0663-0.956; P = 0.014) after index PCI. The use of IVUS was associated with better long-term cardiovascular outcomes. The clinical benefit of IVUS was maintained both within and beyond 1 year after index PCI. The use of IVUS in PCI should be considered for patients with AMI. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ticagrelor is an intriguing antiplatelet agent with a potentially beneficial impact on endothelial dysfunction and confers a mortality benefit beyond 1 month after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, little data exist on whether ticagrelor improves endothelial dysfunction in stable patients who survive the acute period and receive guideline-directed medical therapy.Methods and Results: This study is a prospective, randomized, parallel, open-labeled study that enrolled 30-day survivors of non-ST-segment elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS). Forty patients with NSTE-ACS were randomly assigned to ticagrelor or clopidogrel groups. The primary end point was the change in the percentage brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (baFMD) from baseline. Baseline characteristics were not different between the 2 groups. The median time from the stent implantation to screening was 269 days. After 30 days of study medication administration, the change in the percentage baFMD value was similar between the ticagrelor and clopidogrel groups (-0.08 [1.42] vs 0.30 [1.69], P = .66). There was no difference in the change in high-sensitive C-reactive protein (-0.61 [1.48] vs -0.01 [0.57], P = .28); however, the change in platelet inhibition significantly differed (P2Y12 reaction units, -140.5 [49.5] vs -3.9 [51.4], P < .001).Conclusions: This dual time point baFMD study demonstrated that treatment with ticagrelor was not superior to clopidogrel for improving endothelial dysfunction in stabilized patients with NSTE-ACS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No data exist whether statins have robust anti-inflammatory effects of atherosclerotic plaques primarily during the early treatment period or continuously throughout use. This prospective three time point 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) study of the carotid artery assessed anti-inflammatory effects of statin during the early treatment period (initiation to 3 months) and late treatment period (3 months to 1 year) and their correlation with lipid and inflammatory profile changes during a year of therapy. Nine statin-naïve stable angina patients with inflammatory carotid plaques received 20 mg/day atorvastatin after undergoing initial 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning of carotid arteries and ascending thoracic aorta, and then completed serial 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging at 3 and 12 months whose data were analyzed. The primary outcome was the inter-scan percent change in target-to-background ratio (ΔTBR) within the index vessel. At 3 months of atorvastatin treatment, mean serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level decreased by 36.4% to < 70 mg/dL (p = 0.001) and mean serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased to > 40 mg/dL (p = 0.041), with both maintained with no further reduction up to 1 year (p = 0.516 and 0.715, respectively) while mean serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein level only numerically decreased (p = 0.093). The index vessel ΔTBR showed continuous plaque inflammation reduction over 1 year, by 4.4% (p = 0.015) from the initiation to 3rd months and 6.2% (p = 0.009) from 3rd months to 1 year, respectively, without correlation with lipid profile changes. The ΔTBR of the bilateral carotid arteries and ascending aorta also continuously decreased from 3 months to 1 year. Three time point 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging demonstrates that statin's anti-inflammatory effect continues throughout its use up to 1 year, even though yielding stable below-target plasma LDL-C levels at 3 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]