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Thrombotic cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, and venous thromboembolism [VTE]) remains a major cause of death and disability. Sulodexide is an oral glycosaminoglycan containing heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the cardiovascular efficacy, and safety of sulodexide versus control in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for RCTs reporting cardiovascular outcomes in patients receiving sulodexide versus control (placebo or no treatment). Outcomes included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, MI, stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, and bleeding. We used inverse variance random-effects models with odds ratio (OR) as the effect measure. After screening 360 records, 6 RCTs including 7,596 patients (median follow-up duration: 11.6 months) were included. Patients were enrolled for history of MI, VTE, peripheral arterial disease, or cardiovascular risk factors plus nephropathy. Use of sulodexide compared with control was associated with reduced odds of all-cause mortality (OR 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52–0.85, p  = 0.001), cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.22–0.89, p  = 0.02), and MI (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.51–0.96, p  = 0.03), and nonsignificantly reduced odds of stroke (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.45–1.35, p  = 0.38). Sulodexide was associated with significantly reduced odds of VTE (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.24–0.81, p  = 0.008), including DVT (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.26–0.65, p  < 0.001), but not pulmonary embolism (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.40–2.15, p  = 0.86). Bleeding events were not significantly different in the two groups (OR 1.14, 95% CI 0.47–2.74, p  = 0.48). In six RCTs across a variety of clinical indications, use of sulodexide compared with placebo or no treatment was associated with reduced odds of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, MI, and DVT, without a significant increase in bleeding. Additional studies with this agent are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We sought to investigate the prognostic impact of the SYNTAX (Synergy between PCI with TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery) score (SS) on 1-year clinical outcomes in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE ACS) undergoing medical therapy only. Methods and results: Among the 13 819 patients enrolled in the ACUITY trial and undergoing coronary angiogram, 4491 patients were treated with medical therapy as the initial strategy. Of those, baseline SS and complete angiographic analysis were available in 1275 patients. Patients were divided in four groups based on the presence or absence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and subsequently, among patients with CAD, by SS. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and its individual components (death, myocardial infarction, and unplanned revascularization) were compared between groups. Among the 1275 patients, the mean SS was 3.5+7.0 (range 0-45). SYNTAX score was 0 in 842 patients, .0 and =5 in 170, .5 and =11 in 119, and .11 in 144 patients. The 1-year rates of MACE were higher in patients with CAD and higher SS. By multivariable analysis, the SS was a strong predictor of all adverse ischaemic events, including mortality. By receiver operator characteristic analysis, an SS cut-off of 8 showed the best prognostic accuracy for death and MACE. Conclusion: In patients with NSTE ACS undergoing medical therapy, the SS, especially when .8, was shown to be a strong predictor of 1-year MACE, including mortality. This finding has important clinical implications for risk stratification of patients with NSTE ACS undergoing medical therapy after an initial angiogram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), currently a worldwide pandemic, is a viral illness caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The suspected contribution of thrombotic events to morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients has prompted a search for novel potential options for preventing COVID-19-associated thrombotic disease. In this article by the Global COVID-19 Thrombosis Collaborative Group, we describe novel dosing approaches for commonly used antithrombotic agents (especially heparin-based regimens) and the potential use of less widely used antithrombotic drugs in the absence of confirmed thrombosis. Although these therapies may have direct antithrombotic effects, other mechanisms of action, including anti-inflammatory or antiviral effects, have been postulated. Based on survey results from this group of authors, we suggest research priorities for specific agents and subgroups of patients with COVID-19. Further, we review other agents, including immunomodulators, that may have antithrombotic properties. It is our hope that the present document will encourage and stimulate future prospective studies and randomized trials to study the safety, efficacy, and optimal use of these agents for prevention or management of thrombosis in COVID-19., Competing Interests: No specific funding was sought or received for this manuscript. A list of Disclosures for co-authors is available online in the Supplementary Material (available in the online version)., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Objectives: To evaluate the contribution of chronic total occlusion (CTO)-related SYNTAX score (SS) to the overall SS for patients with CTO and compare the traditional SS to a simplified variant. The SS algorithm assigns CTO lesions a greater weight (5× points) than non-CTO lesions (50% to <100% diameter stenosis; 2× points)., Methods: We calculated the SS and the simplified SS (2× points also to CTO lesions) for 4356 patients from the angiographic substudy of the Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage StrategY (ACUITY) trial. We compared the association between SS and 1-year mortality and major adverse cardiac events for patients with and without a CTO. We also compared the simplified SS with the traditional SS., Results: The median SS was 20 (interquartile range, 13-27.5) for patients with a CTO and 8 (interquartile range, 2-16) for patients without a CTO. For patients with a CTO, the CTO lesion(s) contributed 67 ± 26% of the total SS. The simplified SS reclassified 187/603 (31.0%) of patients with a SS >22 to a SS ≤22. The traditional SS did not improve discrimination indices for predicting outcomes compared with the simplified SS., Conclusions: CTO lesions contribute considerably to the total SS in patients with a CTO. A simplified SS that does not differentiate between CTO and non-CTO lesions appeared equivalent to the traditional SS for risk prediction, but reclassified a substantial proportion of patients to a SS ≤22 and may impact choice of revascularization strategy for patients with complex coronary artery disease involving a CTO lesion.

Objectives: To examine the benefit of the Tryton dedicated side branch (SB) stent compared with provisional stenting in the treatment of complex bifurcation lesions involving large SBs., Background: The TRYTON Trial was designed to evaluate the utility of a dedicated SB stent to treat true bifurcation lesions involving large (≥2.5 mm by visual estimation) SBs. Patient enrolled in the trial had smaller SB diameters than intended (59% SB ≤2.25 mm by Core Lab QCA). The TRYTON Trial did not meet its primary endpoint due to an increased rate of peri-procedural myocardial infarctions (MIs)., Methods: The TRYTON Trial randomized 704 patients to the Tryton SB stent with main vessel DES versus provisional SB treatment with main vessel DES. The rates of the primary end point of target vessel failure and the secondary powered end point of angiographic percent diameter stenosis in the SB at 9 months were assessed and compared between the two treatment strategies among patients with a SB ≥2.25 mm diameter at baseline determined by Core Lab QCA., Results: Among the 704 patients enrolled in the TRYTON Trial, 289 patients (143 provisional and 146 Tryton stent; 41% of entire cohort) had a SB ≥2.25 mm. The primary end point of TVF was numerically lower in the Tryton group compared with the provisional group (11.3% vs. 15.6%, P = 0.38), and was within the non-inferiority margin. No difference among the rates of clinically driven target vessel revascularization (3.5% vs. 4.3% P = 0.77) or cardiac death (0% both groups) were seen. In-segment percent diameter stenosis of the SB was significantly lower in the Tryton group compared with the provisional group (30.4% vs. 40.6%, P = 0.004)., Conclusions: Analysis of the TRYTON Trial cohort of SB ≥2.25 mm supports the safety and efficacy of the Tryton SB stent compared with a provisional stenting strategy in the treatment of bifurcation lesions involving large SBs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: We sought to evaluate the relation between the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) and bleeding risk in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS)., Background: Patients with severe CAD undergoing PCI for NSTEACS are at high risk for recurrent adverse events. Hemorrhagic events after PCI are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite sharing many common risk factors, the relationship between the extent of CAD and bleeding after PCI remains understudied., Methods: The SYNTAX score (SS) was used to quantify the extent and severity of CAD. We stratified 2627 patients from the ACUITY PCI cohort into SS groups based on score tertiles from the ACUITY trial (<7, 7-12, and >12). Thirty-day major bleeding rates were determined for each group., Results: When stratified by ACUITY tertiles, 30-day major bleeding rates were significantly greater in the highest SS tertile (>12) than in the intermediate and lowest tertiles (P<.01). By multivariable analysis, the SS (by augmentation of 1 point) remained independently associated with 30-day major bleeding (hazard ratio = 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.04; P<.01)., Conclusion: The results of this large-scale study suggest that in addition to its previously described association with adverse ischemic events, the extent of CAD, as assessed by the SS, was independently associated with major bleeding after PCI for NSTEACS.