Search

Background: Little is known about institutional radiation doses during transcatheter valve interventions., Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate institutional variability in radiation doses during transcatheter valve interventions., Methods: Using a large statewide registry, transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair, transcatheter mitral valve replacement, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, with an air kerma (AK) recorded were analyzed. Patient and procedural characteristics were compared between cases with AK ≥2 and <2 Gy. Associations of variables with AK ≥2 Gy were investigated using Bayesian random effects modeling and median ORs for the performing hospital., Results: Among 9,446 procedures across 30 hospitals, median (Q1-Q3) procedural AK was 0.592 Gy (0.348-0.989 Gy) with AK ≥2 Gy in 533 cases (5.6%). Wide variation in procedural AK was observed, with an institutional frequency of AK ≥2 Gy ranging from 0.0% to 29.5%. Bayesian modeling identified the performing hospital as more strongly associated with the odds of a procedural AK ≥2 Gy than any patient or procedural factors (hospital median OR: 3.54 [95% credible interval: 2.52-16.66])., Conclusions: In a large, multicenter state-wide registry, there is wide institutional variability in patient-level radiation doses during transcatheter valve interventions, with the performing hospital having a higher odds of an AK ≥2 Gy than any patient or procedural factors. Future interventions are warranted to reduce procedural-related variation in radiation exposure., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Sukul receives salary support from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation for his role in quality improvement for the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC2). Dr Chetcuti is a consultant for Medtronic. Dr Grossman receives registry support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; and receives research support from Medtronic Cardiovascular, Edwards Life Sciences, and the National Institutes of Health. Dr Alnajjar consults for Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic and Ethicon Surgical Technologies; is a proctor for Intuitive Surgical and Abbott; and serves on the advisory board for Ethicon Surgical Technologies. Dr Patel is a consultant for Medtronic. Dr Gurm receives institutional research support outside this work from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan; is the cofounder of Amplitude Vascular Systems; has consulted for Osprey Medical and Amplitude Vascular Systems; owns equity in Amplitude Vascular Systems and Jiaxing Bossh Medical Technology Partnership; and is the chair of the clinical events committee for the PERFORMANCE trial sponsored by Contego Medical. Dr Madder has received speaker honoraria from Abbott Vascular, Corindus, and Infraredx; has served as a consultant to Abbott Vascular, AngioWave Imaging, Corindus, Infraredx, RapidAI, and SpectraWAVE; has received research support from Corindus and Infraredx; and serves on the advisory boards of Medtronic and SpectraWAVE. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose. Data for this analysis were obtained from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium registry, which is funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: With an aging population and an increase in the comorbidity burden of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the management of coronary calcification for optimal PCI is critical in contemporary practice., Objectives: This study sought to examine the trends and outcomes of coronary intravascular lithotripsy (IVL), rotational/orbital atherectomy, or both among patients who underwent PCI in Michigan., Methods: We included all PCIs between January 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, performed at 48 Michigan hospitals. Outcomes included in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) and procedural success., Results: IVL was used in 1,090 patients (2.57%), atherectomy was used in 1,743 (4.10%) patients, and both were used in 240 patients (0.57% of all PCIs). IVL use increased from 0.04% of PCI cases in January 2021 to 4.28% of cases in June 2022, ultimately exceeding the rate of atherectomy use. The rate of MACEs (4.3% vs 5.4%; P = 0.23) and procedural success (89.4% vs 89.1%; P = 0.88) were similar among patients treated with IVL compared with atherectomy, respectively. Only 15.6% of patients treated with IVL in contemporary practice were similar to the population enrolled in the pivotal IVL trials. Among such patients (n = 169), the rate of MACEs (0.0%) and procedural success (94.7%) were similar to the outcomes reported in the pivotal IVL trials., Conclusions: Since its introduction in February 2021, coronary IVL use has steadily increased, exceeding atherectomy use in Michigan by February 2022. Contemporary use of IVL and atherectomy is generally associated with high rates of procedural success and low rates of complications., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Support for the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium and the Michigan Value Collaborative is provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network as part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Value Partnerships program. Although Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and BMC2 work collaboratively, the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of BCBSM or any of its employees. Further, BCBSM does not have access to BMC2 data, and all patient episodes occurring at engaged hospitals are included in the data registries, regardless of payer. Dr Madder has received research support, consulting fees, speaker honoraria, and serves on the Advisory Board of Corindus, a Siemens Healthineers Company; has received research support, consulting fees, and speaker honoraria from Infraredx; has received speaker honoraria from Abbott Vascular; and serves on the Advisory Board of Spectrawave and Medtronic. Dr Basir is a consultant for Abiomed, Cardiovascular Systems, Chiesi, Saranas, and Zoll. Dr Kaki serves on the Speakers Bureau of Abiomed, Abbott, CSI, Medtronic, Shockwave, and Terumo. Dr Azzalini has received consulting fees from Teleflex, Abiomed, GE Healthcare, Asahi Intecc, Philips, Abbott Vascular, Reflow Medical, and Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. Dr Gurm has received research support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan; is the co-founder of, owns equity in, and is a consultant to Amplitude Vascular Systems; owns equity in Jiaxing Bossh Medical Technology Partnership; is a consultant for Osprey Medical; and is the chair of the Clinical Events Committee for the PERFORMANCE trial sponsored by Contego Medical. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Contrast media use is ubiquitous in the catheterization laboratory. Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) is a key concern among patients undergoing coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary interventions. The risk of CA-AKI can be minimized by careful attention to hydration status and renal function-based contrast dosing in all patients. In patients with Stage IV chronic kidney disease, ultra low contrast procedure (contrast dose ≤ GFR) may be especially beneficial., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the feasibility and treatment effect of pulsatile intravascular lithotripsy (PIVL) on calcified lesions in a cadaveric model of peripheral artery disease., Background: PIVL represents a novel potential approach to intravascular lithotripsy for the treatment of vascular calcification., Methods: In this preclinical device-feasibility study, technical success, calcium morphology and luminal expansion before and after PIVL treatment were evaluated in surgically isolated, perfused atherosclerotic lower-leg arteries and in perfused whole cadaveric lower legs. Analytical methods included micro-computed tomography (μCT), intravascular optical coherence tomography, digital subtraction angiography, and quantitative coronary analysis., Results: Treatment delivery was successful in all whole-leg specimens (N = 6; mean age 74.2, 66 % female) and in the 8 excised vessels with diameter appropriate to the PIVL balloon (2 vessels exceeding diameter specifications were excluded). There were no vessel perforations. After PIVL, excised vessels showed extensive evidence of new, full-thickness fractures in lesions with calcium arc exceeding 152° and with calcium wall thickness between 0.24 mm and 1.42 mm. PIVL fractures were observed in intimal nodules, sheets, shingles, and medial plates. Vessels within whole-leg specimens also showed full-thickness fracturing and a mean of 1.9 ± 0.9 mm in acute luminal gain, 101.6 ± 99.5 % gain in total minimum cross-sectional area, and a 31.7 ± 13.4 % relative reduction in stenosis (P < 0.001 for all analyses)., Conclusions: In a cadaveric model, PIVL treatment was technically feasible, fractured both circumferential and eccentric calcium lesions, and resulted in acute luminal gain. A clinical feasibility study of PIVL is currently enrolling., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest RV is a consultant for Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Celonova, OrbusNeich Medical, Terumo Corporation, W. L. Gore, Edwards Lifesciences, Cook Medical, CSI, ReCor Medical, SinoMedical Sciences Technology, Surmodics, Bard BD and a scientific Advisory Board Member of Medtronic and Xeltis. AF has received research grants from AVS, Shockwave, Boston Scientific, Angiodynamics, and Cardiovascular Systems Inc. He is on an advisory board for Boston scientific and consults for Angiodynamics; RSC is the chief technology officer, co-founder, a board member, and holds an equity position in AVS; HSG receives research support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan. He is the co-founder of, owns equity in, and is a consultant to AVS. He also owns equity in Jiaxing Bossh Medical Technology Partnership and is a consultant for Osprey Medical. He is the chair of the Clinical Events Committee for the PERFORMANCE trial sponsored by Contego Medical; JCG Is a consultant for AVS. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mortality related to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has gradually declined during the last decade. However, the causes and circumstances of death remain largely undescribed in contemporary practice., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all patients undergoing PCI at our institution from July 2013 to March 2021. Three cardiologists independently determined the causes and circumstances of death, and evaluated the preventability of death using validated methods., Results: During study period, 4334 patients underwent 5506 PCIs, of whom 166 patients suffered in-hospital death (3.0%). Ninety-three percent of deceased patients initially presented with acute coronary syndrome, and 45% with cardiogenic shock. Left ventricular failure was the most common cause of death (39.7%), followed by neurologic compromise after cardiac arrest (16.8%) and infections (13.8%). The circumstance of death was most commonly acute cardiac (51.8%), followed by non-cardiac (19.2%) and non-procedural complications (17.4%). Death was attributed to a procedural complication in only 12% of cases. Reviewers determined that 90% of cases as being unpreventable or slightly preventable. Inter-reviewer agreement was substantial (the three reviewers agreed in >80% of cases for cause and preventability of death)., Conclusion: Mortality after PCI is uncommon, largely unpreventable, and most often related to pre-existing, acute cardiovascular conditions. Procedural complications account for a minority of cases of death, and future effort should focus on the treatment of acute cardiovascular conditions, in particular cardiogenic shock, to decrease acute mortality after PCI., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Lorenzo Azzalini reports a relationship with Teleflex that includes: consulting or advisory. Lorenzo Azzalini reports a relationship with AbioMed Inc. that includes: consulting or advisory. Lorenzo Azzalini reports a relationship with Asahi Intecc USA Incorporation that includes: consulting or advisory. Lorenzo Azzalini reports a relationship with Philips Healthcare US that includes: consulting or advisory. Lorenzo Azzalini reports a relationship with Abbott Vascular that includes: consulting or advisory. Lorenzo Azzalini reports a relationship with Cardiovascular Systems Inc. that includes: consulting or advisory. Hitinder S Gurm reports a relationship with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan that includes: funding grants. Hitinder S Gurm reports a relationship with Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization for Life Sciences Innovation Hub that includes: funding grants. Hitinder S Gurm reports a relationship with Amplitude Vascular Systems that includes: consulting or advisory and equity or stocks. Hitinder S Gurm reports a relationship with Jiaxing Bossh Medical Technology Partnership that includes: equity or stocks. Hitinder S Gurm reports a relationship with Osprey Medical Inc. that includes: consulting or advisory. Hitinder S Gurm reports a relationship with Contego Medical that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Astra Zeneca that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Effetti Srl that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Implicit Bioscience Inc. that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals Ltd. that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Merck & Co Inc. that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Novartis that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Novo Nordisk Inc. that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Olatec that includes: consulting or advisory. Antonio Abbate reports a relationship with Serpin Pharma that includes: consulting or advisory., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: The collateral effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on interventional stroke care is not well described. We studied this effect by utilizing stroke device sales data as markers of interventional stroke case volume in the United States., Methods: Using a real-time healthcare device sales registry, this observational study examined trends in the sales of thrombectomy devices and cerebral aneurysm coiling from the same 945 reporting hospitals in the U.S. between January 22 and June 31, 2020, and for the same months in 2018 and 2019 to allow for comparison. We simultaneously reviewed daily reports of new COVID-19 cases. The strength of association between the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 and procedural device sales was measured using Spearman rank correlation coefficient (CC)., Results: Device sales decreased for thrombectomy (- 3.7%) and cerebral aneurysm coiling (- 8.5%) when comparing 2019-2020. In 2020, thrombectomy device sales were negatively associated with the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 (CC - 0.56, p < 0.0001), with stronger negative correlation during April (CC - 0.97, p < 0.0001). The same negative correlation was observed with aneurysm treatment devices (CC - 0.60, p < 0.001), with stronger correlation in April (CC - 0.97, p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: The decline in sales of stroke interventional equipment underscores a decline in associated case volumes. Future pandemic responses should consider strategies to mitigate such negative collateral effects., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between reported marijuana use and post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in-hospital outcomes., Background: Marijuana use is increasing as more states in the United States legalize its use for recreational and medicinal purposes. Little is known about the frequency of use and relative safety of marijuana among patients presenting for PCI., Methods: The authors analyzed Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium PCI registry data between January 1, 2013, and September 30, 2016. One-to-one propensity matching and multivariable logistic regression were used to adjust for differences between patients with or without reported marijuana use, and rates of post-PCI complications were compared., Results: Among 113,477 patients, 3,970 reported marijuana use. Compared with those without reported marijuana use, patients with reported marijuana use were likely to be younger (53.9 years vs 65.8 years), to use tobacco (73.0% vs 26.8%), to present with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (27.3% vs 15.9%), and to have fewer cardiovascular comorbidities. After matching, compared with patients without reported marijuana use, those with reported marijuana use experienced significantly higher risks for bleeding (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-1.97; P < 0.001) and cerebrovascular accident (aOR: 11.01; 95% CI: 1.32-91.67; P = 0.026) and a lower risk for acute kidney injury (aOR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.42-0.87; P = 0.007). There were no significant differences in risks for transfusion and death., Conclusions: A modest fraction of patients undergoing PCI used marijuana. Reported marijuana use was associated with higher risks for cerebrovascular accident and bleeding and a lower risk for acute kidney injury after PCI. Clinicians and patients should be aware of the higher risk for post-PCI complications in these patients., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The BMC2 coordinating center is supported by a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to the University of Michigan. The sponsor had no role in the study design or decision to publish this work. Dr Yoo has received support from the Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under award D43 TW010543. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Mr Seth, Drs Sukul and Gurm have received salary support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for their roles in the BMC2. However, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan or any of its employees. Dr Gurm has received research support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the National Institutes of Health Center for Accelerated Innovations, and the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization for Life Sciences Innovation Hub; is a cofounder of, owns equity in, and is a consultant to Calcium Solution; owns equity in Jiaxing Bossh Medical Technology Partnership; and is a consultant for Osprey Medical. Dr Vaduganathan is supported by the KL2/Catalyst Medical Research Investigator Training Award from Harvard Catalyst (National Institutes of Health/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences award UL 1TR002541); receives research grant support from Amgen; serves on advisory boards for Amgen, AstraZeneca, Baxter Healthcare, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, and Relypsa; and has participated on clinical endpoint committees for studies sponsored by Galmed, Novartis, and the National Institutes of Health. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury is a common complication in patients undergoing invasive procedures and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. There is no effective approach to the management of this complication, and prevention remains of paramount importance. The 3 pillars of prevention are identification of high-risk patients, appropriate hydration before and after contrast exposure, eGFR-based contrast dosing and use of ultra-low contrast volume in high-risk patients. Most evidence supporting these practices is derived from patients undergoing coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention but these basic principles can be applied to most patients undergoing contrast-based procedures in the catheterization laboratory., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate institutional variability in high radiation doses during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Background: It is unknown whether radiation safety practices are optimally applied across institutions performing PCI., Methods: Using data from a large statewide registry, PCI discharges between July 1, 2016, and March 31, 2018, with a procedural air kerma (AK) recorded were analyzed. PCI procedures were grouped by the performing hospital, and institutional frequency of procedural AK ≥5 Gy was calculated. Fitted hierarchical Bayesian modeling was performed to identify variables independently associated with an AK ≥5 Gy. The performing hospital was included as a random effect in the hierarchical model., Results: Among 36,201 PCI procedures at 28 hospitals, procedural AK was ≥5 Gy in 1,477 cases (4.1%), ≥10 Gy in 185 (0.5%), and ≥15 Gy in 105 (0.3%). The institutional frequency of procedural AK ≥5 Gy ranged from 0.0% to 10.9%. Bayesian modeling identified body mass index, dyslipidemia, diabetes, prior coronary bypass surgery, use of mechanical circulatory support, and the performing hospital as independent predictors of an AK ≥5 Gy. The median odds ratio for the performing hospital, representing an estimate of the contribution of interhospital variability in determining the odds of having a procedural AK ≥5 Gy, was 3.08 (95% confidence interval: 3.01 to 3.16)., Conclusions: Wide variability exists in the institutional frequency of procedural AK ≥5 Gy during PCI. After accounting for patient characteristics and procedural variables, the performing hospital appears to be a major factor in determining patient radiation dose in contemporary PCI., (Copyright © 2020 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study sought to describe the association between trends in primary and secondary vascular access sites and vascular access site complications (VASCs) among patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Michigan., Background: The frequency of transradial PCI has increased. As a result, there is concern that operators may lose femoral-access proficiency resulting in a paradoxical increase in PCI complications. Anecdotally, an increase in secondary access use during PCI has also been observed., Methods: Data from the BMC2 (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium) registry was queried to evaluate the use of transradial and transfemoral PCI and their associated VASCs., Results: From 2013 to 2017, transradial PCI increased from 25.9% to 45.2% and the overall use of secondary vascular access increased from 4.9% to 8.7% with minimal change in overall VASCs (1.2% to 1.4%). The use of secondary vascular access was associated with increased VASCs (odds ratio [OR]: 5.82; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.26 to 6.43). Although, patients treated by operators in the highest tertile of radial use were more likely to experience femoral VASCs (adjusted OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.08 to 2.13), treatment by these operators was associated with an overall reduction in all VASCs (adjusted OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.83)., Conclusions: Despite increased use of transradial PCI, there has been no significant decrease in VASCs. This is in part attributable to an increased incidence of femoral VASCs and increasing use of secondary vascular access. An overall reduction in VASCs was observed in the highest radial use operators. Further strategies are needed to reduce VASCs in the transradial era., (Copyright © 2019 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a potentially serious complication following coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The incidence of CI-AKI is particularly high in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ). Although much effort has been dedicated to the identification and implementation of preventive measures for this complication at the pre-intervention stage, much less has been investigated on the procedural strategies and techniques to decrease the risk of CI-AKI during PCI. The mainstay of such approaches relies on the minimization of contrast volume by means of specific strategies or dedicated devices. Invasive imaging, such as intravascular ultrasound or non-contrast-based optical coherence tomography, is another pillar of any ultra-low-contrast-volume PCI protocol. Finally, an array of miscellaneous ancillary measures can be implemented to decrease the risk of CI-AKI, which includes the use of radial access, remote ischemic conditioning, and hemodynamic support in high-risk patients. The present review analyzes the technical aspects as well as the scientific evidence supporting these novel techniques, with the goal to improve the outcomes of patients at high risk for CI-AKI undergoing PCI., (Copyright © 2019 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of the AVERT (AVERT Clinical Trial for Contrast Media Volume Reduction and Incidence of CIN) trial was to test the efficacy of the AVERT system to reduce the contrast media volume (CMV) used during coronary angiographic procedures without impairing image quality and to prevent contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients at risk for CI-AKI., Background: CI-AKI is a common complication of percutaneous coronary procedures, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The AVERT system alters the coronary injection pressure profile by diverting contrast away from the patient during coronary injection., Methods: The AVERT trial was a prospective, multicenter, 1:1 randomized clinical trial in 578 subjects with either baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate 20 to 30 ml/min/1.73 m 2 or estimated glomerular filtration rate 30 to 60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 and at least 2 additional risk factors for CI-AKI. Patients undergoing coronary angiography with planned or possible percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomized to hydration plus the AVERT system (n = 292) or hydration only (n = 286). The primary effectiveness endpoints were: 1) the total CMV used; and 2) the incidence of CI-AKI, defined as a ≥0.3 mg/dl increase in serum creatinine within 5 days post-procedure., Results: Patient demographics were well balanced between the groups, with mean baseline serum creatinine of 1.6 ± 0.4 mg/dl and 64.9% patients with diabetes mellitus. PCI was performed in 42.2% of procedures, with coronary angiography in the remainder. Use of AVERT resulted in a 15.5% relative reduction in CMV overall (85.6 ± 50.5 ml vs. 101.3 ± 71.1 ml; p = 0.02) and a 22.8% relative reduction in CMV among PCI patients (114 ± 55 ml vs. 147 ± 81 ml; p = 0.001). The maximum relative reduction in CMV was 46% (124 ± 48 ml vs. 232 ± 97 ml; p = 0.01) when ≥3 lesions were treated. There were no differences in the rates of CI-AKI (27.0% vs. 26.6%; p = 0.70) between the study groups., Conclusions: Use of the AVERT system was feasible and safe, with acceptable image quality during coronary angiography and PCI. AVERT significantly reduced CMV, with the extent of CMV reduction correlating with procedural complexity. No significant differences in CI-AKI were observed with AVERT in this trial. (AVERT Clinical Trial for Contrast Media Volume Reduction and Incidence of CIN [AVERT]; NCT01976299)., (Copyright © 2018 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute limb ischemia (ALI) of the lower extremity is a potentially devastating condition that requires urgent and definitive management. This challenging scenario is often treated with endovascular, open surgical, or hybrid revascularization (HyR) in an urgent basis, but the comparative effects of such therapies remain poorly defined. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of endovascular, open surgical, and HyR for ALI in the contemporary era., Methods: A large statewide cardiovascular consortium of 45 hospitals was queried for patients between January 2012 and June 2015 who underwent an endovascular, open surgical, or HyR for ALI deemed at high risk of limb loss if not treated within 24 hr (Rutherford class IIA or IIB). A propensity score weighted analysis was performed controlling for demographics, medical history, and procedure type for patients. The primary outcomes were 30-day morbidity and mortality., Results: A total of 1,480 patients underwent endovascular revascularization (ER; n = 818), open surgical revascularization (OSR; n = 195), or hybrid revascularization (HyR; n = 467) for ALI. The mean age was similar across revascularization technique with an increased predominance of male gender in open surgery cohort. Comorbidities for all groups were consistent with peripheral arterial disease. The most common endovascular procedures were angioplasty (93%) and thrombolysis (49.8%), whereas the most common surgical revascularization was femoral to popliteal bypass (32.8%), femoral to tibial bypass (28.2%), and thrombectomy (19.0%); ER as compared with OSR and HyR procedures was associated with less transfusion (OSR versus ER, odds ratio [OR] 2.7; HyR versus ER, OR 2.8; P < 0.001) and major amputation (OSR versus ER, OR 3.4; HyR versus ER, OR 4.0; P < 0.001) within 30 days of intervention. There was no difference in 30-day freedom from reintervention, myocardial infarction (MI), or mortality., Conclusions: Among patients requiring urgent revascularization for Rutherford grade IIA and IIB ischemia, ER has lower 30-day morbidity but similar mortality and rates of reintervention. Although long-term patency rates were not compared, ER may offer superior short-term outcomes compared with open surgery and hybrid revascularization., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study sought to compare the appropriate use and outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between top-ranked and nonranked hospitals., Background: The U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" rankings are an influential consumer-directed publication of hospital quality, and are commonly used in promotional campaigns by hospital systems., Methods: Hospitals in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry CathPCI registry between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, were classified as top-ranked if they were included in the 2015 U.S. News & World Report 50 best "Cardiology and Heart Surgery" hospitals. The remaining were classified as nonranked. We compared in-hospital mortality, post-procedural bleeding, post-procedural acute kidney injury, and the proportion of appropriate PCI procedures between top-ranked and nonranked hospitals., Results: A total of 509,153 PCIs at 654 hospitals were included, of which 55,550 (10.9%) were performed at 44 top-ranked hospitals. After adjusting for patient case mix, PCIs performed at top-ranked hospitals had similar odds of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.83 to 1.12; p = 0.64), acute kidney injury (aOR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.22; p = 0.099), and bleeding (aOR: 1.15; 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.31; p = 0.052). Top-ranked hospitals had a slightly lower proportion of appropriate PCI compared with nonranked hospitals (89.2% vs. 92.8%; OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.69; p < 0.001)., Conclusions: PCI performed at top-ranked hospitals was not associated with superior outcomes compared with PCI at nonranked hospitals. The inclusion of metrics based on clinical data may be important for hospital quality rankings., (Copyright © 2018 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The role of the ligament of Marshall (LOM) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has not been well defined., Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the role of the LOM in patients with AF and related arrhythmias., Methods: Fifty-six patients (mean age 63 ± 11 years; persistent AF in 48 [86%]; ejection fraction 0.49 ± 0.13; left atrial diameter 4.7 ± 0.6 cm) with LOM-mediated arrhythmias were included., Results: A LOM-pulmonary vein (PV) connection was present in 18 patients (32%) and was eliminated with radiofrequency (RF) ablation at the left lateral ridge or crux (n = 12), at the mitral annulus (n = 3), or with alcohol/ethanol (EtOH) ablation of the vein of Marshall (VOM; n = 3). A LOM-mediated atrial tachycardia (AT) was present in 13 patients (23%). Thirty-one patients with refractory mitral isthmus conduction were referred for potential EtOH ablation. In the 6 patients in whom VOM was injected during perimitral reentry, EtOH resulted in slowing in 3 patients and termination in 1 patient. In others, EtOH infusion resulted in complete isolation of the left-sided PVs and left atrial appendage. Repeat RF and adjunctive EtOH ablation of the VOM tended to be more effective in creating conduction block across the mitral isthmus than RF ablation alone (P = .057)., Conclusion: The LOM is responsible for a variety of arrhythmia mechanisms in patients with AF and atrial tachycardia. It may be ablated at any point along its course, at the mitral annulus, at the lateral ridge/PV antrum, and epicardially in the coronary sinus and the VOM itself. EtOH ablation of the VOM may be an adjunctive strategy in patients with refractory perimitral reentry., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: The study sought to define patient, operator, and institutional factors associated with transradial access (TRA) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the variation in use across operators and institutions, and the relationship with mortality and bleeding., Background: TRA for PCI in STEMI is underutilized. Factors associated with TRA are not well described, nor is there variation across operators and institutions or their relationship with outcomes., Methods: The authors used hierarchical logistic regression to identify patient, operator, and institutional characteristics associated with TRA use as well as determine the variation in TRA for STEMI PCI from 2009 to 2015. They also described the relationship between operator- and institution-level use and risk-adjusted bleeding and mortality., Results: Among 692,433 patients undergoing STEMI PCI, 12% (n = 82,618) utilized TRA. TRA increased from 2% to 23% from 2009 to 2015, but with significant geographic variation. Age, sex, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, operators entering practice before 2012, and nonacademically affiliated institutions were associated with lower rates of TRA. There was significant operator and institutional variation, wherein identical patients would have >8-fold difference in odds of TRA for STEMI PCI by changing operators (median odds ratio: 8.7), and >5-fold difference by changing institutions (median odds ratio: 5.1). Greater TRA use across operators was associated with reduced bleeding (rho = -0.053), whereas TRA use across institutions was associated with reduced mortality (rho = -0.077)., Conclusions: Transradial access for STEMI PCI is increasing, but remains underutilized with significant geographic, operator, and institutional variation. These findings suggest an ongoing opportunity to standardize STEMI care., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: This study sought to describe the distribution of pre-intervention treated-limb ankle-brachial indices (ABIs) among patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) undergoing percutaneous vascular intervention (PVI) or surgical revascularization (SR)., Background: CLI is diagnosed by the presence of rest pain, tissue ulceration, or gangrene due to chronic arterial insufficiency. It is unclear what fraction of patients with suspected CLI have severe peripheral artery disease (PAD) on noninvasive functional testing., Methods: The study included patients who underwent lower extremity revascularization for CLI in a multicenter registry in Michigan from January 2012 through June 2015. ABIs were classified as normal (ABI: 0.91 to 1.40), mild-moderate (ABI: 0.41 to 0.90), and severe (ABI: ≤0.40). Pre- and post-intervention Peripheral Artery Questionnaire summary scores were assessed in a subset of patients., Results: Among 10,756 patients with signs or symptoms of CLI, 9,113 (84.7%) underwent PVI and 1,643 (15.3%) underwent SR. ABIs were recorded in 4,972 (54.6%) PVI and 1,012 (61.6%) SR patients. Patients undergoing PVI had higher ABIs than those undergoing SR, with substantial variation in both groups (PVI: 0.72 ± 0.29 vs. SR: 0.61 ± 0.29; p < 0.001). Nearly a quarter of patients with compressible arteries had normal ABIs (24.0%), whereas severe PAD was uncommon (16.5%). A significant improvement in Peripheral Artery Questionnaire scores was noted after intervention across all ABI categories., Conclusions: Among patients undergoing revascularization for CLI in contemporary practice, the authors found substantial heterogeneity in pre-intervention ABIs. The disconnect between ABI results and clinical diagnosis calls into question the utility of ABIs in this population and suggests the need for standardization of functional PAD testing., (Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The association of bleeding avoidance strategy (BAS) (consisting of a combination of radial access, bivalirudin [rather than heparin +/- glycoprotein GPIIb/IIIa antagonists], and/or vascular closure devices after femoral access) with bleeding and in-hospital outcomes has not been evaluated among elderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI)., Methods: We studied BAS use, bleeding and in-hospital mortality among 121,635 patients categorized by age (<50, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and ≥80years) undergoing PCI from the BMC2 registry (1/2010-12/2013)., Results: The use of BAS decreased marginally with age and despite improved utilization over time, remained lower among the elderly. BAS was used in a much lower risk cohort among all age groups. Nonetheless, compared with no BAS, the use of this strategy was associated with lower bleeding (adjusted OR 0.984, 95% CI 0.980-0.985) and in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR 0.996, 95% CI 0.994-0.997) among all age-groups. Similar relative reduction in the risk of bleeding was observed among all age groups with BAS use with lowest risk (thus greatest absolute risk reduction given their highest risk for bleeding) for the oldest cohort., Conclusions: BAS use decreased with age among patients undergoing PCI despite its association with lower in-hospital mortality. Although overall utilization improved over time, it still remained lower in the elderly cohort, a group likely to benefit most from it. These data identified an opportunity to design strategies to improve BAS use particularly among high-risk elderly patients undergoing PCI so as to decrease bleeding and reduce related adverse events and costs., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Blood transfusions are common among patients undergoing major vascular surgery. Prior studies suggest an association between blood transfusion and increased morbidity and mortality among patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The predictors of perioperative transfusion and its impact on patients undergoing vascular surgery have been poorly defined., Methods: We examined data from a large multicenter quality improvement vascular surgical registry of all patients undergoing elective or urgent open peripheral arterial disease procedures, endovascular aneurysm repair, or open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair between January 2012 and December 2013. Emergency cases, carotid endarterectomy, and carotid artery stenting were excluded. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to identify predictors of transfusion and association of transfusion with outcomes. All regression models had Hosmer-Lemeshow P > .05 and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of >0.8, confirming excellent goodness of fit and discrimination., Results: Our study population comprised 2946 patients who underwent open peripheral arterial disease procedures (n = 1744), open AAA repair (n = 175), or endovascular aneurysm repair (n = 1027) at 22 hospitals. The overall transfusion rate was 25%, at a median nadir hemoglobin level of 7.7 g/dL. Independent factors predicting transfusion included female gender (odds ratio [OR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1-3.2), nonwhite race (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.4-5.2), preoperative admission status (ie, acute care hospital) (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.3-5.3), preoperative anemia (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 3.3-5.1), congestive heart failure (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9), prior myocardial infarction (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.01-1.6), clopidogrel (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.8), open AAA repair (OR, 25; 95% CI, 17-39), open bypass (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 2.7-4.6), and urgent procedures (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.8). With adjustment for major covariates, perioperative transfusion was independently associated with death (OR, 6.9; 95% CI, 3.2-15), myocardial infarction (OR, 8; 95% CI, 3.7-17), and pneumonia (OR, 7.4; 95% CI, 3.3-17)., Conclusions: Perioperative transfusion in vascular surgical patients is independently associated with increased 30-day morbidity and mortality. Given indeterminate causation, these data suggest the need for a prospective transfusion threshold study in vascular surgical patients., (Copyright © 2015 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study sought to compare in-hospital mortality and bleeding complications for procedures performed by sleep-deprived versus non-sleep-deprived operators., Background: To optimize the safety of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), it is essential to determine whether physicians performing emergent, middle-of-the-night procedures, and who may be sleep-deprived as a consequence, have equally safe outcomes when performing cases the following day., Methods: We used CathPCI registry data to compare in-hospital mortality and bleeding complications for procedures performed by sleep-deprived versus non-sleep-deprived operators using logistic regression with generalized estimating equations to account for within-operator clustering. Outcomes were risk-adjusted using previously validated models for in-hospital mortality and bleeding. Our cohort included 1,509,096 daytime PCI procedures performed by 5,014 operators between 7 am and midnight from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2012. Operators were assumed to be acutely sleep-deprived if they began a middle-of-the-night PCI between midnight and 6:59 am and performed a next-day PCI between 7 am and midnight, and chronically sleep deprived if they had performed multiple middle-of-the-night PCI procedures during the previous 7 days., Results: Only 2.4% of all daytime PCI procedures were performed by operators who had performed at least 1 middle-of-the-night PCI procedure earlier that day. In adjusted analyses, when comparing procedures performed by acutely sleep-deprived with non-sleep-deprived operators, there were no significant differences in mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94 to 1.12; p = 0.61) or bleeding (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.08; p = 0.19). However, a greater degree of chronic sleep deprivation was associated with a higher adjusted risk of bleeding (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.34; p = 0.007)., Conclusions: Daytime PCI procedures are uncommonly performed by sleep-deprived operators. We found no signal of increased complications when acutely sleep-deprived operators performed PCI but an increased risk of bleeding associated with procedures performed by operators with greater degrees of chronic sleep deprivation., (Copyright © 2015 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Kidney injury following cardiac catheterization is an infrequent, though persistent, complication, which in some cases may be preventable. Patients at increased risk for renal complications following catheterization can be identified through individual and procedural risk factors, and several risk-prediction models are readily available. The authors advocate for the development of an easily implemented and standardized protocol, readily accessible to catheterization laboratory staff, for the identification and treatment of those patients who may be at increased risk for renal complications following cardiac catheterization., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Risk scores should undergo 3 analytical phases before they are suitable for adoption in clinical practice, namely, derivation, external validation, and assessment of effect on clinical outcomes of use of the risk score in a so-called impact study. Major risk factors for renal complications after percutaneous coronary intervention are pre-existing chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, use of a high contrast dose, and hemodynamic instability. Unfortunately, only 3 of these 10 risk scores have undergone external validation. As a result, there is a great need for further research on the already designed risk scores., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of saphenous vein graft (SVG) is associated with higher adverse event rates, lower procedural success, and inferior longterm patency rates compared with native vessel PCI. The ability to comply with dual antiplatelet therapy, and whether the patient will need an interruption in dual antiplatelet therapy, should be considered when deciding whether to implant a drug-eluting stent (DES) or bare metal stent (BMS) in an SVG. DES should be used for SVG PCI because they seem to reduce target vessel revascularization. This article reviews the evolution and contemporary evidence regarding use of DES versus BMS in SVG PCI., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of manual versus automated contrast injection on renal complications in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Background: Contrast volume is a major modifiable risk factor for contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). Automated contrast injector systems (ACIS) are believed to be associated with a reduction in the total volume of contrast media use., Methods: We compared the outcome of 60,884 patients who underwent PCI at 28 hospitals in Michigan in 2008 to 2009 and assessed the outcome of those treated at hospitals that did not use ACIS (n = 24) and compared them with those that used ACIS (n = 4). Propensity matching was used to adjust for baseline differences., Results: The use of ACIS was associated with a statistically significant albeit clinically small difference in the average volume of contrast media use (mean 199 ± 84 ml vs. mean 204 ± 82 ml, p < 0.0001) with no difference in proportion of patients exceeding contrast volume/calculated creatinine clearance ratio of 3 (28.4% vs. 29.1%, p = 0.19). There was no difference in the incidence of CIN (3.11% vs. 3.42%, p = 0.15) or new need for dialysis (0.30% vs. 0.33%, p = 0.54), and these differences remained nonsignificant in propensity matched analysis. In fully adjusted, multivariate logistic analysis, patients treated with ACIS remained as likely to develop CIN (odds ratio: 0.96, 95% confidence interval: 0.83 to 1.11, p = 0.56) or new need for dialysis (odds ratio: 0.83, 95% confidence interval: 0.54 to 1.28, p = 0.40)., Conclusions: Compared with hospitals using manual injection, institutions having ACIS used slightly less amount of contrast with no reduction in CIN. Use of ACIS is unlikely to impact contrast-induced renal complications in patients undergoing PCI., (Copyright © 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the use of and outcomes associated with use of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in real-world practice., Background: The role of NAC in the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is controversial, leading to widely varying recommendations for its use., Methods: Use of NAC was assessed in consecutive patients undergoing nonemergent percutaneous coronary intervention from 2006 to 2009 in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium, a large multicenter quality improvement collaborative. We examined the overall prevalence of NAC use in these patients and then used propensity matching to link its use with clinical outcomes, including CIN, nephropathy-requiring dialysis, and death., Results: Of the 90,578 percutaneous coronary interventions performed during the study period, NAC was used in 10,574 (11.6%) procedures, with its use steadily increasing over the study period. Patients treated with NAC were slightly older and more likely to have baseline renal insufficiency and other comorbidities. In propensity-matched, risk-adjusted models, we found no differences in outcomes between patients treated with NAC and those not receiving NAC for CIN (5.5% vs. 5.5%, p = 0.99), nephropathy-requiring dialysis (0.6% vs. 0.6%, p = 0.69), or death (0.6% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.15). These findings were consistent across many prespecified subgroups., Conclusions: Use of NAC is common and has steadily increased over the study period but does not seem to be associated with improved clinical outcomes in real-world practice., (Copyright © 2012 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the effect of age on procedure type, periprocedural management, and in-hospital outcomes of patients undergoing lower-extremity (LE) peripheral vascular intervention (PVI)., Background: Surgical therapy of peripheral arterial disease is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly. There are limited data related to the influence of advanced age on the outcome of patients undergoing percutaneous LE PVI., Methods: Clinical presentation, comorbidities, and in-hospital outcomes of patients undergoing LE PVI in a multicenter, multidisciplinary registry were compared between 3 age groups: < 70 years, between 70 and 80 years, and ≥ 80 years (elderly group)., Results: In our cohort, 7,769 patients underwent LE PVI. The elderly patients were more likely to be female and to have a greater burden of comorbidities. Procedural success was lower in the elderly group (74.2% for age ≥ 80 years vs. 78% for age 70 to < 80 years and 81.4% in patients age < 70 years, respectively; p < 0.0001). Unadjusted rates of procedure-related vascular access complications, post-procedure transfusion, contrast-induced nephropathy, amputation, and major adverse cardiac events were higher in elderly patients. After adjustment for baseline covariates, the elderly patients were more likely to experience vascular access complications; however, advanced age was not found to be associated with major adverse cardiac events, transfusion, contrast-induced nephropathy, or amputation., Conclusions: Contemporary PVI can be performed in elderly patients with high procedural and technical success with low rates of periprocedural complications including mortality. These findings may support the notion of using PVI as a preferred revascularization strategy in the treatment of severe peripheral arterial disease in the elderly population., (Copyright © 2011 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, outcomes, and predictors of mortality of retroperitoneal hematoma (RPH) following percutaneous coronary intervention., Background: Retroperitoneal hematoma is a serious complication of invasive cardiovascular procedures., Methods: The study sample included 112,340 consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in a large, multicenter registry between October 2002 and December 2007. End points evaluated included the development of RPH and mortality., Results: Retroperitoneal hematoma occurred in 482 (0.4%) patients. Of these, 92.3% were treated medically and 7.7% underwent surgical repair. Female sex, body surface area <1.8 m(2), emergency procedure, history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiogenic shock, pre-procedural IV heparin, pre-procedural glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, adoption of sheath size >or=8-F, and use of vascular closure devices were independent predictors of RPH, whereas the use of bivalirudin was associated with a lower risk. The development of RPH was associated with a higher frequency of post-procedure myocardial infarction (5.81% vs. 1.67%, p < 0.0001), infection and/or sepsis (17.43% vs. 3.00%, p < 0.0001), and heart failure (8.00% vs. 1.63%, p < 0.0001). In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients who developed RPH than in patients who did not (6.64% vs. 1.07%, p < 0.0001). Among patients with RPH, independent predictors of death were history of myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, pre-procedural creatinine >or=1.5 mg/dl, and left ventricular ejection fraction <50%., Conclusions: Retroperitoneal hematoma is an uncommon complication of contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention associated with high morbidity and mortality. The identification of risk factors for the development of RPH could lead to modification of procedure strategies aimed toward reducing its incidence., (Copyright (c) 2010 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We evaluated the association between guiding catheter size and complications of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Background: The association between guiding catheter size and complications of PCI in contemporary practice remains controversial., Methods: Procedure and outcome variables from 103,070 consecutive patients that underwent PCI with 6-F (n = 64,335), 7-F (n = 32,676), and 8-F (n = 6,059) guide catheters were compared., Results: Compared with 6-F guides, PCIs performed with 7- and 8-F guides were associated with incrementally more contrast agent use, and more post-PCI complications including contrast-induced nephropathy, vascular access site complications, bleeding, transfusion, major adverse cardiac event, and death. After multivariate analysis, the use of larger guides were associated with a higher risk of contrast-induced nephropathy (7-F odds ratio [OR]: 1.18, p = 0.0004; 8-F OR: 1.44, p < 0.0001), vascular complications (7-F OR: 1.19, p = 0.0002, 8-F OR: 1.68, p < 0.0001), decline in hemoglobin >3 g/dl (7-F OR: 1.12, p < 0.0001, 8-F OR: 1.72, p < 0.0001), and post-procedure blood transfusion (7-F OR: 1.08, p = 0.03; 8-F OR: 1.80, p < 0.0001), whereas major adverse cardiac events (7-F OR: 1.06, p = 0.13; 8-F OR: 1.37, p < 0.0001) and in-hospital mortality (7-F OR: 1.11, p = 0.13; 8-F OR: 1.34, p = 0.03) were increased with 8-F but not 7-F guides., Conclusions: Compared with 6-F guides, PCIs performed with 7- and 8-F guides were associated with more contrast medium use, renal complications, bleeding, vascular access site complications, greater need for post-procedure transfusion, and 8-F guides with increased nephropathy requiring dialysis, in-hospital major adverse cardiac events, and mortality. These data suggest that selection of smaller guide catheters may result in improved clinical outcome in patients undergoing contemporary PCI.

Objectives: We sought to compare the nephrotoxicity of the iso-osmolar contrast medium, iodixanol, to low-osmolar contrast media (LOCM)., Background: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a common cause of in-hospital renal failure. A prior meta-analysis suggested that iodixanol (Visipaque, GE Healthcare, Princeton, New Jersey) was associated with less CI-AKI than LOCM, but this study was limited by ascertainment bias and did not include the most recent randomized controlled trials., Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Current Contents, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts databases, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 1980 to November 30, 2008, for randomized controlled trials that compared the incidence of CI-AKI with either iodixanol or LOCM. Random-effects models were used to calculate summary risk ratios (RR) for CI-AKI, need for hemodialysis, and death., Results: A total of 16 trials including 2,763 subjects were pooled. There was no significant difference in the incidence of CI-AKI in the iodixanol group than in the LOCM group overall (summary RR: 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.56 to 1.12, p = 0.19). There was no significant difference in the rates of post-procedure hemodialysis or death. There was a reduction in CI-AKI when iodixanol was compared with ioxaglate (RR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.92; p = 0.022) and iohexol (RR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.56; p = 0.002), but no difference when compared with iopamidol (RR: 1.20, 95% CI: 0.66 to 2.18; p = 0.55), iopromide (RR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.47 to 1.85; p = 0.84), or ioversol (RR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.60 to 1.39; p = 0.68)., Conclusions: This meta-analysis including 2,763 subjects suggests that iodixanol, when compared with LOCM overall, is not associated with less CI-AKI. The relative renal safety of LOCM compared with iodixanol may vary based on the specific type of LOCM.

Objectives: We sought to examine the short- and long-term outcomes of blood transfusion in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)., Background: The short- and long-term consequences of blood transfusion in anemic patients with recent STEMI remain controversial., Methods: We evaluated 30-day, 6-month, and 1-year all-cause mortality among 4,131 STEMI patients enrolled in the GUSTO (Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries) IIb trial. Patients were categorized according to whether they received a blood transfusion during hospitalization. Cox proportional hazards survival models with transfusion as a time-dependent covariate were conducted for the whole and for the propensity-matched groups. Additionally, a series of sensitivity analyses assessed the magnitude of hidden bias that would need to be present to explain the associations actually observed., Results: Death at 30 days (13.7% vs. 5.5%), 6 months (19.7% vs. 6.9%), and 1 year (21.8% vs. 8.7%) was significantly higher for transfused patients than for nontransfused patients, respectively. After adjusting for over 25 baseline characteristics, nadir hemoglobin, and propensity score for transfusion, and using transfusion as a time-dependent covariate, transfusion remained significantly associated with increased risk of mortality at 30 days (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.66 to 5.68, p < 0.001), 6 months (HR: 3.63, 95% CI: 2.67 to 4.95, p < 0.001), and 1 year (HR: 3.03, 95% CI: 2.25 to 4.08, p < 0.001). Similar results were observed in the propensity-matched patients., Conclusions: Blood transfusion is associated with increased short- and long-term mortality in the setting of STEMI.