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Metabolic syndrome (MetS) provides significant risk for coronary disease, however long-term prognosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been understudied. We assessed the prevalence and outcomes of patients with MetS from an Australian PCI cohort. We retrospectively examined data from the Melbourne Interventional Group multicenter PCI registry using a modified definition for MetS including ≥3 of the following: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 . Thirty-day outcomes and long-term mortality were compared with patients without MetS. Cox regression methods were used to assess the multivariable effect of MetS on long-term mortality. Of 41,146 patients, 12,228 (34%) had MetS. Patients with MetS experienced greater 30-day myocardial infarction (2.2% vs 1.8%, p = 0.013), whereas patients without MetS had a trend for greater 30-day mortality (3.0% vs 3.4%, p = 0.051) and greater in-hospital major bleeding (1.7% vs 2.4%, p <0.001). After a median follow-up of 5.62 years (Q1 2.03, Q3 8.89), patients with MetS experienced greater mortality (24% vs 19%, p <0.001). After adjustment, MetS was not an independent predictor of long-term mortality (hazard ratio 0.95 confidence interval 0.86 to 1.05, p = 0.35). In sensitivity analyses, MetS-Diabetic patients had the highest, and MetS-NonDiabetic obese patients had the lowest long-term mortality. One in 3 patients who underwent all-comer PCI presented with MetS and experienced greater long-term mortality compared with others. However, this association was lost after adjustment for baseline confounders, highlighting that MetS is a marker of risk after PCI. Our findings support the obesity paradox and confirm robust associations between diabetes mellitus and long-term mortality., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Jaya Chandrasekhar reports statistical analysis was provided by Melbourne Interventional Group. MIG receives grant funding from the following: Abbott Laboratories, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Medtronic and Pfizer. These companies do not have access to the data and do not have the right to review articles before publication. Professor Stephen Duffy's and Professor Christopher Reid's work is supported by National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia grants. The remaining authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (MI-CS) has a poor prognosis, even with early revascularization. Previously, intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) use was thought to improve outcomes, but the IABP-SHOCK-II (Intra-aortic Balloon Pump in Cardiogenic Shock-II study) trial found no survival benefit. We aimed to determine the trends in IABP use in patients who underwent percutaneous intervention over time. Data were taken from patients in the Melbourne Interventional Group registry (2005 to 2018) with MI-CS who underwent percutaneous intervention. The primary outcome was the trend in IABP use over time. The secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs). Of the 1,110 patients with MI-CS, IABP was used in 478 patients (43%). IABP was used more in patients with left main/left anterior descending culprit lesions (62% vs 46%), lower ejection fraction (<35%; 18% vs 11%), and preprocedural inotrope use (81% vs 73%, all p <0.05). IABP use was associated with higher bleeding (18% vs 13%) and 30-day MACCE (58% vs 51%, both p <0.05). The rate of MI-CS per year increased over time; however, after 2012, there was a decrease in IABP use (p <0.001). IABP use was a predictor of 30-day MACCE (odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.18 to 2.29, p = 0.003). However, IABP was not associated with in-hospital, 30-day, or long-term mortality (45% vs 47%, p = 0.44; 46% vs 50%, p = 0.25; 60% vs 62%, p = 0.39). In conclusion, IABP was not associated with reduced short- or long-term mortality and was associated with increased short-term adverse events. IABP use is decreasing but is predominately used in sicker patients with greater myocardium at risk., Competing Interests: Disclosures DS research is supported by a National Heart Foundation fellowship and a National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) Investigator Grant. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is effective in improving long-term survival in an Australian PCI cohort remains unclear. We aimed to examine the change in the remaining life expectancy for patients who underwent PCI over the past decade. Patient data from the Melbourne Interventional Group were divided into four 3-year periods (2005 to 2007, 2008 to 2010, 2011 to 2013, and 2014 to 2016) for survival analysis. The primary outcome was time to death after PCI. Kaplan-Meier survival curves for overall survival were constructed to estimate the 5-year survival. To extrapolate the overall survival curve to the lifetime time horizon, 6 parametric survival distributions were fitted to the individual patient-level data against the Kaplan-Meier curve. The best fit distribution was selected based on goodness-of-fit statistics and expert opinion. The combination of annual mortality post-PCI from the parametric survival analysis and the background mortality by age informed the overall mortality rate. The life expectancy was compared with the general Australians. In addition, the utility weight of post-PCI patients was used to estimate the quality-adjusted life years gained. A total of 27,301 patients with a mean age of 64.4 ± 12 years were included. The base-case results showed that over the 4 time periods, the remaining life expectancy for patients aged 64.4 years on average at the time of PCI remained relatively stable except for period 4: 18.12 years (2005 to 2007), 17.56 years (2008 to 2010), 18.39 years (2011 to 2013), and 17.25 years (2014 to 2016), respectively. The quality-adjusted life years gained showed a similar trend: 14.86 (2005 to 2007), 14.40 (2008 to 2010), 15.07 (2011 to 2013), and 14.13 (2014 to 2016) separately. In conclusion, the widened gap in life expectancy in post-PCI patients versus the general Australian over the 2014 to 2016 period suggests the need for improved implementation of prevention strategies for coronary heart disease. Enhanced disease management after PCI that lowers residual mortality risk is recommended to extend the survival of patients with coronary heart disease., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The short- and long-term implications of identifying totally occluded culprit coronary arteries (TOCCA) in patients presenting with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) have not been well studied. This study compares clinical characteristics, short- and long-term outcomes of patients with NSTEMI identified with TOCCA to that of patients with non-TOCCA undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We analyzed data from patients with NSTEMI undergoing single-vessel PCI within the Melbourne Interventional Group multi-center registry between 2005 and 2017. Those with TOCCA were compared to those with non-TOCCA. The primary endpoint was 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Secondary endpoints included 12-month MACE and long-term mortality. A total of 6,829 patients with NSTEMI had single-vessel PCI of which 954 (14%) had TOCCA. Most TOCCA were non-left anterior descending (right coronary artery 39% versus circumflex 33% versus left anterior descending 26%; p <0.001). Cardiogenic shock and left ventricular dysfunction were higher in the TOCCA group, but non-TOCCA patients had more baseline comorbidities. Thirty-day MACE was higher in the TOCCA group (6.7% versus 3.8%; p <0.001). Long-term mortality with an average follow-up of 4.9 years was higher in the non-TOCCA group (12% versus 18%, p <0.01). Multivariable Cox-proportional hazards regression identified TOCCA as an independent predictor of 30-day MACE (HR = 1.93; 95%CI: 1.4-2.6), but not long-term mortality, which was predicted by baseline comorbidities. In conclusion, while patients with NSTEMI with TOCCA undergoing PCI represent a more unstable subgroup early on, long-term outcomes appear more dependent on baseline comorbidities., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is paucity of data examining long-term outcomes of premature coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to investigate the short- and long-term clinical outcomes of patients with premature CAD treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared to older cohorts. We analyzed data from 27,869 patients who underwent PCI from 2005-2017 enrolled in a multicenter PCI registry. Patients were divided into three age groups: young group (≤ 45 years), middle-age group (46-65 years) and older group (>65 years). There were higher rates of current smokers in the young (n = 1,711) compared to the middle-age (n = 12,830) and older groups (n = 13,328) (54.2% vs 34.6% vs 11%) and the young presented more frequently with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (78% vs 66% vs 62%), all p <0.05. There were also greater rates of cardiogenic shock (CS), out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the young, all p <0.05. The young cohort with STEMI had higher rates of in-hospital, 30-day death, and long-term mortality (3.8% vs 0.2%, 4.3% vs 0.2% and 8.6% vs 3.1%, all p <0.05, respectively) compared to the non-STEMI subgroup. There was a stepwise increase in long-term mortality from the young, to middle-age, to the older group (6.1% vs 9.9% vs 26.8%, p <0.001). Younger age was an independent predictor of lower long-term mortality (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.52-0.84, p = 0.001). In conclusion, younger patients presenting with STEMI had worse prognosis compared to those presenting with non-STEMI. Despite higher risk presentations among young patients, their overall prognosis was favorable compared to older age groups., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There are conflicting data on whether patients with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) have poorer outcomes compared with non-insulin treated diabetic (non-ITDM) patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We therefore compared clinical outcomes following PCI in ITDM versus non-ITDM patients. We prospectively collected data on 4,579 patients with diabetes underwent PCI between 2005 and 2014 in a large multicenter registry and dichotomized them as having ITDM (n = 1,111) or non-ITDM (n = 3,468). The non-ITDM group was further divided into diet control only (diet-DM; n = 786) and those taking oral hypoglycemic agents (OHG-DM; n = 2,639), and clinical outcomes were compared with ITDM patients. Median follow-up for long-term mortality was 4.2 years (IQR 2.0 to 6.6 years). ITDM patients were more likely to be female, obese, and have severe renal impairment (all p <0.001). Procedural characteristics were similar other than a greater use of drug-eluting stents in ITDM patients. On multivariable analysis, ITDM was an independent predictor of 12-month major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE; OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.02 to1.55, p = 0.03). Dividing the non-ITDM group further by treatment, a progressively higher rate of 12-month MACCE across the 3 groups was observed (13.5% vs 17.9% vs 21.8%; p <0.001). Long-term mortality was similar in the diet-DM and OHG-DM groups, but significantly higher in the ITDM group on Kaplan-Meier analysis (log-rank p <0.001). In conclusion, there is a clear gradient of adverse outcomes with escalation of therapy from diet control to OHGs to insulin., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It is well recognized that patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have poorer long-term outcomes compared with those undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. However, the relative impact of DM status and extent of coronary artery disease on long term mortality in patients undergoing PCI is unknown. We sought to compare patients with DM undergoing PCI for single and multivessel disease to their non-DM counterparts. Overall, 34,690 consecutive patients undergoing PCI from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry (2005 to 2017) were included (mean age 64.5 ± 12 years, 76.6% male). Our cohort was stratified by the presence of DM and extent of CAD (DM-SVD [single-vessel disease] [n = 2,669], DM-MVD [n = 6,118], no-DM-SVD [n = 10,993], no-DM-MVD [n = 14,910]). DM-SVD and no-DM-MVD cohorts demonstrated comparable baseline cardiovascular risk profiles, although the no-DM-MVD cohort had higher rates of prior myocardial infarction, while the DM-SVD cohort had a higher proportion of patients with renal impairment. Over a median follow-up of 4.8 (IQR 2.0 to 8.2) years, 6,031 (17.5%) patients died. Using the no-DM-SVD group as the reference category, adjusted risk of mortality was highest in the MVD-DM cohort (HR 1.90; 95% CI 1.71 to 2.09). Similar adjusted risk of long-term mortality was observed in the DM-SVD (HR 1.32, 95%CI 1.15 to 1.51) and no-DM-MVD (HR 1.30, 95%CI 1.20 to 1.40) groups. In conclusion, we found that the long-term mortality of patients with DM and SVD undergoing PCI was the risk equivalent of non-DM patients with MVD., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory arthritis and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. Evidence regarding outcomes following PCI is limited. This study aimed to assess differences in outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between patients with and without RA. The Melbourne Interventional Group PCI registry (2005 to 2018) was used to identify 756 patients with RA. Outcomes were compared with the remaining cohort (n = 38,579). Patients with RA were older, more often female, with higher rates of hypertension, previous stroke, peripheral vascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic lung disease, myocardial infarction, and renal impairment, whereas rates of dyslipidemia and current smoking were lower, all p <0.05. Lesions in patients with RA were more frequently complex (ACC/AHA type B2/C), requiring longer stents, with higher rates of no reflow, all p <0.05. Risk of long-term mortality, adjusted for potential confounders, was higher for patients with RA (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.30 to 1.80; median follow-up 5.0 years), whereas 30-day outcomes including mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, bleeding, stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery, and target vessel revascularization were similar. In subgroup analysis, patients with RA and lower BMI (P for interaction < 0.001) and/or acute coronary syndromes (P for interaction  = 0.05) had disproportionately higher risk of long-term mortality compared with patients without RA. In conclusion, patients with RA who underwent PCI had more co-morbidities and longer, complex coronary lesions. Risk of short-term adverse outcomes was similar, whereas risk of long-term mortality was higher, especially among patients with acute coronary syndromes and lower body mass index., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Guidelines mandate emergent revascularization in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) irrespective of gender. We sought to compare the door-to-balloon times and the impact of timely reperfusion on clinical outcomes in women compared with men presenting with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We analyzed data from 6,179 consecutive patients presenting with STEMI undergoing PPCI from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry (2005 to 2017). The primary outcome was long-term mortality. Of the 6,179 patients included 1,258 (20.3%) were female. Female patients were older (69 ± 13 vs 62 ± 12 years; p < 0.001), had more co-morbidities and had longer median symptom-to-balloon times (204 [interquartile range {IQR} 154 to 294] vs 181 [IQR 139 to 258] minutes; p < 0.001) and longer median door-to-balloon times (81 [IQR 55 to 102] vs 75 [IQR 51 to 102)] minutes; p < 0.001), while receiving less drug-eluting stents (39% vs 43%; p = 0.01) and having less radial access for PPCI (15% vs 21%; p < 0.001). Furthermore, female patients received less guideline-directed medical therapy than men with less prescription of aspirin (93.4% vs 95.4%; p = 0.02), statins (96.5% vs 97.6%; p < 0.05), and beta blockers (84.3% vs 89.4%; p < 0.001). Unadjusted in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were higher in women (8.8% vs 6.2%, 9.8% vs 6.9%; p < 0.001). However, on Cox-proportional hazards modeling, gender was not an independent predictor of long-term mortality (hazards ratio 0.99, 95% confidence interval 0.83 to 1.18; p = 0.92) at a mean follow-up of 4.8 ± 3.5 years. In conclusion, in this large multicenter registry of patients with STEMI, women had longer ischemic times, higher risk profiles, and differing interventional approaches compared with men. Addressing these gender inequalities with early identification of symptoms, adherence to guideline-directed medical therapy, as well as higher rates of radial access and use of drug-eluting stents has the potential to further improve outcomes in women with STEMI., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) remains high in patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of established CAD in patients who present with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) using a large established multicenter registry. Consecutive patients from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry who presented with ACS and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention from 2005 to 2015 were included. Patients with a history of myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass graft surgery were included in the established CAD cohort. The primary end points were 12-month mortality and 12-month MACE. Of the 12,878 ACS patients included in our study, 3,542 (28%) patients had established CAD. Over the 10-year study period, the proportion of patients presenting with established CAD decreased (30.7% to 25.2%; p-for-overall-trend <0.001). Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction was the most prominent presentation in the established CAD cohort (45.1%) whereas ST-elevation myocardial infarction was the most prominent in the de novo CAD cohort (51%; p< 0.001). The patients in the established CAD cohort were older, had more co-morbidities and were more likely to present with high-risk features such as atrial fibrillation, left main disease, multivessel CAD and left ventricular dysfunction (all p < 0.001). Regarding revascularization in ST-elevation myocardial infarction presentations, symptom-to-door time was shorter, whereas door-to-balloon-time was longer in those with established CAD (p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, established CAD was an independent risk factor for 12-month MACE (odds ratio 1.40, 95% confidence intervals 1.23 to 1.58, p < 0.001), but not for 12-month mortality (odds ratio 1.08, 95% confidence intervals 0.77 to 1.52, p = 0.66). In conclusion, patients with a history of myocardial infarction or previous revascularization have a higher rate of MACE at 12 months. Despite this they do not appear to suffer from higher mortality., (Crown Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Data from previous studies of patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease suggest that those with higher resting heart rates (HRs) have worse cardiovascular outcomes. We sought to evaluate whether HR immediately before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an independent predictor for 30-day outcome. We analyzed the outcome of 3,720 patients who had HR recorded before PCI from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry. HR and outcomes were analyzed by quintiles, and secondarily by dichotomizing into <70 or ≥70 beats/min. Patients with cardiogenic shock, intra-aortic balloon pump or inotropic support, and out-of-hospital arrest were excluded. The mean ± SD HR was 70.9 ± 14.7 beats/min. HR by quintile was 55 ± 5, 64 ± 2, 70 ± 1, 77 ± 3, and 93 ± 13 beats/min, respectively. Patients with higher HR were more likely to be women, current smokers, have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, recent heart failure, lower ejection fraction, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction as the indication for the PCI (all p ≤0.002). However, rates of treated hypertension, multivessel disease, previous myocardial infarction, PCI, and coronary bypass surgery were lower (all p ≤0.004). Increased HR was associated with higher 30-day mortality (p for trend = 0.04), target vessel revascularization (p for trend = 0.003), and 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (p for trend = 0.004). In a multivariable analysis, HR was an independent predictor of 30-day MACE (OR 1.21 per quintile; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 to 1.39, p = 0.004). When dichotomized into <70 or ≥70 beats/min, HR independently predicted both 30-day MACE (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.36, p = 0.02) and 30-day mortality (OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.10 to 7.08, p = 0.03). In conclusion, HR immediately before PCI is an independent predictor of adverse 30-day cardiovascular outcomes., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Over the last decade, systems of care for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have evolved to try to improve outcomes and timely access to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). There have also been advances in PCI techniques and adjunctive pharmacotherapies. In this study, we sought to determine temporal changes in practices and clinical outcomes of PCI in patients with STEMI. We prospectively collected data on 8,412 consecutive patients undergoing PCI for STEMI between 2005 and 2016 in the multicenter Melbourne Interventional Group registry. Data were divided by procedure year for trends analysis. The primary end point was 30-day mortality. Patient demographics and comorbidities including smoking and diabetes have remained stable. The volume of primary PCI performed within 12 hours of symptom onset has significantly risen (65.7% to 80.1%, p < 0.01). The proportion of patients achieving the recommended door-to-balloon time ≤90 minutes has also risen (37.6% to 59.0%, p < 0.01). Patient complexity has also increased with more patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with STEMI now being treated with PCI (2.6% to 9.1%, p < 0.01). A shift from mainly femoral to radial access and from bare-metal to drug-eluting stent use was seen. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors are being used less frequently with increasing use of newer antiplatelet agents. Thirty-day mortality has remained low throughout the study period at 6.5% overall. In conclusion, although timely access to primary PCI has improved, mortality rates have remained unchanged, but remain low and compare favorably with international data. Australian PCI practice has overall evolved in response to evidence and emergence of new adjunctive device and pharmacotherapies., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Guidelines strongly recommend patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) receive timely mechanical reperfusion, defined as door-to-balloon time (DTBT) ≤90 minutes. The impact of timely reperfusion on clinical outcomes in patients aged 75-84 and ≥85 years is uncertain. We analysed 2,972 consecutive STEMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention from the Melbourne Interventional Group Registry (2005-2014). Patients aged <75 years were included in the younger group, those aged 75-84 years were in the elderly group and those ≥85 years were in the very elderly group. The primary endpoints were 12-month mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). 2,307 (77.6%) patients were <75 years (mean age 59 ± 9 years), 495 (16.7%) were 75-84 years and 170 (5.7%) were ≥85 years. There has been a significant decrease in DTBT over 10 years in younger and elderly patients (p-for-trend <0.01 and 0.03) with a trend in the very elderly (p-for-trend 0.08). Compared to younger and elderly patients, the very elderly had higher 12-month mortality (3.6% vs 10.7% vs. 29.4%; p = 0.001) and MACE (10.8% vs 20.6% vs 33.5%; p = 0.001). DTBT ≤90 minutes was associated with improved outcomes on univariate analysis but was not an independent predictor of improved 12-month mortality (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.54-1.31) or MACE (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.67-1.16). In conclusion, over a 10-year period, there was an improvement in DTBT in patients aged <75 years and 75-84 years however DTBT ≤90 minutes was not an independent predictor of 12-month outcomes. Thus assessing whether patients aged ≥85 years are suitable for invasive management does not necessarily translate to worse clinical outcomes., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) continues to evolve with shifting patient demographics, treatments, and outcomes. We sought to document the specific changes observed over a 9-year period in a contemporary Australian PCI cohort. The Melbourne Interventional Group is an established multicenter PCI registry in Melbourne, Australia. Data were collected prospectively with 30-day and 12-month follow-ups. Demographic, procedural, and outcome data for all consecutive patients were analyzed with a year-to-year comparison from 2005 to 2013. National Death Index linkage was performed for long-term mortality analysis; 19,858 procedures were captured over 9 years. Patient complexity and acuity increased with a higher proportion of traditional risk factors and more elderly patients who underwent PCI. Angiographic lesion complexity increased with more multivessel coronary artery disease and more American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association type B2/C lesions proceeding to PCI. The 30-day rate of death, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization has not changed nor has 12-month mortality, myocardial infarction, or major adverse cardiovascular event rates. The strongest independent predictor of long-term mortality was cardiogenic shock at presentation (hazard ratio [HR] 2.95, p <0.01). Drug-eluting stent use (HR 0.83, p <0.01) and a history of dyslipidemia (HR 0.81, p <0.01) were associated with long-term survival. In conclusion, from 2005 to 2013, we observed a cohort of higher risk clinical and angiographic characteristics, with stable long-term mortality., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There are few data on the incidence and clinical outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated in the era of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We analyzed 30-day clinical outcomes in 3,307 consecutive patients with and without AF (sinus rhythm) undergoing PCI from January 2007 through December 2008 enrolled in a multicenter Australian registry. Periprocedural AF was present in 162 patients (4.9%). AF was associated with older age (74.1 ± 8.9 vs 63.9 ± 11.9 years, p <0.001), higher baseline serum creatinine (0.13 ± 0.14 vs 0.10 ± 0.13 mmol/L, p = 0.01), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (49.5 ± 13.2% vs 53.4% ± 11.6%, p <0.001). Significantly more patients with AF had a history of heart failure and cerebrovascular and peripheral arterial diseases (p ≤0.01 for all comparisons). Periprocedural glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (31.5% vs 31.4%, p = 0.98) and antithrombin use were not different between groups, but in-hospital bleeding complications were higher in patients with AF (5.0% vs 2.1%, p = 0.015). Fewer patients with AF received drug-eluting stents (p = 0.004). AF was associated with a greater than fourfold increase in 30-day mortality (9.9% vs 2.2%, p <0.0001) and readmission rates at 30 days (p = 0.01). Fewer patients with AF were on dual antiplatelet therapy at 30 days (86.3% vs 94.3%, p <0.0001), although 28.1% of patients with AF were on triple therapy (dual antiplatelet therapy plus oral anticoagulation). In conclusion, patients with periprocedural AF represent a very high-risk group. Excess 30-day morbidity and mortality after PCI may be due to the higher incidence of co-morbidities, bleeding complications, and suboptimal antiplatelet therapy., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The no reflow phenomenon is reported to occur in >2% of all percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) and portends a poor prognosis. We analyzed data from 5,286 consecutive patients who underwent PCI from the Melbourne Interventional Group (MIG) registry from April 2004 through January 2008 who had 30-day follow-up completed. Patients without no reflow (normal reflow, n = 5,031) were compared to 255 (4.8%) with no reflow (n = 217 for transient no reflow, n = 38 for persistent no reflow). Patients with transient or persistent no reflow were more likely to present with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) or cardiogenic shock (p <0.0001 for the 2 comparisons). They were also more likely to have complex lesions (American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association type B2/C), have lesions within a bypass graft, require an intra-aortic balloon pump, receive glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition, and have a longer mean stent length (p <0.0001 for all comparisons). In-hospital outcomes were significantly worse in those patients with transient or persistent no reflow, with increased death, periprocedural MI, renal impairment, and major adverse cardiac events (p <0.0001 for all comparisons). Similarly, transient and persistent no reflow portended worse 30-day clinical outcomes, with a progressive increase in mortality (normal reflow 1.7% vs transient no reflow 5.5% vs persistent no reflow 13.2%, p <0.0001), MI, target vessel revascularization, and major adverse cardiac events (p <0.0001 for all comparisons) compared to patients with normal flow. In conclusion, transient or persistent no reflow complicates approximately 1 in 20 PCIs and results in stepwise increases in in-hospital and 30-day adverse outcomes., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim was to examine timing, causes, and predictors of death during long-term follow-up after contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using a large multicenter Australian registry. The cohort consisted of 10,682 consecutive patients from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry undergoing PCI (February 2004 through November 2009). For the first time in Australia, long-term mortality rates of a PCI cohort were defined by linkage to the National Death Index database. The cohort (mean age 64 ± 12 years) comprised 75% men, 24% diabetics, 59% with multivessel disease, 4.4% with renal failure, 25% with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 2.5% with cardiogenic shock, and 5.1% with heart failure. Drug-eluting stents (DES) were used in 43% of cases. Mean follow-up was 3.2 ± 0.5 years. In-hospital, 30-day, 12-month, and long-term (3.2 ± 0.5 years) mortalities were 1.6% (80% cardiac), 2.1% (79%), 3.9% (61%), and 8.2% (50%), respectively. Independent predictors of long-term mortality included age (hazard ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.06), cardiogenic shock (4.58, 3.60 to 5.83), renal failure (3.14, 2.58 to 3.82), previous heart failure (1.97, 1.60 to 2.41), STEMI (1.79, 1.47 to 2.18), peripheral vascular disease (1.72, 1.4 to 2.11), non-STEMI (1.58, 1.32 to 1.90), multivessel disease (1.47, 1.24 to 1.74), current smoking (1.39, 1.12 to 1.71), diabetes (1.36, 1.16 to 1.59), and cerebrovascular disease (1.33, 1.06 to 1.60, p <0.01 for all comparisons). DES deployment appeared protective against late mortality (hazard ratio 0.85, 0.73 to 0.99, p = 0.04); however, after 30 days, there was no difference in mortality rates between those who received a bare metal stent and those who received a DES. In conclusion, different clinical variables such as renal and heart failure predicted long-term mortality after PCI, whereas DES use in this large registry was not associated with late mortality risk., (Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recent reports suggest that drug-eluting stents (DESs) may increase the risk of stent thrombosis (ST) relative to bare-metal stents (BMSs). Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare DES and BMS outcomes with a specific focus on ST. We analyzed 30-day and 1-year outcomes of 2,919 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry. Academic Research Consortium definitions of ST were used: (1) definite ST (confirmed using angiography in patients with an acute coronary syndrome), (2) probable ST (unexplained death <30 days or target-vessel myocardial infarction without angiographic confirmation), and (3) possible ST (unexplained death >30 days). Multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors of ST. The incidence of ST (early or late) was similar between BMSs and DESs (1.6% vs 1.4%; p=0.66), and DES use was not predictive of ST. Independent predictors of ST included the absence of clopidogrel therapy at 30 days (odds ratio [OR] 2.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29 to 5.29, p<0.01), renal failure (OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.43 to 7.59, p<0.01), index procedure presentation with an acute coronary syndrome (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.14 to 5.87, p=0.02), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.19 to 4.23, p=0.01), and total stent length >or=20 mm (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.00 to 3.42, p=0.04). In conclusion, DESs were not associated with increased risk of ST compared with BMSs at 12 months in this large Australian registry that selectively used DESs for patients at high risk of restenosis.

We aimed to analyze periprocedural creatinine phosphokinase (CPK)-MB elevation in patients treated with intracoronary radiation therapy (IRT) for in-stent restenosis (ISR) to risk stratify these patients. The clinical significance of periprocedural CPK-MB elevation after IRT for ISR is unknown. An elevated CPK-MB has been associated with increased mortality after conventional angioplasty. We evaluated 1,326 patients who were enrolled in radiation trials for ISR at the Washington Hospital Center using gamma- and beta-emitters. Patients were analyzed according to degree of CPK-MB increase within 24 hours of the index IRT procedure (normal CPK-MB, CPK-MB 1 to 3 times the upper limit of normal, or CPK-MB >3 times the upper limit of normal). Patients with CPK-MB >3 times the upper limit of normal were older (64 +/- 12 years, p = 0.04), more likely to be smokers (64%, p = 0.04), hypertensive (85%, p <0.01), and diabetic (49%, p = 0.04). The cohort with the highest CPK-MB release (CPK-MB >3 times the upper limit of normal) had significantly higher rates of adverse clinical events at 12 months (major adverse cardiac events 40%, p <0.01), including death (9.3%, p <0.01) and late thrombosis (6.3%, p <0.01). Periprocedural CPK-MB elevation is of prognostic importance in patients treated with IRT for ISR, and its analysis appears to be mandatory to risk stratify these patients. The impact of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists in reducing periprocedural CPK-MB release awaits evaluation.

Intracoronary gamma radiation is effective in reducing recurrent in-stent restenosis (ISR) involving native coronary arteries. This study compares the effectiveness and safety of intracoronary gamma radiation for the treatment of ISR in saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) versus native coronary arteries. In the Washington Radiation for In-Stent restenosis Trial (WRIST) series of gamma radiation trials, 1,142 patients with ISR (230 in SVG and 912 in native coronary arteries) completed 6-month clinical follow-up. All patients underwent balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, and/or restenting. Different ribbon lengths containing 6 to 23 seeds of iridium-192 were used to cover lesion lengths <80 mm. The prescribed radiation doses were 14 or 15 Gy at 2-mm radial distance from the center of the source. Baseline demographics showed that patients with SVGs were older (65 +/- 13 vs 61 +/- 11 years, p <0.001), more likely male (79% vs 64%, p <0.001), had more multivessel coronary disease (81% vs 50%, p <0.001), and less diffuse lesions (17 +/- 10 vs 24 +/- 12 mm, p <0.001). At 6 months, event-free survival was similar for patients with SVG ISR and native coronary ISR (82% vs 84%, p = 0.35). The SVG ISR population had a low rate of late total occlusion (4.6%) and late thrombosis (3.5%). Thus, treatment of ISR with gamma radiation in SVGs had similar outcome to native coronary arteries. The use of gamma radiation for the treatment of ISR should expand to SVGs.

In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a major limitation of coronary stenting and is associated with high recurrence rates after intervention with all available devices. Intracoronary gamma (gamma) radiation was proved to reduce the recurrence rate after conventional therapy. The purpose of this study was to compare the different devices utilized for the treatment of ISR with and without gamma radiation. To search for the optimal device for the treatment of ISR, 685 patients from the radiation trials for ISR who were randomized to either iridium-192 gamma radiation (559 patients) or placebo (126 patients) following intervention were evaluated. Devices used included balloon percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA), rotational atherectomy, and additional stent implantation. Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were similar between the gamma radiation and placebo groups. One- and 6-month clinical and angiographic outcomes were compared. The use of stenting compared with other devices was associated with increased late loss. Device selection used as adjunctive therapy did not influence the 30-day outcome. Patients treated with gamma radiation and placebo therapy had similar rates of composite major adverse coronary events (MACE) (death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization) (3% vs 2%, p = NS). At 6 months, MACE rates in irradiated patients were similar among POBA (29%), ELCA (28%), rotational atherectomy (18%), and additional stent implantation (30%, p = NS), and were significantly lower compared with placebo for the entire cohort and for each device subgroup. The overall recurrence rate of ISR was lower in patients treated with gamma radiation using iridium-192 compared with placebo. Device selection did not influence late clinical outcomes in irradiated and nonirradiated groups.