Search

Background: The impact of high-risk coronary artery plaques identified using optical coherence tomography on late luminal narrowing and clinical events remains poorly understood., Methods and Results: This multicenter prospective study included 176 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention and serial optical coherence tomography at baseline and 1-year follow-up to investigate nontarget regions with angiographically intermediate stenosis. At 1 year after percutaneous coronary intervention, the coronary artery lumen area decreased significantly from 6.06 (95% CI, 5.60-6.53) mm 2 to 5.88 (95% CI, 5.41-6.35) mm 2 (difference, -0.18; 95% CI, -0.22 to -0.14 mm 2 ; P <0.001), particularly in thin-cap fibroatheromas, thick-cap fibroatheromas, mixed plaques, and fibrous plaques. The prevalence of fibroatheroma decreased from 38% to 36% ( P <0.001), whereas calcified plaque increased from 31% to 34% ( P <0.001), accompanied by a significant increase in calcium thickness and angle. Diabetes and current smoking habits were independently associated with increasing calcium prevalence. Patients with thin-cap fibroatheroma had a significantly higher 3-year risk of ischemia-driven nontarget vessel revascularization (hazard ratio, 2.42 [95% CI, 1.03-5.71]; P =0.04), primarily due to revascularization in the imaged region. No significant association was observed between coronary artery calcium prevalence and clinical outcomes within 3 years., Conclusions: The coronary artery lumen area significantly decreased over a 1-year interval, particularly in thin-cap fibroatheromas, thick-cap fibroatheromas, mixed plaques, and fibrous plaques. Although thin-cap fibroatheroma prevalence was associated with higher risk of ischemia-driven nontarget vessel revascularization, no significant association was noted between coronary artery calcium prevalence and clinical outcomes within 3 years. The interaction between calcium progression and long-term clinical events necessitates further investigation., Registration: URL: https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/; Unique Identifier: UMIN000031937.

Background: The ratio of early diastolic mitral inflow velocity to mitral annular velocity (E/e') is a prognostic factor in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, data are lacking on long-term outcomes and longitudinal changes in E/e' in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the reperfusion era., Methods: This is a pre-specified echocardiographic substudy of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of beta-blockers in STEMI patients with LVEF ≥40 % after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to E/e' at discharge: ≤14 (normal E/e' group) or > 14 (high E/e' group). The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure hospitalization. We also assessed longitudinal changes in E/e' and conducted a landmark analysis using E/e' at 1 year after STEMI., Results: There were 173 and 38 patients in the normal and high E/e' groups, respectively. During a median follow-up of 3.9 years, the primary outcome occurred in 19 patients (11.0 %) and 10 patients (26.3 %) in the normal and high E/e' groups, respectively. The cumulative incidence of the primary outcome was higher in the high E/e' group than in the normal E/e' group (21.9 % vs. 7.1 % at 3 years; log-rank p = 0.013). E/e' in the high E/e' group decreased over time (p < 0.001), but remained higher than in the normal E/e' group at 1 year after STEMI (13.7 ± 5.3 vs. 8.6 ± 2.3, p < 0.001). E/e' > 14 at 1 year was also associated with poor outcomes (log-rank p = 0.008). A sensitivity analysis using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models yielded consistent results., Conclusion: High E/e' at discharge is associated with poor long-term outcomes in STEMI patients with preserved LVEF after primary PCI, which may be explained by persistent high E/e' late after STEMI., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Takeshi Morimoto and Yoshihisa Nakagawa are members of the Editorial Board of Journal of Cardiology. Other authors have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is a paucity of data on the effect of optimal intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with standard PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with multivessel disease., Methods and results: The OPTIVUS-Complex PCI study multivessel cohort was a prospective multicenter single-arm study enrolling 1,021 patients undergoing multivessel PCI including the left anterior descending coronary artery using IVUS aiming to meet the prespecified criteria for optimal stent expansion. We conducted propensity score matching analyses between the OPTIVUS group and historical PCI or CABG control groups from the CREDO-Kyoto registry cohort-3 (1,565 and 899 patients) fulfilling the inclusion criteria for this study. The primary endpoint was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or any coronary revascularization. In the propensity score-matched cohort (OPTIVUS vs. historical PCI control: 926 patients in each group; OPTIVUS vs. historical CABG control: 436 patients in each group), the cumulative 1-year incidence of the primary endpoint was significantly lower in the OPTIVUS group than in the historical PCI control group (10.4% vs. 23.3%; log-rank P<0.001) or the historical CABG control group (11.8% vs. 16.5%; log-rank P=0.02)., Conclusions: IVUS-guided PCI targeting the OPTIVUS criteria combined with contemporary clinical practice was associated with superior clinical outcomes at 1 year compared with not only the historical PCI control, but also the historical CABG control.

Background: There is a scarcity of data evaluating contemporary real-world dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) strategies after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods and results: In the OPTIVUS-Complex PCI study multivessel cohort enrolling 982 patients undergoing multivessel PCI, including left anterior descending coronary artery using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), we conducted 90-day landmark analyses to compare shorter and longer DAPT. DAPT discontinuation was defined as withdrawal of P2Y 12 inhibitors or aspirin for at least 2 months. The prevalence of acute coronary syndrome and high bleeding risk by the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium were 14.2% and 52.5%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of DAPT discontinuation was 22.6% at 90 days, and 68.8% at 1 year. In the 90-day landmark analyses, there were no differences in the incidences of a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or any coronary revascularization (5.9% vs. 9.2%, log-rank P=0.12; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-1.08; P=0.09) and BARC type 3 or 5 bleeding (1.4% vs. 1.9%, log-rank P=0.62) between the off- and on-DAPT groups at 90 days., Conclusions: The adoption of short DAPT duration was still low in this trial conducted after the release of the STOPDAPT-2 trial results. The 1-year incidence of cardiovascular events was not different between the shorter and longer DAPT groups, suggesting no apparent benefit of prolonged DAPT in reducing cardiovascular events even in patients who undergo multivessel PCI.

Background: The optimal revascularization strategy in patients with multivessel disease and intermediate SYNTAX score (SS) has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of optimal intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) stratified by SS., Methods: This was a substudy of the OPTIVUS-Complex PCI study Multivessel Cohort, which aimed to meet the prespecified criteria for optimal stent expansion after IVUS-guided PCI. A total of 1,005 patients were divided into 3 groups according to SS: low, ≤22; intermediate, 23 to 32; and high, ≥33. The primary end points were major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) defined as a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or coronary revascularization., Results: The cumulative 1-year incidence of the primary end point was significantly higher in patients with high SS than in those with intermediate or low SS (25.0%, 10.9%, and 9.5%, respectively; p = 0.003). This difference was mainly caused by the incidence of coronary revascularization. In the multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, the excess risk of patients with high versus low SS remained significant for the primary end point (hazard ratio 3.19, 95% confidence interval 1.65 to 6.16, p <0.001), whereas the excess risk of patients with intermediate versus low SS was no longer significant (hazard ratio 1.20, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 2.01, p = 0.46)., Conclusions: After IVUS-guided multivessel PCI, patients with intermediate SS had a similar 1-year risk of MACCE to that of patients with low SS, whereas patients with high SS had a higher 1-year risk of MACCE than those with low SS., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Hibi reports funding grants from Abbott; lecturer fees from Abbott Medical, Daiichi Sankyo, and Medtronic; research grants from the Research Institute for Production Development and Japan Medical Device Corporation; and scholarship funds from Abbott Medical and Nipro. Dr. Morimoto reports lecturer fees from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Japan Lifeline, Kowa, Toray, and Tsumura; manuscript fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Kowa; and participation on the advisory boards of Novartis and Teijin. Dr. Tanabe reports honoraria from Abbott Medical, Boston Scientific, Japan Lifeline, Medtronic, OrbusNeich, and Terumo. Dr. Kimura reports research grants from Abbott Medical and Boston Scientific; honoraria from Abbott Medical, Boston Scientific, Daiichi Sankyo, Sanofi, and Terumo; and participation on the advisory boards of Abbott Medical, Boston Scientific, and Sanofi. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The benefits of long-term oral β-blocker therapy in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; ≥40%) are still unknown. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of β-blocker therapy in patients with STEMI with mildly reduced LVEF. In the CAPITAL-RCT (Carvedilol Post-Intervention Long-Term Administration in Large-Scale Randomized Controlled Trial), patients with STEMI with successful percutaneous coronary intervention with an LVEF of ≥40% were randomly assigned to carvedilol or no β-blocker therapy. Among 794 patients, 280 patients had an LVEF of <55% at baseline (mildly reduced LVEF stratum), whereas 514 patients had an LVEF of ≥55% at baseline (normal LVEF stratum). The primary end point was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome, and hospitalization for heart failure, and the secondary end point was a cardiac composite outcome: a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and hospitalization for heart failure. The median follow-up period was 3.7 years. The lower risk of carvedilol therapy relative to no β-blocker therapy was not significant for the primary end point in either the mildly reduced or normal LVEF strata. However, it was significant for the cardiac composite end point in the mildly reduced LVEF stratum (0.82/100 person-years vs 2.59/100 person-years, hazard ratio 0.32 [0.10 to 0.99], p = 0.047) but not in the normal LVEF stratum (1.48/100 person-years vs 1.06/100 person-years, hazard ratio 1.39 [0.62 to 3.13], p = 0.43, p for interaction = 0.04). In conclusion, long-term carvedilol therapy in patients with STEMI with primary percutaneous coronary intervention might be beneficial for preventing cardiac-related events in those with a mildly reduced LVEF., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Several stent expansion criteria derived from the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) evaluation have been proposed to predict future clinical outcomes, but optimal stent expansion criteria as a guide during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are still controversial. There are no studies evaluating the utility of stent expansion criteria along with the clinical and procedural factors in predicting target lesion revascularization (TLR) after contemporary IVUS-guided PCI., Methods: OPTIVUS-Complex PCI study (Optimal Intravascular Ultrasound Guided Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) multivessel cohort was a prospective multicenter study enrolling 961 patients undergoing multivessel PCI including left anterior descending coronary artery using IVUS with an intention to meet the prespecified criteria for optimal stent expansion. We compared several stent expansion criteria (minimum stent area [MSA], MSA/distal or average reference lumen area, MSA/distal or average reference vessel area, OPTIVUS criteria, IVUS-XPL [Impact of Intravascular Ultrasound Guidance on Outcomes of Xience Prime Stents in Long Lesions] criteria, ULTIMATE [Intravascular Ultrasound Guided Drug Eluting Stents Implantation in "All-Comers" Coronary Lesions] criteria, and modified MUSIC [Multicenter Ultrasound Stenting in Coronaries Study] criteria) as well as clinical, angiographic, and procedural characteristics between lesions with and without TLR., Results: Among 1957 lesions, the cumulative 1-year incidence of lesion-based TLR was 1.6% (30 lesions). Hemodialysis, treatment of proximal left anterior descending coronary artery lesions, calcified lesions, small proximal reference lumen area, and small MSA had univariate associations with TLR, while all of the stent expansion criteria except for MSA were not associated with TLR. The independent risk factors of TLR were calcified lesions (hazard ratio, 2.34 [95% CI, 1.03-5.32]; P =0.04) and small proximal reference lumen area (Tertile 1: hazard ratio, 7.01 [95% CI, 1.45-33.93]; P =0.02; and Tertile 2: hazard ratio, 5.40 [95% CI, 1.17-24.90]; P =0.03)., Conclusions: In contemporary IVUS-guided PCI practice, the 1-year incidence of TLR was very low. MSA, but not other stent expansion criteria, had univariate association with TLR. Independent risk factors of TLR were calcified lesions and small proximal reference lumen area, although the findings should be interpreted with caution due to small number of TLR events, limited lesion complexity, and short duration of follow-up., Competing Interests: Disclosures Dr Morimoto reports lecturer’s fees from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Japan Lifeline, Kowa, Toray, and Tsumura; article fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Kowa; advisory board for Novartis and Teijin. Dr Tanabe reports honoraria from Abbott Medical, Boston Scientific, Japan Lifeline, Medtronic, Orbusneich, and Terumo. Dr Kimura reports research grant from Abbott Medical and Boston Scientific; honoraria from Abbott Medical, Boston Scientific, Daiichi Sankyo, Sanofi, and Terumo; participation on advisory board from Abbott Medical, Boston Scientific, and Sanofi. The other authors report no conflicts.

Background: The REAL-CAD trial, reported in 2017, demonstrated a significant reduction in cardiovascular events with high-intensity statins in patients with chronic coronary syndrome. However, data are scarce on the use of high-intensity statins in Japanese patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)., Methods and results: In STOPDAPT-2 ACS, which exclusively enrolled ACS patients between March 2018 and June 2020, 1,321 (44.2%) patients received high-intensity statins at discharge, whereas of the remaining 1,667 patients, 96.0% were treated with low-dose statins. High-intensity statins were defined as the maximum approved doses of strong statins in Japan. The incidence of the cardiovascular composite endpoint (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, definite stent thrombosis, stroke) was significantly lower in patients with than without high-intensity statins (1.44% vs. 2.69% [log-rank P=0.025]; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.24-0.94, P=0.03) and the effect was evident beyond 60 days after the index percutaneous coronary intervention (log-rank P=0.01; aHR 0.38, 95% CI 0.17-0.86, P=0.02). As for the bleeding endpoint, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups (0.99% vs. 0.73% [log-rank P=0.43]; aHR 0.96, 95% CI 0.35-2.60, P=0.93)., Conclusions: The prevalence of high-intensity statins has increased substantially in Japan. The use of the higher doses of statins in ACS patients recommended in the guidelines was associated with a significantly lower risk of the primary cardiovascular composite endpoint compared with lower-dose statins.

Background: There is a scarcity of studies comparing the clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for women and men stratified by the presentation of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or stable coronary artery disease (CAD)., Methods and results: The study population included 26,316 patients who underwent PCI (ACS: n=11,119, stable CAD: n=15,197) from the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry Cohort-2 and Cohort-3. The primary outcome was all-cause death. Among patients with ACS, women as compared with men were much older. Among patients with stable CAD, women were also older than men, but with smaller difference. The cumulative 5-year incidence of all-cause death was significantly higher in women than in men in the ACS group (26.2% and 17.9%, log rank P<0.001). In contrast, it was significantly lower in women than in men in the stable CAD group (14.2% and 15.8%, log rank P=0.005). After adjusting confounders, women as compared with men were associated with significantly lower long-term mortality risk with stable CAD but not with ACS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69-0.82, P<0.001, and HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.84-1.01, P=0.07, respectively). There was a significant interaction between the clinical presentation and the mortality risk of women relative to men (interaction P=0.002)., Conclusions: Compared with men, women had significantly lower adjusted mortality risk after PCI among patients with stable CAD, but not among those with ACS.

Aims: There is a scarcity of studies comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease., Methods and Results: The CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry Cohort-3 enrolled 14927 consecutive patients who underwent first coronary revascularization with PCI or isolated CABG between January 2011 and December 2013. The current study population consisted of 2464 patients who underwent multi-vessel coronary revascularization including revascularization of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) either with PCI using new-generation DES (N = 1565), or with CABG (N = 899). Patients in the PCI group were older and more often had severe frailty, but had less complex coronary anatomy, and less complete revascularization than those in the CABG group. Cumulative 5-year incidence of a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction or stroke was not significantly different between the 2 groups (25.0% versus 21.5%, P = 0.15). However, after adjusting confounders, the excess risk of PCI relative to CABG turned to be significant for the composite endpoint (HR 1.27, 95%CI 1.04-1.55, P = 0.02). PCI as compared with CABG was associated with comparable adjusted risk for all-cause death (HR 1.22, 95%CI 0.96-1.55, P = 0.11), and stroke (HR 1.17, 95%CI 0.79-1.73, P = 0.44), but with excess adjusted risk for myocardial infarction (HR 1.58, 95%CI 1.05-2.39, P = 0.03), and any coronary revascularization (HR 2.66, 95%CI 2.06-3.43, P<0.0001)., Conclusions: In this observational study, PCI with new-generation DES as compared with CABG was associated with excess long-term risk for major cardiovascular events in patients who underwent multi-vessel coronary revascularization including LAD., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: The benefit of clopidogrel monotherapy after 1-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) compared with 12-month DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel was demonstrated in the STOPDAPT-2 (Short and Optimal Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Everolimus-Eluting Cobalt-Chromium Stent-2), but not in the STOPDAPT-2 acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, both trials were underpowered based on the actual event rates., Methods: We obtained the prespecified pooled population of 5997 patients as the STOPDAPT-2 total cohort (STOPDAPT-2: N=3009/STOPDAPT-2 ACS: N=2988; ACS: N=4136/chronic coronary syndrome [CCS]: N=1861), comprising 2993 patients assigned to 1-month DAPT followed by clopidogrel monotherapy, and 3004 patients assigned to 12-month DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel after percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary end point was the composite of cardiovascular (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, definite stent thrombosis, or any stroke) or bleeding (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction major/minor) end points at 1 year., Results: One-month DAPT was noninferior to 12-month DAPT for the primary end point (2.84% versus 3.04%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.94 [95% CI, 0.70-1.27]; P noninferiority =0.001; P superiority =0.68). There was no significant risk-difference for the cardiovascular end point between the 1- and 12-month DAPT groups (2.40% versus 1.97%; HR, 1.24 [95% CI, 0.88-1.75]; P noninferiority =0.14; P superiority =0.23). There was a lower risk of the bleeding end point with 1-month DAPT relative to 12-month DAPT (0.50% versus 1.31%; HR, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.21-0.70]; P superiority =0.002). One-month DAPT relative to 12-month DAPT was associated with a lower risk for major bleeding regardless of ACS or CCS (ACS: HR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.23-0.94]; P =0.03, and CCS: HR, 0.26 [95% CI, 0.09-0.79]; P =0.02; P interaction =0.40), while it was associated with a numerical increase in cardiovascular events in ACS patients, but not in CCS patients, although not statistically significant and without interaction (ACS: HR, 1.50 [95% CI, 0.99-2.27]; P =0.053, and CCS: HR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.38-1.45]; P =0.39; P interaction =0.08)., Conclusions: Clopidogrel monotherapy after 1-month DAPT compared with 12-month DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel had a benefit in reducing major bleeding events without being associated with increase in cardiovascular events., Registration: URL: https://www., Clinicaltrials: gov; Unique identifiers: NCT02619760, NCT03462498.

Objective: We assessed the clinical effectiveness of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in comparison with that of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in octogenarians with triple-vessel disease (TVD) or left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease., Methods: From the CREDO-Kyoto registry cohort-2, 527 patients, who were ≥ 80 years of age and underwent the first coronary revascularization for TVD or LMCA disease, were divided into the CABG group (N = 151) and the PCI group (N = 376)., Results: The median and interquartile range of patient's age was 82 (81-84) in the CABG group and 83 (81-85) in the PCI group (P = 0.10). Patients >  = 85 years of age accounted for 19% and 31% in the CABG and PCI groups, respectively (P = 0.01). The cumulative 5-year incidence of all-cause death was similar between CABG and PCI groups (35.8% vs. 42.9%, log-rank P = 0.18), while CABG showed a lower rate of the composite of cardiac death/MI than PCI (21.7% vs. 33.9%, log-rank P = 0.005). After adjusting for confounders, the lower risk of CABG relative to PCI was significant for all-cause death (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.43-0.86, P = 0.005), any coronary revascularization (HR 0.25, 95% CI 0.14-0.43, P < 0.001) and the composite of cardiac death/MI (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.32-0.85, P = 0.009)., Conclusions: CABG compared with PCI was associated with a lower adjusted risk for all-cause death, any coronary revascularization, and a composite of cardiac death/MI in very elderly patients with TVD or LMCA disease. CABG seemed an acceptable option for selected octogenarians with severe coronary artery disease., (© 2021. The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery.)

Importance: Clopidogrel monotherapy after short dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not yet been fully investigated in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)., Objective: To test the hypothesis of noninferiority of 1 to 2 months of DAPT compared with 12 months of DAPT for a composite end point of cardiovascular and bleeding events in patients with ACS., Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial enrolled 4169 patients with ACS who underwent successful PCI using cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stents at 96 centers in Japan from December 2015 through June 2020. These data were analyzed from June to July 2021., Interventions: Patients were randomized either to 1 to 2 months of DAPT followed by clopidogrel monotherapy (n = 2078) or to 12 months of DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel (n = 2091)., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction [MI], any stroke, or definite stent thrombosis) or bleeding (Thrombolysis in MI major or minor bleeding) events at 12 months, with a noninferiority margin of 50% on the hazard ratio (HR) scale. The major secondary end points were cardiovascular and bleeding components of the primary end point., Results: Among 4169 randomized patients, 33 withdrew consent. Of the 4136 included patients, the mean (SD) age was 66.8 (11.9) years, and 856 (21%) were women, 2324 (56%) had ST-segment elevation MI, and 826 (20%) had non-ST-segment elevation MI. A total of 4107 patients (99.3%) completed the 1-year follow-up in June 2021. One to 2 months of DAPT was not noninferior to 12 months of DAPT for the primary end point, which occurred in 65 of 2058 patients (3.2%) in the 1- to 2-month DAPT group and in 58 of 2057 patients (2.8%) in the 12-month DAPT group (absolute difference, 0.37% [95% CI, -0.68% to 1.42%]; HR, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.80-1.62]; P for noninferiority = .06). The major secondary cardiovascular end point occurred in 56 patients (2.8%) in the 1- to 2-month DAPT group and in 38 patients (1.9%) in the 12-month DAPT group (absolute difference, 0.90% [95% CI, -0.02% to 1.82%]; HR, 1.50 [95% CI, 0.99-2.26]). The major secondary bleeding end point occurred in 11 patients (0.5%) in the 1- to 2-month DAPT group and 24 patients (1.2%) in the 12-month DAPT group (absolute difference, -0.63% [95% CI, -1.20% to -0.06%]; HR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.23-0.94])., Conclusions and Relevance: In patients with ACS with successful PCI, clopidogrel monotherapy after 1 to 2 months of DAPT failed to attest noninferiority to standard 12 months of DAPT for the net clinical benefit with a numerical increase in cardiovascular events despite reduction in bleeding events. The directionally different efficacy and safety outcomes indicate the need for further clinical trials., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT02619760 and NCT03462498.

Background: The detailed causes of death in non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) have not been adequately evaluated compared to those in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)., Methods: The study population was 6,228 AMI patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (STEMI: 4,625 patients and NSTEMI: 1,603 patients). The primary outcome was all-cause death., Results: Within 6 months after AMI, the adjusted mortality risk was not significantly different between NSTEMI patients and STEMI patients (HR: 0.83, 95%CI: 0.67-1.03, P = 0.09). Regarding the causes of death within 6 months after AMI, mechanical complications more frequently occurred in STEMI patients than in NSTEMI patients, while proportions of post resuscitation status on arrival and heart failure were higher in in NSTEMI patients than in STEMI patients. Beyond 6 months after AMI, the adjusted mortality risk of NSTEMI relative to STEMI was not significantly different. (HR: 1.04, 95%CI: 0.90-1.20, P = 0.59). Regarding causes of death beyond 6 months after AMI, almost half of deaths were cardiovascular causes in both groups, and breakdown of causes of death was similar between NSTEMI and STEMI., Conclusion: The mortality risk within and beyond 6 months after AMI were not significantly different between STEMI patients and NSTEMI patients after adjusting confounders. Deaths due to post resuscitation status and heart failure were more frequent in NSTEMI within 6 months after AMI., Competing Interests: Dr. Shiomi reports modest honoraria from Abbott Vascular, and Boston Scientific. Dr. Morimoto reports modest honoraria from Bayer and Kowa, and modest expert witness from Boston Scientific and Sanofi. Dr. Kato reports modest honoraria from Daiichi-Sankyo, Ono Pharmaceutical, AstraZeneca, Tanabe-Mitsubishi, Bayer, Phizer, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Boehringer ingelheim, Takeda, MSD KK, Amgen, and research fund from Ono Pharmaceutical and Abbott Japan. Dr. Ehara reports modest honoraria from Abbott Vascular, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Terumo. Dr. Furukawa reports modest honoraria from Bayer, Kowa, and Sanofi. Dr. Nakagawa reports modest research grant from Abbott Vascular and Boston Scientific, and modest honoraria from Abbott Vascular, Bayer, and Boston Scientific. Dr. Kimura reports significant honoraria from Abbott Vascular, and modest honoraria from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Kowa, and Sanofi. None of the article contents have not been published, nor under consideration for publication in any other journal before appearing in PLOS ONE.

Objective: To evaluate changes in demographics, clinical practices and long-term clinical outcomes of patients with ST segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) before and beyond 2010., Design: Multicentre retrospective cohort study., Setting: The Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto (CREDO-Kyoto) AMI Registries Wave-1 (2005-2007, 26 centres) and Wave-2 (2011-2013, 22 centres)., Participants: 9001 patients with STEMI who underwent coronary revascularisation (Wave-1: 4278 patients, Wave-2: 4723 patients)., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was all-cause death at 3 years. The secondary outcomes were cardiovascular death, cardiac death, sudden cardiac death, non-cardiovascular death, non-cardiac death, myocardial infarction, definite stent thrombosis, stroke, hospitalisation for heart failure, major bleeding, target vessel revascularisation, ischaemia-driven target vessel revascularisation, any coronary revascularisation and any ischaemia-driven coronary revascularisation., Results: Patients in Wave-2 were older, more often had comorbidities and more often presented with cardiogenic shock than those in Wave-1. Patients in Wave-2 had shorter onset-to-balloon time and door-to-balloon time, were more frequently implanted drug-eluting stents, and received guideline-directed medication than those in Wave-1. The cumulative 3-year incidence of all-cause death was not significantly different between Wave-1 and Wave-2 (15.5% and 15.7%, p=0.77). The adjusted risk of all-cause death in Wave-2 relative to Wave-1 was not significant at 3 years (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.03, p=0.14), but lower beyond 30 days (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.98, p=0.03). The adjusted risks of Wave-2 relative to Wave-1 were significantly lower for definite stent thrombosis (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.81, p=0.001) and for any coronary revascularisation (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.81, p<0.001), but higher for major bleeding (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.51, p=0.005)., Conclusions: We could not demonstrate improvement in 3-year mortality risk from Wave-1 to Wave-2, but we found reduction in mortality risk beyond 30 days. We also found risk reduction for definite stent thrombosis and any coronary revascularisation, but an increase in the risk of major bleeding from Wave-1 to Wave-2., Competing Interests: Competing interests: All authors have completed the Unified Competing Interest form and declare the following: HSh reports personal fees from Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific and Daiichi Sankyo. TM reports lecturer's fees from Bayer, Daiichi Sankyo, Japan Lifeline, Kyocera, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Novartis and Toray; the manuscript fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Kowa; serving on advisory boards for Asahi Kasei, Boston Scientific, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi. ETK reports grant from Ono Pharmaceutical and reports personal fees from Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Tanabe-Mitsubishi Pharma, Ono Pharmaceutical, MSD KK and Pfizer. NE reports personal fees from Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, Terumo, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Daiichi-Sankyo, Edwards Lifescience, Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Takeda and Boehringer Ingelheim. YF reports personal fees from Daiichi Sankyo, Bayer, Sanofi, Kowa, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Otsuka Parmaceutical, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, Takeda and Ono Pharmaceutical. YN reports grant from Abbott Vascular and Boston Scientific, and reports personal fees from Abbott Vascular, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo. TKi reports personal fees from Abbott Vascular, MSD, Eisai, Edwards Lifescience, Ono Pharmaceutical, Tsumura, Medical Review, Kowa, Sanofi, Daiichi Sankyo, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, Abiomed, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boston Scientific, Lifescience, Toray, Astellas Amgen Biopharma, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Otsuka Parmaceutical, OrbusNeich, MSD Life Science Foundation, Public Health Research Foundation, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Boehringer Ingelheim, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Interscience, Philips, Kowa Pharmaceutical, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Terumo, Novartis Pharma and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

There is a scarcity of data on incidence, risk factors, especially clinical severity, and long-term prognostic impact of periprocedural stroke after coronary revascularization in contemporary real-world practice. Among 14,867 consecutive patients undergoing first coronary revascularization between January 2011 and December 2013 (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]: N = 13258, and coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]: N = 1609) in the Coronary Revascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto PCI/CABG registry Cohort-3, we evaluated the details on periprocedural stroke. Periprocedural stroke was defined as stroke within 30 days after the index procedure. Incidence of periprocedural stroke was 0.96% after PCI and 2.13% after CABG (log-rank p <0.001). Proportions of major stroke defined by modified Rankin Scale ≥2 at hospital discharge were 68% after PCI, and 77% after CABG. Independent risk factors of periprocedural stroke were acute coronary syndrome (ACS), carotid artery disease, advanced age, heart failure, and end-stage renal disease after PCI, whereas they were ACS, carotid artery disease, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malignancy, and frailty after CABG. There was excess long-term mortality risk of patients with periprocedural stroke relative to those without after both PCI and CABG (hazard ratio 1.71 [1.25 to 2.33], and hazard ratio 4.55 [2.79 to 7.43]). In conclusion, incidence of periprocedural stroke was not negligible not only after CABG, but also after PCI in contemporary real-world practice. Majority of patients with periprocedural stroke had at least mild disability at hospital discharge. ACS and carotid artery disease were independent strong risk factors of periprocedural stroke after both PCI and CABG. Periprocedural stroke was associated with significant long-term mortality risk after both PCI and CABG., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess long-term outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent only compared with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with triple-vessel disease., Background: Selection between PCI and CABG is still a clinically relevant issue in the management of patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease., Methods: Among 15,939 patients enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto PCI/CABG registry/cohort-2, the current study population consisted of 2,193 patients who underwent elective multi-vessel coronary revascularization including left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) either by PCI with sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) only (N = 945) or CABG (N = 1,248)., Results: The cumulative 5-year incidence of and the adjusted risk for the primary outcome measure (a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], or stroke) were not significantly different between PCI and CABG groups (22.6% vs. 23.0%, p = .40, and HR: 1.13, 95%CI: 0.91-1.40, p = .26). The risk of PCI relative to CABG for all-cause death and stroke was also insignificant (HR: 1.19, 95%CI: 0.92-1.53, p = .19; HR: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.62-1.27, p = .51). The adjusted 5-year risk for MI, hospitalization for heart failure (HF), any coronary revascularization and major bleeding was significantly different between the groups (HR: 1.59, 95%CI: 1.10-2.30, p = .01; HR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.05-2.11, p = .02; HR: 3.70, 95%CI: 2.91-4.70, p < .0001; HR: 0.18, 95%CI: 0.14-0.22, p < .0001)., Conclusions: In patients who underwent coronary revascularization for multiple vessels including LAD, PCI using SES as compared with CABG was associated with a comparable 5-year risk for death/MI/stroke as well as for mortality, but with a markedly higher risk for any coronary revascularization., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The transradial approach is reportedly associated with reduced bleeding complications and mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It is unknown whether the clinical benefits of transradial vs. transfemoral PCI differ between high bleeding risk (HBR) and non-HBR patients., Methods and results: After excluding patients with acute myocardial infarction, dialysis, and a transbrachial approach from the 13,087 patients undergoing first PCI in the CREDO-Kyoto Registry Cohort-2, 6,828 patients were eligible for this study. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to bleeding risk based on Academic Research Consortium HBR criteria, and then divided into a further 2 groups according to access site, radial or femoral: HBR-radial, n=1,054 (38.3%); HBR-femoral, n=1,699 (61.7%); non-HBR-radial, n=1,682 (41.3%); and non-HBR-femoral, n=2,393 (58.7%). In the HBR group, the 30-day incidence and adjusted risk for major bleeding (1.9% vs. 4.7% [P<0.001]; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26-0.71 [P<0.001]) and all-cause death (0.3% vs. 0.9% [P=0.04]; aHR 0.30, 95% CI 0.07-0.93 [P=0.04]) were significantly lower in the radial than femoral group. There were no significant differences in the 30-day incidence and adjusted risk for major bleeding (0.5% vs. 1.0% [P=0.09]; aHR 0.68, 95% CI 0.30-1.45 [P=0.33]) or all-cause death (0.1% vs. 0.1% [P=0.96]; aHR 1.51, 95% CI 0.19-9.54 [P=0.67]) between the radial and femoral approaches in the non-HBR group., Conclusions: Compared with transfemoral PCI, transradial PCI was associated with lower risk for 30-day major bleeding and mortality in HBR but not non-HBR patients.

Background: Despite its recommendation by the current guidelines, the role of long-term oral beta-blocker therapy has never been evaluated by randomized trials in uncomplicated ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients without heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction or ventricular arrhythmia who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods and Results: In a multi-center, open-label, randomized controlled trial, STEMI patients with successful primary PCI within 24 hours from the onset and with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥40% were randomly assigned in a 1-to-1 fashion either to the carvedilol group or to the no beta-blocker group within 7 days after primary PCI. The primary endpoint is a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for heart failure, and hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome. Between August 2010 and May 2014, 801 patients were randomly assigned to the carvedilol group (N = 399) or the no beta-blocker group (N = 402) at 67 centers in Japan. The carvedilol dose was up-titrated from 3.4±2.1 mg at baseline to 6.3±4.3 mg at 1-year. During median follow-up of 3.9 years with 96.4% follow-up, the cumulative 3-year incidences of both the primary endpoint and any coronary revascularization were not significantly different between the carvedilol and no beta-blocker groups (6.8% and 7.9%, P = 0.20, and 20.3% and 17.7%, P = 0.65, respectively). There also was no significant difference in LVEF at 1-year between the 2 groups (60.9±8.4% and 59.6±8.8%, P = 0.06)., Conclusion: Long-term carvedilol therapy added on the contemporary evidence-based medications did not seem beneficial in selected STEMI patients treated with primary PCI., Trial Registration: CAPITAL-RCT (Carvedilol Post-Intervention Long-Term Administration in Large-scale Randomized Controlled Trial) ClinicalTrials.gov.number, NCT 01155635., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Previous intravascular ultrasound studies suggested the association of stent underexpansion with increased risk of stent thrombosis and restenosis. However, no previous study has addressed the association of the suboptimal angiographic result with target-lesion revascularization (TLR) in patients receiving new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES)., Methods and Results: RESET (Randomized evaluation of sirolimus-eluting versus everolimus-eluting stent trial) and NEXT (NOBORI biolimus-eluting versus XIENCE/PROMUS everolimus-eluting stent trial) are prospective, multicenter, randomized "DES versus DES" trials; 3196 patients and 3235 patients were enrolled in the RESET and NEXT, respectively. Using the pooled individual patient-level data, the current study population consisted of 3679 patients who received single-lesion treatment using new-generation DES such as everolimus-eluting stent and biolimus-eluting stent. The study population was divided into 3 groups according to the residual in-stent % diameter stenosis (%DS) after stent implantation by offline quantitative coronary angiography assessed in a core angiographic laboratory (optimal group: %DS <10%, intermediate group: %DS=10% to 20%, suboptimal group: %DS ≧20%). The cumulative 3-year incidence of TLR was significantly higher in the suboptimal group than in the intermediate and optimal groups (9.8% versus 5.8% versus 5.7%, log-rank P =0.004). Even after adjusting for the clinical, angiographic, and procedural characteristics, the excess TLR risk of the suboptimal group relative to the optimal group remained significant (hazard ratio: 1.65, 95% confidence interval, 1.14-2.41, P =0.009). The excess TLR risk of the suboptimal group relative to the optimal group was consistently seen across all the subgroups including heavy calcification., Conclusions: The residual angiographic in-stent %DS ≥20% was associated with increased risk for TLR in patients treated with the new-generation DES., (© 2018 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.)

Background: The main drawback of current available drug coated balloons (DCB) is that a certain percentage of the coated drug is lost in the bloodstream during its delivery to the target lesion. We integrated the nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery technology and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a new excipient to facilitate an efficient drug delivery and uptake by endothelial cells. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the new DCB., Method and Results: The novel DCB were coated with 5.6mg of paclitaxel-incorporated nanoparticles using PDMS. The efficacy of the new DCB was examined in rabbit iliac stent model (n=12) and in the swine in-stent restenosis model (n=8) by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). At 28days follow-up in the swine in-stent restenosis model, the area stenosis was significantly lower in DCB group as compared with that of the control group in OCT analysis (0.31±0.05 vs 0.49±0.06, p=0.04) though there was no significant differences observed in the rabbit iliac stent model in QCA and OCT analysis., Conclusion: The study results indicated that the paclitaxel-incorporated nanoparticle-coated balloon using PDMS has an inhibitory effect for the proliferation of smooth muscle cell in a swine coronary in-stent restenosis model., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), QRS score at presentation ECG may reflect the progression of infarction and facilitate prediction of the degree of myocardial salvage achieved by reperfusion therapy.Methods and Results:Admission electrocardiogram (ECG) was studied in 2,607 patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 24 h of symptom onset. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to QRS score: low (0-3, n=1,227), intermediate (4-7, n=810), and high (≥8, n=570). An increase of infarct size estimated by median peak creatine phosphokinase was observed as QRS score increased (low score, 1,836 IU/L; inter-quartile range (IQR), 979-3,190 IU/L; intermediate score, 2,488 IU/L; IQR, 1,126-4,640 IU/L; high score, 3,454 IU/L; IQR, 1,759-5,639 IU/L; P<0.001). Higher QRS score was associated with higher long-term mortality (low, intermediate, and high score, 15.6%, 19.7%, and 23.7% at 5 years, respectively; log-rank P<0.001). The positive relationship of QRS score with mortality was consistently seen when stratified by infarct location. The association of high QRS score with increased mortality was most remarkably seen in patients with early (≤2 h) presentation (low, intermediate, and high score: 16.7%, 16.6%, and 28.1% at 5 years, respectively; log-rank P<0.001)., Conclusions: Higher QRS score at presentation ECG was associated with larger infarct size, and higher long-term mortality in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. QRS score appears to be important in the early risk stratification for STEMI.

Aims: We sought to investigate the clinical impact of chronic total occlusion (CTO) in a non-infarct-related artery (IRA) on long-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)., Methods and Results: Among 5,429 patients enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto AMI registry, the current study population consisted of 2,045 STEMI patients with multivessel disease (MVD) who underwent primary PCI within 24 hours after symptom onset. The cumulative five-year, 30-day and 30-day to five-year incidences of all-cause death were all significantly higher in the CTO group than in the non-CTO group (37.0% versus 22.0%, log-rank p<0.0001, 12.8% versus 6.3%, log-rank p<0.0001, and 28.2% versus 16.8%, log-rank p<0.0001, respectively). The adjusted risk for all-cause death in the CTO group was significantly higher during the entire five years, during the initial 30 days, and beyond 30 days and up to five years (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-1.84, p=0.0009; HR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.04-2.13, p=0.03; and HR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.23-2.07, p=0.0006, respectively)., Conclusions: CTO in a non-IRA was associated with increased five-year mortality in STEMI patients with MVD. This was consistently seen even after excluding early deaths within 30 days of the index STEMI event.

Background: In the setting of elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided PCI is associated with a reduction in the incidence of target vessel revascularization (TVR), but the impact of IVUS on long-term clinical outcome in the setting of emergency PCI for ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) is still unclear., Methods and results: The subjects consisted of 3,028 STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI within 24 h of symptom onset in the CREDO-Kyoto acute myocardial infarction registry. Of these, 932 patients (31%) underwent IVUS-guided PCI. Compared with the angiography-guided PCI without IVUS, IVUS-guided PCI was associated with significantly lower incidences of TVR (primary outcome measure; 22% vs. 27%, log-rank P<0.001) and definite stent thrombosis (ST; 1.2% vs. 3.1%, log-rank P=0.003). The cumulative incidence of all-cause death was not significantly different between the 2 groups. After adjusting for confounders, however, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups in risk for TVR (adjusted HR, 1.14; 95% CI: 0.86-1.51, P=0.38) and definite ST (adjusted HR, 0.58; 95% CI: 0.19-1.72, P=0.33)., Conclusions: IVUS-guided PCI was not associated with a lower risk for TVR or ST in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for anomalous coronary arteries is often difficult because the support provided by the guide catheter is insufficient. We encountered a patient with severe three-vessel coronary disease including a totally occluded anomalous right coronary artery (RCA) originating from the left sinus of Valsalva. Initial PCI for the anomalous RCA via the transradial approach failed. Therefore, we constructed a three-dimensional (3D) aortocoronary model and conducted an in vitro simulation to plan the second PCI and found that a Judkins left (JL) 3.5 guide catheter in the power position yielded maximum backup support for the anomalous RCA. Thus, the second PCI was conducted using an 8 Fr JL 3.5 guide catheter in the power position via the transfemoral approach. The procedure was smooth and successful, without any adverse events. Our experience suggests that case-specific 3D models are useful for strategic planning of complex PCIs.

Living alone was reported to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. There are, however, limited data on the relation between living alone and all-cause mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The Coronary REvascularization Demonstrating Outcome Study in Kyoto (CREDO-Kyoto) AMI registry was a cohort study of patients with AMI enrolled in 26 hospitals in Japan from 2005 through 2007. For the current analysis, we included those patients who underwent PCI within 24 hours of symptom onset, and we assessed their living status to determine if living alone would be an independent prognostic risk factor. Among 4,109 patients eligible for the current analysis of 5,429 patients enrolled in the CREDO-Kyoto AMI registry, 515 patients (12.5%) were living alone at the time of hospital admission. The cumulative 5-year incidence of all-cause death was 18.3% in the living alone group and 20.1% in the not living alone group (log-rank p = 0.77). After adjusting for potential confounders, risk of the living alone group relative to the not living alone group for all-cause death was not significantly different (adjusted hazard ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.65 to 1.02, p = 0.08). In a subgroup analysis stratified by age, the adjusted risk for all-cause death was also not different between the living alone group and the not living alone group both in the older population (aged ≥75 years) and the younger population (aged <75 years). In conclusion, living alone was not associated with higher long-term mortality in patients with AMI who underwent PCI., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)