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The article discusses a study of the role of high residual platelet reactivity (HRPR) after clopidogrel loading as a prognostic marker of long-term thrombotic events risk in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) patients undergoing an invasive procedure and receiving long-term anti-thrombotic treatment. The study involved 1,789 patients at the Careggi Hospital Division of Cardiology in Florence, Italy from April 2005 to April 2009. There was a 14% incidence of high residual platelet reactivity after clopidogrel loading. Results show a link between high residual platelet reactivity and cardiac mortality. One of the study limitations was the use of data from a prospective nonrandomized registry.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prognostic impact of successful chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and completeness of revascularization in the elderly., Background: Successful CTO-PCI is associated with clinical benefit. Notwithstanding elderly patients are currently underrepresented in CTO-PCI randomized controlled trials and registries., Methods: From the Florence CTO-PCI registry 1,405 patients underwent CTO-PCI between 2004 and 2015; out of these, 460 consecutive patients were ≥75 years. End point of the study was long-term cardiac survival. The prognostic impact of successful CTO-PCI and complete revascularization on survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier estimation and by Cox multivariable regression analysis., Results: Patients were stratified according to success (72%) or failure of CTO-PCI. Completeness of revascularization was achieved in 57% of patients. Five-year cardiac survival was significantly higher in the successful CTO-PCI group (84 ± 3% vs. 72 ± 6%; p = .006) and it was further improved if complete coronary revascularization was achieved (90 ± 3% vs. 68 ± 5%; p < .001). At multivariable analysis, increasing age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.08; p = .001), diabetes (HR 1.55; p = .033), chronic kidney disease (HR 1.96, p = .002), left ventricular ejection fraction <0.40 (HR 2.10; p < .001), and completeness of revascularization (HR 0.58; p < .005) resulted independently associated with long-term cardiac survival., Conclusions: In the elderly successful CTO-PCI is associated with a long-term survival benefit. The results of this study suggest that, even in the elderly, a CTO-PCI attempt should be considered to achieve complete coronary revascularization., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objectives: We sought to investigate the prognostic impact of rheolytic thrombectomy (RT) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS)., Background: Very few data exist on thrombus removal before stenting in patients with AMI and CS treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods: Of 4023 patients who underwent PCI for AMI between 1995 and 2012, we focused on 371 patients presenting with CS at admission and separated them into two groups: the first included 63 patients treated with RT (RT group), and the remaining 308 underwent standard PCI (non-RT group). The primary endpoint was the composite of cardiac death, reinfarction, stroke, and target-vessel revascularization (TVR) at 2-year follow-up (MACE)., Results: The primary endpoint rate was lower in the RT-group (57.1% RT vs 70.8% non-RT; P=.04). The difference between groups was driven by a lower TVR rate (9.5% RT vs 23.4% non-RT; P=.02) and reinfarction (1.6% RT vs 9.1% non-RT; P=.04), while no difference between groups was revealed in mortality (46.0% RT vs 49.4% non-RT; P=.68) or stroke rate (1.6% RT vs 3.2% non-RT; P=.70). At multivariable analysis, the variables related to the risk of the primary endpoint were age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.036; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.022-1.048; P<.001), three-vessel disease (HR, 1.504; 95% CI, 1.163-1.946; P=.01), RT (HR, 0.689; 95% CI, 0.476-0.998; P=.049), and successful primary PCI (HR, 0.367; 95% CI, 0.266-0.505; P<.001)., Conclusion: RT reduces 2-year MACE rate in patients with large thrombus burden and AMI complicated by CS.

Doxycycline has been demonstrated to reduced left ventricular (LV) remodeling, but its effect in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and a baseline occluded [thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade ≤1] infarct-related artery (IRA) is unknown. According to the baseline TIMI flow grade, 110 patients with a first STEMI were divided into 2 groups. Group 1: 77 patients with TIMI flow ≤1 (40 patients treated with doxycycline and 37 with standard therapy, respectively), and a Group 2: 33 patients with TIMI flow 2-3 (15 patients treated with doxycycline and 18 with standard therapy, respectively). The two randomized groups were well matched in baseline characteristics. A 2D-Echo was performed at baseline and at 6 months, together with a coronary angiography, for the remodeling and IRA patency assessment, respectively. The LV end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVi) decreased in Group 2 [-3 mL/m(2) (IQR: -12 to 4 mL/m(2))], and increased in Group 1 [6 mL/m(2) (IQR: -2 to 14 mL/m(2))], (p = 0.001). In Group 2, LVEDVi reduction was similar regardless of drug therapy, while in Group 1 the LVEDVi was smaller in patients treated with doxycycline as compared to control [3 mL/m(2) (IQR: -3 to 8 mL/m(2)) vs. 10 mL/m(2) (IQR: 1-27 mL/m(2)), p = 0.006]. A similar pattern was observed also for LV end-systolic volume and ejection fraction. In STEMI patients at higher risk, as those with a baseline TIMI flow grade ≤1, doxycycline reduces LV remodeling.

There is a lack of clarity concerning the clinical implications of myocardial injury occurring after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, degree, and timing of myocardial injury associated with TAVI procedures and to evaluate its 1-year prognostic value. Among 68 consecutive patients (mean age 80.9 ± 6.4 years) treated with TAVI, 3 patients who died within 24 hours, precluding cardiac biomarker measurements, and 3 patients with major procedural complications were excluded. Cardiac troponin I, creatine kinase-MB, and creatinine levels were determined at baseline and 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after TAVI. All complications were defined according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium. Myocardial injury was observed in all patients (n = 62), as determined by an increase in cardiac troponin I (median peak at 12 hours 3.8 μg/L, interquartile range 1.8 to 25.67), and a higher degree of myocardial injury was observed in patients (n = 9) who developed acute kidney injury (AKI) (p = 0.026). Periprocedural myocardial infarction was not found. At 1-year follow-up, 5 patients had died, and 7 patients had been hospitalized for heart failure. The development of AKI, not the degree of peak cardiac troponin I (p = 0.348), was identified as the only strong independent predictor of 1-year mortality from any cause (including heart failure) after TAVI (hazard ratio 4.74, 95% confidence interval 1.12 to 20.03, p = 0.034). In conclusion, TAVI was systematically associated with myocardial injury, occurring with a higher degree in patients who developed AKI. However, the simultaneous development of AKI occurring after TAVI is the strongest predictor of 1-year mortality., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recent guidelines have recommended the use of aspirin and prasugrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. However, prasugrel use has been evaluated only in randomized trials. This study sought to evaluate bleeding rates and adherence to treatment in "real-world" patients treated with prasugrel. In total 298 consecutive patients 68 ± 10 years old (31% >75 years old) underwent stent implantation and received prasugrel therapy. Indications to prasugrel therapy were (1) ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (41%), (2) drug-eluting stent implantation in diabetics (24%), (3) stent thrombosis (3%), (4) left main coronary artery drug-eluting stent implantation (6%), and (5) percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with high residual platelet reactivity on clopidogrel therapy (26%). All patients received a loading of prasugrel 60 mg. Patients ≥75 years old and with body weight ≤60 kg received a maintenance dose of 5 mg/day (10 mg/day for all the other patients). Follow-up data including adherence to prasugrel therapy were collected by telephone interviews or outpatient visits. Minimal follow-up length was 6 months (mean 9 ± 3). Major, minor, and minimal bleedings (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction criteria) occurred in 2.7%, 4.7%, and 15.1% of enrolled patients. Low residual platelet reactivity (p = 0.001) and female gender (p = 0.29) were independent predictors of bleeding events. The most frequent minimal bleeding event was epistaxis. Only 8 patients (2.7%) permanently discontinued prasugrel therapy because of bleeding events (n = 4), possible side effects (n = 2), or medical decisions not associated with bleeding or side effects (n = 2). Fourteen patients (4.7%) temporarily discontinued prasugrel (average 6.5 days) mainly because of surgical procedures. No definite or probable stent thrombosis occurred, although 3 patients develop de novo myocardial infarction and 1 an ischemic stroke. There were 11 deaths because of heart failure or refractory cardiogenic shock in 9, pulmonary embolism in 1, and cancer in 1. In conclusion, in clinical practice, major and minor bleeding event rates associated with prasugrel therapy are comparable to those reported in controlled randomized trials. The minimal bleeding event rate is higher than reported but does not seem to affect adherence to treatment., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There are very few (and conflicting) data about the effectiveness of primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) for stent thrombosis (ST) treatment. We sought to evaluate the prevalence, efficacy, and outcomes of primary PCI in patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) due to ST in 2,464 consecutive patients treated by primary PCI. ST was the cause of STEMI in 67 patients (3%). Patients with ST showed a lower rate of significant collateral circulation (0% vs 6%, p = 0.034) and a higher peak creatine kinase value (2,678 +/- 3,221 vs 2,375 +/- 2,189 U/L, p = 0.003) compared with the other 2,397 patients with STEMI. PCI was successful in 64 patients (96%) in the ST group and consisted of additional stenting (78%) or only balloon angioplasty (22%). Abciximab and rheolytic thrombectomy were used in 75% and 31% of patients, respectively. Procedure (39 +/- 26 vs 32 +/- 19 minutes, p = 0.0001) and fluoroscopy (13 +/- 10 vs 10 +/- 8 minutes, p = 0.0001) times were longer, and contrast medium amount (221 +/- 89 vs 194 +/- 103 ml, p = 0.034) larger in patients with ST compared with patients with de novo STEMI. Six-month death (12% vs 8%, p = 0.216) and nonfatal reinfarction (10% vs 1%, p = 0.0001) rates were higher in patients with ST compared with those without. At 6-month angiographic follow-up (n = 1,843 of 2,269), the restenosis/reocclusion rate was 54% versus 17% (p = 0.0001) in patients with and without ST. In conclusion, the prevalence of primary PCI for ST is low. Additional stenting with or without thrombectomy is effective in restoring vessel patency in patients with ST, but restenosis and reocclusion are frequent. ST treated with successful PCI is associated with a large infarct and poor outcome.