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Background: In the current era of mechanical circulatory support, limited data are available on prognosis of cardiogenic shock (CS) caused by various diseases. We investigated the characteristics and predictors of in-hospital mortality in Korean patients with CS. Methods: The RESCUE study (Retrospective and Prospective Observational Study to Investigate Clinical Outcomes and Efficacy of Left Ventricular Assist Device for Korean Patients With CS) is a multicenter, retrospective, and prospective registry of patients that presented with CS. Between January 2014 and December 2018, 1247 patients with CS were enrolled from 12 major centers in Korea. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results: In-hospital mortality rate was 33.6%. The main causes of shock were ischemic heart disease (80.7%), dilated cardiomyopathy (6.1%), myocarditis (3.2%), and nonischemic ventricular arrhythmia (2.5%). Vasopressors were used in 1081 patients (86.7%). The most frequently used vasopressor was dopamine (63.4%) followed by norepinephrine (57.3%). An intraaortic balloon pump was used in 314 patients (25.2%) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenator in 496 patients (39.8%). In multivariable analysis, age ≥70years (odds ratio [OR], 2.73 [95% CI, 1.89–3.94], P 2 (OR, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.08–2.16], P =0.017), cardiac arrest at presentation (OR, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.44–3.23], P 80 (OR, 3.55 [95% CI, 2.54–4.95], P P P P =0.020), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (OR, 1.85 [95% CI, 1.25–2.76], P =0.002) were independent predictors for in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: The in-hospital mortality of patients with CS remains high despite the high utilization of mechanical circulatory support. Age, low body mass index, cardiac arrest at presentation, amount of vasopressor, and advanced organ failure requiring various support devices were poor prognostic factors for in-hospital mortality. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02985008.

Limited data are available on the association between low-flow time and survival in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) who undergo extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). We evaluated data from 183 IHCA patients who underwent ECPR as a rescue procedure. Patients were divided into two groups: patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as an adjunct to standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation for less than 38 min (n = 110) or for longer than 38 min (n = 73). The ECPR ≤ 38 min group had a significantly greater incidence of survival to discharge compared to the ECPR &gt, 38 min group (40.0% versus 24.7%, p = 0.032). The incidence of good neurologic outcomes at discharge tended to be greater in the ECPR ≤ 38 min group than in the ECPR &gt, 38 min group (35.5% versus 24.7%, p = 0.102). The incidences of limb ischemia (p = 0.354) and stroke (p = 0.805) were similar between the two groups, but major bleeding occurred less frequently in the ECPR ≤ 38 min group compared to the ECPR &gt, 38 min group (p = 0.002). Low-flow time ≤ 38 min may reduce the risk of mortality and fatal neurologic damage and could be a measure of optimal management in patients with IHCA.

Elderly patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have a higher risk of both ischemic and bleeding complications than younger patients. However, few studies have reported how genetic information of elderly patients treated with PCI affects clinical outcomes. We investigated the impact of genetic variants on clinical outcomes in elderly patients. Correlations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (CYP2C19 and P2Y12 receptor gene G52T polymorphism) and clinical outcomes were analyzed in 811 elderly patients (≥75 years of age) from a prospective multicenter registry. The primary endpoint was a composite of myocardial infarction and death. Secondary endpoints were an individual event of death, cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, target lesion revascularization, stroke, and major bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium ≥3). Regarding CYP2C19, patients with poor metabolizers had a significantly higher risk for the primary endpoint (hazard ratio [HR] 2.43; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.12-5.24; p=0.024) and secondary endpoints (death and cardiac death). Regarding P2Y12 G52T, the TT group had a significantly higher occurrence of major bleeding than the other groups (HR 3.87; 95% CI 1.41-10.68; p=0.009). In conclusion, poor metabolizers of CYP2C19 and TT groups of P2Y12 G52T may be significant predictors of poor clinical outcomes in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE We investigated the gender difference in the 5-year outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using an unselected population data. BACKGROUND Sex-specific outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is not consistent among studies. METHODS A total of 48,783 patients were enrolled from a Korean nationwide cohort of PCI in year 2011. Outcomes adjusted with age and propensity for clinical characteristics were compared. Primary outcome was 5-year cumulative incidence of all-cause death. Nonfatal major adverse clinical event (MACE) consisting of revascularization, shock, or stroke was also assessed. RESULTS In unadjusted analysis, women were older and had higher frequency of comorbidities including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes compared to men (p

Background Myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) has recently been accepted as a predictor of mortality. However, sex differences in the incidence of MINS and survival thereafter are not fully understood. This study aimed to compare the incidence of MINS and mortality among male and female patients. Methods This single-center study was conducted using the database of a large tertiary referral hospital. Consecutive patients with cardiac troponin (cTn) detected within 30 days after non-cardiac surgery performed between January 2010 and June 2019 were grouped according to sex. The incidence of MINS and mortality of patients with MINS were compared between men and women. Results Of the 33,311 patients, 18,546 (55.7%) were men and 14,765 (44.3%) were women. In a multivariable analysis, women showed a significantly lower incidence of MINS than did men (17.9% vs. 14.2%; odds ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71–0.81; P P Conclusion The incidence of MINS was lower in women than in men. In patients with MINS, female sex may be associated with a survival benefit. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the causality and pathological mechanism underlying the association between old age and myocardial injury in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We evaluated the association between old age and myocardial injury in STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). METHODS A total of 279 patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI and CMR were enrolled. Of these, 52 patients were over the age of 70 years (18.6%, Age ≥70 group) and 227 patients were under the age of 70 years (81.4%, Age

Resumen Introduccion y objetivos No hay directrices sobre el tratamiento optimo de la rama secundaria (RS) en lesiones en bifurcacion del tronco coronario izquierdo (TCI). Metodos Ensayo clinico aleatorizado, multicentrico y abierto que comparo una estrategia conservadora frente a una agresiva para el abordaje de la RS durante la intervencion percutanea en lesiones bifurcadas del TCI. Aunque se diseno para incluir a 700 pacientes, se termino prematuramente debido a la baja tasa de reclutamiento. Se trataron 160 lesiones en bifurcacion no verdaderas mediante implante de 1 stent sin inflado simultaneo de balones (tecnica conservadora) o con la tecnica de 1 stent con inflado simultaneo de balones obligatorio (estrategia agresiva). En 46 bifurcaciones verdaderas del TCI, se realizo un abordaje escalonado con estrategia conservadora (colocacion del stent en el vaso principal y dilatacion con balon de la RS si la estenosis residual era > 75%, y despues implante de stent en la RS si la estenosis residual era > 50% o diseccion). El tratamiento electivo de 2 stents se uso como estrategia agresiva. El objetivo primario de fallo en la lesion diana fue el compuesto de muerte cardiaca, infarto de miocardio o revascularizacion de la lesion diana. Resultados Entre las bifurcaciones no verdaderas, en el grupo tratado mediante estrategia conservadora, se utilizo una cantidad de contraste significativamente menor que con la estrategia agresiva. No hubo diferencias en el objetivo primario al ano entre las 2 estrategias en las lesiones en bifurcacion no verdaderas (el 6,5 frente al 4,9%; HRa = 1,31; IC95%, 0,35-4,88; p = 0,687) y las bifurcaciones verdaderas (el 17,6 frente al 21,7%; HRa = 0,76; IC95%, 0,20-2,83; p = 0,683). Conclusiones En pacientes con lesiones del TCI en bifurcacion, la estrategia conservadora en el tratamiento provisional de la RS tuvo un riesgo de fallo en la lesion diana al ano similar al de una estrategia agresiva.

BackgroundPerioperative blood glucose level has shown an association with postoperative outcomes. We compared the incidences of myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS) and 30-day mortality according to preoperative blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level.methodsThe patients were divided according to blood glucose level within one day before surgery. The poorly-controlled group was defined with fasting glucose > 140 mg/dl or random glucose > 180 mg/dl. Additionally, we compared the outcomes according to HbA1c > 6.5% among patients with available HbA1c within 3 months before surgery. The primary outcome was MINS, and 30-day mortality was also compared.ResultsA total of 12,304 patients was enrolled and divided into 8,324 (67.7%) in the well-controlled group and 3,980 (32.3%) in the poorly-controlled group. After adjustment with inverse probability of weighting, the poorly-controlled group exhibited significantly higher incidences of MINS and 30-day mortality (18.7% vs. 27.6%; odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18–1.42; P P Trial registration: KCT0004244

Background Few studies have investigated optimal revascularization strategies in non–ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction with multivessel disease. We investigated 3‐year clinical outcomes according to revascularization strategy in patients with non–ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease. Methods and Results This retrospective, observational, multicenter study included patients with non–ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease without cardiogenic shock. Data were analyzed at 3 years according to the percutaneous coronary intervention strategy: culprit‐only revascularization (COR), 1‐stage multivessel revascularization (MVR), and multistage MVR. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACE: a composite of all‐cause death, nonfatal spontaneous myocardial infarction, or any repeat revascularization). The COR group had a higher risk of MACE than those involving other strategies (COR versus 1‐stage MVR; hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.54–0.77; P P =0.027). There was no significant difference in the incidence of MACE between 1‐stage and multistage MVR (hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.86–1.51; P =0.355). The results were consistent after multivariate regression, propensity score matching, inverse probability weighting, and Bayesian proportional hazards modeling. In subgroup analyses stratified by the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events score, 1‐stage MVR lowered the risk of MACE compared with multistage MVR in low‐to‐intermediate risk patients but not in patients at high risk. Conclusions MVR reduced 3‐year MACE in patients with non–ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease compared with COR. However, 1‐stage MVR was not superior to multistage MVR for reducing MACE except in low‐to‐intermediate risk patients.

Background Although there is an increase in the use of mechanical circulatory support devices to rescue patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by refractory cardiogenic shock (CS), the optimal timing of the application remains controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between venoarterial-extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) insertion before and after coronary revascularization in AMI patients with refractory CS.Methods and Results:A total of 253 patients with AMI who underwent revascularization therapy with VA-ECMO were included. The study population was stratified into extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) before revascularization (N=106, reference cohort) and refractory CS without E-CPR before revascularization (n=147, comparison cohort). Patients with refractory CS but without E-CPR before revascularization were further divided into VA-ECMO before revascularization (N=50) and VA-ECMO after revascularization (n=97). The primary endpoint was a composite of in-hospital mortality, left ventricular assist device implantation, and heart transplantation. The primary endpoint occurred in 60 patients (40.8%) of the comparison cohort and 51 patients (48.1%) of the reference cohort. Among the comparison cohort, the primary endpoint was significantly lower in VA-ECMO before revascularization than in VA-ECMO after revascularization (32.0% vs. 49.5%, OR 0.480, 95% CI 0.235-0.982, P=0.045). A similar trend was observed after a 1-year follow up. Conclusions Early initiation of VA-ECMO before revascularization therapy might improve clinical outcomes in patients with AMI complicated by refractory CS.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the association between improvement in exercise capacity and functional completeness of revascularization, determined by residual functional SYNTAX score (rFSS), which is the sum of residual SYNTAX score of the vessels with post- percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) quantitative flow ratio (QFR) ≤0.80. BACKGROUND In patients with stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD), the efficacy of PCI in improving exercise capacity has been under debate and the differential effect of PCI for exercise capacity, according to functional completeness of revascularization, has not been evaluated. METHODS Among patients enrolled in the QFR multicenter registry, 110 patients who underwent routine exercise treadmill tests before and after PCI were analyzed. Patients were classified into functional complete revascularization (CR) group (rFSS = 0) and functional incomplete revascularization (IR) group (rFSS ≥ 1). Increase of exercise time after PCI was compared between the two groups. Improvement of exercise capacity was defined as ≥10% increase of exercise time after PCI. RESULTS Functional CR was achieved in 79 patients (71.8%), otherwise classified as functional IR in 31 patients (28.2%) without differences in baseline characteristics including medication profiles. Increase of exercise time was significantly associated with increase of 3-vessel QFR (sum of QFRs in all three vessels; r = .198, p = .038) and rFSS (r = -.312, p

Background Dust storms affect human health by impairing visibility and promoting interactions with microscopic organisms, such as bacteria and fungi. Although ST-elevation MI (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI) differ mechanistically, few studies have investigated the incidence of cardiovascular diseases according to infarction type; these studies have yielded inconsistent findings. This study aimed to examine whether PM size (2.5) and 10)) modifies the effect of Asian dust on acute myocardial infarction (AMI), with separate analyses for STEMI and NSTEMI. Methods MI-related data from 9934 emergency visits were collected from the Korea AMI Registry from 2005 to 2017. Asian dust events were defined as days with visibility of ≤10 km. Generalized linear models were used to analyze data with natural cubic splines. To examine potential modifiers, analyses were stratified by age, smoking status, and body mass index (BMI). Results No significant associations were observed between Asian dust and AMI. By adjusting for different lag structures, a significant effect was exclusively observed in STEMI. For moving average lags, the largest value at lag 5 (relative risk [RR] 1.083; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.007–1.166) for single and lags 0–7 (RR 1.067; 95% CI: 1.002–1.136) was observed for PM2.5; for PM10, the largest significant effect was observed at lag 4 (RR 1.075; 95% CI: 1.010–1.144) for single and lags 0–7 (RR 1.067; 95% CI: 1.002–1.136). RRs were significantly higher in Conclusions Reducing PM2.5 and PM10 emissions, particularly during the days of Asian dust, may be crucial and reduce STEMI and AMI incidence among

Background Limited data are available on the impact of a specialized extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) team on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS). This study evaluated whether specialized ECMO team is associated with improved in-hospital mortality in AMI patients undergoing veno-arterial (VA) ECMO. Methods A total of 255 AMI patients who underwent VA-ECMO were included. In January 2014, a multidisciplinary ECMO team was founded at our institution. Eligible patients were classified into a pre-ECMO team group (n = 131) and a post-ECMO team group (n = 124). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results In-hospital mortality (pre-ECMO team vs. post-ECMO team, 54.2% vs. 33.9%; p = 0.002) and cardiac intensive care unit mortality (pre-ECMO team vs. post-ECMO team, 51.9% vs. 30.6%; p = 0.001) were significantly lower after the implementation of a multidisciplinary ECMO team. On multivariable logistic regression model, implementation of the multidisciplinary ECMO team was associated with reduction of in-hospital mortality [odds ratio: 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20–0.67; p = 0.001]. Incidence of all-cause mortality [58.3% vs. 35.2%; hazard ratio (HR): 0.49, 95% CI 0.34–0.72; p p = 0.003) at 6 months of follow-up were also significantly lower in the post-ECMO team group than in the pre-ECMO team group. Conclusions Implementation of a multidisciplinary ECMO team was associated with improved clinical outcomes in AMI patients complicated by CS. Our data support that a specialized ECMO team is indispensable for improving outcomes in patients with AMI complicated by CS.

Background Limited data are available on the clinical meaning of early routine exercise treadmill testing (ETT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the drug-eluting stent era. We aimed to determine the clinical utility and implications of early routine ETT after PCI. Methods This was a single-center, prospective cohort study. A total of 776 patients underwent ETT within 3 months after index PCI were analyzed. We classified patients into ETT positive (+) and negative (−) groups and compared major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and coronary revascularization. Results The median follow-up duration was 19.6 months (interquartile range, 15.4 to 33.5 months). ETT was positive for 63 patients (17.1%) with single-vessel disease (VD) and 150 patients (36.9%) with multi-VD. Previous PCI, absence of thrombotic lesion, multi-VD, and residual Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score > 8 were independent predictors of ETT (+). Compared with the ETT (−) group, the ETT (+) group was associated with increased risk of MACE for patients with single-VD (18.1% vs. 52.3%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–6.49; P = 0.03) and residual SYNTAX score ≤ 8 (26.5% vs. 42.1%; adjusted HR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.09–3.30; P = 0.02), but not for patients with multi-VD and residual SYNTAX score > 8. Conclusion Early routine ETT after PCI might be helpful for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with single-VD and residual SYNTAX score ≤ 8 but not multi-VD and residual SYNTAX score > 8., Graphical Abstract

Aims The current study sought to evaluate whether long-term clinical outcomes according to the use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) or single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) differed between acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable ischaemic heart disease (SIHD) patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). Methods and results Between January 2001 and December 2017, 3199 patients with ACS (55.3%) and 2583 with SIHD (44.7%) who underwent isolated CABG were enrolled. The study population was stratified using DAPT or SAPT in ACS patients and SIHD patients. The primary outcome was a cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction (MI) at 5 years. After CABG, DAPT was more frequently used in patients with ACS than in those with SIHD [n = 1960 (61.3%) vs. n = 1313 (50.8%), P Conclusion Among ACS patients who underwent CABG, the use of DAPT was associated with lower cardiovascular death or MI than the use of SAPT, but this was not the case in SIHD patients. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03870815.

We sought to evaluate the diagnostic performance of contrast quantitative flow ratio (cQFR) in all-comer patients with coronary artery disease, and to compare the vessel-oriented composite outcomes (VOCO) according to cQFR values.599 vessels with 452 patients who underwent clinically indicated fractional flow reserve (FFR) and cQFR measurement were evaluated. The cQFR, derived from 3-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography combined with TIMI frame-counts was compared with FFR as a reference standard. The risk of VOCO at 2 years, a composite of cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization, was compared according to cQFR and FFR value.cQFR strongly correlated with FFR (r=0.860, p0.001) and showed diagnostic accuracy of 91.2% to predict FFR≤0.80. cQFR showed significantly higher c-index to predict FFR≤0.80 (0.953, 95%CI 0.937-0.969) than %DS, percent area stenosis, resting distal coronary pressure/aortic pressure, and fixed QFR (p0.001). Diagnostic accuracy of cQFR was not different according to various subgroups including non-culprit vessel of acute coronary syndrome and diabetes mellitus. Vessels with low cQFR (≤0.80) showed a significantly higher risk of VOCO at 2-year compared to those with high cQFR (0.80) (HR 4.650, 95%CI 1.254-17.240, p=0.022). Discriminatory ability of cQFR for VOCO was similar with that of FFR (0.672 vs. 0.643, p=0.147).cQFR showed excellent correlation and diagnostic accuracy with FFR in diverse clinical presentations or patient characteristics. Low cQFR was significantly associated with a higher risk of VOCO at 2 years compared with high cQFR and cQFR showed similar discriminatory ability for VOCO with FFR.

Background: Although the current guidelines endorse the PRECISE-DAPT score (Predicting Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Stent Implantation and Subsequent Dual Antiplatelet Therapy) to inform clinical decisions regarding duration of DAPT in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, use of the PRECISE-DAPT score to guide duration of DAPT has not been properly validated by randomized trials focused on the population with acute coronary syndrome. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the PRECISE-DAPT score for predicting future bleeding and ischemic events and to compare clinical outcomes of short-term and long-term DAPT duration according to the PRECISE-DAPT score in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods: This was a substudy of the SMART-DATE trial (6- Versus 12-Month or Longer Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome), in which patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly assigned to either 6- (n=1357) or 12-month or longer DAPT (n=1355). Major bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 3–5) and ischemic (myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, or ischemic stroke) events at 18 months after the index procedure were compared between the 6- and 12-month or longer DAPT groups, according to PRECISE-DAPT score. Results: The PRECISE-DAPT score was moderately effective at predicting bleeding events (area under the curve, 0.754 [95% CI, 0.655–0.854]; P P =0.040; absolute risk difference, +1.3%; P =0.035) with similar bleeding risk (0.4% versus 0.3%; HR, 2.00 [95% CI, 0.37–10.94]; P =0.422; absolute risk difference, +0.2%; P =0.498), compared with 12-month or longer DAPT. Among patients with high PRECISE-DAPT score (≥25, n=745 [27.5%]), 6-month DAPT presented a similar ischemic risk (4.8% versus 3.4%; HR, 1.43 [95% CI, 0.68–2.98], P =0.348; absolute risk difference, +1.5%; P =0.327) but significantly reduced major bleeding risk (0.6% versus 2.3%; HR, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.05–1.17]; P =0.079; absolute risk difference, −1.7%; P =0.045). Conclusions: Consistent with current guidelines, determination of the duration of DAPT according to PRECISE-DAPT score could improve the clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome after percutaneous coronary intervention with current-generation drug-eluting stents. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT01701453.

Medical radiation exposure is a significant concern for interventional cardiologists (IC). This study was aimed at estimating the radiation exposure of IC operators and assistants in real clinical practice. The radiation exposure of the operator and assistant was evaluated by conducting two types of procedures via coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on 1090 patients in 11-cardiovascular centers in Korea. Radiation exposure was measured using an electronic personal dosimeter (EPD). EPD were attached at 3 points on each participant: on the apron on the left anterior chest (A1), under the apron on the sternum (A2), and on the thyroid shield (T). Average radiation exposure (ARE) of operators at A1, A2, and T was 19.219 uSv, 4.398 uSv, and 16.949 uSv during CAG and 68.618 uSv, 15.213 uSv, and 51.197 uSv during PCI, respectively. ARE of assistants at A1, A2, and T was 4.941 uSv, 0.860 uSv, and 5.232 uSv during CAG and 20.517 uSv, 4.455 uSv, and 16.109 uSv during PCI, respectively. AED of operator was 3.4 times greater during PCI than during CAG.

Purpose Perioperative myocardial injury is a predictor of postoperative mortality, but the clinical impact of chronic injury during the perioperative period has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to evaluate chronic myocardial injury during the perioperative period in comparison with normal and acute myocardial injury. Methods Patients with serial cardiac troponin measurements before and within 30 days following noncardiac surgery were divided into three groups: normal, acute injury, and chronic injury groups. Acute and chronic myocardial injuries were stratified according to 2018 recommendations by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine’s Task Force on Clinical Applications of Bio-Markers. Thirty-day and one-year mortalities after surgery were compared. Results Of the 22,969 patients reviewed, 17,671 (76.9%) were classified into the normal, 5,179 (22.5%) into the acute injury, and 119 (0.5%) into the chronic injury groups. The acute and chronic injury groups had higher 30-day mortalities compared with the normal group (0.8% vs. 8.0%; hazard ratio [HR], 11.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.05–13.37; P < 0.001 and 0.8% vs. 7.6%; HR, 10.55; 95% CI, 5.37–20.72; P < 0.001, respectively). In a direct comparison between the acute and chronic injury groups using an inverse probability of weighting adjustments, the 30-day and one-year mortalities were not significantly different. Conclusion Chronic myocardial injury during the perioperative period may show similar clinical impacts on postoperative mortality compared with acute injury. Further studies are needed.

Background: Long-term comparative outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents and coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left main coronary artery disease are highly debated. Methods: In the PRECOMBAT trial (Premier of Randomized Comparison of Bypass Surgery versus Angioplasty Using Sirolimus-Eluting Stent in Patients with Left Main Coronary Artery Disease), patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease were randomly assigned to undergo PCI with sirolimus-eluting stents (n=300) or CABG (n=300) in 13 hospitals in Korea from April 2004 to August 2009. The follow-up was extended to at least 10 years for all patients (median, 11.3 years). The primary outcome was the incidence of major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (composite of death from any cause, myocardial infarction, stroke, or ischemia-driven target-vessel revascularization). Results: At 10 years, a primary outcome event occurred in 29.8% of the PCI group and in 24.7% of the CABG group (hazard ratio [HR] with PCI vs CABG, 1.25 [95% CI, 0.93–1.69]). The 10-year incidence of the composite of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (18.2% vs 17.5%; HR 1.00 [95% CI, 0.70–1.44]) and all-cause mortality (14.5% vs 13.8%; HR 1.13 [95% CI, 0.75–1.70]) were not significantly different between the PCI and CABG groups. Ischemia-driven target-vessel revascularization was more frequent after PCI than after CABG (16.1% vs 8.0%; HR 1.98 [95% CI, 1.21–3.21). Conclusions: Ten-year follow-up of the PRECOMBAT trial of patients with left main coronary artery disease randomized to PCI or CABG did not demonstrate significant difference in the incidence of major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events. Because the study was underpowered, the results should be considered hypothesis-generating, highlighting the need for further research. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifiers: NCT03871127 and NCT00422968.

Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS) is recently accepted as a strong predictor of mortality, regardless of symptoms. However, anticoagulation is the only established treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the association between statin treatment and mortality after MINS. From January 2010 to June 2019, a total of 5,267 adult patients who were discharged after the occurrence of MINS were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups according to statin prescription at discharge. The outcomes were 1-year and overall mortalities. Of the total 5,109 patients, 1,331 (26.1%) patients were in the statin group and 3,778 (73.9%) patients were in the no statin group. The 1-year and overall mortalities were significantly lower in the statin group compared with the no statin group (6.1% vs. 13.3%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41–0.74; p

Background We sought to evaluate baseline platelet count as a prognostic indicator in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods Data of 13,085 patients with AMI were retrieved from a prospective nationwide AMI registry from November 2011 to December 2015. Using Cox hazards models, cumulative risks for adverse outcomes were compared among patients with baseline platelet count of less than 150 K/µL (lowest quartile), 150 to 249 K/µL, 250 to 349 K/µL (reference) and equal to or greater than 350 K/µL (higher quartile). The primary outcome of interest was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included myocardial infarction, re-hospitalisation for heart failure, and stroke. Results During a median follow-up of 2.1 years, a steep U-shaped association was observed for the occurrence of all-cause mortality (p for non-linearity Conclusions In patients with AMI, baseline platelet count demonstrated a U-shaped association with an increased risk of all-cause mortality at two years. If validated, these findings suggest that baseline platelet count could serve as a preferred prognostic marker in AMI due to its low cost and universal availability.

Background: Although 1-stent with provisional approach is the preferred strategy for the treatment of bifurcation lesions, the optimal treatment strategy according to lesion location is still debatable. This study aimed to identify whether clinical outcomes according to treatment strategy differed between left main (LM) and non-LM bifurcation lesions in the second-generation drug-eluting stent era. Methods: The Coronary Bifurcation Stenting registry III is a retrospective multicenter registry of 2648 patients with bifurcation lesions who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with second-generation drug-eluting stent. Among the study population, 935 (35.3%) patients had an LM bifurcation lesion. The primary outcome was target lesion failure, a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: Median follow-up duration was 53 months. LM bifurcation was associated with a higher risk of target lesion failure (HR adj , 1.846 [95% CI, 1.317–2.588]; P P adj , 1.848 [95% CI, 1.045–3.266]; P =0.035), mainly driven by the higher rate of target lesion revascularization (15.3% versus 5.5%; HR adj , 2.698 [95% CI, 1.276–5.706]; P =0.009). However, the risk of cardiac death or myocardial infarction did not differ between the 2 groups (4.4% versus 6.6%; HR adj , 0.694 [95% CI, 0.306–1.572]; P =0.381). For patients with non-LM-bifurcation, there was no significant difference in the rate of target lesion failure between 1-stent and 2-stent strategies (5.6% versus 6.3%; HR adj , 0.925 [95% CI, 0.428–2.001]; P =0.843). Conclusions: Even in the second-generation drug-eluting stent era, the 1-stent strategy, if possible, should initially be considered the preferred approach for the treatment of LM bifurcation lesions. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT03068494.

Objectives Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) remains challenging because of limited success and higher target vessel failure rates. Detailed safety and efficacy data for CTO-PCI from a multicenter real-world Korean registry are limited. Methods Since May 2007, the Korean multicenter retrospective CTO registry has enrolled 3271 patients who underwent CTO-PCI at 26 major medical centers. Baseline clinical, angiographic, and procedural characteristics and 12-month major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rates after PCI were retrospectively collected. Results Baseline cardiovascular risk factors included: male sex, 73.8%; prior myocardial infarction (MI), 14.8%; prior PCI, 26.6%; hypertension, 62.3%; diabetes mellitus, 34.8%; dyslipidemia, 33.3%; and current smoker, 30.9%. Pre-PCI myocardial viability testing was performed in 23.6% of patients and pre-PCI cardiac computed tomography (CT) in 17.6%. CTO arterial lesions were distributed as follows: right coronary, 41.0%; left anterior descending, 40.0%; left circumflex, 22.5%; and left main, 0.4%. Unfavorable lesion morphology was detected by angiography in 38.1%. Intravascular ultrasound guidance and the retrograde approach were utilized in 23.6 and 3.1% of CTO-PCI procedures, respectively. More than 75% of patients received drug-eluting stents (sirolimus-eluting, 26.5%; paclitaxel-eluting, 23.8%; zotarolimus-eluting, 23.4%; everolimus-eluting, 11.0%; and others, 4.0%). The overall success rate was 81.6% (2672/3271 patients). Twelve-month event rates were: total mortality, 2.4%; any MI, 0.7%; target lesion revascularization, 4.4%; target vessel revascularization, 6.7%; and total MACE, 9.4%. Conclusions Twelve-month success rates, safety profiles, and cumulative clinical outcomes of Korean CTO patients were favorable post-PCI. Long-term follow-up of larger study populations is necessary to validate our findings.

BACKGROUND Although current guidelines recommend noninvasive stress tests prior to elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), it is unknown whether antecedent exercise stress test (EST) affects the outcomes of patients undergoing PCI for stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD). This study aimed to investigate long-term outcomes in patients undergoing elective PCI with or without EST. METHODS We studied 2,674 patients undergoing elective PCI using drug-eluting stents for SIHD. Patients were divided into the 2 groups: the test group underwent EST with a positive result within 180 days prior to PCI (n = 668), whereas the non-test group did not undergo any noninvasive stress tests (n = 2,006). The primary outcome was all-cause death or myocardial infarction (MI). RESULTS Over 5 years after the index PCI, the risk of all-cause death or MI was significantly lower in the test group than in the non-test group in overall population (3.3% vs. 10.9%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.22-0.55; P < 0.001), and in propensity score-matched population (668 pairs) (3.3% vs. 6.3%; adjusted HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.30-0.89; P = 0.018). However, the incidence of any revascularization was similar between the 2 groups in overall (16.7% vs. 16.8%; adjusted HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.79-1.25; P = 0.962) and matched population (16.7% vs. 18.3%; adjusted HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.70-1.19; P = 0.509). CONCLUSION Patients who underwent elective PCI with EST had a reduced risk of all-cause death or MI than those undergoing PCI without stress tests.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Indications and contraindications for VA-ECMO deployment. Table S2. Duration of organ support and CICU stay.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical impact of 3 bifurcation angles in left main (LM) bifurcation treated with the 2-stent technique. Background. Data are limited regarding the impact of bifurcation angles after LM percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods. Using patient-level 4 multicenter registries in Korea, 462 patients undergoing LM bifurcation PCI with the 2-stent technique were identified (181 crush, 167 T-stenting; 63% 1st generation drug-eluting stent (DES), 37% 2nd generation DES). Three bifurcation angles, between the LM and left anterior descending (LAD), the LM and left circumflex (LCX), and the LAD and LCX, were measured. The primary outcome was target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization (TLR). Results. In patients treated with the crush technique, the best cutoff value (BCV) to predict TLF was 152° of the LM-LAD angle. In the crush group, a significantly higher TLF rate, mostly driven by TLR, was observed in the LM-LAD angle ≥152° group compared with the Conclusions. In LM bifurcation PCI using the 2-stent technique, wide LM-LAD angle (≥152°) was associated with a greater risk of TLF in the crush, whereas none of the bifurcation angles affected T-stenting outcomes.

The Korean chronic total occlusion (CTO) registry was collected prospectively from 26 cardiovascular centers since May 2007. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of a successful staged percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of CTO lesions in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients on clinical outcomes.Among 2813 patients who underwent a staged PCI because of CTO lesions, 422 (15%) patients underwent primary PCI because of AMI. Among 422 patients, successful staged CTO-PCI was performed in 76%. The clinical outcomes were compared between the successful CTO-PCI group (n=321) and the failed CTO-PCI group (n=101). To adjust for potential confounders, a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was carried out using the logistic regression model.After the PSM analysis, two propensity-matched groups (85 pairs, n=170) were generated and the baseline characteristics were balanced. The incidence of total death (P=0.029) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI, P=0.043) at 1 year was higher in the failed CTO-PCI group. Multivariate regression showed that successful CTO-PCI was an independent predictor of preventing mortality (hazard ratio, 0.21, P=0.048). In the subgroup analysis, the Kaplan-Meier curve showed that successful CTO-PCI had a lower incidence of total death (log-rank=0.004) and cardiac death (log-rank=0.005) up to 1 year in NSTEMI patients. Cox-proportional analysis showed that successful CTO-PCI was beneficial in patients with NSTEMI, hypertension, and non-left-anterior descending artery lesion for preventing mortality.In this study, a staged successful CTO-PCI in AMI patients was associated with improved 1-year survival in the Korean population.

The aim of this study was to compare the changes of fractional flow reserve (FFR) or instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) with severity of epicardial coronary stenosis between nonculprit vessel of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD).There has been debate regarding the reliability of FFR or iFR for nonculprit stenosis in the acute stage of AMI.A total of 100 AMI patients underwent comprehensive physiologic assessment including FFR, iFR, coronary flow reserve (CFR), and index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) for nonculprit vessel stenosis after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for culprit vessel. The changes in FFR and iFR for diameter stenosis (%DS) of nonculprit vessel stenosis were compared with FFR and iFR measured in 203 patients with SIHD.From 40% to 80% stenosis, FFR and iFR measured in nonculprit vessel of AMI patient showed significant decrease with worsening stenosis severity (all p values 0.001). Nonculprit vessels of AMI patients showed lower CFR than SIHD; however, IMR was not different between the nonculprit vessel of AMI and SIHD patients. FFR and iFR were not significantly different between the nonculprit vessel of AMI and SIHD patients in all %DS groups from 40% to 80% (all p values0.05). In addition, percent difference of FFR and iFR according to the increase in %DS was also not significantly different between nonculprit vessel of AMI or SIHD. There was no significant interaction between clinical presentation and the changes of FFR and iFR for worsening %DS (interaction p value = 0.698 and 0.257, respectively).Changes in FFR and iFR for the nonculprit stenosis of AMI patients were not significantly different from those in SIHD patients. These data support the use of invasive physiological parameters to guide treatment of nonculprit stenoses in the acute stage of successfully revascularized AMI.

Background Evaluate the safety and efficacy of guideline-recommended risk score-directed dual antiplatelet therapy (GD-DAPT) based on THE PRECISE-DAPT score after 2nd-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.Methods and Results:We analyzed 5,131 patients pooled from 4 clinical trials. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to current recommendations on the duration of DAPT and their actual DAPT duration: GD-DAPT (n=2,183), shorter DAPT (n=1,540), longer DAPT (n=1,408). The primary endpoint was the rate of net adverse clinical events (NACE) during the first 12 months. The secondary endpoints were ischemic or bleeding events. Overall, GD-DAPT did not affect NACE (1.2% vs. 1.2% for shorter DAPT and 1.7% for longer DAPT) or bleeding events (0.6% vs. 0.5% and 0.9%), and there were fewer ischemic events (2.8% vs. 4.4% and 4.0%, P=0.03) than with shorter DAPT. Especially in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, GD-DAPT had fewer NACE (1.5% vs. 1.4% and 4.2%; P=0.006) and bleeding events (0.8% vs. 0.5% and 2.8%; P=0.001) than longer DAPT as well as fewer ischemic events (2.8% vs. 4.4% and 4.7%; P=0.03) than shorter DAPT. Conclusions GD-DAPT did not affect NACE or bleeding events and reduced the number of ischemic events at 12 months compared with shorter DAPT. For ACS, GD-DAPT was associated with favorable outcomes compared with non-GD-DAPT. Therefore, GD-DAPT may optimize efficacy and safety.

In patients with manifestations of cardiovascular disease, acetylsalicylic acid (popularly known as aspirin) has been the mainstay of treatment for decades owing to its capacity to reduce the risk of ischaemic events. Accordingly, novel antithrombotic therapies have been traditionally tested on a background of acetylsalicylic acid therapy. Although the adjunctive use of such antithrombotic therapies can potentially further reduce the risk of ischaemic events, these agents are also inevitably associated with an increased risk of bleeding. However, acetylsalicylic acid also increases the risk of bleeding, challenging the paradigm that this agent should remain the cornerstone of antiplatelet treatment when alternative antithrombotic agents are also used. Many antithrombotic compounds are characterized by increased potency and consistent efficacy, which might lessen the need for concomitant acetylsalicylic acid. Accordingly, numerous investigations are testing the hypothesis that acetylsalicylic acid-sparing regimens based on newer antithrombotic agents might have an increased net benefit for individual patients owing to the reduction in bleeding risk, without a trade-off in efficacy. This Review summarizes the state of the art relating to antithrombotic approaches with and without acetylsalicylic acid for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cardioembolic stroke. Discussion of the scientific rationale, from bench to bedside, for ongoing studies of acetylsalicylic acid-free pharmacological strategies is included.

The optimal timing of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), complicated by acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), is unclear. A total of 1,027 patients with NSTEMI complicated by ADHF who underwent successful PCI were analyzed using a Korean multicenter registry. All patients were divided into 4 groups by the timing of PCI: group 1 (PCI 2 hour after admission, n = 149), group 2 (2 to 24 hours, n = 577), group 3 (24 to 72 hours, n = 189), and group 4 (≥72 hours, n = 112). We analyzed the incidences of 12-month mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), target-vessel revascularization, and rehospitalization because of HF. The prevalence of ADHF in patients with NSTEMI was 15.2% at initial presentation, and in-hospital mortality was higher in group 1 than in the other groups. There were no significant differences in mortality, nonfatal MI, target-vessel revascularization, or rehospitalization for HF during the 12-month follow-up between groups, regardless of initial PCI timing, except for a higher 12-month mortality in patients who received PCI within 24 hours (vs ≥24 hours) (hazard ratio 1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 2.29, p = 0.046). Early PCI did not reduce adverse clinical outcomes in patients with NSTEMI complicated by ADHF. Delayed PCI after stabilization may be reasonable in such high-risk patients.

Coronary bifurcation stenting is still complex and associated with a high risk of stent thrombosis and restenosis even with contemporary techniques. Although provisional approach has been proved to be the standard strategy of treatment, There is still lack of evidences for multiple steps of the procedure. For so many years we have been focused on the optimization of side branch (SB), but the clinical outcome is mostly dependent on the main vessel (MV) stenting. The optimal expansion of MV stent without the compromise of SB is the ultimate goal to achieve in the coronary bifurcation stenting. Understanding the anatomy and physiology of coronary bifurcation lesion should be the most important step to this goal. The relationship of vessel diameter between branches and the anatomical and functional significance of plaque shift and carina shift are two most important concepts to understand. They are the science behind the predictors of SB occlusion, and the rationale of proximal optimization technique and final kissing ballooning. This specific review will be devoted to review those concepts as well as clinical evidences to support them.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impacts of stent techniques on long-term clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using drug-eluting stents (DES) for coronary bifurcation lesions in patients with or without acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND Few studies have investigated the impacts of stent techniques for treating coronary bifurcation lesions in patients with and without ACS. METHODS This multicenter registry enrolled 2,897 patients undergoing PCI with DES for coronary bifurcation lesions. We investigated the impacts of planned one-stent and elective two-stent techniques in patients with (n = 1,798) and those without (n = 1,099) ACS. Primary endpoint was the incidence of 3-year target-lesion failure (TLF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, spontaneous myocardial infarction, and target-lesion revascularization. RESULTS The planned one-stent technique reduced TLF rate compared to elective two-stent technique in the ACS cohort (hazard ratio [HR] 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.34-0.74; P = 0.001), and not in the non-ACS cohort (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.35-1.06; P = 0.079). After propensity score matching, the planned one-stent technique had a significantly lower TLF rate (HR 0.47; 95% CI 0.29-0.74; P = 0.001) in patients with ACS, and it also showed a trend toward lower TLF rate with the planned one-stent technique in patients without ACS (9.0 vs. 14.5%, HR 0.59; 95% CI 0.32-1.14; P = 0.116). CONCLUSIONS Planned one-stenting reduced TLF in patients with ACS and it also might be beneficial in those without ACS for the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions.

Background Recent trials demonstrated a benefit of multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for noninfarct-related artery (non-IRA) stenosis over IRA-only PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) multivessel disease. However, evidence is limited in patients with cardiogenic shock. Objectives This study investigated the prognostic impact of multivessel PCI in patients with STEMI multivessel disease presenting with cardiogenic shock, using the nationwide, multicenter, prospective KAMIR-NIH (Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction-National Institutes of Health) registry. Methods Among 13,104 consecutive patients enrolled in the KAMIR-NIH registry, we selected patients with STEMI with multivessel disease presenting with cardiogenic shock and who underwent primary PCI. Primary outcome was 1-year all-cause death, and secondary outcomes included patient-oriented composite outcome (a composite of all-cause death, any myocardial infarction, and any repeat revascularization) and its individual components. Results A total of 659 patients were treated by multivessel PCI (n = 260) or IRA-only PCI (n = 399) strategy. The risk of all-cause death and non-IRA repeat revascularization was significantly lower in the multivessel PCI group than in the IRA-only PCI group (21.3% vs. 31.7%; hazard ratio: 0.59; 95% confidence interval: 0.43 to 0.82; p = 0.001; and 6.7% vs. 8.2%; hazard ratio: 0.39; 95% confidence interval: 0.17 to 0.90; p = 0.028, respectively). Results were consistent after multivariable regression, propensity-score matching, and inverse probability weighting to adjust for baseline differences. In a multivariable model, multivessel PCI was independently associated with reduced risk of 1-year all-cause death and patient-oriented composite outcome. Conclusions Of patients with STEMI and multivessel disease with cardiogenic shock, multivessel PCI was associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause death and non-IRA repeat revascularization. Our data suggest that multivessel PCI for complete revascularization is a reasonable strategy to improve outcomes in patients with STEMI with cardiogenic shock.

Despite the short-term vasodilatory effects of nitrates, the prognostic effects of long-term nitrate therapy in patients with vasospastic angina (VSA) remains unclear. We investigated the prognostic impact of chronic nitrate therapy in VSA patients.Between January 2003 and December 2014, a total of 1154 VSA patients proven by ergonovine provocation tests were classified into nitrate (n=676) and non-nitrate (n=478) groups according to prescriptions for oral nitrates, including isosorbide mononitrate (ISMN) and nicorandil. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, any revascularization, or rehospitalization due to recurrent angina.The nitrate group was found to have a higher risk of MACE (22.9% vs. 17.6%, hazard ratio [HR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.73, p=0.043) than the non-nitrate group. After propensity score matching, the nitrate group had greater risks of MACE (HR 1.32, 95%CI 1.01-1.73, p=0.049). Patients who received the immediate-release formula of ISMN (HR 1.80, 95%CI 1.35-2.39, p0.001) or were administered any forms of ISMN other than at bedtime (HR 1.90, 95%CI 1.41-2.57, p0.001) had a significantly higher risk of MACE compared with the non-nitrate group. Nicorandil was shown to have a neutral effect on VSA patients (HR 1.11, 95%CI 0.73-1.69, p=0.62).The long-term use of nitrate therapy was associated with increased risk of adverse cardiac events in VSA patients. The use of immediate-release ISMN or the administration of ISMN other than at bedtime was related with poor outcomes of VSA patients.

Clopidogrel is the mainstay for antiplatelet treatment after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The relationship of platelet reactivity and genetic polymorphism with clinical outcomes with newer-generation drug-eluting stents is unclear. We analysed 4,587 patients for the most powerful single-nucleotide polymorphisms (CYP2C19, CYP2C9, ABCB1, PON1, and P2Y12) related to on-treatment platelet reactivity (OPR). The optimal cut-off value of high OPR for major adverse thrombotic events was 266. CYP2C19 was significantly associated with high OPR and the number of CYP2C19*R (*2 or *3) alleles was proportional to the increased risk of high OPR. Death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, stent thrombosis, and bleeding events were assessed during a 1-year follow-up period. Primary endpoints were death and non-fatal MI. The cumulative 1-year incidence of death and stent thrombosis was significantly higher in patients with CYP2C19*2/*2, CYP2C19*2/*3, and CYP2C19*3/*3 (Group 3) than in patients with CYP2C19*1/*1 (Group 1). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model showed that cardiac death risk was significantly higher in Group 3 than in Group 1 (hazard ratio 2.69, 95% confidence interval 1.154–6.263, p = 0.022). No association was reported between bleeding and OPR. Thus, CYP2C19 may exert a significant impact on the prognosis of PCI patients even in the era of newer-generation drug-eluting stents.

Whether side branch (SB) predilation before main vessel (MV) stenting is beneficial is uncertain, so we investigated the effects of SB predilation on procedural and long-term outcomes in coronary bifurcation lesions treated using the provisional approach.Methods and Results:A total of 1,083 patients with true bifurcation lesions undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were evaluated. The primary outcome was a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE): cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or target lesion revascularization. SB predilation was performed in 437 (40.4%) patients. Abrupt (10.5% vs. 11.3%; P=0.76) or final SB occlusion (2.7% vs. 3.9%; P=0.41) showed no differences between the predilation and non-predilation groups. The rates of angiographic success (69.1% vs. 52.9%, P0.001) and SB stent implantation (69.1% vs. 52.9%, P0.001) were significantly higher in the predilation group. During a median follow-up of 36 months, we found no significant difference between the groups in the rate of MACE (9.4% vs. 11.5%; P=0.67) in a propensity score-matched population. In subgroup analysis, patients with minimal luminal diameter of the parent vessel ≤1 mm benefited from SB predilation in terms of preventing abrupt SB occlusion (P for interaction=0.04).For the treatment of true bifurcation lesions, SB predilation improved acute angiographic and procedural outcomes, but could not improve long-term clinical outcomes. It may benefit patients with severe stenosis in the parent vessel.

Vasospastic angina (VA) is a functional disease of the coronary artery and occurs in an angiographically normal coronary artery. However, it may also occur with coronary artery stenosis. We investigated the effect of coronary artery stenosis on clinical outcomes in VA patients. Study data were obtained from a prospective multicenter registry that included patients who had symptoms of VA. Patients were classified into two groups according to presence of significant coronary artery stenosis. Among 1920 patients with VA, 189 patients were classified in the “significant stenosis” group. The one-year composite clinical events rate was significantly higher in the significant stenosis group than in the “no significant stenosis” group (5.8% vs. 1.4%, respectively, p &lt, 0.001). Additionally, the prevalence of ACS was significantly greater in the “significant stenosis” group (4.8% vs. 0.9%, respectively, 0.001). After propensity score matching, the adverse effects of significant stenosis remained. In addition, significant stenosis was independently associated with a 6.67-fold increased risk of ACS in VA patients. In conclusion, significant coronary artery stenosis can increase the adverse clinical outcomes in VA patients at long-term follow-up. Clinicians should manage traditional risk factors associated with atherosclerosis and control vasospasm as well as reduce the burden of atherosclerosis.

Background: No large-scale study has compared the clinical and angiographic predictors of cardiovascular events in patients with left main bifurcation (LMB) and non-LMB stenting after second-generation DES implantation. Herein, we investigated differential clinical and angiographic factors for predicting outcomes in LMB versus non-LMB stenting. Methods: A total of 2648 patients with bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation DESs from the retrospective patient cohort were divided into an LMB group (n = 935) and a non-LMB group (n = 1713). The primary outcome was the 7-year incidence of target lesion failure (TLF), defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: The incidence of TLF was 9.8%. Those in the LMB group were associated with a higher risk of TLF (14.2% versus 7.5%, p &lt, 0.001) than those in the non-LMB group. Regarding the LMB group, independent predictors of TLF were chronic kidney disease (CKD), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and two-stenting. Regarding the non-LMB group, CKD, reduced LVEF, old age, diabetes, and small diameter of the main vessel stent were independent predictors of TLF. Conclusions: The two-stent strategy could potentially increase TLF for the LMB lesions, and achieving the maximal diameter of the main vessel stent could result in better clinical outcomes for non-LMB lesions.

Although coronary angiography is still the technique most widely used to guide percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the appropriate angiographic indication of revascularization for intermediate coronary lesions remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare conservative versus aggressive strategies with angiographic guidance alone in patients with intermediate coronary lesions.A total of 899 patients with intermediate coronary lesions between 50% and 70% diameter stenosis by quantitative coronary analysis were randomly assigned to the conservative group (n=449) or the aggressive group (n=450). For intermediate lesions, PCI was performed using everolimus-eluting stents in the aggressive group, but was deferred in the conservative group. The primary end point was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or any revascularization at 1year. The number of treated lesions per patient was 0.8±0.9 in the conservative group and 1.7±0.9 in the aggressive group (p0.001). The cumulative rate of the primary endpoint was 7.3% in the conservative group and 6.8% in the aggressive group (the upper limit of the one-sided 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4%; p=0.006 for non-inferiority with a predefined non-inferiority margin of 5.0%). The risk of death or myocardial infarction (hazard ratio [HR] 0.50; 95% CI, 0.19-1.33; p=0.17) and revascularization (HR 1.42; 95% CI, 0.80-2.52; p=0.23) was not significantly different between the 2 groups.Conservative revascularization was non-inferior to aggressive revascularization for intermediate coronary lesions. Revascularization of intermediate lesions can be safely deferred in patients undergoing PCI with angiographic guidance alone.URL: http://ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00743899.

Background Acute hyperglycemia on admission is common in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients regardless of diabetic status, and is known as one of prognostic factors. However, the effect of hyperglycemia on non-diabetic patients is still on debate. Methods A total of 12,625 AMI patients (64.0±12.6years, 26.1% female) who were enrolled in Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health between November 2011 and December 2015, were classified into 4367 diabetes (65.4±11.6years, 30.4% female) and 8228 non-diabetes (63.3±13years, 23.9% female). Patients were analyzed for in-hospital clinical outcome according to admission hyperglycemic status. Results In diabetic patients, independent predictors of in-hospital mortality were old age, high HbA 1 C, pre-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow 0, left ventricle ejection fraction p p p p =0.012), decreased Hb≥5g/dL ( p =0.013), atrioventricular block ( p p =0.007) was higher in non-diabetic with hyperglycemia than in diabetic patients. Conclusions These findings underscore clinical significance of admission hyperglycemia on in-hospital mortality in non-diabetic AMI patients.

Aims Few data regarding clinical outcomes according to severity of calcification in patients with coronary bifurcation target lesions are available. We therefore aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes according to severity of calcification in patients with coronary bifurcation target lesions after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) using a large-scale multicentre Korean registry. Methods and results This prospective, multicentre, observational registry enrolled 2,897 patients undergoing PCI with DES for coronary bifurcation lesions. We compared target lesion failure (TLF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularisation (TLR), according to severity of calcification in coronary bifurcation target lesions, assessed by an angiographic core laboratory using quantitative coronary angiography. Moderate or severe calcification of target bifurcation lesions was observed in 608 (20.9%) patients. During a median follow-up period of 36 months, moderate or severe calcification increased the adjusted risks of TLF (hazard ratio [HR] 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.68, p=0.031), TLR (HR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.79, p=0.027), and revascularisation (HR 1.39, 95% CI: 1.09-1.78, p=0.009). However, it was not associated with an increased risk of cardiac death, MI, or stent thrombosis. Conclusions Moderate or severe calcification of coronary bifurcation lesions is not uncommon and is associated with unfavourable long-term clinical outcomes, driven mainly by an increased frequency of repeat revascularisation.

AIMS We sought to determine a reasonable level of revascularisation using the modified residual SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with TAXus and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) score in patients undergoing PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS In 3,460 patients with multivessel disease receiving drug-eluting stents, residual SYNTAX score (rSS) was calculated for lesions with ≥50% diameter stenosis in vessels ≥1.5 mm after PCI. The "modified" rSS (mrSS) was determined by counting lesions with ≥70% diameter stenosis in vessels ≥2.5 mm only. Patients were categorised into the complete revascularisation (CR) group (rSS=0), the incomplete revascularisation (ICR) group (mrSS >0), or the reasonable ICR (R-ICR) group (rSS >0, but mrSS=0). After propensity matching, the R-ICR group (n=1,129) had a comparable risk of all-cause death (HR 0.80, 95% CI: 0.56-1.15, p=0.24) and a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), or repeat revascularisation (HR 0.91, 95% CI: 0.74-1.14, p=0.41) compared with the CR group (n=637) at three years. In separate propensity matching analyses, patients with R-ICR (n=1,280) had a lower risk of all-cause death (HR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.55-0.97, p=0.03) and a composite of all-cause death, MI, or repeat revascularisation (HR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.57-0.82, p

Background Studies comparing the drug-eluting balloon (DEB) with contemporary drug-eluting stent (DES) in the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) have been scarce. We compared that the efficacy and safety of contemporary DES versus DEB in unselected, real world patients of ISR occurred in bare-metal stent or DES. Methods Patient-level pooled analysis from nationwide multicenter registries was performed with 628 consecutive patients who underwent ISR treatment using 2nd or 3rd generation DES or DEB. Target lesion failure (TLF) and patient-oriented composite outcomes (POCO, composite of all-cause mortality, all-cause myocardial infarction, or any revascularization) at 1-year follow-up were compared between the DES and DEB groups. Results A total of 628 patients with 697 ISR lesions were treated using newer generation DES ( n =409) or DEB ( n =219). About 55.1% presented with acute coronary syndrome, and 15.1% showed left ventricular dysfunction. The risks of TLF and POCO were significantly lower in the DES group, even after being adjusted by an inverse probability weighted model (TLF, 9.2% vs. 17.9%, HR adjust 0.22, 95% CI 0.11–0.47; POCO, 12.4% vs. 24.1%, HR adjust 0.25, 95% CI 0.13–0.48, all p -values adjust 0.21, 95% CI 0.09–0.49, p p =0.034) along with multi-vessel disease, chronic kidney disease, type B2 or C lesion, and number of treated lesion>1. Conclusions In unselected patients of ISR, clinical outcome at one year was mainly dependent on difference in TLR and found to be better with contemporary DES than DEB.

Background We sought to evaluate safety and efficacy of the deferred stenting versus immediate stent implantation of infarct-related arteries in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods A meta-analysis using random-effects models were conducted. The primary outcome, major adverse cardiac events (MACE), was a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), any unplanned target vessel revascularization (TVR), and hospitalization due to cardiac cause. Periprocedural composite events were composed of acute re-occlusion, no-reflow/slow flow, or distal embolization. Results Seven non-randomized registries and three randomized trials comparing outcomes of deferred versus immediate stenting in infarct-related arteries of 2281 STEMI patients were selected. Risk of MACE between deferred or immediate stenting did not differ significantly (rates, 12.8% vs 15.0%; pooled RR=0.68, 95% CI: 0.43–1.06; p =0.087; I 2 =26.8%). Deferred stenting was associated with significantly reduced risk of periprocedural composite events (rates, 5.3% vs 10.2%; pooled RR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.18–0.69; p =0.002; I 2 =68.0%) and flow abnormality in infarct-related arteries (rates, 3.8% vs 8.4%; pooled RR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.14–0.61; p =0.001; I 2 =58.1%). However, clinical outcomes including all-cause mortality, MI, or any unplanned TVR, were unaffected. Meta-regression indicated a significant relationship between prolonged total ischemic and reduced risk of MACE after deferred stenting (OR=0.994, 95% CI: 0.990–0.998; p =0.027; I 2 residual 0.0%, adjusted R 2 =100.0%). Conclusions Although deferred stenting carried significantly lower risk of periprocedural composite events and abnormal flow in patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI, such benefits had no impact on MACE, which did not differ significantly by timing of stent placement.

Background Successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the occluded infarct-related artery (IRA) in latecomers may improve long-term survival mainly by reducing left ventricular remodeling. It is not clear whether inhibition of renin–angiotensin system (RAS) brings additional better clinical outcomes in this specific population subset. Methods Between January 2008 and June 2013, 669 latecomer patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (66.2 ± 12.1 years, 71.0% males) in Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR) who underwent a successful PCI were enrolled. The study population underwent a successful PCI for a totally occluded IRA. They were divided into two groups according to whether they were prescribed RAS inhibitors at the time of discharge: group I (RAS inhibition, n = 556), and group II (no RAS inhibition, n = 113). Results During the one-year follow-up, major adverse cardiac events (MACE), which consist of cardiac death and myocardial infarction, occurred in 71 patients (10.6%). There were significantly reduced incidences of MACE in the group I (hazard ratio = 0.34, 95% confidence interval 0.199–0.588, p = 0.001). In subgroup analyses, RAS inhibition was beneficial in patients with male gender, history of hypertension or diabetes mellitus, and even in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥40%. In the baseline and follow-up echocardiographic data, benefit in changes of LVEF and left ventricular end-systolic volume was noted in group I. Conclusions In latecomers with STEMI, RAS inhibition improved long-term clinical outcomes after a successful PCI, even in patients with low risk who had relatively preserved LVEF.