METHODS: We convened a group of cardiologists from across the Region to develop a set of checklists, algorithms, and other practical resources. These resources are based on our experiences, current evidence, and international guidelines.
RESULTS: The HF Toolbox comprises three simplified sets of resources for use in the Emergency Room (ER), hospital and outpatient settings. Resources include admission and discharge checklists, treatment algorithms, recommendations for forming a multidisciplinary team, patient education, and self-management materials, and key performance indicators to monitor whether standards of care are met or maintained, or should be improved.
CONCLUSIONS: The HF Toolbox provides practical resources to simplify the management of patients with HF and to support the formation of HF programs in the Region. The Toolbox is aligned with current guideline recommendations and can support the management of patients from presentation in the ER, through hospital admission to outpatient care.
METHODS: Sixty-four patients-21 exertional angina; 17 unstable angina/non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI); 26 ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)-provided 188 diseased segments on conventional angiography. All underwent MDCTA within a week of angiography. ROI was mapped out from maximum intensity projections of diseased segments in planar view.
RESULTS: One hundred seventy-four segments were evaluated. Patients who presented with ACS (STEMI and unstable angina/non-ST elevation myocardial infarction) had lower mean VDR compared to patients with exertional angina (0.58 vs. 0.66 vs. 0.81; P < 0.001). Culprit lesions in ACS patients also had the lowest mean VDR when compared to nonculprit lesions and lesions in patients without ACS (0.51 vs. 0.68 vs. 0.81; P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: VDR is a new, convenient, and standardized approach in identifying "culprit" lesions by MDCTA.
BACKGROUND: Treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) remains challenging. PCBs are an established treatment option outside the United States with a Class I, Level of Evidence: A recommendation in the European guidelines. However, their efficacy is better in bare-metal stent (BMS) ISR compared with drug-eluting stent (DES) ISR.
METHODS: Fifty patients with DES ISR were enrolled in a randomized, multicenter trial to compare a novel SCB (SeQuent SCB, 4 μg/mm2) with a clinically proven PCB (SeQuent Please Neo, 3 μg/mm2) in coronary DES ISR. The primary endpoint was angiographic late lumen loss at 6 months. Secondary endpoints included procedural success, major adverse cardiovascular events, and individual clinical endpoints such as stent thrombosis, cardiac death, target lesion myocardial infarction, clinically driven target lesion revascularization, and binary restenosis.
RESULTS: Quantitative coronary angiography revealed no differences in baseline parameters. After 6 months, in-segment late lumen loss was 0.21 ± 0.54 mm in the PCB group versus 0.17 ± 0.55 mm in the SCB group (p = NS; per-protocol analysis). Clinical events up to 12 months also did not differ between the groups.
CONCLUSIONS: This first-in-man comparison of a novel SCB with a crystalline coating shows similar angiographic outcomes in the treatment of coronary DES ISR compared with a clinically proven PCB. (Treatment of Coronary In-Stent Restenosis by a Sirolimus [Rapamycin] Coated Balloon or a Paclitaxel Coated Balloon [FIM LIMUS DCB]; NCT02996318).
BACKGROUND: The current generation of bioresorbable scaffolds has several limitations, such as thick square struts with large footprints that preclude their deep embedment into the vessel wall, resulting in protrusion into the lumen with microdisturbance of flow. The Mirage sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable microfiber scaffold is designed to address these concerns.
METHODS: In this prospective, single-blind trial, 60 patients were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to treatment with a Mirage sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable microfiber scaffold or an Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold. The clinical endpoints were assessed at 30 days and at 6 and 12 months. In-device angiographic late loss at 12 months was quantified. Secondary optical coherence tomographic endpoints were assessed post-scaffold implantation at 6 and 12 months.
RESULTS: Median angiographic post-procedural in-scaffold minimal luminal diameters of the Mirage and Absorb devices were 2.38 mm (interquartile range [IQR]: 2.06 to 2.62 mm) and 2.55 mm (IQR: 2.26 to 2.71 mm), respectively; the effect size (d) was -0.29. At 12 months, median angiographic in-scaffold minimal luminal diameters of the Mirage and Absorb devices were not statistically different (1.90 mm [IQR: 1.57 to 2.31 mm] vs. 2.29 mm [IQR: 1.74 to 2.51 mm], d = -0.36). At 12-month follow-up, median in-scaffold late luminal loss with the Mirage and Absorb devices was 0.37 mm (IQR: 0.08 to 0.72 mm) and 0.23 mm (IQR: 0.15 to 0.37 mm), respectively (d = 0.20). On optical coherence tomography, post-procedural diameter stenosis with the Mirage was 11.2 ± 7.1%, which increased to 27.4 ± 12.4% at 6 months and remained stable (31.8 ± 12.9%) at 1 year, whereas the post-procedural optical coherence tomographic diameter stenosis with the Absorb was 8.4 ± 6.6%, which increased to 16.6 ± 8.9% and remained stable (21.2 ± 9.9%) at 1-year follow-up (Mirage vs. Absorb: dpost-procedure = 0.41, d6 months = 1.00, d12 months = 0.92). Angiographic median in-scaffold diameter stenosis was significantly different between study groups at 12 months (28.6% [IQR: 21.0% to 40.7%] for the Mirage, 18.2% [IQR: 13.1% to 31.6%] for the Absorb, d = 0.39). Device- and patient-oriented composite endpoints were comparable between the 2 study groups.
CONCLUSIONS: At 12 months, angiographic in-scaffold late loss was not statistically different between the Mirage and Absorb devices, although diameter stenosis on angiography and on optical coherence tomography was significantly higher with the Mirage than with the Absorb. The technique of implantation was suboptimal for both devices, and future trials should incorporate optical coherence tomographic guidance to allow optimal implantation and appropriate assessment of the new technology, considering the novel mechanical properties of the Mirage.
OBJECTIVE: We investigated for geographical differences in outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the COMBO stent among Asians and Europeans.
METHODS: The COMBO Collaboration is a pooled patient-level analysis of the MASCOT and REMEDEE registries of all-comers undergoing attempted COMBO stent PCI. The primary outcome was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI) and target lesion revascularization (TLR).
RESULTS: This study included 604 Asians (17.9%) and 2775 Europeans (82.1%). Asians were younger and included fewer females, with a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus but lower prevalence of other comorbidities than Europeans. Asians had a higher prevalence of ACC/AHA C type lesions and received longer stent lengths. More Asians than Europeans were discharged on clopidogrel (86.5% vs 62.8%) rather than potent P2Y12 inhibitors. One-year TLF occurred in 4.0% Asians and 4.1% of Europeans, p = 0.93. The incidence of cardiac death was higher in Asians (2.8% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.007) with similar rates of TV-MI (1.5% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.54) and definite stent thrombosis (0.3% vs. 0.5%, p = 0.84) and lower incidence of TLR than Europeans (1.0% vs. 2.5%, p = 0.025). After adjustment, differences for cardiac death and TLR were no longer significant.
CONCLUSIONS: In the COMBO collaboration, although 1-year TLF was similar regardless of geography, Asians experienced higher rates of cardiac death and lower TLR than Europeans, while incidence of TV-MI and ST was similar in both regions. Adjusted differences did not reach statistical significance. CLINICALTRIAL.
GOV IDENTIFIER-NUMBERS: NCT01874002 (REMEDEE Registry), NCT02183454 (MASCOT registry).
METHODS AND RESULTS: The MY-HF Registry is a 3-year prospective, observational study comprising 2717 Malaysian patients admitted for acute HF. We report the description of baseline data at admission and outcomes of index hospitalization of these patients. The mean age was 60.2 ± 13.6 years, 66.8% were male, and 34.3% had de novo HF. Collectively, 55.7% of patients presented with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV; ischaemic heart disease was the most frequent aetiology (63.2%). Most admissions (87.3%) occurred via the emergency department, with 13.7% of patients requiring intensive care, and of these, 21.8% needed intubation. The proportion of patients receiving guideline-directed medical therapy increased at discharge (84.2% vs. 93.6%). The median length of stay (LOS) was 5 days, and in-hospital mortality was 2.9%. Predictors of LOS and/or in-hospital mortality were age, NYHA class, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and comorbid anaemia. LOS and in-hospital mortality were similar regardless of ejection fraction.
CONCLUSIONS: The MY-HF Registry showed that the HF population in Malaysia is younger, predominantly male, and ischaemic-driven and has good prospects with hospitalization for optimization of treatment. These findings suggest a need to reassess current clinical practice and guide resource allocation to improve patient outcomes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 82 patients, contributing 88 vessels, who underwent successful DCB-only treatment for de novo CTO lesions. Follow-up angiography was performed in all cases, at a mean 208.5 (interquartile range [IQR]: 174.8 to 337.5) days after the index procedure.
RESULTS: CAA was identified in seven vessels, in seven patients, at the site of previous successful DCB-only treatment. Of these, six were fusiform in shape and one saccular, with a mean diameter of 4.2 ± 1.0 mm and length of 6.7 ± 2.6 mm. Six CAAs developed at the CTO inlet site, and all CAAs occurred at the lesions following dissection immediately after DCB treatment. CAAs were not associated with an increased risk of major clinical events over the median follow-up of 676.5 (IQR: 393.8 to 1,304.8) days.
CONCLUSION: The incidence of CAA after DCB-only treatment for CTO lesions was 8.0% in this study. Further research is warranted, using intravascular imaging, to clarify the mechanism of DCB-related CAA formation and prognosis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Therefore, based on current evidence and expert opinion, Malaysian expert panels from various disciplines have gathered to discuss the management of ESUS patients with PFO. This consensus sought to educate Malaysian healthcare professionals to diagnose and manage PFO in ESUS patients based on local resources and facilities.
RESULTS: Based on consensus, the Malaysian expert recommended PFO closure for embolic stroke patients who were younger than 60, had high RoPE scores and did not require long-term anticoagulation. However, the decision should be made after other mechanisms of stroke have been ruled out via thorough investigation and multidisciplinary evaluation. The PFO screening should be made using readily available imaging modalities, ideally contrasttransthoracic echocardiogram (c-TTE) or contrasttranscranial Doppler (c-TCD). The contrast-transesophageal echocardiogram (c-TEE) should be used for the confirmation of PFO diagnosis. The experts advised closing PFO as early as possible because there is limited evidence for late closure. For the post-closure follow-up management, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for one to three months, followed by single antiplatelet therapy (APT) for six months, is advised. Nonetheless, with joint care from a cardiologist and a neurologist, the multidisciplinary team will decide on the continuation of therapy.