One-year outcome of everolimus-eluting stents versus biolimus-eluting stents in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Background: The biolimus-eluting stent [BES], with a biodegradable polymer, has not been previously compared with the everolimus-eluting stent [EES], as a second-generation drug-eluting stent [DES].We sought to compare the 1-year outcome between the PROMUS[TM] stent [EES type] and the BioMatrix[TM] stent [BES type]

Methods: From March 2008 to September 2011, all patients treated with the PROMUS[TM] stent or the BioMatrix[TM] stent for coronary artery stenosis at Tehran Heart Center were enrolled. The primary end points were 1-year adverse events, comprising death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, and target lesion revascularization. The secondary end point was stent thrombosis. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the adjusted association between the stent type and the follow-up outcome

Results: From 949 patients [66.3% male, mean age =59.48 +/- 10.46 y] with 1,018 treated lesions, 591 patients [630 lesions, 65.1% male, mean age = 59.24 +/- 10.23 y] received the PROMUS[TM] stent and 358 patients [388 lesions, 68.2% male, mean age = 59.88 +/- 10.83 y] were treated with the BioMatrix[TM] stent. Before adjustment, the rate of the primary end points was 3.2% and 3.4% in the EES and BES, respectively [p value = 0.925, HR [EES to BES] = 1.035, 95% CI: 0.50 to 2.13]. The rate of stent thrombosis was 2% and 1.7% in the EES and BES, respectively [p value = 0.698]. After adjustment on confounder variables, there was no statistically significant difference in major adverse cardiac events between the PROMUS[TM] stent and the BioMatrix[TM] stent [p value = 0.598, HR [EES to BES] = 0.817, 95% CI: 0.39 to 1.73]

Conclusion: At 1 year's follow-up, the BES and EES showed similar safety and efficacy rates in the patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with a relatively low rate of adverse events in the 2 groups

Percutaneous mitral valve repair with the edge-to-edge technique: case series of first Iranian experience

Mitral regurgitation [MR] is a common valvular lesion in the general population with considerable impact on mortality and morbidity. The MitraClip System [Abbot Laboratories, Abbot Park, IL, USA] is a novel percutaneous approach for treating MR which involves mechanical edge-to-edge coaptation of the mitral leaflets. We present our initial experience with the MitraClip System in 5 patients. In our series, the cause of MR was both degenerative and functional. Two patients received two MitraClips due to unsatisfactory results after the implantation of the first clip. Acute procedural success was seen in 4 patients. Blood transfusion was required for 2 patients. All the patients, except one, reported improvement in functional status during a 2-month follow-up period. Our initial experience with MitraClip implantation indicates that the technique seems feasible and promising with acceptable results and that it could be offered to a broader group of patients in the near future

SYNTAX score can predict major adverse cardiac events following percutaneous coronary intervention

The SYNTAX score is a grading system that evaluates the complexity and prognosis of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]. We investigated the association between the incidence of major adverse cardiac events [MACE] following PCI and the SYNTAX score in patients with three-vessel disease. We consecutively enrolled 381 patients with three-vessel disease undergoing PCI and stenting. The SYNTAX score was divided into tertiles as low [22]. The endpoint was the incidence of MACE defined as cardiac death, in-hospital mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction [MI], or target vessel revascularization. Then, the incidence of MACE was compared among the SYNTAX score tertile groups. The median follow-up was 14 months, and the rate of MACE was 12.6%. The rates of MACE were 7.5%, 9.9%, and 21.6% in patients with low, intermediate, and high SYNTAX score tertiles, respectively. Higher SYNTAX scores significantly predicted a higher risk of MACE [hazard ratio = 2.36; P = 0.02] even after adjustment for potential confounders. The main predictors of MACE were SYNTAX score, advanced age, hyperlipidemia, presentation as recent ST-elevation MI, number of total lesions, and history of renal failure. The SYNTAX score could predict major cardiac outcomes following PCI in patients with three-vessel disease

Short- term outcomes and mid-term follow-up after coronary angioplasty in patients younger than 40 years of age

Stenting is currently the standard of care in percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]. Whether young patients remain at increased risk after PCI in the present stent era has not been investigated widely. We evaluated angiographic characteristics and short- and mid-term outcomes in patients younger than 40 years of age who underwent PCI. From April 2003 to March 2005, prospective data were collected in 118 consecutive patients, who were less than 40 years of age and underwent PCI at our referral center. The PCI outcomes in these patients were compared to those in 354 patients, randomly selected from 2493 patients older than 40 years of age in our database. Follow-up was scheduled at 1 month, 5 months, and 9 months through clinic visits, telephone interviews, and reviewing hospital records. Patients<40 years of age were more often male [91.5% vs. 71.8%, P<0.001], current smokers [33.9% vs. 15.2%, P<0.001], and had more family history of coronary artery disease [38.1% vs. 21.8%, P<0.001] and myocardial infarction [44.1 vs. 31.1, p=0.01], while diabetes mellitus [6.8% vs. 22.1%, P<0.001], hypertension [13.6% vs. 35.3%, P<0.001], and hyperlipidemia [34.7% vs. 44.8%, P=0.055] were less common in these patients. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding vessel involvement, reference vessel diameter, stenosis rate [before and after procedure], and lesion characteristics, with an exception that angulated lesions were more common in the patients. 40 years of age [P<0.05]. The young patients, who underwent PCI, presented more frequently with single-vessel disease [61% vs. 46%, P=0.01].The vessel and lesion sites of PCI and clinical success rates were similar in these age groups. Usage of stent was high and similar, and drug- eluting stent use was not significantly different between the two groups. With a high procedural success [94.9% vs. 91.8%], intra-hospital and late complications were very low and similar in both groups. Percutaneous coronary intervention is a safe and effective procedure for young patients, and major adverse cardiac events are similar in young and older patients