Safety and feasibility of rotational atherectomy (RA) versus conventional stenting in patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Interventional cardiologists face challenges in managing chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions, with conflicting results when comparing rotational atherectomy (RA) to conventional PCI. This meta-analysis aims to provide a critical evaluation of the safety and feasibility of RA in CTO lesions. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid, and Cochrane central library until April 2023 were searched for relevant studies. MACE was our primary outcomes, other outcomes were all cause of death, cardiac death, MI, and TVR. Also, we reported angiographic outcomes as technical success, procedural success, and procedural complications in a random effect model. The pooled data was analyzed using odds ratio (OR) with its 95% CI using STATA 17 MP. RESULTS: Seven studies comprising 5494 patients with a mean follow-up of 43.1 months were included in this meta-analysis. Our pooled analysis showed that RA was comparable to PCI to decrease the incidence of MACE (OR = 0.98, 95% CI [0.74 to 1.3], p = 0.9). Moreover, there was no significant difference between RA and conventional PCI in terms of other clinical or angiographic outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that RA had comparable clinical and angiographic outcomes as conventional PCI in CTO lesions, which offer interventional cardiologists an expanded perspective when addressing calcified lesions. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42023417362.

A comprehensive guide on the optimal timing of PCI in the setting of acute coronary syndrome: An updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Invasive revascularization is recommended for cohorts of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). However, the optimal timing of invasive revascularization is still controversial and no defined consensus is established. We aim to give a comprehensive appraisal on the optimal timing of invasive strategy in the heterogenous population of ACS. METHODS: Relevant studies were assessed through PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, and Cochrane Library from inception until April 2023. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality were our primary outcomes of interest, other secondary outcomes were cardiac death, TVR, MI, repeat revascularization, recurrent ischemia, and major bleeding. The data was pooled as odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) in a random effect model using STATA 17 MP. RESULTS: A total of 26 studies comprising 21,443 patients were included in the analysis. Early intervention was favor to decrease all-cause mortality (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.98, p = 0.03), when compared to delayed intervention. Subgroup analysis showed that early intervention was significantly associated with all-cause mortality reduction in only NSTE-ACS (OR = 0.83, 95% CI [0.7 to 0.99], p = 0.04). However, there was no significant difference between early and delayed intervention in terms of MACE, cardiac death, TVR, MI, repeat revascularization, recurrent ischemia, and major bleeding. CONCLUSION: An early intervention was associated with lower mortality rates compared to delayed intervention in NSTE-ACS with no significant difference in other clinical outcomes. PROSPERO registration: CRD42023415574.

Efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil in patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a challenging disease in its presentation and management as it may cause life-threatening hemorrhaging in vital organs and may resist several lines of treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in treating patients with ITP. METHODS: We systematically searched four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from inception until 10 October 2022. We included all clinical trials, either controlled or single arm, and prospective and retrospective observational studies that evaluate the efficacy and safety of MMF in patients with ITP. We assessed the risk of bias using three tools (ROBINS-I, Cochrane ROB-2, and NIH), each for eligible study design. RESULTS: Nine studies were included in this meta-analysis, with a total of 411 patients with ITP. We found that MMF demonstrated an overall response rate of (62.09%; 95% CI = [43.29 to 77.84]) and the complete response rate was (46.75%; 95% CI = [24.84 to 69.99]). The overall proportion of adverse events was (12%; 95% CI = [6 to 24]). After the sensitivity analysis, the overall response rate became 50%; 95% CI = [38 to 63]) and the complete response rate became (32%; 95% CI = [24 to 42]). However, MMF did not appear to affect white blood cell counts or hemoglobin levels significantly. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate that MMF appears to be an effective and relatively safe treatment option for patients with ITP when combined with steroids and even in those who have not responded to standard therapies (steroid-resistant cases). Further research with well-designed studies is warranted to better understand the factors influencing treatment response and to refine the use of MMF in the management of ITP. An interactive version of our analysis can be accessed from here: https://databoard.shinyapps.io/mycophenolate_meta/.

Drug-coated balloons versus drug-eluting stents in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: an updated meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.

BACKGROUND: Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) are an established strategy for coronary artery disease. However, the new generation drug-eluting stent (DES) is recommended for patients with Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) for coronary artery revascularization. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive appraisal of the efficacy of DCBs in patients with AMI undergoing PCI. METHODS: We searched the WOS, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane CENTRAL till March 2023, for studies that compared DCBs versus DES in patients with AMI undergoing PCI. We used a random-effects model to compare major adverse cardiac events (MACE), cardiac death, all-cause death, myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization (TLR), stent thrombosis, Late lumen Loss (LLL), and minimum lumen diameter (MLD) between the two groups. RESULTS: Thirteen studies comprising 2644 patients were included. The pooled OR showed non-inferiority of DCB over DES in terms of MACE (OR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.57 to 1.40], p = 0.63). When we defined MACE as a composite of cardiac death, MI, and TLR; the pooled OR favored DCB over DES (OR = 0.50, 95% CI [0.28 to 0.9], p = 0.02). Moreover, DCB was not inferior to DES in terms of all-cause mortality (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.43 to 1.8, p = 0.73), cardiac mortality, (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.22 to 1.56, p = 0.29), MI (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.34 to 2.29, p = 0.79), stent thrombosis (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.35 to 4.23, p = 0.76), TLR (OR = 0.9, 95% CI: 0.43 to 1.93, p = 0.8), LLL (MD = -0.6, 95% CI: -0.3 to 0.19, p = 0.64), or MLD (MD = -0.4, 95% CI: -0.33 to 0.25, p = 0.76). CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis indicated that DCB intervention was not inferior to DES in the PCI setting in patients with AMI, and can be recommended as a feasible strategy in AMI. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42023412757.

High versus low mean arterial pressure targets after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Targeting a specific mean arterial pressure (MAP) has been evaluated as a treatment strategy after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation. However, the current evidence lacks clear guidelines regarding the optimal MAP target after OHCA. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizing randomized controlled trials (RCTs), retrieved by systematically searching: PubMed, EMBASE, WOS, SCOPUS, and Cochrane through January 18th, 2023. Our review protocol was prospectively published on PROSPERO with ID: CRD42023395333. RESULTS: Four RCTs with a total of 1065 patients were included in our analysis. There was no difference between high MAP versus low MAP regarding the primary outcomes: all-cause mortality (RR: 1.07 with a 95% CI [0.91, 1.27], P = 0.4) and favorable neurological recovery (RR: 1.02 with a 95% CI [0.93, 1.13], P = 0.68). However, high MAP target was significantly associated with decreased ICU stay duration (MD: -0.78 with a 95 CI [-1.54, -0.02], P = 0.04) and mechanical ventilation duration (MD: -0.91 with a 95 CI of [-1.51, -0.31], P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: A high MAP target may reduce ICU stay and mechanical ventilation duration but did not demonstrate improvements in either mortality or favorable neurological recovery. Therefore, the role of high MAP target remains uncertain and requires further RCTs.

Short- and Long-term Outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Chronic and Non-chronic Total Occlusions: A Meta-analysis of 690,123 Patients.

The use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO) is still a subject of debate, with conflicting outcomes reported in different studies when compared to non-CTO lesions. This meta-analysis aims to clarify the clinical outcomes of PCI in CTO cases compared to non-CTO lesions, both in the short and long-term. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid, and Cochrane Central were searched until March 2023 for relevant studies addressing short- and long-term outcomes of PCI in CTO vs non-CTO lesions. Dichotomous data were pooled as odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) in a random Der-Simonian lair effect model using STATA 17 MP. Eight studies with a total of 690,123 patients were included. In terms of short-term outcomes, CTO PCI was associated with higher rates of vessel perforation (OR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.31-3.57) and cardiac tamponade (OR = 5.19, 95% CI: 4.29-6.28). Additionally, CTO PCI showed lower rates of procedural success (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73-0.96). Moreover, in the long-term, CTO PCI had higher rates of MACE (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04), however, it showed lower rates of cardiac death (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38-0.98), with no significant difference in other reported outcomes. Our findings underscore the challenges and adverse outcomes associated with using PCI to treat CTO lesions in the short term. This suggests that interventional cardiologists should carefully evaluate the risks and benefits before proceeding with PCI in CTO lesions.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis syndrome (HLH) associated with acute pancreatitis: A case report.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis syndrome is fatal hyper-inflammatory condition due to over-activation of the immune system, being of primary and secondary types. This case report emphasizes the difficulty and challenge in and of the HLH diagnosis, and therapy should be employed promptly given the high mortality associated with HLH.

Association of ABO blood group with in-hospital adverse outcome and long term persistent symptoms of COVID-19 infection: A single-center longitudinal observational study.

Background and Aims: There are gaps in knowledge regarding the association between the ABO blood group and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immediate and long-term outcomes. We aimed to investigate the association of ABO blood group with COVID-19 in-hospital adverse outcomes and to determine whether ABO blood group is associated with post-COVID-19 persistent symptoms. Methods: This was a single-center longitudinal observational study that included patients who presented with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 infection and a positive test for COVID-19 and were able to attend the out-patient clinic after 6 months following acute COVID-19. The main outcomes were intensive care unit admission, the requirement for respiratory support, in-hospital death, and persistent symptoms. χ 2 test and regression analysis were used to analyze the collected data. Results: A total of 169 patients were enrolled for the assessment of in-hospital adverse outcomes of whom 86 patients were included for the assessment of persistent symptoms after the exclusion of deceased patients or patients not attended the out-patient clinic. Patients with blood group B had higher prevalence of in-hospital death compared to blood group O (39% vs. 13%, p = 0.01) and this persisted after adjusting for sex (odds ratio, OR [confidence interval, CI] = 1.4 [1.1-2.1], p = 0.04), while patients with blood group AB had higher prevalence of requiring respiratory support than blood group O (54% vs. 10%, p = 0.02) and this persisted after adjusting for age (OR [CI] = 1.5 [1.1-2.3], p = 0.02). Concerning the association of ABO blood group and long-term symptoms, blood group AB showed a higher prevalence of palpitation (p < 0.001) and dizziness (p = 0.02) than other blood groups. Conclusions: Blood groups AB and B are significantly associated with respiratory support use and in-hospital death, respectively, compared to blood group O. Blood group AB is significantly associated with persistent palpitation and dizziness compared to other blood groups.

Long-term persistent symptoms of COVID-19 infection in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the long-term persistent symptoms of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and COVID-19 infection at 9 months after acute infection. Methods: This single-center cross-sectional study was conducted from May 20 to June 1, 2021. Results: A total of 112 patients were included in the present study. The most frequently reported persistent symptoms among DM group were fatigue (p = 0.01), shortness of breath (p = 0.01), and chest pain (p = 0.02) compared to non-DM group. Sulfonylurea use was associated with persistent cough (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Long-term persistent symptoms of COVID-19 infection are common among patients with DM.