Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the Axiostat® dressing device to achieve radial artery access hemostasis: The R3A study.

BACKGROUND: Radial access is the default approach in interventional cardiology. The Axiostat® surgical hemostatic dressing, using chitosan as its active component, has demonstrated potential in accelerating blood clotting. This study aims to assess the efficacy and the safety of the Axiostat® dressing in achieving hemostasis in patients undergoing transradial coronary angioplasty (TRCA). METHODS: This prospective, single-center observational study, conducted in 2022, enrolled consecutive patients undergoing TRCA, with a target of 150 participants. The primary outcome was the success rate of radial artery hemostasis at 120 min, without bleeding necessitating immediate re-compression. The secondary outcome included Axiostat® performance at 24 h and 30 days Postprocedure. RESULTS: The study was terminated prematurely for ethical and patient safety reasons, after inclusion of 41 consecutive TRCA patients due to an unexpectedly high radial artery thrombosis rate (19.5%, n = 8/41) observed 24 h Postprocedure. The success rate of radial hemostasis with the Axiostat® dressing was 78.0%. Procedural details and patient characteristics were comparable between successful Axiostat® removal and device failure cases. CONCLUSION: The use of the Axiostat® dressing to achieve hemostasis after TRCA is effective but is associated with an unexpectedly high incidence of radial thrombosis. Our results should encourage caution in the future evaluation and use of this device for radial artery compression following TRCA.

Tailored pre-procedural management and four-clip trans-catheter edge-to-edge repair procedure to efficiently treat torrential tricuspid regurgitation: a case report.

Background: The use of trans-catheter treatment for tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is currently increasing, especially trans-catheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER). However, patients with very large coaptation gaps are usually considered not eligible for this treatment. Case summary: We present the case of an 87-year-old man with symptomatic [New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional Class IV, right-sided heart failure signs] isolated torrential TR due to chronic atrial fibrillation who was initially considered not eligible for a tricuspid valve (TV) TEER because of a very large coaptation gap. A leadless pacemaker was implanted, and the patient received high doses of intravenous diuretics at home during 2 months. After heart team discussion, he was then considered suitable for a TEER procedure. A 'zipping' technique was performed, with the implantation of four TriClip devices, based on the anatomy of the TV and guided by fluoroscopy and bi- and tri-dimensional trans-oesophageal echocardiography, allowing an excellent procedural result (mild TR and mean TV gradient = 1 mmHg). At 6 months, TR was still mild, the patient reported a remarkable improvement (NYHA I, no heart failure signs), and 6-min walk test increased from 260 to 375 m. Discussion: This case underscores the need for heart valve centres with dedicated and experienced teams and networks of care to adequately manage patients with severe TR from pre-procedural choice of cardiac pacing type and optimization of diuretic therapy to customized interventions with appropriate number and location of clips according to the anatomy of the valve and the mechanism of TR, guided by high-quality bi- and tri-dimensional echocardiography.

Is coronary multivessel disease in acute myocardial infarction patients still associated with worse clinical outcomes at 1-year?

BACKGROUND: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with multivessel disease (MVD) are associated with a worse prognosis. However, few comparisons are available according to coronary status in the era of modern reperfusion and optimized secondary prevention. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that the difference in prognosis according to number of vessel disease in STEMI patients has reduced. METHODS: All consecutive STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 24 h of symptoms onset between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016 enrolled in the CRAC (Club Régional des Angioplasticiens de la région Centre) France PCI registry were analyzed. Baseline characteristics, management, and outcomes at 1-year were analyzed according to coronary status (one-, two-, and three-VD). RESULTS: A total of 1886 patients (mean age 62.2 ± 14.0 year; 74% of male) were included. Patients with MVD (two or three-VD) represented 53.7%. They were older with higher cardiovascular risk factor profile. At 1 year, the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, defined as all-cause death, stroke or re-MI) was 10%, 12%, and 12% in one-, two, and three-VD respectively (p = .28). In multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression model, two- and three-VD were not associated with higher rate of MACE compared to patients with single VD (HR, 1.09; 95%CI 0.76-1.56 for two-VD; HR, 0.74; 95%CI 0.48-1.14 for three-VD). CONCLUSIONS: MVD still represents an important proportion of STEMI patients but their prognoses were not associated with worse clinical outcomes at 1-year compared with one-VD patients in a modern reperfusion area and secondary medication prevention.