Spontaneous coronary vasospasm due to polytrauma.

Coronary vasospasm is characterized by focal or diffuse spasm of an epicardial coronary artery. Definitive diagnosis is usually made with coronary angiography, when resolution of stenosis is observed after administration of intracoronary vasodilators. Coronary vasospasm is rarely a consequence of a blunt force injury to the chest. Among trauma induced cardiac complications, coronary vasospasm has been the least common with only one other reported case of coronary vasospasm induced by trauma. We report a rare case of severe spontaneous coronary vasospasm in a patient with polytrauma successfully treated with intracoronary, intravenous and oral vasodilator therapy. The mechanism is thought to be due to compensatory catecholamine response to trauma, and coronary vasospasm should be strongly suspected in trauma patients with unexplained hypotension, new conduction abnormalities or evidence of ischemia on the ECG.

The Role of Multimodality Imaging in a Case of Traumatic Cardiac Pseudoaneurysm.

After a 40-foot fall from a balcony, a healthy 21-year-old sustained multiple injuries, including left ventricular pseudoaneurysm. This case demonstrates the critical necessity of the combination of a high index of suspicion and multimodality imaging for diagnosis and prompt intervention.

Safety and clinical effectiveness of drug-eluting stents for saphenous vein graft intervention in older individuals: Results from the medicare-linked National Cardiovascular Data Registry(®) CathPCI Registry(®) (2005-2009).

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) when treating patients with failing saphenous vein grafts (SVG). BACKGROUND: DES reduce target vessel revascularization in patients with failing SVGs; however, compared with bare metal stents (BMS), DES have been variably associated with increased mortality. METHODS: Clinical records from National Cardiovascular Data Registry(®) CathPCI Registry(®) (49,325 older individuals [≥65 years] who underwent SVG stenting 2005-2009) were linked to Medicare claims to create a longitudinal record. Death, myocardial infarction (MI), and urgent revascularization with DES versus BMS were evaluated to 3 years using propensity matching (PM). Results were stratified by clinical presentation (acute coronary syndrome [ACS], non-ACS), previous lesion treatment (in-stent, de novo), and graft segment (aortic, body, distal anastomosis). RESULTS: In this older cohort (median age, 75 years), acute presentations were prevalent (ACS, 69%; TIMI flow <3, 45%), and adverse clinical outcomes were common by 3 years (death, 24.5%; MI, 14.6%; urgent revascularization, 29.5%). Among DES patients (n = 31,403), 3-year mortality was lower (vs. BMS) (22.7% vs. 28.0%, P < 0.001; PM hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.83-0.91), and no difference was observed in the adjusted risk for MI (PM HR 0.97, 0.91 to 1.03) or urgent revascularization (PM HR 1.04, 0.99-1.08). These findings were independent of clinical presentation, previous lesion treatment, and graft segment (P interaction, ns). CONCLUSIONS: In this large SVG PCI cohort, all-cause mortality was lower among those receiving DES, and no difference in MI or urgent revascularization was observed to 3 years. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Three-year outcomes associated with embolic protection in saphenous vein graft intervention: results in 49 325 senior patients in the Medicare-linked National Cardiovascular Data Registry CathPCI Registry.

BACKGROUND: Information is limited on contemporary use and outcomes of embolic protection devices (EPDs) in saphenous vein graft interventions. METHODS AND RESULTS: We formed a longitudinal cohort (2005-2009; n=49 325) by linking National Cardiovascular Data Registry CathPCI Registry to Medicare claims to examine the association between EPD use and both procedural and long-term outcomes among seniors (65+ years), adjusting for clinical factors using propensity and instrumental variable methodologies. Prespecified high-risk subgroups included acute coronary syndrome and de novo or graft body lesions. EPDs were used in 21.2% of saphenous vein grafts (median age, 75; 23% women) and were more common in acute coronary syndrome (versus non-acute coronary syndrome; 22% versus 19%), de novo (versus restenotic; 22% versus 14%), and graft body lesions (versus aortic and distal anastomosis; 24% versus 20% versus 8%, respectively). EPDs were associated with a slightly higher incidence of procedural complications, including no reflow (3.9% versus 2.8%; P<0.001), vessel dissection (1.3% versus 1.1%; P=0.05), perforation (0.7% versus 0.4%; P=0.001), and periprocedural myocardial infarction (2.8% versus 1.8%; P<0.001). By 3 years, death, myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization occurred in 25%, 15%, and 30% of cases, respectively. EPD use was associated with a similar adjusted risk of death (propensity score-matched hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-1.02), myocardial infarction (propensity score-matched hazard ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.93-1.09), and repeat revascularization (propensity score-matched hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-1.08) in the overall cohort and high-risk subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: In this contemporary cohort, EPDs were used more commonly among patients with high-risk clinical indications, yet there was no evidence of improved acute- or long-term outcomes. Further prospective studies are needed to support routine EPD use.

Comparison of outcomes using bare metal versus drug-eluting stents in coronary artery disease patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention have a substantial risk of subsequent cardiovascular events. However, outcome data from HIV-infected patients who receive drug-eluting stents (DESs) are limited. We hypothesized that HIV-infected patients treated with DESs would have fewer recurrent cardiac events compared with those who receive bare metal stents (BMSs). We evaluated 97 HIV-infected patients and 97 non-HIV control patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention between January 2000 and July 2007. Clinical, laboratory, and angiographic data were obtained by chart review. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as clinically driven coronary revascularization, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular death, were adjudicated by 2 independent physicians. The mean age of the HIV cohort was 53 years, and all patients were men. Compared with non-HIV patients, HIV-infected patients were less likely to have hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and previous coronary artery disease and were more likely to have been treated with longer stent length and more stents. During a mean follow-up of 3.1 years, patients who received a DES had a lower rate of MACE compared with those who had received a BMS, regardless of HIV status. After multivariate adjustment for baseline characteristic differences, non-HIV-DES patients had 65% fewer MACE and HIV-DES patients had 60% fewer MACE compared with non-HIV-BMS patients. In conclusion, these data suggest that treatment with DESs in the HIV population is safe and efficacious.