Ten-Year Outcome of Recanalization or Medical Therapy for Concomitant Chronic Total Occlusion After Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: The EXPLORE (Evaluating Xience and Left Ventricular Function in PCI on Occlusions After STEMI) trial was the first and only randomized trial investigating chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) early after primary PCI for ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, compared with medical therapy for the CTO. We performed a 10-year follow-up of EXPLORE to investigate long-term safety and clinical impact of CTO PCI after ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, compared with no-CTO PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: In EXPLORE, 302 patients post-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction with concurrent CTO were randomized to CTO PCI within ≈1 week or no-CTO PCI. We performed an extended clinical follow-up for the primary end point of major adverse cardiac events, consisting of cardiovascular death, coronary artery bypass grafting, or myocardial infarction. Secondary end points included all-cause death, angina, and dyspnea. Median follow-up was 10 years (interquartile range, 8-11 years). The primary end point occurred in 25% of patients with CTO PCI and in 24% of patients with no-CTO PCI (hazard ratio [HR], 1.11 [95% CI, 0.70-1.76]). Cardiovascular mortality was higher in the CTO PCI group (HR, 2.09 [95% CI, 1.10-2.50]), but all-cause death was similar (HR, 1.53 [95% CI, 0.93-2.50]). Dyspnea relief was more frequent after CTO PCI (83% versus 65%, P=0.005), with no significant difference in angina. CONCLUSIONS: This 10-year follow-up of patients post-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction randomized to CTO PCI or no-CTO PCI demonstrated no clinical benefit of CTO PCI in major adverse cardiac events or overall mortality. However, CTO PCI was associated with a higher cardiovascular mortality compared with no-CTO PCI. Our long-term data support a careful weighing of effective symptom relief against an elevated cardiovascular mortality risk in CTO PCI decisions. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.trialregister.nl; Unique identifier: NTR1108.

Impact of preventive substrate catheter ablation on implantable cardioverter-defibrillator interventions in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and infarct-related coronary chronic total occlusion.

AIMS: Primary prevention patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and chronic total occlusion of an infarct-related coronary artery (CTO) are at a particularly high risk of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy occurrence. The trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of preventive CTO-related substrate ablation strategy in ischaemic cardiomyopathy patients undergoing primary prevention ICD implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: The PREVENTIVE VT study was a prospective, multicentre, randomized trial including ischaemic patients with ejection fraction ≤40%, no documented ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), and evidence of scar related to the coronary CTO. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to a preventive substrate ablation before ICD implantation or standard therapy with ICD implantation only. The primary outcome was a composite of appropriate ICD therapy or unplanned hospitalization for VAs. Secondary outcomes included the primary outcome's components, the incidence of appropriate ICD therapies, cardiac hospitalization, electrical storm, and cardiovascular (CV) mortality. Sixty patients were included in the study. During the mean follow-up of 44.7 ± 20.7 months, the primary outcome occurred in 5 (16.7%) patients undergoing preventive substrate ablation and in 13 (43.3%) patients receiving only ICD [hazard ratio (HR): 0.33; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12-0.94; P = 0.037]. Patients in the preventive ablation group also had fewer appropriate ICD therapies (P = 0.039) and the electrical storms (Log-rank: P = 0.01). While preventive ablation also reduced cardiac hospitalizations (P = 0.006), it had no significant impact on CV mortality (P = 0.151). CONCLUSION: Preventive ablation of the coronary CTO-related substrate in patients undergoing primary ICD implantation is associated with the reduced risk of appropriate ICD therapy or unplanned hospitalization due to VAs.

Obesity paradox in patients with chronic total occlusion of coronary artery.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with metabolic syndrome which increases further risk of coronary artery disease and adverse cardiovascular events. Impact of body mass index (BMI) on long-term outcome in patients with coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) is less clear. METHOD AND RESULTS: From January 2005 to November 2020, a total of 1301 patients with coronary angiographic confirmed CTO were enrolled in our study. Patients were divided into two groups: low BMI group: 18-24.99 kg/m2 and high BMI group ≥25 kg/m2 . Clinical outcomes were 3-year all-cause mortality, 3-year cardiovascular mortality and 3-year non-fatal myocardial infarct. During the 3-year follow-up period, all-cause mortality was significantly higher in patients with low BMI group compared to those in high BMI groups (14% vs. 6%, p = .0001). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed patients with high BMI groups had significant better survival compared with those in low BMI group (p = .0001). In multivariate analysis, higher BMI was independently associated with decreased risk of 3-year all-cause mortality (Hazard ratio [HR]: 0.534; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.349-0.819, p = .004) after controlling for age, renal function, prior history of stroke, coronary artery bypass graft, co-morbidities with peripheral arterial disease, heart failure and revascularization status for CTO. In propensity-matched multivariate analysis, high BMI remained a significant predictor of 3-year all-cause mortality (HR, 0.525; 95% CI, 0.346-0.795, p = .002). CONCLUSION: Higher BMI was associated with better long-term outcome in patients with coronary CTO.

The impact of successful chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention on long-term clinical outcomes in real world.

BACKGROUND: Coronary chronic total occlusions (CTOs) are related to increased risk of adverse clinical outcomes. The optimal treatment strategy for CTO has not been well established. We sought to examine the impact of CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on long-term clinical outcome in the real world. METHODS: A total of 592 patients with CTO were enrolled. 29 patients were excluded due to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). After exclusion, 563 patients were divided into the no-revascularized group (CTO-NR group, n = 263) and successful revascularized group (CTO-R group, n = 300). The primary endpoint was cardiac death; secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), a composite of all-cause death, cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization, re-hospitalization, heart failure, and stroke. RESULTS: Percent of Diabetes mellitus (53.2% vs 39.7), Chronic kidney disease (8.7% vs 3.7%), CABG history (7.6% vs 1%), three vessel disease (96.2% vs 90%) and left main coronary artery disease (25.1% vs 13.7%) was significantly higher in the CTO-NR group than in success PCI group (all P < 0.05). Moreover, the CTO-NR group has the lower ejection fraction (EF) (0.58 ± 0.11 vs 0.61 ± 0.1, p = 0.001) and fraction shortening (FS) (0.31 ± 0.07 vs 0.33 ± 0.07, p = 0.002). At a median follow-up of 12 months, CTO revascularization was superior to CTO no-revascularization in terms of cardiac death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.27, 95% conference interval [CI] 0.11-0.64). The superiority of CTO revascularization was consistent for MACCE (HR: 0.55, 95% CI 0.35-0.79). At multivariable Cox hazards regression analysis, CTO revascularization remains one of the independent predictors of lower risk of cardiac death and MACCE. CONCLUSIONS: Successful revascularization by PCI may bring more clinical benefits. The presence of low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and LM-disease was associated with an incidence of cardiac death; CTO revascularization was a protected predictor of cardiac death. Successful revascularization by PCI offered CTO patients more clinical benefits, manifested by lower incidence of cardiac death during follow-up. The presence of LVEF < 0.5 and left main coronary artery disease (LM disease) was associated with an incidence of cardiac death; CTO revascularised was a protected predictor of cardiac death.

The 11-Year Prognostic Impact of Chronic Total Occlusion in the Noninfarct-Related Coronary Artery on Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic significance of CTO in the non-IRA in patients with AMI has been under dispute. Relevant long-term follow-up studies are lacking. Hypothesis. CTO in the non-IRA is an independent predictor of poor long-term prognosis in patients with AMI. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 2336 patients with AMI who received emergent percutaneous coronary intervention successfully from January 2006 to May 2011. Our primary endpoints included death from cardiovascular causes, recurrent myocardial infarction, stroke, and target-vessel revascularization. We adopted Cox regression analysis adjusted for confounders to analyze the impact of CTO in the non-IRA on long-term mortalities. RESULTS: We identified 628 (27.6%) subjects with CTO in the non-IRA among 2282 AMI patients. After a mean follow-up duration of 134.3 months, we found the CTO group had significantly higher MACCE rate than the group without CTO (30.4% versus 24.3%, P=0.004). CTO in the non-IRA independently predicted 11-year MACCE in the male AMI subgroup (hazard ratio 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 1.54, P=0.01) and in the male NSTEMI subgroup (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 2.15, P=0.02). In the CTO group, three-vessel disease independently predicted 11 year MACCE (hazard ratio 2.05, 95% confidence interval 1.29 to 3.28, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Our long-term observational study supported the association between CTO in the non-IRA and poorer prognosis in AMI patients undergoing primary PCI. We identified the group with the three-vessel disease as a high-risk subgroup in patients with CTO in the non-IRA.

Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Total Occlusion Revascularization Versus No Chronic Total Occlusion Revascularization: Variability by Target Vessel.

We aimed to investigate the impact of target vessel on clinical outcomes in chronic total occlusion (CTO) revascularization versus no CTO revascularization. This multicenter, retrospective, cohort study involves patients with ≥1 CTO. After classification based on different CTO target vessels or multiple CTOs, patients were further categorized as the CTO revascularization group and the no CTO revascularization group based on treatment received. The primary outcome was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, repeated revascularization, and hospital admission due to ischemic symptoms. From August 2016 to August 2017, 1712 eligible patients were consecutively enrolled. Chronic total occlusion revascularization was associated with lower risk of 1-year major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs; adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.20-0.67; P = .001) compared with no CTO revascularization in left anterior descending (LAD) CTO patients. The benefit of CTO revascularization was not evident among those with left circumflex (LCX; adjusted HR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.23-1.10; P = .087), right coronary artery (RCA; adjusted HR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.59-2.33; P = .648), and multiple CTOs (adjusted HR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.41-2.44; P = .994). Revascularization for LAD CTO, but not LCX, RCA, or multiple CTOs, was associated with lower risk of 1-year MACCEs compared with no CTO revascularization.

Late Survival Benefit of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Compared With Medical Therapy in Patients With Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study.

Background As an initial treatment strategy, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) did not show midterm survival benefits compared with optimal medical therapy (OMT). We sought to evaluate the benefit of PCI compared with OMT in patients with CTO over extended long-term follow-up. Methods and Results Between March 2003 and February 2012, 2024 patients with CTO were enrolled in a single-center registry and followed for ≈10 years. We excluded patients with CTO who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (n=477) and classified patients into the CTO-PCI group (n=883) or OMT group (n=664) according to initial treatment strategy. Patients with multivessel disease received PCI for obstructive non-CTO lesions in both groups. In the CTO-PCI group, 699 patients (79.2%) underwent successful revascularization. The CTO-PCI group had a lower 10-year rate of cardiac death (10.4% versus 22.3%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.44 [95% CI, 0.32-0.59]; P<0.001) than the OMT group. After propensity score matching analyses, the CTO-PCI group had a lower 10-year rate of cardiac death (13.6% versus 20.8%; HR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.45-0.91]; P=0.01) than the OMT group. The relative reduction in cardiac death at 10 years was mainly driven by a relative reduction between 3 and 10 years (8.3% versus 16.6%; HR, 0.43 [95% CI, 0.27-0.71]; P<0.001) but not at 3 years (5.7% versus 5.0%; HR, 1.12 [95% CI, 0.63-2.00]; P=0.71). The beneficial effects of CTO-PCI were consistent among subgroups. Conclusions As an initial treatment strategy, CTO-PCI might reduce late cardiac death compared with OMT in patients with CTO. Extended follow-up of randomized trials may confirm the findings of the present study.

Prognostic value of malnutrition using geriatric nutritional risk index in patients with coronary chronic total occlusion after percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is associated with poor prognosis in a wide range of chronic illnesses, however, the impact of malnutrition on long-term outcomes of patients at advanced stages of atherosclerosis, coronary chronic artery occlusion (CTO), is not known. AIMS: This study aims to investigate the relationship between malnutrition and adverse cardiovascular events in patients with CTO after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Baseline malnutrition risk was determined in 669 patients with CTO after PCI in this study. All patients were divided into 3 groups according to 3 categories of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI): moderate to severe, GNRI of <92 (n = 70); low, GNRI of 92-98 (n = 197); and absence of risk, GNRI of ≥98 (n = 402). The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality and the secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). RESULTS: Average age in this study was 65.32 ± 9.97 years old. More than one-third of patients were at risk of malnutrition (moderate to severe: 10.5%; low: 29.4%; and absence of risk: 60.1%). Over a median follow-up of 33 months, compared to those with absent risk for malnutrition, moderate to severe risk was associated with significantly increased risk for the all-cause death, cardiovascular death and MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.43 to 5.87, P for trend = 0.002; HR: 3.72, 95% CI: 1.42 to 9.77, P for trend = 0.010; HR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.02 to 3.03, P for trend = 0.040; respectively) after adjustment for baseline variables. Moreover, addition of the GNRI score significantly raised the predictive value for the all-cause death (0.383, p = 0.004 and 0.022, p = 0.011, NRI and IDI respectively), cardiovascular death (0.488, p < 0.001 and 0.013, p = 0.014, NRI and IDI respectively) and MACE (0.368, p = 0.004 and 0.014, p = 0.008, NRI and IDI respectively) as compared to traditional factors. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition assessed by the GNRI score on admission was an independent predictor for adverse cardiovascular events in CTO patients after PCI. Addition of the GNRI score to the existing risk prediction model significantly increased the predictive ability for cardiovascular events in CTO patients after PCI.

Mortality 10 Years After Percutaneous or Surgical Revascularization in Patients With Total Coronary Artery Occlusions.

BACKGROUND: The long-term clinical benefit after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with total occlusions (TOs) and complex coronary artery disease has not yet been clarified. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this analysis was to assess 10-year all-cause mortality in patients with TOs undergoing PCI or CABG. METHODS: This is a subanalysis of patients with at least 1 TO in the SYNTAXES (Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery Extended Survival) study, which investigated 10-year all-cause mortality in the SYNTAX (Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) trial, beyond its original 5-year follow-up. Patients with TOs were further stratified according to the status of TO recanalization or revascularization. RESULTS: Of 1,800 randomized patients to the PCI or CABG arm, 460 patients had at least 1 lesion of TO. In patients with TOs, the status of TO recanalization or revascularization was not associated with 10-year all-cause mortality, irrespective of the assigned treatment (PCI arm: 29.9% vs. 29.4%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.992; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.474 to 2.075; p = 0.982; and CABG arm: 28.0% vs. 21.4%; adjusted HR: 0.656; 95% CI: 0.281 to 1.533; p = 0.330). When TOs existed in left main and/or left anterior descending artery, the status of TO recanalization or revascularization did not have an impact on the mortality (34.5% vs. 26.9%; adjusted HR: 0.896; 95% CI: 0.314 to 2.555; p = 0.837). CONCLUSIONS: At 10-year follow-up, the status of TO recanalization or revascularization did not affect mortality, irrespective of the assigned treatment and location of TOs. The present study might support contemporary practice among high-volume chronic TO-PCI centers where recanalization is primarily offered to patients for the management of angina refractory to medical therapy when myocardial viability is confirmed. (Synergy Between PCI With TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery: SYNTAX Extended Survival [SYNTAXES]; NCT03417050; SYNTAX Study: TAXUS Drug-Eluting Stent Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for the Treatment of Narrowed Arteries [SYNTAX]; NCT00114972).

Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Coronary Obstruction Following Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

There is scant information about the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of coronary obstruction (CO) following valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (VIV-TAVR). A meta-analysis of the published studies from January 2000 to April 2020 was conducted, and the endpoint was CO. A total of 2858 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 77.7 ± 9.8, and 39.9% of them were female. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score, European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE), and Logistic EuroSCORE were 8.9 ± 7.8, 16.0 ± 10.9, and 26.3 ± 16.3, respectively. The overall incidence of CO was 2.58%. CO incidence between patients with prior stented and stentless valves were significantly different (1.67% versus 7.17%), with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.25 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.14-0.44 (P < 0.00001). The first-generation valves were significantly associated with higher CO incidence compared with the second-generation valves (7.09% versus 2.03%; OR, 2.44; 95%CI, 1.06-5.62; P = 0.04), while no statistical difference was found between self-expandable valves and balloon-expandable valves (2.45% versus 2.60%; OR, 0.99; 95%CI, 0.55-1.79; P = 0.98). Virtual transcatheter to coronary ostia (VTC) distance (3.3 ± 2.1 mm, n = 29 versus 5.8 ± 2.4 mm, n = 169; mean difference, -2.70; 95%CI, -3.46 to -1.95; P < 0.00001) and the sinus of Valsalva (SOV) diameter (27.5 ± 3.8 mm, n = 23 versus 32.3 ± 4.0 mm, n = 101; mean difference, -3.80; 95%CI, -6.55 to -1.05; P = 0.007) were enormously shorter in patients with CO. The 24-hour, in-hospital, and 30-day mortality of patients with CO were 10.5%, 30.8%, and 37.1%, respectively. In conclusion, device selections, VTC distances, and SOV diameters may be important factors in assessing the CO risk in VIV-TAVR.

The long-term impact of a chronic total occlusion in a non-infarct-related artery on acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after primary coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the long-term outcome of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and a chronic total occlusion (CTO) in a non-infarct-related artery (IRA) and the risk factors for mortality. METHODS: The enrolled cohort comprised 323 patients with STEMI and multivessel diseases (MVD) that received a primary percutaneous coronary intervention between January 2008 and November 2013. The patients were divided into two groups: the CTO group (n = 97) and the non-CTO group (n = 236). The long-term major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) experienced by each group were compared. RESULTS: The rates of all-cause mortality and MACCE were significantly higher in the CTO group than they were in the non-CTO group. Cox regression analysis showed that an age ≥ 65 years (OR = 3.94, 95% CI: 1.47-10.56, P = 0.01), a CTO in a non-IRA(OR = 5.09, 95% CI: 1.79 ~ 14.54, P < 0.01), an in-hospital Killip class ≥ 3 (OR = 4.32, 95% CI: 1.71 ~ 10.95, P < 0.01), and the presence of renal insufficiency (OR = 5.32, 95% CI: 1.49 ~ 19.01, P = 0.01), stress ulcer with gastraintestinal bleeding (SUB) (OR = 6.36, 95% CI: (1.45 ~ 28.01, P = 0.01) were significantly related the 10-year mortality of patients with STEMI and MVD; an in-hospital Killip class ≥ 3 (OR = 2.97,95% CI:1.46 ~ 6.03, P < 0.01) and the presence of renal insufficiency (OR = 5.61, 95% CI: 1.19 ~ 26.39, P = 0.03) were significantly related to the 10-year mortality of patients with STEMI and a CTO. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a CTO in a non-IRA, an age ≥ 65 years, an in-hospital Killip class ≥ 3, and the presence of renal insufficiency, and SUB were independent risk predictors for the long-term mortality of patients with STEMI and MVD; an in-hospital Killip class ≥ 3 and renal insufficiency were independent risk predictors for the long-term mortality of patients with STEMI and a CTO.

Long-term prognosis of chronic total occlusion treated by successful percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with or without diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is highly prevalent among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO). Therefore, the purpose of our study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of CTO-PCI in patients with or without DM. METHODS: All relevant articles published in electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) from inception to August 7, 2020 were identified with a comprehensive literature search. Additionally, we defined major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) as the primary endpoint and used risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to express the pooled effects in this meta-analysis. RESULTS: Eleven studies consisting of 4238 DM patients and 5609 non-DM patients were included in our meta-analysis. For DM patients, successful CTO-PCI was associated with a significantly lower risk of MACEs (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.55-0.82, p = 0.0001), all-cause death (RR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.38-0.56, p < 0.00001), and cardiac death (RR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.26-0.48, p < 0.00001) than CTO-medical treatment (MT) alone; however, this does not apply to non-DM patients. Subsequently, the subgroup analysis also obtained consistent conclusions. In addition, our study also revealed that non-DM patients may suffer less risk from MACEs (RR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.02-1.56, p = 0.03) than DM patients after successful CTO-PCI, especially in the subgroup with a follow-up period of less than 3 years (RR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.22-1.67, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with CTO-MT alone, successful CTO-PCI was found to be related to a better long-term prognosis in DM patients but not in non-DM patients. However, compared with non-DM patients, the risk of MACEs may be higher in DM patients after successful CTO-PCI in the drug-eluting stent era, especially during a follow-up period shorter than 3 years.

Impact of Plaque Burden Versus Stenosis on Ischemic Events in Patients With Coronary Atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) are at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. However, it remains unclear whether the high risk is due to high atherosclerotic disease burden or if presence of stenosis has independent predictive value. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if obstructive CAD provides predictive value beyond its association with total calcified atherosclerotic plaque burden as assessed by coronary artery calcium (CAC). METHODS: Among 23,759 symptomatic patients from the Western Denmark Heart Registry who underwent diagnostic computed tomography angiography (CTA), we assessed the risk of major CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, and all-cause death) stratified by CAC burden and number of vessels with obstructive disease. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 4.3 years, 1,054 patients experienced a first major CVD event. The event rate increased stepwise with both higher CAC scores and number of vessels with obstructive disease (by CAC scores: 6.2 per 1,000 person-years (PY) for CAC = 0 to 42.3 per 1,000 PY for CAC >1,000; by number of vessels with obstructive disease: 6.1 per 1,000 PY for no CAD to 34.7 per 1,000 PY for 3-vessel disease). When stratified by 5 groups of CAC scores (0, 1 to 99, 100 to 399, 400 to 1,000, and >1,000), the presence of obstructive CAD was not associated with higher risk than presence of nonobstructive CAD. CONCLUSIONS: Plaque burden, not stenosis per se, is the main predictor of risk for CVD events and death. Thus, patients with a comparable calcified atherosclerosis burden generally carry a similar risk for CVD events regardless of whether they have nonobstructive or obstructive CAD.

Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Chronic Total Occlusion.

The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after treatment of chronic total occlusions (CTO) with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unknown. We aimed to determine if extended (> 12 months) DAPT was associated with a net clinical benefit. The study population included patients who underwent successful CTO PCI within Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 2009 and 2016. Baseline demographic, clinical, and procedural characteristics were compared for patients on DAPT ≤ versus > 12 months. Clinical outcomes (death, myocardial infarction (MI), and ≥ Academic Research Consortium type 3a bleeding) were compared beginning 12 months after PCI using Cox proportional hazards models. We also adjudicated individual causes of death. 1,069 patients were followed for a median of 3.6 years (Interquartile Range = 2.2 to 5.5) following CTO PCI. Patients on DAPT ≤ 12 months (n = 597, 56%) were more likely to have anemia, end stage renal disease, and previous MI. After adjustment for between group differences, > 12 months of DAPT was associated with lower death or MI (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47 to 0.93) and lower death (HR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.82). There were no associations with MI (HR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.55 to 1.5) or bleeding (HR 1.1; 95% CI: 0.50 to 2.4), but a numerically higher proportion of patients on shorter v. longer DAPT died of a cardiovascular cause (37% vs 20%, p = 0.10). In conclusion, > 12 months of DAPT was associated with lower death or MI, without an increase in bleeding. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the optimal duration of DAPT in this unique subgroup.

Long term clinical impact of successful recanalization of chronic total occlusion in patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is one of the risk factors for coronary artery disease and frequently associated with multivessels disease and poor clinical outcomes. Long term outcome of successful revascularization of chronic total occlusions (CTO) in diabetes patients remains controversial. METHODS AND RESULTS: From January 2005 to December 2015, 739 patients who underwent revascularization for CTO in Taipei Veterans General Hospital were included in this study, of which 313 (42%) patients were diabetes patients. Overall successful rate of revascularization was 619 (84%) patients whereas that in diabetics and non-diabetics were 265 (84%) and 354 (83%) respectively. Median follow up was 1095 days (median: 5 years, interquartile range: 1-10 years). During 3 years follow-up period, 59 (10%) in successful group and 18 (15%) patients in failure group died. Although successful revascularization of CTO was non-significantly associated with better outcome in total cohort (hazard ratio (HR): 0.593, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.349-0.008, P: 0.054), it might be associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 0.307, 95% CI 0.156-0.604, P: 0.001) and CV mortality (HR: 0.266, 95% CI 0.095-0.748, P: 0.012) in diabetics (P: 0.512). In contrast, successful CTO revascularization didn't improve outcomes in non-diabetics (all P > 0.05). In multivariate cox regression analysis, successful CTO revascularization remained an independent predictor for 3-years survival in diabetic subgroup (HR: 0.289, 95% CI 0.125-0.667, P: 0.004). The multivariate analysis result was similar after propensity score matching (all-cause mortality, HR: 0.348, 95% CI 0.142-0.851, P: 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Successful CTO revascularization in diabetes may be related to better long term survival benefit but not in non-diabetic population.

Long-term outcomes of medical therapy versus successful recanalisation for coronary chronic total occlusions in patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we compared the outcomes of medical therapy (MT) with successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in chronic total occlusions (CTO) patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 2015 patients with CTOs were stratified. Diabetic patients (n = 755, 37.5%) and non-diabetic patients (n = 1260, 62.5%) were subjected to medical therapy or successful CTO-PCI. We performed a propensity score matching (PSM) to balance the baseline characteristics. A comparison of the major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was done to evaluate long-term outcomes. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 2.6 years. Through multivariate analysis, the incidence of MACE was significantly higher among diabetic patients compared to the non-diabetic patients (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.61, p = 0.005). Among the diabetic group, the rate of MACE (adjusted HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.42-0.87, p = 0.006) was significantly lower in the successful CTO-PCI group than in the MT group. Besides, in the non-diabetic group, the prevalence of MACE (adjusted HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.64-1.15, p = 0.294) and cardiac death (adjusted HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.51-1.70, p = 0.825) were comparable between the two groups. Similar results as with the early detection were obtained in propensity-matched diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Notably, there was a significant interaction between diabetic or non-diabetic with the therapeutic strategy on MACE (p for interaction = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: For treatment of CTO, successful CTO-PCI highly reduces the risk of MACE in diabetic patients when compared with medical therapy. However, this does not apply to non-diabetic patients.

Intravascular Healing Is Not Affected by Approaches in Contemporary CTO PCI: The CONSISTENT CTO Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess angiographic, imaging, and clinical outcomes following chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with dissection and re-entry techniques (DART) and subintimal (SI) stenting compared with intimal techniques. BACKGROUND: Reliable procedural success and safety in CTO PCI require the use of DART to treat the most complex patients. Potential concerns regarding the durability of DART with SI stenting still need to be addressed. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm trial of patients with appropriate indications for CTO PCI. RESULTS: Successful CTO PCI was performed in 210 of 231 patients (91% success). At 1 year, the primary endpoint of target vessel failure (cardiac death, myocardial infarction related to the target vessel, or any ischemia-driven revascularization) occurred in 5.7% of patients, meeting the pre-set performance goal. Major adverse cardiovascular events (all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization) occurred in 10% at 1 year and 17% by 2 years and was not influenced by DART. Quality-of-life measures significantly improved from baseline to 12 months. There was no difference in intravascular healing assessed using optical coherence tomography at 12 months for patients treated with DART and SI stenting compared with intimal strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Contemporary CTO PCI is associated with medium-term clinical outcomes comparable with those achieved in other complex PCI cohorts and significant improvements in quality of life. The use of DART with SI stenting does not adversely affect intravascular healing at 12 months or medium-term major adverse cardiovascular events. (Consistent CTO Trial; NCT02227771).

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Chronic Total Occlusion-The Michigan Experience: Insights From the BMC2 Registry.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the performance and outcomes of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Michigan. BACKGROUND: CTO PCI has been associated with reduction in angina, but previous registry analyses showed a higher rate of major adverse cardiac events with this procedure. METHODS: To study uptake and outcomes of CTO PCI in Michigan, patients enrolled in the BMC2 (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium) registry (2010 to 2017) were evaluated. CTO PCI was defined as intervention in a 100% occluded coronary artery ≥3 months old. RESULTS: Among 210,172 patients enrolled in the registry, 7,389 CTO PCIs (3.5%) were attempted, with 4,614 (58.3%) achieving post-procedural TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) flow grade 3. The proportion of PCIs performed on CTOs increased over the study period (from 2.67% in 2010 to 4.48% in 2017). Thirty of 47 hospitals performed >50 CTO interventions in 2017. Pre-procedural angina class ≤2 was present in one-quarter, and functional assessment for ischemia was performed in 46.6% of patients. Major complications occurred in 245 patients (3.3%) and included death (1.4%), post-procedural stroke (0.4%), cardiac tamponade (0.5%), and urgent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (1.3%). Procedural success improved modestly from 44.5% in 2010 to 54.9% in 2017 (p for trend < 0.001). Rates of in-hospital mortality (p for trend = 0.247) and major adverse cardiac event (p for trend = 0.859) for CTO PCI remained unchanged over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of CTO PCI in Michigan increased over the study period. Although the success rate of CTO PCI has increased modestly in contemporary practice, it remained far below the >80% reported by select high-volume CTO operators. The rate of periprocedural major adverse cardiac events or death remained unchanged over time. These data suggest room for improvement in the selection and functional assessment of CTO lesions before subjecting patients to the increased procedural risk associated with CTO PCI.

Impact of coronary collateralization on long-term clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetic patients after successful recanalization of chronic total occlusion.

BACKGROUND: To assess the prognostic role of coronary collaterals in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO). METHODS: Coronary collateralization was graded according to Rentrop scoring system in 198 type 2 diabetic patients and 335 non-diabetics with stable angina undergoing PCI for at least one CTO lesion. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was determined and major adverse cardio-cerebral events (MACCE) were recorded during follow-up. RESULTS: Poor collateralization was more common in patients with T2DM than in non-diabetics (40% vs 29%, p = 0.008). At 13.5 ± 4.1 months, the rate of composite MACCE (17.3% vs 27.6%, p = 0.034) and repeat revascularization (15.2% vs 25.5%, p = 0.026) was lower and the increase in LVEF (3.10% vs 1.80%, p = 0.024) was greater in patients with good collaterals than in those with poor collaterals for non-diabetic group. The associations were in the same direction for T2DM group (35% vs 44%; 30% vs 36%; 2.14% vs 1.65%, respectively) with a higher all-cause mortality in diabetic patients with poor collaterals (p = 0.034). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that coronary collateralization was an independent factor for time to MACCE (HR 2.155,95% CI 1.290-3.599, p = 0.003) and repeat revascularization (HR 2.326, 95% CI 1.357-3.986, p = 0.002) in non-diabetic patients, but did not enter the model in those with T2DM. CONCLUSIONS: T2DM is associated with reduced coronary collateralization. The effects of the status of coronary collateralization on long-term clinical outcomes and left ventricular function appear to be similar in size in type 2 diabetic patients and non-diabetics after successful recanalization of CTO.

Long-term clinical effects of recanalization of chronic coronary total occlusions in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present analysis is to evaluate the clinical impact of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) recanalization in patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. BACKGROUND: According to contemporary knowledge, patient selection for percutaneous CTO revascularization is not yet standardized. In particular, data on outcomes in patients with LV systolic dysfunction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for CTO are scarce. METHODS: From a total of 2,421 consecutive patients with at least one CTO, 436 patients with ejection fraction (EF) ≤45%, who were referred for coronary angiography between January 1998 and September 2014, were selected. Patients with successful recanalization of the target CTO were assigned to CTO-revascularized group and those with failed or not attempted recanalization to the CTO-not revascularized (CTO-NR) group. Study endpoints were all-cause death, cardiac death, and occurrence of myocardial infarction on follow-up. RESULTS: Out of 436 CTO patients with reduced EF, 228 (52.3%) were successfully recanalized and 208 patients (47.7%) were not, either due to CTO-PCI failure (n = 106, 24.3%) or because CTO-PCI was not attempted (n = 102, 23.4%). At long-term follow-up, CTO-NR patients had significantly higher rate of overall (p = .021) and cardiac mortality (p = .035) compared to those successfully revascularized. CONCLUSION: In patients with systolic LV dysfunction (EF ≤ 45%), CTO revascularization was associated with significant lower rate of total and cardiac mortality compared to those with nonrevascularized CTO.