Deferred revascularization in diabetic patient according to combined invasive functional and intravascular imaging data: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Invasive functional evaluation by fractional flow reserve (FFR) is considered as a gold standard for the evaluation of intermediate coronary stenosis. However, in patients with diabetes due to accelerated progression of atherosclerosis the outcome may be worse even in the presence of negative functional testing. CASE SUMMARY: We present a case of 55-year-old male diabetic patient who was admitted for chest pain. Diagnostic coronary angiography disclosed 2 intermediate stenoses of the obtuse marginal branch with no evidence of restenosis on previously implanted stent. Patient undergone invasive functional testing of intermediate lesion with preserved FFR (0.88), low coronary flow reserve (1.2) and very high index of microvascular resistance (84). Due to discrepancy in invasive functional parameters, intravascular imaging with optical coherence tomography showed fibrotic stenoses without signs of thin-sup fibroatheroma. Because of the preserved FFR and no signs of vulnerable plaque, the interventional procedure was deferred and the patient continued with optimal medications. CONCLUSION: Combined functional and anatomic imaging of intermediate coronary stenosis in diabetic patients represent comprehensive contemporary decision pathway in the management of the patients.

Long-Term Performance of the Magmaris Drug-Eluting Bioresorbable Metallic Scaffold in All-Comers Patients' Population.

Background: The long-term efficacy and safety of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) in real world clinical practice including Magmaris need to be elucidated to better understand performance of this new and evolutive technology. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term performance of Magmaris, drug-eluting bioresorbable metallic scaffold, in all-comers patients' population. Methods: We included in this prospective registry first 54 patients (54 ± 11 years; male 46) treated with Magmaris, with at least 30 months of follow-up. Diabetes mellitus and acute coronary syndrome were present in 33 (61%) and 30 (56%) of the patients, respectively. Patients were followed for device- and patient-oriented cardiac events during a median follow-up of 47 months (DOCE-cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization; POCE-all cause death, any myocardial infarction, any revascularization). Results: Event-free survivals for DOCE and POCE were 86.8% and 79.2%, respectively. The rate of DOCE was 7/54 (13%), including in total target vessel myocardial infarction in two patients (4%), target lesion revascularization in six patients (11%), and no cardiac deaths. The rate of POCE was 11/54 (21%), including in total any myocardial infarctions in 3 patients (6%), any revascularization in 11 patients (20%), and no deaths. Definite Magmaris thrombosis occurred in two patients (3.7%), and in-scaffold restenosis developed in five patients (9.3%). Variables associated with DOCE were implantation of ≥2 Magmaris BVS (HR: 5.4; 95%CI: 1.21-24.456; p = 0.027) and total length of Magmaris BVS ≥ 40 mm (HR: 6.4; 95%CI: 1.419-28.855; p = 0.016), whereas previous PCI was the only independent predictor of POCE (HR: 7.4; 95%CI: 2.216-24.613; p = 0.001). Conclusions: The results of the long-term clinical outcome following Magmaris implantation in patients with complex clinical and angiographic features were acceptable and promising. Patients with multi-BVS and longer multi-BVS in lesion implantation were associated with worse clinical outcome.

A case of mild-to-intermediate left-main lesion with high-risk plaque features: "Blindness of physiology" for PCI guidance?

In patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome without ST elevation, both FFR and OCT imaging may be necessary to adequately interrogate patients with intermediate and ambiguous left-main coronary stenosis.

Rotate-on-Retract Procedural Automation for Robotic-Assisted Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: First Clinical Experience.

The advent of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has dramatically changed the outlook for patients with cardiovascular disease. However, room for improvement and advancement remains in the safety, speed, and efficiency of manually guided PCI. In recent years, the CorPath robotic platform (Corindus Inc., Waltham, MA) has been approved to aid the interventionalist during PCI and other endovascular interventions. Favorable results in several clinical studies suggest that robotic-assisted PCI may further improve patient outcomes while also benefiting the interventionalist through reduced orthopedic strain and less exposure to ionizing radiation. In this report, we communicate our experience with the first-in-human use of a new, optional automation feature that has been added to the platform's guidance software. This "Rotate-on-Retract" feature is designed to facilitate faster and more precise maneuvering of the guidewire through tortuous vessels by automatically rotating the guidewire whenever it is retracted by the operator. This movement changes the tip's orientation in preparation for the next advancement. We evaluated this feature in a patient undergoing PCI to treat a severe (90% stenotic), long, diffuse, and calcified lesion of the proximal to mid LAD segments.