Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients < or =45 years of age with acute myocardial infarction having percutaneous coronary intervention.

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) was determined in patients aged < or =45 years who presented with acute myocardial infarction and underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Two hundred twenty-three consecutive patients aged 18 to 45 years who underwent cardiac catheterization for acute myocardial infarction from June 2001 to December 2004 were reviewed. MS was diagnosed by National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines (modified by substituting body mass index > or =28.8 kg/m2 for waist circumference). One hundred sixty-one patients met all 5 criteria for MS available for evaluation. Seventy-six of these patients (47%) met > or =3 of the 5 criteria for MS. Sixteen patients with MS (21%) and 5 patients without MS (6%) had diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of each criterion was significantly higher (p <0.05) in the MS group. Average Framingham risk scores were 7.0 and 4.5 for patients with and without MS, respectively. The prevalence of smoking, male gender, and family history of premature coronary artery disease were the same for the 2 groups. In conclusion, MS was highly prevalent in this population of young patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy for large pulmonary embolism: a promising treatment option.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common cardiovascular disease with significant mortality. Some patients with large PE are not eligible for current treatment options such as thrombolysis or surgical embolectomy. We report our experience of percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy (PRT) using the AngioJet system combined with adjunctive local thrombolytic therapy and inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement to treat massive or submassive PE in patients ineligible for current treatment options. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of the 14 consecutive patients ineligible for thrombolysis or embolectomy treated with PRT, 10 patients had massive PE (6 patients were hypotensive and 4 patients had intractable hypoxemia) and 4 patients had submassive PE. Adjunctive local thrombolysis was performed in 5 patients. An IVC filter was placed in 11 patients. Angiographic success based on Miller score was achieved in 13 patients (92.9%). Procedure success was obtained in 12 patients (85.7%). Procedural mortality occurred in one patient who presented in cardiogenic shock (7.1%) and non-fatal hemoptysis occurred in 1 patient (7.1%). Total in-hospital mortality occurred in 3 patients (21.4%). On a mean follow-up of 9 months, all 11 survivors had noted significant improvement in symptoms without recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy using the AngioJet may be a treatment option for patients with massive or submassive PE who may not be eligible for thrombolytic therapy or surgical embolectomy.

Myocardial infarction as a presentation of clinical in-stent restenosis.

BACKGROUND: In-stent restenosis is considered to be a gradual and progressive condition and there is scant data on myocardial infarction (MI) as a clinical presentation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 2,462 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention between June 2001 and December 2002, clinical in-stent restenosis occurred in 212 (8.6%), who were classified into 3 groups: ST elevation MI (STEMI), non-ST elevation MI (NSTEMI) and non-MI. Of the 212 patients presenting with clinical in-stent restenosis, 22 (10.4%) had MI (creatine kinase (CK)>or=2xbaseline with elevated CKMB). The remaining 190 (89.6%) patients had stable angina or evidence of ischemia by stress test without elevation of cardiac enzymes. Median interval between previous intervention and presentation for clinical in-stent restenosis was shorter for patients with MI than for non-MI patients (STEMI, 90 days; NSTEMI, 79 days; non-MI, 125 days; p=0.07). Diffuse in-stent restenosis was more frequent in MI patients than in non-MI patients (72.7% vs 56.3%; p<0.005). Renal failure was more prevalent in patients with MI than in those without MI (31.8% vs 6.3%, p=0.001). Compared with the non-MI group, patients with MI were more likely to have acute coronary syndromes at the time of index procedure (81.8% vs 56.8%, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Clinical in-stent restenosis can frequently present as MI and such patients are more likely to have an aggressive angiographic pattern of restenosis. Renal failure and acute coronary syndromes at the initial procedure are associated with MI.

Impact of gender on in-hospital outcomes following contemporary percutaneous intervention for peripheral arterial disease.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous peripheral arterial intervention (PPAI) has emerged as an effective and less invasive alternative to surgery for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), however, data on gender differences in outcome of PPAI, especially in the stent era, are limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the gender differences on in-hospital outcomes of patients undergoing PPAI. METHODS: We analyzed data on 268 consecutive patients (women: 122; men: 146) who underwent PPAI for PAD between October 2001 and January 2004. A total of 405 lesions (women: 184; men: 221) were treated. RESULTS: Background characteristics were similar except for less prevalent prior coronary intervention in women (18.0% versus 28.8%; p = 0.04), and more prevalent current smokers in women (22.1% versus 12.3%; p = 0.03). Upper extremities interventions were performed more often in women (9.2% versus 3.2%; p = 0.01). Procedure success was achieved in 89.3% of women and 89.7% of men (p = NS). In-hospital mortality was similar between women and men (1.6% versus 0.7%; p = NS). However, hemorrhagic complications occurred more frequently in women (7.4% versus 0.7%; p = 0.006). The blood transfusion rate was significantly higher in women (6.6% versus 0.7%; p = 0.013). Female gender was the only independent predictor of hemorrhagic complications (OR = 12.2; 95% CI = 1.39-111.1; p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous intervention for PAD can be performed in women with similar success rates as in men, albeit with a greater than 10-fold higher risk of hemorrhagic complications.

Submassive pulmonary embolism and paradoxical embolic stroke treated with percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy and closure of the patent foramen ovale.

The presence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in patients with large pulmonary emboli (PE) is associated with an increased risk of stroke and mortality. Many patients are ineligible to receive thrombolytic therapy. We present a patient with bilateral PE and cryptogenic stroke who was treated effectively with rheolytic thrombectomy with AngioJet, PFO closure with CardioSeal device, and placement of an inferior vena cava filter.

Effect of gender on in-hospital and one-year outcomes after contemporary coronary artery stenting.

Despite the similar extent of epicardial coronary artery disease and procedural success, women have been noted to have a twofold higher incidence of in-hospital mortality and vascular complications than men undergoing coronary artery stenting. This analysis of 1,908 women from a pooled data set of 6,186 patients is the largest reported series of prospectively collected data from the contemporary stent era. This study demonstrates that stenting can be performed in women with excellent acute results with no age-independent increase in short- or long-term mortality compared with men, although with a significantly higher risk of vascular complications.

Beyond restenosis: five-year clinical outcomes from second-generation coronary stent trials.

BACKGROUND: In the first year after coronary stent implantation, clinical failures are driven mainly by procedural complications and restenosis, but the subsequent relative contributions of restenosis and disease progression to late failures are less clear. METHODS AND RESULTS: We observed 1228 patients for 5 years after the implantation of stents as part of pivotal second-generation coronary stent trials. Clinical events of death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, and repeat hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome or congestive heart failure were attributed to the index stented (target) lesion or other distinct sites (either in the target or other coronary vessels) and further classified as procedural, restenosis, or nonrestenosis. During the first year the hazard rate was 18.3% for target-lesion events and 12.4% for events unrelated to the target lesion. After the first year the average annual hazard rate was 1.7% for target-lesion events and 6.3% for nontarget-lesion events. By the fifth year, restenosis events occurred in 20.3% of patients, whereas 30-day procedural complications or later nonrestenosis events occurred in 37.9%, including 11.4% who also experienced a restenosis event, for a combined cumulative event rate of 46.4%. Diabetes mellitus and multivessel disease were independently associated with increased risk for both restenosis and nonrestenosis events. CONCLUSIONS: In a low-risk clinical trial population, the clinical outcome beyond 1 year after stenting is determined by a high rate of events related to disease progression in segments other than the stented lesion, which itself remains relatively stable.

Effects of stent length and lesion length on coronary restenosis.

The choice of drug-eluting versus bare metal stents is based on costs and expectations of restenosis and thrombosis risk. Approaches to stent placement vary from covering just the zone of maximal obstruction to stenting well beyond the lesion boundaries (normal-to-normal vessel). The independent effects of stented lesion length, nonstented lesion length, and excess stent length, on coronary restenosis have not been evaluated for bare metal or drug-eluting stents. We analyzed the angiographic follow-up cohort (1,181 patients) from 6 recent bare metal stent trials of de novo lesions in native coronary arteries. Stent length exceeded lesion length in 87% of lesions (mean lesion length 12.4 +/- 6.3 mm, mean stent length 20.0 +/- 7.9 mm, mean difference 7.6 +/- 7.9 mm). At 6- to 9-month follow-up, the mean percent diameter stenosis was 39.1 +/- 20.1%. In an adjusted multivariable model of percent diameter stenosis, each 10 mm of stented lesion length was associated with an absolute increase in percent diameter stenosis of 7.7% (p <0.0001), whereas each 10 mm of excess stent length independently increased percent diameter stenosis by 4.0% (p <0.0001) and increased target lesion revascularization at 9 months (odds ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.24). Significant nonstented lesion length was uncommon (12.5% of cases). In summary, stent length exceeded lesion length in most stented lesions, and the amount of excess stent length increased the risk of restenosis independent of the stented lesion length. This analysis supports a conservative approach of matching stent length to lesion length to reduce the risk of restenosis with bare metal stents.

Clinical restenosis after coronary stenting: perspectives from multicenter clinical trials.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate clinical restenosis in a large population of patients who had undergone coronary stent placement. BACKGROUND: One-year success after coronary stenting is limited mainly by restenosis of and requirement for repeat revascularization of the treated lesion. We studied 6,186 patients (6,219 lesions) pooled from several recently completed coronary stent trials. Clinical restenosis was defined using three different definitions: target lesion revascularization (TLR) beyond 30 days, target vessel revascularization (TVR) beyond 30 days, and target vessel failure (TVF), defined as TVR, any death, or myocardial infarction (MI) of the target vessel territory after hospital discharge. RESULTS: By one year, 638 (12.2%) patients had TLR, 748 (14.3%) had TVR, and 848 (16.0%) had TVF, more than two-thirds higher than the rate of these end points at six months. The severity of angiographic restenosis (> or =50% follow-up diameter stenosis [DS]) in 419 of 1,437 (29%) patients undergoing routine angiographic follow-up correlated directly with the likelihood of TLR (73% vs. 26% for >70% DS compared with <60% DS). Smaller pretreatment minimum lumen diameter (MLD), smaller final MLD, longer stent length, diabetes mellitus, unstable angina, and hypertension were independent predictors of TLR. Prior MI and current smoking were negative predictors. CONCLUSIONS: At one year after stenting, most clinical restenosis reflected TLR, which was predicted by the same variables previously associated with an increased risk of angiographic restenosis. The lower absolute rate of clinical restenosis relative to angiographic restenosis was due to infrequent TLR in lesions with less severe (<60% DS) angiographic renarrowing.

Cutting balloon angioplasty for the prevention of restenosis: results of the Cutting Balloon Global Randomized Trial.

The cutting balloon (CB) is a specialized device designed to create discrete longitudinal incisions in the atherosclerotic target coronary segment during balloon inflation. Such controlled dilatation theoretically reduces the force needed to dilate an obstructive lesion compared with standard percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). We report a multicenter, randomized trial comparing the incidence of restenosis after CB angioplasty versus conventional balloon angioplasty in 1,238 patients. Six hundred seventeen patients were randomized to CB treatment, and 621 to PTCA. The mean reference vessel diameter was 2.86 +/- 0.49 mm, mean lesion length 8.9 +/- 4.3 mm, and prevalence of diabetes mellitus in patients was 13%. The primary end point, the 6-month binary angiographic restenosis rate, was 31.4% for CB and 30.4% for PTCA (p = 0.75). Acute procedural success, defined as the attainment of <50% diameter stenosis without in-hospital major adverse cardiac events, was 92.9% for CB and 94.7% for PTCA (p = 0.24). Freedom from target vessel revascularization was slightly higher in the CB arm (88.5% vs 84.6%, log-rank p = 0.04). Five coronary perforations occurred in the CB arm only (0.8% vs 0%, p = 0.03). At 270 days, rates of myocardial infarction, death, and total major adverse cardiac events for CB and PTCA were 4.7% versus 2.4% (p = 0.03), 1.3% versus 0.3% (p = 0.06), and 13.6% versus 15.1% (p = 0.34), respectively. In summary, the proposed mechanism of controlled dilatation did not reduce the rate of angiographic restenosis for the CB compared with conventional balloon angioplasty. CB angioplasty should be reserved for difficult lesions in which controlled dilatation is believed to provide a better acute result compared with balloon angioplasty alone.