Direct oral anticoagulants for oral anticoagulants-naïve Asian patients with atrial fibrillation and end-stage renal disease undergoing dialysis.

In Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing dialysis, the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) remains debatable. From the national health insurance claims data in South Korea, we included 425 new users of OAC among patients with non-valvular AF and ESRD undergoing dialysis between 2013 and 2020. Patients were categorized into DOAC (n = 106) and warfarin group (n = 319). Clinical outcomes, including ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, were compared between the two groups using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis. During the median follow-up of 3.2 years, the incidence of ischemic stroke was significantly reduced in the DOAC compared to the warfarin group [Hazard ratio (HR) 0.07; P = 0.001]. However, the incidence of MI (HR 1.32; P = 0.41) and GI bleeding (HR 1.78; P = 0.06) were not significantly different between the two groups. No ICH events occurred in the DOAC group, although the incidence rate did not differ significantly between the two groups (P = 0.17). In Asian patients with AF and ESRD undergoing dialysis, DOACs may be associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke compared with warfarin. The MI, ICH, and GI bleeding rates may be comparable between DOACs and warfarin.

Radial Plus Ipsilateral Femoral Approach is Feasible in Percutaneous Interventions for Iliac Artery Chronic Total Occlusion.

BACKGROUND: Compared with conventional bilateral femoral (BF) approach, radial plus ipsilateral femoral (RF) approach may be feasible in the percutaneous intervention for iliac artery chronic total occlusion (CTO). METHODS: We included patients who underwent iliac CTO intervention between August 2009 and July 2018 in a tertiary referral center in Korea. RESULTS: A total of 83 patients were enrolled in this study. Of them, 51 and 32 patients were categorized into RF and BF initial access groups, respectively. The overall success rates were 98.0% and 96.7% in RF and BF group, respectively, and the techniques were also similar including use of bilateral wiring, stent type and profile, and post balloon but longer procedure time in the BF group. Additional contralateral femoral access was needed in 6 patients for the treatment of contralateral lesions, distal embolization, and due to tortuous right subclavian artery. Periprocedural complications including vascular injury, iliac perforation, and distal embolization occurred similarly in both groups with numerically lower rate of periprocedural bleeding in the RF group (9.8%) than in the BF group (21.9%). Clinical follow-up at 6 months showed there were no difference in the rates of death, cardiovascular death, target-limb reintervention, and unplanned target limb amputation in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: RF approach for iliac CTO intervention was related to similar technical success rate with acceptable periprocedural safety outcomes compared with conventional BF approach.

Prevalence and Prediction of Aneurysmal Dilatation of the Abdominal Aorta in Koreans: Results of Screening During Transthoracic Echocardiographic Examination.

BACKGROUND: Aortic aneurysm (AA) is an enlargement of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. Although the US guideline recommends ultrasound screening for abdominal AA (AAA) in men older than 65 years regardless of symptoms, limited data describe the prevalence of AAA in Korea. In this study, we screened patients for AAA during transthoracic echocardiographic examination (TTE). METHODS: We screened for AAA in all consecutive subjects older than 60 years who underwent TTE. We defined AAA as an abdominal aorta with the diameter greater than 30 mm. RESULTS: We analyzed 5,679 persons (2,272 females, 74 ± 8 years old). The mean size of the abdominal aorta was 19.0 ± 6.1 mm. The prevalence of AAA was 2.9% (165/5,679) and was significantly higher in males (4.7% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001). AAA was significantly associated with male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 3.098, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.971-4.870, p < 0.001), older age (OR = 1.074, 95% CI = 1.050-1.097, p < 0.001), non-diabetes (OR = 1.886, 95% CI = 1.264-2.813, p < 0.001), dyslipidemia (OR = 1.475, 95% CI = 1.019-2.135, p = 0.040), ever-smoker (OR = 2.090, 95% CI = 1.448-3.015, p < 0.001), chronic kidney disease (CKD, OR = 1.757, 95% CI = 1.182-2.612, p = 0.005), and coronary artery disease (CAD, OR = 2.452, 95% CI = 1.742-3.451, p < 0.001). A prediction score with a multivariate model (range: 3.34-10.51) detected AAA with a sensitivity of 79.4% and a specificity of 66.8% with a reference value > 6.8 (area under the curve = 0.799). CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, the prevalence of AAA was 2.9% in subjects older than 60 years during TTE, and AAA was significantly associated with older age, male sex, non-diabetes, dyslipidemia, ever-smoker, CKD, and CAD. Prediction score (> 6.8%) detected AAA with a sensitivity of 79.4% and a specificity of 66.8%.