Prevalence and Impact of High Bleeding Risk in Patients Undergoing Left Main Artery Disease PCI.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and prognostic impact of high bleeding risk (HBR), as determined by the Academic Research Consortium HBR criteria, in real-world patients undergoing left main (LM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: LM PCI is often reserved for patients at increased risk for periprocedural adverse events. Patients at HBR represent a relevant percentage of this cohort, but their outcomes after LM PCI are still poorly investigated. METHODS: All patients undergoing LM PCI between 2014 and 2017 at a tertiary care center were prospectively enrolled. Patients were defined as having HBR if they met at least 1 major or 2 minor Academic Research Consortium HBR criteria. The primary endpoint was the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke at 12 months. RESULTS: Among 619 enrolled patients, 55.3% were at HBR. The rate of the primary endpoint was 4-fold higher in patients at HBR compared with those without HBR (20.5% vs 4.9%; HR: 4.43; 95% CI: 2.31-8.48), driven by an increased risk for all-cause death (HR: 3.88; 95% CI: 1.88-8.02) and MI (HR: 6.18; 95% CI: 1.83-20.9). Rates of target vessel or lesion revascularization and stent thrombosis were comparable in the 2 groups. Bleeding occurred more frequently in patients at HBR (HR: 3.77; 95% CI: 1.83-7.76). Consistent findings were observed after Cox multivariable regression adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing LM PCI, those with HBR are at increased risk for all-cause death, MI, and bleeding. Conversely, rates of repeat revascularization and stent thrombosis were comparable, suggesting frailty and comorbidities as primary causes of worse outcomes in patients at HBR.

Impact of High-Density Lipoprotein Levels on Cardiovascular Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Drug-Eluting Stents.

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) have been associated with adverse cardiovascular events in epidemiologic studies. Evidence regarding its role in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is scarce. We evaluated consecutive patients who underwent PCI with drug-eluting stents from 2012 to 2017, excluding those with unavailable baseline HDL, age <18 years, presentation with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) or shock, and coexisting neoplastic disease. The final population was stratified according to baseline HDL levels into reduced and nonreduced HDL cohorts, with cut-off value 40 mg/dl in males and 50 mg/dl in females. The primary end point was 1-year major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as the composite of death, MI, or target vessel revascularization (TVR). Among 10,843 patients included, 6,511 (60%) had reduced HDL, and 4,332 (40%) nonreduced HDL. The rate of 1-year MACE was similar between the 2 groups (7.5% vs 6.6%; p = 0.14). Although mortality and MI rates were comparable, reduced HDL was associated with significantly higher TVR 5.2% vs 4.0%; p = 0.02, a finding that attenuated after multivariable adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio 1.18, p = 0.14). Sex subgroup analysis included 7,718 (71.2%) males and 3,125 (28.8%) females. Among men, there was a trend toward higher MACE in those with reduced HDL (7.4% vs 6.0%; p = 0.08) mostly driven by TVR (5.4% vs 3.7%; p = 0.005). No association between HDL and 1-year outcomes was evident in females. Assessment for interaction between sex and reduced HDL did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, reduced baseline HDL was not associated with increased risk of MACE in a contemporary PCI population.

Predictors of 30-day outcomes following mitral valve repair.

INTRODUCTION: Mitral valve repair has been established as the preferred treatment option in the management of degenerative mitral valve disease. Compared with other surgical treatment options, mitral valve repair is associated with increased survival and decreased rates of both complications and reoperations. However, among patients undergoing mitral valve repair, little is known about the predictors of postoperative outcomes. The purpose of this study is to identify preoperative patient risk factors associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality within 30 days of mitral valve repair. METHODS: Data was derived from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to assess patients who underwent mitral valve repair from 2011 through 2017. Preoperative risk factors were analyzed to determine their association with a variety of postoperative 30-day outcome measures. RESULTS: One thousand three hundred and sixty-six patients underwent mitral valve repair; 849 (62.2%) males and 517 (37.8%) females. Ages ranged from 18 to 90 years, with a mean age of 64 years. The overall 30-day mortality was 3.1% (43 patients). Among the 12 identified risk factors associated with increased mortality on univariate analysis, pre-operative hematocrit level was the only variable significantly correlated with mortality after undergoing multivariate analysis. 259 patients (19.1%) were discharged to a location other than home, an outcome associated with 22 identified risk factors. Among these risk factors, female gender, age, dialysis, pre-operative serum sodium, pre-operative serum albumin, and partial or full living dependency remained statistically significant following multivariate analysis. 126 patients (9.2%) experienced unplanned readmission. This outcome was associated with five risk factors, of which only dyspnea upon mild exertion was significant on multivariate analysis. Reoperation occurred in 105 patients (7.7%). Of the seven identified variables associated with reoperation, patient age, pre-operative platelet count, dyspnea upon mild exertion were independent predictors on multivariate analysis. 53 patients (3.9%) underwent reintubation, which was associated with 11 identified risk factors. Among them, patient age and pre-operative INR value were predictive of reintubation on multivariate analysis. 26 patients (1.9%) experienced stroke, of whom age was the only associated risk factor on both univariate and multivariate analysis. 31 patients (2.3%) experienced acute renal failure, which correlated with 11 risk factors on univariate analysis. Of these, only patient age and pre-operative hematocrit were identified as independent predictors on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes are good following mitral valve repair. Although a substantial number of risk factors were found to be associated with adverse outcomes, only a small subset remained statistically significant following multivariate analysis. Identification of these risk factors may help guide clinical decision making with respect to which patients are the best candidates to undergo mitral valve repair.

"Lipase Only, Please": Reducing Unnecessary Amylase Testing.

BACKGROUND: Serum amylase testing is not recommended for the workup of acute pancreatitis; yet it is commonly ordered in acute care settings. METHODS: This was a student-led quality improvement initiative with application of a pre-post study design at two urban hospitals: Mount Sinai Hospital, a 1,134-bed academic hospital, and Mount Sinai Queens, a 235-bed community hospital. The multifaceted intervention combined a targeted educational and awareness campaign with the decoupling of amylase from electronic order sets (at the academic hospital only), as well as a nonintrusive electronic medical record (EMR) advisory statement (at both hospitals). Monthly amylase orders were tracked for all emergency department visits and hospital admissions between January 2016 and May 2018 for both hospitals RESULTS: There was a significant and sustained decrease in amylase ordering at both the academic hospital (from 3,214 orders per month to 2,348 orders per month; p = 0.011) and the community hospital (from 100 orders per month to 23 orders per month; p = 0.001). Specifically, the nonintrusive EMR order advisory statement was independently associated with a significant reduction in serum amylase ordering. There was an estimated net annual cost reduction of $44,999. CONCLUSIONS: This student-led initiative was successful in reducing unnecessary amylase ordering across two diverse institutions through a combination of education, publicity, and EMR changes.

Ticagrelor for Refractory Migraine/Patent Foramen Ovale (TRACTOR): An open-label pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: After finding that the thienopyridines clopidogrel and prasugrel reduced migraine headache (MHA) symptoms in some patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO), this small pilot study was undertaken to determine whether ticagrelor, a nonthienopyridine P2Y12 inhibitor, would have similar MHA effects and might be better suited for a future randomized trial. METHODS: MHA patients were screened for PFO. Participants with documented right to left shunt (RLS) and ≥6 monthly MHA days received ticagrelor therapy for 28 days. Those with ≥50% reduction in monthly MHA days were deemed responders and completed 2 additional treatment months. RESULTS: The 40 participants had a mean age of 36.2 years and mean MHA frequency of 17.4 d/mo. A total of 39/40 were female. A total of 14/40 met criteria for episodic MHA, 26/40 for chronic MHA, 14/40 had migraine with aura, and 22/40 had a moderate-large RLS (Spencer grade ≥4). Seventeen of 40 participants (43%) were responders. MHA reduction continued through 3 treatment months in all responders. MHA responder rates were not statistically different in participants with episodic or chronic MHA, with or without aura, or with small/larger RLS shunt magnitude. Thirteen (32%) patients had medication side effects, without serious adverse events. CONCLUSION: P2Y12 inhibition with ticagrelor reduced MHA symptoms similarly to our previous thienopyridine experience, but participants seemed to have a less robust MHA benefit and more frequent side effects than with the thienopyridines, making it an inferior choice for a randomized trial. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class IV evidence that ticagrelor reduced MHA symptoms in patients with PFO.