Successful percutaneous treatment of a catastrophic left internal mammary artery graft avulsion occurring 4 weeks post-coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Avulsion of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft near the anastomosis to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) artery post-coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a rare but potentially catastrophic complication which can result in sudden ischaemia, haemodynamic compromise and life-threatening bleeding into the pericardium. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of a spontaneous LIMA graft avulsion at the site of the anastomosis to the LAD artery, which occurred 4 weeks post-conventional CABG surgery and resulted in anterior myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac tamponade and cardiogenic shock. This life-threatening event was treated by deploying a covered stent in the LAD artery and by coiling the dehisced LIMA graft. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of late LIMA graft avulsion that has been uniquely and successfully treated by percutaneous coronary intervention.

Changing paradigm for treatment of heavily calcified coronary artery disease. A complementary role of rotational atherectomy and intravascular lithotripsy with shockwave balloon: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Management of heavily calcified coronary arteries is still a major challenge in interventional cardiology. Inadequate stent expansion in calcific lesions is the single most important predictor of stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis. Rotational atherectomy (RA) is an important tool to modify the calcium burden but is associated with limitations and requires specific skills. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a novel technique to treat calcified stenotic lesions and has been proposed as an alternative to RA with promising results. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of a patient with severely calcified right coronary artery stenosis successfully treated with combination of RA and IVL. DISCUSSION: In this case, we demonstrate that the RA and IVL are complementary strategies, not sufficient on their own and not alternative to each other.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Coronary Artery Aneurysms; Technical Aspects. Report of Case Series and Literature Review.

Coronary Artery Aneurysms (CAAs) in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients are associated with poor long-term outcomes. The best treatment option for CAAs remains a subject of debate. The underlying pathology is not well understood, randomised controlled trials and supportive data are lacking and there is no consensus on treatment plan. The recommended therapies include medical management, percutaneous or surgical exclusion of the aneurysm or coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG). Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can be technically challenging even with a suitable anatomy, specifically in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We report case series of CAAs presenting as ACS and focus on PCI treatment option.

Percutaneous Retrieval of an Entrapped Rotational Atherectomy Burr Using Novel Technique of Controlled Traction and Counter Traction.

Burr entrapment is a rare but serious complication during rotational atherectomy (RA). The Japanese have termed this the Kokeshi phenomenon named after a wooden doll found in northern Japan consisted of a simple trunk but a large head akin to the Rotablator (Mechery et al., 2016; Kaneda et al., 2000). The reason underlying this complication is the lack of diamond dust on the back end of the burr (Lin et al., 2013). The burr is olive-shaped and has diamond coating at its distal surface for antegrade ablation. The proximal part is smooth without diamonds, which prevents backward ablation of tissues when retracted (Lin et al., 2013; Dahdouh et al., 2013). Rota entrapment usually needs surgical management with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. To date, only few cases of successful non-traumatic retrieval using nonsurgical bailout techniques have been published (Grise et al., 2002). We report a case of burr entrapment within the left anterior descending (LAD) artery which was successfully retrieved by combination of multiple maneuvers and the patient underwent routine PCI following the retrieval.

Cardiac rehabilitation: Appraisal of current evidence and utility of technology aided home-based cardiac rehabilitation.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an evidence-based intervention that uses exercise training, health behaviour modification, medication adherence and psychological counselling to improve secondary prevention outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease. CR programs reduce morbidity and mortality rates in adults with ischemic heart disease, following coronary intervention, heart failure, or cardiac surgery. These are significantly underused, with only a minority of eligible patients participating in CR in India. Novel delivery strategies and CR endorsement by healthcare organizations are urgently needed to improve participation. One potential strategy is home-based CR (HBCR). Differing from centre-based CR services, which are provided in a medically supervised facility, HBCR relies on remote coaching with indirect exercise supervision. It is provided mostly or entirely outside of the traditional centre-based setting and could be facilitated by the aid of technology and web based applications. The purpose of this appraisal is to identify the core components, efficacy, strengths, limitations, evidence gaps, and research necessary to guide the future delivery of HBCR. This appears to hold promise in expanding the use of CR to eligible patients. Additional research and demonstration projects are needed to clarify, strengthen, and extend the HBCR evidence base for key subgroups, including older adults, women, underrepresented minority groups, and people in remote and rural areas. HBCR may be a reasonable option for a selected group of patients and could be a game changer in low- and middle-income countries who are eligible for CR.

Drug coated balloons and their role in bifurcation coronary angioplasty: appraisal of the current evidence and future directions.

INTRODUCTION: Coronary Bifurcation lesions are technically more challenging and Bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains a challenge with unpredictable and sub-optimal clinical and angiographic results. Drug-Coated Balloons (DCB) are emerging devices in the field of coronary intervention with promising results that may overcome some of drug eluting stents limitations and may have potential advantages in complex bifurcation PCI. AREAS COVERED: We have performed a re-appraisal about the issues with current bifurcation PCI techniques and the use of DCB in the treatment of Bifurcation lesions. Several studies performed utilizing DCB are described and critically appraised. Over the recent years, there have been tremendous developments in the DCB technology, lesion preparation, clinical experience, and clinical data during bifurcation PCI. The current review describes the advances in the DCB technology, pharmacokinetics, role of excipients, and optimization of the technique. Special emphasis in lesion preparation and potential pathway of using DCB in bifurcation PCI is proposed. EXPERT OPINION: Although different proof of concept and pilot studies have shown promising results in treatment of bifurcation lesions with DCB, larger randomized trials and/or international consensus papers are required to enable worldwide translation of this idea to clinical practice.

Percutaneous circulatory assist devices for high-risk coronary intervention.

A unifying definition of what constitutes high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention remains elusive. This reflects the existence of several recognized patient, anatomic, and procedural characteristics that, when combined, can contribute to elevating risk. The relative inability to withstand the adverse hemodynamic sequelae of dysrhythmia, transient episodes of ischemia-reperfusion injury, or distal embolization of atherogenic material associated with coronary intervention serve as a common thread to tie this patient cohort together. This enhanced susceptibility to catastrophic hemodynamic collapse has triggered the development of percutaneous cardiac assist devices such as the intra-aortic balloon pump, Impella (Abiomed Inc., Danvers, Massachusetts), TandemHeart (CardiacAssist, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), and extracorporeal membranous oxygenation to provide adjunctive mechanical circulatory support. In this state-of-the-art review, we discuss the physiology underpinning their application. Thereafter, we examine the results of several randomized multicenter trials investigating their use in high-risk coronary intervention to determine which patients would benefit most from their implantation and whether there is a signal to delineate whether they should be used in an elective pre-procedure, standby, rescue, or routine post-procedure fashion.

Remote ischemic conditioning reduces myocardial infarct size and edema in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine whether remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) initiated prior to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) could reduce myocardial infarct (MI) size in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. BACKGROUND: RIC, using transient limb ischemia and reperfusion, can protect the heart against acute ischemia-reperfusion injury. Whether RIC can reduce MI size, assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), is unknown. METHODS: We randomly assigned 197 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients with TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) flow grade 0 to receive RIC (four 5-min cycles of upper arm cuff inflation/deflation) or control (uninflated cuff placed on upper arm for 40 min) protocols prior to PPCI. The primary study endpoint was MI size, measured by CMR in 83 subjects on days 3 to 6 after admission. RESULTS: RIC reduced MI size by 27%, when compared with the MI size of control subjects (18.0 ± 10% [n = 40] vs. 24.5 ± 12.0% [n = 43]; p = 0.009). At 24 h, high-sensitivity troponin T was lower with RIC (2,296 ± 263 ng/l [n = 89] vs. 2,736 ± 325 ng/l [n = 84]; p = 0.037). RIC also reduced the extent of myocardial edema measured by T2-mapping CMR (28.5 ± 9.0% vs. 35.1 ± 10.0%; p = 0.003) and lowered mean T2 values (68.7 ± 5.8 ms vs. 73.1 ± 6.1 ms; p = 0.001), precluding the use of CMR edema imaging to correctly estimate the area at risk. Using CMR-independent coronary angiography jeopardy scores to estimate the area at risk, RIC, when compared with the control protocol, was found to significantly improve the myocardial salvage index (0.42 ± 0.29 vs. 0.28 ± 0.29; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This randomized study demonstrated that in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients treated by PPCI, RIC, initiated prior to PPCI, reduced MI size, increased myocardial salvage, and reduced myocardial edema.

Angioplasty of acquired pulmonary vein stenosis using covered stent.

One of the most serious complications post-catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation is the development of pulmonary vein stenosis. Controversy currently exists about the optimal treatment approach. The use of balloons and larger stents (~10 mm) results in more optimal outcome than just balloon angioplasty alone; however, even with stent implantation, recurrent restenosis may occur in 30 to 50% of patients. We report the case of a 28-year-old man who developed recurrent left inferior pulmonary vein stenosis following radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation. This was initially stented with good result but soon after developed restenosis and required balloon angioplasty. Following the third episode of restenosis, stenting of the pulmonary vein was performed using a covered stent. The pulmonary vein has remained patent for the last 5 years.

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury following PCI.

BACKGROUND: Coronary revascularization using percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the major treatments for patients with stable coronary artery disease, with approximately 1.5 million patients undergoing PCI in the United States and Europe every year. An important neglected complication of PCI is contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). DESIGN: In this article, we review the definition, pathogenesis and management of CI-AKI and highlight potential therapeutic options for preventing CI-AKI in post-PCI patients. RESULTS: CI-AKI is an important but underdiagnosed complication of PCI that is associated with increased in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Patients with pre-existing renal impairment and diabetes are particularly susceptible to this complication post-PCI. Optimization of the patients' circulating volume remains the mainstay for preventing CI-AKI, although the best strategy for achieving this is still controversial. CONCLUSION: Following PCI, CI-AKI is an overlooked complication which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this article, we review the pathophysiology of CI-AKI in patients undergoing PCI and discuss the potential therapeutic options for preventing it.

Successful treatment of a late presentation exercise-induced spontaneous left anterior descending artery dissection.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is an unusual condition that mainly happens in fit and healthy women in the peripartum period. Strenuous exercise is a rare cause of dissection in angiographically normal coronary arteries. There is no definitive consensus on the etiology, prognosis and treatment of SCAD. We report a case of successful treatment of a late presentation of a coronary artery dissection secondary to intense physical activity in a 48 year old cyclist who continued to cycle for 3 months post event.