Impact of Postprocedural Graft Flow on Outcomes Following Chronic Total Occlusion Intervention in Postcoronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients: A Detailed Angiographic Analysis.

Chronic total occlusions (CTOs) are frequent in patients with previous coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the usual revascularization strategy. Whether or not the presence of a graft on a CTO vessel and post-PCI graft patency impacts outcomes after CTO-PCI is unknown. We sought to evaluate the impact of post-PCI graft patency on the durability of CTO-PCI. In total, 259 patients with previous CABG who underwent CTO-PCI in 12 international centers in 2019 to 2023 were categorized into "grafted" and "ungrafted" groups based on the presence of graft on a CTO vessel. The grafted group was subdivided into "graft-occluded" and "graft-patent" groups, depending on graft patency. The primary end points were (1) technical success rate, (2) target vessel failure, and (3) CTO failure rates at 1 year. CTO failure was defined as target vessel revascularization and/or significant in-stent restenosis. A total of 199 patients (77%) were in the grafted group. Grafted CTOs showed higher complexity and lower technical success rates (70% vs 80%, p = 0.004) than nongrafted CTOs. Of the grafted CTOs, 140 (70%) were in the grafted-occluded group and 59 (30%) were in the grafted-patent group. The technical success was lower in the former group (65% vs 81%, p = 0.022). An occluded graft was an independent predictor of technical failure (odds ratio 2.04, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 4.76, p = 0.049) and persistent post-PCI graft patency was a strong independent predictor of CTO failure at 1 year (hazard ratio 5.6, 95% confidence interval 1.2 to 27.5, log-rank p = 0.033). In conclusion, in patients with previous CABG who underwent CTO-PCI, post-PCI graft patency was a significant predictor of CTO failure.

Prosthesis Infolding Incidence and Short-Term Outcomes in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Using Evolut Self-Expandable Device: A Multicenter Study.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an established treatment strategy in aortic valve disease. Infolding, as a nonuniform expansion of the prosthesis leading to introflection of part of the device circumference, is a complication specific to self-expandable prostheses. The aim of the study is to determine incidence, predictors, treatment strategy, and outcomes of infolding during Medtronic Evolut TAVI (Minneapolis, MN, US). Between January 2018 and March 2022, all patients treated with Evolut TAVI were included in a multicenter observational retrospective study. According to the occurrence of infolding, the enrolled cohort was divided into 2 groups; periprocedural characteristics and 30-day outcomes were compared. A total of 1,470 patients were included; 23 infolding cases (1.6%) were detected. Preprocedural imaging showed larger aortic anatomy and greater calcium burden in the infolding group. Infolding occurred mostly with Evolut Pro+ and size 34 mm and was diagnosed before full prosthesis release in 78.3%. The rate of moderate-to-severe paravalvular regurgitation was higher in the infolding group (21.7% vs 1.9%, p <0.001). Short-term follow-up showed greater all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (respectively, 4.3% vs 0.7% and 4.3% vs 0.6%, p <0.05) and higher rate of pacemaker implantation (33.3% vs 15.7%, p = 0.042) in case of infolding. High right cusp calcium score and resheathing maneuvers were independent predictors of infolding. In conclusion, prosthesis infolding is a TAVI complication burdened by worse cardiovascular outcomes. Prompt intraprocedural infolding diagnosis is pivotal, especially in case of great native valve calcium burden and resheathing maneuvers, to safely overcome this complication by prosthesis recapture or postdilation.

Angiography-derived physiological assessment after percutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total occlusions.

Scant data exploring potential suboptimal physiological results after angiographic successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusion (CTO) are available. Sixty cases of successful CTO-PCI were selected for this retrospective analysis. Post-CTO-PCI angiography-based fractional flow reserve was computed using the Murray-based fractional flow reserve (µFR) software. Vessel-specific µFR, residual trans-stent gradient (TSG) and corrected TSGstent were calculated. In physiological suboptimal results (µFR < 0.90), the virtual pullback pressure gradient (PPG) curves were analyzed to localize the main pressure drop-down and characterize the patterns of residual disease. The virtual pullback pressure gradient index (vPPGi) was then calculated to objectively characterize the predominant pattern of residual disease (diffuse vs focal). The physiological result was suboptimal in 28 cases (46.7%). The main pressure drop was localised proximal to the stent in 2 (7.1%), distal in 17 (60.7%) and intra-stent in 9 cases (32.2%). Intra-stent residual disease was diffuse in 7 cases and mixed in 2. Distal residual disease was characterised by a pure focal pattern in 12 cases, diffuse in 2 and mixed in 3. In the predominant diffuse phenotype (vPPGi < 0.65), we found a higher rate of TSG ≥ 0.04 (61.5% vs 20.0%, p = 0.025) and TSGstent ≥ 0.009 (46.2% vs 20.0%, p = 0.017) while in the dominant focal phenotype poor-quality distal vessel was constantly present. In our cohort, post-CTO-PCI suboptimal physiological result was frequent (46.7%). Predominant focal phenotype was constantly associated with poor-quality distal vessel, while in the predominant diffuse phenotype, the rate of TSG ≥ 0.04 and TSGstent ≥ 0.009 were significantly higher.

Performance of the minimalistic hybrid approach algorithm versus other conventional algorithms in the percutaneous treatment of chronic total occlusions.

BACKGROUND: The "Minimalistic Hybrid Approach" (MHA) has been proposed to reduce the invasiveness of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). AIMS: This study aims to assess whether MHA may also reduce the utilization of PCI resources (devices, radiations, and contrast) by comparing it with other conventional algorithms. METHODS: We aimed to assess the impact of MHA on device, radiation, and contrast usage during CTO-PCI analyzing data from the Belgian Working Group on CTO (BWG-CTO) registry. Patients were divided, depending on the algorithm used, into two groups: Conventional versus Minimalistic. Primary objectives were procedure performance measures such as device usage (microcatheters and guidewires), radiological parameters, and contrast use. At 1-year follow-up, patients were evaluated for target vessel failure (TVF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, new myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization. RESULTS: Overall, we analyzed 821 CTO-PCIs (Conventional n = 650, Minimalistic n = 171). The Minimalistic group demonstrated higher complexity of CTO lesions. After adjusting for propensity score, the Minimalistic group had a significantly lower number of microcatheters used (1.49 ± 0.85 vs. 1.24 ± 0.64, p = 0.026), while the number of guidewires was comparable (4.80 ± 3.29 vs. 4.35 ± 2.94, p = 0.30). Both groups had similar rates of success and procedural complications, as well as comparable procedural and fluoroscopic times and contrast volume used. At the 1-year follow-up, both groups showed comparable rates of TVF (hazard ratio: 0.57; 95% confidence interval: 0.24-1.34, p = 0.195). CONCLUSION: The MHA may slightly reduce the number of dedicated devices used during CTO-PCI, without adversely affecting the procedural success or long-term outcome.

In-vitro validation of coronary physiology assessment with 5 French guiding catheters.

BACKGROUND: The trans-radial approach for cardiac catheterization led to an increasing adoption of 5 French (F) catheters. We aim to evaluate reliability and reproducibility of coronary physiology assessment performed with 5F guiding catheter (GC). METHODS: Physiological measurements were performed in a coronary flow simulator, which provides two pulsatile flows, the baseline and hyperaemic flows. Two screws, positioned proximally and distally to the distal sensor of a pressure-temperature guidewire, were used to determine various combinations of stenoses and distal obstructions, simulating different pathophysiological conditions. For each setting, 5 measurements of fractional flow reserve (FFR), coronary flow reserve (CFR) and index of microvascular resistance (IMR) were performed with 6F and 5F GCs. RESULTS: A total amount of 190 measurements were performed, 95 with 6F GC and 95 with 5F GC. Minimal differences between 6F and 5F GCs were detected for FFR [0.91 (IQR: 0.87-0.94) and 0.87 (IQR: 0.82-0.92) respectively, p < 0.001] and IMR (16.5 ± 8.8 and 15.4 ± 8.3 respectively, p = 0.001). Mean CFR was comparable between 6F and 5F GCs (3.6 ± 1.1 and 3.5 ± 0.7 respectively, p = 0.38). Misclassification rates were 1.0 %, 1.0 % and 0 % for FFR, CFR and IMR, respectively. According to Passing-Bablok analysis, an excellent agreement between 6F and 5F GCs was demonstrated for FFR and IMR, and a modest agreement for CFR. All measurements with 5F GC showed high reproducibility. CONCLUSIONS: In our in-vitro model, a complete physiological assessment including FFR, CFR and IMR resulted substantially comparable between 6F and 5F GCs. Further in-vivo analysis is required to support these findings.

Prevalence of Collateral Typology in Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion and Its Impact on Percutaneous Intervention Performance.

The presence of collateral channels providing distal blood supply is a distinctive characteristic of chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions. However, data about the distinct baseline and procedural characteristics of each collateral subset are scarce. Accordingly, we sought to explore the procedural aspects specific for each collateral typology (ipsilateral collaterals [ICs], contralateral collaterals [CCs] or mixed) in CTO-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A retrospective analysis of our CTO-PCI registry was performed to investigate the prevalence, procedural characteristics, and outcomes specific for each CTO-PCI subset, defined according to the inter-arterial connection anatomy. A total of 209 cases were included. Of the included cases, 45 (22%) and 92 (44%) patients displayed solely IC or CC, respectively, whereas in 72 (34%) both IC and CC were present (mixed). The procedural success rate was high (91.1%) and comparable among the different groups, despite greater lesion complexity in the CC group. The most frequent target vessel was the left circumflex in the IC group (51% of cases) and the right coronary artery in the CC (63%) and mixed (57%) groups. Among the IC cases, 42% showed a poor collateral connection function (2% and 10% for the CC and mixed group, respectively), and 46% showed a suboptimal collateral recipient artery filling (21% and 20% for the CC and mixed group, respectively). Most of the IC cases were performed using a single access (96%). In conclusion, the success and complication rates were comparable among the collateral typology groups, irrespective of the differences in the baseline and procedural characteristics. Phenotyping CTO as hereby proposed might be helpful for targeted procedural considerations.

Minimalistic Hybrid Approach for the Percutaneous Treatment of Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions: Midterm Follow-Up of an International Multicenter Cohort.

The minimalistic hybrid approach (MHA) is a recently proposed algorithm to perform chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), reducing the overall invasiveness of the procedure without impacting the acute results. However, data on midterm results are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the midterm clinical outcomes of a multicenter international cohort of CTO PCI treated according to the MHA. Data from a consecutive series of patients with a CTO who underwent PCI according to the MHA between February 2019 and March 2022 were prospectively collected in 3 European centers and retrospectively analyzed. The main outcome was the first occurrence of a major adverse cardiac event (MACE), defined as a composite outcome of all-cause death, any myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization, at the last follow-up available. A total of 212 patients were included. The majority of the patients were symptomatic for angina (Canadian Cardiovascular Society class 2 or 3: 63.7%) at the time of the index procedure. The mean Japanese-CTO and CASTLE scores were 2.1 ± 1.2 and 2.0 ± 1.3, respectively. Technical success (CTO open with optimal flow) was achieved in 198 patients (93.9%) and procedural success (technical success without in-hospital MACEs) in 195 (91.9%). At the last follow-up available (median 677 days), the cumulative incidence rate of MACEs was 11.5%; in particular, all-cause death was 7.4%, any myocardial infarction was 4.3%, and unplanned target vessel revascularization was 6.5%. In conclusion, the midterm results of the MHA seem to be in line with contemporary results of other CTO PCI algorithms, thus potentially validating the MHA as a valuable alternative, provided that interventionalists are already expert CTO operators and accustomed to the definitions and peculiarities of MHA.

Coronary Vascular (DYS) Function and Invasive Physiology Assessment: Insights into Bolus and Continuous Thermodilution Methods.

A considerable number of patients with angina or myocardial ischemia have no significant coronary artery disease on invasive angiography. In recent years, several steps towards a better comprehension of the pathophysiology of these conditions, angina or ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (ANOCA/INOCA), have been made. Nevertheless, several gaps in knowledge still remain. This review is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of ANOCA and INOCA, with a particular focus on pathophysiology, recent diagnostic innovations, gaps in knowledge and treatment modalities.

Less bleeding by omitting aspirin in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients: Rationale and design of the LEGACY study.

BACKGROUND: Early aspirin withdrawal, also known as P2Y12-inhibitor monotherapy, following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) can reduce bleeding without a trade-off in efficacy. Still the average daily bleeding risk is highest during the first months and it remains unclear if aspirin can be omitted immediately following PCI. METHODS: The LEGACY study is an open-label, multicenter randomized controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of immediate P2Y12-inhibitor monotherapy versus dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for 12 months in 3,090 patients. Patients are randomized immediately following successful PCI for NSTE-ACS to 75-100 mg aspirin once daily versus no aspirin. The primary hypothesis is that immediately omitting aspirin is superior to DAPT with respect to major or minor bleeding defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding, while maintaining noninferiority for the composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction and stroke compared to DAPT. CONCLUSIONS: The LEGACY study is the first randomized study that is specifically designed to evaluate the impact of immediately omitting aspirin, and thus treating patients with P2Y12-inhibitor monotherapy, as compared to DAPT for 12 months on bleeding and ischemic events within 12 months following PCI for NSTE-ACS.

An Unusual Case of Chronic Total Occlusion Secondary to Late-Diagnosed Recurrent Spontaneous Coronary Dissection.

We report a case of a male patient, aged 44 years, with a long history of percutaneous and surgical revascularizations, who presented with progressive effort angina and a "dynamic total occlusion" of the left circumflex coronary artery, which turned out to be an unrecognized spontaneous coronary artery dissection. In conclusion, spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome and it is even less frequent in male patients; therefore, a high level of suspicion, especially in the case of young patients without major cardiovascular risk factors, is mandatory for prompt diagnosis and adequate strategy. Our case highlights how a missed proper initial diagnosis can dramatically evolve. Furthermore, intravascular imaging can be crucial for confirming the diagnosis.

Alternative (Transulnar or Distal Radial) Arterial Access for Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (Subanalysis from the Minimalistic Hybrid Approach Algorithm Registry).

The transradial approach (TRA) has become the primary choice for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); however, it may not be always feasible because of clinical and/or technical challenges. Alternative forearm accesses, such as transulnar approach (TUA) and distal radial approach (dTRA) may allow maintaining a wrist approach for the procedure, avoiding the femoral artery. This issue is particularly relevant in patients who underwent multiple revascularizations, such as those with chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions. This study aimed to evaluate whether the use of TUA and/or dTRA is comparable with TRA in CTO PCI using a minimalistic hybrid approach algorithm, which limits the number of accesses used to minimize vascular access complications. Patients with CTO PCI treated solely through a fully alternative approach (TUA and/or dTRA) were compared with those treated solely through a standard TRA approach. The primary efficacy end point was procedural success, whereas the primary safety end point was the composite of major adverse cardiac and cerebral events and vascular complications. Of 201 CTO PCIs attempted, 154 procedures were considered for analysis (standard, n = 104, alternative, n = 50). Alternative and standard groups demonstrated comparable rates of both procedural success (92% vs 94.2%, p = 0.70) and primary safety end point (4.8% vs 6.0%, p = 0.70). Of interest, 7 French guiding catheters were more frequently used in the alternative group (44% vs 26%, p = 0.028). In conclusion, CTO PCI after minimalistic hybrid approach by way of alternative forearm vascular accesses (dTRA and/or TUA) is feasible and safe to perform, compared with CTO PCI by way of standard TRA.

Percutaneous treatment of left circumflex coronary artery injury related to mitral valve surgery: Case series and systematic review of the literature.

Left circumflex coronary artery (LCx) injury related to mitral valve surgery is a rare complication. The best treatment option is not defined, and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may represent an effective treatment to avoid prolonged myocardial ischemia. To evaluate feasibility and efficacy of PCI treatment, all records of LCx injury related to mitral valve surgery and treated with PCI were included after a systematic PubMed searching. Moreover, we retrospectively analyzed our single-center PCI database and patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included. Patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve intervention, non-mitral valve surgery, conservatively or surgically treated after LCx injury were excluded. Data about patient characteristics, procedural details, PCI success, and in-hospital mortality were collected. Fifty-six patients were included, 58.9% were male (n = 33) and the median age was 60.5 years (IQR = 21.75). The majority had left dominant or codominant coronary system (62.2%, n = 28 and 15.6%, n = 7, respectively). Clinical manifestations ranged from hemodynamic stability (21.1%, n = 8) to hemodynamic instability (42.1%, n = 16) and cardiac arrest (18.4%, n = 7). On ECG, 23.5% of patients (n = 12) presented ST-segment depression, 58.8% (n = 30) ST-segment elevation, 7.8% (n = 4) atrioventricular block, and 29.4% (n = 15) ventricular arrhythmias. Left ventricle dysfunction was present in 52.3% (n = 22) of patients and wall motion abnormalities in 71.4% (n = 30). PCI success rate was 82.1% (n = 46) and in-hospital mortality 4.5% (n = 2). LCx injury related to mitral surgery is a rare complication characterized by an increased risk of mortality. PCI seems a feasible treatment option, still burdened by suboptimal results, probably related to the technical challenges posed by the surgical failure.

Revascularization and Medical Therapy for Chronic Coronary Syndromes: Lessons Learnt from Recent Trials, a Literature Review.

Stable coronary artery disease (CAD) has recently been replaced by a new entity described as chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). This new entity has been developed based on a better understanding of the pathogenesis, the clinical characteristics, and the morbi-mortality associated to this condition as part of the dynamic spectrum of CAD. This has significant implications in the clinical management of CCS patients, that ranges from lifestyle adaptation, medical therapy targeting all the elements contributing to CAD progression (i.e., platelet aggregation, coagulation, dyslipidaemia, and systemic inflammation), to invasive strategies (i.e., revascularization). CCS is the most frequent presentation of coronary artery disease which is the first cardiovascular disease worldwide. Medical therapy is the first line therapy for these patients; however, revascularization and especially percutaneous coronary intervention remains beneficial for some of them. European and American guidelines on myocardial revascularization were released in 2018 and 2021, respectively. These guidelines provide different scenarios to help physicians choose the optimal therapy for CCS patients. Recently, several trials focusing on CCS patients have been published. We sought to synthetize the place of revascularization in CCS patients according to the latest guidelines, the lessons learnt from recent trials on revascularization and medical therapy, and future perspectives.