Publications

Serial intravascular ultrasound virtual histology (IVUS-VH) after implantation of metallic stents has been unable to show any changes in the composition of the scaffolded plaque overtime. The everolimus-eluting ABSORB scaffold potentially allows for the formation of new fibrotic tissue on the scaffolded coronary plaque during bioresorption. We examined the 12 month IVUS-VH changes in composition of the plaque behind the struts (PBS) following the implantation of the ABSORB scaffold. Using IVUS-VH and dedicated software, the composition of the PBS was analyzed in all patients from the ABSORB Cohort B2 trial, who were imaged with a commercially available IVUS-VH console (s5i system, Volcano Corporation, Rancho Cordova, CA, USA), immediately post-ABSORB implantation and at 12 month follow-up. Paired IVUS-VH data, recorded with s5i system, were available in 17 patients (18 lesions). The analysis demonstrated an increase in mean PBS area (2.39 ± 1.85 mm2 vs. 2.76 ± 1.79 mm2, P = 0.078) and a reduction in the mean lumen area (6.37 ± 0.90 mm2 vs. 5.98 ± 0.97 mm2, P = 0.006). Conversely, a significant decrease of 16 and 30% in necrotic core (NC) and dense calcium (DC) content, respectively, were evident (median % NC from 43.24 to 36.06%, P = 0.016; median % DC from 20.28 to 11.36%, P = 0.002). Serial IVUS-VH analyses of plaque located behind the ABSORB struts at 12-month demonstrated an increase in plaque area with a decrease in its NC and DC content. Larger studies are required to investigate the clinical impact of these findings.

The effects of vagal stimulation on pulmonary vascular permeability were studied in guinea pigs in vivo using 1251-labeled albumin as a marker of plasma extravasation. Bilateral vagus nerve stimulation (NS) significantly increased the plasma leakage index in both parenchyma and tracheobronchial tissues. The NS-induced plasma leakage in the parenchyma was unaffected by the u-adrenoceptor antagonist phen­ tolamine, the muscarinic receptor antagonist atropine, the ganglionic blocker hexamethonium, or pretreat­ ment with 6-hydroxydopamine or capsaicin, but it was significantly potentiated by the [3-adrenoceptor an­ tagonist propranolol. NS-induced tracheobronchial vascular leakage was markedly inhibited by pretreatment with atropine, hexamethonium, or capsaicin, although it was unaffected by pretreatment with phentola­ mine, propranolol, or 6-hydroxydopamine. By itself, NG-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibi­ tor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, had no effect on pulmonary vascular leakage, but it significantly enhanced the NS-induced plasma leakage to parenchyma in a dose-related and L-arginine-reversible manner. Eleva­ tion of blood pressure to a similar extent as that induced by L-NAME by a phenylephrine infusion had no significant effect on the increased plasma leakage induced by NS. These results suggest that vagal stimu­ lation increases plasma extravasation in lung parenchyma through the release of unidentified transmit­ ter(s) in a process that is modulated by endogenous NO and catecholamines (via activation of [3-adreno­ ceptors), and that different mechanisms are involved in the vagally induced plasma extravasation in the pulmonary and tracheobronchial vascular beds. Liu S, Kuo H-P, Sheppard MN, Barnes PJ, Evans TW. Vagal stimulation induces increased pulmonary vascular permeability in guinea pig. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1994;149:744-50.

Background Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are used for coronary revascularization in patients with multivessel and left main coronary artery disease. Stroke is among the most feared complications of revascularization. Due to its infrequency, studies with large numbers of patients are required to detect differences in stroke rates between CABG and PCI. Objectives This study sought to compare rates of stroke after CABG and PCI and the impact of procedural stroke on long-term mortality. Methods We performed a collaborative individual patient-data pooled analysis of 11 randomized clinical trials comparing CABG with PCI using stents; ERACI II (Argentine Randomized Study: Coronary Angioplasty With Stenting Versus Coronary Bypass Surgery in Patients With Multiple Vessel Disease) (n = 450), ARTS (Arterial Revascularization Therapy Study) (n = 1,205), MASS II (Medicine, Angioplasty, or Surgery Study) (n = 408), SoS (Stent or Surgery) trial (n = 988), SYNTAX (Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) trial (n = 1,800), PRECOMBAT (Bypass Surgery Versus Angioplasty Using Sirolimus-Eluting Stent in Patients With Left Main Coronary Artery Disease) trial (n = 600), FREEDOM (Comparison of Two Treatments for Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease in Individuals With Diabetes) trial (n = 1,900), VA CARDS (Coronary Artery Revascularization in Diabetes) (n = 198), BEST (Bypass Surgery Versus Everolimus-Eluting Stent Implantation for Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease) (n = 880), NOBLE (Percutaneous Coronary Angioplasty Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Treatment of Unprotected Left Main Stenosis) trial (n = 1,184), and EXCEL (Evaluation of Xience Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization) trial (n = 1,905). The 30-day and 5-year stroke rates were compared between CABG and PCI using a random effects Cox proportional hazards model, stratified by trial. The impact of stroke on 5-year mortality was explored. Results The analysis included 11,518 patients randomly assigned to PCI (n = 5,753) or CABG (n = 5,765) with a mean follow-up of 3.8 ± 1.4 years during which a total of 293 strokes occurred. At 30 days, the rate of stroke was 0.4% after PCI and 1.1% after CABG (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20 to 0.53; p < 0.001). At 5-year follow-up, stroke remained significantly lower after PCI than after CABG (2.6% vs. 3.2%; HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.61 to 0.97; p = 0.027). Rates of stroke between 31 days and 5 years were comparable: 2.2% after PCI versus 2.1% after CABG (HR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.38; p = 0.72). No significant interactions between treatment and baseline clinical or angiographic variables for the 5-year rate of stroke were present, except for diabetic patients (PCI: 2.6% vs. CABG: 4.9%) and nondiabetic patients (PCI: 2.6% vs. CABG: 2.4%) (p for interaction = 0.004). Patients who experienced a stroke within 30 days of the procedure had significantly higher 5-year mortality versus those without a stroke, both after PCI (45.7% vs. 11.1%, p < 0.001) and CABG (41.5% vs. 8.9%, p < 0.001). Conclusions This individual patient-data pooled analysis demonstrates that 5-year stroke rates are significantly lower after PCI compared with CABG, driven by a reduced risk of stroke in the 30-day post-procedural period but a similar risk of stroke between 31 days and 5 years. The greater risk of stroke after CABG compared with PCI was confined to patients with multivessel disease and diabetes. Five-year mortality was markedly higher for patients experiencing a stroke within 30 days after revascularization.

No abstract is provided for this article.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction with bare metal stents (BMS) is well established, while randomized trials suggest equivalent safety and reduced repeat revascularization with drug-eluting stents (DES) in this setting. However, long-term data on DES in PPCI is lacking, especially in those ineligible for inclusion in randomized trials. Our aim was to investigate the long-term outcomes of unselected patients undergoing PPCI with BMS and DES.We analyzed all patients (n=1738) undergoing PPCI for a de novo lesion in our institution from 2000 to 2005. Patients from 3 sequential consecutive cohorts of BMS (n=531), sirolimus-eluting (SES, n=185) or paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES, n=1022) were included. The median duration of follow-up was 1185 days (interquartile range, 746 to 1675). There were no differences in all-cause mortality or repeat revascularization between DES and BMS, although there was a nonsignificant trend toward improved survival with SES compared with both BMS (propensity score-adjusted hazard ratio, 0.63; [95%CI, 0.33 to 1.18]) and PES (hazard ratio, 0.71; [95% CI, 0.40 to 1.26]). SES were associated with lower rates of the composite end point of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95%CI, 0.40 to 0.96) when compared with PES. Very late stent thrombosis only occurred in the DES groups.Although DES are not associated with an increase in adverse events compared with BMS when used for PPCI, neither DES reduced repeat revascularizations. Appropriately powered randomized trials with hard clinical end points and an "all-comer" design are required to further assess the benefit of DES in PPCI.

Objectives We sought to determine the real-world incidence of angiographically confirmed and possible stent thrombosis (ST) in an unrestricted population during the first 30 days after bare-metal stent (BMS), sirolimus-eluting stent (SES), and paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) implantation. Background Current data on ST in drug-eluting stents (DES) have come from randomized trials with strict entry criteria, which limits their generalizability to daily practice. Methods The study population comprised three sequential cohorts of 506 consecutive patients with BMS, 1,017 consecutive patients with SES, and 989 consecutive patients treated with PES. Results In the first 30 days after stent implantation, 6 BMS (1.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5% to 2.6%; p = 0.9), 10 SES (1.0%, 95% CI 0.5% to 1.8%), and 10 PES (1.0%, 95% CI 0.6% to 1.9%) patients developed angiographically proven ST. Multiple potential risk factors were identified in most patients with ST. Bifurcation stenting in the setting of acute myocardial infarction was an independent risk factor for angiographic ST in the entire population (odds ratio [OR] 12.9, 95% CI 4.7 to 35.8, p < 0.001). In patients with DES who had angiographic ST, 30-day mortality was 15%, whereas another 60% suffered a nonfatal myocardial infarction; no further deaths occurred during six months of follow-up. Including possible cases, 7 BMS (1.4%, 95% CI 0.7% to 2.8%), 15 SES (1.5%, 95% CI 0.9% to 2.4%), and 16 PES (1.6%, 95% CI 1.0% to 2.6%) patients had ST. Conclusions The unrestricted use of SES or PES is associated with ST rates in the range expected for BMS. Stent thrombosis was associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Bifurcation stenting, when performed in patients with acute myocardial infarction, was associated with an increased risk of ST.

No abstract is provided for this article.