TCT-66 Door to Impella Placement in Acute Coronary Syndrome Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock: An Updated Meta-analysis

Background: The impact of time to hemodynamic support in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMICS) has yet to be defined. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the impact of timing of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) with Impella. Methods: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis was conducted using PubMed and Cochrane databases. All studies reporting short-term mortality rates and timing of Impella insertion, pre vs during/post PCI, were included. Primary end point was short-term mortality (≤30 days), while secondary end pointswere midterm mortality, device-related bleeding and limb ischemia. Results: Of 1,289 studies identified, 13 studies (6,810 patients; 2,970 patients identified as receiving Impella before PCI and 3,840 patients receiving Impella during/after PCI) were included in this analysis. Median age was 63.8 years (IQR 63-65.7 years), 76% of patients were male, and a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was noted across the entire population. Short-term mortality was significantly reduced in those receiving pre-PCI Impella support, 37.2% vs 53.6% (RR 0.7; CI 0.56-0.88). Midterm mortality was also lower in the pre-PCI group, 47.9% vs 73% (RR 0.81; CI 0.68-0.97). The rates of device-related bleeding (RR 1.05; CI 0.47-2.33) and limb ischemia (RR 1.6; CI 0.63-2.15) were similar between the two groups. Conclusion: This analysis suggests that MCS placement with Impella prior to PCI in AMICS may have a positive impact on short- and midterm mortality compared with post-PCI placement, with similar outcome in terms of safety. Categories: CORONARY: Hemodynamic Support and Cardiogenic Shoc

Timing of impella placement in PCI for acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: An updated meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: The timing of hemodynamic support in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMICS) has yet to be defined. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the impact of timing of Impella initiation on early and midterm mortality. METHODS: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis was conducted using PubMed and Cochrane databases. All studies reporting short-term mortality rates and timing of Impella placement in AMICS were included. Meta-regression analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed on the primary endpoint, short-term mortality (≤30 days), and secondary endpoints (midterm mortality, device-related bleeding, and limb ischemia). RESULTS: Of 1289 studies identified, 13 studies (6810 patients; 2970 patients identified as receiving Impella pre-PCI and 3840 patients receiving Impella during/post-PCI) were included in this analysis. Median age was 63.8 years (IQR 63-65.7); 76% of patients were male, and a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was noted across the entire population. Short-term mortality was significantly reduced in those receiving pre-PCI vs. during/post-PCI Impella support (37.2% vs 53.6%, RR 0.7; CI 0.56-0.88). Midterm mortality was also lower in the pre-PCI Impella group (47.9% vs 73%, RR 0.81; CI 0.68-0.97). The rate of device-related bleeding (RR 1.05; CI 0.47-2.33) and limb ischemia (RR 1.6; CI 0.63-2.15) were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: This analysis suggests that Impella placement prior to PCI in AMICS may have a positive impact on short- and midterm mortality compared with post-PCI, with similar safety outcomes. Due to the observational nature of the included studies, further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis (CRD42022300372)

giant aneurysm of circumflex coronary artery in asymptomatic patient

We report a case of a 74 years old woman presented to the hospital for fever and uncontrolled hypertension. We found, incidentally, a giant aneurysm of the circumflex coronary artery measuring 6.4 x 5.5 cm. We show suggestive CT scan images and multislice reconstructions and a review of the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of this condition

Clostridium difficile infection in children: epidemiology and risk of recurrence in a low-prevalence country

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is increasingly found in children worldwide, but limited data are available from children living in southern Europe. A 6-year retrospective study was performed to investigate the epidemiology, clinical features, treatment, and risk of recurrence in Italy. Data of children with community- and hospital-acquired CDI (CA-CDI and HA-CDI, respectively) seen at seven pediatric referral centers in Italy were recorded retrospectively. Annual infection rates/10,000 hospital admissions were calculated. Logistic regression was used to investigate risk factors for recurrence. A total of 177 CDI episodes was reported in 148 children (83 males, median age 55.3 months), with a cumulative infection rate of 2.25/10,000 admissions, with no significant variability over time. The majority of children (60.8 %) had CA-CDI. Children with HA-CDI (39.2 %) had a longer duration of symptoms and hospitalization (p = 0.003) and a more common previous use of antibiotics (p = 0.0001). Metronidazole was used in 70.7 % of cases (87/123) and vancomycin in 29.3 % (36/123), with similar success rates. Recurrence occurred in 16 children (10.8 %), and 3 (2 %) of them presented a further treatment failure. The use of metronidazole was associated with a 5-fold increase in the risk of recurrence [odds ratio (OR) 5.18, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.1-23.8, p = 0.03]. Short bowel syndrome was the only underlying condition associated with treatment failure (OR 5.29, 95 % CI 1.17-23.8, p = 0.03). The incidence of pediatric CDI in Italy is low and substantially stable. In this setting, there is a limited risk of recurrence, which mainly concerns children treated with oral metronidazole and those with short bowel syndrome

Pulmonary Artery Catheter Monitoring in Patients with Cardiogenic Shock: Time for a Reappraisal?

Cardiogenic shock represents one of the most dramatic scenarios to deal with in intensive cardiology care and is burdened by substantial short-term mortality. An integrated approach, including timely diagnosis and phenotyping, along with a well-established shock team and management protocol, may improve survival. The use of the Swan-Ganz catheter could play a pivotal role in various phases of cardiogenic shock management, encompassing diagnosis and haemodynamic characterisation to treatment selection, titration and weaning. Moreover, it is essential in the evaluation of patients who might be candidates for long-term heart-replacement strategies. This review provides a historical background on the use of the Swan-Ganz catheter in the intensive care unit and an analysis of the available evidence in terms of potential prognostic implications in this setting

Impact of structural features of very thin stents implanted in unprotected left main or coronary bifurcations on clinical outcomes

Objectives: To evaluate the independent clinical impact of stent structural features in a large cohort of patients undergoing unprotected left main (ULM) or coronary bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a range of very thin strut stents. Background: Clinical impact of structural features of contemporary stents remains to be defined. Methods: All consecutive patients enrolled in the veRy thin stents for patients with left mAIn or bifurcatioN in real life (RAIN) registry were included. The following stent structural features were studied: antiproliferative drugs (everolimus vs. sirolimus vs. zotarolimus), strut material (platinum-chromium vs. cobalt-chromium), polymer (bioresorbable vs. durable), number of crowns (<8 vs. ≥8) and number of connectors (<3 vs. ≥3). For small diameter stents (≤2.5 mm), struct thickness (74 vs. 80/81 μm) was also tested. Target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of target lesion revascularization and stent thrombosis, was the primary endpoint. Multivariate analysis was performed with Cox regression models. Results: Out of 2,707 patients, 110 (4.1%) experienced a TLF event after 16 months (12–18). After adjustment for confounders, an increased number of connectors (adjusted hazard ratio [adj-HR] 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39–0.99, p =.04) reduced risk of TLF, driven by stents with ≥2.5 mm diameter (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.32–0.93, p =.02). This independent relationship was lost for stents with diameter <2.5 mm, where only strut thickness appeared to impact. Conversely, no independent relationship of polymer type, number of crowns, and the specific limus-family eluted drug with outcomes was observed. Conclusions: Among a range of contemporary very thin stent models, an increased number of connectors improved device-related outcomes in this investigated high-risk procedural setting

Reduced Rate of Hospital Admissions for ACS during Covid-19 Outbreak in Northern Italy

To address the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic,1 strict social containment measures have been adopted worldwide, and health care systems have been reorganized to cope with the enormous increase in the numbers of acutely ill patients.2,3 During this same period, some changes in the pattern of hospital admissions for other conditions have been noted. The aim of the present analysis is to investigate the rate of hospital admissions for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak