Optimal duration and combination of antiplatelet therapies following percutaneous coronary intervention: a meta-analysis.

Abstract Introduction The ideal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still unknown. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to compare very short-term (1–3 months), short-term (6 months), standard-term (12 months) and long-term (>12 months) DAPT durations for efficacy and safety. Methods Overall DAPT comparisons were classified as "any shorter-term"/"any longer-term" DAPT. The primary outcome was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke and cardiovascular death). The primary safety outcome was major bleeding. Results Twenty-six studies comprising 103.394 patients were included. Compared with standard-term DAPT duration, very short-term DAPT duration with subsequent drop of aspirin (RR 1.06, 95% CI, 0.95–1.18, p = 0.26) or drop of the P2Y12 inhibitor (RR 0.92, 95% CI, 0.72-1.16, p = 0.47) was not associated with a higher risk of MACE. Any longer-term compared with any shorter-term DAPT durations led to a significantly lower risk of MACE (RR 0.88, 95% CI, 0.81–0.96, p = 0.002), but a significantly higher risk of BARC 3-5 major bleeding events (RR 1.63, 95% CI, 1.22–2.17, p = 0.001). In the ACS subgroup receiving prasugrel or ticagrelor but not clopidogrel, any longer-term DAPT duration was associated with a significantly lower risk of MACE compared to any shorter-term DAPT duration (RR 0.84, 95% CI, 0.77–0.92, p = 0.0001). Conclusion DAPT may be shortened to 1-3 months in patients with low ischemic but high bleeding risk followed by aspirin or P2Y12 monotherapy. Prasugrel or ticagrelor based DAPT may be extended to >12 months in case of high ischemic and low bleeding risk. PROSPERO registration no CRD42020163719

Animal-vehicle collisions during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020 in the Krakow metropolitan region, Poland

Publication history: Accepted - 11 April 2022; Published online - 9 May 2022The interrelations between human activity and animal populations are of increasing interest due to the emergence of the novel COVID-19 and the consequent pandemic across the world. Anthropogenic impacts of the pandemic on animals in urban-suburban environments are largely unknown. In this study, the temporal and spatial patterns of urban animal response to the COVID-19 lockdown were assessed using animal-vehicle collisions (AVC) data. We collected AVC data over two 6-month periods in 2019 and 2020 (January to June) from the largest metropolis in southern Poland, which included lockdown months. Furthermore, we used traffic data to understand the impact of lockdown on AVC in the urban area. Our analysis of 1063 AVC incidents revealed that COVID-19 related lockdown decreased AVC rates in suburban areas. However, in the urban area, even though traffic volume had significantly reduced, AVC did not decrease significantly, suggesting that lockdown did not influence the collision rates in the urban area. Our results suggest that there is a need to focus on understanding the effects of changes in traffic volume on both human behaviour and wildlife space use on the resulting impacts on AVC in the urban area.S.M.B is supported by the project ATUT PhD Programme in Biology. The project is co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund – Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development Axis III Higher Education for Economy and Development, Action 3.2 PhD Programme

Implantacja stentów wydzielających rapamycynę (Sirolimus) u chorych ze zwiększonym ryzykiem restenozy. Roczna obserwacja 100 pacjentów

Wstęp: Występowanie restenozy w stencie po zabiegach angioplastyki wieńcowej stanowi nadal istotny problem kardiologii interwencyjnej. Wprowadzone niedawno stenty wydzielające leki antyproliferacyjne budzą nadzieję na szybkie uporanie się z tym problemem. Celem pracy jest ocena wczesnych i odległych wyników implantacji stentów wydzielających rapamycynę u chorych ze zwiększonym ryzykiem restenozy. Materiał i metody: Stenty Cypher™ firmy Cordis (Johnson & Johnson) implantowano 107 pacjentom ze stabilną lub niestabilną dławicą, po wcześniejszym, kilkudniowym przygotowaniu tienopirydynami. Oceniano wyniki bezpośrednie zabiegu oraz przeprowadzono obserwację kliniczną pacjentów po 30 dniach, a także po minimum 9 miesiącach. U 71 osób wykonano kontrolną koronarografię. Wyniki: W pierwszych 30 dniach jedynym powikłaniem było wystąpienie zawału serca bez załamka Q (bezobjawowy wzrost stężenia enzymów 3-krotnie przewyższający normę) w okresie okołozabiegowym u 3 pacjentów. W obserwacji odległej nie stwierdzono zgonów, u 3 chorych wystąpił zawał serca z załamkiem Q, u 2 z nich prawdopodobnie na skutek późnej zakrzepicy w stencie. Czterech pacjentów wymagało ponownej rewaskularyzacji leczonego naczynia. Spośród 71 chorych, u których wykonano kontrolną koronarografię, nie zaobserwowano restenozy w stencie, a w jednym przypadku stwierdzono restenozę w leczonym segmencie. Wnioski: Implantacja stentów wydzielających rapamycynę jest bezpiecznym i bardzo skutecznym sposobem leczenia zwężeń naczyń wieńcowych u chorych ze zwiększonym ryzykiem wystąpienia restenozy. (Folia Cardiol. 2004; 11: 505–511

Implantacja stentów wydzielających rapamycynę (Sirolimus) u chorych ze zwiększonym ryzykiem restenozy. Roczna obserwacja 100 pacjentów

Wstęp: Występowanie restenozy w stencie po zabiegach angioplastyki wieńcowej stanowi nadal istotny problem kardiologii interwencyjnej. Wprowadzone niedawno stenty wydzielające leki antyproliferacyjne budzą nadzieję na szybkie uporanie się z tym problemem. Celem pracy jest ocena wczesnych i odległych wyników implantacji stentów wydzielających rapamycynę u chorych ze zwiększonym ryzykiem restenozy. Materiał i metody: Stenty Cypher™ firmy Cordis (Johnson & Johnson) implantowano 107 pacjentom ze stabilną lub niestabilną dławicą, po wcześniejszym, kilkudniowym przygotowaniu tienopirydynami. Oceniano wyniki bezpośrednie zabiegu oraz przeprowadzono obserwację kliniczną pacjentów po 30 dniach, a także po minimum 9 miesiącach. U 71 osób wykonano kontrolną koronarografię. Wyniki: W pierwszych 30 dniach jedynym powikłaniem było wystąpienie zawału serca bez załamka Q (bezobjawowy wzrost stężenia enzymów 3-krotnie przewyższający normę) w okresie okołozabiegowym u 3 pacjentów. W obserwacji odległej nie stwierdzono zgonów, u 3 chorych wystąpił zawał serca z załamkiem Q, u 2 z nich prawdopodobnie na skutek późnej zakrzepicy w stencie. Czterech pacjentów wymagało ponownej rewaskularyzacji leczonego naczynia. Spośród 71 chorych, u których wykonano kontrolną koronarografię, nie zaobserwowano restenozy w stencie, a w jednym przypadku stwierdzono restenozę w leczonym segmencie. Wnioski: Implantacja stentów wydzielających rapamycynę jest bezpiecznym i bardzo skutecznym sposobem leczenia zwężeń naczyń wieńcowych u chorych ze zwiększonym ryzykiem wystąpienia restenozy. (Folia Cardiol. 2004; 11: 505–511

Cangrelor — Expanding therapeutic options in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Cangrelor is the only intravenous P2Y12 receptor antagonist. It is an adenosine triphosphate analog that selectively, directly, and reversibly binds to the platelet P2Y12 receptors exerting its antiaggregatory effect. Cangrelor is characterized by linear, dose-dependent pharmacokinetics and rapid onset of action providing potent platelet inhibition exceeding 90%. Cangrelor is rapidly metabolized by endothelial endonucleotidase; thus, its half-life is 2.9 to 5.5 min, and its antiplatelet effect subsides within 60 to 90 min. Data originating from three pivotal cangrelor trials (CHAMPION PLATFORM, CHAMPION PCI, and CHAMPION PHOENIX) indicate that cangrelor reduces the risk of periprocedural thrombotic complications during percutaneous coronary intervention at the expense of mild bleedings. Its unique pharmacological properties allow it to overcome the limitations of oral P2Y12 receptor inhibitors, mainly related to the delayed and decreased bioavailability and antiplatelet effect of these agents, which are often observed in the setting of acute coronary syndrome. Subgroups of patients who could theoretically benefit the most from cangrelor include those in whom pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral P2Y12 receptor antagonists are most disturbed, namely patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, those treated with opioids, with mild therapeutic hypothermia, or in cardiogenic shock. Cangrelor could also be useful if bridging is required in patients undergoing surgery. According to the current guidelines cangrelor may be considered in P2Y12 receptor inhibitor-naïve patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in both acute and stable settings

Treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome: Recommendations for medical emergency teams: Focus on antiplatelet therapies. Updated experts’ standpoint

A group of Polish experts in cardiology and emergency medicine, encouraged by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines, have recently published common recommendations for medical emergency teams regarding the pre-hospital management of patients with acute coronary syndrome. Due to the recent publication of the 2017 ESC guidelines for the management of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation and 2017 focused update on dual antiplatelet therapy in coronary artery disease the current panel of experts decided to update the previous standpoint. Moreover, new data coming from studies presented after the previous document was issued were also taken into consideration

Low-dose ticagrelor with or without acetylsalicylic acid in patients with acute coronary syndrome: Rationale and design of the ELECTRA-SIRIO 2 trial

© 2022 Via Medica. This article is available in open access under Creative Common Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

A new approach to ticagrelor-based de-escalation of antiplatelet therapy after acute coronary syndrome. A rationale for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated, multicenter clinical study

© 2021 Via Medica. This article is available in open access under Creative Common Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The risk of ischemic events gradually decreases after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), reaching a stable level after 1 month, while the risk of bleeding remains steady during the whole period of dual antiplatelet treatment (DAPT). Several de-escalation strategies of antiplatelet treatment aiming to enhance safety of DAPT without depriving it of its efficacy have been evaluated so far. We hypothesized that reduction of the ticagrelor maintenance dose 1 month after ACS and its continuation until 12 months after ACS may improve adherence to antiplatelet treatment due to better tolerability compared with the standard dose of ticagrelor. Moreover, improved safety of treatment and preserved anti-ischemic benefit may also be expected with additional acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) withdrawal. To evaluate these hypotheses, we designed the Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Two Ticagrelor-based De-escalation Antiplatelet Strategies in Acute Coronary Syndrome — a randomized clinical trial (ELECTRA-SIRIO 2), to assess the influence of ticagrelor dose reduction with or without continuation of ASA versus DAPT with standard dose ticagrelor in reducing clinically relevant bleeding and main-taining anti-ischemic efficacy in ACS patients. The study was designed as a phase III, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, investigator-initiated clinical study with a 12-month follow-up.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Two years clinical outcomes with the state-of-the-art PCI for the treatment of bifurcation lesions: A sub-analysis of the SYNTAX II study

Background: Bifurcation PCI is associated with a lower rate of procedural success, especially in multivessel disease patients. We aimed to determine the impact of bifurcation treatment on 2-years clinical outcomes when a state-of-the-art PCI strategy (heart team decision-making using the SYNTAX score II, physiology guided coronary stenosis assessment, thin strut bioresorbable polymer drug-eluting stent, and intravascular ultrasound guidance) is followed. Methods: Three-ve