Access and non–access site bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention and risk of subsequent mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events:Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The prognostic impact of site-specific major bleeding complications after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has yielded conflicting data. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of site-specific major bleeding events in contemporary PCI and study their impact on mortality and major adverse cardiovascular event outcomes. Methods and Results: We conducted a meta-analysis of PCI studies that evaluated site-specific periprocedural bleeding complications and their impact on major adverse cardiovascular events and mortality outcomes. A systematic search of MEDLINE and Embase was conducted to identify relevant studies and random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the risk of adverse outcomes with site-specific bleeding complications. Twenty-five relevant studies including 2 400 645 patients that underwent PCI were identified. Both non–access site (risk ratio [RR], 4.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.21–5.14) and access site (RR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.37–2.13) related bleeding complications were independently associated with an increased risk of periprocedural mortality. The prognostic impact of non–access site–related bleeding events on mortality related to the source of anatomic bleeding, for example, gastrointestinal RR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.25 to 6.18; retroperitoneal RR, 5.87; 95% CI, 1.63 to 21.12; and intracranial RR, 22.71; 95% CI, 12.53 to 41.15. Conclusions: The prognostic impact of bleeding complications after PCI varies according to anatomic source and severity. Non–access site-related bleeding complications have a similar prevalence to those from the access site but are associated with a significantly worse prognosis partly related to the severity of the bleed. Clinicians should minimize the risk of major bleeding complications during PCI through judicious use of bleeding avoidance strategies irrespective of the access site used

Impact of incomplete percutaneous revascularization in patients With multivessel coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Up to half of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention have multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD) with conflicting data regarding optimal revascularization strategy in such patients. This paper assesses the evidence for complete revascularization (CR) versus incomplete revascularization in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, and its prognostic impact using meta‐analysis. Methods and Results: A search of PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Current Contents Connect, Google Scholar, Cochrane library, Science Direct, and Web of Science was conducted to identify the association of CR in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with major adverse cardiac events and mortality. Random‐effects meta‐analysis was used to estimate the odds of adverse outcomes. Meta‐regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationship with continuous variables and outcomes. Thirty‐eight publications that included 156 240 patients were identified. Odds of death (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.61‐0.78), repeat revascularization (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.45‐0.80), myocardial infarction (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.50‐0.81), and major adverse cardiac events (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.50‐0.79) were significantly lower in the patients who underwent CR. These outcomes were unchanged on subgroup analysis regardless of the definition of CR. Similar findings were recorded when CR was studied in the chronic total occlusion (CTO) subgroup (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.53‐0.80). A meta‐regression analysis revealed a negative relationship between the OR for mortality and the percentage of CR. Conclusion: CR is associated with reduced risk of mortality and major adverse cardiac events, irrespective of whether an anatomical or a score‐based definition of incomplete revascularization is used, and this magnitude of risk relates to degree of CR. These results have important implications for the interventional management of patients with multivessel coronary artery disease

Variation in emergency percutaneous coronary intervention in ventilated patients in the UK: insights from a national database

Aims Pre-procedural ventilation is a marker of high risk in PCI patients. Causes include out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and cardiogenic shock. OHCA occurs in approximately 60,000 patients in the UK per annum. No consensus exists regarding the need/timing of coronary angiography ± revascularization without ST elevation. The aim was to describe the national variation in the rate of emergency PCI in ventilated patients. Methods and Results Using the UK national database for PCI in 2013, we identified all procedures performed as ‘emergency’ or ‘salvage’ for whom ventilation had been initiated before the PCI. Of the 92,589 patients who underwent PCI, 1342 (5.5%) fulfilled those criteria. There was wide variation in practice. There was no demonstrable relationship between the number of emergency PCI patients with pre-procedure ventilation per annum and (i) total number of PPCIs in a unit (r = −0.186), and (ii) availability of 24 h PCI, (iii) on-site surgical cover. Conclusion We demonstrated a wide variation in practice across the UK in rates of pre-procedural ventilation in emergency PCI. The majority of individuals will have suffered an OHCA. In the absence of a plausible explanation for this discrepant practice, it is possible that (a) some patients presenting with OHCA that may benefit from revascularization are being denied treatment and (b) procedures may be being undertaken that are futile. Further prospective data are needed to aid in production of guidelines aiming at standardized care in OHCA

Stroke following percutaneous coronary intervention : type-specific incidence, outcomes and determinants seen by the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society 2007-12

Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2015. For permissions please email: [email protected] reviewedPostprin

Determinants and outcomes of stroke following percutaneous coronary intervention by indication

Background and Purpose—Stroke after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a serious complication, but its determinants and outcomes after PCI in different clinical settings are poorly documented. Methods—The British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS) database was used to study 560 439 patients who underwent PCI in England and Wales between 2006 and 2013. We examined procedural-type specific determinants of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and the likelihood of subsequent 30-day mortality and in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events (a composite of in-hospital mortality, myocardial infarction or reinfarction, and repeat revascularization). Results—A total of 705 stroke cases were recorded (80% ischemic). Stroke after an elective PCI or PCI for acute coronary syndrome indications was associated with a higher risk of adverse outcomes compared with those without stroke; 30-day mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events outcomes in fully adjusted model were odds ratios 37.90 (21.43–67.05) and 21.05 (13.25–33.44) for elective and 5.00 (3.96–6.31) and 6.25 (5.03–7.77) for acute coronary syndrome, respectively. Comparison of odds of these outcomes between these 2 settings showed no differences; corresponding odds ratios were 1.24 (0.64–2.43) and 0.63 (0.35–1.15), respectively. Conclusions—Hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke complications are uncommon, but serious complications can occur after PCI and are independently associated with worse mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events outcomes in both the elective and acute coronary syndrome setting irrespective of stroke type. Our study provides a better understanding of the risk factors and prognosis of stroke after PCI by procedure type, allowing physicians to provide more informed advice around stroke risk after PCI and counsel patients and their families around outcomes if such neurological complications occur

Pre-implantation Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty and Clinical Outcomes Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Propensity Score Analysis of the UK Registry

BACKGROUND:Aortic valve predilation with balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is recommended before transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), despite limited data around the requirement of this preprocedural step and the potential risks of embolization. This study aimed to investigate the trends in practice and associations of BAV on short-term outcomes in the UK TAVI registry. METHODS AND RESULTS:Eleven clinical endpoints were investigated, including 30-day mortality, myocardial infarction, aortic regurgitation, valve dysfunction, and composite early safety. All endpoints were defined as per the VARC-2 definitions. Odd ratios of each endpoint were estimated using logistic regression, with data analyzed in balloon- and self-expandable valve subgroups. Propensity scores were calculated using patient demographics and procedural variables, which were included in the models of each endpoint to adjust for measured confounding. Between 2007 and 2014, 5887 patients met the study inclusion criteria, 1421 (24.1%) of whom had no BAV before TAVI valve deployment. We observed heterogeneity in the use of BAV nationally, both temporally and by center experience; rates of BAV in pre-TAVI workup varied between 30% and 97% across TAVI centers. All endpoints were similar between treatment groups in SAPIEN (Edwards Lifesciences Inc., Irvine, CA) valve patients. After correction for multiple testing, none of the endpoints in CoreValve (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) patients were significantly different between patients with or without predilation. CONCLUSIONS:Performing TAVI without predilation was not associated with adverse short-term outcomes post procedure, especially when using a balloon-expandable prosthesis. Randomized trials including different valve types are required to provide conclusive evidence regarding the utility of predilation before-TAVI

Timing of cardiac resynchronization therapy implantation

Aims The optimum timing of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implantation is unknown. We explored long-term outcomes after CRT in relation to the time interval from a first heart failure hospitalization (HFH) to device implantation. .Methods A database covering the population of England (56.3 million in 2019) was used to quantify clinical outcomes after CRT im- and results plantation in relation to first HFHs. From 2010 to 2019, 64 968 patients [age: 71.4 ± 11.7 years; 48 606 (74.8%) male] underwent CRT implantation, 57% in the absence of a previous HFH, 12.9% during the first HFH, and 30.1% after ≥1 HFH. Over 4.54 (2.80–6.71) years [median (interquartile range); 272 989 person-years], the time in years from the first HFH to CRT implantation was associated with a higher risk of total mortality [hazard ratio (HR); 95% confidence intervals (95% CI)] (1.15; 95% CI 1.14–1.16, HFH (HR: 1.26; 95% CI 1.24–1.28), and the combined endpoint of total mortality or HFH (HR: 1.19; 95% CI 1.27–1.20) than CRT in patients with no previous HFHs, after co-variate adjustment. Total mortality (HR: 1.67), HFH (HR: 2.63), and total mortality or HFH (HR: 1.92) (all P < 0.001) were highest in patients undergoing CRT ≥2 years after the first HFH. Conclusion In this study of a healthcare system covering an entire nation, delays from a first HFH to CRT implantation were associated with progressively worse long-term clinical outcomes. The best clinical outcomes were observed in patients with no previous HFH and in those undergoing CRT implantation during the first HFH. Condensed The optimum timing of CRT implantation is unknown. In this study of 64 968 consecutive patients, delays from a first heart abstract failure hospitalization (HFH) to CRT implantation were associated with progressively worse long-term clinical outcomes. Each year from a first HFH to CRT implantation was associated with a 21% higher risk of total mortality and a 34% higher risk of HFH. The best outcomes after CRT were observed in patients with no previous HFHs and in those undergoing implantation during their first HFH. The left upper panel shows the timing (y-axis) and numbers (x-axis) of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implantations in relation to the timing of first heart failure hospitalizations (HFHs); the right upper panel shows CRT implantations undertaken during a first HFH as a percentage of all implantations, according to year. Patients were regarded as not having had a HFH if this had not occurred within 5 years prior to CRT implantation. The left lower panel shows the Kaplan–Meier survival curve for total mortality. Event rates (per 100 person-years) for the three endpoints according to the timing of CRT implantation in relation to a first HFH are shown in the right lower panel

Photopolymer-based volume holographic optical elements: design and possible applications

In this paper, Volume Holographic Optical Elements (V-HOEs), such as holographic gratings and spherical lenses, are designed and fabricated by using a prototype of photopolymer. The recording process of V-HOEs and their appropriate characterization are described. Moreover, V-HOEs possible applications as solar concentrator are investigated and results are discussed. Finally, a system that allows passive solar tracking is proposed and preliminary results are reported