Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO): Scientific Benefit and Principal Interventional Approach

Chronic total occlusion (CTO) of coronary arteries are found in about 20% of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and in about 50% of post-CABG patients. Specialized centers can now achieve success rates of over 85%, which is a result of technical advancements in retrograde techniques irrespective of the CTO anatomy. Due to the complexity of retrograde CTO-techniques, a consensus paper issued by the EuroCTO-Club requires interventional cardiologists to have sufficient experience in antegrade approaches (>300 antegrade CTO-cases, 50/year) with additional retrograde training (25 retrograde cases each as first and second operator) before becoming an independent retrograde operator. The increased investment in time and technical resources may only be justified if the patient has a clear clinical benefit. However, technical advancements and the clearer evidence that complete revascularization can be achieved in patients with coronary multivessel disease have attracted growing interest in recent years from interventional cardiologists in treating CTO. The chapter will review current knowledge in the interventional treatment of CTO and focuses on indications and the potential benefits for the individual patient being based on the current state of scientific evidence

Interventional Therapies for Post-Cardiac Arrest Patients Suffering from Coronary Artery Disease

Acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease (CAD) are the most common causes for the development of malignant arrhythmia often leading to cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest. Structural heart disease represents the main pathology in older patients, whereas young adults mostly suffer from cardiomyopathies and channelopathies. This book chapter delineates modern interventional therapies for patients with cardiogenic shock or aborted cardiac arrest. Epidemiological data on the incidence of malignant arrhythmia depending causing cardiac arrest depending on the presence or absence of CAD and myocardial infarction are presented. Realistic difficulties within clinical decision-making are counterbalanced for and against an early, aggressive and invasive therapeutic approach including early coronary angiography with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), targeted temperature management and mechanical cardiac assist devices, depending on the individual clinical presentation and underlying cardiac arrhythmia

TCT-121 Extraplaque Versus Intraplaque Tracking in Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background: The impact of modern extraplaque (EP) tracking techniques on long-term outcomes remains controversial. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that compared EP vs intraplaque (IP) tracking in CTO PCI. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the Der-Simonian and Laird random-effects method. Results: Our meta-analysis included seven observational studies with 2,982 patients. Patients who underwent EP tracking had significantly more complex CTOs with higher J-CTO scores (2.9 ± 1.2 vs 1.6 ± 1.1, P \u3c 0.001), longer lesion length, more severe calcification, and significantly longer stented segments. During a median follow-up of 12 months (range 9-12 months), EP tracking was associated with a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.10-2.06, P = 0.01) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.15-2.48, P = 0.01) compared with IP tracking. There was no difference in the incidence of all-cause death (OR 1.37, 95% CI 0.67-2.78, P = 0.39), myocardial infarction (MI) (OR 1.48, 95% CI 0.82-2.69, P = 0.20), or stent thrombosis (OR 2.09, 95% CI 0.69-6.33, P = 0.19) between EP and IP tracking. Conclusion: Compared with IP tracking, EP tracking was utilized in more complex and longer CTOs, required more stents, and was associated with a higher risk of MACE at 12 months, driven by a higher risk of TVR, but without an increased risk of death or MI. Categories: CORONARY: Complex and Higher Risk Procedures for Indicated Patients (CHIP

The atherogenic index of plasma and its impact on recanalization of chronic total occlusion

Background: The plasma-derived atherogenic index (AIP) is associated with an increasing risk for cardiovascular diseases. Whether an increased AIP may predict the complexity of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of chronic total occlusion (CTO), according to available research, has never been investigated before.Methods: Three hundred seventeen patients were included prospectively and treated with PCI for at least one CTO between 2012 and 2017. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) plasma levels were measured 24 h before PCI. All patients were stratified into tertiles of AIP (defined as 0.11, 0.11–0.21, > 0.21) based on their TG/HDL-C (AIP) levels.Results: Mean AIP of all patients undergoing CTO-PCI was 0.53 ± 0.29. The majority of patients were male (82.6%), and mean age was 61 ± 10.4 years. Increased AIP > 0.21 was associated with longer occlusion length (statistical trend p = 0.082) and stent routes (p = 0.022) and with a higher number of implanted stents (n > 4) (statistical trend p = 0.072). Success rates were similar in all AIP categories (p = 0.461). In-hospital PCI-related complications were rare and not statistically different (p = 0.852).Conclusions: This study demonstrates for the first time that an increased AIP may predict the complexity of CTO-PCI and additionally may help to improve planning and quality of CTO-PCI

TCT-118 Comparative Analysis of Patients’ Characteristics in Chronic Total Occlusion Revascularization Studies: Trials Versus Real-World Registries

Background: The few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are subject to selection bias. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of national and dedicated CTO PCI registries and compared patient characteristics and outcomes with those of RCTs that randomized patients to CTO PCI vs medical therapy. Given the large sample size differences between RCTs and registries, we focused on the absolute numbers and their clinical significance. We considered a 5% relative difference between groups to be potentially clinically relevant. Results: From 2012 to 2022, 6 RCTs compared CTO PCI vs medical therapy (n = 1,047) and were compared with 15 registries (5 national and 10 dedicated CTO PCI registries). Compared with registry patients, RCT patients had fewer comorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension, previous myocardial infarction, and prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery. RCT patients had shorter CTO length (29.6 ± 19.7 vs 32.6 ± 23.0 mm, a relative difference of 9.2%) and lower J-CTO scores (2.0 ± 1.1 vs 2.3 ± 1.2, a relative difference of 13%) compared with those enrolled in dedicated CTO registries. Procedural success was similar between RCTs (84.5%) and dedicated CTO registries (81.4%) but was lower in national registries (63.9%). Conclusion: There is a paucity of randomized data on CTO PCI outcomes (6 RCTs, 1,047 patients). These patients have lower-risk profiles and less complex CTOs than those in real-world registries. Current evidence from RCTs may not be representative of real-world patients and should be interpreted within its limitation. Categories: CORONARY: Complex and Higher Risk Procedures for Indicated Patients (CHIP

Safety and Efficiency of Rotational Atherectomy in Chronic Total Coronary Occlusion-One-Year Clinical Outcomes of an Observational Registry.

The study sought to assess the procedural success of rotational atherectomy (RA) in coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) and to investigate the in-hospital and one-year outcomes following RA. From 2015 to 2019, patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for CTO (CTO PCI) were retrospectively included into the hospital database. The primary endpoint was procedural success. Secondary endpoints were in-hospital and one-year major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral event (MACCE) rates. During the study period of 5 years, 2.789 patients underwent CTO PCI. Patients treated with RA (n = 193, 6.92%) had a significantly higher procedural success (93.26% vs. 85.10%, p = 0.0002) compared to those treated without RA (n = 2.596, 93.08%). Despite a significantly higher rate of pericardiocentesis (3.11% vs. 0.50%, p = 0.0013) in the RA group, the in-hospital and one-year MACCE rate was similar in both groups (4.15% vs. 2.77%, p = 0.2612; 18.65% vs. 16.72%, p = 0.485). In conclusion, RA is associated with higher procedural success for CTO PCI, but has higher risks for pericardial tamponade than CTO PCI without the need for RA. Nevertheless, in-hospital and one-year MACCE rates did not differ in-between both groups

Feasibility and outcome of the Rotapro system in treating severely calcified coronary lesions: The Rotapro study

Background: The Rotapro study was conducted to evaluate the safety and feasibility of the new Rotapro rotational atherectomy system (RAS) for lesion preparation in calcified coronary artery stenosis. Methods: Between 2015 and 2019 consecutive patients undergoing rotational atherectomy (RA) with the new Rotapro system and the conventional rotablator (Rotablator) were included from the Bad Krozingen Rotablation Registry. The primary endpoint was the incidence of in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral event rate (MACCE). Results: Rotablation was performed in 3.6% of all patients (n = 597) treated by percutaneous coronary intervention. Procedural outcomes were compared according to the applied RAS (n = 246 Rotapro vs. n = 351 Rotablator). Overall technical success was achieved in 98.3% of patients. The primary endpoint of in-hospital MACCE was comparable between the Rotapro- and the Rotablator-group (3.7% vs. 5.7%, respectively, p = 0.254). The Rotapro group was associated with significant reductions of fluoroscopy time (30 vs. 38 min, p < 0.0001), procedural time (82.5 vs. 96 min, p = 0.0003), applied contrast volume (210 vs. 290 mL, p < 0.0001) and radiation dose (6129 vs. 9827 cGy*cm2, p < 0.0001) compared to the Rotablator group. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the new Rotapro system. In-hospital MACCE rates were comparable between both RAS, whereas Rotapro was associated with less fluoroscopy time, radiation dose as well as contrast use