The role of glucose lowering agents on restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with diabetes mellitus

Introduction: The prevalence of diabetes is increasing rapidly, and individuals with diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular disorders. Subsequently the percentage of patients with diabetes subjected to revascularisation, i.e. either percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) also rises rapidly. The outcome of patients with diabetes after PCI is worse than for patients without diabetes. Restenosis is the main limiting factor of the long-term success of PCI. Although stents and antithrombotics improved outcome after PCI in both diabetics and non-diabetics, diabetics still have a worse prognosis. This leads to the suggestion that the restenosis mechanism in diabetics might be different from that in non-diabetics. Conclusion: Several glucose lowering agents have been shown to influence the restenosis process and thus the outcome after PCI. Current data of especially metformin and thiazolidinediones indicate beneficial results as compared to insulin and sulfonylurea on restenosis. However, no large trials have been undertaken in which the effect of glucose lowering agents on restenosis is associated with improved outcome. The purpose of this review is to summarize the effect of diabetes and glucose lowering agents on restenosis

Design and rationale of DUTCH-AF:a prospective nationwide registry programme and observational study on long-term oral antithrombotic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation

Introduction Anticoagulation therapy is pivotal in the management of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). Prospective registries, containing longitudinal data are lacking with detailed information on anticoagulant therapy, treatment adherence and AF-related adverse events in practice-based patient cohorts, in particular for non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOAC). With the creation of DUTCH-AF, a nationwide longitudinal AF registry, we aim to provide clinical data and answer questions on the (anticoagulant) management over time and of the clinical course of patients with newly diagnosed AF in routine clinical care. Within DUTCH-AF, our current aim is to assess the effect of non-adherence and non-persistence of anticoagulation therapy on clinical adverse events (eg, bleeding and stroke), to determine predictors for such inadequate anticoagulant treatment, and to validate and refine bleeding prediction models. With DUTCH-AF, we provide the basis for a continuing nationwide AF registry, which will facilitate subsequent research, including future registry-based clinical trials. Methods and analysis The DUTCH-AF registry is a nationwide, prospective registry of patients with newly diagnosed 'non-valvular' AF. Patients will be enrolled from primary, secondary and tertiary care practices across the Netherlands. A target of 6000 patients for this initial cohort will be followed for at least 2 years. Data on thromboembolic and bleeding events, changes in antithrombotic therapy and hospital admissions will be registered. Pharmacy-dispensing data will be obtained to calculate parameters of adherence and persistence to anticoagulant treatment, which will be linked to AF-related outcomes such as ischaemic stroke and major bleeding. In a subset of patients, anticoagulation adherence and beliefs about drugs will be assessed by questionnaire. Ethics and dissemination This study protocol was approved as exempt for formal review according to Dutch law by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands. Results will be disseminated by publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at scientific congresses

Campylobacter jejuni: Enterocolitis and myopericarditis

Campylobacter jejuni enteritis is the commonest enteric infection in the developed world. There are only few reported cases in the medical literature of cardiac complications associated with C. jejuni enterocolitis, most of the patients in the reported literature were males and most of the cases followed a benign course. Severe left ventricular dysfunction complicated only two cases of C. jejuni myocarditis. We report here a young male with Campylobacter myopericarditis. We believe that this is the first reported case of Campylobacter associated myopericarditis in The Netherlands. The mechanism by which Campylobacter causes myo(peri) carditis remains uncertain, it may be caused by direct bacterial invasion of cardiac tissue, bacterial toxins, circulating immune complexes, or cytotoxic T-cells. Since the number of C. jejuni infection is increasing worldwide, cardiac complications, although rare, are a remarkable manifestation of this pathogen and should be always kept in mind

The role of glucose lowering agents on restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with diabetes mellitus

Abstract Introduction The prevalence of diabetes is increasing rapidly, and individuals with diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular disorders. Subsequently the percentage of patients with diabetes subjected to revascularisation, i.e. either percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) also rises rapidly. The outcome of patients with diabetes after PCI is worse than for patients without diabetes. Restenosis is the main limiting factor of the long-term success of PCI. Although stents and antithrombotics improved outcome after PCI in both diabetics and non-diabetics, diabetics still have a worse prognosis. This leads to the suggestion that the restenosis mechanism in diabetics might be different from that in non-diabetics. Conclusion Several glucose lowering agents have been shown to influence the restenosis process and thus the outcome after PCI. Current data of especially metformin and thiazolidinediones indicate beneficial results as compared to insulin and sulfonylurea on restenosis. However, no large trials have been undertaken in which the effect of glucose lowering agents on restenosis is associated with improved outcome. The purpose of this review is to summarize the effect of diabetes and glucose lowering agents on restenosis.</p

Autoperfusion balloon catheter for complicated coronary angioplasty: prospective study with retrospective controls

Prolonged angioplasty balloon inflation with an autoperfusion balloon for failed conventional coronary angioplasty, was compared with emergency surgery for this condition. Restenosis was assessed 6 weeks after successful intervention with the autoperfusion balloon. Forty consecutive patients with persistent acute occlusion and/or severe intimal dissection during conventional angioplasty, were treated with the autoperfusion balloon. They were candidates for emergency surgery if it failed. Total inflation time was significantly longer (p <0.001) with the autoperfusion balloon (27.5; 10-180 min) than with the standard balloon (10; 1-20 min) (median; range). The number of inflations was significantly lower (p <0.001) with the autoperfusion balloon (2; 1-5 times) than with the standard balloon (5; 2-14 times) (median; range). Two patients died, one before surgery could be performed. The autoperfusion balloon was successful in 26 patients (65%). After 6 weeks, 16 (62%) were asymptomatic without anti-anginal medication, 24 underwent repeat angiography, 10 (42%) had restenosis, 7 (27%) underwent elective bypass surgery. Emergency surgery remained necessary in 13 patients (33%), 9 received arterial grafts. In 31 retrospective controls, who had undergone immediate surgery for the same indication, only venous grafts could be used. Thus, prolonged autoperfusion balloon inflation was successful in 65% of the cases of failed, conventional angioplasty. The angiographic restenosis rate after 6 weeks was 42%. If emergency surgery remained necessary, the autoperfusion balloon facilitated the use of arterial bypass grafts