Spontaneous recanalization of a completely occluded saphenous vein graft two months following acute myocardial infarction with persistent one year patency

Acute myocardial infarction resulting from saphenous vein graft occlusion occurs not infrequently in patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery. In this case report, we present a novel case of spontaneous recanalization of a thrombotic graft occlusion in a patient who presented with a subacute myocardial infarction. The patient was treated medically with aspirin as the only anti-platelet agent. Interestingly, he presented 2 months later with new onset angina. Coronary angiography demonstrated complete resolution of thrombus but a severe focal stenosis in the distal anastomoses. Following drug eluting stent placement, a favorable clinical course has ensued and patency confirmed on follow up angiography at 1 year

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Insulin Detemir Compared to Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) in Patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Spain

Introduction: An Excel® (Microsoft Corporation) model was adapted to estimate the short-term (1-year) cost effectiveness of insulin detemir (IDet) versus neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin in patients initiating insulin treatment with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Spain. Methods: Clinical benefits included the non-severe hypoglycemia rate for T1DM and T2DM, and weight change for T2DM. Three scenarios were included with different hypoglycemia rates estimated on the basis of clinical trials and observational studies. Costs, estimated from perspective of the Spanish Public Healthcare System (Euros 2014), included insulin treatment and non-severe hypoglycemia management costs. Non-severe hypoglycemia, defined as a self-managed event, implied the use of extra glucose testing strips and a general practitioner visit during the week following the event for 25% of patients. An average disutility value was associated to non-severe hypoglycemia events and, for T2DM, to one body mass index unit gain to calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Results: For the three scenarios a range of 0.025–0.076 QALYs for T1DM and 0.014–0.051 QALYs for T2DM were gained for IDet versus NPH due to non-severe hypoglycemia and weight gain avoidance, in return of an incremental cost of €145–192 for T1DM and €128–206 for T2DM. This resulted in the IDet versus NPH incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) ranging between €1910/QALY and €7682/QALY for T1DM and €2522/QALY and €15,009/QALY for T2DM. Conclusion: IDet was a cost-effective alternative to NPH insulin in the first year of treatment of patients with T1DM and patients with T2DM in Spain, with ICERs under the threshold value commonly accepted in Spain (€30,000/QALY)

Randomized controlled trial of a coordinated care intervention to improve risk factor control after stroke or transient ischemic attack in the safety net: Secondary stroke prevention by Uniting Community and Chronic care model teams Early to End Disparities (SUCCEED)

BACKGROUND: Recurrent strokes are preventable through awareness and control of risk factors such as hypertension, and through lifestyle changes such as healthier diets, greater physical activity, and smoking cessation. However, vascular risk factor control is frequently poor among stroke survivors, particularly among socio-economically disadvantaged blacks, Latinos and other people of color. The Chronic Care Model (CCM) is an effective framework for multi-component interventions aimed at improving care processes and outcomes for individuals with chronic disease. In addition, community health workers (CHWs) have played an integral role in reducing health disparities; however, their effectiveness in reducing vascular risk among stroke survivors remains unknown. Our objectives are to develop, test, and assess the economic value of a CCM-based intervention using an Advanced Practice Clinician (APC)-CHW team to improve risk factor control after stroke in an under-resourced, racially/ethnically diverse population. METHODS/DESIGN: In this single-blind randomized controlled trial, 516 adults (≥40 years) with an ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack or intracerebral hemorrhage within the prior 90 days are being enrolled at five sites within the Los Angeles County safety-net setting and randomized 1:1 to intervention vs usual care. Participants are excluded if they do not speak English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, or Korean or if they are unable to consent. The intervention includes a minimum of three clinic visits in the healthcare setting, three home visits, and Chronic Disease Self-Management Program group workshops in community venues. The primary outcome is blood pressure (BP) control (systolic BP <130 mmHg) at 1 year. Secondary outcomes include: (1) mean change in systolic BP; (2) control of other vascular risk factors including lipids and hemoglobin A1c, (3) inflammation (C reactive protein [CRP]), (4) medication adherence, (5) lifestyle factors (smoking, diet, and physical activity), (6) estimated relative reduction in risk for recurrent stroke or myocardial infarction (MI), and (7) cost-effectiveness of the intervention versus usual care. DISCUSSION: If this multi-component interdisciplinary intervention is shown to be effective in improving risk factor control after stroke, it may serve as a model that can be used internationally to reduce race/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in stroke in resource-constrained settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01763203

Lipoprotein(a) and Oxidized Phospholipids Promote Valve Calcification in Patients With Aortic&nbsp;Stenosis

BackgroundLipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], a major carrier of oxidized phospholipids (OxPL), is associated with an increased incidence of aortic stenosis (AS). However, it remains unclear whether elevated Lp(a) and OxPL drive disease progression and are therefore targets for therapeutic intervention.ObjectivesThis study investigated whether Lp(a) and OxPL on apolipoprotein B-100 (OxPL-apoB) levels are associated with disease activity, disease progression, and clinical events in AS patients, along with the mechanisms underlying any associations.MethodsThis study combined 2 prospective cohorts and measured Lp(a) and OxPL-apoB levels in patients with AS (Vmax &gt;2.0&nbsp;m/s), who underwent baseline 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) positron emission tomography (PET), repeat computed tomography calcium scoring, and repeat echocardiography. In&nbsp;vitro studies investigated the effects of Lp(a) and OxPL on valvular interstitial cells.ResultsOverall, 145 patients were studied (68% men; age 70.3 ± 9.9 years). On baseline positron emission tomography, patients in the top Lp(a) tertile had increased valve calcification activity compared with those in lower tertiles (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;79; 18F-NaF tissue-to-background ratio of the most diseased segment: 2.16 vs. 1.97; p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.043). During follow-up, patients in the top Lp(a) tertile had increased progression of valvular computed tomography calcium score (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;51; 309 AU/year [interquartile range: 142 to 483 AU/year] vs. 93 AU/year [interquartile range: 56 to 296 AU/year; p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.015), faster hemodynamic progression on echocardiography (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;129; 0.23 ± 0.20&nbsp;m/s/year vs. 0.14 ± 0.20&nbsp;m/s/year] p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.019), and increased risk for aortic valve replacement and death (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;145; hazard ratio: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.13 to 3.08; p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.014), compared with lower tertiles. Similar results were noted with OxPL-apoB. In&nbsp;vitro, Lp(a) induced osteogenic differentiation of valvular interstitial cells, mediated by OxPL and inhibited with the E06 monoclonal antibody against&nbsp;OxPL.ConclusionsIn patients with AS, Lp(a) and OxPL drive valve calcification and disease progression. These findings suggest lowering Lp(a) or inactivating OxPL may slow AS progression and provide a rationale for clinical trials to test this hypothesis