The use of transradial approach (TRA) in the STEMI setting is still debated because of the worry that TRA intervention can lead to a delay in the reperfusion time, especially in the elderly, where more advanced atherosclerosis is usually encountered. The aim of this study is to compare the reperfusion time between radial versus femoral approach in patients older than 75 years of age undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).From January 2008 to December 2011, a total of 283 consecutive patients older than 75 years of age underwent primary PCI at our institution. Of these, 177 were treated using the TRA while the remaining 106 had the transfemoral approach (TFA). Demographic and procedural data including door-to-balloon time, time of arterial puncture, and inflation of the balloon were recorded.Door-to-balloon time was 103.1 ± 58.4 minutes in the TRA group compared with 110.3 ± 62.4 minutes in the TFA group (P=NS). Time of arterial puncture was 10.6 ± 4.1 minutes in the TRA group compared with 12.1 ± 4.5 minutes in the TFA group (P<.01). Time of balloon inflation was 19.6 ± 8.7 minutes in the TRA group compared with 24.2 ± 14.9 minutes in the TFA group (P<.01).Our data suggest that the radial approach does not lead to a lengthening of the door-to-balloon time, suggesting the efficacy of this approach in STEMI patients without cardiogenic shock at presentation.

Bivalirudin has emerged as a suitable alternative anticoagulant to unfractionated heparin and low-molecular-weight heparins during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures in the management of coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndromes (ACS). In clinical trials, bivalirudin dosing was standardized, and activated clotting time (ACT) did not influence dosing adjustments. The role of ACT monitoring of bivalirudin in PCI is not defined based on current practice guidelines.The hypothesis of this study is that hyper- and hypo-ACT responses to bivalirudin in PCI may be associated with excessive bleeding or thrombotic complications.The planned protocol screened all patients who received bivalirudin therapy and ACT monitoring during PCI in a single center's cardiac catheterization laboratory from July 2009 to June 2010. The first ACT monitored 5 to 60 minutes after bivalirudin initiation was screened for inclusion. Values above 800 seconds and below 300 seconds were included as hyper- and hypo-ACT responses, respectively. Outcomes assessed include thrombotic and bleeding complications.There were 32 patients identified as hyper-responders and 20 patients identified as hypo-responders. There were no significant thrombotic or bleeding complications in the hyper-responder group. There was 1 case (1/20, 5%) of angiographically confirmed acute stent thrombosis immediately following the placement of 5 adjoining bare-metal stents in the right coronary artery of a hypo-responder.Hyper-ACT responses to bivalirudin therapy in PCI were not associated with additional bleeding risk. Bivalirudin may not adequately protect hypo-ACT responders against thrombotic complications during PCI.

We report the case of an 84-year-old male presenting with syncope and dynamic ST-T wave changes due to decompensated severe valvular aortic stenosis undergoing successful emergency transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Little is known about the efficacy and medium-term outcomes of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in very old patients. We evaluated in-hospital and 6-month outcomes in a retrospective cohort of nonagenarian patients presenting at our hospital with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and treated by primary PCI from January 2003 to May 2012. During this period, primary PCI was performed in 1598 consecutive patients; twenty-seven patients (age, 92.5 ± 2.5 years) were enrolled in the study. Four patients (15%) were in advanced Killip class at presentation. STEMI location was anterior in 44%. Patients received aspirin, 300 mg clopidogrel loading dose, and heparin. Abciximab was given to 41% of patients. Coronary angiography showed multivessel disease in 52% of patients. Pain-to-balloon and door-to-balloon times were 375.0 ± 410.2 minutes and 107.3 ± 47.6 minutes, respectively. Intra-aortic balloon pump was implanted in 1 patient. An average of 1.3 ± 0.7 stents (95% bare-metal stents) were implanted per patient. Procedural success rate, defined as Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade ≥2 and residual stenosis <20%, was 89%. Hospital mortality was 18.5%. TIMI major bleeding and acute renal failure, defined as an absolute increase of 0.5 mg/dL serum creatinine, occurred in 7% and 22% of patients, respectively. Overall 6-month survival rate was 67%. Our data suggest that primary PCI can be performed in nonagenarian patients with high success rate and with an acceptable bleeding risk, even when aggressive antithrombotic drugs, such as glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, are given.

The aim of this study was to evaluate predictors of recovery after balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) among patients with aortic stenosis and depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Predictors for recovery after BAV are not clearly defined. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) predicts outcome after surgical and transcatheter aortic valve replacement.Among 151 consecutive patients treated in our institution by BAV, a total of 59 with poor LVEF underwent an echocardiography at 1 month. In these 59 patients, LVEF significantly improved in 22 patients (group 1) from 27 ± 5% to 45 ± 6% (P<.0001) and remained unchanged in 37 patients (group 2) from 29 ± 8% to 30 ± 11% (P=NS). BNP plasma levels at 24 hours only decreased in group 1 from 2170 ± 967 pg/mL to 1208 ± 662 pg/mL (P=.001). By multivariate analysis, BNP reduction >300 pg/mL was the strongest independent predictor of LVEF improvement at 30 days (hazard ratio, 5.459; 95% confidence interval, 1.580-18.860; P=.007). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that 1-year survival after BAV was significantly higher in patients of group 1 than in group 2 (95 ± 4% vs 51 ± 8%, respectively; P=.02).BAV in patients with poor left ventricular function resulted in LVEF improvement at 30 days in 37% of cases, which was detected by a reduction of BNP levels already seen at 24 hours. Survival at 1 year was significantly higher in patients with such an improved LVEF after BAV.

Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with significant arrhythmia and cardiac arrest. QT prolongation can occur in the setting of ischemia or acute STEMI as a risk factor for arrhythmia. The goal of this study was to investigate corrected QT interval (QTc), QT dispersion (QTd), and T-wave peak to end (TPE) times in this patient population and evaluate the effect of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in STEMI patients on these indices.This study was a clinical trial, whereby eligible patients presenting with acute STEMI who were appropriate candidates for primary PCI were enrolled. QTc, QTd, and TPE indices were calculated before and after the procedure.Eighty patients (60 male, 20 female) with a mean age of 58.8 years were evaluated. We found significant reduction in QTd after PCI (mean, 5.8 ms before PCI vs 3.6 ms after PCI; P<.001) and significant reduction in TPE after PCI (mean, 9.7 ms before PCI vs 7 ms after PCI; P<.001). QTc did not show significant changes before or after PCI (44.9 vs 43.7; P=.057).Our study showed that primary PCI was effective in reducing the degree of arrhythmogenic indices such as QTd and TPE. Our findings suggest that ischemia-induced QTd and TPE are important arrhythmogenic parameters responding to successful primary PCI and may be used as markers for successful repercussion.

To evaluate the transcatheter paravalvular leak closure (TPVLC) aptitude to reduce manifestations of heart failure caused by aortic paravalvular leak (PVL).TPVLC is a valuable alternative to reoperation. While technical feasibility of the method is well established, data on long-term clinical outcome are less abundant.We launched a prospective registry of patients with clinically significant aortic PVL. They were scheduled for TPVLC with Amplatzer vascular plug (AVP) II and III devices serving as occluders. The efficacy and safety were monitored at 6-month follow-up exam.The occluder deployment reached a success rate of nearly 90%. Following the procedure, we recorded significant improvement both in terms of patient functional capacity and echocardiographic determinants of left ventricular performance. Simultaneously, NT-proBNP plasma concentration and hemolysis markers decreased. Only local complications related to puncture site occurred.Heart failure caused by aortic PVL can be safely and efficiently treated with TPVLC using AVP II and III devices as occluders.

The optimal revascularization strategy in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (MVCAD) who present with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and shock is undefined. We aimed to determine differences in survival among patients with MVCAD presenting with STEMI complicated by shock treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the infarct-related artery alone (culprit-only PCI) versus multivessel PCI (MVPCI).Patients with MVCAD and STEMI complicated by shock who underwent PCI between January 1, 2002 and May 31, 2010 were identified (n = 199). Differences in survival between patients undergoing culprit-only PCI versus MVPCI were assessed using a multiphase survival model and propensity matching.MVPCI was used in 22% of patients (n = 43). Patient characteristics were similar in the groups, although more patients treated with MVPCI met the National Cardiovascular Data Registry definition of shock. Death was higher in patients treated with MVPCI at 1 month (27% vs 46%) and 8 years (65% vs 75%; P=.04). The early risk of death was higher in the patients treated with MVPCI when compared to patients treated with culprit-only PCI (coefficient: 0.66 ± 0.25; P=.009), but not the late risk of death (coefficient: -0.18 ± 0.58; P=.70). However, in a propensity-matched cohort (n = 64), there were no differences in the risk of death over the early (coefficient: 0.50 ± 0.37; P=.16) or late phase (P>.90).Patients undergoing MVPCI for STEMI-related shock are clinically different than those treated with culprit PCI only; however, after risk adjustment both groups have similar short- and long-term outcomes. Prospective studies are needed to determine the optimal revascularization strategy in this high-risk population.

Concomitant renal artery stenosis (RAS) aggravates the presentations and outcomes of coronary artery disease. To date, no reports have been published on the feasibility, safety, and outcomes of concomitant percutaneous renal artery stenting (PTRS) in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) at high clinical risk of RAS.This was a retrospective study. Eighty-two patients who were at high clinical risk of RAS, undergoing simultaneous coronary and renal angiographies between January 2005 and July 2011, were queried from the data of 2186 ACS patients.A total of 80 patients (48 males; age, 77 ± 8 years) were enrolled. Thirty-five patients (43.8%) were found to have significant RAS and all received PTRS. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was found to be the only predictive factor for RAS in multivariate analysis. There were no significant differences in the total procedural/fluoroscopic times or the volume of contrast used between RAS/PTRS and non-RAS groups. No extra procedure-related morbidities occurred in the RAS/PTRS group. There were no significant differences in serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, or clinical outcomes between the groups at different follow-up points. However, the mean number of antihypertensives decreased significantly 3 months after PTRS. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures also significantly lowered 6 months after PTRS.Significant RAS was not infrequently found in ACS patients at high clinical risk. PAD was the only independent predictive factor. Concomitant PTRS could be safely and effectively performed in the same session as coronary interventions with favorable outcomes.