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Faster time to reperfusion can be achieved by minimizing various patient and system-level delays that contribute to total ischemic time. Procedural delays within the catheterization laboratory represent a non-negligible and modifiable component in the chain of reperfusion, but remain unquantified by conventional metrics such as door-to-ballon (D2B) time. Universal catheter approaches have rapidly gained traction as an alternative to the traditional two catheter approach for transradial coronary interventions. However, their utility for both diagnostic angiography and subsequent angioplasty is limited, and the impact of this strategy on reperfusion outcomes has remained unexplored. We utilized a procedural metric termed fluoroscopy-to-device (FluTD) time to quantify the efficiency of a single catheter strategy, and assessed its impact on epicardial and myocardial perfusion. In this retrospective study, consecutive STEMI patients undergoing transradial primary PCI (pPCI) at a tertiary care center in India between May 2022 to October 2024 were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups: 51 underwent PCI using a single universal guiding catheter (UGC), and 51 underwent the conventional two-catheter (CTC) approach. The primary outcome of the study was a comparison of the FluTD time between the two procedural strategies. Secondary outcomes included myocardial blush grade (MBG), Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade, total fluoroscopy time, radiation dose, device safety and efficacy, and procedural success. The median FluTD time was significantly shorter in the UGC compared to the CTC group (3 minutes [IQR 3-4] vs. 10 minutes [IQR 8-17], p < 0.001), with a higher proportion of patients in the former achieving myocardial blush grade (MBG) of 3 (86.3% vs. 54.9%, p = 0.004), indicating superior microvascular reperfusion. Despite a higher incidence of bifurcation lesions (33.3% vs 11.8, p = 0.04) and left main (LM) interventions (7.8% vs 0%, p = 0.04) among patients in the UGC cohort, the single catheter strategy maintained superior procedural efficiency without increased complication rates. A single catheter strategy for both angiography and pPCI in STEMI patients was associated with a significant reduction in FluTD time and improved microvascular perfusion, without compromising device safety or efficacy. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where intra- and extra-procedural delays are often more pronounced, inclusion of the single catheter strategy can optimize catheterization workflows and yield substantial cost-savings.

Patients with in-stent restenosis have an increased risk of recurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events. Achievement of an adequate acute luminal gain is essential to minimize such recurrence. We compared the effect of utilization of Super-high pressure OPN balloon in patients with In-stent restenosis. This is an investigator-initiated single-centre observational study done at SRIHER, India. The primary outcome was procedural success, defined by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). In addition, we intended to study the in-hospital clinical outcomes. We studied 30 patients, with 73.4% male and a median age of 66.5 years. Diabetes was present in 83%, hypertension in 60%, and chronic kidney disease in 20%. Left ventricular dysfunction (EF < 45%) was observed in 43.3%. In-stent restenosis (ISR) cases presented as chronic coronary syndrome (43.3%), NSTEMI (36.7%), and unstable angina (20%). Among 49 lesions, 48.97% were in the LAD, followed by the RCA (28.57%), LCx (20.4%), and LM (2.04%). OPN was used for pre-dilatation in 14 patients and post-dilatation in 13 patients while it was used for both pre- and post-dilatation in 3 patients. Regarding final treatment, drug-eluting stents (DES) was used in 21 cases (36 lesions), a covered stent in 1 case (2 lesions), drug-coated balloons (DCB) in 6 cases (9 lesions), and plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) in 2 cases (2 lesions). Procedural success was obtained in all but one patients. ( n  = 47 lesions) One patient had coronary perforation that was managed by a covered stent. At a median follow-up of 31 months (IQR-22), 4 (13.3%) patients had died; 1 due to potential stent thrombosis and 3 due to non-cardiovascular causes, and there was no MI or repeat revascularization. In our image-guided study, we found that OPN usage may be a safe and effective in patients with ISR lesions leading to a very good acute luminal gain.

This study aimed to compare complete revascularization (CR) guided by angiography with a fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided strategy in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel disease (MVD). CR is preferred to culprit-only revascularization for patients with STEMI and MVD. However, whether FFR-guided CR is superior to angiography-guided CR is unclear in patients presenting with STEMI who have MVD. Randomized controlled trials comparing CR with an FFR- or angiography-guided strategy to culprit-only revascularization in patients with STEMI and MVD were systematically identified. A random-effects network meta-analysis was performed comparing clinical outcomes in the 3 arms. A total of 13 studies with a total of 8,927 patients were included in our analysis. Compared with culprit-only revascularization, angiography-guided CR was associated with a significantly decreased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) (hazard ratio [HR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37 to 0.82), all-cause death (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.97), and cardiovascular death (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.85) but FFR-guided CR was not (MI: HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.12; cardiovascular death: HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.24; all-cause death: HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.18). The network meta-analysis comparison of angiography- versus FFR-guided CR showed an HR of 0.75 (95% CI 0.50 to 1.11) for all-cause death and an HR of 0.71 (95% CI 0.54 to 1.17) for MI. In conclusion, for patients with MVD presenting with STEMI, angiography-guided CR may provide additional benefits compared with FFR-guided CR.

Background ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a major cause of cardiovascular mortality, mediated by coronary plaque rupture or erosion and acute thrombus formation. Early reperfusion is essential for reducing mortality and improving patient survival. Managing thrombus load during STEMI can be challenging and may require additional interventions beyond the conventional percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) approach. This study aims to evaluate the impact of thrombus aspiration in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI and its effect on procedural success and outcomes compared to standard PCI. Materials and methods This retrospective study was conducted at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER), a university hospital in Chennai, India, by collecting baseline data from the medical records of 166 acute STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI. Patients were categorized into two groups based on whether they received thrombus aspiration or not. The primary outcomes studied were procedural success and in-hospital mortality, while secondary outcomes included safety, improvement in left ventricular function post-procedure, and the duration of hospital/ICU stay. The study was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines and ensured patient confidentiality. Results A total of 166 patients were analyzed in this study, with chest pain being the major presenting symptom. Most patients had anterior wall myocardial infarction (AWMI) (75 (45.18%)), followed by inferior wall myocardial infarction (IWMI) (49 (29.52%)) and inferoposterior wall myocardial infarction (IPWMI) (29 (17.47%)). Most patients had a lesion in the left anterior descending artery (LAD), followed by the right coronary artery (RCA). The study found no significant difference in procedural success and outcomes between thrombus aspiration and conventional PCI, with both methods showing substantial improvements in ejection fraction on follow-up. Hospital and ICU stays were also not statistically different between the groups. Conclusion The study suggests that routine thrombus aspiration does not significantly improve myocardial recovery compared to conventional PCI, emphasizing the need for careful patient selection and optimal pharmacotherapy post-PCI.

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality in India. Residual risk exists in patients receiving optimal guideline-directed medical therapy. Possession of certain somatic mutations, at a variant allele frequency of [greater than or equal to] 2% in peripheral blood, driving clonal expansion in the absence of cytopenias and dysplastic hematopoiesis is defined as clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). Recently, it was found that carriers of CHIP had a higher risk to have coronary artery disease (CAD) and early-onset myocardial infarction. Association of CHIP with heart failure and valvular heart diseases is increasingly being considered. The common link that connects CHIP mutations and CVDs is inflammation leading to increased expression of cytokines and chemokines. We intended to do a systematic review about the association of CHIP mutations and CVD along with identifying specific CHIP mutations involved in increasing the risk of having CVDs. The main body of the abstract We performed an extensive literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Out of 302 articles, we narrowed it down to 10 studies based on our pre-specified criteria. The methodology adopted for the identification of CHIP mutations in the selected studies included - whole-exome sequencing (n = 3), whole-genome analysis (n = 1), transcriptome profiling analysis (n = 1), whole-genome analysis (n = 1), and single-cell RNA-sequencing (n = 1). We found that the available literature suggested an association between CHIP and CVD. The most commonly described CHIP mutations in patients with CVD are DNMT3A, TET2, ASXL1, TP53, JAK2, and SF3B. We further analyzed the commonly mutated CHIP genes using bioinformatics tools. Protein function and interaction analysis were performed using the g: Profiler and GeneMANIA online tools. The results revealed significant bio grid interactions for molecular functions, biological processes, and biological pathways. Interaction analysis showed significant physical and co-expression interactions. Short conclusion We conclude that there exists a significant association between CHIP mutations and CVD with DNMT3A, TET2, ASXL1, TP53, JAK2, and SF3B as the commonly implicated genes. The recognition of the link between CHIP and cardiovascular events will expand our understanding of residual risk and will open up new avenues of investigation and therapeutic modalities in the management of patients with CVD.

An 18-year-old man presented with a history of progressive anasarca and exertional dyspnea. His jugular venous pressure was elevated and showed prominent systolic pulsations that were eliminated when gentle pressure was applied at the base of the neck.

Introduction: Viral infections have been described as triggers for Kawasaki Disease (KD), a medium vessel vasculitis that affects young children. Akin to the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, there is a similar rise in the incidence of KD in children affected with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) has been reported to induce an exaggerated systemic inflammatory response resulting in multi-organ involvement, particularly initiated with pulmonary parenchymal damage. This review article will discuss KD-like manifestations in COVID-19 patients in the pediatric cohort. Methodology: Search terms “Kawasaki” “COVID-19” “SARS-COV-2” “PIM-TS” and “MIS-C” were used to look for relevant articles in PubMed and Google Scholar published in the last 5 years. Results: There is some evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 stimulates dysfunctional and hyperactive immune reactions mimicking KD in young patients. Conclusions: Therapeutic options, both investigational and repurposed, include intravenous immunoglobulins, steroids and anticoagulation. More studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of these treatment options.

BackgroundA quarter of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) were asymptomatic, and only a third of them survived at the end of 4 years. Only a select subset of these patients was recommended for aortic valve replacement (AVR) by the current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines. We intended to study the effect of early AVR (eAVR) in this subset of asymptomatic patients with preserved left ventricle function.Methods and resultsWe searched PubMed and Embase for randomised and observational studies comparing the effect of eAVR versus conservative therapy in patients with severe, asymptomatic AS and normal left ventricular function. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were composite major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (study defined), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, cardiac death, sudden death, the development of symptoms, heart failure hospitalisations and major bleeding. We used GRADEPro to assess the certainty of the evidence. In the randomised controlled trial (RCT) only analysis, we found no significant difference in all-cause mortality between the early aortic intervention group versus the conservative arm (CA) (incidence rate ratio, IRR (CI): 0.5 (0.2 to 1.1), I2=31%, p=0.09). However, in the overall cohort, we found mortality benefit for eAVR over CA (IRR (CI): 0.4 (0.3 to 0.7), I2=84%, p<0.01). There were significantly lower MACE, cardiac death, sudden death, development of symptoms and heart failure hospitalisations in the eAVR group. We noticed no difference in MI, stroke and major bleeding.ConclusionWe conclude that there is no reduction in all-cause mortality in the eAVR arm in patients with asymptomatic AS with preserved ejection fraction. However, eAVR reduces heart failure related hospitalisations and death or heart failure hospitalisations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022306132.

Cardiac valvular calcification is associated with the overall coronary plaque burden and considered an independent cardiovascular risk and prognostic factor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the presence of valvular calcification and plaque morphology and/or vulnerability. Transthoracic echocardiography was used to assess valvular calcification in 280 patients with coronary artery disease who underwent radiofrequency intravascular ultrasound (Virtual Histology IVUS, VH-IVUS). A propensity score-matched cohort of 192 patients (n = 96 in each group) was analyzed. Thin-capped fibroatheroma (TCFA) was defined as a necrotic core (NC) >10% of the plaque area with a plaque burden >40% and NC in contact with the lumen for ≥3 image slices. A remodeling index (lesion/reference vessel area) >1.05 was considered to be positive. Patients were divided into two groups: any calcification in at least one valve (152 patients) vs. no detectable valvular calcification (128 patients). Groups were similar in terms of age, risk factors, clinical diagnosis, and angiographic analysis after propensity score-matched analysis. Gray-scale IVUS analysis showed that the vessel size, plaque burden, minimal lumen area, and remodeling index were similar. By VH-IVUS, % NC and % dense calcium (DC) were greater in patients with valvular calcification (p = 0.024, and p = 0.016, respectively). However, only % DC was higher at the maximal NC site by propensity score-matched analysis (p = 0.029). The frequency of VH-TCFA occurrence was higher depending on the complexity (p = 0.0064) and severity (p = 0.013) of valvular calcification. There is a significant relationship between valvular calcifications and VH-IVUS assessment of TCFAs. Valvular calcification indicates a greater atherosclerosis disease complexity (increased calcification of the coronary plaque) and vulnerable coronary plaques (higher incidence of VH-TCFA).

Background Dual antiplatelet therapy is the current standard of care after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We intended to study the pattern of use of ticagrelor in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing PCI and the effect of switching over to other P2Y12 receptor inhibition on clinical outcomes. Results All patients aged > 18 years who had been admitted with acute coronary syndrome and had been provided ticagrelor as the second antiplatelet agent were included as study participants. The primary outcome of the study was the composite outcome of death, recurrent myocardial infarctions, re-intervention, and major bleeding. We studied 321 patients (54 female patients, 16.82%). The mean age of the patients was 56.65 ± 11.01 years. Ticagrelor was stopped in 76.7% on follow-up. It was stopped in 6.3%, 13.5%, 13.1%, 21.9%, and 45.1% of patients during the first month but after discharge, between first and third months, between 3 and 6 months, between 6 and 12 months, and after 12 months, respectively. In the majority of patients, ticagrelor was replaced by clopidogrel (97.9%). It was stopped according to the physician’s discretion in 79.3% of patients, whereas it was the cost of the drug that made the patient to get swapped to another agent in 18.6%. No difference in the primary composite outcome was observed between the groups where ticagrelor was continued post 12 months and ticagrelor was continued and ticagrelor was switched-over to another agent. Similarly, no difference in death, recurrent myocardial infarctions, re-interventions, or major bleeding manifestations was observed between the two groups. Conclusion In patients with acute coronary syndrome who undergo PCI, we observed that early discontinuation of ticagrelor and switching over to other P2Y12 inhibitors after discharge did not affect clinical outcomes.