Stent-Retriever Thrombectomy in STEMI With Large Thrombus Burden: The RETRIEVE AMI Randomized Trial.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) restores epicardial flow in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), but large thrombus burden (LTB) can impair myocardial perfusion due to embolization. While manual aspiration (MA) devices have limited efficacy in STEMI, the success of stent-retriever thrombectomy (SRT) in stroke suggests it as a promising option for STEMI.

Objectives: The RETRIEVE AMI (stent-retriever thrombectomy for thrombus burden reduction in patients with acute myocardial infarction) trial assessed the safety and efficacy of Solitaire X SRT vs Export MA in STEMI patients with LTB.

Benchmarking Photon-Counting Computed Tomography Angiography Against Invasive Assessment of Coronary Stenosis: Implications for Severely Calcified Coronaries.

Background: Clinical guidelines do not recommend coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in elderly patients or in the presence of heavy coronary calcification. Photon-counting coronary computed tomographic angiography (PCCTA) introduces ultrahigh in-plane resolution and multienergy imaging, but the ability of this technology to overcome these limitations is unclear.

Objectives: The authors evaluate the ability of PCCTA to quantitatively assess coronary luminal stenosis in the presence and absence of calcification, comparing both the ultrahigh-resolution (UHR)-PCCTA and the multienergy standard-resolution (SR)-PCCTA with the criterion-standard 3-dimensional invasive quantitative coronary angiography (3D QCA).

Inflammatory risk and cardiovascular events in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease: the ORFAN multicentre, longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is the first line investigation for chest pain, and it is used to guide revascularisation. However, the widespread adoption of CCTA has revealed a large group of individuals without obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), with unclear prognosis and management. Measurement of coronary inflammation from CCTA using the perivascular fat attenuation index (FAI) Score could enable cardiovascular risk prediction and guide the management of individuals without obstructive CAD.

Treatment and Care of Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction-What Challenges Remain after Three Decades of Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) has revolutionized the prognosis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and is the gold standard treatment. As a result of its success, the number of pPCI centres has expanded worldwide. Despite decades of advancements, clinical outcomes in STEMI patients have plateaued.

Comparison of troponin and natriuretic peptides in Takotsubo syndrome and acute coronary syndrome: a meta-analysis.

Objective: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute heart failure syndrome which resembles acute coronary syndrome (ACS) at presentation. Differentiation requires coronary angiography, but where this does not occur immediately, cardiac biomarkers may provide additional utility. We performed a meta-analysis to compare troponin and natriuretic peptides (NPs) in TTS and ACS to determine if differences in biomarker profile can aid diagnosis.

Comparison of bolus versus continuous thermodilution derived indices of microvascular dysfunction in revascularized coronary syndromes.

Background: The assessment of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) using invasive methods is a field of growing interest, however the preferred method remains debated. Bolus and continuous thermodilution are commonly used methods, but weak agreement has been observed in patients with angina with non-obstructive coronary arteries (ANOCA). This study examined their agreement in revascularized acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) patients.

Angiography-Derived Index of Microcirculatory Resistance to Define the Risk of Early Discharge in STEMI.

Background: Patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction but no coronary microvascular injury are at low risk of early cardiovascular complications (ECC). We aim to assess whether nonhyperemic angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance (NH-IMR) could be a user-friendly tool to identify patients at low risk of ECC, potentially candidates for expedited care pathway and early hospital discharge.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 2 independent, international, prospective, observational cohorts included 568 patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction.

Rationale and Design of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial to Assess Stent Retriever Thrombectomy for Thrombus Burden Reduction in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: The RETRIEVE-AMI Study.

Background: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is typically caused by thrombotic occlusion of a coronary artery with subsequent hypoperfusion and myocardial necrosis. In approximately half of patients with STEMI, despite successful restoration of epicardial coronary patency, downstream myocardium perfusion remains impeded. Coronary microvascular injury is one of the key mechanisms behind suboptimal myocardial perfusion and it is primarily, yet not exclusively, related to distal embolization of atherothrombotic material following recanalization of the culprit artery.

Acute changes in myocardial tissue characteristics during hospitalization in patients with COVID-19.

Background: Patients with a history of COVID-19 infection are reported to have cardiac abnormalities on cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) during convalescence. However, it is unclear whether these abnormalities were present during the acute COVID-19 illness and how they may evolve over time.

Methods: We prospectively recruited unvaccinated patients hospitalized with acute COVID-19 ( = 23), and compared them with matched outpatient controls without COVID-19 ( = 19) between May 2020 and May 2021.

Acute Response in the Noninfarcted Myocardium Predicts Long-Term Major Adverse Cardiac Events After STEMI.

Background: Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has effects on the myocardium beyond the immediate infarcted territory. However, pathophysiologic changes in the noninfarcted myocardium and their prognostic implications remain unclear.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term prognostic value of acute changes in both infarcted and noninfarcted myocardium post-STEMI.

Machine learning assisted reflectance spectral characterisation of coronary thrombi correlates with microvascular injury in patients with ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Aims: We set out to further develop reflectance spectroscopy for the characterisation and quantification of coronary thrombi. Additionally, we explore the potential of our approach for use as a risk stratification tool by exploring the relation of reflectance spectra to indices of coronary microvascular injury.

Methods And Results: We performed hyperspectral imaging of coronary thrombi aspirated from 306 patients presenting with ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (STEACS).

The association between cancer diagnosis, care, and outcomes in 1 million patients hospitalized for acute pulmonary embolism.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical care provided to cancer patients hospitalized for acute pulmonary embolism (PE), as well as the association between type of cancer, in-hospital care, and clinical outcomes.

Methods: This study examined the in-hospital care (systemic thrombolysis, catheter-directed thrombolysis, and surgical thrombectomy/embolectomy) and clinical outcomes (mortality, major bleeding, and hemorrhagic stroke) among adults hospitalized due to acute PE between October 2015 to December 2018 using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

The spectrum and systemic associations of microvascular dysfunction in the heart and other organs.

Microvascular dysfunction (MVD) contributes to several conditions that increase morbidity and mortality, including ischemic heart disease, heart failure, dementia, chronic kidney disease and hypertension. Consequently, MVD imposes a substantial burden on healthcare systems worldwide. In comparison to macrovascular dysfunction, MVD has been incompletely investigated, and it remains uncertain whether MVD in an organ constitutes a distinct pathology or a manifestation of a systemic disorder.

Volume of contrast to creatinine clearance ratio predicts early mortality and AKI after TAVI.

The volume of contrast to creatinine clearance ratio (CV/CrCl) is a useful indicator of the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing percutaneous interventional procedures. Association between CV/CrCl and adverse outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was suggested but it is not well established. A large retrospective multicenter cohort of 1381 patients treated with TAVI was analyzed to assess the association between CV/CrCl and the risk of AKI and mortality at 90 days and 1 year after TAVI.

Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients With an Acute ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Stratified by Angiography-Derived Index of Microcirculatory Resistance.

Despite the prognostic value of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), its assessment with pressure-wire-based methods remains limited due to cost, technical and procedural complexities. The non-hyperaemic angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance (NH IMR) has been shown to reliably predict microvascular injury in patients with STEMI. We investigated the prognostic potential of NH IMR as a pressure-wire and adenosine-free tool.

Ultrasound- Versus Fluoroscopy-Guided Strategy for Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Access: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

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The Role of Coronary Physiology in Contemporary Percutaneous Coronary Interventions.

Invasive assessment of coronary physiology has radically changed the paradigm of myocardial revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease. Despite the prognostic improvement associated with ischemia-driven revascularization strategy, functional assessment of angiographic intermediate epicardial stenosis remains largely underused in clinical practice. Multiple tools have been developed or are under development in order to reduce the invasiveness, cost, and extra procedural time associated with the invasive assessment of coronary physiology.

Impact of the admitting ward on care quality and outcomes in non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: insights from a national registry.

Aims: Little is known about the association between the type of admission ward and quality of care and outcomes for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

Methods And Results: We analysed data from 337 155 NSTEMI admissions between 2010 and 2017 in the UK Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) database. The cohort was dichotomised according to receipt of care either on a medical (n = 142,876) or cardiac ward, inclusive of acute cardiac wards and cardiac care unit (n = 194,279) on admission to hospital.

Thromboprophylaxis in Patients with COVID-19: Systematic Review of National and International Clinical Guidance Reports.

Background: Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is common among patients with severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Anticoagulation in hospitalized COVID-19 patients has been associated with survival benefit; however, the optimal thromboprophylaxis strategy has not yet been defined.

Objective: To identify published guidance reports by national and international societies regarding thromboprophylaxis strategies in COVID-19 patients in different settings (outpatients, hospitalized, post-discharge).