Akimichi Murakami

Retrospective comparison of clinical and angiographic outcomes after primary stenting using sirolimus-eluting and bare-metal stents in nonrandomized consecutive 568 patients with first ST-segment elevated myocardial infarctions

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The long-term safety and efficacy of primary stenting using drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are not fully understood in Japan. Therefore, we retrospectively examined the midterm clinical and angiographic outcomes in STEMI patients after primary stenting using sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in a clinical setting through a historical comparison with those of bare-metal stents (BMS). METHODS AND RESULTS The study design was a retrospective, nonrandomized, and single-center study. The clinical outcomes for 568 consecutive patients who presented within 12 h of their first STEMI and who were treated with BMS (n = 198; 184 STEMIs from June 2003 to August 2004 and 14 STEMIs from September 2004 to May 2007) or SES (n = 370; from August 2004 to May 2007) at our medical center in Japan were retrospectively investigated in February 2010. The incidence of post-discharge events (comprising cardiac death and nonfatal recurrent MI) after SES placement (3.9%) was not significantly different from that after BMS placement (6.7%). SES was not related to the risk of post-discharge events (mean follow-up for SES, 1327 ± 415 days; BMS, 1818 ± 681 days) (hazard ratio of 0.369 at 95% CI, 0.119-1.147, p = 0.085). The incidence of definite stent thromboses after SES placement (0.54%) was not significantly higher than that after BMS placement (0%). The incidence of binary in-stent restenosis (% diameter stenosis of more than 50% at secondary angiography) after SES placement (8.3%) was significantly lower than that after BMS placement (25.7%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS From the present historical comparison of SES and BMS, we conclude that primary stenting using SES in a clinical setting has favorable clinical and angiographic outcomes in Japanese STEMI patients.

Post-discharge clinical and angiographic outcomes of patients presenting within 48 h of STEMI treated with paclitaxel- or sirolimus-eluting stents

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to examine the mid-term clinical and angiographic outcomes of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who presented within 48 h and received paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) or sirolimus-eluting stents (SES). METHODS AND RESULTS This study was a retrospective, non-randomized, single-center study. The post-discharge clinical outcomes of 357 consecutive patients who presented within 48 h of their first STEMI and received PES (n=163) or SES (n=194) between February 2007 and February 2009 were analyzed in May 2011. The incidence of post-discharge events (i.e. cardiac death and non-fatal recurrent MI) after PES placement (0.6%) did not significantly differ from that after SES placement (1.5%). Treatment with PES was not related to the risk of adverse events post-discharge (mean follow-up period for PES placement, 1170±243 days; hazard ratio, 0.346; 95% CI, 0.036-3.371; p=0.361). No definite stent thromboses developed after treatment with PES or SES. The incidence of binary in-stent restenosis (stenosis of more than 50% of the diameter at secondary angiography performed 10-18 months after the initial procedure) after PES placement (17.1%) was significantly higher than that after SES placement (4.8%; p<0.001). PES placement was an independent predictor of binary in-stent restenosis (odds ratio, 3.892; 95% CI, 1.470-10.30; p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS Retrospective examination of the post-discharge clinical course after placement of PES and SES showed favorable midterm clinical outcomes among Japanese STEMI patients treated within 48h of onset. However, SES treatment resulted in superior angiographic outcomes compared to PES.

Propensity-matched lesion-based comparison of midterm outcomes of TAXUS Express and TAXUS Liberté stents for de novo native coronary stenosis

BACKGROUND We examined the implication of the revised platform of TAXUS Liberté (TAXUS-Lib; Boston Scientific, Natick, MA, USA) from TAXUS Express (TAXUS-Exp; Boston Scientific) stents, after stent placements in a daily practice environment, on midterm clinical and angiographic outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS By adjusting historically different baselines with propensity score matching analysis in 1358 de novo native coronary stenoses, the incidence of the clinical safety endpoint (700-day cardiac death, nonfatal recurrent myocardial infarction, and definite stent thrombosis) after placement of TAXUS-Lib (0.60%; mean follow-up, 683±64 days) was not significantly different from that in the TAXUS-Exp group (1.20%; 677±96 days, p=0.182). Cardiac dysfunction (ejection fraction of left ventricle less than 40%) was the predictor of primary endpoint [odds ratio (OR), 17.8; 95% CI, 4.39-71.9; p<0.001]. In the baseline-adjusted angiographic followed-up lesions (n=443 in each arm), the incidence of secondary endpoint [binary in-stent restenosis: percent diameter stenosis (%DS) >50% at the follow-up angiography] in the TAXUS-Lib group (11.3%) was not significantly different from that in the TAXUS-Exp group (13.5%, p=0.368). TAXUS-Exp was not the predictor of secondary endpoint (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.77-1.85; p=0.424). CONCLUSIONS The midterm clinical and angiographic outcomes after placement of the new TAXUS-Lib stent for de novo coronary stenosis in a daily practice environment were statistically equivalent compared to the former TAXUS-Exp.

Myocardial imaging with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography and T2-weighted short tau inversion recovery black-blood images of cardiac magnetic resonance in cardiac sarcoidosis

Myocardial imaging with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography and T2-weighted short tau inversion recovery black-blood images of cardiac magnetic resonance in cardiac sarcoidosis Reina Tonegawa, Takatomo Nakajima, Hirotake Takahashi, Mitsuyoshi Mita, Keisuke Shirasaki, Shinya Fujii, Akimichi Murakami, Takeyukii Kubota, Teruhiko Suzuki, Yosuke Nakano, Kensuke Fujiwara, Takashi Miyamoto, Makoto Mutoh

A case of myasthenia gravis with cardiac fibrosis and easily provoked sustained ventricular tachycardia

A 65-year-old male, who had been diagnosed to have myasthenia gravis (MG) 25 years previously, was admitted to our hospital with faintness. Cardiac ultrasonography showed decreased left ventricular function. Magnetic resonance imaging depicted delayed contrast enhancement in localized regions. No significant coronary artery stenosis was found, and due to the reproducible susceptibility for sustained ventricular tachycardia, he underwent cardioverter-defibrillator implantation. Although relatively uncommon, cardiac manifestations should not be overlooked in MG patients, as they may be associated with ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac dysfunction.