Alexandre do Canto Zago

Erectile Dysfunction and Coronary Artery Disease: An Association of Higher Risk in Younger Men

INTRODUCTION The association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and coronary artery disease (CAD) has been described in various settings, but it is unclear if there is an independent interaction with age. AIM To investigate the interaction of age in the association between ED and CAD. METHODS This case-control study was conducted among 242 patients referred for elective coronary angiography. One hundred fourteen patients with significant CAD were identified as cases and 128 controls without significant CAD. ED was evaluated by the erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, determined by a score ≤ 25 points. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Significant CAD was based on stenosis of 50% or greater in the diameter in at least one of the major epicardial vessels or their branches. The analysis was conducted in the whole sample and according to the age strata, controlling for the effects of cardiovascular risk factors, testosterone, and C-reactive protein. Results.  Patients had on average 58.3 ± 8.9 years. CAD and ED were associated exclusively in patients younger than 60 years (ED in 68.8% of patients with CAD vs. 46.7% of patients without CAD, P = 0.009). The association was independent of cardiovascular risk factors, testosterone and C-reactive protein (risk ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval from 1.04 to 5.19). Severity of CAD was higher in patients younger than 60 years with ED. CONCLUSIONS Men with less than 60 years of age who report ED presented a higher risk of having chronic CAD and more severe disease diagnosed by coronary angiography.

Perfil da intervenção coronária percutânea no infarto agudo do miocárdio com supradesnivelamento do segmento ST no Brasil de 2006 a 2010: registro CENIC

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aims to outline the national profile of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the setting of AMI, analyzing different time periods and geographic regions, with focus on primary PCI and adjunctive pharmacological and mechanical treatments. METHODS: Data from 20,004 patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing PCI and included in the CENIC Registry (National Center of Cardiovascular Interventions) from January 2006 to December 2010 were included in this study. Data were obtained from 252 centers located in 22 states from five different geographic regions in the country. RESULTS: Primary PCI accounted for 57.8% of PCI performed in the setting of AMI, followed by elective PCI after STEMI (35.7%), rescue PCI (6.1%) and facilitated PCI (0.4%). The evolution over time showed a progressive increase in the number of primary PCIs in Brazil, from 56.7% in 2006 to 71.6% in 2010. The mean door-to-balloon time of primary PCI in Brazil during this period was 2 hours. Thrombus aspiration increased from 0.4% in 2006 to 8.2% of cases in 2010. Procedural success rate was 93.8%, while in-hospital mortality was only 2.8%. CONCLUSIONS: PCI in the setting of STEMI has improved from 2006 to 2010, although heterogeneously in the different regions of Brazil, due to increased primary PCI rates and higher use of thrombus aspiration devices, which have not been incorporated in the routine practice. Investments in staff training and implementation of clinical protocols are essential to optimize the door-to-balloon time and improve clinical outcomes.

Endovascular repair of ascending aorta and coronary stent implantation

Endovascular treatment of ascending aorta pseudoaneurysms with coronary stents implantation at the same procedure was feasible, although longer followup is necessary.

Friable but treatable: coronary artery dissections in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome is a rare connective tissue disorder associated with arterial dissection or rupture. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is often critical in patients with this syndrome because their coronary arteries are prone to dissection, enhancing the risk of stent borders dissection when conventional stent deployment pressures are used. Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) treatment for these patients may also raise concerns because the left internal mammary artery is probably friable. Therefore, coronary artery revascularization in vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome either using PCI or CABG is challenging due to the arteries friability. A small number of cases have been published describing the friability of the vessels and associated complications; nevertheless, the optimum treatment remains unclear. We report the case of a 54‐year‐old woman treated successfully with PCI and CABG in two different acute coronary syndrome episodes, in which specific technical issues related to both procedures were decisive.

Association of the 894G>T polymorphism of the endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase gene with unstable angina

The 894G>T polymorphism of the endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase gene consists of the substitution of a guanine base by a thymine at the 894th nucleotide of the gene. An association of this polymorphism with acute coronary syndromes has been described, only when in combination with other polymorphisms of this gene. The aim of the present study was to search for an association between this polymorphism and unstable angina in a southern Brazilian population. In a case-control study, 156 patients (group 1 (N = 83): unstable angina, group 2 (N = 73): stable angina) were genotyped by PCR and digestion of the product. Univariate analysis demonstrated that the minimal luminal diameter and the degree of stenosis of the culprit lesion differed between groups (P = 0.006 and 0.005, respectively). In addition, the frequencies of the T allele and of the T allele carriers (combined TT and TG genotypes) were significantly higher in the group with unstable angina (41.6 vs 28.8%; P = 0.025, Pearson chi-square test, and 73.5 vs 45.2%; P = 0.001, Pearson chi-square test, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the frequency of the T allele carriers was the only variable with a predictive value for unstable angina, when controlled for the other variables (6.1 (95% CI = 2.55-14.43); P < 0.001). Thus, in a homogenous group of patients, the endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase 894G>T polymorphism was associated with unstable angina. We suggest that this polymorphism may be a genetic risk factor for unstable angina.

Reply to “Predictable Superiority of Everolimus-Eluting Stent Over Paclitaxel-Eluting Balloon in Patients with In-Stent Restenosis”

Predictable Superiority of Everolimus-Eluting Stent Over Paclitaxel-Eluting Balloon in Patients With In-Stent Restenosis We read with great interest the study performed by Alfonso et al comparing the efficacy of everolimus-eluting stents (EES) and drug-eluting balloons (DEB) in patients with in-stent restenosis (ISR). We appreciate their findings; however, we would like to discuss some issues. In fact, the comparison was between EES and paclitaxel-eluting balloon (PEB). Being so, 2 subjects were compared, that is, 2 different devices (drug-eluting balloon vs drugeluting stent) and 2 different drugs (everolimus vs paclitaxel). Several studies comparing EES and paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) showed the superiority of EES over PES in a wide range of anatomic settings, such as de novo lesions, multivessel disease, small vessels, saphenous vein graft, and chronic total occlusion. Regarding ISR treatment, there are only a few data from small trials related to the comparison between EES and PES in this setting. Almalla et al demonstrated that EES resulted in significant reduced rates of target lesion revascularization compared with PES for the treatment of bare metal stent restenosis at 1-year follow-up, which is the same follow-up period of the study under discussion. Hence, the literature data support EES superiority over PES, mainly driven by the higher efficacy of everolimus over paclitaxel in the inhibition of smooth muscle cells proliferation, that is, the physiopathologic basis of ISR. This paclitaxel inferiority led to the PES replacement by drug-eluting stents releasing sirolimus or its analogs, such as EES, in the current clinical practice. Therefore, the superiority of EES over paclitaxel-eluting balloon in the treatment of patients with ISR demonstrated by Alfonso et al was predictable. Our group showed potential benefits of sirolimus nanoparticles for the treatment of ISR in an experimental study through the significant neointima reduction achieved by the strategy

Cardiomiopatia Hipertrófica Obstrutiva Médio-Ventricular

A cardiomiopatia hipertrofica obstrutiva medio-ventricular e uma variante rara (1%) da cardiomiopatia hipertrofica obstrutiva. Neste relato de caso, apresentamos uma paciente encaminhada para realizacao de cateterismo cardiaco eletivo por angina e dispneia aos moderados esforcos, sem obstrucao coronariana significativa e com ventriculografia esquerda, demostrando cardiomiopatia hipertrofica obstrutiva medio-ventricular com um gradiente pressorico intraventricular de 130 mmHg.

Associação entre remodelamento vascular e núcleo necrótico em artérias coronárias: análise por ultrassom intracoronário com Histologia Virtual®

BACKGROUND: Anatomopathological studies suggest an association of positive vascular remodeling and vulnerable coronary plaques. The objective of this study was to verify whether there is a correlation between positive vascular remodeling and necrotic core in atherosclerotic coronary lesions. METHODS: We studied 270 cross sections obtained by Virtual Histology® in 30 patients who had positive remodeling in coronary artery segments with lesions > 50%, identified by coronary angiography. Seven cross sections were assessed per segment of coronary artery, including the cross section with the highest remodeling index, denominated cross section of interest (cross section 4). RESULTS: Mean age was 60.8 ± 8.8 years, 80% were male and 30% were diabetic. Unstable angina was the most frequent clinical presentation (56.6%) and the left anterior descending artery was the most analyzed vessel (43%). The vessel reference area was 15.5 ± 4.9 mm² and the remodeling index in cross section 4 was 1.2 ± 0.1. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed a higher percentage of necrotic core in the cross section of interest (P < 0.001). We observed a positive correlation of coronary artery remodeling and necrotic core (r = 0.79; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Positive coronary artery remodeling is associated to the presence of necrotic core, which characterizes vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. The search for positive arterial remodeling may be a useful strategy for detecting vulnerable plaques before rupture.

Identificação de genes envolvidos na síntese de proteínas de células musculares lisas com expressão aumentada em placas ateromatosas associados a hiperplasia neointimal após implante de stents não-farmacológicos: estudo GENESIS-R

BACKGROUND: Coronary restenosis is a poorly understood phenomenon that remains a challenge even in the drug-eluting stent era. This study is aimed at identifying the genes involved in structural and functional protein synthesis of smooth muscle cells with increased expression in human atheromatous plaques associated to neointimal hyperplasia after bare-metal stent implantation. METHODS: Atheromatous plaques were obtained by directional atherectomy prior to stenting. Gene expression analysis was performed using the Affymetrix GeneChip system. Patients were submitted to intravascular ultrasound 6 months after the procedure for in-stent volumetric analysis. We evaluated the correlation between gene expression in atheromatous plaques and the percentage of in-stent intimal hyperplasia. RESULTS: Most patients were male (85.7%), with 60.2 ± 11.4 years of age, 35.7% were diabetic and the percentage of in-stent intimal hyperplasia was 29.9 ± 18.7%. There was no change in the percentage of in-stent intimal hyperplasia in patients with or without diabetes (29.5% vs. 30.7%; P = 0.89). There was no correlation between stent length and the percentage of in-stent intimal hyperplasia (r = -0.26; P = 0.26) or between stent diameter and the percentage of in-stent intimal hyperplasia (r = 0.14; P = 0.56). Eight genes related to smooth muscle cell structural and functional protein synthesis had a positive correlation with the percentage of in-stent intimal hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS: De novo coronary lesions show increased expression of genes related to smooth muscle cell structural and functional protein synthesis associated to future significant in-stent neointimal hyperplasia, emerging as novel therapeutic targets.