Boting Wu

Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Comparing Intracoronary and Intravenous Administration of Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors in Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors (GPIs) have been widely adopted as an adjuvant regimen during primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, but whether intracoronary administration of these potent antiplatelet agents conveys better efficacy and safety over the intravenous route has not been well addressed. A meta-analysis was performed by a systematic search of the published research for randomized controlled trials comparing intracoronary versus intravenous administration of GPIs in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Eight studies involving 686 patients in the intracoronary arm and 660 in the intravenous arm met the inclusion criteria. Postprocedural Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 3 flow (odds ratio [OR] 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08 to 1.98, p <0.05) and myocardial reperfusion grade 2 or 3 (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.46, p <0.001) were markedly more often achieved in patients who received intracoronary boluses of GPIs than those receiving the intravenous strategy. Intracoronary administration resulted in a reduced incidence of mortality (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.92, p <0.05), target vessel revascularization (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.99, p <0.05), and the composite end point of major adverse cardiac events (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.76, p <0.005) at 30-day follow-up. No significant difference was found in terms of major or minor bleeding (OR 1.14, p = 0.71, and OR 0.86, p = 0.47 respectively). In conclusion, intracoronary administration of GPIs yielded favorable outcomes in postprocedural blood flow restoration and 30-day clinical prognosis in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. The intracoronary use of GPIs can be recommended as a preferred regimen during primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Aortic shear stress in patients with bicuspid aortic valve with stenosis and insufficiency

Objectives: Bicuspid aortic valve, characterized by valve malformation and risk for aortopathy, displays profound alteration in systolic aortic outflow and wall shear stress distribution. The present study performed 4‐dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging in patients with bicuspid aortic valve with right‐left cusp fusion, focusing on the impact of valve function on hemodynamic status within the ascending aorta. Methods: Four‐dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 50 subjects with right‐left bicuspid aortic valve and 15 age‐ and aortic size–matched controls with tricuspid aortic valve. Patients with bicuspid aortic valve were categorized into 3 groups according to their aortic valve function as follows: bicuspid aortic valve with no more than mild aortic valve dysfunction (bicuspid aortic valve control, n = 20), bicuspid aortic valve with severe aortic insufficiency (n = 15), and bicuspid aortic valve with severe aortic stenosis (n = 15). Results: All patients with right‐left bicuspid aortic valve exhibited peak wall shear stress at the right‐anterior position of the ascending aorta (bicuspid aortic valve vs trileaflet aortic valve at the right‐anterior position: 0.91 ± 0.23 N/m2 vs 0.43 ± 0.12 N/m2, P < .001) with no distinct alteration between bicuspid aortic valve with severe aortic insufficiency and bicuspid aortic valve with severe aortic stenosis. The predominance of dilatation involving the tubular ascending aorta (82%, type 2 aortopathy) persisted, with or without valve dysfunction. Compared with bicuspid aortic valve control subjects, the bicuspid aortic valve with severe aortic insufficiency group displayed universally elevated wall shear stress (0.75 ± 0.12 N/m2 vs 0.57 ± 0.09 N/m2, P < .01) in the ascending aorta, which was associated with elevated cardiac stroke volume (P < .05). The bicuspid aortic valve with severe aortic stenosis group showed elevated flow eccentricity in the form of significantly increased standard deviation of circumferential wall shear stress, which correlated with markedly increased peak aortic valve velocity (P < .01). Conclusions: The location of peak aortic wall shear stress and type of aortopathy remained homogeneous among patients with right‐left bicuspid aortic valve irrespective of valve dysfunction. Severe aortic insufficiency or stenosis resulted in further elevated aortic wall shear stress and exaggerated flow eccentricity.

Type A aortic dissection in patients with bicuspid or tricuspid aortic valves: a retrospective comparative study in 288 Chinese patients

OBJECTIVES The propensity for aortic aneurysm and dissection bestows bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs), the most common congenital cardiac abnormality, a potentially lethal aspect and considerable clinical concern. In the present study, we attempted to better characterize BAV patients with acute type A aortic dissection (AAD). METHODS Data from 288 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for acute AAD between December 2007 and April 2012 at our institute were retrospectively collected. Patients were categorized into BAV (n = 30) and tricuspid aortic valve (n = 258) groups to investigate their clinical and prognostic features. RESULTS BAV patients tended to have younger age, lower systolic blood pressure, higher rate of moderate-to-severe aortic stenosis and wider ascending aorta (all P < 0.05). The 30-day postoperative mortality was significantly higher among BAV patients (23.3 vs 8.1%, P = 0.016), with an elevated proportion of both cardiogenic deaths and complications. BAV patients who died during the follow-up period demonstrated higher incidence of aortic stenosis (57.1 vs 13.0%, P = 0.033), coronary artery ostium involvement (57.1 vs 4.3%, P = 0.006) and longer cardiopulmonary bypass time (190.7 ± 67.5 vs 140.3 ± 37.1 min, P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS BAV-associated dissection, as a unique subgroup of AAD, demonstrated strikingly high postoperative mortality in a Chinese population. Moderate-to-severe aortic stenosis and dissection involving coronary artery ostium might be associated with the adverse clinical outcomes among BAV patients.

Intraoperative platelet transfusion is associated with increased postoperative sternal wound infections among type A aortic dissection patients after total arch replacement

Blood transfusion and its impact upon clinical outcomes of cardiac surgery have been extensively discussed, especially in the post‐aprotinin era. This study compared clinical outcomes and perioperative blood utilisation among acute type A aortic dissection (AAD) patients with or without intraoperative platelet transfusion during total arch replacement, thus intending to investigate prognostic value of platelet transfusion during major aortic surgeries.

Current role of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention after pretreatment with loading dose thienopyridines☆

Burden of valvular heart diseases: a population-based study. Lancet 2006;368(9540):1005–11. [7] Rautaharju PM, Surawicz B, Gettes LS, et al. AHA/ACCF/HRS recommendations for the standardization and interpretation of the electrocardiogram: part IV: the ST segment, T and U waves, and the QT interval: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Electrocardiography and Arrhythmias Committee, Council on Clinical Cardiology; the American College of Cardiology Foundation; and the Heart Rhythm Society. Endorsed by the International Society for Computerized Electrocardiology. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009;53(11):982–91. [8] Greve AM, Gerdts E, Boman K, et al. Impact of QRS duration and morphology on the risk of sudden cardiac death in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis: the SEAS (Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis) Study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2012;59(13):1142–9.

Interpretation of an aneurysm.

A 51-year-old female was referred to our institution for an accidentally found sinus of valsalva aneurysm (SVA). Multi-slice computer tomography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) well depicted a 76 × 43 mm right SVA sprawling over right ventricular outflow tract ( Panel A ). Aneurysm resection along with valve-sparing aortic root replacement was performed ( Panel B ), and the follow-up CMR 1 …

Aortic stenosis exacerbates flow aberrations related to the bicuspid aortic valve fusion pattern and the aortopathy phenotype

OBJECTIVES A bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is characterized by variable phenotypic manifestations, as well as longitudinal evolution of valve dysfunction and ascending aorta dilatation. The present study investigated the impact of severe aortic stenosis (AS) on the flow patterns and wall shear stress (WSS) distribution in BAV patients with right-left (RL) and right-non-coronary (RN) cusp fusion types, and the study aimed to reveal whether aortic dysfunction could further alter intrinsic aortic haemodynamic aberrations generated by abnormal BAV cusp fusion patterns. METHODS Four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 120 BAV subjects and 20 tricuspid aortic valve controls. BAV patients were evenly categorized into 4 cohorts, including RL and RN BAV with no more than mild aortic dysfunction as well as RL and RN BAV-AS with isolated severe AS. RESULTS BAV subjects exhibited eccentric outflow jets resulting in regional WSS elevation at the right-anterior position of the ascending aorta in the RL group and the right-posterior location in the RN group (P < 0.005). The presence of severe AS resulted in accelerated outflow jets and more prominent flow and WSS eccentricity (P < 0.005) by marked helical (P = 0.014) and vortical flow formation (P < 0.005), as well as increased prevalence of tubular and transverse arch dilatation. The changes to the flow jet in BAV-AS subjects blurred the differences in peak flow velocity and WSS distribution between RL and RN BAV. Differences in the phenotypes of aortopathy were associated with changes in functional haemodynamic parameters such as flow displacement and WSS eccentricity. CONCLUSIONS Severe AS markedly exacerbated aortic flow aberrations in BAV patients and masked the existing distinct flow features deriving from RL and RN fusion types. Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the evolution of ascending aortic dilatation relative to the interaction between intrinsic cusp fusion types and acquired severe valve dysfunction.