Minglei Liu

A controlled trial of renal denervation for resistant hypertension.

BACKGROUND Prior unblinded studies have suggested that catheter-based renal-artery denervation reduces blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension. METHODS We designed a prospective, single-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. Patients with severe resistant hypertension were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to undergo renal denervation or a sham procedure. Before randomization, patients were receiving a stable antihypertensive regimen involving maximally tolerated doses of at least three drugs, including a diuretic. The primary efficacy end point was the change in office systolic blood pressure at 6 months; a secondary efficacy end point was the change in mean 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure. The primary safety end point was a composite of death, end-stage renal disease, embolic events resulting in end-organ damage, renovascular complications, or hypertensive crisis at 1 month or new renal-artery stenosis of more than 70% at 6 months. RESULTS A total of 535 patients underwent randomization. The mean (±SD) change in systolic blood pressure at 6 months was -14.13±23.93 mm Hg in the denervation group as compared with -11.74±25.94 mm Hg in the sham-procedure group (P<0.001 for both comparisons of the change from baseline), for a difference of -2.39 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI], -6.89 to 2.12; P=0.26 for superiority with a margin of 5 mm Hg). The change in 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure was -6.75±15.11 mm Hg in the denervation group and -4.79±17.25 mm Hg in the sham-procedure group, for a difference of -1.96 mm Hg (95% CI, -4.97 to 1.06; P=0.98 for superiority with a margin of 2 mm Hg). There were no significant differences in safety between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS This blinded trial did not show a significant reduction of systolic blood pressure in patients with resistant hypertension 6 months after renal-artery denervation as compared with a sham control. (Funded by Medtronic; SYMPLICITY HTN-3 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01418261.).

Three vs Twelve Months of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Zotarolimus-Eluting Stents The OPTIMIZE Randomized Trial

IMPORTANCE The current recommendation is for at least 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy after implantation of a drug-eluting stent. However, the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy with specific types of drug-eluting stents remains unknown. OBJECTIVE To assess the clinical noninferiority of 3 months (short-term) vs 12 months (long-term) of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with zotarolimus-eluting stents. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS The OPTIMIZE trial was an open-label, active-controlled, 1:1 randomized noninferiority study including 3119 patients in 33 sites in Brazil between April 2010 and March 2012. Clinical follow-up was performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Eligible patients were those with stable coronary artery disease or history of low-risk acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing PCI with zotarolimus-eluting stents. INTERVENTIONS After PCI with zotarolimus-eluting stents, patients were prescribed aspirin (100-200 mg daily) and clopidogrel (75 mg daily) for 3 months (n = 1563) or 12 months (n = 1556), unless contraindicated because of occurrence of an end point. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary end point was net adverse clinical and cerebral events (NACCE; a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, or major bleeding); the expected event rate at 1 year was 9%, with a noninferiority margin of 2.7%. Secondary end points were major adverse cardiac events (MACE; a composite of all-cause death, MI, emergent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or target lesion revascularization) and Academic Research Consortium definite or probable stent thrombosis. RESULTS NACCE occurred in 93 patients receiving short-term and 90 patients receiving long-term therapy (6.0% vs 5.8%, respectively; risk difference, 0.17 [95% CI, -1.52 to 1.86]; P = .002 for noninferiority). Kaplan-Meier estimates demonstrated MACE rates at 1 year of 8.3% (128) in the short-term group and 7.4% (114) in the long-term group (HR, 1.12 [95% CI, 0.87-1.45]). Between 91 and 360 days, no statistically significant association was observed for NACCE (39 [2.6%] vs 38 [2.6%] for the short- and long-term groups, respectively; HR, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.66-1.60]), MACE (78 [5.3%] vs 64 [4.3%]; HR, 1.22 [95% CI, 0.88-1.70]), or stent thrombosis (4 [0.3%] vs 1 [0.1%]; HR, 3.97 [95% CI, 0.44-35.49]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In patients with stable coronary artery disease or low-risk ACS treated with zotarolimus-eluting stents, 3 months of dual antiplatelet therapy was noninferior to 12 months for NACCE, without significantly increasing the risk of stent thrombosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01113372.

Lack of association between dual antiplatelet therapy use and stent thrombosis between 1 and 12 months following resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent implantation

AIM The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following the use of new generation drug-eluting stents is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS The association between DAPT interruption and the rates of stent thrombosis (ST) and cardiac death/target-vessel myocardial infarction (CD/TVMI) in patients receiving a Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent (R-ZES) was analysed in 4896 patients from the pooled RESOLUTE clinical programme. Daily acetylsalicylate (ASA) and a thienopyridine for 6-12 months were prescribed. A DAPT interruption was defined as any interruption of ASA and/or a thienopyridine of >1 day; long interruptions were >14 days. Three groups were analysed: no interruption, interruption during the first month, and >1-12 months. There were 1069 (21.83%) patients with a DAPT interruption and 3827 patients with no interruption. Among the 166 patients in the 1-month interruption group, 6 definite/probable ST events occurred (3.61%; all long DAPT interruptions), and among the 903 patients in the >1-12 months (60% occurred between 6 and 12 months) interruption group, 1 ST event occurred (0.11%; 2-day DAPT interruption). Among patients with no DAPT interruption, 32 ST events occurred (0.84%). Rates of CD/TVMI were 6.84% in the 1-month long interruption group, 1.41% in the >1-12 months long interruption group, and 4.08% in patients on continuous DAPT. CONCLUSION In a pooled population of patients receiving an R-ZES, DAPT interruptions within 1 month are associated with a high risk of adverse outcomes. Dual antiplatelet therapy interruptions between 1 and 12 months were associated with low rates of ST and adverse cardiac outcomes. Randomized clinical trials are needed to determine whether early temporary or permanent interruption of DAPT is truly safe. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT00617084; NCT00726453; NCT00752128; NCT00927940.

Safety and Effectiveness of the Endeavor Zotarolimus-Eluting Stent in Real-World Clinical Practice : 12-Month Data From the E-Five Registry

OBJECTIVES The E-Five registry was designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) (Medtronic CardioVascular, Santa Rosa, California) for the treatment of coronary artery stenosis across a wide range of patients treated in real-world clinical practice settings. BACKGROUND Early clinical trials with the Endeavor ZES have demonstrated low rates of target lesion revascularization with a favorable safety profile including low late stent thrombosis with up to 4 years of follow-up. A clinical registry was designed to complement controlled trial data by examining a large patient population, including high-risk patient subsets. METHODS The E-Five registry is a prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter global registry conducted at 188 centers worldwide. Adult patients (n = 8,314) with coronary artery disease who underwent single-vessel or multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled. The primary end point was the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months. A secondary analysis stratified patients by standard versus extended-use clinical and lesion characteristics. RESULTS Overall 12-month outcome rates were MACE 7.5%; cardiac death 1.7%; myocardial infarction (all) 1.6%; target lesion revascularization 4.5%; and stent thrombosis (Academic Research Consortium definite and probable) 1.1%. The 12-month MACE rates were 4.3% and 8.6% for standard- and extended-use patients, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This large, international multicenter registry provides important information regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of the Endeavor ZES across standard and extended-use patients in the real-world setting. Rates of MACE and measures of safety including cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis were low and consistent with pooled results of clinical trials. (E-Five Registry: A World-Wide Registry With The Endeavor Zotarolimus Eluting Coronary Stent [eFive Registry]; NCT00623441).

Impact of body mass index on long-term clinical outcomes after second-generation drug eluting stent implantation: Insights from the international global RESOLUTE program.

An increased body mass index (BMI) is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease and reduction in life expectancy. However, several studies reported improved clinical outcomes in obese patients treated for cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of BMI on long‐term clinical outcomes after implantation of zotarolimus eluting stents.

Rationale and design of the East-West late lumen loss study: Comparison of late lumen loss between Eastern and Western drug-eluting stent study cohorts

BACKGROUND The contemporary evaluation of novel drug-eluting stents (DES) includes mechanistic observations that characterize postdeployment stent behavior. Quantification of late lumen loss due to neointimal hyperplasia 8-13 months after stent implantation, via quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), constitutes such an observation and is required by most regulatory authorities. Late lumen loss, as determined by QCA, has been validated as a surrogate for clinical endpoints such as target vessel revascularization. The mechanistic response to DES has not been directly compared across predominantly Asian or Western populations, whereas understanding their comparability across geographic populations could enhance global DES evaluation. OBJECTIVE The East-West late lumen loss study is designed to demonstrate whether the residual differences in late lumen loss, as assessed by QCA, is different between Eastern and Western DES recipients from studies with protocol angiography at 8-13 months of follow-up. METHODS Data from independent core laboratories that have characterized angiographic late lumen loss in DES clinical trials with protocol follow-up angiography will be compiled and dichotomized into Eastern and Western populations. A prospectively developed propensity score model incorporating clinical and anatomic variables affecting late lumen loss will be used to adjust comparisons of QCA measurements. CONCLUSION Documentation of whether there are clinically meaningful differences in mechanistic response to DES implantation across genetically unique geographies could facilitate both the quality and efficiency of global device evaluation requiring invasive follow-up for novel stent designs.

The East–West late lumen loss study: Comparison of angiographic late lumen loss between Eastern and Western drug-eluting stent study cohorts

Background Regulatory decisions approving new coronary drug‐eluting stent (DES) require mechanistic observations of angiographic late lumen loss (LLL). Patient safety and device approval times could be enhanced if angiographic follow‐up data were found to be generalizable across jurisdictions and geographies. The objectives were to assess the comparability of in‐segment LLL in Eastern and Western DES populations using the worlds largest compilation of follow‐up quantitative coronary angiography data. Methods Data from 4 manufacturers involving 29 DES clinical trials in Eastern and Western hemispheres were compiled. “East” and “West” cohorts were defined by trial location. Independent core laboratories quantified in‐segment LLL for all studies. East and West were compared before and after adjustment for clinical and anatomic covariates known to correlate with LLL via conditioning on propensity score quintiles. An international panel of experts and regulators prospectively established a clinically meaningful difference between East and West mean in‐segment LLL of ±0.40 mm. Results The data set comprised 2,047 East and 4,456 West patients. Unadjusted mean ± SD for West and East in‐segment LLL (mm) was 0.25 ± 0.46 and 0.12 ± 0.42, respectively (difference 0.13 mm; 95% CI 0.11‐0.16). Propensity score–adjusted in‐segment LLL East and West least squares means were 0.11 and 0.26 mm, respectively (difference 0.15 mm; 95% CI 0.13‐0.18). Conclusions In the worlds largest compilation of DES protocol 8‐ to 13‐month angiographic follow‐up data, clinically meaningful comparability of in‐segment LLL by independent core laboratory quantitative coronary angiography in East and West cohorts was demonstrated in both unadjusted and adjusted comparisons. These findings suggest that DES LLL, once characterized, could be generalized across regulatory jurisdictions over the course of global registration efforts.