Rak Kyeong Choi

Left atrial appendage occlusion in non-valvular atrial fibrillation in a Korean multi-center registry

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical outcome after left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion in real clinical practice and compare between Amplatzer cardiac plug (ACP) and Watchman. METHODSANDRESULTS From October 2010 to February 2015, 96 successful LAA occlusion procedures were performed using either ACP (n=50) or Watchman device (n=46) in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) patients (59 male; age, 65.1±9.4 years; CHADS2, 2.5±1.2; CHA2DS2-VASC, 3.9±1.6; HAS-BLED, 2.7±1.3). The procedure success rate was 96.8%. There were serious complications in 4 patients (4.1%; 2 cardiac tamponade, 1 device embolization, and 1 major bleed). The anticoagulation cessation rate after 6 weeks was 92.7%. During mean 21.9-month follow-up, the incidence of death, stroke, systemic embolization and major bleeding was 5.2%, 4.2%, 0% and 1.0%, respectively. On transesophageal echocardiography of 93 patients within 6 months after the procedure, 24 residual leaks were observed (25.8%; 2 mild, 18 moderate, and 4 major). Clinical outcome was similar for the 2 devices, but peridevice leakage was more frequent with the Watchman than the ACP. CONCLUSIONS LAA occlusion was feasible in non-valvular AF patients with high risk of stroke and hemorrhage. The ACP and Watchman devices were similar in terms of procedural and clinical outcomes. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1123-1130).

Pulmonary Hemorrhage After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Abciximab Therapy

Abciximab has a key role in the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention; however, an increased risk of bleeding complications is well recognized. We report a case of serious pulmonary hemorrhage after use of abciximab therapy. A definitive indication and treatment guideline should be available to minimize serious bleeding complications. Additionally, respiratory symptoms should be monitored closely for early detection of serious pulmonary hemorrhage in patients receiving abciximab therapy during percutaneous coronary intervention.

INNOVATION Study (Impact of Immediate Stent Implantation Versus Deferred Stent Implantation on Infarct Size and Microvascular Perfusion in Patients With ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction)

Background—The aim of this study was to assess whether deferred stenting (DS) reduces infarct size and microvascular obstruction (MVO) compared with immediate stenting (IS) in primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction. Methods and Results—From February 2013 to August 2015, 114 patients (mean age: 69 years) were randomized into the following 2 groups: DS with an intention to stent 3 to 7 days later or IS after primary reperfusion in 2 centers. The primary and secondary end points were infarct size and the incidence of MVO, respectively, assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 30 days after primary reperfusion. The median time to the second procedure in the DS was 72.8 hours. Six patients in the DS group were crossed over to the IS group because of progression of dissection or safety concerns after randomization. In the intention-to-treat analysis, DS did not significantly reduce infarct size (15.0% versus 19.4%; P=0.112) and the incidence of MVO (42.6% versus 57.4%; P=0.196), compared with IS. However, in anterior wall myocardial infarction, infarct size (16.1% versus 22.7%; P=0.017) and the incidence of MVO (43.8% versus 70.3%; P=0.047) were significantly reduced in the DS group. There was no urgent revascularization event during deferral period. Conclusions—A routine DS did not significantly reduce infarct size and MVO compared with IS, although it was safe. The beneficial effect of DS in patients with anterior myocardial infarction should be confirmed by larger randomized studies. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02324348.

Impact of final kissing balloon inflation after simple stent implantation for the treatment of non-left main true coronary bifurcation lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome

OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the impact of final kissing balloon inflation (FKBI) after simple stent implantation for the treatment of non-left main true coronary bifurcation lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND Whether FKBI should be mandatory after simple stent implantation for the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesion is controversial. Besides, ACS patients who have undergone bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention with simple stent implantation may experience worse prognosis compared to stable angina pectoris patients. METHODS Two hundred and fifty one eligible patients (67.7% male, mean age 61.7 ± 10.4 years) were enrolled. The study population was divided into two groups according to the performance of FKBI. The primary end points were major adverse cardiac event (MACE); target lesion revascularization (TLR), non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiac death during the follow-up period. RESULTS Over a mean follow-up period of 3.0 ± 1.9 years, there were 29 MACEs (10 TLR, 6 non-fatal MI, and 13 cardiac deaths), representing an event rate of 11.6%. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that FBKI group had favorable outcome compared to non-FKBI group with regard to hard events (p = 0.010) as well as composite MACEs (p = 0.008). In multivariable analysis, FKBI was a significant predictor of composite MACEs [hazard ratio 0.398 (95% confidence interval 0.190-0.836, p = 0.015)] and hard events [hazard ratio 0.325 (95% confidence interval 0.130-0.811, p = 0.016)]. CONCLUSIONS In terms of prognosis, performing FKBI after simple stent implantation for the treatment of non-left main true coronary bifurcation lesions may be mandatory in ACS patients.

Numbness after Transradial Cardiac Catheterization: the Results from a Nerve Conduction Study of the Superficial Radial Nerve

Background and Objectives Numbness on the hand occurs infrequently after a transradial cardiac catheterization (TRC). The symptom resembles that of neuropathy. We, therefore, investigated the prevalence, the predicting factors and the presence of neurological abnormalities of numbness, using a nerve conduction study (NCS). Subjects and Methods From April to December 2013, all patients who underwent a TRC were prospectively enrolled. From among these, the patients who experienced numbness on the ipsilateral hand were instructed to describe their symptoms using a visual analogue scale; subsequently, NCSs were performed on these patients. Results Of the total 479 patients in the study sample, numbness occurred in nine (1.8%) following the procedure. The NCS was performed for eight out of the nine patients, four (50%) of which had an abnormal NCS result at the superficial radial nerve. A larger sheath and history of myocardial infarction (p=0.14 and 0.08 respectively) tended towards the occurrence of numbness; however, only the use of size 7 French sheaths was an independent predictor for the occurrence of numbness (odds ratio: 5.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.06-28.58, p=0.042). The symptoms disappeared for all patients but one, within four months. Conclusion A transient injury of the superficial radial nerve could be one reason for numbness after a TRC. A large sheath size was an independent predictor of numbness; therefore, large sized sheaths should be used with caution when performing a TRC.

Feasibility of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion for Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus in Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

This study sought to investigate the safety of percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who have LAA thrombus. From October 2010 to October 2016, LAA occlusions were performed in facilities within a Korean multicenter registry in patients without (n = 132) or with (n = 10) LAA thrombus (detected during preprocedural assessments). The incidences of periprocedural complications, including stroke, pericardial tamponade, major bleeding, and device embolization, were assessed and compared between the groups. The incidence of periprocedural complications was not significantly different between patients with and without LAA thrombus (0% vs 5% [6 of 132]; p = 0.49). During the mean 23.2 ± 17.5-month follow-up duration, 7 major adverse cardiac events occurred (1 cardiovascular death, 6 ischemic strokes), but overall event rates were not significantly different between the groups (14% vs 9%; p = 0.47). In conclusion, percutaneous LAA occlusion in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients with LAA thrombus may be a safe and feasible alternative to anticoagulation in select patients at a high risk of bleeding or contraindication to anticoagulation, or in whom anticoagulation failed to prevent stroke.

Right coronary artery to left ventricular fistula associated with infective endocarditis of the mitral valve.

A 27-year-old man with bacterial endocarditis of the mitral valve and embolic episodes was bound to have a large right coronary artery fistula communicating with the left ventricle, immediately inferior to the posterior mitral annulus. The perforation of the posterior leaflet and coronary arteriovenous fistula was identified using two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography. The diagnosis was confirmed by coronary angiography, and the patient underwent a successful operation.

First-Generation Versus Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents in Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions: Two-Year Results of a Multicenter Registry

Background Limited data are available regarding the long-term clinical outcomes of second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) versus first-generation DES in patients with coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of second-generation DES with those of first-generation DES for the treatment of CTO. Methods and Results Between March 2003 and February 2012, 1,006 consecutive patients with CTO who underwent successful PCI using either first-generation DES (n = 557) or second-generation DES (n = 449) were enrolled in a multicenter, observational registry. Propensity-score matching was also performed. The primary outcome was cardiac death over a 2-year follow-up period. No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding the incidence of cardiac death (first-generation DES versus second-generation DES; 2.5% vs 2.0%; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.37 to 1.98; p = 0.72) or major adverse cardiac events (MACE, 11.8% vs 11.4%; HR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.67 to 1.50; p = 0.99). After propensity score matching, the incidences of cardiac death (HR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.35 to 2.06; p = 0.86) and MACE (HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.63 to 1.37; p = 0.71) were still similar in both groups. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between sirolimus-eluting, paclitaxel-eluting, zotarolimus-eluting, and everolimus-eluting stents regarding the incidence of cardiac death or MACE. Conclusion This study shows that the efficacy of second-generation DES is comparable to that of first-generation DES for treatment of CTO over 2 years of follow-up.

Biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stent versus durable polymer everolimus-eluting stent in patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND There are limited data about long-term outcomes for biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stent (BES) versus durable polymer everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We sought to compare the two-year efficacy and safety of BES versus EES in AMI patients. METHODS A total of 707 consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who underwent PCI with BES (n=171) or EES (n=536) between July 2008 and June 2012 were enrolled in this study. The efficacy endpoint (target vessel failure; a composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization) and the safety endpoint (a composite of all cause death, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis) at two years were compared in crude and propensity score-matched cohorts. RESULTS After two years, target vessel failure occurred in 13 patients treated with BES and 49 patients treated with EES (7.6% versus 9.1%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-2.04; p=0.78). The rates of composite safety endpoint at two years were not different between two groups (BES 7.6% versus EES 10.8%; adjusted HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.47-1.62; p=0.66). The rates of stent thrombosis did not differ between two groups (BES 0.6% versus EES 1.3%; adjusted HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.06-6.20; p=0.69). These findings were substantiated by similar results in the propensity score-matched cohort. CONCLUSIONS In the treatment of patients with AMI, BES showed similar efficacy and safety compared to those of EES for up to two years.

Risk Scoring System to Assess Outcomes in Patients Treated with Contemporary Guideline-Adherent Optimal Therapies after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background and Objectives A risk prediction is needed even in the contemporary era of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We sought to develop a risk scoring specific for patients with AMI being treated with guideline-adherent optimal therapies, including percutaneous coronary intervention and all 5 medications (aspirin, thienopyridine, β-blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker, and statin). Methods From registries, 12,174 AMI patients were evaluated. The primary outcome was 1-year all-cause death or AMI. The Korea Working Group in Myocardial Infarction (KorMI) system was compared with the Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction (APEX AMI), Controlled Abciximab and Device Investigation to Lower Late Angioplasty Complications (CADILLAC), and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events scores (GRACE) models. Results Ten predictors were identified: left ventricular dysfunction (hazard ratio [HR], 2.3), bare-metal stent (HR, 2.0), Killip class ≥II (HR, 1.9), renal insufficiency (HR, 1.8), previous stroke (HR, 1.6), regional wall-motion- score >20 on echocardiography (HR, 1.5), body mass index ≤24 kg/m2 (HR, 1.4), age ≥70 years (HR, 1.4), prior coronary heart disease (HR, 1.4), and diabetes (HR, 1.4). Compared with the previous models, the KorMI system had good discrimination (time-dependent C statistic, 0.759) and showed reasonable goodness-of-fit by Hosmer-Lemeshow test (p=0.84). Moreover, the continuous-net reclassification improvement varied from −27.3% to −19.1%, the integrated discrimination index varied from −2.1% to −0.9%, and the median improvement in risk score was from −1.0% to −0.4%. Conclusions The KorMI system would be a useful tool for predicting outcomes in survivors treated with guideline-adherent optimal therapies after AMI.