Reji Pappy

Effect of statin therapy on contrast-induced nephropathy after coronary angiography: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Although the pleiotropic effects of statins are postulated to be renoprotective, clinical studies have demonstrated conflicting results. We undertook a meta-analysis of published trials to evaluate the impact of statin therapy on the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients undergoing coronary angiography. METHODS We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases through December 2010 for articles evaluating the effect of statins on the incidence of CIN in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using random effects modeling. RESULTS Three randomized controlled trials involving 770 patients (330 in the statin group and 340 in the control group) and 7 non-randomized studies involving 31,959 patients (11,936 statin-pretreated and 20,023 statin-naïve). The definition of CIN varied somewhat among the studies. Based on the pooled estimate across the 3 randomized controlled trials, statin therapy did not significantly reduce the incidence of CIN compared to control (OR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.41-1.41, p=0.39). No significant heterogeneity was found in the randomized studies (I(2)=0%, p=0.48). The pooled analysis of the non-randomized studies showed a marginally significant benefit associated with statin therapy (OR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.36-1.00, p=0.05). There was significant heterogeneity among the non-randomized studies (I(2)=88%, p<0.00001). CONCLUSIONS Our meta-analysis suggests that statin therapy might be associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of CIN in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Further studies are warranted to clarify this issue.

Impact of Diabetes Mellitus on Clinical Characteristics, Management, and In-hospital Outcomes in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction (from the NCDR)

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have worse outcomes versus those without DM. Comparative contemporary data in patients presenting with AMI with insulin-requiring diabetes mellitus (IRDM), noninsulin-requiring diabetes mellitus (NIRDM), and newly identified DM (hemoglobin A1C level >6.5%) versus patients without DM are limited. This observational study from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network-Get with the Guidelines (ACTION Registry-GWTG consisted of 243,861 patients with AMI from 462 US sites identified from January 2007 to March 2011 entered into the registry. Clinical characteristics, management, and in-hospital outcomes were analyzed. Patients with DM with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI; n = 53,094, 35%) were less likely to undergo diagnostic angiography or revascularization, whereas those with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (n = 21,507, 23%) were less likely to undergo reperfusion therapy compared with patients without DM. There was an increased adjusted risk of in-hospital mortality in the DM group in both the NSTEMI (odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06 to 1.22) and STEMI (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.27) population. In patients with DM, the risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality was higher in patients with IRDM than those with NIRDM in the NSTEMI group (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.24) but not in the STEMI group (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.32). Newly diagnosed patients with DM presenting with AMI had similar unadjusted in-hospital outcomes compared with patients without DM. In conclusion, patients with DM presenting with AMI have a higher mortality risk than patients without DM. In patients with DM, those with IRDM presenting with NSTEMI had an increased mortality than those with NIRDM.

Giant splenic artery aneurysm: Managed in the cardiovascular catheterization laboratory using the modified neck remodeling technique

We report the first case of coil embolization using the “modified neck remodeling technique” in the management of a splenic artery aneurysm. This technique was feasible due to the unique and complex anatomy of the aneurysm. This condition has been largely treated by vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists; however, this patient was referred to the interventional cardiologists for endovascular coiling.

Rapidly Evolving Coronary Aneurysm in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) formation in the setting of an acute inflammatory state due to connective tissue disease is rare. We report a case of rapid progression from an ectatic to an aneursymatic left circumflex coronary artery leading to an acute coronary event in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We report the accelerated growth of the aneurysm as it was temporally related to the lapse in treatment and the management strategies involved with this entity.

Retrograde access via the popliteal artery to facilitate the re-entry technique for recalcitrant superficial femoral artery Chronic total occlusions†

Subintimal recanalization is beneficial in selected patients with peripheral chronic total occlusions (CTO). However, in complex cases, re‐entry into the true arterial lumen may prove to be unsuccessful with a conventional guidewire or a re‐entry catheter when using standard femoral artery access. Our case series describes these technical dilemmas along with strategies that can be utilized to overcome these challenges.

Isolated Pharmacomechanical Thrombectomy for the Management of Chronic DVT

Thrombo-reduction in the setting of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) to prevent the postthrombotic syndrome has not been traditionally managed by interventional cardiologists. We report a case series of successful chronic DVT management with pharmacomechanical thrombectomy utilizing the Trellis device.

Bifurcated aortic endograft limb occlusion managed with a novel method of isolated pharmacomechanical thrombectomy

Limb occlusion of an aortic endograft is uncommon, however, it can result in permanent sequelae if management is delayed. We report the first case utilizing the Trellis device to achieve localized and prompt isolated pharmacomechanical thrombectomy (PMT) for the treatment of acute limb thrombosis of a bifurcated aortic endograft.