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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Observational registries have suggested that optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging-derived parameters may predict adverse events after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. The present analysis sought to determine the OCT predictors of clinical outcomes from the large-scale ILUMIEN IV trial. METHODS: ILUMIEN IV was a prospective, single-blind trial of 2487 patients with diabetes or high-risk lesions randomized to OCT-guided versus angiography-guided DES implantation. All patients underwent final OCT imaging (blinded in the angiography-guided arm). From more than 20 candidates, the independent OCT predictors of 2-year target lesion failure (TLF; the primary endpoint), cardiac death or target-vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI), ischaemia-driven target lesion revascularization (ID-TLR), and stent thrombosis were analysed by multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression in single treated lesions. RESULTS: A total of 2128 patients had a single treated lesion with core laboratory-analysed final OCT. The 2-year Kaplan-Meier rates of TLF, cardiac death or TV-MI, ID-TLR, and stent thrombosis were 6.3% (n = 130), 3.3% (n = 68), 4.3% (n = 87), and 0.9% (n = 18), respectively. The independent predictors of 2-year TLF were a smaller minimal stent area (per 1 mm2 increase: hazard ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.68-0.89, P < .0001) and proximal edge dissection (hazard ratio 1.77, 95% confidence interval 1.20-2.62, P = .004). The independent predictors of cardiac death or TV-MI were smaller minimal stent area and longer stent length; of ID-TLR were smaller intra-stent flow area and proximal edge dissection; and of stent thrombosis was smaller minimal stent expansion. CONCLUSIONS: In the ILUMIEN IV trial, the most important OCT-derived post-DES predictors of both safety and effectiveness outcomes were parameters related to stent area, expansion and flow, proximal edge dissection, and stent length.

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BACKGROUND: About half of patients with severe aortic stenosis present with concomitant coronary artery disease. The optimal timing of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with severe aortic stenosis and concomitant coronary artery disease remains unknown. STUDY DESIGN: The TAVI PCI trial is a prospective, international, multicenter, randomized, 2-arm, open-label study planning to enroll a total of 986 patients. It is designed to investigate whether the strategy "angiography-guided complete revascularization after (within 1-45 days) TAVI" is noninferior to the strategy "angiography-guided complete revascularization before (within 1-45 days) TAVI" using the Edwards SAPIEN 3 or 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve in patients with severe aortic stenosis and concomitant coronary artery disease. Patients are randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of the 2 treatment strategies. The primary end point is a composite of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemia-driven revascularization, rehospitalization (valve- or procedure-related including heart failure), or life-threatening/disabling or major bleeding at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: The TAVI PCI trial tests the hypothesis that the strategy "PCI after TAVI" is noninferior to the strategy "PCI before TAVI" in patients with severe aortic stenosis and concomitant coronary artery disease.

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BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQL) has become an important outcome parameter in cardiology. The MOS 36-ltem Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the PROMIS-29 are two widely used generic measures providing composite HRQL scores. The domains of the SF-36, a well-established instrument utilized for several decades, can be aggregated to physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores. Alternative scoring algorithms for correlated component scores (PCSc and MCSc) have also been suggested. The PROMIS-29 is a newer but increasingly used HRQL measure. Analogous to the SF-36, physical and mental health summary scores can be derived from PROMIS-29 domain scores, based on a correlated factor solution. So far, scores from the PROMIS-29 are not directly comparable to SF-36 results, complicating the aggregation of research findings. Thus, our aim was to provide algorithms to convert PROMIS-29 data to well-established SF-36 component summary scores. METHODS: Data from n = 662 participants of the Berlin Long-term Observation of Vascular Events (BeLOVE) study were used to estimate linear regression models with either PROMIS-29 domain scores or aggregated PROMIS-29 physical/mental health summary scores as predictors and SF-36 physical/mental component summary scores as outcomes. Data from a subsequent assessment point (n = 259) were used to evaluate the agreement between empirical and predicted SF-36 scores. RESULTS: PROMIS-29 domain scores as well as PROMIS-29 health summary scores showed high predictive value for PCS, PCSc, and MCSc (R2 ≥ 70%), and moderate predictive value for MCS (R2 = 57% and R2 = 40%, respectively). After applying the regression coefficients to new data, empirical and predicted SF-36 component summary scores were highly correlated (r > 0.8) for most models. Mean differences between empirical and predicted scores were negligible (|SMD|<0.1). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides easy-to-apply algorithms to convert PROMIS-29 data to well-established SF-36 physical and mental component summary scores in a cardiovascular population. Applied to new data, the agreement between empirical and predicted SF-36 scores was high. However, for SF-36 mental component summary scores, considerably better predictions were found under the correlated (MCSc) than under the original factor model (MCS). Additionally, as a pertinent byproduct, our study confirmed construct validity of the relatively new PROMIS-29 health summary scores in cardiology patients.

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BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease represents one of the strongest risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, and particularly for heart failure. Despite improved pharmaceutical treatments, mortality remains high. Recently, experimental studies demonstrated that mosaic loss of Y chromosome (LOY) associates with cardiac fibrosis in male mice. Since diffuse cardiac fibrosis is the common denominator for progression of all forms of heart failure, we determined the association of LOY on mortality and cardiovascular disease outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease. METHODS: LOY was quantified in men with stable chronic kidney disease (CARE for HOMe study, n=279) and dialysis patients (4D study, n=544). The association between LOY and mortality, combined cardiovascular and heart failure-specific end points, and echocardiographic measures was assessed. RESULTS: In CARE for HOMe, the frequency of LOY increased with age. LOY >17% was associated with increased mortality (heart rate, 2.58 [95% CI, 1.33-5.03]) and risk for cardiac decompensation or death (heart rate, 2.30 [95% CI, 1.23-4.27]). Patients with LOY >17% showed a significant decline of ejection fraction and an increase of E/E' within 5 years. Consistently, in the 4D study, LOY >17% was significantly associated with increased mortality (heart rate, 2.76 [95% CI, 1.83-4.16]), higher risk of death due to heart failure and sudden cardiac death (heart rate, 4.11 [95% CI, 2.09-8.08]), but not atherosclerotic events. Patients with LOY >17% showed significantly higher plasma levels of soluble interleukin 1 receptor-like 1, a biomarker for myocardial fibrosis. Mechanistically, intermediate monocytes from patients with LOY >17% showed significantly higher C-C chemokine receptor type 2 expression and higher plasma levels of the C-C chemokine receptor type 2 chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2, which may have contributed to increased heart failure events. CONCLUSIONS: LOY identifies male patients with chronic kidney disease at high risk for mortality and heart failure events.

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BACKGROUND: Complete revascularization is associated with improved outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction and multivessel coronary artery disease. Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) represents an emerging angiography-based tool for functional lesion assessment. The present study investigated the prognostic impact of QFR-consistent complete revascularization in patients with myocardial infarction and multivessel disease. METHODS: A total of 792 patients with myocardial infarction and multivessel disease were enrolled in the analysis. Post-hoc QFR analyses of 1,320 nonculprit vessels were performed by investigators blinded to clinical outcomes. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, nonculprit vessel related nonfatal myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven revascularization at 2 years after index myocardial infarction. Patients were stratified into a QFR-consistent PCI group (n = 646) and a QFR-inconsistent PCI group (n = 146), based on whether the intervention was congruent with the QFR-determined functional significance of the nonculprit lesions. RESULTS: The primary endpoint occurred in a total of 22 patients (3.4%) in the QFR-consistent PCI group and in 27 patients (18.5%) in the QFR-inconsistent group (HR 0.17, 95% CI 0.10-0.30, P < .001).The difference in the primary endpoint was driven by reduced rates of nonfatal myocardial infarction (2.0% vs. 15.1%; HR 0.13, 95% CI 0.06-0.25; P < .001) and ischemia-driven revascularization (1.2% vs. 5.5%; HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.57; P = .001) in the QFR-consistent PCI group. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with myocardial infarction and multivessel disease, a QFR-consistent complete revascularization was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven revascularization. These findings underline the value of angiography-based functional lesion assessment for personalized revascularization strategies.

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(1) Background: Dyslipidemia represents a major risk factor for atherosclerosis-driven cardiovascular disease. Emerging evidence suggests a close relationship between cholesterol metabolism and gut microbiota. Recently, we demonstrated that the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) propionate (PA) reduces serum cholesterol levels through an immunomodulatory mechanism. Here, we investigated the effects of oral PA supplementation on the human serum metabolome and analyzed changes in the serum metabolome in relation to the cholesterol-lowering properties of PA. (2) Methods: The serum metabolome of patients supplemented with either placebo or propionate orally for 8 weeks was assessed using a combination of flow injection analysis-tandem (FIA-MS/MS) as well as liquid chromatography (LC-MS/MS) and mass spectrometry using a targeted metabolomics kit (MxP®Quant 500 kit: BIOCRATES Life Sciences AG, Innsbruck, Austria). A total of 431 metabolites were employed for further investigation in this study. (3) Results: We observed a significant increase in distinct bile acids (GCDCA: fold change = 1.41, DCA: fold change = 1.39, GUDCA: fold change = 1.51) following PA supplementation over the study period, with the secondary bile acid DCA displaying a significant negative correlation with the serum cholesterol levels. (4) Conclusions: Oral supplementation with PA modulates the serum metabolome with a particular impact on the circulatory bile acid profile. Since cholesterol and bile acid metabolism are interconnected, the elevation of the secondary bile acid DCA may contribute to the cholesterol-lowering effect of PA.

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Importance: Elevated values of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) are common in patients with acute ischemic stroke and are associated with poor prognosis. However, diagnostic and therapeutic implications in patients with ischemic stroke remain unclear. Objective: To identify factors indicative of myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with acute ischemic stroke and hs-cTn elevation. The primary hypothesis was that a dynamic change of hs-cTn values (>50% change) in patients with acute ischemic stroke indicates MI. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study was a prospective, observational study with blinded end-point assessment conducted across 26 sites in Germany. Patients were included if they had acute ischemic stroke within 72 hours and either (1) highly elevated hs-cTn values on admission (>52 ng/L) or (2) hs-cTn levels above the upper limit of normal and a greater than 20% change at repeated measurements. Patients were enrolled between August 2018 and October 2020 and had 1 year of follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed between April 2022 and August 2023. Exposure: Standardized electrocardiography, echocardiography, and coronary angiography. Main Outcome and Measures: Diagnosis of MI as adjudicated by an independent end-point committee based on the findings of electrocardiography, echocardiography, and coronary angiography. Results: In total, 254 patients were included. End points were adjudicated in 247 patients (median [IQR] age, 75 [66-82] years; 117 were female [47%] and 130 male [53%]). MI was present in 126 of 247 patients (51%) and classified as type 1 MI in 50 patients (20%). Dynamic change in hs-cTn value was not associated with MI in univariable (32% vs 38%; χ2 P = .30) or adjusted comparison (odds ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.31-3.33). The baseline absolute hs-cTn value was independently associated with type 1 MI. The best cutoffs for predicting type 1 MI were at hs-cTn values 5 to 10 times the upper limit normal. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that in patients with acute ischemic stroke, a dynamic change in hs-cTn values did not identify MI, underscoring that dynamic changes do not identify the underlying pathophysiological mechanism. In exploratory analyses, very high absolute hs-cTn values were associated with a diagnosis of type 1 MI. Further studies are needed how to best identify patients with stroke who should undergo coronary angiography.

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BACKGROUND: Approximately one-third of sudden cardiac deaths in the young (SCDY) occur due to a structural cardiac disease. Forty to fifty percent of SCDY cases remain unexplained after autopsy (including microscopic and forensic-toxicological analyses), suggesting arrhythmia syndromes as a possible cause of death. Due to the possible inheritability of these diseases, blood relatives of the deceased may equally be carriers of the causative genetic variations and therefore may have an increased cardiac risk profile. A better understanding of the forensic, clinical, and genetic data might help identify a subset of the general population that is at increased risk of sudden cardiac death. STUDY DESIGN: The German registry RESCUED (REgistry for Sudden Cardiac and UnExpected Death) comprises information about SCDY fatalities and clinical and genetic data of both the deceased and their biological relatives. The datasets collected in the RESCUED registry will allow for the identification of leading causes of SCDY in Germany and offer unique possibilities of scientific analyses with the aim of detecting unrecognized trends, risk factors, and clinical warning signs of SCDY. In a pilot phase of 24 months, approximately 180 SCDY cases (< 50 years of age) and 500 family members and clinical patients will be included. CONCLUSION: RESCUED is the first registry in Germany collecting comprehensive data of SCDY cases and clinical data of the biological relatives reviewed by cardiac experts. RESCUED aims to improve individual risk assessment and public health approaches by directing resources towards early diagnosis and evidence-based, personalized therapy and prevention in affected families. Trial registration number (TRN): DRKS00033543.

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BACKGROUND: The latest generation ultrathin Supraflex Cruz (Sahajanand Medical Technologies Limited, Surat, India) sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) has shown early healing properties and represents an attractive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) device in a high bleeding risk (HBR) population. The aim of this Cruz HBR registry was to assess safety and efficacy of the Supraflex Cruz SES in a large cohort of all-comer patients, of whom about one third were patients at HBR. METHODS: Patients undergoing PCI were enrolled in this prospective, multi-centre, open label registry and stratified into non-HBR and HBR groups. The primary endpoint was a device-oriented composite endpoint (DOCE), a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction not clearly attributable to a non-target vessel and clinically driven target lesion revascularization within 12 months after PCI. The predefined aims were to show non-inferiority of the non-HBR group to the Supraflex arm of the TALENT Trial, and of the HBR group to polymer-free biolimus-coated stent arm of LEADERS FREE Trial. RESULTS: A total of 1203 patients were enrolled across 26 European centers, including a significant proportion (38.7%; N.=466) of HBR patients. A total of 1745 lesions were treated in 1203 patients and 2235 stents were implanted. The DOCE occurred within the total cohort in 5.8% of patients with a significant difference between HBR patients and non-HBR patients (8.1% vs. 4.4%; P<0.001). All-cause mortality at 12 months was significantly (P<0.0001) different among HBR (9.0%) and non-HBR patients (1.7%), respectively. At 12 months, the overall incidence of definite and probable stent thrombosis was 1.0%. Major bleeding occurred in 5.9% patients of the HBR group. These results met the non-inferiority criteria with respect to the TALENT trial for the non-HBR group (P<0.0001), and the LEADERS FREE trial for the HBR group (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The Cruz HBR registry confirms that PCI with the Supraflex Cruz SES is associated with a favorable clinical outcome in an all-comer population, including complex patients with HBR.

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"Full moon" is a central calcification that occludes the entire vessel on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We examined the association of full moon calcification as identified by CCTA, on clinical and procedural outcomes of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We studied patients who underwent elective CTO-PCI in 2 European centers and had preprocedural CCTA. The primary end point was the inability to cross the lesion and/or the need for extensive debulking techniques. Secondary end points were procedural success, in-hospital cardiac mortality, the need for extensive debulking techniques, myocardial infarction, major adverse cardiac events (defined as in-hospital death, myocardial infarction, and clinically driven target vessel revascularization), and stent thrombosis. Secondary procedural end points included procedural time, fluoroscopy time, number of guidewires and balloons, stent length, number and diameter, and contrast volume. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, identifying potential covariates related to the primary outcome according to knowledge and previous studies. Subsequently, a stepwise selection approach was performed to select factors with the greatest predictive value. Of 140 patients included, 28 (20%) had a full moon calcified CTO plaque. Patients in the full moon group were older and had more cardiovascular risk factors. There was not significant difference in the need for retrograde approach and anterograde dissection and reentry techniques between the full moon group and the other groups (32.1% vs 37.5%, p = 0.59 and 0% vs 1.7%, p = 0.47, respectively). Patients in the full moon group had greater incidence of the primary outcome than did those who did not have full moon morphology (53.5% vs 12.5%, p <0.001). On multivariable analysis that included chronic kidney failure and previous coronary artery bypass surgery, full moon calcification was associated with greater incidence of the primary end point (odds ratio 6.5, 95% confidence interval 2.1 to 20.5, p = 0.001). Moreover, less procedural success (71.4% vs 87.5%, p = 0.03), greater incidence of coronary perforations (14.2% vs 3.5%, p <0.02), and greater procedural (172.5 [118.0 to 237.5] vs 144.0 [108.50 to 174.75], p = 0.02) and fluoroscopic time (62.6 [38.1 to 83.0] vs 42.8 [29.5 to 65.7], p = 0.03) were observed in the full moon group. Overall major adverse cardiac events did not differ between the 2 groups (1 patient in the full moon group vs 1 patient in the non-full moon group; 3.5% vs 0.8%, p = 0.29). In conclusion, full moon calcification on CCTA was independently associated with procedural complexity and adverse outcomes in CTO-PCI.

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BACKGROUND: ILUMIEN IV was the first large-scale, multicenter, randomized trial comparing optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided vs angiography-guided stent implantation in patients with high-risk clinical characteristics and/or complex angiographic lesions. OBJECTIVES: The authors aimed to specifically examine outcomes in the complex angiographic lesions subgroup. METHODS: From the original trial population (N = 2,487), high-risk patients without complex angiographic lesions were excluded (n = 514). Complex angiographic lesion characteristics included: 1) long or multiple lesions with intended total stent length ≥28 mm; 2) bifurcation lesion with intended 2-stent strategy; 3) severely calcified lesion; 4) chronic total occlusion; or 5) in-stent restenosis. The study endpoints were: 1) final minimal stent area (MSA); 2) 2-year composite of serious major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) (cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction [MI], or stent thrombosis); and 3) 2-year effectiveness, defined as target-vessel failure (TVF), a composite of cardiac death, target-vessel MI, or ischemia-driven target-vessel revascularization. RESULTS: The postpercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) MSA was larger in the OCT-guided (n = 992) vs angiography-guided (n = 981) group (5.56 ± 1.95 mm2 vs 5.26 ± 1.81 mm2; difference, 0.30; 95% CI: 0.14-0.47; P < 0.001). Compared with angiography-guided PCI, OCT-guided PCI resulted in a lower risk of serious MACE (3.1% vs 4.9%; HR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.40-0.99; P = 0.04). TVF was not significantly different between groups (7.3% vs 8.8%; HR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.59-1.12; P = 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: In complex angiographic lesions, OCT-guided PCI led to a larger MSA and reduced the serious MACE, the composite of cardiac death, target-vessel MI, or stent thrombosis, compared with angiography-guided PCI at 2 years, but did not significantly improve TVF. (Optical Coherence Tomography Guided Coronary Stent Implantation Compared to Angiography: A Multicenter Randomized Trial in PCI; NCT03507777).

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Purpose To examine the clinical feasibility of workstation-based CT fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) for coronary artery disease (CAD) evaluation during preprocedural planning in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Materials and Methods In this retrospective single-center study, 434 patients scheduled for TAVR between 2018 and 2020 were screened for study inclusion; a relevant proportion of patients (35.0% [152 of 434]) was not suitable for evaluation due to insufficient imaging properties. A total of 112 patients (mean age, 82.1 years ± 6.7 [SD]; 58 [52%] men) were included in the study. Invasive angiography findings, coronary CT angiography results, and Agatston score were acquired and compared with on-site CT-FFR computation for evaluation of CAD and prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within a 24-month follow-up. Results Hemodynamic relevant CAD, as suggested by CT-FFR of 0.80 or less, was found in 41 of 70 (59%) patients with stenosis of 50% or more. MACE occurred in 23 of 112 (20.5%) patients, from which 14 of 23 had stenoses with CT-FFR of 0.80 or less (hazard ratio [HR], 3.33; 95% CI: 1.56, 7.10; P = .002). CT-FFR remained a significant predictor of MACE after inclusion in a multivariable model with relevant covariables (HR, 2.89; 95% CI: 1.22, 6.86; P = .02). An Agatston score of 1000 Agatston units or more (HR, 2.25; 95% CI: 0.98, 5.21; P = .06) and stenoses of 50% or more determined via invasive angiography (HR, 0.94; 95% CI: 0.41, 2.17; P = .88) were not significant predictors of MACE. Conclusion Compared with conventional CAD markers, CT-FFR better predicted adverse outcomes after TAVR. A relevant portion of the screened cohort, however, was not suitable for CT-based CAD evaluation. Keywords: CT, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation/Replacement (TAVI/TAVR), Cardiac, Coronary Arteries, Outcomes Analysis © RSNA, 2024 See also the commentary by Weir-McCall and Pugliese in this issue.

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PET probes targeting fibroblasts are frequently used for varying applications in oncology. In recent years, the clinical spectrum has been expanded towards cardiovascular medicine, e.g., after myocardial infarction, in aortic stenosis or as a non-invasive read-out of atherosclerosis. We herein provide a brief overview of the current status of this PET radiotracer in the context of cardiovascular disease, including translational and clinical evidence. In addition, we will also briefly discuss future applications, e.g., the use of fibroblast-targeting PET to investigate bilateral organ function along the cardiorenal axis.

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Critical care cardiology (CCC) in the modern era is shaped by a multitude of innovative treatment options and an increasingly complex, ageing patient population. Generating high-quality evidence for novel interventions and devices in an intensive care setting is exceptionally challenging. As a result, formulating the best possible therapeutic approach continues to rely predominantly on expert opinion and local standard operating procedures. Fostering the full potential of CCC and the maturation of the next generation of decision-makers in this field calls for an updated training concept, that encompasses the extensive knowledge and skills required to care for critically ill cardiac patients while remaining adaptable to the trainee's individual career planning and existing educational programs. In the present manuscript, we suggest a standardized training phase in preparation of the first ICU rotation, propose a modular CCC core curriculum, and outline how training components could be conceptualized within three sub-specialization tracks for aspiring cardiac intensivists.

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BACKGROUND: There is a lack of comparative data on transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in degenerated surgical prostheses (valve-in-valve [ViV]). AIMS: We sought to compare outcomes of using two self-expanding transcatheter heart valve (THV) systems for ViV. METHODS: In this retrospective multicentre registry, we included consecutive patients undergoing transfemoral ViV using either the ACURATE neo/neo2 (ACURATE group) or the Evolut R/PRO/PRO+ (EVOLUT group). The primary outcome measure was technical success according to Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-3. Secondary outcomes were 30-day all-cause mortality, device success (VARC-3), coronary obstruction (CO) requiring intervention, rates of severe prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM), and aortic regurgitation (AR) ≥moderate. Comparisons were made after 1:1 propensity score matching. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised 835 patients from 20 centres (ACURATE n=251; EVOLUT n=584). In the matched cohort (n=468), technical success (ACURATE 92.7% vs EVOLUT 88.9%; p=0.20) and device success (69.7% vs 73.9%; p=0.36) as well as 30-day mortality (2.8% vs 1.6%; p=0.392) were similar between the two groups. The mean gradients and rates of severe PPM, AR ≥moderate, or CO did not differ between the groups. Technical and device success were higher for the ACURATE platform among patients with a true inner diameter (ID) >19 mm, whereas a true ID ≤19 mm was associated with higher device success - but not technical success - among Evolut recipients. CONCLUSIONS: ViV TAVI using either ACURATE or Evolut THVs showed similar procedural outcomes. However, a true ID >19 mm was associated with higher device success among ACURATE recipients, whereas in patients with a true ID ≤19 mm, device success was higher when using Evolut.

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AIMS: A thorough characterization of the relationship between elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and coronary artery disease (CAD) is lacking. This study aimed to quantitatively assess the association of increasing Lp(a) levels and CAD severity in a real-world population. METHODS AND RESULTS: This non-interventional, cross-sectional, LipidCardio study included patients aged ≥21 years undergoing angiography (October 2016-March 2018) at a tertiary cardiology centre, who have at least one Lp(a) measurement. The association between Lp(a) and CAD severity was determined by synergy between PCI with taxus and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX)-I and Gensini scores and angiographic characteristics. Overall, 975 patients (mean age: 69.5 years) were included; 70.1% were male, 97.5% had Caucasian ancestry, and 33.2% had a family history of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Median baseline Lp(a) level was 19.3 nmol/L. Patients were stratified by baseline Lp(a): 72.9% had < 65 nmol/L, 21.0% had ≥100 nmol/L, 17.2% had ≥125 nmol/L, and 12.9% had ≥150 nmol/L. Compared with the normal (Lp(a) < 65 nmol/L) group, elevated Lp(a) groups (e.g. ≥ 150 nmol/L) had a higher proportion of patients with prior CAD (48.4% vs. 62.7%; P < 0.01), prior coronary revascularization (39.1% vs. 51.6%; P = 0.01), prior coronary artery bypass graft (6.0% vs. 15.1%; P < 0.01), vessel(s) with lesions (68.5% vs. 81.3%; P = 0.03), diffusely narrowed vessels (10.9% vs. 16.5%; P = 0.01) or chronic total occlusion lesions (14.3% vs. 25.2%; P < 0.01), and higher median SYNTAX-I (3.0 vs. 5.5; P = 0.01) and Gensini (10.0 vs. 16.0; P < 0.01) scores. CONCLUSION: Elevated Lp(a) was associated with a more severe presentation of CAD. Awareness of Lp(a) levels in patients with CAD may have implications in their clinical management.

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) suffer with progressive plaque buildup in the walls of coronary blood vessels, which restricts blood flow and may result in serious cardiovascular outcomes such as chest pain (angina) and heart attacks (myocardial infarction). In this study, we assessed whether elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)­a lipoprotein found in blood] are associated with more severe illness. We observed that elevated Lp(a) was associated with a higher proportion of patients with prior CAD, prior interventions on coronary blood vessels, and more diseased blood vessels. These collectively form what is considered a 'severe' clinical presentation of CAD, meaning a greater likelihood of adverse clinical outcomes.

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Background: Randomized evidence suggested improved outcomes in fractional flow reserve (FFR) guidance of coronary revascularization compared to medical therapy in well-defined patient cohorts. However, the impact of FFR-guided revascularization on long-term outcomes of unselected patients with chronic or acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is unknown. Aims: The FLORIDA (Fractional FLOw Reserve In cardiovascular DiseAses) study sought to investigate outcomes of FFR-guided vs. angiography-guided treatment strategies in a large, real-world cohort. Methods: This study included patients enrolled into the German InGef Research Database. Patients undergoing coronary angiography between January 2014 and December 2015 were included in the analysis. Eligible patients had at least one inpatient coronary angiogram for suspected coronary artery disease between January 2014 and December 2015. Patients were stratified into FFR arm if a coronary angiography with adjunctive FFR measurement was performed, otherwise into the angiography-only arm. Matching was applied to ensure a balanced distribution of baseline characteristics in the study cohort. Patients were followed for 3 years after index date and primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Results: In the matched population, mortality at 3 years was 9.6% in the FFR-assessed group and 12.6% in the angiography-only group (p = 0.002), corresponding to a 24% relative risk reduction with use of FFR. This effect was most pronounced in patients in whom revascularization was deferred based on FFR (8.7% vs. 12.3%, p = 0.04) and in high-risk subgroups including patients aged ≥75 years (14.9% vs. 20.1%, p < 0.01) and those presenting with ACS (10.2% vs. 14.0%, p = 0.04). Conclusions: FFR-based revascularization strategy was associated with reduced mortality at 3 years. These findings further support the use of FFR in everyday clinical practice.

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AIMS: We examined the cardiovascular effects of celiac disease (CeD) in a humanized mouse model, with a focus on vascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. METHODS AND RESULTS: NOD.DQ8 mice genetically predisposed to CeD were subjected to a diet regime and oral gavage to induce the disease (gluten group vs. control). We tested vascular function, confirmed disease indicators, and evaluated inflammation and oxidative stress in various tissues. Plasma proteome profiling was also performed. CeD markers were confirmed in the gluten group, indicating increased blood pressure and impaired vascular relaxation. Pro-inflammatory genes were upregulated in this group, with increased CD11b+ myeloid cell infiltration and oxidative stress parameters observed in aortic and heart tissue. However, heart function remained unaffected. Plasma proteomics suggested the cytokine interleukin-17A (IL-17A) as a link between gut and vascular inflammation. Cardiovascular complications were reversed by adopting a gluten-free diet. CONCLUSION: Our study sheds light in the heightened cardiovascular risk associated with active CeD, revealing a gut-to-cardiovascular inflammatory axis potentially mediated by immune cell infiltration and IL-17A. These findings augment our understanding of the link between CeD and cardiovascular disease providing clinically relevant insight into the underlying mechanism. Furthermore, our discovery that cardiovascular complications can be reversed by a gluten-free diet underscores a critical role for dietary interventions in mitigating cardiovascular risks associated with CeD.

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INTRODUCTION: Risk stratification based on Euroscore II (ESII) is used in some centres to assist decisions to perform transcatheter aortic valve implant (TAVI) procedures. ESII is a generic, non-TAVI-specific metric, and its performance fades for mortality at follow-up longer than 30 days. We investigated if a TAVI-specific predictive model could achieve improved predictive preinterventional accuracy of 1-year mortality compared with ESII. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective pilot study, 284 participants with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis who underwent TAVI were enrolled. Standard clinical metrics (American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA), New York Heart Association and ESII) and patient-reported outcome measures (EuroQol-5 Dimension-Visual Analogue Scale, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS)) were assessed 1 day before TAVI. Using these data, we tested predictive models (logistic regression and decision tree algorithm (DTA)) with 1-year mortality as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Logistic regression yielded the best prediction, with ASA and CFS as the strongest predictors of 1-year mortality. Our logistic regression model score showed significantly better prediction accuracy than ESII (area under the curve=0.659 vs 0.800; p=0.002). By translating our results to a DTA, cut-off score values regarding 1-year mortality risk emerged for low, intermediate and high risk. Treatment costs and length of stay (LoS) significantly increased in high-risk patients. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: A novel TAVI-specific model predicts 1-year mortality, LoS and costs after TAVI using simple, established, transparent and inexpensive metrics before implantation. Based on this preliminary evidence, TAVI team members and patients can make informed decisions based on a few key metrics. Validation of this score in larger patient cohorts is needed.

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An 80-year-old post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patient had an acute coronary syndrome with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (ACS-NSTE) with saphenous vein graft (SVG)-obtuse marginal stenosis. High-definition intravascular ultrasound revealed an underexpanded SVG stent with a hyperechoic structure. Optical coherence tomography confirmed surgical clip causing compression, resolved by post-dilation. This case underscores ACS-NSTE complexity post-CABG and the critical role of coronary imaging in optimizing interventions by addressing surgical clip-induced compression.