Unloading and successful treatment with bioresorbable stents during percutaneous coronary intervention:A case report

BACKGROUND With the development of percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI),the number of interventional procedures without implantation,such as bioresorbable stents(BRS)and drug-coated balloons,has increased annually.Metal drug-eluting stent unloading is one of the most common clinical complications.Comparatively,BRS detachment is more concealed and harmful,but has yet to be reported in clinical research.In this study,we report a case of BRS unloading and successful rescue.This is a case of a 59-year-old male with the following medical history:“Type 2 diabetes mellitus”for 2 years,maintained with metformin extended-release tablets,1 g PO BID;“hypertension”for 20 years,with long-term use of metoprolol sustained-release tablets,47.5 mg PO QD;“hyperlipidemia”for 20 years,without regular medication.He was admitted to the emergency department of our hospital due to intermittent chest pain lasting 18 hours,on February 20,2022 at 15:35.Electrocardiogram results showed sinus rhythm,ST-segment elevation in leads I and avL,and poor R-wave progression in leads V1–3.High-sensitivity troponin I level was 4.59 ng/mL,indicating an acute high lateral wall myocardial infarction.The patient’s family requested treatment with BRS,without implanta-tion.During PCI,the BRS became unloaded but was successfully rescued.The patient was followed up for 2 years;he had no episodes of angina pectoris and was in generally good condition.CONCLUSION We describe a case of a 59-year-old male experienced BRS unloading and successful rescue.By analyzing images,the causes of BRS unloading and the treatment plan are discussed to provide insights for BRS release operations.We discuss preventive measures for BRS unloading.

Bioresorbable stent unloading during percutaneous coronary intervention:Early detection and management

In this letter,we comment on a recent case report by Sun et al in the World Journal of Cardiology.The report describes the successful management of a rare complication:The unloading or detachment of a bioresorbable stent(BRS)during percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)in a male patient.The unloading of BRS was detected via angiography and intravascular ultrasound(IVUS)imaging of the left coronary artery and left anterior descending artery.Although this case is interesting,the authors’report lacked crucial details.Specifically,insufficient information about the type of BRS used,potential causes of BRS unloading,or whether optical coherence tomography(OCT)imaging for coronary arteries was performed before,during,or after PCI.The OCT imaging of coronary arteries before PCI can potentially prevent BRS unloading due to its higher resolution compared to IVUS.In addition,despite detecting myocardial bridging during the PCI,the authors did not provide any details regarding this variation.Here we discuss the various types of BRS,the importance of OCT in PCI,and the clinical relevance of myocardial bridging.

Real-world five-year outcomes of FlexyRap®cobalt-chromium rapamycin-eluting stents with biodegradable polymer in patients with de-novo coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND The use of biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents(BP-DES)has been proven to minimize restenosis and stent thrombosis.The current post-marketing monitoring was observed at the 5-year clinical outcomes of individuals who had been treated with FlexyRap®DES in the real world.AIM To assess the safety and effectiveness of FlexyRap®DES at the 5-year follow-up in real-world settings.METHODS Findings from a retrospective,multi-center,observational,post-market clinical follow-up study of patients treated with FlexyRap®DES for de novo coronary artery disease(CAD)were reported.During the 12-mo follow-up,the primary endpoint was target lesion failure,which was defined as the composite of cardiovascular death, target vessel myocardial infarction(TV-MI), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization.RESULTS The data of 500 patients received with FlexyRap®DES was obtained at the completion of the surveillance timeline of 5-year.After the implantation of FlexyRap®DES,the device success rate was 100%.Adverse events that led to major bleeding,permanent disability,or death were not experienced in the patients.The major adverse cardiac event rate at 12-mo,3-year,and 5-year follow-up was 1(0.2%),0(0%),and 1(0.2%)respectively with 0(0%)cardiovascular death,2(0.4%)TV-MI,and 0(0%)TLR compositely.Furthermore,late stent thrombosis was found in 2(0.4%)patients at the follow-up of 12-mo,very late stent thrombosis was observed in 2 patients(0.4%)at 3-year follow-up.CONCLUSION FlexyRap®DES was proved to be safe and efficacious in real-world patients with de novo CAD,indicating a lowered rate of cardiac events and stent thrombosis at 5-year follow-up.

Twelve Months Clinical Outcomes after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Bare Metal Stents in Unselected Real-Life Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: Results from FLEXUS Study

Background: Though drug-eluting stent is widely used during coronary angioplasty, still there are conditions in which bare metal stents possess a priority role. Objectives: The aim of FLEXUS study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of Flexinnium stent in unselected real-life patients. Methods: The FLEXUS is a single-centric, observational, non-randomized, retrospective study performed from January to August 2014 in 216 patients who received Flexinnium stent. The end-point of study included device-oriented and patient-oriented clinical outcomes as per Academic Research Consortium consensus. These end-points were observed at in-hospital stay and 12-month follow-up. Results: Of 216 patients, 174 (80.6%) patients were male;there were 76 (35.2%) and 84 (38.9%) patients of diabetes and hypertension, respectively. Type B2 and C lesions accounted for 27 (11.3%) and 122 (50.8%), respectively. A total of 241 Flexinnium stents were implanted with an average diameter and length of 2.7 ± 0.2 mm and 21.6 ± 8.0 mm, respectively. The cumulative device-oriented composite at 12-month follow-up included 2.31% cardiac death, 1.39% myocardial infarction (MI) attributed to the target vessel, and 3.70% target lesion revascularization (TLR). Conclusion: FLEXUS study gives an idea about favorable safety and efficacy of the Flexinnium in unselected real-life patients with both simple and complex coronary lesions.

Cost-effectiveness modelling of percutaneous coronary interventions in stable coronary artery disease

The objective of this study is to develop a cost-effectiveness model comparing drug eluting stents(DES) vs bare metal stent(BMS) in patients suffering of stable coronary artery disease. Using a 2-years time horizon, two simulation models have been developed: BMS first line strategy and DES first line strategy. Direct medical costs were estimated considering ambulatory and hospital costs. The effectiveness endpoint was defined as treatment success, which is the absence of major adverse cardiac events. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were carried out using 10000 Monte-Carlo simulations. DES appeared slightly more efficacious over 2 years(60% of success) when compared to BMS(58% of success). Total costs over 2 years were estimated at 9303 € for the DES and at 8926 € for bare metal stent. Hence, corresponding mean cost-effectiveness ratios showed slightly lower costs(P < 0.05) per success for the BMS strategy(15520 €/success), as compared to the DES strategy(15588 €/success). Incremental costeffectiveness ratio is 18850 € for one additional percent of success. The sequential strategy including BMS as the first option appears to be slightly less efficacious but more cost-effective compared to the strategy including DES as first option. Future modelling approaches should confirm these results as further comparative data in stable coronary artery disease and long-term evidence become available.

Clinico-Angiographic Profile and Prevalence of Restenosis in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty to Left Main Coronary Artery: An Observational Cohort Study

Background: Patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention in left main coronary artery (LMCA) requires special concern, being high risk and increasing patient population. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical profile, angiographic status, and prevalence of restenosis in patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in LMCA. Materials and Methods: This observational cohort study included 17 patients who underwent PTCA in LMCA during one-year study period at tertiary care centers in Government Medical College, Kozhikode, India. Data including various risk factors, clinical and angiographic details, stent used, procedural complications and outcomes including rate of restenosis were analyzed. Results: A total of 17 patients (mean age 53.88 ± 9.80 years) with 76.47% of males were included in the study. Smoking and hypertension were the most common risk factors presented in 52.94% and 47.06% of patients respectively. Single vessel disease (SVD) of LMCA was the most common pattern observed in 47.10%;the rate of restenosis was observed in 11.76% patients. Revascularization was performed in one patient (5.88%) with coronary artery bypass graft and in one patient (5.88%) with PTCA using drug eluting stent (DES). The overall procedural success was 88.24% in this study. Survival rate was 100% at one-year follow-up period. Conclusion: Our study involved patients who underwent PTCA in LMCA, showed smoking as a most prevalent risk factor for coronary artery disease and SVD as a most common pattern, comparatively low rate of restenosis and 100% of survival rate at one-year follow-up period.

Percutaneous Coronary Interventional Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease and the Role of Antiplaplatelets Therapy: A Review of the Literature

Uses of balloon catheters or BMS for the treatment of coronary artery lesions shows good short-term results but long-term follow up revealed restenosis in up to 20%-30% of patients. Thus new improvements to balloons and stents are always necessary to achieve the best results from percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Drug-eluting stents (DES) improved the principles of bare metal stents (BMS) by local drug release to inhibit neointimal growth. DES reduced the incidence of in-stent restenosis. These benefits and lower costs compared to surgical treatment make the DES an attractive alternative for the treatment of coronary artery disease. Different components of DES which include the polymers, drugs and the stents underwent progressive evolution, and these led to development of new generations of DES with variable types of drugs and polymers to fully absorbable stents. The concern of stent thrombosis still an issue and dual antiplatlets therapy (DAPT) is mandatory for variable time ranging from one month to one year. This article discusses the main available clinical trials in the developments of BMS, DES and the comparison between both with a prospective look at future technologies in the field, in addition to reviewing the current guideline in the uses of DAPT after PCI.

PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY FOR COMPLICATED CORONARY ARTERY LESIONS

Objective To research the effect of percutaneous transluminalcoronary angioplasty (PTCA) on treating complicated artery lesions.Methods Type B or type C of complicated coronary artery lesionswere confirmed by selective coronary angingraphy in 16 cases with coronaryheart disease.Gruentzig’s method was used in carring out PTCA.Results Fifteen of sixteen and thirty-two of thirty-five parts ofcoronary artery lesions were dilated successfully,the success rate was 93.7%and 88.5%,respectively.In failed four parts of PTCA,three parts werebecause of the guilding wire or the balloon failed to pass the narrow arterythrough,the other one was unable to be performed for the occurrencedsevere arrthymia during the procedure.Four stents were implantend foracute accident.Symptoms of the successful cases were improved ordisappeared after PTCA.Conclusion PTCA is also fit in treating complicated coronary arterylesions and has a better therapeutic effect,but it has more complications andrun more risks relatively.

Safety and efficacy of dalteparin in percutaneous coronary intervention in Chinese patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary artery syndromes： comparison with unfractionated heparin

Objective To prospectively evaluate the safety and therapeutic efficacy ofdalteparin in patients with high risk non-ST- elevation acute coronary syndromes （ACS） during percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. Methods A total of 175 patients with high risk non-ST-elevation ACS were randomly assigned to 2 groups [dalteparin group and unfractionated heparin （UFH） group]. The patients in dalteparin group were given dalteparin at a dose of 5,000U subcutaneously soon after diagnosis and then an additional 60U/ kg intravenous bolus ofdalteparin before emergent PCI. Vascular access sheaths were removed immediately after PCI or coronary artery angiography; the patients in UFH group were given UFH intravenously at a dose of 25mg just before PCI and an additional 65mg bolus was administered if angiographic findings showed that the patients were suitable for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty （PTCA）. Sheaths were removed at 4-6 hours after PCI; Results Eighty-three patients in dalteparin group underwent PCI while 82 patients in UFH group underwent PCI; anti-Xa activities of 52 patients in daltepafin group were measured. The average anti-Xa activity was （0. 83± 0.26） U/ml at 15 minutes after intravenous injection of dalteparin and anti-Xa〉0.SU/ml was obtained in 96.1% of the patients; hematomas at puncture sites were significantly fewer in dalteparin group as compared with UFH group （2.3% vs 9.2%, P 〈 0.05）; none of the patients in 2 groups suffered major bleeding events. No death, acute arterial reocclusion or emergent revascularization events occurred at 30 days after PCI. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that early subcutaneous injection ofdalteparin at a dose 5,000U after diagnosis and an additional 60U/kg intravenous bolus ofdalteparin before PCI is safe and efficacious for patients with high risk non-ST-elevation ACS undergoing emergent PCI.

Illness Perception, Treatment Adherence and Coping in Persons with Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Angioplasty

Background and Objective: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of sudden death. In this article, we compared patients’ illness perception (IP), treatment adherence and coping mechanisms of patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Methods: In this descriptive, prospective observational study IP, treatment adherence and coping of 140 patients were evaluated pre-PTCA, at the time of hospital discharge and 1 to 3 months post-PTCA by Illness Perception Questionnaire, Morisky Treatment Adherence and Carver’s brief COPE questionnaires. Results: 1 - 3 months post-PTCA, all dimensions of IP changed significantly except personal and treatment control. Adherence scores decreased simultaneously. With respect to coping mechanisms, all increased except behavioral disengagement, emotional support, instrumental support and religion which decreased significantly post-PTCA. Conclusions: In Overall, an improved IP and increased use of controllable causal attributions led to an increase in medication adherence and adaptive coping strategies. Post-treatment health behaviors are predictable by assessing patients’ illness-related beliefs beforehand.

Changes in the safety paradigm with percutaneous coronary interventions in the modern era:Lessons learned from the ASCERT registry

In the past,comparative effectiveness trials evaluating percutaneous coronary interventions(PCI),using either balloon angioplasty or bare metal stent(BMS) implantation,versus coronary artery bypass surgery(CABG) found similar survival rates at long-term follow-up with both revascularization strategies.Two major meta-analyses of these trials reported 5-and 6-year comparative effectiveness between PCI and CABG:one included only four trials that compared PCI with BMS implantation versus CABG whereas the largest one also included trials using balloon angioplasty.In these studies,the authors observed no survival differences between groups although a significant survival advantage was seen in diabetics treated with CABG and this benefit was also perceived in elderly patients.In both reports,number of involved vessels,presence of left anterior descending artery stenosis or poor left ventricular ejection fraction were no predictors of poor survival with PCI.Therefore,extent of the coronary artery disease(CAD) was not associated with poor outcome after PCI in the pre-drug eluting stent(DES) era.Recently,the ASCERT(Database Collaboration on the Comparative Effectiveness of Revascularization Strategies) registry found higher mortality rate with PCI in patients ≥ 65 years old in comparison with CABG,and advantages of surgery were seen in all subgroups including those at low risk.In this registry,PCI was accomplished by implantation of the first type of DES designs in 78% of cases.The intriguing observation of high mortality rate with PCI,including for non-diabetics and patients with two-vessel CAD,meaning a lack of clinical benefit with DES implantation,had not been seen previously.The study was not randomized,although its results are largely strengthened by its sample size.In this manuscript,the authors describe other registries and randomized trials reporting similar results supporting the findings of the aforementioned study and explore the reasons for these results,while also searching for potential solutions.

Fundamentals of percutaneous coronary bifurcation interventions

Coronary bifurcation lesions(CBLs)account for 15%-20%of all percutaneous coronary interventions.The complex nature of these lesions is responsible for poorer procedural,early and late outcomes.This complex lesion subset has received great attention in the interventional cardiac community,and multiple stenting techniques have been developed.Of these,the provisional stenting technique is most often the default strategy;however,the elective double stenting(EDS)technique is preferred in certain subsets of complex CBLs.The double kissing crush technique may be the preferred EDS technique because of its efficacy and safety in comparative trials;however,this technique consists of many steps and requires training.Many new methods have recently been added to the EDS techniques to provide better stent scaffolding and to reduce early and late adverse outcomes.Intravascular imaging is necessary to determine the interventional strategy and postinterventional results.This review discusses the basic concepts,contemporary percutaneous interventional technical approaches,new methods,and controversial treatment issues of CBLs.

Shortened dual antiplatelet therapy in contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention era

Percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting is followed by a duration of dual antiplatelet therapy(DAPT)to reduce stent thrombosis and avoid target lesion failure.The period of DAPT recommended in international guidelines following drug-eluting stent implantation is 12 mo for most patients with acute coronary syndrome,and 6 mo for patients with chronic coronary syndrome or high bleeding risk.The new generation of drug-eluting stents have metallic platforms with thinner struts,associated with significantly less stent thrombosis.Shortened DAPT has been investigated with these stents,with evidence from randomised clinical trials for some individual stents showing non-inferior safety and efficacy outcomes.This has to be balanced by the effect of DAPT on secondary prevention of systemic cardiovascular disease especially in high-risk populations.This review will outline the current evidence for individual stents with regards to DAPT duration for both acute coronary syndrome and chronic coronary syndrome and discuss further directions for research and personalised medicine in this contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention era.

Comparison of the Efficacy of Drug-eluting Stents Versus Bare-metal Stents for the Treatment of Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

treatment of left main coronary artery （LMCA） disease in select patients. However, it is unclear whether drug-eluting stents （DESs） have better outcomes in patients with LMCA disease compared with bare-metal stent （BMS） during long-term follow-up in Chinese populations. Methods： From a perspective multicenter registry, 1136 consecutive patients, who underwent BMS or DES implantation for unprotected LMCA stenosis, were divided into two groups： 1007 underwent DES implantation, and 129 underwent BMS implantation. The primary outcome was the rate of major adverse cardiac events （MACEs）, including cardiovascular （CV） death, myocardial infarction （MI）, and target lesion revascularization （TLR） at 5 years postimplantation. Results： Patients in the DES group were older and more likely to have hyperlipidemia and bifurcation lesions. They had smaller vessels and longer lesions than patients in the BMS group. In the adjusted cohort of patients, the DES group had significantly lower 5 years rates of MACE （19.4% vs. 31.8%, P = 0.022）, CV death （7.0% vs. 14.7%, P = 0.045）, and MI （5.4% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.049） than the BMS group. There were no significant differences in the rate of TLR （10.9% vs. 17.8%, P = 0.110） and stent thrombosis （4.7% vs. 3.9%, P = 0.758）. The rates of MACE （80.6% vs. 68.2%, P = 0.023）, CV death （93.0% vs. 85.3%, P - 0.045）, TLR （84.5% vs. 72.1%, P = 0.014）, and MI （89.9% vs. 80.6%, P = 0.029） free survival were significantly higher in the DES group than in the BMS group. When the propensity score was included as a covariate in the Cox model, the adjusted hazard ratios for the risk of CV death and M1 were 0.41 （95% confidence interval [C/l： 0.21-0.63, P = 0.029） and 0.29 （95% CI： 0.08-0.92, P = 0.037）, respectively. Conelusions： DES implantation was associated with more favorable clinical outcomes than BMS implantation for the treatment of LMCA disease even though there was no significant difference in the rate of TLR between the two groups.

Predictive Ability of the SYNergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with TAXus and Cardiac Surgery Score Ⅱ for Long-term Mortality in Patients with Three-vessel Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Treated

Background：The SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with TAXus and cardiac surgery Score Ⅱ （SS-Ⅱ） can well predict 4-year mortality in patients with complex coronary artery disease （CAD）,and guide decision-making between coronary artery bypass graft surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）.However,there is lack of data regarding the utility of the SS-Ⅱ in patients with three-vessel CAD undergoing PCI treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents （DES）.The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the ability of the SS-Ⅱ to predict long-term mortality in patients with three-vessel CAD undergoing PCI with second-generation DES.Methods：Totally,573 consecutive patients with de novo three-vessel CAD who underwent PCI with second-generation DES were retrospectively studied.According to the tertiles of the SS-Ⅱ,the patients were divided into three groups：The lowest SS-Ⅱ tertile （SS-Ⅱ ≤20）,intermediate SS-Ⅱ tertile （SS-Ⅱ of 21-31）,and the highest SS-Ⅱ tertile （SS-Ⅱ ≥32）.The survival curves of the different groups were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between the SS-Ⅱ and 5-year mortality.The performance of the SS-Ⅱ with respect to predicting the rate of mortality was studied by calculating the area under the receiver operator characteristic （ROC） curve.The predictive ability of the SS-Ⅱ for 5-year mortality was evaluated and compared with the SS alone.Results：The overall SS-Ⅱ was 27.6 ± 9.0.Among patients in the lowest,intermediate and the highest SS-Ⅱ tertiles,the 5-year rates of mortality were 1.6%,3.2%,and 8.6%,respectively （P =0.003）;the cardiac mortality rates were 0.5%,1.9%,and 5.2%,respectively （P =0.014）.By multivariable analysis,adjusting for the potential confounders,the SS-Ⅱ was an independent predictor of 5-year mortality （hazard ratio：2.45,95% confidence interval：1.38-4.36;P=0.002）.The SS-Ⅱ demonstrated a higher predictive accuracy for 5-year mortality compared with the SS alone （the area under the ROC curve was 0.705 and 0.598,respectively）.Conclusion：The SS-Ⅱ is an independent predictor of 5-year mortality in patients with three-vessel CAD undergoing PCI treated with second-generation DES,and demonstrates a superior predictive ability over the SS alone.

Comparison of Efficacy and Safety between First and Second Generation Drug-eluting Stents in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease： A Single-center Retrospective Study

Background：Lots of trials demonstrate that second-generation drug-eluting stents （G2-DES）,with their improved properties,offer significantly superior efficacy and safety profiles compared to first generation DES （Gl-DES） for patients with coronary artery disease （CAD） receiving percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）.This study aimed to verify the advantage of G2-DES over G1-DES in Chinese patients with stable CAD （SCAD）.Methods：For this retrospective observational analysis,2709 SCAD patients with either G1-DES （n =863） or G2-DES （n =1846） were enrolled consecutively throughout 2013.Propensity score matching （PSM） was applied to control differing baseline factors.Two-year outcomes,including major adverse coronary events as well as individual events,including target vessel-related myocardial infarction,target lesion revascularization （TLR）,target vessel revascularization,and cardiogenic death were evaluated.Results：The incidence of revascularization between G1-and G2-DES showed a trend of significant difference with a threshold P-value （8.6% vs.6.7%,x2 =2.995,P =0.084）.G2-DES significantly improved TLR-free survival compared to G1-DES （96.6% vs.97.9%,P =0.049） and revascularization-free survival curve showed a trend of improvement of G2-DES （92.0% vs.93.8%,P =0.082）.These difterences diminished after PSM.Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed a trend for G 1-associated increase in revascularization （hazard ratio：1.28,95% confidence interval：0.95-1.72,P =0.099） while no significance was found after PSM.Other endpoints showed no significant differences after multivariate adjustment regardless of PSM.Conclusions：G1-DES showed the same safety as G2-DES in this large Chinese cohort of real-world patients.However,G2-DES improved TLR-ffee survival of SCAD patients 2 years after PCI.The advantage was influenced by baseline clinical factors.GI-DES was associated with a trend of increase in revascularization risk and was not an independent predictor of worse medium-term prognosis compared with G2-DES.

Six-month clinical outcomes of Firebird 2TM sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in real-world patients with coronary artery diseases

Background The Firebird 2TM sirolimus-eluting stent （Firebird 2 stent） is a second-generation sirolimus-eluting stent which has a cobalt-chromium alloy stent platform, a brand new bracket structure, and two layers of styrene-butylenes-styrene polymer coatings with better biocompatibility. The Firebird 2TM cObalt-Chromium alloy sirolimus-elUting Stent registry （FOCUS registry） aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Firebird 2 stent in patients with coronary artery disease in daily practice.Methods The FOCUS registry is a prospective, non-randomized, international multi-center, single-arm clinical registry.Between March 2009 and February 2010, 5084 patients receiving at least 1 Firebird 2 stent during daily clinical practice at 83 medical centers were enrolled.Results Of the 5084 patients enrolled in the registry, 5077 and 5058 were respectively available for 30 days and 6 months follow-up. The 30-day rate of major adverse cardiac events （MACE） was 1.20%, including 13 cardiac deaths, 46 non-fatal myocardial infarction （MI）, and 6 target vessel revascularization （TVR）. At 6 months follow-up, the rate of MACE was 1.80%. There were 32 cardiac deaths, 48 non-fatal MI, and 15 TVR. According to the Academic Research Consortium definition, definite/probable stent thrombosis （ST） occurred in 0.43% （22/5058） of patients, including 8 cases of acute ST, 11 subacute ST, and 3 late ST.Conclusion The Firebird 2 stent showed the promising efficacy and safety at 30 days and 6 months in a real-world population of patients with coronary artery diseases.

Efficacy of stenting for unprotected left main coronary artery disease in 297 patients

Background Angioplasty in the unprotected left main coronary artery （LMCA） has been controversial. This study aims to evaluate the safety and clinical effectiveness of stenting, including bare metal stent and drug eluting stent （DES）, for treatment of unprotected LMCA disease. Methods Between September 1997 and December 2005, a total of 297 consecutive patients underwent percutanous coronary intervention （PCI） on LMCA lesions in our hospital. Their in-hospital data and clinical follow-up outcomes were analyzed and those in pre-DES ＂＇era＂ （group I, from September 1997 to December 2002） were compared with those in DES ＂era＂ （group Ⅱ, from January 2003 to December 2004. Patients in 2005 for the time of follow-up less than one year were not included in this group）. Results Altogether 368 coronary stents were successfully deployed in 295 patients. Stents failed to be implanted after balloon predilation in two patients, who received coronary artery bypass graft （CABG） successfully. Bifurcation techniques for distal LMCA executed in 206 patients （69.4%, 2061297）, included crossover stenting in 156 （75.7%）, T stenting in 4 （1.9%）, provisional T stenting in 28 （13.6%）, kissing stenting in 5 （2.4%） and stent crushing in 13 （6.3%） patients. During their hospital stay, 5 （1.7%） patients died after PCI procedure, of which 4 died from cardiac origin and one of renal failure. The total in-hospital major adverse cardiac events （MACE） were 2.0% （6/297）. In the follow-up period, 19 patients （6.5%） died [15 （5.1%） of cardiac death and 4 of non-fatal myocardial infarction （MI）]. Besides, 2 （0.7%） developed subacute thrombosis （SAT） and 16 （5.4%） performed target lesion revascularization （TLR）. The total follow-up MACE was 14.5% （431297）. Further analysis also showed that, compared with patients in group I, those in group II apparently had more multi-vessel involvement （14.7% vs 81.9%, P〈0.001）, and more bifurcation lesions （32.4% vs 72.2%, P〈0.001）. After PCI, in-hospital MACE of group II was significantly lower than that in group I （1.1% vs 9.4%, P〈0.05）. And the incidences of MACE, TLR and angiographic restenosis in group II were all significantly lower than those in group I （all P〈0.05） after one year follow-up. Conclusions As new PCI strategies and intervention devices such as DES are developed, coronary stenting, which might have brought better in-hospital and long-term outcomes than CABG are proved to be technically successful and can be safely applied for the treatment of LMCA lesions in the experienced center for coronary intervention.

Successful percutaneous coronary intervention reduces plasma concentration of NT-proBNP in patients with coronary heart disease and normal ventricular function

Background To the effect of percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） on plasma level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） in patients with coronary heart disease （CHD） and normal left ventricular function. Methods One hundred and five patients with CHD and normal ventricular function were enrolled. Blood samples for assessment of NT-proBNP and cTn-T were collected before and after PCI. Results The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 60.3 ± 5.3%. After revascularization, the level of lgNT-proBNP was signifi-cantly reduced （2.40 ± 0.44 vs 2.23± 0.43, P 〈 0.001）. Subgroup analysis showed that the level of lgNT-proB-NP ws consistently decreased in different clinical classifications （stable angina： 45, unstable angina： 31 and acute myocardial infarction： 29） and target-vessel revascularization （left anterior descending artery： 30, left cir-cumflex artery： 26 and right coronary artery： 49）, and in 99 patients without elevation of post-procedural cTn- T, but it showed a trend of non-significant increase in 6 patients with elevated cTn-T. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that successful PCI reduces plasma NT-proBNP concentration in patients with CHD and normal ven-tricular function. This implicates that the impact of PCI should be considered in the interpretation of NT-proBNP change in clinical practice, and further studies are necessary to investigate the direct and/or indirect effect of myocardial ischemia on BNP/NT-proBNP.

Safety and Efficacy of Ultra-Thin, Biodegradable Polymer Coated Sirolimus-Eluting Supralimus-Core Stents in Real-World Patients: Outcomes at 24-Month Follow-Up

Aim: The purpose of this registry was to establish long-term safety and efficacy through implantation of Supralimus-Core sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in real-world patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods:The present registry was a retrospective, singe-arm, single-centre, investigator-initiated registry. A total of 372 consecutive patients were implanted with Supralimus-Core SES between January 2015 and November 2016. The primary endpoints were major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion revascularization (TLR) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) at 24 months. The secondary endpoints were all-cause death and all separate components of the primary endpoint. Additional endpoints included events of stent thrombosis classified as definite, probable, and possible stent thrombosis. Follow-ups were conducted at 30-days, 6-months, 12-months and 24-months after the index procedure. Results: The mean age of the registry population was 56.3 ± 11.1 years. Males constituted 276 (74.2%) patients. Hypertensives, diabetics, alcoholics, tobacco chewers and smokers comprised 198 (53.2%), 160 (43.0%), 93 (25.0%), 91 (24.5%) and 88 (23.7%) of the registry population, respectively. The mean length and diameter of stents implanted was 19.3 ± 8.8 mm and 2.9 ± 0.3 mm, respectively. At the 24-month follow-up, MACE was reported in 14 (3.8%) patients. Cardiac death, MI, TLR and TVR was reported in 7 (1.9%), 4 (1.1%), 3 (0.8%) and 4 (1.1%) patients, respectively. Overall stent thrombosis occurred in 4 (1.1%) patients. Conclusions: The low MACE rate of 3.8% at the 24-month follow-up indicates favorable long-term results after implantation of the ultra-thin strut Supralimus-Core SES in all-comer, real-world patients.