Impact of high-responsiveness to dual antiplatelet therapy on bleeding complications in patients receiving drug-eluting stents. (17/46)

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined whether high-responsiveness to antiplatelet therapy is associated with an increased risk of bleeding in patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Elective drug-eluting stent implantation was performed in 184 patients treated with aspirin and a thienopyridine (200 mg/day of ticlopidine or 75 mg/day of clopidogrel). The subjects were divided into 3 groups according to post-treatment platelet reactivity before stenting as measured by the response to adenosine diphosphate: the 1(st) quartile group was defined as high-responders, the 4(th) as low-responders, and the other 2 quartiles as middle-responders. Major bleeding occurred more frequently in high-responders than in middle- or low-responders during an average of 16 months' follow-up (15 vs 4, 2%, P=0.02). High-responsiveness was the independent predictor of major bleeding (odds ratio 4.26, P=0.03). Adverse cardiac events were less frequent in high- and middle-responders than in low-responders (24, 16 vs 37%, P=0.02). Middle-responders had better net clinical outcomes, defined as the sum of major bleeding and adverse cardiac events, than did high- or low-responders (21 vs 39, 39%, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In the present study high-responsiveness to antiplatelet therapy was associated with an increased risk of bleeding with no reduction in adverse cardiac events. Measuring platelet reactivity may be useful for risk stratification according to bleeding complications, as well as adverse cardiac events, in patients treated with drug-eluting stents.  (+info)

Is the myocardial blush grade scored by the operator during primary percutaneous coronary intervention of prognostic value in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction in routine clinical practice? (18/46)

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Association between prehospital time intervals and ST-elevation myocardial infarction system performance. (19/46)

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Clinical and angiographic outcomes of elderly patients treated with everolimus-eluting versus paclitaxel-eluting stents: three-year results from the SPIRIT III randomised trial. (20/46)

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Two-year clinical outcomes of paclitaxel-eluting stents for in-stent restenosis in patients from the ARRIVE programme. (21/46)

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Late lumen loss and intima hyperplasia after sirolimus-eluting and zotarolimus-eluting stent implantation in diabetic patients: the diabetes and drug-eluting stent (DiabeDES III) angiography and intravascular ultrasound trial. (22/46)

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A novel approach for under-expanded stent: excimer laser in contrast medium. (23/46)

The novel approach of using excimer laser in a contrast medium for treating an under-expanded stent in a calcified coronary artery is described. In this first reported case, the laser in a contrast medium was used to treat an under-expanded stent deployed 18 months prior in a calcified non-dilatable coronary artery lesion. The normal laser approach in saline medium flush during lasing to clear any contrast was not effective. The use of concurrent contrast during lasing was effective and successful to help expand the stent with a successful outcome.  (+info)

Immediate and late outcome of excimer laser and balloon coronary angioplasty: a quantitative angiographic comparison based on matched lesions. (24/46)

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare acute lumen changes and late lumen narrowing during and after excimer laser-assisted balloon angioplasty, measured by quantitative coronary angiography, with the immediate and long-term outcome of balloon angioplasty alone. BACKGROUND: Although excimer laser coronary angioplasty is used as an adjunct or alternative to balloon angioplasty, limited comparative data exist regarding the immediate and long-term efficacy of excimer laser-assisted balloon angioplasty versus balloon angioplasty alone. METHODS: A series of 53 lesions in 47 consecutive patients successfully treated with excimer laser-assisted balloon angioplasty were individually matched after completion of 6-month follow-up angiography with 53 successfully treated balloon angioplasty lesions according to vessel location, preprocedural minimal lumen diameter and reference diameter. Immediate and long-term angiographic results were assessed by an automated lumen contour detection algorithm. RESULTS: Before intervention in the laser and balloon angioplasty groups, respectively, minimal lumen diameter (mean +/- SD) was 0.73 +/- 0.47 and 0.74 +/- 0.46 mm, and reference diameter was 2.71 +/- 0.42 and 2.72 +/- 0.41 mm. Laser angioplasty was followed by adjunctive balloon dilation in 50 lesions. Mean balloon diameter at maximal inflation was similar in both treatment groups (2.61 +/- 0.32 and 2.65 +/- 0.38 mm, respectively), resulting in similar minimal lumen diameters after intervention of 1.77 +/- 0.41 and 1.78 +/- 0.34 mm, respectively. At follow-up angiography, minimal lumen diameter after excimer laser-assisted balloon angioplasty was 1.17 +/- 0.63 mm, and that after balloon angioplasty alone was 1.46 +/- 0.67 mm (p = 0.02). The angiographic restenosis rates at follow-up using the 50% diameter stenosis cutoff criterion were 57% and 34%, respectively (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative angiographic analysis of a matched group of 106 successfully treated coronary lesions showed a similar immediate outcome but reduced long-term efficacy of excimer laser-assisted balloon angioplasty compared with that after balloon angioplasty alone.  (+info)