Polymer-free biolimus-A9-eluting stent performance according to renal impairment: insights from the RUDI-FREE registry.

Aims: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and have a worse prognosis after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The BioFreedom polymer-free biolimus-A9-eluting stent (PF-BES) has shown promising results in patients at high bleeding risk; however, its performance in CKD patients has yet to be analyzed.

Methods: The all-comers RUDI-FREE registry documented patients undergoing PCI with PF-BES in routine clinical practice.

Antecedent Administration of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors or Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists and Survival After Hospitalization for COVID-19 Syndrome.

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) utilizes the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) receptor to enter human cells. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARB) are associated with ACE-2 upregulation. We hypothesized that antecedent use of ACEI/ARB may be associated with mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Mortality Risk Assessment Using CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc Scores in Patients Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection.

Early risk stratification for complications and death related to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is needed. Because many patients with COVID-19 who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome have diffuse alveolar inflammatory damage associated with microvessel thrombosis, we aimed to investigate a common clinical tool, the CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc, to aid in the prognostication of outcomes for COVID-19 patients. We analyzed consecutive patients from the multicenter observational CORACLE registry, which contains data of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection in 4 regions of Italy, according to data-driven tertiles of CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score.

Impact of Insulin-Treated and Noninsulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus in All-Comer Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Interventions With Polymer-Free Biolimus-Eluting Stent (from the RUDI-FREE Registry).

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have worse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Recent evidences suggest a differential impact of insulin-treated and noninsulin-treated DM on prognosis. We evaluated the clinical outcome of diabetic patients after PCI with polymer-free biolimus-eluting stent from the RUDI-FREE Registry, investigating a possible different prognostic impact of insulin-treated and noninsulin-treated DM.

Safety and Efficacy of Polymer-Free Drug-Eluting Stents.

Background Polymer-free drug-eluting stents are based on different technologies for drug binding and release without the use of polymer coatings. It is unknown whether different polymer-free drug-eluting stents are comparable in terms of safety and efficacy profiles. Methods and Results Polymer-free BioFreedom biolimus-eluting stents (BES) and polymer-free Cre8 amphilimus-eluting stents (AES) were investigated in 2 recent multicenter registries including 2320 all-comer patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions at 22 Italian centers.

[Percutaneous treatment of coronary artery fistula: a tailored strategy is needed].

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is a rare, abnormal connection between one or more coronary arteries and a cardiac chamber, or great vessel.We describe the case of a male patient with worsening effort angina referred for coronary angiography. The examination revealed the presence of a CAF between the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) and pulmonary arteries, with mid LAD subocclusive stenosis.

Safety and efficacy of polymer-free biolimus-eluting stents in all-comer patients: the RUDI-FREE study.

Aims: Polymer-free biolimus-eluting stents (PF-BES) have been shown to be superior to bare metal stents in high bleeding risk (HBR) patients treated with one-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). However, limited evidence is available on PF-BES in non-HBR patients. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PF-BES in all-comer patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Radial versus femoral access in patients with acute coronary syndromes with or without ST-segment elevation.

Aims: To assess whether radial compared with femoral access is associated with consistent outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).

Methods And Results: In the Minimizing Adverse Haemorrhagic Events by TRansradial Access Site and Systemic Implementation of angioX (MATRIX) programme patients were randomized to radial or femoral access, stratified by STEMI (2001 radial, 2009 femoral) and NSTE-ACS (2196 radial, 2198 femoral). The 30-day co-primary outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, and net adverse clinical events (NACE), defined as MACE or major bleeding In the overall study population, radial access reduced the NACE but not MACE endpoint at the prespecified 0.

Sildenafil therapy for interferon-β-1a-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension: a case report.

Interferon (IFN) therapy is nowadays widely used in clinical practice. In the literature, there are very few reports of the association between IFN therapy and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and current guidelines do not mention IFNs as a risk factor for PAH. We describe a patient with multiple sclerosis who developed severe PAH after treatment with IFN-β-1a and the clinical response to sildenafil.