Association of lipoprotein(a) level with short- and long-term outcomes after CABG: The role of lipoprotein apheresis.

Objective: To evaluate the association of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] level with short- and long-term outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and to assess the effect of a 12 month course of weekly lipoprotein apheresis on vein graft patency and coronary atherosclerosis course in post-CABG patients with hyperlipidemia.

Methods: This study was performed in patients after successful CABG and consisted of three parts: a) a retrospective part with computed tomography assessment of vein graft patency in patients with first-year recurrence of chest pain after CABG (n = 102); b) a prospective trial with evaluation of cardiovascular outcomes during follow up time up to 15 years in relation to baseline Lp(a) levels (n = 356); c) an 12-months interventional controlled study in 50 patients with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels >2.6 mmol/L prior to the operation despite statin treatment that allocated into 2 groups: active (n = 25, weekly apheresis by cascade plasma filtration (CPF) plus atorvastatin), and control (n = 25, atorvastatin alone).

Dramatic fate of a young coronary heart disease patient rescued with specific lipoprotein(a) apheresis.

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is acknowledged to be an independent atherothrombotic risk factor. Although genetic studies have highlighted the causal relationship between coronary disease and Lp(a), it is uncertain which strategies maximize the therapeutic benefit of patients with high Lp(a) levels. We report the challenging case of a young coronary heart disease (CHD) patient who underwent 10 percutaneous coronary interventions due to repeated acute coronary syndromes (2006-2009) despite an optimally controlled, traditional risk-factor profile.

Ig apheresis for the treatment of severe DCM patients.

Background: Autoantibodies against β1-adrenoreceptor (AR) are considered by many authors to be the most significant in autoimmune process during DCM. Immunoadsorption (IA) of immunoglobulins (Ig apheresis) is a logic approach to remove autoantibodies against β1-AR and other antibodies. The effect of Ig apheresis and the role of anti-β1-AR in DCM are still an issue for discussion.