Feasibility of Distal Radial Access in High Bleeding Risk Patients Who Underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Backgrounds And Objectives: The distal radial access (DRA), a potential alternative to the trans-radial approach (TRA), may offer advantages in terms of access site complications due to its smaller vessel diameter, especially for high bleeding risk (HBR) patients. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of DRA in HBR patients.

Methods: Based on data from the KODRA registry, a prospective, multicenter cohort, this study analyzed 1,586 patients who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via DRA.

Meta-Analysis of Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Versus Angiography-Guided Endovascular Treatment in Lower Extremity Artery Disease.

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) offers precise information about lesion morphology and enhances the optimization of endovascular treatments (EVT). Nevertheless, the impact of IVUS on the durability of EVTs and clinical outcomes remains uncertain. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of IVUS-guided EVT compared with angiography-guided EVT.

Distal Radial Access for Coronary Procedures in a Large Prospective Multicenter Registry: The KODRA Trial.

Background: Distal radial access (DRA) as an alternative access route lacks evidence, despite its recent reputation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of DRA on the basis of daily practice.

Methods: The KODRA (Korean Prospective Registry for Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Distal Radial Approach) trial was a prospective multicenter registry conducted at 14 hospitals between September 2019 and September 2021.

Randomized, multicenter, parallel, open, phase 4 study to compare the efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin/amlodipine polypill versus atorvastatin/amlodipine polypill in hypertension patient with dyslipidemia.

The authors performed this study to investigate the efficacy and safety of a rosuvastatin (RSV)/amlodipine (AML) polypill compared with those of atorvastatin (ATV)/AML polypill. We included 259 patients from 21 institutions in Korea. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: RSV 10 mg/AML 5 mg, RSV 20 mg/AML 5 mg, or ATV 20 mg /AML 5 mg.

Efficacy and Safety of SID142 in Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Phase III Clinical Trial.

Purpose: Renexin® is a combination pill of cilostazol and Ginkgo biloba leaf extract that is used for the improvement of ischemic symptoms associated with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). SID142 is a controlled-release tablet of cilostazol (200 mg) and G biloba leaf extract (160 mg) that was developed to address the limitation of BID administration with Renexin. This study aimed to verify that SID142 was not inferior to Renexin in the treatment of patients with PAD.

Long-Term Left Atrial Function after Device Closure and Surgical Closure in Adult Patients with Atrial Septal Defect.

Background: Studies comparing left atrial (LA) function after surgical closure or percutaneous closure in patients with an atrial septal defect (ASD) are lacking.

Methods: Between 1 and 3 years after ASD treatment, we retrospectively analyzed the medical records and transthoracic echocardiographic images of patients who had been diagnosed with an ASD after 20 years of age and who had undergone surgical closure (ASD-S) or percutaneous device closure (ASD-D). We measured LA peak systolic, early diastolic, and late diastolic strain values using 2-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and calculated reservoir, conduit, and contraction strain.

The prevalence and clinical significance of transitional vertebrae: a radiologic investigation using whole spine spiral three-dimensional computed tomographic images.

Background: Errors in counting spinal segments are common during interventional procedures when there are transitional vertebrae. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of the transitional vertebrae including thoracolumbar transitional vertebra (TLTV) and lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV). The relationship between the existence of TLTV and abnormal rib count or the existence of LSTV were also evaluated.

The Relationship Between Coronary Calcification and the Natural History of Coronary Artery Disease.

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to explore the impact of plaque calcification in terms of absolute calcified plaque volume (CPV) and in the context of its percentage of the total plaque volume at a lesion and patient level on the progression of coronary artery disease.

Background: Coronary artery calcification is an established marker of risk of future cardiovascular events. Despite this, plaque calcification is also considered a marker of plaque stability, and it increases in response to medical therapy.

Community-level socioeconomic inequality in the incidence of ischemic heart disease: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to confirm that inequalities in community-level social economic status (SES) do actually impact the incidence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) using the Korean population-based cohort study of the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) database.

Methods: This study used the NHIS-NSC database, a population-based cohort database established by the NHIS in South Korea. Community-level SES was classified into three categories, i.

The efficacy of selective nerve root block for the long-term outcome of postherpetic neuralgia.

Background: Several nerve blocks can reduce the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) as well as relieve acute zoster-related pain, but the long-term outcome of PHN has not been clearly determined. This study investigated the efficacy of selective nerve root block (SNRB) for herpes zoster (HZ) on the long-term outcome of PHN.

Methods: We prospectively conducted an interview of patients who had undergone an SNRB for HZ from January 2006 to December 2016 to evaluate their long-term PHN status.

The comparison of two different intraarticular injections using a sonographic anterolateral approach in patients with osteoarthritic knee.

Background: The intraarticular (IA) injection has become popular for the management of the osteoarthritic knee without an effusion. The success rate of IA injection would be better if it was able to be visually confirmed. We hypothesized that an anterolateral approach, which targets the synovial membrane of the lateral condyle using ultrasound, would provide an equivalent alternative to the anterolateral approach, targeting the synovial membrane of the medial condyle for IA injection of the knee.

A comparison between ketorolac and nefopam as adjuvant analgesics for postoperative patient-controlled analgesia: a randomized, double-blind, prospective study.

Background: We compared the analgesic efficacy and side effects of ketorolac and nefopam that were co-administered with fentanyl via intravenous patient-controlled analgesia.

Methods: One hundred and sixty patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned to ketorolac (Group K) or nefopam (Group N) groups. The anesthetic regimen was standardized for all patients.

Stem Cells from Cryopreserved Human Dental Pulp Tissues Sequentially Differentiate into Definitive Endoderm and Hepatocyte-Like Cells .

We previously described a novel tissue cryopreservation protocol to enable the safe preservation of various autologous stem cell sources. The present study characterized the stem cells derived from long-term cryopreserved dental pulp tissues (hDPSCs-cryo) and analyzed their differentiation into definitive endoderm (DE) and hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) . Human dental pulp tissues from extracted wisdom teeth were cryopreserved as per a slow freezing tissue cryopreservation protocol for at least a year.

Erratum: Diagnostic Performance of Intravascular Ultrasound-Derived Minimal Lumen Area to Predict Functionally Significant Non-Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: a Meta-Analysis.

[This corrects the article on p. 622 in vol. 46, PMID: 27721852.

Quantitative analysis of the effect of end-tidal carbon dioxide on regional cerebral oxygen saturation in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy under general anaesthesia.

Aims: Regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO ) is currently the most used measure in clinical practice to monitor cerebral ischaemia in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Although end-tidal carbon dioxide (P CO ) is known as a factor that influences rSO , the relationship between P CO and rSO has not been quantitatively evaluated in patients with severe arteriosclerosis. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of P CO on rSO in patients undergoing CEA under general anaesthesia.

Chronic Nonatherosclerotic Occlusive Popliteal Artery Disease.

Background: The outcomes of revascularization of nonatherosclerotic occlusive popliteal artery disease are unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the outcomes of recanalization of nonatherosclerotic occlusive popliteal artery disease, the results of which would be useful in creating surgical strategies for such cases.

Methods: From January 2000 to December 2015, a total of 22 patients with nonatherosclerotic occlusive popliteal artery disease underwent open surgical repair.

Local Atrial/Ventricular Ratio as an Adjuvant Marker for Catheter Ablation of Atrioventricular Accessory Pathways.

Background And Objectives: The earliest atrial (A)/ventricular (V) activation potential, or accessory pathway (AP) potential are commonly used as ablation targets for atrioventricular (AV) APs. However, these targets are sometimes ambiguous.

Subjects And Methods: We reviewed 119 catheter ablation cases in 112 patients diagnosed with orthodromic atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT) or Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome.

Extension of catheter ablation and outcome for ventricular tachycardia or premature ventricular contractions from the right ventricular outflow tract.

Objective We aimed to determine whether the extension of ablation could influence the ablation outcome for ventricular tachycardia (VT)/premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) from the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). Methods and results The radiofrequency catheter ablation results of 33 VT/6 frequent PVCs from the RVOT were analysed. The ablation extension was divided into 3 categories from the final successful ablation point with the earliest activation: (I) focal ablation (15 cases); ablation at 1 or 2 points; (II) focal with extended ablation (12 cases); focal and surrounding area ablation (maximum ≤1 cm) after elimination of clinical VT/PVCs; and (III) broad ablation (12 cases); continued broad ablation (maximum >1 cm) after elimination of clinical VT/PVCs.

Combined Use of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and C-Reactive Protein Level to Predict Clinical Outcomes in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background And Objectives: Both neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are biomarkers associated with poor prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the combined usefulness of NLR and CRP in predicting adverse outcomes has not been investigated.

Subjects And Methods: We analyzed 381 consecutive AMI patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from January 2012 to January 2014.

Comparison of the Antiplatelet Effects of Once and Twice Daily Low-Dose Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Although Asian people are believed to be more susceptible to bleeding on currently recommended dose of ticagrelor, there is limited evidence supporting low-dose ticagrelor. We prospectively randomized patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel into 3 groups; aspirin plus clopidogrel 75 mg versus aspirin plus ticagrelor 90 mg once daily versus aspirin plus ticagrelor 45 mg twice daily. Platelet function assessments were conducted using VerifyNow P2Y12 assay at baseline and 28 days after randomization.

The Relationships between Body Mass Index and Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in a Structurally Normal Heart with Normal Ejection Fraction.

Background: We conducted research to determine the effect of the weight on left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in Asians, who are at greater risk of cardiovascular events compared to individuals from Western countries with similar body mass indices (BMIs).

Methods: We studied 543 participants with structurally normal hearts and normal ejection fractions. Participants were classified as normal-weight (BMI < 23.

Comparing the Rates of Dopamine Hemodynamic Effect Onset after Infusion through Peripheral Veins in Three Regions.

Background: Dopamine is an inotropic agent that is often selected for continuous infusion. For hemodynamic stability, the rate of infusion is controlled in the range of 5-15 μg/kg/min. This study aimed to compare the time intervals from the administration of dopamine to the onset of its hemodynamic effects when dopamine was administered through three different peripheral veins (the cephalic vein [CV], the great saphenous vein [GSV], and the external jugular vein [EJV]).

Combination Therapy of Rosuvastatin and Ezetimibe in Patients with High Cardiovascular Risk.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of rosuvastatin/ezetimibe combination therapy in Korean patients with high cardiovascular risk.

Methods: This was a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. A total of 337 patients were screened.

Analysis of in hospital mortality and long-term survival excluding in hospital mortality after open surgical repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to confirm the factors that affect the mortality associated with the open surgical repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) and to analyze the long-term survival rates.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed on a prospectively collected database that included 455 consecutive patients who underwent open surgical repair for AAA between January 2001 and December 2012. We divided our analysis into in-hospital and postdischarge periods and analyzed the risk factors that affected the long-term survival of rAAA patients.

Diagnostic Performance of Intravascular Ultrasound-Derived Minimal Lumen Area to Predict Functionally Significant Non-Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: a Meta-Analysis.

Background And Objectives: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention frequently results in unnecessary stenting due to the low positive predictive value of IVUS-derived minimal lumen area (MLA) for identification of functionally significant coronary stenosis. We appraised the diagnostic accuracy of IVUS-derived MLA compared with the fractional flow reserve (FFR) to assess intermediate coronary stenosis.

Subjects And Methods: We searched MEDLINE and Cochrane databases for studies using IVUS and FFR methods to establish the best MLA cut-off values to predict significant non-left main coronary artery stenosis.