Coronary Artery Calcium and Aging: Physiological Basis, Assessment, and Treatment Options in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Coronary artery calcification is a complex anatomical and histological pathology with different pathways that contribute to calcium deposit and calcification progression. As part of the atherosclerotic process, extensive calcifications are becoming more common and are associated with poorer PCI outcomes if not properly addressed. Since no drug has shown to be effective in changing this process once it is started, proper knowledge of the underlying pathogenesis and how to diagnose and manage it is essential in contemporary coronary intervention.

[Cardiac arrest caused by anomalous origin and course of the right coronary artery].

The anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus with interarterial course is a rare but life-threatening coronary abnormality. Coronary computed tomography is crucial in identifying this disease whose treatment, based on coronary artery bypass grafting, is recommended in symptomatic patients but is more controversial in asymptomatic patients. The case report presented offers an opportunity to discuss the pathophysiological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this congenital coronary artery disease.

Symptoms-to-emergency-call timing delay in acute coronary syndrome before and during COVID-19: independent predictors and their impact on mortality.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted global health. The aim of this study was to compare predictors of symptoms-to-emergency-call timing delay in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and their impact on mortality before and during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods: We collected sociodemographic, clinical data, procedural features, preadmission and intra-hospital outcomes of consecutive patients admitted for ACS in seventeen Italian centers from March to April 2018, 2019, and 2020.

The Incidence and Impact of In-Hospital Bleeding in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the complexity of the clinical management and pharmacological treatment of patients presenting with an Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).

Aim: to explore the incidence and prognostic impact of in-hospital bleeding in patients presenting with ACS before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We evaluated in-hospital Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) major and minor bleeding among 2851 patients with ACS from 17 Italian centers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (i.

"Never Trust to General Impressions, My Boy, but Concentrate Yourself upon Details": An Unusual and Challenging Presentation of Pheochromocytoma.

We present the case of a 45-year-old woman admitted to our unit with acute heart failure and cardiogenic shock, requiring an intra-aortic balloon pump insertion and inotropes and vasopressors infusion. Despite such treatment, the patient developed multi organ failure and intravascular disseminated coagulation with haemolysis. The initial diagnosis of acute myocarditis was subsequently denied by the finding of bilateral adrenal masses by MRI scan, and urine and plasma metanephrines measurements confirmed a pheochromocytoma (PCC).

[Takotsubo syndrome complicated by ventricular thrombosis and pericarditis].

Takotsubo syndrome is a heart disease characterized by transient ventricular dysfunction; although it is considered a benign pathology, it is not free from serious complications. Intraventricular thrombosis is a rare occurrence as well as pericarditis, and the simultaneous presence of both complications is very exceptional. Here we describe a case.

Incidence, Management, Immediate and Long-Term Outcome of Guidewire and Device Related Grade III Coronary Perforations (from G3CAP - Cardiogroup VI Registry).

Ellis grade III coronary artery perforations (G3-CAP) remain a life-threatening complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), with high morbidity and mortality and lack of consensus regarding optimal treatment strategies. We reviewed all PCIs performed in 10 European centers from 1993 to 2019 recording all G3-CAP along with management strategies, in-hospital and long-term outcome according to Device-related perforations (DP) and Guidewire-related perforations (WP). Among 106,592 PCI (including 7,773 chronic total occlusions), G3-CAP occurred in 311 patients (0.

Gender differences in acute coronary syndromes patterns during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Background: Mortality from acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is strictly related to early management. As female patients usually experience longer delays before diagnosis and treatment, we assessed whether women were more affected by the dramatic drop in hospital admissions for ACS during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of clinical and angiographic characteristics of consecutive patients who were admitted for ACS at 15 hospitals in Northern Italy comparing men and women data.

Catheterization laboratory activity before and during COVID-19 spread: A comparative analysis in Piedmont, Italy, by the Italian Society of Interventional Cardiology (GISE).

Background: COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) led to the reorganization of Cardiology Units in terms of working spaces and healthcare personnel. In this scenario, both outpatient visits and elective interventional cardiology procedures were suspended and/or postponed. We aimed to report the impact of COVID-19 on interventional coronary and structural procedures in Piedmont, Italy.

Comparison of bioresorbable vs durable polymer drug-eluting stents in unprotected left main (from the RAIN-CARDIOGROUP VII Study).

Background: There are limited data regarding the impact of bioresorbable polymer drug eluting stent (BP-DES) compared to durable polymer drug eluting stent (DP-DES) in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention using ultrathin stents in left main or bifurcations.

Methods: In the RAIN registry (ClinicalTrials NCT03544294, june 2018 retrospectively registered) patients with a ULM or bifurcation stenosis treated with PCI using ultrathin stents (struts thinner than 81 μm) were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the rate of target lesion revascularization (TLR); major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, TLR and stent thrombosis) and its components, along with target vessel revascularization (TVR) were the secondary ones.

PK Papyrus coronary stent system: the ultrathin struts polyurethane-covered stent.

In the emergency setting of a coronary vessel perforation, the knowledge of materials needed to fix it and the intrinsic quality of the device used is mandatory for the interventional cardiologist. The PK Papyrus covered stent (Biotronik AG) is an ultrathin strut (60 μm) balloon-expandable stent covered on the abluminal surface with an electrospun polyurethane matrix. It is intended to facilitate device delivery and effectively treat coronary artery perforations.

Case report: intravascular ultrasound sonography-guided re-entry technique in crushed stent.

Background: Stent thrombosis (ST) is a rare, but potentially fatal complication. Procedural problems, such as stent under-dimension/under-expansion or dual antiplatelet drug resistance may result into ST. These conditions are more frequent during primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Comparison between functional and intravascular imaging approaches guiding percutaneous coronary intervention: A network meta-analysis of randomized and propensity matching studies.

Background: The optimal approach to guide percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has yet to be defined. The aim of this study was to compare functional driven (fractional flow reserve) versus intravascular imaging (intravascular ultrasound, IVUS, and/or optical coherence tomography, OCT) versus standard (coronary angiography only, CA)-guided PCI.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and propensity score weight-matched studies (PSWMs) comparing FFR versus IVUS versus OCT versus CA-guided PCI were included.

Impact of strut thickness and number of crown and connectors on clinical outcomes on patients treated with second-generation drug eluting stent.

Introduction: In new generation drug eluting stents (DESs) era, the impact of stent geometry on freedom from recurrent events has been poorly explored. Impact of struts thickness and the number of crowns and connectors on clinical outcomes were evaluated in the present study.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials comparing last generation DESs were selected.

Optimal medical therapy vs. coronary revascularization for patients presenting with chronic total occlusion: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and propensity score adjusted studies.

Introduction: The optimal management of patients with coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO) remains controversial. This meta-analysis aims to compare percutaneous coronary intervention of CTO (CTO-PCI) versus optimal medical therapy (OMT) in CTO patients.

Methods: A literature search with highly specific terms was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science to identify most relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies with propensity score matching (PSM) evaluating differences in between CTO-PCI versus OMT.

Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: Outcomes of Treatment With Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents - Insight From the FAILS-2 Study.

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of patients undergoing PCI for unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease with different drug-eluting stent (DES) types.

Background: Published literature suggests that second-generation DES options have differing vascular responses and outcomes, but there is a paucity of data in real-life patients in the LM setting.

Methods: This is a retrospective, multicenter study, including patients treated with a second-generation DES for ULMCA disease between 2007 and 2015.