Impact of the time-to-target rate of urine volume concept on the outcome of acute decompensated heart failure.

Background: Early decongestion with diuretics could improve clinical outcomes. This study aimed to examine the impact of the time-to-target rate of urine volume (T2TUV) concept on the outcome of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 1670 patients with ADHF who received diuretics within 24 h of admission.

Predictors of Poor Very Early Diuretic Response and Effectiveness of Early Tolvaptan in Symptomatic Acute Heart Failure.

Background: Diuretic response (DR) in patients with symptomatic acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) has an impact on prognosis. This study aimed to identify predictive factors influencing acute 6 h poor DR and to assess DR after early administration of tolvaptan (TLV).

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 1670 patients who were admitted for ADHF and received intravenous furosemide within 1 h of presentation in clinical scenario 1 or 2 defined based on initial systolic blood pressure ≥100 mmHg with severe symptoms (New York Heart Association class III or IV (n = 830).

The impact of percutaneous coronary intervention using the novel dynamic coronary roadmap system.

The dynamic coronary roadmap (DCR) is a novel technology that creates a dynamic, motion-compensated, real-time overlay of the coronary arteries on a fluoroscopic image. Whether the DCR reduces contrast volume and enables safe and effective treatment was examined. A total of 146 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from June 2017 to September 2017 in our hospital were retrospectively evaluated.

A novel validated method for predicting the risk of re-hospitalization for worsening heart failure and the effectiveness of the diuretic upgrading therapy with tolvaptan.

Increased re-hospitalization due to acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a modern issue in cardiology. The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for re-hospitalization due to worsening heart failure, and the effect of tolvaptan (TLV) on decreasing the number of re-hospitalizations. This was a multicenter, retrospective study.

Randomized comparison between provisional and routine kissing-balloon technique after main vessel crossover stenting for coronary bifurcation lesions.

We compared the myocardial ischemic burden of provisional and routine final kissing-balloon inflation (FKI) with the 1-stent strategy using a second-generation drug-eluting stent for coronary bifurcation lesions (CBL). There are no established guidelines for side branch (SB) intervention after main vessel stenting. In total, 113 CBL patients were randomized to receive different SB intervention strategies: provisional-FKI group (n = 57; FKI only when SB flow was TIMI <3) and routine-FKI group (n = 56; mandatory FKI with aggressive treatment until SB-residual stenosis <50%).

Mechanism of Residual Lumen Stenosis at the Side Branch Ostium After Final Kissing Balloon Inflation: A Volumetric Intracoronary Ultrasound Study of Coronary Bifurcation Lesions.

Objectives: To investigate the mechanisms of residual stenosis (RS) at side branch ostium (SBO) after final kissing balloon inflation (FKI) and clarify the impact of carina- and plaque-shifts on RS.

Background: Carina- and plaque-shift induce SBO compromise. FKI is an effective technique to treat this complication; however, RS often persist, and are associated with restenosis at SBO.

Incidence and Characteristics of Late Catch-Up Phenomenon Between Sirolimus-Eluting Stent and Everolimus-Eluting Stent: A Propensity Matched Study.

Objectives: We evaluated and compared the incidence and characteristics of late catch-up phenomenon (LCU) between everolimus-eluting stent (EES) and sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantations.

Background: Late catch-up phenomenon after everolimus-eluting stent (EES) implantation has not yet been evaluated sufficiently.

Methods: Between April 2007 and May 2011, 1,234 patients with coronary artery disease were treated with SES and 502 patients with EES.

Clinical effect of wound depth in critical limb ischemia with tissue loss after endovascular treatment.

Objective: Wound severity is assessed mainly by the Rutherford classification for critical limb ischemia (CLI) with tissue loss. The Rutherford classification is based on the extent of tissue loss; however, its classification criteria are ambiguous and do not include information regarding wound depth. We investigated the effects of wound depth on clinical outcomes in CLI with tissue loss after endovascular treatment (EVT).

Measuring Procedure and Maximal Hyperemia in the Assessment of Fractional Flow Reserve for Superficial Femoral Artery Disease.

Aim: The optimal fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement method for superficial femoral artery (SFA) lesions remains to be established. We clarified the optimal measuring procedure for FFR for SFA lesions and investigated the necessary dose of papaverine for inducing maximal hyperemia in SFA lesions.

Methods: Forty-eight patients with SFA lesions who underwent measurement of peripheral FFR (pFFR: distal mean pressure divided by proximal mean pressure) after endovascular treatment by the contralateral femoral crossover approach were prospectively enrolled.

Intravascular ultrasound measurements after drug-eluting stent placement in femoropopliteal lesions: determining predictors of restenosis.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between postprocedure intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings and restenosis after placement of drug-eluting stents (DES) for femoropopliteal lesions.

Methods: Between July 2012 and May 2013, DES were placed in 64 patients with 88 de novo femoropopliteal lesions. In 40 patients (mean age 74.

Development and validation of a new scoring system to predict wound healing after endovascular therapy in critical limb ischemia with tissue loss.

Purpose: To develop a scoring system to predict wound healing in critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients treated with endovascular therapy (EVT).

Methods: Between July 2007 and January 2013, 184 patients (118 men; mean age 73.0 years) with CLI (217 limbs) and tissue loss underwent EVT.

Prognosis of critical limb ischemia patients with tissue loss after achievement of complete wound healing by endovascular therapy.

Objective: Critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients with tissue loss have been recognized to have a poor survival rate. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the prognosis of CLI patients with tissue loss improves after complete wound healing is achieved by endovascular therapy.

Methods: We treated 187 CLI patients with tissue loss by endovascular therapy from April 2007 to December 2012.

Influence of hemodialysis duration on mid-term clinical outcomes in hemodialysis patients with coronary artery disease after drug-eluting stent implantation.

Accelerated atherosclerosis in prolonged maintenance hemodialysis (HD) has been recognized; however, whether HD duration is associated with poor clinical outcome in HD patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is unknown. We evaluated the impact of HD duration on clinical outcomes in HD patients with CAD after DES implantation. Between April 2007 and December 2012, 168 angina pectoris patients (320 de novo lesions) on HD were treated with DES.

Vascular elastography: a novel method to characterize occluded lower limb arteries prior to endovascular therapy.

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of vascular elastography (VE) for the assessment of totally occluded lower limb arteries prior to endovascular treatment (EVT).

Methods: Of 812 consecutive patients who underwent EVT between April 2010 and April 2012, VE was used to evaluate the hardness of chronic total occlusions of the femoropopliteal segment prior to EVT in 65 consecutive patients (48 men; mean 73.9 years, range 63-86).

Arousal electrical stimuli evoke sudomotor activity related to P300, and skin vasoconstrictor activity related to N140 in humans.

Objective: Arousal stimuli evoke bursts of skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA). SSNA usually contains sudomotor and vasoconstrictor neural spikes. The aim of this study was to elucidate which components of event-related potentials (ERPs) are related to sudomotor and vasoconstrictor responses comprising arousal SSNA bursts.

Predictors of non-healing in patients with critical limb ischemia and tissue loss following successful endovascular therapy.

Objectives: To evaluate the predictors of non-healing in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) after successful endovascular therapy (EVT).

Background: Occasionally, wound healing in patients with CLI and tissue loss cannot be achieved even after successful EVT. Patient's co-morbidities, vascular anatomy, wound features, and interventional strategies/outcomes are associated with the probability of wound healing.

Simultaneous occlusion of left anterior descending and left circumflex arteries by very late stent thrombosis: vascular response to drug-eluting stents assessed by intravascular ultrasound.

Very late stent thrombosis (VLST) is a catastrophic complication after implantation of a drug-eluting stent (DES). It has been reported that VLST is associated with pathological changes, which often include late acquired incomplete stent apposition (LAISA) with thrombus formation. In addition, the vascular response to the stent (evaginations, neointimal growth, and thrombosis) and the incidence of LAISA are reported to vary among the different types of DES.

Wound healing and wound location in critical limb ischemia following endovascular treatment.

Background: The differences in wound healing according to wound location remain unclear.

Methods And Results: Between April 2007 and October 2011, 138 patients (166 limbs) with critical limb ischemia with tissue loss were treated with endovascular treatment. On these limbs, 177 individual wounds were identified on the foot and were evaluated for wound healing rates and time to healing according to their locations.

A sheathless retrograde approach via the popliteal artery is useful and safe for treating chronic total occlusions in the superficial femoral artery.

Purpose: To compare the safety and success of a retrograde approach using a microcatheter vs. a sheath in the treatment of superficial femoral artery (SFA) chronic total occlusions (CTOs).

Methods: From April 2007 to December 2012, 188 consecutive patients underwent EVT for 229 de novo SFA CTOs using the retrograde approach in 68 patients (35 men; mean age 72 years).

Failure of a balloon to deflate during post dilatation in a coronary artery.

Entrapment of nondeflated balloon is a rare complication of percutaneous coronary intervention. Sometimes it has hazardous potentials for the patient. We experienced a rare complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) caused by a defective balloon.

Two-year outcome of the self-expandable stent for chronic total occlusion of the iliac artery.

To evaluate the 2-year results obtained with self-expandable stent for chronic total occlusion (CTO) of the iliac artery, a retrospective study was performed of patients who underwent endovascular therapy (EVT) for chronic iliac artery CTO who presented from April 2007 to September 2012. 82 patients with 86 occluded iliac arteries underwent successful recanalization and stenting with a self-expandable stent. The primary equivalence end point was a composite of restenosis, mortality, target vessel revascularization, and limb salvage rates.