Echocardiographic findings following renal sympathetic denervation for treatment resistant hypertension, the ReShape CV-risk study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe and compare echocardiographic findings before renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) and 6 and 24 months after the procedure.

Materials And Methods: Patients with treatment resistant hypertension (TRH) were included in this non-randomised intervention study. RDN was performed by a single experienced operator using the Symplicity Catheter System.

Impact of Percutaneous Intervention Compared to Pharmaceutical Therapy on Complex Arrhythmias in Patients With Chronic Total Coronary Occlusion. Rationale and Design of the CTO-ARRHYTHMIA Study.

Chronic total coronary occlusions (CTO) occur in up to 50 % of patients with coronary artery disease by angiography. In CTO-patients, clinically significant arrhythmia is potentially important and insufficiently investigated. Therefore, the purpose of the CTO-ARRHYTHMIA study was to investigate the incidence of loop recorder detected clinically significant arrhythmias and the effect on arrhythmias of revascularization by CTO-PCI.

Quality of life following renal sympathetic denervation in treatment-resistant hypertensive patients: a two-year follow-up study.

. Hypertension is a significant health burden. In the last 10 years, renal sympathetic denervation has been tested as a potential treatment option for a select group of patients with treatment-resistant hypertension.

The risk factors for radial artery and saphenous vein graft occlusion are different.

To determine risk factors for radial artery and saphenous vein graft occlusion during long-term follow-up after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). From a cohort of 119 patients who had received a radial artery graft, 76 - of whom 55 also had at least one saphenous vein graft - underwent a preplanned direct angiography and anthropometric, biochemical, and endothelial function assessment 7.6-12.

Sex-Specific Clinical Outcomes After Treatment of Left Main Coronary Artery Disease. A NOBLE Substudy.

Background: While female sex has been associated with worse outcomes following coronary revascularization, previous analyses in left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease have been conflicting. In addition, a signal that increased mortality may be specific to women treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) requires further investigation.

Methods: Nordic-Baltic-British left main revascularization study (NOBLE) was a randomized trial comparing PCI to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) in patients with LMCA disease.

Assessment of mental health trajectories before and after myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation or stroke: analysis of a cohort study in Tromsø, Norway (Tromsø Study, 1994-2016).

Objectives: The increased survival rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) implies a higher proportion of individuals who live with CVD. Using data from the Tromsø Study, we aimed to investigate mental health symptom trajectories before and after myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation or stroke in a general population and to explore factors that contribute to the association.

Design: Cohort study.

Psychometric evaluation of the Coronary Revascularisation Outcome Questionnaire (CROQ) in Norwegian patients admitted to elective coronary angiography and possible percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: The Coronary Revascularisation Outcome Questionnaire (CROQ) measures health-related quality of life and outcome of invasive revascularization procedures such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The CROQ has not been properly validated in Norwegian patient populations. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Norwegian CROQ in patients admitted to elective coronary angiographic assessment and receiving PCI.

Drug-Eluting versus Bare-Metal Stents in Saphenous Vein Grafts Compared to Native Coronary Vessels: The Norwegian Coronary Stent Trial Study.

Background: Drug-eluting stents (DES) reduce target lesion revascularization (TLR) with no effect on mortality or myocardial infarction (MI) compared to bare-metal stents (BMS) in native vessels. Randomized stent studies in saphenous vein grafts (SVG) are few and the reported effects are ambiguous. The Norwegian Coronary Stent Trial study is the first to randomize lesions to percutaneous coronary intervention in native vessels and SVG.

Risk scores for prediction of 30-day mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Results from a two-center study in Norway.

Objectives: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)-specific risk scores have been developed based on large registry studies. Our aim was to evaluate how both surgical and novel TAVI risk scores performed in predicting all cause 30-day mortality. In addition, we wanted to explore the validity of our own previously developed model in a separate and more recent cohort.

Age-Stratified Outcome in Treatment of Left Main Coronary Artery Stenosis: A NOBLE Trial Substudy.

Background: In the treatment of left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease, patients' age may affect the clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study stratified the clinical outcome according to the age of patients treated for LMCA stenosis with PCI or CABG in the Nordic-Baltic-British Left Main Revascularization (NOBLE) study.

Methods: Patients with LMCA disease were enrolled in 36 centers in northern Europe and randomized 1:1 to treatment by PCI or CABG.

Analyses of Increased Mortality in New and Known Diabetes in Patients with Coronary Disease Enrolled in the NORSTENT Randomized Study.

Background: NORSTENT trial randomized 9,013 patients to percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents (DES) or bare-metal stents (BMS) with a 5-year follow-up. Among the patients, 5,512 had measured either fasting glucose level or percent glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at the index procedure. That cohort constitutes the present study population analyzing mortality and evaluating treatment heterogeneity of randomized stent in diabetic versus nondiabetic subgroups.

Incidence and risk factors for major bleeding among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: Findings from the Norwegian Coronary Stent Trial (NORSTENT).

Introduction: Bleeding is a concern after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and subsequent dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). We herein report the incidence and risk factors for major bleeding in the Norwegian Coronary Stent Trial (NORSTENT).

Materials And Methods: NORSTENT was a randomized, double blind, pragmatic trial among patients with acute coronary syndrome or stable coronary disease undergoing PCI during 2008-11.

Kidney function and markers of renal damage after renal denervation. Does method of measurement matter? The Reshape CV-Risk Study.

Data suggest that renal denervation (RDN) in treatment-resistant hypertension (TRHT) is safe in terms of renal function. However, most studies report kidney function as creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which may be biased by non-renal factors. Damage markers other than albuminuria have never been evaluated after RDN.

Direct angiography demonstrates equal 8-12 years patency rates of radial artery and saphenous vein grafts.

The benefits of coronary artery bypass surgery depend on lasting graft patency. To aid rational graft selection, the relative long-term merits of radial artery and saphenous vein grafts need to be determined by a gold standard method and with minimal clinically driven selection bias. The patency rates of various conduits were determined by direct angiography in 76 patients from a cohort of 119 undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting 7.

The Effect of Drug-Eluting Stents on Target Lesion Revascularization in Native Coronary Arteries: Results from the NORSTENT Randomized Study.

Background: The NORSTENT trial randomized 9,013 patients to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug-eluting stent (DES) or bare-metal stent (BMS) with 5-year follow-up. No difference was found in the composite primary outcome of death from any cause and nonfatal spontaneous myocardial infarction after a median of 5 years of follow-up. Secondary outcomes included repeat revascularizations, which were reduced by DES.

Randomised comparison of provisional side branch stenting versus a two-stent strategy for treatment of true coronary bifurcation lesions involving a large side branch: the Nordic-Baltic Bifurcation Study IV.

Background: It is still uncertain whether coronary bifurcations with lesions involving a large side branch (SB) should be treated by stenting the main vessel and provisional stenting of the SB (simple) or by routine two-stent techniques (complex). We aimed to compare clinical outcome after treatment of lesions in large bifurcations by simple or complex stent implantation.

Methods: The study was a randomised, superiority trial.

Predictors of early mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Objectives: To investigate whether preoperative echocardiographic evaluation of ventricular function, especially right ventricular systolic and diastolic parameters including speckle-tracking analysis, could aid in the prediction of 30-day mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with aortic stenosis.

Methods: This is a prospective observational cohort study including 227 patients accepted for TAVI at the University Hospital of North Norway and Oslo University Hospital from February 2010 through June 2013. All patients underwent preoperative transthoracic echocardiography with retrospective speckle-tracking analysis.

BEtablocker Treatment After acute Myocardial Infarction in revascularized patients without reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (BETAMI): Rationale and design of a prospective, randomized, open, blinded end point study.

Background: Current guidelines on the use of β-blockers in post-acute myocardial infarction (MI) patients without reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) are based on studies before the implementation of modern reperfusion and secondary prevention therapies. It remains unknown whether β-blockers will reduce mortality and recurrent MI in contemporary revascularized post-MI patients without reduced LVEF.

Design: BETAMI is a prospective, randomized, open, blinded end point multicenter study in 10,000 MI patients designed to test the superiority of oral β-blocker therapy compared to no β-blocker therapy.

Trends in clinical outcomes and survival following prehospital thrombolytic therapy given by ambulance clinicians for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in rural sub-arctic Norway.

Background:: Prehospital thrombolytic therapy given by ambulance emergency medical services to patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) may produce earlier reperfusion than percutaneous coronary intervention. Clinical results from prehospital thrombolytic therapy in rural areas are scarce.

Methods:: We studied outcomes during 11 years of a prehospital thrombolytic therapy system in rural sub-arctic Norway.

Blood pressure response to renal denervation is correlated with baseline blood pressure variability: a patient-level meta-analysis.

Background: Sympathetic tone is one of the main determinants of blood pressure (BP) variability and treatment-resistant hypertension. The aim of our study was to assess changes in BP variability after renal denervation (RDN). In addition, on an exploratory basis, we investigated whether baseline BP variability predicted the BP changes after RDN.

Drug-Eluting or Bare-Metal Stents for Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Limited data are available on the long-term effects of contemporary drug-eluting stents versus contemporary bare-metal stents on rates of death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, and stent thrombosis and on quality of life.

Methods: We randomly assigned 9013 patients who had stable or unstable coronary artery disease to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the implantation of either contemporary drug-eluting stents or bare-metal stents. In the group receiving drug-eluting stents, 96% of the patients received either everolimus- or zotarolimus-eluting stents.

Renal Denervation for Resistant Hypertension Fails to Improve Insulin Resistance as Assessed by Hyperinsulinemic-Euglycemic Step Clamp.

We assessed whether insulin sensitivity improved after renal denervation (RDN) for resistant hypertension. Twenty-three patients underwent a two-step hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEC) with glucose tracer and labeled glucose infusion and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) before and 6 months after RDN. Eighteen patients had metabolic syndrome at baseline.