Clinical significance of a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in patients with vascular disease.

Background: The Cardiovascular Outcomes for People Using Anticoagulation Strategies (COMPASS) trial enrolled patients with vascular disease, but excluded patients requiring oral anticoagulation.

Objective: To explore the clinical significance of a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) during follow-up.

Methods: New AF was identified from hospitalization, study drug discontinuation and adverse event reports.

Cangrelor versus crushed ticagrelor in patients with acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock: rationale and design of the randomised, double-blind DAPT-SHOCK-AMI trial.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a devastating and fatal complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). CS can affect the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications. The unique properties of cangrelor make it the optimal P2Y12 inhibitor for CS-AMI, in terms of both efficacy and safety.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps and Thrombolysis Resistance: New Insights for Targeting Therapies.

Background: Thrombosis is linked to neutrophil release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs are proposed as a mechanism of resistance to thrombolysis. This study intends to analyze the composition of thrombi retrieved after mechanical thrombectomy, estimate the age and organization of thrombi, and evaluate associations with the use of thrombolysis, antiplatelets, and heparin.

The many roles of urgent catheter interventions: from myocardial infarction to acute stroke and pulmonary embolism.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality and a major contributor to disability worldwide. The prevalence of CVDs is continuously increasing, and from 1990 to 2019, it has doubled. Global cardiovascular mortality has increased from 12.

Trends in outcomes of women with myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty-Analysis of randomized trials.

Background: Sex- and gender-associated differences determine the disease response to treatment.

Aim: The study aimed to explore the hypothesis that progress in the management of STE-myocardial infarction (STEMI) overcomes the worse outcome in women.

Methods And Results: We performed an analysis of three randomized trials enrolling patients treated with primary PCI more than 10 years apart.

Total events and net clinical benefit of rivaroxaban and aspirin in patients with chronic coronary or peripheral artery disease: The COMPASS trial.

Background: Low dose rivaroxaban with aspirin reduced major cardiovascular events (MACE) compared to aspirin alone in patients with cardiovascular disease although effects on total events are unknown.

Methods: The COMPASS clinical trial randomized 27,395 participants with chronic coronary and/or peripheral artery disease to rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg daily, rivaroxaban 5 mg twice daily alone, or aspirin 100 mg daily.

Acute ischaemic stroke: recent advances in reperfusion treatment.

During the last 5-7 years, tremendous progress was achieved in the reperfusion treatment of acute ischaemic stroke during its first few hours from symptom onset. This review summarizes the latest evidence from randomized clinical trials and prospective registries with a focus on endovascular treatment using stent retrievers, aspiration catheters, thrombolytics, and (in selected patients) carotid stenting. Novel approaches in prehospital (mobile interventional stroke teams) and early hospital (direct transfer to angiography) management are described, and future perspectives ('all-in-one' laboratories with angiography and computed tomography integrated) are discussed.

Long-Term Treatment with the Combination of Rivaroxaban and Aspirin in Patients with Chronic Coronary or Peripheral Artery Disease: Outcomes During the Open Label Extension of the COMPASS trial.

Aims: To describe outcomes of patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) and/or peripheral artery disease (PAD) enrolled in the Cardiovascular Outcomes for People Using Anticoagulation Strategies (COMPASS) randomized trial who were treated with the combination of rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily and aspirin 100 mg once daily during long-term open-label extension (LTOLE).

Methods And Results: Of the 27 395 patients enrolled in COMPASS, 12 964 (mean age at baseline 67.

Direct transfer of acute stroke patients to angiography suites equipped with flat-detector computed tomography: literature review and initial single-centre experience.

Time is brain! This paradigm is forcing the development of strategies with potential to shorten the time from symptom onset to recanalization. One of these strategies is to transport select patients with acute ischaemic stroke directly to an angio-suite equipped with flat-detector computed tomography (FD-CT) to exclude intracranial haemorrhage, followed directly by invasive angiography and mechanical thrombectomy if large-vessel occlusion (LVO) is confirmed. To present existing published data about the direct transfer (DT) of stroke patients to angio-suites and to describe our initial experience with this stroke pathway.

Patient characteristics, treatment strategy, outcomes, and hospital costs of acute coronary syndrome: 3 years of data from a large high-volume centre in Central Europe.

Managing patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in an ageing population with comorbidities is clinically and economically challenging. Well-conducted unselected registries are essential for providing information on real-day clinical practice. The aim was to create a long term, very detail-controlled registry of unselected patients admitted with ACS to a high-volume centre in Central Europe.

Clinical and radiological factors predicting stroke outcome after successful mechanical intervention in anterior circulation.

The recanalization effect of large-vessel occlusion (LVO) in anterior circulation is well documented but only some patients benefit from endovascular treatment. We analysed clinical and radiological factors determining clinical outcome after successful mechanical intervention. We included 146 patients from the Prague 16 study enrolled from September 2012 to December 2020, who had initial CT/CTA examination and achieved good recanalization status after mechanical intervention (TICI 2b-3).

The relationship between symptom onset-to-needle time and ischemic outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with primary PCI: Observations from Prague-18 Study.

Objectives: Based on previous studies with clopidogrel, the time between acute myocardial infarction (AMI) symptoms onset and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was proven as important prognostic factor. Our aim was to assess the relationship between symptoms onset to needle time (SNT) and procedural results and the occurrence of ischemic endpoints in primary angioplasty patients treated with potent P2Y12 inhibitors.

Methods: A total of 1,131 out of 1,230 patients randomized to the Prague-18 study (prasugrel vs.

4-Year Outcomes After Left Atrial Appendage Closure Versus Nonwarfarin Oral Anticoagulation for Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: The PRAGUE-17 (Left Atrial Appendage Closure vs Novel Anticoagulation Agents in Atrial Fibrillation) trial demonstrated that left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) was noninferior to nonwarfarin direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for preventing major neurological, cardiovascular, or bleeding events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who were at high risk.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the prespecified long-term (4-year) outcomes in PRAGUE-17.

Methods: PRAGUE-17 was a randomized noninferiority trial comparing percutaneous LAAC (Watchman or Amulet) with DOACs (95% apixaban) in patients with nonvalvular AF and with a history of cardioembolism, clinically-relevant bleeding, or both CHADS-VASc ≥3 and HASBLED ≥2.

The effect of left atrial appendage closure on heart failure biomarkers: A PRAGUE-17 trial subanalysis.

Introduction: The randomized PRAGUE-17 trial demonstrated noninferiority of left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) to non-vitamin K anticoagulants (NOACs) for the prevention of major cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events. However, the left atrial appendage is an important source of natriuretic peptides and plays a role in left atrial reservoir function. Changes of heart failure (HF) biomarkers after LAAC compared to NOAC has not been studied.

Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on Outcome in Takotsubo Syndrome: Data From the International Takotsubo Registry.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for mortality. The prevalence, clinical correlates, and prognostic impact of AF in Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) have not yet been investigated in a large patient cohort. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, clinical correlates, and prognostic impact of AF in patients with TTS.