Procedural Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Focal and Diffuse Coronary Artery Disease.

Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) patterns play an essential role in the decision-making process about revascularization. The pullback pressure gradient (PPG) quantifies CAD patterns as either focal or diffuse based on fractional flow reserve (FFR) pullbacks. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of CAD patterns on acute percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) results considered surrogates of clinical outcomes.

European expert consensus on rotational atherectomy.

The interest in rotational atherectomy (RA) has increased over the past decade as a consequence of more complex and calcified coronary stenoses being attempted with percutaneous coronary interventions. Yet adoption of RA is hampered by several factors: amongst others, by the lack of a standardised protocol. This European expert consensus document stems from the awareness of the large heterogeneity in the protocols adopted to perform rotational atherectomy.

Long-term clinical outcome after fractional flow reserve- versus angio-guided percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with intermediate stenosis of coronary artery bypass grafts.

Background: Fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided percutaneous revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]) of intermediate stenosis in native coronary artery is safe and associated with better clinical outcomes as compared with an angiography-guided PCI. It is unknown whether this applies to coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs).

Methods: We included 223 patients with CABG and with stable or unstable angina and an intermediate stenosis involving an arterial or a venous graft.

Influence of transradial versus transfemoral diagnostic heart catheterisation on peripheral vascular endothelial function.

Aims: Endothelium dysfunction has been reported in patients (pts) undergoing transradial catheterisation. Alterations of the hand microcirculation possibly associated with systemic inflammation have never previously been reported. We aimed at investigating possible alteration of hand endothelial microcirculation secondary to transradial heart catheterisation.

St. John's Wort in patients non-responders to clopidogrel undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a single-center randomized open-label trial (St. John's Trial).

We assessed if St. John's Wort (SJW) improves platelet response in patients (pts) resistant to clopidogrel after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Stable angina pts non-responders to 600 mg clopidogrel (P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) >240) were randomized (2:1) to SJW (n = 15) or placebo (n = 8).

Intracoronary EnalaPrilat to Reduce MICROvascular Damage During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (ProMicro) study.

Objectives: This study investigated the influence of intracoronary enalaprilat on coronary microvascular function and peri-procedural outcome measures in patients with stable angina undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Intracoronary angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been shown to relieve myocardial ischemia in stable patients and to improve epicardial flow in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Yet, it is still unclear whether these effects are mediated by a modulation of the coronary microcirculation.

von Willebrand factor inhibition improves endothelial function in patients with stable angina.

ALX-0081 is a novel nano-antibody inhibiting von Willebrand factor (vWF). We evaluated whether direct inhibition of vWF by ALX-0081 improves endothelial function. Stable patients (pts, n = 55) with single vessel disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomized to ALX-0081 (n = 38) or placebo (n = 17).