Comparative Outcomes of Supera Interwoven Nitinol Versus Eluvia Fluoropolymer-Based Drug-Eluting Stents for the Treatment of Severely Calcified Femoropopliteal Artery Lesions: Results of the ELDORADO Study.

Background: Supera interwoven nitinol stents (IWNS) and Eluvia fluoropolymer-based drug-eluting stents (DES) were designed to improve the patency of the femoropopliteal (FP) artery; however, which type of stent yields superior outcomes in calcified FP lesions remains unclear.

Aims: To compare the safety and efficacy of Supera IWNS and Eluvia DES in severely calcified FP lesions.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 257 consecutive patients who underwent endovascular therapy using either IWNS (n = 123) or DES (n = 134) for FP lesions with peripheral arterial calcium scoring system (PACSS) grade 3 or 4 severe calcification between April 2018 and December 2021 at eight cardiovascular centers in Japan.

Prognostic Factors Associated with 2-year Mortality in Patients with Intermittent Claudication Treated with Endovascular Therapy for Femoropopliteal Lesions: Results from the Multicenter PROCYON Study.

Aim: Few studies have evaluated the midterm prognosis of patients with intermittent claudication who underwent endovascular therapy (EVT) for femoropopliteal lesions. Therefore, we aimed to assess 2-year mortality and prognostic factors in these patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 947 patients who underwent EVT for intermittent claudication between January 2018 and December 2021 at eight Japanese cardiovascular centers.

Impact of Underdosing of Direct Oral Anticoagulants on Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Underdoses of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are sometimes prescribed due to bleeding risk concerns in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated the prevalence of DOAC underdosing and its impact on clinical outcomes in AF patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods And Results: This multicenter observational cohort study enrolled patients with AF on DOAC undergoing PCI between January 2015 and March 2021 at 15 institutions across Japan.

Differential Effects of Landiolol in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Tachycardia.

Landiolol, an ultra-short-acting β1-selective blocker, is more effective in controlling heart rate compared with digoxin in patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias and left ventricular dysfunction. However, the effect of atrial tachyarrhythmia type on the effectiveness of landiolol remains unknown. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of landiolol in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial tachycardia (AT), not limited to those with heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction.

Bioprosthetic Valve Positions in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation - Insights From the BPV-AF Registry.

Background: Data on the impact of valve position on clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and bioprosthetic valves (BPVs) are limited.

Methods And Results: The BPV-AF Registry was a multicenter, prospective, observational study involving 894 patients with BPVs and AF. In this post-hoc substudy, patients were classified according to BPV position: aortic (n=588; 65.

CVIT expert consensus document on primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in 2024.

Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) has significantly contributed to reducing the mortality of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) even in cardiogenic shock and is now the standard of care in most of Japanese institutions. The Task Force on Primary PCI of the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (CVIT) proposed an expert consensus document for the management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) focusing on procedural aspects of primary PCI in 2018 and updated in 2022. Recently, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) published the guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndrome in 2023.

Basal inferoseptal segment is highly susceptible to deformation in the clinical spectrum of transthyretin-derived amyloid cardiomyopathy.

Aims: While the prevalence of transthyretin-derived amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is on the rise, detailed understanding of its morphological and functional characteristics within the left ventricle (LV) across heart failure (HF) remains limited.

Methods And Results: Utilizing two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography, we assessed longitudinal strain (LS) in 63 histology-confirmed ATTR-CM patients. Additionally, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images measured native T1 and extracellular volume (ECV), compared with LS across 18 LV segments.

Clinical outcomes of acute limb ischaemia caused by femoropopliteal stent thrombosis.

Background: Although femoropopliteal-specific stents have durable patency, stent thrombosis (ST) may occur, which can lead to acute limb ischaemia (ALI).

Aims: We aimed to investigate the clinical features and outcomes of ALI caused by femoropopliteal ST in patients with lower extremity artery disease.

Methods: This multicentre retrospective study included 499 patients with ALI - of whom 108 patients had ALI caused by femoropopliteal ST (ST-ALI) and 391 patients had ALI caused by other aetiologies (de novo ALI) - who underwent treatment between September 2011 and March 2023.

Clinical Comparison of Drug-Coated Balloon and Drug-Eluting Stent for Femoropopliteal Lesions in Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia With Wounds.

Background: Endovascular therapy (EVT) with devices such as drug-coated balloons (DCBs) and drug-eluting stents (DESs) for atherosclerotic disease in the femoropopliteal (FP) artery has been established. However, EVT using drug-based devices for chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) remains challenging. The optimal device for FP lesions in patients with CLTI remains unknown.

Clinical outcomes of adjusted-dose versus standard-dose prasugrel in East Asian patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: The comparative efficacy and safety of adjusted- and standard-dose prasugrel in East Asian patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remain unclear. This study aimed to comparatively assess the ischaemic and bleeding outcomes of adjusted-dose (maintenance dose: 3.75 mg) and standard-dose (maintenance dose: 10 mg) prasugrel in East Asian patients with AMI undergoing PCI.

Twenty-Four-Month Safety and Effectiveness of TCD-17187 Drug-Coated Balloon for Treatment of Atherosclerotic Lesions in Superficial Femoral and Proximal Popliteal Artery.

Purpose: In the present trial, the 24-month safety and effectiveness of the TCD-17187 drug-coated balloon (DCB) for the treatment of atherosclerotic lesions in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) and proximal popliteal artery (PA) were evaluated in Japanese patients.

Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, core laboratory-adjudicated, single-arm trial. From 2019 to 2020, 121 patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease were enrolled.

Elevated plasma levels of factor VIII enhance arterial thrombus formation on erosive smooth muscle cell-rich neointima but not normal intima in rabbits.

Background: Plaque erosion, a type of coronary atherothrombosis, involves superficial injury to smooth muscle cell (SMC)-rich plaques. Elevated levels of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) correlate with an increased ischemic heart disease risk. FVIII may contribute to thrombus formation on eroded plaques.

Impact of Periprocedural Myocardial Injury on Long-Term Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Requiring Atherectomy.

The prognostic implications of cardiac troponin elevation after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with atherectomy have not been established. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of periprocedural myocardial injury (PMI) and its association with cardiovascular events in patients with severely calcified lesions who underwent PCI with atherectomy. The study analyzed 346 patients (377 lesions) who underwent PCI with atherectomy between January 2018 and December 2021.

Progressive worsening of aortic regurgitation due to detachment of the aortic valve commissure with multimodality imaging to elucidate pathogenesis: a case report.

Background: Aortic regurgitation (AR) associated with detachment of the aortic valve commissure is extremely rare. We present a case of progressively worsening severe chronic AR due to detachment of the aortic valve commissure during hospitalization that was confirmed with multimodality imaging.

Case Summary: A 50-year-old male with Marfan syndrome visited our hospital to receive treatment for cholelithiasis.