Volume 123  ·  Issue 07  ·  2010

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is superior, asopposed to bare-metal stenting, in terms of reduction of target lesion revascularization and improvement in clinical outcomes;~(1,2) the penetration rate of DES reached beyond 90% in routine PCI practice in China, especially with the availability of home-made polymer-based sirolimus- (Firebird, Excel or Partner) and non-polymer-based paclitaxel- (Yinyi) eluting stents.~(3,4)

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been the standard of care for patients with acuteST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) within 12 hours of symptom onset in modern era.~(1,2) The advances and applications of robust anti-platelet and anti-coagulation medicines further improve the outcome of STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI,~3 and drug-eluting stent (DES) has also been proven to be effective and safe when applying in primary PCI.~4 Historical data indicated that women undergoing PCI exerted worse outcomes than male patients, and the gender differences in outcome after PCI are still topical and of interest, especially the outcome after primary PCI。

Abstract：Background Late stent thrombosis (LST) is still concerned by interventions cardiologists in daily clinical practice. This study aimed to compare the incidence of LST after implantation of different drug-eluting stents (DES) in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in the real world.Methods From December 2001 to February 2009, a total of 11 875 consecutive CHD patients undergone DES implantation were enrolled in this single-center registery study. Patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, mixed DES implantation, restenosis lesions, and patients who could not take dual antiplatlet medication and those who were contraindicated for coronary interventional treatment were excluded. All patients were treated with completed dual antiplatelet medications for at least 9 months after DES deployment. The follow-up was completed by outpatient visits, letter correspondence, phone calls and coronary angiography. Definite LST was diagnosed auording to the Academic Research Consortium (ARC) definition.Results Cypher or Cypher Select stents were implanted in 4104 cases, Taxus or Taxus Liberty stents in 2271 cases and Firebird stents (Chinese rapamycin-eluting stents) in 5500 cases. One-year follow-up was completed in 9693 patients, including 3346 cases with Cypher or Cypher Select stents, 1529 cases with Taxus or Taxus Liberty stents and 4818 cases with Firebird stents. Two- and three-year follow-up results were obtained in 7133 and 4353 patients, respectively, including 2410 and 1760 cases with Cypher or Cypher Select stents, 1285 and 900 cases with Taxus or Taxus Liberty stents as well as 3438 and 1693 cases with Firebird stents. One-year follow-up results showed that the incidence of LST was 1.08% in patients with Cypher or Cypher Select stents, 1.24% in those with Taxus or Taxus Liberty stents and 0.71% in those with Firebird stents; there was no significant difference between those with Cypher or Cypher Select and Firebird stents, but there was significant difference between those with Taxus or Taxus Liberty and Firebird stents (P=0.044). The incidence of LST at the 2- and 3-year follow-up was 1.33% and 1.70% in those with Cypher or Cypher Select stents, 1.40% and 1.70% in those with Taxus or Taxus Liberty stents, and 0.83% and 0.95% in those with Firebird stents, respectively. There were no significant differences among the three groups.Conclusions This study indicates that first-generation DES are acceptable to treat complex coronary lesions, and there is no significant difference of LST for three different DES。

Abstract：Background Randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated the superiority of sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as opposed to bare-metal stents, in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that clinical benefits of SES treatment were independent of gender in this setting.Methods A total of 2042 patients with STEMI undergoing SES-based primary PCI were prospectively enrolled into Shanghai Acute Coronary Event (SACE) registry (1574 men and 468 women). Baseline demographics, angiographic and PCI features, and in-hospital and 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were analyzed as a function of gender. Results Compared with men, women were older and more frequently had hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. Use of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor (GPI, 65.5% vs. 62.2%, P=0.10) and procedural success rate (95.0% vs. 94.2%, P=0.52) were similar in both genders. In-hospital death and MACE occurred in 3.8% and 7.6%, and 4.5% and 8.1% in the male and female patients, respectively (all P >0.05). At 30-day follow-up, survival (94.3% vs. 93.8%, P=0.66) and MACE-free survival (90.2% vs. 89.3%, P=0.52) did not significantly differ between men and women. After adjustment for differences in patient demographics, angiographic and proceduralfeatures, there were no significant difference in either in-hospital (OR=0.77, 95%C/ of 0.48 to 1.22, P=0.30) or 30-day mortality (OR=1.28, 95%C/ of 0.73 to 2.23, P=0.38) between women and men.Conclusion Despite more advanced age and clustering of risk factors in women, female patients with STEMI treated by SES-based primary PCI had similar in-hospital and short-term clinical outcomes as their male counterparts。

Abstract：Background Data on the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting stent (DES) for treatment of multiple coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions are scanty. The aim of the present study was to compare the long-term outcomes of DES versus bare metal stent (BMS) implantation for multiple coronary CTO lesions.Methods We analyzed 188 patients who underwent coronary stenting for at least two de novo CTO lesions in our center from November 2000 to November 2006. Among them, 118 patients (62.8%) received DES and 70 patients (37.2%) received BMS implantation after the recanalization for CTO lesions. All patients were followed up for up to 5 years for the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Long-term survival rates were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method.Results There were no significant differences in baseline clinical characteristics and procedural success rate between DES group and BMS group. Compared with the BMS group, the DES group showed a significantly higher rate of long CTO (≥15 mm) (62.0% vs. 50.6%, P=0.023). The number of stents per lesion (1.39±0.71 vs. 1.17±0.66, P=0.007) and the mean length of stents in the DES group were also higher than those in the BMS group ((40.8±11.4) mm vs. (23.4±8.7) mm, P<0.001). But the mean diameter of stents in the DES group was smaller than that in the BMS group ((3.1 ±0.2) mm vs. (3.3±0.5) mm, P<0.001). Average follow-up time was 4.8±0.7 (1.5-5.0) years in the BMS group and 4.3±0.5 (1.3-5.0) years in the DES group. Both the 5-year cumulative survival rates and the target vessel revascularization (TVR)-free survival rates of the DES group were significantly higher than those in the BMS group (83.1% vs. 72.9%, Log-rank P=0.044; 77.1% vs. 62.9%, Log-rank P=0.009). The cumulative MACE-free survival rates in the DES group were significantly higher than those in the BMS group (71.2% vs. 51.4%, Log-rank P=0.001). Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that DES implantation for multiple CTO lesions could significantly reduce the long-term MACE risk after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (HR. 0.436; 95%C/ 0.327-0.665, P <0.001). Age over 65 years (HR. 2.018; 95%CI1.491-3.127, P<0.001) and left ventricular ejection fraction <50% (HR. 1.494; 95%CI1.125-2.376, P <0.001) were identified as the independent predictors of long-term MACE.Conclusion This study demonstrates the long-term (up to 5 years) efficacy and safety of DES for treatment of multiple coronary CTO lesions, and its superiority compared to BMS in reducing the rates of TVR and MACE。

Abstract：Background Implantation of either bare metal stent (BMS) or drug-eluting stent (DES) has been used in every day practice for patients with unprotected left main stenosis (UPLMS). There are still a lack of data regading the subsequent results of UPLMS in-stent restenosis (ISR). The present study aimed at determing the clinical outcome of UPLMS ISR patients after implantation of either BMS or DES.Methods Patients with UPLMS ISR after stenting were included. The primary endpoint was the cumulative major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (Ml), and target vessel revascularization (TVR).Results UPLMS ISR rate was 14.8% (n=73, 15.7% after BMS, 14.5% for DES) after average of (3.89±2.01) years (range from 1 to 10.5 years) follow-up. Angiographic follow-up between 6-8 months was available in 85.3%. Of these,repeat percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was used in 62 (84.9%) patients, with medicine only in 9 (12.4%) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in 2 (2.7%). Most repeat PCI patients were with unstable angina (87.0%), and had decreased left ventricular ejection fraction ((42.58±5.12)%), fewer focal/ostial left circumflex branch (LCX) lesions, in relative to medicine only group. After (31.9±23.3) months, the MACE, Ml, TVR and cardiac death were 31.5%, 1.4%, 24.1% and 8.2%, respectively. Definite and possible stent thrombosis occurred in 1 (1.4%) patient.Conclusions Medical therapy for asymptomatic isolated ostial LCX was safe. Repeat PCI for UPLMS ISR was associated with acceptable early and short-term clinical outcome. Further study was needed to elucidate the role of CABG in treating UPLMS ISR。

Abstract：Background Evidence indicates that early reperfusion therapy in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) reduces complications. This study was undertaken to compare the in-hospital delay to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for patients with STEMI between specialized hospitals and non-specialized hospitals in Beijing, China. Methods Two specialized hospitals and fifteen non-specialized hospitals capable of performing PPCI were selected to participate in this study. A total of 308 patients, within 12 hours of the onset of symptoms and undergoing PPCI between November 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006 were enrolled. Data were collected by structured interview and review of medical records.Results The median in-hospital delay was 98 (interquartile range 105 to 180) minutes, and 16.9% of the patients were treated within 90 minutes. Total in-hospital delay and ECG-to-treatment decision-making time were longer in the non-specialized hospitals than in the cardiac specialized hospitals (147 minutes vs. 120 minutes, P<0.001; 55 minutes vs. 45 minutes, P=0.035). After controlling the confounding factors, the non-specialized hospitals were independently associated with an increased risk of being in the upper median of in-hospital delays.Conclusions There were substantial in-hospital delays between arrival at the hospital and the administration of PPCI for patients with STEMI in Beijing. Patients admitted to the cardiac specialized hospitals had a shorter in-hospital delay than those to the non-specialized hospitals because of a shorter time of ECG-to-treatment decision-making。

Abstract：Background Valve replacement or repair Is recommended in patients with tricuspid regurgitation when deterioration of their clinical status occurs as a consequence of right ventricular dysfunction. Percutaneous valve replacement was developed in recent years. To investigate the feasibility, effectiveness and long-term results of percutaneous tricuspid valve replacement, an experimental model with tricuspid regurgitation is needed. We developed a simple and reproducible percutaneous approach for the creation of tricuspid regurgitation in sheep.Methods A specially designed grasping forceps were used to grasp chordae tendineae or the tricuspid valve leaflets through a catheter. Transcatheter creation of tricuspid regurgitation was performed on 7 healthy sheep. These sheep were followed up shortly after the procedure and at 6th month post-procedure with echocardiography. Additionally, all the sheep were sacrificed for anatomic evaluation at 6th month after the procedure.Results Creation of tricuspid regurgitation was successfully accomplished in all sheep. Necropsy confirmed that damage was done to the tricuspid valve apparatus in all animals (tearing of the anterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve in five animals and posterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve in two animals). At the six-month follow-up, there was no significant increase in the right ventricle dimension and ejection fraction measured by echocardiography. Autopsy examinations demonstrated the tearing of tricuspid valve leaflets.Conclusions The creation of an animal model of tricuspid regurgitation via a percutaneous approach using forceps to sever one or more tricuspid leaflets is feasible and will allow investigation of devices designed replace the tricuspid valve via a percutaneous approach. Despite significant tricuspid regurgitation, the hemodynamics did not change during the follow-up period in this model。

Abstract：Background Recent studies have shown that drug eluting stent (DES) implantation improved clinical outcome concerning efficacy compared with bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation, and sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) seemed superior to paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) in improving the outcomes. Firebird SES is the most widely used SES in China. Long-term comparison of safety and efficacy between Firebird SES and Taxus PES in Chinese popuation is still not available. The aim of this research was to compare the safety and efficacy at 24 months after the successful implantation of Firebird SES and TAXUS PES in Chinese population.Methods From April 2004 to October 2006, 3110 consecutive patients who underwent successful DES (Firebird SES 2274; Taxus PES 836) implantation were prospectively enrolled into this study. All enrolled patients were divided into two groups based on stent type. By outpatient clinic visit and telephone interview, we obtained 24-month clinical outcome including death, myocardial infarction (Ml), thrombosis, target lesion revascularization (TLR), target vessel revascularization (TVR), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE, the composite of death, Ml, and TVR). We used Cox's proportional-hazards models to assess relative risks of all the outcome measures before and after propensity match. Results Unadjusted clinical outcomes indicated that the patients treated with Firebird SES were associated with lower risk of TLR (HR0.38, 95%CI 0.26-0.54), TVR (HR 0.51,95%CI 0.38-0.68) and MACE (HR 0.53, 95%CI 0.41-0.68). The results after propensity match were consistent with that before matching, lower risk of TLR (HR 0.33, 95%CI 0.19-0.58), TVR (HR 0.41, 95%CI 0.26-0.64), MACE (HR 0.48, 95%CI 0.33-0.68) in Firebird group.Conclusion Compared with Taxus PES, the use of domestic Firebird SES may decrease the risk of TLR, TVR and MACE in daily practice。

Abstract：Background The patients with unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) stenosis and chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions at the left anterior descending (LAD) artery are often recommended for bypass surgery. However, some of these patients are deemed inoperable or are at high risk for surgery. In this study, we explored strategies and evaluated the efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention for the treatment of ULMCA stenosis complicated by LAD CTO. Methods From November 2001 to July 2009, 78 patients with ULMCA stenosis and LAD CTO lesions were selectively treated with stenting. Six patients (7.7%) refused surgery due to their young age (S40 years), and the other 72 patients (92.3%) were unsuitable for surgery. Reasons for poor surgical candidacy included advanced age (>80 years), chronic obstructive pulmonary, unsuitable distal target vessels for bypass, EuroSCORE ≥6, and so on. Four different strategies were applied based on the degree of left main stenosis and the ostial diameter and involvement of the left circumflex. Results Total procedural success was achieved in 94.9%, there were no deaths or thromboses. Five patients (6.4%) experienced non-Q-wave myocardial infarction in hospital. At long-term follow-up ((52±28) months), there were 3 cardiac deaths (3.8%) and 4 (5.1%) nonfatal myocardial infarctions. Angiographic follow-up was performed in 50 patients (64.1%), and target vessel revascularizations were required in 10 patients (12.8%), among which 4 nonfatal myocardial infarction patients included. The rate of major adverse cardiac events was 16.7% (13/78).Conclusions This study indicates that percutaneous intervention can be performed safely in high risk surgical patients with ULMCA and LAD CTO lesions based on individual therapeutic strategies. It may be feasible to apply this technique in selected patients mentioned above。

Abstract：Background Transcatheter closure of coronary artery fistula (CAF) has emerged as a successful alternative to surgery. We described our experiences in 10 children patients who were accepted for transcatheter closure of CAF. Methods Ten children were 3-10 years old (seven males) with CAF who underwent percutaneous transcatheter closure between October 1995 and April 2008. Sites of origin of these fistulas were: right coronary artery in seven, left anterior descending coronary artery in two, and left circumflex coronary artery in one patient. Drainage sites of these fistulas were: right atrium in seven, right ventricle in two and left ventricle in one patient. All of these fistulas were congenital and had only one orificium fistula.Results A Cook coil was used in four patients and an Amplatzer patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) occluder was used in six patients. Checking the angiogram after the procedure revealed complete occlusion in nine patients (90%) and minimal residual flow in one (10%) patient. Technical success was achieved in all patients. Follow-up studies at short term showed complete abolition of shunt in all patients with no evidence of recanalization leading to recurrence of shunt. Conclusions Transcatheter therapy using either Cook coil or Amplatzer PDA occluder is suggested to be a safe and effective method of occlusion. The midterm outcome of the intervention for CAF is satisfactory。

Abstract：Background There are few reports of quantitative and qualitative measuring of left main coronary artery (LMCA) plaques by multislice computed tomography coronary angiography (MSCTA), especially when compared with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as reference standard. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of 64-MSCTA in the diagnosis of LMCA disease, and the accuracy of MSCTA in the quantitative and qualitative assessment of the LMCA lesion as compared with IVUS.Methods A total of 91 patients (53 men, 38 women, mean age (64.78±9.19) years) were examined by 64-MSCTA and IVUS. Compared with the IVUS, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of the MSCTA on the diagnosis of LMCA diseases were calculated. Also, kappa index (K) for the agreement between MSCTA and IVUS was calculated. Minimal lumen area (MLA), external elastic membrane cross-sectional area (EEM-CSA) and plaque burden were measured by two blinded and independent operators on MSCTA cross-sectional reconstruction and compared with the parameters measured from IVUS by manually tracing. The CT value of soft, fibrous and calcific plaques was measured using IVUS classification of the plaques.Results The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of MSCTA for detecting LMCA plaques were 93.1%, 84.2%, 95.7%, 76.2%, respectively. Kappa index (K=0.744, P<0.001) indicated excellent agreement between MSCTA and IVUS. The Pearson index between MLA on IVUS and MLA on MSCTA was 0.815 (P <0.01). The Pearson index of plaque burden and EEM-CSA between IVUS and MSCTA was 0.736 and 0.740 respectively (both P <0.01). The CT value of soft plaque, fibrous plaque and calcific plaque compared with IVUS were (52.52±15.71) HU, (108.32±43.44) HU and (604.16±377.67) HU (P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of CT value of non-calcific plaques for predicting soft plaques showed the cutpoint was 54.35 HU, with a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 94.4%. Conclusions Sixty-four section MSCTA is an effective diagnostic tool for the detection of LMCA plaques with higher sensitivity and specificity. The correlation of quantitative and qualitative analysis between MSCTA and IVUS was excellent. The CT value of plaques can help the diagnosis of plaque composition。

Abstract：Objective To review the central role of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) in drug resistance and metastasis, aiming to provide key insights into leukemogenic pathology and developing novel therapeutic strategies against the relapse of leukemia.Data sources The data used in this review were obtained mainly from the studies reported in PubMed using the key terms "tumor-initiating cells", "leukemia stem cells", "drug resistance" and "metastasis".Study selection Relevant articles on studies of leukemia stem cells were selected.Results Increasing numbers of studies have suggested the importance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in the initiation and maintenance of cancer, especially in leukemia. This review has summarized the origin, characteristics, isolation and identification of LSCs. It highlights the crucial role of LSCs in drug resistance and metastasis of leukemia by illustrating possible mechanisms and aims to provide novel therapeutic strategies for LSCs-targeted treatment.Conclusion LSCs play a crucial role in drug resistance and metastasis of leukemia and new promising LSCs-targeted therapies warrant investigation in both experimental models and clinical practice。

Acute cardiac tamponade occurs in 0.1%-2% of patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) in experienced centers. Once it is diagnosed, emergency pericardiocentesis is required.~5 With the intervention, sternotomy and open surgical repair can be avoided in the most patients.~6 Generally, pericardial blood is reinjected directly back into the patient through the femoral venous sheath in order to invert hemodynamic instability promptly. But direct retransfusion of pericardial blood carries the risks of air embolism, hemolysis or thromboembolism, etc. Autotransfusion has been widely used during major surgical procedures. As for autotransfusion in the management of acute cardiac tamponade, there has not been yet an agreement in clinical practice. Based on the treatment of four cases, this study demonstrates the advantages and indications of autotransfusion in the management of acute cardiac tamponade。

Coronary arteries and their major branches usually course on the surface of the heart in the subepicardial tissue. However, a muscle hber overlying the intramyocardial segment of an epicardial coronary artery was defined as myocardial bridging (MB), and subsequently the artery coursing within the myocardium is called a tunneled artery。

Myocardial noncompaction (MN) is defined as an unclassified congenital cardiomyopathy which is characterized by the presence or prominent ventricular trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses. It is assumed to occur as an arrest in normal endomyocardial morphogenesis and is mostly associated with other congenital cardiac malformations。

Single coronary artery (SCA), defined as an artery that arises from the arterial trunk and nourishes the entire myocardium, is rare. We report two cases of SCA, one is the right coronary artery (RCA) originating from the middle of left descending artery (LAD), and the other is the left main coronary artery (LMCA) arising from the proximal right coronary artery。

Dlaphragmatic hernia (DH) is an uncommon result of trauma, but presents a severe problem in patients with multiple injuries. Right-sided DH is rare, owing to the protection of the liver and strength of the right hemidiaphragm. Here we present a case of delayed right-sided DH with severe craniocerebral trauma。