Vein Graft Lesions Research Articles

Very Late Evaluation of the Use of Drug-Eluting Stents for the Treatment of Patients with Saphenous Vein Graft Lesions: One-Decade Experience of the DESIRE Registry

Very Late Evaluation of the Use of Drug-Eluting Stents for the Treatment of Patients with Saphenous Vein Graft Lesions: One-Decade Experience of the DESIRE Registry

One‐Year Outcome of Small‐Vessel Disease Treated with Sirolimus‐Eluting Stents: A Subgroup Analysis of the e‐SELECT Registry

To investigate the characteristics and one-year outcomes following sirolimus-eluting CYPHER Select Plus stent (SES) implantation in small (SmVD) and non-small vessel disease (NSmVD) in the international e-SELECT registry. Large-scale registry data are lacking on DES outcomes in SmVD treatment. There were 4,700 SmVD (at least one vessel with estimated reference vessel diameter [RVD] < 2.5 mm, excluding 283 patients with unknown RVD vessels) and 10,139 NSmVD only patients. The SmVD population was older, with more women, diabetics, and vessels treated, higher mean Charlson Comorbidity Index score (CCI), shorter lesions, and less STEMI presentation. The 1-year stent thrombosis (ST) rate (primary end-point), was significantly higher (1.3% vs. 0.7%) in SmVD versus NSmVD, mainly driven by early events. One-year major adverse cardiac event (MACE), myocardial infarction (MI), and clinically indicated target-lesion revascularization (TLR) rates were significantly higher in SmVD although death and major bleeding rates were similar in both groups. Complication rates were similar between pure (3,188 patients; only RVD < 2.5 mm) and mixed (1,795 patients; some RVD < 2.5 mm or unknown RVD) SmVD. Multivariate predictors for 1-year MACE in SmVD included saphenous vein graft or bifurcation lesions, major bleeding, any antiplatelet therapy discontinuation within 1 month, age, number of stents implanted, CCI, acute coronary syndrome, and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. SES implantation for SmVD occurs more frequently in women, diabetics, and those with multivessel disease and comorbidities. One-year ST, MACE, MI, and clinically indicated TLR rates are higher, although low overall, in SmVD or mixed SmVD patients while death rates are similar to NSmVD.

Complement factor C5a as mast cell activator mediates vascular remodelling in vein graft disease

Failure of vein graft conduits due to vein graft thickening, accelerated atherosclerosis, and subsequent plaque rupture is applicable to 50% of all vein grafts within 10 years. New potential therapeutic targets to treat vein graft disease may be found in components of the innate immune system, such as mast cells and complement factors, which are known to be involved in atherosclerosis and plaque destabilization. Interestingly, mast cells can be activated by complement factor C5a and, therefore, a direct role for C5a-mediated mast cell activation in vein graft disease is anticipated. We hypothesize that C5a-mediated mast cell activation is involved in the development and destabilization of vein graft lesions. Mast cells accumulated in time in murine vein graft lesions, and C5a and C5a-receptor (CD88) expression was up-regulated during vein graft disease in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Mast cell activation with dinitrophenyl resulted in a profound increase in vein graft thickening and in the number of plaque disruptions. C5a application enhanced vein graft lesion formation, while treatment with a C5a-receptor antagonist resulted in decreased vein graft disease. C5a most likely exerts its function via mast cell activation since the mast cell inhibitor cromolyn totally blocked C5a-enhanced vein graft disease. These data provide evidence that complement factor C5a-induced mast cell activation is highly involved in vein graft disease, which identifies new targets to prevent vein graft disease.

TCT-654 Comparison in the 5-year Outcome of Pericardium and Polytetrafluoroethylene-Covered Stents for Saphenous Vein Graft Lesions

Percutaneous intervention (PCI) for degenerated saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions are well known for high rates of no-reflow, restenosis (ISR) and stent thrombosis. Covered stents have been tried in an aim to trap the debris to minimize no-reflow and ISR. Two types of covered stents have been used

TCT-673 Drug-eluting stents versus bare metal stents for saphenous vein graft lesions: meta-analysis of randomized trials

TCT-673 Drug-eluting stents versus bare metal stents for saphenous vein graft lesions: meta-analysis of randomized trials

Intravascular Ultrasound Analysis of Plaque Characteristics and Postpercutaneous Coronary Intervention Catheterization Outcomes According to the Remodeling Pattern in Narrowed Saphenous Vein Grafts

We assessed the plaque characteristics and postpercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) outcome according to the remodeling pattern (positive remodeling [PR], n = 113; and intermediate/negative remodeling [IR/NR], n = 198) in 311 saphenous vein graft lesions using intravascular ultrasound. The remodeling index was the ratio of the lesion site saphenous vein graft area to the mean of the proximal and distal references (PR/remodeling index >1.05, IR 0.95 to 1.05, and NR <0.95). Tissue prolapse was defined as tissue extrusion through the stent strut after PCI, and the tissue prolapse volume was calculated by subtracting the lumen volume from the stent volume. The presence of hypoechoic plaque (59% vs 36%, p = 0.001), plaque rupture (26% vs 16%, p = 0.042), multiple plaque rupture (12% vs 5%, p = 0.020), and an intraluminal mass (59% vs 41%, p = 0.002) were more common in the PR lesions than in the IR/NR lesions. The plaque cavity area was significantly greater in the PR lesions than in the IR/NR lesions (0.83 ± 1.43 mm(2) vs 0.42 ± 1.07 mm(2), p = 0.009). Post-PCI no-reflow (19% vs 9%, p = 0.019) and post-PCI tissue prolapse (53% vs 27%, p <0.001) were observed more frequently, and the tissue prolapse volume was significantly greater after PCI for PR lesions than for IR/NR lesions (0.86 ± 1.30 mm(3) vs 0.34 ± 0.74 mm(3), p <0.001). PR was the independent predictor of post-PCI no-reflow (odds ratio 2.58, 95% confidence interval 1.25 to 5.64, p = 0.040) and post-PCI tissue prolapse (odds ratio 2.45, 95% confidence interval 1.46 to 5.41, p = 0.045). In conclusion, saphenous vein graft lesions with PR have vulnerable plaque and are associated with no-reflow and tissue prolapse after PCI.

Tratamento de bifurcações coronárias: simplifique, mas não exagere

he percutaneous treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions is, together with the treatment of lesions in degenerate saphenous vein grafts and chronic occlusions, one of the biggest challenges that an inter-ventional cardiologist faces in daily practice. Several techniques for treating bifurcations have been described in addition to algorithms to indicate these techniques based on the calibre of the secondary branch and its angulation on the level of lesion involvement, but so far none has surpassed the simplicity of the provisional technique. In this issue of the

Intra-Graft Abciximab and Verapamil Combined with Direct Stenting is a Safe and Effective Strategy to Prevent Slow-flow and No-Reflow Phenomenon in Saphenous Vein Graft Lesions not Associated with Thrombus

Slow flow and no-reflow phenomenon (SF-NR) in saphenous vein grafts (SVG) stenting is related to the occurrence of distal plaque embolization, platelet activation and microvascular vasospasm. Our article discusses few of the patents related to strategies for preventing slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon in SVG percutaneous coronary intervention (SVG PCI). Data from 163 consecutive patients who underwent PCI of SVG lesions without visible macro-thrombus without use of distal embolic protection device over a 10-year period were reviewed. Patients in the novel strategy group received prophylactic intra-graft administration of abciximab and verapamil followed by direct stenting (n=91). The control group (n=72) comprised of patients who had undergone conventional PCI technique before the routine availability of distal embolic protection devices, with balloon pre-dilatation of the target lesion followed by stent deployment and optional use of intragraft verapamil or intravenous abciximab. Patients with visible macro-thrombus in the vein graft were excluded from the study, since these patients underwent PCI with use of the distal embolic protection (filter). SF-NR (TIMI 0-1 flow) occurred more frequently in the control group compared to the novel strategy group (18% vs. 1%, P=0.0001). One patient in the control group died after developing persistent SF-NR and acute MI post-PCI. No death was reported in the novel strategy group. In the control group, 13% patients developed cardiac enzyme elevation 3 times more than normal after the PCI as compared to 1% in the novel strategy group (P < 0.05). In recent years several distal embolic protection devices have been granted patents for minimizing the chance of slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon. In carefully selected subgroup of SVG lesions without visible macrothrombus, a strategy of prophylactic intra-graft administration of abciximab and verapamil, combined with direct stenting of the graft lesion without pre-dilatation, can be safely accomplished without any significant risk of slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon. We propose a patent to this 3-step strategy of percutaneous coronary intervention of SVG lesions not associated with thrombus.

Comparison of Frequency of Complications With On-Label Versus Off-Label Use of Rotational Atherectomy

Although rotational atherectomy (RA) is used for complex lesions in percutaneous coronary intervention, there are several contraindications and precautions. The purpose of our study was to compare complications between off-label and on-label use of RA. We identified 250 consecutive patients who underwent RA. Off-label characteristics included saphenous vein graft lesions, presence of thrombus, unprotected left main stenosis, coronary artery dissection, acute myocardial infarction (MI), left ventricular dysfunction, 3-vessel disease, long lesion (≥ 25 mm), or angulated lesion (≥ 45°). Patients who had ≥ 1 off-label characteristic were assigned to the off-label group (156 patients), and patients who had no off-label characteristics were assigned to the on-label group (94 patients). Occurrence of slow flow or periprocedural MI in the off-label group was higher than that in the on-label group (slow flow 30% vs 18%, p = 0.06; MI 8.8% vs 2.1%, p = 0.04), whereas severe complications such as burr entrapment, transection of the guidewire, or perforation were rare in the 2 groups. In conclusion, compared to the on-label group, the off-label group had a higher incidence of slow flow and periprocedural MI. Severe complications such as burr entrapment, transection of the guidewire, or perforation were rare in the 2 groups.

036 No difference in long-term major adverse cardiac event rates between paclitaxel-eluting and sirolimus-eluting stents

BackgroundPrevious studies have demonstrated similar outcomes over the short to mid term in patients treated with paclitaxel-eluting stents (PESs) or sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs). However there is limited “real-world” data investigating...

Distal protection devices in primary percutaneous coronary intervention of native coronary artery lesions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective:The use of embolic protection devices to decrease major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with saphenous vein graft lesions is considered class I therapy by the recent practice guidelines. However, the benefits of adjunctive protection devices to prevent distal embolization in patients with native coronary artery lesions are still a matter of debate. Therefore, we performed the meta-analysis to determine whether the use of distal protection devices during revascularization can improve myocardial perfusion and reduce the occurrence of MACEs compared with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) alone.Methods and results:Studies were identified in English-language articles by search of Medline and Embase database (inception to December 2011). A total of 15 prospective randomized controlled trials involving 2783 patients were included for analysis (1378 patients in the distal protection device group and 1405 cases in the control group). Overall, adjunctive embolic protection was associated with significantly improved postprocedural TIMI 3 (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction 3) flow (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.13–2.57; P = 0.01) and MBG 3 (myocardial blush grade 3) (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.09–2.07; P = 0.01), whereas the overall MACEs analysis demonstrated that a nonsignificant trend was observed toward better clinical outcomes associated with adjunctive protection devices at 1 month (OR 0.80; 95% CI 0.55–1.15; P = 0.23) and at 6 months (OR 0.80; 95% CI 0.55–1.17; P = 0.24). When stratified by MACEs, no statistical differences were found among mortality, reinfarction, and target vessel revascularization (TVR), respectively.Conclusions:The meta-analysis indicated an improvement of myocardial perfusion in AMI patients treated with adjunctive protection devices. However, a nonsignificant trend was observed toward a lower risk of MACEs in the distal protection device group when compared with the control group.

FOLLOW UP OF THE PATIENTS TREATED WITH THE MGUARD STENT SYSTEM IN PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION AT AFIC - NIHD

The objective of this study was to conduct a follow up of the patients treated with the MGuard Stent used in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) in the setting of acute coronary syndromes at AFIC - NIHD. Introduction: The consequences of distal embolisation during PCI in acute coronary syndrome can vary from a simple sluggish flow to myocardial infarction and death. A number of protection devices reduce distal embolisation, but they add complexity and cost to the procedure. The MGuard stent is a unique innovation to counter the phenomenon. Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct an angiographic follow up of the patients treated with the MGuard Stent used in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) in the setting of acute coronary syndromes at AFIC - NIHD. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted in AFIC - NIHD. Between April 2010 to date 21 patients were treated with a total of 25 MGuard stents. Inclusion criteria included de novo lesions in saphenous vein grafts or native vessels with angiographic evidence of thrombus activity or lesion instability and a potential for distal embolization, all in the setting of acute coronary syndromes. Results: All patients were male. Mean age was 46.23 years (range 32-70 years). All patients were admitted with acute coronary syndromes. Most lesions had complex morphological features and all had some thrombus activity. The MGuard stent was deployed successfully in all cases and without any complications. Secondary endpoints (TIMI - III flow and myocardial blush grade 3) were met in all cases. There was no elevation of cardiac enzymes post procedure in any patient.On follow up Nine patients (42%) had critical ISR (2 of these were total occlusions) and all required repeat intervention.One patient died within 30 days of PCI. Conclusions: These preliminary results show that the MGuard stent is a safe option for patients undergoing PCI in de novo coronary artery lesions in the setting of acute coronary syndrome with thrombus burden and saphenous vein graft stenosis. However the long term follow up of these patients shows significant ISR which needs to be clarified with a larger sample size.

Intravascular Ultrasound Findings That Are Predictive of No Reflow After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Saphenous Vein Graft Disease

The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings and the no-reflow phenomenon and long-term outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions. No reflow was defined as Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction grade 0, 1, or 2 flow after PCI. Of 311 patients who underwent IVUS before and after stenting, no reflow was observed in 39 patients (13%). Degenerated SVG (62% vs 36%, p = 0.002), IVUS-detected intraluminal mass (82% vs 43%, p <0.001), culprit lesion multiple plaque ruptures (23% vs 6%, p <0.001), and tissue prolapse (51% vs 35%, p = 0.043) were observed more frequently in patients with no reflow. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, an intraluminal mass (odds ratio [OR] 4.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.98 to 10.49, p = 0.001), culprit lesion multiple plaque ruptures (OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.46 to 8.41, p = 0.014), and degenerated SVGs (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.17 to 6.56, p = 0.024) were the independent predictors of no reflow after PCI. At 5-year clinical follow-up, rates of death (14, 36%, vs 55, 20%, p = 0.036) and myocardial infarction (13, 33%, vs 52, 19%, p = 0.039) were significantly higher in the no-reflow group. However, rate of target vessel revascularization was not significantly different between the 2 groups (15, 38%, vs 90, 33%, p = 0.3). IVUS-detected intraluminal mass, multiple plaque ruptures, and degenerated SVGs were associated with no reflow in SVG lesions after PCI. In conclusion, no reflow was associated with poor long-term clinical outcomes after PCI for SVG lesions.

Role of embolic protection devices in ostial saphenous vein graft lesions

Although embolic protection devices (EPDs) have been shown to be beneficial in saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions, their role in the subgroup of ostial SVG lesions has received limited study. The coronary angiograms and procedural outcomes of 109 patients undergoing stenting of 113 ostial SVG lesions were retrospectively reviewed to determine the frequency of EPD use and the periprocedural outcomes. Ninety-eight (87%) of the 113 lesions were suitable for EPD use, that was used in 70 lesions (71%). A Filterwire (Boston Scientific) or a SPIDER (ev3) filter were used in 54 (77%) and 16 (23%) of lesions, respectively. Difficulty retrieving the filter post stenting was encountered in eight lesions (11%) and led to stent thrombosis causing cardiac arrest in one patient (1%). Angiographic success was achieved in 111 (98%) of 113 lesions. EPDs can be utilized in the majority of ostial SVG lesions, but in 11% of cases filter retrieval can be challenging and may rarely (in approximately 1%) lead to a significant complication.

A prospective multicenter registry of laser therapy for degenerated saphenous vein graft stenosis: the COronary graft Results following Atherectomy with Laser (CORAL) trial

The primary aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of Excimer laser atherectomy as a primary treatment strategy in consecutively eligible patients presenting for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of degenerated saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions using a multicenter registry. Prior single-center experience suggested that laser atherectomy may decrease acute procedural complications during treatment of degenerated SVGs, including lesions not amenable to distal protection devices (DPDs). The COronary graft Results following Atherectomy with Laser investigators enrolled 98 patients at 18 centers between June 23, 2003, and October 4, 2004, with greater than 50% stenosis of an SVG who presented for PCI due to angina pectoris or objective evidence of myocardial ischemia in a concordant myocardial distribution. Laser atherectomy was planned. Patients were excluded if the operator planned to utilize a DPD. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were aligned to those in the Saphenous vein graft Angioplasty Free of Emboli Randomized (SAFER) trial. The primary end point [30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE)] occurred in 18/98 (18.4%) patients driven primarily by non-q-wave myocardial infarction. Major procedural complications included no reflow (n=5) and major dissection (n=1). No perforations occurred. Univariate predictors of 30-day MACE included lesion length, vessel angulation, plaque burden, SVG degeneracy score, number of laser pulses used, and larger-sized laser catheters. This study demonstrated that Excimer laser atherectomy of diseased SVGs is feasible with results comparable to the 30-day MACE in the control population from the SAFER trial. Whether the addition of laser to embolic protection devices is of any clinical utility remains to be tested in future studies.

Drug-eluting versus bare-metal stents in saphenous vein graft lesions

Drug-eluting versus bare-metal stents in saphenous vein graft lesions

Drug-eluting versus bare-metal stents in saphenous vein graft lesions – Author's reply

Emmanouil Brilakis and colleagues are right in pointing out the relevance of vessel size in determining the benefit achieved with drug-eluting stents compared with bare-metal stents. Although there was no significant interaction between treatment effect of drug-eluting stents and bypass vein graft size (p for interaction 0·87), the reduction in the risk of the primary endpoint of the trial (the composite of death, myocardial infarction, and target-lesion revascularisation) with drug-eluting stents was numerically greater for a vein graft size of 3 mm or less (hazard ratio 0·48, 95% CI 0·24–0·94) than for vessels larger than 3 mm in size (0·75, 0·47–1·19).

Clinical Outcome After Saphenous Vein Stenting With Taxus Liberté Stent

We evaluated the incidence of clinical events after implantation of the TAXUS Liberté paclitaxel-eluting stent in saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions in an unselected patient population. The OLYMPIA (TAXUS Liberté Post-Approval Global Registry) program gathered data on 21 954 patients receiving at least 1 TAXUS Liberté stent, including 345 patients with SVG lesions. All cardiac events were monitored with independent adjudication of end points. Patients enrolled at procedure started with no mandated inclusion/exclusion criteria. In SVG-OLYMPIA (n = 345), baseline comorbidities/complex disease were more frequent than the rest of the OLYMPIA (n = 21 560). SVG-OLYMPIA had similar cardiac death, target vessel revascularization, and definitive stent thrombosis rates than the rest of OLYMPIA. Despite higher baseline risk, the SVG-OLYMPIA had similar 12-month clinical outcome than the rest of the OLYMPIA registry, confirming the safety and efficacy of the TAXUS Liberté stent in this high-risk group.

Percutaneous revascularization strategies in saphenous vein graft lesions: Long-term results

AimsAlthough half of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) present obstructive atherosclerotic disease 10 years after implantation, controversy remains concerning the ideal treatment. Our aim was to compare percutaneous revascularization (PCI) options in SVG lesions, according to intervention strategy and type of stent. MethodsA retrospective single-center analysis selected 618 consecutive patients with previous bypass surgery who underwent PCI between 2003 and 2008. Clinical and angiographic parameters were analyzed according to intervention strategy – PCI in SVG vs. native vessel vs. combined approach – and type of stent implanted – drug-eluting (DES) vs. bare-metal (BMS) vs. both. A Cox regressive analysis of event-free survival was performed with regard to the primary outcomes of death, myocardial infarction (MI) and target vessel failure (TVF). ResultsDuring a mean follow-up of 796±548 days the rates of death, MI and TVF were 10.9%, 10.5% and 29.5%, respectively. With regard to intervention strategy (74.4% of PCI performed in native vessels, 17.2% in SVGs and 8.4% combined), no significant differences were seen between groups (death p=0.22, MI p=0.20, TVF p=0.80). The type of stents implanted (DES 83.2%, BMS 10.2%, both 3.2%) also did not influence long-term prognosis (death p=0.09, MI p=0.11, TVF p=0.64). The implantation of DES had a favorable impact on survival (p<0.001) in the subgroup of patients treated in native vessels but not in SVG. ConclusionsAmong patients with SVG lesions, long-term mortality, MI and TVF were not affected by intervention options, except for the favorable impact on survival of DES in patients treated in native vessels.

Impact of lesion location on intravascular ultrasound findings and short-term and five-year long-term clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention for saphenous vein graft lesions

BackgroundLittle is known about intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings and acute post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) outcome and long-term clinical outcome between aorto-ostial lesion and shaft lesion after PCI for saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions. MethodsAorto-ostial lesion was defined as those arising within 3mm of the origin of SVG and shaft lesion was defined as those arising in remaining portion of SVG. We evaluated pre- and post-PCI IVUS images of 311 SVG lesions and compared IVUS findings and acute post-PCI outcome and 5-year clinical outcome between aorto-ostial lesion (n=64) and shaft lesion (n=247). ResultsThe presence of positive remodeling (40% vs. 22%, p=0.026), hypoechoic plaque (47% vs. 36%, p=0.035), plaque rupture (23% vs. 8%, p=0.008), multiple plaque rupture (9% vs. 2%, p=0.038), and an intraluminal mass (54% vs. 25%, p<0.001) were significantly more common in shaft lesion than in aorto-ostial lesion. Post-PCI no-reflow (15% vs. 5%, p=0.033), post-PCI tissue prolapse (TP) (40% vs. 23%, p=0.014), and post-PCI creatine kinase-MB elevation more than 3 times normal (14% vs. 8%, p=0.047) were observed more frequently after PCI for shaft lesion than for aorto-ostial lesion. At 5-year clinical follow-up, the incidences of death (25% vs. 13%, p=0.036) and myocardial infarction (24% vs. 11%, p=0.028), but not the rate of target vessel revascularization (36% vs. 25%, p=0.096), were significantly higher in patients with shaft lesion compared with those with aorto-ostial lesion. ConclusionsSVG shaft lesion has more unstable plaque morphology and this may contribute to the worse acute PCI outcomes and long-term outcomes.