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Objective: Rare disease Background: Papillary fibroelastoma is the most common type of benign primary cardiac tumor and is usually asymptomatic. However, tumor fragments or surface thrombus can embolize and cause transient ischemic attacks, strokes, or myocardial infarction. This report describes a 76-year-old woman who presented with dysarthria and rightsided weakness due to a stroke associated with a left atrial papillary fibroelastoma. Case Report: A 76-year-old woman visited the Emergency Department because she had right-sided weakness and dysarthria from 12 h ago. Brain magnetic resonance image was done at the Emergency Department, showing multiple small embolic, acute infarction in left basal ganglia and fronto-temporo-parietal lobes. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiogram showed a hypermobile echogenic mass (0.8×1.5 cm) with villous surface on the orifice of left atrial appendage. Twenty-four-hour Holter monitoring was performed to evaluate the cause of cerebral infarction, and there was no paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Thoracic computed tomography angiography also showed a sea anemone-shaped mass around the left atrial appendage. Cardiac tumor excision was done via a lower partial sternotomy. Histopathologic analysis showed multiple delicate fronds, and the avascular fibroelastic cores were lined by a single layer of CD31-positive endothelial cells. Histopathologic findings were consistent with papillary fibroelastoma. The patient was discharged without any other complications on day 30 of hospitalization. Conclusions: This case highlights the importance of cardiac imaging in patients with acute stroke, including transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, which can show the typical imaging features of papillary fibroelastoma and other intracardiac sources of embolus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Intravascular imaging--guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) or optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed superior clinical outcomes compared with angiography-guided PCI. However, the comparative effectiveness of OCT-guided and IVUS-guided PCI regarding clinical outcomes is unknown. METHODS: In this prospective, multicenter, open-label, pragmatic trial, we randomly assigned 2008 patients with significant coronary artery lesions undergoing PCI in a 1:1 ratio to undergo either an OCT-guided or IVUS-guided PCI. The primary end point was a composite of death from cardiac causes, target vessel--related myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven targetvessel revascularization at 1 year, which was powered for noninferiority of the OCT group compared with the IVUS group. Safety outcomes were also assessed. RESULTS: At 1 year, primary end point events occurred in 25 of 1005 patients (Kaplan-Meier estimate, 2.5%) in the OCT group and in 31 of 1003 patients (Kaplan-Meier estimate, 3.1%) in the IVUS group (absolute difference, -0.6 percentage points; upper boundary of one-sided 97.5% CI, 0.97 percentage points; P<0.001 for noninferiority). The incidence of contrastinduced nephropathy was similar (14 patients [1.4%] in the OCT group versus 15 patients [1.5%] in the IVUS group; P=0.85). The incidence of major procedural complications was lower in the OCT group than in the IVUS group (22 [2.2%] versus 37 [3.7%]; P=0.047), although imaging procedure-related complications were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with significant coronary artery lesions, OCT-guided PCI was noninferior to IVUS-guided PCI with respect to the incidence of a composite of death from cardiac causes, target vessel--related myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target-vessel revascularization at 1 year. The selected study population and lower-than-expected event rates should be considered in interpreting the trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The standard 60-mg dose of fimasartan, a newly developed selective angiotensin II receptor blocker, is effective and safe for use in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of low-dose (30 mg) fimasartan and placebo or valsartan (80 mg) for 8 weeks in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Methods: In this randomized trial, 293 patients (219 men; mean age, 54.24 [9.77] years) with mild to moderate hypertension were enrolled. After randomization to receive 30-mg fimasartan (n =115), placebo (n =117), or 80-mg valsartan (n =61), the treatment dose was kept constant without dose escalation for 8 weeks. The primary end point was improvement in sitting diastolic blood pressure (SiDBP) from baseline to 8 weeks that was compared between treatments with low-dose fimasartan and placebo. The secondary end point was the overall efficacy and safety of low-dose fimasartan compared with that of placebo or valsartan. Findings: At week 8, SiDBP changed by -9.93 (8.86) mm Hg in the fimasartan group and by -2.08 (9.47) mm Hg in the placebo group, which indicated significant antihypertensive efficacy (P < 0.0001). Efficacy was shown at week 4 as measured by SiDBP (-9.96 [7.73] vs -2.27 [7.85] mm Hg; P < 0.0001) or sitting systolic blood pressure (SiSBP) (-16.18 [14.44] vs -1.95 [13.48] mmHg; P < 0.0001) and at week 8 as determined by SiSBP (-15.35 [16.63] vs -2.30 [14.91] mm Hg; P < 0.0001). The fimasartan group exhibited more potent antihypertensive efficacy than the valsartan group both at week 4 (SiDBP, -9.96 [7.73] vs -6.53 [9.58] mm Hg [P = 0.0123]; SiSBP, - 16.18 [14.4] vs -7.65 [12.89] mm Hg [P = 0.0002]) and at week 8 (SiDBP, -9.93 [8.86] vs -5.47 [8.96] mm Hg [P = 0.0021]; SiSBP, -15.35 [16.63] vs -7.49 [13.68] mm Hg [P = 0.0021]). Most treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were mild (89 of 95), and there were no serious TEAEs. The incidence of TEAEs was 19.1% in the fimasartan group, 22.6% in the placebo group, and 13.6% in the valsartan group, with no significant differences. Implications: Low-dose fimasartan (30 mg) was well tolerated during the study period with no significant TEAEs. Low-dose fimasartan had an effective blood pressure-lowering effect that was greater than that of 80-mg valsartan in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether the efficacy and tolerability of amlodipine camsylate/ losartan 5/100 mg/d (AML/LOS) are noninferior to those of losartan/hydrochlorothiazide 100/12.5 mg/d (LOS/HCTZ) fixed-dose combination in hypertensive patients unresponsive to losartan 100-mg/d monotherapy. Methods: Male and female patients aged ⩾18 years with hypertension despite 4-week, stable treatment with losartan 100-mg/d monotherapy were eligible for inclusion in this multicenter, randomized, double-blind study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive AML/LOS or LOS/HCTZ once daily for 8 weeks. The primary end point was the change from baseline to week 8 in sitting diastolic blood pressure (ΔsiDBP), and the secondary end points were the changes from baseline to 4 weeks in siDBP and sitting systolic BP (ΔsiSBP) and changes from baseline to 4 and 8 weeks in BP response rate. Tolerability was evaluated by physical examination, including vital sign measurement; laboratory analysis; and ECG. Findings: Of 275 patients screened at 9 cardiovascular centers, 199 were enrolled (AML/LOS, n = 101; LOS/HCTZ, n = 98), and 183 completed the study. The demographic characteristics were similar between the 2 groups (mean age, 51.56 [9.97] years; men, 70.53%). At 8 weeks, the mean ΔsiDBP values were -11.54 (7.89) and -9.05 (6.57) mm Hg in the AML/LOS and LOS/HCTZ groups, respectively (both, P < 0.0001 vs baseline). The mean difference between the 2 groups was -2.57 mm Hg, a nonsignificant difference, meaning that AML/LOS was noninferior to LOS/HCTZ with regard to the primary end point. At 8 weeks, the mean uric acid level was changed significantly from baseline in the LOS/HCTZ group (+0.41 [0.80] mg/dL; P < 0.0001) but not in the AML/LOS group (-0.12 [0.82] mg/dL), representing a significant intergroup difference (P < 0.0001). Nineteen patients each in the AML/LOS (18.81%) and LOS/HCTZ (20.00%) groups experienced ⩾1 adverse event, with 4 (3.96%) and 3 (3.16%) patients, respectively, experiencing 1 or more events considered by the investigators to have been treatment related. Implications: The efficacy and tolerability of AML/ LOS 5/100 mg/d was found to have been noninferior to those of LOS/HCTZ 100/12.5 mg/d in these hypertensive patients nonresponsive to losartan 100-mg/d monotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Coronary allograft vasculopathy is a severe complication of heart transplantation. We used virtual histology intravascular ultrasound to characterize plaque burden and tissue composition over time in heart transplant recipients. Methods We recruited patients undergoing heart transplantation in four centers in Europe and the US between 2004 and 2606. We used intravascular ultrasound to obtain morphological plaque measurements and to perform virtual histology in the left anterior descending coronary artery. Data were characterized according to the duration between transplantation and intravascular ultrasound assessment: ≤24, >24-60, >60-120 and >120-192 months. Results We assessed vessels from 152 patients (mean age 58 ± 12 years) a mean of 70 ± 53 months (range 1 week to 16 years) after transplantation. Plaque burden of >40% was observed in 26% of vessels analyzed, with increases from baseline being seen in all time categories. If assessed >24 months after transplantation, necrotic core and dense calcified volumes were significantly greater than at baseline (P = 0.0005 and P = 0.01, respectively). Time since heart transplantation and donor age and recipient age were independent predictive factors of increased necrotic core content. Necrotic core volume >2.01 mm³, diabetes mellitus, donor age older than 40 years, follow-up from transplantation longer than 5 years and recipient age older than 58 years were associated with the need for revascularization. Conclusions In coronary allograft vasculopathy, plaque burden and composition change over time and seem to affect clinical outcome. This relationship might facilitate identification of high-risk patients in whom the value of more aggressive medical therapy should be tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Toxocariasis is an infection due to ingestion of the helminth parasite larvae found in dogs (Toxocara canis) or cats (Toxocara cati). Symptoms vary from being asymptomatic to shock, depending on the organ invaded by the parasite. However, cardiac involvement with shock in toxocariasis is very rare. Case Report: A 21-year-old woman without any history of underlying conditions visited the Emergency Department because of epigastric pain, vomiting, headache, and dizziness. Her blood pressure was 80/60 mmHg. Computed tomography (CT) of the brain showed no abnormal lesions. The abdominal-pelvic CT with contrast showed right pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, and focal ascites in the pelvic cavity. Laboratory tests revealed an elevation of eosinophils (40%) and cardiac enzymes (creatinine kinase-MB 27.6 ng/mL, high-sensitive cardiac troponin T 1.21 ng/mL). The transthoracic echocardiogram showed left ventricular systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction 44%) and moderate pericardial effusion. She was presumptively diagnosed with hypereosinophilic perimyocarditis and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for shock. The pericardial effusion increased during treatment; therefore, pericardiocentesis was performed. Analysis of the pericardial effusion showed eosinophilia (eosinophils 90%) and the serologic test for parasites was positive for Toxocara and Sparganum. A combination therapy of albendazole, praziquantel, and corticosteroid resolved the pericardial effusion and the peripheral blood eosinophil count normalized. She was discharged without any other complications. At Outpatient Clinic followups and observations over the next 2 years there were no abnormal findings, including pericardial effusion or eosinophilia. Conclusions: Toxocariasis rarely causes perimyocarditis with cardiogenic shock. Patients who present with pericardial effusion and eosinophilia need to be evaluated for parasitic infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current guidelines recommend dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) of aspirin plus a P2Y12 inhibitor for at least 12 months after implantation of drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, available data about the optimal duration of DAPT in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention are scant. We aimed to investigate whether a 6-month duration of DAPT would be non-inferior to the conventional 12-month or longer duration of DAPT in this population.Methods: We did a randomised, open-label, non-inferiority trial at 31 centres in South Korea. Patients were eligible if they had unstable angina, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Enrolled patients were randomly assigned, via a web-based system by computer-generated block randomisation, to either the 6-month DAPT group or to the 12-month or longer DAPT group, with stratification by site, clinical presentation, and diabetes. Assessors were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke at 18 months after the index procedure in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary endpoints were the individual components of the primary endpoint; definite or probable stent thrombosis as defined by the Academic Research Consortium; and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2-5 bleeding at 18 months after the index procedure. The primary endpoint was also analysed per protocol. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01701453.Findings: Between Sept 5, 2012, and Dec 31, 2015, we randomly assigned 2712 patients; 1357 to the 6-month DAPT group and 1355 to the 12-month or longer DAPT group. Clopidogrel was used as a P2Y12 inhibitor for DAPT in 1082 (79·7%) patients in the 6-month DAPT group and in 1109 (81·8%) patients in the 12-month or longer DAPT group. The primary endpoint occurred in 63 patients in the 6-month DAPT group and in 56 patients in the 12-month or longer DAPT group (cumulative event rate 4·7% vs 4·2%; absolute risk difference 0·5%; upper limit of one-sided 95% CI 1·8%; pnon-inferiority=0·03 with a predefined non-inferiority margin of 2·0%). Although all-cause mortality did not differ significantly between the 6-month DAPT group and the 12-month or longer DAPT group (35 [2·6%] patients vs 39 [2·9%]; hazard ratio [HR] 0·90 [95% CI 0·57-1·42]; p=0·90) and neither did stroke (11 [0·8%] patients vs 12 [0·9%]; 0·92 [0·41-2·08]; p=0·84), myocardial infarction occurred more frequently in the 6-month DAPT group than in the 12-month or longer DAPT group (24 [1·8%] patients vs ten [0·8%]; 2·41 [1·15-5·05]; p=0·02). 15 (1·1%) patients had stent thrombosis in the 6-month DAPT group compared with ten (0·7%) in the 12-month or longer DAPT group (HR 1·50 [95% CI 0·68-3·35]; p=0·32). The rate of BARC type 2-5 bleeding was 2·7% (35 patients) in the 6-month DAPT group and 3·9% (51 patients) in the 12-month or longer DAPT group (HR 0·69 [95% CI 0·45-1·05]; p=0·09). Results from the per-protocol analysis were similar to those from the intention-to-treat analysis.Interpretation: The increased risk of myocardial infarction with 6-month DAPT and the wide non-inferiority margin prevent us from concluding that short-term DAPT is safe in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with current-generation DES. Prolonged DAPT in patients with acute coronary syndrome without excessive risk of bleeding should remain the standard of care.Funding: Abbott Vascular Korea, Medtronic Vascular Korea, Biosensors Inc, and Dong-A ST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is still unclear whether low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) affects cardiovascular outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), especially in patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: A total of 984 AMI patients with diabetes mellitus from the DIabetic Acute Myocardial InfarctiON Disease (DIAMOND) Korean multicenter registry were divided into two groups based on HDL-C level on admission: normal HDL-C group (HDL-C ≥ 40 mg/dL, n = 519) and low HDL-C group (HDL-C < 40 mg/dL, n = 465). The primary endpoint was 2-year major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and target vessel revascularization (TVR). Results: The median follow-up duration was 730 days. The 2-year MACE rates were significantly higher in the low HDL-C group than in the normal HDL-C group (MACE, 7.44% vs. 3.49%, p = 0.006; cardiac death, 3.72% vs. 0.97%, p = 0.004; non-fatal MI, 1.75% vs. 1.55%, p = 0.806; TVR, 3.50% vs. 0.97%, p = 0.007). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the low HDL-C group had a significantly higher incidence of MACE compared to the normal HDL-C group (log-rank p = 0.013). After adjusting for conventional risk factors, Cox proportional hazards analysis suggested that low HDL-C was an independent risk predictor for MACE (hazard ratio [HR] 3.075, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.034-9.144, p =0 . 0 4 3 ) . Conclusions: In patients with diabetes mellitus, low HDL-C remained an independent risk predictor for MACE after adjusting for multiple risk factors during 2-year follow-up of AMI. Trial registration: This study was the sub-analysis of the prospective multi-center registry of DIAMOND (Diabetic acute myocardial infarction Disease) in Korea. This is the observational study supported by Bayer HealthCare, Korea. Study number is 15614. First patient first visit was 02 April 2010 and last patient last visit was 09 December 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The self-expandable COMPLETE™ stent (Medtronic) has greater elasticity, allowing it to regain its shape after the compression force reduces, and has higher trackability, thus is easier to maneuver through tortuous vessels, whereas the balloon-expandable SCUBA™ stent (Medtronic) has higher radial stiffness and can afford more accurate placement without geographic miss, which is important in aortoiliac bifurcation lesions. To date, there have been no randomized control trials comparing efficacy and safety between the self-expanding stent and balloon-expandable stent in advanced atherosclerotic iliac artery disease.Methods/design: The purpose of our study is to examine primary patency (efficacy) and incidence of stent fracture and geographic miss (safety) between two different major representative stents, the self-expanding nitinol stent (COMPLETE-SE™) and the balloon-expanding cobalt-chromium stent (SCUBA™), in stenotic or occlusive iliac arterial lesions. This trial is designed as a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial to demonstrate a noninferiority of SCUBA™ stent to COMPLETE-SE™ stent following balloon angioplasty in iliac arterial lesions, and a total of 280 patients will be enrolled. The primary end point of this study is the rate of primary patency in the treated segment at 12 months after intervention as determined by catheter angiography, computed tomography angiography, or duplex ultrasound.Discussion: The SENS-ILIAC trial will give powerful insight into whether the stent choice according to deployment mechanics would impact stent patency, geographic miss, or stent fracture in patients undergoing stent implantation in iliac artery lesions.Trial Registration: National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01834495 ), registration date: May 8, 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the replicated phenomenon of obesity paradox, i.e., obesity appearing to be associated with increased survival, has not been evaluated in stabilized (i.e., without clinical events within 1 month post AMI) Asian patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: Among 1192 patients in the DIabetic Acute Myocardial InfarctiON Disease (DIAMOND) Korean multicenter registry between April 2010 and June 2012, 2-year cardiac and all-cause death were compared according to obesity (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2) in 1125 stabilized DM patients. Results: Compared with non-obese DM patients (62 % of AMI patients), obese DM patients had: higher incidence of dyslipidemia (31 vs. 24 %, P < 0.01); lower incidence of chronic kidney disease (26 vs. 33 %) (P < 0.01); higher left ventricular ejection fraction after AMI (53 ± 11 vs. 50 ± 12 %, P < 0.001); and lower 2-year cardiac and all-cause death occurrence (0.7 vs. 3.6 % and 1.9 vs. 5.2 %, both P < 0.01) and cumulative incidence in Kaplan-Meier analysis (P < 0.005, respectively). Likewise, both univariate and multivariate Cox hazard regression analyses adjusted for the respective confounders showed that obesity was associated with decreased risk of both cardiac [HR, 0.18 (95 % CI 0.06-0.60), P = 0.005; and 0.24 (0.07-0.78), P = 0.018, respectively] and all-cause death [0.34 (0.16-0.73), P = 0.005; and 0.44 (0.20-0.95), P = 0.038]. Conclusions: In a Korean population of stabilized DM patients after AMI, non-obese patients appear to have higher cardiac and all-cause mortality compared with obese patients after adjusting for confounding factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In contrast to many studies comparing everolimus-eluting stent (EES) with paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES), data directly comparing EES with sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) are limited, especially in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods This study includes 2911 AMI patients treated with SES (n = 1264) or EES (n = 1701) in Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR). Propensity score matching was applied to adjust for baseline imbalance in clinical and angiographic characteristics, yielding a total of 2400 well-matched patients (1200 receiving SES and 1200 receiving EES). One-year clinical outcomes were compared between the two propensity score matched groups. Results Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were similar between the two propensity score matched groups. One-year clinical outcomes of the propensity score matched cohort were comparable between the EES versus the SES groups including the rates of cardiac death (4.8% vs. 4.8%, P = 1.000), recurrent myocardial infarction (1.4% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.619), target lesion revascularization (1.4% vs. 1.6%, P = 0.737), target lesion failure (7.0% vs. 7.3%, P = 0.752), and probable or definite stent thrombosis (0.5% vs. 0.9%, P = 0.224) except for a trend toward lower incidence of target vessel revascularization (1.9% vs. 3.0%, P = 0.087) and a lower rate of total major adverse cardiac events (9.3% vs. 11.9%, P = 0.034) in the EES group. Conclusions The present propensity score matched analysis performed in a large-scale, prospective, multicenter registry suggests that the second-generation drug-eluting stent EES has at least comparable or even better safety and efficacy profiles as compared with SES in the setting of AMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether early high-dose potent statin therapy in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention can reduce infarct size compared with conventional low-dose statin therapy. In a randomized placebo-controlled multicenter trial, 185 patients were assigned either to an early high-dose rosuvastatin group (n=92, rosuvastatin 40mg before treatment plus maintenance for 7 days) or to a conventional low-dose rosuvastatin group (n [ 93, placebo before treatment plus rosuvastatin 10-mg maintenance for 7 days). Serial cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed during the acute (3 to 7 days) and chronic (3 months) phases. The primary end point was relative infarct volume assessed by MRI at 3 months. Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups, except hypertension, which was more prevalent in the high-dose group. Serial MRI data were available for 121 patients (high-dose group n=54 and low-dose group n=67). The relative infarct volumes in the acute (23.0 - 9.5% vs 20.5 - 11.7%, p=0.208) and chronic (15.9 - 8.3% vs 15.8 - 9.7%, p=0.943) phases were not different between the groups. No differences between groups were observed for periprocedural microvascular circulation evaluated by Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction flow grade, myocardial blush grade, ST-segment resolution, microvascular obstruction on cardiac MRI, or clinical outcomes. In conclusion, early high-dose rosuvastatin therapy in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention did not improve periprocedural myocardial perfusion or reduce infarct volume measured by MRI compared with the conventional low-dose rosuvastatin regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background--Ischemic postconditioning has been reported to reduce infarct size in patients with ST-segment--elevation myocardial infarction. However, cardioprotective effects of postconditioning have not been demonstrated in a large-scale trial. Methods and Results--We performed a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded end-point trial. A total of 700 patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment--elevation myocardial infarction within 12 hours after symptom onset were randomly assigned to the postconditioning group or to the conventional primary PCI group in a 1:1 ratio. Postconditioning was performed immediately after restoration of coronary low as follows: The angioplasty balloon was positioned at the culprit lesion and inflated 4 times for 1 minute with low-pressure (<6 atm) inflations, each separated by 1 minute of deflation. The primary end point was complete ST-segment resolution (percentage resolution of ST-segment elevation >70%) measured at 30 minutes after PCI. Complete ST-segment resolution occurred in 40.5% of patients in the postconditioning group and 41.5% of patients in the conventional PCI group (absolute difference, -1.0%; 95% confidence interval, -8.4 to 6.4; P=0.79). The rate of myocardial blush grade of 0 or 1 and the rate of major adverse cardiac events (a composite of death, myocardial infarction, severe heart failure, or stent thrombosis) at 30 days did not differ significantly between the postconditioning group and the conventional PCI group (17.2% versus 22.4% [P=0.20] and 4.3% versus 3.7% [P=0.70], respectively). Conclusion--Ischemic postconditioning did not improve myocardial reperfusion in patients with ST-segment--elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary PCI with current standard practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current guidelines recommend dual anti-platelet therapy, aspirin and clopidogrel, for patients treated with drug-eluting stent for coronary heart disease. In a few small trials, addition of cilostazol on dual anti-platelet therapy (triple anti-platelet therapy) showed better late luminal loss. In the real-world unselected patients with coronary heart disease, however, the effect of cilostazol on platelet reactivity and ischemic vascular events after drug-eluting stent implantation has not been tested. It is also controversial whether there is a significant interaction between lipophilic statin and clopidogrel. Methods/Design: CILON-T trial was a prospective, randomized, open-label, multi-center, near-all-comer trial to demonstrate the superiority of triple anti-platelet therapy to dual anti-platelet therapy in reducing 6 months' major adverse cardiovascular/cerebrovascular events, composite of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization and ischemic stroke. It also tested whether triple anti-platelet therapy is superior to dual anti-platelet therapy in inhibiting platelet reactivity in patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stent. Total 960 patients were randomized to receive either dual anti-platelet therapy or triple anti-platelet therapy for 6 months and also, randomly stratified to either lipophilic statin (atorvastatin) or non-lipophilic statin (rosuvastatin) indefinitely. Secondary endpoints included all components of major adverse cardiovascular/cerebrovascular events, platelet reactivity as assessed by VerifyNow P2Y12 assay, effect of statin on major adverse cardiovascular/cerebrovascular events, bleeding complications, and albumin-to-creatinine ratio to test the nephroprotective effect of cilostazol. Major adverse cardiovascular/cerebrovascular events will also be checked at 1, 2, and 3 years to test the 'legacy' effect of triple anti-platelet therapy that was prescribed for only 6 months after percutaneous coronary intervention. Discussion: CILON-T trial will give powerful insight into whether triple anti-platelet therapy is superior to dual anti-platelet therapy in reducing ischemic events and platelet reactivity in the real-world unselected patients treated with drug-eluting stent for coronary heart disease. Also, it will verify the laboratory and clinical significance of drug interaction between lipophilic statin and clopidogrel. Trial Registration: National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier# NCT00776828). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES), the angiographic rates of restenosis have reduced dramatically but less prominently in diabetic patients. We compared the effects of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) versus paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) on 6-month angiographic and clinical outcomes in Korean diabetic patients. Method: Diabetic patients with de novo coronary lesions (169 patients with 190 lesions) were randomly assigned to either SES or PES in six different cardiovascular centers from April 2005 to January 2006. Patients with vessel size >2.0 mm and ≤2 vessel diseases requiring ≤2 DES implantation were included in the study. Results: Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were similar between the two groups. At 6-month follow-up, the late lumen loss (0.26 ± 0.76 in the SES group vs. 0.39 ± 0.92 mm in the PES group, P = 0.356) and the rate of binary restenosis (2.8%[n = 2] in the SES group vs. 6.9%[n = 5] in the PES group, P = 0.441) showed no significant differences. Rates of death (1.2%[n = 1] in the SES group vs. 1.2%[n = 1] in the PES group, P = 1.000), myocardial infarction (1.2%[n = 1] in the SES group vs. 1.2%[n = 1] in the PES group, P = 1.000), and target lesion revascularization (2.4%[n = 2] in the SES group vs. 4.8%[n = 4] in the PES group, P = 0.443) were similar in both groups during 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion: The use of either SES or PES demonstrated similar 6-month angiographic and clinical outcomes in Korean diabetic patients with coronary artery disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by the authors to a letter to the editor about their article on ischemic postconditioning during primary percutaneous coronary intervention in volume 128 is presented.