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New-generation single-layer polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE-) or polyurethane (PU-) covered stent (CS) for the treatment of coronary artery perforation (CAP) during PCI offer high procedural efficacy. To evaluate the comparative long-term safety and efficacy of both devices. This is a multicenter pooled analysis of individual data of patients with CAP undergoing implantation of single-layer PTFE-CS or PU-CS. Procedural endpoint was strategy success defined as successful placement of CS and sealing of perforation without surgical conversion. Clinical endpoints were mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), target vessel revascularization (TVR) and definite or probable stent thrombosis (def/prob ST) at 12 months. Seventy patients with CAP underwent implantation of two hundred eight CS, ninety-two PTFE-CS, and one hundred sixteen PU-CS. More than 1 stent was implanted in 13 patients (17.1%) in PTFE-CS group and 19 patients (20.2%) in PU-CS group, P = 0.80. Strategy success was high (96.1% versus 92.5%., P = 0.62). At 12 months, 71 patients (93.2%) in PTFE-CS group versus 79 patients (81%) in the PU-CS were alive, P = 0.05; TVR occurred in 14 patients (28.4%) in PTFE-CS group and 12 patients (17.9%) in PU-CS group, P= 0.54; MI in 1 patient (1.3%) in PTFE-CS group and 1 patients (1.1%) in PU-CS group, P = 0.86. Rates of def/prob ST were comparable 1.3% in PTFE-CS versus 3.1% in PU-CS P = 0.95. A strategy of implantation of a new-generation single-layer PTFE- or PU-CS for the treatment of coronary artery perforation showed high success rates. Both new-generation CS showed favorable and similar clinical safety, in particular with regard to thrombotic events., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Background: Periprocedural electrophysiological (EP) testing may be useful to predict high degree atrioventricular block (HAVB) risk in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)., Objective: To determine whether pre- and immediate post-TAVR ECG and HV interval findings are predictive of HAVB., Methods: Consecutive TAVR patients without prior pacemaker (PM) implantation underwent ECG and standardized HV interval measurements pre- and post-TAVR using the quadripolar catheter for rapid pacing. The primary outcome was HAVB >24 h after TAVR or ventricular pacing need RESULTS: Out of 97 included patients, 8 experienced the primary outcome (7 with HAVB and 1 with PM need). On univariate analysis, pre- and post-TAVR PR, post-TAVR HV, and Delta-HV intervals were predictors of the primary outcome. A Delta-HV interval ≥18 ms predicted HAVB with sensitivity = 50% and specificity = 90% (AUC = 0.708, PPV = 31%), while an HV interval ≥60 ms after TAVR had sensitivity = 63% and specificity = 79% (AUC = 0.681, PPV = 21%). None of the patients with a PR interval ≤180 ms post-TAVR experienced the primary outcome. Among patients with new-onset LBBB, an HV interval post-TAVR >65 ms was the only predictor of HAVB (AUC = 0.776, PPV = 33%, and NPV = 97%)., Conclusion: The yield of periprocedural EP assessment during TAVR is limited considering that about half of the at-risk patients fail to be identified. However, early periprocedural risk stratification may be more useful in the subset of patients with new-onset LBBB. Among ECG findings, a post-TAVR PR interval ≤180 ms identifies a subgroup at very low risk, independently of QRS interval and morphology., (© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This case report presents an instance of iatrogenic right ventricular perforation during pericardial paracentesis, a rare complication with potentially fatal consequences. Despite initial unsuccessful pericardial drainage, successful closure of the perforation was achieved using an Angio-Seal vascular closure device, leading to cessation of hemorrhage and resolution of hemodynamic instability. The case highlights the efficacy of Angio-Seal in managing such complications, emphasizing its utility in complex clinical scenarios involving pericardial interventions., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Aims: The hepatic response after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) may be associated with mortality and morbidity. We aimed to assess the cardio-hepatic axis post-STEMI using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)., Methods and Results: This prospective, observational, single-centre study included consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent CMR after primary angioplasty from January 2015 to January 2019. Standard infarct characteristics were analysed, and hepatic T1 and hepatic extracellular volume (ECV) were assessed using pre- and post-contrast T1 mapping sequences. The primary endpoint was the relationship between native hepatic T1 values and ischaemic right ventricular (RV) involvement, determined by RV ejection fraction (EF) dysfunction and/or the presence of RV acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The diagnostic performance of hepatic T1 values for detecting RV involvement was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Of 177 consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing CMR, 142 were included. Patients with RV ischaemic involvement, compared with those without, had significantly higher native hepatic T1 (P < 0.001) and hepatic ECV (P = 0.016). Hepatic T1 values demonstrated a good diagnostic performance in detecting RV involvement (AUC 0.826, P < 0.001) and correlated positively with NT-proBNP values (r = 0.754, P < 0.001). Patients with high hepatic T1 values (> 605 ms) had significantly higher NT-proBNP levels (< 0.001), larger RV end-diastolic volume (P < 0.001), lower RVEF (P < 0.001), and a higher prevalence of RV AMI (P = 0.022) compared with those with hepatic T1 ≤ 605 ms, whereas left ventricular EF and infarct size were similar. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified RVEF (P = 0.010) and NT-proBNP values (P < 0.001) as independent predictors of increased hepatic T1 values. Patients with increased hepatic T1 values had a higher rate of rehospitalization for heart failure at 17-month follow-up (12.1 vs. 2.0%, P = 0.046)., Conclusion: Hepatic T1 mapping has emerged as a possible novel imaging biomarker of the cardio-hepatic axis in STEMI, being associated with RV involvement and increased NT-proBNP values., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Complex coronary artery abnormalities (CAA) are rare findings with no established guideline for their management in asymptomatic patients., Case Summary: We report the case of a 49-year-old male patient, with no medical history, who was incidentally diagnosed for two congenital complex CAA during for the management of an acute coronary syndrome without ST elevation. The coronary angiogram showed an acute atheromatous occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA) that was treated by a drug-eluting stent. Transcatheter angiograms as well as the coronary computed tomography (CT) also revealed an ectopic RCA arising from the left cuspid with an inter-arterial course, and a second left anterior descending artery emerging from the RCA with a retro-pulmonary course. The present acute coronary syndrome was not in relation to his congenital disease but with an atheromatous disease. On 48 months of follow-up, the transthoracic echocardiography is normal and the patient remains asymptomatic despite the risk of sudden cardiac death and myocardial infarction., Discussion: This case shows that CAA can be clinically silent for a long period of time without any correction. It highlights that ischemia in patients with CAA is not always due to the congenital disease. As patients seemed to remain at SCD risk despite surgical correction, not correcting the CAA might remain an alternative in asymptomatic adult patients., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: The transcaval (TCv) vascular approach is increasingly used in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients unsuitable for the gold-standard transfemoral approach. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and clinical outcomes associated with TCv-TAVR., Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted by searching PubMed/Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for all articles assessing the TCv approach published through December 2023. Outcomes included 30-day and 1-year all-cause mortality (ACM), 30-day rehospitalisation, perioperative complications and postoperative complications at 30 days. The meta-analysis was registered on the PROSPERO database with the identifier CRD42024501921., Results: A total of 8 studies with 467 patients were included. TCv-TAVR procedures achieved a success rate of 98.5%. TCv-TAVR was associated with a 30-day ACM rate of 6.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9%-8.2%), a 1-year ACM rate of 14.9% (95% CI 2.3%-27.6%) and a 30-day rehospitalisation rate of 4.2% (95% CI -2.2% to 10.6%). Postoperative stroke or transient ischemic attack, major vascular complications, and major or life-threatening bleeding occurred in 3.3%, 8.7%, and 7.5% of cases, respectively. Cumulative meta-analyses showed a temporal trend of decreasing rates of vascular complications., Conclusions: The TCv approach in TAVR demonstrated a reassuring efficacy and safety profile, with mortality and postoperative complication rates similar to those reported for supra-aortic alternative TAVR access routes. The temporal decrease in vascular complications suggests potential improvements in procedural techniques and device technology. These findings further support the TCv approach as a viable option in patients ineligible for the transfemoral access., Prospero: CRD42024501921., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We describe the case of a 55-year-old patient with cardiogenic shock postsurgical mitral valve replacement, because of a native aortic valve paravalvular leak due to surgical trauma. The patient was successfully treated with a muscular ventricular septum defect device. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing percutaneous device treatment of a native aortic valve paravalvular leak., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: In patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest and displaying no ST-segment elevation on initial electrocardiogram (ECG), recent randomized trials indicated no benefits from early coronary angiography. How the results of such randomized studies apply to a real-world clinical context remains to be established., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a clinical database including all patients 18 yo or older admitted to our tertiary University Hospital from January 2017 to August 2020 after successful resuscitation of out-of-Hospital (OHCA) or In-Hospital (IHCA) cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac origin, and undergoing immediate coronary angiography, regardless of the initial rhythm and post-resuscitation ECG. The primary outcome of the study was survival at day 90 after cardiac arrest. Demographic data, characteristics of cardiac arrest, duration of resuscitation, laboratory values at admission, angiographic data and revascularization status were collected. Comparisons were performed according to the initial ECG (ST-segment elevation or not), and between survivors and non-survivors. Variables associated with the primary outcome were evaluated by univariate and multivariate regression analyses., Results: We analyzed 147 patients (130 OHCA and 17 IHCA), including 67 with STEMI and 80 without STEMI (No STEMI). Immediate revascularization was performed in 65/67 (97%) STEMI and 15/80 (19%) no STEMI. Day 90 survival was significantly higher in STEMI (48/67, 72%) than no STEMI (44/80, 55%). In the latter patients, survival was not influenced by the revascularization status. In univariate and multivariate analyses, lower age, a shockable rhythm, shorter durations of no flow and low flow, and a lower initial blood lactate were associated with survival in both STEMI and no STEMI. In contrast, metabolic abnormalities, including lower initial plasma sodium and higher potassium were significantly associated with mortality only in the subgroup of no STEMI patients., Conclusions: Our results, obtained in a real-world clinical setting, indicate that an immediate coronary angiography is not associated with any survival advantage in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac etiology without ST-segment elevation on initial ECG. Furthermore, we found that some early metabolic abnormalities may be associated with mortality in this population, which should deserve further investigation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Left-sided bioprosthesis valve thrombosis (LSBVT) is a challenging complication necessitating invasive interventions. In this study, we introduce a novel, minimally invasive approach. We used a cerebral embolic protection system and an Occlutech cannula connected to an extracorporeal circuit, providing safer thrombus aspiration compared to the AngioVac system. This technique offers a promising alternative for high-risk patients with LSBVT., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Gunga, Rubimbura, Oberson, Monney, Bechtold, Ltaief, Rancati, Eeckhout and Kirsch.)

Background: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with a systemic and local inflammatory response with edema. However, their role at the tissue level is poorly characterized., Objectives: This study aims to characterize T2 values of the noninfarcted myocardium (NIM) and surrounding tissue and to investigate prognostic relevance of higher NIM T2 values after STEMI., Methods: A total of 171 consecutive patients with STEMI without prior cardiovascular events who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance after primary percutaneous coronary intervention were analyzed in terms of standard infarct characteristics. Edema of the NIM, liver, spleen, and pectoralis muscle was assessed based on T2 mapping. Follow-up was available for 130 patients. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, unplanned coronary revascularization or rehospitalization for heart failure. The median time from primary percutaneous coronary intervention to cardiac magnetic resonance was 3 days (IQR: 2-5 days)., Results: Higher (above the median value of 45 ms) T2 values in the NIM area were associated with larger infarct size, microvascular obstruction, and left ventricular dysfunction and did not correlate with C-reactive protein, white blood cells, or T2 values of the pectoralis muscle, liver, and spleen. At a median follow-up of 17 months, patients with higher (>45 ms) NIM T2 values had increased risk of MACE (P < 0.001) compared with subjects with NIM T2 values ≤45 ms, mainly caused by a higher rate of myocardial reinfarction (26.3% vs 1.4%; P < 0.001). At multivariable analysis, higher NIM T2 values independently predicted MACE (HR: 2.824 [95% CI: 1.254-6.361]; P = 0.012)., Conclusions: Higher NIM T2 values after STEMI are independently associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes, mainly because of higher risk of myocardial infarction., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Paradoxical embolism from right-to-left shunt through atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a well-accepted cause of "cryptogenic" strokes (CS). To better understand the pathogenic role of ASD, we compared ASD patients with CS having a high and low likelihood of being PFO-related., Methods: In the Acute Stroke Registry and Analysis of Lausanne, we calculated prevalence of PFO and ASD in CS patients undergoing echocardiography, and calculated odds ratios (OR) when compared to non-CS. Using the Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) score, we divided CS PFO patients in high (HL-PFO, RoPE 8-10) and low-likelihood (LL-PFO, RoPE 0-4) PFO-related stroke. We then performed univariate comparison of epidemiological, clinical and radiological variables of ASD patients with both PFO groups., Results: Among all CS, prevalence of ASD and PFO were 1.3% and 36.8% respectively. When compared to non-CS, ASD and PFO were associated with CS (OR of 5.2, CI= 1.6-16.6, and 2.8, CI= 2.1-3.8). Compared with HL-PFO, ASD patients were older, more often female, had more cardiovascular risk factors and silent strokes. Compared with LL-PFO, ASD patients were younger, more often female, and had less risk factors. No differences were found for clinical and radiological characteristics and clinical outcome., Conclusion: ASD is a rare stroke risk factor for CS. Since characteristics of such patients lie in-between high and low-likelihood paradoxical PFO-strokes, a thorough work-up for other stroke mechanisms is warranted. Individual evaluation of the likelihood of the ASD being causative for stroke may be preferable over routine ASD closure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Michel Patrik reports financial support was provided by Swiss Heart Foundation., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Disclosures None.

Chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) has a high mortality rate, and dyslipidemia is a major risk factor. Atherosclerosis, a cause of CCS, is influenced by gut microbiota dysbiosis and its metabolites. The objective of this study was to study the diversity and composition of gut microbiota and related clinical parameters among CCS patients undergoing coronary angiography and dyslipidemia patients in comparison to healthy volunteers in Thailand. CCS patients had more risk factors and higher inflammatory markers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) than others. The alpha diversity was lower in dyslipidemia and CCS patients than in the healthy group. A significant difference in the composition of gut microbiota was observed among the three groups. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Prevotella, and Streptococcus was significantly increased while Roseburia , Ruminococcus, and Faecalibacterium were lower in CCS patients. In CCS patients, Lachnospiraceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, and Pediococcus were positively correlated with hs-CRP. In dyslipidemia patients, Megasphaera was strongly positively correlated with triglyceride (TG) level and negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The modification of gut microbiota was associated with changes in clinical parameters involved in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in CCS patients., Competing Interests: PP is employed by Mod Gut Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Luangphiphat, Prombutara, Muangsillapasart, Sukitpunyaroj, Eeckhout and Taweechotipatr.)

Background: Autoinflammation with infantile enterocolitis (AIFEC) is an often fatal disease caused by gain-of-function mutations in the NLRC4 inflammasome. This inflammasomopathy is characterized by macrophage activation syndrome (MAS)-like episodes as well as neonatal-onset enterocolitis. Although elevated IL-18 levels were suggested to take part in driving AIFEC pathology, the triggers for IL-18 production and its ensuing pathogenic effects in these patients are incompletely understood., Methods: Here, we developed and characterized a novel genetic mouse model expressing a murine version of the AIFEC-associated NLRC4 V341A mutation from its endogenous Nlrc4 genomic locus., Results: NLRC4 V341A expression in mice recapitulated increased circulating IL-18 levels as observed in AIFEC patients. Housing NLRC4 V341A -expressing mice in germfree (GF) conditions showed that these systemic IL-18 levels were independent of the microbiota, and unmasked an additional IL-18-inducing effect of NLRC4 V341A expression in the intestines. Remarkably, elevated IL-18 levels did not provoke detectable intestinal pathologies in NLRC4 V341A -expressing mice, even not upon genetically ablating IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP), which is an endogenous IL-18 inhibitor that has been used therapeutically in AIFEC. In addition, NLRC4 V341A expression did not alter susceptibility to the NLRC4-activating gastrointestinal pathogens Salmonella Typhimurium and Citrobacter rodentium ., Conclusion: As observed in AIFEC patients, mice expressing a murine NLRC4 V341A mutant show elevated systemic IL-18 levels, suggesting that the molecular mechanisms by which this NLRC4 V341A mutant induces excessive IL-18 production are conserved between humans and mice. However, while our GF and infection experiments argue against a role for commensal or pathogenic bacteria, identifying the triggers and mechanisms that synergize with IL-18 to drive NLRC4 V341A -associated pathologies will require further research in this NLRC4 V341A mouse model., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Eeckhout, Asaoka, Van Gorp, Demon, Girard-Guyonvarc’h, Andries, Vereecke, Gabay, Lamkanfi, van Loo and Wullaert.)

Alternative vascular accesses to transfemoral access for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) can be divided into intrathoracic (IT)-transapical and transaortic- and extrathoracic (ET)-transcarotid, transsubclavian, and transaxillary. This study aimed to compare the outcomes and safety of IT and ET accesses for TAVR as alternatives to transfemoral access. A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed by searching PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for all studies comparing IT-TAVR with ET-TAVR published until April 2023. Outcomes included in-hospital or 30-day all-cause mortality (ACM), 1-year ACM, postoperative and 30-day complications. A total of 18 studies with 6,800 IT-TAVR patients and 5,032 ET-TAVR patients were included. IT accesses were associated with a significantly higher risk of in-hospital or 30-day ACM (relative risk 1.99, 95% confidence interval 1.67 to 2.36, p <0.001), and 1-year ACM (relative risk 1.31, 95% confidence interval 1.21 to 1.42, p <0.001). IT-TAVR patients presented more often with postoperative life-threatening bleeding, 30-day new-onset atrial fibrillation or flutter, and 30-day acute kidney injury needing renal replacement therapy. The risks of postoperative permanent pacemaker implantation and significant paravalvular leak were lower with IT-TAVR. ET-TAVR patients were more likely to be directly discharged home. There was no statistically significant difference regarding the 30-day risk of stroke. Compared with ET-TAVR, IT-TAVR was associated with higher risks of in-hospital or 30-day ACM, 1-year ACM and higher risks for some critical postprocedural and 30-day complications. Our results suggest that ET-TAVR could be considered as the first-choice alternative approach when transfemoral access is contraindicated., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/purpose: Intracoronary brachytherapy (ICB) has mainly been used to treat in-stent restenosis following percutaneous coronary intervention and was virtually abandoned about 20 years ago. However, patients treated with this strategy are still alive and some teams continue to perform this therapy. We aimed to investigate the very long-term clinical outcome of patients treated with ICB., Methods/materials: A total of 173 consecutive patients who had been treated with ICB at a large tertiary referral centre between 1998 and 2003 were included. The primary endpoint of the study was all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoints were as follows: occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE, defined as all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization), cardiac death, and presence of angina at the end of follow-up., Results: Patients' mean age at the time of ICB was 64 ± 10 years and 77 % were male. Restenosis (bare metal stent vs. balloon angioplasty) was the only indication for ICB. Unstable angina was present in 34 % of the patients. Follow-up was available for 166 patients. After a mean follow-up of 20 ± 1.3 years, 66 % of the patients had died (including 74 patients (67 %) with cardiac death). Cumulative MACE rate at 20 years was 96 %., Conclusions: Very long-term follow-up of patients with in-stent restenosis treated with ICB confirmed a high all-cause mortality rate mainly due to cardiac causes and MACEs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflict of interest in relation to this manuscript., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Whether ultrathin-strut stents are particularly beneficial for lesions requiring implantation of more than 1 stent is unknown., Methods: In a post-hoc lesion-level analysis of 2 randomized trials comparing ultrathin-strut biodegradable polymer Sirolimus-eluting stents (BP-SES) vs thin-strut durable polymer Everolimus-eluting stents (DP-EES), lesions were stratified into multistent lesions (MSL) vs single-stent lesions (SSL). The primary endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of lesion-related unclear/cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), or revascularization, at 24 months., Results: Among 5328 lesions in 3397 patients, 1492 (28%) were MSL (722 with BP-SES, 770 with DP-EES). At 2 years, TLF occurred in 63 lesions (8.9%) treated with BP-SES and 60 lesions (7.9%) treated with DP-EES in the MSL-group (subdistibution hazard ratio [SHR], 1.13; 95% CI, 0.77-1.64; P = .53), and in 121 (6.4%) and 136 (7.4%) lesions treated with BP-SES and DP-EES respectively (SHR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.62-1.18; P = .35) in the SSL-group (P for interaction = .241). While the rates of lesion-related MI or revascularization were significantly lower in SSL treated with BP-SES as compared to DP-EES (3.5% vs 5.2%; SHR, 0.67; 95% CI 0.46-0.97; P = .036), no significant difference was observed in MSL (7.1% vs 5.4%; SHR, 1.31; 95% CI 0.85-2.03; P = .216) with significant interaction between groups (P for interaction = .014)., Conclusions: Rates of TLF are similar between ultrathin-strut BP-SES and thin-strut DP-EES in MSL and SSL. The use of ultrathin-strut BP-SES vs thin-strut DP-EES did not prove to be particularly beneficial for the treatment of multistent lesions., Trial Registration: Post-hoc analysis from the BIOSCIENCE (NCT01443104) and BIOSTEMI (NCT02579031) trials., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The most reliable quantitative variable on Rubidium-82 ( 82 Rb) cardiac PET/CT for predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) has not been characterized with low-dose silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) technology, which allows halving injected activity and radiation dose delivering less than 1.0 mSv in a 70-kg individual., Methods and Results: We prospectively enrolled 234 consecutive participants with suspected myocardial ischemia. Participants underwent 82 Rb cardiac SiPM PET/CT (5 MBq/kg) and were followed up for MACE over 652 days (interquartile range 559-751 days). For each participant, global stress myocardial blood flow (stress MBF), global myocardial flow reserve (MFR), and regional severely reduced myocardial flow capacity (MFC severe ) were measured. The Youden index was used to select optimal thresholds. In multivariate analysis after adjustments for clinical risk factors, reduced global stress MBF < 1.94 ml/min/g, reduced global MFR < 1.98, and regional MFC severe  > 3.2% of left ventricle emerged all as independent predictors of MACE (HR 4.5, 3.1, and 3.67, respectively, p < 0.001). However, only reduced global stress MBF remained an independent prognostic factor for MACE after adjusting for clinical risk factors and the combined use of global stress MBF, global MFR, and regional MFC severe impairments (HR 2.81, p = 0.027)., Conclusion: Using the latest SiPM PET technology with low-dose 82 Rb halving the standard activity to deliver < 1 mSv for a 70-kg patient, impaired global stress MBF, global MFR, and regional MFC were powerful predictors of cardiovascular events, outperforming traditional cardiovascular risk factors. However, only reduced global stress MBF independently predicted MACE, being superior to global MFR and regional MFC impairments., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Stroke is a known complication of both transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and carotid artery stenosis (CAS). Whether CAS is a predictor of worse prognosis after TAVI is unclear. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the impact of CAS on the incidence of neurovascular complications and mortality after TAVI. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases from inception to January 2023. CAS was defined by ≥50% stenosis of at least 1 carotid artery. Studies comparing CAS versus non-CAS TAVI populations were included. Patients' baseline characteristics and 30-day clinical outcomes were extracted. End points included the 30-day incidence of neurovascular complications (stroke or transient ischemic attack) and 30-day all-cause mortality. We identified six studies, totaling 6,763 patients in the CAS group and 23,861 patients in the non-CAS group. Patients with CAS had a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, previous myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, peripheral artery disease, previous neurovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. There was no significant difference in the rates of 30-day neurovascular complications between CAS and non-CAS groups (relative risk 1.23, 95% confidence interval 0.63 to 2.40, p = 0.54). CAS was associated with a higher risk of 30-day all-cause mortality (relative risk 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.12 to 1.47, p <0.001), not found in a sensitivity analysis. In conclusion, patients with CAS presented with a significantly higher co-morbidity burden. CAS was not associated with an increased risk of 30-day neurovascular complications. 30-day mortality was higher in the CAS group but that may be a surrogate of the heavy co-morbidity burden of patients with CAS., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Paravalvular leak is one of the most common complications and is among the most important prognostic factors of short- and long-term mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Percutaneous valvular leak repair constitutes a first-line treatment for paravalvular leaks and is associated with high success rates and few serious complications nowadays. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case where placement of the device through the stenting of the bioprosthesis resulted in creating a new symptomatic stenosis that required surgery., Case Summary: We present a case of a patient with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis treated with transfemoral implantation of a biological aortic prosthesis. One month after the procedure, the patient presented with acute pulmonary oedema and a paravalvular leak was discovered, which was corrected by percutaneous repair with a plug device. Five weeks after the valvular leak repair, the patient was readmitted for heart failure. At this time, a new aortic stenosis and paravalvular leak were diagnosed and the patient was referred for surgery. The new aortic mixed diseased was caused by the positioning of the plug device through the valve's metal stenting, which resulted in a paravalvular leak and pressed against the valve's leaflets, causing valvular stenosis. The patient was referred for surgical replacement and evolved well afterward., Conclusion: This case illustrates a rare complication of a complex procedure, and it highlights the need for multidisciplinary decisions and good cooperation between the cardiology and cardiac surgery teams to develop better criteria in the selection of the appropriate technique for managing paravalvular leaks after TAVI., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Pitta Gros, Roux, Eeckhout and Kirsch.)

Citrobacter rodentium is an enteropathogen that causes intestinal inflammatory responses in mice reminiscent of the pathology provoked by enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infections in humans. C. rodentium expresses various virulence factors that target specific signaling proteins involved in executing apoptotic, necroptotic and pyroptotic cell death, suggesting that each of these distinct cell death modes performs essential host defense functions that the pathogen aims to disturb. However, the relative contributions of apoptosis, necroptosis and pyroptosis in protecting the host against C. rodentium have not been elucidated. Here we used mice with single or combined deficiencies in essential signaling proteins controlling apoptotic, necroptotic or pyroptotic cell death to reveal the roles of these cell death modes in host defense against C. rodentium. Gastrointestinal C. rodentium infections in mice lacking GSDMD and/or MLKL showed that both pyroptosis and necroptosis were dispensable for pathogen clearance. In contrast, while RIPK3-deficient mice showed normal C. rodentium clearance, mice with combined caspase-8 and RIPK3 deficiencies failed to clear intestinal pathogen loads. Although this demonstrated a crucial role for caspase-8 signaling in establishing intestinal host defense, Casp8 -/- Ripk3 -/- mice remained capable of preventing systemic pathogen persistence. This systemic host defense relied on inflammasome signaling, as Casp8 -/- Ripk3 -/- mice with combined caspase-1 and -11 deletion succumbed to C. rodentium infection. Interestingly, although it is known that C. rodentium can activate the non-canonical caspase-11 inflammasome, selectively disabling canonical inflammasome signaling by single caspase-1 deletion sufficed to render Casp8 -/- Ripk3 -/- mice vulnerable to C. rodentium-induced lethality. Moreover, Casp8 -/- Ripk3 -/- mice lacking GSDMD survived a C. rodentium infection, suggesting that pyroptosis was not crucial for the protective functions of canonical inflammasomes in these mice. Taken together, our mouse genetic experiments revealed an essential cooperation between caspase-8 signaling and GSDMD-independent canonical inflammasome signaling to establish intestinal and systemic host defense against gastrointestinal C. rodentium infection., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Data regarding the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis (CAS) in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are scarce. Whether CAS, especially severe or bilateral, is a predictor of worse prognosis after TAVI is unknown. We aimed to address these questions., Methods: We included all patients who underwent TAVI between 2018 and 2021. Using pre-TAVI carotid Doppler ultrasound, atherosclerosis of the right and left carotid internal arteries was assessed. CAS was defined as moderate (50%-69% stenosis, peak systolic velocity of 125-230 cm/sec) or severe (≥70% stenosis, peak systolic velocity of >230 cm/sec). When both carotid arteries presented with ≥50% stenosis, CAS was defined as bilateral. Endpoints included the 30-day incidence of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), 30-day all-cause mortality, and periprocedural complications., Results: Among 448 patients, 56 (12.5%) had CAS, of which 15 had bilateral and 15 had severe CAS. Patients with CAS were more often men and had higher rates of peripheral artery disease, coronary artery disease, and previous percutaneous coronary intervention. There was no association between CAS and 30-day stroke or TIA (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-8.91; P=.14), even when considering severe CAS only. However, a significant association was found between bilateral CAS and 30-day stroke or TIA (aHR, 8.399; 95% CI, 1.603-44.000; P=.01). No association between CAS and 30-day mortality or periprocedural complications was found., Conclusions: CAS is common among TAVI patients. While CAS as a whole was not a predictor of neurovascular complications, the subgroup of bilateral CAS was associated with an increased risk of stroke.

Noninvasive methods of estimating invasively measured fractional flow reserve (FFR invasive ) are actively being explored, aiming to avoid the use of an invasive pressure wire and the administration of hyperemia-inducing drugs. Coronary angiography-derived FFR (FFR angio ) has already demonstrated its diagnostic performance in the context of stable coronary artery disease. However, its applicability in the context of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) has yet to be established. We sought to determine the diagnostic performance of FFR angio exclusively in patients presenting with NSTEMI. We performed a prospective, single-center, single-arm, double-blinded study comparing FFR calculated by FFR angio to FFR invasive in NSTEMI patients. FFR invasive was measured in all angiographically intermediate lesions (30%-70% stenosis) and was then compared to FFR angio which was calculated at the same position, by a blinded operator. The primary endpoints were the sensitivity and specificity of FFR angio for predicting FFR invasive using a cut-off value of ≤0.80. Among 100 NSTEMI patients who were screened, 46 patients with 60 vessels in total underwent FFR invasive and were included in the study. The mean value of FFR invasive was 0.83 ± 0.3 with 22 (36%) being ≤0.80 while the mean FFR angio was 0.82 ± 0.1 with 22 (36%) being ≤0.80. FFR angio exhibited a sensitivity of 95.5%, a specificity of 97.4%, and a diagnostic accuracy of 96.7%. FFR angio can precisely and noninvasively estimate FFR invasive in acute coronary syndromes and may have a role in guiding treatment decisions related to angiographically intermediate coronary lesions in this context., What Is Known: FFR angio has demonstrated its diagnostic performance in validation studies, as a noninvasive and cost-effective method in the context of stable coronary artery disease but its performance has never been exclusively evaluated in NSTEMI patients., What Is New: The present prospective single-center study demonstrates the excellent diagnostic performance of FFR angio in detecting functionally significant coronary artery stenosis in the setting of NSTEMI, providing more confidence in utilizing FFR angio in this population, avoiding the risk of an invasive pressure wire and the administration of hyperemia-inducing drugs., What Is Next: Future randomized trials evaluating FFR angio -guided treatment of coronary artery disease (stable or ACS) are now needed to definitively establish the role of FFR angio in the physiological assessment of coronary lesions., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Acute and subacute stent thromboses are a rare complication associated with high mortality and morbidity occurring in ∼1.5% of patients treated with primary percutaneous intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Recent publications describe a potential role of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) in thrombus formation at sites of critical coronary stenosis in STEMI., Case Summary: We describe a 58-year-old woman with STEMI at initial presentation, who suffered subacute stent thrombosis despite good stent expansion, efficacious dual antiplatelet therapy, and therapeutic anticoagulation. Because of very high VWF values, we administered N -acetylcysteine in order to depolymerize VWF, but the drug was not well tolerated. Since the patient was still symptomatic, we used caplacizumab in order to prevent VWF from interacting with platelets. Under this treatment, the clinical and angiographic course was favourable., Discussion: Considering a modern view of intracoronary thrombus pathophysiology, we describe an innovative treatment approach, which eventually ended in a favourable outcome., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

The year of 2022 was marked by many novelties in the fields of interventional cardiology, heart failure, electrophysiology, cardiac imaging, and congenital heart disease. These advances will certainly change our daily practice, on top of improving the diagnosis and treatment of many heart conditions. In addition, the European Society of Cardiology has updated its guidelines on pulmonary hypertension, ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death, cardiovascular assessment of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. The members of the Cardiology division of Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) here present the publications which they considered to be the most important of the past year., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Background: Studies suggest that performing an electrophysiological study (EPS) may be useful to identify patients with new-onset left bundle branch block (LBBB) post-TAVR at risk of atrioventricular block. However, tools to optimize the yield of such strategy are needed. We therefore aimed to investigate whether 12-lead ECG changes post-TAVR may help identify patients with abnormal EPS findings., Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients with new-onset LBBB post-TAVR who underwent EPS were included. PR and QRS intervals were measured on 12-lead ECG pre-TAVR and during EPS. Abnormal EPS was defined as an HV interval > 55 ms., Results: Among 61 patients, 28 (46%) had an HV interval > 55 ms after TAVR. Post-TAVR PR interval and ΔPR (PR-post-pre-TAVR) were significantly longer in patients with prolonged HV (PR: 188 ± 38 vs. 228 ± 34 ms, p < 0.001, ΔPR: 10 ± 30 vs. 34 ± 23 ms, p = 0.001), while no difference was found in QRS duration. PR and ΔPR intervals both effectively discriminated patients with HV > 55 ms (AUC = 0.804 and 0.769, respectively; p < 0.001). A PR > 200 ms identified patients with abnormal EPS results with a sensitivity of 89% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 88%. ΔPR ≥ 20 ms alone provided a somewhat lower sensitivity (64%) but combining both criteria (i.e., PR > 200 ms or ΔPR ≥ 20 ms) identified almost every patients with abnormal HV (sensitivity = 96%, NPV = 95%). Selecting EPS candidate based on both criteria would avoid 1/3 of exams., Conclusion: PR interval assessment may be useful to select patients with new-onset LBBB after TAVR who may benefit most from an EPS. In patients with PR ≤ 200 ms and ΔPR < 20 ms the likelihood of abnormal EPS is very low independently of QRS changes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Pagnoni, Meier, Luca, Fournier, Aminfar, Gentil, Haddad, Domenichini, Lebloa, Herrera-Siklody, Cook, Goy, Roguelov, Girod, Rubimbura, Dupré, Eeckhout, Pruvot, Muller and Pascale.)

Background: The treatment of a coronary bifurcation with a single stent (the provisional stenting technique) is associated with a good outcome in most cases. In the majority of cases, after provisional stenting technique, a residual significant angiographic stenosis is associated with the absence of ischemia when fractional flow reserve (FFR) is measured. Jailing an optical pressure guidewire in the side branch (SB) could potentially reduce unnecessary SB interventions after provisional stenting technique. The aim of this study was to compare distal pressure to aortic pressure ratio (Pd/Pa) measurements between 2 second-generation optical pressure guidewires in bifurcation treatment-a jailed wire (JW) and a second free-floating wire (FW) advanced into the SB after stenting., Methods: In an in vitro bifurcation hydrodynamic model with pressure sensors, a JW was advanced into the SB and the FW into the main branch. Bifurcation stenting is performed with the proximal optimization technique (POT)-side-POT technique using a 3.0 x 22-mm stent, a 4.0 x 12-mm noncompliant balloon for the POT, and a 2.5 x 12-mm semicompliant balloon for the SB opening. The same steps were performed in a second model where a surgical clamp was placed in the main vessel to lower overall absolute values pressures., Results: A strong correlation was found between JW and FW values (Pearson's coefficient, r=0.91). All wires could be safely retrieved., Conclusion: In bifurcation stenting, the Pd/Pa value of a second-generation optical pressure guidewire jailed in the SB is reliable compared with a FW inserted after stent implantation.

Background: Permanent drug-eluting stents are associated with a steady increase in late complications attributed to persistent inflammation and poor vessel remodelling. Bioresorbable scaffolds have been developed to overcome such long-term limitations by providing temporary vessel support and disappearing thereafter. We aimed to assess the long-term outcomes of an absorbable metallic scaffold at 5 years., Methods: BIOSOLVE-II is an international, multi-centre, first-in-human study assessing the safety and performance of the sirolimus-eluting absorbable metal scaffold DREAMS 2G (commercial name Magmaris) in patients with a maximum of two de novo lesions. After 3 years, follow-up was extended to 5 years with the endpoints of target lesion failure and rate of definite or probable stent thrombosis., Results: A total of 123 patients with 123 lesions were enrolled. Lesions were 12.6 ± 4.5 mm long and 2.7 ± 0.4 mm in diameter, 43.4% were class B2/C lesions, and calcification was moderate to severe in 10.6%. At 5 years, 5.4% of patients had stable angina and 94.6% had no symptoms or ischaemia. Target lesion failure rate was 8.0% [95% confidence interval:4.2;14.9], reflecting 2 cardiac deaths, 2 target-vessel myocardial infarctions, and 6 clinically driven target lesion revascularizations (TLRs). Only one target lesion failure occurred beyond 3 years: a target-vessel myocardial infarction with clinically driven TLR on post-procedure day 1157. One additional non-cardiac death beyond 3 years due to renal failure was reported on day 1777. No definite or probable scaffold thrombosis was observed., Conclusion: The Magmaris scaffold showed favourable long-term safety and clinical performance with low target lesion failure rates and absence of definite or probable scaffold thrombosis throughout 5 years., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest MH reports study grants and personal fees from Biotronik, Abbott Vascular, Cardiac Dimensions, Orbus Neich, and Philips, RT reports personal fees from Biotronik and Abbott Vascular, PAL reports grants from Biotronik, EHC reports grants from Biotronik, AA is a proctor for TAVR implantation for Boston Scientific, CvB reports grants from Abbott Vascular, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic, FJN reports lectures fees paid to his institution from Amgen, Bayer Healthcare, Biotronic, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Daiichi Sankyo, Edwards Lifesciences, Ferrer, Pfizer, Novartis, consultancy fees paid to his institution from Boehringer Ingelheim, and grant support from Bayer Healthcare, and Boston Scientific, WW reports institutional grants from Biotronik and MicroPort, is a co-founder of Argonauts Partners, and received speaker fees from MicroPort, JE reports speaker fee honoraria from Abbott, Biotronik, Bostoms Scientific and Philips, LST received honoraria and conference support from Terumo, Kaneka, Abbott, Medtronic, Alvimedia, Boston Scientific, Biotronik and Asahi Intecc., EE reports speaker honoraria and research grants from Biotronik. HGG reports that MedStar was the core laboratory of the study, RW reports that MedStar was the core laboratory of the study and reports grants and personal fees from Abbott Vascular, AstraZeneca, Biosensors, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Chiesi, personal fees of Amgen, Corindus, Lifetech Medical, Medtronic, Philips Volcano, Pi-Cardia LTD, is an investor of MedAlliance, and grants from Edwards Lifesciences. All other authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Data regarding the prevalence of mesenteric artery stenosis in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are scarce. Whether patients with high-risk features for acute mesenteric ischemia (AMesI) have a worse prognosis compared with those without high-risk features is unknown. We aimed to address these questions., Methods: We included 361 patients who underwent TAVI between 2015 and 2019. Using pre-TAVI computed tomography exams, the number of stenosed arteries in each patient and the degree of stenosis for the coeliac trunk (CTr), SMA and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) were analyzed. High-risk features for AMesI were defined as the presence of ≥2 arteries presenting with ≥50% stenosis. Patient demographic and echocardiographic data were collected. Endpoints included 30-day all-cause mortality, mortality and morbidity related to mesenteric ischemia., Results: 22.7% of patients had no arterial stenosis, while 59.3% had 1 or 2 stenosed arteries, and 18.0% presented stenoses in 3 arteries. Prevalence of significant stenosis (≥50%) in CTr, SMA, and IMA were respectively 11.9, 5.5, 10.8%. Twenty patients at high-risk for AMesI were identified: they had significantly higher all-cause mortality (15.0 vs. 1.2%, p < 0.001) and higher mortality related to AMesI (5.0 vs. 0.3%, p = 0.004), compared with non-high-risk patients., Conclusions: Patients at high-risk for AMesI presented with significantly higher 30-day all-cause mortality and mortality related to AMesI following TAVI. Mesenteric revascularization before TAVI interventions may be beneficial in these patients. Prospective studies are needed to clarify these questions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Lu, Rotzinger, Monney, Muller, Egea, Grange, Eeckhout, Kirsch and Qanadli.)

A patient with recurrent sepsis caused by an infected ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm was deemed unsuitable for surgery after the heart team evaluation. He successfully underwent percutaneous treatment with a combination of a septal occlusion device and coil embolization and remained free of sepsis 24 months after implantation., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Background: Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is used to plan TAVI procedures. We investigated the performance of pre-TAVI CTA for excluding coronary artery disease (CAD)., Methods: In total 127 patients were included. CTA images were analyzed for the presence of ≥ 50% (significant CAD) and ≥ 70% (severe CAD) diameter stenoses in proximal coronary arteries. Results were compared with invasive coronary angiography (ICA) at vessel and patient levels. Primary endpoint was the negative predictive value (NPV) of CTA for the presence of CAD., Results: A total of 342 vessels were analyzable. NPV of CTA was 97.5% for significant CAD and 96.3% for severe CAD. Positive predictive value and accuracy were 44.8% and 87.1% for significant CAD and 56.3% and 94.4% for severe CAD. At patient level, NPV for significant CAD was 88.6%., Conclusion: Pre-TAVI CTA shows good performance for ruling out CAD and could be used as a gatekeeper for ICA in selected patients., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objectives: We sought to characterize the hemodynamic impact of mild coronary artery disease (CAD) using quantitative flow ratio (QFR, an angiography-derived fractional flow reserve [FFR]) in a population of patients with only non-significant CAD at baseline that subsequently experienced a myocardial infarction (MI)., Background: The discriminatory value of FFR in patients with mild CAD remains imperfect., Methods: We retrospectively included patients who underwent invasive coronary angiography for an MI, in whom another angiogram had been performed within the previous 5 years. Three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography, QFR, and lesion length analysis were conducted on lesions responsible for the MI (future culprit lesions, [FCL]) as well as on control lesions (non-culprit lesions, [NCL])., Results: Eighty-three FCL and 117 NCL were analyzed in 83 patients: FCL were more severe (median % diameter of stenosis [DS] 39.1% [29.8; 45.7] vs. 29.8% [25.0; 37.2], p < .001), had lower QFR values (0.94 [0.86; 0.98] vs. 0.98 [0.96; 1.00], p < .001) and tended to be longer (15.2 mm [10.0; 27.3] vs. 12.7 mm [9.3; 22.4], p = .070) than NCL. In lesions with an interval < 2 years between baseline angiography and MI, the difference in QFR was more pronounced compared to the lesions with a longer interval (FCL: 0.92 [0.85; 0.97] vs. NCL: 0.98 [0.94; 1.00], p < .001 and FCL: 0.96 [0.88; 1.00] vs. NCL: 0.98 [0.96;1.00], p = .006 respectively) CONCLUSION: Mild coronary stenoses that are subsequently responsible for an MI (FCL) exhibit a higher DS and lower QFR years before the event. Furthermore, FCL with a lower QFR at baseline appear to lead earlier to MI., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Parasitic leiomyomas are a rare subtype of subserosal uterine leiomyomas and are mostly found incidentally. Diagnosis is challenging and treatment consists out of complete surgical resection. Cases are few in women without history of uterine surgery. In this extraordinary case, a 56-year-old menopausal female suffering from backache and abdominal swelling, was suspected to have a huge malignant ovarian tumor. She underwent a resection of the mass along with hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oöphorectomy. Histopathology revealed a gigantic leiomyoma of 19.1 kg in the broad ligament. This unique case suggests taking this diagnosis into account in future clinical cases presenting with large abdominal masses even without previous uterine surgery., (© 2021 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Purpose: We carried out this study to evaluate the predictive value of atherosclerosis burden score (ABS) to predict coronary artery disease (CAD) among asymptomatic patients without known cardiovascular disease (CVD), as compared to other imaging or functional techniques, namely coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT), and ankle brachial index (ABI). Patients and methods: This prospective study included 198 asymptomatic consecutive patients referred for evaluation of their cardiovascular (CV) risk and for therapeutic advice. Traditional CV risk factors, ABS, CAC score, C-IMT, ABI and an ECG-synchronized coronary CT-angiography (CCTA) were performed for each patient. We compared the predictive values of these atherosclerosis markers to detect CAD defined as coronary stenosis ≥30% objectivated by CCTA. Results: Among the whole sample, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) was significantly higher for CAC score (0.81, p=0.015) than for ABS, the reference (0.70) but these values were lower for C-IMT (0.60, p=0.16) and particularly for ABI (0.56, p=0.0015). However, among patients at intermediate risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), according to Framingham risk score (FRS), the differences between the ROC-AUC values for ABS (0.70) and CAC score (0.76, p=0.36) were less pronounced. Again, as compared to ABS, the ROC-AUC values were lower for C-IMT (0.60, p=0.21) and ABI (0.57, p=0.06). Conclusions: ABS, an ultrasonographic score based on the assessment of carotid and femoral plaque burden, predicts more accurately CAD than other non-radiation tools analyzed here, and has a similar performance to CAC in patients at intermediate CHD risk. Thus, ABS could be an appropriate non-invasive and safe method to improve the detection of high-risk patients who will benefit from a more intensive therapy for the primary prevention of CVD.

Background: The transfemoral (TF) route is the gold-standard access for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). In 10-15% of patients, alternative accesses are needed, such as the transcarotid (TC) access. We performed a meta-analysis to compare 30-day mortality and complications between TC-TAVR and TF-TAVR. Methods: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to January 2021 to identify articles comparing TC-TAVR and TF-TAVR. Patients' baseline characteristics, procedural outcomes, and clinical 30-day outcomes were extracted. Results: We identified 9 studies, among which 2 used propensity-score matching, including 1,374 TC patients and 3,706 TF patients. TC-TAVR was associated with significantly higher EuroSCORE II and Logistic EuroSCORE values (respectively 8.0 ± 6.7 vs. 6.3 ± 5.4, p = 0.002 and 20.8 ± 14.2% vs. 20.0 ± 13.4%, p = 0.04), a higher prevalence of peripheral artery disease (52.6 vs. 32.8%, p = 0.001), previous cardiac surgery (26.3 vs. 22.4%, p = 0.008) and coronary artery disease (64.6 vs. 60.5%, p = 0.020). The pooled results found TC-TAVR to be associated with a significantly higher 30-day mortality risk (RR, 1.41, 95% CI, 1.02-1.96, p = 0.040), and a lower rate of 30-day major vascular complications (RR, 0.48, 95% CI, 0.25-0.92, p = 0.030). No significant difference was found regarding permanent pacemaker implantation, major bleeding and acute kidney injury. A subgroup analysis of the two propensity-score matched studies found a statistically increased risk of 30-day neurovascular complications (RR, 1.61, 95% CI, 1.02-2.55, p = 0.040). Conclusion: Compared with TF-TAVR, TC-TAVR was associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality, likely related to a higher surgical risk and comorbidity burden, and with an increased risk of 30-day neurovascular complications. Careful preprocedural patient selection and close periprocedural neurological monitoring are paramount., Competing Interests: SF reports consulting fees from Bayer and Cathworks, EE reports grants from Edwards, VR reports grants from Abbott and Terumo, LF reports research grants from Biotronik, Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic, OM reports grants from Abbott and Edwards. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Lu, Monney, Hullin, Fournier, Roguelov, Eeckhout, Rubimbura, Faroux, Barrier, Muller and Kirsch.)

Objective: To assess the effect of manual thrombectomy (MT) on microvascular obstruction (MVO) using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods and Results: Three hundred and eighty-three patients admitted for STEMI and undergoing CMR fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were categorized into two groups (did or did not undergo MT). The two primary endpoints were the occurrence and extent of MVO, analyzed as a categorical variable and as a semicontinuous variable. Among the 383 patients, 49.1% exhibited MVO. Both the incidence of MVO and the median number of segments presenting with MVO were significantly higher in the MT group than in the no-MT group, (59.5 vs. 38.9%, p < .001) and (1.5 [0;4] vs. 0 [0;2], p < .001). Analysis stratified on coronary thrombus grade showed similar results, only in patients with a high thrombus burden (60.7 vs. 43.5%, p = .004, and 2 [0;4] vs. 0 [0;3], p = .001. When adjusting for baseline differences, MT remained a determinant of MVO occurrence and extent (odds ratio, OR 1.802 [95% confidence interval, CI 1.080-3.009], p = .024) and β = .137, p = .024) in patients with a high thrombus grade., Conclusion: In STEMI patients, MT was associated with the occurrence and extent of MVO, on CMR, especially in patients with a high thrombus burden., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: The PAST-PERF registry was initiated to collect data on the PK Papyrus covered stent, a second-generation device for the treatment of coronary artery perforations with enhanced mechanical properties, but with limited available data., Methods: Patients treated for coronary artery perforations with the PK Papyrus stent at 14 international centers were retrospectively identified. The primary effectiveness outcome was successful sealing of the perforation. The primary safety outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, definite or probable stent thrombosis, myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization., Results: Among the 94 included patients, 72.3% (68/94) had Ellis type III and cavity spilling perforations. Complete sealing was achieved in 93.6% (n = 88), and no sealing could be achieved in 3.2% (n = 3, including one patient with a geographical miss and one patient in whom the device could not be implanted). Pericardiocentesis was required in 25.0% (n = 23), emergency cardiac surgery was needed in 7.6% (n = 7), acute stent thrombosis was observed in 1.1% (n = 1), and in-hospital mortality occurred in 11.7% (n = 11). The median follow-up duration was 283 (IQR:40;670) days. At 6 and 12 months, the incidence of the primary safety endpoint was 26.6% [95%CI:18.6;37.1] and 32.0% [95%CI:22.8;43.4], mortality 15.0% [95%CI:9.0;24.6] and 19.0% [95%CI:11.3;30.0], and target lesion revascularization 5.5% [95%CI:2.0;14.6] and 7.7% [95%CI:3.1;18.2]. Two definite stent thrombosis occurred, one during the procedure and one on post-procedure day 233., Conclusions: The registry demonstrates favorably high rates of successful stent delivery and sealing of coronary perforations using a second-generation covered stent with low target lesion revascularization and stent thrombosis rates., Annotated Table of Content: The PAST-PERF registry demonstrates favorably high rates of successful stent delivery and sealing of coronary perforations using a second-generation covered stent with low target lesion revascularization and stent thrombosis rates. Specifically, complete sealing was achieved in 93.6% of patients (n = 88/94), and no sealing could be achieved in 3.2% (n = 3, including one patient with a geographical miss and one patient in whom the device could not be implanted). The 12-month mortality was 19.0% [95%CI:11.3;30.0], the rate of target lesion revascularization was 7.7% [95%CI:3.1;18.2], and two definite stent thromboses occurred (one during procedure and one on post-procedure day 233)., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement Ralf Birkemeyer reports grants and non-financial support from Biotronik during the conduct of the study; and personal fees and non-financial support from Biotronik outside the submitted work, Farrel Hellig reports personal fees from Biotronik outside the submitted work, and Eric Eeckhout reports grants from Biotronik outside the submitted work. Dirk Westermann reports non-financial support from Biotronik during the conduct of the study; personal fees from AstraZeneca, personal fees from Bayer, personal fees from Berlin-Chemie, personal fees from Novartis, and non-financial support from Medtronic outside the submitted work.The other authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of biodegradable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stents (BP-SES) compared with durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stents (DP-EES) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)., Background: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an effective treatment for patients with STEMI, and long-term outcomes are determined by the safety and efficacy profile of the newest generation drug-eluting stents., Methods: BIOSTEMI (A Comparison of an Ultrathin Strut Biodegradable Polymer Sirolimus-Eluting Stent With a Durable Polymer Everolimus-Eluting Stent for Patients With Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) was an investigator-initiated, multicenter, assessor-blind, randomized superiority trial using Bayesian methods. Patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI within 24 h of symptom onset were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive BP-SES (n = 649) or DP-EES (n = 651). The primary endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial reinfarction, and clinically indicated target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 2 years., Results: Between April 2016 and March 2018, 1,300 patients were included. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the 2 treatment groups. Follow-up through 2 years was complete in 1,221 patients (94%). At 2 years, TLF occurred in 33 patients (5.1%) treated with BP-SES and in 53 patients (8.1%) treated with DP-EES (rate ratio: 0.58; 95% Bayesian credible interval: 0.40 to 0.84; posterior probability of superiority = 0.998). The difference was driven by a lower incidence of clinically indicated TLR in patients treated with BP-SES compared with DP-EES (2.5% vs. 5.1%; rate ratio: 0.52; 95% Bayesian credible interval: 0.30 to 0.87; posterior probability of superiority = 0.993). There were no significant differences in rates of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial reinfarction, and definite stent thrombosis between the 2 treatment arms., Conclusions: In patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI, BP-SES were superior to DP-EES with respect to TLF at 2 years. The difference was driven by lower rates of ischemia-driven TLR. (A Comparison of an Ultrathin Strut Biodegradable Polymer Sirolimus-Eluting Stent With a Durable Polymer Everolimus-Eluting Stent for Patients With Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention [BIOSTEMI]; NCT02579031)., Competing Interests: Funding Support And Author Disclosures The BIOSTEMI trial was an investigator-initiated study supported by a dedicated research grant from Biotronik. Dr. Pilgrim has received research grants to the institution from Biotronik and Boston Scientific; has received speaker fees from Biotronik and Boston Scientific; and is a consultant for HighlifeSAS. Dr. Roffi has received institutional research grants from Terumo, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Abbott Vascular, and Biotronik, outside the submitted work. Dr. Valgimigli has received personal fees from AstraZeneca, Alvimedica/CID, Abbott Vascular, Daiichi-Sankyo, Opsens, Bayer, CoreFLOW, IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS LTD, Universität Basel/Dept. Klinische Forschung, Vifor, Bristol Myers Squibb SA, iVascular, Medscape, and Biotronik; and has received grants and personal fees from Terumo, outside the submitted work. Dr. Jüni is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Clinical Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, and this research was completed, in part, with funding from the Canada Research Chairs Programme; and serves as an unpaid member of the steering groups of trials funded by AstraZeneca, Biotronik, Biosensors, St. Jude Medical, and The Medicines Company. Dr. Windecker has received research and educational grants to the institution from Abbott, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Cardinal Health, Cardiovalve, CSL Behring, Daiichi-Sankyo, Edwards Lifesciences, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Querbet, Polares, Sanofi, Terumo, and Sinomed; serves as an unpaid member of the steering and/or executive groups of trials funded by Abbott, Abiomed, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Cardiovalve, Edwards Lifesciences, MedAlliance, Medtronic, Polares, Sinomed, V-Wave, and Xeltis (but has not received personal payments from any pharmaceutical company or device manufacturer); and is a member of the steering and/or executive committee groups of several investigated-initiated trials that receive funding from industry, without impact on his personal remuneration. Dr. Iglesias has received a research grant to the institution and personal fees from Biotronik during the conduct of the study; has received research grants to the institution and personal fees from Biotronik, Philips Volcano, Abbott Vascular, and AstraZeneca; and has received personal fees from Terumo, Medtronic, and Cardinal Health, outside the submitted work. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The transfemoral (TF) approach is the gold-standard access route for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Alternative approaches, among which the transcervical (TC) approach, are needed in some patients. We aimed to compare TC-TAVR with TF-TAVR., Methods: All patients who underwent TAVR in our institution between 2016 and 2020, using Edwards SAPIEN family balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valves, were retrospectively included. Endpoints included 30-day all-cause mortality, procedural complications (according to the VARC-2 criteria), procedure duration, hospital length of stay (LOS) and echocardiographic outcomes. For 30-day all-cause mortality, we furthermore used a Cox proportional-hazards model to adjust for significant between-group differences in baseline characteristics as well as anesthesia modality., Results: TAVR was performed in 306 patients, using a TF approach (n = 255) or a TC approach (n = 51). TC-TAVR was associated with significantly higher STS scores (4.06 [IQR (interquartile range), 2.05, 5.56] vs. 2.97 [IQR, 2.08, 4.88], p < 0.001) and higher prevalence of peripheral artery disease, history of stroke, previous cardiovascular surgery. 30-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.87 [0.77, 9.77], p = 0.909) and stroke rates (2.0% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.840) were similar, as well as procedural duration (74.0 [53.0, 99.5] vs. 77.0 [58.0, 98.0] minutes, p = 0.370), LOS (6.0 [IQR, 3.0, 8.0] vs. 6.0 [IQR, 4.0, 9.0] days, p = 0.175) and postprocedural mean transvalvular gradient (10.00 [IQR, 8.00, 13.00] vs. 10.00 [IQR, 8.00, 12.00] mmHg, p = 0.724)., Conclusion: Despite a higher cardiovascular disease burden in TC patients, TC-TAVR and TF-TAVR yielded similar outcomes. TC-TAVR may be a safe alternative when TF-TAVR is contraindicated., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Stephane Fournier reports consulting fees from Bayer and Cathworks, Eric Eeckhout reports grants from Edwards, Olivier Muller reports grants from Abbott and Edwards. The other authors do not have any conflict of interest in relation with this article., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: T2*-weighted (T2*w) is deemed as a reference standard for post-infarction intramyocardial haemorrhage (IMH). However, high proportion of T2* images is affected by off-resonance artefacts hampering image interpretation. Diagnostic accuracy and precision of alternative techniques for IMH diagnosis and quantification have been seldomly investigated., Methods and Results: Between April 2016 and May 2017, 50 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients (66% male, 57 ± 17 years) and 15 healthy controls (60% male, 58 ± 13) were consecutively enrolled. Subjects underwent head-to-head comparison of single mid-infarct slice acquired on black-blood T2-weighted short-TI-inversion recovery (T2w-STIR), bright-blood T2prep-steady-state-free precession (T2prep-SSFP), and T2/T1 maps for IMH diagnosis and quantification against T2*w. All images were graded for quality (grade 1: very poor; grade 4: excellent) and diagnostic confidence (Likert scale, 1: very unsure and 5: highly confident). Reduced relaxation time/hypointense region (hypocore) embedded in infarct-related oedema on T2 map, T1 map, and T2w-STIR had the best overall diagnostic accuracy (per-subject: 91%, 86%, and 86%, respectively; per segment: 95%, 93%, and 93%, respectively). By mixed-effects analysis, image quality, and diagnostic confidence were higher for T2 map and T1 maps than T2*w (p < 0.05 for both scores). For IMH quantification, hypocore on T2 map and T1 map strongly correlated (Spearman's r > 0.7, p < 0.001 for both) with IMH extent on T2*w and presented an overall excellent agreement on Bland-Altman analysis. By linear mixed model analysis, absolute hypocore size did not differ among T1-, T2 map, and T2*w. T2/T1 maps had the best intra- and inter-observer reproducibility among CMR techniques., Conclusion: Hypocore on T2/T1 map is the best alternative technique to T2*w for diagnosing and quantifying IMH in post-STEMI patients., Key Point: • Mapping techniques are the best alternatives for diagnosing post-infarction intramyocardial haemorrhage. • Mapping techniques are valuable tools for imaging intramyocardial haemorrhage.

In 2020, new guidelines have been published by the European Society of Cardiology including those on non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation and adult congenital heart disease. Regarding interventional cardiology, POPular TAVI opens the possibility of anti-platelet monotherapy after transcutaneous aortic valve replacement. EMPEROR-Reduced confirms the importance of SGLT2 inhibitors in the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Within the field of imaging, stress MRI has now become the first-line technique for the screening of coronary artery disease, demonstrating an excellent cost-benefit ratio. Finally, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone inhibitors do not appear to increase the risk of an infection by COVID-19., Competing Interests: Le Dr Stephane Fournier exerce une activité de consulting pour Bayer and Cathworks et a reçu des honoraires en tant qu’orateur pour Biotronik, Bayer et Amgen. Le Pr Juerg Schwitter reçoit une bourse annuelle pour la recherche dans la domaine IRM cardiaque de l’entreprise Bayer Healthcare, Schweiz. Les autres auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Objectives: Transfemoral approach is the standard access-route for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, alternative approaches are needed in a number of patients and accesses such as transapical (TA) TAVR or transcervical (TC) are used. We aimed to compare clinical and echocardiographic outcomes after TA-TAVR or TC-TAVR., Methods: All patients who underwent TA- and TC-TAVR for severe aortic stenosis in our institution between 2008 and 2020 were retrospectively included. End points included 30-day all-cause mortality, procedural complications (according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria), procedure duration, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) and overall hospital LOS. For 30-day all-cause mortality, we furthermore used a Cox proportional-hazards model to adjust for significant between-group differences in baseline characteristics as well as difference in year of intervention., Results: TAVR was performed in 176 patients, using a TA approach (n = 127) or a TC approach (n = 49). Baseline clinical and echocardiographic characteristics were comparable between the 2 groups, except age and peripheral artery disease. All-cause 30-day mortality rates were not significantly different (8.5% in the TA group vs 2.3% in the TC group, P = 0.124). TC approach was associated with significantly shorter procedure duration {71.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 52.5-101.0] vs 93 [IQR 80.0-120.0] min, P < 0.001}, shorter ICU LOS [0.0 (IQR 0.0-0.0) vs 1.0 (IQR 1.0-3.0) days, P < 0.001] and shorter hospital LOS [7.0 (IQR 5.0-9.5) vs 14.0 (IQR 10.0-22.0) days, P < 0.001]., Conclusions: The TC approach may be a good first-choice alternative in case of contraindications to transfemoral-TAVR., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We sought to evaluate the correlations of pre-PCI QFR analysis with virtual PCI called residual QFR and post-PCI QFR compared to post-PCI FFR., Background: Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) is a computation of fractional flow reserve (FFR) based on angiography without use of a pressure wire. The ability to evaluate post-PCI FFR using pre-PCI QFR analysis with a virtual PCI and the correlation between post-PCI QFR compared to post-PCI FFR remains unknown., Methods: From the DOCTORS (Does Optical Coherence Tomography Optimize Results of Stenting) study population, we blindly analyzed residual QFR and post-PCI QFR from angiographies and compared them to post-PCI FFR., Results: Ninety-three post-PCI QFR measurements and 84 pre-PCI residual QFR measurements were compared to post-PCI FFR measurements. No significant difference were observed between mean post-PCI FFR value (0.92 ± 0.05) compared to mean residual (0.93 ± 0.05) QFR and between mean post-PCI FFR value compared to mean post-PCI QFR values were (0.93 ± 0.05) (p > .05 for both). The correlation coefficient of residual QFR with post-PCI FFR was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.53-0.78) and the correlation coefficient of post-PCI-QFR with post-PCI FFR was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70-0.86)., Conclusions: Residual QFR corresponding to pre-PCI QFR analysis with virtual PCI, and post-PCI QFR analysis, correlated well with post-PCI FFR. Further studies are needed to prospectively validate a QFR-guided PCI strategy., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Interatrial septum (IAS) dissection due to transseptal puncture (TSP) is a rare, underreported complication of the procedure. Data on the mechanism, diagnosis, and management of this complication are lacking., Methods: We conducted a systematic review of all reported cases of IAS dissection with or without associated LA hematoma due to TSP, by thoroughly searching MEDLINE and EMBASE through May 2019., Results: After screening of n = 882 studies, eight studies with a total of 19 patients addressed the complication of IAS dissection and/or LA hematoma secondary to TSP. Median age was 63 years with a 1:1 male to female ratio. Ablation of atrial fibrillation was the most frequently reported procedure (84%). Diagnosis was established using fluoroscopy with contrast injection (58%), TEE (32%) or intracardiac echocardiography (5%). The mechanism identified involved puncture of the septum secundum portion of the IAS, leading to transient needle passage into the extracardiac space. In the majority of patients, the hematoma remained localized in the IAS and management was conservative with progressive resolution of the hematoma during follow-up (95%). Two patients (11%) required further intervention by either pericardiocentesis or surgical drainage due to hemodynamic instability., Conclusions: IAS dissection with or without hematoma after TSP remains an underdiagnosed entity. The main mechanism involves lesion to the septum secundum portion of the IAS, resulting in needle passage into the extracardiac space and local bleeding. Although conservative management may be sufficient in the majority of cases, interventional cardiologists should be familiar with this complication and its diagnosis., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background and Aims: The prognostic impact of pre-procedure heart rate (PHR) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not yet been fully investigated. This post-hoc analysis sought to assess the impact of PHR on medium-term outcomes among patients having PCI, who were enrolled in the "all-comers" GLOBAL LEADERS trial., Methods and Results: The primary endpoint (composite of all-cause death or new Q-wave myocardial infarction [MI]) and key secondary safety endpoint (bleeding according to Bleeding Academic Research Consortium [BARC] type 3 or 5) were assessed at 2 years. PHR was available in 15,855 patients, and when evaluated as a continuous variable (5 bpm increase) and following adjustment using multivariate Cox regression, it significantly correlated with the primary endpoint (hazard ratio [HR] 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.09, p < 0.001). Using dichotomous cut-off criteria, a PHR>67 bpm was associated with increased all-cause mortality (HR 1.38, 95%CI 1.13-1.69, p = 0.002) and more frequent new Q-wave MI (HR 1.41, 95%CI 1.02-1.93, p = 0.037). No significant association was found between PHR and BARC 3 or 5 bleeding (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.99-1.09, p = 0.099). There was no interaction with the primary (p-inter = 0.236) or secondary endpoint (p-inter = 0.154) when high and low PHR was analyzed according to different antiplatelet strategies., Conclusions: Elevated PHR was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality at 2 years following PCI in the "all-comer" GLOBAL LEADERS trial. The prognostic value of increased PHR on outcomes was not affected by the different antiplatelet strategies in this trial., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Dr. Chichareon reports research grant from Biosensors, outside the submitted work. Dr. Modolo received research grant form Biosensors and SMT. Dr. Eeckhout reports research grant from Biosensors. Dr. Hamm received advisory board fees from AstraZeneca. Dr. Jüni received grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), during the conduct of the study, grants from Astra Zeneca, grants from Biotronik, grants from Biosensors International, grants from Eli Lilly, grants from The Medicines Company, outside the submitted work; and Peter Jüni serves as unpaid member of the steering group of trials funded by Astra Zeneca, Biotronik, Biosensors, St. Jude Medical and The Medicines Company. Dr. Vranckx received personal fees from Astra Zeneca, personal fees from Bayer Health Care, personal fees from Daiichi Sankio, personal fees from Terumo, personal fees from CLS Behring, outside the submitted work. Dr. Windecker reports research and educational grants to the institution from Amgen, Abbott, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Bayer, BMS, CSL Behring, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, Polares and Sinomed. Dr. van Geuns received speakers fee from Abbott Vascular and Boston Scientific. Dr. Serruys reports personal fees from Biosensors, personal fees from Cardialysis, personal fees from Medtronic, personal fees from Micel Technologies, personal fees from Sinomedical Sciences Technology, personal fees from Philips/Volcano, personal fees from Xeltis, personal fees from HeartFlow, outside the submitted work., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: In the era of High-sensitive troponin (hs-Tn), up to 50% of patients with a mild increase of hs-Tn will finally have a normal invasive coronary angiogram. Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) derived from coronary computed tomographic angiography (FFR-CT) has never been used as a non-invasive tool for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease in patients with high-risk acute coronary syndrome without ST segment elevation (NSTE-ACS)., Aims: The study aims to determine the role of coronary CT angiography and FFR-CT in the setting of high-risk NSTE-ACS., Methodology: We will conduct a prospective trial, enrolling 250 patients admitted with high-risk NSTE-ACS who will rapidly undergo a coronary CT angiography and then a coronary angiography with FFR measurements. Results of coronary CT, FFR-CT and coronary angiography (± FFR) will be compared., Potential Significance: In conclusion, non-invasive identification of patients with high-risk NSTE-ACS who could avoid coronary angiography would reduce procedure related risks and medical costs., Competing Interests: Dr Fournier reports an institutional consultancy for Bayer and Cathworks. Dr. De Bruyne receives grant support from Abbott, Boston Scientific, Biotronik AG, and St Jude Medical and receives consulting fees on behalf of Dr De Bruyne from St. Jude Medical, Opsens, and Boston Scientific outside of the submitted work Dr. De Bruyne is a shareholder for Siemens, GE, Bayer, Philips, HeartFlow, Edwards Life Sciences, and Ceyliad. Dr. Collet reports receiving research grants from Biosensor, Heart Flow Inc. and Abbott Vascular; and consultancy fees from Heart Flow Inc, Abbott Vascular and Philips Volcano., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.)