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Radial artery occlusion after transradial procedures is a frequent iatrogenic thrombotic process. The impact on prognosis has not been investigated. This study sought to investigate whether radial artery occlusion is related to increased risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, defined as death, myocardial infarction, stroke and coronary revascularization.Eight hundred thirty-seven consecutive patients who underwent a transradial coronary procedure had patency of radial artery checked at 24 hours. Radial artery occlusion occurred in 41 over 837 patients (4.8%); 764 (91.2%) were available for planned follow-up at 1 year and were included in the analysis. Event-free survival rate between patients with and without radial artery occlusion was calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimates, and Cox proportional-hazards models were used to identify independent risk factors.At a median 370-day follow-up (IQR: 366-375 days), adverse events occurred in 37 patients (4.8%), 2 in patients with radial artery occlusion and 35 in patients without. One-year survival rate was 94.9% vs. 95% (unadjusted HR=1.026, 95% CI: 0.24 to 4.6, P=0.9). After multivariable modeling, age and coronary artery disease extension was associated with increased risk of adverse events.Age and coronary artery disease extension were independent predictors of adverse events at follow-up. RAO had no prognostic impact. (NCT02762344).

Redo transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may pose the risk of coronary flow obstruction. We report 2 cases of severe TAVR regurgitation due to different physiopathological mechanisms in which TAVR-in-TAVR could be at high risk for sinus sequestration. Both cases were successfully treated by in-series implantation of a second transcatheter heart valve, thus avoiding sinus sequestration. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.), Central Illustration

OBJECTIVES To compare incidence of forearm radial artery occlusion (RAO) and hemostasis characteristics between distal and conventional transradial approach (DRA and TRA, respectively). BACKGROUND DRA has the potential advantage of reducing RAO. DRA effectively reduces time-to-hemostasis, however its role on preserving flow in the radial artery (PF) during hemostasis and consequent impact on RAO remains speculative. METHODS Eight hundred thirty-seven patients with TRA were previously enrolled in a prospective registry investigating the relationship of residual anticoagulation and RAO. Three hundred twenty-six additional patients with DRA were added to the cohort and matched to the original cohort by propensity score. The composite end-point of RAO at forearm and distal site of puncture (dRAO) was evaluated as secondary end-point. RESULTS RAO occurred in 4.8% (41 of 837) of patients undergoing TRA and in 0% (0 of 326) of those undergoing DRA (p

The prevalence of angina despite optimal medical therapy is high among patients with coronary chronic total occlusions. Despite advancements in techniques and operator’s experience, percutaneous revascularization of coronary chronic total occlusions is still associated with a not negligible risk of failures and complications. The Coronary Sinus Reducer, a new device developed to improve angina, has shown promising results in terms of efficacy and safety in patients with refractory symptoms. The aim of this review is to summarize the evidence so far available and to guide clinicians in the selection of patients with chronic total occlusions that could benefit more from Coronary Sinus Reducer implantation. A recently published study suggests a clear value of this device in patients with chronic total occlusions. This is likely to be related to the presence of a well-developed collateral circulation. A careful evaluation of risks and benefits of both myocardial revascularization and Coronary Sinus Reducer implantation should be done in all the cases in order to better define the optimal strategy for the patient. The Coronary Sinus Reducer implantation has a rationale in patients with chronic total occlusion as an alternative or additional therapy to myocardial revascularization.

OBJECTIVES To assess the independent predictors of patent and occlusive hemostasis (PH and OH, respectively) during radial hemostasis after coronary procedures. BACKGROUND Radial artery occlusion (RAO) is a thrombotic complication of transradial catheterization that can lead to permanent occlusion of the radial artery. Sheath-vessel diameter ratio, postprocedure compression time, occlusive hemostasis, inadequate, and excessive anticoagulation are all predictors of RAO. METHODS As a part of a previously published study investigating the relationship between residual anticoagulation and risk of RAO, 837 patients undergoing transradial diagnostic coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary interventions were enrolled. Cumulative heparin dose used during the procedure and ACT measured before sheath removal were recorded. PH with reverse Barbeau test was attempted in all patients (NCT02762344). RESULTS PH was less frequently obtained for increasing cumulative heparin dose and ACT values (p

The transradial access (TRA) for cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been widely adopted in the last decades since its first description in the late forties. The transradial approach has been associated with favourable outcomes as compared with transfemoral access (TFA) in several registries and randomized clinical trials, mainly due to the lower incidence of access-site bleedings, vascular complications and improved patient comfort. This review aims to summarize the body of evidence supporting the use of TRA, to discuss clinical implications, possible technical limitations and future directions, such as the implementation of TRA as the primary access for complex procedures and structural interventions.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a unique form of accelerated atherosclerosis that represents the main late cause of morbidity and mortality, affecting almost half patients at ten years after heart transplantation (HTx). Unless the pathogenesis of CAV is still not completely understood, it seems to be the result of a complex interplay between immunological and non-immunological factors that induce endothelial injury. Histologically epicardial and intramural vessels present a concentric circumferential intimal thickening caused by smooth muscle cell proliferation, inflammatory cells, and lipid deposition. Coronary angiography is still considered the gold-standard diagnostic tool for CAV detection but has reduced sensibility due to its inability to visualize beyond the arterial lumen. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) allows detecting early intimal thickening with high sensitivity. Plaque composition and vulnerability, detectable with virtual histology (VH/IVUS), and optical coherence tomography (OCT) seem to relate to adverse clinical events. Treatment approaches continue to evolve, but prevention and early detection remain the focus. Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors can significantly delay the development and the progression of CAV, but their optimal use remains to be established. New encouraging results come from monoclonal autoantibodies. At present percutaneous revascularization procedures seem to have only a palliative meaning, with no clear evidence of survival advantage over medical therapy and should be considered in case of a focal disease. Drug-eluting stents have proven to reduce in-stent restenosis, with a potential role of imaging-guided intervention in this setting. Heart re-transplantation is the only resolutive therapy and is considered in the case of CAV associated with graft dysfunction.

Background QRS axis deviation can occur during myocardial infarction (MI); to date, little is known about the significance of extreme right axis deviation (ERAD) in the frontal plane, i.e. a shift in QRS axis between +180° and +270°, during MI. We sought to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with new-onset ERAD in the absence of complete bundle branch blocks (BBB) in the setting of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Methods A single-center retrospective observational study was conducted, including patients with new-onset ERAD in the absence of complete BBB admitted for ACS to our Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Clinical, electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, angiographic features at baseline and cardiovascular events during hospitalization and at mid-term follow-up were collected. Results The study population consisted of 30 consecutive patients (23 men) from January 2014 to September 2018. The most frequent clinical presentation was ST-segment elevation MI (n = 22, 73.4%) and the most frequent electrocardiographic MI location was anterolateral (n = 11, 36.7%). Left anterior descending (LAD) was the most frequent infarct-related artery (n = 21, 70%); 15 patients (50%) had multivessel coronary artery disease. Cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) at presentation (n = 5, 16.6%), cardiogenic shock during the hospital stay (n = 10, 33.3%), cardiac arrest due to VF after revascularization (n = 6, 20%) and cardiac death (n = 7, 23.3%) were common. Conclusion New-onset ERAD during MI may be related to extensive myocardial ischemia and/or necrosis causing an “electrical escaping” with an extreme dislocation of the QRS axis. In our limited series we found several acute arrhythmic and hemodynamic complications and high mortality.

Background: Radial artery occlusion (RAO) is a thrombotic complication of transradial catheterization that can lead to permanent occlusion of the radial artery. Sheath-vessel diameter ratio, postprocedure compression time, occlusive hemostasis, and insufficient anticoagulation are all predictors of RAO. However, excessive anticoagulation can lead to longer time to achieve complete hemostasis and less patent hemostasis rate. This study was designed to assess the relationship among residual anticoagulation at the end of a percutaneous coronary procedure and the risk of RAO. Methods: Eight hundred thirty-seven patients undergoing transradial catheterization were enrolled. Activated clotting time (ACT) was measured before sheath removal. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to ACT values (ACT 250 s), patent hemostasis with reverse Barbeau test was attempted in all patients, and compression device removed as soon as possible. Within 24 hours, patency of radial artery was checked by Doppler using reverse Barbeau technique. Results: Incidence of RAO was higher for the extreme ACT values. Patent hemostasis were less frequently obtained and time to hemostasis significantly longer for increasing ACT values ( P =0.004 for trend and P =0.001) while adjusted probability for RAO confirmed U-shaped relationship with ACT values. Conclusions: The level of anticoagulation is strongly related to incidence of RAO and should be measured objectively by ACT. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT02762344.

BACKGROUND The complexity of coronary physiology in presence of severe aortic stenosis (AS) raises concerns about the reliability of pressure-derived indexes in this clinical setting. Furthermore, neither fractional flow reserve (FFR) nor instantaneous wave-free period (iFR) has been validated in AS. Combining iFR and FFR in a tailored decision-making strategy may help to increase simplicity, accuracy and safety of physiology-guided revascularization in AS. METHODS In this prospective observational study iFR and FFR were measured before and after TAVI during the same procedure in patients with severe AS and concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD). All decisions about revascularization were based on post-TAVI FFR assessment. The best iFR "defer" and "treatment" values were identified according to their baseline negative (NPV) and positive predictive values (PPV) respectively. A post-hoc analysis was then performed to compare the hybrid iFR-FFR approach with the FFR-only strategy. RESULTS Sixty-two patients underwent pre- and post-TAVI pressure-wire assessment and were included in the analysis. A "defer iFR value" >0.93 yielded a NPV of 98.4% (91.7%-99.9%) to exclude FFR non-significant stenosis (>0.80), and a "treatment iFR value"