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The use of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has received limited study.We analyzed the baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics and procedural outcomes of 82 CTO PCIs that required IVL at 14 centers between 2020 and 2022.During the study period, IVL was used in 82 of 3301 (2.5%) CTO PCI procedures (0.4% in 2020 and 7% in 2022; p for trend 0.001). Mean patient age was 69 ± 11 years and 79% were men. The prevalence of hypertension (95%), diabetes mellitus (62%), and prior PCI (61%) was high. The most common target vessel was the right coronary artery (54%), followed by the left circumflex (23%). The mean J-CTO and PROGRESS-CTO scores were 2.8 ± 1.1 and 1.3 ± 1.0, respectively. Antegrade wiring was the final successful crossing strategy in 65% and the retrograde approach was used in 22%. IVL was used in 10% of all heavily calcified lesions and 11% of all balloon undilatable lesions. The 3.5 mm lithotripsy balloon was the most commonly used balloon (28%). The mean number of pulses per lithotripsy run was 33 ± 32 and the median duration of lithotripsy was 80 (interquartile range: 40-103) seconds. Technical and procedural success was achieved in 77 (94%) and 74 (90%) cases, respectively. Two (2.4%) Ellis Class 2 perforations occurred after IVL use and were managed conservatively.IVL is increasingly being used in CTO PCI with encouraging outcomes.

Although the double kissing (DK) crush stenting technique can provide excellent outcomes in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of bifurcation lesions, it can be challenging to perform.We examined the clinical and angiographic characteristics, challenges encountered, and procedural outcomes of bifurcation PCI with DK crush in Prospective Global Registry of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Bifurcation Lesions (PROGRESS-BIFURCATION, NCT05100992).DK crush was used in 48 of 435 bifurcation lesions (11%). Technical success was 100%, procedural success was 96%, and the incidence of in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events was 4%. Challenges while performing DK crush were encountered in 26 lesions (54%): (1) difficulty in side branch (SB) first rewiring (38%) that was overcome with the use of a new guidewire (30%) or a microcatheter (15%); (2) inability to deliver balloon to an SB for the first kiss (54%) that was overcome with the use of a smaller balloon (86%), rewiring (29%), microcatheter (14%), and increased support 7%; (3) difficulty in SB second rewiring (19%) that was overcome with the use of a new guidewire (80%) and/or microcatheter (60%). DK crush was more often performed in left main and proximal left anterior descending artery lesions (70% vs. 50%, p = 0.014). DK crush cases required more contrast (198 ± 84 ml vs. 163 ± 70 ml, p = 0.003), fluoroscopy time (35 ± 20 min vs. 25 ± 21 min, p = 0.004), and lasted longer (137 ± 69 min vs. 99 ± 66 min, p = 0.001) compared with non-DK crush techniques.While challenges are common when performing DK crush bifurcation stenting, success rates are high and complication rates are low.

The optimal access site for cardiac catheterization in patients with prior coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) continues to be debated.We performed a random effects frequentist and Bayesian meta-analysis of 4 randomized trials and 18 observational studies, including 60,192 patients with prior CABG (27,236 in the radial group; 32,956 in the femoral group) that underwent cardiac catheterization. Outcomes included (1) access-site complications, (2) crossover to a different vascular access, (3) procedure time, and (4) contrast volume. Mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for continuous outcomes and odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI for binary outcomes.Among randomized trials, crossover (OR: 7.63; 95% CI: 2.04, 28.51; p = 0.003) was higher in the radial group, while access site complications (OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.34, 2.87; p = 0.94) and contrast volume (MD: 15.08; 95% CI: -10.19, 40.35; p = 0.24) were similar. Among observational studies, crossover rates were higher (OR: 5.09; 95% CI: 2.43, 10.65; p 0.001), while access site complication rates (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.30, 0.89; p = 0.02) and contrast volume (MD: -7.52; 95% CI: -13.14, -1.90 ml; p = 0.009) were lower in the radial group. Bayesian analysis suggested that the odds of a difference existing between radial and femoral are small for all endpoints except crossover to another access site.In a frequentist and Bayesian meta-analysis of patients with prior CABG undergoing coronary catheterization, radial access was associated with lower incidence of vascular access complications and lower contrast volume but also higher crossover rate.

Background: Proximal cap ambiguity is a key parameter in the global chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) crossing algorithm. Methods: We examined the baseline characteristics and procedural outcomes of 9718 CTO PCIs performed in 9498 patients at 41 US and non-US centers between 2012 and 2022. Results: Proximal cap ambiguity was present in 35% of CTO lesions. Patients whose lesions had proximal cap ambiguity were more likely to have had prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery (37% vs. 24%; p < 0.001). Lesions with proximal cap ambiguity were more complex with higher J-CTO score (3.1 ± 1.0 vs. 2.0 ± 1.2; p < 0.001) and lower technical (79% vs. 90%; p < 0.001) and procedural (77% vs. 89%; p < 0.001) success rates compared with nonambiguous CTO lesions. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) was higher in cases with proximal cap ambiguity (2.5% vs. 1.7%; p < 0.001). The retrograde approach was more commonly used among cases with ambiguous proximal cap (50% vs. 21%; p < 0.001) and was more likely to be the final successful crossing strategy (29% vs. 13%; p < 0.001). The antegrade dissection and re-entry (ADR) "move-the-cap" techniques were also more common among cases with proximal cap ambiguity. Conclusions: Proximal cap ambiguity in CTO lesions is associated with higher utilization of the retrograde approach and ADR, lower technical and procedural success rates, and higher incidence of in-hospital MACE.

Background There is limited data on complications associated with the use of coronary embolic protection devices (EPDs). Methods We queried the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database between November 2010 and November 2020 for reports on coronary EPDs: Spider FX (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) and Filterwire EZ (Boston Scientific, Natick, MA). Results We retrieved 119 reports on coronary EPD failure (Spider FX n = 33 and Filterwire EZ n = 86), most of which (78.2%) occurred during saphenous vein graft interventions. The most common failure mode was inability to retrieve the EPD (49.6%), with the filter trapped against stent struts in 76.2% of the cases. Other device complications included filter fracture (28.6%), failure to cross (7.6%), failure to deploy (7.6%), and failure to recapture the filter (3.4%). Filter fracture (54.5 vs. 29.1%) and failure to recapture (9.1 vs. 2.1%) were more commonly reported, while failure to deploy the filter (0 vs. 10.5%) was less commonly reported with the Spider-FX. Conclusions The most common modes of failure of coronary EPDs are the failure of retrieval (49.6%), followed by the filter fracture (28.6%). When using EPDs, careful attention to the technique is essential to avoid failures and subsequent complications.

OBJECTIVE The outcomes of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in octogenarians and nonagenarians have received limited study. METHODS We compared in-hospital outcomes of CTO PCI between patients ≥80 vs.

Background We examined guidewire and microcatheter utilization during chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods We examined device utilization in 2,968 CTO PCIs performed in 2,936 patients at 19 US and two international center between January 2016 and January 2019. Results The median number of antegrade guidewires used per case declined (5 in 2016 vs 3 in 2019) and was higher in higher complexity lesions (2 in J-CTO 0 vs. 8 in J-CTO 4 or 5 score). In antegrade-only procedures, the most frequently used guidewires were the Pilot 200 (Abbott Vascular, 37%), Fielder XT (Asahi Intecc, 25%) and Gaia third (Asahi Intecc, 18%), while the most commonly used microcatheters were the Turnpike Spiral (Vascular Solutions, 18%) and Turnpike (Vascular Solutions, 16%). Compared with 2012-2015, during 2016-2019 use of novel equipment such as the Gaia guidewires and the Turnpike microcatheters led to decreased use of Confianza Pro 12 (Asahi Intecc) wire and Corsair (Asahi Intecc) family of microcatheters. In retrograde cases, the guidewires most commonly used were the Sion (44%), Pilot 200 (27%) and Fielder FC (26%), while the Corsair/Corsair Pro, Turnpike LP (Vascular Solutions) and Caravel (Asahi Intecc) were the most frequently used microcatheters for collateral crossing (29%, 26% and 22%, respectively). Conclusions The most commonly used guidewires during CTO PCI are polymer-jacketed guidewires and the most commonly used microcatheters are torquable microcatheters.

The standard treatment for large vessel coronary perforations is implantation of a covered stent. Antegrade attempts for crossing a right coronary artery chronic total occlusion resulted in guidewire and microcatheter exit with pericardial bleeding. A balloon was inflated proximal to the perforation site to achieve temporary hemostasis. Retrograde crossing of the chronic total occlusion was achieved through an epicardial collateral using the reverse controlled antegrade and retrograde tracking technique. Stent implantation resulted in hemostasis, likely due to creation of a subintimal flap that sealed the perforation site. If technically feasible, subintimal recanalization can be an alternative treatment strategy for coronary perforations occurring during chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention.

Percutaneous coronary intervention of saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions can be challenging due to high risk for acute and long-term complications. Treating the corresponding native coronary artery lesion(s) is preferable, but may not be feasible in the acute setting, due to high technical difficulty, especially when the native coronary lesion is a chronic total occlusion (CTO). We describe a novel concept of "staged revascularization" in patients presenting with an acute coronary syndrome due to SVG failure, whose native coronary artery supplied by the SVG has a CTO. In the first stage, the culprit SVG lesion is treated restoring flow to the supplied myocardium and minimizing the extent of myocardial injury. During the second stage (typically few weeks later), revascularization of the corresponding native coronary artery lesion(s) is performed, often using the initially treated SVG for retrograde crossing of the native coronary artery CTO. We describe two cases of non-ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction due to SVG failure that were treated with "staged revascularization": the culprit SVG was initially treated followed by staged revascularization of the corresponding native coronary artery CTO. Staged revascularization of SVG lesions causing acute coronary syndromes may allow optimization of both acute and long-term outcomes.

Acute vessel closure due to dissection is a known complication of percutaneous coronary intervention and can be challenging to treat, especially if guidewire position is lost. Re-entering into the distal true lumen is commonly done during chronic total occlusion interventions, as part of antegrade dissection strategies. We report two cases of acute vessel closure and guidewire position loss in which the Stingray LP system was successfully used to advance a guidewire into the distal true lumen and recanalize the occluded vessel.

New techniques involving the use of retrograde channels have enabled successful revascularization of chronically occluded arteries previously not amenable to standard strategies. We describe the use of a simultaneous antegrade and retrograde approach to perform bifurcation kissing balloon angioplasty which was not possible using a standard antegrade approach. As the balloons are oriented in opposite rather than identical directions, we have named this technique “Head-to-Toe Kissing.” © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.