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Background: Mitral annular flutter (MAF) is the most common left atrial macro‐reentrant arrhythmia following catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). The best ablation approach for this arrhythmia remains unclear. Methods: This single‐center, retrospective study sought to compare the acute and long‐term outcomes of patients with MAF treated with an anterior mitral line (AML) versus a mitral isthmus line (MIL). Acute ablation success, complication rates, and long‐term arrhythmia recurrence were compared between the two groups. Results: Between 2015 and 2021, a total of 81 patients underwent ablation of MAF (58 with an AML and 23 with a MIL). Acute procedural success defined as bidirectional block was achieved in 88% of the AML and 91% of the MIL patients respectively (p = 1.0). One year freedom from atrial arrhythmias was 49.5% versus 77.5% and at 4 years was 24% versus 59.6% for AML versus MIL, respectively (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.38, confidence interval [CI]: 0.17–0.82, p =.009). Fewer patients in the MIL group had recurrent atrial flutter when compared to the AML group (HR: 0.32, CI: 0.12–0.83, p =.009). The incidence of recurrent AF, on the other side, was not different between both groups (21.7% vs. 18.9%; p =.76). There were no serious adverse events in either group. Conclusion: In this retrospective study of patients with MAF, a MIL compared to AML was associated with a long‐term reduction in recurrent atrial arrhythmias driven by a reduction in macroreentrant atrial flutters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Different arterial segments throughout the vascular system develop similar grades of atherosclerosis concomitantly. Urethral ischemia has been proposed as a cause of urethral stricture. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between coronary artery disease severity using a SYNTAX score and urethral stricture occurrence after urethral catheterization in patients with non--ST-segment-elevation acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: This retrospective study consisted of 306 men with urethral catheters that were diagnosed with ACS and underwent coronary angiography between January 2016 and January 2018 in Kars Kafkas University and Osmaniye Government Hospital, Turkey. Hospital records were reviewed to collect the follow-up data of the patients regarding the occurrence of urethral stricture after urethral catheterization. The study population was divided into 2 groups according to urethral stricture development, and both groups were compared statistically. Results: SYNTAX scores were significantly higher in patients with urethral stricture than in those without urethral stricture (14.86±7.11 vs. 29.25±9.79; P<0.001). The SYNTAX score (OR=1.27; 95% CI: 1.16-1.39; P<0.001), diabetes, and serum albumin were found to be the independent predictors of urethral stricture. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the cutoff value of the SYNTAX score for urethral stricture prediction was greater than 22.5, with 76.7% sensitivity and 85.1% specificity (AUC=0.88, 95% CI: 0.84-0.91; P<0.001). Conclusion: Coronary artery disease severity graded according to the SYNTAX score is an independent predictor of urethral stricture occurrence in ACS patients with a urethral catheter inserted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a prevalent and serious complication after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). Although the association between serum osmolarity and chronic kidney disease is well established, its relation to CIN in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing pPCI needs to be elucidated. We evaluated the predictive value of serum osmolarity for CIN development in patients with STEMI (n = 768) undergoing pPCI. Serum osmolarity on admission was calculated. The study population was divided into 2 groups according to CIN development, and both groups were compared according to clinical, laboratory, and demographic features, including the serum osmolarity. Serum osmolarity was significantly higher in patients with CIN than in those without CIN (278 [8] vs 284 [9]; P =.024). Serum osmolarity (odds ratio: 1.052; 95% confidence interval: 1.018-1.086; P =.002), hemoglobin, contrast media volume, creatinine on admission, basal SYNergy between PCI with TAXus and cardiac surgery II score, and left ventricular ejection fraction were found to be independent predictors of CIN. Serum osmolarity (given the simple calculation of this parameter on admission) can be useful to define patients with STEMI undergoing pPCI who are more likely to develop CIN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The present study aimed to evaluate the potential utility of thrombosis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk index (TRI) for the prediction of stent thrombosis (ST) in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who were treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). Methods: This retrospective study was related to the clinical data of 1275 consecutive STEMI patients who underwent pPCI from January 2013 to January 2018. The TRI was calculated for each patient, and the following equation was used; TRI = heart rate x [age/10]2/systolic blood pressure. For the definition of ST, the criteria as proposed by the Academic Research Consortium were applied. Results: The incidence of ST was 3.2% (n=42 patients) in the study. The median value of the TRI was significantly elevated in patients with ST compared to those without ST (22 [17-32] vs. 16 [11-21], P <0.001, respectively). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the TRI was an independent predictor of ST (odds ratio [OR]: 1.061; 95% CI: 1.038-1.085; P <0.001). In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal value of the TRI for the prediction of ST was 25.8 with a sensitivity of 45.2% and a specificity of 86.4%. Conclusion: The present study finding has demonstrated that the TRI may be an independent predictor of ST in STEMI patients who were treated with pPCI. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature in which the TRI and its relationship with ST was evaluated in STEMI patients treated with pPCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Considering the worse prognosis of elderly STEMI patients, an identifying the most suitable risk scoring system is crucial. • We observed that the Syntax Score (SS) II was an independent predictor of long-term mortality in octogenarians. • A ROC comparison showed that SSII was a better predictor of long-term mortality than SS, PAMI, TIMI, and GRACE risk scores. • The SSII may be a better predictor of mortality than other risk-scoring systems in octogenarians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the Syntax Score II (SSII) in predicting in-hospital and long-term mortality in octogenarians who presented with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and were treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in addition to compare SS II with other risk-scoring systems. We retrospectively enrolled 312 consecutive STEMI patients in the eighth decade of life or older who underwent pPCI. The octogenarians were divided into two groups according to their median SSII (low SSII ≤ 43.6 and high SSII > 43.6), and these groups were compared in terms of mortality. The performance of the SSII in predicting patients' outcomes was further compared with that of other well-known risk-scoring systems. In the study, the SSII was an independent predictor of long-term mortality (OR: 1.036 95% CI: 1.005–1.068; p = 0.024). Both in-hospital (20.8% vs. 1.2%; p < 0.001) and long-term mortality (45.0% vs. 11%; p < 0.001) were higher among the patients with a high SSII compared to those with a low SSII. An ROC curve comparison showed that SSII was a better predictor (AUC: 0.807; 95% CI: 0.750-0.863) of long-term mortality than SS, PAMI, TIMI, and GRACE risk scores but not CADILLAC. Based on the study findings, octogenarians with a high SSII had worse in-hospital and long-term survival. The SSII, which includes several clinical and anatomical parameters, may be a better predictor of mortality than other risk-scoring systems in octogenarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]