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Background: TAVI related thrombocytopenia (TAVI-rTP) is still very common. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence, characteristics and impact of reduced platelet counts (RPC) after TAVI between an earlier and contemporary period. Methods: the patients enrolled were those experiencing severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI between January 2010 and December 2019. The exclusion criteria were no available blood tests and periprocedural death. Results: 334 patients (mean age 81.9 ± 6.7 years) were enrolled. For the earlier period, the mean RPC was 33 ± 15%, and in the contemporary period (2016–2019) it was 26 ± 14%. In the early group, we found that 62% of the patients had decreased platelet counts of more or equal to 30% in comparison to 33% in the contemporary period. The time of the procedure and the amount of the contrast that had been used in the later period were associated with significant RPCs (p value = 0.002 and 0.028, respectively). An RPC of 30% or more was associated with the increased risks of life-threatening bleeding, vascular complications and death within 30 days. Conclusion: contemporary TAVI-rTP continued to be a common phenomenon in our cohort. However, severe thrombocytopenia was significantly less frequent. An RPC of 30% or more is associated with a poor 30-day outcome.

Background: Prior studies have proven the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with reduced left ventricular (LV) function. This study’s aim was to investigate periprocedural inflammatory responses after TAVI. Methods: Patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and reduced LV function who underwent transfemoral TAVI were enrolled. A paired-matched analysis (1:2 ratio) was performed using patients with preserved LV function. Whole white blood cells (WBC) and subpopulation dynamics as well as the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were evaluated at different times. Results: A total of 156 patients were enrolled, including 52 patients with LVEF &lt, 40% 35.00 [30.00, 39.25] and 104 with LVEF &gt, 50% 55.00 [53.75, 60.0], p &lt, 0.001. Baseline NLR in the reduced LV function group was significantly higher compared to the preserved LV function group, 2.85 [2.07, 4.78] vs. 3.90 [2.67, 5.26], p &lt, 0.04. After a six-month follow-up, the inflammatory profile was found to be similar in the two groups, NLR 2.94 [2.01, 388] vs. 3.30 [2.06, 5.35], p = 0.288. No significant mortality differences between the two groups were observed in the long-term outcome. Conclusions: TAVI for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, with reduced LV function, was associated with an improvement in the inflammatory profile that may account for some of the observable benefits of the procedure in this subset of patients.

Introduction: The use of drug-coated balloons (DCBs) has become more prevalent in the past few years for the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) and de novo lesions. The absence of foreign polymer implantations potentially shortens the duration of dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT), which can be beneficial for the elderly population. We aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of the use of DCBs for the treatment of coronary lesions in elderly patients as compared to the younger population. Materials and methods: A database of 446 consecutive patients who underwent a procedure of DCB inflation in our institution was divided into two groups, below 70 years old and above 80 years old. We compared and analyzed the endpoints of total major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), cardiovascular (CV) death, and all-cause mortality in both groups. Results: The difference in MACE between the two age groups was non-significant (p = 0.225); the difference in cardiovascular death was also non-significant (p = 0.086). All-cause mortality was significantly different (p < 0.0001) and can be attributed to the age of the patients. Conclusion: The utilization of DCBs for the treatment of coronary lesions may be as safe and effective for the elderly population as for the younger population and may allow a shorter period of DAPT therapy, which can lower the risk of bleeding.

BACKGROUND Transcatheter aortic valve implantation related thrombocytopenia (TAVI-rTP) is an inevitable phenomenon. However, no study has been performed on TAVI-rTP in the current setting of extended clinical indications combined with technology improvements. METHODS Patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who underwent transfemoral TAVI, from January 2016 to December 2019 were enrolled. RESULTS Two-hundred and one consecutive patients (mean age 81.1 ± 7.1 years, 96 men) enrolled. Platelet count was recorded before and after aortic valve implantation. Dropped platelet count (DPC) occurred in all but 11 patients who were included. Two groups were created: DPC

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the mid-term efficacy of drug-coated balloons (DCB) in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in two different pathophysiologic scenarios. Background: There are different underlying pathological processes in coronary artery disease. Mid-term safety and efficacy of DCB approach is still limited. Methods: Medical records of all consecutive patients undergoing DCB were evaluated. The primary endpoint was the rate of clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) after 24 months. Results: Between January 2011 and December 2017, 442 patients were included, representing 4.4% of all PCIs in our institution. A total of 460 DCB lesions were treated, of which 328 (71.3%) were de novo and 132 (28.7%) were combined bare metal or drug-eluting stents with in-stent restenosis (ISR). The patients’ mean age was 66.2 ± 11.7 years with a diabetes prevalence of 45.3%. The TLR rate was lower in the de novo group (5.3%) compared to the ISR group (9.4%) (p = 0.04). No differences were observed in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) between the de novo group (38.9%) and ISR group (42.5%) (p = 0.47). No significant differences were detected in the TLR occurrence in the subgroup analysis. Conclusion: Our extended experience demonstrates that the mid-term DCB approach in these two pathophysiologic settings represent a reasonable option, with low TLR rate.