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BACKGROUND: In the last decade, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has developed rapidly in China. As TAVI progresses towards low surgical risk patients, the total number of TAVI procedures will grow exponentially. There is a need to develop a domestic TAVI device designed for Chinese patients. AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a self-expanding valve (TaurusOne transcatheter aortic valve system) in the treatment of patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis in China. METHODS: A prospective, multicentre, single-arm study was designed to enrol 120 patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI using the TaurusOne valve. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality at one year. RESULTS: From September 2017 to April 2019, 120 patients were enrolled (35% bicuspid aortic valve, mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons [STS] score 9.95%). One-year mortality in 120 patients (follow-up rate, 100%), was 6.7% (upper 95% confidence interval: 12.9%), which was significantly lower than the performance goal of 30% (p

Background: Despite substantial improvement in chronic total occlusions (CTO) revascularization technique, the long-term clinical outcomes in diabetic patients with revascularized CTO remain controversial. Our study aimed to investigate the 5-year cardiovascular survival for patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for CTO.Methods: Data of the current analysis derived from a large single-center, prospective and observational cohort study, including 10,724 patients who underwent PCI in 2013 at Fuwai Hospital. Baseline, angiographic and follow-up data were collected. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), which consisted of death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and target vessel revascularization (TVR). The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Cox regression analysis and propensity-score matching was performed to balance the baseline confounders.Results: A total of 719 consecutive patients with ≥1 successful CTO-PCI were stratified into diabetic (n = 316, 43.9%) and non-diabetic (n = 403, 56.1%) group. During a median follow-up of 5 years, the risk of MACCE (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–2.00, P = 0.013) was significantly higher in the diabetic group than in the non-diabetic group, whereas the adjusted risk of all-cause mortality (HR 2.37, 95% CI 0.94–5.98, P = 0.068) was similar. In the propensity score matched population, there were no significant differences in the risk of MACCE (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.92–1.75, P = 0.155) and all-cause mortality (HR 2.56, 95% CI 0.91–7.24, P = 0.076) between groups. Subgroup analysis and stratification analysis revealed consistent effects on 5-year MACCE across various subgroups.Conclusions: In patients who received successful CTO-PCI, non-diabetic patients were related to better long-term survival benefit in terms of MACCE. The risk of 5-year MACCE appeared to be similar in less-controlled and controlled diabetic patients after successful recanalization of CTO. Further randomized studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

We sought to investigate the short- and long-term outcomes in patients with right ventricular infarction in China.Data from China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) Registry for patients with right ventricular infarction between January 2013 and September 2014 were analyzed.Of the 1,988 patients with right ventricular infarction, 733 patients did not receive reperfusion therapy, 281 patients received thrombolysis therapy, and 974 patients underwent primary PCI. Primary PCI and thrombolysis were all associated with lower risks of in-hospital (3.1 vs. 12.6%; adjusted OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.27-0.87;Timely reperfusion therapy is essential for patients with right ventricular infarction. Primary PCI may be considered as the default treatment strategy for patients with right ventricular infarction in the contemporary primary PCI era.

Background: Platelet reactivity is closely associated with adverse events in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients. Inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD).Aim: To investigate the association of inflammatory biomarkers such as leukocyte count and high-sensitivity C reactive proteins (hs-CRP) with platelet reactivity in PCI patients treated with clopidogrel.Method: We examined 10,724 consecutive PCI patients in Fuwai hospital from January 2013 to December 2013. High on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) was defined as adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet maximum amplitude [MA(ADP)] of thromboelastogram (TEG) > 47 mm, and low on-treatment platelet reactivity (LTPR) MA(ADP) < 31 mm.Results: Finally, 6,772 PCI patients treated with clopidogrel who had the results of postoperative TEG were enrolled. Among them, 2,070 (30.57%) presented HTPR and 2,568 (37.92%) presented LTPR. As for LTPR, multivariate logistic regression showed that leukocyte count (OR: 1.153, 95% CI 1.117–1.191) and hs-CRP (OR: 0.920, 95% CI 0.905–0.936) were independent predictors, along with diabetes mellites, hemoglobin, platelet count and glucose. As for HTPR, multivariate logistic regression showed that leukocyte count (OR: 0.885, 95% CI 0.854–0.917) and hs-CRP (OR: 1.094, 95% CI 1.077–1.112) were independent predictors, along with sex, hemoglobin, platelet count and glucose.Conclusions: This was the first large real-world study reporting that both leukocyte count and hs-CRP were the independent factors for platelet reactivity in PCI populations treated with clopidogrel, among which higher leukocyte count was associated with more LTPR while higher hs-CRP was associated with more HTPR, providing new insights on individualized antiplatelet therapy.

BackgroundIn euthyroid patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), it is still unclear whether free triiodothyronine to free thyroxine (FT3/FT4) ratio can predict the recurrence of cardiovascular events (CVEs). We aim to investigate its association with recurrent long-term adverse events in this population.Methods3549 euthyroid patients with prior CVEs history undergoing PCI were consecutively enrolled in our study and subsequently divided into three FT3/FT4 ratio tertiles (T12.75, n=1181). The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event (MACCE), a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke and revascularization. The secondary endpoints were all-cause death and cardiac death.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 5 years. The incidence of all-cause death, cardiac death and MACCE were significantly higher among patients in the lowest FT3/FT4 tertile (PConclusionsIn euthyroid patients with prior cardiovascular events undergoing PCI, FT3/FT4 ratio might be a potential predictor of all-cause and cardiac mortality. Routine assessment of FT3/FT4 ratio might be a simple and effective tool for risk stratification in this specific patient population.

To date, DAPT duration of 1 year is the standard treatment for ACS patients after DES implantation in China. However, less is known about the effect of prolonging DAPT duration of long-term outcome for this kind of patient in the real world of China. We carried out a large sample case in the biggest cardiovascular center in China to observe the effect of prolonging DAPT duration for more than 1 year on long-term outcome in ACS patients after PCI. We enrolled 5187 consecutive patients with ACS who underwent DES implantation from January 2013 to December 2013. We recorded when DAPT was discontinued, and analyzed patients' data comparing different DAPT durations (DAPT = 1 year or >1 year). Two-year clinical outcomes were compared between patients from the two groups. The baseline characteristics were almost the same between the two groups, except the number of stents per patient (DAPT = 1 year vs. >1 year, 1.80 ± 1.02 vs. 1.86 ± 1.05, p = .04). Patients with DAPT = 1 year had a higher incidence of all-cause death (1.8% vs. 0.1%, p 1 year, respectively. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the number of stents per patient was an independent factor for prolonged DAPT (odds ratio: 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.14, p = .03). Cox regression analysis showed that the independent risk predictors of all-cause death were age and cardiac dysfunction, whereas the independent protective predictors were body mass index and DAPT > 1 year. In the subgroup analysis of high bleeding risk, the DAPT > 1-year group still experienced a lower incidence of all-cause death. For patients with ACS undergoing DES implantation, 1 year of DAPT may be not sufficient. Appropriate prolongation of DAPT may relate to the reduction of the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events and it does not increase the bleeding events, even for the patients with high bleeding risk.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a heavy burden on cancer patients worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and influence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and CVD on the all-cause mortality among Chinese cancer patients. Results: Overall, 13.0% of all cancer patients had at least one type of CVRFs and 5.0% with CVDs. Patients with CVRF or CVD presented more frequently at later stages and received higher percentage of oncotherapy. During 1,782,527 person-years of follow-up, the all-cause mortality in cancer patients with CVDs and with CVRFs was higher compared with those without (182.6/1000, 109.5/1000 and 93.3/1000 person-years, respectively). Cox regression analysis showed that patients with heart failure (HR 1.79, 95% CI 1.61-1.99), myocardial infarction (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.16-1.95), atrial fibrillation (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.09-1.53), stroke (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.11-1.32), hypertension (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.04-1.16) and diabetes (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.08-1.24) had increased all-cause mortality, whereas dyslipidemia patients had better prognosis (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.64-0.83). Stratified by cancer type, the prognostic impact of specific CVRF or CVD varied. Methods: We consecutively recruited 710,170 cancer patients between Feb. 1995 and Jun. 2018. A stratified Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the effect of comorbidities on the overall survival of patients stratified by cancer type. Conclusions: Cancer patients are vulnerable to comorbidity related to heart and cerebral disease. The influence of comorbidities on prognosis is noticeable and specific both for the type of cancer and comorbidities.

BACKGROUND A novel risk model to predict long-term mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), derived from the EPICOR (long-term follow-up of antithrombotic management patterns in acute coronary syndrome patients) registry, has been released recently and its performance remains to be assessed. The objective is to evaluate the EPICOR score for 2-year mortality risk in ACS patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS From January to December in 2013, a total of 6087 consecutive patients presenting with ACS who were scheduled for PCI were enrolled. Use online simplified EPICOR calculator to assess the expected risk of death. RESULTS Sixty-eight patients (1.1%) died during 2-year follow-up. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve for mortality in the overall population, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and non-ST-segment elevation ACS were 0.712 (95% CI, 0.650-0.772; p < 0.001), 0.790 (95% CI, 0.676-0.903; p < 0.001), and 0.683 (95% CI, 0.615-0.751; p < 0.001), respectively. Moreover, it was noninferior to the updated Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score. Patients were stratified into three categories: low-risk (n = 3382), medium-risk (n = 2547), and high-risk (n = 158). Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrated significant ongoing divergence in both mortality (0.6% vs 1.3% vs 9.5%; p < 0.001) and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) (11.8% vs 12.3% vs 19.6%; p = 0.014) among them. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that medium- and high-risk groups predicted 2- and 12-fold hazards of death comparing to the lowest. Yet, it was not a significant predictor for MACCEs after adjusting confounding factors. CONCLUSION The simplified EPICOR score showed fair discriminatory power of 2-year mortality in patients with ACS and an improved performance in the STEMI subgroup. It could aid in risk stratification of ACS patients as an independent predictor.

With the advancements of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), it is not clear whether unprotected left main (ULM) coronary artery disease (CAD) remains an independent predictor of adverse outcomes after PCI therapy. We have therefore carried out a large cohort study to investigate the impact of ULM disease on 2-year clinical outcomes in Chinese patients undergoing contemporary PCI treatment.From January 2013 to December 2013, 10 724 consecutive patients undergoing PCI were prospectively collected. Two-year clinical outcomes were compared for patients undergoing ULM PCI and non-ULM PCI. Among the 10 724 patients, 272 (2.5%) patients underwent ULM PCI. Overall, these patients had higher baseline clinical risks of CAD and more extensive CAD compared with non-ULM PCI patients. During the 2-year follow-up, patients who underwent ULM PCI experienced higher incidence of cardiac death (2.2 vs. 0.7%; log-rank P=0.002), myocardial infarction (7.0 vs. 1.9%; log-rank P0.001), stroke (2.9 vs. 1.3%; log-rank P=0.02), and definite and probable stent thrombosis (3.3 vs. 0.5%; log-rank P0.001), than patients who underwent non-ULM PCI. However, the rates of revascularization (7.4 vs. 8.7%; log-rank P=0.48), target vessel revascularization (5.5 vs. 5.0%; log-rank P=0.66), and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (15.1 vs. 12.0%; log-rank P=0.11) were not significantly different between the groups. When performing adjusted Cox regression after propensity score matching, ULM PCI was not an independent risk factor of any clinical events (all P0.05).In this large cohort of patients who underwent modern PCI, ULM PCI patients had higher baseline clinical risks and poorer prognosis during 2-year follow-up. However, after multivariate analysis, ULM PCI was not an independent risk factor of any clinical adverse events.

Nuclear factor-κB interacting long non-coding RNA (LncRNA NKILA) is a well-studied tumor suppressor lncRNA in several types of malignancies. The present study reports the involvement of this lncRNA in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC). A 8-year-follow-up study on 312 diabetic patients without exhibiting obvious complications demonstrated that plasma lncRNA NKILA levels were upregulated specifically in diabetic patients who developed DC but not in patients with other complications. Plasma levels of lncRNA NKILA at 6 months prior to diagnosis is sufficient to distinguish patients with DC from other diabetic patients without significant complications. Although in vitro experiments demonstrated that lncRNA NKILA expression in cardiomyocyte cells was not affected by high-glucose treatment, ectopic lncRNA NKILA expression and lncRNA NKILA knockdown potentiated, and inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis, respectively. Therefore, the data from the present study suggests that overexpression of lncRNA NKILA is involved in DC, and overexpression of lncRNA NKILA may serve as a therapeutic target for treating DC.

Objectives. This study analyzed a large sample to explain the association of baseline smoking state with long-term prognosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background. Data is limited up to now regarding whether smoker’s paradox exists in Chinese population. Methods. A total of 10724 consecutive cases were enrolled from January to December 2013. 2-year clinical outcomes were evaluated among current smokers and nonsmokers. Major adverse coronary event (MACCE) included all-cause death, revascularization, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke. Results. Current smokers and nonsmokers accounted for 57.1% and 42.9%, respectively. Current smokers were presented with predominant male sex, lower age, and less comorbidities. The rates of 2-year all-cause death were not significantly different among two groups. But the rate of stroke and bleeding was significantly higher in nonsmokers than in current smokers (1.6% and 1.1%, P=0.031; 7.2% and 6.1%, P=0.019). The rate of revascularization was significantly higher in current smokers than in nonsmokers (9.1% and 8.0%, P=0.037). Multivariable Cox regression indicated that, compared with nonsmokers, current smokers were not independently associated with all endpoints (all P>0.05). Conclusions. 2-year all-cause death, MACCE, MI, revascularization, stroke, ST, and bleeding risk were similar between current smokers and nonsmokers in CAD patients undergoing PCI.

Objective To explore the relationship between inhospital outcomes and different estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) and determine an optimal eGFR cutoff value for predicting risk in patients with renal insufficiency (RI). Background RI is a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the cutoff value of the eGFR is questionable. Methods We included 10,240 patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary PCI from January 2013 to January 2016 who participated in the China Acute Myocardial Infarction registry. RI was defined as eGFR 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 . Results Overall, 1,112 (10.9%) patients had eGFR 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 . Occurrence trend test analysis revealed that the incidence of inhospital all-cause death and MACCEs increased as the eGFR decreased. In logistic multivariate-adjusted analysis, eGFR 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 . Conclusions RI is common among patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. A low eGFR is an indicator of worse inhospital prognosis. We suggest an eGFR cutoff value of 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 to predict inhospital deaths and MACCEs.

Objective: To test the optimal strategy of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after implantation of drug-eluting stents (DESs) according to specific DAPT time and subsequent monotherapy. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase, and Web of Science to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Six DAPT strategies were compared: 1-month DAPT followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy, 3-month DAPT followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy, 3-month DAPT followed by aspirin monotherapy, 6-month DAPT followed by aspirin monotherapy, 12-month DAPT, and >12-month DAPT. Pooled odd ratios (ORs) with 95% credible intervals (CrIs) were calculated to summarize the effect of each strategy tested. Results: We identified 24 RCTs containing 81,405 patients. In comparison with 12-month DAPT, 3-month DAPT followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy reduced net clinical events (OR: 0.72; CrI: 0.55–0.94). Major bleeding (OR: 0.57; CrI: 0.34–1.00) was marginally decreased without impact on ischemic events (OR: 0.93; CrI: 0.68–1.29). Moreover, the benefits of 3-month DAPT (P2Y12 inhibitor) were consistent for male patients with acute coronary disease, young age, complex lesion, single-vessel disease, low body mass index, and without diabetes. Although >12-month DAPT was associated with a lower risk of myocardial infarction (OR: 0.67; CrI: 0.51–0.93), the risk of major bleeding (OR: 1.70; CrI: 1.10–2.70) was increased. Conclusion: Among patients treated with DESs, 3-month DAPT followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy may be the optimal antiplatelet strategy, while DAPT beyond 1 year reduces myocardial infarction at the expense of increased major bleeding.

Revascularization therapies for culprit arteries, regardless of percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting, are considered the best strategy for improving the clinical prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Nonetheless, myocardial reperfusion following effective revascularization can trigger significant cardiomyocyte death and coronary endothelial collapse, known as myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI). Usually, endothelial cells and their intercellular tight junctions cooperatively maintain the microvascular endothelial barrier and its relatively low permeability but fail in reperfusion areas. Microvascular endothelial hyperpermeability induced by ischemia/reperfusion (IR) contributes to myocardial edema, increased infiltration of pro-inflammatory cells, and aggravated intramyocardial hemorrhage, which may worsen the prognosis of ACS. The tracer used in this study-70,000 Da FITC-dextran, a branched glucose molecule labeled by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-appears too large to infiltrate the cardiac microvascular endothelium in normal conditions. However, it is capable of infiltrating a broken barrier after MIRI. Thus, the higher the endothelial permeability is, the more FITC-dextran accumulates in the extravascular intercellular space. Thus, the intensity of fluorescence from FITC can indicate the permeability of the microvascular endothelial barrier. This protocol takes advantage of FITC-dextran to evaluate the cardiac microvascular endothelial barrier functionally, which is detected by an automated quantitative pathology imaging system.

Background: Fibrinogen (FIB) is an independent risk factor for mortality and cardiovascular events in the general population. However, the relationship between FIB and long-term mortality among CAD patients undergoing PCI remains unclear, especially in individuals complicated with diabetes mellitus (DM) or prediabetes (Pre-DM). Methods: 6,140 patients with CAD undergoing PCI were included in the study and subsequently divided into three groups according to FIB levels (FIB-L, FIB-M, FIB-H). These patients were further grouped by glycemic status [normoglycemia (NG), Pre-DM, DM]. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoint was cardiac mortality. Results: FIB was positively associated with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) in CAD patients with and without DM (P Conclusions: FIB was strongly associated with long-term all-cause and cardiac mortality among CAD patients undergoing PCI, especially in those with DM and Pre-DM. FIB test may help to identify high-risk individuals in this specific population.

Background Oral antiplatelet therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for acute myocardial infaction (AMI). However, detailed usage data on oral antiplatelet therapy are lacking. Methods Using data from a nationally representative sample of patients with AMI, the detailed usage of oral antiplatelet therapy was analyzed in 40,202 consecutive eligible patients. Results The proportions of patients with AMI taking loading doses of aspirin and P2Y12 inhibitors were relatively low (62.2% and 63.6%, respectively), whereas approximately 90% of patients received maintenance doses of aspirin, P2Y12 inhibitors, and dual antiplatelet therapy. The proportions of patients taking loading doses of aspirin and P2Y12 inhibitors gradually decreased with age. Male sex, an educational level of at least college, an interval from onset to treatment of P P Conclusions The proportion of patients with AMI receiving loading doses of aspirin and P2Y12 inhibitors during hospitalization was relatively low, and this rate was affected by many factors, such as age, sex, educational level, region of residence, and the interval from onset to treatment. The underutilization of guideline-based P2Y12 inhibitors was also problematic. Hence, quality improvement initiatives are needed to enhance adherence to guidelines to improve consistent use of oral antiplatelet therapy. Trial registration The Chinese Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry; Trial registration number: ChiCTR-ONC-12002636; Registered 31 October 2012; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=6916

Background: Despite substantial improvement in chronic total occlusions (CTO) revascularization technique, the long-term clinical outcomes in diabetic patients with revascularized CTO remain controversial. Our study aimed to investigate the five-year cardiovascular survival for patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for CTO. Methods: Data of the current analysis derived from a large single-center, prospective and observational cohort study, including 10,724 patients who underwent PCI in 2013 at Fuwai Hospital. Baseline, angiographic and follow-up data were collected. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), which consisted of death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and target vessel revascularization (TVR). The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Cox regression analysis and propensity-score matching was performed to balance the baseline confounders. Results: A total of 719 consecutive patients with ≥ 1 successful CTO-PCI were stratified into diabetic (n=316, 43.9%) and non-diabetic (n=403, 56.1%) group. During a median follow-up of 5 years, the risk of MACCE (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-2.00, P = 0.013) was significantly higher in the diabetic group than in the non-diabetic group, whereas the adjusted risk of all-cause mortality (HR 2.37, 95% CI 0.94-5.98, P = 0.068) was similar. In the propensity score matched population, there were no significant differences in the risk of MACCE (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.92-1.75, P = 0.155) and all-cause mortality (HR 2.56, 95% CI 0.91-7.24, P = 0.076) between groups. Subgroup analysis revealed a consistent effect on five-year MACCE across various subgroups.Conclusions: In patients who received successful CTO-PCI, non-diabetic patients were related to better long-term survival benefit in terms of MACCE. Further randomized studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Background. The prognostic significance of CTO in the non-IRA in patients with AMI has been under dispute. Relevant long-term follow-up studies are lacking. Hypothesis. CTO in the non-IRA is an independent predictor of poor long-term prognosis in patients with AMI. Methods. We prospectively enrolled 2336 patients with AMI who received emergent percutaneous coronary intervention successfully from January 2006 to May 2011. Our primary endpoints included death from cardiovascular causes, recurrent myocardial infarction, stroke, and target-vessel revascularization. We adopted Cox regression analysis adjusted for confounders to analyze the impact of CTO in the non-IRA on long-term mortalities. Results. We identified 628 (27.6%) subjects with CTO in the non-IRA among 2282 AMI patients. After a mean follow-up duration of 134.3 months, we found the CTO group had significantly higher MACCE rate than the group without CTO (30.4% versus 24.3%, P = 0.004 ). CTO in the non-IRA independently predicted 11-year MACCE in the male AMI subgroup (hazard ratio 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 1.54, P = 0.01 ) and in the male NSTEMI subgroup (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.09 to 2.15, P = 0.02 ). In the CTO group, three-vessel disease independently predicted 11 year MACCE (hazard ratio 2.05, 95% confidence interval 1.29 to 3.28, P = 0.002 ). Conclusions. Our long-term observational study supported the association between CTO in the non-IRA and poorer prognosis in AMI patients undergoing primary PCI. We identified the group with the three-vessel disease as a high-risk subgroup in patients with CTO in the non-IRA.

Objective The present study compared 10-year clinical outcomes between transradial access (TRA) and transfemoral access (TFA) for left main (LM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background There are limited data regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of TRA for LM PCI. Methods This retrospective study evaluated consecutive patients who underwent unprotected LM PCI between January 2004 and December 2008 at Fu Wai Hospital. The exclusion criteria were age of less than 18 years and presentation with acute myocardial infarction. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE), which was defined as a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and any revascularization at the 10-year follow-up. Results Among 913 eligible patients, TRA was used for 417 patients (45.7%) and TFA was used for 496 patients (54.3%). The 30-day clinical outcomes were similar between the two groups. Results from the 10-year follow-up revealed that MACCE occurred in 180 patients (46.7%) from the TRA group and in 239 patients (51.2%) from the TFA group (log-rank p = .3). The TRA and TFA groups also had low and comparable cumulative rates of all-cause death (14.6% vs. 17.3%, log-rank p = .56) and cardiac death (7.9% vs. 9.1%, log-rank p = .7). Conclusion The present study revealed no significant differences in long-term clinical outcomes when TRA or TFA were used for LM PCI.

AIMS We aimed to update the logistic clinical SYNTAX score to predict 2��year all-cause mortality after contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed 15,883 patients in the GLOBAL LEADERS study who underwent PCI. The logistic clinical SYNTAX model was updated after imputing missing values by refitting the original model (refitted original model) and fitting an extended new model (new model, with, selection based on the Akaike Information Criterion). External validation was performed in 10,100 patients having PCI at Fu Wai hospital. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, prior stroke, current smoker, hemoglobin level, and white blood cell count were identified as additional independent predictors of 2��year all-cause mortality and included into the new model. The c-indexes of the original, refitted original and the new model in the derivation cohort were 0.74 (95% CI 0.72-0.76), 0.75 (95% CI 0.73-0.77), and 0.78 (95% CI 0.76-0.80), respectively. The c-index of the new model was lower in the validation cohort than in the derivation cohort, but still showed improved discriminative ability of the newly developed model (0.72; 95% CI 0.67-0.77) compared to the refitted original model (0.69; 95% CI 0.64-0.74). The models overestimated the observed 2��year all-cause mortality of 1.11% in the Chinese external validation cohort by 0.54 percentage points, indicating the need for calibration of the model to the Chinese patient population. CONCLUSIONS The new model of the logistic clinical SYNTAX score better predicts 2��year all-cause mortality after PCI than the original model. The new model could guide clinical decision making by risk stratifying patients undergoing PCI.

BACKGROUND: We aim to investigate effects of metabolic syndrome on onset age and long-term outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: Patients with ACS (n=6,431) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention from January to December 2013 were enrolled. After excluding patients with previous coronary artery disease, 1,558 patients were diagnosed with early-onset ACS (men aged ≤50 years; women aged ≤60 years) and 3,044 patients with late-onset ACS. Baseline characteristics and five-year clinical outcomes were measured. RESULTS: Body mass index, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and uric acid concentrations were significantly higher, while the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration was lower in the early-onset ACS group (P

Gene dysfunction and immune cell infiltration play an essential role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). We aimed to investigate the immune landscape and novel differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of IPAH. In addition, potential druggable molecular targets for IPAH were also explored. In this study, the GSE117261 dataset was reanalyzed to explore the immune landscape and hub DEGs of IPAH. Lasso Cox regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were performed to detect the predictive value of IPAH. Additionally, the underlying drug targets for IPAH treatment were determined by drug&ndash, gene analysis. IPAH was significantly associated with the transforming growth factor-&beta, (TGF-&beta, ) signaling pathway and Wnt signaling pathway as well as energetic metabolism dysfunction. We identified 31 upregulated and 39 downregulated DEGs in IPAH patients. Six hub genes, namely, SAA1, CCL5, CXCR1, CXCR2, CCR1, and ADORA3, were related to IPAH pathogenesis regardless of sex differences. Prediction model analysis showed that the area under the curve values of the hub DEGs except CXCR2 were all above 0.9 for distinguishing IPAH patients. In addition, the relative proportions of 5 subtypes of immune cells, namely, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ memory resting T cells, &gamma, delta T cells, M1 macrophages, and resting mast cells, were significantly upregulated in the IPAH samples, while 6 subtypes of immune cells, namely, CD4+ naive T cells, resting NK cells, monocytes, M0 macrophages, activated mast cells, and neutrophils, were downregulated. Additionally, a total of 17 intersecting drugs targeting 5 genes, CCL5, CXCR1, CXCR2, CCR1, and ADORA3, were generated as potential druggable molecular targets for IPAH. Our study revealed the underlying correlations between genes and immune cells in IPAH and demonstrated for the first time that SAA1, CCL5, CXCR1, CCR1, and ADORA3 may be novel genetic targets for IPAH.

BACKGROUND Data on the association of baseline thrombocytopenia (TP) with long-term outcomes of patients with acute ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) are still limited.Methods and Results:A total of 16,957 consecutive cases of patients with STEMI from multiple centers that participated in the China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry were included in this study. Two-year clinical outcomes were evaluated between patients with TP and those with a normal platelet count (PLT). Cases coexisting with baseline TP accounted for 2.1%. The rates of 2-year all-cause death (21.4% and 11.4%, P

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine the association of less-certain indication of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO-PCI) with subsequent clinical outcomes. BACKGROUND The impact of patient symptoms, myocardial viability, and clinical and anatomic risk on long-term outcomes is underdetermined. METHODS Consecutive patients undergoing CTO-PCI at a large-volume single center between 2010 and 2013 were included. Central adjudication was used to assess the appropriateness of three prespecified indications. The primary outcome was the 5-year composite endpoint of death or myocardial infarction (MI). RESULTS Of 2,659 patients with 2,735 CTO lesions, the 348 (13.1%) asymptomatic patients, 164 (6.2%) patients without viable myocardium in the CTO territory, and 306 (11.5%) patients in whom the Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery Score II favored coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) had higher 5-year death or MI compared with the rest patients in each category (12.0% vs. 8.6%, p = .04; 16.3% vs. 8.5%, p

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic influence of the presence of right ventricular myocardial infarction (RVMI) on patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction (MI) in the contemporary reperfusion era. Methods: A total of 9,308 patients with acute inferior MI were included from the prospective, nationwide, multicenter China Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry, including 1,745 (18.75%) patients with RVMI and 7,563 (81.25%) patients without RVMI. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. The secondary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) defined as a composite of all-cause mortality, recurrent MI, revascularization, stroke, and major bleeding. Results: There were no significant differences between acute inferior MI patients with or without RVMI in all-cause mortality and MACCE. Acute inferior MI patients with RVMI was associated with higher risks of in-hospital atrial-ventricular block (5.8% vs 3.1%; adjusted OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.84; P=0.0187) and two-year revascularization (10.3% vs 8.1%; adjusted HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.45; P=0.0418) relative to patients without RVMI. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and thrombolysis were all independent predictors to decrease both in-hospital and two-year all-cause mortality. For patients who received timely reperfusion, RVMI involvement did not increase all-cause mortality, whereas for those who did not undergo reperfusion treatment, RVMI involvement significantly increased all-cause mortality (20.3% vs 15.7%; HR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.63). Conclusion: RVMI involvement did not increase all-cause mortality for acute inferior MI patients in contemporary reperfusion era, whereas the risk of all-cause mortality was increased for patients with no reperfusion treatment.

Background: Eosinophils have been commonly recognized as one of the major participants in helminth infection and allergic diseases. Recent studies suggest that these innate immune cells mediate tissue repairs after muscle, hepatic, or endometrial injuries. Yet, the precise role of eosinophils in myocardial infarction (MI) remains unclear. Interleukin (IL)-5 is the most important cytokines that are responsible for the development, activation, and survival of eosinophils. Here, we report a role of IL-5 in infarcted heart. Methods and Results: MI was induced by permanent ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery in wild-type C57BL/6 mice. Western blot show that infarcted heart IL-5 expression is increased by 2.35-fold (PIn vitro co-culture experiments reveal that eosinophils shift bone marrow-derived macrophage polarization towards the M2 phenotypes. This effect is abolished by IL-4 neutralizing antibody, but not IL-10 or IL-13 neutralization. Western blot analyses show that eosinophils promote the macrophage downstream STAT6 phosphorylation. Conclusions: We demonstrate here that IL-5 facilitates the recovery of post-MI cardiac function by promoting eosinophils accumulation and subsequent polarization of M2 macrophages via the IL-4/STAT6 axis.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the leading causes of mortality around the world, and the inflammatory response plays a pivotal role in the progress of myocardial necrosis and ventricular remodeling, dysfunction and heart failure after AMI. Therapies aimed at modulating immune response after AMI on a molecular and cellular basis are urgently needed. Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicles which contain a large amount of biologically active substances, like lipids, nucleic acids, proteins and so on. Emerging evidence suggests key roles of exosomes in immune regulation post AMI. A variety of immune cells participate in the immunomodulation after AMI, working together to clean up necrotic tissue and repair damaged myocardium. Stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction has long been a research hotspot during the last two decades and exosomes secreted by stem cells are important active substances and have similar therapeutic effects of immunomodulation, anti-apoptosis, anti-fibrotic and angiogenesis to those of stem cells themselves. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the characteristics and roles of exosomes produced by both of endogenous immune cells and exogenous stem cells in myocardial repair through immunomodulation after AMI.

The efficacy and safety of prolonged (>1-year) dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) duration in high-risk patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remain unknown. All patients undergoing PCI at Fuwai hospital between January 2013 and December 2013 were prospectively enrolled into the Fuwai PCI registry. A total of 3,696 high-risk diabetics patients with at least one additional atherothrombotic risk factor were screened for inclusion. The primary efficacy outcome was the composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The median follow-up duration was 887 days. 69.8% of DM patients were on DAPT at 1 year without discontinuation. Based on multivariate Cox regression model and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis, long-term (>1-year) DAPT reduced the risk of primary efficacy outcome (1.7% vs 4.1%; adjusted hazard ratio [adjHR]: 0.382, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.252 to 0.577; IPTW-HR: 0.362 [0.241 to 0.542]), as well as cardiovascular death and definite/probable stent thrombosis, compared with short-course (≤1-year) DAPT. Risk of the safety end point of clinically relevant bleeding (adjHR: 0.920 [0.467 to 1.816]; IPTW-HR: 0.969 [0.486 to 1.932]) was comparable between longer DAPT and shorter DAPT. A lower number of net clinical benefit adverse outcomes was observed with >1-year DAPT versus ≤1-year DAPT (adjHR: 0.471 [0.331 to 0.671]; IPTW-HR: 0.462 [0.327 to 0.652]), which appeared increasingly favorable in those with multiple atherothrombotic risk characteristics. In high-risk patients with DM receiving PCI who were event free at 1 year, DAPT prolongation resulted in significant reduction in the risk of ischemic events not offset by increase of clinically meaningful bleeding events, thereby achieving a net clinical benefit. Extending DAPT beyond the period mandated by guidelines seems reasonable in high-risk DM patients not deemed at high bleeding risk.

This study aimed to evaluate the association of lipoprotein(a) levels with platelet aggregation and thrombogenicity in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and to investigate the ischemic outcome on this population. Lipoprotein(a) and modified thrombelastography were measured in 6601 consecutive patients underwent PCI on dual antiplatelet therapy. Cox proportional regression analysis was applied to illustrate the ischemic events in a 2-year follow up. The mean levels of lipoprotein(a) were 29.0 mg/dl. Patients with higher lipoprotein(a) levels had significantly accelerated fibrin generation (lower K time and bigger α angle) and greater clot strength (higher maximum amplitude (MA)) than patients with lower lipoprotein(a) levels (

Background The impact of fibrinolysis-first strategy on outcomes of patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during the COVID-19 pandemic was unknown. Methods Data from STEMI patients presenting to Fuwai Hospital from January 23 to April 30, 2020 were compared with those during the equivalent period in 2019. The primary end-point was net adverse clinical events (NACE; a composite of death, non-fatal myocardial reinfarction, stroke, emergency revascularization, and bleeding over BARC type 3). The secondary outcome was a composite of recurrent ischaemia, cardiogenic shock, and exacerbated heart failure. Results The final analysis included 164 acute STEMI patients from 2020 and 240 from 2019. Eighteen patients (20.2% of those with indications) received fibrinolysis therapy in 2020 with a median door-to-needle time of 60.0 (43.5, 92.0) minutes. Patients in 2020 underwent primary PCI less frequently than their counterparts (14 [14.2%] vs. 144 [86.8%] in 2019, P, Highlights • Fibrinolysis-first strategy for STEMI was used in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Delayed primary PCI and the index elective PCI are integral parts of the strategy. • This strategy decreased the rate of timely coronary reperfusion. • Rates of recurrent ischaemia, cardiogenic shock, and heart failure increased overall. • The strategy didn't increase the rate of in-hospital net adverse clinical events.

Despite the enormous progress achieved in diagnosis and medical therapy of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the last decades, CAD continues to represent the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, leading to a massive health-care cost and social burden. Due to the dynamic and complex nature of CAD, the mechanisms underlying the progression of atherosclerotic plaque were largely unknown. With the development of metagenomics and bioinformatics, humans are gradually understanding the important role of the gut microbiome on their hosts. Trillions of microbes colonize in the human gut, they digest and absorb nutrients, as well as participate in a series of human functions and regulate the pathogenesis of diseases, including the cardiovascular disease (CVD) that has received much attention. Meanwhile, metabolomics studies have revealed associations between gut microbiota-derived metabolic bioactive signaling modules, including trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and bile acids (BAs), with the progression of CAD. Disturbance of the gut microbiome and microbial metabolites are important factors leading to CAD, which has become a novel target for CAD prevention and treatment. This review provides a brief overview of gut microbiome composition in CAD patients according to the recently reported studies, summarizes the underlying mechanisms, and highlights the prognostic value of the gut microbiome in CAD.

Background Whether the underlying risk of high bleeding risk (HBR) influences the relationship of high thrombotic risk (HTR) features with adverse events after drug-eluting stent implantation remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate (1) the prognostic effect of ESC guideline-endorsed HTR features on long-term clinical outcomes and (2) whether the outcomes of HTR versus non-HTR features vary by HBR status. Methods Ten thousand one hundred sixty-seven consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention between January 2013 and December 2013 were prospectively enrolled in Fuwai PCI Registry. Patients who are at HTR were defined as: diffuse multivessel disease in diabetic patients, chronic kidney disease, at least three stents implanted, at least three stents lesions treated, bifurcation with two stents implanted, total stent length > 60 mm, or treatment of chronic total occlusion. The definition of HBR was based on the Academic Research Consortium for HBR criteria. The primary ischemic outcome was major adverse cardiac event (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization and stent thrombosis. The primary bleeding outcome was clinically relevant bleeding, defined according to Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2, 3 or 5 bleeding. Results With a 2.4-year median follow-up, 4430 patients (43.6%) having HTR experienced a significantly higher risk of MACE (hazard ratio [HR] adjust: 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34–1.82; P adjust: 1.52 [1.27–1.83]; P adjust: 0.85 [0.66–1.08]; P = 0.174). Associations between HTR and adverse events were similar in HBR and non-HBR groups, without evidence of interaction (all Pinteraction > 0.05); however, adverse event rates were highest among subjects with both HTR and HBR. Conclusions ESC guideline-endorsed HTR was associated with significantly increased risk of MACE without any significant differences in clinically relevant bleeding. The presence of HBR does not emerge as a modifier of cardiovascular risk for patients at HTR, suggesting more potent and longer antiplatelet therapy may be beneficial for this patient population.

ObjectiveTo test whether intensive atorvastatin (ATV) increases the efficacy of transplantation with autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNCs) in patients suffering from anterior ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI).MethodsThis clinical trial was under a 2×2 factorial design, enrolling 100 STEMI patients, randomly into four groups of regular (RA) or intensive ATV (IA) with MNCs or placebo. The primary endpoint was the change of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 1-year follow-up from baseline, primarily assessed by MRI. The secondary endpoints included other parameters of cardiac function, remodelling and regeneration determined by MRI, echocardiography, positron emission tomography (PET) and biomarkers.ResultsAll the STEMI patients with transplantation of MNCs showed significantly increased LVEF change values than those with placebo (p=0.01) with only in the IA+MNCs patients group demonstrating significantly elevation of LVEF than in the IA+placebo group (+12.6% (95%CI 10.4 to 19.3) vs +5.0% (95%CI 4.0 to 10.0), p=0.001), pointing to a better synergy between ATV and MNCs (p=0.019). PET analysis revealed significantly increased viable areas of myocardium (p=0.015), while the scar sizes (p=0.026) and blood aminoterminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (pConclusionsIntensive ATV treatment augments the therapeutic efficacy of MNCs in patients with anterior STEMI at the convalescent stage. The treatment with the protocol of intensive ATV and MNC combination offers a clinically essential approach for myocardial infarction.Trial registration numberNCT00979758.

Background The current status of gastrointestinal prophylaxis (GIP) usage and its effects on hospitalized acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients is not clear. We investigate the appropriateness of GIP usage and its relationship with clinical events in China. Hypothesis Appropriate use of GIP is not associated with increased adverse outcomes. Methods From January 2013 to September 2014, a total of 24 001 consecutive patients from 108 hospitals with AMI in China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry were analyzed. The appropriateness of GIP was evaluated using the current American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association (ACCF/AHA) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. The primary endpoint was in-hospital gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), while the secondary endpoints were in-hospital and 2-year follow-up net adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (NACCE). Multivariate logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the effect of appropriate GIP. Results There were 16 413 (68.38%) AMI patients co-medicated with GIP. Among 108 involved hospitals, only 35 (32.4%) hospitals prescribed more than 50% appropriate GIP. Totally, 59.7% (14 340) AMI patients received inappropriate GIP. Inappropriate GIP use was independently associated with use of GPIIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Moreover, appropriate GIP use was associated with decreased GIB risk (OR: 0.692, 95% CI: 0.507-0.944, P = .0202) during hospitalization, while not with increased in-hospital and 2-year follow-up NACCE. Conclusion The use of GIP is prevalent in patients with AMI in China but only 40% of hospitalized patients received appropriate GIP. Appropriate prophylactic therapy was associated with decreased GIB risk during hospitalization.

BACKGROUND Dyslipidemia plays a crucial role in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Paucity of data is available concerning the effect of apolipoprotein (apo) B/A-I ratio on the severity and outcomes in diabetic patients with ACS. This study investigated these associations in a Chinese cohort undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.Methods and Results:In 2013, a total of 2,563 diabetic patients concomitant with ACS were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the apoB/apoA-I ratio on admission

The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic starting in Wuhan in December, 2019 has spread rapidly throughout the nation. The control measures to contain the epidemic also produced influences on the transport and treatment process of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and adjustments in the management of the patients need to be made at this particular time. AMI is characterized by an acute onset with potentially fatal consequence, a short optimal treatment window, and frequent complications including respiratory infections and respiratory and circulatory failure, for which active on-site treatment is essential. To standardize the management and facilitate the diagnosis and treatment, we formulated the guidelines for the procedures and strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of AMI, which highlight 5 Key Principles, namely Nearby treatment, Safety protection, Priority of thrombolysis, Transport to designated hospitals, and Remote consultation. For AMI patients, different treatment strategies are selected based on the screening results of SARS-CoV-2, the time window of STEMI onset, and the vital signs of the patients. During this special period, the cardiologists, including the interventional physicians, should be fully aware of the indications and contraindications of thrombolysis. In the transport and treatment of AMI patients, the physicians should strictly observe the indications for patient transport with appropriate protective measurements of the medical staff.

Background: The prevalence of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in the patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in China is unclear. Materials and Methods: In China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) Registry, 13,002 patients with age 18–80 were consecutively enrolled with first-onset AMI who were naïve to statin before admission from January 1st, 2013 to October 31st, 2014. According to Dutch Lipid Clinical Network Criteria (DLCNC), the patients were divided to heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) (definite/probable HeFH, possible HeFH) or non-HeFH group. Results: The number of the patients in the three groups was as following, 62 in definite/probable HeFH group, 484 in possible HeFH group, 12,456 in non-HeFH group. The prevalence of HeFH is 4.2% (including 0.47% of definite/probable HeFH, 3.73% of possible FH). The average age of onset of first-time AMI was 54 ± 12, 56 ± 12, 63 ± 12 years old (p < 0.0001) in definite/probable HeFH group, possible HeFH group and non-HeFH group, respectively. The percentage of Killip III or above (8.1 vs. 4.3 vs. 6.3%, p = 0.1629), cardiac arrest (1.6 vs. 0.6 vs. 0.9%, p = 0.6990), and TIMI 0–2 grade after primary percutaneous cardiac intervention (PCI) (0 vs. 6.8 vs. 4.3%, p = 0.5866) was not significantly different in definite/probable HeFH group, possible HeFH group and non-HeFH group, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of HeFH in Chinese patients with AMI is 4.2%. The patients were significantly younger in HeFH group, when compared with those with non-HeFH. However, no significant differences were found in the severity of clinical manifestations in both HeFH and non-HeFH group.

BACKGROUND It is ill-defined which factors affect the prognosis of patients with recanalized chronic total occlusion (CTO). This study sought to investigate predictors for adverse outcome in such a cohort with long-time follow-up. METHODS From 2010 to 2013, patients with successfully recanalized CTO were included. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction or target vessel revascularization (TVR). The secondary endpoints were TVR and target lesion revascularization (TLR). RESULTS A total of 1987 patients were enrolled and 1806 (90.6%) subjects completed 5-year follow-up. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that age ≥ 75 years (HR,1.70; 95% CI, 1.09-2.64; P = .02), left ventricular ejection fraction

Aim. Based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), we aimed to determine the diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and interventions of braid-like coronary arteries, which are rare and tend to be diagnosed as a woven coronary artery (WCA) anomaly. Methods and Results. We identified braid-like lesions on coronary angiography (CAG) in 7 patients (6 men; median age 47 years; age range 26 to 57 years). All patients were heavy smokers. Four patients were diagnosed with an old myocardial infarction and the other 3 with unstable angina. The braid-like lesions were located in the left anterior descending arteries in 2 patients and in the right coronary arteries in the other 5. TIMI grade 2 flow was observed in all involved vessels. OCT findings of all lesions were consistent with recanalization of organized thrombi, which consisted of septa that divided the lumen into multiple small cavities communicating with each other. No separate three-layered structure could be defined. Based on the significance of the stenosis and its related symptoms, drug-eluting stents were implanted in all of the lesions. All patients experienced symptomatic improvement after the intervention and were followed up event-free for 12 months. Conclusions. Braid-like coronary arteries are likely to undergo recanalization of organized thrombi rather than WCA according to our OCT findings. The majority of cases affect men who smoke heavily. Percutaneous stent implantation may be beneficial in selected patients when feasible.

In response to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, the Chinese Society of Cardiology (CSC) issued this consensus statement after consulting with 125 medical experts in the fields of cardiovascular disease and infectious disease. The over-arching principles laid out here are the following: 1) Consider the prevention and control of COVID-19 transmission as the highest priority, including self-protection of medical staff; 2) Patient risk assessment of both infection and cardiovascular issues. Where appropriate, preferential use of conservative medical therapeutic approaches to minimize disease spread; 3) At all times, medical practices and interventional procedures should be conducted in accordance with the directives of the infection control department of local hospitals and local health commissions.

Background: D-dimer has predictive value for mortality in some diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between D-dimer and mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: We examined 10,724 consecutive patients who underwent PCI between January 2013 and December 2013. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was cardiac mortality. Patients were divided according to the median D-dimer level of 0.28 μg/ml. Multivariable model were including age, sex, and risk factors after stepwise selection. Results: After a 2-year follow up, 8565 patients with D-dimer data were analyzed. There were 116 (1.35%) all-cause deaths and 64 (0.75%) cardiac deaths. D-dimer levels were significantly higher in the all-cause mortality group [0.42 (0.29, 0.68) μg/ml] and cardiac mortality group [0.48 (0.30, 0.81) μg/ml] than in the survival group [0.28 (0.20, 0.41) μg/ml] (both p Conclusions: D-dimer levels are independently associated with 2-year all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality in patients undergoing PCI.

There are controversies on optimal stenting strategy regarding true left main (LM) bifurcation lesions. The present study compared 1- and 2-stenting strategy for patients with true LM bifurcation lesions as differentiated by DEFINITION criteria. 928 patients with true LM bifurcation lesions (Medina 1,1,1 or 0,1,1) treated with DES were enrolled consecutively. 297 (32.0%) patients were identified as complex LM bifurcation, and 631 (68.0%) patients into simple LM bifurcation group according to DEFINTION criteria. Patients in complex vs. simple LM bifurcation group had significantly higher major adverse cardiac event (MACE, including cardiac death, myocardial infarction [MI] and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization) rate at 30 days (7.8% vs. 4.0%, p = 0.01), 1 year (10.3% vs. 6.4%, p = 0.04), and numerically at 3 years (14.2% vs. 10.1%, p = 0.07), which was mainly driven by increased MI. Moreover, patients in the 2-stent strategy group had strong trend towards lower incidence of cardiac death in both complex LM bifurcation group (2.0% vs. 5.9%, p = 0.08) and simple LM bifurcation group (1.9% vs. 4.5%, p = 0.07). In conclusion, the complex bifurcation lesion criteria established in DEFINITION study was able to risk-stratify LM bifurcation patients. Two-stent technique yielded numerically lower 3-year cardiac mortality regardless of LM bifurcation complexity.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-2-vas-10.1177_1708538120922700 for Potential genes and pathways along with immune cells infiltration in the progression of atherosclerosis identified via microarray gene expression dataset re-analysis by Jing Xu and Yuejin Yang in Vascular

Objective. We aim to evaluate the long-term prognosis of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) patients with high-risk coronary anatomy (HRCA). Background. Coronary disease severity is important for therapeutic decision-making and prognostication among patients presenting with NSTE-ACS. However, long-term outcome in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with HRCA is still unknown. Method. NSTE-ACS patients undergoing PCI in Fuwai Hospital in 2013 were prospectively enrolled and subsequently divided into HRCA and low-risk coronary anatomy (LRCA) groups according to whether angiography complies with the HRCA definition. HRCA was defined as left main disease >50%, proximal LAD lesion >70%, or 2- to 3- vessel disease involving the LAD. Prognosis impact on 2-year and 5-year major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) is analyzed. Results. Out of 4,984 enrolled patients with NSTE-ACS, 3,752 patients belonged to the HRCA group, while 1,232 patients belonged to the LRCA group. Compared with the LRCA group, patients in the HRCA group had worse baseline characteristics including higher age, more comorbidities, and worse angiographic findings. Patients in the HRCA group had higher incidence of unplanned revascularization (2 years: 9.7% vs. 5.1%, p<0.001; 5 years: 15.4% vs. 10.3%, p<0.001), 2-year MACCE (13.1% vs. 8.8%, p<0.001), and 5-year death/MI/revascularization/stroke (23.0% vs. 18.4%, p=0.001). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed similar results. After adjusting for confounding factors, HRCA is independently associated with higher risk of revascularization (2 years: HR = 1.636, 95% CI: 1.225–2.186; 5 years: HR = 1.460, 95% CI: 1.186–1.798), 2-year MACCE (HR = 1.275, 95% CI = 1.019–1.596) and 5-year death/MI/revascularization/stroke (HR = 1.183, 95% CI: 1.010–1.385). Conclusion. In our large cohort of Chinese patients, HRCA is an independent risk factor for long-term unplanned revascularization and MACCE.

Neurological manifestations are frequently reported in the COVID-19 patients. Neuromechanism of SARS-CoV-2 remains to be elucidated. In this study, we explored the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 neurotropism via our established non-human primate model of COVID-19. In rhesus monkey, SARS-CoV-2 invades the CNS primarily via the olfactory bulb. Thereafter, viruses rapidly spread to functional areas of the central nervous system such as hippocampus, thalamus and medulla oblongata. The infection of SARS-CoV-2 induces the inflammation possibly by targeting neurons, microglia and astrocytes in the CNS. Consistently, SARS-CoV-2 infects neuro-derived SK-N-SH, glial-derived U251 and brain microvascular endothelial cells in vitro. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental evidence of SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasion in the NHP model, which provides important insights into the CNS-related pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2. Funding Statement: This study was supported by the National Research and Development Project of 5 China (2020YFC0841100, 2020YFC0846400, 2020YFA0707600), CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2016-I2M-2-006, 2020-I2M-CoV19-012) and Major special Projects in Yunnan Province (Establishment of animal model of novel coronavirus infection and development of emergency vaccine). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests. Ethics Approval Statement: All animal procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science (ethics number: DWSP202002001).

Aim. To evaluate the clinical impact of β-blocker in patients with adequate left ventricular ejection function (LVEF) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods. A total of 10,724 consecutive patients who underwent PCI throughout 2013 were prospectively enrolled in the study. Among these, we analyzed 5,631 ACS patients who were discharged with LVEF≥40%. Patients were then compared according to the β-blocker prescription at discharge. Results. During a 2-year follow-up, no significant association was observed of β-blocker use with all-cause mortality (with β-blockers 47/5,043 (0.9%) vs. without β-blocker use 8/588 (1.4%); hazard ratio (HR) 0.762, 95% confidence interval 0.36 to 1.64; P=0.485), cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), or major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the β-blocker use at discharge reduced the 2-year mortality in patients with unstable angina (UA) (HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.94, P=0.034). Landmark analysis at 1 year showed that patients with UA who were discharged with β-blockers had lower mortality (HR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04-0.65, P=0.010) and cardiac death (HR 0.12, 95% CI 0.01-0.99, P=0.049) than those discharged without β-blockers. However, the benefit was lost beyond 1 year. No differences in outcomes were recorded in the AMI or overall population. Conclusions. We present that β-blocker significantly lowers the rate of all-cause death up to 1 year, in UA patients who have undergone PCI and have adequate LVEF. Its role in patients with AMI also deserves further exploration.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-vas-10.1177_1708538120922700 for Potential genes and pathways along with immune cells infiltration in the progression of atherosclerosis identified via microarray gene expression dataset re-analysis by Jing Xu and Yuejin Yang in Vascular

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the safety and feasibility of simultaneous endovascular therapy for supra-arch multivessel stenosis. BACKGROUND Limited data are currently available on simultaneous intervention for supra-arch multivessel stenosis because of concerns regarding the high incidence of procedure-related complications. METHODS From January 2005 to December 2012, the clinical data of 256 consecutive inpatients who underwent simultaneous intervention for supra-arch multivessel stenosis were retrospectively analyzed. The primary end point was a composite of any type of stroke or neurological death within 30 days. RESULTS In total, 535 supra-arch vessels underwent endovascular therapy. In total, 234, 21, and 1 patient underwent simultaneous intervention of 2, 3, and 4 supra-arch vessels, respectively. The lesions involved only the anterior circulation in 40.2% (103/256), only the posterior circulation in 10.5% (27/256), and the combined circulations in 49.2% (126/256) patients. The overall procedural success rate was 99.6% (533/535). The incidence of the primary end point was 3.5%. According to the lesion location, the incidence of the primary end point was 3.9% (4/103), 0% (0/27), and 4.0% (5/126) in the patients who underwent endovascular treatment for the anterior circulation alone, posterior circulation alone, and combined circulations, respectively. According to the number of supra-arch lesions, the incidence of the primary end point was 3.4% (8/234), 4.8% (1/21), and 0% (0/1) in the patients who underwent simultaneous intervention of 2, 3, and 4 vessels, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The study showed that simultaneous intervention for supra-arch multivessel stenosis was safe and technically feasible.