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International audience; Background: A reduction of admission for MI has been reported in most countries affected by COVID-19. No clear explanation has been provided.Methods: To report the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) admission during COVID-19 pandemic and in particular during national lockdown in two unequally affected French provinces (10-million inhabitants) with a different media strategy, and to describe the magnitude of MI incidence changes relative to the incidence of COVID-19-related deaths. A longitudinal study to collect all MIs from January 1 until May 17, 2020 (study period) and from the identical time period in 2019 (control period) was conducted in all centers with PCI-facilities in northern "Hauts-de-France" province and western "Pays-de-la-Loire" Province. The incidence of COVID-19 fatalities was also collected.Findings: In "Hauts-de-France", during lockdown (March 18-May 10), 1500 COVID-19-related deaths were observed. A 23% decrease in MI-IR (IRR=0.77;95%CI:0.71-0.84, p

Systems of care have been challenged to control progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether this has been associated with delayed reperfusion and worse outcomes in French patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is unknown.Aim: To compare the rate of STEMI admissions, treatment delays, and outcomes between the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in France and the equivalent period in 2019.Methods: In this nationwide French survey, data from consecutive STEMI patients from 65 centres referred for urgent revascularization between 1 March and 31 May 2020, and between 1 March and 31 May 2019, were analysed. The primary outcome was a composite of in-hospital death or non-fatal mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction.Results: A total of 6306 patients were included. During the pandemic peak, a 13.9±6.6% (P=0.003) decrease in STEMI admissions per week was observed. Delays between symptom onset and percutaneous coronary intervention were longer in 2020 versus 2019 (270 [interquartile range 150-705] vs 245 [140-646]min; P=0.013), driven by the increase in time from symptom onset to first medical contact (121 [60-360] vs 150 [62-420]min; P=0.002). During 2020, a greater number of mechanical complications was observed (0.9% vs 1.7%; P=0.029) leading to a significant difference in the primary outcome (112 patients [5.6%] in 2019 vs 129 [7.6%] in 2020; P=0.018). No significant difference was observed in rates of orotracheal intubation, in-hospital cardiac arrest, ventricular arrhythmias and cardiogenic shock.Conclusions: During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in France, there was a decrease in STEMI admissions, associated with longer ischaemic time, exclusively driven by an increase in patient-related delays and an increase in mechanical complications. These findings suggest the need to encourage the population to seek medical help in case of symptoms., Contexte. Les systèmes de santé à travers le monde ont été fortement mis à l’épreuve afin de contrôler la progression de l’épidémie de la COVID-19. L’éventualité que la réorganisation des soins ait pu influencer les délais de reperfusion ou le devenir des patients présentant des syndromes coronaires aigus avec sus-décalage du segment ST (SCA ST +) n’a pas été explorée en France.Objectif. Comparer le taux d’admissions pour SCA ST+, les délais de traitement et enfin le devenir de ces patients entre la première vague épidémique de la COVID-19 et pendant la période similaire en 2019.Méthodes. Dans ce registre national multicentrique, les patients avec SCA ST+ provenant de 65 centres français admis en urgence pour revascularisation entre le 1e mars et le 31 mai 2020 et entre le 1e mars et le 31 mai 2019 ont été analysés. Le critère de jugement principal était un critère composite regroupant la mortalité intrahospitalière toute cause confondue et les complications mécaniques en lien avec l’infarctus.Résultats. Un total de 6 306 patients ont été inclus. Pendant le pic de la pandémie une réduction de 13,9 ± 6,6 % (P = 0,003) des admissions pour SCA ST+ a été observée par semaine. Les délais entre l’apparition des symptômes et l’angioplastie percutanée était significativement augmentés 270 (150−705) versus 245 (140−646) minutes (P = 0,013). Cette augmentation était exclusivement liée à une augmentation du temps entre l’apparition des symptômes et le premier contact médical 121 (60−360) en 2019 versus 150 (62−420) minutes en 2020 (P = 0,002). Durant cette période a été constaté un plus grand nombre de complications mécaniques (0,9 % vs 1,7 % (P = 0,029) conduisant à une augmentation significative de notre critère de jugement principal 112 patients (5,6) en 2019 vs 129 (7,6 %) en 2020 (P = 0,018).Conclusions. Pendant le premier pic de la pandémie il a été constaté : une diminution du taux de SCA ST + associé à un temps d’ischémie prolongé, poussé par l’augmentation du temps entre l’apparition des symptômes et le premier contact médical et enfin un plus grand nombre de complications mécaniques. Ces observations suggèrent la nécessité d’encourager la population à consulter au moindre symptôme inquiétant.

Background: \ud Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an increasingly recognized cause of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) afflicting predominantly younger to middle-aged women. Observational studies have reported a high prevalence of extracoronary vascular anomalies, especially fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) and a low prevalence of coincidental cases of atherosclerosis. PHACTR1/EDN1 is a genetic risk locus for several vascular diseases, including FMD and coronary artery disease, with the putative causal noncoding variant at the rs9349379 locus acting as a potential enhancer for the endothelin-1 (EDN1) gene.\ud \ud Objectives: \ud This study sought to test the association between the rs9349379 genotype and SCAD.\ud \ud Methods: \ud Results from case control studies from France, United Kingdom, United States, and Australia were analyzed to test the association with SCAD risk, including age at first event, pregnancy-associated SCAD (P-SCAD), and recurrent SCAD.\ud \ud Results: \ud The previously reported risk allele for FMD (rs9349379-A) was associated with a higher risk of SCAD in all studies. In a meta-analysis of 1,055 SCAD patients and 7,190 controls, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50 to 1.86) per copy of rs9349379-A. In a subset of 491 SCAD patients, the OR estimate was found to be higher for the association with SCAD in patients without FMD (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.53 to 2.33) than in SCAD cases with FMD (OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.28 to 1.99). There was no effect of genotype on age at first event, P-SCAD, or recurrence.\ud \ud Conclusions: \ud The first genetic risk factor for SCAD was identified in the largest study conducted to date for this condition. This genetic link may contribute to the clinical overlap between SCAD and FMD.

The axillary artery seems an interesting alternative in nonfemoral transaortic valve replacement (TAVR) patients. This study describes our experience with this technique and its short-term follow-up results. This is a retrospective single center study. All axillary TAVR performed in our department between 2015 and 2017 were included in the study. Mean follow-up was 13.2 ± 9.5 months. All reporting was done according to the VARC-2 criteria. During the period covered, 43 patients had an axillary TAVR. Most patients were men (62.7%), had a mean age of 83.9 ± 5.3 years and presented with EuroSCORE I, II, and STS score of 27.9 ± 13.5%, 5.6 ± 4.9%, and 7.7 ± 4.05%, respectively. Vascular access was successful in all patients with a higher frequency of left approach (69.7%, n = 30). Both Medtronic CoreValve 37.2% (n = 16) and Edwards Sapien3 62.8% (n = 27) valves were used. An apical Certitude delivery system was preferentially used (24/27) in the latter group. There were no reported instances of valve migration or need for a second valve implantation. A single case (2.3%) of arterial vascular complication was reported. Central neurologic morbidity was 2.3%. No patient experienced brachial plexus injury. A pacemaker was implanted in 18.6% of cases (n = 8), with no significant difference between the 2 valves patient groups (S3 14.8% vs CV 25%, P 0.67). The 30-day mortality was 6.9% (n = 3) and 1-year survival was 86% [95% CI 72.6, 93.4]. Axillary TAVR is associated with acceptable morbidity, mortality, and leads to satisfactory short-term clinical outcomes. It has the potential to become the main alternative access route in nonfemoral TAVR patients.

“There is to date sufficient data to show us that a 1-year DAPT is not necessarily the best regimen for all CAD patients and that a tailored approach might be warranted.”

Summary Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of systolic heart failure (HF). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is a non-invasive technique that detects a myocardial infarction scar as subendocardial or transmural late gadolinium enhancement (st-LGE). Aim We sought to evaluate whether a lack of st-LGE could rule out CAD in new-onset systolic HF of unknown aetiology. Methods We included 232 consecutive patients with new-onset HF and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35% who underwent both coronary angiography and CMR to assess HF aetiology. CAD was defined as the presence of coronary artery stenosis ≥ 50% on a coronary angiogram. We assessed sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios (PLR and NLR) of the presence of st-LGE to detect underlying CAD. A complementary meta-analysis of 11 studies (including ours) was also performed. Results In our study, 49 (21.1%) patients had CAD. The sensitivity and specificity of the presence of st-LGE to detect CAD were 69 and 92%, respectively. PLR and NLR were 8.47 and 0.33, respectively. In the meta-analysis, 1227 patients were included, and the prevalence of CAD ranged from 19.2 to 68.3%. Sensitivity, specificity, PLR and NLR were 87% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80–0.92), 93% (95% CI 0.89–0.96), 12.91 (95% CI 7.70–21.64) and 0.14 (95% CI 0.09–0.22), respectively. Altogether, 55 patients presented CAD with no st-LGE; inversely, 75 patients presented st-LGE with no CAD. Conclusion With a CMR specificity of 93%, the absence of st-LGE rules out significant underlying CAD in patients with systolic HF of unknown aetiology in most cases.

Postprocedural aortic regurgitation occurs in 10 to 20% of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) for aortic stenosis. We hypothesized that assessment of defects in high-molecular-weight (HMW) multimers of von Willebrand factor or point-of-care assessment of hemostasis could be used to monitor aortic regurgitation during TAVR.We enrolled 183 patients undergoing TAVR. Patients with aortic regurgitation after the initial implantation, as identified by means of transesophageal echocardiography, underwent additional balloon dilation to correct aortic regurgitation. HMW multimers and the closure time with adenosine diphosphate (CT-ADP), a point-of-care measure of hemostasis, were assessed at baseline and 5 minutes after each step of the procedure. Mortality was evaluated at 1 year. A second cohort (201 patients) was studied to validate the use of CT-ADP in order to identify patients with aortic regurgitation.After the initial implantation, HMW multimers normalized in patients without aortic regurgitation (137 patients). Among the 46 patients with aortic regurgitation, normalization occurred in 20 patients in whom additional balloon dilation was successful but did not occur in the 26 patients with persistent aortic regurgitation. A similar sequence of changes was observed with CT-ADP. A CT-ADP value of more than 180 seconds had sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of 92.3%, 92.4%, and 98.6%, respectively, for aortic regurgitation, with similar results in the validation cohort. Multivariable analyses showed that the values for HMW multimers and CT-ADP at the end of TAVR were each associated with mortality at 1 year.The presence of HMW-multimer defects and a high value for a point-of-care hemostatic test, the CT-ADP, were each predictive of the presence of aortic regurgitation after TAVR and were associated with higher mortality 1 year after the procedure. (Funded by Lille 2 University and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02628509.).

Summary Background The ideal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is under debate. Lesion length is a well-recognized predictor of PCI complexity and long-term outcome. Aim To evaluate the determinants and impact on outcome of long-term DAPT in a retrospective cohort of patients treated for a long coronary lesion. Methods Patients ( n = 460) who underwent PCI for a long lesion (> 30 mm) were divided into two groups according to antiplatelet regimen at 1 year: patients who stopped DAPT before 1 year (single antiplatelet therapy group; n = 168) and patients who continued DAPT for longer than 1 year ( n = 292). Results Mean lesion length was 35.7 ± 7.1 mm. The proportion of patients who continued DAPT after 1 year was 63.5%. The main determinants of long-term DAPT were initial presentation as myocardial infarction and implantation of a drug-eluting stent. Median follow-up was 37.4 (23–51) months after the 1-year period following the index PCI. Long-term DAPT was highly associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by multivariable analysis and after adjustment for other predictors: hazard ratios 0.11 (95% confidence interval 0.03–0.32) and 0.15 (95% confidence interval 0.04–0.62), respectively. No increase in major bleeding was noted. Conclusion In a contemporary practice, nearly two-thirds of patients who undergo PCI for a long lesion are treated with DAPT for several years. Our results suggest that long-term DAPT is beneficial in this subset of patients identified as being at high risk.