Real-world cost-effectiveness of drug-eluting stents vs. bare-metal stents for coronary heart disease—A five-year follow-up study

Objective

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using drugeluting stents (DES) compared to bare-metal stents (BMS) for coronary heart disease (CHD).

Coronary Artery Disease in Patients ≥80 Years of Age

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients ≥80 years of age. Nonetheless, older patients have typically been under-represented in cardiovascular clinical trials. Understanding the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and optimal means of diagnosis and treatment of CAD in older adults is crucial to improving outcomes in this high-risk population. A patient-centered approach, taking into account health status, functional ability and frailty, cognitive skills, and patient preferences is essential when caring for older adults with CAD. The present systematic review focuses on the current knowledge base, gaps in understanding, and directions for future investigation pertaining to CAD in patients ≥80 years of age.     

Advances in Percutaneous Coronary Interventions for Elderly Patients

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and the most common cause of death in older adults. Paradoxically, elderly patients tend to be systematically excluded from randomized-controlled cardiovascular trials, which complicates decision-making in this population. Management of CHD in the elderly is frequently more difficult in virtue of chronic comorbid conditions and aging-intrinsic dynamics. Despite these challenges, the number of elderly and very elderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is increasing. Elderly patients in many registries and large clinical series exhibit even a greater benefit from interventional procedures than younger patients, but they have a higher rate of overall complications. We present an overview of the current available evidence of PCI in older adults with stable and unstable CHD, including comparisons between drug-eluting and bare-metal stents, transfemoral and transradial access, and methods of revascularization. Adjuvant antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapies are also discussed.     

Effects of patient characteristics on the efficacy of complete revascularization for treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with multivessel disease: A meta-analysis

Background:Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have evaluated the efficacy of complete vs culprit-only revascularization for treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with multivessel disease. However, the efficacy of complete revascularization vs culprit-only revascularization in some STEMI patient subgroups remains unclear.Methods:We searched PubMed and Embase for related RCTs from the start date of databases to January 3, 2020. The endpoint assessed in this meta-analysis was major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted stratified by each of the 5 factors of interest (i.e., sex, age, history of diabetes, ECG infarct location, and the number of arteries with stenosis) to estimate pooled hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval. Random-effects meta-regression was conducted to assess subgroup differences. We examined publication bias by drawing funnel plots and performing Egger test. This meta-analysis is reported according to the PRISMA statement.Results:Six RCTs were included for pooled analysis. Compared with culprit-only revascularization, complete revascularization significantly reduced the risk of MACE (hazard ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.42–0.55; I² = 0%; P for relative effect < .001). This significant reduction in the risk of MACE exhibited by complete revascularization was observed in most of the subgroups of interest. All of the subgroup effects based on the 5 factors of interest were not statistically significant (P_subgroup ranged from 0.198 to 0.556). Publication bias was not suggested by funnel plots and Egger test.Conclusions:Compared with culprit-only revascularization, complete revascularization significantly reduces the MACE risk in patients with STEMI and multivessel disease, which is independent of sex, age, history of diabetes, ECG infarct location, and the number of arteries with stenosis.     

Cardiovascular impact of testosterone therapy for hypogonadism

Introduction: Since 2010 some evidence supporting the possible increased cardiovascular (CV) risk related to testosterone treatment (TTh) has created much debate in the scientific community. Based on these results, the US Food and Drug Administration agency has questioned TTh for aging men recognizing its value only for classical hypogonadism due to genetic or organic causes. To better clarify this topic, we scrutinized and summarized, also by using meta-analytic methods, the data generated during the last 7 years, as derived from the analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on TTh and CV risk.

Areas covered: Analysis included 31 RCTs published between 2010 and 2018. Retrieved trials included 2675 and 2308 patients in TTh and placebo groups, respectively. The analysis documented that TTh was not associated with an increased CV mortality or morbidity either when overall or major adverse CV events were considered.

Expert commentary: Despite present evidence it is important to recognize that the duration of the available trials is short (lower that 3 years) limiting final conclusions on this topic. In particular, the available information on possible long-term effects of TTh on CV risk is limited. Long-term safety studies are advisable to better clarify these points.     

The role of hyperglycaemia in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy

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Prognostic Significance of Remote Myocardium Alterations Assessed by Quantitative Noncontrast T1 Mapping in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Objectives

This study assessed the prognostic significance of remote zone native T1 alterations for the prediction of clinical events in a population with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who were treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and compared it with conventional markers of infarct severity.

Outcomes Among Diabetic Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Contemporary Drug-Eluting Stents: Analysis From the BIONICS Randomized Trial

Objectives

The authors sought to investigate the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on outcomes following contemporary drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in the BIONICS (BioNIR Ridaforolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System in Coronary Stenosis) trial.