Pregnancy-associated spontaneous coronary artery dissection: multidisciplinary management, challenges and literature review

A 30-year-old woman in her second pregnancy, which was complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus. She had an uneventful spontaneous vaginal delivery at 38 weeks+3 days of gestation. Day 1 postpartum, she developed sudden chest pain radiating to her jaw and neck. Her observations were normal, and ECG showed lateral ST elevation in keeping with acute myocardial infarction. The troponin-T level was elevated at 21 ng/L at 0 hour, and >10 000 ng/L at 12 hours, respectively. Coronary angiography confirmed spontaneous dissection of the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) and proximal circumflex coronary arteries. She became unstable during percutaneous coronary intervention and consequently had a successful coronary artery bypass surgery with left saphenous vein grafts to the first obtuse marginal artery and LAD. Echocardiogram revealed moderate to severe impairment of the left ventricular function postoperatively.

124 Tiny but useful transportable remote monitoring device during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

A 45-year-old woman, without cardiovascular risk factors and affected by chronic migraine, presented to the emergency department due to the onset of a typical chest pain. After performing an electrocardiogram she was promptly transported to the Cath lab, with the diagnosis of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), for urgent coronarography. A spontaneous dissection of the first obtuse marginal branch was detected which was treated with two drug eluting stents implantation. A day after the procedure, during a migraine crisis, at the continuous electrocardiographic monitoring it was registered a brief episode of complete atrioventricular block, which regressed spontaneously after a few minutes. For this reason, she underwent atropine test which resulted negative for AV conductance defects. No more episodes were recorded during the hospital stay, however it was decided to implant a loop recorder (Biotronik BIOMONITOR III) before the discharge. The patient received a remote monitoring device in order to allow a closer follow-up in course of the COVID-19-related lockdown, that caused a relevant reduction in the outpatients’ services. A few months later a sinusal pause of about 9 s was recorded with the emergence of an idioventricular rhythm at 25 b.p.m. When contacted by telephone the patient reported being hospitalized because of pulmonary complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection. She referred of being bedridden, without any cardiac monitor and of being asymptomatic for syncope. Thus, she was transferred to a Cardiology Unit dedicated to patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 disease, for further diagnostic investigations. This represents a case in which the remote monitoring technology resulted fundamental in the management of patients with implantable devices, in particular during COVID-19-related lockdown. However, it is at least as much important to encourage the patient to carry the transmitter with him, even in the case of unexpected events or hospitalizations, in order to gain access to all the information store in the CIED which might be useful to the diagnosis of the underlying disease. Biotronik has developed the smallest remote transmitter in commerce (CardioMessenger Smart) which is functional to this kind of use. Moreover, it has an automatic interrogation function which can send the alerts about the arrhythmic events quicker than the other brands and so it’s more practical in situations where the patient is hospitalized in non-cardiological units.

659 Myocardial infarcion and ischaemic stroke in a COVID-19 patient: nothing happens by chance

A 68-years-old man, affected by arterial hypertension in treatment with angiotensin-receptor blocker (cardesartan 32 mg), was admitted to emergency department for fever and dyspnoea. The molecular swab for SARS-CoV-2 was positive. Chest CT showed bilateral interstitial pneumonia with Chung severity score index 15/20. The laboratory examinations showed: PCR 21 mg/dl, IL-6 17 pg/ml, d-dimer 374 ng/ml, lymphopenia, glycaemia 218 mg/dl, total cholesterol 245 mg/dl. At COVID-19 diagnosis he started the following therapy: Azithromycin 500 mg once a day, Methylprednisolone 20 mg twice a day, Remdesivir 200 mg once a day, Enoxaparin 6000 UI twice a day, Insulin Lispro 6/8/8 UI three times a day, High FlowNasal Cannula (FiO2 45%). No lipid-lowering therapy was prescribed. During the hospitalization, the patient experienced a progressive improvement in clinical and laboratory parameters. On the 28th day, there was a sudden worsening of dyspnoea with evidence of ST-elevation in DI, aVL, V2–V6 leads. A primary percutaneous coronary intervention at COVID-19 HUB hospital (2.9 km away) was required. Because of massive demand for emergency vehicles, the patient was admitted to the Chat Lab 3 h and 23 min later. Due to evidence of critical stenosis of the proximal and intermediate left anterior descending artery, a PTCA with stenting was performed. 12 h later, the patient developed left hemiplegia (NIHSS score: 7). The brain CT revealed an acute right frontal ischaemic lesion; no indication to fibrinolysis was given by the consultant neurologist. Our case report describes the rare concomitance of two thrombotic events in a COVID-19 patient with many cardiovascular risk factors, offering the opportunity to underline the need of their appropriate treatment during the hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, a dedicated treatment pathways should be provided for COVID-19 patients in order to ensure the timely and correct application of the protocols suggested by the international guidelines. 659 Figure 1ECG performed at the onset of acute dyspnoea.659 Figure 2Critical stenosis on LAD and subcritical stenosis on first and second obtuse marginal arteries.

Surgical treatment of a giant aneurysm of the left anterior descending artery presenting with ischemia

A 70-year-old man presented to our hospital with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and severely depressed left ventricular systolic function. Coronary angiogram revealed a giant fusiform aneurysm of the proximal left anterior descending artery with significant stenoses immediately proximal and distal to it and a left circumflex chronic total occlusion. The patient was treated surgically, with ligation and bypass of the aneurysm using a radial artery graft and a vein graft to the first obtuse marginal branch.

996 Non ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) And Complex Coronary Artery Fistula In A Fit 57 Year Old Man And Its Management

A fit 57-year-old man presented with exertional chest pain to the emergency department and was found to have anterolateral T wave inversion on ECG and blood troponin of 1290. Coronary angiography showed a severe proximal to mid-course lesion in the mid left anterior descending artery (LAD), severe ostial disease in obtuse marginal 1 (OM1) and large a coronary artery fistula (CAF) between the proximal LAD and main pulmonary artery (PA). Subsequent cardiac computer tomography multiple gated acquisition (CT MUGA) scan showed a coronary artery to main PA fistula, fed by small branches of the LAD and right coronary artery (RCA). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) showed preserved left ventricle systolic function, ejection fraction 62%, and small left to right shunt. Following multidisciplinary discussion, the consensus was to offer coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and fistula ligation as the first option, but percutaneous intervention (PCI) to the LAD would also be feasible. After lengthy discussions, the patient declined CABG and opted for PCI and stent insertion. CAF on angiogram is a rare finding, CAF is an abnormal connection between a coronary artery and either a cardiac chamber or a great vessel including the pulmonary artery. This case highlights a rare finding and its subsequent investigative workup and management considerations.

Role of IVUS in the rectification of angiographically judged ramus intermedius and its clinical significance

Background Due to the technical limitations of coronary artery angiography (CAG), ramus intermedius (RI) is sometimes difficult to distinguish from a high-origin obtuse marginal branch or a high-origin diagonal branch. This study sought to investigate the role of intravascular ultrasonography (IVUS) in the rectification of angiographically judged RI. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed 165 patients who were reported to have an RI based on CAG and underwent IVUS implementation from 02/01/2009 to 31/12/2019 in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University. Taking IVUS as the gold standard, we calculated the accuracy of RI identification by CAG and evaluated the impact of RI on revascularization strategy. Results Among the 165 patients, 89 patients (54%) were demonstrated to have an RI on IVUS (IVUS-RI), 32 patients (19%) were identified to have a high-origin diagonal branch on IVUS (IVUS-h-D), and 44 patients (27%) had an actual high-origin obtuse marginal artery on IVUS (IVUS-h-OM). Among 84 patients who underwent one-stent crossover stenting because of left main furcation lesions (48 patients in the IVUS-RI group, 12 patients in the IVUS-h-D group, and 24 in the IVUS-h-OM group), 14.6% of patients in the IVUS-RI group, 33.3% in the IVUS-h-D group and 0% in the IVUS-h-OM group had CAG-RI compromise (P = 0.02), which was defined as severe stenosis of the RI ostium (> 75%) or significant RI flow impairment (TIMI < 3). Conclusions Only 54% of CAG-RIs were confirmed by IVUS, which indicates the necessity of preintervention IVUS to distinguish real RIs from other branches in LM furcation lesions.

Coronary endarterectomy in coronary artery disease: Factors affecting graft patency and survival

Background Coronary endarterectomy aims to improve completeness of revascularization in patients with occluded coronary vessels. The benefits of coronary endarterectomy remain uncertain. The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term surgical outcomes and factors affecting graft patency post-coronary endarterectomy. Methods Between 2009 and 2019, 81 consecutive patients who had coronary endarterectomy done were evaluated for their perioperative and early results. A total of 36 patients with follow-up coronary studies were included in patency analysis. Mortality rates, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, and graft patency were outcomes of interest. Survival and risk factor analysis were performed with Kaplan–Meier and logistic regression analysis. Results The average age of the cohort was 61.9 ± 9.29 years. Complete revascularization rate was 95.4% post-coronary endarterectomy. The 30-day and 1-year mortality was 2.5 and 6.2%, respectively. One-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events rate was 11.1%. Periprocedural myocardial infarction rate was 7.4%. Three patients required repeat revascularization within a mean follow-up duration of 49.6 ± 36.5 months. Overall graft patency was 89.2% at 20.2 months and graft patency post-coronary endarterectomy was 85.4%. Arterial grafts showed 100% patency. Vein grafts to endarterectomized obtuse marginal branch had patency rates of 33.3%. Multiple endarterectomies were associated with worse one-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (OR: 28.6 ± 1.16; P = 0.003). Conclusions Coronary endarterectomy facilitates completeness of revascularization and does not increase early mortality. Graft patency post-coronary endarterectomy on obtuse marginal artery was suboptimal. Judicious use of coronary endarterectomy should be practiced to balance the need of completeness of revascularization against the risk of myocardial infarction.

Blunt Chest Trauma Presenting with Acute Coronary Event

We present a case that was initially diagnosed as non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction following a blunt chest trauma from left lateral contusion. Coronary angiography and later cardiac computed tomography were performed that showed narrowing and dissection of the distal circumflex and first obtuse marginal branch artery, which was treated medically without any coronary intervention.

Revascularization of Coronary Artery Chronic Total Occlusion by Active Antegrade Reverse Wire Technique

Objectives. To assess the effectiveness and safety of ARW for vascular recanalization in CTO patients. Background. Chronic total occlusion (CTO) of coronary artery accompanied with large branch distal to the occluded segment (<2 mm) is one of the challenges physicians are facing during the coronary intervention. In cases where the antegrade wire passed the occluded segment reaching the branch vessel, but could not access the main vessel through various adjustments, application of active antegrade reverse wire technique (ARW) could be considered. Patients and Methods. A total of 301 consecutive CTO patients who received the antegrade percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between December 2015 and December 2019 at our institution were included, of whom 11 were treated with ARW (10 successfully) for vascular recanalization. The applicability and safety of ARW were assessed. Results. Among the 301 CTO patients who received antegrade vascular recanalization, 11 were treated with ARW. ARW was successful in 10 patients as follows: from the diagonal branch (D) to anterior descending branch (LAD) in 4 patients; from the septal branch (S) to LAD in 1 patient; from D to S and LAD in 1 patient; from the circumflex branch (LCX) to obtuse marginal branch (OM) in 1 patient; from OM to LCX in 1 patient; from a posterior descending artery (PDA) to the posterior lateral vein (PLV) in 2 patients. Yet, ARW in patient with RCAm CTO failed, while the consequent retrograde PCI succeeded. The mean J-CTO score of the 11 patients was 2.7 ± 0.65, among whom eight were accompanied with calcifications. Sion Black and Fielder XTR reverse wires were used in 9 and 2 patients, respectively. No loss of side branches or severe procedure-related complications occurred in 11 patients. Conclusion. Therefore, ARW can improve procedural efficiency and should be popularized for further application.