http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/13628/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/26525/ 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z Aims: The SEISMIC study was an open-label, prospective, randomised study to assess the safety and feasibility of percutaneous myoblast implantation in heart failure patients with implanted cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD). Methods and results: Patients were randomised 2:1 to autologous skeletal myoblast therapy vs. optimal medical treatment. The primary safety end-point was defined as the incidence of procedural and device related serious adverse events, whereas the efficacy endpoints were defined as the change in global LVEF by MUGA scan, change in NYHA classification of heart failure and in the distance achieved during a six-minute walk test (6MW) at 6-month follow-up. Forty subjects were randomised to the treatment arm (n=26), or to the control arm (n=14). There were 12 sustained arrhythmic events and one death after episodes of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the treatment group and 14 events in the control group (P=ns). At 6-month follow-up, 6MW distance improved by 60.3±54.1 meters in the treated group as compared to no improvement in the control group (0.4±185.7 meters; P=ns). In the control group, 28.6% experienced worsening of heart failure status (4/14), while 14.3% experienced an improvement in NYHA classification (2/14). In the myoblast-treatment arm, one patient experienced a deterioration in NYHA classification (8.0%), whereas five patients improved one or two classes (20.0%; P=0.06). However, therapy did not improve global LVEF measured by MUGA at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: These data indicate that implantation of myoblasts in patients with HF is feasible, appears to be safe and may provide symptomatic relief, though no significant effect was detected on global LVEF. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/27090/ 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/29780/ 2008-12-09T00:00:00Z Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the 3-year outcome of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in patients who had multivessel coronary artery disease with and without diabetes mellitus. Background: The optimal method of revascularization in diabetic patients remains in dispute. Methods: The ARTS-II (Arterial Revascularization Therapies Study-Part II) trial is a single-arm study (n = 607) that included 159 diabetic patients treated with SES whose 3-year clinical outcome was compared with that of the historical diabetic and nondiabetic arms of the randomized ARTS-I trial (n = 1,205, including 96 diabetic patients in the CABG arm and 112 in the PCI arm). Results: At 3 years, among nondiabetic patients, the incidence of the primary composite of death, CVA, myocardial infarction (MI), and repeat revascularization (major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events [MACCE]), was significantly lower in ARTS-II than in ARTS-I PCI (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26 to 0.64) and similar to ARTS-I CABG. The ARTS-II patients were at significantly lower risk for death, CVA, and MI as compared with both the ARTS-I PCI (adjusted OR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.91) and ARTS-I CABG patients (adjusted OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.92). Among diabetic patients, the incidence of MACCE in ARTS-II was similar to that of both PCI and CABG in ARTS-I. Conversely, the incidence of death, CVA, and MI was significantly lower in ARTS-II than in ARTS-I PCI (adjusted OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.27 to 1.65) and was similar to that of ARTS-I CABG. Conclusions: At 3 years, PCI using SES for patients with multivessel coronary artery disease seems to be safer and more efficacious than PCI using bare-metal stents, irrespective of the diabetic status of the patient. Hence, PCI using SES appears to be a valuable alternative to CABG for both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/4671/ 2004-03-09T00:00:00Z Background— The primary results of Arterial Revascularization Therapy Study reported a greater need for repeated revascularization after percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting (PCI). However, PCI was less expensive than coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and offered the same degree of protection against death, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Methods and Results— Patients with multivessel disease (n=1205) were randomly assigned to either CABG or PCI and followed up for up to 3 years. Survival rates without stroke or myocardial infarction were similar in each group at 1 year and 3 years (90.5% versus 91.4% for PCI versus CABG at 1 year and 87.2% versus 88.4% for PCI versus CABG at 3 years). However, the respective repeat revascularization rates were 21.2% and 26.7% at 1 and 3 years in patients allocated to PCI, compared with 3.8% and 6.6% in patients allocated to CABG (P<0.0001). Diabetes (P<0.0009) and maximal pressure for stent deployment (P<0.002) are the strongest independent predictors of events at 3 years after PCI, whereas left anterior descending coronary artery grafting (P<0.006) is the best predictor of event-free survival at 3 years after CABG. The incremental cost of surgery compared with PCI for an event-free patient was 19 257 at 1 year but decreased to 10 492 at 3 years. It remained at 142 391 at 3 years when revascularization procedures were excluded in the efficacy end point, however. Conclusions— Three-year survival rates without stroke and myocardial infarction are identical in both groups, and the cost/benefit ratio of stenting is determined primarily by the increasing need for revascularization in the PCI group. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/4752/ 2003-03-01T00:00:00Z Abstract AIMS: This study examined the six-month angiographic results of direct coronary stenting, and compared the nine-month safety, efficacy and cost of this strategy versus stenting after balloon predilatation. METHODS: In phase I of VELVET, 122 patients (mean age = 62.3 +/- 10.1 years, 77% male, 11% with diabetes) with angina pectoris or myocardial ischemia resulting from a single de novo 51% to 95% coronary stenosis underwent direct stenting. The endpoints of phase I included angiographic findings and rates of major adverse cardiac events up to six months of follow-up. In phase II, 401 patients (mean age = 61.3 +/- 10.8 years, 79% male, 16% with diabetes) with angina pectoris or documented myocardial ischemia resulting from single or multiple, de novo or restenotic, coronary lesions were randomized between direct stenting and stenting after predilatation. The immediate angiographic results, and clinical outcomes and costs associated with the two treatment strategies up to nine months of follow-up were compared. RESULTS: In phase I the mean diameter stenosis immediately before and after the procedure, and at six months was 61.7+/-9.4%, 13.5+/-6.3%, and 33.6+/-16.2%, respectively. The six-month binary restenosis rate was 11%. The overall rate of major adverse cardiac events, including two non-cardiac deaths, was 9.8%. In phase II, the success rates of the intended delivery strategies were 87.9% and 97.9% for direct stenting and predilatation, respectively (p < 0.001), while the procedural success rates were similar (93.9% vs 96.5%). Over a follow-up period of nine months, major adverse cardiac events rates were 12.0% and 10.9% in patients randomized to direct stenting and predilatation, respectively (non-significant). Analyses of the costs incurred up to nine months in each treatment group revealed a mean saving of e362 per patient in favor of the direct stenting strategy (non-significant). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with a strategy of stenting preceded by balloon dilatation, direct stenting was associated with an equivalent procedural success rate, equivalent clinical results up to nine months of follow-up, and a reduction in procedural and in-hospital costs (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.001, respectively), that was no longer significant after nine months. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/4798/ 2002-02-06T00:00:00Z OBJECTIVES: We sought to investigate the clinical benefit of additional stent implantation after achieving an optimal result of balloon angioplasty (BA) in long coronary lesions (>20 mm). BACKGROUND: Long coronary lesions are associated with increased early complications and late restenosis after BA. Stenting improves the early outcome, but stent restenosis is also related to both lesion length and stent length. METHODS: A total of 437 patients with a single native lesion 20 to 50 mm in length were included and underwent BA, using long balloons matched to lesion length and vessel diameter (balloon/artery ratio 1.1) to achieve a diameter stenosis (DS) <30% by on-line quantitative coronary angiography (QCA). "Bail-out stenting" was performed for flow-limiting dissections or >50% DS. Patients in whom an optimal BA result was achieved were randomized to additional stenting (using NIR stents) or no stenting. The primary end point was freedom from major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at nine months, and core laboratory QCA was performed on serial angiograms. RESULTS: Bailout stenting was necessary in 149 patients (34%) and was associated with a significantly increased risk of peri-procedural infarction (p < 0.02). Among the 288 randomized patients, the mean lesion length was 27+/-9 mm, and the vessel diameter was 2.78+/-0.52 mm. The procedural success rate was 90% for the 143 patients assigned to BA alone (control group), as compared with 93% in the 145 patients assigned to additional stenting (stent group), which resulted in a superior early minimal lumen diameter (0.54 mm, p < 0.001) and led to reduced angiographic restenosis (27% vs. 42%, p = 0.022). Freedom from MACE at nine months was 77% in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: A strategy of provisional stenting for long coronary lesions led to bailout stenting in one-third of patients, with a threefold increase in peri-procedural infarction. Additional stenting yielded a lower angiographic restenosis rate, but no reduction in MACE at nine months. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/4821/ 2001-09-12T00:00:00Z Aims To prospectively evaluate the influence of stent length on 6 month clinical and angiographic outcome, in patients with native coronary lesions up to 45mm in length, undergoing elective Magic Wallstent implantation. Methods and Results On the basis of pre-procedural angiography, 276 patients (aged 61·3±10·2 years; 78·6% male; 41·7% unstable angina) with a total of 302 lesions were prospectively assigned to one of five different length categories of Magic Wallstent. Angiography in multiple matched projections before and after implantation and at 6 months follow-up was analysed at the core laboratory. Primary end-points for the efficacy analysis were cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events and quantitative coronary angiography analysis 6 months after stent implantation. Magic Wallstent implantation was successful in 301 of 302 lesions and in 98·6% a residual stenosis <20% by online quantitative coronary angiography was achieved. At 30 days, 6·2% (1·8% subacute occlusion) of patients had experienced major adverse cardiac events, 27·5% at 6 months and 30·4% at 9 months. Angiographic restenosis occurred in 37%. Restenosis rates for the mini, extra-short, short, medium and long Wallstent groups were 25·9%, 25%, 22·6%, 36·2% and 67·5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed stent length to be independently associated with greater angiographic restenosis and major adverse cardiac events. Conclusions While shorter Magic Wallstents provided late outcomes comparable with short balloon-expandable stents, excessive restenosis with longer Wallstents should obviate their use in elective percutaneous intervention. Long coronary lesions provide a challenging substrate for emerging antirestenosis therapies, such as stent coatings and brachytherapy. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/4835/ 2001-05-10T00:00:00Z OBJECTIVES: This study sought to establish whether the early favorable results in the Benestent-I randomized trial comparing elective Palmaz-Schatz stent implantation with balloon angioplasty in 516 patients with stable angina pectoris are maintained at 5 years. BACKGROUND: The size of the required sample was based on a 40% reduction in clinical events in the stent group. Seven months and one-year follow-up in this trial showed a decreased incidence of restenosis and clinical events in patients randomized to stent implantation. METHODS: Data at five years were collected by outpatient visit, via telephone and via the referring cardiologist. Three patients in the stent group and one in the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) group were lost to follow-up at five years. Major clinical events, anginal status and use of cardiac medication were recorded according to the intention to treat principle. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in anginal status and use of cardiac medication between the two groups. In the PTCA group, 27.3% of patients underwent target lesion revascularization (TLR) versus 17.2% of patients in the stent group (p = 0.008). No significant differences in mortality (5.9% vs. 3.1%), cerebrovascular accident (0.8% vs. 1.2%), myocardial infarction (9.4% vs. 6.3%) or coronary bypass surgery (11.7% vs. 9.8%) were found between the stent and PTCA groups, respectively. At five years, the event-free survival rate (59.8% vs. 65.6%; p = 0.20) between the stent and PTCA groups no longer achieved statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The original 10% absolute difference in TLR in favor of the stent group has remained unchanged at five years, emphasizing the long-term stability of the stented target site. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/9697/ 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z BACKGROUND: Our aims were to compare coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and stenting for the treatment of diabetic patients with multivessel coronary disease enrolled in the Arterial Revascularization Therapy Study (ARTS) trial and to determine the costs of these 2 treatment strategies. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients (n=1205) were randomly assigned to stent implantation (n=600; diabetic, 112) or CABG (n=605; diabetic, 96). Costs per patient were calculated as the product of each patient's use of resources and the corresponding unit costs. Baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. At 1 year, diabetic patients treated with stenting had the lowest event-free survival rate (63.4%) because of a higher incidence of repeat revascularization compared with both diabetic patients treated with CABG (84.4%, P<0.001) and nondiabetic patients treated with stents (76.2%, P=0.04). Conversely, diabetic and nondiabetic patients experienced similar 1-year event-free survival rates when treated with CABG (84.4% and 88.4%). The total 1-year costs for stenting and CABG in diabetic patients were $12 855 and $16 585 (P<0.001) and in the nondiabetic groups, $10 164 for stenting and $13 082 for surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Multivessel diabetic patients treated with stenting had a worse 1-year outcome than patients assigned to CABG or nondiabetics treated with stenting. The strategy of stenting was less costly than CABG, however, regardless of diabetic status. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/5551/ 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z AIMS: Angiographic studies on the natural course of both focal and diffuse coronary atherosclerosis have not been performed before, but can both be assessed by quantitative coronary angiography. The objective of this study was to describe the natural course of focal and diffuse coronary atherosclerosis over time. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 129 patients with mild coronary artery disease, but not on lipid-lowering medication, three coronary angiograms were made each 2 years apart. Nine hundred and sixty five angiographically diseased and non-diseased segments were analysed by quantitative coronary angiography. Mean lumen diameter and minimal lumen diameter were used as measures of diffuse and focal coronary atherosclerosis. Mean lumen diameter and minimum lumen diameter decreased by 0.02 and 0.03 mm per year. The rate of progression was similar in the angiographically non-diseased, as in the mildly and moderately diseased segments. Progression of diffuse coronary atherosclerosis was largest in severely stenosed lesions (percentage diameter stenosis > or = 50%) and in the right coronary artery with a loss of 0.19 mm and 0.16 mm in mean lumen diameter. Progression of focal disease was most prominent in new and mild lesions and the right coronary artery, with a decrease in minimum lumen diameter of 0.34 mm and 0.22 mm. In most subgroups, progression occurred gradually over time. On a per segment level, progression and the occurrence of new lesions occurred in 4.4% and 4.2%. Regression and disappearance of a lesions was found in 2.3% and 1.9%. On a per patient level, 36% were progressors, 12% had a mixed response, 36% were stable, and 16% were regressors. CONCLUSION: Diffuse and focal coronary atherosclerosis progressed at the same rate in the first and second 2 years in stenosed and non-stenosed segments. The rate of coronary atherosclerosis progression was small, but was higher for focal than for diffuse disease. A minority of lesions progressed and spontaneous regression was rare. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/5047/ 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z Background The purpose of the Benestent-II Pilot Study was to evaluate the safety of delaying and eliminating anticoagulant therapy in patients receiving a heparin-coated stent in conjunction with antiplatelet drugs. Methods and Results The study consisted of three initial phases (I, II, III) during which resumption of heparin therapy after sheath removal was progressively deferred by 6, 12, and 36 hours. In phase IV, coumadin and heparin were replaced by 250 mg ticlopidine and 100 mg aspirin. Of the 207 patients with stable angina pectoris and a de novo lesion in whom heparin-coated stent implantation was attempted, implantation was successful in 202 patients (98%). Stent thrombosis did not occur during all four phases, and the overall clinical success rate at discharge was 99%. Bleeding complications requiring blood transfusion or surgery fell from 7.9% in phase I to 5.9%, 4%, and 0% in the three following phases. Hospital stay was 7.4, 6.1, 7.2, and 3.1 days for the consecutive phases. The restenosis rate for the combined four phases was 13% (15% in phase I, 20% in phase II, 11% in phase III, and 6% in phase IV). The overall rate of reintervention for the four phases was 8.9%. At 6 months, 84%, 75%, 94%, and 92% of the patients of phases I to IV, respectively, were event free. For the four phases, the event-free rate was 86%, which compares favorably with the rate observed in the Benestent-I study (80%; relative risk, 0.68 [0.45 to 1.04]). Conclusions The implantation of stents coated with polyamine and end-point–attached heparin in stable patients with one significant de novo coronary lesion is well tolerated, is associated with no (sub)acute stent thrombosis, and results in a favorable event-free survival after 6 months. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/4616/ 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z BACKGROUND. Balloon-expandable coronary-artery stents were developed to prevent coronary restenosis after coronary angioplasty. These devices hold coronary vessels open at sites that have been dilated. However, it is unknown whether stenting improves long-term angiographic and clinical outcomes as compared with standard balloon angioplasty. METHODS. A total of 520 patients with stable angina and a single coronary-artery lesion were randomly assigned to either stent implantation (262 patients) or standard balloon angioplasty (258 patients). The primary clinical end points were death, the occurrence of a cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, the need for coronary-artery bypass surgery, or a second percutaneous intervention involving the previously treated lesion, either at the time of the initial procedure or during the subsequent seven months. The primary angiographic end point was the minimal luminal diameter at follow-up, as determined by quantitative coronary angiography. RESULTS. After exclusions, 52 patients in the stent group (20 percent) and 76 patients in the angioplasty group (30 percent) reached a primary clinical end point (relative risk, 0.68; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.50 to 0.92; P = 0.02). The difference in clinical-event rates was explained mainly by a reduced need for a second coronary angioplasty in the stent group (relative risk, 0.58; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.40 to 0.85; P = 0.005). The mean (+/- SD) minimal luminal diameters immediately after the procedure were 2.48 +/- 0.39 mm in the stent group and 2.05 +/- 0.33 mm in the angioplasty group; at follow-up, the diameters were 1.82 +/- 0.64 mm in the stent group and 1.73 +/- 0.55 mm in the angioplasty group (P = 0.09), which correspond to rates of restenosis (diameter of stenosis, > or = 50 percent) of 22 and 32 percent, respectively (P = 0.02). Peripheral vascular complications necessitating surgery, blood transfusion, or both were more frequent after stenting than after balloon angioplasty (13.5 vs. 3.1 percent, P < 0.001). The mean hospital stay was significantly longer in the stent group than in the angioplasty group (8.5 vs. 3.1 days, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS. Over seven months of follow-up, the clinical and angiographic outcomes were better in patients who received a stent than in those who received standard coronary angioplasty. However, this benefit was achieved at the cost of a significantly higher risk of vascular complications at the access site and a longer hospital stay.