Background Patients with non-left-main coronary bifurcation lesions are usually best treated with... more Background Patients with non-left-main coronary bifurcation lesions are usually best treated with a stepwise provisional approach. However, patients with true left main stem bifurcation lesions have been shown in one dedicated randomized study to benefit from systematic dual stent implantation. Methods and results Four hundred and sixty-seven patients with true left main stem bifurcation lesions requiring intervention were recruited to the EBC MAIN study in 11 European countries. Patients were aged 71 ± 10 years; 77% were male. Patients were randomly allocated to a stepwise layered provisional strategy (n = 230) or a systematic dual stent approach (n = 237). The primary endpoint (a composite of death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization at 12 months) occurred in 14.7% of the stepwise provisional group vs. 17.7% of the systematic dual stent group (hazard ratio 0.8, 95% confidence interval 0.5–1.3; P = 0.34). Secondary endpoints were death (3.0% vs. 4.2%, P = 0....
We compared procedural and follow-up complications of TAVI patients based on the type of antithro... more We compared procedural and follow-up complications of TAVI patients based on the type of antithrombotic treatment used (single-antiplatelet [SAPT] vs dual-antiplatelet [DAPT] vs warfarin). Despite growing operator experience and device development, vascular complications following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remain problematic. Bleeding complications and stroke are two of the main disadvantages compared with surgical aortic valve replacement. Correct choice of antiplatelet or antithrombotic treatment is therefore crucial, but remains empirical. We analyzed a cohort of 171 patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI using the CoreValve (Medtronic, Inc) in our center between December 2007 and June 2012. We assessed both procedural, in-hospital, and follow-up outcomes for vascular complications, stroke, myocardial infarction, bleeding complications, and death. Patients were aged 81.6 ± 6.4 years; 47% were male. Treatment regimes were DAPT (34%...
British journal of hospital medicine (London, England : 2005), 2012
ABSTRACT Fractional flow reserve is a vital tool for assessing the functional significance of a c... more ABSTRACT Fractional flow reserve is a vital tool for assessing the functional significance of a coronary stenosis, with higher sensitivity and specificity relative to non-invasive techniques. This article reviews the basic principles and applications of fractional flow reserve measurement, potential pitfalls and areas of controversy.
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has historically required cardiothoracic backup in the e... more Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has historically required cardiothoracic backup in the event of ischemic complications. However, many complications occurring during PCI can now be effectively treated at the time of the indexed procedure. Equally, ischemic complications, which occur following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), which were previously treated medically or with reoperation, may now also be effectively treated by acute PCI. To identify the rate, cause, treatment, and outcomes of ischemic complications from PCI or isolated CABG procedures undertaken from January 2004 to January 2011 where there was immediate crossover from PCI to CABG or vice versa, and to determine from the indexed revascularization procedure, whether or not the ischemic complications were rectified by either CABG with respect to PCI or PCI with respect to CABG. Three hundred fifty-six PCI major ischemic complications were identified. Three hundred forty-seven (97.5%) were rectified percutan...
EuroIntervention : journal of EuroPCR in collaboration with the Working Group on Interventional Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology, Jan 20, 2012
Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics, 2015
Paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) ... more Paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a complication which is associated with increased late mortality. When PAR is severe and refractory to standard corrective measures, case reports have now described the successful use of vascular plugs to treat PAR as a follow-up procedure. We describe a case of vascular plug implantation to reduce PAR immediately after implantation of the transcatheter aortic valve prosthesis.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2014
Chronic total occlusion (CTO) is common, being reported in 18% to 30% of patients undergoing coro... more Chronic total occlusion (CTO) is common, being reported in 18% to 30% of patients undergoing coronary angiography. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is usually performed to relieve anginal symptoms, but data are emerging to suggest that there may also be a mortality benefit. This study aimed to compare outcomes of patients with successful versus unsuccessful PCI to a CTO. We analyzed the U.K. Central Cardiac Audit Database for all CTO PCI cases carried out in England and Wales between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2009. Vital status in September 2010 was obtained from the Medical Research Information Service. A total of 13,443 patients (78.8% male) had a mean age of 63.5 years and underwent 14,439 CTO procedures. CTO PCI was successful in 10,199 cases (70.6%). During follow-up of 2.65 years (interquartile range: 1.59 to 3.83 years), successful PCI of at least 1 CTO was associated with improved survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.62 to 0.83; p < 0.001). Complete revascularization was associated with improved survival compared with partial revascularization (HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.87; p = 0.002) or failed revascularization (HR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.74; p < 0.001). Successful CTO PCI was associated with improved long-term survival. The improvement was greatest in patients when complete revascularization was achieved. The identity of the successfully treated occluded vessel was not associated with differences in outcome.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an effective way to treat patients with symptom... more Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an effective way to treat patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis when open surgical repair is not feasible or considered too high risk. Large bore vascular access is required (18F-24F), and successful management of this arterial access is the key to overall procedural success. We review the current state of play with regard to vascular closure following retrograde transfemoral TAVI.
Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following drug eluting stent (DES) implantation rema... more Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following drug eluting stent (DES) implantation remains poorly defined. Endothelialisation of biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stents occurs early, and 6 months DAPT may be adequate. We evaluated long term outcome in patients treated with biolimus-eluting stents who were treated with 6 months DAPT. Endpoints included cardiac death and non-fatal stent thrombosis occurring 6 to 12 months after stent implantation. 692 patients (77.2% male), aged 65.6 ± 12.5 years received biolimus-eluting DES (March 2008 -November 2011). Vital status was tracked through the Medical Research Information Service. Episodes of non-fatal stent thrombosis, (Academic Research Consortium definition) between months 6 and 12 were tracked via systematic database searches (5 PCI centres). Presentations included acute coronary syndrome (47.2%) and stable coronary disease (52.8%). Vessels treated included left main stem (6.8%), left anterior descending (37.4%), circumflex (19.1%), right coronary artery (34.5%) and saphenous vein graft (2.1%) respectively. High-risk subsets included diabetes (15.6%); AHA type C lesions (35.1%) and chronic total occlusions (12.8%). During median follow-up of 700 days (0 to 1392) there were 42 deaths (6.1%); 4.2% at 0-6 months, 1.0% at 6-12 months and 0.9% at >12 months. Of the 7 deaths between 6 and 12 months, one death was adjudicated as possible stent thrombosis. There were no cases of non-fatal known stent thrombosis. All cause mortality accrued with smooth decremental incidence. Statistical examination showed no evidence of event clustering between 6 and 12 months. After implantation of biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting coronary stents, 6 months DAPT appears to be adequate, safe and effective.
Periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI; ESC/ACC type 4a) is diagnosed on the basis of elevatio... more Periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI; ESC/ACC type 4a) is diagnosed on the basis of elevation of cardiac enzymes more than three times the 99th centile upper reference limit. Recent guidelines recommend the use of troponin instead of creatine kinase (CK) to diagnose PMI, but this assay increases diagnostic sensitivity, while the clinical significance of small increases in troponin remains undetermined. We examined the effects of using the new definition on the incidence of a composite endpoint (previously defined by CK) in a contemporary clinical randomised trial-the British Bifurcation Coronary Study (BBC ONE). The BBC ONE trial randomly allocated 500 patients with coronary bifurcation lesions to either a simple or complex stenting strategy. The composite primary endpoint (CPEP) included death, myocardial infarction (MI) (PMI plus subsequent MI) and target vessel failure, at 9 months. In BBC ONE the CPEP occurred in 8% versus 15.2% in the simple and complex groups, respectively (HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.17 to 3.47, p=0.009). This difference was largely driven by PMI, which occurred in nine (3.6%) versus 28 (11.2%) patients (HR 3.24, 95% CI 1.53 to 6.86, p=0.001). Using troponin, PMI would have occurred in 71 (28.4%) versus 114 (45.6%) patients, respectively (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.27 to 2.05, p=0.001), and the CPEP in 32% versus 48% of patients (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.87, p=0.001). Use of troponin increased MI detection fivefold, from 7.4% to 37.0% overall. Use of troponin would have led to a fivefold increase in diagnosis of PMI in the BBC ONE trial. Incorporation of PMI into a composite endpoint may no longer be justified in many interventional trials.
Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 2012
An optimal fluoroscopic working view projection (OP) with all three aortic sinuses aligned is cru... more An optimal fluoroscopic working view projection (OP) with all three aortic sinuses aligned is crucial during trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The aim of this study was to identify simple reference projection angles, which would act as a starting point for the operator to help determine OP for patients undergoing TAVI. During the period under consideration, 50 patients underwent TAVI. Procedural data and outcomes were collected prospectively on a dedicated database. Optimal angiographic deployment angles were achieved for all patients by starting in an anteroposterior caudal 15 degrees projection and then adjusting according to the initial image, with multiple small volume contrast injections undertaken to determine when all three aortic cusps were aligned (OP). OP angles for the 50 cases were plotted on a graph. After normality testing confirmed that all angles were normally distributed, regression analysis enabled a regression line to be calculated. The equation for the regression line was defined as cranial/caudal intercept -16.4 ± 1.5 (SE of the coefficient), P < 0.0001, slope of regression line LAO/RAO + 0.53 ± 0.1 (SE of the coefficient SE), P < 0.0001). As the regression line and its equation represents an acceptable estimate of the true relationship between Cranial/Caudal and LAO/RAO, to determine OP while remaining close to the regression line we suggest starting in LAO = 8.9, Caudal = -11.4 (which represent the mean values of these two variables), and then increasing the caudal angle by approximately 0.5 degrees for every increase of 1 degree of the LAO angle or decreasing the caudal angle by 0.53 degrees for every decrease of 1 degree in LAO until all three aortic sinuses are in line which represents OP.
Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 2012
Percutaneous aortic valve treatments, balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) and transcatheter aortic... more Percutaneous aortic valve treatments, balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), are effective ways to treat patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis when open surgical repair is not feasible or considered too high risk. Large bore vascular access is required, and successful management of this arterial access is key to overall procedural success. We report outcomes and complications using the Prostar vascular closure device following BAV and TAVI. During the period under consideration, 54 patients underwent BAV and 64 patients underwent TAVI (n = 118). Procedural data and outcomes were collected prospectively on a dedicated database. Patients were aged 80 ± 6.9 years (BAV) and 80.8 ± 6.1 years (TAVI) and 46.2% (BAV) and 46.8% (TAVI) were male, respectively. Primary success (hemostasis achieved immediately after deployment of the Prostar system on the table and persisting for a minimum of 24 hr in the absence of major or minor bleeding complications) was achieved in 94.4% (n = 54) of the patients undergoing BAV and 92.2% (n = 64) of the patients undergoing TAVI, respectively. The combined success rate was 93.3%. Major bleeding (see definitions section) was seen in 1.9% of cases in the BAV group and 4.7% of cases in the TAVI group. Minor bleeding (see definitions section) was seen in 3.7% of cases in the BAV group and 3.1% of cases in the TAVI group. Use of the Prostar vascular closure system to achieve hemostasis following percutaneous aortic valve interventions is associated with a high primary success rate and acceptable level of bleeding complications.
Background Patients with non-left-main coronary bifurcation lesions are usually best treated with... more Background Patients with non-left-main coronary bifurcation lesions are usually best treated with a stepwise provisional approach. However, patients with true left main stem bifurcation lesions have been shown in one dedicated randomized study to benefit from systematic dual stent implantation. Methods and results Four hundred and sixty-seven patients with true left main stem bifurcation lesions requiring intervention were recruited to the EBC MAIN study in 11 European countries. Patients were aged 71 ± 10 years; 77% were male. Patients were randomly allocated to a stepwise layered provisional strategy (n = 230) or a systematic dual stent approach (n = 237). The primary endpoint (a composite of death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization at 12 months) occurred in 14.7% of the stepwise provisional group vs. 17.7% of the systematic dual stent group (hazard ratio 0.8, 95% confidence interval 0.5–1.3; P = 0.34). Secondary endpoints were death (3.0% vs. 4.2%, P = 0....
We compared procedural and follow-up complications of TAVI patients based on the type of antithro... more We compared procedural and follow-up complications of TAVI patients based on the type of antithrombotic treatment used (single-antiplatelet [SAPT] vs dual-antiplatelet [DAPT] vs warfarin). Despite growing operator experience and device development, vascular complications following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remain problematic. Bleeding complications and stroke are two of the main disadvantages compared with surgical aortic valve replacement. Correct choice of antiplatelet or antithrombotic treatment is therefore crucial, but remains empirical. We analyzed a cohort of 171 patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI using the CoreValve (Medtronic, Inc) in our center between December 2007 and June 2012. We assessed both procedural, in-hospital, and follow-up outcomes for vascular complications, stroke, myocardial infarction, bleeding complications, and death. Patients were aged 81.6 ± 6.4 years; 47% were male. Treatment regimes were DAPT (34%...
British journal of hospital medicine (London, England : 2005), 2012
ABSTRACT Fractional flow reserve is a vital tool for assessing the functional significance of a c... more ABSTRACT Fractional flow reserve is a vital tool for assessing the functional significance of a coronary stenosis, with higher sensitivity and specificity relative to non-invasive techniques. This article reviews the basic principles and applications of fractional flow reserve measurement, potential pitfalls and areas of controversy.
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has historically required cardiothoracic backup in the e... more Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has historically required cardiothoracic backup in the event of ischemic complications. However, many complications occurring during PCI can now be effectively treated at the time of the indexed procedure. Equally, ischemic complications, which occur following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), which were previously treated medically or with reoperation, may now also be effectively treated by acute PCI. To identify the rate, cause, treatment, and outcomes of ischemic complications from PCI or isolated CABG procedures undertaken from January 2004 to January 2011 where there was immediate crossover from PCI to CABG or vice versa, and to determine from the indexed revascularization procedure, whether or not the ischemic complications were rectified by either CABG with respect to PCI or PCI with respect to CABG. Three hundred fifty-six PCI major ischemic complications were identified. Three hundred forty-seven (97.5%) were rectified percutan...
EuroIntervention : journal of EuroPCR in collaboration with the Working Group on Interventional Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology, Jan 20, 2012
Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics, 2015
Paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) ... more Paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a complication which is associated with increased late mortality. When PAR is severe and refractory to standard corrective measures, case reports have now described the successful use of vascular plugs to treat PAR as a follow-up procedure. We describe a case of vascular plug implantation to reduce PAR immediately after implantation of the transcatheter aortic valve prosthesis.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2014
Chronic total occlusion (CTO) is common, being reported in 18% to 30% of patients undergoing coro... more Chronic total occlusion (CTO) is common, being reported in 18% to 30% of patients undergoing coronary angiography. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is usually performed to relieve anginal symptoms, but data are emerging to suggest that there may also be a mortality benefit. This study aimed to compare outcomes of patients with successful versus unsuccessful PCI to a CTO. We analyzed the U.K. Central Cardiac Audit Database for all CTO PCI cases carried out in England and Wales between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2009. Vital status in September 2010 was obtained from the Medical Research Information Service. A total of 13,443 patients (78.8% male) had a mean age of 63.5 years and underwent 14,439 CTO procedures. CTO PCI was successful in 10,199 cases (70.6%). During follow-up of 2.65 years (interquartile range: 1.59 to 3.83 years), successful PCI of at least 1 CTO was associated with improved survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.62 to 0.83; p < 0.001). Complete revascularization was associated with improved survival compared with partial revascularization (HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.87; p = 0.002) or failed revascularization (HR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.74; p < 0.001). Successful CTO PCI was associated with improved long-term survival. The improvement was greatest in patients when complete revascularization was achieved. The identity of the successfully treated occluded vessel was not associated with differences in outcome.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an effective way to treat patients with symptom... more Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an effective way to treat patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis when open surgical repair is not feasible or considered too high risk. Large bore vascular access is required (18F-24F), and successful management of this arterial access is the key to overall procedural success. We review the current state of play with regard to vascular closure following retrograde transfemoral TAVI.
Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following drug eluting stent (DES) implantation rema... more Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following drug eluting stent (DES) implantation remains poorly defined. Endothelialisation of biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stents occurs early, and 6 months DAPT may be adequate. We evaluated long term outcome in patients treated with biolimus-eluting stents who were treated with 6 months DAPT. Endpoints included cardiac death and non-fatal stent thrombosis occurring 6 to 12 months after stent implantation. 692 patients (77.2% male), aged 65.6 ± 12.5 years received biolimus-eluting DES (March 2008 -November 2011). Vital status was tracked through the Medical Research Information Service. Episodes of non-fatal stent thrombosis, (Academic Research Consortium definition) between months 6 and 12 were tracked via systematic database searches (5 PCI centres). Presentations included acute coronary syndrome (47.2%) and stable coronary disease (52.8%). Vessels treated included left main stem (6.8%), left anterior descending (37.4%), circumflex (19.1%), right coronary artery (34.5%) and saphenous vein graft (2.1%) respectively. High-risk subsets included diabetes (15.6%); AHA type C lesions (35.1%) and chronic total occlusions (12.8%). During median follow-up of 700 days (0 to 1392) there were 42 deaths (6.1%); 4.2% at 0-6 months, 1.0% at 6-12 months and 0.9% at >12 months. Of the 7 deaths between 6 and 12 months, one death was adjudicated as possible stent thrombosis. There were no cases of non-fatal known stent thrombosis. All cause mortality accrued with smooth decremental incidence. Statistical examination showed no evidence of event clustering between 6 and 12 months. After implantation of biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting coronary stents, 6 months DAPT appears to be adequate, safe and effective.
Periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI; ESC/ACC type 4a) is diagnosed on the basis of elevatio... more Periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI; ESC/ACC type 4a) is diagnosed on the basis of elevation of cardiac enzymes more than three times the 99th centile upper reference limit. Recent guidelines recommend the use of troponin instead of creatine kinase (CK) to diagnose PMI, but this assay increases diagnostic sensitivity, while the clinical significance of small increases in troponin remains undetermined. We examined the effects of using the new definition on the incidence of a composite endpoint (previously defined by CK) in a contemporary clinical randomised trial-the British Bifurcation Coronary Study (BBC ONE). The BBC ONE trial randomly allocated 500 patients with coronary bifurcation lesions to either a simple or complex stenting strategy. The composite primary endpoint (CPEP) included death, myocardial infarction (MI) (PMI plus subsequent MI) and target vessel failure, at 9 months. In BBC ONE the CPEP occurred in 8% versus 15.2% in the simple and complex groups, respectively (HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.17 to 3.47, p=0.009). This difference was largely driven by PMI, which occurred in nine (3.6%) versus 28 (11.2%) patients (HR 3.24, 95% CI 1.53 to 6.86, p=0.001). Using troponin, PMI would have occurred in 71 (28.4%) versus 114 (45.6%) patients, respectively (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.27 to 2.05, p=0.001), and the CPEP in 32% versus 48% of patients (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.87, p=0.001). Use of troponin increased MI detection fivefold, from 7.4% to 37.0% overall. Use of troponin would have led to a fivefold increase in diagnosis of PMI in the BBC ONE trial. Incorporation of PMI into a composite endpoint may no longer be justified in many interventional trials.
Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 2012
An optimal fluoroscopic working view projection (OP) with all three aortic sinuses aligned is cru... more An optimal fluoroscopic working view projection (OP) with all three aortic sinuses aligned is crucial during trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The aim of this study was to identify simple reference projection angles, which would act as a starting point for the operator to help determine OP for patients undergoing TAVI. During the period under consideration, 50 patients underwent TAVI. Procedural data and outcomes were collected prospectively on a dedicated database. Optimal angiographic deployment angles were achieved for all patients by starting in an anteroposterior caudal 15 degrees projection and then adjusting according to the initial image, with multiple small volume contrast injections undertaken to determine when all three aortic cusps were aligned (OP). OP angles for the 50 cases were plotted on a graph. After normality testing confirmed that all angles were normally distributed, regression analysis enabled a regression line to be calculated. The equation for the regression line was defined as cranial/caudal intercept -16.4 ± 1.5 (SE of the coefficient), P < 0.0001, slope of regression line LAO/RAO + 0.53 ± 0.1 (SE of the coefficient SE), P < 0.0001). As the regression line and its equation represents an acceptable estimate of the true relationship between Cranial/Caudal and LAO/RAO, to determine OP while remaining close to the regression line we suggest starting in LAO = 8.9, Caudal = -11.4 (which represent the mean values of these two variables), and then increasing the caudal angle by approximately 0.5 degrees for every increase of 1 degree of the LAO angle or decreasing the caudal angle by 0.53 degrees for every decrease of 1 degree in LAO until all three aortic sinuses are in line which represents OP.
Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 2012
Percutaneous aortic valve treatments, balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) and transcatheter aortic... more Percutaneous aortic valve treatments, balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), are effective ways to treat patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis when open surgical repair is not feasible or considered too high risk. Large bore vascular access is required, and successful management of this arterial access is key to overall procedural success. We report outcomes and complications using the Prostar vascular closure device following BAV and TAVI. During the period under consideration, 54 patients underwent BAV and 64 patients underwent TAVI (n = 118). Procedural data and outcomes were collected prospectively on a dedicated database. Patients were aged 80 ± 6.9 years (BAV) and 80.8 ± 6.1 years (TAVI) and 46.2% (BAV) and 46.8% (TAVI) were male, respectively. Primary success (hemostasis achieved immediately after deployment of the Prostar system on the table and persisting for a minimum of 24 hr in the absence of major or minor bleeding complications) was achieved in 94.4% (n = 54) of the patients undergoing BAV and 92.2% (n = 64) of the patients undergoing TAVI, respectively. The combined success rate was 93.3%. Major bleeding (see definitions section) was seen in 1.9% of cases in the BAV group and 4.7% of cases in the TAVI group. Minor bleeding (see definitions section) was seen in 3.7% of cases in the BAV group and 3.1% of cases in the TAVI group. Use of the Prostar vascular closure system to achieve hemostasis following percutaneous aortic valve interventions is associated with a high primary success rate and acceptable level of bleeding complications.
Uploads
Papers by James Cockburn