Background: Little large-scale data is available about the long-term (beyond 3 years) clinical outcomes after fractional flow reserve (FFR)–based deferral of revascularization in clinical practice. We sought to assess the 5-year outcomes after deferral of revascularization based on FFR. Methods: The J-CONFIRM registry (Long-Term Outcomes of Japanese Patients With Deferral of Coronary Intervention Based on Fractional Flow Reserve in Multicenter Registry) prospectively enrolled 1263 patients with 1447 lesions in whom revascularization was deferred based on FFR from 28 Japanese centers. The primary study end point was the cumulative 5-year incidence of target vessel failure (TVF), including cardiac death, target vessel–related myocardial infarction, and clinically driven target vessel revascularization. Results: Five-year follow-up was completed in 92.2% of patients. The 5-year TVF rate was 11.6% in deferred lesions, mainly driven by clinically driven target vessel revascularization (9.8%). Cardiac death and target vessel–related myocardial infarction were 1.9% and 0.95%, respectively. Cumulative 5-year incidence of TVF was similar between the FFR 0.75 to 0.80 and 0.81 to 0.85 groups even after adjustment for baseline characteristics (12.2% versus 13.0%, inverse probability–weighted hazard ratio, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.46–1.60]; P =0.63). Compared with the almost normal FFR (0.86–1.00) group, the significant (<0.75) and borderline (0.75–0.85) FFR groups showed a higher incidence of TVF at 5 years (29.9% versus 12.8% versus 8.6%, P <0.001). Independent predictors of the 5-year TVF were hemodialysis, FFR value, left main coronary artery lesion, prior percutaneous coronary intervention, and male sex. Conclusions: The 5-year TVF rate was 11.6% in deferred lesions, mainly driven by clinically driven target vessel revascularization. Notably, cardiac death and target vessel–related myocardial infarction rarely occurred during the follow-up. Our findings highlight the long-term safety of FFR-based deferral of revascularization in patients with chronic coronary syndrome. Registration: URL: https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr ; Unique identifier: UMIN000014473.

Coronary physiologic assessment is performed to measure coronary pressure, flow, and resistance or their surrogates to enable the selection of appropriate management strategy and its optimization for patients with coronary artery disease. The value of physiologic assessment is supported by a large body of evidence that has led to major recommendations in clinical practice guidelines. This expert consensus document aims to convey practical and balanced recommendations and future perspectives for coronary physiologic assessment for physicians and patients in the Asia-Pacific region based on updated information in the field that including both wire- and image-based physiologic assessment. This is Part 1 of the whole consensus document, which describes the general concept of coronary physiology, as well as practical information on the clinical application of physiologic indices and novel image-based physiologic assessment.

The release of lipid-laden plaque material subsequent to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) may contribute to the no-reflow phenomenon. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between in vivo cholesterol crystals (CCs) detected by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the no-reflow phenomenon after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute STEMI. We investigated 182 patients with STEMI. Based on the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade after PCI, patients were divided into a no-reflow group (n = 31) and a reflow group (n = 151). On OCT, CCs were defined as thin, high-signal intensity regions within a plaque. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predictors for the no-reflow phenomenon. The prevalence of CCs was higher in the no-reflow group than the reflow group (no-reflow group, 77% vs. reflow group, 53%; p = 0.012). The multivariable logistic model showed that the CC number, lipid arc and ostial lesions were positive independent predictors of no-reflow. The combination of a lipid arc ≥ 139°and CC number ≥ 12 showed good predictive performance for the no-reflow phenomenon (sensitivity, 48%; specificity, 93%; and accuracy, 86%). In vivo CCs at the culprit plaque are associated with the no-reflow phenomenon after PCI in patients with STEMI. The combination of the number of CCs and lipid arc can predict the no-reflow phenomenon after PCI with a high accuracy of 86%.

The management of cardiovascular diseases in rural areas is plagued by the limited access of rural residents to medical facilities and specialists. The development of telecardiology using information and communication technology may overcome such limitation. To shed light on the global trend of telecardiology, we summarized the available literature on rural telecardiology. Using PubMed databases, we conducted a literature review of articles published from January 2010 to December 2020. The contents and focus of each paper were then classified. Our search yielded nineteen original papers from various countries: nine in Asia, seven in Europe, two in North America, and one in Africa. The papers were divided into classified fields as follows: seven in tele-consultation, four in the telemedical system, four in the monitoring system, two in prehospital triage, and two in tele-training. Six of the seven tele-consultation papers reported the consultation from rural doctors to urban specialists. More reports of tele-consultations might be a characteristic of telecardiology specific to rural practice. Further work is necessary to clarify the improvement of cardiovascular outcomes for rural residents.

The long-term impact of Kawasaki disease on coronary arteries in vivo is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate coronary arteries in the late convalescent phase, we followed patients with Kawasaki disease who developed coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs). We followed 24 patients and used optical coherence tomography at a median of 16.6 years after the onset of Kawasaki disease. Of 72 coronary arteries, optical coherence tomography was performed on 61 arteries: 17 with a persistent CAA, 29 with a regressed CAA, and 15 without a CAA. Between-group comparison was performed by chi-square or Fisher’s exact test, and intimal thickening (17 vs 29 vs 15, all 100%, P = NA) and medial disruption (17 [100%] vs 29 [100%] vs 14 [93%], P = 0.25) were commonly observed in the investigated arteries. Advanced features of atherosclerosis were more frequently seen in arteries with persistent CAAs than in those with regressed CAAs and in those without CAAs: calcification (12 [71%] vs 5 [17%] vs 1 [7%], P < 0.001), microvessels (12 [71%] vs 10 [35%] vs 4 [27%], P = 0.020), cholesterol crystals (6 [35%] vs 2 [7%] vs 0 [0%], P = 0.009), macrophage accumulation (11 [65%] vs 4 [14%] vs 4 [27%], P = 0.002), and layered plaque (8 [47%] vs 11 [38%] vs 0 [0%], P = 0.004). Long after onset of Kawasaki disease, all arteries showed pathological changes. Arteries with persistent CAAs had more advanced features of atherosclerosis than those with regressed CAAs and those without CAAs.

Impaired coronary flow reserve (CFR) portends a poor prognosis in patients with aortic stenosis. The present study aims to investigate how CFR changes over one year after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with severe aortic stenosis, and to explore factors related to the changes. Consecutive patients undergoing TAVI were registered. CFR in the left anterior descending artery was measured by transthoracic echocardiography on three occasions pre-TAVI, one-day post-TAVI, and one-year post-TAVI. A total of 59 patients were enrolled, 46 of whom completed one-year follow-up. CFR was impaired in 35 (59.3%) patients pre-TAVI, but the impairment was only seen in 2 patients (4%) one-year post-TAVI. CFR value improved from 1.75 (1.50–2.10) cm/s pre-TAVI, to 2.00 (1.70–2.30) one-day post-TAVI, and further to 2.60 (2.30–3.10) one-year post-TAVI (P < 0.001). The median difference in CFR between pre-TAVI and one-year post-TAVI was 0.90 (0.53–1.20). Patients with significant improvement of CFR (more than the median value of 0.9) had larger aortic valve area (1.55 [1.38–1.92] vs. 1.36 cm² [1.26–1.69], P = 0.042) and greater improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (3.10 [−1.67–4.24] vs. −1.46 [−3.42–1.48] percentage points, P = 0.019) than those without. CFR is impaired in a considerable proportion of patients with severe aortic stenosis, but improvement is seen immediately after TAVI, and one year later. Patients with significant improvement of CFR had larger aortic valve area and greater increase in left ventricular ejection fraction after TAVI.