Aims: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute heart failure syndrome, which shares many features with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Although TTS was initially described with angiographically normal coronary arteries, smaller studies recently indicated a potential coexistence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in TTS patients. This study aimed to determine the coexistence, features, and prognostic role of CAD in a large cohort of patients with TTS. Methods and results: Coronary anatomy and CAD were studied in patients diagnosed with TTS. Inclusion criteria were compliance with the International Takotsubo Diagnostic Criteria for TTS, and availability of original coronary angiographies with ventriculography performed during the acute phase. Exclusion criteria were missing views, poor quality of angiography loops, and angiography without ventriculography. A total of 1016 TTS patients were studied. Of those, 23.0% had obstructive CAD, 41.2% had non-obstructive CAD, and 35.7% had angiographically normal coronary arteries. A total of 47 patients (4.6%) underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, and 3 patients had acute and 8 had chronic coronary artery occlusion concomitant with TTS, respectively. The presence of CAD was associated with increased incidence of shock, ventilation, and death from any cause. After adjusting for confounders, the presence of obstructive CAD was associated with mortality at 30 days. Takotsubo syndrome patients with obstructive CAD were at comparable risk for shock and death and nearly at twice the risk for ventilation compared to an age- and sex-matched ACS cohort. Conclusions: Coronary artery disease frequently coexists in TTS patients, presents with the whole spectrum of coronary pathology including acute coronary occlusion, and is associated with adverse outcome. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01947621.

Background: Non-cardiac surgery for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is considered to require meticulous perioperative care. β-blockers are considered the first-line drugs for patients with HOCM, and they play a key role in preventing cardiovascular complications in perioperative care. The bisoprolol transdermal patch has recently become available in Japan, and it is useful for patients who are unable to take oral medication during perioperative care. The aim of this case series was to assess the hemodynamic features of patients with HOCM who used the bisoprolol transdermal patch during perioperative care for non-cardiac surgery. Methods: Between August 2016 and August 2018, we retrospectively analyzed 10 consecutive cases of HOCM with the patients using the bisoprolol transdermal patch during perioperative care. Hemodynamic and echocardiographic features were evaluated before and after patients were switched from oral bisoprolol to transdermal patch therapy or started transdermal patch therapy as a new β-blocker medication. In addition, cardiovascular complications (all-cause death, cardiac death, heart failure, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation) during the perioperative period were evaluated. Results: There was no significant change in the patients’ heart rate, blood pressure, ejection fraction, and pressure gradient in the left ventricle after switching from oral bisoprolol to the transdermal patch therapy. On the other hand, patients who started using the bisoprolol transdermal patch as a new ß-blocker medication tended to have a decreased heart rate and pressure gradient thereafter, but there was no significant difference in blood pressure or ejection fraction. No cardiovascular complications occurred during the perioperative period. Conclusions: We described the utilization of the bisoprolol transdermal patch during perioperative care for non-cardiac surgery in patients with HOCM. We determined that the hemodynamic features of these patients did not change significantly after switching to patch therapy. Further, initiation of the bisoprolol transdermal patch as a new ß-blocker medication sufficiently tended to decrease the pressure gradient. This unique approach can be an alternate treatment option for HOCM. Trial registration: The registry was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000036703). The date of registration was 10/5/2019 and it was “Retrospectively registered”.

Stratifying prognosis following coronary bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an unmet clinical need that may be fulfilled through the adoption of machine learning (ML) algorithms to refine outcome predictions. We sought to develop an ML-based risk stratification model built on clinical, anatomical, and procedural features to predict all-cause mortality following contemporary bifurcation PCI. Multiple ML models to predict all-cause mortality were tested on a cohort of 2393 patients (training, n = 1795; internal validation, n = 598) undergoing bifurcation PCI with contemporary stents from the real-world RAIN registry. Twenty-five commonly available patient-/lesion-related features were selected to train ML models. The best model was validated in an external cohort of 1701 patients undergoing bifurcation PCI from the DUTCH PEERS and BIO-RESORT trial cohorts. At ROC curves, the AUC for the prediction of 2-year mortality was 0.79 (0.74–0.83) in the overall population, 0.74 (0.62–0.85) at internal validation and 0.71 (0.62–0.79) at external validation. Performance at risk ranking analysis, k-center cross-validation, and continual learning confirmed the generalizability of the models, also available as an online interface. The RAIN-ML prediction model represents the first tool combining clinical, anatomical, and procedural features to predict all-cause mortality among patients undergoing contemporary bifurcation PCI with reliable performance.

Background: High coronary thrombus burden has been associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the optimal management of which has not yet been established. Methods: We assessed the adjunctive catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with STEMI and high thrombus burden. CDT was defined as intracoronary infusion of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA; monteplase). Results: Among the 1849 consecutive patients with STEMI, 263 had high thrombus burden. Moreover, 41 patients received t-PA (CDT group), whereas 222 did not receive it (non-CDT group). No significant differences in bleeding complications and in-hospital and long-term mortalities were observed (9.8% vs. 7.2%, p = 0.53; 7.3% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.11; and 12.6% vs. 17.5%, p = 0.84, CDT vs. non-CDT). In patients who underwent antecedent aspiration thrombectomy during PCI (75.6% CDT group and 87.4% non-CDT group), thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade 2 or 3 flow rate after thrombectomy was significantly lower in the CDT group than in the non-CDT group (32.2% vs. 61.0%, p < 0.01). However, the final rates improved without significant difference (90.3% vs. 97.4%, p = 0.14). Conclusions: Adjunctive CDT appears to be tolerated and feasible for high thrombus burden. Particularly, it may be an option in cases with failed aspiration thrombectomy.