Background: Early detection of coronary atherosclerosis using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), in addition to coronary artery calcification (CAC) scoring, may help inform prevention strategies. We used CCTA to determine the prevalence, severity, and characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis and its association with CAC scores in a general population. Methods: We recruited 30 154 randomly invited individuals age 50 to 64 years to SCAPIS (the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Bioimage Study). The study includes individuals without known coronary heart disease (ie, no previous myocardial infarctions or cardiac procedures) and with high-quality results from CCTA and CAC imaging performed using dedicated dual-source CT scanners. Noncontrast images were scored for CAC. CCTA images were visually read and scored for coronary atherosclerosis per segment (defined as no atherosclerosis, 1% to 49% stenosis, or ≥50% stenosis). External validity of prevalence estimates was evaluated using inverse probability for participation weighting and Swedish register data. Results: In total, 25 182 individuals without known coronary heart disease were included (50.6% women). Any CCTA-detected atherosclerosis was found in 42.1%; any significant stenosis (≥50%) in 5.2%; left main, proximal left anterior descending artery, or 3-vessel disease in 1.9%; and any noncalcified plaques in 8.3% of this population. Onset of atherosclerosis was delayed on average by 10 years in women. Atherosclerosis was more prevalent in older individuals and predominantly found in the proximal left anterior descending artery. Prevalence of CCTA-detected atherosclerosis increased with increasing CAC scores. Among those with a CAC score >400, all had atherosclerosis and 45.7% had significant stenosis. In those with 0 CAC, 5.5% had atherosclerosis and 0.4% had significant stenosis. In participants with 0 CAC and intermediate 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease according to the pooled cohort equation, 9.2% had CCTA-verified atherosclerosis. Prevalence estimates had excellent external validity and changed marginally when adjusted to the age-matched Swedish background population. Conclusions: Using CCTA in a large, random sample of the general population without established disease, we showed that silent coronary atherosclerosis is common in this population. High CAC scores convey a significant probability of substantial stenosis, and 0 CAC does not exclude atherosclerosis, particularly in those at higher baseline risk.

The obesity paradox refers to the epidemiological evidence that obesity compared with normal weight is associated with counter-intuitive improved health in a variety of disease conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). We extracted data from the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry and identified 64 436 patients who underwent coronary angiography due to ACSs. In 54 419 (84.4%) patients, a significant coronary stenosis was identified, whereas 10 017 (15.6%) patients had no significant stenosis. Patients were divided into nine different BMI categories. The patients with significant stenosis were further subdivided according to treatment received such as medical therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or coronary artery by-pass grafting. Mortality for the different subgroups during a maximum of 3 years was compared using Cox proportional hazards regression with the lean BMI category (21.0 to <23.5 kg/m²) as the reference group. Regardless of angiographic findings [significant or no significant coronary artery disease (CAD)] and treatment decision, the underweight group (BMI <18.5 kg/m²) had the greatest risk for mortality. Medical therapy and PCI-treated patients with modest overweight (BMI category 26.5–<28 kg/m²) had the lowest risk of mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 0.52; 95% CI 0.34–0.80 and HR 0.64; 95% CI 0.50–0.81, respectively]. When studying BMI as a continuous variable in patients with significant CAD, the adjusted risk for mortality decreased with increasing BMI up to ∼35 kg/m² and then increased. In patients with significant CAD undergoing coronary artery by-pass grafting and in patients with no significant CAD, there was no difference in mortality risk in the overweight groups compared with the normal weight group. In this large and unselected group of patients with ACSs, the relation between BMI and mortality was U-shaped, with the nadir among overweight or obese patients and underweight and normal-weight patients having the highest risk. These data strengthen the concept of the obesity paradox substantially.

An observational nationwide all-comers prospective register study to analyse outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in unprotected left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease. All patients undergoing coronary angiography in Sweden are registered in the Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies registry. Between 01/01/2005 and 12/31/2015, 11 137 patients with LMCA disease underwent CABG (n = 9364) or PCI (n = 1773). Patients with previous CABG, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) or cardiac shock were excluded. Death, MI, stroke, and new revascularization during follow-up until 12/31/2015 were identified using national registries. Cox regression with inverse probability weighting (IPW) and an instrumental variable (IV), administrative region, were used. Patients undergoing PCI were older, had higher prevalence of comorbidity but lower prevalence of three-vessel disease. PCI patients had higher mortality than CABG patients after adjustments for known cofounders with IPW analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 2.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5–2.7]) and known/unknown confounders with IV analysis (HR 1.5 [95% CI 1.1–2.0]). PCI was associated with higher incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE; death, MI, stroke, or new revascularization) than CABG, with IV analysis (HR 2.8 [95% CI 1.8–4.5]). There was a quantitative interaction for diabetic status regarding mortality (P = 0.014) translating into 3.6 years (95% CI 3.3–4.0) longer median survival time favouring CABG in patients with diabetes. In this non-randomized study, CABG in patients with LMCA disease was associated with lower mortality and fewer MACCE compared to PCI after multivariable adjustment for known and unknown confounders. CABG = coronary artery bypass grafting, CAD = coronary artery disease, CI = confidence interval, PCI = percutaneous coronary intervention, IPW adj. = inverse probability weighting adjustment, IV adj. = instrumental variable adjusted; MACCE = major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.

Background and Aims: The long-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) vs. coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and multivessel disease remain debated. Methods: The Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies registry was used to analyse 57 097 revascularized patients with NSTEMI with multivessel disease in Sweden from January 2005 to June 2022. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, encompassing both in-hospital and long-term mortality; the secondary endpoints included myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, new revascularization, and heart failure. Multilevel logistic regression with follow-up time as a log-transformed offset variable and double-robust adjustment with the instrumental variable method were applied to control for known and unknown confounders. Results: Percutaneous coronary intervention was the primary therapy in 42 190 (73.9%) patients, while 14 907 (26.1%) received CABG. Percutaneous coronary intervention patients were generally older with more prior cardiovascular events, whereas CABG patients had higher incidences of diabetes, hypertension, left main and three-vessel disease, and reduced ejection fraction. Over a median follow-up of 7.1 years, PCI was associated with higher risks of death [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.67; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.54–1.81] and MI (aOR 1.51; 95% CI 1.41–1.62) but there was no significant difference in stroke. Repeat revascularization was three times more likely to PCI (aOR 3.01; 95% CI 2.57–3.51), while heart failure risk was 15% higher (aOR 1.15; 95% CI 1.07–1.25). Coronary artery bypass grafting provided longer survival within 15 years, especially in patients under 70 years of age, with left main disease or left ventricular dysfunction, though this benefit diminished over shorter time horizons. Conclusions: Coronary artery bypass grafting is associated with lower risks of mortality, MI, repeat revascularization, and heart failure in patients with NSTEMI, particularly in high-risk subgroups. However, its survival benefit lessens with shorter life expectancy.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly performed in younger, low surgical risk patients. The NOTION-2 study (The Nordic Aortic Valve Intervention) reports midterm outcomes in low-risk patients age 60 to 75 years with severe tricuspid or bicuspid aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR or surgical valve replacement. METHODS: A total of 370 patients (mean age, 71.1 years; mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality, 1.2%) were enrolled and randomized 1:1 to TAVR or surgery. This follow-up study reports clinical and echocardiographic outcomes up to 3 years of follow-up. RESULTS: At 3 years, the primary composite end point (death, stroke, or procedure-, valve-, or heart failure–related hospitalization) occurred in 16.1% of patients with TAVR versus 12.6% in surgical patients (hazard ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.8–2.2%; I=0.4). Among patients with tricuspid aortic stenosis, rates were similar (14.5% versus 14.4%), whereas patients with bicuspid aortic stenosis had a statistically nonsignificant higher risk with TAVR (20.4% versus 7.8%; hazard ratio, 2.9; 95% CI, 0.9–9.0). The risk of moderate or greater structural valve deterioration at 3 years was 4.5% and 5.2% for transcatheter and surgical aortic bioprostheses, respectively (hazard ratio, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.4–3.1). Bioprosthetic valve failure rates were also comparable: 1.6% in the TAVR group and 2.9% in the surgical group. CONCLUSIONS: For patients age 60 to 75 years with severe aortic stenosis who are at low surgical risk, 3-year clinical outcomes are similar between TAVR and surgery. Both procedures are associated with low rates of structural valve deterioration and need for reintervention. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02825134.

Objectives: New dual antiplatelet therapies (DAPTs) have been introduced in clinical practice for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This nationwide study investigated DAPT patterns over time and patient characteristics associated with the various treatments in a population with ACS.Design: This observational cohort study linked morbidity, mortality, and medication data from Swedish national registries.Results: Overall, 91% (104,012 patients) of all patients admitted to the hospital with an ACS (2009–2013) were alive after discharge and included in this study. Compared with 2009, in 2013 patients investigated with angiography increased by 10%, patients revascularized with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) increased by 11%, and patients prescribed DAPT increased by 8%. Mean DAPT duration increased from 225 to 298 days in patients investigated with angiography, and from 155 to 208 days in patients who were not investigated with angiography. Furthermore, in patients undergoing angiog...