BACKGROUND: Double-kissing (DK) crush and DK culotte are the recommended 2-stent strategies in true coronary bifurcation lesions. However, it is a matter of curiosity about which of the DK crush and DK culotte stenting techniques will have superior results. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of DK crush and DK culotte stenting in nonleft main coronary artery bifurcation. METHODS: Consecutive patients who received DK crush or DK culotte technique for de novo true nonleft main coronary artery bifurcation lesion were categorized according to which treatment they received. The primary end point of the study was target lesion failure as a composite end point of target lesion revascularization, target vessel myocardial infarction, and cardiac death. Secondary end points were all-cause death and definite stent thrombosis. RESULTS: A total of 202 patients were categorized as DK crush (101 patients) or DK culotte (101 patients) techniques. The target lesion failure had occurred frequently in the DK crush (10.9%) compared with the DK culotte (3.0%; P =0.028) that was mainly driven by increased target lesion revascularization (9.9% in the DK crush versus 3.0% in the DK culotte; P =0.045). The number of patients with target vessel myocardial infarction (3.0% in the DK crush versus 2.0% in the DK culotte; P =0.651) and cardiac death (1.0% in the DK crush versus 0.0% in the DK culotte; P =0.315) was higher in the DK crush. There were no differences in terms of definite stent thrombosis and all-cause death between groups. CONCLUSIONS: In the present analysis, DK culotte was associated with lower 1-year target lesion failure rates compared with DK crush in true nonleft main coronary artery bifurcations. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT04789161.

Background: The assessment of left ventricular (LV) structure and function is important in the evaluation of hypertensive heart disease, as it provides information on the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Aortic knob width (AKW) is a measurement of radiographic structure formed by the foreshortened aortic arch and a portion of the descending aorta. The main aim of this study was to investigate the relation between AKW on the routine chest radiography and subclinical LV dysfunction in hypertensive patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 144 patients with hypertension admitted to the cardiology outpatients clinic were enrolled consecutively. The patients were divided into two groups according to tissue Doppler-derived myocardial performance index (MPI): subclinical LV dysfunction group (abnormal MPI ≥ 0.5, n = 85) and absence of subclinical LV dysfunction group (normal MPI< 0.5, n = 59). Results: Patients with subclinical LV dysfunction were older (60 ± 8 vs. 54 ± 8, p = 0.001). Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (96 ± 27 vs. 74 ± 24, p < 0.001) and prevalence of LV hypertrophy (28 vs. 8%, p = 0.011) were significantly different between two groups. Patients with subclinical LV dysfunction had higher AKW (42 ± 6 vs. 34 ± 5, p < 0.001) compared with patients without subclinical LV dysfunction. There was a significant correlation between MPI and AKW (r = 0.7, p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that AKW (β = 0.617, p = 0.001) and posterior wall thickness (PWth) (β = 1.189, p = 0.021) were independently associated with subclinical LV dysfunction. Analysis using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve has demonstrated that aortic knob of 37 mm constitutes the cutoff value for the presence of subclinical LV dysfunction with 85.9% sensitivity and 86.4% specificity (The Area under the Curve ± Standard Error (AUC±SE) = 0.916 ± 0.024, p < 0.001). Conclusion: AKW may provide important predictive information on subclinical LV dysfunction in patients with hypertension.

Objectives: Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is the most severe manifestation of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The Naples prognostic score (NPS), a composite marker incorporating serum albumin, total cholesterol, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), has shown prognostic value in various cardiovascular conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the NPS in predicting all-cause mortality and any kind of amputation in patients with CLTI undergoing endovascular treatment (EVT) for below-the-knee (BTK) lesions. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, 191 patients diagnosed with CLTI and treated with EVT for BTK lesions between 2017 and 2023 were stratified into three groups based on the NPS: low (0–1), intermediate (2), and high (3–4). The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, while the secondary endpoint was any kind of amputation. Results: A higher NPS was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 3.66; 95% confidence interval: 1.72–7.78; p < 0.001), while no significant association was observed between the NPS and major amputation. Independent predictors of mortality included a high NPS, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, and impaired renal function. Conclusions: The NPS is an independent predictor of long-term mortality in CLTI patients undergoing EVT for BTK lesions.