Aims To assess whether low response to clopidogrel influences cardiovascular outcome after coronary stent implantation in a consecutively measured cohort of patients with coronary stent implantation. Methods and results A total of 379 consecutive patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD), (stable angina n=206 and acute coronary syndrome, n=173) treated with percutaneous coronary stenting were enrolled in this trial. Responsiveness to clopidogrel was assessed by ADP (20 µmol/L)-induced aggregometry at least 6 h (mean 34.8±25.9 h) after administration of a loading dose of 600 mg clopidogrel. Platelet inhibition <30% was defined as low response to clopidogrel. At 3-month follow-up, the primary outcome of a combined major cardiovascular event including non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal ischaemic stroke, or cardiovascular death was evaluated. Twenty-two patients (5.8%) were classified as low responders. Compared with patients who adequately responded to clopidogrel, a low responder had a significantly higher risk of major cardiovascular events [22.7 vs. 5.6%; odds ratio, 4.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.66–14.96; P=0.004]. After adjustment for other factors influencing cardiovascular outcome, low response to clopidogrel and severe left ventricular dysfunction were independently associated with a major cardiovascular event within 3 months (hazard ratio for low response to clopidogrel, 3.71; 95% CI, 1.08–12.69; P=0.037). Conclusion Low response to clopidogrel in patients with symptomatic CAD treated by stenting significantly enhances the occurrence of cardiovascular events and death. The evaluation of low response to clopidogrel may help to identify patients at increased risk who may benefit from intensified antiplatelet strategy.

The transcatheter mitral valve interventions (TRAMI) registry was established in order to assess safety and efficacy of catheter-based mitral valve interventional techniques in Germany, and prospectively enrolled 828 MitraClip patients (median age 76 years, median log. EuroSCORE I 20.0%) between August 2010 and July 2013. We present the 1-year outcome in this MitraClip cohort—which is the largest published to date. Seven forty-nine patients (90.5%) were available for 1-year follow-up and included in the following analyses. Mortality, major adverse cardiovascular event rates, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes were recorded. Predictors of 1-year mortality were identified by multivariate analysis using a Cox regression model with stepwise forward selection. The 1-year mortality was 20.3%. At 1 year, 63.3% of TRAMI patients pertained to NYHA functional classes I or II (compared with 11.0% at baseline), and self-rated health status (on EuroQuol visual analogue scale) also improved significantly by 10 points. Importantly, a significant proportion of patients regained the complete independence in self-care after MitraClip implantation (independence in 74.0 vs. 58.6% at baseline, P = 0.005). Predictors of 1-year mortality were NYHA class IV (hazard ratio, HR 1.62, P = 0.02), anaemia (HR 2.44, P = 0.02), previous aortic valve intervention (HR 2.12, P = 0.002), serum creatinine ≥1.5 mg/dL (HR 1.77, P = 0.002), peripheral artery disease (HR 2.12, P = 0.0003), left ventricular ejection fraction <30% (HR 1.58, P = 0.01), severe tricuspid regurgitation (HR 1.84, P = 0.003), and procedural failure (defined as operator-reported failure, conversion to surgery, failure of clip placement, or residual post-procedural severe mitral regurgitation) (HR 4.36, P < 0.0001). Treatment of significant MR with MitraClip resulted in significant clinical improvements in a high proportion of TRAMI patients after 12 months. In the TRAMI cohort, the failure of procedural success exhibited the highest hazard ratio concerning the prediction of 1-year mortality.

Aims: To investigate an association of responsiveness to clopidogrel loading dose with genotypes of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19, other CYP isozymes and nongenetic factors in patients with coronary artery disease. Materials & methods: Genotyping for CYP2C19 (*2, *3 and *17), CYP3A4*1B and CYP3A5*3 variants was performed in patients (n = 237) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation was determined after first administration of 600 mg clopidogrel. Results: CYP2C19*2 carriers showed significantly increased residual platelet aggregation (RPA) (OR: 4.6; 95% CI: 2.5–8.7; p < 0.0001) compared with noncarriers. All other polymorphisms had no influence on RPA. For the development of a risk score for better prediction of RPA, CYP2C19*2 genotype and previously identified nongenetic risk factors (age >65 years, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, decreased left ventricular function, renal failure and acute coronary syndrome) were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regress...

Rationale: Optimal secondary prevention of embolic stroke of undetermined source is not established. The current standard in these patients is acetylsalicylic acid, despite high prevalence of yet undetected paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Aim: The ATTICUS randomized trial is designed to determine whether the factor Xa inhibitor apixaban administered within 7 days after embolic stroke of undetermined source, is superior to acetylsalicylic acid for prevention of new ischemic lesions documented by brain magnetic resonance imaging within 12 months after index stroke. Design: Prospective, randomized, blinded, parallel-group, open-label, German multicenter phase III trial in approximately 500 patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source. A key inclusion criterion is the presence or the planned implantation of an insertable cardiac monitor. Patients are 1:1 randomized to apixaban or acetylsalicylic acid and treated for a 12-month period. It is an event-driven trial aiming for core-lab adjudicated primary outcome events. Study outcomes: The primary outcome is the occurrence of at least one new ischemic lesion identified by axial T2-weighted FLAIR magnetic resonance imaging and/or axial DWI magnetic resonance imaging at 12 months when compared with the baseline magnetic resonance imaging. Key secondary outcomes are the combination of recurrent ischemic strokes, hemorrhagic strokes, systemic embolism; combination of MACE including recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular death and combination of major and clinically relevant non-major bleeding defined according to ISTH, and change of cognitive function and quality of life (EQ-5D, Stroke Impact Scale). Discussion: Embolic stroke of undetermined source is caused by embolic disease and associated with a high risk of recurrent ischemic strokes and clinically silent cerebral ischemic lesions. ATTICUS will investigate the impact of atrial fibrillation detected by insertable cardiac monitor and the effects of early anticoagulation with apixaban compared with antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicylic acid on the incidence of new ischemic lesion after embolic stroke of undetermined source.

Cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with a variable phenotype including heart failure, arrhythmias and pulmonary hypertension. The aim of the present study was to evaluate clinical characteristics, histopathological findings and outcome of patients with SSc and a clinical phenotype suggesting cardiac involvement. 25 patients with SSc and clinical signs of cardiac involvement were included between June 2007 and December 2010. They underwent routine clinical work-up including laboratory testing, echocardiography, left and right heart catheterization, holter recordings and endomyocardial biopsy. Primary endpoint (EP) was defined as the combination of cardiovascular death, arrhythmic endpoints (defined as appropriate discharge of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)) or rehospitalization due to heart failure. The majority of patients presented with slightly impaired left ventricular function (mean LVEF 54.1±9.0%, determined by echocardiography). Endomyocardial biopsies detected cardiac fibrosis in all patients with a variable area percentage of 8% to 32%. Cardiac inflammation was diagnosed as follows: No inflammation in 3.8%, isolated inflammatory cells in 38.5%, a few foci of inflammation in 30.8%, several foci of inflammation in 15.4%, and pronounced inflammation in 7.7% of patients. During follow up (FU) (22.5 months), seven (28%) patients reached the primary EP. Patients with subsequent events showed a higher degree of fibrosis and inflammation in the myocardium by trend. While patients with an inflammation grade 0 or 1 showed an event rate of 18.2%, the subgroup of patients with an inflammation grade 2 presented with an event rate of 25% versus an event rate of 50% in the subgroup of patients with an inflammation grade 3 and 4, respectively (p=0.193). Furthermore, the subgroup of patients with fibrosis grade 1 showed an event rate of 11%, patients with fibrosis grade 2 and 3 presented with an event rate of 33% and 42% respectively (p = 0.160). Patients with SSc and clinical signs of cardiac involvement presented with mildly impaired LVEF. Prognosis was poor with an event rate of 28% within 22.5 months FU and was associated with the degree of cardiac inflammation and fibrosis.