BACKGROUND Guidelines recommend nonstatin lipid-lowering agents in patients at very high risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) if low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) remains ≥70 mg/dL on maximum tolerated statin treatment. It is uncertain if this approach benefits patients with LDL-C near 70 mg/dL. Lipoprotein(a) levels may influence residual risk. OBJECTIVES In a post hoc analysis of the ODYSSEY Outcomes (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab) trial, the authors evaluated the benefit of adding the proprotein subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor alirocumab to optimized statin treatment in patients with LDL-C levels near 70 mg/dL. Effects were evaluated according to concurrent lipoprotein(a) levels. METHODS ODYSSEY Outcomes compared alirocumab with placebo in 18,924 patients with recent acute coronary syndromes receiving optimized statin treatment. In 4,351 patients (23.0%), screening or randomization LDL-C was <70 mg/dL (median 69.4 mg/dL; interquartile range: 64.3–74.0 mg/dL); in 14,573 patients (77.0%), both determinations were ≥70 mg/dL (median 94.0 mg/dL; interquartile range: 83.2–111.0 mg/dL). RESULTS In the lower LDL-C subgroup, MACE rates were 4.2 and 3.1 per 100 patient-years among placebo-treated patients with baseline lipoprotein(a) greater than or less than or equal to the median (13.7 mg/dL). Corresponding adjusted treatment hazard ratios were 0.68 (95% confidence interval [Cl]: 0.52–0.90) and 1.11 (95% Cl: 0.83–1.49), with treatment-lipoprotein(a) interaction on MACE ( P interaction = 0.017). In the higher LDL-C subgroup, MACE rates were 4.7 and 3.8 per 100 patient-years among placebo-treated patients with lipoprotein(a) >13.7 mg/dL or ≤13.7 mg/dL; corresponding adjusted treatment hazard ratios were 0.82 (95% Cl: 0.72–0.92) and 0.89 (95% Cl: 0.75–1.06), with P interaction = 0.43. CONCLUSIONS In patients with recent acute coronary syndromes and LDL-C near 70 mg/dL on optimized statin therapy, proprotein subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibition provides incremental clinical benefit only when lipoprotein(a) concentration is at least mildly elevated. (ODYSSEY Outcomes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab; NCT01663402 )

After contemporary everolimus-eluting stent implantation, women and minorities experience a similar risk of 1-year MACE but a higher adjusted risk of recurrent ischemic events primarily because of nonstent-related MIs. Both clinical and angiographic factors and social determinants of health, including widowhood and insurance status, contribute to 1-year MACE among women and minorities.

No abstract

Background: Prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with increased bleeding, despite a reduced incidence of ischemic events. The SYNERGY everolimus-eluting stent is a thin-strut platinum-chromium stent that elutes everolimus from a thin abluminal layer of bioabsorbable polymer. These design elements may facilitate rapid endothelialization and enable shorter-duration DAPT. Methods: EVOLVE Short DAPT prospectively evaluated the safety of 3-month DAPT in high bleeding risk patients treated with the SYNERGY everolimus-eluting stent, enrolling 2009 patients at 110 global sites. Patients with acute myocardial infarction or complex lesions were excluded. After percutaneous coronary intervention, patients were required to take DAPT (aspirin+P2Y 12 inhibitor) for 3 months, except those on chronic anticoagulation in whom aspirin was optional. Patients free of events (stroke, myocardial infarction, revascularization, and stent thrombosis) who discontinued P2Y 12 inhibitor at 3 months, but continued aspirin, and had at least 1 year of follow-up or an end point event were included in the primary analysis. Two powered coprimary end points were (1) death/myocardial infarction compared with a historical control and (2) study stent-related definite/probable stent thrombosis compared to a performance goal. Results: The analysis population consisted of 1487 patients. The adjusted rate of death/myocardial infarction between 3 and 15 months was 5.6% among patients receiving 3-month DAPT versus 5.7% patients in the 12-month DAPT control (propensity adjusted difference=−0.12%; 97.5% upper bound=1.63% which was less than the prespecified margin of 2.52; P non-inferiority =0.0016). The rate of study stent-related stent thrombosis between 3-15 months was 0.2% in the 3-month DAPT group (97.5% upper bound=0.63%; P =0.0005 for comparison to 1% performance goal). Conclusions: Favorable rates of ischemic outcomes were observed among selected high bleeding risk patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with the SYNERGY everolimus-eluting stent who tolerated 3 months of P2Y 12 inhibitor and then discontinued it, supporting the safety of abbreviated DAPT with this stent platform. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02605447.

Objective We evaluated 1‐year outcomes after platinum chromium everolimus‐eluting stents (PtCr‐EES) in small versus non‐small coronary arteries within a large, diverse sample of men, women, and minorities. Background There exists limited outcomes data on the use of second‐generation drug‐eluting stent to treat small diameter coronary arteries. Methods We pooled patients from the PLATINUM Diversity and PROMUS Element Plus stent registries. Small‐vessel percutaneous coronary intervention (SV‐PCI) was defined as ≥1 target lesion with reference vessel diameter (RVD) ≤2.5 mm. Endpoints included major adverse cardiac event (MACE; death, myocardial infarction [MI] or target vessel revascularization [TVR]), target vessel failure (TVF; death related to the target vessel, target vessel MI or TVR) and definite/probable stent thrombosis (ST). Multivariable Cox regression was used to risk‐adjust outcomes. Results We included 4,155/4,182 (99%) patients with available RVD, of which 1,607 (39%) underwent small‐vessel PCI. SV‐PCI was not associated with increased MACE (adjHR 1.02; 95%CI 0.81–1.30) or TVF (adjHR 1.07; 95%CI 0.82–1.39). MI risk was lower in white men compared to women and minorities, both in the setting of SV‐PCI (adjHR 0.41; 95%CI 0.23–0.74 and adjHR 0.39; 95%CI 0.20–0.75, respectively) and for non‐SV‐PCI (adjHR 0.61; 95%CI 0.38–0.99 and adjHR 0.45; 95%CI 0.27–0.74, respectively). There was no significant interaction between RVD and sex or minority status for any endpoint. Conclusion In a large diverse contemporary PCI outcomes database, SV‐PCI with PtCr‐EES was not associated with increased MACE or TVR and did not account for the increased MI risk noted in women and minorities compared to white men.