The aim of this report is to describe invasive cardiology procedural practice in Macedonia during the period from 2010 to 2015. Details of all consecutive 39,899 patients who underwent cardiovascular, peripheral or structural heart procedures during the period from 2010 until 2015 were examined. Clinical and procedure characteristics, access site, procedural success and complications were analysed. The number of coronary angiographies increased from 5,540 in 2010 to 8,550 in 2015. Transfemoral access (TFA) was present in 4% of coronary angiographies in 2010 and had decreased to 1% in 2015. The number of primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction increased from 763 to 1,175 and both chronic total occlusion and left main coronary artery interventions also increased over time. In 2015, the drug-eluting stent penetration rate was 65%. Structural heart interventions, including transcatheter aortic valve implantations (TAVI) were introduced in 2014 and 23 TAVI cases have since been performed. Transradial access was performed in 38,455 (96%) of all patients. Wrist access adoption in the majority of cardiovascular interventions is possible in all PCI centres in Europe if an appropriate national strategy is developed.

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AIM:We are presenting an uncommon case of pulmonary embolism, followed with an acute myocardial infarction, in a patient with progressive systemic sclerosis.CASE PRESENTATION:A female 40 years of age was admitted with signs of pulmonary embolism, confirmed with CT scan, which also reviled a thrombus in the right ventricle. The patient had medical history of systemic sclerosis since the age of 16 years. She suffered an ischemic stroke 6 years ago, but she was not taking any anticoagulant or antithrombotic medications ever since. She received a treatment with thrombolytic therapy, and subsequent UFH, but, on the second day after receiving fibrinolysis, she felt chest pain accompanied with ECG changes consistent for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Urgent coronary angiography was undertaken, which reviled cloths causing total occlusion in 4 blood vessels, followed with thromboaspiration, but without successful reperfusion. Several hours later the patient developed rapid deterioration with letal ending. During the very short hospital course, blood sampling reviled presence of antiphospholipid antibodies.CONCLUSION:The acquired antiphospholipid syndrome is common condition in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases, but relatively rare in patients with systemic sclerosis. Never the less, we have to be aware of it when treating the patients with systemic sclerosis.

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