Project description:Calcified lesions often mean percutaneous intervention results are suboptimal and increase the risk of procedural complications and future adverse events. Available plaque-modifying devices rely on tissue compression or debulking, with the intention of fracturing calcium and facilitating optimal stent deployment. In contrast, coronary intravascular lithotripsy delivers unfocused, circumferential, pulsatile mechanical energy to safely disrupt the calcium within the target lesion. The present review summarises the evidence available so far on this therapy and includes a practical description of the components and function of the Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy System (Shockwave Medical).
Project description:Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a novel approach to lesion preparation of severely calcified plaques in coronary and peripheral vessels. Lithotripsy is delivered by vaporising fluid to create an expanding bubble that generates sonic pressure waves that interact with arterial calcification. Available data indicate that IVL leads to increased vessel compliance before stent implantation with high efficacy and an excellent safety profile. Since it gained the CE mark in 2017, and with improved operator experience, the use of IVL has expanded into more complex clinical situations. This review focuses on the best practice for IVL use in the cath lab, based on 3 years of experience with the technology and the latest scientific data from the Disrupt CAD clinical trials.
Project description:BackgroundCalcified coronary lesions are a challenge for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). Coronary intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a novel calcium modification technology approved for commercial use in February 2021, but little is known about its uptake in US clinical practice.MethodsWe described trends in use of calcium modification strategies, variation in use across hospitals, and predictors of calcium modification and IVL use in PCI. We included National Cardiovascular Data Registry CathPCI Registry patients who underwent PCI between April 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022. We examined trends and hospital variation in calcium modification and IVL use. We used multivariate hierarchical logistic regression to identify predictors of calcium modification and IVL use at hospitals in 2022.ResultsOf 2,733,494 PCIs across 1676 hospitals over 4.75 years, 11.4% were performed with calcium modification. Coronary IVL use increased rapidly from 0% of PCIs in Q4 2020 to 7.8% of PCIs in Q4 2022, which was accompanied by an overall increase in use of all calcium modification strategies (11.1%-16.0%) during this period with a slight corresponding decrease in coronary atherectomy use (5.4%-4.4%). In 2022, there was wide variation in IVL use across hospitals (median, 3.86%; IQR, 0%-8.19%), with IVL being the most common calcium modification strategy in 48% of hospitals. The treating hospital was the strongest predictor of calcium modification (median odds ratio [OR], 2.49; 95% CI, 2.40-2.57) and IVL use (median OR, 2.89; 95% CI, 2.74-3.04).ConclusionsIVL has rapidly changed the landscape of calcium modification use for PCI, although there remains wide variation across hospitals.
Project description:Calcified coronary lesions are notorious for posing technical difficulty during angioplasty. Fortunately, more devices are available to tackle coronary calcifications. However, there remain difficult cases whereby a single modality is insufficient. Here we report the feasibility and success of a case, using Novo combination of Shockwave Lithotripsy after Orbital Atherectomy. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).
Project description:IntroductionThis study aimed to compare the efficacy of eccentrically focused resistance exercise (ECC RT) to concentrically focused resistance exercise (CNC RT) on knee osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms and strength.MethodsNinety participants consented. Participants were randomized to CNC RT, ECC RT, or a wait-list, no-exercise control group. Four months of supervised exercise training was completed using traditional weight machines (CNC RT) or modified-matched machines that overloaded the eccentric action (ECC RT). Main outcomes included one-repetition maximal strength (knee extension, leg flexion, and leg press), weekly rate of strength gain, Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) total score and subscores.ResultsFifty-four participants (60-85 yr, 61% women) completed the study. Both CNC RT and ECC RT groups showed 16%-28% improvement relative to the wait-list, no-exercise control group (P = 0.003-0.005) for all leg strength measures. The rate of weekly strength gain was greater for CNC RT than for ECC RT for leg press and knee flexion (by 2.9%-4.8%; both, P < 0.05) but not knee extension (0.7%; P = 0.38). There were no significant differences in WOMAC total and subscores across groups over time. Leg press strength change was the greatest contributor to change in WOMAC total scores (R = 0.223). The change in knee flexion strength from baseline to month 4 was a significant predictor of the change in WOMAC pain subscore (F ratio = 4.84, df = 45, P = 0.032). Both modes of strength training were well tolerated.ConclusionsBoth resistance training types effectively increased leg strength. Knee flexion and knee extension muscle strength can modify function and pain symptoms irrespective of muscle contraction type. Which mode to pick could be determined by preference, goals, tolerance to the contraction type, and equipment availability.
Project description:Left main coronary artery disease subtends a large area of potentially jeopardized myocardium. Percutaneous coronary intervention for severe left main coronary artery disease is a reasonable treatment option for select patients. Severe coronary artery calcium of the left main artery increases the complexity of percutaneous coronary intervention and is associated with increased risk of periprocedural complications and worse long-term clinical outcomes. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) utilizes sonic pressure waves to modify severe coronary artery calcium and has emerged as a safe and effective alternative to coronary atherectomy. However, left main lesions were excluded from regulatory approval clinical trials of IVL. Herein, we review all available data regarding the use of IVL treatment for severe left main coronary artery disease.
Project description:How corticospinal excitability changes during eccentric locomotor exercise is unknown. In the present study, 13 volunteers performed 30-min strenuous concentric and eccentric cycling bouts at the same power output (60% concentric peak power output). Transcranial magnetic and electrical femoral nerve stimulations were applied at exercise onset (3rd min) and end (25th min). Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) amplitude was measured for the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles with surface electromyography (EMG) and expressed as a percentage of maximal M-wave amplitude (MMAX). EMG amplitude 100 ms prior to MEPs and the silent period duration were calculated. There was no change in any neural parameter during the exercises (all P > 0.24). VL and RF MMAX were unaffected by exercise modality (all P > 0.38). VL MEP amplitude was greater (26 ± 11.4 vs. 15.2 ± 7.7% MMAX; P = 0.008) during concentric than eccentric cycling whereas RF MEP amplitude was not different (24.4 ± 10.8 vs. 17.2 ± 9.8% MMAX; P = 0.051). While VL EMG was higher during concentric than eccentric cycling (P = 0.03), RF EMG showed no significant difference (P = 0.07). Similar silent period durations were found (RF: 120 ± 30 ms; VL: 114 ± 27 ms; all P > 0.61), but the silent period/MEP ratio was higher during eccentric than concentric cycling for both muscles (all P < 0.02). In conclusion, corticospinal excitability to the knee extensors is lower and relative silent period longer during eccentric than concentric cycling, yet both remained unaltered with time.
Project description:Renal artery stenosis (RAS) typically involves varying degrees of calcification, and treatment can be fraught with risk and suboptimal results. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) uses shockwaves to fragment calcium to facilitate angioplasty. We present a case of severe bilateral RAS successfully treated with IVL and stenting after conventional methods had failed. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).
Project description:BackgroundThe aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in treating eccentric calcified coronary lesions.MethodsBetween December 2015 and March 2019, 180 patients were enrolled in the Disrupt CAD I and CAD II studies across 19 sites in 10 countries. Patient-level data were pooled from these two studies (n = 180), within which 47 eccentric lesions (26%) and 133 concentric lesions were identified.ResultsClinical success, defined as residual stenosis < 50% after stenting and no in-hospital MACE, was similar between the eccentric and concentric cohorts (93.6% vs. 93.2%, p = 1.0). There were no perforations, abrupt closure, slow flow or no reflow events observed in either group, and there were low rates of flow-limiting dissections (Grade D-F: 0% eccentric, 1.7% concentric; p = 0.54). Final acute gain and percent residual stenosis were similar between the two groups. Final residual stenosis of 8.6 ± 9.8% in eccentric and 10.0 ± 9.0% (p = 0.56) in concentric stenosis confirms the significant effect of IVL in calcified coronary lesions.ConclusionIn this first report from a pooled patient-level analysis of coronary IVL from the Disrupt CAD I and CAD II studies, IVL use was associated with consistent improvement in procedural and clinical outcomes in both eccentric and concentric calcified lesions.
Project description:Eccentric (ECC) and concentric (CON) contractions induce distinct muscle remodelling patterns that manifest early during exercise training, the causes of which remain unclear. We examined molecular signatures of early contraction mode-specific muscle adaptation via transcriptome-wide network and secretome analyses during 2 weeks of ECC- versus CON-specific (downhill versus uphill running) exercise training (exercise 'habituation'). Despite habituation attenuating total numbers of exercise-induced genes, functional gene-level profiles of untrained ECC or CON were largely unaltered post-habituation. Network analysis revealed 11 ECC-specific modules, including upregulated extracellular matrix and immune profiles plus downregulated mitochondrial pathways following untrained ECC. Of 3 CON-unique modules, 2 were ribosome-related and downregulated post-habituation. Across training, 376 ECC-specific and 110 CON-specific hub genes were identified, plus 45 predicted transcription factors. Secreted factors were enriched in 3 ECC- and/or CON-responsive modules, with all 3 also being under the predicted transcriptional control of SP1 and KLF4. Of 34 candidate myokine hubs, 1 was also predicted to have elevated expression in skeletal muscle versus other tissues: THBS4, of a secretome-enriched module upregulated after untrained ECC. In conclusion, distinct untrained ECC and CON transcriptional responses are dampened after habituation without substantially shifting molecular functional profiles, providing new mechanistic candidates into contraction-mode specific muscle regulation.