Coronary Arterial Disease (CAD)

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the PD effects of switching from standard-dose clopidogrel dose to low-dose prasugrel versus continuing standard-dose clopidogrel in patients at dual-risk (HBR defined as the HBR-ARC criteria and HIR defined as ABCD-GENE score ≥10) following PCI. We hypothesize that in patients at dual-risk, switching from standard-dose clopidogrel to low-dose prasugrel will be superior to continuing standard-dose clopidogrel in terms of platelet reactivity.

The purpose of this study is to compare the pharmacodynamic effects of ABCD-GENE guided vs. unguided de-escalation strategies among patients on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Lifelong aspirin has been a cornerstone of secondary prevention after coronary artery disease (CAD), based on trials conducted 40-50 years ago. Since then, major advances in coronary reperfusion and risk factor management have significantly improved outcomes. At the same time, aspirin is clearly associated with an increased risk of major bleeding, including intracranial haemorrhage. This raises a critical, yet unanswered question: in patients more than 2 years after a CAD event, does the benefit of continued aspirin still outweigh its bleeding risk? RELEASE-Norway is an investigator-initiated, registry-based, randomised trial with blinded endpoint assessment (PROBE design) designed to determine whether patients with chronic CAD can safely stop aspirin without losing cardiovascular protection. The trial will randomise 7,000 patients from all major hospitals in Norway. Together with a similar trial (RELEASE-Denmark, n≈7,000) planned in Denmark, the study will provide definitive evidence on the long-term net clinical benefit versus harm of aspirin in stable CAD and most likely directly inform future guidelines and clinical practice worldwide. Imaging and PROMS sub-studies will explore clinical and psychosocial mechanisms, providing insight into treatment heterogeneity and enabling future personalised antiplatelet therapy. Additionally, a health-economic analysis will assess the cost-effectiveness of discontinuing aspirin for healthcare systems.

AGENT DCB STANCE is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, 1:1 randomized controlled study designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of a treatment strategy with the AGENT Drug-Coated Balloon compared to standard of care percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment with drug eluting stent (DES) and/or balloon angioplasty in patients with de novo coronary lesions. Subjects must have a de novo target lesion located in a native coronary artery.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Coronary Computed Tomography angiography (CCTA) gained a pivotal clinical role for excellent sensitivity in rule-out CAD, but has limited specificity for a tendency to overestimate stenoses and for the lack of information about their hemodynamic impact. Fractional Flow Reserve derived from CT (FFR-CT) and stress CT perfusion (CTP) have been recently proposed to complement CCTA in the non-invasive assessment of myocardial ischemia, increasing the specificity and avoiding unnecessary catheterization. However, on energy-integrating (EID)-CT, FFR-CT has suboptimal performance, while CTP is affected by high radiation exposure. Both these approaches may benefit by the introduction of the new Photon Counting Detector (PCD)-CT technology, but data completely lacks. Aim of the study is to assess the performance of PCD-CT in the identification of significant CAD combining CCTA with FFR-CT and spectral CTP.

This study investigates changes in coronary artery anatomy and physiology after treatment with a paclitaxel drug-coated balloon (DCB) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Unlike conventional stenting, DCB treatment delivers an antiproliferative drug to the vessel wall without leaving a permanent metallic implant. The absence of a permanent implant allows non-invasive assessment of the treated coronary artery during follow-up using coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Participants will undergo two CCTA examinations: an early scan within two weeks after PCI and a follow-up scan after nine months. CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-μFR) will be calculated from both scans to assess changes in μFR of the treated coronary artery over time. CCTA will also be used to evaluate changes in coronary plaque and vessel characteristics. The primary objective is to determine whether CT-μFR changes between early and nine-month follow-up after DCB-PCI. Secondary objectives include evaluating changes in plaque and vessel characteristics on CCTA and assessing clinical outcomes during follow-up.

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of nurse-led branching scenario-based education delivered through virtual reality and tablet on cardiovascular disease risk awareness and adherence to antiplatelet medication in patients with coronary artery disease. Participants will be randomly assigned to a virtual reality education group, a tablet-based education group, or a control group receiving routine hospital education. Cardiovascular disease risk awareness and medication adherence will be assessed before and after the educational intervention and during follow-up.

Previous studies suggest that both RW and red grape juice (RGJ) have beneficial properties upon risk factors and cardiovascular events. However, the effects of grape polyphenols on metabolomics in men are still poorly understood. Recent advances in mass spectroscopy allowed substantial advances in the analysis of molecular signatures of several diseases. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of RGJ on plasma metabolomics in patients with chronic coronary disease (CAD). This is a crossover, prospective, randomized and controlled study, with two 3-week interventions: 1. daily consumption of RGJ (400 mL) and 2. total abstention from foods rich in polyphenols. Plasma metabolomics will be performed by gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectroscopy (MS) by (Prof. Labate, Department of Plant Genetics, ESALQ). The sample will consist of 50 patients with chronic CAD. aged between 46 and 69 years. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined to achieve homogeneity of the group and avoid interference. The central hypothesis of this study is that RGJ will exert effects upon pathways involved in lipids, carbohidrates and energy production, contributing to the understanding of the mechanisms of action of polyphenols on cardiovascular health, without the risks associated with alcohol.

Long-term sudden cardiac death (abbreviation: SCAR) focuses on improving the predictability of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease. The aim of the study is to determine the predictive value of measurable biological variables (including genetic factors, cardiac electrical activity, biological markers measured from circulation, and coronary artery anatomy) as well as the patients' psychosocial factors in predicting SCDs. The purpose of this study is the identification of a subgroup of coronary artery disease patients at sufficiently high risk in whom it may be possible to prevent sudden cardiac arrests and subsequent deaths using implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. The study is intended to establish a clear foundation for future interventional studies targeting high-risk coronary artery disease patients. The primary endpoint of the study is SCD/sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or a comparable malignant arrhythmic event (i.e., resuscitation). Secondary endpoints include other major cardiovascular events occurring during the follow-up period (such as cerebrovascular events, myocardial infarctions, revascularizations, and new arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation following procedures or after the patient has been discharged following recruitment) or the occurrence and mortality of other significant life-threatening diseases (such as cancer). Secondary endpoints also include poor success in secondary prevention, which can be assessed through completed medication purchases and the achievement of secondary prevention goals. This observational, prospective study includes collecting multimodal data from hospitals in Finland (TAUH), Israel (HYMC), Moldova (IMSP) and Romania (UMFCD). Each participating institution has followed a process structured by Tampere Heart Hospital (TAUH) for securing permissions in line with EU and national regulations.

The goal of this observational study is to recognize clinical and genetic risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and death (SCD) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The main questions it aims to answer are: Are we able to recognize clinical or treatment-related risk factors for SCA or SCD? Can we identify new genetic risk factors for SCA or SCD in patients under 75 years? Participants diagnosed with CAD answer a short survey about their medical history and socioeconomic status. A standard ECG addition to a five (5) minute ECG recording is taken from all the study subjects. In addition to a few short physiological tests (e.g. blood pressure, height, weight, grip strength), a blood sample is withdrawn from a selected group of study subjects. Medical healthcare records are used to follow all study subjects, and no follow-up visits are required.

A prospective, open-label, multi-site, FIH with up to fifteen (n=15) patients to assess the safety and preliminary effectiveness of the AVS Pulse Intravascular Lithotripsy™ System (Pulse IVL™ System) when used for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants(NOACs) are standard care for thromboembolism prevention in patients with Aterial Fibrillation(AF). However, evidence comparing edoxaban and apixaban remains limited in AF patients with coexisting coronary artery disease(CAD). This study aims to evaluate whether edoxaban-based therapy is non-interior to apixaban-based therapy with respect to Net Adverse Clinical Events(NACE) in AF patients with concomitant CAD.

The goal of the OPEN-SAFE registry is to describe the contemporary use and outcomes of SIS-OPN in North America.

The FORWARD CAD IDE Study is a Prospective, Multicenter, Single-Arm, Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) Study conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of the Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) System with the Javelin Coronary IVL Catheter for the treatment of calcified, stenotic de novo coronary artery lesions prior to stenting.

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate changes in absolute coronary flow and pressure before and after percutaneous coronary intervention in calcified lesions. The secondary aim is to use a machine learning model to predict the outcome of the intervention.

The purpose of this clinical study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a specialized medical device, the Naviscore scoring balloon, in preparing calcified coronary artery narrowings before the implantation of a drug-eluting stent. During percutaneous coronary interventions, the presence of calcified plaques in the heart arteries represents a major challenge because it can prevent stents from expanding fully. When a stent remains under-expanded, it significantly increases the long-term risk of arterial re-narrowing or blood clot formation. To optimize stent expansion, appropriate preparation of the diseased vessel section before stent insertion is a critical phase. This study is a prospective, multi-center randomized trial designed to test the hypothesis that treating calcified coronary lesions with the Naviscore scoring balloon will achieve a better stent expansion and a larger final minimal stent area compared to standard lesion preparation using regular non-compliant balloons. Eligible participants will be randomized in a one-to-one ratio to one of these two lesion preparation strategies. For all included patients, standard drug-eluting stents will be deployed. The study will use intravascular ultrasound imaging to evaluate the final minimum area of the stent directly inside the treated artery at the site of the highest initial calcium burden. Participant health and clinical outcomes will be monitored for up to twelve months following the procedure.

The present study is practice-driven and merely observational and prospective. In clinical routine, patients who suffer from suspected ACS and do not show ST elevation in the ECG, different timing proposals in the guidelines and logistically driven differences lead to considerably variable timings in invasive coronary anatomy assessments. This handling may lead to larger infarct sizes when OMI is overseen. Therefore, the present study aims to observe a) whether an AI model is capable of correctly identify OMI in eligible patients and b) if in these patients troponin peak levels vary depending on the elapsed time between OMI diagnosis and coronary intervention. As the model has not been established yet clinically and in the guidelines, it is safe to assume the usual pathway from first medical contact to specialist's attention is undertaken. When a patient presents in an emergency department or places an emergency call, the physicians assess the situation as usal and as stated in the current guidelines1. If no STEMI is confirmed, the NSTE-ACS protocol is started. The patients who are ruled out for ACS are excluded from the final analysis (screening). In this case, the AI model is tested on their ECG in order to assess whether there are false positives. The patients which are in the ACS "rule-in" trail and undergo final coronary angiography will naturally be divided in patients which were classified as OMI and as non-OMI by the AI model. Furthermore, they will present a different "Time from OMI diagnosis to PCI) and variable troponin peak levels. By leveraging this natural variability, a practical distinction and multiple analyses can be done: 1. The feasibility of AI-powered ECG interpretation in the care of patients with suspected ACS and without clear ST-elevation infarction 2. The accuracy of AI-powered ECG interpretation in detecting OMI compared to the classical STEMI criteria 3. How infarct size correlates with different ECG readings by AI and (hypothesis generating) if changing the clinical practice could lead to a benefit in patients with suspected OMI.

Implantation of a metallic drug-eluting stent (DES) is currently the gold standard in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, a DES has several limitations on the long-term, such as chronic local inflammation which may lead to in-stent restenosis, absence of physiological coronary vasomotion and vessel caging which makes future coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) impossible. A bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) is designed to overcome these limitations. The first generation BRS was shown to be clinically inferior to DES due to a slightly higher rate of stent thrombosis. To overcome this problem, several scientific developments have been achieved in the past few years, such as thinner BRS strut construction and improved implantation technique by using PSP (predilatation, sizing, postdilatation) method and intracoronary imaging guidance with optical coherence tomography (OCT) or intravasculair ultrasound (IVUS). A PCI protocol that combines implantation of a second generation thin-strut BRS, mandatory PSP implantation method and mandatory intracoronary imaging-guidance has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate feasibility of a new PCI protocol with implantation of the second generation Meres100 thin-strut BRS combined with a protocolized PSP implantation technique guided by intracoronary imaging.

The primary aim of this study is to determine rates of patients with optimal platelet reactivity range, defined as PRU levels between 85 and 208, when using a (PFT)-guided titration of cangrelor infusion rate (cangrelor titration) compared to 0.75 mcg/kg/min (standard-dose infusion) for bridging.

Evacuation of pericardial blood by posterior pericardiotomy or use of a posterior pericardial chest tube lowers postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) rates after cardiac surgery by 45-68%. Although it cannot be generalized due to trial undersizing, posterior pericardial chest tube treatment may be a superior alternative to pericardiotomy, given its low risk of procedural complications. This interventional multicenter trial will assess whether prolonged treatment with a posterior pericardial chest tube lowers POAF rates after cardiac surgery. Investigators will randomize 624 patients undergoing routine cardiac surgery at Nordic sites 1:1 to receive a posterior pericardial chest tube as adjunct to standard care for up to 3 postoperative days or standard care alone. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients with POAF up to 7 days post-surgery; the study will be powered to detect a relative risk reduction of 30% in the intervention arm. Secondary outcomes are AF burden; days with chest tubes and their output; proportion of patients with POAF up to 14 days post-surgery; direct current conversions during hospital admission; length of ICU/hospital stay; postoperative complications, mortality, ischemic stroke, and major bleeding at 30/90 days and 1/3/5 years; and quality of life/postoperative recovery at 90 days and 1 year. This trial may provide quality clinical evidence supporting the adoption of a simple method to prevent POAF, thus reducing healthcare costs.

The ORBIT-SHOCK pilot study is a multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial initiated by investigators. It will include patients diagnosed with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease presenting calcified nodules (CN), identified by optical coherence tomography (OCT), causing significant angiographic stenosis and eligible for revascularization through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to undergo lesion preparation with either orbital atherectomy (OA) or intravascular lithotripsy (IVL). The ORBIT-SHOCK pilot study is a multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial initiated by investigators. It will include patients diagnosed with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease presenting calcified nodules (CN), identified by optical coherence tomography (OCT), causing significant angiographic stenosis and eligible for revascularization through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to undergo lesion preparation with either orbital atherectomy (OA) or intravascular lithotripsy (IVL). The aim of this pilot trial is to compare PCI outcomes and the incidence of adverse events between both techniques.

Retrospective analysis of data collected in an institutional database of coronary interventions with use of drug-eluting balloons, with a prospective follow-up for major adverse cardiovascular events and living status.

ICECAP is a multi-centre, prospective, single-arm, interventional, traditional feasibility clinical investigation to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intra-coronary cryotherapy on vulnerable or high-risk plaque (HRP), using the CryoTherapy System (CTS). The study aims to enroll 25 patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease, successfully treated for their culprit lesion and with presence of at least one HRP lesion in another vessel. Eligible patients will undergo cryotherapy during a planned procedure. Near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS and Optical Coherence Tomography imaging will be used during baseline procedure, and during a 9 months follow visit. The primary endpoint is reduction of plaque burden measured as 30% reduction in maxLCBI4mm as measured by NIRS at 9 months post procedure.

this trial aimed to evaluate the stent expansion through intravascular imaging (optical coherence tomography (OCT) \& intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)) among individuals underwent different preparation techniques ,then comparing the efficacy and safety of super high-pressure balloon to IVL in severely calcified lesions

This prospective, multicenter, post-market observational study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the crystalline sirolimus-coated balloon (SeQuent® Sirolimus-Coated Balloon) for the treatment of coronary artery disease in routine clinical practice. Consecutive, unselected adult patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for de novo coronary lesions or in-stent restenosis will be enrolled. The primary objective is to assess target lesion failure at 12 months, defined as the composite of target vessel myocardial infarction or ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization. Secondary objectives include angiographic procedural success, major adverse cardiovascular events, bleeding outcomes, and longer-term clinical results up to 36 months, as well as outcomes across predefined anatomical and clinical subgroups. The study seeks to answer whether treatment with the crystalline sirolimus-coated balloon provides a safe and effective revascularization strategy in a real-world population with diverse clinical presentations and lesion characteristics.