Ted Bosworth

NASHVILLE – The first multicenter randomized controlled trial of a home-based rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed highly positive results, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST).

At the end of 12 weeks, those randomly assigned to the intervention had a significant and clinically meaningful improvement in all domains of the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), including activity levels and emotional well-being, reported Roberto P. Benzo, MD, a consultant in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Presenting soon-to-be-published data, Dr. Benzo said that the intervention is based on a tablet-based app. On the tablet, the patient finds a daily schedule of exercises and videos to guide performance. The tablet is programmed to upload data captured from an activity monitor and pulse oximeter. Along with documentation of app usage, this information can then be downloaded for the remote coach to review with the patient.

The primary outcome of the randomized study were the physical and emotional domains of the CRQ quality of life, but a long list of secondary outcomes – including physical activity, symptoms of depression, sleep quality, and health care utilization, such as emergency room visits – was also analyzed.

In addition to the significant benefit on the primary outcomes, the home-based rehabilitation program relative to a wait list for intervention was associated with benefit or a trend for benefit on essentially every outcome measured. Health care utilization was a possible exception, but even then, the absolute number of visits was lower in the treatment arm.

“With a study period of only 12 weeks, we were limited to our ability to show a difference in emergency room visits,” said Dr. Benzo, who also noted that the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospital visits were already occurring at a lower than usual rate. Based on the other findings, he suspects that a reduction in health care utilization could also be shown in more typical circumstances, particularly with a longer follow-up.

In the study, 375 patients with COPD were randomly assigned to a home health care regimen delivered by an app with remote coaching or to a wait list and usual care. The median age was 69 years. Fifty-nine percent were women. The median FEV₁ at enrollment was 45% of predicted.

The patients were able to access their own data to monitor their progress at any time, not just at the time of coaching, but contact with the remote coach occurred on a weekly basis. Patients rated their level of energy, how they felt generally, and their progress toward daily goals, which was also captured on the app and could be discussed with the coach during the review of the previous week’s activity.

At 12 weeks, the favorable 0.54-point change (P < .001) and 0.51 change (P < .001) in the physical and emotional summary scores, respectively, met the criteria for a clinically meaningful change, Dr. Benzo reported. There were also significantly favorable changes from baseline and relative to controls in CRQ domains of self-management, sleep quality, and depression (all P ≤ .01).

Other data collected are supportive. For example, Dr. Benzo reported that those in the rehabilitation group took 624 more steps on average per day than those in the control group. The experimental group also spent nearly an hour more performing moderate or greater levels of activity.

“The app promotes behavioral change,” said Dr. Benzo, who said that this “completely home-based model” of rehabilitation is likely to be cost-effective given the relatively low costs of remote coaching and reasonable costs of the activity monitor, tablet, and other equipment.

Importantly, home-based rehabilitation is a billable practice under currently available CPT codes, according to Dr. Benzo, who believes this approach is not only effective but “feasible and practical.”

Two clinicians active in the care of patients with COPD believe this approach could fulfill an unmet need if further validated. Andrew Berman, MD, professor of medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, thinks the premise is sound.

“Digital competency is still a big issue as is access to adequate quality Internet, but this could be a very useful approach for many individuals, and it avoids visits to a center, which could be a big advantage for patients,” Dr. Berman said.

Abebaw M. Johannes, PhD, a professor of physical therapy at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, Calif., agreed. He said that home-based remote coaching could be a way of overcoming the current hurdles of participating in institutional-based programs

“This is clearly an unmet need in COPD,” he said.

The development of more effective and patient-friendly programs is what was driving this research, according to Dr. Benzo. He cited data suggesting that only about 30% of patients with COPD are participating in rehabilitation programs once discharged from the hospital despite the evidence that they can improve quality of life. For many of these patients, a home-based program might be the answer.

Dr. Benzo, Dr. Berman, and Dr. Johannes reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

NASHVILLE – The first multicenter randomized controlled trial of a home-based rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed highly positive results, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST).

At the end of 12 weeks, those randomly assigned to the intervention had a significant and clinically meaningful improvement in all domains of the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), including activity levels and emotional well-being, reported Roberto P. Benzo, MD, a consultant in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Presenting soon-to-be-published data, Dr. Benzo said that the intervention is based on a tablet-based app. On the tablet, the patient finds a daily schedule of exercises and videos to guide performance. The tablet is programmed to upload data captured from an activity monitor and pulse oximeter. Along with documentation of app usage, this information can then be downloaded for the remote coach to review with the patient.

The primary outcome of the randomized study were the physical and emotional domains of the CRQ quality of life, but a long list of secondary outcomes – including physical activity, symptoms of depression, sleep quality, and health care utilization, such as emergency room visits – was also analyzed.

In addition to the significant benefit on the primary outcomes, the home-based rehabilitation program relative to a wait list for intervention was associated with benefit or a trend for benefit on essentially every outcome measured. Health care utilization was a possible exception, but even then, the absolute number of visits was lower in the treatment arm.

“With a study period of only 12 weeks, we were limited to our ability to show a difference in emergency room visits,” said Dr. Benzo, who also noted that the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospital visits were already occurring at a lower than usual rate. Based on the other findings, he suspects that a reduction in health care utilization could also be shown in more typical circumstances, particularly with a longer follow-up.

In the study, 375 patients with COPD were randomly assigned to a home health care regimen delivered by an app with remote coaching or to a wait list and usual care. The median age was 69 years. Fifty-nine percent were women. The median FEV₁ at enrollment was 45% of predicted.

The patients were able to access their own data to monitor their progress at any time, not just at the time of coaching, but contact with the remote coach occurred on a weekly basis. Patients rated their level of energy, how they felt generally, and their progress toward daily goals, which was also captured on the app and could be discussed with the coach during the review of the previous week’s activity.

At 12 weeks, the favorable 0.54-point change (P < .001) and 0.51 change (P < .001) in the physical and emotional summary scores, respectively, met the criteria for a clinically meaningful change, Dr. Benzo reported. There were also significantly favorable changes from baseline and relative to controls in CRQ domains of self-management, sleep quality, and depression (all P ≤ .01).

Other data collected are supportive. For example, Dr. Benzo reported that those in the rehabilitation group took 624 more steps on average per day than those in the control group. The experimental group also spent nearly an hour more performing moderate or greater levels of activity.

“The app promotes behavioral change,” said Dr. Benzo, who said that this “completely home-based model” of rehabilitation is likely to be cost-effective given the relatively low costs of remote coaching and reasonable costs of the activity monitor, tablet, and other equipment.

Importantly, home-based rehabilitation is a billable practice under currently available CPT codes, according to Dr. Benzo, who believes this approach is not only effective but “feasible and practical.”

Two clinicians active in the care of patients with COPD believe this approach could fulfill an unmet need if further validated. Andrew Berman, MD, professor of medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, thinks the premise is sound.

“Digital competency is still a big issue as is access to adequate quality Internet, but this could be a very useful approach for many individuals, and it avoids visits to a center, which could be a big advantage for patients,” Dr. Berman said.

Abebaw M. Johannes, PhD, a professor of physical therapy at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, Calif., agreed. He said that home-based remote coaching could be a way of overcoming the current hurdles of participating in institutional-based programs

“This is clearly an unmet need in COPD,” he said.

The development of more effective and patient-friendly programs is what was driving this research, according to Dr. Benzo. He cited data suggesting that only about 30% of patients with COPD are participating in rehabilitation programs once discharged from the hospital despite the evidence that they can improve quality of life. For many of these patients, a home-based program might be the answer.

Dr. Benzo, Dr. Berman, and Dr. Johannes reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

NASHVILLE – The first multicenter randomized controlled trial of a home-based rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed highly positive results, according to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST).

At the end of 12 weeks, those randomly assigned to the intervention had a significant and clinically meaningful improvement in all domains of the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), including activity levels and emotional well-being, reported Roberto P. Benzo, MD, a consultant in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Presenting soon-to-be-published data, Dr. Benzo said that the intervention is based on a tablet-based app. On the tablet, the patient finds a daily schedule of exercises and videos to guide performance. The tablet is programmed to upload data captured from an activity monitor and pulse oximeter. Along with documentation of app usage, this information can then be downloaded for the remote coach to review with the patient.

The primary outcome of the randomized study were the physical and emotional domains of the CRQ quality of life, but a long list of secondary outcomes – including physical activity, symptoms of depression, sleep quality, and health care utilization, such as emergency room visits – was also analyzed.

In addition to the significant benefit on the primary outcomes, the home-based rehabilitation program relative to a wait list for intervention was associated with benefit or a trend for benefit on essentially every outcome measured. Health care utilization was a possible exception, but even then, the absolute number of visits was lower in the treatment arm.

“With a study period of only 12 weeks, we were limited to our ability to show a difference in emergency room visits,” said Dr. Benzo, who also noted that the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hospital visits were already occurring at a lower than usual rate. Based on the other findings, he suspects that a reduction in health care utilization could also be shown in more typical circumstances, particularly with a longer follow-up.

In the study, 375 patients with COPD were randomly assigned to a home health care regimen delivered by an app with remote coaching or to a wait list and usual care. The median age was 69 years. Fifty-nine percent were women. The median FEV₁ at enrollment was 45% of predicted.

The patients were able to access their own data to monitor their progress at any time, not just at the time of coaching, but contact with the remote coach occurred on a weekly basis. Patients rated their level of energy, how they felt generally, and their progress toward daily goals, which was also captured on the app and could be discussed with the coach during the review of the previous week’s activity.

At 12 weeks, the favorable 0.54-point change (P < .001) and 0.51 change (P < .001) in the physical and emotional summary scores, respectively, met the criteria for a clinically meaningful change, Dr. Benzo reported. There were also significantly favorable changes from baseline and relative to controls in CRQ domains of self-management, sleep quality, and depression (all P ≤ .01).

Other data collected are supportive. For example, Dr. Benzo reported that those in the rehabilitation group took 624 more steps on average per day than those in the control group. The experimental group also spent nearly an hour more performing moderate or greater levels of activity.

“The app promotes behavioral change,” said Dr. Benzo, who said that this “completely home-based model” of rehabilitation is likely to be cost-effective given the relatively low costs of remote coaching and reasonable costs of the activity monitor, tablet, and other equipment.

Importantly, home-based rehabilitation is a billable practice under currently available CPT codes, according to Dr. Benzo, who believes this approach is not only effective but “feasible and practical.”

Two clinicians active in the care of patients with COPD believe this approach could fulfill an unmet need if further validated. Andrew Berman, MD, professor of medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, thinks the premise is sound.

“Digital competency is still a big issue as is access to adequate quality Internet, but this could be a very useful approach for many individuals, and it avoids visits to a center, which could be a big advantage for patients,” Dr. Berman said.

Abebaw M. Johannes, PhD, a professor of physical therapy at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, Calif., agreed. He said that home-based remote coaching could be a way of overcoming the current hurdles of participating in institutional-based programs

“This is clearly an unmet need in COPD,” he said.

The development of more effective and patient-friendly programs is what was driving this research, according to Dr. Benzo. He cited data suggesting that only about 30% of patients with COPD are participating in rehabilitation programs once discharged from the hospital despite the evidence that they can improve quality of life. For many of these patients, a home-based program might be the answer.

Dr. Benzo, Dr. Berman, and Dr. Johannes reported no relevant financial relationships.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

The substantial reductions in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality achieved with intensive blood pressure lowering in the landmark SPRINT trial were not sustained in a newly released long-term follow-up.

The loss of the mortality benefits corresponded with a steady climb in the average systolic blood pressures (SBP) in the intensive treatment group after the trial ended. The long-term benefit serves as a call to develop better strategies for sustained SBP control.

“We were disappointed but not surprised that the blood pressure levels in the intensive goal group were not sustained,” acknowledged William C. Cushman, MD, Medical Director, department of preventive medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis. “There are many trials showing no residual or legacy effect once the intervention is stopped.”
 

Long-term results do not weaken SPRINT

One of the coinvestigators of this most recent analysis published in JAMA Cardiology and a member of the SPRINT writing committee at the time of its 2015 publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Cushman pointed out that the long-term results do not weaken the main trial result. Long-term adherence was not part of the trial design.

“After the trial, we were no longer treating these participants, so it was up to them and their primary care providers to decide on blood pressure goals,” he noted in an interview. Based on the trajectory of benefit when the study was stopped, “it is possible longer intensive treatment may lead to more benefit and some long-term residual benefits.”

The senior author of this most recent analysis, Nicholas M. Pajewski, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and data science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., generally agreed. However, he pointed out that the most recent data do not rule out meaningful benefit after the study ended.

For one reason, the loss of the SBP advantage was gradual so that median SBP levels of the two groups did not meet for nearly 3 years. This likely explains why there was still an attenuation of CVD mortality for several years after the all-cause mortality benefit was lost, according to Dr. Pajewski.

“It is important to mention that we were not able to assess nonfatal cardiovascular events, so while the two groups do eventually come together, if one thinks about the distinction of healthspan versus lifespan, there was probably residual benefit in terms of delaying CVD morbidity and mortality,” Dr. Pajewski said.
 

In SPRINT, CVD mortality reduced 43%

In the 9,631-patient SPRINT trial, the intensive treatment group achieved a mean SBP of 121.4 mm Hg versus 136.2 mm Hg in the standard treatment group at the end of 1 year. The trial was stopped early after 3.26 years because of strength of the benefit in the intensive treatment arm. At that time, the reductions by hazard ratio were 25% (HR, 0.75; P < .001) for a composite major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) endpoint, 43% for CVD mortality (P = .005), and 27% for all-cause mortality (P = .003).

In the new observational follow-up, mortality data were drawn from the National Death Index, and change in SBP from electronic health records in a subset of 2,944 SPRINT trial participants. Data were available and analyzed through 2020.

The newly published long-term observational analysis showed that the median SBP in the intensive treatment arm was already climbing by the end of the end of the trial. It reached 132.8 mm Hg at 5 years after randomization and then 140.4 mm Hg by 10 years.

This latter figure was essentially equivalent to the SBP among those who were initially randomized to the standard treatment arm.
 

Factors driving rising BP are unclear

There is limited information on what medications were taken by either group following the end of the trial, so the reason for the regression in the intensive treatment arm after leaving the trial is unknown. The authors speculated that this might have been due to therapeutic inertia among treating physicians, poor adherence among patients, the difficulty of keeping blood pressures low in patients with advancing pathology, or some combination of these.

“Perhaps the most important reason was that providers and patients were not aiming for the lower goals since guidelines did not recommend these targets until 2017,” Dr. Cushman pointed out. He noted that Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) “has still not adopted a performance measure goal of less than 140 mm Hg.”

In an accompanying editorial, the authors focused on what these data mean for population-based strategies to achieve sustained control of one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular events. Led by Daniel W. Jones, MD, director of clinical and population science, University of Mississippi, Jackson, the authors of the editorial wrote that these data emphasized “the challenge of achieving sustained intensive BP reductions in the real-world setting.”

Basically, the editorial concluded that current approaches to achieving meaningful and sustained blood pressure control are not working.

This study “should be a wakeup call, but other previously published good data have also been ignored,” said Dr. Jones in an interview. Despite the compelling benefit from intensive blood pressure control the SPRINT trial, the observational follow-up emphasizes the difficulty of maintaining the rigorous reductions in blood pressure needed for sustained protection.

“Systemic change is necessary,” said Dr. Jones, reprising the major thrust of the editorial he wrote with Donald Clark III, MD, and Michael E. Hall, MD, who are both colleagues at the University of Mississippi.

“My view is that health care providers should be held responsible for motivating better compliance of their patients, just as a teacher is accountable for the outcomes of their students,” he said.

The solutions are not likely to be simple. Dr. Jones called for multiple strategies, such as employing telehealth and community health workers to monitor and reinforce blood pressure control, but he said that these and other data have convinced him that “simply trying harder at what we currently do” is not enough.

Dr. Pajewski and Dr. Jones report no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Cushman reports a financial relationship with ReCor.

The substantial reductions in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality achieved with intensive blood pressure lowering in the landmark SPRINT trial were not sustained in a newly released long-term follow-up.

The loss of the mortality benefits corresponded with a steady climb in the average systolic blood pressures (SBP) in the intensive treatment group after the trial ended. The long-term benefit serves as a call to develop better strategies for sustained SBP control.

“We were disappointed but not surprised that the blood pressure levels in the intensive goal group were not sustained,” acknowledged William C. Cushman, MD, Medical Director, department of preventive medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis. “There are many trials showing no residual or legacy effect once the intervention is stopped.”
 

Long-term results do not weaken SPRINT

One of the coinvestigators of this most recent analysis published in JAMA Cardiology and a member of the SPRINT writing committee at the time of its 2015 publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Cushman pointed out that the long-term results do not weaken the main trial result. Long-term adherence was not part of the trial design.

“After the trial, we were no longer treating these participants, so it was up to them and their primary care providers to decide on blood pressure goals,” he noted in an interview. Based on the trajectory of benefit when the study was stopped, “it is possible longer intensive treatment may lead to more benefit and some long-term residual benefits.”

The senior author of this most recent analysis, Nicholas M. Pajewski, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and data science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., generally agreed. However, he pointed out that the most recent data do not rule out meaningful benefit after the study ended.

For one reason, the loss of the SBP advantage was gradual so that median SBP levels of the two groups did not meet for nearly 3 years. This likely explains why there was still an attenuation of CVD mortality for several years after the all-cause mortality benefit was lost, according to Dr. Pajewski.

“It is important to mention that we were not able to assess nonfatal cardiovascular events, so while the two groups do eventually come together, if one thinks about the distinction of healthspan versus lifespan, there was probably residual benefit in terms of delaying CVD morbidity and mortality,” Dr. Pajewski said.
 

In SPRINT, CVD mortality reduced 43%

In the 9,631-patient SPRINT trial, the intensive treatment group achieved a mean SBP of 121.4 mm Hg versus 136.2 mm Hg in the standard treatment group at the end of 1 year. The trial was stopped early after 3.26 years because of strength of the benefit in the intensive treatment arm. At that time, the reductions by hazard ratio were 25% (HR, 0.75; P < .001) for a composite major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) endpoint, 43% for CVD mortality (P = .005), and 27% for all-cause mortality (P = .003).

In the new observational follow-up, mortality data were drawn from the National Death Index, and change in SBP from electronic health records in a subset of 2,944 SPRINT trial participants. Data were available and analyzed through 2020.

The newly published long-term observational analysis showed that the median SBP in the intensive treatment arm was already climbing by the end of the end of the trial. It reached 132.8 mm Hg at 5 years after randomization and then 140.4 mm Hg by 10 years.

This latter figure was essentially equivalent to the SBP among those who were initially randomized to the standard treatment arm.
 

Factors driving rising BP are unclear

There is limited information on what medications were taken by either group following the end of the trial, so the reason for the regression in the intensive treatment arm after leaving the trial is unknown. The authors speculated that this might have been due to therapeutic inertia among treating physicians, poor adherence among patients, the difficulty of keeping blood pressures low in patients with advancing pathology, or some combination of these.

“Perhaps the most important reason was that providers and patients were not aiming for the lower goals since guidelines did not recommend these targets until 2017,” Dr. Cushman pointed out. He noted that Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) “has still not adopted a performance measure goal of less than 140 mm Hg.”

In an accompanying editorial, the authors focused on what these data mean for population-based strategies to achieve sustained control of one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular events. Led by Daniel W. Jones, MD, director of clinical and population science, University of Mississippi, Jackson, the authors of the editorial wrote that these data emphasized “the challenge of achieving sustained intensive BP reductions in the real-world setting.”

Basically, the editorial concluded that current approaches to achieving meaningful and sustained blood pressure control are not working.

This study “should be a wakeup call, but other previously published good data have also been ignored,” said Dr. Jones in an interview. Despite the compelling benefit from intensive blood pressure control the SPRINT trial, the observational follow-up emphasizes the difficulty of maintaining the rigorous reductions in blood pressure needed for sustained protection.

“Systemic change is necessary,” said Dr. Jones, reprising the major thrust of the editorial he wrote with Donald Clark III, MD, and Michael E. Hall, MD, who are both colleagues at the University of Mississippi.

“My view is that health care providers should be held responsible for motivating better compliance of their patients, just as a teacher is accountable for the outcomes of their students,” he said.

The solutions are not likely to be simple. Dr. Jones called for multiple strategies, such as employing telehealth and community health workers to monitor and reinforce blood pressure control, but he said that these and other data have convinced him that “simply trying harder at what we currently do” is not enough.

Dr. Pajewski and Dr. Jones report no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Cushman reports a financial relationship with ReCor.

The substantial reductions in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality achieved with intensive blood pressure lowering in the landmark SPRINT trial were not sustained in a newly released long-term follow-up.

The loss of the mortality benefits corresponded with a steady climb in the average systolic blood pressures (SBP) in the intensive treatment group after the trial ended. The long-term benefit serves as a call to develop better strategies for sustained SBP control.

“We were disappointed but not surprised that the blood pressure levels in the intensive goal group were not sustained,” acknowledged William C. Cushman, MD, Medical Director, department of preventive medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis. “There are many trials showing no residual or legacy effect once the intervention is stopped.”
 

Long-term results do not weaken SPRINT

One of the coinvestigators of this most recent analysis published in JAMA Cardiology and a member of the SPRINT writing committee at the time of its 2015 publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Cushman pointed out that the long-term results do not weaken the main trial result. Long-term adherence was not part of the trial design.

“After the trial, we were no longer treating these participants, so it was up to them and their primary care providers to decide on blood pressure goals,” he noted in an interview. Based on the trajectory of benefit when the study was stopped, “it is possible longer intensive treatment may lead to more benefit and some long-term residual benefits.”

The senior author of this most recent analysis, Nicholas M. Pajewski, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics and data science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., generally agreed. However, he pointed out that the most recent data do not rule out meaningful benefit after the study ended.

For one reason, the loss of the SBP advantage was gradual so that median SBP levels of the two groups did not meet for nearly 3 years. This likely explains why there was still an attenuation of CVD mortality for several years after the all-cause mortality benefit was lost, according to Dr. Pajewski.

“It is important to mention that we were not able to assess nonfatal cardiovascular events, so while the two groups do eventually come together, if one thinks about the distinction of healthspan versus lifespan, there was probably residual benefit in terms of delaying CVD morbidity and mortality,” Dr. Pajewski said.
 

In SPRINT, CVD mortality reduced 43%

In the 9,631-patient SPRINT trial, the intensive treatment group achieved a mean SBP of 121.4 mm Hg versus 136.2 mm Hg in the standard treatment group at the end of 1 year. The trial was stopped early after 3.26 years because of strength of the benefit in the intensive treatment arm. At that time, the reductions by hazard ratio were 25% (HR, 0.75; P < .001) for a composite major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) endpoint, 43% for CVD mortality (P = .005), and 27% for all-cause mortality (P = .003).

In the new observational follow-up, mortality data were drawn from the National Death Index, and change in SBP from electronic health records in a subset of 2,944 SPRINT trial participants. Data were available and analyzed through 2020.

The newly published long-term observational analysis showed that the median SBP in the intensive treatment arm was already climbing by the end of the end of the trial. It reached 132.8 mm Hg at 5 years after randomization and then 140.4 mm Hg by 10 years.

This latter figure was essentially equivalent to the SBP among those who were initially randomized to the standard treatment arm.
 

Factors driving rising BP are unclear

There is limited information on what medications were taken by either group following the end of the trial, so the reason for the regression in the intensive treatment arm after leaving the trial is unknown. The authors speculated that this might have been due to therapeutic inertia among treating physicians, poor adherence among patients, the difficulty of keeping blood pressures low in patients with advancing pathology, or some combination of these.

“Perhaps the most important reason was that providers and patients were not aiming for the lower goals since guidelines did not recommend these targets until 2017,” Dr. Cushman pointed out. He noted that Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) “has still not adopted a performance measure goal of less than 140 mm Hg.”

In an accompanying editorial, the authors focused on what these data mean for population-based strategies to achieve sustained control of one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular events. Led by Daniel W. Jones, MD, director of clinical and population science, University of Mississippi, Jackson, the authors of the editorial wrote that these data emphasized “the challenge of achieving sustained intensive BP reductions in the real-world setting.”

Basically, the editorial concluded that current approaches to achieving meaningful and sustained blood pressure control are not working.

This study “should be a wakeup call, but other previously published good data have also been ignored,” said Dr. Jones in an interview. Despite the compelling benefit from intensive blood pressure control the SPRINT trial, the observational follow-up emphasizes the difficulty of maintaining the rigorous reductions in blood pressure needed for sustained protection.

“Systemic change is necessary,” said Dr. Jones, reprising the major thrust of the editorial he wrote with Donald Clark III, MD, and Michael E. Hall, MD, who are both colleagues at the University of Mississippi.

“My view is that health care providers should be held responsible for motivating better compliance of their patients, just as a teacher is accountable for the outcomes of their students,” he said.

The solutions are not likely to be simple. Dr. Jones called for multiple strategies, such as employing telehealth and community health workers to monitor and reinforce blood pressure control, but he said that these and other data have convinced him that “simply trying harder at what we currently do” is not enough.

Dr. Pajewski and Dr. Jones report no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Cushman reports a financial relationship with ReCor.

MILAN – In the current spread of monkeypox among countries outside of Africa, this zoonotic orthopox DNA virus is sexually transmitted in more than 90% of cases, mostly among men having sex with men (MSM), and can produce severe skin and systemic symptoms but is rarely fatal, according to a breaking news presentation at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Synthesizing data from 185 cases in Spain with several sets of recently published data, Alba Català, MD, a dermatologist at Centro Médico Teknon, Barcelona, said at the meeting that there have been only two deaths in Spain in the current epidemic. (As of Sept. 30, after the EADV meeting had concluded, a total of three deaths related to monkeypox in Spain and one death in the United States had been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Hospitalizations have been uncommon, and in Spain, there were only four hospitalizations, according to data collected from the beginning of May through early August, she said. Almost all cases in this Spanish series were from men having high-risk sex with men. Upon screening, 76% had another sexually transmitted disease, including 41% infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
 

More than 40% of patients with monkeypox have HIV

These data are consistent with several other recently published studies, such as one that evaluated 528 infections in 16 non-African countries, including those in North America, South America, Europe, the Mideast, as well as Australia. In that survey, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and covering cases between late April and late June, 2022, 41% were HIV positive. Of those who were HIV negative, 57% were taking a pre-exposure prophylaxis regimen of antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV infection.

However, these data do not preclude a significant risk of nonsexual transmission, according to Dr. Català, who noted that respiratory transmission and transmission through nonsexual skin contact is well documented in endemic areas.

“The virus has no preference for a sexual orientation,” Dr. Català cautioned. Despite the consistency of the data in regard to a largely MSM transmission in the epidemic so far, “these data may change with further spread of infection in the community.”

Typically, the incubation period of monkeypox lasts several days before the invasive period, which is commonly accompanied by systemic complaints, particularly fever, headache, and often lymphadenopathy. These systemic features usually but not always precede cutaneous involvement, which is seen in more than 90% of patients, according to Dr. Català. In the Spanish series, mucocutaneous involvement was recorded in 100% of patients.

Monkeypox and smallpox

“The differential diagnosis might include other vesicular eruptions, such as those caused by varicella or smallpox,” reported Dr. Català, who noted that monkeypox and smallpox are related.

Cutaneous lesions often appear first at the site of infection, such as the genitalia, but typically spread in a secondary eruption that is pruritic and may take days to resolve, according to Dr. Català. She reported that single lesions are less common but do occur. While hundreds of lesions have been reported among cases in endemic areas, most patients had 25 lesions or fewer in the Spanish epidemic and other recent series.

Even though there is a common progression in which lesions begin in a papular stage before the vesicular and pustular stages in a given area, new eruptions can occur before a prior eruption develops scabs.

“Frequently, not all the patient’s lesions are in the same stage of development,” said Dr. Català, who explained that disease activity and its complications, such as proctitis, pharyngitis, and penile edema, can take weeks to resolve. Because of the highly invasive nature of monkeypox, it is appropriate to be alert to less common manifestations, such as ocular involvement.

Many of these and other complications, such as secondary bacterial infections, will require targeted treatment, but the mainstay of therapy for the dermatologic manifestations of monkeypox is symptomatic treatment that includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics.
 

Re-epithelialization reduces transmission risk

“A clean, moist environment can mitigate transmission potential by covering infectious sores and promoting the re-epithelialization of the damaged exanthem,” Dr. Català advised. Tecovirimat (TPOXX, ST-246), an antiviral drug for smallpox, is approved for treating monkeypox in Europe but not in the United States (but it is approved for smallpox in the United States). Another antiviral drug, brincidofovir (CMX001 or Tembexa), is approved for smallpox in the United States, but not in Europe, according to Dr. Català. (In the United States, no treatment is specifically approved for treating monkeypox, but antivirals developed for smallpox “may prove beneficial against monkeypox,” according to the CDC.)

But she advised weighing the risks and benefits of using either drug in any individual patient.

The data suggest that the risk of viral shedding persists until the late stages of the disease trajectory. “A person is considered infectious from the onset of clinical manifestations until all skin lesions have scabbed over and re-epithelization has occurred,” Dr. Català said.

The prolonged period of contagion might be one reason to expect monkeypox to be transmitted more generally than it is now, according to Boghuma K. Titanji, MD, PhD, assistant professor of infectious diseases, Emory University, Atlanta.

“The longer the outbreak persists, the more likely we will see cases reported in groups other than MSM who have been most affected so far,” said Dr. Titanji, the first author of a recently published review article on monkeypox in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

However, he acknowledged that a COVID-like spread is not expected. “The spread of monkeypox requires close and prolonged contact and is generally inefficient via fomites and droplet modes of transmission,” Dr. Titanji said in an interview. “Spread in heterosexual networks and congregate settings like crowded jails where close contact is unavoidable remains a concern that we need to educate the public about and maintain a high level of vigilance for.”

Dr. Català and Dr. Titanji report no potential conflicts of interest.

MILAN – In the current spread of monkeypox among countries outside of Africa, this zoonotic orthopox DNA virus is sexually transmitted in more than 90% of cases, mostly among men having sex with men (MSM), and can produce severe skin and systemic symptoms but is rarely fatal, according to a breaking news presentation at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Synthesizing data from 185 cases in Spain with several sets of recently published data, Alba Català, MD, a dermatologist at Centro Médico Teknon, Barcelona, said at the meeting that there have been only two deaths in Spain in the current epidemic. (As of Sept. 30, after the EADV meeting had concluded, a total of three deaths related to monkeypox in Spain and one death in the United States had been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Hospitalizations have been uncommon, and in Spain, there were only four hospitalizations, according to data collected from the beginning of May through early August, she said. Almost all cases in this Spanish series were from men having high-risk sex with men. Upon screening, 76% had another sexually transmitted disease, including 41% infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
 

More than 40% of patients with monkeypox have HIV

These data are consistent with several other recently published studies, such as one that evaluated 528 infections in 16 non-African countries, including those in North America, South America, Europe, the Mideast, as well as Australia. In that survey, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and covering cases between late April and late June, 2022, 41% were HIV positive. Of those who were HIV negative, 57% were taking a pre-exposure prophylaxis regimen of antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV infection.

However, these data do not preclude a significant risk of nonsexual transmission, according to Dr. Català, who noted that respiratory transmission and transmission through nonsexual skin contact is well documented in endemic areas.

“The virus has no preference for a sexual orientation,” Dr. Català cautioned. Despite the consistency of the data in regard to a largely MSM transmission in the epidemic so far, “these data may change with further spread of infection in the community.”

Typically, the incubation period of monkeypox lasts several days before the invasive period, which is commonly accompanied by systemic complaints, particularly fever, headache, and often lymphadenopathy. These systemic features usually but not always precede cutaneous involvement, which is seen in more than 90% of patients, according to Dr. Català. In the Spanish series, mucocutaneous involvement was recorded in 100% of patients.

Monkeypox and smallpox

“The differential diagnosis might include other vesicular eruptions, such as those caused by varicella or smallpox,” reported Dr. Català, who noted that monkeypox and smallpox are related.

Cutaneous lesions often appear first at the site of infection, such as the genitalia, but typically spread in a secondary eruption that is pruritic and may take days to resolve, according to Dr. Català. She reported that single lesions are less common but do occur. While hundreds of lesions have been reported among cases in endemic areas, most patients had 25 lesions or fewer in the Spanish epidemic and other recent series.

Even though there is a common progression in which lesions begin in a papular stage before the vesicular and pustular stages in a given area, new eruptions can occur before a prior eruption develops scabs.

“Frequently, not all the patient’s lesions are in the same stage of development,” said Dr. Català, who explained that disease activity and its complications, such as proctitis, pharyngitis, and penile edema, can take weeks to resolve. Because of the highly invasive nature of monkeypox, it is appropriate to be alert to less common manifestations, such as ocular involvement.

Many of these and other complications, such as secondary bacterial infections, will require targeted treatment, but the mainstay of therapy for the dermatologic manifestations of monkeypox is symptomatic treatment that includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics.
 

Re-epithelialization reduces transmission risk

“A clean, moist environment can mitigate transmission potential by covering infectious sores and promoting the re-epithelialization of the damaged exanthem,” Dr. Català advised. Tecovirimat (TPOXX, ST-246), an antiviral drug for smallpox, is approved for treating monkeypox in Europe but not in the United States (but it is approved for smallpox in the United States). Another antiviral drug, brincidofovir (CMX001 or Tembexa), is approved for smallpox in the United States, but not in Europe, according to Dr. Català. (In the United States, no treatment is specifically approved for treating monkeypox, but antivirals developed for smallpox “may prove beneficial against monkeypox,” according to the CDC.)

But she advised weighing the risks and benefits of using either drug in any individual patient.

The data suggest that the risk of viral shedding persists until the late stages of the disease trajectory. “A person is considered infectious from the onset of clinical manifestations until all skin lesions have scabbed over and re-epithelization has occurred,” Dr. Català said.

The prolonged period of contagion might be one reason to expect monkeypox to be transmitted more generally than it is now, according to Boghuma K. Titanji, MD, PhD, assistant professor of infectious diseases, Emory University, Atlanta.

“The longer the outbreak persists, the more likely we will see cases reported in groups other than MSM who have been most affected so far,” said Dr. Titanji, the first author of a recently published review article on monkeypox in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

However, he acknowledged that a COVID-like spread is not expected. “The spread of monkeypox requires close and prolonged contact and is generally inefficient via fomites and droplet modes of transmission,” Dr. Titanji said in an interview. “Spread in heterosexual networks and congregate settings like crowded jails where close contact is unavoidable remains a concern that we need to educate the public about and maintain a high level of vigilance for.”

Dr. Català and Dr. Titanji report no potential conflicts of interest.

MILAN – In the current spread of monkeypox among countries outside of Africa, this zoonotic orthopox DNA virus is sexually transmitted in more than 90% of cases, mostly among men having sex with men (MSM), and can produce severe skin and systemic symptoms but is rarely fatal, according to a breaking news presentation at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Synthesizing data from 185 cases in Spain with several sets of recently published data, Alba Català, MD, a dermatologist at Centro Médico Teknon, Barcelona, said at the meeting that there have been only two deaths in Spain in the current epidemic. (As of Sept. 30, after the EADV meeting had concluded, a total of three deaths related to monkeypox in Spain and one death in the United States had been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Hospitalizations have been uncommon, and in Spain, there were only four hospitalizations, according to data collected from the beginning of May through early August, she said. Almost all cases in this Spanish series were from men having high-risk sex with men. Upon screening, 76% had another sexually transmitted disease, including 41% infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
 

More than 40% of patients with monkeypox have HIV

These data are consistent with several other recently published studies, such as one that evaluated 528 infections in 16 non-African countries, including those in North America, South America, Europe, the Mideast, as well as Australia. In that survey, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and covering cases between late April and late June, 2022, 41% were HIV positive. Of those who were HIV negative, 57% were taking a pre-exposure prophylaxis regimen of antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV infection.

However, these data do not preclude a significant risk of nonsexual transmission, according to Dr. Català, who noted that respiratory transmission and transmission through nonsexual skin contact is well documented in endemic areas.

“The virus has no preference for a sexual orientation,” Dr. Català cautioned. Despite the consistency of the data in regard to a largely MSM transmission in the epidemic so far, “these data may change with further spread of infection in the community.”

Typically, the incubation period of monkeypox lasts several days before the invasive period, which is commonly accompanied by systemic complaints, particularly fever, headache, and often lymphadenopathy. These systemic features usually but not always precede cutaneous involvement, which is seen in more than 90% of patients, according to Dr. Català. In the Spanish series, mucocutaneous involvement was recorded in 100% of patients.

Monkeypox and smallpox

“The differential diagnosis might include other vesicular eruptions, such as those caused by varicella or smallpox,” reported Dr. Català, who noted that monkeypox and smallpox are related.

Cutaneous lesions often appear first at the site of infection, such as the genitalia, but typically spread in a secondary eruption that is pruritic and may take days to resolve, according to Dr. Català. She reported that single lesions are less common but do occur. While hundreds of lesions have been reported among cases in endemic areas, most patients had 25 lesions or fewer in the Spanish epidemic and other recent series.

Even though there is a common progression in which lesions begin in a papular stage before the vesicular and pustular stages in a given area, new eruptions can occur before a prior eruption develops scabs.

“Frequently, not all the patient’s lesions are in the same stage of development,” said Dr. Català, who explained that disease activity and its complications, such as proctitis, pharyngitis, and penile edema, can take weeks to resolve. Because of the highly invasive nature of monkeypox, it is appropriate to be alert to less common manifestations, such as ocular involvement.

Many of these and other complications, such as secondary bacterial infections, will require targeted treatment, but the mainstay of therapy for the dermatologic manifestations of monkeypox is symptomatic treatment that includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics.
 

Re-epithelialization reduces transmission risk

“A clean, moist environment can mitigate transmission potential by covering infectious sores and promoting the re-epithelialization of the damaged exanthem,” Dr. Català advised. Tecovirimat (TPOXX, ST-246), an antiviral drug for smallpox, is approved for treating monkeypox in Europe but not in the United States (but it is approved for smallpox in the United States). Another antiviral drug, brincidofovir (CMX001 or Tembexa), is approved for smallpox in the United States, but not in Europe, according to Dr. Català. (In the United States, no treatment is specifically approved for treating monkeypox, but antivirals developed for smallpox “may prove beneficial against monkeypox,” according to the CDC.)

But she advised weighing the risks and benefits of using either drug in any individual patient.

The data suggest that the risk of viral shedding persists until the late stages of the disease trajectory. “A person is considered infectious from the onset of clinical manifestations until all skin lesions have scabbed over and re-epithelization has occurred,” Dr. Català said.

The prolonged period of contagion might be one reason to expect monkeypox to be transmitted more generally than it is now, according to Boghuma K. Titanji, MD, PhD, assistant professor of infectious diseases, Emory University, Atlanta.

“The longer the outbreak persists, the more likely we will see cases reported in groups other than MSM who have been most affected so far,” said Dr. Titanji, the first author of a recently published review article on monkeypox in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

However, he acknowledged that a COVID-like spread is not expected. “The spread of monkeypox requires close and prolonged contact and is generally inefficient via fomites and droplet modes of transmission,” Dr. Titanji said in an interview. “Spread in heterosexual networks and congregate settings like crowded jails where close contact is unavoidable remains a concern that we need to educate the public about and maintain a high level of vigilance for.”

Dr. Català and Dr. Titanji report no potential conflicts of interest.

In a new analysis of the previously published FAME 3 trial, which compared fractional flow reserve–guided percutaneous coronary interventions to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) in patients with three-vessel disease, post-PCI FFR was shown to predict both target vessel failure (TVF) and risk of cardiac events.

“We found that the post-PCI FFR had prognostic value both for the vessel and for the patient,” reported Zsolt Piroth, MD, PhD, deputy head, adult cardiology, György Gottsegen Institute of Cardiology, Budapest.

In this post hoc analysis, which was not a prespecified FAME 3 substudy, the goal was to look at the prognostic value of both post-PCI FFR and intravascular ultrasound, which were recommended in the study protocol. Several studies have addressed the value of these measures previously, according to Dr. Piroth, but he said the clinical value “has remained poorly defined” despite the currently available data.

The FAME 3 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was negative. It failed to confirm the study hypothesis that FFR-guided PCI is noninferior to CABG for the outcome of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months.

However, this multinational trial has generated a large body of data with which to explore other issues relevant to revascularization. In this analysis, the goal was to evaluate whether post-PCI FFR predicted outcomes in complex multivessel revascularizations as it has been shown previously to do in single-vessel disease.

Presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting, the focus of this analysis was on the 461 (61%) of patients in the 757-patient PCI arm of FAME 3 who underwent post-PCI FFR. The authors also looked at the predictive value of intravascular ultrasound, even though this was performed in just 11% of this group of trial participants.

As a continuous value, each 0.1-unit change in the post-PCI FFR was found to be prognostically significant for the outcome of TVF, defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization (only postprocedural events were counted in this analysis). Specifically, for each 0.1-unit increase on a univariate analysis, the risk of TVF was reduced by about one-third (hazard ratio, 0.67; P = .0165).

On a patient level, a 0.1-unit increase in lowest post-PCI FFR of any assessed vessel was also associated with the same relative risk reduction (HR, 0.65; P = .0074) in the outcomes of cardiac death, target vessel MI, or target vessel revascularization, according to Dr. Piroth. On a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, a value of 0.88 or below was predictive of TVF.

Although several other patient characteristics were also risk predictors of TVF on univariate analysis, only renal disease and the single lowest post-PCI FFR (as a continuous variable) emerged as predictors of TVF on multivariable analysis after adjustment for key clinical parameters, Dr. Piroth reported.

The reason why post-PCI FFR was not performed in almost 40% of patients randomized to PCI is unclear, but Dr. Piroth reported that the baseline characteristics of those who were or were not assessed with FFR after their procedure did not differ to any major degree.

Despite “a trend for improved outcomes in those who underwent post-PCI FFR,” Dr. Piroth, whose substudy was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions simultaneously with his TCT presentation, acknowledged that the reasons for a potential benefit cannot be derived from this post hoc analysis.

As for the prognostic value of IVUS, any conclusions are limited by the small proportion of patients who underwent this form of imaging. Overall, IVUS imaging was associated with longer procedures and more stents and “if anything, a signal for harm” in this analysis, but Dr. Piroth cautioned against any conclusions because of the small data pool.

The prognostic value of post-PCI FFR in complex multivessel disease is supported by these data, but the analysis was not designed to determine whether post-PCI FFR has relevance to intervention.

According to J. Dawn Abbott, MD, an FFR analysis conducted to identify lesions that are candidates for treatment should not be confused with FFR for physiologically guided PCI to optimize outcomes.

Noting that post-PCI FFR was encouraged in this study but not mandated and that these FFR values did not typically or necessarily lead to a change in management, take home messages about the value of post-PCI FFR in multivessel disease remain limited, said Dr. Abbott, director of interventional cardiology fellowship training, Brown University, Providence, R.I.

“There was a trend toward improved outcomes in patients who had this measurement done, but, unfortunately, we do not have data regarding whether these patients had further interventions performed,” Dr. Piroth acknowledged.

The post-PCI FFR values were made available to the treating physicians, but Dr. Piroth reiterated that it is unknown whether the physicians considered this information actionable. Moreover, “the vast majority had a nonsignificant post-PCI FFR” result, and “all of the patients had an angiographically successful PCI,” Dr. Piroth added.

Dr. Piroth has financial relationships with Abbott Vascular and Boston Scientific. Dr. Abbott reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Microport, Philips, Penumbra, Recor, and Shockwave.


 

In a new analysis of the previously published FAME 3 trial, which compared fractional flow reserve–guided percutaneous coronary interventions to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) in patients with three-vessel disease, post-PCI FFR was shown to predict both target vessel failure (TVF) and risk of cardiac events.

“We found that the post-PCI FFR had prognostic value both for the vessel and for the patient,” reported Zsolt Piroth, MD, PhD, deputy head, adult cardiology, György Gottsegen Institute of Cardiology, Budapest.

In this post hoc analysis, which was not a prespecified FAME 3 substudy, the goal was to look at the prognostic value of both post-PCI FFR and intravascular ultrasound, which were recommended in the study protocol. Several studies have addressed the value of these measures previously, according to Dr. Piroth, but he said the clinical value “has remained poorly defined” despite the currently available data.

The FAME 3 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was negative. It failed to confirm the study hypothesis that FFR-guided PCI is noninferior to CABG for the outcome of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months.

However, this multinational trial has generated a large body of data with which to explore other issues relevant to revascularization. In this analysis, the goal was to evaluate whether post-PCI FFR predicted outcomes in complex multivessel revascularizations as it has been shown previously to do in single-vessel disease.

Presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting, the focus of this analysis was on the 461 (61%) of patients in the 757-patient PCI arm of FAME 3 who underwent post-PCI FFR. The authors also looked at the predictive value of intravascular ultrasound, even though this was performed in just 11% of this group of trial participants.

As a continuous value, each 0.1-unit change in the post-PCI FFR was found to be prognostically significant for the outcome of TVF, defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization (only postprocedural events were counted in this analysis). Specifically, for each 0.1-unit increase on a univariate analysis, the risk of TVF was reduced by about one-third (hazard ratio, 0.67; P = .0165).

On a patient level, a 0.1-unit increase in lowest post-PCI FFR of any assessed vessel was also associated with the same relative risk reduction (HR, 0.65; P = .0074) in the outcomes of cardiac death, target vessel MI, or target vessel revascularization, according to Dr. Piroth. On a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, a value of 0.88 or below was predictive of TVF.

Although several other patient characteristics were also risk predictors of TVF on univariate analysis, only renal disease and the single lowest post-PCI FFR (as a continuous variable) emerged as predictors of TVF on multivariable analysis after adjustment for key clinical parameters, Dr. Piroth reported.

The reason why post-PCI FFR was not performed in almost 40% of patients randomized to PCI is unclear, but Dr. Piroth reported that the baseline characteristics of those who were or were not assessed with FFR after their procedure did not differ to any major degree.

Despite “a trend for improved outcomes in those who underwent post-PCI FFR,” Dr. Piroth, whose substudy was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions simultaneously with his TCT presentation, acknowledged that the reasons for a potential benefit cannot be derived from this post hoc analysis.

As for the prognostic value of IVUS, any conclusions are limited by the small proportion of patients who underwent this form of imaging. Overall, IVUS imaging was associated with longer procedures and more stents and “if anything, a signal for harm” in this analysis, but Dr. Piroth cautioned against any conclusions because of the small data pool.

The prognostic value of post-PCI FFR in complex multivessel disease is supported by these data, but the analysis was not designed to determine whether post-PCI FFR has relevance to intervention.

According to J. Dawn Abbott, MD, an FFR analysis conducted to identify lesions that are candidates for treatment should not be confused with FFR for physiologically guided PCI to optimize outcomes.

Noting that post-PCI FFR was encouraged in this study but not mandated and that these FFR values did not typically or necessarily lead to a change in management, take home messages about the value of post-PCI FFR in multivessel disease remain limited, said Dr. Abbott, director of interventional cardiology fellowship training, Brown University, Providence, R.I.

“There was a trend toward improved outcomes in patients who had this measurement done, but, unfortunately, we do not have data regarding whether these patients had further interventions performed,” Dr. Piroth acknowledged.

The post-PCI FFR values were made available to the treating physicians, but Dr. Piroth reiterated that it is unknown whether the physicians considered this information actionable. Moreover, “the vast majority had a nonsignificant post-PCI FFR” result, and “all of the patients had an angiographically successful PCI,” Dr. Piroth added.

Dr. Piroth has financial relationships with Abbott Vascular and Boston Scientific. Dr. Abbott reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Microport, Philips, Penumbra, Recor, and Shockwave.


 

In a new analysis of the previously published FAME 3 trial, which compared fractional flow reserve–guided percutaneous coronary interventions to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) in patients with three-vessel disease, post-PCI FFR was shown to predict both target vessel failure (TVF) and risk of cardiac events.

“We found that the post-PCI FFR had prognostic value both for the vessel and for the patient,” reported Zsolt Piroth, MD, PhD, deputy head, adult cardiology, György Gottsegen Institute of Cardiology, Budapest.

In this post hoc analysis, which was not a prespecified FAME 3 substudy, the goal was to look at the prognostic value of both post-PCI FFR and intravascular ultrasound, which were recommended in the study protocol. Several studies have addressed the value of these measures previously, according to Dr. Piroth, but he said the clinical value “has remained poorly defined” despite the currently available data.

The FAME 3 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was negative. It failed to confirm the study hypothesis that FFR-guided PCI is noninferior to CABG for the outcome of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months.

However, this multinational trial has generated a large body of data with which to explore other issues relevant to revascularization. In this analysis, the goal was to evaluate whether post-PCI FFR predicted outcomes in complex multivessel revascularizations as it has been shown previously to do in single-vessel disease.

Presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting, the focus of this analysis was on the 461 (61%) of patients in the 757-patient PCI arm of FAME 3 who underwent post-PCI FFR. The authors also looked at the predictive value of intravascular ultrasound, even though this was performed in just 11% of this group of trial participants.

As a continuous value, each 0.1-unit change in the post-PCI FFR was found to be prognostically significant for the outcome of TVF, defined as a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization (only postprocedural events were counted in this analysis). Specifically, for each 0.1-unit increase on a univariate analysis, the risk of TVF was reduced by about one-third (hazard ratio, 0.67; P = .0165).

On a patient level, a 0.1-unit increase in lowest post-PCI FFR of any assessed vessel was also associated with the same relative risk reduction (HR, 0.65; P = .0074) in the outcomes of cardiac death, target vessel MI, or target vessel revascularization, according to Dr. Piroth. On a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, a value of 0.88 or below was predictive of TVF.

Although several other patient characteristics were also risk predictors of TVF on univariate analysis, only renal disease and the single lowest post-PCI FFR (as a continuous variable) emerged as predictors of TVF on multivariable analysis after adjustment for key clinical parameters, Dr. Piroth reported.

The reason why post-PCI FFR was not performed in almost 40% of patients randomized to PCI is unclear, but Dr. Piroth reported that the baseline characteristics of those who were or were not assessed with FFR after their procedure did not differ to any major degree.

Despite “a trend for improved outcomes in those who underwent post-PCI FFR,” Dr. Piroth, whose substudy was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions simultaneously with his TCT presentation, acknowledged that the reasons for a potential benefit cannot be derived from this post hoc analysis.

As for the prognostic value of IVUS, any conclusions are limited by the small proportion of patients who underwent this form of imaging. Overall, IVUS imaging was associated with longer procedures and more stents and “if anything, a signal for harm” in this analysis, but Dr. Piroth cautioned against any conclusions because of the small data pool.

The prognostic value of post-PCI FFR in complex multivessel disease is supported by these data, but the analysis was not designed to determine whether post-PCI FFR has relevance to intervention.

According to J. Dawn Abbott, MD, an FFR analysis conducted to identify lesions that are candidates for treatment should not be confused with FFR for physiologically guided PCI to optimize outcomes.

Noting that post-PCI FFR was encouraged in this study but not mandated and that these FFR values did not typically or necessarily lead to a change in management, take home messages about the value of post-PCI FFR in multivessel disease remain limited, said Dr. Abbott, director of interventional cardiology fellowship training, Brown University, Providence, R.I.

“There was a trend toward improved outcomes in patients who had this measurement done, but, unfortunately, we do not have data regarding whether these patients had further interventions performed,” Dr. Piroth acknowledged.

The post-PCI FFR values were made available to the treating physicians, but Dr. Piroth reiterated that it is unknown whether the physicians considered this information actionable. Moreover, “the vast majority had a nonsignificant post-PCI FFR” result, and “all of the patients had an angiographically successful PCI,” Dr. Piroth added.

Dr. Piroth has financial relationships with Abbott Vascular and Boston Scientific. Dr. Abbott reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Microport, Philips, Penumbra, Recor, and Shockwave.


 

BOSTON – Coronary angiography in patients who have previously undergone cardiac artery bypass grafting (CABG) is challenging, but the procedure can be streamlined and made safer when preprocedural CT coronary angiography (CTCA) is performed to plan the intervention, according to a randomized controlled trial.

In this study, all three endpoints, including a reduction in the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) and duration of the procedure, were met, according to Daniel Jones, MBBS, PhD.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

Preprocedural CTCA was also associated with about a 40% improvement in patient satisfaction.

“When logistically possible, CTCA should be considered for any stable postbypass patient undergoing coronary angiography,” said Dr. Jones, who supported this assertion with data presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting.

In this study, called BYPASS-CTCA, 688 patients with a prior CABG scheduled for invasive coronary angiography were randomized to a preprocedural CTCA or no preprocedural CTCA. Patients with stable angina and those with a non–ST elevated acute coronary syndrome were eligible. Those with ST-segment elevated MI or severe renal impairment (eGFR < 20 mL/min) were excluded.
 

All three co–primary endpoints favor CTCA

CTCA relative to no CTCA provided a significant advantage for all three of the coprimary endpoints, which were procedure duration, CIN as defined by KDIGO criteria, and patient satisfaction as measured by questionnaire.

The procedure duration was reduced by almost 21 minutes, cutting the time from nearly 39 minutes to less than 18 minutes (P < .001). This relative reduction was of similar magnitude across groups, such as those with or without acute coronary syndrome and procedures performed by a senior or a junior operator.

“Even when you include the preprocedural CTCA evaluation time, there was still a significant reduction [P < .001] in duration for those in the CTCA arm,” reported Dr. Jones, honorary consultant cardiologist, Barts Heart Centre, Queen Mary University, London.

The rates of CIN following the procedure in this study, which had a follow-up of 12 months, were 3.4% versus 27.9% (P < .0001) in the preprocedural CTCA and non-CTCA groups, respectively. Again, a sensitivity analysis showed a similar magnitude of risk reduction across all subgroups evaluated.
 

CTCA planning reduced contrast exposure

The reduced risk of CIN was consistent with a large reduction in contrast exposure for those in the CTCA group (77.4 vs. 173.0 mL; P < .001). The advantage narrowed substantially when adding in contrast exposure from CTCA, but still remained statistically significant (148.9 vs. 173.0 mL; P < .001).

Dr. Jones did not speculate about the specific reasons for the 40% improvement in patient satisfaction among those who underwent preprocedural CTCA relative to those who did not, but, again, a sensitivity analysis showed consistency across subgroups defined by race, operator experience, and underlying diagnosis.

Numerous secondary endpoints also favored CTCA over no CTCA. This included fewer catheters used to complete the procedure (three vs. four; P < .001), a greater likelihood that the procedure was performed with radial access (76.9% vs. 56.7%), and lower rates of procedural complications (2.3% vs. 10.8%; P < .001). This latter category included fewer vascular access complications such as bleeding (0.6 % vs. 4.4%; P = .007) and periprocedural MI (0.6% vs. 6.4%; P < 0.001).

In a graph of time to first major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), the curves separated almost immediately with a consistently lower rate maintained in the CTCA arm over the 12 months of follow-up, but this is observational. Dr. Jones acknowledged that this trial was not powered to show a difference in MACE.
 

Study intriguing but not definitive

In a panel discussion that followed the presentation of these results at the meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, some reservations with this study were expressed. In particular, several of the panelists, including Jeffrey W. Moses, MD, director of interventional cardiovascular therapeutics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, expressed surprise at the 27% rate of CIN, which he considered uncommonly high even in a high-risk population.

The unusual rate of CIN was also considered problematic given that it was the most significant clinical outcome among the three co–primary endpoints. Procedural times and patient satisfaction, while valid endpoints, are important subjects of study, but Dr. Moses was not alone in suggesting this study deserves validation.

In particular, there appeared to be a consensus among panelists that a larger multicenter study looking at hard endpoints, such as MACE, would be more compelling. They indicated that even if CTCA poses a very low risk of meaningful complications, it does add expense and an extra step.

Dr. Jones reported no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Moses reported financial relationships with Covanos, Orchestra Biomed, Ostial, and Xenter.

BOSTON – Coronary angiography in patients who have previously undergone cardiac artery bypass grafting (CABG) is challenging, but the procedure can be streamlined and made safer when preprocedural CT coronary angiography (CTCA) is performed to plan the intervention, according to a randomized controlled trial.

In this study, all three endpoints, including a reduction in the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) and duration of the procedure, were met, according to Daniel Jones, MBBS, PhD.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

Preprocedural CTCA was also associated with about a 40% improvement in patient satisfaction.

“When logistically possible, CTCA should be considered for any stable postbypass patient undergoing coronary angiography,” said Dr. Jones, who supported this assertion with data presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting.

In this study, called BYPASS-CTCA, 688 patients with a prior CABG scheduled for invasive coronary angiography were randomized to a preprocedural CTCA or no preprocedural CTCA. Patients with stable angina and those with a non–ST elevated acute coronary syndrome were eligible. Those with ST-segment elevated MI or severe renal impairment (eGFR < 20 mL/min) were excluded.
 

All three co–primary endpoints favor CTCA

CTCA relative to no CTCA provided a significant advantage for all three of the coprimary endpoints, which were procedure duration, CIN as defined by KDIGO criteria, and patient satisfaction as measured by questionnaire.

The procedure duration was reduced by almost 21 minutes, cutting the time from nearly 39 minutes to less than 18 minutes (P < .001). This relative reduction was of similar magnitude across groups, such as those with or without acute coronary syndrome and procedures performed by a senior or a junior operator.

“Even when you include the preprocedural CTCA evaluation time, there was still a significant reduction [P < .001] in duration for those in the CTCA arm,” reported Dr. Jones, honorary consultant cardiologist, Barts Heart Centre, Queen Mary University, London.

The rates of CIN following the procedure in this study, which had a follow-up of 12 months, were 3.4% versus 27.9% (P < .0001) in the preprocedural CTCA and non-CTCA groups, respectively. Again, a sensitivity analysis showed a similar magnitude of risk reduction across all subgroups evaluated.
 

CTCA planning reduced contrast exposure

The reduced risk of CIN was consistent with a large reduction in contrast exposure for those in the CTCA group (77.4 vs. 173.0 mL; P < .001). The advantage narrowed substantially when adding in contrast exposure from CTCA, but still remained statistically significant (148.9 vs. 173.0 mL; P < .001).

Dr. Jones did not speculate about the specific reasons for the 40% improvement in patient satisfaction among those who underwent preprocedural CTCA relative to those who did not, but, again, a sensitivity analysis showed consistency across subgroups defined by race, operator experience, and underlying diagnosis.

Numerous secondary endpoints also favored CTCA over no CTCA. This included fewer catheters used to complete the procedure (three vs. four; P < .001), a greater likelihood that the procedure was performed with radial access (76.9% vs. 56.7%), and lower rates of procedural complications (2.3% vs. 10.8%; P < .001). This latter category included fewer vascular access complications such as bleeding (0.6 % vs. 4.4%; P = .007) and periprocedural MI (0.6% vs. 6.4%; P < 0.001).

In a graph of time to first major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), the curves separated almost immediately with a consistently lower rate maintained in the CTCA arm over the 12 months of follow-up, but this is observational. Dr. Jones acknowledged that this trial was not powered to show a difference in MACE.
 

Study intriguing but not definitive

In a panel discussion that followed the presentation of these results at the meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, some reservations with this study were expressed. In particular, several of the panelists, including Jeffrey W. Moses, MD, director of interventional cardiovascular therapeutics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, expressed surprise at the 27% rate of CIN, which he considered uncommonly high even in a high-risk population.

The unusual rate of CIN was also considered problematic given that it was the most significant clinical outcome among the three co–primary endpoints. Procedural times and patient satisfaction, while valid endpoints, are important subjects of study, but Dr. Moses was not alone in suggesting this study deserves validation.

In particular, there appeared to be a consensus among panelists that a larger multicenter study looking at hard endpoints, such as MACE, would be more compelling. They indicated that even if CTCA poses a very low risk of meaningful complications, it does add expense and an extra step.

Dr. Jones reported no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Moses reported financial relationships with Covanos, Orchestra Biomed, Ostial, and Xenter.

BOSTON – Coronary angiography in patients who have previously undergone cardiac artery bypass grafting (CABG) is challenging, but the procedure can be streamlined and made safer when preprocedural CT coronary angiography (CTCA) is performed to plan the intervention, according to a randomized controlled trial.

In this study, all three endpoints, including a reduction in the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) and duration of the procedure, were met, according to Daniel Jones, MBBS, PhD.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

Preprocedural CTCA was also associated with about a 40% improvement in patient satisfaction.

“When logistically possible, CTCA should be considered for any stable postbypass patient undergoing coronary angiography,” said Dr. Jones, who supported this assertion with data presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting.

In this study, called BYPASS-CTCA, 688 patients with a prior CABG scheduled for invasive coronary angiography were randomized to a preprocedural CTCA or no preprocedural CTCA. Patients with stable angina and those with a non–ST elevated acute coronary syndrome were eligible. Those with ST-segment elevated MI or severe renal impairment (eGFR < 20 mL/min) were excluded.
 

All three co–primary endpoints favor CTCA

CTCA relative to no CTCA provided a significant advantage for all three of the coprimary endpoints, which were procedure duration, CIN as defined by KDIGO criteria, and patient satisfaction as measured by questionnaire.

The procedure duration was reduced by almost 21 minutes, cutting the time from nearly 39 minutes to less than 18 minutes (P < .001). This relative reduction was of similar magnitude across groups, such as those with or without acute coronary syndrome and procedures performed by a senior or a junior operator.

“Even when you include the preprocedural CTCA evaluation time, there was still a significant reduction [P < .001] in duration for those in the CTCA arm,” reported Dr. Jones, honorary consultant cardiologist, Barts Heart Centre, Queen Mary University, London.

The rates of CIN following the procedure in this study, which had a follow-up of 12 months, were 3.4% versus 27.9% (P < .0001) in the preprocedural CTCA and non-CTCA groups, respectively. Again, a sensitivity analysis showed a similar magnitude of risk reduction across all subgroups evaluated.
 

CTCA planning reduced contrast exposure

The reduced risk of CIN was consistent with a large reduction in contrast exposure for those in the CTCA group (77.4 vs. 173.0 mL; P < .001). The advantage narrowed substantially when adding in contrast exposure from CTCA, but still remained statistically significant (148.9 vs. 173.0 mL; P < .001).

Dr. Jones did not speculate about the specific reasons for the 40% improvement in patient satisfaction among those who underwent preprocedural CTCA relative to those who did not, but, again, a sensitivity analysis showed consistency across subgroups defined by race, operator experience, and underlying diagnosis.

Numerous secondary endpoints also favored CTCA over no CTCA. This included fewer catheters used to complete the procedure (three vs. four; P < .001), a greater likelihood that the procedure was performed with radial access (76.9% vs. 56.7%), and lower rates of procedural complications (2.3% vs. 10.8%; P < .001). This latter category included fewer vascular access complications such as bleeding (0.6 % vs. 4.4%; P = .007) and periprocedural MI (0.6% vs. 6.4%; P < 0.001).

In a graph of time to first major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), the curves separated almost immediately with a consistently lower rate maintained in the CTCA arm over the 12 months of follow-up, but this is observational. Dr. Jones acknowledged that this trial was not powered to show a difference in MACE.
 

Study intriguing but not definitive

In a panel discussion that followed the presentation of these results at the meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, some reservations with this study were expressed. In particular, several of the panelists, including Jeffrey W. Moses, MD, director of interventional cardiovascular therapeutics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, expressed surprise at the 27% rate of CIN, which he considered uncommonly high even in a high-risk population.

The unusual rate of CIN was also considered problematic given that it was the most significant clinical outcome among the three co–primary endpoints. Procedural times and patient satisfaction, while valid endpoints, are important subjects of study, but Dr. Moses was not alone in suggesting this study deserves validation.

In particular, there appeared to be a consensus among panelists that a larger multicenter study looking at hard endpoints, such as MACE, would be more compelling. They indicated that even if CTCA poses a very low risk of meaningful complications, it does add expense and an extra step.

Dr. Jones reported no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Moses reported financial relationships with Covanos, Orchestra Biomed, Ostial, and Xenter.

BOSTON – Following transradial access for angiography or a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a low dose of the factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban for 7 days reduces the risk of an access-site occlusion by 50%, according to results of the randomized RIVARAD trial.

Of two multicenter, randomized trials to address this question it is the larger, according to Rania Hammami, MD, who presented the results at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

In the open-label RIVARAD trial, 538 patients were randomized to 10 mg rivaroxaban or standard care alone. Standard care at the beginning of the procedure included unfractionated heparin in a dose of 50 IU/kg for angiography and up to 100 IU/kg for PCI. Manual compression was applied at the end of the procedure followed by an evaluation for complications, such as hematoma or aneurysm.

For the primary outcome of radial access occlusion at 30 days, the lower rate in the rivaroxaban arm (6.9% vs. 13.0%) translated into a statistically significant 50% reduction (odds ratio, 0.50; P = .011).
 

Rivaroxaban preserves radial pulse

Rivaroxaban was also favored for the endpoint of inability at 30 days to find a radial pulse (5.8% vs. 12.2%; P = .01). Interestingly, there was some disparity for this endpoint for clinical examination and ultrasound.

“In 12 patients, we were able to palpate a radial pulse, but the ultrasound showed an occlusion of the vessel, while in 7 patients we could not find a radial pulse even though the radial artery was patent on ultrasound,” Dr. Hammami, of the department of cardiology, Hedi Chaker Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia, said at the meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

The incidence of hemorrhagic complications was higher in the rivaroxaban group (2.7% vs. 1.9%), but the difference did not approach statistical significance (OR, 1.5; P = .54). Moreover, all of the bleeding complications were minor (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium level 1), and none of the bleeding complications were observed in patients receiving rivaroxaban alone. Rather, all patients with bleeding were taking one or more antiplatelet drugs along with rivaroxaban.

On univariate analysis, several baseline characteristics were associated with subsequent radial occlusion, including female sex (P = .02), current smoking (P = .03), renal failure (P = .004), and PCI for acute coronary syndrome (P = .02). On multivariate analysis, female sex (P = .001) and current smoking (P < .0001) became even stronger predictors of occlusion on a statistical basis, while a prior procedure involving radial access was also a significant predictor (P = .029).

“One woman out of two developed radial access occlusion if she had a history of smoking and had a history of a transradial puncture,” Dr. Hammami reported.

In a subgroup analysis, relative protection from radial artery occlusion from a 7-day course of rivaroxaban was particularly pronounced in those with diabetes, renal failure, or hypertension relative to those without these conditions, but the protective effect appeared to be about the same regardless of body mass index, age, sheath size, or current use of statins.

These findings are consistent with other studies evaluating the risk of radial access occlusion, according to Dr. Hammami. While different studies she cited reported incidences ranging from less than 1% to more than 30%, the risk has typically been highest in populations with increased susceptibility for thrombus formation, such as smokers and patients with diabetes.

Preventing radial artery occlusion has several benefits, not least of which is preserving this access point for future interventions, according to Dr. Hammami.

RIVARAD is the largest study to evaluate an anticoagulant for the prevention of radial artery occlusion, but it is not the first. Earlier in 2022, a Chinese trial called RESTORE was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. In that placebo-controlled study of 382 patients, 7 days of 10 mg rivaroxaban was also linked to a significant reduction in radial artery occlusion at 30 days (3.8% vs. 11.5%; P = .011).

“We don’t know if a higher dose of rivaroxaban would be more effective and equally safe,” said Dr. Hammami, but added that a Canadian trial called CAPITAL RAPTOR will test this premise. In this trial, there is a planned enrollment of 1,800 patients who will be randomized to 15 mg rivaroxaban or standard treatment.

Occlusion risk appears underappreciated

The risk of radial artery occlusion might be underappreciated. According to data cited by Dr. Hammami, only about half of interventionalists in the United States and fewer than 10% outside of the United States routinely assess radial artery patency in conjunction with radial-access PCI. The data from this trial suggest that the risk can be substantially reduced, particularly in high-risk patients, with anticoagulant therapy.

Mount Sinai Medical Center

Agreeing that this is a potentially avoidable complication, Roxanna Mehran, MD, director of interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, called the RIVARAD study “a clinically meaningful trial,” and valuable for identifying risk factors as well as for showing a treatment effect and acceptable safety from a short course of a factor Xa inhibitor.

“This is very important work,” said Dr. Mehran, who praised the quality of the study and the contribution it makes for considering how and when prophylaxis is needed.

Dr. Hammami reported no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Mehran has financial relationships with more than 25 pharmaceutical companies but none with the sponsor of this trial, which was funded by Philadelphia Pharma, a drug company based in Tunisia.

BOSTON – Following transradial access for angiography or a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a low dose of the factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban for 7 days reduces the risk of an access-site occlusion by 50%, according to results of the randomized RIVARAD trial.

Of two multicenter, randomized trials to address this question it is the larger, according to Rania Hammami, MD, who presented the results at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

In the open-label RIVARAD trial, 538 patients were randomized to 10 mg rivaroxaban or standard care alone. Standard care at the beginning of the procedure included unfractionated heparin in a dose of 50 IU/kg for angiography and up to 100 IU/kg for PCI. Manual compression was applied at the end of the procedure followed by an evaluation for complications, such as hematoma or aneurysm.

For the primary outcome of radial access occlusion at 30 days, the lower rate in the rivaroxaban arm (6.9% vs. 13.0%) translated into a statistically significant 50% reduction (odds ratio, 0.50; P = .011).
 

Rivaroxaban preserves radial pulse

Rivaroxaban was also favored for the endpoint of inability at 30 days to find a radial pulse (5.8% vs. 12.2%; P = .01). Interestingly, there was some disparity for this endpoint for clinical examination and ultrasound.

“In 12 patients, we were able to palpate a radial pulse, but the ultrasound showed an occlusion of the vessel, while in 7 patients we could not find a radial pulse even though the radial artery was patent on ultrasound,” Dr. Hammami, of the department of cardiology, Hedi Chaker Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia, said at the meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

The incidence of hemorrhagic complications was higher in the rivaroxaban group (2.7% vs. 1.9%), but the difference did not approach statistical significance (OR, 1.5; P = .54). Moreover, all of the bleeding complications were minor (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium level 1), and none of the bleeding complications were observed in patients receiving rivaroxaban alone. Rather, all patients with bleeding were taking one or more antiplatelet drugs along with rivaroxaban.

On univariate analysis, several baseline characteristics were associated with subsequent radial occlusion, including female sex (P = .02), current smoking (P = .03), renal failure (P = .004), and PCI for acute coronary syndrome (P = .02). On multivariate analysis, female sex (P = .001) and current smoking (P < .0001) became even stronger predictors of occlusion on a statistical basis, while a prior procedure involving radial access was also a significant predictor (P = .029).

“One woman out of two developed radial access occlusion if she had a history of smoking and had a history of a transradial puncture,” Dr. Hammami reported.

In a subgroup analysis, relative protection from radial artery occlusion from a 7-day course of rivaroxaban was particularly pronounced in those with diabetes, renal failure, or hypertension relative to those without these conditions, but the protective effect appeared to be about the same regardless of body mass index, age, sheath size, or current use of statins.

These findings are consistent with other studies evaluating the risk of radial access occlusion, according to Dr. Hammami. While different studies she cited reported incidences ranging from less than 1% to more than 30%, the risk has typically been highest in populations with increased susceptibility for thrombus formation, such as smokers and patients with diabetes.

Preventing radial artery occlusion has several benefits, not least of which is preserving this access point for future interventions, according to Dr. Hammami.

RIVARAD is the largest study to evaluate an anticoagulant for the prevention of radial artery occlusion, but it is not the first. Earlier in 2022, a Chinese trial called RESTORE was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. In that placebo-controlled study of 382 patients, 7 days of 10 mg rivaroxaban was also linked to a significant reduction in radial artery occlusion at 30 days (3.8% vs. 11.5%; P = .011).

“We don’t know if a higher dose of rivaroxaban would be more effective and equally safe,” said Dr. Hammami, but added that a Canadian trial called CAPITAL RAPTOR will test this premise. In this trial, there is a planned enrollment of 1,800 patients who will be randomized to 15 mg rivaroxaban or standard treatment.

Occlusion risk appears underappreciated

The risk of radial artery occlusion might be underappreciated. According to data cited by Dr. Hammami, only about half of interventionalists in the United States and fewer than 10% outside of the United States routinely assess radial artery patency in conjunction with radial-access PCI. The data from this trial suggest that the risk can be substantially reduced, particularly in high-risk patients, with anticoagulant therapy.

Mount Sinai Medical Center

Agreeing that this is a potentially avoidable complication, Roxanna Mehran, MD, director of interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, called the RIVARAD study “a clinically meaningful trial,” and valuable for identifying risk factors as well as for showing a treatment effect and acceptable safety from a short course of a factor Xa inhibitor.

“This is very important work,” said Dr. Mehran, who praised the quality of the study and the contribution it makes for considering how and when prophylaxis is needed.

Dr. Hammami reported no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Mehran has financial relationships with more than 25 pharmaceutical companies but none with the sponsor of this trial, which was funded by Philadelphia Pharma, a drug company based in Tunisia.

BOSTON – Following transradial access for angiography or a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a low dose of the factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban for 7 days reduces the risk of an access-site occlusion by 50%, according to results of the randomized RIVARAD trial.

Of two multicenter, randomized trials to address this question it is the larger, according to Rania Hammami, MD, who presented the results at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

In the open-label RIVARAD trial, 538 patients were randomized to 10 mg rivaroxaban or standard care alone. Standard care at the beginning of the procedure included unfractionated heparin in a dose of 50 IU/kg for angiography and up to 100 IU/kg for PCI. Manual compression was applied at the end of the procedure followed by an evaluation for complications, such as hematoma or aneurysm.

For the primary outcome of radial access occlusion at 30 days, the lower rate in the rivaroxaban arm (6.9% vs. 13.0%) translated into a statistically significant 50% reduction (odds ratio, 0.50; P = .011).
 

Rivaroxaban preserves radial pulse

Rivaroxaban was also favored for the endpoint of inability at 30 days to find a radial pulse (5.8% vs. 12.2%; P = .01). Interestingly, there was some disparity for this endpoint for clinical examination and ultrasound.

“In 12 patients, we were able to palpate a radial pulse, but the ultrasound showed an occlusion of the vessel, while in 7 patients we could not find a radial pulse even though the radial artery was patent on ultrasound,” Dr. Hammami, of the department of cardiology, Hedi Chaker Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia, said at the meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

The incidence of hemorrhagic complications was higher in the rivaroxaban group (2.7% vs. 1.9%), but the difference did not approach statistical significance (OR, 1.5; P = .54). Moreover, all of the bleeding complications were minor (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium level 1), and none of the bleeding complications were observed in patients receiving rivaroxaban alone. Rather, all patients with bleeding were taking one or more antiplatelet drugs along with rivaroxaban.

On univariate analysis, several baseline characteristics were associated with subsequent radial occlusion, including female sex (P = .02), current smoking (P = .03), renal failure (P = .004), and PCI for acute coronary syndrome (P = .02). On multivariate analysis, female sex (P = .001) and current smoking (P < .0001) became even stronger predictors of occlusion on a statistical basis, while a prior procedure involving radial access was also a significant predictor (P = .029).

“One woman out of two developed radial access occlusion if she had a history of smoking and had a history of a transradial puncture,” Dr. Hammami reported.

In a subgroup analysis, relative protection from radial artery occlusion from a 7-day course of rivaroxaban was particularly pronounced in those with diabetes, renal failure, or hypertension relative to those without these conditions, but the protective effect appeared to be about the same regardless of body mass index, age, sheath size, or current use of statins.

These findings are consistent with other studies evaluating the risk of radial access occlusion, according to Dr. Hammami. While different studies she cited reported incidences ranging from less than 1% to more than 30%, the risk has typically been highest in populations with increased susceptibility for thrombus formation, such as smokers and patients with diabetes.

Preventing radial artery occlusion has several benefits, not least of which is preserving this access point for future interventions, according to Dr. Hammami.

RIVARAD is the largest study to evaluate an anticoagulant for the prevention of radial artery occlusion, but it is not the first. Earlier in 2022, a Chinese trial called RESTORE was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. In that placebo-controlled study of 382 patients, 7 days of 10 mg rivaroxaban was also linked to a significant reduction in radial artery occlusion at 30 days (3.8% vs. 11.5%; P = .011).

“We don’t know if a higher dose of rivaroxaban would be more effective and equally safe,” said Dr. Hammami, but added that a Canadian trial called CAPITAL RAPTOR will test this premise. In this trial, there is a planned enrollment of 1,800 patients who will be randomized to 15 mg rivaroxaban or standard treatment.

Occlusion risk appears underappreciated

The risk of radial artery occlusion might be underappreciated. According to data cited by Dr. Hammami, only about half of interventionalists in the United States and fewer than 10% outside of the United States routinely assess radial artery patency in conjunction with radial-access PCI. The data from this trial suggest that the risk can be substantially reduced, particularly in high-risk patients, with anticoagulant therapy.

Mount Sinai Medical Center

Agreeing that this is a potentially avoidable complication, Roxanna Mehran, MD, director of interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, called the RIVARAD study “a clinically meaningful trial,” and valuable for identifying risk factors as well as for showing a treatment effect and acceptable safety from a short course of a factor Xa inhibitor.

“This is very important work,” said Dr. Mehran, who praised the quality of the study and the contribution it makes for considering how and when prophylaxis is needed.

Dr. Hammami reported no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Mehran has financial relationships with more than 25 pharmaceutical companies but none with the sponsor of this trial, which was funded by Philadelphia Pharma, a drug company based in Tunisia.

In patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and cardiogenic shock, successful transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) is associated with a substantial reduction in all-cause mortality and lower morbidity at 1 year, according to an analysis of registry data.

The data from this analysis also confirm that “successful reduction of MR is achievable with TEER in most patients with cardiogenic shock,” reported Mohamad A. Alkhouli, MD, an interventional cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

STS/ACC TCT registry data queried

Drawn from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry, 3,797 patients with cardiogenic shock underwent MR repair between November 2013 and December 2021. Outcomes at 1 year were evaluable in 2,773 of these patients. For inclusion, all had to meet at least one of the definitions of cardiogenic shock, such as inotrope use or mechanical circulatory support.

At baseline, 94.5% had a MR severity of at least 3+, and most of these had 4+. Thirty days after treatment, 88.8% had MR severity of 2+ or less, the majority of which had a severity of 1+.

These data address an important question not previously well studied, according to Dr. Alkhouli. In MR patients, cardiogenic shock is associated with a high risk of death, but there has been little evidence that valve repair does not exacerbate, let alone modify, this risk.

These data support the value of intervention, which was performed in almost all patients with MitraClipä (Abbott), the only device available for most of the period in which the registry was queried. However, Dr. Alkhouli cautioned that his data are best considered “hypothesis generating.”

“We need a randomized trial,” he said at the meeting sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. He pointed out that this is a complex population for which multiple variables might have skewed results when data are analyzed retrospectively. Not least, those MR patients with cardiogenic shock in the database considered for TEER might well have been relatively healthy and not representative of an unselected population with both MR and cardiogenic shock.

The question might be better answered by the multicenter Canadian trial CAPITAL MINOS, which has just started. Described in an article in the American Heart Journal, it has a planned enrollment of about 150 MR patients with cardiogenic shock randomized to TEER or medical therapy. Results are expected in about 1 year, according to Dr. Alkhouli.

But regarding the present analysis, Dr. Alkhouli did note that sensitivity analyses conducted within his data across risk factors, such as degenerative versus nondegenerative MR, low (< 30%) versus higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and presence or absence of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), consistently supported a benefit from intervention.

Also, cardiogenic shock did not appear to be a factor in device failure, according to Dr. Alkhouli, addressing a potential criticism that cardiogenic shock was an underlying reason for device failure.
 

More than 90% in NYHA class III or IV heart failure

In this study, the mean age was 73 years. More than 90% were in class III or IV heart failure in the 2 weeks prior to TEER. More than half had established coronary artery disease. Other concomitant cardiovascular morbidities, including atrial fibrillation or flutter (65%), prior MI (39%), and prior stroke or transient ischemic attach (> 10%) were well represented.

When those with device success were compared with those with device failure, the risk profile was comparable. The predicted STS (Society of Thoracic Surgeons) mortality for mitral valve repair among these two groups was 14.8% versus 15% (P = 0.97), respectively.

However, those with device failure did have a lower baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (40.7% vs. 42.9%; P = .009) and a greater prevalence of moderate-to-severe or severe MR (96.1% vs. 84.9%; P < 0.001).

The growing experience with TEER means that benefit has now been shown in several complicated MR groups, such as those with severe ventricular dysfunction, renal insufficiency, and obstructive lung disease. This was a rationale for looking at the impact or repairing MR in patients with cardiogenic shock.

It is a pressing question, according to Dr. Alkhouli. He cited studies suggesting that up to 20% of patients hospitalized for cardiogenic shock have at least moderate-to-severe MR. Conversely, cardiogenic shock is not an uncommon finding in patients with MR.

While Dr. Alkhouli acknowledged that the many variables influencing outcome in patients with MR and cardiogenic shock will make a randomized trial “challenging,” many experts echoed this concern and even expressed some skepticism about the potential for an unbiased trial.
 

Data confirm MR repair is safe during shock

“These data do show that repair of MR is safe in patients safe in patients with cardiogenic shock,” said Anita W. Asgar, MD, an interventional cardiologist associated with the Montreal Heart Institute. She noted that there was a 5- to 6-day delay among the cardiogenic shock patients prior to undergoing MR repair in this analysis, potentially reflecting an elimination of those at very high risk. Similarly, she suggested that many interventionalists are likely to consider multiple variables before proceeding.

As a result, MR repair may not be amenable to randomization in a cardiogenic shock population, given that this decision is not typically undertaken out of the context of multiple variables.

“I am not sure that a clinical trial is ethical,” she said. She would expect that clinicians enrolling patients would only do so on a selective basis.

Alexandra J. Lansky, MD, Director of the Yale Heart and Vascular Research Program, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., also emphasized the difficulty of controlling for variables, such as the duration of cardiogenic shock, that influence decision-making.

Nevertheless, she called the data “very important” in that they at least lend some objective data for deciding whether to intervene a group of “challenging” patients not uncommonly faced in clinical practice.

Dr. Alkhouli reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson, and Phillips. Dr. Asgar reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Edwards Lifesciences, W.L. Gore & Associates, and Medtronic. Dr. Lasky reports no potential conflicts of interest.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

In patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and cardiogenic shock, successful transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) is associated with a substantial reduction in all-cause mortality and lower morbidity at 1 year, according to an analysis of registry data.

The data from this analysis also confirm that “successful reduction of MR is achievable with TEER in most patients with cardiogenic shock,” reported Mohamad A. Alkhouli, MD, an interventional cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

STS/ACC TCT registry data queried

Drawn from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry, 3,797 patients with cardiogenic shock underwent MR repair between November 2013 and December 2021. Outcomes at 1 year were evaluable in 2,773 of these patients. For inclusion, all had to meet at least one of the definitions of cardiogenic shock, such as inotrope use or mechanical circulatory support.

At baseline, 94.5% had a MR severity of at least 3+, and most of these had 4+. Thirty days after treatment, 88.8% had MR severity of 2+ or less, the majority of which had a severity of 1+.

These data address an important question not previously well studied, according to Dr. Alkhouli. In MR patients, cardiogenic shock is associated with a high risk of death, but there has been little evidence that valve repair does not exacerbate, let alone modify, this risk.

These data support the value of intervention, which was performed in almost all patients with MitraClipä (Abbott), the only device available for most of the period in which the registry was queried. However, Dr. Alkhouli cautioned that his data are best considered “hypothesis generating.”

“We need a randomized trial,” he said at the meeting sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. He pointed out that this is a complex population for which multiple variables might have skewed results when data are analyzed retrospectively. Not least, those MR patients with cardiogenic shock in the database considered for TEER might well have been relatively healthy and not representative of an unselected population with both MR and cardiogenic shock.

The question might be better answered by the multicenter Canadian trial CAPITAL MINOS, which has just started. Described in an article in the American Heart Journal, it has a planned enrollment of about 150 MR patients with cardiogenic shock randomized to TEER or medical therapy. Results are expected in about 1 year, according to Dr. Alkhouli.

But regarding the present analysis, Dr. Alkhouli did note that sensitivity analyses conducted within his data across risk factors, such as degenerative versus nondegenerative MR, low (< 30%) versus higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and presence or absence of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), consistently supported a benefit from intervention.

Also, cardiogenic shock did not appear to be a factor in device failure, according to Dr. Alkhouli, addressing a potential criticism that cardiogenic shock was an underlying reason for device failure.
 

More than 90% in NYHA class III or IV heart failure

In this study, the mean age was 73 years. More than 90% were in class III or IV heart failure in the 2 weeks prior to TEER. More than half had established coronary artery disease. Other concomitant cardiovascular morbidities, including atrial fibrillation or flutter (65%), prior MI (39%), and prior stroke or transient ischemic attach (> 10%) were well represented.

When those with device success were compared with those with device failure, the risk profile was comparable. The predicted STS (Society of Thoracic Surgeons) mortality for mitral valve repair among these two groups was 14.8% versus 15% (P = 0.97), respectively.

However, those with device failure did have a lower baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (40.7% vs. 42.9%; P = .009) and a greater prevalence of moderate-to-severe or severe MR (96.1% vs. 84.9%; P < 0.001).

The growing experience with TEER means that benefit has now been shown in several complicated MR groups, such as those with severe ventricular dysfunction, renal insufficiency, and obstructive lung disease. This was a rationale for looking at the impact or repairing MR in patients with cardiogenic shock.

It is a pressing question, according to Dr. Alkhouli. He cited studies suggesting that up to 20% of patients hospitalized for cardiogenic shock have at least moderate-to-severe MR. Conversely, cardiogenic shock is not an uncommon finding in patients with MR.

While Dr. Alkhouli acknowledged that the many variables influencing outcome in patients with MR and cardiogenic shock will make a randomized trial “challenging,” many experts echoed this concern and even expressed some skepticism about the potential for an unbiased trial.
 

Data confirm MR repair is safe during shock

“These data do show that repair of MR is safe in patients safe in patients with cardiogenic shock,” said Anita W. Asgar, MD, an interventional cardiologist associated with the Montreal Heart Institute. She noted that there was a 5- to 6-day delay among the cardiogenic shock patients prior to undergoing MR repair in this analysis, potentially reflecting an elimination of those at very high risk. Similarly, she suggested that many interventionalists are likely to consider multiple variables before proceeding.

As a result, MR repair may not be amenable to randomization in a cardiogenic shock population, given that this decision is not typically undertaken out of the context of multiple variables.

“I am not sure that a clinical trial is ethical,” she said. She would expect that clinicians enrolling patients would only do so on a selective basis.

Alexandra J. Lansky, MD, Director of the Yale Heart and Vascular Research Program, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., also emphasized the difficulty of controlling for variables, such as the duration of cardiogenic shock, that influence decision-making.

Nevertheless, she called the data “very important” in that they at least lend some objective data for deciding whether to intervene a group of “challenging” patients not uncommonly faced in clinical practice.

Dr. Alkhouli reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson, and Phillips. Dr. Asgar reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Edwards Lifesciences, W.L. Gore & Associates, and Medtronic. Dr. Lasky reports no potential conflicts of interest.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

In patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and cardiogenic shock, successful transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) is associated with a substantial reduction in all-cause mortality and lower morbidity at 1 year, according to an analysis of registry data.

The data from this analysis also confirm that “successful reduction of MR is achievable with TEER in most patients with cardiogenic shock,” reported Mohamad A. Alkhouli, MD, an interventional cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

STS/ACC TCT registry data queried

Drawn from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry, 3,797 patients with cardiogenic shock underwent MR repair between November 2013 and December 2021. Outcomes at 1 year were evaluable in 2,773 of these patients. For inclusion, all had to meet at least one of the definitions of cardiogenic shock, such as inotrope use or mechanical circulatory support.

At baseline, 94.5% had a MR severity of at least 3+, and most of these had 4+. Thirty days after treatment, 88.8% had MR severity of 2+ or less, the majority of which had a severity of 1+.

These data address an important question not previously well studied, according to Dr. Alkhouli. In MR patients, cardiogenic shock is associated with a high risk of death, but there has been little evidence that valve repair does not exacerbate, let alone modify, this risk.

These data support the value of intervention, which was performed in almost all patients with MitraClipä (Abbott), the only device available for most of the period in which the registry was queried. However, Dr. Alkhouli cautioned that his data are best considered “hypothesis generating.”

“We need a randomized trial,” he said at the meeting sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. He pointed out that this is a complex population for which multiple variables might have skewed results when data are analyzed retrospectively. Not least, those MR patients with cardiogenic shock in the database considered for TEER might well have been relatively healthy and not representative of an unselected population with both MR and cardiogenic shock.

The question might be better answered by the multicenter Canadian trial CAPITAL MINOS, which has just started. Described in an article in the American Heart Journal, it has a planned enrollment of about 150 MR patients with cardiogenic shock randomized to TEER or medical therapy. Results are expected in about 1 year, according to Dr. Alkhouli.

But regarding the present analysis, Dr. Alkhouli did note that sensitivity analyses conducted within his data across risk factors, such as degenerative versus nondegenerative MR, low (< 30%) versus higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and presence or absence of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), consistently supported a benefit from intervention.

Also, cardiogenic shock did not appear to be a factor in device failure, according to Dr. Alkhouli, addressing a potential criticism that cardiogenic shock was an underlying reason for device failure.
 

More than 90% in NYHA class III or IV heart failure

In this study, the mean age was 73 years. More than 90% were in class III or IV heart failure in the 2 weeks prior to TEER. More than half had established coronary artery disease. Other concomitant cardiovascular morbidities, including atrial fibrillation or flutter (65%), prior MI (39%), and prior stroke or transient ischemic attach (> 10%) were well represented.

When those with device success were compared with those with device failure, the risk profile was comparable. The predicted STS (Society of Thoracic Surgeons) mortality for mitral valve repair among these two groups was 14.8% versus 15% (P = 0.97), respectively.

However, those with device failure did have a lower baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (40.7% vs. 42.9%; P = .009) and a greater prevalence of moderate-to-severe or severe MR (96.1% vs. 84.9%; P < 0.001).

The growing experience with TEER means that benefit has now been shown in several complicated MR groups, such as those with severe ventricular dysfunction, renal insufficiency, and obstructive lung disease. This was a rationale for looking at the impact or repairing MR in patients with cardiogenic shock.

It is a pressing question, according to Dr. Alkhouli. He cited studies suggesting that up to 20% of patients hospitalized for cardiogenic shock have at least moderate-to-severe MR. Conversely, cardiogenic shock is not an uncommon finding in patients with MR.

While Dr. Alkhouli acknowledged that the many variables influencing outcome in patients with MR and cardiogenic shock will make a randomized trial “challenging,” many experts echoed this concern and even expressed some skepticism about the potential for an unbiased trial.
 

Data confirm MR repair is safe during shock

“These data do show that repair of MR is safe in patients safe in patients with cardiogenic shock,” said Anita W. Asgar, MD, an interventional cardiologist associated with the Montreal Heart Institute. She noted that there was a 5- to 6-day delay among the cardiogenic shock patients prior to undergoing MR repair in this analysis, potentially reflecting an elimination of those at very high risk. Similarly, she suggested that many interventionalists are likely to consider multiple variables before proceeding.

As a result, MR repair may not be amenable to randomization in a cardiogenic shock population, given that this decision is not typically undertaken out of the context of multiple variables.

“I am not sure that a clinical trial is ethical,” she said. She would expect that clinicians enrolling patients would only do so on a selective basis.

Alexandra J. Lansky, MD, Director of the Yale Heart and Vascular Research Program, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., also emphasized the difficulty of controlling for variables, such as the duration of cardiogenic shock, that influence decision-making.

Nevertheless, she called the data “very important” in that they at least lend some objective data for deciding whether to intervene a group of “challenging” patients not uncommonly faced in clinical practice.

Dr. Alkhouli reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson, and Phillips. Dr. Asgar reports financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Edwards Lifesciences, W.L. Gore & Associates, and Medtronic. Dr. Lasky reports no potential conflicts of interest.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

The design improvements introduced in the fourth-generation device for transcatheter mitral valve repair, called the MitraClip G4 (Abbott), appears to yield better outcomes than previous iterations, according to a multinational postapproval study with more than 1,000 patients.

Not least, the 1.3% all-cause mortality at 30 days in this series, called EXPAND G4, “is the lowest that has been reported to date,” reported Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben, MD, at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

The evidence of relative advantages was based on comparisons with historical data and a similar study of the previous-generation device. That previous study, called EXPAND, evaluated the MitraClip NTR and ETR systems.

Device times shorter with new device

“There were shorter device times with MitraClip G4,” said Dr. von Bardeleben, referring to a more than 10-minute advantage over the previous generation device (35 minutes in EXPAND G4 vs. 46 min in EXPAND). Although the reduction in overall median procedure time was more modest (77 vs. 80 minutes), Dr. von Bardeleben said these are “the shortest device and procedural times reported to date.”

He also reported what appeared to be incremental advantages across multiple other endpoints, such as procedural success (96.2% vs. 95.8%) and a reduction in the mean clip rate (1.4 vs. 1.5).

Compared with historical outcomes with other devices employed in transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) of mitral valves, Dr. von Bardeleben contended that the results support the premise that the MitraClip G4 system is a meaningful advance by incorporating such features as an expanded choice of clip sizes, a greater coaptation area, and a more advanced gripper actuation for leaflet grasping.
 

Over 90% achieve MR 1+

Not least, it appears to increase the proportion of patients who achieve a mitral regurgitation grade of 1+ (MR1+) or lower, which is increasingly recognized as the goal of TEER, said Dr. von Bardeleben, head of the Centre of Structure Heart Disease Interventions, Heart Valve Centre, Mainz, Germany.

He said the rates of 91% achieving MR1+ or less and 98% achieved 2+ or lower compare favorably with most other series and exceeds levels achieved with surgery.

Dr. von Bardeleben also contended that, because of its design features, the MitraClip G4 “expands the spectrum of TEER-suitable patients.” He noted that 5% of the patients in this real-world series had a high risk of stenosis owing to such issues as severe annular or leaflet calcification and another 5% had factors that would predict inadequate MR reduction, such as Barlow’s disease, bi-leaflet prolapse, and severe leaflet degeneration.

The 1,164 patients in EXPAND G4 were enrolled from sites in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan. For the key outcome measure of procedural success, echocardiograms were assessed by an independent core laboratory. Of the 1,164 patients enrolled, 1,044 (91%) had complete follow-up data at 30 days.

The procedural success rates were reflected in improvements in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classes and in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), a quality of life instrument. Prior to treatment, 69% were in NYHA class III or greater. Following treatment, the proportion was 17% (P < .0001). The 18-point improvement in the KCCQ was characterized by Dr. von Bardeleben as “both clinically and statistically significant [P < .0001].”

There were no strokes in this series, and the 30-day incidence of myocardial infarction was 0.2%. The proportion requiring cardiovascular surgery within 30 days was less than 1%. The rate of bleeding episodes, all of which were nonserious, was 7%.

The “EXPAND G4 study confirms the safety and effectiveness of the next generation MitraClip G4 system,” according to Dr. von Bardeleben, and it did so “in a contemporary real-world setting.”
 

Outcome data characterized as ‘excellent’

Several invited panelists participating in a discussion following the presentation agreed.

“These results are excellent,” said Raj Makkar, MD, associate director of interventional technologies at Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. While he was impressed with the fact that only 2% missed the primary endpoint of MR 2+ or lower, he indicated that the 91% achieving MR 1+ or lower might be an even more apt signal that newer-generation devices are improving.

This was echoed by other panelists who appeared to form a general consensus over the premise that the target in TEER should no longer be MR 2+ for most patients.

“We should now be aiming for MR grade of 0-1,” stated panelist Stephan Windecker, MD, chairman, department of cardiology, University of Bern (Switzerland). He indicated that this goal is increasingly reasonable given the advances in device design and greater operator experience.

Dr. von Bardeleben reported financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Neochord. Dr. Makkar reported financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Cordis, Edwards Lifesciences, and Medtronic. Dr. Windecker reported financial relationships with more than 30 pharmaceutical companies, including Abbott Vascular, which manufactures MitraClip G4.
 

The design improvements introduced in the fourth-generation device for transcatheter mitral valve repair, called the MitraClip G4 (Abbott), appears to yield better outcomes than previous iterations, according to a multinational postapproval study with more than 1,000 patients.

Not least, the 1.3% all-cause mortality at 30 days in this series, called EXPAND G4, “is the lowest that has been reported to date,” reported Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben, MD, at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

The evidence of relative advantages was based on comparisons with historical data and a similar study of the previous-generation device. That previous study, called EXPAND, evaluated the MitraClip NTR and ETR systems.

Device times shorter with new device

“There were shorter device times with MitraClip G4,” said Dr. von Bardeleben, referring to a more than 10-minute advantage over the previous generation device (35 minutes in EXPAND G4 vs. 46 min in EXPAND). Although the reduction in overall median procedure time was more modest (77 vs. 80 minutes), Dr. von Bardeleben said these are “the shortest device and procedural times reported to date.”

He also reported what appeared to be incremental advantages across multiple other endpoints, such as procedural success (96.2% vs. 95.8%) and a reduction in the mean clip rate (1.4 vs. 1.5).

Compared with historical outcomes with other devices employed in transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) of mitral valves, Dr. von Bardeleben contended that the results support the premise that the MitraClip G4 system is a meaningful advance by incorporating such features as an expanded choice of clip sizes, a greater coaptation area, and a more advanced gripper actuation for leaflet grasping.
 

Over 90% achieve MR 1+

Not least, it appears to increase the proportion of patients who achieve a mitral regurgitation grade of 1+ (MR1+) or lower, which is increasingly recognized as the goal of TEER, said Dr. von Bardeleben, head of the Centre of Structure Heart Disease Interventions, Heart Valve Centre, Mainz, Germany.

He said the rates of 91% achieving MR1+ or less and 98% achieved 2+ or lower compare favorably with most other series and exceeds levels achieved with surgery.

Dr. von Bardeleben also contended that, because of its design features, the MitraClip G4 “expands the spectrum of TEER-suitable patients.” He noted that 5% of the patients in this real-world series had a high risk of stenosis owing to such issues as severe annular or leaflet calcification and another 5% had factors that would predict inadequate MR reduction, such as Barlow’s disease, bi-leaflet prolapse, and severe leaflet degeneration.

The 1,164 patients in EXPAND G4 were enrolled from sites in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan. For the key outcome measure of procedural success, echocardiograms were assessed by an independent core laboratory. Of the 1,164 patients enrolled, 1,044 (91%) had complete follow-up data at 30 days.

The procedural success rates were reflected in improvements in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classes and in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), a quality of life instrument. Prior to treatment, 69% were in NYHA class III or greater. Following treatment, the proportion was 17% (P < .0001). The 18-point improvement in the KCCQ was characterized by Dr. von Bardeleben as “both clinically and statistically significant [P < .0001].”

There were no strokes in this series, and the 30-day incidence of myocardial infarction was 0.2%. The proportion requiring cardiovascular surgery within 30 days was less than 1%. The rate of bleeding episodes, all of which were nonserious, was 7%.

The “EXPAND G4 study confirms the safety and effectiveness of the next generation MitraClip G4 system,” according to Dr. von Bardeleben, and it did so “in a contemporary real-world setting.”
 

Outcome data characterized as ‘excellent’

Several invited panelists participating in a discussion following the presentation agreed.

“These results are excellent,” said Raj Makkar, MD, associate director of interventional technologies at Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. While he was impressed with the fact that only 2% missed the primary endpoint of MR 2+ or lower, he indicated that the 91% achieving MR 1+ or lower might be an even more apt signal that newer-generation devices are improving.

This was echoed by other panelists who appeared to form a general consensus over the premise that the target in TEER should no longer be MR 2+ for most patients.

“We should now be aiming for MR grade of 0-1,” stated panelist Stephan Windecker, MD, chairman, department of cardiology, University of Bern (Switzerland). He indicated that this goal is increasingly reasonable given the advances in device design and greater operator experience.

Dr. von Bardeleben reported financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Neochord. Dr. Makkar reported financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Cordis, Edwards Lifesciences, and Medtronic. Dr. Windecker reported financial relationships with more than 30 pharmaceutical companies, including Abbott Vascular, which manufactures MitraClip G4.
 

The design improvements introduced in the fourth-generation device for transcatheter mitral valve repair, called the MitraClip G4 (Abbott), appears to yield better outcomes than previous iterations, according to a multinational postapproval study with more than 1,000 patients.

Not least, the 1.3% all-cause mortality at 30 days in this series, called EXPAND G4, “is the lowest that has been reported to date,” reported Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben, MD, at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

Ted Bosworth/MDedge News

The evidence of relative advantages was based on comparisons with historical data and a similar study of the previous-generation device. That previous study, called EXPAND, evaluated the MitraClip NTR and ETR systems.

Device times shorter with new device

“There were shorter device times with MitraClip G4,” said Dr. von Bardeleben, referring to a more than 10-minute advantage over the previous generation device (35 minutes in EXPAND G4 vs. 46 min in EXPAND). Although the reduction in overall median procedure time was more modest (77 vs. 80 minutes), Dr. von Bardeleben said these are “the shortest device and procedural times reported to date.”

He also reported what appeared to be incremental advantages across multiple other endpoints, such as procedural success (96.2% vs. 95.8%) and a reduction in the mean clip rate (1.4 vs. 1.5).

Compared with historical outcomes with other devices employed in transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) of mitral valves, Dr. von Bardeleben contended that the results support the premise that the MitraClip G4 system is a meaningful advance by incorporating such features as an expanded choice of clip sizes, a greater coaptation area, and a more advanced gripper actuation for leaflet grasping.
 

Over 90% achieve MR 1+

Not least, it appears to increase the proportion of patients who achieve a mitral regurgitation grade of 1+ (MR1+) or lower, which is increasingly recognized as the goal of TEER, said Dr. von Bardeleben, head of the Centre of Structure Heart Disease Interventions, Heart Valve Centre, Mainz, Germany.

He said the rates of 91% achieving MR1+ or less and 98% achieved 2+ or lower compare favorably with most other series and exceeds levels achieved with surgery.

Dr. von Bardeleben also contended that, because of its design features, the MitraClip G4 “expands the spectrum of TEER-suitable patients.” He noted that 5% of the patients in this real-world series had a high risk of stenosis owing to such issues as severe annular or leaflet calcification and another 5% had factors that would predict inadequate MR reduction, such as Barlow’s disease, bi-leaflet prolapse, and severe leaflet degeneration.

The 1,164 patients in EXPAND G4 were enrolled from sites in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan. For the key outcome measure of procedural success, echocardiograms were assessed by an independent core laboratory. Of the 1,164 patients enrolled, 1,044 (91%) had complete follow-up data at 30 days.

The procedural success rates were reflected in improvements in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classes and in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), a quality of life instrument. Prior to treatment, 69% were in NYHA class III or greater. Following treatment, the proportion was 17% (P < .0001). The 18-point improvement in the KCCQ was characterized by Dr. von Bardeleben as “both clinically and statistically significant [P < .0001].”

There were no strokes in this series, and the 30-day incidence of myocardial infarction was 0.2%. The proportion requiring cardiovascular surgery within 30 days was less than 1%. The rate of bleeding episodes, all of which were nonserious, was 7%.

The “EXPAND G4 study confirms the safety and effectiveness of the next generation MitraClip G4 system,” according to Dr. von Bardeleben, and it did so “in a contemporary real-world setting.”
 

Outcome data characterized as ‘excellent’

Several invited panelists participating in a discussion following the presentation agreed.

“These results are excellent,” said Raj Makkar, MD, associate director of interventional technologies at Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. While he was impressed with the fact that only 2% missed the primary endpoint of MR 2+ or lower, he indicated that the 91% achieving MR 1+ or lower might be an even more apt signal that newer-generation devices are improving.

This was echoed by other panelists who appeared to form a general consensus over the premise that the target in TEER should no longer be MR 2+ for most patients.

“We should now be aiming for MR grade of 0-1,” stated panelist Stephan Windecker, MD, chairman, department of cardiology, University of Bern (Switzerland). He indicated that this goal is increasingly reasonable given the advances in device design and greater operator experience.

Dr. von Bardeleben reported financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Neochord. Dr. Makkar reported financial relationships with Abbott Vascular, Cordis, Edwards Lifesciences, and Medtronic. Dr. Windecker reported financial relationships with more than 30 pharmaceutical companies, including Abbott Vascular, which manufactures MitraClip G4.
 

MILAN – The day after deucravacitinib became the first TYK2 inhibitor approved for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis, long-term data were presented at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, suggesting that a high degree of benefit persists for at least 2 years, making this oral drug a potential competitor for biologics.

As a once-daily drug, deucravacitinib has “the potential to be a treatment of choice and a new standard of care for patients who require systemic therapy for their moderate to severe plaque psoriasis,” said Mark G. Lebwohl, MD, professor of dermatology and dean of clinical therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.

Just 2 months after the 52-week data from the phase 3 POETYK PSO-1 trial were published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, a long-term extension study found essentially no loss of benefit at 112 weeks, according to Dr. Lebwohl.

One of the two co-primary endpoints was a 75% clearance on the Psoriasis and Severity Index (PASI75) score. At 52 weeks, 80.2% of patients on deucravacitinib had met this criterion of benefit. At 112 weeks, the proportion was 84.4%.

The other primary endpoint was a static Physician’s Global Assessment (sPGA) score of clear or almost clear skin. The proportion of patients meeting this criterion at weeks 52 and 112 weeks were 65.6% and 67.6%, respectively.

When assessed by Treatment Failure Rule (TFR) or modified nonresponder imputation (mNRI), results were similar. For both, the primary endpoints at every time interval were just one or two percentage points lower but not clinically meaningfully different, according to Dr. Lebwohl.

The same type of sustained response out to 112 weeks was observed in multiple analyses. When the researchers isolated the subgroup of patients who had achieved a PASI 75 response at 16 weeks (100%), there was a modest decline in the PASI 75 rate at week 52 (90.2%) but then no additional decline at week 112 (91.3%).

There were essentially no changes in the PASI 90 rates at week 16 (63%), week 52 (65.3%), and week 112 (63.1%), Dr. Lebwohl reported. PASI 100 rates, once achieved, were sustained long term.

The target, TYK2, is one of four Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Until now, almost all JAK inhibitors have had greater relative specificity for JAK 1, JAK 2, and JAK 3, but several inhibitors of TYK2 inhibitors other than deucravacitinib are in development for inflammatory diseases. Deucravacitinib (Sotyktu), approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 9, is the only TYK2 inhibitor with regulatory approval for plaque psoriasis.

In the POETYK PSO-1 trial, 666 patients were initially randomized in a 2:1:1 ratio to 6 mg deucravacitinib (now the approved dose), placebo, or the oral phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor apremilast. At week 16, patients on placebo were switched over to deucravacitinib. At week 24, patients who did not achieve a PASI 50 on apremilast (which had been titrated to 10 mg daily to 30 mg twice a day over the first 5 days of dosing) were switched to deucravacitinib.

In the previously reported data, deucravacitinib was superior for all efficacy endpoints at week 16, including an analysis of quality of life when compared with placebo (P < .0001) or apremilast (P = .0088). At week 52, after having been switched to deucravacitinib at week 16, patients on placebo achieved comparable responses on the efficacy measures in this study, including PASI75.

Relative to JAK inhibitors commonly used in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, the greater specificity of deucravacitinib for TYK2 appears to have meaningful safety advantages, according to Dr. Lebwohl. Targeted mostly on the TYK2 regulatory domain, deucravacitinib largely avoids inhibition of the JAK 1, 2, and 3 subtypes. Dr. Lebwohl said this explains why deucravacitinib labeling does not share the boxed warnings about off-target effects, such as those on the cardiovascular system, that can be found in the labeling of other JAK inhibitors.

In the published 52-week data, the discontinuation rate for adverse events was lower in the group randomized to deucravacitinib arm than in the placebo arm. In the extended follow-up, there were no new signals for adverse events, including those involving the CV system or immune function.

The key message so far from the long-term follow-up, which is ongoing, is that “continuous treatment with deucravacitinib is associated with durable efficacy,” Dr. Lebwohl said. It is this combination of sustained efficacy and safety that led Dr. Lebwohl to suggest it as a reasonable oral competitor to injectable biologics.

“Patients now have a choice,” he said.

Jashin J. Wu, MD, a board member of the National Psoriasis Foundation and an associate professor in the department of dermatology, University of Miami, has been following the development of deucravacitinib. He said that the recent FDA approval validates the clinical evidence of benefit and safety, while the long-term data presented at the EADV congress support its role in expanding treatment options.

“Deucravacitinib is a very effective oral agent for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis with strong maintenance of effect through week 112,” he said. Differentiating it from other JAK inhibitors, the FDA approval “confirms the safety of this agent as there is no boxed warning,” he added.

Dr. Lebwohl reports financial relationships with more than 30 pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of deucravacitinib. Dr. Wu has financial relationships with 14 pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, but he was not an investigator for the phase 3 trials of deucravacitinib.

MILAN – The day after deucravacitinib became the first TYK2 inhibitor approved for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis, long-term data were presented at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, suggesting that a high degree of benefit persists for at least 2 years, making this oral drug a potential competitor for biologics.

As a once-daily drug, deucravacitinib has “the potential to be a treatment of choice and a new standard of care for patients who require systemic therapy for their moderate to severe plaque psoriasis,” said Mark G. Lebwohl, MD, professor of dermatology and dean of clinical therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.

Just 2 months after the 52-week data from the phase 3 POETYK PSO-1 trial were published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, a long-term extension study found essentially no loss of benefit at 112 weeks, according to Dr. Lebwohl.

One of the two co-primary endpoints was a 75% clearance on the Psoriasis and Severity Index (PASI75) score. At 52 weeks, 80.2% of patients on deucravacitinib had met this criterion of benefit. At 112 weeks, the proportion was 84.4%.

The other primary endpoint was a static Physician’s Global Assessment (sPGA) score of clear or almost clear skin. The proportion of patients meeting this criterion at weeks 52 and 112 weeks were 65.6% and 67.6%, respectively.

When assessed by Treatment Failure Rule (TFR) or modified nonresponder imputation (mNRI), results were similar. For both, the primary endpoints at every time interval were just one or two percentage points lower but not clinically meaningfully different, according to Dr. Lebwohl.

The same type of sustained response out to 112 weeks was observed in multiple analyses. When the researchers isolated the subgroup of patients who had achieved a PASI 75 response at 16 weeks (100%), there was a modest decline in the PASI 75 rate at week 52 (90.2%) but then no additional decline at week 112 (91.3%).

There were essentially no changes in the PASI 90 rates at week 16 (63%), week 52 (65.3%), and week 112 (63.1%), Dr. Lebwohl reported. PASI 100 rates, once achieved, were sustained long term.

The target, TYK2, is one of four Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Until now, almost all JAK inhibitors have had greater relative specificity for JAK 1, JAK 2, and JAK 3, but several inhibitors of TYK2 inhibitors other than deucravacitinib are in development for inflammatory diseases. Deucravacitinib (Sotyktu), approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 9, is the only TYK2 inhibitor with regulatory approval for plaque psoriasis.

In the POETYK PSO-1 trial, 666 patients were initially randomized in a 2:1:1 ratio to 6 mg deucravacitinib (now the approved dose), placebo, or the oral phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor apremilast. At week 16, patients on placebo were switched over to deucravacitinib. At week 24, patients who did not achieve a PASI 50 on apremilast (which had been titrated to 10 mg daily to 30 mg twice a day over the first 5 days of dosing) were switched to deucravacitinib.

In the previously reported data, deucravacitinib was superior for all efficacy endpoints at week 16, including an analysis of quality of life when compared with placebo (P < .0001) or apremilast (P = .0088). At week 52, after having been switched to deucravacitinib at week 16, patients on placebo achieved comparable responses on the efficacy measures in this study, including PASI75.

Relative to JAK inhibitors commonly used in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, the greater specificity of deucravacitinib for TYK2 appears to have meaningful safety advantages, according to Dr. Lebwohl. Targeted mostly on the TYK2 regulatory domain, deucravacitinib largely avoids inhibition of the JAK 1, 2, and 3 subtypes. Dr. Lebwohl said this explains why deucravacitinib labeling does not share the boxed warnings about off-target effects, such as those on the cardiovascular system, that can be found in the labeling of other JAK inhibitors.

In the published 52-week data, the discontinuation rate for adverse events was lower in the group randomized to deucravacitinib arm than in the placebo arm. In the extended follow-up, there were no new signals for adverse events, including those involving the CV system or immune function.

The key message so far from the long-term follow-up, which is ongoing, is that “continuous treatment with deucravacitinib is associated with durable efficacy,” Dr. Lebwohl said. It is this combination of sustained efficacy and safety that led Dr. Lebwohl to suggest it as a reasonable oral competitor to injectable biologics.

“Patients now have a choice,” he said.

Jashin J. Wu, MD, a board member of the National Psoriasis Foundation and an associate professor in the department of dermatology, University of Miami, has been following the development of deucravacitinib. He said that the recent FDA approval validates the clinical evidence of benefit and safety, while the long-term data presented at the EADV congress support its role in expanding treatment options.

“Deucravacitinib is a very effective oral agent for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis with strong maintenance of effect through week 112,” he said. Differentiating it from other JAK inhibitors, the FDA approval “confirms the safety of this agent as there is no boxed warning,” he added.

Dr. Lebwohl reports financial relationships with more than 30 pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of deucravacitinib. Dr. Wu has financial relationships with 14 pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, but he was not an investigator for the phase 3 trials of deucravacitinib.

MILAN – The day after deucravacitinib became the first TYK2 inhibitor approved for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis, long-term data were presented at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, suggesting that a high degree of benefit persists for at least 2 years, making this oral drug a potential competitor for biologics.

As a once-daily drug, deucravacitinib has “the potential to be a treatment of choice and a new standard of care for patients who require systemic therapy for their moderate to severe plaque psoriasis,” said Mark G. Lebwohl, MD, professor of dermatology and dean of clinical therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.

Just 2 months after the 52-week data from the phase 3 POETYK PSO-1 trial were published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, a long-term extension study found essentially no loss of benefit at 112 weeks, according to Dr. Lebwohl.

One of the two co-primary endpoints was a 75% clearance on the Psoriasis and Severity Index (PASI75) score. At 52 weeks, 80.2% of patients on deucravacitinib had met this criterion of benefit. At 112 weeks, the proportion was 84.4%.

The other primary endpoint was a static Physician’s Global Assessment (sPGA) score of clear or almost clear skin. The proportion of patients meeting this criterion at weeks 52 and 112 weeks were 65.6% and 67.6%, respectively.

When assessed by Treatment Failure Rule (TFR) or modified nonresponder imputation (mNRI), results were similar. For both, the primary endpoints at every time interval were just one or two percentage points lower but not clinically meaningfully different, according to Dr. Lebwohl.

The same type of sustained response out to 112 weeks was observed in multiple analyses. When the researchers isolated the subgroup of patients who had achieved a PASI 75 response at 16 weeks (100%), there was a modest decline in the PASI 75 rate at week 52 (90.2%) but then no additional decline at week 112 (91.3%).

There were essentially no changes in the PASI 90 rates at week 16 (63%), week 52 (65.3%), and week 112 (63.1%), Dr. Lebwohl reported. PASI 100 rates, once achieved, were sustained long term.

The target, TYK2, is one of four Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Until now, almost all JAK inhibitors have had greater relative specificity for JAK 1, JAK 2, and JAK 3, but several inhibitors of TYK2 inhibitors other than deucravacitinib are in development for inflammatory diseases. Deucravacitinib (Sotyktu), approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 9, is the only TYK2 inhibitor with regulatory approval for plaque psoriasis.

In the POETYK PSO-1 trial, 666 patients were initially randomized in a 2:1:1 ratio to 6 mg deucravacitinib (now the approved dose), placebo, or the oral phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor apremilast. At week 16, patients on placebo were switched over to deucravacitinib. At week 24, patients who did not achieve a PASI 50 on apremilast (which had been titrated to 10 mg daily to 30 mg twice a day over the first 5 days of dosing) were switched to deucravacitinib.

In the previously reported data, deucravacitinib was superior for all efficacy endpoints at week 16, including an analysis of quality of life when compared with placebo (P < .0001) or apremilast (P = .0088). At week 52, after having been switched to deucravacitinib at week 16, patients on placebo achieved comparable responses on the efficacy measures in this study, including PASI75.

Relative to JAK inhibitors commonly used in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, the greater specificity of deucravacitinib for TYK2 appears to have meaningful safety advantages, according to Dr. Lebwohl. Targeted mostly on the TYK2 regulatory domain, deucravacitinib largely avoids inhibition of the JAK 1, 2, and 3 subtypes. Dr. Lebwohl said this explains why deucravacitinib labeling does not share the boxed warnings about off-target effects, such as those on the cardiovascular system, that can be found in the labeling of other JAK inhibitors.

In the published 52-week data, the discontinuation rate for adverse events was lower in the group randomized to deucravacitinib arm than in the placebo arm. In the extended follow-up, there were no new signals for adverse events, including those involving the CV system or immune function.

The key message so far from the long-term follow-up, which is ongoing, is that “continuous treatment with deucravacitinib is associated with durable efficacy,” Dr. Lebwohl said. It is this combination of sustained efficacy and safety that led Dr. Lebwohl to suggest it as a reasonable oral competitor to injectable biologics.

“Patients now have a choice,” he said.

Jashin J. Wu, MD, a board member of the National Psoriasis Foundation and an associate professor in the department of dermatology, University of Miami, has been following the development of deucravacitinib. He said that the recent FDA approval validates the clinical evidence of benefit and safety, while the long-term data presented at the EADV congress support its role in expanding treatment options.

“Deucravacitinib is a very effective oral agent for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis with strong maintenance of effect through week 112,” he said. Differentiating it from other JAK inhibitors, the FDA approval “confirms the safety of this agent as there is no boxed warning,” he added.

Dr. Lebwohl reports financial relationships with more than 30 pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of deucravacitinib. Dr. Wu has financial relationships with 14 pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, but he was not an investigator for the phase 3 trials of deucravacitinib.

MILAN – The therapeutic value of inhibiting the activity of IgE in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) was reinforced by two large phase 3 trials with ligelizumab, a drug characterized as a new generation anti-IgE monoclonal antibody.

Both doses of ligelizumab evaluated met the primary endpoint of superiority to placebo for a complete response at 16 weeks of therapy, reported Marcus Maurer, MD, director of the Urticaria Center for Reference and Excellence at the Charité Hospital, Berlin.

The data from the two identically designed trials, PEARL 1 and PEARL 2, were presented at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. The two ligelizumab experimental arms (72 mg or 120 mg administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks) and the active comparative arm of omalizumab (300 mg administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks) demonstrated similar efficacy, all three of which were highly superior to placebo.

The data show that “another anti-IgE therapy – ligelizumab – is effective in CSU,” Dr. Maurer said.

“While the benefit was not different from omalizumab, ligelizumab showed remarkable results in disease activity and by demonstrating just how many patients achieved what we want them to achieve, which is to have no more signs and symptoms,” he added.
 

Majority of participants with severe urticaria

All of the patients entered into the two trials had severe (about 65%) or moderate (about 35%) symptoms at baseline. The results of the two trials were almost identical. In the randomization arms, a weekly Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) of 0, which was the primary endpoint, was achieved at week 16 by 31.0% of those receiving 72-mg ligelizumab, 38.3% of those receiving 120-mg ligelizumab, and 34.1% of those receiving omalizumab (Xolair). The placebo response was 5.7%.

The UAS7 score is drawn from two components, wheals and itch. The range is 0 (no symptoms) to 42 (most severe). At baseline, the average patients’ scores were about 30, which correlates with a substantial symptom burden, according to Dr. Maurer.

The mean reduction in the UAS7 score in PEARL 2, which differed from PEARL 1 by no more than 0.4 points for any treatment group, was 19.2 points in the 72-mg ligelizumab group, 19.3 points in the 120-mg ligelizumab group, 19.6 points in the omalizumab group, and 9.2 points in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between any active treatment arm.

Complete symptom relief, meaning a UAS7 score of 0, was selected as the primary endpoint, because Dr. Maurer said that this is the goal of treatment. Although he admitted that a UAS7 score of 0 is analogous to a PASI score in psoriasis of 100 (complete clearing), he said, “Chronic urticaria is a debilitating disease, and we want to eliminate the symptoms. Gone is gone.”

Combined, the two phase 3 trials represent “the biggest chronic urticaria program ever,” according to Dr. Maurer. The 1,034 patients enrolled in PEARL 1 and the 1,023 enrolled in PEARL 2 were randomized in a 3:3:3:1 ratio with placebo representing the smaller group.

The planned follow-up is 52 weeks, but the placebo group will be switched to 120 mg ligelizumab every 4 weeks at the end of 24 weeks. The switch is required because “you cannot maintain patients with this disease on placebo over a long period,” Dr. Maurer said.
 

Ligelizumab associated with low discontinuation rate

Adverse events overall and stratified by severity have been similar across treatment arms, including placebo. The possible exception was a lower rate of moderate events (16.5%) in the placebo arm relative to the 72-mg ligelizumab arm (19.8%), the 120-mg ligelizumab arm (21.6%), and the omalizumab arm (22.3%). Discontinuations because of an adverse event were under 4% in every treatment arm.

Although Dr. Maurer did not present outcomes at 52 weeks, he did note that “only 15% of those who enrolled in these trials have discontinued treatment.” He considered this remarkable in that the study was conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it appears that at least some of those left the trial did so because of concern for clinic visits.

Despite the similar benefit provided by ligelizumab and omalizumab, Dr. Maurer said that subgroup analyses will be coming. The possibility that some patients benefit more from one than the another cannot yet be ruled out. There are also, as of yet, no data to determine whether at least some patients respond to one after an inadequate response to the other.

Still, given the efficacy and the safety of ligelizumab, Dr. Maurer indicated that the drug is likely to find a role in routine management of CSU if approved.

“We only have two options for chronic spontaneous urticaria. There are antihistamines, which do not usually work, and omalizumab,” he said. “It is very important we develop more treatment options.”

Adam Friedman, MD, professor and chair of dermatology, George Washington University, Washington, agreed.

“More therapeutic options, especially for disease states that have a small armament – even if equivalent in efficacy to established therapies – is always a win for patients as it almost always increases access to treatment,” Dr. Friedman said in an interview.

“Furthermore, the heterogeneous nature of inflammatory skin diseases is often not captured in even phase 3 studies. Therefore, having additional options could offer relief where previous therapies have failed,” he added.

Dr. Maurer reports financial relationships with more than 10 pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, which is developing ligelizumab. Dr. Friedman has a financial relationship with more than 20 pharmaceutical companies but has no current financial association with Novartis and was not involved in the PEARL 1 and 2 trials.

MILAN – The therapeutic value of inhibiting the activity of IgE in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) was reinforced by two large phase 3 trials with ligelizumab, a drug characterized as a new generation anti-IgE monoclonal antibody.

Both doses of ligelizumab evaluated met the primary endpoint of superiority to placebo for a complete response at 16 weeks of therapy, reported Marcus Maurer, MD, director of the Urticaria Center for Reference and Excellence at the Charité Hospital, Berlin.

The data from the two identically designed trials, PEARL 1 and PEARL 2, were presented at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. The two ligelizumab experimental arms (72 mg or 120 mg administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks) and the active comparative arm of omalizumab (300 mg administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks) demonstrated similar efficacy, all three of which were highly superior to placebo.

The data show that “another anti-IgE therapy – ligelizumab – is effective in CSU,” Dr. Maurer said.

“While the benefit was not different from omalizumab, ligelizumab showed remarkable results in disease activity and by demonstrating just how many patients achieved what we want them to achieve, which is to have no more signs and symptoms,” he added.
 

Majority of participants with severe urticaria

All of the patients entered into the two trials had severe (about 65%) or moderate (about 35%) symptoms at baseline. The results of the two trials were almost identical. In the randomization arms, a weekly Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) of 0, which was the primary endpoint, was achieved at week 16 by 31.0% of those receiving 72-mg ligelizumab, 38.3% of those receiving 120-mg ligelizumab, and 34.1% of those receiving omalizumab (Xolair). The placebo response was 5.7%.

The UAS7 score is drawn from two components, wheals and itch. The range is 0 (no symptoms) to 42 (most severe). At baseline, the average patients’ scores were about 30, which correlates with a substantial symptom burden, according to Dr. Maurer.

The mean reduction in the UAS7 score in PEARL 2, which differed from PEARL 1 by no more than 0.4 points for any treatment group, was 19.2 points in the 72-mg ligelizumab group, 19.3 points in the 120-mg ligelizumab group, 19.6 points in the omalizumab group, and 9.2 points in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between any active treatment arm.

Complete symptom relief, meaning a UAS7 score of 0, was selected as the primary endpoint, because Dr. Maurer said that this is the goal of treatment. Although he admitted that a UAS7 score of 0 is analogous to a PASI score in psoriasis of 100 (complete clearing), he said, “Chronic urticaria is a debilitating disease, and we want to eliminate the symptoms. Gone is gone.”

Combined, the two phase 3 trials represent “the biggest chronic urticaria program ever,” according to Dr. Maurer. The 1,034 patients enrolled in PEARL 1 and the 1,023 enrolled in PEARL 2 were randomized in a 3:3:3:1 ratio with placebo representing the smaller group.

The planned follow-up is 52 weeks, but the placebo group will be switched to 120 mg ligelizumab every 4 weeks at the end of 24 weeks. The switch is required because “you cannot maintain patients with this disease on placebo over a long period,” Dr. Maurer said.
 

Ligelizumab associated with low discontinuation rate

Adverse events overall and stratified by severity have been similar across treatment arms, including placebo. The possible exception was a lower rate of moderate events (16.5%) in the placebo arm relative to the 72-mg ligelizumab arm (19.8%), the 120-mg ligelizumab arm (21.6%), and the omalizumab arm (22.3%). Discontinuations because of an adverse event were under 4% in every treatment arm.

Although Dr. Maurer did not present outcomes at 52 weeks, he did note that “only 15% of those who enrolled in these trials have discontinued treatment.” He considered this remarkable in that the study was conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it appears that at least some of those left the trial did so because of concern for clinic visits.

Despite the similar benefit provided by ligelizumab and omalizumab, Dr. Maurer said that subgroup analyses will be coming. The possibility that some patients benefit more from one than the another cannot yet be ruled out. There are also, as of yet, no data to determine whether at least some patients respond to one after an inadequate response to the other.

Still, given the efficacy and the safety of ligelizumab, Dr. Maurer indicated that the drug is likely to find a role in routine management of CSU if approved.

“We only have two options for chronic spontaneous urticaria. There are antihistamines, which do not usually work, and omalizumab,” he said. “It is very important we develop more treatment options.”

Adam Friedman, MD, professor and chair of dermatology, George Washington University, Washington, agreed.

“More therapeutic options, especially for disease states that have a small armament – even if equivalent in efficacy to established therapies – is always a win for patients as it almost always increases access to treatment,” Dr. Friedman said in an interview.

“Furthermore, the heterogeneous nature of inflammatory skin diseases is often not captured in even phase 3 studies. Therefore, having additional options could offer relief where previous therapies have failed,” he added.

Dr. Maurer reports financial relationships with more than 10 pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, which is developing ligelizumab. Dr. Friedman has a financial relationship with more than 20 pharmaceutical companies but has no current financial association with Novartis and was not involved in the PEARL 1 and 2 trials.

MILAN – The therapeutic value of inhibiting the activity of IgE in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) was reinforced by two large phase 3 trials with ligelizumab, a drug characterized as a new generation anti-IgE monoclonal antibody.

Both doses of ligelizumab evaluated met the primary endpoint of superiority to placebo for a complete response at 16 weeks of therapy, reported Marcus Maurer, MD, director of the Urticaria Center for Reference and Excellence at the Charité Hospital, Berlin.

The data from the two identically designed trials, PEARL 1 and PEARL 2, were presented at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. The two ligelizumab experimental arms (72 mg or 120 mg administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks) and the active comparative arm of omalizumab (300 mg administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks) demonstrated similar efficacy, all three of which were highly superior to placebo.

The data show that “another anti-IgE therapy – ligelizumab – is effective in CSU,” Dr. Maurer said.

“While the benefit was not different from omalizumab, ligelizumab showed remarkable results in disease activity and by demonstrating just how many patients achieved what we want them to achieve, which is to have no more signs and symptoms,” he added.
 

Majority of participants with severe urticaria

All of the patients entered into the two trials had severe (about 65%) or moderate (about 35%) symptoms at baseline. The results of the two trials were almost identical. In the randomization arms, a weekly Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) of 0, which was the primary endpoint, was achieved at week 16 by 31.0% of those receiving 72-mg ligelizumab, 38.3% of those receiving 120-mg ligelizumab, and 34.1% of those receiving omalizumab (Xolair). The placebo response was 5.7%.

The UAS7 score is drawn from two components, wheals and itch. The range is 0 (no symptoms) to 42 (most severe). At baseline, the average patients’ scores were about 30, which correlates with a substantial symptom burden, according to Dr. Maurer.

The mean reduction in the UAS7 score in PEARL 2, which differed from PEARL 1 by no more than 0.4 points for any treatment group, was 19.2 points in the 72-mg ligelizumab group, 19.3 points in the 120-mg ligelizumab group, 19.6 points in the omalizumab group, and 9.2 points in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between any active treatment arm.

Complete symptom relief, meaning a UAS7 score of 0, was selected as the primary endpoint, because Dr. Maurer said that this is the goal of treatment. Although he admitted that a UAS7 score of 0 is analogous to a PASI score in psoriasis of 100 (complete clearing), he said, “Chronic urticaria is a debilitating disease, and we want to eliminate the symptoms. Gone is gone.”

Combined, the two phase 3 trials represent “the biggest chronic urticaria program ever,” according to Dr. Maurer. The 1,034 patients enrolled in PEARL 1 and the 1,023 enrolled in PEARL 2 were randomized in a 3:3:3:1 ratio with placebo representing the smaller group.

The planned follow-up is 52 weeks, but the placebo group will be switched to 120 mg ligelizumab every 4 weeks at the end of 24 weeks. The switch is required because “you cannot maintain patients with this disease on placebo over a long period,” Dr. Maurer said.
 

Ligelizumab associated with low discontinuation rate

Adverse events overall and stratified by severity have been similar across treatment arms, including placebo. The possible exception was a lower rate of moderate events (16.5%) in the placebo arm relative to the 72-mg ligelizumab arm (19.8%), the 120-mg ligelizumab arm (21.6%), and the omalizumab arm (22.3%). Discontinuations because of an adverse event were under 4% in every treatment arm.

Although Dr. Maurer did not present outcomes at 52 weeks, he did note that “only 15% of those who enrolled in these trials have discontinued treatment.” He considered this remarkable in that the study was conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it appears that at least some of those left the trial did so because of concern for clinic visits.

Despite the similar benefit provided by ligelizumab and omalizumab, Dr. Maurer said that subgroup analyses will be coming. The possibility that some patients benefit more from one than the another cannot yet be ruled out. There are also, as of yet, no data to determine whether at least some patients respond to one after an inadequate response to the other.

Still, given the efficacy and the safety of ligelizumab, Dr. Maurer indicated that the drug is likely to find a role in routine management of CSU if approved.

“We only have two options for chronic spontaneous urticaria. There are antihistamines, which do not usually work, and omalizumab,” he said. “It is very important we develop more treatment options.”

Adam Friedman, MD, professor and chair of dermatology, George Washington University, Washington, agreed.

“More therapeutic options, especially for disease states that have a small armament – even if equivalent in efficacy to established therapies – is always a win for patients as it almost always increases access to treatment,” Dr. Friedman said in an interview.

“Furthermore, the heterogeneous nature of inflammatory skin diseases is often not captured in even phase 3 studies. Therefore, having additional options could offer relief where previous therapies have failed,” he added.

Dr. Maurer reports financial relationships with more than 10 pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, which is developing ligelizumab. Dr. Friedman has a financial relationship with more than 20 pharmaceutical companies but has no current financial association with Novartis and was not involved in the PEARL 1 and 2 trials.