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Introduction The benefits of short versus long-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) based on the third generation P2Y12 antagonists prasugrel or ticagrelor, in patients with acute coronary syndromes treated with percutaneous coronary intervention remain to be clearly defined due to current evidences limited to patients treated with clopidogrel. Methods All acute coronary syndrome patients from the REgistry of New Antiplatelets in patients with Myocardial Infarction (RENAMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and treated with aspirin, prasugrel or ticagrelor were stratified according to DAPT duration, that is, shorter than 12 months (D1 group), 12 months (D2 group) and longer than 12 months (D3 group). The three groups were compared before and after propensity score matching. Net adverse clinical events (NACEs), defined as a combination of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) and major bleedings (including therefore all cause death, myocardial infarction and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) 3–5 bleeding), were the primary end points, MACEs (a composite of all cause death and myocardial infarction) the secondary one. Single components of NACEs were co-secondary end points, along with BARC 2–5 bleeding, cardiovascular death and stent thrombosis. Results A total of 4424 patients from the RENAMI registry with available data on DAPT duration were included in the model. After propensity score matching, 628 patients from each group were selected. After 20 months of follow up, DAPT for 12 months and DAPT for longer than 12 months significantly reduced the risk of NACE (D1 11.6% vs. D2 6.7% vs. D3 7.2%, p = 0.003) and MACE (10% vs. 6.2% vs. 2.4%, p < 0.001) compared with DAPT for less than 12 months. These differences were driven by a reduced risk of all cause death (7.8% vs. 1.3% vs. 1.6%, p < 0.001), cardiovascular death (5.1% vs. 1.0% vs. 1.2%, p < 0.0001) and recurrent myocardial infarction (8.3% vs. 5.2% vs. 3.5%, p = 0.002). NACEs were lower with longer DAPT despite a higher risk of BARC 2–5 bleedings (4.6% vs. 5.7% vs. 6.2%, p = 0.04) and a trend towards a higher risk of BARC 3–5 bleedings (2.4% vs. 3.3% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.06). These results were not consistent for female patients and those older than 75 years old, due to an increased risk of bleedings which exceeded the reduction in myocardial infarction. Conclusion In unselected real world acute coronary syndrome patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, DAPT with prasugrel or ticagrelor prolonged beyond 12 months markedly reduces fatal and non-fatal ischaemic events, offsetting the increased risk deriving from the higher bleeding risk. On the contrary, patients >75 years old and female ones showed a less favourable risk–benefit ratio for longer DAPT due to excess of bleedings.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine whether or not heart rate variability (HRV) analysis during the first 20 min of head-up tilt testing could predict whether patients will develop syncope after nitroglycerine administration.Design64 patients with previous loss of consciousness underwent head-up tilt testing with the Italian protocol, which involves the administration of nitroglycerine after 20 min of tilt. HRV parameters were analysed from 5 min intervals selected during pretest supine rest (phase 1), the first 5 min (phase 2) and the last 5 min (phase 3) of passive 20 min of tilting, prior to the administration of nitroglycerine. Differences in power (ms2) of the spectral components between the various phases of tilting were calculated for each patient and expressed as Δ.Results20 patients (group 1, 9 women, mean age 43.2±24.5 years) had a syncope during tilt testing after nitroglycerine, while the other 44 (group 2, 24 women, mean age 41±20.5 years) did not. In group 1, the HRV spectral parameters high frequency (HF) and total power (TP) had a significant decrement from phases 2 to 3 (p=0.012 and 0.027, respectively), while in group 2 the average HF and TP values did not change. The Δ of spectral parameters between phases 2 and 3 were able to differentiate between the two groups and to predict syncope after nitroglycerine administration (p<0.05).ConclusionsHRV analysis within the first 20 min of passive tilting demonstrated that patients with nitroglycerine-induced syncope are characterised by a progressive decrement of parasympathetic activity, which does not occur in patients with a negative response to nitroglycerine. If confirmed on a wider population, HRV analysis could replace nitroglycerine administration and shorten the duration of the tilt test.

Aims Instantaneous free‐wave ratio (iFR) has been recently demonstrated non‐inferior to fractional flow reserve (FFR) to drive coronary revascularization; however, no study has compared iFR versus coronary angiography (CA). We performed a network meta‐analysis to evaluate efficacy and safety of iFR‐ versus CA‐guided strategy. Methods and Results We searched for randomized trials and studies with propensity score matching in The Cochrane Collaboration Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, and MEDLINE/Pubmed. CA, FFR, and iFR were the three competitive arms, MACE (a composite endpoint of death, myocardial infarction [MI], and target vessel revascularization [TVR]) was the primary endpoint, while its single components the secondary ones. Subgroup analysis was performed for patients presenting with stable coronary artery disease. Eight studies were selected: 4126 patients were evaluated with FFR, 2160 with iFR, and 2214 with CA, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was the most frequent admission diagnosis. After 12 months, rates of MACE and all‐cause death did not differ between groups (respectively OR 1.04 and OR 0.86 for iFR vs FFR). Both FFR and iFR reduced TVR compared to CA (respectively OR 0.68 and OR 0.70). In patients with stable CAD both FFR and iFR reduced risk of subsequent MI compared to CA (respectively OR 0.66 and OR 0.79). Conclusion Compared to CA alone, both FFR and iFR are safe and effective in guiding coronary revascularization at 12 months. In patients with stable CAD, both FFR and iFR‐guided revascularization reduce the risk of subsequent MI at 12 months.

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