Evaluation of the Safety and Efficiency of ShockWave Intravascular Lithotripsy (S-IVL) in Coronary Artery Diseases. The Lower Silesia Shockwave Registry (LSSR)

This study contains data from the Lower Silesia Shockwave Registry (LSSR), collecting all consecutive cases of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) performed with the support of shockwave intravascular lithotripsy from two cooperating cardiac centers (Department of Cardiology, The Copper Health Centre, Lubin Poland, and Department of Cardiology, Provincial Specialized Hospital in Legnica, Poland).

All patients involved in the study had a clinical indication for PCI based on current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) revascularisation guidelines, if necessary with the support of the local heart team.

Patients enrolled in the study had to meet one of two main inclusion criteria: The presence of a highly calcified, resistant lesion or a significantly under-expanded, previously implanted stent (regardless of the time of implantation). The lesion was defined as resistant after an unsuccessful high-pressure non-compliant (NC) balloon inflation (at least 20% under expansion; whit at least 16 atm.) The decision regarding initial lesion preparation was left to the operators' dissertation and did not imply a recruitment process. Patients meeting the inclusion criteria who initially underwent advanced debulking procedures (orbital or rotational atherectomy) were also recruited.

There were no angiographic exclusion criteria regarding lesion anatomy regarding the length, tortuosity, severity, or prior stent placement. Operators supported by angiography assessment with optional intravascular imagining (IVUS/OCT) determined the size of the S-IVL catheter and an appropriate number of pulses for optimal vessel preparation or management of an under-expanded coronary stent. Drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation or use of drug-eluting balloon catheters was left at the discretion of the operator.

The study had two primary endpoints- clinical success and safety outcome. The Clinical success was defined as an effective stent deployment or the optimization of previously not fully expanded stent (with less than <20% in-stent residual stenosis) [ and the presence of Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 3 flow at the end of the procedure.