Coronary artery disease is common among patients considered for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). With the expansion of the indication for TAVI to a population with lower surgical risk, and therefore younger, there has been a gradual increase in the incidence of coronary events. However, there is limited data on treatment strategy and outcomes in…
LpA: 30-Year Cardiovascular Followup in Primary Prevention Cohorts
For years, treating dyslipidemia mainly focused on reducing LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) with statins, which had shown benefits in reducing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a form of apoB-containing lipoprotein bound to a hydrophilic, highly glycosylated protein called apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)]. Circulating levels of Lp(a) are genetically determined, and are hardly affected by eating habits…
Treatment of Recurrent In-Stent Restenosis with Drug-Eluting Stents: 10-Year Outcomes
In-stent restenosis (ISR) remains the main limitation in the percutaneous treatment of coronary artery disease, with a prevalence between 5% and 10% after implantation of latest-generation drug-eluting stents (DES). Therapeutic recommendations for it include the implantation of a new DES and the use of drug-coated balloons (DCB). The rate of recurrent ISR ranges from 10%…
ERCTO Registry: Chronic Total Occlusion Treatment Outcomes
Chronic total occlusion (CTO) affect up to 20% of patients undergoing angiographic diagnostic tests. During the last two decades, recanalization technique refinement, the development of specific devices and operator skill improvement have elevated procedural success rate up to 90%. However, there are still particular complications such as collateral perforation and access site complications. This is…
EXCEL Study: Complete vs. Incomplete Revascularization
Regardless of whether it is attempted through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or myocardial revascularization surgery (MRS), complete revascularization (CR) is not always achieved. Overall, it is more frequent with surgery than with percutaneous treatment. Additionally, incomplete revascularization (IR) has proven to be associated with worse outcomes compared to CR. Researchers conducted an analysis of the…
ACC 2024 | REDUCE AMI: Beta-Blockers after Myocardial Infarction and Preserved Ejection Fraction
Most clinical trials have shown benefits of beta blockers after acute myocardial infraction, including patients with extensive AMI, and these were carried out in the era before AMI was diagnosed with biomarkers and prior to treatment with coronary angioplasty, use of antithrombotic agents and high intensity statins, and angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors. The aim of this…
ACC 2024 | PREVENT Study
The use of intravascular imaging to identify vulnerable plaque (VP) has proven to be very useful, as such plaque is associated with an increase in major adverse cardiac events. Optimal medical treatment is currently considered the standard strategy to stabilize VP. However, the safety and effectiveness of preventive treatment with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in…
ACC 2024 | DanGer-Shock Trial
Cardiogenic shock will develop in approximately 10% of patients with ST elevated acute MI (STEMI), and unfortunately, only half of these patients will survive. Researchers have been looking into the Impella system to manage this severe complication. It consists of an aortic transvalvular pump designed to deliver blood from the left ventricle into the systemic…
Lithotripsy in the “Real World”: REPLICA EPIC-18 Study
Severe persistent calcification of the coronary arteries has been associated with different factors, such as advanced age, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, and kidney failure, among others, and continues to be one of the challenges to stent implantation because of it impact on device advancing, drug release and adequate positioning. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a technique that…
Physiologically Significant Obstructions in the Left Main Coronary Artery: Revascularizing vs. Deferring
Most randomized studies on revascularization in stable coronary artery disease exclude left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD). One example of this was the ISCHEMIA study. However, the benefits of functional lesion assessment, as demonstrated in the FAME studies, highlight the importance of this tool in guiding decisions regarding revascularization. Nevertheless, the clinical outcomes of patients…
Virtual Flow Reserve (VFR): Virtual Physiological Test with OCT
Assessing intermediate coronary lesions with intracoronary physiology tests such as fractional flow reserve (FFR) or other non-hyperemic indices is considered the standard of care by both American and European societies. Likewise, intravascular imaging techniques (IVI), be it IVUS or optical coherence tomography (OCT), are of great use in assessing and guiding complex coronary lesions and…