Original: Direct drug-eluting Stenting to reduce stent reestenosis (STRESSED). Reference: Wouter S. Remkes et al. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv, 2014;7: 751-8. Direct stenting, without predilation, has been considered a safe and effective technique that reduces procedural time, radiation exposure, contrast material and costs; however, the pertinent studies tested conventional stents only. This study aimed at assessing whether…
TAVR minimally invasive, shorter hospital stay and costs without compromising safety or efficacy
Original title: Comparison of Transfemoral TranscatheterAortic Valve Replacement Performedin the Catheterization Laboratory(Minimalist Approach) Versus HybridOperating Room (Standard Approach). Outcomes and CostAnalysis. Reference: VasilisBabaliaros et al. J Am CollCardiolIntv 2014;7:898–904. This retrospective study of a center analyzed the results of percutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVR) performed with a minimally invasive technique that included the closure of the femoral access…
Minimal Lumen Area Criteria for Functionally Significant Intermediate Left Main Coronary Artery Stenosis
Original title: Intravascular Ultrasound-Derived Minimal Lumen Area Criteria for Functionally Significant Left Main Coronary Artery Stenosis. Reference: Seung-Jung Park et al. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv. 2014;7(8):868-874. Deciding on a course of action when facing intermediate main left stenosis is usually challenging. We tend to overestimate the lesion or to use additional methods, other than angiography, to tip…
Less Bleeding at the Expense of a Higher Risk of Acute Thrombosis with Bivalirudin
Original title: Bivalirudin versus heparin in patients treated with percutaneous coronary Intervention: a meta-analysis of randomised trials. Reference: Salvatore Cassese et al. EuroIntervention 2014;10-online publish-ahead-of-print August 2014. Current recommendations for the use of bivalirudin in PCI patients are mostly based on studies comparing bivalirudin vs. heparin combined with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Whether bivalirudin is superior to heparin alone…
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention to Unprotected Left Main Stem In Different Coronary Syndromes
Original title: Comparative Outcomes After Unprotected Left Main Stem Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A National Linked Cohort Study of 5,065 Acute and Elective Cases From the BCIS Registry (British Cardiovascular Intervention Society). Reference: Sami S. Almudarra, et al. JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2014;7:717-30 Although myocardial revascularization surgery has long been the gold standard treatment for left main lesions, PCI has…
Hemodialysis Associated to Higher Incidence of In Stent Thrombosis
Original title: Impact of hemodialysis on local vessel healing and thrombus formation after drug-eluting stent implantation. Reference: Akihide Konishi, et al. Journal of Cardiology 2014;64:25-31 Even though the benefit of DES implantation to the general population is undeniable, it has been proved lower in hemodialysis patients (HD); the reason behind this phenomenon remains unclear. 121 patients received…
Invasive Strategies Improve Quality of Life in Claudicants
Original title: Improved Quality of Life After One Year With an Invasive Versus a Non-Invasive Treatment Strategy in Claudicants: One Year Results of the IRONIC Trial. Reference: Joakim Nordanstig et al. CIRCULATIONAHA.114.009867. Published online before print August 2014. The quality of studies comparing invasive vs. non-invasive strategies in claudicants is low or very low and, most frequently, consist…
TAVR: Regression of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Decreases Re-hospitalization
Original title: Early Regression of Severe Left Ventricular Hypertrophy After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Is Associated with Decreased Hospitalization. Reference: Brian Lindman, et al. JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2014;7:662-73. Left ventricular hypertrophy, defined by the increase of left ventricular mass, has long been associated to increased morbi-mortality in the context of different heart conditions. LV hypertrophy regression might…
Proximal protection devices could be the first choice for most carotid artery stenting procedures
Original title: Evaluation of proximal protection devices during carotid artery stenting as the first choice for embolic protection. Reference: Hornung M et al. EuroIntervention. 2014; Epub ahead of print. This series of the Frankfurt CardioVascular Center included 124 consecutive patients undergoing carotid angioplasty with proximal protection. The first 92 patients received the Gore Flow Reversal System (WL Gore;…
Thrombosis with bioresorbable scaffolds: the story of DES all over again?
Original title: Percutaneous coronary intervention with everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds in routine clinical practice: early and midterm outcomes from the European multicentre GHOST-EU registry. Reference: Capodanno D et al. EuroIntervention. 2014 Jul 18. Epub ahead of print The GHOST-EU registry, that included 1189 patients from 10 European centers between 2011 and 2014, is now the largest registry…