A new randomized controlled trial of patients who underwent patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure in cryptogenic stroke may provide certain morphological echocardiographic features that might allow us to better choose patients who would benefit more from PFO closure versus those for whom medical therapy would be more appropriate. Among patients with a recent cryptogenic stroke…
Five-Year Outcomes for Appendage Closure
The PROTECT AF (WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage System for Embolic Protection in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation) trial demonstrated that left atrial appendage closure with the Watchman device was equivalent to warfarin for preventing stroke in atrial fibrillation, but it had a high rate of peri-procedural complications. The follow-up randomized trial was PREVAIL (Evaluation of the…
Complex Cases at SOLACI-CACI 2017 Congress
Complex Cases at SOLACI-CACI 2017 Congress. Presenters: Dr. Carlos Calderas, Venezuela. Dr. Luis Gutierrez Jaikel, Costa Rica. Dr. Fernando Pineda, Chile. This video, sponsored and funded by Medtronic, was filmed during SOLACI-CACI 2017 Congress, at Hilton Buenos Aires Hotel (in Argentina). Do you want to take a look at all other SOLACI-CACI 2017 Congress Medtronic cases? Watch them We are…
Radioprotection: 6 essential articles to keep you updated
1) On Radiation Protection: Editorial comment by Dr. Ariel Durán I am pleased to witness the increased amount of scientific papers in high impact journals addressing topics related to radiation protection or the harmful effects of radiation on our patients and primary or secondary operators. Similarly, it is my pleasure to see that SOLACI has…
On Radiation Protection: Editorial comment by Dr. Ariel Durán
Courtesy of Dr. Ariel Durán. I am pleased to witness the increased amount of scientific papers in high impact journals addressing topics related to radiation protection or the harmful effects of radiation on our patients and primary or secondary operators. Similarly, it is my pleasure to see that SOLACI has acknowledged this growing concern by…
Burnout Syndrome among Cardiologists
For the first time, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) has carried out a survey on this phenomenon, and more than 25% of Cardiologists have reported the characteristic symptoms of burnout. This syndrome is known, among other things, for chronic fatigue at work, low self-esteem and difficulty to focus, associated with stress and aggressiveness. These findings should be taken…
Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale for the Treatment of Migraine
Migraine is one of the more frequent disabling disorders worldwide, but its physiopathology remains unclear. Since migraine is quite heterogeneous, individual therapies may not be effective for all patients. We still lack strategies to help us predict which patient subset might respond best to certain therapies. Read also: “Amplatzer and Figulla Devices Prove to Be…
Radiation Exposure in Chronic Total Occlusions
Even in the hands of experienced operators, rechanneling and angioplasty of a chronic total occlusion (CTO) results in patients and the whole cath lab team receiving high doses of radiation, according to this registry presented at the American Heart Association 2017 Scientific Sessions. Up to 23% of patients who undergo rechanneling of a CTO receive…
Protective Shield RADPAD Reduces the Radiation Dose Received by Operators in the Cath Lab
Despite technological developments, all people working at a cath lab are inevitably exposed to radiation and its effects. The radiation dose received by the operator is highly variable depending on procedure type, experience level, equipment used, patient characteristics, etc. Exposure to this scatter radiation may have deterministic effects, such as the onset of cataracts or…
7 articles on angioplasty that can draw your attention
1) Balloon Angioplasty: A Reasonable Plan B for Chronic Thromboembolic Hypertension Thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is caused by pulmonary artery stenosis caused by organized thrombi. The only treatment potentially healing for this disease is surgical thrombectomy. However, patients with lesions in very peripheral branches or high surgical risk patients with comorbidities might benefit from a plan B,…
PRESERVE: IV Bicarbonate and Oral N-Acetylcysteine Do Not Prevent Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury
Use of IV bicarbonate instead of saline and administration of oral N-acetylcysteine are not effective strategies for preventing contrast-associated acute kidney injury in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing angiography, according to the randomized PRESERVE trial that was presented at the AHA 2017 Scientific Sessions and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine…