Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Delaying or failing to heal trophic wounds in critical limb ischemia (CLI) changes quality of life, delays rehabilitation and is associated to infections and amputation. Pedal artery revascularization with angioplasty would speed up recovery and improve CLI wound healing. The study analyzed 257 patients with de novo infrapopliteal...
Thrombus aspiration during primary PCI in ST elevation MI has been extensively used; however, recent studies have questioned its efficacy and safety. This meta-analysis looked into individual patient data to determine the benefit and safety of thrombus aspiration during primary PCI. It included all randomized and controlled studies assessing manual thrombectomy vs. conventional...
We thank all the speakers of the Chile 2016 Sessions who shared their presentations to contribute to our mission of promoting the dissemination of information from research and clinical practice in Interventional Cardiology. You can read and/or download them below Lluberas, Ricardo. “Role of pharmacovasive therapy in the treatment of IAMcEST. Implications for Latin...
Patients with low-flow, low-gradient severe symptomatic aortic stenosis associated with severe impairment of the left ventricular systolic function have shown acceptable outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), according to the multicenter TOPAS-TAVI registry, which demonstrated a relatively low 30-day mortality rate. Considering the very high risk presented by this population involved, a 30-day...
The aim of this meta-analysis, which included all randomized studies carried out to date, was to compare an early invasive strategy vs. a delayed invasive strategy in patients undergoing non ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Even though there is no doubt invasive strategies reduce events rate such as death and re-infarction in NSTEMI patients,...
In 2006, the American Heart Association guidelines recommended that carotid revascularization be performed within 2 weeks of stroke based on data from 2 randomized trials on carotid endarterectomy. This study aimed to determine whether the time between the event and revascularization has decreased after these guidelines were issued, and the proportion of patients receiving some sort of revascularization (endarterectomy...
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. The fact that the presence of a complete right bundle branch block (RBBB) increases the risk of bradycardia, high-grade atrioventricular block, and need for a permanent pacemaker (PPM) after TAVR is well-known. The impact of pre-existing complete right bundle branch block has not been well-studied. This article analyses 749 patients enrolled in...
New findings from the GARY (German Aortic Valve Registry) registry show that intermediate-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis presented significantly higher mortality at 1 year when treated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) rather than with conventional surgery. Results reflect everyday realities, which might include various bias tipping the scales towards one strategy or the...
Compared to men, women have less chances of developing obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), but this new study suggests they are more prone to have lower coronary flow reserve, which is also a risk factor. Evidently, ischemic cardiomyopathy entails far more than assessing and treating plaque burden in epicardial arteries. In women, the most...
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. After a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the incidence of permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation ranges from 6% to 30% in different studies, depending on the valve type used. This is due to trauma, ischemia, haemorrhage, and atrioventricular node and infranodal tissue oedema, provoking ventricular dyssynchrony similar to that caused by...