With a mean follow up of 15 years, and some patients that survived over 20 years, this study shows that more than 75% of patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis show sustained results with balloon valvuloplasty. Predictors of this excellent long-term outcome are many, but they are determined mainly by age, prior symptoms and valve area...
Current models are not reliable when it comes to predicting events after carotid revascularization in acute patients. Peri-procedural events seem to be particularly hard to predict. The development of models that can be externally validated is essential for the decision-making process in patients with high event rates, both during the procedure or while the case...
The EXCEL trial did not find the sex of patients with left main coronary artery disease to be an independent predictor of adverse events after revascularization. However, women who underwent angioplasty had a trend towards worse outcomes, a finding that might be related to comorbidities and somewhat increased chances of peri-procedural complications. In its formal...
During valve replacement, cerebral protection systems may capture debris in up to 99% of all patients. In over half of them, these particles are >1 mm. The particles captured during procedures in which Evolut R or Lotus valves were used were more and larger compared with those captured with the Sapien balloon-expandable valve. Beyond differences among valves,...
Endovascular therapy is now considered as the standard of care for acute ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusion. The time between symptoms onset and reperfusion emerges as the most determinant factor for good clinical outcomes, much more strongly than even in acute myocardial infarction. The saying “time is brain” is even more relevant than...
The new drug-eluting stents (DES) equipped with ultra-thin struts are showing a lower risk of target lesion failure as a result of lower rates of acute myocardial infarction and similar rates of revascularization, according to this meta-analysis soon to be published in Circulation. Such a difference is evidenced at a 1-year follow-up when compared with...
This week is the 54th Chilean Congress of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery. This event will take place from November 30th to December 3rd, 2017, in Santiago de Chile. The 2nd Latin American Symposium of Cardiovascular Disease in Women, the 2017 Course for Non-Specialist Physicians, and the Module on Ecocardiography for Anesthesiologists are among the highlights...
From November 9th to November 11th, Punta del Este received the best cardiologists in Latin America. These 3 days of intense scientific activity included the SOLACI-SUC Joint Symposium, which was composed of a structural module (with presentations on TAVI, Mitraclip, paravalvular leaks, and clinical cases) and a coronary module (with activities centered on coronary bifurcation lesions,...
There is evidence to support the use of the transradial approach to coronary angioplasty. Several randomized studies have shown reduced bleeding and vascular complications when adopted, compared against patients treated with the femoral approach. There are also studies and meta-analysis suggesting that, in the context of primary PCI, the benefit would be even bigger, with significant events...
Most literature, old and recent, associates carotid artery stenting with a higher rate of stroke (although minor) when compared with carotid endarterectomy during the acute period. However, 30-day outcomes of angioplasty and surgery are comparable. Many technical advancements, including new stent designs and different cerebral protection mechanisms, have improved the outcomes of angioplasty in clinical...