There is no question as regards the recommended treatment for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis, seeing as both transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement (TAVR and SAVR) have shown to significantly improve prognosis. This is despite the fact that there is still certain ambiguity around its characterization, which looks to define it according to hemodynamic severity...
ROTACUT Study: Rotational Atherectomy with Cutting Balloon for Stent Expansion Optimization
Approximately 30% of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) present moderate to severe calcified lesions, which presents a significant challenge involving a high incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Rotational atherectomy (RA) is used to modify these calcified lesions and facilitate balloon angioplasty followed by stent implantation. The combination of RA with other plaque...
Is Coronary Lithotripsy as Effective as Rotational Atherectomy?
Severely calcified lesions currently pose a significant challenge, as they require adequate preparation through non-compliant balloons or cutting balloons to achieve effective stent expansion. Another option is the use of orbital or rotational atherectomy (RA), but this carries the risk of complications such as slow/no reflow, perforations, dissections, peri-procedural infarction, or guidewire rupture. Despite the...
Optimal Duration of DAPT with Oral Anticoagulation After PCI?: 1 Month vs. 3 Months
While the benefits of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor are recognized, its primary complication is the occurrence of bleeding events, which negatively impact patient morbidity and mortality. Additionally, about 10% of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are on oral anticoagulant therapy, which significantly increases the risk of bleeding when...
Stentless Strategy in ACS: Perfusion and Drug Coated Balloons
The initial strategy for the treatment of patients at high risk of bleeding (HBR) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has consisted of a short dual antiaggregation therapy (DAPT). Stents continue to improve, which has allowed the reduction of DAPT schemes and therefore the incidence of bleeding. However, researchers are also looking into another strategy to...
AHA 2023 | MINT: Liberal vs Restrictive Transfusion in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome
The aim of this study was to assess hard end points such as death or MI in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) presenting hemoglobin levels lower than 10 mg/dl. It was a randomized multicenter double blind trial including 3506 participants. The study looked at different transfusion strategies, comparing restrictive strategy with 7-8 g/dl hemoglobin...
AHA 2023 | SELECT Trial: Semaglutide in Patients Without Diabetes
Given the obesity pandemic projected for the year 2035, it is imperative to address this disease as a priority, through well-known hygienic-dietary measures and the use of drugs that have shown promising results. Obesity has been identified as an independent cardiovascular risk factor, even after modifying risk factors associated with diabetes. Semaglutide, a GLP-1 agonist,...
Long-Term Results from the BEST Study: Drug-Eluting Stents vs. Bypass Surgery in Diabetic Patients with Multiple Vessel Disease
The impact of diabetes on the development of cardiovascular disease is widely known, with a strong association with extensive and diffuse coronary artery disease. Decision-making regarding how to revascularize patients with multi-vessel disease is a complex process. In this context, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been recommended over percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) based on...
TCT 2023 | CLASP IID Study 1-Year Results: PASCAL vs. MITRACLIP for Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation
The negative impact of mitral regurgitation (MR) on patient mortality, morbidity, and quality of life is widely recognized. However, only 15% of patients are referred for surgery due to their high surgical risk and low ejection fraction. Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair has become an important alternative for this group of patients. For subjects with degenerative MR,...
Complex Coronary Angioplasty in Elderly Patients: Problem or Solution?
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in elderly adults (individuals aged 75 years or older). In turn, coronary heart disease is one of the main causes of morbidity in this population. In addition to anatomical complexities, there are other factors that may complicate its management, such as polypharmacy, frailty, and procedure-related risks. All of...