The use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has seen exponential growth across registries over the years, combined with mounting and increasingly robust evidence. The fact that it will enable us to characterize plaque morphology and extension prior the intervention, and even assess stent expansion post intervention, has turned it into a pillar of our efforts to<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2022/03/07/ivus-in-acute-coronary-syndrome-a-new-requirement/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Infective Endocarditis (IE) rate after TAVR ranges from 0.7% to 3.4%, depending on the different analyses, and is comparable to that after SAVR. Close to 50% of patients treated with surgery received a prosthetic valve; in TAVR, the figure is lower, possibly due to the characteristics of patients (even though it remains unclear). Researchers looked<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2022/03/04/infective-endocarditis-in-tavr-whats-the-best-treatment/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Troponins have long had diagnostic value not only for infarction. Their ability to predict mortality is well established for all cardiac conditions. Moreover, it has been demonstrated in all critically ill patients, including patients with COVID-19, regardless of the triggering condition. While their significance in COVID cases is backed by the literature, there was not<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2021/11/03/is-troponin-elevation-after-tavr-related-to-mortality/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Bifurcations have been, are and will be challenging. However, we have to admit we have gained experience and have more tools than pioneer interventionists and many of the early experts who have made history. This study assessed the ten-year trends in coronary bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) looking at patient and lesion characteristics, devices used,<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2021/10/26/10-years-treating-bifurcations-have-we-made-progress/" title="Read more" >...</a>
In patients hospitalized for COVID-19, both acute and chronic myocardial injury impact survival at 6 months. In addition, the risk does not disappear after the acute phase of the disease, instead it persists in the following months among those who survive. This study was presented at the scientific sessions of ESC 2021 and was simultaneously<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2021/09/06/esc-2021-acute-and-chronic-myocardial-injury-in-covid-19-patients-and-impact-in-mortality/" title="Read more" >...</a>
The results of the STEP study were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2021 Congress! The main finding from this research was that an ideal target of 110 mmHg or at least <130 mmHg blood pressure (compared with a target of 130 mmHg or at least 150 mmHg) yielded an absolute risk reduction of composite events of<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2021/09/03/esc-2021-step-blood-pressure-values-in-the-elderly-a-never-ending-debate/" title="Read more" >...</a>
After 2.5 years of non-stop racing, ultrathin-strut drug-eluting stents (DES) reached the finish line before 2nd generation thin-strut DES. The advantage was in terms of clinically justified lesion revascularization, while rates of infarction, stent thrombosis, cardiac death, and all-cause death were similar. After failure at trying to create new generations of DES based on drugs<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2021/08/13/the-long-marathon-of-ultrathin-vs-2nd-generation-thin-strut-des/" title="Read more" >...</a>
When it looked like the simplest techniques reach the best outcomes, along came the DK Crush studies. Indeed, after the COVIS III results in bifurcations, it appeared we had started to retrace our steps back to the foundation. The purpose of this study was to compare long term outcomes of the remarkably simple 1-stent strategy<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2021/06/29/bifurcations-a-long-return-journey/" title="Read more" >...</a>
The latest figures show a lower number of emergency CABG for acute MI, and in turn increased primary PCI. The combination of surgeons not willing to take risks and interventional cardiologists empowered to treat practically any lesion has resulted in fewer patients receiving emergency CABG. Only a few years ago, interventional cardiologists at least had<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2021/05/18/acc-2021-emergent-cabg-for-acute-mi-benefits-despite-risk/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Success or failure of total occlusion (TO) revascularization does not affect mortality at 10 years, and this does not depend on revascularization strategy (PCI vs surgery) or location. The long-term clinical benefit of recanalization and PCI or TO artery bypass graft remains nuclear. This is a sub-study of the SYNTAXES (Synergy Between PCI With Taxus<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2021/03/19/should-total-occlusion-influence-on-revascularization-strategy/" title="Read more" >...</a>