The benefit was dose-dependent reduction, regardless the presence of absence of baseline cardiac failure. Patients with prior MI and hypersensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) showed dose dependent hospitalization reduction for cardiac failure with the new anti-inflammatory drug Canakinumab, according to this study presented at AHA and simultaneously published in Circulation. The difference between Canakinumab and...
The mitral valve is a complex apparatus dependent on left atrium and left ventricle functionality. Dilation of these cavities might affect mitral annulus morphology and lead to valve dysfunction, generating mitral regurgitation (MR). This type of MR has been called functional, since leaflets and tendinous chordae do not present lesions themselves; instead, they malfunction ‘secondary’...
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Mitral regurgitation accounts for around 25% of valvular diseases and is a strong mortality predictor in heart disease. One of the challenges of this disease is that patients respond favorably to medical treatment for a long time, which makes hard to establish the right time to perform an intervention without...
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. The incidence of kidney disease is increasing. In its final stage, this pathology is related with coronary disease and increased mortality. Furthermore, we know that, in many occasions, it is associated with diabetes. Nowadays, the evidence comparing the progress of patients with impaired kidney function who have undergone left main...
Since the publication of the original SYNTAX trial, there have been great technical advancements that have influenced the results of angioplasty: New tools for risk stratification using the SYNTAX II score which integrate clinical and anatomical variables to the team’s decision-making process. Functional revascularization (hybrid use of fractional flow reserve or instantaneous wave-free ratio). Optimization of...
Hybrid revascularization seems to achieve results similar to those of conventional myocardial revascularization surgery at 5 years, although studies published so far do not seem to be enough for a definitive answer. This new work, soon to be published in J Am Coll Cardiol Intv, has had promising results in selected patients with multivessel disease; however,...
One in five patients presenting perioperative MI during non-cardiac surgery should be readmitted within 30 days after surgery, and one in seven dies within the same period, according to the new study presented at ACC 2018 scientific sessions and simultaneously published in Circulation. These infarctions could be considered a iatrogenic complication, given the obvious lack of proper...
Long-term follow-up of patients under 50 with multivessel coronary artery disease suggests surgery outcomes are significantly better than angioplasty outcomes. This study, presented at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ (STS) Annual Meeting, concludes that surgery should continue as plan A when it comes to young patients with three-vessel disease. Surgeons complain that many patients never actually...
Compared to surgery, endovascular repair of ruptured abdominal aorta aneurysms has better clinical results, survival and quality of life for patients (in addition to being cost-effective), according to mid-term outcomes of the IMPROVE study, recently published in the British Medical Journal. Even though the initial outcomes had not shown differences between both strategies in terms of...
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. Coronary perforation (CP) is a very uncommon event (≈0.4%), associated with severe complications that entail risk of death. It has usually been related to patients with a history of myocardial revascularization surgery (MRS). However, this group usually presents lower rates of cardiac tamponade due to pericardial fibrosis caused by surgery. This...