According to this recent meta-analysis of randomized studies, ultrathin strut devices are associated with lower rates of target vessel failure vs. 2nd generation drug eluting stents (DES). This advantage was driven by fewer clinically justified reinterventions. This study was published in the European Heart Journal and simultaneously presented at EuroPCR 2021 Scientific Sessions. Ultrathin struts...
A new sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold with far thinner struts resulted non inferior to the Xience as to the end point of angiographic in-segment late loss (LL) powered for noninferiority testing. Even though this is a small study with angiographic end points, it might be the first step towards the return of bioresorbable scaffolds. Read also:...
Patients with peripheral vascular disease who undergo angioplasty in the lower limbs find benefit from treatment with rivaroxaban, according to the VOYAGER PAD study, presented at the scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2021 Congress and simultaneously published in JACC. Patients with said disease present a higher risk of ischemic events not...
Patients under evaluation for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) without clear ischemia signs in an electrocardiogram find no benefit in a 0/1-hour high-sensitivity troponin T (ultra-fast) protocol compared with the conventional 0/3-hour protocol. These data come from the RAPID-TnT trial presented during the scientific sessions at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2021 Congress, simultaneously published in...
Patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease taking aspirin as secondary prevention can take lower doses and achieve the same efficacy level as those taking 325 mg. According to the ADAPTABLE study, presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2021 Congress and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), both schemes were associated with...
According to the LAAOS III study, presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2021 Congress and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), patients with atrial fibrillation who undergo central vascular surgery for any other indication find benefit in appendage closure during said surgery. Using oral anticoagulation agents, patients undergoing appendage closure...
Introduction Chronic total occlusion (CTO) represents the most challenging setting for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and multivessel coronary disease (MCD) is often treated in a staggered manner and in a deferred procedure. Although transfemoral is one of the common access site, the transradial access (TRA) has been used with similar procedural success [1]. The distal...
Yet another observational study has come to question the antiaggregation power of ticagrelor when it comes to death or MI reduction, pointing at its higher risk of bleeding vs. clopidogrel. This new analysis recently published in JAHA includes a large number of patients undergoing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the clinical practice. Ticagrelor has been...
Computed tomographic (CT) angiography showed a high degree of agreement with conventional angiography to detect significant coronary artery disease and rule out left main disease. This imaging study was done on a group of patients before their randomization in the ISCHEMIA trial. Data are soon to be published in JACC Cardiovascular Imaging and add plenty...
For many patients, the first symptom of heart disease is acute MI, or even sudden death. Changes in lifestyle and optimal medical treatment (OMT) are vital to the prevention of serious events, but we cannot help wondering whether preventive stenting might do it. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), NIRS near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and computed...