For years, treating dyslipidemia mainly focused on reducing LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) with statins, which had shown benefits in reducing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a form of apoB-containing lipoprotein bound to a hydrophilic, highly glycosylated protein called apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)]. Circulating levels of Lp(a) are genetically determined, and are hardly affected by eating habits...
Regardless of whether it is attempted through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or myocardial revascularization surgery (MRS), complete revascularization (CR) is not always achieved. Overall, it is more frequent with surgery than with percutaneous treatment. Additionally, incomplete revascularization (IR) has proven to be associated with worse outcomes compared to CR. Researchers conducted an analysis of the...
On the one hand, chronic peripheral vascular disease is on the rise. On the other, over the past 20 years, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has gained considerable ground thanks to various new devices, replacing surgery as an alternative in most scenarios. Both strategies have shown similar results, but PCI has fewer complications and shorter hospital stays....
In recent years, TAVR has been increasingly used; however, when it comes to younger, lower risk patients, its use is still challenged. In this context, there is limited information and we lack randomized studies on “real world” cohorts. The DEDICATE randomized 1.414 patients over 65 with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. 701 of these patients received...
The international guidelines recommend the use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin plus a P2Y12 inhibitor during 12 months in patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), to prevent events such as MI and stent thrombosis. This was a multicenter, placebo controlled, double blind study to determine whether ticagrelor alone,...
Heart failure is characterized by increased left atrial filling pressure and venous congestion which intensify with exercise and volume burden, and makes conventional medical management hard. In this context, interatrial shunting might offer a self-regulating mechanism, as shown by the Ventura IAS study. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy...
Severe persistent calcification of the coronary arteries has been associated with different factors, such as advanced age, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, and kidney failure, among others, and continues to be one of the challenges to stent implantation because of it impact on device advancing, drug release and adequate positioning. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a technique that...
Individual randomized studies have shown variable results regarding the mortality risk following treatment of left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD), either through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, upon assessment of the latest meta-analyses (with matched data), similar risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality have been reported for both groups....
We are well aware of CAD physiopathological disparities and how it manifests differently in men and women. The ISCHEMIA study (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) has revealed that during 3.2 years no differences were seen in the incidence of ischemic events when comparing an invasive strategy (INV) vs a...
The use of transcatheter mitral valve intervention for the treatment of mitral valve regurgitation (MR) continues to evolve; at present guidelines only recommend it for inoperable or high surgical risk patients. So far, many devices have been assessed, some of which have shown promising results, but only for poor surgical candidates. Researchers looked into the...