The benefits of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance in all angioplasties with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) persist through 3 years of follow-up. These data derive from the extended follow-up of the ULTIMATE study, presented virtually at TCT 2020 and published simultaneously in JACC Intv. At 3 years, target-vessel failure remained lower in patients whose angioplasty was guided by...
Patients with a bigger number of complex anatomical characteristics that increase PCI complexity have worse results at one-year followup. These data come from a large multicenter study (e-Ultimaster) recently published in EuroIntervention. The more complex the characteristics, the greater the increase in events. It is important to see past the obvious anatomical challenges (bifurcations, calcification,...
01- ESC 2020 | New European Guidelines on Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes: What’s New? The new European guidelines on NON-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE ACS) were presented virtually during the European Society of Cardiology 2020 Congress (ESC 2020) and published in Eur Heart J. Read more HERE 02- Ticagrelor to Improve Venous Graft Patency Saphenous...
The size of the original bioprosthetic valve impacts long term mortality, as does the type of bioprosthetic valve used in percutaneous reinterventions. The number of patients with failed bioprosthesis is on the rise, mainly due to increased life expectancy. Valve-in-valve (ViV) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become more and more common these days and...
The risk of contrast induced kidney injury is significantly lower in patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) compared against patients getting a coronary angiography or angioplasty. This is true even for valvular heart disease patients with higher risk profiles. Differences in contrast-induced acute kidney injury between TAVR or coronary patients had not been previously...
Moderate or severe left ventricle outflow tract calcification increases the risk of annulus rupture, residual aortic regurgitation and the need for a second valve. This recent study analyzed the performance of different contemporary prosthetic valves in patients with this particular anatomy. Since the early days of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) outflow tract calcification has...
New guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) were released at the 2020 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) virtual congress. This document incorporates several findings from the latest clinical trials, but also represents a great shift in terms of how physicians from different specialties should classify and manage arrhythmia after confirming the...
Data of this “real world” study have confirmed that diabetic patients with multivessel disease will benefit from coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). According to Dr. Douglas S. Lee, main author of this study, the evidence is fairly conclusive, enough to recommend CABG as first option in this particular subgroup of patients similar to FREEDOM patients. ...
Trimetazidine in addition to optimal medical therapy in patients undergoing coronary PCI does not change events rate at long term. The ATPCI study was presented at ESC 2020 and simultaneously published in the Lancet. This study randomized coronary PCI patients with stable or acute NSTEMI coronary syndromes to trimetazidine vs. placebo. What is the rationale...
01- Myocardial Injury for COVID-19 Even in Young Patients with Mild Symptoms Most young COVID-19 patients not requiring hospitalization showed abnormal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) beyond two months after diagnosis. Read more HERE 02- Rapid Drop of Antibodies in Mild COVID-19 patients A fast drop in COVID-19 antibodies in mild patients triggers the alarm...