In Paris, during the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2019 Scientific Sessions, new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic coronary syndromes were presented. This document, simultaneously published in Euro Heart J, updates the 2013 guidelines on stable ischemic heart disease and takes out the word “stable” so as to emphasize that the...
For patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction and multivessel disease beyond the culprit artery, complete revascularization is superior to culprit-only treatment as regards the final endpoint, a composite of cardiovascular death, infarction, and ischemia-driven revascularization over a mean follow-up of 3 years. This information derives from long-awaited randomized study COMPLETE, finally presented at the...
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. The benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) has been proven long ago, and both prasugrel and ticagrelor have offered best results than clopidogrel. However, nowadays, it is unclear which of them is superior in the long term, taking into account the fact that one starts to...
According to this study, presented during the ESC 2019 scientific sessions, non-ST acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) patients treated with ticagrelor presented a significantly higher risk of bleeding than patients treated with clopidogrel, with no counterbalance by higher benefit in thrombotic events. Researchers suggest clopidogrel might be the gold standard for this elderly NSTE-ACS population, though...
1-Though Systolic BP Seems More Important, Diastolic BP Should Not Be Disregarded Systolic hypertension is more often associated to cardiovascular events. However, diastolic blood pressure should not be disregarded, since it can also predict even worse outcomes. Read more HERE 2-After Much Toing and Froing, Gastrointestinal Protection Is Back to the Forefront Several clinical guidelines...
This analysis of data from an already published study, “Bypass Versus Angioplasty in Severe Ischemia of the Limb (BASIL-1),” confirms the superiority of bypass over balloon angioplasty, with or without stenting, in patients with chronic lower limb ischemia who require a femoropopliteal intervention. While analyzed interventions took place between 1999 and 2003 (a fact subject...
Angina persistence or recurrence after PCI can affect between 20 to 40% of patients in the short and mid-term. This might be true despite PCI optimization using FFR, intravascular ultrasound and the latest generation stents. This problem is associated with high healthcare cost, which can double in patients with recurrent or persistent angina compared against...
The antiplatelet treatment strategy providing optimal balance between thrombotic and bleeding risks in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization surgery is unclear. What does seem somewhat certain is that some antiplatelet therapy is necessary to prevent early thrombosis, mainly in vein grafts, but (as opposed to what happens with angioplasty) there are other relevant factors such as...
Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) anastomosed to one vessel with normal or nearly normal fractional flow reserve (FFR) have poorer graft patency at one year compared against anastomosed grafts to vessels with functionally significant lesions shown by FFR. However, the recent study FARGO (Fractional Flow Reserve Versus Angiography Randomization for Graft Optimization) did not show...
According to this recent analysis of the MASS II trial, which will soon be published in JAMA, baseline ischemia is not associated with events at 10 years in patients with chronic stable angina. The ischemic burden induced through exercise does not predict events or long-term ventricular function. Such data add some suspense to the results...