Drug coated balloons in the context of ST elevation acute myocardial infarction seem safe and feasible under certain circumstances. This single center study is the kickoff to keep studying the possibility of “leaving nothing behind” after primary PCI. This small randomized study revives drug coated balloons to be used particularly instead of stents in young...
Surprising EXCEL Outcomes in Diabetics with Main Left Stenosis
This study especially designed to compare PCI vs. CABG in patients with left main coronary artery disease and low to intermediate Syntax score showed that 30-day and 3 -year outcomes of PCI with everolimus eluting stents vs CABG were consistent both in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The randomized EXCEL trial (Evaluation of XIENCE versus Coronary...
EXCEL Outcomes: PCI vs CABG in Patients with Prior Cerebrovascular disease
Most certainly, as we read this title, we imagine the conclusion (as does the editor): patients with prior cerebrovascular disease (CEVD) benefit from a less invasive revascularization strategy, such as PCI. However, the EXCEL outcomes tell us that patients with left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) and a history of CEVD will not benefit from...
The Most Read Articles of March in Interventional Cardiology
1- What to Do with Blood Pressure Levels Between 130/80 and 139/89 mmHg The decision to be made with a treatment-free patient with systolic blood pressure over 160 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure over 100 mmHg is an easy one. All guidelines agree: treatment should be started immediately alongside lifestyle changes. Read more 2-...
ACC 2019 | STOPDAPT-2: P2Y12 Monotherapy After Short-Term Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Angioplasty
Aspirin is against the ropes: first, it was primary prevention; now, its use is being reconsidered even in relation to angioplasty. There might be paradigm changes as regards antiplatelet therapy after angioplasty. These two studies presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2019 Scientific Session can really change what we have been doing unquestioningly...
ACC 2019 | SMART-CHOICE: Aspirin Increasingly “Against the Ropes”
This work (presented during the same American College of Cardiology [ACC] 2019 Scientific Session as the STOPDAPT-2 trial) enrolled 2993 patients who underwent angioplasty with current-generation stents Xience, Promus, Synergy, or Orsiro at 33 Korean sites. Patients were randomized to 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy or dropping aspirin at 3 months. There was no difference between the short-...
The 10 Most Read Articles of January
1- These Were the Most Relevant Article of 2018 in the Field of Coronary Diseases Read the best articles on coronary heart disease from 2018 at solaci website. Read more 2- The 10 Commandments of ESC’s New STEMI Guidelines The authors have given an entertaining account of the most relevant points and differences between...
The 10 Most Read Articles of December
1- Everolimus-Eluting Stents Finally Have a Rival and Not Just a “Non-Inferior” Stent In this large randomized trial, there were significant differences as regards both target-lesion failure and target-vessel-related infarction, which persisted through a 2-year follow-up and favored treatment with an ultrathin-strut bioresorbable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (Orsiro) compared with the gold standard, a durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent...
Everolimus-Eluting Stents Finally Have a Rival and Not Just a “Non-Inferior” Stent
In this large randomized trial, there were significant differences as regards both target-lesion failure and target-vessel-related infarction, which persisted through a 2-year follow-up and favored treatment with an ultrathin-strut bioresorbable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (Orsiro) compared with the gold standard, a durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent (Xience). Moreover, there were significantly lower rates of target lesion revascularization and late/very...
Early Strut Coverage and Its Implications for Dual Antiplatelet Therapy
Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided drug-eluting stent implantation improves early strut coverage compared with angiography-guided angioplasty. No difference was observed in terms of strut coverage between permanent-polymer everolimus-eluting stents and bioresorbable-polymer biolimus-eluting stents. Short-term dual antiplatelet therapy may be feasible in selected patients with early strut coverage. This study sought to measure early strut coverage...