Contemporary data of a recently published large registry show that mechanical complications after infarction are not frequent but maintain a very high mortality rate that does not seem to improve over time. Our information on mechanical complications was outdated and we did not have current data on their incidence and prognosis. Such is precisely the...
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. The presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is frequent in severe aortic stenosis. This can be classified in: isolated pre-capillary PH, isolated post-capillary PH, and combined post-capillary and pre-capillary PH. At present, little research has looked into the disease from this perspective. The study looked at 1400 patients and divided them...
Elevated markers after PCI in stable patients treated with the latest generation stents continues to happen. However, only the association between biomarker elevation with creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) should be of concern, sin it was associated with mortality at one year. Post procedural cardiac troponin (cTn) elevation was not associated to future events, according to...
Infective endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is one of the most feared complications due to its morbidity and mortality. With the expansion of TAVI into all risk groups, endocarditis might be a long-term concern. However, its long-term risk seems similar to that of endocarditis with surgically-implanted biological valves; consequently, it should not affect...
This new review, recently published in BMJ, questions the benefit of statins in low-risk primary prevention patients. Authors argue that statins should be more cautiously indicated in primary prevention, considering that their absolute benefit is almost marginal in low-risk patients. Changes in the European guidelines have translated into a wide expansion of patients eligible for...
This is one of the first studies to prospectively assess this association, and its outcomes support the idea that poor sleep is a potential MI risk factor. Even though we need further data to be able to modify the current sleep duration standards as part of life-style change recommendations, it seems reasonable to start bearing...
Coronary rechanneling is difficult by nature, and there are several techniques for it aimed at improving technical success. Some of these strategies entail the subintimal crossing of the occluded segment, while others entail intraplaque crossing, without leaving the true lumen. However, there is scarce or no information on the results of both strategies. Researchers analyzed...
The incidence of peri-procedural transcatheter heart valve embolization and migration (TVEM) is as low as 1%. However, it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Peri-procedural TVEM is one of the most feared complication given its potential to transform the procedure into a catastrophe, but little do we know about its incidence (except for a...
The predominance of women in the world is an uncontested reality that is causing changes in different aspects of daily life. In the world of interventional cardiology, the number of women compared to men has always been very low. However, this process is slowly beginning to change because more and more women are showing their...
Everybody keeps wondering whether drug-coated balloons can actually increase mortality. If that is the case, there is an even harder question in need of an answer: what would be the physiopathology for such increase in mortality? As a lukewarm message, the US Food and Drug Administration recommended a special informed consent form when these devices...