This angiographic substudy supports the safety of drug-coated balloons in small vessels. Despite better angiographic outcomes, there were eight cases of stent thrombosis among drug-eluting stent (DES) patients, while there was none with drug-coated balloons. In patients with small vessels, using a drug-coated balloon appears safe and comparable to DES, with favorable angiographic outcomes at<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/05/27/europcr-2019-basket-small-2-drug-coated-balloons-vs-des-in-small-vessels/" title="Read more" >...</a>
EuroPCR 2019 | REVELATION: Drug Coated Balloons in ST Elevation MI
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<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/05/24/europcr-2019-revelation-drug-coated-balloons-in-st-elevation-mi/" title="Read more" >...</a>
The Most Read Scientific Articles in Interventional Cardiology
1- Long-Term Foramen Ovale Closure after Cryptogenic Stroke Patent foramen ovale closure is the standard treatment for cryptogenic stroke patients. However, there are is little information on its long-term evolution. Read more 2- Descending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms: Is There a New Plan A? The last available evidence suggests that open surgery should be the<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/05/03/the-most-read-scientific-articles-in-interventional-cardiology/" title="Read more" >...</a>
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-<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/04/22/the-most-read-articles-of-march-in-interventional-cardiology/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Subclavian and Axillary Access for TAVR: a Valid Alternative
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. The femoral approach is preferred when it comes to TAVR, but sometimes it is not viable. This is when other access sites come into play, such as the trans-subclavian/axillary (TS/TAx), the apical, transcaval, transcarotid (TC) or transaortic. At present, few studies have looked into this matter, which is why it<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/04/11/subclavian-and-axillary-access-for-tavr-a-valid-alternative/" title="Read more" >...</a>
FDA Alert on Drug-Coated Balloons and Stents in Femoropopliteal Artery Disease
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an alert on the potential long-term risk of paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents in patients with femoropopliteal artery disease. This agency is evaluating signals of increased long-term deaths among patients with femoral or popliteal artery disease treated with paclitaxel-coated devices in a recent study. In<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/03/15/fda-alert-on-drug-coated-balloons-and-stents-in-femoropopliteal-artery-disease/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Drug eluting Stents vs. Drug Coated Balloons for In-Stent Restenosis
The rationale behind the decision to not add another layer of metal to the artery sounded attractive and this was what paved the way for drug coated balloons as an alternative strategy to treat in-stent restenosis. “We’ve already got a stent in place, we only have to dilate and leave the drug” is what we<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/03/14/drug-eluting-stents-vs-drug-coated-balloons-for-in-stent-restenosis/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Pharmacological balloons in femoropopliteal territory passed time testing
Endovascular revascularization has become the main strategy for symptomatic patients with peripheral arterial disease in femoropopliteal territory. Conventional balloon angioplasty is effective in gaining lumen but has a restenosis rate to up 60% at 12 months. Implantation of conventional stents reduced restenosis to almost half, but presented problems such as thrombosis, stent fracture and difficulty<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2018/02/27/pharmacological-balloons-in-femoropopliteal-territory-passed-time-testing/" title="Read more" >...</a>
What Is the Long-Term Outcome of Lesions Deferred Using FFR/iFR?
The presence of inducible ischemia is an essential prerequisite to obtain clinical benefits from revascularization through angioplasty. In that sense, the measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR) is the gold standard as regards invasive methods assessing the functional significance of epicardial artery stenosis. As opposed to FFR, the measurement of the instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR)<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2018/01/18/what-is-the-long-term-outcome-of-lesions-deferred-using-ffr-ifr/" title="Read more" >...</a>
DARE: Drug-Coated Balloons Compete with DES for the Treatment of In-Stent Restenosis
Courtesy of the Brazilian Society of Hemodynamics and Interventional Cardiology (SBHCI). The SeQuent Please paclitaxel-coated balloon provides non-inferior angiographic results when compared with the Xience everolimus-eluting stent for the treatment of in-stent restenosis. At 6 months, the minimal lumen diameter was 1.71 mm in the drug-coated balloon arm and 1.74 mm in the Xience arm, a difference that<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2017/11/01/dare-drug-coated-balloons-compete-with-des-for-the-treatment-of-in-stent-restenosis/" title="Read more" >...</a>