Interventional Cardiology

This cardiac subspecialty uses minimally invasive, catheter-based technologies in a cath lab to diagnose and treat coronary artery disease (CAD). The main focus in on percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) to revascularize patients with CAD that is causing blockages resulting in ischemia or myocardial infarction. PCI mainly consists of angioplasty and implanting stents. Interventional cardiology has greatly expanded in scope over recent years to include a number of transcatheter structural heart interventions.

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International registry shows progress for chronic total occlusion PCI

Operators trained in the hybrid approach to PCI of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) demonstrated technical and procedural success rates of 87 percent and 85 percent, respectively, in a multicenter international trial.

Less is more? Double antithrombotic therapy sufficient for AFib patients after PCI

A new meta-analysis found double antithrombotic therapy following PCI for patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) was associated with 47 percent fewer bleeding events than triple therapy and similar rates of major adverse cardiac events.

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American Airlines sued after passenger dies after in-flight pulmonary embolism

The family of a newlywed nurse is suing American Airlines after she fell ill on a flight and died. The cause of her death was determined to be an acute massive pulmonary embolism and cardiogenic shock.

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CULPRIT-SHOCK confirmed: Another study supports culprit-only PCI

A retrospective study of patients with acute MI complicated by cardiogenic shock presented at SCAI 2018 supported the message from the randomized CULPRIT-SHOCK trial: culprit lesion PCI is associated with lower mortality than multivessel revascularization.

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Delaying SAVR at least 3 months after stroke dramatically cuts recurrent events

Individuals who receive surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) within three months of an ischemic stroke are almost 15 times more likely to suffer another stroke than SAVR patients without previous strokes, according to a Danish registry study published April 25 in JAMA Cardiology.

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Exercise interventions for PAD may require personal support

A randomized trial published April 24 in JAMA suggests patients with lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) can’t be expected to improve walking performance on their own, even with the aid of wearable activity trackers and telephone coaching sessions.

CytoSorbents Enrolls First Patient into Pivotal U.S. REFRESH 2-AKI Trial Using CytoSorb® During Complex Cardiac Surgery

CytoSorbents Corporation (NASDAQ: CTSO), a critical care immunotherapy company using its CytoSorb® blood purification technology to treat deadly inflammation in critically-ill and cardiac surgery patients around the world, announced first patient enrollment into the pivotal U.S. REFRESH 2-AKI trial.

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Nicorandil protects older patients from myocardial injury after PCI

Intravenous nicorandil cut the risk of periprocedural myocardial injury (pMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by 49 percent among patients 65 and older, according to a substudy of a randomized trial published in PLOS One.