The rate of major adverse cardiac events was significantly lower among patients "reloaded" with atorvastatin 80 mg 12 hours prior to PCI and 40 mg just before the procedure than in those who did not receive the additional statin boost.
Rome, Italy - The Atorvastatin for Reduction of Myocardial Damage During Angioplasty-Acute Coronary Syndromes (ARMYDA) RECAPTURE study, a trial that showed that the addition of a high-dose statin prior to PCI in statin-treated patients improves clinical outcomes, is now published online July 1, 2009 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology [1].
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Inside: Interventional/Surgery
Accredited educational programs, supported by industry, developed by theheart.org
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been approved in Europe since 2007, whereas these devices are just entering large-scale research trials in the United States. Dr. Popma leads a panel discussion with European interventionalist Dr. Eberhard Grube and surgeon Dr. Neil Moat on their experiences with TAVI.
Given SYNTAX, is left main stenting ready for primetime? Do the NCDR data lay to rest DES safety concerns? Recorded at EuroPCR 2009, Dr. Popma discusses the current status and future roles of PCI and DES with Drs.Gershlick and Tamburino.
How do the results of the SYNTAX trial impact clinical practice now? Join Drs. Banning and Hill as they present a complex case taken directly from the SYNTAX trial and discuss how new data will impact their choice of treatment, and listen to an overview of the trial presented by Dr. William Wijns.
Surgery? PCI? How do we choose the optimal therapy for any given patient? Join our panel of experts, Drs. Feldman, Cohen, Kereiakes, Leon, and Mohr as they discuss latest data on treating complex lesions.
Recently published data suggest that prior polyvascular disease increases the risk for inhospital adverse events in patients with ACS. Join Drs. Deepak Bhatt, Jean-Pierre Bassand, and José R. Gonzalez-Juanatey for a discussion of the current data on identification and management of patients with polyvascular disease.
AF can lead to stroke, congestive heart failure, and other serious complications. Successful management should include reducing these risks. Join our expert panel, Drs. Peter Rothwell, Donald Easton, and Mark Alberts, as they discuss new data and strategies for improving outcomes in patients with AF.
Despite modern therapy, the rates of death, MI, bleeding, and readmission remain high in patients with ACS. Join Drs. Jeffery Popma, Héctor Bueno, Freek Verheugt, and Sunil. Rao for a review of the latest data on antiplatelet therapy for patients with ACS.
Variable rate contrast delivery systems have the potential to improve workflow and patient outcomes by providing a more precise flow of contrast. Watch Dr. Jeffrey Moses and his team as they demonstrate the use of the device in the cath lab in a patient with complex lesions.
Identifying these unstable coronary plaques could be used to aggressively treat patients who are at higher risk for future events, according to researchers. There are skeptics, however, and at present even researchers concede there are no different preventive measures available to treat those with high-risk lesions.
Experts suggest that early PCI is beneficial in STEMI patients already treated with fibrinolysis, as long as it is performed at least two hours after the lytic is given.
UPDATED // One of the authors on a new registry analysis says the findings are persuasive: possibly enough to persuade guideline-writing groups to reconsider the class 3 recommendation against performing elective PCI without surgical backup.
Patients hospitalized for CABG or MI were twice as likely to successfully quit smoking if they received intensive counseling in the hospital with follow-up support after discharge, in a recent study.
Investigators say that a diagnostic strategy relying on CTA alone should not be used for making revascularization decisions. An editorial accompanying the study echoes the group's conclusions.
The European Medicines Agency has now followed suit with the US FDA and issued a warning discouraging concomitant use of clopidogrel and PPIs, but some experts believe the issue has been overhyped.
It remains unknown whether genetic testing for two prothrombotic mutations improves outcomes for patients with venous thromboembolism or for family members of those with mutations, a new review concludes.
Investigators say results from this phase 2, dose-escalation study have paved the way for the phase 3 trial, ATLAS ACS 2, already enrolling patients and using the lower two doses, twice daily, identified as having the most desirable risk/benefit profile in the phase 2 study.
Shelley Wood, managing editor of theheart.org, has won a 2009 National Institute for Health Care Management Journalism and Research Award for her "Myxo ring mix-up" series.
In our first program Drs Gibbons, Holmes, and Simari discuss cell therapy and the latest trials in intervention. Our second program features Drs Gibbons, Ackerman, and Redfield discuss personalized genomics and heart failure.
Join Drs Valentin Fuster, William E Boden, and George D Dangas as they discuss the results, plus the evolution of therapy over the last forty years, the mechanisms of coronary artery disease progression in diabetic patients, and what is perhaps one of the most fundamental problems in the field: that patients today are still not treated to target with best medical therapy.
Join Dr Robert Califf for a probing and personal interview with Dr Steven Nissen, about his activist days at the University of Michigan and the development of IVUS, to how he ended up at the Cleveland Clinic and what he thinks about the future of medicine in America.
