theheart.org: Interventional Surgery news and studies. Duke and Mayo partnership.

Interventional/Surgery

Interventional cardiologist Donald Baim dies

7 COMMENTS - Nov 6, 2009 18:22 EST

Interventional cardiologist, Dr Donald Baim, chief medical and scientific officer at Boston Scientific, has died.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Latest European and US STEMI guidelines compared and contrasted

Nov 6, 2009 17:15 EST

The latest recommendations for the treatment of ST-elevation MI issued by American cardiology associations and the European Society of Cardiology are compared and contrasted in a new paper.

Interventional/Surgery

Off-pump CABG shows no benefit over on-pump approach: ROOBY study

7 COMMENTS - Nov 4, 2009 17:00 EST

A 2203-patient randomized trial of off-pump vs on-pump CABG surgery found no differences in neuropsychological outcomes and worse overall outcomes for the off-pump group at one-year follow-up.

Interventional/Surgery

VELETI in print: Plaque sealing of SVGs a strategy "ahead of its time"?

Nov 4, 2009 15:30 EST

The imaging study was the first to show that stenting a non-flow-limiting stenosis of an SVG may help slow or halt the accelerated atherosclerosis that takes place in these vessels. An accompanying editorial cautions that the study does little more than "infer a trend toward anatomic benefit."

heartbriefs

No CV risk reduction with B vitamins posttransplant

Nov 4, 2009 13:15 EST

In keeping with all the other evidence showing no effects of homocysteine-lowering with B vitamins, the FAVORIT study now confirms that this lack of benefit is also seen in renal-transplant recipients.

MediaPulse

Interventional cardiologist sues hospital under Whistleblower's Act

13 COMMENTS - Nov 3, 2009 15:15 EST

Dr David Gossman has filed a lawsuit claiming that he was fired for complaining about ties between the hospital and some of its senior staff with the medical device company Medtronic.

Interventional/Surgery

US updates advice on perioperative beta-blocker use in noncardiac surgery

5 COMMENTS - Nov 3, 2009 14:30 EST

A US update on the perioperative use of beta blockers for noncardiac surgery is, says the lead author, "similar" to recent European guidance on this issue.

Interventional/Surgery

Blood type of pig may be factor in longevity of porcine replacement heart valves

Oct 30, 2009 16:45 EDT

Researchers in Ottawa find that the longevity of porcine replacement heart valves may depend partly on whether the blood type of the patient matches the blood type of the valve's "original owner."

Interventional/Surgery

Underutilization of ICDs in CABG patients is worst in women and elderly, Halifax study shows

1 COMMENT - Oct 28, 2009 16:45 EDT

Only 101 of 1169 post-bypass-surgery patients eligible for an ICD got one over a 13-year period in Nova Scotia.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Bariatric surgery fails to reduce risk of MI long term

1 COMMENT - Oct 28, 2009 14:30 EDT

After a median follow-up of 12 years, MI rates were essentially the same among those treated with surgery and those who received conventional care for weight loss.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Contrary to common belief, women feel same heart-attack symptoms as men

4 COMMENTS - Oct 27, 2009 14:30 EDT

Women and men have the same rates of chest pain and other classic symptoms during ACS, although women are more likely to experience some other symptoms such as jaw and neck pain.

Interventional/Surgery

Stent pioneer Julio Palmaz urges DES makers to "learn from mistakes of the past"

1 COMMENT - Oct 27, 2009 13:00 EDT

Speaking at the 30th anniversary of the GISE Congress, Palmaz said he'd never believed drug elution was the way forward for stents and outlined his theories for why coatings of any kind disrupt the healing properties of metallic coronary stents.

Interventional/Surgery

Blood products should be used conservatively in heart-surgery patients, trial shows

2 COMMENTS - Oct 27, 2009 12:15 EDT

Administration of blood products to stable patients post-cardiac surgery increases their risk of death, renal failure, and sepsis, according to new research.

Interventional/Surgery

NRMI data raise more questions about PCI in nonsurgery centers

4 COMMENTS - Oct 26, 2009 13:00 EDT

A new analysis of national registry data suggests that the superior outcomes of NSTEMI patients in hospitals with open-heart-surgery capabilities vs those without it are due to their size, procedure volume, and adherence to medication guidelines.

Brain/Kidney/Peripheral

Iloprost prevents contrast-induced nephropathy in high-risk patients undergoing coronary intervention

Oct 21, 2009 13:00 EDT

Intravenously administered iloprost, a prostacyclin analog, may help prevent contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with renal dysfunction undergoing coronary procedures, a new pilot study suggests.

Interventional/Surgery

Data from 1.23 million patients confirms warfarin increases mortality in trauma patients

4 COMMENTS - Oct 20, 2009 13:45 EDT

Warfarin use is rising in both older and younger patients. How much does the anticoagulant contribute to the risk of traumatic injuries?

Interventional/Surgery

Statin drugs lower costs and complications of aortic surgery

Oct 20, 2009 11:30 EDT

There are significant cost savings with statin therapy before abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, and the complication rate is less than half that of patients who do not receive preop statins.

Thrombosis Risk

TYCOON: One year of dual-antiplatelet therapy with DES isn't enough

3 COMMENTS - Oct 19, 2009 12:45 EDT

New results from an Italian registry reopen the question of how long drug-eluting stent recipients should stay on a dual antiplatelet regimen to prevent late thrombosis.

Imaging

Zero CAC score not 100% reassuring in those presenting to ER with chest pain

14 COMMENTS - Oct 16, 2009 12:45 EDT

In those presenting to the ER with chest pain, a prior zero calcium score cannot completely rule out a coronary obstruction, a new analysis of the MESA study has shown. This is likely due to the presence of soft plaques not detected by calcium screening, the researchers say.

Interventional/Surgery

Endovascular repair of aortic aneurysm reduces short-term mortality

Oct 15, 2009 14:15 EDT

The OVER study of abdominal aortic aneurysm shows that endovascular grafting has a lower mortality rate at 30 days than traditional open surgery.

Interventional/Surgery

Expert council focuses on left main PCI: Guideline changes suggested

2 COMMENTS - Oct 14, 2009 14:45 EDT

The group argues that the data are substantive enough for left main PCI to be a class IIb indication or even a class IIa indication in selected patients without coexisting multivessel disease. In contrast, the current ACC/AHA guidelines make left main PCI a class III indication unless patients are ineligible for CABG surgery.

Interventional/Surgery

Scripps starts routine genetic testing for clopidogrel responsiveness

5 COMMENTS - Oct 14, 2009 11:00 EDT

Scripps Health has announced that it is now offering patients undergoing elective stenting a test for the gene variants associated with an inability to convert clopidogrel to its active metabolite so that antiplatelet therapy can be individualized.

Features

Experts debate bariatric surgery as a cure for diabetes

4 COMMENTS - Oct 8, 2009 13:15 EDT

Under the some-say-misguided term "metabolic" surgery, gastric bypass is now being used in some instances to treat diabetics who are not considered morbidly obese. Experts say the mostly circumstantial evidence on this is intriguing, but prospective data are desperately needed in this group of patients.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Counseling and education fail to reduce prehospital delays in ACS

Oct 6, 2009 16:00 EDT

Even among patients with documented ischemic heart disease, an intensive program of education and counseling about the importance of seeking treatment quickly does not lead to reductions in prehospital delays or increased ambulance use among those experiencing the signs and symptoms of an ACS, a new study shows.

Interventional/Surgery

20 000-patient DAPT clinical trial starts enrolling with eight industry sponsors on board

1 COMMENT - Oct 5, 2009 16:45 EDT

The trial, rumored to cost more than $100 million, is a first for collaboration: eight drug and device companies are backing the trial, along with the FDA. The study is powered to detect a difference in stent thrombosis and major adverse events between patients taking 12 or 30 months of aspirin plus clopidogrel or prasugrel.

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