Angioplasty News and Research

RSS

In angioplasty procedures, a balloon is fed through a catheter and used to prop open an artery that has become narrowed or blocked. In cases where stenting is appropriate, a stent mounted on a balloon is inserted and inflation of the balloon expands the stent against the blocked artery wall to hold the vessel open. The balloon is then deflated and the catheter is withdrawn. Stent treatment of arteries holds them open and improves blood flow to the heart. In cases where post-dilatation is needed, a high-pressure balloon is inflated inside a stent to help better place the stent against the vessel wall.

Long-term risks of deep vein thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) often brings with it the risk of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), an under-recognized but serious complication that often causes long-term disability for patients. During March's DVT Awareness Month, the Society of Interventional Radiology wants to help patients and family members to better understand the long-term risks of DVT.

5 Mar 2014

Researchers receive $3M grant to develop targeted cancer drugs and repair damaged arteries

The National Institutes of Health has awarded grants totaling $3 million for two nanoparticle research projects in which Penn State bioengineer Jian Yang is co-principal investigator.

19 Feb 2014

Zilver PTX randomized trial of paclitaxel-eluting stents for femoropopliteal disease demonstrates superior results

Four-year results of the Zilver PTX Randomized Controlled Trial of Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents for Femoropopliteal Disease continue to demonstrate consistent, superior results when compared to bare metal stents (BMS) and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in terms of primary patency, restenosis reduction and revascularization rates.

From COOK MEDICAL INC. 14 Feb 2014

New technology to enhance angioplasty with added precision, accuracy and less radiation exposure

Robots in the cath lab are helping clear blocked arteries in patients — reducing chest pain, shortness of breath, and risks for heart attacks. The Orlando Health Heart Institute is the first in the state of Florida, to offer a robotic-assisted system for coronary angioplasty.

13 Feb 2014

Researchers evaluate trends in cause-specific long-term mortality post PCI

More people who have known coronary heart disease die from other causes — such as cancer, and lung and neurological diseases — than heart disease, compared with 20 years ago, according to a Mayo Clinic study published online today in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal.

11 Feb 2014

New method to build tiny degradable 'medicine factories' inside the body

A factory built of gel does not sound very durable. But the new type of micro-factories invented by researchers at Aarhus University do not have to last.

9 Feb 2014

Bioengineer receives $1.4M grant to create nanoparticle system to shore up arterial walls

A UT Arlington bioengineer has received a four-year, $1.4 million National Institutes of Health grant to create a nanoparticle system to shore up arterial walls following angioplasty and stenting procedures to treat coronary arterial disease.

5 Feb 2014

Sanford Hospital starts clinical trial to study dissolving device in patients with CAD

Sanford Heart Hospital has started a clinical trial to study a dissolving device in patients with coronary artery disease. The ABSORB III clinical trial will investigate the safety and effectiveness of the Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) device, manufactured by global health care company Abbott.

4 Feb 2014

Prediction models can be useful for heart team to determine best treatment strategy

Detailed prediction models that project long-term patient mortality following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery can be useful for the heart team when determining the best treatment strategy for individual patients, according to a study in the February 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

31 Jan 2014

Saint Luke receives $3.4M to investigate health benefits, cost-effectiveness of novel cardiac procedures

aint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute has been awarded a $3.4 million, three-year grant from Boston Scientific to investigate and better define the success, safety, health benefits, and cost-effectiveness of novel methods to open challenging blocked coronary arteries previously thought untreatable through minimally invasive techniques.

28 Jan 2014

Chances of surviving a heart attack are much lower in UK than Sweden, shows study

The chance of surviving a heart attack is far lower in the UK than Sweden, according to a major new study published in The Lancet. The startling findings suggest that more than 11000 lives could have been saved over the past 7 years had UK patients experienced the same care as their Swedish counterparts.

23 Jan 2014

New drug helps children and young adults who have severe pain from sickle cell disease

Saint Louis University researchers are studying whether ReoPro® (abciximab), a drug currently given to heart patients undergoing angioplasties to open blocked arteries, also could help children and young adults who have severe pain from sickle cell disease.

23 Jan 2014

CAC screening plays more prominent role in determining risk for heart attack and stroke

A new study shows that coronary artery calcium (CAC) screening, an assessment tool that is not currently recommended for people considered at low risk, should play a more prominent role in helping determine a person’s risk for heart attack and heart disease-related death, as well as the need for angioplasty or bypass surgery.

26 Dec 2013

Study shows CAC screening plays prominent role in determining person's risk for heart attack and stoke

A new study shows that coronary artery calcium (CAC) screening, an assessment tool that is not currently recommended for people considered at low risk, should play a more prominent role in helping determine a person's risk for heart attack and heart disease-related death, as well as the need for angioplasty or bypass surgery.

23 Dec 2013

FDA grants indication for GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis to treat thrombotic occlusion

W. L. Gore & Associates today announced that the Food and Drug Administration has granted indication for the GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis to treat stenosis or thrombotic occlusion at the venous anastomosis of synthetic arteriovenous access grafts.

11 Dec 2013

‘Flesh-eating’ disease treatments: an interview with Dr. John Crew, Seton Medical Center

Untreated, the mortality probably exceeds 70%. Flesh eating is a description of Toxic Inflammatory Cellulitis which usually starts by bacterial subcutaneous infection followed by freezing in phase II healing which is inflammatory.

9 Dec 2013

Angioplasty may not provide additional benefits compared to drug therapy for patients with stable CAD

For patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who are not experiencing a heart attack and an abnormal stress test, treatment of their narrowed arteries by the common procedure of angioplasty may not provide additional benefits compared to drug therapy alone.

9 Dec 2013

U.S. physicians use CSI's Diamondback 360 Coronary OAS for coronary artery disease treatment

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., today announced that its new Diamondback 360 Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System is being used by physicians across the country to treat coronary artery disease. This follows the company's recent PMA approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the device as a treatment for severely calcified coronary arteries.

3 Dec 2013

Findings could potentially save millions of people from having unnecessary cardiac catheterization

An ultrafast, 320-detector computed tomography scanner that shows both anatomy within coronary arteries and blood flow can accurately sort out which people need - or don't need - an invasive procedure to identify coronary blockages, according to an international study. The researchers say their findings could potentially save millions of people worldwide from having an unnecessary cardiac catheterization.

20 Nov 2013

Cardiologists question FDA recommendations on genetic testing before taking Plavix

Which antiplatelet medication is best after a coronary stent? The costly and potential life-or-death question lingers after most of the 600,000 angioplasties performed every year in the United States. The answer may lie in your genes, but professional cardiovascular societies and many working cardiologists question the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent recommendation that patients undergo genetic testing before taking Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate).

14 Nov 2013