Angioplasty News and Research

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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 The balloon is then deflated and the catheter is withdrawn.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.

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

New strategy for emergency anticoagulant treatment for patients with myocardial infarction

A new strategy for emergency anticoagulant treatment for patients with acute myocardial infarction has been put in place by a team led by Philippe-Gabriel Steg at Inserm Unit 698 (Haemostasis, Bioengineering, Immunopathology and Cardiovascular Remodelling), at H-pital Bichat, AP-HP, Universit- Paris Diderot).

31 Oct 2013

Wrist artery for coronary angioplasty may benefit women at high risk of blood loss

For women who are at high risk of blood loss, using an artery in the wrist may be better than the groin for routing a stent to the heart during coronary angioplasty, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

30 Oct 2013

Alzheimer's patients more prone to heart disease, but undergo fewer related surgeries

Persons with Alzheimer's disease suffer from ischaemic heart diseases more frequently than others, yet they undergo related procedures and surgery less frequently than persons with no diagnosed AD, according to a nation-wide register-based study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland.

30 Oct 2013

CSI receives PMA approval to market Diamondback 360 Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., today announced that it has received PMA approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its Diamondback 360® Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System (OAS) as a treatment for severely calcified coronary arteries.

22 Oct 2013

Researchers develop new tool to quantify myocardial damage in heart attack patients

Researchers from the Computer Vision Center (CVC) have developed a new tool to quantify the myocardial perfusion damage in people who had a heart attack or an angina. Having been validated in 200 patients, it can help improve and speed up diagnosis of the damage, offering a quantitative, repeatable and objective measure of the blood irrigation level of the heart tissue.

17 Oct 2013

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery provides better health status, quality of life in diabetic patients

For patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease in more than one artery, treatment with coronary artery bypass graft surgery provided slightly better health status and quality of life between 6 months and 2 years than procedures using drug-eluting stents, although beyond 2 years the difference disappeared, according to a study in the October 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Oct 2013

Noncardiac surgery after recent coronary stent linked with increased risk of adverse cardiac events

Emergency surgery and advanced cardiac disease are risk factors for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after noncardiac surgery in patients with recent coronary stent implantation, according to a study published by JAMA.

8 Oct 2013

Final patient completion of phase II study of TR040303 in patients treated for acute myocardial infarction announced by Trophos

Trophos SA, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics from discovery to clinical validation for indications with under-served needs in neurology and cardiology, announces today the final patient completion of a phase II study of TR040303 in patients treated for acute myocardial infarction (MI). Outcome data of this study is expected to be available towards the end of 2013.

2 Oct 2013

CRF to present groundbreaking clinical trial findings at TCT 2013 scientific symposium

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) has announced the late breaking trials and first report investigations that will be presented at next month's Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2013 scientific symposium.

21 Sep 2013

Study: Nearly one in five older adults end up in emergency department after surgery

Nearly one in five older adults who have common operations will end up in the emergency department within a month of their hospital stay, a new study finds - a surprisingly high number found in the first national look at the issue.

10 Sep 2013