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 The balloon is then deflated and the catheter is withdrawn.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

Mesh-covered stent improves restoration of blood flow after PCI in heart attack patients

A clinical trial found that the use of a next generation, micronet, mesh-covered stent demonstrated improved restoration of blood flow to heart tissue, compared to the use of either bare-metal or drug-eluting stents in heart attack patients undergoing angioplasty.

25 Oct 2012

Combining distal protection devices with nicardipine improves post-PCI outcomes

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have shown that combining distal protection devices with the prophylactic use of the drug nicardipine is more effective at preventing life-threatening complications following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (angioplasty, stenting) on patients who have undergone previous bypass surgery than distal protection devices alone.

23 Oct 2012

Coronary angioplasty improves survival in all patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest

Coronary angioplasty improves survival in all patients with out of hospital cardiac arrest, according to research presented at the Acute Cardiac Care Congress 2012. The study was presented by Dr Annamaria Nicolino from the Santa Corona General Hospital in Pietra Ligure, Italy.

20 Oct 2012

Drug-eluting balloon procedure can effectively treat peripheral artery disease

Use of balloon angioplasty and placement of stents to widen clogged arteries have become standard medical procedure. Further advancing this treatment, drug-eluting devices are now delivering medication directly to the site where it can be most effective. While this technique has met with success in coronary arteries, its use in peripheral arteries is still under study.

16 Oct 2012

Public reporting states have low angioplasty rates

US states in which public reporting of percutaneous coronary intervention rates by catheterization laboratories is required may have a reduced rate of the procedure in acute myocardial infarction patients, research suggests.

11 Oct 2012

Study finds reporting heart procedure results can limit use

The research in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that in states that report outcomes from procedures to open blocked arteries, patients are less likely to get the treatment. However, they found no differences in patient survival.

11 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 10, 2012

Today's headlines include reports that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has pledged that his presidential agenda does not include abortion legislation.

10 Oct 2012

Myocardial infarction mortality rates decrease by 44% over the last 15 years in Argentina

Mortality caused by myocardial infarction has decreased by 44% over the last 15 years in Argentina, according to new research which will be presented during the 38th Argentine Congress of Cardiology.

5 Oct 2012

Truven Health Analytics names Banner Heart among 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals

Banner Heart Hospital has been named one of the nation's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the health care business of Thomson Reuters.

5 Oct 2012

Private Healthcare Australia grants reimbursement code to IDEV’s SUPERA stent

IDEV Technologies, Inc. (IDEV), an emerging global innovator in peripheral devices, today announced that Private Healthcare Australia has granted the Company a reimbursement code for the SUPERA stent.

28 Sep 2012

Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology debuts new iPad app

As tablet ownership trends away from early adopters and moves to the mainstream, the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology has debuted a new app, available for iPad users, that will allow readers to access interventional radiology literature and multimedia—when they choose, ensuring fast, convenient access to up-to-the-minute peer-reviewed articles, podcasts, images and more.

27 Sep 2012

Thomson Reuters names Sanford-Burnham cancer researcher among 2012 Citation Laureates

Thomson Reuters has selected Erkki Ruoslahti, M.D., Ph.D., cancer researcher and distinguished professor at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), as one of its 2012 Citation Laureates. Citation Laureates are scientists that Thomson Reuters has predicted to win the Nobel Prize.

24 Sep 2012

MADONNA: Personalized antiplatelet therapy savior for angioplasty patients?

Personalized antiplatelet treatment may improve cardiac outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention, researchers suggest.

4 Sep 2012

FAST-MI highlights young women at risk for heart disease

An analysis of four French registries has shown a dramatic drop in ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction mortality from 1995 to 2010, accompanied by a significant change in patient characteristics.

29 Aug 2012

Ultra-fast 320-detector CT scanner can accurately diagnose arterial blockages

An ultra-fast, 320-detector computed tomography (CT) scanner can accurately sort out which people with chest pain need - or don't need - an invasive procedure such as cardiac angioplasty or bypass surgery to restore blood flow to the heart, according to an international study. Results of the study, which involved 381 patients at 16 hospitals in eight countries, are scheduled to be presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich, Germany, on August 28.

29 Aug 2012

Leg compressions after stroke appear to trigger natural protective mechanisms that reduce damage

Successive, vigorous bouts of leg compressions following a stroke appear to trigger natural protective mechanisms that reduce damage, researchers report.

28 Aug 2012

Creighton University research to improve patient care and outcomes in CAD treatment

Since 1990, Creighton University School of Medicine professor and researcher Devendra K. Agrawal, Ph.D., has been awarded more than $20 million in research grants to study coronary artery heart disease. He is determined to eradicate the impact of this heart disease—the number one killer of men and women in the United States.

26 Aug 2012

Agenda now available for Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics symposium

TCT 2012 (Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics), the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation will provide significant clinical research updates to technologies and practices in interventional cardiology that will directly affect patient care.

23 Aug 2012

Endovascular brachytherapy may safely and effectively treat femoropopliteal in-stent stenosis

Placement of an endovascular stent has become a common procedure to successfully reopen blocked arteries. Even so, the treated vessel may once again narrow (restenosis), restricting blood flow. In the femoral and popliteal arteries in the leg, the use of nitinol stents magnifies this problem. About 20 to 40 percent of these stent patients experience restenosis 2 years after angioplasty. Now, an improved radiation technique may provide a safe and effective solution.

22 Aug 2012

MitoTarget Project and neurodegenerative diseases: an interview with Rebecca Pruss, Ph.D., CSO of Trophos

The MitoTarget Project was a project funded by the European Commission, under their FP7 programme. It was funding for a call published in 2007.

21 Aug 2012