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 The balloon is then deflated and the catheter is withdrawn.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

Medtronic begins two Symplicity renal denervation system clinical initiatives

Medtronic, Inc. announced today the start of two clinical initiatives evaluating the broader, real-world clinical use of the company's Symplicity renal denervation system across multiple conditions.

From Medtronic 13 Feb 2012

Primary nitinol stent implantation effective in treating atherosclerosis than balloon angioplasty

A three-year follow-up study has shown that an alternate treatment for obstructed arteries in the leg may be warranted. The results are from a clinical trial comparing primary nitinol stent implantation with balloon angioplasty. This examination of the study provides a long-term assessment of the two procedures, which is favorable for the primary stent.

9 Feb 2012

Positive clinical results from randomized trial of InspireMD's MGuard in STEMI patients

InspireMD, Inc., a medical device company focusing on the development and commercialization of its proprietary stent platform technology for use in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarctions, announced positive clinical results from an investigator-sponsored controlled randomized trial conducted in Chile.

6 Feb 2012

Interim results from Spectranetics laser atherectomy catheter study on ISR

Spectranetics Corporation today announced six month interim results from the PATENT (Photo-Ablation using the TURBO-Booster and Excimer Laser for In-Stent Restenosis Treatment) study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Spectranetics peripheral laser atherectomy catheters for the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in the femoropopliteal artery in the leg.

3 Feb 2012

Complex PCI: Left Main and CTO Summit to be held Feb. 23-25

The final agenda is now available online for the Complex PCI: Left Main and CTO Summit at http://www.complexpci.com/conference/agenda.html. The Summit is a three-day conference featuring state-of-the-art technologies, research findings and new developments in therapeutic procedures essential for interventional cardiologists to optimize success in chronic total coronary occlusions and left main coronary interventions.

2 Feb 2012

UH Case Medical Center initiates enrollment in Moxy Drug Coated Balloon trial for PAD

Physicians at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center enrolled their first patient in LEVANT 2, a global, multicenter, randomized clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Moxy™ Drug Coated Balloon for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease.

25 Jan 2012

Creighton researcher to study role of adult stem cells in repairing damaged coronary arteries

A Creighton University School of Medicine researcher has received a $3.3 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to study what role adult stem cells might play in repairing damaged coronary arteries, a complication that often occurs in patients after they undergo angioplasty and stenting.

24 Jan 2012

Angioplasty improves quality of life in MS patients

Although using angioplasty to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly controversial, sufferers often insist it helps - in some cases dramatically, such as allowing them to walk without a cane. Patients with less severe MS also reported additional quality of life improvements, such as being able to talk more clearly, after having treatment to open blocked blood vessels in the chest and neck, according to research being presented at the 24th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy.

17 Jan 2012

Complex PCI: Left Main and CTO Summit to be held Feb. 23-25, 2012

The Complex PCI: Left Main and CTO Summit is a three-day conference featuring state-of-the-art technologies, research findings and new developments in therapeutic procedures essential for interventional cardiologists to optimize success in chronic total coronary occlusions and left main coronary interventions.

13 Jan 2012

Gut bacteria may determine outcome of heart attack

New research published online in the FASEB Journal suggests that the types and levels of bacteria in the intestines may be used to predict a person's likelihood of having a heart attack, and that manipulating these organisms may help reduce heart attack risk.

13 Jan 2012

Free public lecture to look at role of stents in treating coronary artery diseases

State-of-the art treatments for patients with heart problems are the theme of a public lecture at the University of Greenwich this month. The lecture, which is free and open to all, will look at the role of stents in treating coronary artery diseases. A stent is a tiny, artificial tube which is placed in the coronary arteries that supply the heart: by keeping the arteries open, the stent combats the effects of reduced blood flow, such as blood clots.

5 Jan 2012

Meta-analysis does not find significant association between CYP2C19 genotype and cardiovascular events

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that a certain type of genetic testing (for the genotype CYP2C19) be considered before prescribing the drug clopidogrel to identify individuals who may be less responsive to the medication, a review and analysis of previous studies did not find an overall significant association between the CYP2C19 genotype and cardiovascular events.

28 Dec 2011

Abbott commences Esprit drug eluting BVS trial in peripheral artery disease

Abbott today announced the initiation of ESPRIT I, a first-of-its-kind clinical trial in Europe evaluating the safety and performance of the novel Esprit drug eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) for the treatment of blockages in the superficial femoral arteries (SFA) and iliac arteries that have resulted in claudication.

23 Dec 2011

Siemens Medical pledges $200,000 to SIR Foundation's Discovery Campaign

The Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation's Discovery Campaign, which seeks to further the growth of minimally invasive medicine into new areas of discovery, announced a major corporate pledge to that initiative. Siemens Medical Solutions, a provider of imaging and laboratory diagnostic equipment and information technology and management consulting and services to health care customers, pledged $200,000, as a "Pioneer" Supporter.

From Siemens Healthineers 21 Dec 2011

Angioplasties can be safely performed at centers that do not have on-site surgical capability

Contrary to current guidelines, Mayo Clinic researchers have found that elective or primary (in patients who have had heart attacks) angioplasties performed at centers without on-site cardiac surgery capabilities pose no increased risk for patient death or emergency bypass surgery.

14 Dec 2011

Boston Scientific introduces Charger PTA Balloon Catheter in the U.S.

Boston Scientific Corporation announces the U.S. launch of its Charger PTA Balloon Catheter, a 0.035" percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloon catheter designed for a wide range of peripheral angioplasty procedures.

13 Dec 2011

New updated site shows how well UMHS provides care in clinical settings

Plenty of hospitals and medical providers claim they do a great job at caring for patients and protecting their safety during care. But very few actually publish the cold, hard numbers that could prove those claims. And even fewer do it like the University of Michigan Health System has: on a website open to anyone, with dozens of charts and graphs showing actual performance and comparisons to national averages and benchmarks.

7 Dec 2011

IVC filter study reinforces SIR's guidelines surrounding retrieval or permanent placement

Researchers have published the largest single patient population study to date on a method for following patients with retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters-devices used to keep blood clots from traveling to the lungs.

29 Nov 2011

Most heart attack patients not transported quickly enough for angioplasty

Most heart attack patients transferred between hospitals for the emergency artery-opening procedure called angioplasty are not transported as quickly as they should be, Yale School of medicine researchers report in the first national study of "door-in door-out" time for transfer patients.