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 The balloon is then deflated and the catheter is withdrawn.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

European Commission and the EMEA approve Angiox in primary PCI for STEMI

The Medicines Company announced today that it has received European approval for the use of Angiox® (bivalirudin) as an anticoagulant in patients with heart attacks (so-called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)) undergoing emergency heart procedures called primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

1 Dec 2009

Simbionix USA offers PROcedure Rehearsal Studio workshop at upcoming ICCA Meeting

Simbionix USA Corporation, the world's leading developer of medical simulation systems, in collaboration with GORE Medical Products will be offering a PROcedure Rehearsal Studio(TM) workshop for the first time at the upcoming ICCA Meeting in Frankfurt, Germany.

30 Nov 2009

UCLA engineers and physicians develop PAD treatment device to prevent thrombosis

A fortuitous discovery that grew out of a collaboration between UCLA engineers and physicians could potentially offer hope to the nearly 10 million Americans who suffer from peripheral arterial disease.

26 Nov 2009

Study finds no significant difference in hospital angioplasty volume and death rates in patients with myocardial infarction

A study based on a contemporary registry of patients with myocardial infarction (heart attack) indicates that even though hospitals that perform a higher number of angioplasties are more likely to follow evidence-based guidelines and have shorter times to the angioplasty procedure, there appears to be no significant difference in outcomes such as length of hospital stay or risk of death, according to a study in the November 25 issue of JAMA.

25 Nov 2009

New MEMS sensor may help clinicians distinguish stable and unstable plaque during cardiac emergencies

University of Sourthern California biomedical engineer and cardiologist Tzung "John" Hsiai hopes to develop a new tool to help clinicians distinguish cardiac emergencies requiring immediate surgery from chronic problems manageable with drugs and lifestyle change.

24 Nov 2009

Cardio Vascular Medical Device to initiate patent applications for its "steerable guidewire" in Europe

Cardio Vascular Medical Device Corp., a leading developer of advanced cardiovascular surgery technology, today announced that the company's Board of Directors has decided to initiate patent applications in Europe, Canada and the Far East for its proprietary next-generation "steerable guidewire" applicable for all angioplasty (PCTA) procedures.

21 Nov 2009

Cardiovascular Systems commences patient enrollment in CALCIUM 360° clinical trial

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., announces the first patient enrollment in its prospective, randomized CALCIUM 360° clinical trial, part of the company’s 360° Clinical Series. The CALCIUM 360° study will evaluate the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) behind and below the knee using CSI’s Diamondback 360® PAD System, a minimally invasive catheter for treating PAD anywhere in the leg.

19 Nov 2009

Updated clinical guidelines on Effient treatment for ACS patients

Effient® (prasugrel) tablets, a new antiplatelet medicine, was added as a treatment option in two clinical guideline updates: one for patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and a second one for patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), or severe heart attack.

19 Nov 2009

Dual niacin-statin therapy improves blood cholesterol levels but does not diminish plaque buildup

The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows.

19 Nov 2009

Drug interaction between clopidogrel and omeprazole: New safety information

Today the FDA notified healthcare professionals of new safety information concerning a drug interaction between clopidogrel, an anti-clotting medication, and omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) used to reduce stomach acid.

18 Nov 2009

Transplanting people's own stem cells into heart muscle lessens pain and improves ability to walk

The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of subjects with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. The transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn't receive stem cells.

18 Nov 2009

Drug therapy offers substantial cost savings than angioplasty

Many patients with diabetes should forego angioplasties for heart disease and just take medicine instead, according to a new National Institutes of Health study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researcher Mark Hlatky, MD.

18 Nov 2009

New, reversible antiplatelet drug not superior than irreversible one in patients undergoing PCI

A new, reversible antiplatelet drug did not demonstrate superiority over a current irreversible one in reducing the composite of death, heart attack or ischemia-related revascularization in the 48 hours after angioplasty, researchers reported in a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

17 Nov 2009

Incidence of stroke related to coronary angioplasty remain steady over a 15-year period: Mayo Clinic study

Results of a Mayo Clinic study show the incidence of stroke or mini-stroke related to a coronary angioplasty (http://www.mayoclinic.org/heart-catheterization/types.html) remained steady over a 15-year period. Researchers say this is good news because physicians now are performing the artery-opening procedure on older patients who are sicker and need more complicated treatment.

17 Nov 2009

Platelet function tests predict heart attacks in patients pre-treated with two anti-clotting medications before coronary stenting

Three platelet function tests all identified heart patients who will have blood cells that remain sticky, increasing heart attack risk, despite being pre-treated with two anti-clotting medications before coronary stenting, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Transcendental Meditation lowers rates of heart attack, stroke, and death

Patients with coronary heart disease who practiced the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation® technique had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to nonmeditating controls, according to the results of a first-ever study presented during the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Fla., on Nov.16, 2009.

16 Nov 2009

New reversible blood thinner for angioplasty patients not superior over placebo

A new reversible blood thinner for angioplasty patients wasn't superior over placebo for its primary combined endpoint of heart attack, all-cause mortality and need for revascularization, but it reduced mortality and in-stent blood clots, researchers reported in a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

16 Nov 2009

New reversible oral anti-platelet medication had fewer cardiac events in heart attack patients

Acutely ill heart attack patients who received both aspirin and a new reversible oral anti-platelet medication had fewer cardiac events than patients on aspirin and the most commonly used, irreversible anti-platelet drug, researchers reported in a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Resources to help understand stroke and carotid artery disease

The Society of Interventional Radiology offers numerous resources-including publications and the first-ever Catheter Lysis of Thromboembolic Stroke (CLOTS) course-for interventional radiologists, neuroradiologists, neurointerventionists, body interventionalists, and IR and INR fellows to aid in the understanding of stroke and carotid artery disease.

12 Nov 2009

Catheter-directed therapy: First-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism

Catheter-directed therapy or catheter-directed thrombolysis-an interventional radiology treatment that uses targeted image-guided drug delivery with specially designed catheters to dissolve dangerous blood clots in the lungs-saves lives and should be considered a first-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism, note researchers in the November Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

12 Nov 2009

Angioplasty News and Research

European Commission and the EMEA approve Angiox in primary PCI for STEMI

Simbionix USA offers PROcedure Rehearsal Studio workshop at upcoming ICCA Meeting

UCLA engineers and physicians develop PAD treatment device to prevent thrombosis

Study finds no significant difference in hospital angioplasty volume and death rates in patients with myocardial infarction

New MEMS sensor may help clinicians distinguish stable and unstable plaque during cardiac emergencies

Cardio Vascular Medical Device to initiate patent applications for its "steerable guidewire" in Europe

Cardiovascular Systems commences patient enrollment in CALCIUM 360° clinical trial

Updated clinical guidelines on Effient treatment for ACS patients

Dual niacin-statin therapy improves blood cholesterol levels but does not diminish plaque buildup

Drug interaction between clopidogrel and omeprazole: New safety information

Transplanting people's own stem cells into heart muscle lessens pain and improves ability to walk

Drug therapy offers substantial cost savings than angioplasty

New, reversible antiplatelet drug not superior than irreversible one in patients undergoing PCI

Incidence of stroke related to coronary angioplasty remain steady over a 15-year period: Mayo Clinic study

Platelet function tests predict heart attacks in patients pre-treated with two anti-clotting medications before coronary stenting

Transcendental Meditation lowers rates of heart attack, stroke, and death

New reversible blood thinner for angioplasty patients not superior over placebo

New reversible oral anti-platelet medication had fewer cardiac events in heart attack patients

Resources to help understand stroke and carotid artery disease

Catheter-directed therapy: First-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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