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 The balloon is then deflated and the catheter is withdrawn.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

New patient-specific AI model improves precision in minimally invasive surgeries

Researchers created a new technique that accurately and rapidly matches X-rays captured during surgery with a patient's preoperative 3D medical scan.

16 Sep 2026

Study links finasteride to fewer complications after heart attack in men

Patients treated with medication for benign prostatic hyperplasia at the time of a severe acute heart attack experienced fewer serious complications from the attack, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg.

26 Aug 2026

Machine learning model can identify likely non-responders to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation

Exercise training is a cornerstone of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and current guidelines rate it as a top-tier recommendation for reducing the risk of future cardiovascular events.

21 Aug 2026

Dysregulated immune cells drive hidden inflammation after heart attacks

People with narrowing of the coronary arteries have low-grade, uncontrolled inflammation in the body, even if they are symptom-free and receiving optimal treatment.

12 Aug 2026

Drug-coated balloons reduce the need for permanent heart stents

A new sub-study suggests that using a sirolimus-eluting balloon (SEB), a drug-coated balloon, can reduce the number of stents a patient may need, making it a safe and effective way to treat certain heart attacks or unstable chest pain.

23 Apr 2026

Deferring PCI before TAVR shows comparable outcomes in elderly patients

Older patients with coronary artery disease scheduled for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) had comparable outcomes regardless of whether they underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) before TAVR, according to findings from the PRO-TAVI study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

29 Mar 2026

Left-ventricular unloading during angioplasty fails to improve patient outcomes

The first randomized trial to compare standard percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty, with PCI accompanied by the use of a temporary, miniaturized pump to support the heart in patients with both severe coronary heart disease and moderate to severe heart failure found no significant difference between the two approaches.

29 Mar 2026

Novel vFFR method performs similar to invasive coronary assessment

A novel, minimally invasive method of determining whether fatty deposits in a coronary artery are restricting blood flow to a patient's heart performed similarly to the standard, more-invasive procedure in a large multi-country European randomized trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

29 Mar 2026

AI-based tool matches standard method for coronary blood flow assessment

A novel, minimally invasive computer software-based method that uses artificial intelligence to determine whether plaques in a coronary artery are restricting blood flow to the patient's heart performed similarly to the standard, more invasive wire-based procedure, according to a large international randomized trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

29 Mar 2026

Angioplasty improves symptoms in chronic total coronary occlusion patients

In what is believed to be the first randomized placebo-controlled trial of its kind, patients with a chronic total blockage of a coronary artery who received a nonsurgical procedure to reopen the artery showed statistically significant reductions in chest pain and improvements in quality of life compared with patients who received a placebo procedure.

29 Mar 2026

Temporary heart pump before PCI shows no significant benefit

The first randomized trial to test whether adding a small, temporary pump to allow the heart to rest and intentionally delaying percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty, for 30 minutes to reduce heart damage compared with standard immediate PCI in patients with heart attacks at risk for a large amount of heart damage found no significant difference between the two groups, the study's primary endpoint. The research was presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

28 Mar 2026

Neem compound gedunin shows promise against pancreatic cancer

Ramadevi Subramani Reddy, Ph.D., remembers the neem tree from her childhood in India - a plant her grandmother used to treat everything from fevers to infections.

26 Feb 2026

Study reveals heart, brain, neuroimmune connections driving damage after heart attacks

Arteries become clogged. Blood flow is restricted and oxygen is cut off. The result is a heart attack, the world's leading cause of death.

27 Jan 2026

Cardiologists recommend reassessing need for additional stents later

A blocked coronary artery causing an acute heart attack must be opened immediately with a stent procedure. However, if other coronary arteries also appear to be narrowed, it is safe to wait and treat those later. This approach cuts the number of stent procedures in half, according to cardiologists from Radboud university medical center, writing in The New England Journal of Medicine.

14 Nov 2025

Sirolimus-eluting balloon emerges as a safe and effective option for coronary in-stent restenosis

A new drug-eluting balloon can perform just as well as the standard treatment for patients with coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) undergoing repeated percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

31 Oct 2025

Landmark trial shows drug-eluting balloon as effective option for in-stent restenosis

Results from the first randomized clinical trial in the United States to compare a sirolimus-eluting balloon (DEB) to control group consisting of drug-eluting stent (DES) and balloon angioplasty (BA) for the treatment of bare-metal and DES in-stent restenosis (ISR) deemed DEB to be noninferior to conventional therapies.

28 Oct 2025

Cutting balloon angioplasty proves noninferior to intravascular lithotripsy in treating calcified coronary lesions

Results from the first randomized controlled trial to directly compare the safety and efficacy of cutting balloon (CB) angioplasty to intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) prior to drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation for the treatment of calcified coronary artery disease found CB to be noninferior to IVL.

28 Oct 2025

Miniature camera and AI reveal hidden dangers inside the coronary arteries

Measurements with a miniature camera inside the coronary arteries can accurately predict whether someone will suffer a recurrent heart attack.

1 Sep 2025

More people survive heart attacks but face ongoing cardiac risks

In 1970, someone over the age of 65 hospitalized for a heart attack in the United States had about a 60% chance of leaving the hospital alive. Today, the survival rate is over 90%, with even better outcomes for younger patients.

26 Jun 2025

New guidance aims to improve blood clot prevention in chronic limb-threatening ischemia patients

A new statement from leading heart and blood vessel experts in Europe is providing clinical guidance for treatments to prevent blood clots in patients with a serious condition called chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI), after they have had procedures to restore blood flow in their lower limbs.

19 Jun 2025