Balloon Angioplasty News and Research

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Balloon Angioplasty is a procedure to enlarge the opening in a blood vessel that has become narrowed or blocked by plaque (a buildup of fat and cholesterol on the inner wall of the blood vessel). A small balloon is filled with air inside the blood vessel to push the plaque against the blood vessel wall and increase the opening.

Patients at greatest risk of post-PCI bleeding least likely to receive bleeding avoidance strategies

In a study that included data from more than 1.5 million patients, use of vascular closure devices and the anticoagulant bivalirudin were associated with significantly lower bleeding rates for patients following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries), according to a study in the June 2 issue of JAMA. The researchers also found that patients who may benefit most from these treatments, those at greatest risk of bleeding, were least likely to receive them.

2 Jun 2010

PIONEER trial evaluates new safe concept of stent-drug combination

Blue Medical today announced a major step forward in its quest to improve the quality of life of patients with cardiovascular disease, with the start of the PIONEER trial, in which a new safe concept of stent-drug combination is evaluated.

26 May 2010

CSI announces completion of enrollment in CALCIUM 360° clinical trial for PAD

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), has completed patient enrollment in its prospective, randomized CALCIUM 360° clinical trial, part of the company's 360° Clinical Series. The CALCIUM 360° feasibility study is evaluating the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) behind and below the knee using CSI's Diamondback 360® System, a minimally invasive catheter for treating PAD anywhere in the leg. Dr. Nicolas Shammas, an interventional cardiologist at Trinity Medical Center, Bettendorf, Iowa, is the study's principal investigator.

30 Apr 2010

ev3 completes enrollment in study of EverFlex Self-Expanding Stent System for SFA

ev3 Inc. today announced the completion of patient enrollment in the DURABILITY II trial, a prospective, multi-center, single-arm study evaluating the EverFlex® Self-Expanding Stent System for the treatment of superficial femoral artery (SFA) and proximal popliteal lesions. The DURABILITY II study will support a planned Premarket Approval (PMA) filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to obtain approval of the EverFlex Self-Expanding Stent System for use in the SFA.

26 Apr 2010

Patent applications continue to alter medical landscape to improve patient care

Over the past 40 years, more than 2,400 patents and patent applications-pioneering modern medicine with the devices and drugs that advance minimally invasive treatments-have been filed by members of the Society of Interventional Radiology.

17 Mar 2010

Drug-eluting stents offer new hope to patients with critical limb ischemia

In the United States, more than 100,000 amputations are performed each year on individuals with critical limb ischemia, the most severe form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The number one priority in treating these patients is to re-establish blood flow to avoid limb amputation.

16 Mar 2010

Platelet function tests may predict heart attack, says study

An analysis of six tests that are used to measure platelet function and help gauge the effectiveness of antiplatelet drugs for patients undergoing a cardiac procedure such as a coronary stent implantation found that only three of the tests were associated with a modest ability to predict outcomes such as heart attack or death, according to a study in the February 24 issue of JAMA.

25 Feb 2010

Study shows benefits of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for patients who undergo dialysis

A randomized multicenter study of 190 patients at 13 medical centers shows-- for the first time-- the "superior" benefit of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for maintaining function of dialysis access grafts in kidney failure patients who undergo dialysis. Until now, no other therapy has proven more effective than angioplasty.

12 Feb 2010

Bard FLAIR Endovascular Stent Graft more effective than balloon angioplasty for failing dialysis grafts

C. R. Bard, Inc. today announced the publication of trial results by The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) showing the Bard FLAIR® Endovascular Stent Graft maintains the patency of dialysis access grafts more effectively than balloon angioplasty alone. The FLAIR® Endovascular Stent Graft is the only implant approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of stenoses at the venous anastomosis of ePTFE or other synthetic arteriovenous access grafts.

11 Feb 2010

Volcano acquires Xtract Thrombus Aspiration Catheter device from Lumen Biomedical

Volcano Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of precision intravascular therapy guidance tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, announced today that it has acquired the Xtract™ Thrombus Aspiration Catheter device line from Lumen Biomedical.

9 Feb 2010

UC San Diego bioengineering professor receives 2009 Presidential Science Prize

For Shu Chien - a pioneer in the growing field of bioengineering - understanding and learning the marvels of how the human body works has been the foundation of his decades-long quest to advance science and technology worldwide. The UC San Diego bioengineering professor's significant scientific endeavors have paved the way for recognition of his renowned work at the university's Jacobs School of Engineering and abroad.

6 Jan 2010

ART publishes impressive data on its bioresorbable stent

Arterial Remodeling Technologies (“ART”) announced today that it has disclosed impressive in vivo and in vitro data related to its bioresorbable stent platform—data that validates the Company’s approach to simultaneously balance biocompatibility, biomechanics and bioresorption in a bioresorbable PLA (polylactic acid) stent without altering healing by drug elution from the stent platform.

5 Jan 2010

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

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

John Simpson named the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus for his invention

Back in the 1970s, while watching an angioplasty to widen clogged coronary arteries, John Simpson, Ph.D., M.D., thought there had to be an easier way to perform the procedure.

31 Oct 2009

CIHR and CMAJ honour eight Canadian Health Researchers

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) today honoured eight outstanding Canadian individuals and teams with the first ever CIHR-CMAJ Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Awards, which recognize and celebrate Canadian health research and innovation excellence.

29 Sep 2009

Cook Medical launches the CE Marked Zilver PTX Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent for treating PAD

In a breakthrough development that could dramatically reduce the number of leg amputations and painful bypass graft surgeries performed annually on European patients, a first-of-its kind drug-eluting stent for a widespread form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is now available to physicians throughout the European Union.

21 Sep 2009

New Technology Showcase highlighting life science technologies to be featured

LifeScience Alley announced today that eight life science organizations from around the United States and Canada will be exhibiting cutting-edge technologies at the association’s Annual Conference on Dec. 9 as part of the New Technology Showcase.

3 Sep 2009

Pre-hospitalization strategies will bring down mortality rate of patients with heart disorders

Mortality rate following a heart attack has fallen by more than 50% in Europe over the past 25 years. However, because only minor advances in the medical treatment of AMI are expected over the next decade, it is through organisational changes in the pre-hospital phase that mortality rate will continue this decline to below 5%.

2 Sep 2009

Immediate catheterization not always better for ACS patients

For some patients with acute coronary syndromes, the strategy of immediate intervention at a medical center does not appear to result in differences in outcomes in comparison with an intervention performed the next working day, according to a study in the September 2 issue of JAMA.

1 Sep 2009