Contrary to previous findings, placing a stent in a valve clogged with lipid-rich plaque does not pose a greater risk of adverse outcomes compared to performing the procedure on non-lipid-rich plaque. 

A prospective, randomized trial in Japan found that follow-up coronary angiography following successful PCI had no clinical benefits and was associated with increased early revascularization rates.

Two new trials on eluting heart stents designed to treat unprotected left main coronary artery disease were presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2016 conference, and they have left cardiologists stumped over their conflicting findings. 

Late-breaking results from the RESPECT trial show that recommended anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs are less effective than surgical intervention. 

A randomized trial found that an investigational cerebral protection device captured embolic debris in 99 percent of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and did not change their neurocognitive function. However, the study did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint, which was the reduction in median new lesion volume in protected territories as assessed by MRI two to seven days after patients underwent TAVR.

After six months, patients with coronary artery disease who received the investigational Fantom bioresorbable scaffold had a low risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, according to a prospective, multicenter trial. The device also had low late lumen loss.

Genetic testing provides physicians with more information to help make an accurate diagnosis. It is not a fool-proof way to ensure the diagnosis is never incorrect—as new research from Mayo Clinic shows.

A randomized trial found that the post-PCI minimum stent area achieved after optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided PCI was non-inferior to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided PCI. There were also no significant differences in minimum stent area between the two approaches.