Interventional Cardiology

This cardiac subspecialty uses minimally invasive, catheter-based technologies in a cath lab to diagnose and treat coronary artery disease (CAD). The main focus in on percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) to revascularize patients with CAD that is causing blockages resulting in ischemia or myocardial infarction. PCI mainly consists of angioplasty and implanting stents. Interventional cardiology has greatly expanded in scope over recent years to include a number of transcatheter structural heart interventions.

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Robotic-assisted cardiac surgery produces better outcomes but higher costs

Patients who underwent robotic-assisted cardiac surgery had significant reductions in length of hospital stay, complications and mortality compared with patients who received nonrobotic surgery. However, robotic-assisted cardiac surgery cost significantly more than nonrobotic options.

Long-term follow-up finds drug-eluting stents safer, more effective than bare-metal stents

After a median follow-up period of 3.8 years, drug-eluting stents were more effective than bare-metal stents and were associated with fewer instances of stent thrombosis, according to a meta-analysis of 51 randomized, controlled trials.

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Ezetimibe plus simvastatin improves cardiovascular outcomes after ACS

Patients with acute coronary syndrome who received ezetimibe in addition to statin therapy had improvements in cardiovascular outcomes and a lowering of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, according to a double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

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Hospitals in N.J. seek to perform elective angioplasties

Eleven hospitals in New Jersey that do not offer cardiac surgeries onsite are seeking to perform elective angioplasties on an elective basis. The state currently allows 18 hospitals to perform the procedures.

J&J pockets almost $2B with Cordis sale

Johnson & Johnson accepted nearly $2 billion from Cardinal Health for its pioneering stent business. The acquisition of Cordis is expected to close in late 2015.

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Remote ischemic preconditioning reduces rate of acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery

Patients undergoing cardiac surgery who received remote ischemic preconditioning had a significant reduction in the rate of acute kidney injury and the use of renal replacement therapy, according to a multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial in Germany.

Thoratec receives conditional FDA approval for the Shield II U.S. clinical trial for HeartMate PHP

Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, announced that the FDA has granted conditional approval for a U.S. IDE clinical trial to investigate use of the HeartMate PHP acute catheter-based heart pump in patients undergoing a high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention.

Benefit-risk assessment tilts toward low-dose aspirin after PCI

An analysis of TRANSLATE-ACS data supports current guideline recommendations to prescribe low-dose aspirin to patients who underwent PCI and received dual antiplatelet therapy. The study was published online May 20 in Circulation.

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