It may be time to dust off guideline recommendations on noncardiac surgery for patients who underwent recent coronary stenting, based on findings published online Oct. 7 in JAMA. Researchers cited emergency surgery and advanced cardiac disease, not stent type or antiplatelet issues, as the top determinants of adverse events.   

Let’s talk policy. Policy is a whole lot more palatable than its cousin politics right now.

Based on what they describe as a review of several studies and interviews with 37 cardiologists, 33 patients or their survivors, three Bloomberg reporters explored overuse of stenting, particularly in elective procedures. The report covers several investigations and describes cases that culminated in patient deaths. It also includes a map of “coronary stent hot spots.”

Micell Technologies, Inc. today announced that a peer reviewed article discussing imaging and clinical results of the DESSOLVE I trial of its MiStent Sirolimus Eluting Absorbable Polymer Coronary Stent System (MiStent SES®) was accepted for publication on the JACC Cardiovascular Interventions website. The paper, "First-in-Human Evaluation of a Bioabsorbable Polymer-Coated Sirolimus-Eluting Stent: Imaging and Clinical Results of the DESSOLVE I Trial (DES With Sirolimus and a Bioabsorbable Polymer for the Treatment of Patients With De Novo Lesion in the Native Coronary Arteries)", is planned to also appear in the October 2013 issue of JACC Cardiovascular Interventions.

In yet another study that suggests the old ball and chain is a lifeline, a study of marital status and PCI outcomes found married patients had lower in-hospital and one-year mortality rates than unmarried patients.

Harvesting the radial artery for CABG may be more painful for patients in the early post-operative period than harvesting the saphenous vein, researchers found in a study published online Sept. 25 in JAMA Surgery. But the pain resolved within 12 months of surgery.

Inappropriate PCI is more likely to occur in men, white patients and privately insured patients, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The higher rates among these patients could be partly due to overuse.

The Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) unveiled its lineup of clinical trials to be presented at its 2013 scientific sessions. The conference, TCT’s 25th, is scheduled to take place Oct. 28-Nov. 1 in San Francisco.