The Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) will kick off its 2013 scientific sessions May 8 in Orlando, Fla., with a new feature: an opening session with a keynote address designed to set the tone of the meeting.

Vascular Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:VASC) today announced that it has re-launched the Venture catheter, a deflectable-tip catheter used to provide guidewire directional control in challenging coronary and peripheral interventional procedures. The device is available immediately in the United States and expected to become available in select international markets over the next few months.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a video of still images from previous conference events accompanied by a high-power drum solo worth? A promotion for the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 25th scientific sessions appears to be betting a lot.

Most operators prefer a right radial approach for PCI, but left radial access offers some advantages that have begun to win over converts.

A 68-year-old gentleman was recently referred to me by his cardiologist, who had heard a carotid bruit on a routine exam.

Talk about extremes. Two studies published recently illustrate the range of sample sizes and what can be learned from both small clinical trials and large observational studies.

Multivessel CABG may offer a survival benefit over multivessel PCI for the “average” patient, according to a study published online April 23 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. But for patients with no diabetes, heart failure, tobacco use and peripheral artery disease, multivessel PCI may provide better life expectancy.

Nearly one in seven STEMI patients presenting at centers with PCI capabilities experienced nonsystem delays in door-to-balloon-time, and mortality rates were significantly higher in that patient group compared with nondelayed patients.