In unblocking chronic total occlusions (CTOs), experience helps, but only a handful of U.S. interventional cardiologists perform approximately 150 CTO recanalizations annually. Richard R. Heuser, MD, chief of cardiology and chief of the cardiac cath lab at St. Lukes Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, is one of them.

The FDA issued a complete response letter for the new drug application for the antiplatelet drug ticagrelor (Brilinta, AstraZeneca), requesting additional analyses of the PLATO clinical trial data.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided PCI in patients with multivessel coronary disease is one of those rare situations in which a new technology not only improves outcomes but also saves resources, according to an economic evaluation of the FAME study published in the Dec. 14 issue of Circulation.

To quote Henry Ford: "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." This applies to the relationship between nurse and physician leaders, especially in today's cath labs. The days of nurses and physicians staying in their own silos can no longer be sustained. By Beth Oliver, RN

Researchers reported that sheathless transradial PCI using standard large-bore guiding catheters can successfully and safely treat complex lesions, according to the study published in the December edition of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions (CCI).

The Data Safety Monitoring Board has stopped Abiomeds PROTECT II study based on a futility determination at the planned interim analysis regarding the primary endpoint, which the company views as likely to be due to unanticipated confounding variables related to the use of rotational atherectomy in the study, the company reported.

While prescribing dual-antiplatelet therapyclopidogrel and aspirinmay be a common strategy to prevent blood clots in cardiovascular disease patients, it also may cause hemorrhage, and should be administered with caveats, according to a study in the Nov. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The majority of cardiologists in the U.S., Europe, South Korea, China, India, Middle East and Africa would use a bioabsorbable stent for the treatment of coronary angioplasty. In contrast, the majority of cardiologist in Japan and Latin America would not, according to a report by Vancouver-based iData Research.