Drug-eluting stents (DES) showed no difference in real-world results compared with bare-metal stents (BMS) for mortality and MI, for both on-label and off-label usage, according to a meta-analysis involving nearly 200,000 patients published online June 15 in Circulation. The study also compared the rates of target vessel revascularization (TVR).

There is no difference in mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes and stable heart disease who received prompt CABG or PCI compared to drug therapy alone, according to a study published in the June 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 69th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans on Tuesday.

It's been said that the 90-minute threshold for door-to-balloon (D2B) times was an arbitrary choice, albeit a good one, to help focus international attention on improving survival among sudden cardiac arrest patients. It's likely the threshold will be lowered in time. Researchers in a British Medical Journal study, however, suggest the standard should be "as soon as possible" for patients undergoing PCI. Researchers studied records from the American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry and found a linear relationship between increased D2B times and increased rate of death.

The majority of diabetic patients with multivessel disease are selected for PCI rather than CABG, largely based on angiographic features related to the extent, location and nature of the coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as geographic, demographic and clinical factors, according to the BARI 2D trial in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Medtronic has reported an increase in financial income for its 2009 fiscal year and a large dip in income for the 2009 fourth quarter, which ended April 24.

Once in hospital, MI patients should be treated without delay to cut their risk of death, ideally within even less than the 90 minutes currently recommended by clinical guidelines, according to a study published May 18 in the British Medical Journal.

Medtronic has settled all royalty disputes with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for $270 million, which concern its licensed use of the Palmaz, Schatz and Pinchuk stent patents.

African-American patients experienced significantly worse outcomes after balloon angioplasty and stenting than patients of other races, though researchers are not sure why. According to data reported May 8 at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 32nd annual scientific sessions, no single factor explains why African Americans were at higher risk after PCI, but the hazard is clear.