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.

Abiomed losses narrow for Q3, bolstered by strong Impella sales

Abiomed, a developer of heart recovery products providing circulatory support to acute heart failure patients, trimmed losses and upped revenues for its fiscal 2009third quarter, which ended Dec. 31, 2008.

Invatec inks distribution deal with Lumen

Invatec, a provider of interventional products, has entered a global distribution agreement with Lumen Biomedical to distribute the FiberNet Embolic Protection System (EPS), which is indicated for the treatment of patients receiving endovascular intervention for carotid artery disease.

Medtronic expands a-fib trial outside the U.S.

Medtronic has expanded its CURE-AF [atrial fibrillation] SM clinical program with a post-market study in Europe and Canada.

Stent vs. Graft: Choosing the Best Path for the Diabetic Patient with Multivessel Disease

The prevailing notion is that bypass surgery is superior to stenting in patients with diabetes. The truth, however, is more complicated, as the decision-makers learn to examine the individual pathologies in lieu of standardization. Often, this process is more art than science in taking into account all of the parameters of a patients disease.

Interventionalists Get Pumped Up About Mechanical Chest Compression

If Europe is any indication of where mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is heading, interventional cardiologists in the U.S. should get ready to welcome the devices into their cath labs. European researchers have begun to validate the technique in arrested patients undergoing PCI.

GE, Radi Medical partner to integrate wireless FFR into cath lab

GE Healthcare and Radi Medical Systems (Uppsala, Sweden) on Monday announced a development and marketing and sales initiative to integrate Radi Medical Systems PressureWire Aeris, a wireless fractional flow reserve (FFR) technology, into GEs Mac-Lab IT hemodynamic recording system.

Longer-Term Data, Better Patient Selection Lead to DES Comeback

Three recent clinical studies rebuke the previously held belief that drug-eluting stents (DES) led to higher rates of stent thrombosis (ST). As concerns over DES have begun to dissipate, their utilization is already increasing in the first half of 2008, and many experts think this trend will continue.

First Word: A Stent is a Stent is a Stent...or is It?

Drug-eluting stents (DES) would not be used if they did not benefit patients. To that end, vendors conduct clinical studies to show that their product is equal to or better than a previous-generation product or a current competitor’s product.

Around the web

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.