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.

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'A missed opportunity': Statin use low among patients with peripheral artery disease

Researchers tracked statin use among patients with peripheral artery disease, cerebrovascular disease and coronary heart disease.

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Post-discharge bleeding among ACS patients: Does PCI have a fatal effect?

Researchers tracked the outcomes of more than 45,000 patients who participated in one of four randomized trials.

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Adverse PCI outcomes most common among Black patients

The authors tracked data from more than 22,000 PCI patients who participated in one of 10 randomized trials.

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Faster cath lab activation times make a big impact on patient care

Rapid reperfusion is linked to improved survival for STEMI patients, but delayed care is still prevalent. 

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Revascularization vs. therapy alone for stable ischemic heart disease: What data from 15K patients tell us

When patients have stable ischemic heart disease, two primary treatment options are revascularization followed by guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) or GDMT alone.

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The top 10 hospitals for pediatric cardiology care

Such attributes as patient outcomes, efficiency and available resources were used to develop the list, which includes a tie at No. 10. 

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When experience is critical: High-volume operators associated with better left main PCI outcomes

Operators who performed at least 16 uLMS-PCIs per year were associated with improved survival.

Abiomed gains FDA approval to launch first-in-human trial for ‘world’s smallest heart pump’

The device will be tested in high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients.

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.