SAN FRANCISCO­—Prehospital fibrinolysis in STEMI patients who present shortly after symptom onset and who cannot undergo PCI within the first hour appears to be as effective as primary PCI, based on STREAM results presented March 10 at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session. The results are likely to influence practice, according to panelists who commented on the findings.

SAN FRANCISCO—In severe aortic stenosis patients who are not candidates for surgery, an updated transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system (Sapien XT, Edwards Lifesciences) showed a non-significantly lower rate of death and strokes at 30 days than in the original Sapien model, and both valves demonstrated notably better short-term outcomes than seen in PARTNER I, according to the first results from the PARTNER II trial presented March 10 at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session.

SAN FRANCISCO—A stent with a biodegradable coating delivered statistically comparable performance at one year to a drug-releasing stent, researchers reported at a late-breaking clinical trial March 10 at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session. However, questions from panelists clarified the need for longer-term data to demonstrate the superiority of biolimus-eluting (Xience, Abbott Vascular) compared with everolimus-eluting (Promus, Boston Scientific) stents.

SAN FRANCISCO—Both 2D echocardiography and 3D are essential for intraprocedural guidance for percutaneous mitral valve repair with MitraClip, Geoffrey A. Rose, MD, of Sanger Clinic in Charlotte, N.C., shared during an educational session March 9 at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session.

SAN FRANCISCO—Former American Heart Association (AHA) President Gorden F. Tomaselli, MD, sat down with the media to discuss the confounding results from the PREVAIL trial, and how the Watchman device could be applicable in clinical practice, if FDA approved.

SAN FRANCISCO—A combination of the vitamin niacin with laropiprant demonstrates no benefit to and may even be harmful for patients with vascular disease, based on the HPS2-THRIVE late-breaking trial presented March 9 at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) scientific session. “These findings definitely hammer more nails into the coffin of niacin,” said study panelist Spencer B. King III, MD, who also questioned whether there still may be a subset of patients for whom niacin could be effective. 

SAN FRANCISCO—Digoxin was independently associated with a more than twofold higher rate of death, based on the large, contemporary cohort study, ATRIA-CVRN, of adults with newly diagnosed  atrial fibrillation (AF) and no history of heart failure, presented March 9 at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session. Given other available options for heart rate control, the researchers said that the role of digoxin in the management of atrial fibrillation “should be reconsidered.”

SAN FRANCISCO—After one week of flip-flopping on whether or not to release the complete results of the PREVAIL trial—that evaluates the Watchman device compared with warfarin for stroke prevention— the trial’s sponsor Boston Scientific “broke its own embargo,” according to American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) Director of Media Relations’ Beth Casteel, and the ACC decided to pull the trial as a late-breaker approximately one hour before it was set to be presented.