Current guidelines in the U.S. recommend patients take dual antiplatelet therapy for at least a year after PCI with drug-eluting stents. The guidelines on the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy may be soon altered, however, based on results of recent studies.

Medicure submitted a supplemental new drug application with the FDA on Sept. 10 to expand the labeling for tirofiban hydrochloride (Aggrastat) to include patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The company said in a news release that it expects the FDA to make its approval decision by July 2016.

After six months of nonsurgical implantation with an active-fixation leadless cardiac pacemaker, 90 percent of patients had an acceptable pacing threshold and sensing amplitude, according to a prespecified analysis of an ongoing study. In addition, 6.7 percent of patients had device-related serious adverse events.

Patients with an acute anterior ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) who were injected with cyclosporine immediately before undergoing PCI did not have better clinical outcomes compared with a group receiving placebo, according to a randomized, double-blind trial.

More than six percent of patient who underwent successful PCI with drug-eluting stents had post-discharge bleeding within two years, according to a prospective study. A multivariable analysis found post-discharge bleeding was the strongest predictor of two-year mortality.

Medtronic acquired Medina Medical, a medical device company developing a device to treat cerebral aneurysms. Medtronic had previously invested and held an ownership stake in Medina Medical, which is based in Menlo Park, Calif.

Hospitals across the U.S. are beginning to implant patients with the Watchman left atrial appendage closure device, which the FDA approved in March.

Building a Protected PCI Program: The Heart Team Approach