Angioplasty and Stents

Expert Insights And Features

Fractional Flow Reserve and Intravascular Imaging on Stage at EuroPCR

At this year's EuroPCR, cardiologists will be watching demonstrations, live cases and lectures about a wide range of technologies and techniques -- and Intravascular Imaging and Guidance will be a topic on many physician's minds, as more and more data is presented, demonstrating how these imaging modalities can make percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) better.... (read more)

Stents vs. Pills -- Summer Re-run in February

Commentary from the Editor's Blog: A meta-analysis, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, says once again that stents add no benefit to medical therapy for stable patients. In my opinion, there are several significant issues/flaws in this study that need to be addressed and here are five of them.... (read more)

Medtronic Resolute and Abbott Xience V Stents

Medtronic Resolute Drug-Eluting Stent Equals Abbott Xience V in Second Major Study
Two second-generation drug-eluting stents were shown to have similar outcomes in the TWENTE clinical trial, now published in JACC, which compared Medtronic's Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent with Abbott's everolimus-eluting Xience V stent.... (read more)

The Resolute Integrity stent has now been approved by the FDA -- the only drug-eluting stent with a specific indication for diabetes.... (read more)

ADVISE: New Tool May Help Determine Stent and Angioplasty Appropriateness
Encouraging results for a new measurement tool to help cardiologists decide when to place a stent seem timely, in light of CMS recent focus on the proper use of stents.... (read more)

Boston Scientific Stent Shows Significant Shortening Compared to Other 2nd Gen. DES
Seven stent designs were bench-tested for resistance to compression -- and the results for Boston Scientific's brand-new flagship PROMUS Element platform, approved by the FDA just last week, were not great.... (read more)

For cardiologists: read our follow up article on "Avoiding and Repairing Coronary Stent Distortion"

FFR and the "Widow Maker"
The results of a new study show that a significant number of patients with a proximal Left Anterior Descending (LAD) blockage do not need angioplasty or bypass surgery and can be treated safely with medical therapy only.... (read more)

IVUS Reveals Hidden Heart Attack Culprit In Women

A heart attack can occur in a coronary artery that looks completely normal on angiography, long considered the "gold standard" of coronary imaging. But newer techniques, such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), were able to reveal the cause of the incident: plaque disruption..... (read more)

iFR: Adenosine-Free Functional Flow Reserve
Interview with Dr. Justin E. Davies
Dr. Davies discusses the results of the ADVISE study and its potential implications for patient comfort and assessment of procedural success.... (read more)

Save Money and Reduce Complications with Wrist (Transradial) Approach
Interview with Dr. Richard Heuser
Dr. Heuser discusses his upcoming course on wrist (transradial) access and why it is better for patients and may be able to impact rising healthcare costs in the U.S.... (read more)

Appropriateness Criteria Misunderstood
Interview with Dr. Paul Chan
Dr. Paul Chan sets the record straight on Appropriateness of PC in the U.S.. He explains the significance of his new study of a half-million patients, recently published in JAMA.... (read more)

Measuring and Managing Appropriateness
Interview with Dr. Ralph Brindis
American College of Cardiology immediate past president Dr. Ralph Brindis discusses the National Cardiovascular Data Registry and weighs in on the new PCI Appropriateness study... (read more)

FFR: Why Isn't Everyone Using It?
Guidelines give FFR an "A", leaders in interventional cardiology say it is "a very important tool". Studies show it reduces "inappropriate stenting" and saves money. So why do less than 20% of PCIs take advantage of FFR?... (read more)

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An IVUS State of Mind
Images we see form a construct in our brains of what may be reality. For half-a-century, the 2-D shadow images of the coronary arteries, as served up by the "gold standard" of angiography, have informed cardiologists as to what a stenosis is. But newer intravascular imaging modalities have challenged those black-and-white renderings and are yielding a new, more accurate way to "see" and think about coronary artery lesions: "an IVUS state of mind".... (read more)

How Fractional Flow Reserve Improves Stent Decision-Making
Interview with Dr. William Fearon
Dr. Fearon, co-principal investigator at Stanford of the FAME and FAME II studies, assesses FFR as a diagnostic tool and gives a preview of FAME II... (read more)

The Power of Community: Learning From Patients on the Internet
It’s easy for an online forum to become "the complaint department." Sometimes, though, anecdotal stories from patients in different parts of the country surface a problem that an individual cardiologist may rarely see or read about. Sometimes a patient community discovers a problem the medical research and regulatory community is simply not aware of.... (read more)

Transradial Optimal in Emergency Angioplasty
Interview with Dr. Jack Hall
Radial Pioneer Dr. Jack Hall reviews the evolution of the transradial (wrist) technique, its use in STEMI and the benefits for patients... (read more)

Testing a New Drug-Eluting Stent
Interview with Dr. Alan C. Yeung
Dr. Yeung, principal investigator of the RESOLUTE US study, discusses trial design and polymer elution outcomes for the RESOLUTE stent... (read more)

Why Reducing Door-to-Balloon Time is "The Low-Hanging Fruit in Heart Attack Intervention"
Interview with Dr. Sameer Mehta
Dr. Mehta, pioneer in the interventional treatment of heart attack (STEMI), explains the next step in improving heart attack outcomes... (read more)

Why Does Dr. Pichard Use IVUS on Every PCI?
Interview with Dr. Augusto Pichard
The Director of the Cath Lab at Washington Hospital Center shares his experience with IVUS and “spot-stenting”... (read more)

"Patients are My Best Advocate, Best Marketing Tool for Transradial"
Interview with Dr. Sanjay Patel
Using the transradial approach has made a major difference in Dr. Patel's Houston-based practice. 2 years ago no one in his hospitals was doing radial procedures; today Dr. Patel runs monthly training courses... (read more)

Is 90 Days of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Enough?
Interview with Dr. Fausto Feres
A new trial in Brazil is testing whether 3 months of dual antiplatelet therapy after therapy with the Endeavor DES may be sufficient. Dr. Feres discusses the OPTIMIZE Trial of 3,200 patiients... (read more)

Genomics Could be Key to Individualizing Antiplatelet Therapy
Interview with Dr. Eric J. Topol
The Director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, discusses his work in genomic studies of platelet responsiveness and its implications in determining the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy... (read more)

Moving Hospital from 5% to 40% Transradial in Six Months
Interview with Dr. Sunil V. Rao
The Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab at the Durham (NC) VA Medical Center, author of a landmark study about transradial, discusses the current status of this approach in the U.S. and its growth... (read more)

"Voice in the Ear":
Editor Burt Cohen's stent and device blog (read...)

Breaking News

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Recent News:

Medtronic IN.PACT Drug-Eluting Balloon Shows Advantages Over Uncoated Balloons and Drug-Eluting Stents (May 16)

XIENCE Stents Get 3-Month DAPT Indication for Europe (May 15)

COMMENTARY: FAME II: Should Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) Be Mandatory? (May 15)

Medtronic Nets New Indications for Resolute Integrity Drug-Eluting Stent in Europe (May 15)

COMMENTARY: An American Cardiologist in Paris: Be Careful in the Shower! (May 15)

Fractional Flow Reserve and Intravascular Imaging on Stage at EuroPCR (May 14)

Risk Score for Carotid Stents
Presented at SCAI (May 9)

Medtronic expanding thoracic stent graft to China, Japan & U.S. (May 8)

COMMENTARY: Attn Stent Patients: Plavix Going Generic! (May 5)

Spring Training In Transradial (May 2)

Volcano Corp: 12% Increase in 1st QTR Revenues (May 2)

Q&A with Dr. Jennifer Tremmel of Stanford (May 1)

Medtronic Symplicity™ Renal Denervation System Shows Significant BP Reduction with No Renal Impairment (Apr 27)

Abbott and St. Jude Form Marketing Alliance (Apr 23)

1,500 Patient Global Study Started for Drug-Eluting Balloon in PAD (Apr 17)

COMMENTARY: 20th Anniversary of Transradial Angioplasty (Apr 14)

Medtronic Begins U.S. Drug-Eluting Balloon (DEB) Study (Apr 13)

Dr. Jack C. Lewin Resigns as CEO of ACC (Apr 9)

ABIM & ACC Issue List of "Unnecessary" Tests (Apr 4)

Geoff Hartzler, Angioplasty Pioneer: In Memoriam (Mar 13)

COMMENTARY: Myocardial Bridging: Heart Patients and Social Networking (Mar 12)

COMMENTARY: Remarkable Stent Procedure (Mar 7)

COMMENTARY: Stent-Trek: The Next Generation (Mar 4)

FEATURE: 1st Drug-Eluting Stent Okayed for Heart Attack (Mar 1)

COMMENTARY: Stents vs. Pills -- Summer Re-Run in Feb. (Feb 28)

FEATURE: New Drug-Eluting Stent Okayed for Diabetics (Feb 27)

Volcano: 14% Increase in 4QTR Rev.; Medical Grew 20% (Feb 22)

FEATURE: TWENTE -- Medtronic Resolute Heart Stent Matches Abbott's Xience (Feb 15)

Studies of Catheter-based Treatment for Hypertension and Heart Failure Launched by Medtronic (Feb 13)

Medtronic Stent for Leg Arteries: 90% Freedom from Reinterventions at One Year (Feb 8)

COMMENTARY: Transradial Stent in New Jersey (Feb 7)

COMMENTARY: Stent Pioneer Gary Roubin Leaving Lenox Hill (Jan 27)

Medtronic Completes Enrollment in U.S. CoreValve Extreme Risk Study (Jan 24)

COMMENTARY: FAME II Is Not the Anti-COURAGE: Stents and Angioplasty in the Spotlight (Jan 21)

COMMENTARY: Does FAME II Trump COURAGE? FFR: Key to Stents and Angioplasty (Jan 18)

FAME II To Stop Enrollment Due to Highly Significant Data Showing Superiority of FFR-guided PCI in Stable Patients (Jan 18)

COMMENTARY: AAA Stent Graft Revisited (Jan 17)

CE Mark for Medtronic's Endurant II AAA Stent Graft (Jan 17)

FEATURE: New DES - Lower Mortality and Less Restenosis Than First Gen DES or Bare Metal Stents (Jan 9)

COMMENTARY: Boston Sci's New DES in the News Again (Dec 21)

FEATURE: ADVISE: New Tool May Help Determine Stent and Angioplasty Appropriateness (Dec 7)

COMMENTARY: A Stent By Any Other Name (Dec 7)

COMMENTARY: Stents, Angioplasty and PCI: The Uncertainty Principle (MEDICARE Style) (Dec 4)

COMMENTARY: Avoiding & Repairing Coronary Stent Distortion (Dec 1)

FEATURE: New Boston Scientific Stent Shows Shortening Compared to Other 2nd Gen DES (Nov 30)

COMMENTARY: iFR: A New Way to Judge Stents and Angioplasty for Coronary Blockages? (Nov 29)

LATE-BREAKING TRIAL : TWENTE Shows Medtronic's Resolute and Abbott's Xience V Equivalent (Nov 11)

COMMENTARY: SRO Times 5 for Transradial at TCT (Nov 8)

Medtronic Announces TCT 2011 Schedule (Nov 4)

Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) Guides Stent Treatment for So-Called "Widow Maker" Artery (Oct 28)

CRF Announces Core Lab Alliance with Harvard (Oct 27)

Volcano Corp Schedules 3QTR Conference Call, Webcast (Oct 17)

2 New Heart Devices for Medtronic in Japan (Oct 13)

Cook's ZILVER PTX Gets Unanimous Nod from FDA Panel (Oct 13)

FEATURE: IVUS Reveals Hidden Heart Attack Culprit In Women (Oct 6)

COMMENTARY: In Memoriam: J. Willis Hurst, MD (Oct 5)

FEATURE: The Power of Community: What Angioplasty.Org Has Learned from Patients (Sep 29)

FEATURE: FFR: Why Isn't Everyone Using It? (Sep 27)

FEATURE: An IVUS State of Mind (Sep 24)

CME: Advanced Transradial Training in Oct from Duke (Sep 22)

Transradial Training in Las Vegas (Sep 8)

Medtronic Reports 1st QTR Earnings (Aug 23)

Volcano Corp -- up 22% for 2nd QTR Medical Segment (Aug 1)

Medtronic's Resolute DES Bests Taxus in Japan Trial (Jul 25)

AstraZeneca's Ticagrelor Approved By FDA (Jul 20)

INTERVIEW: Dr. Paul Chan discusses the appropriateness of stents and angioplasty, as detailed in his JAMA study (Jul 9)

INTERVIEW: Dr. Ralph Brindis shares his thoughts about the recent report about PCI appropriateness (Jul 6)

COMMENTARY: Angioplasty and Stents Inappropriate Only 4% of the Time (Jul 5)

1-Yr Results of Valiant Thoracic Stent Graft Presented (Jun 18)

Boston Scientific Recalls iCross IVUS Catheters (May 28)

Resolute Stent Shows Strong Results in Diabetics (May 18)

Biosensors Announces 10,000 Patient DES Trial (May 18)

Medtronic CoreValve® Multi-Center Study Shows QoL Improvements (May 17)

Medtronic Drug-Eluting Balloon and Peripheral Device Data at EuroPCR (May 16)

SCAI Issues Report on Transradial Angioplasty (May 5)

JACC Intervention: Effient vs. Plavix After Stenting (May 5)

eV3 to Use Volcano IVUS on Plaque Excision Systems (May 4)

COMMENTARY: Stent By Wrist in Houston (Apr 29)

IN MEMORIAM: Bill Cook, Angioplasty Pioneer (Apr 28)

INTERVIEW: Dr. Jack Hall of Indiana's St. Vincent Heart Center discusses why hospital admins need to know about the radial approach (Apr 26)

COMMENTARY: Showdown: Dr. Mark Midei and Stents (Apr 22)

Go to ALL current news and news archives

Radial Hospital Locator
A list of physicians and hospitals offering the transradial (wrist) approach to angiograms and angioplasty.

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5 Crucial Questions To Ask Your Doctor About New Heart Disease Treatments
Make sure you are benefiting from the most up-to-date research, and have access to the treatments that best fit your needs and preferences... (read more)

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Angioplasty 101
In this overview for patients, learn what to expect and prepare for if you or a loved one is having an angioplasty, plus key vocabulary terms that... (read more)

Read patient stories and Learn about medications after stenting, symptoms and complications, care giving, taking charge of your health, communicating with your cardiologist and much more in our Patient Center.

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" The 1st Angioplasty"

ANGIOPLASTY AT 35: 2012 will mark the 35th anniversary of coronary angioplasty. In 1977 in Zurich, Switzerland, a young physician named Andreas Gruentzig inserted a catheter into a patient's coronary artery and inflated a tiny balloon, successfully opening a blockage and restoring blood flow to a human heart.

Today over two million coronary angioplasties (PTCAs) are performed worldwide each year and angioplasty has become the gold standard for emergency heart attack treament.

(Click here to view videos, interviews, photos in our History Center, or order our DVD, "PTCA: A History.")

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