Original Research | By E Minamino-Muta, T Kato, the CURRENT AS Registry Investigators et al.
OBJECTIVES - The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic impact of the decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 1-year follow-up in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) managed conservatively. BACKGROUND - No previous study has explored the association between LVEF decline during follow-up and clinical outcomes in patients with severe AS. METHO...
Review Article | By A Pandey, D Kitzman, G Reeves.
Frailty, a syndrome characterized by an exaggerated decline in function and reserve of multiple physiological systems, is common in older patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with worse clinical and patient-reported outcomes. Although several detailed assessment tools have been developed and validated in the geriatric population, they are cumbersome, not validated in patients with HF, and not commonly used in routine managem...
Thrombotic Risk and Antithrombotic Strategies After Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement
Review Article | By M Pagnesi, F Moroni, A Beneduce et al.
Severe mitral regurgitation (MR) is fairly common in the general population and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although surgical mitral valve (MV) repair and replacement are well established treatment options for MV disease, as much as one-half of patients with severe, symptomatic MR are not referred for surgery due to prohibitive procedural risk. Novel transcatheter alternatives are therefore being developed to...
OBJECTIVES - The aim of this study was to assess if prior oral anticoagulant agent (OAC) use modifies the lower bleeding risk observed with dabigatran dual therapy (dabigatran twice daily plus a P2Y12 inhibitor) versus warfarin triple therapy (warfarin plus a P2Y12 inhibitor plus aspirin) in patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND - ...
Recommandation Statement | By MA Psotka, GC Fonarow, LA Allen et al.
The mandatory federal pay-for-performance Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was created to decrease 30-day hospital readmissions by instituting accountability and stimulating quality care and coordination, particularly during care transitions. The HRRP has changed the landscape of hospital readmissions and reimbursement within the United States by imposing substantial Medicare payment penalties on hospi...
Original Research | By F D'Ascenzo, U Barbero, M Abdirashid et al.
Incidence and predictors of adverse events after dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) cessation in patients treated with thin stents (<100 microns) in unprotected left main (ULM) or coronary bifurcation remain undefined. All consecutive patients presenting with a critical lesion of an ULM or involving a main coronary bifurcation who were treated with very thin strut stents were included. MACE (a composite end point of cardiovasc...
Streamlined reverse wire technique for the treatment of complex bifurcated lesions
Clinical Case Study | By K Hasegawa, Wataru Yamamoto, S Nakabayashi et al.
Inserting a guidewire into an extremely angulated side branch (SB) is difficult. Reverse wire technique (RWT) method was developed to specifically overcome this challenging situation, and it has become common among operators performing percutaneous coronary intervention. The first step of RWT involves the delivery of a reverse wire (RW) beyond the bifurcation, together with dual lumen catheter (DLC). This step is so...
Original Research | By MX Chen, J Kan, JJ Zhang et al.
BACKGROUND - Reports showed no change of 7‐day mortality after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) between 2001 and 2011 in China. National rolling one‐year interventional standardized training program began in September 2009. However, the improvement in clinical outcome following STEMI PCI after 2011 remains unclear. METHODS AND RE...
Original Research | By XF Gao, ZM Wang, F Wang et al.
Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance is not routinely performed in real-word clinical practice partly because the benefit of IVUS guidance is not well established. This updated meta-analysis aims to compare IVUS-guided and angiography-guided drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, simultaneously stressing the value of an optimal IVUS-defined procedure. Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Controlled T...