THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation for Aortic Stenosis in Patients Who Cannot Undergo Surgery

Many patients with severe aortic stenosis and coexisting conditions are not candidates for surgical replacement of the aortic valve. Recently, transcatheter aortic-valve implantation (TAVI) has been suggested as a less invasive treatment for high-risk patients with aortic stenosis. n engl j med 363;17 nejm.org october 21, 2010. The New England Journal of Medicine. Copyright © 2010 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

JACC. 2-Year Clinical and Angiographic Outcomes From a Randomized Trial of Polymer-Free Dual Drug-Eluting Stents Versus Polymer-Based Cypher and Endeavor, Drug-Eluting Stents

Objectives In the ISAR-TEST-2 (Intracoronary Stenting and Angiographic Results: Test Efficacy of Three Limus-Eluting Stents) randomized trial, a new-generation sirolimus- and probucol-eluting stent (Dual-DES) demonstrated a 12-month efficacy that was comparable to sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) (Cypher, Cordis Corp., Warren, New Jersey) and superior to zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES) (Endeavor, Medtronic CardioVascular, Santa Rosa, California). The aim of the current study was to investigate the comparative clinical and angiographic effectiveness of SES, Dual-DES, and ZES between 1 and 2 years.

JACC: Value of the SYNTAX Score for Risk Assessment in the All-Comers Population of the Randomized Multicenter LEADERS (Limus Eluted from A Durable versus ERodable Stent coating) Trial

Objectives: We aimed to assess the predictive value of the SYNTAX score (SXscore) for major adverse cardiac events in the all-comers population of the LEADERS (Limus Eluted from A Durable versus ERodable Stent coating) trial.

JACC: CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS. Safety and Efficacy of Biodegradable Polymer-Coated Sirolimus-Eluting Stents in “Real-World” Practice. 18-Month Clinical and 9-Month Angiographic Outcomes

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a biodegradable polymer-coated sirolimus-eluting stent (Excel, JW Medical System, Weihai, China) with 6-month dual antiplatelet therapy in daily practice.

EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL. An optical coherence tomography study of a biodegradable vs. durable polymer-coated limus-eluting stent: a LEADERS trial sub-study

Aims: Incomplete endothelialization has been found to be associated with late stent thrombosis, a rare but devastating phenomenon, more frequent after drug-eluting stent implantation. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has 10 times greater resolution than intravascular ultrasound and thus appears to be a valuable modality for the assessment of stent strut coverage. The LEADERS trial was a multi-centre, randomized comparison of a biolimus-eluting stent (BES) with biodegradable polymer with a sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) using a durable polymer. This study sought to evaluate tissue coverage and apposition of stents using OCT in a group of patients from the randomized LEADERS trial.

CIRCULATION: CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS. New Drug-Eluting Stents. An Overview on Biodegradable and Polymer-Free Next-Generation Stent Systems

Drug-eluting stents (DES)were primarily conceived to reduce in-stent neointimal formation and therefore minimize the occurrence of restenosis, the major drawback of percutaneous coronary interventions with bare-metal stents (BMS). The development of DES has been pioneered through a combination of the increased understanding of the biology of restenosis, the selection of drugs that target 1 or more pathways in the restenotic process, controlled-release drug delivery strategies, and the use of the stent as a delivery platform.

CATHETERIZATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS. Percutaneous Stent Implantation Into Coronary Arteries in Infants

Objectives: To investigate the feasibility, procedural techniques, safety, and overall potential of percutaneous coronary angioplasty and stent implantation in infants with coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndrome. Copyright 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions 79:303–311 (2012)

HEART. Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of prosthetic valve function

Owing to its versatile, non-invasive, radiation-free, and low cost nature, Doppler echocardiography is undoubtedly the method of choice to evaluate prosthetic valve function. This evaluation follows the same principles used for the evaluation of native valves, with some important specifics and caveats described in this article. A complete echocardiography includes two dimensional imaging of the prosthetic valve, evaluation of valve leaflet/ occluder morphology and mobility, measurement of the transprosthetic gradients and valve effective ori fice area (EOA), estimation of the degree of regurgitation, evaluation of left ventricular size and systolic function, and calculation of systolic pulmonary arterial pressure. Heart 2012;98:69e78. Doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2011-300351.

JACC. A Multicenter Randomized Trial Comparing Amphilimus- With Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents in De Novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions

Objectives: This study sought to demonstrate the noninferiority of polymer-free amphilimus-eluting stents (Cre8, CID, Saluggia, Italy) versus permanent-polymer paclitaxel-eluting stents (Taxus Liberté, Boston Scientific, Natick, Massachusetts) in de novo percutaneous coronary intervention.

JACC. 9-Month Clinical, Angiographic, and Intravascular Ultrasound Results of a Prospective Evaluation of the Axxess Self-Expanding Biolimus A9-Eluting Stent in Coronary Bifurcation Lesions. The DIVERGE Study

Objectives: This study sought to assess the safety and performance of the Axxess (Devax Inc., Lake Forest, California) self-expanding drug-eluting stent in coronary bifurcation lesions. Background: Percutaneous treatment of coronary bifurcations is a predictor of adverse late outcomes, in part because of the lack of dedicated devices.

EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL. Randomized, non-inferiority trial of three limus agent-eluting stents with different polymer coatings: the Intracoronary Stenting and Angiographic Results: Test Efficacy of 3 Limus- Eluting Stents (ISAR-TEST-4) Trial

Aims: Although biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stent (DES) platforms have potential to enhance long-term clinical outcomes, data concerning their efficacy are limited to date. We previously demonstrated angiographic antirestenotic efficacy with a microporous, biodegradable polymer DES. In the current study, we hypothesized that at 12 months, its clinical safety and efficacy would be non-inferior to that of permanent polymer DES

JACC. Endothelialization of Drug-Eluting Stents with Biodegradable Polymer Coating

JACC: CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS. Predictors for New-Onset Complete Heart Block After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for new-onset atrioventricular (AV) block requiring pacemaker (PM) implantation after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Copyright © 2010 BY THE AMERICAN COLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY FOUNDATION ISSN 1936-8798. PUBLISHED BY ELSEVIER INC.

ICI MEETING 2010. The use of Cutting Balloon for Resistant Congenital Pulmonic Valve Stenosis

Our data suggest this procedure to be safe and potentially useful to achieve partial relief on the stenosiswhen it is not achieved by standard balloon dilation. A Larger patient series with a control arm is needed to determine if the use of cutting balloon for resistant pulmonary valve stenosis is effective in the long term. INNOVATION IN CARDIVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS MEETING.

CIRCULATION. Long-Term Propensity Score–Matched Comparison of Percutaneous Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale With Medical Treatment After Paradoxical Embolism

Background—Patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack presumably related to patent foramen ovale (PFO) are at risk for recurrent cerebrovascular events. Differences in long-term clinical outcome were investigated among patients with percutaneous PFO closure and those who received medical treatment.