Results from the first study to compare outcomes of two left atrial appendage closure devices—Watchman (Boston Scientific) and Amplatzer (St Jude Medical)—indicate that there are no significant differences between the devices. Authors Filippo Figini (Interventional Cardiology Department, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy) and others note that while the incidence of peri-device leak was significantly higher with Watchman, this finding did not translate into a difference in clinical outcomes.
The initial results of the first randomised controlled trial—PRAGUE 18—to directly compare prasugrel (Efient, Daiichi Sankyo) with ticagrelor (Brilinta, AstraZeneca) indicate there are no significant differences in outcomes between the drugs when they are used to treat patients with acute myocardial infarction who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the study was terminated early because of futility and, therefore, was underpowered.
In new research published in PLOS Biology, University of California, Irvine (Irvine, USA) biologists Anne Calof and Arthur Lander and colleagues report that the role of genes in congenital heart defect is more complex than previously realised, and that overall risk is determined by a combination of gene effects both inside and outside of the heart itself.
The St Jude Medical Amplatzer Amulet Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) trial, which will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the company’s Amplatzer Amulet left atrial appendage occluder used to close the left atrial appendage (LAA) in patients diagnosed with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, has begun. The first implantation took place at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, USA by Jim Stone.
A University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) invention has made it possible for doctors to vastly improve their bypass surgery techniques without relying on animals.
The results of NORSTENT (Norwegian coronary stent trial) indicate that second-generation drug-eluting stents do not significantly reduce the long-term risk of all-cause mortality compared with contemporary bare metal stents. However, both the NORSTENT investigators and those commenting on the study say that drug-eluting stents—because they are associated with a reduced risk of revascularisation—are still the preferred stent for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Low socioeconomic status has been associated with a higher risk of a second heart attack or stroke, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2016. The study of nearly 30,000 patients with a prior heart attack found that the risk of a second event was 36% lower for those in the highest income quintile compared to the lowest and increased by 14% in divorced compared to married patients.
The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a reduced risk of death in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, according to results from the observational Moli-sani study presented at the 2016 ESC Congress.
According to a study published in JAMA Cardiology, among those 18–55 years, more than half of women and just under half of men had sexual dysfunction in the year after a myocardial infarction. However, the study also showed that despite this high prevalence of sexual function problems, few study participants reported having any conversation with a physician about resuming sex after a myocardial infarction.
Nicolas Meneveau (Besancon, France) told delegates at the 2016 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress (27–31 August, Rome, Italy) that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) guided by optical coherence tomography (OCT) results in significantly higher post procedure fractional flow reserve (FFR) values than PCI guided by angiography alone. He added that this benefit was mainly driven by optimisation of stent expansion.
The number of cardiovascular drugs in the research pipeline has declined across all phases of development in the last 20 years— even as cardiovascular disease has become the number one cause of death world-wide, according to research published in JACC: Basic to Translational Science.
The NIPPON (Nobori dual antiplatelet therapy as appropriate duration) study, presented in a hotline session at the ESC today, indicates that in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the Nobori stent, short-term duration (six months) of dual antiplatelet therapy is non-inferior to a longer course of DAPT (18 months). However, investigators Masato Nakamura (Toho University Ohashi Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan) and others report that this result needs to be interpreted with caution because the enrolment of the study was terminated prematurely.
Zoll Medical has announced that results from the largest German registry of patients who were prescribed the company’s LifeVest wearable defibrillator reaffirm that the device is safe and effective for the prevention of sudden cardiac death. Results have been published in the Circulation.
Edwards Lifesciences has received FDA approval for its advanced Intuity Elite rapid deployment valve for surgical aortic valve replacement. A press release reports that built on the trusted Perimount tissue valve platform and incorporating innovations from transcatheter heart valves, the Intuity Elite valve system is designed to facilitate minimally invasive surgery and streamline complex aortic valve replacements, thereby offering a cutting-edge treatment option for patients with aortic valve disease. The device is now commercially available.
Edwards Lifesciences has announced US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to expand use of the Edwards Sapien 3 transcatheter heart valve for the treatment of patients suffering from severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis, who have been determined by a heart team to be at intermediate risk for open-heart surgery. The Sapien 3 valve is the first transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) therapy to obtain this indication in the USA.
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