>> TUESDAY

Cypher/Taxus: No Increase in Thrombosis
In single de novo native coronary lesions 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm in diameter and 30 mm or less in length, polymer-based sirolimus-eluting stents result in no significant increase in stent thrombosis compared to otherwise equivalent bare-metal stents. Similar results were demonstrated for paclitaxel-eluting stents.
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Safety Profile of Drug-eluting Stents Similar to Bare-metal Stents
An article published Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal inaccurately characterized two major drug-eluting stents as unsafe, despite a comprehensive review of data that suggests otherwise.
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Novel Implant Excels in BEST
A first-in-man analysis of the BioSTAR, a bioabsorbable septal repair implant for the closure of atrial septal defects and patent foramen ovale, easily met all its endpoints of feasibility, safety and efficacy.
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Readjudication Finds Higher Event Rates for BMS, DES
Readjudication of pooled data from studies carried out on the Endeavor and Cypher stents has resulted in higher event rates for bare-metal and drug-eluting stents.
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VAMPIRE: No Adverse Effects of Aspiration with PCI in Acute MI Patients
The prospective, randomized VAMPIRE trial showed that using a thrombus vacuum catheter had no adverse effect on patients and did not complicate PCI or lengthen the procedural time.
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ESTROFA: Late Thrombosis Not Increased in DES Patients
The use of drug-eluting stents was associated with a 1.2% incidence of thrombosis in preliminary results from the ESTROFA registry presented yesterday by Jose de la Torre Hernandez, MD, PhD, of the Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla in Santander, Spain.
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Diagnosing Peripheral Arterial Disease a Priority
The ankle-brachial index could be an important screening tool for peripheral arterial disease, as asymptomatic patients with abnormal ankle-brachial index measurements have an approximately 30% risk of death or disease over the course of five years.
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Better Clinical Trials for Myogenesis and Angiogenesis
As a researcher at the National Institutes of Health for 30 years, Stephen Epstein, MD, now at the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Washington Hospital Center, witnessed the beginning of research into myogenesis and angiogenesis.
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Percutaneous LVAD an Alternative in High-risk PCI
Patients with high-risk coronary artery lesions, who have an increased risk for complications during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), may benefit from the inclusion of a TandemHeart (CardiacAssist, Pittsburgh) during the procedure.
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Spleen Artery Catheterization Delivers Stem Cells to Diabetics
Stem cells helped patients with type 2 diabetes decrease their dependence on insulin and oral drugs and lowered blood sugar levels in patients with type 1 diabetes, according to researchers in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Eric Topol to Head New Program at Scripps Health
Eric J. Topol, MD, will lead the newly created Translational Science Institute and Genomic Medicine program at Scripps Health in San Diego. As Chief Academic Officer, Topol will head up the new Translational Research Institute and serve as a senior consultant in the Division of Cardiology at Scripps Clinic.
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Early Treatment Needed for Patients with Severe Carotid Artery Disease
Cardiologists should not delay treating symptomatic patients with severe carotid artery disease. Klaus D. Mathias, MD, of the University of Muenster and the Academic Teaching Hospital of Dortmund, Germany, offered a review of published research yesterday morning, discussing the predictive variables and risk-benefit considerations of carotid artery stenting (CAS) and carotid endarterectomy (CEA).
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ApoB-100 Antigens Reduce Atherosclerosis in Mice
Active immunization using vaccines made from selected apolipoprotein B-100 (ApoB-100)-related peptide-based antigens is feasible and effective in reducing atherosclerosis in murine models, according to Prediman K. Shah, MD, Director of the Atherosclerosis Research Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
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Genetics May Revolutionize Cardiovascular Medicine
Researchers have begun to understand the link between certain genetic traits and an increased risk for myocardial infarction (MI), according to Eric Topol, MD, formerly the Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic and recently named Chief Academic Officer and Director of Translational Sciences at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, Calif.
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Paclitaxel Stent Had Wider Lumen in Acute MI Patients
Results of the HAAMU-STENT trial indicate that use of paclitaxel-eluting stents in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) results in wider lumenal diameter and less late loss at follow-up compared with bare-metal stents.
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Debate Continues over Distal Protection in MI Patients
Some lesions may be more amenable to distal protection than others, according to a speaker at the TCT meeting yesterday. In a flash debate and discussion, three leaders in the field, David Antoniucci, MD, in the Department of Cardiology, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy, Joseph P. Carrozza, Jr, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Franz-Josef Neumann, MD, PhD, Arztlicher Director of Herz-Zentrum Bad Krozingen, discussed the pros and cons of distal protection in treating patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI).
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Trial Challenges Heparin Use During Low-risk PCI
Results from a hypothesis-generating trial suggest that heparin use may not benefit low-risk patients undergoing PCI, but some investigators are not convinced of the study’s applicability.
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Optical Imaging Advancements Enable Better Diagnoses
Imaging is a vital part of diagnosing and treating patients, particularly when using non-invasive treatment methods. Guillermo J. Tearney, MD, PhD, an Associate Professor of Pathology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, discussed exciting imaging options and what they offer the field of cardiology.
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ACUITY PCI: Bivalirudin Monotherapy is Effective
Among patients with moderate- and high-risk acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous intervention, replacing heparin and GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors with bivalirudin alone improved overall event-free survival in the ACUITY PCI trial.
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PFO Closure May Lower Stroke, Migraine Incidence
Percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) occlusion may provide a mechanism to reduce passage of thromboses over the distal pathway, which, in turn, may prevent recurrent stroke and lower the risk of migraine.
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Gene Therapy May Be Effective Atherosclerotic Treatment
Potential gene therapies aimed at treating atherosclerosis include apolipoproteins and HIF-1α, according to Nicholas A.F. Chronos, MD, the Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at Saint Joseph’s Research Institute in Atlanta.
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Renowned Artist Designs Career Achievement Award
TCT attendees may be familiar with the work of sculptor Akiva Huber. For the past five years, Huber has added a creative ambience to TCT through sculptures at his exhibit “The Art Comes From the Heart.” In addition, for the past three years, Huber designed and contributed the TCT Career Achievement Award. The award is a bronze sculpture shaped as a hollow heart called “The Heart of the Matter.” It represents professional achievements along with human emotion. A closer look at the sculpture reveals a male and a female figure around an apple.
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Magnetic Navigation May Increase Ablation Efficacy
When used in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, magnetically guided alcohol septal ablation can dramatically reduce symptoms, echo gradient and septal thickness and improve excersice tolerance at three months, according to a study from the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston.
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At a Crossroads, Mitral Regurgitation Therapy Awaits EVEREST Results
As a growing area in interventional cardiology, mitral valve regurgitation therapy may depend on the results of EVEREST, a trial to evaluate a percutaneous mitral valve repair system in patients with grade-3 or grade-4 mitral regurgitation.
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Thrombosis Risk Does Not Translate to Major Events
Although several recent trials indicate that there may be an increased risk of thrombosis associated with drug-eluting stents, this excess risk is relatively low, according to Stewart J. Pocock, PhD, Professor of Medical Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in England.
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Echocardiography Important in Percutaneous Intervention
Echocardiography plays an important role in guiding percutaneous interventional and electrophysiology procedures. Frank Silvestry, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, gave an overview of the modality at a symposium on echocardiography on Monday.
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Biolimus A9 Phase-1 Trial Shows Noninferiority to Taxus
Early returns from the Nobori 1 trial, an investigation of the new biolimus A9 drug-eluting stent (DES) (Terumo Corp.), showed that the stent met its intended primary endpoint of noninferiority compared with the Taxus Express (Boston Scientific). The trial focused on late loss in patients randomized 2:1 to receive the Nobori or Taxus Express DES. In-stent late loss (at nine months) was 0.15 mm in the Nobori group compared with 0.32 mm in the Taxus group (P = .006).
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Standards Needed to ID Patients at Risk for Thrombosis
Two researchers yesterday called for longer-term follow-up data and standardized protocols to help physicians identify which patients may be at an elevated risk for late-onset thrombosis following the placement of drug-eluting stents.
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Double Antiplatelet Therapy Reduces Risk of Short- and Long-term Stent Thrombosis
Patients who maintained double antiplatelet therapy reduced their risk of short- and long-term stent thrombosis following stenting; patients taking clopidogrel were 11 times less likely to experience a thrombotic event in the first six months following stenting.
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No Significant Difference in Late Thrombosis with SES, PES
According to data from the Bern-Rotterdam cohort study, early and late stent thrombosis occurs with both sirolimus-eluting and paclitaxel-eluting stents, without significant differences between the types.
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