| Expert Insights &
Feature Articles |
Transradial Coronary Interventions for Complex Chronic Total Occlusions
Interview
with Dr. Yutaka Tanaka
In this interview, from TCROSS NEWS, Dr. Tanaka discusses his group's study on transradial coronary interventions for complex chronic total occlusion, just published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. The patient population for this single-center study comprised almost 600 patients and looked at whether the transradial approach was feasible for complex chronic total occlusions. |
| Medtronic Goes Radial |
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Medtronic is now offering a full portfolio of transradial tools: a line of catheters, a TRA access kit with introducer sheath, and its TRAcelet™ compression device for simplifying patent hemostasis post-procedure. Although the company previously has marketed a select number of items designed for the transradial approach (TRA), today's announcement marks the first full-transradial offering by a major stent manufacturer in the U.S. |
| Medtronic CardioInsight Mapping Solution Cleared by FDA |
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Cardiac mapping is typically accomplished by inserting a catheter into the heart via an artery or vein, allowing physicians to locate the origin of a patient's irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). The CardioInsight system, the first commercially released, noninvasive, cardiac electrical mapping system in the world, eliminates the invasive steps of this clinical procedure. |
| Medtronic Announces Reimbursement Approval and Launch of CoreValve™ Evolut™ R System in Japan |
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The recapturable, self-expanding transcatheter CoreValve™ Evolut™ R System from Medtronic has received reimbursement approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW). This new generation TAVR device is indicated for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) unable to undergo surgery, and for whom treatment with transcatheter aortic valve implantation is determined to be the best option. |
| NORSTENT: Drug-Eluting Stents – Doing What They’re Supposed To |
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At this week’s annual European Society of Cardiology Congress in Rome, an important randomized clinical trial on stents was presented by Professor Kaare H. Bønaa, MD, PhD. Called NORSTENT, short for the “Norwegian Coronary Stent Trial,” this was the largest stent trial ever conducted, with 9,013 patients followed for six years. That’s serious! |
| COURAGE: Does 15-Year Data Have Any Clinical Relevance? |
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From the Editor: "I think that this 15-year analysis has so many statistical weaknesses, and is looking at a snapshot in time that has long been surpassed by advances in technology and practice, that the conclusion of this “extended survival analysis” is basically irrelevant to current practice." |
| European Guidelines Say "Radial First" |
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Today the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) gave the highest recommendation to the radial (wrist) approach for catheter-based interventions in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The "ACS without persistent ST-segment elevation (NSTE-ACS) guidelines," drafted by an international multidisciplinary Task Force, were introduced as part of this year's annual ESC meeting, and are now published online. |
| Medtronic Begins Trial for Next-Generation Drug-Eluting Stent in Small Arteries |
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Medtronic is beginning the U.S. pivotal trial for its new drug-eluting stent, the Resolute Onyx™. The Onyx received the European CE Mark in November and has been available in countries that recognize the CE Mark. The first phase of this trial will be studying one of the most challenging clinical scenarios: blockages in arteries that measure as small as 2.0mm. |
| Consumer Reports Overstates Cardiac CT Radiation Dose |
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Consumer Reports regularly publishes health information to aid the consumer/patient in making decisions. That's good, but also important is having the most current information, which their recent article about CT scans does not. The article states that a Cardiac CT Angiogram (CTA) exposes the patient to 12 mSv of ionizing radiation, or 120 times that of a chest X-ray. This was true years ago, when CTA was first being used to diagnose coronary artery disease. But it is not true today. |
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| FDA Approves HeartFlow FFR-CT: Non-Invasive Method for Determining Coronary Ischemia |
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The FDA has approved HeartFlow's FFR-CT software for measuring coronary blockages non-invasively. While the accuracy of FFR-CT to correctly differentiate significant blockages from those not needing revascularization is only in the mid-80% range, the fact that a CT scan can be performed quickly, non-invasively, and with relatively low radiation doses, makes this procedure a significant contender to the extremely common nuclear stress test, and a potential game-changer in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. |
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| Patients Are Talking About... |
- I had radial angiography 2 days ago...it was a fascinating experience and was able to watch part of the procedure. I feel fantastic, have no "heart ache" or any problems with my arm.
- I can't afford my post-stenting meds, where can I find help paying for Plavix or Effient?
- I'm 64. After 4 stents and 2 heart attacks since Dec. 2008, I'm as physically active or more so than ever. I plan to hit 4,000 miles on my bike this year. I've hiked/climbed at 13,000 feet.
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| Patients
Are Reading About... |
Radial Hospital Locator
A list of physicians and hospitals offering the transradial (wrist) approach to angiograms, angioplasty and stent procedures. |
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| 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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video clip:
" The 1st Angioplasty" |
ANGIOPLASTY
AT 35: 2012
marked 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 are
performed worldwide each year and angioplasty has become the gold standard for emergency heart attack treament. |
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