December 27, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation At J.P. Morgan Conference To Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the 31st Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. The presentation by Scott Huennekens, president and CEO, will begin at 11 a.m., Pacific Standard Time (2 p.m., Eastern Standard Time). (Read more...)

December 19, 2012
Dr. Oz Features Transradial Angioplasty and Stents
Today, Dr. Oz featured cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, and stents from the wrist on his afternoon TV show. Billed as part of his series, "Dr. Oz's Ultimate Insider's Guide: The Newest Medical Breakthroughs," Mehmet Oz interviewed Dr. Jennifer Tremmel of Stanford and in 10 short minutes exposed 3 million viewers to transradial intervention (TRI). (Read more...)

December 17, 2012
One-Year Results from the Symplicity HTN-2 Randomized Controlled Trial Published in Circulation
One-year results from Symplicity HTN-2, the first randomized clinical trial investigating renal denervation, were published today online before print in Circulation, the Journal of the American Heart Association. These data showed patients who initially received treatment with the Symplicity™ renal denervation system sustained a significant drop in blood pressure compared to baseline at 12 months. (Read more...)

December 12, 2012
New Improved ACCF/AHA Guidelines Task Force: Now with Patients!
The ACCF/AHA Clinical Practice Guideline Methodology Summit Report was just released, after more than a year of work. And at the top of the list of recommendations is the inclusion of a patient representative. You can read all about this in our new patient blog, "The Activated Patient," including comments from Drs. Deepak L. Bhatt and Ralph G. Brindis, who served on the Workgroups for this report. (Read more...)

December 12, 2012
Patient Representative to Vote on Practice Guidelines: One Small Step for a Patient, One Giant Leap for Patientkind?
On Tuesday the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines announced that, for the first time, it will include a patient representative as a full voting member of the Guidelines Task Force. Angioplasty.Org reached out to authors of this recommendation to learn more about the new role of patient representative. (Read more...)

December 10, 2012
Five Crucial Questions to Ask Your Doctor About New Heart Disease Treatments
What might the latest research on new heart disease treatments mean for patients? Recent innovations include a less invasive diagnostic test, technologies that improve stent placement, and more patient-friendly angiography done via the wrist. But not all physicians utilize these emerging approaches, so patients seeking out the best possible treatment for coronary artery disease would benefit from asking their cardiologists some key questions about the newest tests and treatments. (Read more...)

December 7, 2012
Unclogging Blocked Information About Angioplasty From the Wrist
A new article about transradial angioplasty appeared today in the Cleveland Clinic's Heart & Vascular Health Blog. Unfortunately this short article, while supposedly an "advertisement" for wrist angioplasty, continues to promulgate several widely-held myths about the radial approach. (Read more...)

December 6, 2012
Welcome to The Activated Patient Blog
Our Activated Patient Blog and Twitter feed provide up-to-the minute information for patients making decisions about heart disease treatment, and seeking to control their disease, maximize their health, and live active, engaged lives. This blog is a companion to the many in-depth articles and tools for patients and their families posted in the Angioplasty.Org Patient Center. (Read more...)

December 6, 2012
The Activated Patient Blog Launches
Our newest patient education tool "The Activated Patient Blog", hosted by Deborah Shaw, our patient education editor, launches today (see news above). We hope that physicians will refer patients here for frank discussion on topics like understanding data, using decision aids to help clarify questions and preferences, gaining communications skills, and insights about motivation and disease self-management. (Read more...)

December 5, 2012
New Guidelines for Stable Heart Disease: Emphasis on Patient Involvement, "Holistic" Approach
The first major revision in a decade of the guidelines for patients with stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD) will be published later this month, but the 100+ page document is now available online. Seven major medical societies have issued this consensus document, detailing the evidence and key issues involved in the diagnosis, risk assessment, treatment and follow up of known or suspected SIHD plus a wide variety of additional topics -- but throughout the recommendations, guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is the cornerstone of treatment for most patients, and patient involvement in that therapy is critical. (Read more...)

December 5, 2012
Volcano Corporation Prices Offering Of $400 Million 1.75% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2017
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today announced the pricing of its public offering of $400 million aggregate principal amount of 1.75% convertible senior notes due December 1, 2017 registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Prior to August 7, 2017, the notes will be convertible only upon certain circumstances and during certain periods. (Read more...)

December 3, 2012
Volcano Corporation To Offer $350 Million Convertible Senior Notes Due 2017
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today announced its intention to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $350 million principal amount of convertible senior notes due December 1, 2017 in an offering registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Prior to August 7, 2017, the notes will be convertible only upon certain circumstances and during certain periods. (Read more...)

December 3, 2012
Volcano Corporation Announces Agreement To Acquire Crux Biomedical
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) said today it has signed an agreement to acquire Crux Biomedical, a privately-held company that has developed a highly differentiated inferior vena cava (IVC) filter -- the Crux VCF System -- to treat pulmonary embolisms (PE's). (Read more...)

December 2, 2012
Fractional Flow (Chart) Reserve
Best medical practices for angioplasty and stent placement are a moving target because no sooner than a guideline is published it can be changed by the results of a more recent study. And the SCAI Ad Hoc PCI Consensus Statement posted online just three days ago is no exception. (Read more...)

December 1, 2012
Ad Hoc Angioplasty: A Consensus Update from SCAI
Although there are a number of benefits to performing both the diagnosis and interventional therapy in the same sitting, as in the case of heart attacks, the changing landscape of coronary artery disease treatment and recent concern about the overuse of stenting has prompted SCAI, the professional organization serving the interventional cardiology community, to issue a consensus statement as a guide to when ad hoc PCI should and should not be the default treatment pathway. (Read more...)

December 1, 2012
Ad Hoc Angioplasty: The Patient Is On The Table
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Something that is "on the table" is defined as an item that is "up for discussion." And this week The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) issued a consensus statement about the proper use of "ad hoc PCI" — and the patient was definitely on the table, up for discussion, part of the conversation. (Read more...)

November 27, 2012
Stents, Trials and Studies: What's in a Word?
Today the editors of the HEART Group Journals issued a "Statement on Matching Language to the Type of Evidence Used in Describing Outcomes Data." Although the title of the article may be a bit yawn-inducing, the editors deserve a kudo or two for attempting to clarify reporting on medical issues. (Read more...)

November 23, 2012
Volcano Corporation Signs Agreement to Acquire Sync-Rx Ltd.
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sync-Rx Ltd., a privately-held company based in Israel that develops advanced software applications that optimize and facilitate transcatheter cardiovascular interventions using automated online image processing. It is anticipated the transaction will close within the next 30 days. (Read more...)

November 19, 2012
Medtronic's Endurant AAA Stent Graft Delivers Durable Outcomes for Abdominal Aortic Aneursym Repair
The Endurant, used in almost 50% of all endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs worldwide, continues to show robust results in mid-term follow-up, according to two-year clinical data presented at VEITHsymposium, which concluded yesterday in New York. (Read more...)

November 16, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation At Piper Jaffray Conference To Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the 24th Annual Piper Jaffray Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, November 27. The presentation by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer, will begin at 8:30 a.m., Eastern Standard Time (5:30 a.m., Pacific Standard Time). (Read more...)

November 15, 2012
FDA Approves Cook's Zilver PTX: the First Drug-Eluting Stent to Treat Peripheral Arterial Disease
Today the FDA approved the Zilver® PTX® Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent, the first drug-eluting stent indicated to re-open a particular artery in the thigh (femoropopliteal artery) when narrowed or blocked as a result of peripheral artery disease (PAD). The okay comes more than a year after the FDA Advisory Committee unanimously recommended approval of the device. (Read more...)

November 15, 2012
Angioplasty: From the Legs to the Heart and Back to the Legs
What was some of the big news at this year's TCT meeting? The use of catheter-based procedures in the peripheral vessels: the legs, the kidneys. Some of the major newsworthy device stories were concerned with drug-eluting balloons and stents and new atherectomy devices for opening the leg arteries, not to mention renal denervation procedures in the kidneys to lower refractory high blood pressure. But the main thought here is that a simple idea which started very modestly half-a-century ago to treat peripheral disease in the legs, took a journey to the heart, and is now being studied intensely again to solve the problem of critical limb ischemia. (Read more...)

November 14, 2012
Largest Prospective Study Shows IVUS-Guided Stent Placement Improves Patient Outcomes with Current Generation of Stents
Results from 3,349 patients, the largest study of its kind, show that stent procedures guided by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) resulted in better patient outcomes and fewer complications at 30 days and 12 months compared to procedures without IVUS, and were safe. (Read more...)

November 14, 2012
Today is World Diabetes Day!
World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. Many studies have shown a link between diabetes and coronary artery disease: approximately one-third of patients who present in cardiac catheterization laboratories for coronary artery disease also have diabetes, which creates myriad challenges that can adversely affect clinical outcomes. (Read more...)

November 13, 2012
FDA Approves Medtronic Stent Graft For Aortic Transection Repair
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company's Valiant® Captivia® stent graft system for the endovascular repair of isolated lesions (excluding dissections) of the descending segment of the thoracic aorta. This expanded indication includes the treatment of transections, commonly known as blunt traumatic aortic injuries. (Read more...)

November 6, 2012
A Stent By Any Other Name Now Has Other Names!
The ACC Appropriateness Use Criteria Working Group has just approved changes in terminology. PCIs will no longer be categorized as "uncertain" or "inappropriate." (Read more...)

November 3, 2012
Notes from the Bunker: Sandy Follows Me from the TCT in Miami to Home in New York
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Soon the winds came and, as trees came crashing down — not palm fronds as in Miami Beach, but big oak trees — power went out, internet went out. But the tides did not go out. (Read more...)

October 30, 2012
The Question of Angioplasty in the Elderly
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Imagine you are an 85-year-old suffering from severe angina. Your daily activity is being diminished. Your concern isn't so much whether angioplasty will improve mortality (you are already well past the "average" life span); your major concern is that you want to live each day that you have to the fullest. (Read more...)

October 30, 2012
Bare Metal or Drug-Eluting Stents in Octogenarians? Results from the XIMA Trial
The one-year results of the XIMA trial of patients 80 years of age or older were presented by Dr. de Belder at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics late-breaking trials session on October 26. The primary composite endpoint (comprising death, major bleeding, MI, TVR, and CVA) showed no statistically significant difference between the use drug-eluting (14.5%) or bare metal stents (18.7%) in this seldom studiend patient population. (Read more...)

October 25, 2012
Volcano Corporation Schedules Third Quarter Conference Call, Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today announced it will report its operating results for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 on Tuesday, November 6. The company will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results and operating activities open to all interested parties at 2 p.m., Pacific Standard Time (5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time), Tuesday, November 6. (Read more...)

October 25, 2012
Volcano Announces Previous St. Jude Medical Products Infringe Volcano Patent and Jury Verdicts in Patent Trials with St. Jude Medical
Volcano Corporation announced today that St. Jude Medical agreed that previous versions of its PressureWire® products infringed Volcano's 6,976,965 patent (a pressure sensing guide wire patent). In addition, a jury in the federal district court in Delaware has issued a verdict in St. Jude Medical's favor in the Company's ongoing patent lawsuit with St. Jude Medical, finding that St. Jude Medical's PressureWire® products do not infringe three of Volcano's patents. (Read more...)

October 24, 2012
Medtronic Engages Cardiologists In 'World Diabetes Day'
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) is promoting its long-standing partnership with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) through a new initiative surrounding "World Diabetes Day" on Nov. 14 that aims to engage interventional cardiologists worldwide in raising awareness of the connection between diabetes and coronary artery disease. (Read more...)

October 23, 2012
Volcano Announces Global Launch of PrimeWire Prestige® PLUS Pressure Guide Wire with AcuSense™ Technology
Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) today announced the global launch of the PrimeWire Prestige® PLUS pressure guide wire with AcuSense™ technology, which allows for more precise measurements when distal pressure is monitored for longer periods of time. (Read more...)

October 23, 2012
Medtronic Stent Successfully Treats Long Lesions And Small Vessels, Two Characteristics Typical Of Patients With Diabetes, In Multiple Studies
For the treatment of long lesions and small vessels –– two challenging characteristics of coronary artery disease commonly found in patients with diabetes –– the Resolute drug-eluting stent from Medtronic, Inc.(NYSE: MDT) delivered successful clinical results, according to new data presented at the 24th Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. (Read more...)

October 22, 2012
Analysis Of Medtronic Stent Finds Early Cessation Of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Caused No Increased Risk Of Blood Clots To One Year
Interrupting dual antiplatelet therapy after 30 days following the implantation of a Resolute drug-eluting stent from Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) caused no increase in rates of stent thrombosis at one year, according to a new analysis of the global RESOLUTE clinical program presented today at the 24th Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. (Read more...)

October 22, 2012
Two-Year Follow-Up Of Symplicity Htn-1 Data Confirms Significant And Sustained Blood Pressure Reduction In Expanded Cohort Of Patients
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced new results from Symplicity HTN-1, the longest running clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of renal denervation. These data showed patients who received renal denervation treatment with the Symplicity™ system experienced a mean blood pressure reduction of -29/-14 mm Hg [p<0.01] at 24 months (n=105). (Read more...)

October 22, 2012
New Study Results Show High Survival Rates And Improved Quality Of Life For Patients With Medtronic Corevalve® System
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced new findings from the Medtronic CoreValve ADVANCE Study for 1-year survival and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at the TCT 2012 meeting in Miami. Initial 1-year results of the ADVANCE Study revealed that patients experienced high survival rates, with 1-year survival at 82.1% and 1-year cardiovascular survival at 88.2%. (Read more...)

October 19, 2012
Volcano to Highlight New Technologies and Clinical Study Results at TCT 2012
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today announced plans to highlight its functional measurement technologies and clinical study results related to Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) catheters and Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) guide wires, at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference being held in Miami from October 22nd - 26th, 2012. (Read more...)

October 17, 2012
"Annual Report" of Stent Procedures Shows Big Increase in Wrist Angioplasty
Today's report from the ACC CathPCI Registry data has some interesting statistics, among them a significant increase in the transradial approach, in which balloons and stents are directed to the heart via the radial artery in the wrist. (Read more...)

October 17, 2012
Registry Report Provides Snapshot of Interventional Cardiology Data Analyzed From Over 2 Million Procedures
A report from the CathPCI Registry, a data registry that includes information from 85% of the heart catheterization laboratories in the United States, analyzes data from 1.1 million patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization procedures and 941,248 patients who underwent angioplasty and stenting, known as percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI, from Jan. 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011. (Read more...)

October 16, 2012
Infraredx and Philips Announce Collaboration to Develop a New Standard of Catheterization Lab Integration for True Vessel Characterization
The companies today announced they have signed a joint development and collaboration agreement that is focused on integrating Infraredx's true vessel characterization (TVC) Imaging System with Philips' Allura Xper catheterization (cath) lab imaging systems. This collaboration is intended to enable seamless access to the TVC Imaging System with Philips' Allura X-ray systems. (Read more...)

October 16, 2012
Fewer Heart Attack Victims Treated with Angioplasty and Stents in States with Mandatory Public Reporting
A study, appearing in the current Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), looked at almost 100,000 heart attack patients in ten Northeastern states and found that, in those states where public reporting of outcomes was mandatory, 12% fewer angioplasty and stent procedures were performed. This is an significant observation because angioplasty (a.k.a. PCI, or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) is considered the "gold standard" for the treatment of heart attacks. (Read more...)

October 15, 2012
TCT 2012 – Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics in Miami Beach
The Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference (TCT) is the largest U.S. meeting devoted to interventional cardiology (angioplasty, stents, and related procedures) and it starts next week. Organizers are predicting a new attendance record of over 12,000 cardiologists and associated healthcare professionals, as well as members of the device, imaging and pharmaceutical industries, venture capitalists, and press. (Read more...)

October 5, 2012
Medtronic Launches New Angioplasty Catheter for Below-the-Knee Arteries
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced the U.S. and international launches of the Amphirion Plus Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA) Catheter for the interventional treatment of atherosclerotically narrowed or occluded leg arteries below the knee. (Read more...)

October 5, 2012
Medtronic Completes Enrollment in Landmark Study of IN.PACT Drug-Eluting Balloon in Peripheral Artery Disease
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced that patient enrollment in a landmark study of its IN.PACT Amphirion drug-eluting balloon is complete, with initial results expected in 2013. The largest randomized controlled trial of its kind, IN.PACT DEEP is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the IN.PACT Amphirion drug-eluting balloon as a treatment for one of the most severe forms of peripheral artery disease –– critical limb ischemia that occurs below the knee. (Read more...)

October 4, 2012
Patient Alert: How to Get the Best Price on New Generic Plavix (updated Oct 2012)
When we queried the large pharmacy providers five months ago, we were told that after a few months competition would set in and prices should drop significantly. Our survey on October 4, 2012 showed only a very small dip in prices. So much for free market competition! (Read more...)

October 4, 2012
Volcano Announces CE Mark and 510(k) Clearance for New Visions® PV .035 Digital IVUS Catheter
Volcano Corporation said today it has received clearance to market its new Visions® PV .035 Digital IVUS Catheter in both the US and Europe. The new intravascular ultrasound catheter is designed to image large vessels and facilitate the use of less iodinated contrast in endovascular procedures. (Read more...)

October 3, 2012
Medtronic Completes First-In-Man Study for Investigational Next-Generation Multi-Electrode Renal Denervation System in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Hypertension
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced today that it has successfully completed the first phase of the feasibility study of its next-generation renal denervation system featuring a simultaneously firing multi-electrode catheter and advanced radio-frequency (RF) generator. (Read more...)

October 2, 2012
New Data Reinforce Positive Clinical Outcomes for Direct Aortic Implants Using the Medtronic CoreValve® System
New data presented at the PCR London Valves 2012 Meeting confirm that direct aortic implantation of the CoreValve System is a feasible option for patients: The data from 151 patients showed 97 percent procedural success in implants at 15 centers across Europe and Israel. There were no procedural deaths, the overall 30-day mortality rate was 8.6 percent, and the incidence of stroke was 3.9 percent. (Read more...)

October 1, 2012
Medtronic Initiates First Clinical Trial of the Symplicity™ Renal Denervation System for Treatment-Resistant Hypertension in Japan
Medtronic, Inc., (NYSE: MDT), announced today the start of Symplicity HTN-Japan, the first clinical trial with the Symplicity™ renal denervation system in Japan for patients with treatment- resistant hypertension. (Read more...)

September 28, 2012
Medtronic Launches Stent for Diabetics in India; Abbott Launches Absorb "Scaffold"
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: According to reports yesterday by the Mumbai Bureau of Pharmabiz, and confirmed today by MassDevice, Medtronic has launched its Resolute Integrity Drug-Eluting Stent (DES) in India for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). The Resolute Integrity is the only stent approved by the FDA for use in diabetics, based on a large cohort of diabetic patients in the Resolute clinical program. (Read more...)

September 28, 2012
Abbott Launches Disappearing Stent: the Absorb™ Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) this week announced the international launch of Absorb™, the world's first drug-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS). The device will now be available across Europe and parts of Asia Pacific and Latin America. Abbott received the CE Mark approval for Absorb back in January 2011, but the disappearing stent, or "scaffold" as the company calls it, was not widely distributed until now. (Read more...)

September 26, 2012
NEJM: Obama and Romney on the Future of Health Care
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Published "online first" today in the New England Journal of Medicine are two articles, authored by the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, describing their health care platforms and their visions for the future of American health care. (Read more...)

September 26, 2012
Medtronic Gains CE Mark for CoreValve® Evolut™ 23mm Transcatheter Aortic Valve
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced it has received CE (Conformité Européenne) Mark for its Medtronic CoreValve® Evolut™ 23mm valve, its latest self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system. The new valve incorporates technology that optimizes fit, thereby promoting sealing between the prosthetic valve and the native valve (TruFit™ Technology). (Read more...)

September 21, 2012
Medtronic Commits $6 Million to Address Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes Care for Underserved in India
Medtronic today announced a five-year, $6 million (U.S.) philanthropic commitment in India to accelerate programs specifically designed to expand access to quality care and management of diabetes and heart disease, two of the world's leading killers. (Read more...)

September 18, 2012
An Informed Patient is a Healthier Patient
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Findings in a report issued last week by the Blue Shield of California Foundation demonstrate that an informed patient is an empowered patient: one who feels more comfortable asking questions of one's healthcare provider, and making decisions about one's own healthcare. (Read more...)

September 16, 2012
35th Anniversary of Coronary Angioplasty
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: This week is the 35th anniversary of the first percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) which was performed in 1977 by Dr. Andreas R. Gruentzig in Zurich, Switzerland. This angioplasty procedure utilized an expandable balloon, fashioned on a kitchen table in Gruentzig's apartment by Gruentzig's assistant, Maria Schlumpf. See the video of the first PTCA, as told by the people involved, including Adolph Bachmann, the first patient, excerpted from the full-length documentary, "PTCA: A History." (Read more...)

September 15, 2012
Jerry "The King" Lawler Has Heart Attack (on the air) and Stents (not on the air)
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Jerry "The King' Lawler, semi-retired professional wrestler, holder of 168 championships (reportedly) and commentator for WWE's "Monday Night Raw" collapsed on September 10, during a live broadcast in Montreal, Canada. 62-year-old Lawler was having a heart attack. (Read more...)

September 15, 2012
Patient Alert: Don't Take NSAIDs After a Heart Attack
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: A study from Denmark of almost 100,000 patients over a 12-year period has concluded that the use of NSAIDs is associated with persistently increased coronary risk regardless of time elapsed after first-time MI. We advise long-term caution in using NSAIDs for patients after MI. (Read more...)

September 15, 2012
Results of the ADVISE Registry Published
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: A new method for the functional measurement of intracoronary pressures and the severity of blockages has been developed by researchers at Imperial College in London. Called Instant Wave-Free Ratio™ (iFR) it does not require injection of a vasodilator drug, such as adenosine. The comprehensive results of the ADVISE Registry (ADenosine Vasodilator Independent Stenosis Evaluation) were recently presented at EuroPCR by Dr. Justin E. Davies in May and have now been published online ahead of print in EuroIntervention. (Read more...)

September 14, 2012
The Stent Blog Has a New Look
Hard to believe it, but I started this blog eight years ago! Ouch! So it's certainly ripe (more like over-ripe) for a bit of a change — you know, we need to re-invent things at least once a decade…. So here it is. (Read more...)

September 14, 2012
Fall Preview Lineup for Training in Transradial (Wrist) Angioplasty
The adoption of transradial intervention (TRI), placing a stent in the heart artery from the wrist, has been growing steadily in the United States. Due to the increasing number of training courses that have become available, more and more U.S. interventional cardiologists are being introduced to the procedure and are gaining the necessary knowledge and skills to begin using it. Here's a quick overview of a variety of courses, seminars and symposia being offered in the U.S. over the next few months. (Read more...)

September 12, 2012
Health-Economic Analysis Suggests Medtronic Symplicity™ Renal Denervation System Is Cost-Effective and May Reduce Cardiovascular Event Risks for Patients with Treatment-Resistant Hypertension
The Markov model used for this analysis estimated the discounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of renal denervation with the Symplicity system in U.S. dollars per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) was $3,071 – well below the recognized threshold of $50,000/QALY. The Symplicity system is available in the United States for investigational use only. The model also projected that, over 10 years, renal denervation plus Standard of Care (SoC), treatment with three or more anti-hypertensive medications, could reduce cardiovascular mortality by 30 percent and all-cause mortality by 15 percent compared to SoC alone. (Read more...)

August 29, 2012
Medtronic Completes High Risk Patient Enrollment in CoreValve® U.S. Pivotal Trial and Gains FDA Approval to Study Intermediate Risk Patients in Global SURTAVI Trial
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) has reached two clinical program milestones for its CoreValve® System in the United States. First, it completed enrollment in its study of high risk patients in its CoreValve® U.S. Pivotal Trial, which concludes the total Trial enrollment of more than 1,500 patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high or extreme risk for aortic valve surgery. In addition, Medtronic received FDA conditional approval to begin evaluating the CoreValve System in patients at intermediate risk for open-heart aortic valve replacement as part of the Medtronic CoreValve Surgical Replacement and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (SURTAVI) Trial. (Read more...)

August 29, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation At Stifel Nicolaus Conference To Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the Stifel Nicolaus 2012 Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, September 5. The presentation by John Dahldorf, chief financial officer, will begin at 9:10 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (6:10 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time). (Read more...)

August 29, 2012
Medtronic and Volcano Pen Strategic Alliance to Offer Cardiac Cath Labs Stents, Balloons, Guide Wires, IVUS, FFR and More
This alliance means that hospital systems can now be supplied via a single contract not only the fastest-growing drug-eluting stent in the U.S. (and best-selling DES worldwide), the Resolute Integrity, but also the market-leading intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) system to help place that stent accurately, as well as the fractional flow reserve (FFR) tools to help decide if stenting is the best treatment for the patient, as the FAME and FAME 2 trials have shown. (Read more...)

August 28, 2012
New England Journal of Medicine Publishes FAME II Trial Results Revealing Better Patient Outcomes with FFR-Guided Cardiac Stenting
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) today announced results of the FAME II Trial demonstrating that patients with FFR-guided stenting plus the best available medical therapy had superior outcomes to those treated with medical therapy alone. Results published online in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented at the ESC Congress 2012 revealed that use of the PressureWire(tm) (technology used to measure blood flow restriction in the coronary arteries) yielded an 86 percent relative risk reduction for unplanned re-admission to the hospital with urgent revascularization in patients with stable coronary artery disease. (Read more...)

August 28, 2012
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Statement on FAME 2
The FAME 2 trial will improve treatment strategies for patients with stable ischemic heart disease. FAME 2 indicates that angioplasty and stenting (also known as percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI) plus the best available medications results in better outcomes than medications alone for patients who have significant blockages in their heart arteries, as measured by a test known as Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR). (Read more...)

August 28, 2012
FAME 2 Published in the New England Journal of Medicine; Volcano participates in the $84M NIH-Sponsored ISCHEMIA Trial
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today celebrated the publication of the results of the FAME 2 trial in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Volcano also announced participation in the next major international functionally-guided study—ISCHEMIA that will include the newest PrimeWire® PRESTIGE PLUS Pressure Guidewires. (Read more...)

August 28, 2012
Medtronic Launches Resolute Integrity Coronary Stent System in Japan
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced today the launch of the Resolute Integrity™ Coronary Stent System in Japan, the world's second largest market for medical devices. (Read more...)

August 27, 2012
Drug-Eluting Stents Are Safe
Three year results from the largest randomized clinical trial of drug-eluting stents ever conducted, and the only trial sufficiently powered to measure stent thrombosis, show low rates of blood clots occurring inside drug-eluting stents implanted in "real-world" patients. What makes this study important is the very large number of patients: over 8,700 at 196 centers in 36 countries across five continents. (Read more...)

August 27, 2012
Medtronic Study Confirms Long-Term Safety of Drug-Eluting Coronary Stents
Results of a landmark clinical trial, PROTECT, presented for the first time today at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, confirm the long-term safety of drug-eluting stents in the treatment of coronary artery disease in real-world clinical practice. (Read more...)

August 14, 2012
Happy 20th Anniversary to TransRadial Intervention (TRI)
The first transradial interventional procedure was done on August 14, 1992 by Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij in The Netherlands -- it was exactly twenty years ago today when Dr. Kiemeneij taught the band to play! (Read more...)

August 7, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation At Canaccord Genuity Conference To Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the Canaccord Genuity 32nd Annual Growth Conference on Tuesday, August 14. The presentation by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer, will begin at 10:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (7:30 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time). (Read more...)

August 2, 2012
Volcano Corporation Reports 13% Growth In Second Quarter Revenues
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today said revenues for the second quarter of 2012 increased 13 percent over second quarter revenues a year ago. Moreover the revenue from fractional flow reserve disposables increases 38%, demonstrating tremendous growth in a technology that is being increasingly adopted by hospital systems. (Read more...)

July 24, 2012
Dr. Gary Roubin Named Director of Cardiovascular Services at Continuum Health Partners in New York
World-renowned interventional cardiologist and stent pioneer Gary Roubin, MD, PhD, FSCAI will be joining Continuum Health Partners in New York City as of August 1 in a newly created role: Director of the Cardiovascular Service Line. Continuum Health Partners currently includes Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke's Hospital, Roosevelt Hospital and The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary. In his new position, Dr. Roubin will lead all components of the Continuum hospitals' cardiac service divisions. (Read more...)

July 23, 2012
Volcano Corporation Schedules Second Quarter Conference Call, Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today announced it will report its operating results for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 on Thursday, August 2. The company will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results and operating activities open to all interested parties at 2 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (5 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time), Thursday, August 2, hosted by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer, and John Dahldorf, chief financial officer. (Read more...)

July 18, 2012
Medtronic Begins Global Clinical Trial Evaluating CoreValve® System Implantation in Intermediate-Risk Patients
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced the first patient enrollment in a global, multicenter, randomized clinical trial comparing the Medtronic CoreValve® System with surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at intermediate risk to undergo open-heart surgery. The trial, called Medtronic CoreValve Surgical Replacement and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (SURTAVI) Trial, will evaluate the potential for the minimally-invasive CoreValve System to be considered for less-sick patients who typically are treated with open-heart surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) today. (Read more...)

July 8, 2012
Cost Effectiveness of Wrist Angioplasty from Japan
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: A video was sent to me from Japan by Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij showing the real-time cath lab turnaround between two patients, being done via the transradial approach. It took less than 5 minutes from the time the catheter was removed from patient #1 until a needle was inserted in patient #2. The patients were able to get on and off the cath lab table by themselves. Watch it. (Read more...)

July 8, 2012
Transradial Wrist Angioplasty Saves Money and Lowers Complications Over Groin Access
According to a new cost-benefit analysis of diagnostic angiography, angioplasty and stenting, the use of the radial artery in the wrist instead of the femoral artery in the groin for catheter access results in less vascular complications for patients and significant cost-savings for the healthcare system. (Read more...)

June 22, 2012
Transradial Angioplasty Masters Training Course from Duke Clinical Research Institute and SCAI
On October 11-12, 2012, the Duke Clinical Research Institute, in conjunction with the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), will present the "2nd Annual Duke Masters Course in Transradial Intervention", continuing its commitment to providing an advanced level of training in this new and growing technique to be offered in the United States. According to the organizers, the Duke course is one of the only advanced Masters' level transradial courses offered in the U.S. (Read more...)

June 21, 2012
Medtronic Stent Graft Chosen by U.S. FDA for Innovative Program
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently selected a stent graft being developed by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) for an early feasibility pilot program that allows for "early clinical evaluation to provide proof of principle and initial clinical safety data." (Read more...)

June 20, 2012
Thomas Fogarty on the Process of Innovation and Angioplasty Pioneer Charles Dotter
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Few people in the field of medical devices are as qualified to talk about innovation as is Dr. Thomas Fogarty. So, as we are on the verge of a new age in medicine, incorporating SmartPhones, mobile technology and individualized medicine, courtesy of genomics, it is worthwhile remembering what "change" in this field entails. (Read more...)

June 13, 2012
Statement on Today's FDA Transcatheter Heart Valve Hearings from American College of Cardiology and Society of Thoracic Surgeons
ACC President William Zoghbi, MD, FACC stated, "The use of registries in post-approval surveillance is valuable for tracking long-term outcomes and quality of life issues for patients. The TVT Registry, sponsored by the ACC and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, continues to grow and to become an important tool for capturing and reporting patient demographics, procedure details, and facility and physician information. (Read more...)

June 12, 2012
Stent Decision-Making Using Functional Measurement: Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) and Instant Wave-Free Ratio™ (iFR®) - What's in a Number?
Preliminary data, presented at this year's EuroPCR meeting, show increasingly that functional measurement is a critical part of the therapeutic decision-making process for cardiologists: whether to stent a blocked coronary artery or instead triage a patient to medical therapy alone. The first results from the FAME II Study were made available and a new tool for functional measurement was discussed: the technology of Instant Wave-Free Ratio™ (iFR®) which allows measurements similar to FFR but does not need to use adenosine. (Read more...)

June 12, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation at Wells Fargo Conference to be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the Wells Fargo Securities 2012 Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, June 19. The presentation by John Dahldorf, chief financial officer, will begin at 9:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (6:30 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time). (Read more...)

June 10, 2012
Can Using IVUS (Intravascular Ultrasound) Prevent Stent Thrombosis?
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: A recent paper, published online before print in SCAI's journal, Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, yet again adds to the evidence that intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging during PCI can improve stent placement and expansion in a way that may prevent stent thrombosis (ST). (Read more...)

June 7, 2012
Lasorda Released from Hospital
Tommy Lasorda, who at the age of 84 had a heart attack and was treated with angioplasty and a sten, was released today from the hospital, less than 72 hours later. (Read more...)

June 6, 2012
What We Can Learn from Tommy Lasorda's "Mild" Heart Attack
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Before he was Hall of Fame manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda was a scout and coach for the team. And part of his duties was to teach the rookies. So, in that tradition, there is a lesson in Tommy's latest health scare: if you think you may be having a heart attack, get to the hospital ASAP, preferably a hospital that performs emergency angioplasty. (Read more...)

June 6, 2012
Medtronic Launches Endurant® II AAA Stent Graft System in U.S.
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced today the U.S. launch of the Endurant® II AAA Stent Graft System, which recently received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the minimally invasive treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms through endovascular repair (EVAR), an alternative to major surgery. (Read more...)

June 4, 2012
Boston Scientific Receives FDA Approval for 32 MM and 38 MM Lengths for PROMUS Element™ Plus Platinum Chromium Stent System
The PROMUS Element Plus Stent System is now available in a matrix of 94 sizes, ranging in diameter from 2.25 mm to 4.00 mm and lengths of 8 mm to 38 mm on both Monorail® and Over-the-Wire catheter platforms. (Read more...)

June 1, 2012
Patient Alert: Proof That Having a Stent Placed Using Fractional Flow Reserve is Better for You!
In January 2012 a major trial called FAME II was stopped after only two-thirds of patients were enrolled -- because the data showed clearly that results for stable angina patients, whose stents were placed using this latest guidance technology, were so superior that regulators determined it was "unethical" to assign patients to the group getting drug treatment only, without stenting! (Read more...)

May 31, 2012
Analysis of Medtronic's Resolute Stent Shows Safety with Only Six Months of Antiplatelet Therapy
An analysis of the RESOLUTE US trial, with additional data from the pooled Resolute global clinical program, concluded that there was no sign that patients who stopped taking clopidogrel/ticlopidine and aspirin at six months had any increased risk of clinical safety events or stent thrombosis, when compared to patients who continued on the drugs for 12 and 24 months. (Read more...)

May 30, 2012
Patient Alert: How to Get the Best Price on New Generic Plavix
A survey by Angioplasty.Org shows prices range from 35¢ to $6 per pill. Are you paying too much for your antiplatelet medication? (Read more...)

May 25, 2012
Medtronic Resolute® Stent Shows Strong Performance in Heart Disease Patients With and Without Diabetes
According to study results to be featured in Sunday's late-breaking clinical trials session at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 21st Annual Scientific and Clinical Congress in Philadelphia, the Resolute® drug-eluting stent (DES) from Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) yields strong performance in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients both with and without diabetes through two years of follow-up. (Read more...)

May 24, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation At Jefferies Conference To Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC), a leading developer and manufacturer of precision guided therapy tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, said today that it will be participating in the Jefferies 2012 Global Healthcare Conference on Monday, June 4. The presentation by John Dahldorf, chief financial officer, will begin at 8 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (5 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time). (Read more...)

May 21, 2012
Volcano's Proprietary iFR® Functionality Demonstrates Excellent Results in Presentations at EuroPCR 2012
Three datasets were presented for the first time at EuroPCR that expand the clinical data supporting Volcano's proprietary Instant Wave-Free Ratio™ Functionality (iFR® Functionality). The goal of iFR® Functionality is to provide a functional, lesion-specific assessment in seconds, without injecting a vasodilator drug to induce stress on the heart. (Read more...)

May 17, 2012
Women Undergoing TAVI Using the Medtronic CoreValve® System Have Similar Survival Benefit as Men
The gender analysis, a secondary-endpoint evaluation in the real-world CoreValve ADVANCE Study, found that survival rates were nearly identical between genders, with no statistical differences in 30-day and 6-month all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality or the 30-day MACCE endpoint. However, female patients experienced a statistically higher rate of strokes (4.4 percent vs. 1.4 percent; p-value <0.01), major vascular complications (14.1 percent vs. 7.1 percent; p-value <0.01) and major bleeding (5.0 percent vs. 3.1 percent; p-value <0.01). (Read more...)

May 16, 2012
Medtronic IN.PACT Drug-Eluting Balloon Studies Show Significant Benefit of Novel Medical Device in Treating Narrowed Arteries
Adding to the growing body of evidence on a novel interventional cardiovascular device, physicians presented today at EuroPCR 2012 the results of two multicenter, randomized controlled trials, the BELLO and PACIFIER studies, each one showing statistically significant advantages of using an IN.PACT drug-eluting balloon from Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) over corresponding conventional treatments for coronary and peripheral artery disease: uncoated balloons and drug-eluting stents. (Read more...)

May 15, 2012
Abbott's XIENCE PRIME™ and XIENCE V® Drug Eluting Stents Receive Indication in Europe for Minimum 3-Month Duration of Dual Anti-Platelet Therapy
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced that the XIENCE PRIME™ and the XIENCE V® Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent Systems have received CE Mark in Europe for the use of dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT) for at least three months after stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease. This is the shortest duration of DAPT for any major drug eluting stent (DES) in Europe. (Read more...)

May 15, 2012
FAME II: Should Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) Be Mandatory?
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Earlier today, the opening day of EuroPCR, Dr. Bernard De Bruyne presented preliminary results from the FAME II trial which tested the diagnostic power of Fractional Flow Reserve to guide PCI (stenting) of the coronary arteries. He concluded in his remarks: "Whether a patient needs PCI, or is better off with medical treatment, the data thus far reveal that treatments based on FFR guidance provide superior outcomes." (Read more...)

May 15, 2012
FAME II Trial Demonstrates FFR-Guided PCI Superior to Medical Treatment in Preliminary Findings
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device company, today announced that data from the FAME II trial demonstrated a significant difference in the need for urgent revascularization when Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)-guided assessment was used to direct treatment in patients with stable coronary artery disease. These highly statistically significant results validate the profound role that FFR-guided therapy has in improving patient outcomes. (Read more...)

May 15, 2012
Medtronic Nets New Indications for Resolute Integrity Drug-Eluting Stent in Europe
The Resolute Integrity DES is now explicitly indicated in countries outside the United States that accept the CE mark for the following patient and lesion types: acute coronary syndromes, acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina; diabetes mellitus; bifurcations; multi-vessel disease; total occlusions and chronic total occlusions; and in-stent restenosis. All but the indications for diabetes and multi-vessel disease are new. (Read more...)

May 15, 2012
An American Cardiologist in Paris: Be Careful in the Shower
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Today EuroPCR 2012 begins. More than 12,000 cardiologists descend on the Palais des Congrès in Paris to present and learn about stents, angioplasty, fractional flow reserve, etc. Just be careful in the shower. Especially if you're traveling with your wife! (Read more...)

May 14, 2012
Fractional Flow Reserve and Intravascular Imaging on Stage at EuroPCR
Starting tomorrow, the largest European meeting of interventional cardiologists begins in Paris, and for four days, physicians will be watching demonstrations, live cases and lectures about a wide range of technologies and techniques -- and Intravascular Imaging and Guidance will be a topic on many physician's minds, as more and more data is presented, demonstrating how these imaging modalities can make percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) better. (Read more...)

May 14, 2012
Volcano to Highlight its Leadership in Precision Guided Therapy at EuroPCR 2012
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today announced its plans to highlight its extensive product portfolio, strong product pipeline, and presentations on Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) and Instant Wave-Free Ratio™ Functionality (iFR™) at EuroPCR 2012, a major cardiology meeting being held in Paris from May 15-18. (Read more...)

May 14, 2012
St. Jude Medical Continues Strong Show of PCI Optimization Technologies at EuroPCR
St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced it will display a number of technologies from the company's wide array of clinical solutions and launch its next-generation PressureWire™ Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) assessment guidewire at EuroPCR 2012. (Read more...)

May 9, 2012
Risk Score Devised for Carotid Stents
Dr. Beau Hawkins, an interventional cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, has devised a risk assessment tool, using patient outcomes and characteristics found in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) CARE Registry. This tool can be utilized in the office without the need for a complex and expensive invasive angiographic test. (Read more...)

May 8, 2012
Medtronic Expands Availability of Valiant® Captivia® Stent Graft in Major Global Markets
Increasing patient access to endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms worldwide, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) is expanding availability of the Valiant® Captivia® Thoracic Stent Graft System in several countries, including China, Japan and the United States. (Read more...)

May 7, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation At JMP Securities Conference To Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the 11th Annual JMP Securities Research Conference on Monday, May 14. The presentation by John Dahldorf, chief financial officer, will begin at 10:30 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time (1:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time). (Read more...)

May 5, 2012
Attention Stent Patients: Plavix Going Generic!
On May 17, less than two weeks from now, U.S. patent protection will end for Plavix (clopidogrel), the best-selling antiplatelet drug made by Bristol-Myers Squibb / Sanofi-Aventis. This is certainly good news for stent patients throughout the U.S. (clopidogrel has already gone generic in Canada and other countries). (Read more...)

May 3, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation At Deutsche Bank Conference To Be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the Deutsche Bank 37th Annual Health Care Conference on Tuesday, May 8. The presentation by John Dahldorf, chief financial officer, will begin at 4:10 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time (1:10 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time). (Read more...)

May 2, 2012
Spring Training for Transradial (Wrist) Angioplasty
Place a stent in the heart from the wrist? Sounds crazy, but actually it's the way angioplasty and stenting is done around the world...except in the U.S. But that has been rapidly changing, because of training courses in the transradial approach, like several that are happening this month. (Read more...)

May 2, 2012
Volcano Corporation Reports 12% Increase in 1st Quarter Revenues
For the quarter ended March 31, 2012, Volcano reported revenues of $90.4 million versus revenues of $81.0 million in the first quarter a year ago. Year-over-year medical segment revenues increased 15 percent in the first quarter of 2012. (Read more...)

May 1, 2012
Q&A with Dr. Jennifer Tremmel of Stanford
The Stanford School of Medicine blog "SCOPE" is featuring an "Ask the Doctor About Women's Heart Health" article. The doctor is Jennifer Tremmel, MD, Clinical Director of Women's Heart Health at Stanford Clinic, and Dr. Tremmel is no stranger to us here at Angioplasty.Org. (Read more...)

April 27, 2012
Trial of Medtronic Symplicity™ Renal Denervation System Shows Significant Blood Pressure Reduction, With No Evidence of Renal Impairment, at Six Months Post Treatment
Data presented today at the European Society of Hypertension annual meeting showed patients (n=84) who received renal denervation treatment with Symplicity experienced a mean blood pressure reduction of -28/-10 mm Hg (p<0.001) at six months following treatment compared with baseline. No evidence of renal impairment was observed and renal function measures remained unchanged. (Read more...)

April 23, 2012
Abbott and St. Jude Medical Broaden Alliance for Cardiovascular Products in the United States
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and St. Jude Medical (NYSE: STJ) today announced Choice Alliance, a multi-year joint initiative that provides mutual U.S. customers access to a robust portfolio of interventional cardiology, cardiac rhythm management, electrophysiology and intravascular imaging and diagnostic technologies. (Read more...)

April 23, 2012
Volcano Corporation Schedules First Quarter Conference Call, Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC), a leading developer and manufacturer of precision guided therapy tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, today announced it will report its operating results for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 on Wednesday, May 2. The company will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results and operating activities open to all interested parties at 2 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time, (5 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time), Wednesday, May 2. (Read more...)

April 17, 2012
Medtronic Announces Global Drug-Eluting Balloon (DEB) Study
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced its plans for the imminent start of the IN.PACT Global SFA clinical study, an international research program to evaluate the treatment of peripheral artery disease using the company's IN.PACT Admiral™ drug-eluting balloon. The purpose of this prospective, multicenter study is to collect and assess safety and efficacy data on the IN.PACT balloon for the treatment of atherosclerotic disease in the superficial femoral (SFA) and/or popliteal arteries. This study calls for enrolling up to 1,500 "real world" patients at up to 80 sites in numerous countries and will allow lesions of any length. (Read more...)

April 14, 2012
20th Anniversary of Transradial Angioplasty
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Today Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij, the "father of transradial intervention", notified us that this year is the 20th anniversary of the first transradial intervention: angioplasty done through the radial artery in the wrist. It was in 1992 in Amsterdam that Dr. Kiemeneij's group first began exploring ways to use the radial artery for interventional procedures, such as delivering balloons and stents. (Read more...)

April 13, 2012
Medtronic Initiates Landmark U.S. Drug-Eluting Balloon (DEB) Study
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced today the start of the Medtronic IN.PACT SFA II study, the company's first U.S. clinical trial for its line of IN.PACT drug-eluting balloons. The first patients in this landmark study were treated this week by Dr. Ash Jain at Washington Hospital in Fremont, Calif., and Dr. Brian Bigelow at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis; Dr. Monica Hunter at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati is planning to treat a patient in the study as early as next week. (Read more...)

April 9, 2012
Jack Lewin Resigns as CEO of American College of Cardiology (ACC)
On Friday, Dr. Jack Lewin resigned as Chief Executive Officer of the 35,000 member American College of Cardiology (ACC) -- a position he has held since 2006. In a brief statement issued in the past hour, the ACC says, "Lewin is leaving to pursue other opportunities and challenges. The college wishes Dr. Lewin well in his future endeavors and thanks him for his service and contributions to the college. (Read more...)

April 4, 2012
The American College of Cardiology Releases List of Commonly Used – But Not Always Necessary – Tests or Procedures
The American College of Cardiology today released a list of "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question" in cardiology as part of Choosing Wisely, an initiative of the ABIM Foundation. The list identifies five targeted, evidence-based recommendations that can support physicians in working with their patients to make wise choices about their care. (Read more...)

March 25, 2012
Medtronic Symplicity™ Renal Denervation System Demonstrates Significant and Sustained Blood Pressure Reduction Out to Three Years
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced that the Symplicity™ renal denervation system provides safe, significant and sustained blood pressure reduction up to three years in patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, according to data from two clinical trials presented at the 2012 American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting. Results from the SYMPLICITY HTN-1 trial showed sustained safety and effectiveness of renal denervation with the Symplicity system up to three years, and results from the SYMPLICITY HTN-2 trial showed safe, sustained and significant blood pressure reduction one year following the procedure. (Read more...)

March 24, 2012
Data Presented at ACC Reinforce Positive Clinical Outcomes for Patients Receiving Medtronic's CoreValve® System
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced results from its largest international, prospective, single-arm clinical trial evaluating the Medtronic CoreValve® System in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high-risk for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). These data, presented at The American College of Cardiology's (ACC's) 61st Annual Scientific Session and Expo in Chicago, showed that patients in a real-world setting experienced high procedural success combined with positive clinical outcomes. (Read more...)

March 24, 2012
Medtronic Resolute® Drug-Eluting Stent Delivers Durable Clinical Outcomes Through Two Years in Major Studies
According to new clinical data presented today at ACC.12 –– the 61st Annual Scientific Session and Expo of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) –– the Resolute drug-eluting stent (DES) from Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) maintains a powerful and persistent treatment effect for a wide variety of patients with coronary artery disease, including those with diabetes mellitus, through two years of follow-up. (Read more...)

March 13, 2012
Geoff Hartzler, Angioplasty Pioneer: In Memoriam
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Anyone whose life has been saved by an emergency angioplasty, a procedure which stops a heart attack in its tracks, should pause for a moment in remembrance of and thanks to Dr. Geoffrey Hartzler, an early pioneer of angioplasty, who in 1980 first opened up a patient's blocked coronary artery during an acute myocardial infarction. Dr. Hartzler passed away on Saturday, March 10, at age 65. (Read more...)

March 12, 2012
Myocardial Bridging: Heart Patients and Social Networking
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Angioplasty.Org's Heart Patient Forum contains 10,000 posts in 200 topics; it receives 50,000 page views a month, from Boston and Biloxi to Britain and Bangladesh. Patients share stories and questions about heart disease, stents, angioplasty, bypass surgery, allergic reactions, medications and the occasional "odd" topic -- in this case "Myocardial Bridging". (Read more...)

March 7, 2012
Remarkable Stent Procedure
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: Every once in a while, the "complaint department" aspect of our Patients' Forum is overshadowed by a positive report of how angioplasty literally saved someone's life or, at least, their heart muscle. Here is a post to our Forum Topic: "Angioplasty Success Stories." (Read more...)

March 5, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation at Roth Conference to be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the Roth Capital 24th Annual Orange County Growth Stock Conference on Monday, March 12. The presentation by John Dahldorf, chief financial officer, will begin at 9 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time (12 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time). (Read more...)

March 4, 2012
Stent-Trek: The Next Generation
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: The story here is no longer so much about behemoth entities and dark lords battling each other for control of the universe (not that this aspect has gone away) but a story of refinement, sleeker technology and, yes, much more Data! And this past couple of weeks has seen some important developments in the next generation of stents that are positive for both patients and physicians. (Read more...)

March 1, 2012
FDA Approves First Drug-Eluting Stent for Use During Heart Attacks
A new generation of drug-eluting stents has emerged in the past couple of years, with thinner struts, thinner coatings and more biocompatible polymers. However, treating a patient who is having a heart attack has still been an "off label" use for drug-eluting stents. Until last week.... (Read more...)

February 28, 2012
Stents vs. Pills -- Summer Re-run in February
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: A meta-analysis, titled, "Initial Coronary Stent Implantation With Medical Therapy vs Medical Therapy Alone for Stable Coronary Artery Disease", appeared in yesterday's Archives of Internal Medicine (AIM), a journal that has historically worn its anti-PCI bias on its sleeve. In my opinion, there are several significant issues/flaws in this publication that need to be addressed and here are five of them. (Read more...)

February 27, 2012
New Drug-Eluting Stent Okayed for Diabetics
What was an "off label" use of drug-eluting stents only a week ago is now "on label" -- the FDA has approved Medtronic's new zotarolimus-eluting stent, the Resolute Integrity, specifically for use in diabetic patients, a population that historically has seen less than optimal outcomes for percutaneous coronary interventional procedures (PCI). (Read more...)

February 17, 2012
Medtronic Resolute Integrity™ Drug-Eluting Stent Obtains FDA Approval for Treating Coronary Artery Disease
Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the Resolute Integrity™ Drug-Eluting Stent (DES) for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) including a specific indication for treatment of patients with diabetes. The new heart device's FDA approval stems from the results of a global series of studies involving the Resolute DES, which showed consistently powerful clinical performance across a broad spectrum of patients –– including those with diabetes, a common contributor to coronary artery disease that complicates treatment. (Read more...)

February 15, 2012
TWENTE Published: Medtronic Resolute Heart Stent Matches Abbott's Xience
The TWENTE clinical trial, comparing two 2nd-generation drug-eluting stents, Medtronic's Resolute zotarolimus-eluting stent and Abbott's Xience V everolimus-eluting stent, was published today as an expedited paper in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. At one-year, the two stents had similar clinical outcomes in 1,391 "real-world" patients. (Read more...)

February 13, 2012
Medtronic Launches Two New Clinical Programs to Evaluate the Use of Symplicity™ Renal Denervation System Across Multiple Conditions
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced today the start of two clinical initiatives evaluating the broader, real-world clinical use of the company's Symplicity™ renal denervation system across multiple conditions: the Global SYMPLICITY Patient Registry, which will evaluate the real-world, long-term impact of renal denervation in more than 5,000 patients; and SYMPLICITY-HF, the first clinical trial to examine renal denervation in patients with chronic heart failure and renal impairment. (Read more...)

February 9, 2012
Volcano Corporation Schedules Fourth Quarter Conference Call, Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) today announced it will report its operating results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 on Wednesday, February 22. The company will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results and operating activities open to all interested parties at 2 p.m., Pacific Standard Time, (5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time), Wednesday, February 22, hosted by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer, and John Dahldorf, chief financial officer. (Read more...)

February 8, 2012
Medtronic Stent for Narrowed Leg Arteries: 90% Freedom from Reinterventions at One Year
Today Medtronic announced the one-year results of the Complete SE SFA study, a prospective, multicenter, single-arm trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Complete SE vascular stent system in the treatment of de novo and/or restenotic lesions or occlusions in the superficial femoral artery (SFA). The bottom line results were a primary patency rate of 73.1 percent, a major adverse event rate of 11.0 percent and a target lesion revascularization (TLR) rate of 9.4 percent. (Read more...)

February 7, 2012
Transradial Stent in New Jersey
The interventional cardiology group at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey was featured in today's Star-Ledger. Titled "A second opinion on unclogging arteries: Catheters through wrist, not groin", the article profiles Dr. Jordan Safirstein and shows how the transradial wrist approach to angioplasty and stenting can be used in complex cases, yet allow the patient literally to get up off the cath lab table and walk to the recovery area. (Read more...)

January 27, 2012
Stent Pioneer Gary Roubin Leaving Lenox Hill
Interventional cardiology pioneer, Dr. Gary Roubin, is leaving Lenox Hill Heart & Vascular Institute in New York, where he has served as chair of Interventional Cardiac & Vascular Services for almost a decade. (Read more...)

January 24, 2012
Medtronic Completes Enrollment of Extreme Risk Patient Group in CoreValve® U.S. Pivotal Trial
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced it has completed patient enrollment in the extreme risk study in its CoreValve U.S. Pivotal Trial. The company also received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an extended investigation (under the FDA's Continued Access Policy) to continue enrolling extreme risk patients under a Continued Access Study protocol. In the Trial's second study evaluating high risk patients for aortic valve surgery, enrollment completion is anticipated later this year. (Read more...)

January 21, 2012
FAME II Is Not the "Anti-COURAGE": Stents and Angioplasty in the Spotlight
There's been much talk this week, given the news that the FAME II clinical trial ended enrollment early, due to ethical concerns that were generated by the fact that patients randomized to Optimal Medical Therapy (OMT) alone were returning to the hospital in significant numbers for "urgent revascularization." So is this a reversal of the COURAGE trial results? Not according to the principal investigators of both the FAME II trial AND the COURAGE trial, whom I have spoken with in the past 48 hours. (Read more...)

January 18, 2012
Does FAME II Trump COURAGE? FFR: Key to Stents and Angioplasty
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) announced that it is stopping enrollment in its FAME II trial after only 2/3 of the planned patients were included. Why? Because the interim data so clearly favor the use of Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) to guide stenting (PCI) in stable angina patients that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the trial has concluded that it would be unethical to continue to randomize patients to optimal medical therapy (OMT) alone. Wait a minute! Did they say that using optimal medical therapy alone was unethical for the treatment of stable angina patients? That's pretty big news! (Read more...)

January 18, 2012
Independent Data Safety Monitoring Board Recommends St. Jude Medical's FAME II Clinical Trial Stop Enrollment Following Positive Interim Analysis
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced today that an interim analysis of the FAME II trial has found a highly statistically significant reduction in the need for hospital readmission and urgent revascularization when Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)-guided assessment was used to direct treatment in patients with coronary artery disease. As a result of the positive interim analysis, the FAME II independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) has recommended investigators stop patient enrollment in this trial as the DSMB considers it unethical to continue to randomize patients to optimal medical therapy (OMT) alone. (Read more...)

January 17, 2012
AAA Stent Graft Revisited
Commentary from the Editor's Blog: I revisit a patient who received an AAA stent graft a year-and-a-half ago and continues to stay physically active -- competing in Ironman races! (Read more...)

January 17, 2012
Medtronic Endurant® II AAA Stent Graft System Launches Internationally With CE Mark
Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced the CE (Conformité Européenne) mark and international launch of the Endurant® II AAA Stent Graft System, which meaningfully expands the options physicians outside the United States have to treat patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms through a minimally invasive technique called endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). (Read more...)

January 9, 2012
New Drug-Eluting Stents: Lower Mortality and Less Restenosis Than First Gen DES or Bare Metal Stents
A new report in the European Heart Journal, analyzing 94,384 stent placements, finds that the new generation of drug-eluting stents (Medtronic's Endeavor Resolute, Abbott's XienceV and Xience Prime, and Boston Scientific's Promus and Promus Element) are associated with lower rates of restenosis, stent thrombosis and mortality than either the first generation drug-eluting stents or bare-metal stents. (Read more...)

January 9, 2012
Volcano Corporation Announces Preliminary 4QTR Revenues for 2011
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today it expects total revenues for the fourth quarter of 2011 will be approximately $92.7 million, bringing expected full year 2011 revenues to approximately $343.5 million. (Read more...)

January 3, 2012
Volcano Corporation Presentation at J.P. Morgan Conference to be Webcast
Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the 30th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, January 10. The presentation by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer, will begin at 9:30 a.m., Pacific Standard Time. (Read more...)