http://www.ptca.org/ Breaking news about stents, angioplasty, the medical device industry, balloons, diagnostic imaging, interventional cardiology, stent thrombosis, restenosis from Angioplasty.Org en-us copyright 2006-10 Venture Digital LLC Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:50:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/images/nav/angio_logo1.gif http://www.ptca.org/ http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0808_MEDTRONIC.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0808_MEDTRONIC.html Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) today opened a Patient Care Centre in Beijing, China, the first of its kind in China and worldwide where patients and their relatives meet with medical technology experts and physicians to discuss medical technology options to treat the patient's chronic disease. The Medtronic Patient Care Centre is operated in cooperation with the National Centre for Cardiovascular Diseases (NCCD) of China. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:15:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0803_VOLCANO.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0803_VOLCANO.html Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leading developer and manufacturer of precision intravascular therapy guidance tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, said today that it will be participating in the 30th Annual Canaccord Genuity Growth Conference on Tuesday, August 10. Sun, 8 Aug 2010 23:50:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0806_MEDTRONIC.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0806_MEDTRONIC.html With an expanded focus on addressing peripheral arterial disease (PAD), Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced that it has completed enrollment in a clinical trial of the company's Complete SE (self-expanding) vascular stent for the treatment of atherosclerosis in the superficial femoral artery (SFA), including the proximal popliteal artery (PPA), which runs under the skin of the thigh. Sun, 8 Aug 2010 23:00:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0805_MEDTRONIC.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0805_MEDTRONIC.html Marking a major milestone toward expanding the use and utility of minimally invasive endovascular procedures, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced the enrollment of the first patient in the Medtronic Dissection Trial, which is evaluating the clinical performance of the Valiant Thoracic Stent Graft with the Captivia Delivery System for the treatment of acute, complicated Type B aortic dissection - a serious cardiovascular condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. Sun, 8 Aug 2010 22:30:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0730_VOLCANO.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0730_VOLCANO.html The company reports on its 2nd Quarter, ending June 30, showing that year-to-date revenues increased 36%. The company also announced an advanced Forward-Looking Imaging Technology acquisition. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:00:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0720_VOLCANO.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0720_VOLCANO.html Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), today announced that it will report its operating results for the second quarter and first six months of fiscal 2010 on Friday, July 30. The company will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results and operating activities open to all interested parties at 5:30 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time (8:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time), Friday, July 30, hosted by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer, and John Dahldorf, chief financial officer. Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:30:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0717_RADIAL.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0717_RADIAL.html Angioplasty and stent placement, performed from the wrist, is the topic of the just announced "SCAI Radial Summit", being presented by the The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) in Boston, Massachusetts on November 5, 2010. This course is the first standalone course on the transradial approach to coronary interventions to be organized by a national professional society in the U.S. Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:15:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0623_FFR.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0623_FFR.html The authors of a new study pubished in JACC conclude: "In patients with multivessel CAD, coronary angiography is an inappropriate tool to identify ischemia-producing stenoses as detected by the FFR. This discrepancy between angiographic and functional stenosis severity is not only present in the 50% to 70% stenosis range but also in the 71% to 90% stenosis range." Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:40:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0526_VOLCANO_VIBE_RX.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0526_VOLCANO_VIBE_RX.html Volcano Corporation (NASDAQ: VOLC) announced today that it has received CE Mark approval for the VIBE(TM) RX Vascular Imaging Balloon Catheter. The company also announced that it has completed its first clinical cases with the VIBE(TM) RX in New Zealand. A single VIBE(TM) RX Catheter can quickly access, prepare, and assess challenging lesions. IVUS guidance provides precise, targeted balloon dilatation with immediate confirmation of interventional results. Wed, 26 May 2010 09:40:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0525_DUKE_TRANSRADIAL.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0525_DUKE_TRANSRADIAL.html Dr. Sunil V. Rao, one of the key researchers of access site bleeding complications resulting from angioplasty and stent placement, has been a vocal proponent of the transradial (wrist) approach to angioplasty, which minimizes or eliminates these complications. Now Dr. Rao and his colleague, Dr. Mitchell W. Krucoff, have designed a two-day CME training course in the transradial approach for clinical and interventional cardiologists, as well as physicians and technicians involved in the care of patients. Tue, 25 May 2010 23:20:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0525_MEDTRONIC_COREVALVE.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0525_MEDTRONIC_COREVALVE.html New European data from five national clinical registries presented today at EuroPCR report positive clinical outcomes for one of the most exciting emerging therapies in cardiology -- transcatheter aortic valve implantation for treatment of severe aortic stenosis. The registries' results demonstrate encouraging clinical outcomes for more than 2,000 patients treated with the CoreValve percutaneous aortic valve system from Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT). Tue, 25 May 2010 20:25:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0525_MEDTRONIC.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0525_MEDTRONIC.html At one year, the Resolute DES was shown to be as effective as the Xience DES in reducing the need for repeat procedures, and both second-generation stents were associated with low and similar rates of death from cardiac causes and heart attacks attributed to the treated vessel. Tue, 25 May 2010 10:30:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0519_MEDTRONIC.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0519_MEDTRONIC.html Further demonstrating its commitment to proving the benefits of minimally-invasive procedures, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced that the first patient has been treated with the company's Valiant(R) Thoracic Stent Graft with the Captivia Delivery System in Medtronic's RESCUE Clinical Study. Mon, 24 May 2010 16:40:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0520_MEDTRONIC.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0520_MEDTRONIC.html Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced today the schedule of important clinical data presentations during EuroPCR, a major cardiology meeting taking place May 25-28 in Paris at the Palais de Congres. The meeting will prominently feature several of Medtronic's innovative cardiovascular devices, including the Resolute coronary drug-eluting stent, the IN.PACT line of coronary and peripheral drug-eluting balloons, and the CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve replacement system. Mon, 24 May 2010 15:40:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0524_VOLCANO_PCR.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0524_VOLCANO_PCR.html Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today the company's plans to highlight its new product launches, presence in live cases, and participation in late breaking trials during EuroPCR from May 25 - 28 in Paris. Mon, 24 May 2010 11:50:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0520_VOLCANO_IVUS.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0520_VOLCANO_IVUS.html Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today the completion of the first clinical cases using the new Eagle Eye(R) Platinum digital IVUS catheter. The procedures were performed in seven centers within the United States. Commercial launch of Eagle Eye(R) Platinum in the U.S. is expected in June 2010. Thu, 20 May 2010 22:10:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0520_VOLCANO_OCT.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0520_VOLCANO_OCT.html Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today the successful completion of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) cases with Volcano's second generation OCT catheter and system. Pending IDE approval, Volcano plans to use this OCT system in the US and South America as part of VOILA, a U.S. regulatory trial during 2010. Commercial release of Volcano's OCT system is expected in Europe in early 2011 and in the U.S. in mid-2011. Thu, 20 May 2010 21:15:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0519_VOLCANO_FFR.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0519_VOLCANO_FFR.html Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) announced today it received both 510(k) clearance and CE Mark approval for its PrimeWire PRESTIGE(TM) Pressure Guide Wire for use with patients who have both single-vessel and multi-vessel disease. This next generation pressure wire is compatible with Volcano's full suite of integrated multi-modality consoles and stand-alone physiology systems as well as various hemodynamic monitoring systems. Thu, 20 May 2010 21:45:00 PDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0505_VOLCANO.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0505_VOLCANO.html Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC) said today that it will be participating in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Health Care Conference on Tuesday, May 11. The presentation by Scott Huennekens, president and chief executive officer, will begin at 9:20 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (6:20 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time). Wed, 05 May 2010 14:30:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0503_VOLCANO.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0503_VOLCANO.html Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leading developer and manufacturer of precision intravascular therapy guidance tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, said today that revenues for the first quarter of 2010 increased 36 percent over the first quarter of 2009. Mon, 03 May 2010 19:20:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/radial/interview_sanjay_patel.html http://www.ptca.org/radial/interview_sanjay_patel.html In this exclusive interview, Dr. Sanjay Patel discusses how using the transradial approach has made a major difference in his Houston-based practice. Two years ago no one in his hospitals was doing radial procedures; today Dr. Patel runs monthly training courses on the transradial technique and patients seek him out. Sun, 2 May 2010 12:30:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0417_HEART_ATTACK.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0417_HEART_ATTACK.html "Lack of health insurance and financial concerns about accessing care among those with health insurance were each associated with delays in seeking emergency care for AMI." That's the conclusion of a study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the implications of this study for hospitals, insurance providers, government and interventional cardiologists are profound, because angioplasty and stents are considered the first line treatment for a serious heart attack, yet many patients are not benefiting from this treatment. (Includes video.) Sat, 17 Apr 2010 21:30:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0413_TCT.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0413_TCT.html TCT 2010 (Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics) will provide significant clinical research updates to technologies and practices in interventional cardiology that will directly affect patient care. At TCT 2010 (September 21-25 in Washington, DC), late breaking data from clinical trials on the next generation of stents, valve repair and replacement, and the interactions and effectiveness of new medicines will shed light on the best ways to treat patients. Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:50:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0411_AAA.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0411_AAA.html Two important trials that studied the long-term outcomes of the endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms using stent grafts were published online first today by The New England Journal of Medicine. The studies were conducted by the investigators of the United Kingdom Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) trial and they give us one of the first glimpses of the long-term safety and efficacy of a minimally invasive procedure first performed two decades ago by Argentinean surgeon Juan Parodi, MD. Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:50:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0409_CORDIS.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0409_CORDIS.html Cordis Corporation, a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of interventional vascular technologies, announced today that the first patients have been enrolled in the INNOVATION trial, which will assess the safety of a new stent graft system, called INCRAFT(tm), to treat abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:30:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0410_MITRACLIP.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0410_MITRACLIP.html One of the more striking recent developments in the surgery vs. angioplasty story was presented at last month's American College of Cardiology 59th Annual Scientific Sessions in Atlanta: The EVEREST II trial one year results showed that a non-surgical approach to repairing a leaky mitral valve was successful and compared well with open heart surgery, which is currently the gold standard of treatment for mitral regurgitation (MR). Using the Mitraclip device delivered by catheter, snaked through the femoral (groin) artery like coronary angioplasty balloons and stents, cardiologists were able to repair mitral valves successfully -- without surgery. Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EDT http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0401_CAMPEAU_RADIAL.html http://www.ptca.org/news/2010/0401_CAMPEAU_RADIAL.html Dr. Lucien Campeau, pioneering cardiologist who first performed angiography through the radial artery in the wrist, passed away on March 15, 2010 at age 82 in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec. In 1989, Dr. Campeau published his experiences in performing 100 coronary angiographies through the radial artery in the wrist in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. Three years later, Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij of The Netherlands adapted Campeau's technique and performed the first coronary angioplasty from the transradial route. Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:50:00 EDT