Prevalence and risk factors of clopidogrel non-response among Saudi patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of clopidogrel non-response and identify its risk factors among Saudi patients. 

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Prince Sultan Cardiac Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January and June 2013, to assess the degree of platelet inhibition using the VerifyNow assay (Accumetrics, San Diego, CA, USA) after receiving clopidogrel standard loading dose. Clopidogrel resistance was defined as ≤15% platelet inhibition or greater than 213 P2Y12 reaction units (PRU).

Choice of stent and outcomes after treatment of drug-eluting stent restenosis in highly complex lesions.

Objectives: Our aim was to compare the outcomes of a same versus different drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation strategy for the treatment of DES instent restenosis (ISR).

Background: The absence of clear data renders the treatment of DES ISR one of the most challenging situations in interventional cardiology.

Methods: We identified all cases of DES ISR treated with a second DES between January 2004 and January 2009.

Efficacy of a single dose intravenous heparin in reducing sheath-thrombus formation during diagnostic angiography: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Femoral arterial sheath thrombosis and distal embolization are well-recognized complications of cardiac catheterization but the occlusion is extremely rare. Heparinized saline flushes are used during diagnostic coronary angiography to prevent thrombus formation within the sheath lumen. However, the use of prophylactic intravenous heparin following the femoral arterial sheath insertion is controversial.

Decreased risk of stent fracture-related restenosis between paclitaxel-eluting stents and sirolimus eluting stents: results of long-term follow-up.

Objective: To compare the outcomes between paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) and sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) for the treatment of drug-eluting stent (DES) fracture.

Background: DES fracture is considered as an important predictor of in-stent restenosis (ISR). However, little data are available evaluating the optimal treatment for this complication of coronary stenting.

Stent fracture after everolimus-eluting stent implantation.

Compared with bare-metal stents, drug-eluting stents (DES) have greatly reduced the risk of in-stent restenosis (ISR) by inhibiting neointimal growth. Nevertheless, DES are still prone to device failure, which may lead to cardiac events. Recently, stent fracture (SF) has emerged as a potential mechanism of DES failure that is associated with ISR.