Transcatheter aortic valve implantation despite challenging vascular access.

We describe transcatheter aortic valve implantation in a patient who had severe peripheral artery disease. The patient's vascular condition required additional preliminary peripheral intervention to enable adequate vascular access. A 78-year-old man with severe aortic stenosis, substantial comorbidities, and severe heart failure symptoms was referred for aortic valve replacement.

Fistula from right internal mammary artery to superior vena cava after use of a laser sheath to extract a pacemaker lead.

A 55-year-old woman presented with dyspnea on exertion due to a right internal mammary artery-to-superior vena cava arteriovenous fistula that occurred after pacemaker lead extraction with a laser sheath. The fistula was successfully repaired by placing a covered stent in the right internal mammary artery. In this unusual location, endovascular stenting is a reasonable alternative to coil embolization or surgical repair of an arteriovenous fistula resulting from laser lead extraction.

Utility of vascular endothelial specific peptides for enhancement of adeno-associated virus-mediated gene transfer.

Vascular endothelial cells (EC) have been targeted for the treatment of pathological conditions such as atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, post-angioplasty restenosis and hypertension. Non-pathogenic adeno-associated virus (AAV) has been shown as a good gene delivery tool in a variety of cell lines as well as in animal models. However, AAV has been reported to induce less endothelial cell transduction.