Heparins crossover in percutaneous coronary interventions: a real issue with increasing rate of transradial procedures?

Aims: Current guidelines give a class III recommendation to the intraprocedural use of unfractionated heparin (UFH) in patients pretreated with enoxaparin. The aim of our study was to evaluate bleeding complications in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) performed using intraprocedural crossover of heparin therapy.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all PCIs performed at two Italian hospitals since January 2011 to December 2013.

Closed versus open cell stent for high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions in ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction: the Closed versus Open Cells stent for High risk percutaneous coronary Interventions in ST-Elevation acute myocardial infarction (COCHISE) pilot study.

Background: Stent deployment may be associated with distal embolization and slow flow in coronary thrombotic lesions. There are no data on the risk of distal thrombus embolization according to the stent design. The aim was to evaluate coronary flow after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in acute myocardial infarction according to the employed stent (closed versus open cell design).

Cardiac magnetic resonance detection of left ventricular thrombus in acute myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Left ventricular thrombosis (LVT) is a possible complication of acute myocardial infarction. Aim of our study was to evaluate incidence and clinical characteristics of patients with LVT after ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) using contrast- enhanced magnetic resonance (CMR).

Methods And Results: In a prospective cohort of 36 consecutive patients with STEMI acutely reperfused with primary percutaneous coronary intervention, CMR was performed within one week.

Radial versus femoral randomized investigation in ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome: the RIFLE-STEACS (Radial Versus Femoral Randomized Investigation in ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome) study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess whether transradial access for ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome undergoing early invasive treatment is associated with better outcome compared with conventional transfemoral access.

Background: In patients with acute coronary syndrome, bleeding is a significant predictor of worse outcome. Access site complications represent a significant source of bleeding for those patients undergoing revascularization, especially when femoral access is used.

Impact of vascular approach (transradial vs. transfemoral) on the efficacy of thrombus aspiration in acute myocardial infarction patients.

Background: Manual thrombus aspiration improves the efficacy of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). The transradial approach (TRA) is an emerging vascular approach for PCI but is associated with specific technical requirements. As data on the combination of thrombus aspiration and TRA are scarce, we sought to assess the feasibility of TRA manual thrombus aspiration in STEMI patients.