Clinical outcome and angiographic results with novel polysulfone polymer coating paclitaxel eluting stent in real-world clinical practice: a clinical centre registry.

Background: The Intek-Apollo stent (Switzerland) employs a polysulfone polymer coating which has demonstrated low interaction with blood and high thrombo-resistance. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical and angiographic outcomes after Intek-Apollo stent utilisation in a real-world setting.

Material/methods: A total of 130 patients (77.

Patient dose in cardiac radiology.

Introduction: In diagnostic and interventional cardiology procedures performed with the use of X-ray diagnostic imaging systems, the long fluoroscopy time and the large number of cine projections, as well as the repetition of the procedure due to the recurrence of the lesion--a common event--result in a high locally delivered skin dose, which may even lead to patient skin necrosis. The purpose of this study was to collect information in order to estimate the patient dose during coronary angiography and coronary angioplasty procedures, using the dose-area product measuring system of the X-ray angiographic machine.

Methods: Dose-area product (DAP), fluoroscopy time, number of sequences and frames per sequence were collected for each of 108 coronary angiography and 101 coronary angioplasty procedures, using the dedicated X-ray machine of the hospital's haemodynamic department, where more than 3000 procedures are performed per year.

Success, safety, and efficacy of implantation of diamond-like carbon-coated stents.

The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and clinically defined efficacy of the implantation of a new stent coated with diamond-like carbon (DLC stent), in a group of patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary revascularization procedures in two hemodynamic centers. This study was an observational prospective nonrandomized study that included 196 patients with a total of 236 significant de novo atheromatous coronary lesions, in which 245 DLC stents were implanted. The primary end point of this study was a composite of major cardiovascular events (death or acute myocardial infarction with or without Q) and need for target lesion revascularization (TLR) or target vessel revascularization (TVR) procedure during the first 48 hours and at 6 months after the DLC stent implantation.

Short-term angiographic and long-term clinical follow-up of a patient with a malexpanded vein graft stent.

Optimal stent expansion is considered imperative today in order to prevent subacute stent thrombosis and allows us to minimize antithrombotic therapy. The short-term angiographic and long-term clinical follow-up of a patient with a suboptimally expanded vein graft balloon expandable stent is presented. Intensive antithrombotic treatment along with unimpeded blood flow were probably highly beneficial.

From thrombolysis to thrombogenesis in clinical practice: coronary ruptured plaque angiography.

The elective coronary angiogram of a patient with acute anterior myocardial infarction, treated with intravenous thrombolysis, is presented because it was proven to be a coronary ruptured plaque angiography. It is considered that the distinctness, apart from simplicity, of the presented angiography is hardly deniable.

Coronary artery discrete aneurysms, ectasia, and occlusive disease ane extensive arteriomegaly. Correlation, constellation, or coincidence? A case report.

The case of a sixty-five-year-old man with discrete coronary aneurysms, associated with coronary artery ectasia, stenoses, and total occlusion of the left anterior descending artery, that resulted in an acute anterior myocardial infarction, is presented. Aortography and digital subtraction angiography revealed marked aortic and iliac elongation, tortuosity, and aneurysmal dilatation as well as dilatated femoral and popliteal arteries with aneurysmal dilatation in places. It is considered that the case reflects the broad spectrum of atherosclerosis manifestations.

Recurrent atrial flutter in apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Palpitations are a symptom often reported by patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), yet the arrhythmias associated with this type of HCM have not been studied adequately. Herein, a case of persistently recurrent atrial flutter in a 63-year-old Greek man with apical HCM is presented. Synchronized direct-current shocks were used twice during his hospitalization in order to convert atrial flutter to sinus rhythm.

Retrograde nontransseptal balloon mitral valvuloplasty. Immediate results and long-term follow-up.

Background: Percutaneous retrograde nontransseptal balloon mitral valvuloplasty is a new technique developed in our institution for opening a stenotic mitral valve. This technique is based on a new, externally steerable cardiac catheter that enters the left atrium retrogradely via the left ventricle.

Methods And Results: The technique was used in 86 consecutive patients (18 men and 68 women; mean age, 51 +/- 11 years).

Percutaneous pulmonary valvuloplasty in an octogenarian with calcific pulmonary stenosis.

We describe a patient in whom calcific pulmonary vascular stenosis was diagnosed at the age of 84 years. Valve stenosis was relieved by percutaneous transluminal pulmonary valvuloplasty. To our knowledge, PTPV performed at this age has not been previously reported.

A new steerable cardiac catheter for crossing stenotic aortic valves.

A new cardiac catheter for crossing severely stenotic aortic valves is described. This catheter is an externally steerable one and it was used successfully and uneventfully in 12 patients after a conventional catheter had failed to cross the aortic valve. Six of the patients underwent aortic valvuloplasty.

Temporary cardiac pacing using a new, steerable, balloon-tipped pacing catheter.

A new balloon-tipped, flow-directed, steerable pacing catheter for unipolar temporary ventricular pacing is presented. It was successfully and uneventfully tested in 25 patients with acute myocardial infarction in the coronary care unit. The main advantage of the new catheter is the ease with which a stable contact may be achieved between the pacing electrode and the endocardium.

Single coronary artery associated with annuloaortic ectasia and ventricular septal defect.

A 60-year-old man with a single left coronary artery associated with an annuloaortic ectasia and a ventricular septal defect is described. He presented with severe heart failure and underwent open-heart surgery during which all these entities were confirmed.