Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in the postpartum period.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a very uncommon cause of acute coronary syndrome. It occurs predominantly in young to middle-aged women during or after pregnancy. The aetiology remains uncertain.

Clinical and angiographic safety and efficacy trial with a new coronary stent: the RESTOR study of the R Stent.

The RESTOR trial (R Stent Efficacy and Safety Trial by ORBUS) is an efficacy and safety evaluation of the R Stent for treatment of patients with a single de novo coronary lesion < 25 mm in length in a coronary artery of 2.75-4.0 mm diameter.

Multicenter evaluation of the phosphorylcholine-coated biodivYsio stent in short de novo coronary lesions: The SOPHOS study.

AIMS: The BiodivYsio trade mark stent (Biocompatibles Ltd, Farnham, UK) is coated with a phosphorylcholine (PC)-containing copolymer to confer biocompatibility. The SOPHOS (Study Of PHosphorylcholine coating On Stents) study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of this novel coronary stent and by indirect comparison to indicate equivalence with other formal stent studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with angina and a single short (#x2A7F;12 mm) de novo lesion in a native coronary artery of >/=2.

A new thrombosuction catheter for coronary use: initial results with clinical and angiographic follow-up in seven patients.

The presence of thrombus in a coronary vessel during percutaneous revascularisation can prevent adequate restoration of flow; it is also associated with an increased risk of distal embolization. We report the acute results and longer-term outcome of seven patients who underwent treatment with a new hydrodynamic thrombectomy catheter (Hydrolyser), designed for the rapid removal of acute, non-organised thrombus from coronary vessels. Three patients demonstrated total thrombotic occlusion of a coronary saphenous vein bypass graft (SVBG), whereas in four patients thrombus was present in a native coronary artery (NCA).

Effects of lacidipine on peak oxygen consumption, neurohormones and invasive haemodynamics in patients with mild to moderate chronic heart failure.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the second generation dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker lacidipine in patients with heart failure.

Design: Placebo controlled, parallel group, double blind study over 8 weeks.

Setting: General community hospital in Breda, The Netherlands.