Drug-eluting introducer sheath prevents local peripheral complications: pre-clinical evaluation of nitric oxide-coated sheath.

Objectives: This study evaluated the protective effect of nitric oxide-coating of introducer sheath on the local complications in juvenile porcine femoral arteries with similar size to human radial arteries.

Background: Insertion of an introducer sheath induces vasospasm and transient or permanent vessel occlusion of radial arteries.

Methods: Nitric oxide-coated or control introducer sheaths with or without spasmolytic cocktail (control + C-sheath) were inserted into porcine femoral arteries, followed by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha release after intracoronary versus intramyocardial stem cell therapy in myocardial infarction.

We have investigated the effect of stem cell delivery on the release of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1alpha) in peripheral circulation and myocardium in experimental myocardial ischemia. Closed-chest, reperfused myocardial infarction (MI) was created in domestic pigs. Porcine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were cultured and delivered (9.

Association between the efficacy of dual antiplatelet therapy and the development of in-stent neointimal hyperplasia in porcine coronary arteries.

Objective: We set out to compare the effectiveness of platelet aggregation therapy in association with the development of in-stent neointimal hyperplasia in porcine coronary arteries.

Methods: Thirty-two pigs underwent coronary stenting with bare-metal stents under general anaesthesia. One hundred milligrams of aspirin and loading doses of either 300 mg clopidogrel (group C, n=13) or 2 x 500 mg ticlopidine (group T, n=19) were administered before intervention.