Safety and feasibility of selective intracoronary hypothermia in acute myocardial infarction.

Aims: Hypothermia reduces reperfusion injury and infarct size in animal models of acute myocardial infarction if started before reperfusion. Human studies have not confirmed benefit, probably due to insufficient myocardial cooling and adverse systemic effects. This study sought to assess the safety and feasibility of a novel method for selective, sensor-monitored intracoronary hypothermia.

Effects of a nurse-coordinated prevention programme on health-related quality of life and depression in patients with an acute coronary syndrome: results from the RESPONSE randomised controlled trial.

Background: Improvement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important goal in preventive cardiology. HRQOL is also related to depressive symptoms, which represent a common co-morbidity and risk factor in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Comprehensive nurse-coordinated prevention programmes (NCPP) in secondary care have been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk, however their effects on HRQOL and depressive symptoms have not been evaluated.

Comparison of drug-eluting and bare-metal stents for primary percutaneous coronary intervention with or without abciximab in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: DEBATER: the Eindhoven reperfusion study.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to demonstrate superiority of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) over bare-metal stents (BMS) and of abciximab over no abciximab in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Drug-eluting stents (DES) are increasingly used in primary PCI, but the recommendations for use in primary PCI are based on a few randomized controlled trials with selected patients. The usefulness of abciximab in primary PCI is not established.