Antiplatelet therapy and stent thrombosis after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation.

Background: The influences of antiplatelet therapy discontinuation on the risk of stent thrombosis and long-term clinical outcomes after drug-eluting stent implantation have not yet been addressed adequately.

Methods And Results: In an observational study in Japan, 2-year outcomes were assessed in 10 778 patients undergoing sirolimus-eluting stent implantation. Data on status of antiplatelet therapy during follow-up were collected prospectively.

Efficacy of coronary venoplasty for left ventricular lead implantation.

Background: Optimal target vein selection for the pacing lead results in a better outcome, but left ventricular (LV) variability limits this selection. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of coronary venoplasty for insertion of a LV lead.

Methods And Results: Transvenous LV lead placement was attempted in 208 consecutive patients from November 2002 to January 2007, with success in 206 patients (99%).

Comparison of 30-day outcomes in patients <75 years of age versus >or=75 years of age with acute myocardial infarction treated by primary coronary angioplasty.

We reviewed 1,087 consecutive patients treated by primary coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction; 309 were >or=75 and 778 were <75 years of age. Compared with the younger group, the older group had higher 30-day (8.1% vs 4.

Efficacy of nifekalant hydrochloride in the treatment of fatal ventricular arrhythmia in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Ventricular tachycardia (VT), which causes hemodynamic instability, and ventricular fibrillation (VF) sometimes occur in patients with severe underlying cardiovascular disease such as myocardial ischemia or infarction, and are associated with high mortality. This report presents the efficacy of nifekalant hydrochloride (nifekalant), a pure class III antiarrhythmic agent, in treating life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia in such patients. From June 2000, when nifekalant became commercially available in Japan, to May 2003, 30 ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients with VT/VF resistant to direct-current (DC) countershock received nifekalant in our hospital.