Influence of age on the clinical outcomes of coronary revascularisation for the treatment of patients with multivessel de novo coronary artery lesions: sirolimus-eluting stent vs. coronary artery bypass surgery and bare metal stent, insight from the multicentre randomised Arterial Revascularisation Therapy Study Part I (ARTS-I) and Part II (ARTS-II).

Aims: We sought to evaluate the prognostic impact of age on the procedural results and subsequent clinical outcomes in patients with multivessel disease (MVD) treated either by coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) or by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with or without drug eluting stents, based on data of the Arterial Revascularisation Therapies Study (ARTS) part I and part II. The potential influence of age in determining the most appropriate revascularisation strategy for patients with MVD is largely unknown.

Methods And Results: Three year clinical outcome of ARTS I patients randomised to PCI with bare metal stent (BMS) (n= 600) or CABG (n= 605), and matched patients treated by PCI with sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in ARTS II (n= 607) were reviewed according to four age quartiles.

Antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel in patients with aspirin therapy undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions--limited inhibition of the P2Y12 receptor.

Introduction: Large individual variability in clopidogrel responses has been reported. However, mechanisms of the non-responsiveness are unclear. Our aim was to study the extent of platelet inhibition at the receptor level by in vitro receptor antagonists of P2Y(12) (AR-C69931MX, cangrelor) and P2Y(1) (adenosine 3',5'diphosphate) in aspirin treated patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) prior to and after in vivo clopidogrel.

Limited early antiplatelet effect of 300 mg clopidogrel in patients with aspirin therapy undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions.

Aim: Our aim was to evaluate the early efficacy and variability of the platelet inhibition exerted by 300 mg clopidogrel for the purpose of acute percutaneous coronary interventions using platelet function tests.

Methods And Results: Elective percutaneous coronary intervention was used as a timely model in which clopidogrel was added to ongoing acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) (100 mg/day) at 2.5 h prior to procedure.

Wall motion and perfusion analysis of transmyocardial laser revascularization.

Objective: Transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMLR) creates channels in the myocardium. The aim of the treatment is to relieve angina in patients with end-stage coronary artery disease. We studied the effect of TMLR on myocardial function and perfusion with the combination of cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and thallium scintigraphy.