Nurse-led sedation for transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation seems safe for a selected patient population.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a high-volume procedure with increasing demands on hospital resources. Local anaesthesia with sedation supervised by an anaesthesiology team is the current standard of care. We aimed to describe our experience with a simplified, nurse-led sedation (NLS) protocol.

Optical coherence tomography-guided primary percutaneous coronary intervention in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients: a pilot study.

Background: The objective of our study was to assess whether optical coherence tomography (OCT) guidance could guide intervention to avoid balloon angioplasty and stenting during primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Methods: One hundred patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and thrombus-containing lesion were enrolled in this study. Thrombus aspiration was performed in all cases followed by an OCT study.

Randomized comparison of endothelial progenitor cells capture stent versus cobalt-chromium stent for treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Six-month clinical, angiographic, and IVUS follow-up.

Purpose: The aim of this trial was to assess the feasibility and safety of endothelial progenitor cells capture (EPC) stent in the treatment of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when compared with cobalt-chromium stents (CoCr).

Methods: Between July 2006 and May 2008, 100 patients with single vessel disease undergoing primary PCI for STEMI were randomly assigned to receive either EPC stent (N = 50) or CoCr stent (N = 50). High-pressure stent implantation was carried out in both groups.

Long-term health outcome and mortality evaluation after invasive coronary treatment using drug eluting stents with or without the IVUS guidance. Randomized control trial. HOME DES IVUS.

Objective: To assess the role of the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) during implantation of drug-eluting stents (DES) on long-term outcome in patients with complex coronary artery disease and high clinical risk profile with special attention to the development of late stent thrombosis (LST).

Methods: Two hundred and ten patients were randomly assigned to receive DES either with (N = 105) or without (N = 105) the IVUS guidance. Dual antiplatelet treatment was administered for 6 months in all patients.

Treatment of bifurcation lesions using dedicated bifurcation stents versus classic bare-metal stents. Randomized, controlled trial with 12-month angiographic follow up.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the use of classic bare- metal stents with dedicated bifurcation bare-metal stents in patients who were not eligible for drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation.

Methods: Sixty patients with bifurcation stenosis were randomly assigned to received either a dedicated bifurcation or a bare-metal stent (n = 30) or classic bare-metal stent (n = 30) with stenting of the parent vessel and angioplasty/or provisional stenting of the side branch. Fifty-nine patients underwent 12-month clinical and angiographic follow up unless this was performed earlier due to symptoms.

The lack of endothelization after drug-eluting stent implantation as a cause of fatal late stent thrombosis.

The authors present a fatal case of late thrombosis of paclitaxel-eluting stent implanted in the left main stem occurring 6 months after the procedure and 3 weeks after the cessation of clopidogrel. An autopsy has shown the lack of endothelization of deployed stent.

"Head-to-head comparison between sirolimus-eluting and paclitaxel-eluting stents in patients with complex coronary artery disease: an intravascular ultrasound study".

Background: The aim of this study was to assess neointimal hyperplasia following sirolimus-eluting (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) implantation in a patients with complex coronary disease.

Method: Between January to December 2004, 70 patients were enrolled in this study (SES = 37; PES = 33. The primary objective was to assess the efficacy of SES and PES on neointimal proliferation inhibition in patients with complex coronary lesions by volumetric 3D intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) assessment at six-month follow-up.