Intravascular imaging for left main stem assessment: An update on the most recent clinical data.

Left main (LM) stem has different structural and anatomical characteristics compared to all of the other segments of the coronary tree, thus its management through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a challenge and is associated with worse clinical outcome and higher need for revascularization as compared to other lesion settings. Intravascular imaging, by means of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) or optical coherence tomography (OCT), is an important tool for LM PCI guidance, aiming at improving the immediate performance and the long term outcome of this procedure. Following current guidelines and recent scientific findings, IVUS becomes important to firstly assess, and finally evaluate the result of LM stenting, according to the experience and preferences of the operator.

Analyzing the heart rhythm during chest compressions: Performance and clinical value of a new AED algorithm.

Purpose: Automated external defibrillators (AED) prompt the rescuer to stop chest compressions (CC) for ECG analysis during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We assessed the diagnostic accuracy and clinical benefit of a new AED algorithm (cprINSIGHT), which analyzes ECG and impedance signals during CC, allowing rhythm analysis with ongoing chest compressions.

Methods: Amsterdam Police and Fire Fighters used a conventional AED in 2016-2017 (control) and an AED with cprINSIGHT in 2018-2019 (intervention).

Drug-Coated Balloon Versus Drug-Eluting Stent for Small Coronary Vessel Disease: PICCOLETO II Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objectives: This study sought to compare the performance of a novel drug-coated balloon (DCB) (Elutax SV, Aachen Resonance, Germany), with an everolimus-eluting stent (EES) (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California) in patients with de novo lesions.

Background: Small vessel coronary artery disease (SVD) represents one of the most attractive fields of application for DCB. To date, several devices have been compared with drug-eluting stents in this setting, with different outcomes.

The Cost of Pre-Analytical Errors in INR Testing at a Tertiary-Care Hospital Laboratory: Potential for Significant Cost Savings.

Background: Preanalytical errors account for most laboratory errors. Although the frequencies of preanalytical errors are well characterized in the literature, little is known regarding the costs of these errors to the laboratory.

Objective: To analyze costs associated with preanalytical errors associated with the international normalized ratio (INR) test.

Coronary artery aneurysms, insights from the international coronary artery aneurysm registry (CAAR).

Background: Coronary Aneurysms are a focal dilatation of an artery segment >1.5-fold the normal size of adjacent segments. Although some series have suggested a prevalence of 0.

Renal haemodynamics and coronary atherosclerotic burden are associated in patients with hypertension and mild coronary artery disease.

Intrarenal hemodynamic alterations are independent predictors of cardiovascular events in different populations. It has been hypothesized that there is an association between renal hemodynamics and coronary atherosclerotic burden in patients with hypertension. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between renal hemodynamics, coronary atherosclerotic burden and carotid atherosclerotic disease.

One-Year Results Following a Pre-Specified ABSORB Implantation Strategy in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (BVS STEMI STRATEGY-IT Study).

Background: data from clinical experiences with Absorb bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) in STEMI raised concerns among clinicians about the device safety because a noteworthy scaffold thrombosis (ScT) rate was reported at early and long-term follow-up. Nevertheless, pre-specified technical suggestions of how to perform an optimal BRS procedure in STEMI were lacking. In this study we sought to assess the 1-year results following a pre-specified BRS implantation strategy in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary PCI (pPCI).

Coronary artery treatment with a urea-based paclitaxel-coated balloon: the European-wide FALCON all-comers DCB Registry (FALCON Registry).

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the use of a drug-coated balloon (DCB) in daily clinical practice and provide further evidence on the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel-coated balloon treatment using urea as an inert excipient.

Methods And Results: Between December 2013 and December 2015, 757 patients treated for coronary lesions with the IN.PACT Falcon balloon were enrolled in this prospective real-world all-comers registry.

Clinical findings after bioresorbable vascular scaffold implantation in an unrestricted cohort of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (from the RAI registry).

Background: The bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) technology may be an appealing option in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. However, the available evidence on its use in this challenging subset is limited.

Methods: Registro Absorb Italiano (RAI) is a multicenter, prospective registry that aims to assess BVS performance through a 5-year follow-up of all consecutive patients who undergone at least 1 successful BVS implantation.

Bioresorbable vascular scaffold versus everolimus-eluting stents or drug eluting balloon for the treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis: 1-Year follow-up of a propensity score matching comparison (the BIORESOLVE-ISR Study).

Objectives: to compare the 1-year outcome between bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS), everolimus-eluting stent (EES), and drug-eluting balloon (DEB) for in-stent restenosis (ISR) treatment.

Background: BVS has been proposed as alternative for ISR treatment. To date a direct comparison between BVS and DES or DEB for ISR treatment is lacking.

Clinical outcomes of overlapping versus non-overlapping everolimus-eluting absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffolds: An analysis from the multicentre prospective RAI registry (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02298413).

Objectives: To compare clinical outcomes of patients treated with overlapping versus non-overlapping Absorb BVS.

Background: Limited data are available on the clinical impact of stent overlap with the Absorb BVS bioresorbable stent.

Methods: We compared outcomes of patients receiving overlapping or non-overlapping Absorb BVS in the multicenter prospective RAI Registry.

Rationale and design of a multicenter, international and collaborative Coronary Artery Aneurysm Registry (CAAR).

Unlabelled: Coronary artery aneurysm is defined as a coronary dilation that exceeds the diameter of adjacent segments or the diameter of the patient's largest normal coronary vessel by 1.5×. It is an uncommon disease that has been diagnosed with increasing frequency since the widespread appearance of coronary angiography.

Recurrent in-stent restenosis, certainty of its origin, uncertainty about treatment.

Treatment of recurrent in-stent restenosis is a real brainteaser for the interventional cardiologist who cannot resort to the guidelines to have indications about the type of treatment to be preferred. The use of intracoronary imaging may provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of this complication and use of drug-coated balloons may be a valid alternative and especially a thoughtful treatment when the repeated and perseverant use of drug-eluting stents clearly fails. In this setting, we present a review of the literature about this interesting topic, going deep into the heart of the problem, its origin and possible treatment options.

Understanding and managing in-stent restenosis: a review of clinical data, from pathogenesis to treatment.

The lumen diameter reduction after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is well known as "restenosis". This phenomenon is due to vessel remodeling/recoil in case of no-stent strategy or, in case of stent employ, "neointimal proliferation" that consists in an excessive tissue proliferation in the luminal surface of the stent otherwise by a further new-occurring atherosclerotic process called "neoatherosclerosis". The exact incidence of in-stent restenosis (ISR) is not easy to determine caused by different clinical, angiographic and operative factors.

Final shape of biovascular scaffolds and clinical outcome. Results from a multicenter all-comers study with intravascular imaging.

Aims: Radial strength of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) implanted in coronary arteries is still under debate. Moreover, their final shape patterns, when implanted in an all-comer, unselected population, have not yet been completely correlated with clinical outcome and should be better investigated.

Methods And Results: A multicenter collaborative analysis was performed on all consecutive patients with native coronary artery disease undergoing PCI with intravascular imaging-guided BVS implantation.