Comparison of transradial and transfemoral access in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for complex coronary lesions.

Objective: Comparison of transradial versus transfemoral access for complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with regard to both complications and long-term outcomes.

Background: Radial access has been shown to confer superior results in patients undergoing PCI, especially in patients with acute coronary syndromes. However, radial access has limitations of sheath and device size, which may increase procedure time and result in inferior outcomes.

A common haplotype at the CD36 locus is associated with high free fatty acid levels and increased cardiovascular risk in Caucasians.

CD36 is a class B scavenger receptor recognizing a variety of ligands including long-chain fatty acids and modified LDL. We investigated whether genetic variability at this locus is a determinant of free fatty acid (FFA) plasma levels and risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in Caucasians. Typing of 21 polymorphic markers, evenly spanning the CD36 gene, revealed two linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks that could be tagged by five polymorphisms (-33137A>G, -31118G>A, 25444G>A, 27645del>ins and 30294G>C).

Clinical and economic outcomes of multivessel coronary stenting compared with bypass surgery: a single-center US experience.

Background: Randomized trials comparing multivessel stenting with coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) have demonstrated similar rates of death and myocardial infarction but higher rates of repeat revascularization after stenting. The impact of these alternative strategies on overall medical care costs is uncertain, particularly within the US health care system.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, matched cohort study to compare the clinical and economic outcomes of multivessel stenting and bypass surgery.