CardioExchange Archive

October 31st, 2013

Prolonged Dual Antiplatelet Therapy May Not be Necessary for Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents

Larry Husten, PHD

The precise duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following implantation of a drug-eluting stent (DES) has been the subject of considerable controversy. On the one hand, prolonged therapy may help prevent late stent thrombosis, which was particularly evident in first generation DESs. On the other hand, the risk of stent thrombosis may have diminished in […]

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September 19th, 2012

Studies Examine Less Burdensome Dual Antiplatelet Regimens

Larry Husten, PHD

Two new studies published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology offer hope but not, yet, compelling evidence to support less burdensome requirements for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. In the first study, Spanish investigators followed 1622 consecutive patients who received a DES for 1 year. They found that 10.6% of the patients interrupted […]

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November 7th, 2011

ACC and AHA Release New PCI and CABG Guidelines

Larry Husten, PHD

The AHA and the ACC have released updated 2011 guidelines for PCI and CABG. The guidelines are available online on the JACC website (here and here) and on the Circulation website. The new guidelines include for the first time a strong recommendation that hospitals adopt a “heart team” approach in choosing a treatment strategy for patients with coronary […]

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November 2nd, 2011

FDA Approves Abbott’s Xience Prime Drug-Eluting Stent

Larry Husten, PHD

Abbott announced on Tuesday that it had received FDA approval for its Xience Prime everolimus-eluting stent. The cobalt chromium stent is designed to be delivered more easily to complex lesions and will be available in long lengths up to 38 mm. Approval of Xience Prime was based on the SPIRIT Prime clinical trial, an open-label registry […]

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August 15th, 2011

Drug Eluting Stents: It Pays To Be Picky

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD

 Why buy the most expensive stent when the cheaper one works just as well?  Two recent studies suggest that a more selective use of stents has merits.  In an analysis of pooled data from 4 trials (SPIRIT II-IV and COMPARE) comparing the more-expensive everolimus-eluting stent (EES) with the less-expensive paclitaxel eluting stent (PES), Stone and colleagues identified a […]

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August 15th, 2011

Bare Metal Stents: The Next New Thing?

Larry Husten, PHD

Although drug-eluting stents (DES) have largely supplanted bare metal stents (BMS) in clinical practice, a new study published in Circulation suggests that using these devices in all patients may represent an inefficient use of healthcare resources. Lakshmi Venkitachalam and colleagues analyzed data from 10,144 PCI patients enrolled in the Evaluation of Drug Eluting Stents and […]

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May 24th, 2011

Stent BioWars: Erode or Absorb?

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD

In January 2011, we blogged about ABSORB, a  bioresorbable stent, when it received CE approval for use in Europe. Drug-eluting stents (DES) are composed of a metal scaffold that is coated with a polymer containing an antiproliferative agent , which is released gradually over the weeks to months after the stent is inserted.  The durable polymer residue has […]

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April 26th, 2011

FDA Briefs: New Stent Approved, Advisory Committee Meeting on ACCORD Lipid

Larry Husten, PHD

Boston Scientific said on Monday that it had received FDA approval for a third-generation drug-eluting stent, the ION Paclitaxel-Eluting Platinum Chromium Coronary Stent System. The “unique platinum chromium (PtCr) alloy” is specifically designed for use in the coronary arteries. The FDA announced that the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee would meet on May 19 to […]

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November 16th, 2010

What Does BASKET PROVE Have to Prove?

L. David Hillis, MD and Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA

What to make of new findings that DES are just as good as BMS for treating lesions in large coronary arteries? David Hillis and Rick Lange provide a brief tour of the relevant issues. Getting a handle on the study… Previous data suggested that the use of DES in large native coronary arteries confers no benefit and […]

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October 19th, 2010

DES: Top Six Things You Should Know

CardioExchange Editors, Staff

Finding it hard to keep up with all of the new DES research? Interventional Cardiology Co-Moderator Rick Lange offers this brief tutorial on the “top six things every cardiologist should know about DES.” Would you add anything to Rick’s list? Tell us your thoughts here.

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