CardioExchange Archive

November 28th, 2014

FDA Approves New Noninvasive FFR Technology

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA said Wednesday that it had granted approval to a novel technology that noninvasively measures fractional flow reserve (FFR) using data obtained from a CT scan of the heart. In recent years a catheter-based form of FFR has been used by interventional cardiologists during catheterization procedures to measure the pressure gradient in partially blocked […]

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September 3rd, 2014

FAME 2 at 2 Years: Better with Time?

CardioExchange Editors, Staff

The CardioExchange editors ask whether the 2-year findings from FAME 2 are more compelling than the 7-month findings.

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September 2nd, 2014

Fractional Flow Reserve Gains Support in Stable CAD and NSTEMI

Larry Husten, PHD

Two studies presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Barcelona offered fresh support for fractional flow reserve (FFR), which has been slowly but surely gaining traction in the interventional cardiology community. FFR in Patients with Stable CAD Bernard De Bruyne presented 2-year results from the FAME 2 (Fractional flow reserve versus Angiography for Multivessel Evaluation […]

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July 11th, 2014

Do FFR and IVUS Feed the Elephant?

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

Rick Lange and David Hillis wonder whether the debate about the role of FFR and IVUS in patient selection for PCI is a red herring in the larger issue of revascularization in patients with stable CAD.

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February 6th, 2013

FFR vs. iFR: All That Glitters Is Not Gold

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

David Hillis and Rick Lange consider new evidence that iFR is not an acceptable substitute for FFR. Does the need for adenosine administration hinder the use of FFR to guide management decisions?

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September 17th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: September 17th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include surgical vs. lifestyle treatment for type-2 diabetes, omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation and the risk for major CVD events, FAME 2, using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T for one-hour rule-out or rule-in of acute MI, and the timing of acute MI in patients having total hip or knee replacement.

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September 4th, 2012

ESC Trials: The Best And The Worst

Larry Husten, PHD

Larry Husten is back from ESC and discussing two trials that exemplify how medicine is supposed to work, and one that exemplifies what can go wrong, especially when commercial interests are at stake.

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August 28th, 2012

FAME 2: Can FFR Save PCI from Medical Therapy?

Larry Husten, PHD

Two sharply divergent views have developed about the value of fractional flow reserve (FFR) in PCI. FFR advocates think the new technology can help identify ischemic lesions that will benefit from PCI, thereby helping to salvage or enhance the reputation of PCI. FFR skeptics think that optimal medical therapy is still the preferred option for most […]

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May 22nd, 2012

iFR: A New Tool to Measure Functional Ischemia

Justin E Davies, MD, PhD, Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD

The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is a pressure-derived  index of stenosis severity that does not require adenosine administration. The index was introduced at the 2011 TCT conference and validated by the results of the ADVISE study, published in December 2011. Following a series of presentations at the recent EuroPCR congress, Dr. Justin Davies answers questions […]

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May 18th, 2012

FAME II: Another Study Abides in Infamy

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

In FAME II, a prospective study conducted at 28 centers in Europe and the United States, >1200 patients with ischemia (as determined by fractional flow reserve [FFR]) were randomly assigned to receive (a) PCI (with a DES) and optimal medical therapy (OMT) or (b) OMT alone. The primary endpoint was a composite of death, myocardial infarction […]

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