CardioExchange Archive

September 20th, 2011

Slow Spots in Transfer of Primary PCI Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study in Circulation helps identify the precise causes for delays that occur when STEMI patients are transferred for primary PCI.

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August 30th, 2011

No Benefit for Routine Counterpulsation Found in CRISP AMI

Larry Husten, PHD

Routine use of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) in STEMI patients who do not have cardiogenic shock does not reduce infarct size, according to a new trial. Results from the CRISP AMI (Counterpulsation to Reduce Infarct Size Pre-PCI Acute Myocardial Infarction) trial were presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Paris by Manesh Patel […]

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July 5th, 2011

Only Half of Nonacute PCIs Deemed Appropriate

Larry Husten, PHD

Only half of all PCIs performed for nonacute cases have a definite indication, according to a report from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry published in JAMA. Paul Chan and colleagues analyzed data from more than half a million PCI procedures performed between July 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010. Out of 500,154 PCIs, they found […]

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January 21st, 2011

To Arms! Or, Maybe Not?

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

According to a recently published opinion piece in a British cardiology journal, enthusiasm for the transradial approach over the femoral approach in primary PCI is not justified. The authors cite numerous problems with the radial approach compared with the femoral approach (i.e., up to a 10% crossover rate, prolonged procedure time, increased radiation exposure for the patient and physician) […]

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August 20th, 2010

Door to Balloon (D2B) Time: The Wrong Performance Measure?

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA

The authors of a recently published study evaluated the association between system delay (i.e., time from the patient’s first contact with the health care system to initiation of reperfusion) and outcome in STEMI patients transported by EMS and treated with primary PCI.  Some patients were triaged directly to a PCI center, whereas others were transported to their […]

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August 17th, 2010

Going Beyond Door-to-Balloon by Starting Earlier

Larry Husten, PHD

Efforts to speed delivery of PCI to STEMI patients have focused on shortening the door-to-balloon time. Now a group of Danish researchers propose that efforts to improve care must include assessment of treatment from the time of the patient’s first contact with the emergency medical system. Analyzing historical data from 6209 MI patients who received […]

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