September/October 2007

Possis Medical Inc. will feature the newest advancements in its “Complete Solution for Thrombus,” including the AngioJet Ultra Thrombectomy System, AngioJet Spiroflex and Spiroflex VG catheters and its Fetch Aspiration Catheter.

Just when drug-eluting stents (DES) were going to revolutionize interventional cardiology, new reports that DES may be associated with increased risk of late-stent thrombosis have many physicians putting the brakes on DES use. Despite this significant bump in the road, stent manufacturers are forging ahead with clinical trials on novel systems and on plans to roll out new DES platforms in 2008.

iffering approaches for the treatment of coronary bifurcation and ostial lesions (CBOL) continue to feed the debate over which stent designs and stenting techniques are most effective.

More than ever before, cardiologists are adopting CT as the new standard for cardiac care. In the last five years, CT’s popularity as a diagnostic tool has exploded. Its ability to produce slices as thin as 0.5 mm creates a platform for evaluating patients, detecting disease at early stages and designing treatment roadmaps.

Since the introduction of the 64 multi-slice CT scanner, studies have examined the utility of this technology for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD), and cardiologists are rapidly adopting this technology to perform CT Angiography (CTA) for detecting CAD.

When it comes to diagnosing disease, image is everything. It is difficult to treat what you can’t see. That’s especially true in the cardiac cath lab where cardiologists performing procedures ranging from simple diagnostic tests to more complex interventional maneuvers rely on imaging technology to guide their course.