Patients who received a bare metal coronary stent did not display significant differences in rates of adverse events with an additional 18 months of dual antiplatelet therapy rather than placebo, according to a study in the March 17 issue of JAMA. The study looked at rates of stent thrombosis, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, and moderate or severe bleeding. The authors note that limitations in sample size may make definitive conclusions regarding these findings difficult.
C.R. Bard Inc. announced that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has improved the pass-through payment for the Lutonix drug-coated balloon (DCB) under the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system. The purpose of the reimbursement is to cover additional cost to U.S. hospitals for treating Medicare beneficiaries with the Lutonix DCB in the outpatient setting.
ECRI Institute recently reviewed published data on Abiomed's Impella RP (Right Percutaneous) transcatheter ventricular assist device (VAD). The institute said the device provides immediate significant improvements in hemodynamics with considerable short-term and long-term survival rates.
Outcomes from the initial commercial experience of transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) with Abbott's MitraClip were deemed favorable in a late-breaking clinical trial session at the American College of Cardiology's (ACC) 64 th annual scientific session and expo in March.
C. Dorn Smith, M.D., vascular surgeon in Kingstree, South Carolina, was successful in using a new device to remove blood clots from a patient with a cold leg using the Aspire mechanical thrombectomy device.
Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is known to have excellent anatomical imaging, but has lacked the ability for functional assessments, requiring chest pain patients with intermediate stenosis lesions to be sent to the cath lab or nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging. However, recent advances in CCTA image analysis software and the accumulation of supporting clinical data may soon enable CT perfusion imaging and virtual fractional flow reserve-CT (FFR-CT) to become mainstream in the coming years.
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