Shielding for PCI in Vein Grafts; TAVR Technique; Posterior Circulation Stroke Tx

The IN.PACT AV drug-coated balloon received FDA approval to treat arteriovenous access site lesions, allowing patients with end-stage renal disease to undergo dialysis with fewer reinterventions over time, Medtronic announced.

Drug-eluting stents were better than bare metal stents for ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) patients, a patient-level meta-analysis found. However, no single generation of devices stood out as the best at reducing the composite endpoint of cardiac death, reinfarction, and target lesion revascularization. (Journal of the American College of Cardiology)

For STEMI, complete revascularization guided by fractional flow reserve had the same risks regardless of left ventricular hypertrophy, according to a substudy of DANAMI-3-PRIMULTI published in EuroIntervention.

Embolic protection devices didn't improve clinical outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in saphenous vein grafts on multivariable analysis in a study in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. But propensity score matching suggested less inpatient mortality at the expense of more periprocedural no-reflow or slow-flow.

Two transcatheter aortic valve replacement techniques were linked to fewer complications in a registry study: ultrasound guidance for vascular access management and rapid pacing via the left ventricle guidewire. (Catheterization & Cardiovascular Interventions)

For ischemic stroke due to isolated posterior cerebral artery occlusion, recanalization rates were improved with IV thrombolytics or endovascular treatment compared to conservative treatment. There was no uptick in hemorrhagic complications and mortality with either therapy, the single-center report showed in Stroke.

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