Cath Lab Recap: PCI Readmits Down; Combo Tx Stent

Readmissions within 30 days of PCI declined between 2000 and 2012 (16.1% versus 15.4%, a relative 33% difference), according to a large study of Medicare beneficiaries.

The Combo dual-therapy stent -- a sirolimus-eluting device that captures endothelial progenitor cells with an antibody coating on the inner surface -- showed late neointimal regression on optical CT imaging in a single-center study. Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 3.3% of cases over 3 years with no stent thrombosis observed.

Tirofiban (Aggrastat) hits a snag: the FDA rejected a proposed expanded indication for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Almost 3 years have passed since Europe approved the indication.

The FDA granted approval to the IN.PACT Admiral drug-coated balloon at a 150 mm length. Previously, the device has been marketed at 40, 60, 80, and 120 mm.

Will the price of stents in India head downhill? Both drug-eluting and bare metal stents have been added to the country's National List of Essential Medicines, giving the government the ability to dictate a price slash in the near future. "Even private hospitals will not be in a position to charge beyond what is notified by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority eventually," a government official told Economic Times.

A novel device for degenerative mitral regurgitation was successful in all patients, according to the first-in-human study (n=11) of the Harpoon TSD-5. The minimally invasive procedure -- a series of chordal insertions -- is performed through a small left thoracotomy and is guided by transesophageal echocardiography.

Men and women shared similarly lower odds of bleeding with short-term as opposed to long-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after receiving a drug-eluting stent, a meta-analysis found. Patients with multivessel disease in either group, however, had more major adverse cardiac events after short-term DAPT.

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