Cardiovascular News’ top 10 most popular stories of February 2021

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Our top 10 stories of February 2021, including: the relationship between TAVI volumes and outcomes; cardiothoracic surgeons at risk of burnout due to COVID-19, and; minimally invasive aortic valve surgery or TAVI: The need for randomised trials

  1. Meta-analysis points to “inverse” relationship between TAVI centre volume and outcomes

The authors of a systematic review and meta-analysis looking at the effect of institutional transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) volume on mortality conclude that more focus is needed on “strong referral networks and consolidation” rather than expansion of existing TAVI centres. The review suggested that existing research points to an “inverse” relationship between annual TAVI centre procedure volume and all-cause mortality among patients.

  1. Robotic treatment starts with the heart

Robotic-assisted treatment is on the cusp of achieving its full potential, according to J Aaron Grantham, consulting chief medical officer for cardiovascular procedures at Corindus and a practicing interventional cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, USA. In this commentary article, he outlines the applications of robotic technology in cardiovascular healthcare, and considers how it could be the tool of the future for interventional cardiology.

  1. Ticagrelor monotherapy associated with a lower bleeding risk than standard DAPT after PCI

Stopping aspirin shortly after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with lower bleeding and mortality risks, without a concomitant increase in cardiovascular ischaemic recurrences compared with standard dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) continuation, a meta-analysis published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions concluded.

  1. Rate of target vessel failure “significantly lower” after IVUS-guided PCI

Drug-eluting stent implantation guided by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is associated with significantly lower rates of target vessel failure at three-year follow-up compared to procedures performed using angiographic guidance. This is according to the latest data from the multicentre, randomised ULTIMATE trial, published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

  1. Cardiovascular News Issue 60

The February 2021 digital issue of Cardiovascular News includes: Long-term registry data show TAVI has overtaken surgical aortic valve replacement in the USA; How the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for enhanced protection for cath lab teams; “Late-breaking science is alive and well”: Coverage from TCT Connect 2020, and; Stephan Achenbach: Meet the new European Society of Cardiology (ESC) president.

  1. New recommendations issued on antithrombotic treatment of AF patients undergoing PCI

Updated recommendations on the optimal antithrombotic treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) receiving oral anticoagulants after undergoing PCI have been published this week in the journal Circulation.

  1. Study documents “surprisingly benign” impact of COVID-19 among cardiac surgery patients

A study published in the Journal of Cardiac Surgery, detailing 18 out of a group of 19 patients who had contracted COVID-19 whilst recovering from cardiac surgery found that the course of the infection was “surprisingly benign” within this group.

  1. Risk of burnout “a growing concern” in cardiothoracic surgery

The risk of burnout among cardiothoracic surgeons has been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the outgoing president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), Joseph Dearani (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA), speaking during the society’s 57th annual meeting (29–31 January, virtual).

  1. Minimally invasive aortic valve surgery or TAVI: The need for randomised trials

Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (miAVR) in select patients with severe aortic stenosis offers a number of possible advantages over alternative approaches, writes Ahmed Bendary (Benha University, Benha, Egypt. He discusses the evidence for situations favouring miAVR over TAVI, and argues that head-to-head studies comparing the two approaches should be considered.

  1. Shockwave IVL receives US FDA pre-market approval for severely calcified coronary artery disease

Shockwave Medical has announced that its intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) technology has received pre-market approval for the treatment of severely calcified coronary artery disease from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).


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