President's Message: The Impact of FAME 2 - A Video Discussion

September 6, 2012

Dear Members,

Last week, the results of FAME 2 were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings were striking: Stable ischemic heart disease patients with FFR-positive lesions who underwent PCI with OMT were significantly less likely to require unplanned hospitalization leading to urgent revascularization than patients who received OMT alone.

Widespread media coverage followed, as did discussion about the how the trial will impact how we care of patients now and in the future. In this video, SCAI member Ajay J. Kirtane, M.D., SM, FSCAI, and I discuss the trial; please click on the image to the right to watch.

For your convenience, we’ve also created the following resources, as well as a summary of the headlines:

• President’s Page: “The Benefit of Ischemia-Based Revascularization for Stable Ischemic Heart Disease: The Impact of FAME 2”. Soon-to-be-published in Catheterization & Cardiovascular Interventions, this President’s Page traces the evidence on treatment of stable ischemic heart disease, including the results of FAME 2.
• News release: SCAI’s statement to the media was picked up by more than 250 outlets.
• Patient education tool: Do your patients have questions about the headlines? Do you need a tool to guide discussions about stable heart disease? You may download this free handout an dprint it as many times as you like. More information about FAME 2 is on SCAI’s public education website, www.SecondsCount.org.
• FFR & Reimbursement: What Cardiologists and Coders Should Know: Learn more about the status of FFR reimbursement at www.SCAI.org

FAME 2 In the News

• ABC News: Should More Heart Patients Get Stents? Study Says Yes
• Cardiology News: FAME 2 Favorable PCI Results Driven by Revascularization
• Cardiology Today Interventions: FAME II: Positive results upheld for FFR-guided PCI plus medical therapy
• Cardiosource: FAME 2: Does FFR-Guided PCI Reduce Need for Urgent Revascularization?
• Forbes: FAME 2: Can FFR Save PCI From Medical Therapy?
• Health.com: Early Stenting Best for Some Heart Patients: Study
• Medpage Today: FAME: Measuring Flow Aids PCI Result
• Medpage Today: ESC: FFR Boosts Stent Benefit in CAD
• Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Study backs St. Jude technology
• San Francisco Chronicle: Heart study favors stent-drug combo
• TCTMD: FAME 2: PCI Bests Medical Therapy in Stable Patients with Proven Ischemia
• theheart.org: FAME II: FFR-guided PCI reduces urgent reinterventions, but not change mortality, MI
• US News & World Report: Early Stenting Best for Some Heart Patients: Study
• WebMD: New Test Helps Decide if Heart Patient Needs Stent
  
  

I look forward to your feedback on FAME 2 and other topics. Please email me anytime at president@scai.org

Best regards,

J. Jeffrey Marshall, MD, FSCAI, FACC
SCAI President (May 2012 - May 2013)