Comments*

 

  • Better outcomes from angioplasty and stenting

     
     
     
    Type Size
     

    Removing dangerous “debris” from arteries

    During angioplasty procedures, bits of plaque and blood clot can break loose, flow downstream and lodge in tiny vessels feeding the heart muscle, blocking blood flow and potentially increasing damage to the heart and risk of death.

    To prevent this dangerous “debris” from escaping and lodging in other vessels, researchers have developed catheters that are able to either suck or filter out (aspirate) the bits. But do these devices improve survival if used to treat patients with heart attack?

    A study has found that, a year after their procedures, heart attack patients treated with an aspiration catheter during angioplasty were more likely to have survived – and to have avoided a second heart attack than patients treated by conventional techniques.

    Reducing re-narrowing of vessels propped open with bare-metal stents

     Currently, about 25 percent of patients who receive bare metal stents and 10 percent of patients who receive drug-eluting stents develop re-narrowing inside the stent within six to 12 months after receiving it. Traditionally, they are treated with the placement of a second drug-eluting stent to reopen the artery.

    A study has found that an angioplasty balloon that has been coated with a drug that is released into the blood vessel’s inner wall appears to treat a reblocked stent as well as the placement of a second stent. These are early results and will need more study. Learn more about the study, "Paclitaxel-Eluting PTCA-Balloon Catheter in Coronary Artery Disease II-In-Stent Restenosis (PEPCAD II-ISR)."

    Preventing blood clots in stents

    Patients who receive stents are prescribed anti-clotting (anti-platelet) medications, drugs that thin the blood and help to prevent platelets from clumping together to form blood clots inside the stents. Though rare, blood clots can lead to heart attack and stroke.

    To prevent blood clots from forming, patients may be instructed to take anti-clotting medication for up to a year or more, depending on the type of stent they receive, and they may be instructed to take aspirin for life. Clopidogrel, which is known as Plavix, is the most commonly prescribed anti-clotting drug.

    A clinical study has found that a new investigational anti-clotting drug, called prasugrel, may provide better protection against stent-related clots than clopidogrel (Plavix). Researchers continue to gather more insights into the best way to prevent formation of dangerous blood clots.”

    Better imaging to assess healing after stent implantation

    Sophisticated imaging technology is under development that could enable physicians to see inside the arteries and assess healing after a stent has been placed. Called optical coherence tomography (OCT), the technology, once refined, promises to generate ultra-high resolution images of the tissue layers that make up blood vessels. Currently, no imaging technology is available to provide the level of detail that may be possible with OCT.