Top 10 Cardiology Now Stories for September

Ahmed Younes, M.D.
By Ahmed Younes, M.D. on

1. COAPT  Demonstrates the Benefit of Transcatheter Mitral-Valve Repair Using MitraClip in Patients with Heart Failure

The trial demonstrated that transcatheter mitral valve approximation using the MitraClip, on a background of maximally tolerated guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) was superior to GDMT alone in the reduction of Heart Failure (HF) hospitalization and mortality in symptomatic HF patients with grade 3-4+ Mitral regurgitation.

2. IMPERIAL: Polymer Coated Sustained-Release Eluvia DES Outshines Non-Polymer Coated Zilver DES for Femoropopliteal Artery Stenosis

The IMPERIAL trial compared the Eluvia paclitaxel-eluting stent (Boston Scientific) to  Zilver PTX paclitaxel-eluting stent (Cook Medical) and showed that the Eluvia stent outperformed Zilver in terms of efficacy, which was defined as primary patency at 12 months.

3. ReCre8: Polymer-Free Amphilimus-Eluting stents: A Novel Elution Technology

According to the study, polymer-free amphilimus-eluting stents were non-inferior to permanent-polymer zotarolimus-eluting stents (PP-ZES) in terms of target-lesion failure at 12 months.

4. SOLVE-TAVI: Corevalve Evolut R (Medtronic) and Edwards Sapien 3 (Edward Lifesciences) Valves Reveal Equivalence in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) in a Head-to-Head Comparison

The study compared the self-expanding Corevalve Evolut R valve to balloon expandable Edwards Sapien 3 valve and showed that the two valves were equivalent to each other in terms of decreasing all-cause mortality, stroke, moderate or severe prosthetic valve regurgitation, and permanent pacemaker implantation.

5. ULTIMATE: Optimal IVUS Guidance for Stent Placement: A Clear Winner?

The study demonstrated that IVUS-guided PCI is superior to angiography-guided PCI in the prevention of target vessel failure in an all-comers population.

6. ABSORB IV trial Paves the Way for Polymeric Coronary Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds

The trial showed that polymeric coronary bioresorbable vascular scaffolds were non-inferior to cobalt-chromium-based Xience drug-eluting stents for cardiovascular outcomes of target lesion failure and angina in fairly simple lesion types, with lower acute procedural success in a 1 year period.

7. Do Valsartan Contaminants NDMA and NDEA Bear A Potential Cancer Risk?

The discovery of Valsartan products that were contaminated with NDMA, in July 2018, in drug products manufactured in China, triggered the withdrawal of all affected products by medical agencies across Europe and the United States.

8. ASPREE: Another Warning Bell for Aspirin, “Wonder Drug”Fails to Work Wonders

The study reported higher all-cause mortality among apparently healthy older adults receiving daily aspirin as compared to placebo.

9. PADN-5: Pulmonary Artery Denervation Improves Pulmonary HTN in Heart Failure

Pulmonary artery denervation is associated with significant improvements in hemodynamic and clinical outcomes including 6-minute walk distance and pulmonary vascular resistance in patients with combined pre- and post-capillary pulmonary hypertension.

10. SORT-OUT: Resolute Onyx stent Successfully Demonstrates Non-Inferiority in the World of Drug-Eluting Stents

The investigators confirmed that polymer free Biolimus A9-coated BioFreedom stent was non-inferior to the thin strut, biodegradable polymer cobalt-chromium sirolimus-eluting Orsiro stent in an all-comers patient population at 12 months of follow-up.

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