CHEST, HEART AND STROKE SCOTLAND FUND CORONARY BALLOON ANGIOPLASTY RESEARCHJanuary 22, 1999Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland have awarded a grant of £28,865 to support the work, which will look at the part played by angioplasty balloon pressure in the sudden closure of blood vessels. Subsequent problems for the patient can include heart attack and/or emergency coronary bypass surgery. Says Dr Nick Palmer, Clinical Research Fellow in Cardiology: "Although the use of coronary balloon angioplasty (PTCA) has grown dramatically in the last decade, the two major limitations of the procedure, abrupt closure and restenosis (re-narrowing or constricting of the blood vessel), have not decreased significantly." He explained: "Balloon-induced arterial wall injury is the main cause of abrupt vessel closure (and subsequent problems) in PTCA. Despite this, balloon calibre/pressure strategies to minimise the degree of injury remain poorly defined. Current evidence suggests that more significant injury to the diseased wall occurs when high pressure balloon inflations are employed." This study will try out a new flow system involving post-mortem coronary arteries to accurately simulate conditions and disease patterns within human coronaries. Researchers will use three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to evaluate injury to arteries after balloon angioplasty. IVUS can directly visualise the arterial wall, and is more accurate than angiography. "This project offers the opportunity for this analysis in controlled conditions similar to the clinical setting," says Dr Palmer. To date, no IVUS study has looked at whether different balloon size and inflation strategies result in differences in PTCA mechanisms and extent of vessel wall injury. This research could provide more accurate guidance of coronary interventions, and could prove valuable in the clinical setting by reducing the rate of abrupt vessel closure and the need for expensive treatment. Edinburgh, University of |
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| Related Angioplasty Current Events and Angioplasty News Articles Your Own Stem Cells Can Treat Heart Disease The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of subjects with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. The transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn't receive stem cells. Vitamin B niacin offers no extra benefit to statin therapy in seniors already diagnosed with CAD The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows. The heart attack myth: Study establishes that women do have same the heart attack symptoms as men The gender difference between men and women is a lot smaller than we've been led to believe when it comes to heart attack symptoms. Lifestyle changes remain important in fighting peripheral arterial disease Modifying the risk of peripheral arterial disease (or PAD)-with healthy lifestyle changes-remains vital to one's health, note researchers in a recent issue of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. Study questions need for routine intervention in patients with renovascular disease Some invasive procedures that are becoming increasingly common as a first line of treatment for patients diagnosed with narrowed arteries in and around the kidneys may not be necessary. Designing drugs and their antidotes together improves patient care Imagine a surgical patient on a blood-thinning drug who starts bleeding more than expected, and an antidote that works immediately - because the blood thinner and antidote were designed to work together. Pre-hospital organization: The first links in the chain of survival for heart attack patients Mortality rate following a heart attack has fallen by more than 50% in Europe over the past 25 years. However, because only minor advances in the medical treatment of AMI are expected over the next decade, it is through organisational changes in the pre-hospital phase that mortality rate will continue this decline to below 5%. Stent for life initiative Primary angioplasty (with stent implantation) is the most effective therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but it is not available to many patients, even though most European countries have sufficient resources (ie, catheterisation laboratories) for its wider use. Otamixaban for the treatment of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes Data from a phase II trial of an investigational intravenous drug designed to block the formation of blood clots shows potential to reduce the risk of death, a second heart attack, or other coronary complications compared with the current standard of care in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (heart attacks or unstable angina). New strategies for reperfusion therapy A new trial has begun in order to ascertain once and for all whether the best strategy for patients who cannot receive P-PCI is early fibrinolysis, together with mandated angiography. More Angioplasty Current Events and Angioplasty News Articles |
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