text:
More Topics
Creator's Hub
Collect Leads
Get Started
Tips & Tricks
For Business
Your SlideShare is downloading.
The Year in Interventional Cardiology
Upcoming SlideShare
Loading in...
Like this document? Why not share!
Drug Eluting Stents (DES)
by mariam1020
6630 views
Controversies in Interventional Car...
by simon23
602 views
Advances in interventional cardiolo...
by simon23
1216 views
Devices and technology in intervent...
by Ramachandra Barik
727 views
Newer trends in interventional card...
by Suraj Bhorkar
4361 views
Newer advancements in interventiona...
by Deepak Arjun
402 views
Share SlideShare
Email sent successfully!
Size (px)
Start on
Show related SlideShares at end
WordPress Shortcode
The Year in Interventional Cardiology
Published on
Jul 22, 2010
0 Comments
Full Name
Comment goes here.
12 hours ago
Are you sure you want to
Your message goes here
Be the first to comment
Be the first to like this
No Downloads
Total Views
On Slideshare
From Embeds
Number of Embeds
No embeds
Report content
Flagged as inappropriate
Flag as inappropriate
Copyright Complaint
No notes for slide
Transcript of "The Year in Interventional Cardiology"
1. The Year in Interventional Cardiology Simon R. Dixon, Cindy L. Grines, and William W. O'Neill J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2009;53;2080-2097 doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2009.02.035 This information is current as of July 22, 2010 The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the World Wide Web at: http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/53/22/2080 Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
Journal of the American College of Cardiology Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 © 2009 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation ISSN 0735-1097/09/$36.00 Published by Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2009.02.035 YEAR IN CARDIOLOGY SERIES The Year in Interventional Cardiology Simon R. Dixon, MB, CHB,* Cindy L. Grines, MD,* William W. O'Neill, MD† Royal Oak, Michigan; and Miami, Florida We are honored to provide readers of the Journal with this maintenance (e.g., 1 year) is reasonable (Class IIa, Level of review of major scientific work published in the field of Evidence: C); 4) intravenous beta-blockers should not be interventional cardiology in 2008. In addition, we have given to STEMI patients with signs of congestive heart included late-breaking trials presented at the American failure (CHF) or low cardiac output (Class IIIa); 5) non- College of Cardiology (ACC), Transcatheter Cardiovascu- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (except for aspirin) lar Therapeutics, and American Heart Association (AHA) should not be given (Class IIIc); and 6) routine coronary conferences. We hope that this report will provide a broad angiography may be considered after thrombolytic therapy overview of the field for general cardiologists, as well as a in patients not receiving reperfusion therapy (Class IIb) framework for more detailed study for those with a specific with PCI of a hemodynamically significant stenosis in a interest in interventional cardiology. patent vessel (Class IIb). However, late PCI of a totally occluded infarct artery is not recommended in asymptom- Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) atic patients who are hemodynamically and electrically Guideline Update stable and do not have ischemia. Stone (3,4) provided an An update of the ACC/AHA/Society for Cardiac Angiog- excellent 2-part review article on primary angioplasty. raphy and Interventions 2005 Guideline Update for PCI Regional care systems. Several groups reported findings was published early in 2008 (1). This focused update after development of regional systems for STEMI care. Le provides revisions to existing guideline recommendations May et al. (5) reported that acceptable door-to-balloon based on new clinical trial data and opinion in this rapidly times are more often achieved when paramedics triage and evolving field. The document highlights certain key areas, transport STEMI patients directly to a PCI center com- including unstable angina/non–ST-segment elevation myo- pared with patient referral from the emergency department. cardial infarction (NSTEMI), facilitated PCI, rescue PCI, Aguirre et al. (6), Flesch et al. (7), and Holmes et al. (8) PCI after fibrinolysis, ancillary therapy for ST-segment eleva- showed that timely mechanical reperfusion can be achieved tion myocardial infarction (STEMI), antiplatelet therapy, for patients initially presenting to a non-PCI center, with bare-metal stents (BMS) and drug-eluting stents (DES), and well-organized transfer protocols and coordinated systems finally, secondary prevention. Full review of the updated of care. guideline recommendations is beyond the scope of this article. Time to treatment. Excessive delay to primary PCI con- Careful reading of this document is essential for all those tinues to be an issue, especially when the patient presents to involved in the practice of interventional cardiology. a non-PCI facility. The National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) (9) reported that 15,049 patients at 491 Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) hospitals underwent primary PCI after being transferred from a non-PCI facility between 2005 and 2006 (the STEMI update. The ACC/AHA STEMI guidelines were median door-to-balloon time was 152 min (door-to-door: revised and published as a focused update in 2008 (2). 109 min and PCI hospital door-to-balloon: 38 min). Al- Essential changes in the guidelines include: 1) emphasis on though the delay was shortened compared with earlier years pre-hospital electrocardiography and transport of STEMI (180 min), there remains room for improvement. The Get patients directly to a PCI facility (bypassing hospitals that With the Guidelines database (10) reported 62,814 AMI are not PCI capable); 2) facilitated PCI with full-dose patients, of whom 5,649 arrived during off hours (nights, thrombolytic agents may be harmful (Class IIIb); 3) clopi- weekends, and holidays). Although off-hour patients had dogrel should be added to aspirin in STEMI patients longer door-to-balloon times (110 min vs. 85 min, p regardless of reperfusion status (Class Ia) and long-term 0.001), no measurable differences were found in mortality. Quality of care. Two important ACC/AHA reports on From *William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan; and the †University of performance measures for patients with STEMI and Miami, Miami, Florida. Dr. Dixon is a consultant for Abiomed Inc. Dr. Grines is a consultant NSTEMI were published in 2008 (11,12). These docu- for Pfizer, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and the GlaxoSmithKline Global Cardiovascular Board. Dr. O'Neill is a consultant for Medtronic. ments are an update of the ACC/AHA report on perfor- Manuscript received February 7, 2009; accepted February 18, 2009. mance measures in 2006. Key changes include: deletion of Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Dixon et al. 2081 June 2, 2009:2080–97 Year in Interventional Cardiology beta-blocker on arrival, revision of 9 measures, and addition the abciximab group (21). Although abciximab has been of 4 new measures, including evaluation of left ventricular shown to reduce stent thrombosis and acute ischemia, a (LV) systolic function, time to transfer and time to PCI for randomized trial of 800 primary PCI patients found no STEMI patients presenting initially to a facility without improvement in infarct size with abciximab compared with PCI, and inpatient referral for cardiac rehabilitation. The placebo (22). In another randomized trial, intracoronary second article focuses on measurement of time to reperfu- abciximab bolus (followed by 12-h intravenous infusion) sion, and provides clarification on specific inclusions and was superior to intravenous bolus and infusion at improving exclusions for this measure, as well as the time point when perfusion and reducing infarct size after primary PCI (23). reperfusion is achieved. Readers are encouraged to examine Although STEMI studies showing the benefits of GP these documents for more detail. IIb/IIIa agents have used abciximab, eptifibatide is used In other articles, Glaser et al. (13) examined factors more frequently because of cost concerns. In a retrospective contributing to the worse prognosis of STEMI patients analysis of 3,541 STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI presenting during off hours, and found that this seemed to use of eptifibatide (n 2,812) compared with abciximab be related to both diurnal differences in patient and lesion (n 729) resulted in similar rates of in-hospital death, MI, characteristics (e.g., more shock and multivessel disease), as or stroke (24). In a retrospective analysis of patients receiv- well as increased risk of procedural complications (13). Lev ing bolus only (n 1,565) compared with bolus plus et al. (14) compared the predictive value of 4 different risk infusion (n 1,064) of GP IIb/IIIa showed similar isch- scores and found that the CADILLAC (Controlled Abcix- emic outcomes, but reduced bleeding and cost compared imab and Device Investigation to Lower Late Angioplasty with the bolus-only strategy (25). Complications), Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction, Bivalirudin. Bivalirudin was found to be superior to hep- and PAMI (Primary Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction) arin (either enoxaparin or unfractionated heparin [UFH]) risk scores all had a high predictive accuracy for 30-day and plus GP IIb/IIIa agents in the HORIZONS AMI (Har- 1-year mortality; however, the Global Registry of Acute monizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Coronary Events risk score had a low predictive value for Acute Myocardial Infarction) trial. Despite an increased risk outcomes. of acute stent thrombosis with bivalirudin, bleeding and PCI after thrombolysis. The CARESS in AMI (Com- clinical outcomes were improved at 1 month (26) and bined Abciximab Retaplase Stent Study in Acute Myocar- remained significant at 1 year. dial Infarction) trial (7) treated 600 STEMI patients 75 DES. Several registries of DES for AMI found clinical years of age with half-dose retaplase, abciximab, aspirin, and event rates that were similar to (27) or superior to those for heparin, then randomized to immediate transfer for PCI BMS (28 –31). An editorial suggested a need for better large versus transfer only for rescue PCI (persistent ST-segment randomized trials and longer follow-up to address late stent elevation) (15). The combined end point of death, myocar- thrombosis and poor patient compliance with medication (32). dial infarction (MI), or refractory ischemia was improved in Kelbæk et al. (33) randomized 625 STEMI patients to the immediate PCI group (4.4% vs. 10.7%, p 0.004); DES versus BMS. At 8 months, angiographic restenosis however, bleeding was increased. In a large French registry, and target lesion revascularization (TLR) were improved early PCI after full-dose thrombolysis was associated with with DES; however, there was a trend for higher mortality. similar 1-year survival to primary PCI alone (16). Van der Hoeven et al. (34) found that sirolimus-eluting Facilitated PCI. Although facilitated PCI with full-dose stents (SES) reduced angiographic restenosis and TLR but thrombolytic agents was found to be harmful, Denktas et al. were associated with a higher incidence of late stent malappo- (17) found that facilitation with reduced-dose thrombolytic sition. Valgimigli et al. (35) randomized 745 STEMI patients agents was safe and effective in a nonrandomized observa- to SES versus BMS and found reduced major adverse cardiac tional experience. A large randomized trial comparing events (MACE) at 8 months. The HORIZONS AMI trial half-dose retaplase plus abciximab had improved ST- randomized 3,006 patients to paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) segment resolution but no improvement in clinical out- versus BMS; PES was superior at reduction in angiographic comes to primary PCI (18). Several randomized trials restenosis and TLR at 1 year (4.5% vs. 7.5%, p 0.002) with investigated the use of glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa agents for similar rates of stent thrombosis, MI, and death (36). Lee (37) facilitated PCI. Consistently, there was no improvement randomized 328 STEMI patients to zotarolimus-eluting stent over primary PCI in randomized comparisons with pre- (ZES), SES, or PES. Angiographic restenosis was significantly hospital eptifibatide (19), tirofiban (20), or abciximab (18). lower with SES compared with other DES; however, clinical These data confirm previous reports that primary PCI outcomes were similar. These data add to the evidence that without facilitation is the strategy of choice. DES reduce target vessel revascularization (TVR) after pri- GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors. A previous meta-analysis sug- mary PCI, and in the short term, seem to be safe. gested improved mortality using abciximab during primary Late reperfusion. There is still controversy about the role PCI. The FATA (Facilitated Angioplasty with Tirofiban or of PCI in patients presenting late after the onset of AMI Abciximab) trial randomized 738 patients to abciximab ( 12 h). Abbate et al. (38) performed a meta-analysis of versus tirofiban and found better ST-segment resolution in 3,560 patients undergoing PCI versus medical therapy Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
2082 Dixon et al. JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Year in Interventional Cardiology June 2, 2009:2080–97 alone. Late PCI (median 12 days) was associated with a seems to be another promising strategy for reducing infarct significant improvement in survival (mortality 6.3% vs. size. Sjauw et al. (52) studied the effect of unloading with 8.4%, odds ratio [OR]: 0.49, p 0.03) and favorable effect the Impella 2.5 (Abiomed, Danvers, Massachusetts) percu- on ventricular function and remodeling. In contrast, the taneous LV assist device in nonshock anterior AMI. Pa- OAT (Occluded Artery Trial) investigators (39) found no tients treated with the Impella 2.5 device had a greater benefit of late reperfusion for persistent infarct artery improvement in LV ejection fraction at 4 months compared occlusion in stable patients 3 to 28 days after MI. with a control group. Distal embolization. Distal embolization is common dur- Cardiogenic shock. Seyfarth et al. (53) reported results of ing infarct angioplasty. Using a Doppler guidewire, Oka- a small randomized trial evaluating the Impella 2.5 device in mura et al. (40) showed that embolization occurs most cardiogenic shock. Compared with intra-aortic balloon frequently after stenting, followed by first balloon inflation. pump, patients treated with the Impella 2.5 device had a Until now, however, most studies have shown little or no higher cardiac index and less lactic acidosis. An interesting benefit of routine thrombectomy in AMI. In the largest trial report from Apolito et al. (54) suggests that public reporting to date, Svilaas et al. (41) randomized 1,071 AMI patients of outcome data may deter physicians from providing to adjunctive thrombus aspiration with the 6-F Export catheter (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota) versus con- revascularization to shock patients. In this analysis, New ventional PCI. Thrombus aspiration was associated with a York patients were less likely to receive angiography or PCI, significant improvement in myocardial blush and ST- and also waited significantly longer to receive a coronary segment resolution. At 1 year, the thrombus-aspiration artery bypass graft (CABG) than non-New York patients group also had a lower incidence of death or re-infarction with shock. Reynolds et al. (55) provided a comprehensive (42). In another smaller randomized trial, VAMPIRE review article of etiology, pathophysiology, and contempo- (VAcuuM asPIration thrombus REmoval), thrombus aspi- rary treatment of cardiogenic shock complicating AMI. ration was also associated with an improved rate of myo- Cell therapy. Two meta-analyses examined the concept of cardial blush grade 3, and lower MACE rate at 8 months stem cell therapy after AMI. Zohlnhöfer et al. (56) reported (43). Vlaar et al. (44) also compared the effectiveness of 2 10 trials that randomized 445 patients to control versus aspiration catheters (Diver [Invatec, Roncadelle, Italy] ver- granulocyte colony stimulating factor to augment the num- sus Export [Medtronic]) and found no difference in size ber of circulating stem cells after AMI. There was no distribution of retrieved thrombotic particles with either significant difference in infarct size and ejection fraction device. between the treatment groups. Conversely, selective infu- A small randomized trial evaluating use of embolic sion of stem cells into the infarct artery resulted in improved protection showed improved ST-segment resolution in ejection fraction and reduced infarct size in a meta-analysis patients treated with a proximal occlusion device (45). In of 13 trials and 811 patients (57). contrast, Kelbæk et al. (46). found no benefit of distal embolic protection with the FilterWire device (Boston Scientific, Santa Clara, California). Dangas et al. (47) also reported that distal protection does not seem to be beneficial Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) in rescue PCI. Finally, Kramer et al. (48) performed Steg et al. (58) studied outcomes in patients with NSTEMI histological analysis of aspirated material in 1,315 AMI and CHF in the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events. patients, and found that older thrombus ( 1 day) was an Patients with CHF were less likely to undergo revascular- independent predictor of long-term mortality. ization than those without CHF. After adjustment for Adjunctive therapies. Several studies in 2008 investigated differences in baseline risk, revascularized patients had lower novel pharmacologic or mechanical adjuncts to limit myo- 6-month mortality, suggesting that broader use of PCI in cardial injury in AMI. In a small pilot trial, 58 patients were these high-risk patients may be beneficial. Ndrepepa et al. randomized to receive intravenous cyclosporine or saline (59) reported 1-year outcomes of the ISAR-REACT 2 immediately before PCI. Infarct size, measured by release of creatine kinase, troponin I, and magnetic resonance imaging (Intracoronary Stenting and Antithrombotic Regimen– in a subgroup, was significantly smaller in patients who Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment 2) randomized received cyclosporine (49). In another trial, intracoronary trial. In high-risk patients with NSTEMI undergoing PCI KAI-9803 in anterior MI patients with total occlusion of after pre-treatment with 600 mg clopidogrel, adverse events the left anterior descending artery (LAD) led to favorable occurred less frequently with abciximab. Mehta (60) pre- improvements in ST-segment resolution, creatine kinase sented results of a randomized trial of an early (within 24 h release kinetics, myocardial perfusion grade, and infarct size of symptom onset) versus delayed ( 36 h) invasive strategy (50). Ishii et al. (51) provided a review article summarizing in high-risk ACS patients. The early strategy did not reduce the role of various other pharmacologic adjuncts to reper- the incidence of the composite end point of death, MI, or fusion therapy, including adenosine, atrial natriuretic pep- stroke at 6 months; however, there was a reduction in the tide, nicorandil, and statins. Left ventricular unloading incidence of refractory ischemia in the early invasive arm. Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Dixon et al. 2083 June 2, 2009:2080–97 Year in Interventional Cardiology Elective PCI patients. However, survival was lower among high-risk patients treated with PCI. In aggregate these registries Left main disease. Current American and European suggest equipoise for low-risk patients with ULM disease guidelines recommend CABG for unprotected left main and provide an excellent foundation for several recently (ULM) disease, with PCI reserved only for patients who are completed randomized trials. high risk, inoperable, or refuse surgery. Taggart et al. (61) The first of these randomized trials is the Polish LE MANS summarized the surgical consensus, namely that CABG is (Study of Unprotected Left Main Stenting Versus Bypass proven therapy, and that PCI has limited value and may Surgery) trial (72). Buszman et al. (72) randomized 105 even be inferior to medical therapy for patients not suitable low-risk patients (age 60 years, LV ejection fraction 53%) for surgery. Teirstein (62) provided a more balanced over- and found greater improvement in late LV ejection fraction view, and pointed out that numerous unanswered questions (3.3 6.7% vs. 0.5 0.8%, p 0.047) for PCI-treated remain before routine PCI of ULM disease can be patients compared with CABG. recommended. Serruys (73) presented results of the left main subset of In 2008, a number of registries and randomized trials the SYNTAX (Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary began to provide clarity on the role of ULM PCI. Biondi- Intervention with Taxus and cardiac surgery) study (348 Zoccai et al. (63) performed a meta-analysis of 16 studies of patients randomized to CABG, 357 randomized to Taxus DES implantation for ULM disease. Among 1,278 patients stent implantation [Boston Scientific, Minneapolis, Minne- treated with a DES, in-hospital and 6-month mortality sota]). Patients were low risk (Euroscore 3.9, age 65 years, were 2.3% and 5.5%, respectively. The MACE and TVR 75% male). At 1 year, mortality was similar in both arms rates were significantly lower in ostial and shaft lesions (4.4% CABG vs. 4.2% PCI, p NS), but there was a versus distal bifurcation disease. The rate of MACE was higher incidence of stroke in the CABG group (2.7% vs. lower for DES compared with BMS, driven mainly by a 0.3%, p 0.009). Repeat revascularization at 1 year was lower rate of restenosis and TVR. The DELFT (Drug higher in the PCI arm (12.0% vs. 6.7%, p 0.02). The Eluting stent for LeFT main) registry (64) reported out- combination of these registries and the SYNTAX trial now comes for 358 consecutive patients with ULM disease. allow clinicians to make more scientific decisions about Procedural success was 89.6%, and in-hospital mortality was revascularization for ULM disease. The higher the patient 3%. Overall 3-year mortality was 9.2%. risk, the more likely that CABG improves survival. Con- The optimal technical approach to distal left main stent- versely, low-risk patients, especially those without bifurca- ing is unclear. Palmerini et al. (65) provided data from a tion disease, seem to be well suited for PCI with DES large, multicenter Italian registry in which 773 patients implantation. underwent PCI for distal left main disease (1 stent in 456 Multivessel disease. The year 2008 started with an anti- patients, 2 stents in 317). The adjusted 2-year survival was PCI groundswell. The New York State database was ana- significantly better for the single- versus 2-stent strategy. lyzed by Hannan et al. (74). This large, prominently When 2 stents were used, there was no difference between publicized article reported on all New York State patients crush versus T-stent versus culotte techniques. Thus, like with multivessel disease who had PCI or CABG from January other bifurcation disease, distal left main disease should be 2003 to December 2004 and were followed up until December treated with single stent implantation if technically possible. 2005. A total of 9,965 patients underwent PCI, and 7,437 Mehilli (66) presented results of a randomized trial of patients underwent surgery. Patients with ULM and AMI SES versus PES in 607 low-risk patients with ULM disease were excluded. Unadjusted survival was similar. After ad- (ISAR-LEFT MAIN [Intracoronary Stenting and An- justment for differences in baseline variables, CABG treated giograpic Results: Drug Eluting Stents for Unprotected patients with 3- and 2-vessel disease with proximal LAD Coronary Left Main Lesions]). The primary end point, involvement had lower mortality. Park et al. (75) studied 1-year MACE, was similar between SES- and PES-treated 3,042 patients with multivessel disease treated from January patients (15.8% vs. 13.6%). Angiographic restenosis was 2003 to December 2004. Unadjusted 3-year mortality was also similar (19.4% vs. 16.0%). higher for CABG (7.0% vs. 4.4%, p 0.01). Adjusted Several nonrandomized comparisons of PCI versus mortality was similar. These 2 large registries show that CABG for ULM disease were published in 2008. Seung such large differences are present in baseline severity of et al. (67) reported outcomes in 2,240 patients treated with illness and surgical and PCI outcomes that fundamental PCI or CABG from January 2000 to June 2006. In this scientific differences cannot be found without properly sized matched comparison, there was no difference in long-term randomized trials. mortality or the composite of death, MI, or stroke, but a Two moderate-sized randomized trials presented mid- higher rate of TVR was observed in patients treated with term follow-up. Booth et al. (76) followed up 988 patients PCI. Other studies also reported similar survival between for 6 years who were treated with PCI (n 488) or CABG PCI- and CABG-treated patients (68 –70). White et al. (n 500). Mortality was greater for PCI patients at 2 years, (71) provided further insight by stratifying outcomes ac- and this persisted at 6-year follow-up (10.9% vs. 6.8%, p cording to baseline risk. Survival was similar for low-risk 0.02). The ARTS (Arterial Revascularization Therapies Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
2084 Dixon et al. JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Year in Interventional Cardiology June 2, 2009:2080–97 Study) investigators (77) followed up 607 multivessel DES- provides superior angina relief versus medical therapy, but treated patients for 3 years. Outcomes were compared with does not prevent MI or death. Weintraub et al. (84) surgical patients and non-DES stent patients in the ARTS confirmed these findings in a quality-of-life analysis from I study. In addition, outcomes for the 159 diabetic patients the COURAGE (Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascular- in ARTS II were compared with the ARTS I cohort. These ization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation) trial. Angina relief data show that for ARTS-eligible patients, overall 3-year and quality of life was better initially for PCI therapy, but survival and 3-year risk of stroke is similar for DES, this benefit disappeared at 3 years. Both authors conclude non-DES, and CABG therapy. Differences in outcomes that for patients with stable coronary artery disease and mild were greater in the diabetic subgroups. There was a trend or no symptoms, initial medical therapy is an acceptable toward lower mortality for CABG and DES compared with alternative to initial PCI therapy. Schomig et al. (85) non-DES therapy. In addition, risk of cerebrovascular performed a meta-analysis of 17 randomized trials comparing accident diverges for the 3 treatments. Daemen et al. (78) PCI and medical therapy. Unlike the COURAGE trial, provide a meta-analysis of the ARTS I, ERACI II (Argentine Schomig included stable post-MI patients. In this analysis, Randomized Trial of Coronary Angioplasty with Stenting mortality was lower for PCI therapy, especially in patients Versus Coronary Bypass Surgery in Patients with Multiple with recent MI who had angina or exercise-induced Vessel Disease), MASS II (Medicine, Angioplasty, or Surgery ischemia. Study II), and SOS (Stenting Of Saphenous vein grafts) trials. No surgery on site. There has been debate about the safety Five-year follow-up in the 3,051 patients randomized to stent and results of PCI at facilities without on-site cardiac or surgery therapy are presented. Risk of death, stroke, and MI surgery. In one of the largest series to date, Frutkin et al. was 16.7% vs. 16.9% (p NS). Risk for TVR was higher for (86) reported outcomes of 1,090 elective PCIs performed at the stent therapy (29% vs. 7.9%, p 0.001). For diabetic a hospital without cardiac surgery. A low incidence of patients, mortality trended higher in the PCI group (12.4% vs. complications was observed, and only 2 patients required 7.9%, p 0.09). transfer for emergency CABG. It is important to note that Results of the 3-vessel disease subset of the SYNTAX this center has highly experienced interventionalists and (Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with well-defined protocols for transfer. Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) study were also presented; Outcomes research. In 2008, there were many reports 1,095 patients were randomized to CABG (n 549) or addressing clinical outcomes after PCI. Singh et al. (87) multivessel PCI with the Taxus DES (n 546) (79). At 1 studied sex differences in mortality after PCI among 18,885 year there was no difference in the incidence of death, MI, patients treated at the Mayo Clinic. A significant improve- or stroke; however, the rate of revascularization was signif- ment in survival was seen for both men and women over the icantly higher in the PCI group (14.7% vs. 5.4%, p past 25 years. After adjustment for baseline risk, no differ- 0.001). The difference in MACE was greatest in patients ence in short- or long-term mortality was observed between with high baseline risk (SYNTAX score 33). men and women. In another report, Singh et al. (88) Finally, Pijls (80) presented results of the FAME (Frac- provided validation for the new Mayo Clinic Risk Score tional Flow Reserve versus Angiography for Multivessel model in a large patient cohort from the NCDR. This risk Evaluation) trial, which randomized 1,005 patients with score, which uses 7 simple clinical and noninvasive variables, stenoses 50% to angiography-guided PCI or fractional provides clinicians an excellent tool for risk assessment and flow reserve (FFR)-guided PCI. Patients in the FFR- decision making before diagnostic angiography. guided group were less likely to receive a stent (1.9 1.3 vs. Rao et al. (89) studied trends in use of the radial approach 2.7 1.2 stents/patient). At 1 year, patients in both groups for PCI. Among 593,094 patients, radial PCI was per- had similar angina relief; however, the composite end point formed in only 1.32% of total procedures, although an of death, MI, or TVR was significantly lower in the FFR increase was observed in 2007. Lower rates of bleeding and group (13.2% vs. 18.4%, p 0.02). vascular complications were seen with the radial approach. Isolated proximal LAD disease. Goy et al. (81) presented Applegate et al. (90) examined trends in vascular com- 10-year follow-up of 123 patients treated with PCI (n 52) plications after diagnostic catheterization and PCI in 35,016 or CABG (n 59). MI-free survival was excellent at 90% procedures from 1998 to 2007. A significantly lower inci- for both groups. PCI patients had a 26% rate of TVR, dence of vascular complications was observed during this whereas no CABG-related patients required TVR at 10- time, which the investigators attributed to improvements in year follow-up. Kapoor et al. (82) performed a meta-analysis procedural factors such as use of fluoroscopy-guided femoral of 9 randomized trials of PCI or CABG for proximal LAD access and smaller sheath sizes. Similarly, Doyle et al. (91) disease (633 PCI-treated patients, 577 CABG-treated pa- reported a marked decline in the incidence of major femoral tients). The 5-year survival was similar (92.8% vs. 90.6%); bleeding after PCI over the past decade. The relationship TVR was higher for PCI (33% vs. 7.3%). Angina relief was between peri-procedural bleeding and 1-year outcome was greater with CABG. emphasized in a report from Ndrepepa et al. (92). Bleeding PCI versus medical therapy. Holmes (83) provided an within 30 days independently predicted 1-year mortality excellent review of the subject and concluded that PCI (hazard ratio: 2.96, p 0.001). Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Dixon et al. 2085 June 2, 2009:2080–97 Year in Interventional Cardiology Two studies evaluated the impact of pre-procedural The DIVERGE (Drug-Eluting Stent Intervention for cardiac troponin levels on outcome after PCI (93,94). Both Treating Side Branches Effectively) trial (104) evaluated the studies showed that baseline elevation of the cardiac tropo- Axxess biolimus A9-eluting stent in 302 patients. At 9 nin level is an important predictor of ischemic complications months there was a low rate of MACE (7.7%) and ischemic and prognosis. In another report, Wang et al. (95) found TLR (4.3%) with this novel self-expanding stent. that the majority of hospitals in the U.S. do not systemat- Vein graft disease. The AMEthyst (Assessment of the ically assess cardiac markers after elective PCI. As expected, Medtronic AVE Interceptor Saphenous Vein Graft Filter hospitals that routinely performed biomarker testing had System) trial (105) compared use of the Interceptor PLUS higher rates of periprocedural MI; however, these hospitals Coronary Filter System (Medtronic Vascular, Santa Rosa, had a trend toward lower mortality and greater adherence to California) with approved devices during vein graft inter- recommended medications. vention. At 30 days the primary end point MACE occurred From et al. (96) examined outcomes in 138 nonagenarians in 8% of Interceptor and 7.3% of control patients, thus undergoing PCI and observed high technical success and good showing noninferiority of this novel embolic protection clinical outcomes in carefully selected patients. In other reports, device. Mercado (97) found that urinary dipstick proteinuria was Two studies evaluated determinants of adverse outcome independently associated with mortality in patients undergoing after vein graft PCI. In a pooled analysis of 3,958 patients, PCI. Kip et al. (98) highlighted the wide heterogeneity in Coolong et al. (106) identified angiographic variables, definition of the term MACE, and recommend that investi- including saphenous vein graft (SVG) degeneration and gators design separate composite end points for evaluation of estimated plaque volume, as the strongest predictors of safety and effectiveness outcomes. 30-day MACE. Similarly, Kirtane et al. (107) found that Bifurcation disease. Percutaneous treatment of bifurcation lesion length was the strongest correlate of outcome in a disease remains challenging. Ormiston et al. (99). provided substudy of the PRIDE (PRotection during saphenous vein insight into crush bifurcation stenting and post-dilation graft Intervention to prevent Distal Embolization) trial. strategies using microcomputed tomography in bench de- Additionally, both analyses confirmed a clear benefit of ployments. Importantly, less side-branch ostial stenosis was embolic protection across a range of angiographic risk, observed with 2-step kissing post-dilation, the minicrush including patients with relatively short lesions. technique compared with conventional crush, and use of Chronic occlusion. Safley et al. (108) studied long-term stents with larger cell size ( 3.5 mm). survival in 2,608 patients undergoing PCI for chronic total Three clinical trials evaluating treatment of bifurcation occlusion (CTO). Notably, successful PCI for CTO of the lesions were presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular LAD was associated with an improved 5-year survival; Therapeutics conference. The BBC-ONE (British Bifurca- however, there was no difference in outcome for successful tion Coronary study: Old, New and Evolving strategies) recanalization of the circumflex or right coronary arteries. study (100) randomized 500 patients with bifurcation le- To evaluate the physiologic effect of CTO revascularization, sions to complex stenting (crush or culotte) or simple Cheng et al. (109) performed serial cardiac MRI in 17 stenting (main vessel with provisional T-stent) using the patients undergoing CTO PCI. Successful PCI resulted in Taxus stent. At 9 months, the primary end point, a a significant increase in myocardial blood flow and contrac- composite of death, MI, and target vessel failure, was tility at 24 h that persisted at 6 months. Courtney et al. significantly lower in the simple stent arm (8.0% vs. 15.2%, (110) published an excellent review article describing the p 0.009). Stent thrombosis was higher with complex role of cardiac imaging techniques in assisting with patient stenting (2.0% vs. 0.4%). In another study, Routledge et al. selection for PCI, as well as innovative technologies that (101) also showed excellent clinical outcomes associated may enhance procedural success. with a simple stent strategy. Among 424 consecutive pa- Direct stenting. Two studies published in 2008 showed a tients, the provisional side-branch stent strategy was used in benefit of direct stenting compared with stenting after 92% of patients with a high initial success rate, and a low pre-dilation. Ormiston et al. (111) found that direct stent- rate of MACE at 2 years (13.6%). This important shift in ing with the Taxus Liberté PES in carefully selected lesions thinking to use a 1-stent technique as the default for most was associated with significantly reduced procedural time, patients was further emphasized in a review by Latib and procedural complications, and possibly restenosis. In a small Colombo (102). randomized trial, Cuisset et al. (112) measured microcircu- The Nordic Bifurcation Stent Technique study (103) latory resistance with an intracoronary pressure/temperature compared outcomes with the crush and culotte stent strat- sensor-tipped guidewire and found less microcirculatory egies in 424 patients using the Cypher (Cordis Corp., dysfunction in patients with stable angina treated with Miami, Florida) SES. There was no difference in clinical direct stenting compared with conventional stenting. outcomes at 6 months. Angiographic follow-up at 8 months Radiation safety. There has been increasing awareness showed a very low rate of restenosis in the main vessel with about radiation exposure to the interventionalist. Brasselet either stent technique, but a higher restenosis rate in the et al. (113) compared radiation dosage to the operator side branch with the crush technique (9.8% vs. 3.8%). between femoral and radial coronary procedures. Radiation Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
2086 Dixon et al. JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Year in Interventional Cardiology June 2, 2009:2080–97 exposure to operators was significantly higher using the pared with stable plaques. An optical coherence tomography radial approach compared with the femoral approach de- study (125) found that neointimal coverage improved spite optimizing radiation protection. This study clearly between 3 and 24 months, but the majority of DES still highlights the need for novel radiation protection systems to had some uncovered struts. A rabbit study (126) sug- reduce operator risk. gested that delayed healing was caused by the polymer (not the drug) on the DES. Another rabbit study (127) found that everolimus-eluting stent had superior endo- DES thelialization compared with SES, PES, or ZES. Finally, Stent thrombosis. In a registry of 8,146 patients treated first-generation DES have been associated with endothe- with DES, stent thrombosis was observed in 3.3% at 4 years lial dysfunction distal to the stent (128 –130), and this (114). Diabetes was predictive of early stent thrombosis, may be improved with second-generation DES (131). whereas ACS, younger age, and use of PES were associated These data suggest that newer-generation stents may with late stent thrombosis. In a Spanish registry of 23,500 improve endothelialization and vasomotor dysfunction. patients treated with DES, stent thrombosis was observed Late outcome of DES versus BMS. The New York State in 2% at 3 years (115). Predictors of early stent thrombosis Registry (132) compared 11,436 patients treated with BMS included diabetes and renal failure; both early and late stent (before the release of DES) and 12,526 patients treated with thrombosis was increased in patients with ACS, LAD DES. The risk-adjusted 2-year outcomes were favorable in stenting, and longer stent length. the DES group, including improved nonfatal MI and TVR; Based on predictors of stent thrombosis, Baran et al. mortality rates were similar. Likewise, the Medicare data- (116) developed a risk score (discontinuation of thienopy- base (133) found reduced rates of repeat PCI, CABG, and ridine 6 months, diabetes mellitus, lesion length 28 STEMI after stenting in the DES era (61.5% received mm, multiple stents, vessel 3 mm diameter, calcification, DES, 38.5% BMS) compared with the BMS era. Another or left main stent). Stent thrombosis occurred in 0.8% of Medicare analysis of 76,525 patients who received DES low-risk patients, 3.6% of medium-risk patients, and 12.6% (134) was compared with 2 matched cohort control groups. of high-risk patients. The DES patients were found to have improved survival as Although the Endeavor (Medtronic, Santa Rosa, Cali- well as reduced TVR and MI compared with both BMS fornia) DES was thought to have low rates of stent cohorts. The Massachusetts registry (135) compared 11,556 thrombosis, a registry of 3,680 patients treated with second- DES patients and 6,237 BMS patients. Two-year risk- generation DES (117) found no difference in stent throm- adjusted outcomes were superior in the DES group, includ- bosis rates between Xience (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, ing mortality (9.8% vs. 12.0%, p 0.0002), MI (8.3% vs. California) and Endeavor DES. Of concern, Maeng (118) 10.3%, p 0.0005), and TVR (11.0% vs. 16.8%, p reported 6,122 patients treated with Endeavor or SES in the 0.0001). The Cleveland Clinic group (136) examined 832 Western Denmark Heart Registry and found that adjusted patients who died over a 4.5-year follow-up after stenting. rates of death, TVR, and stent thrombosis were higher with They reported that DES-treated patients had lower all- Endeavor. cause mortality in unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional SORT OUT III (The Danish Organization on Random- models and propensity-matched groups. ized Trials with Clinical Outcome), a randomized trial of Off-label use of DES. Several groups reported comparisons 2,333 patients, found higher rates of stent thrombosis, MI, of DES versus BMS in off-label applications (137–142). In and TVR with Endeavor compared with SES (119). Reas- general, off-label use of both DES and BMS are associated suringly, the SORT OUT II trial found no differences in with higher event rates compared with on-label use (consistent MACE among 2,098 patients randomized to SES versus with higher-risk clinical and lesion characteristics). However, PES (120). DES seemed to have similar or improved rates of death or MI Mechanisms of DES thrombosis. Numerous articles were compared with BMS, and consistently reduced need for TVR. published in 2008 attempting to elucidate mechanisms of Overall, these data support the use of DES for off-label stent thrombosis. In a porcine model, overlapping PES indications. resulted in marked intramural thrombi and impaired vaso- DES in diabetic patients. Diabetes is a powerful predictor reactivity (121). An intravascular ultrasound substudy of the of adverse clinical and angiographic events after PCI. Three Taxus trials found that PES was associated with reduced separate registries compared DES with BMS in diabetic intimal hyperplasia but expansive remodeling at 9 months patients and found reduced TVR with similar or improved (122), possibly contributing to late malapposition. rates of MI or death (143–145). Subgroup analysis from Acute stent malapposition was observed in 35% of randomized trials of DES versus BMS found markedly STEMI patients undergoing DES or BMS, and late stent lower rates of TVR, with similar rates of death, MI, and malapposition was observed in DES patients because of stent thrombosis at 4 years (146). A meta-analysis of registries positive remodeling (123). An autopsy study (124) sug- and randomized trials including more than 11,000 diabetic gested that delayed healing and stent thrombosis occurred patients reported revascularization rates of 10% with similar more frequently when DES was placed in unstable com- outcomes comparing PES and SES (147). Conversely, a Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Dixon et al. 2087 June 2, 2009:2080–97 Year in Interventional Cardiology subgroup analysis of the SIRTAX (Sirolimus-Eluting versus of first-generation DES. Windecker et al. (159) randomized Paclitaxel-Eluting Stents for Coronary Revascularization) trial 1,707 patients to a novel biolimus-eluting stent with a (148) showed reduced TVR with SES compared with PES, biodegradable polymer or SES (with durable polymer). At 9 and a prospective trial randomizing 400 diabetic patients to months, the biolimus-eluting stent was noninferior to the SES versus PES (149) found reduced angiographic restenosis SES for the composite clinical end point. Byrne (160) at 6 months (3.4% vs. 18.2%, p 0.001) and TVR at 9 studied a novel polymer-free dual probucol and rapamycin– months (2.0% vs. 7.5%, p 0.017) after SES. eluting stent. Angiographic restenosis and late loss were DES in vein grafts. Saphenous vein graft interventions similar to a permanent polymer SES, but superior to a ZES. remain a higher-risk subgroup for PCI. Pucelikova et al. In the ISAR-TEST 3 (Intracoronary Stenting and Angio- (150) reported 110 patients undergoing SVG stenting graphic Restenosis–Test Efficacy of Rapamycin-eluting (DES in 91%). At 1 year, death occurred in 7.4%, TVR in Stents with Different Polymer Coating Strategies) trial, 19.0%, and MACE in 30.5%. Predictors of MACE in- Mehilli et al. (161) compared 3 rapamycin-eluting stents cluded thrombus and length of stented segment. Okabe (biodegradable polymer vs. permanent polymer vs. polymer- et al. (151) reported a retrospective series of 138 patients free). The biodegradable SES had a similar rate of angio- treated with DES in SVG compared with 344 patients graphic late loss to the permanent polymer stent; however, treated with BMS to SVG. At 1 year, there was no the polymer-free stent had a significantly higher late loss advantage to DES with regard to death, MI, or TVR. The (0.17 mm vs. 0.23 mm vs. 0.47 mm, respectively). Jabara et SOS study (152) randomized 80 patients to undergo stent- al. (162) showed improved vascular healing in an animal ing of SVG with PES versus BMS. The lesions were model using a new DES with a slow-release biodegradable relatively focal with mean stent length 16 6 mm. At polylactide polymer and low-dose paclitaxel. In a first- 12-month angiography, late loss and restenosis (9% vs. 51%, in-man study, Costa et al. (163) evaluated a novel stainless- p 0.0001) favored PES, and at 1.5-year follow up, TLR steel platform with a nanothin-microporous hydroxyapatite was reduced (5% vs. 28%, p 0.003). surface coating impregnated with a polymer-free sirolimus DES for in-stent restenosis. Long-term ( 3 years) formulation (Vestasync-eluting stent, MIV Therapeutics, follow-up of a trial that randomized 150 patients with Inc., Atlanta, Georgia). At 4 months, in-stent late loss was in-stent restenosis to SES versus percutaneous transluminal 0.30 0.25 mm). No adverse events were observed at 6 coronary angioplasty (153) reported that stent thrombosis months. was similar in the 2 groups but event-free survival was In contrast to these promising results, a randomized trial superior with SES (76% vs. 65%, p 0.019). The 24- evaluating the CoStar DES (Conor MedSystems, Menlo month follow-up of the Taxus V in-stent restenosis trial Park, California) (164) found that this novel platform was (154) found reduced TLR with PES compared with brachy- not noninferior to a Taxus DES. At 8 months, the inci- therapy (18.1% vs. 27.5%, p 0.03) with similar rates of dence of MACE (11.0% vs. 6.9%, p 0.005) and late loss death, MI, and stent thrombosis. In another trial, Holmes (0.49 mm vs. 0.18 mm, p 0.0001) were significantly (155) also found improved outcomes with SES versus higher with the CoStar stent. brachytherapy at 3-year follow-up. Bioabsorbable stents. There has been tremendous interest in fully biodegradable coronary DES. Ormiston et al. (165) reported findings from a 30-patient study using a bioab- New Stent Technologies sorbable everolimus-eluting stent that has a backbone of New DES and polymers. In 2008, there were several poly-L-lactic acid. At 6 months, angiographic late loss was publications of new DES technologies. In the SPIRIT III 0.44 mm, mainly because of a mild reduction of the stent trial, 1,002 patients were randomly assigned to receive either area, with minimal neointimal hyperplasia. Device success an everolimus-eluting stent or a PES (156). The primary was 94%. This study represents a major step forward in end point, angiographic in-segment late loss at 8 months, clinical investigation of bioabsorbable stent technologies. was significantly less in the everolimus stent group (0.14 mm vs. 0.28 mm, p 0.004). The rate of MACE at 9 and Pharmacotherapy 12 months was lower in the everolimus group. In a small randomized trial, a novel ZES (ZoMaxx, Abbott Labora- Clopidogrel. Given the short door-to-balloon times, some tories, Abbott Park, Illinois) resulted in significantly greater have questioned the benefit of pre-treatment with clopi- late lumen loss compared with a PES (157). dogrel before primary PCI. Vlaar et al. (166) performed a Turco et al. (158) studied outcomes with the thinner- meta-analysis of all primary PCI trials with core laboratory strut Taxus Liberté stent compared with the Taxus Express angiographic reviews in which pre-treatment status with stent. In small vessels and long lesions, lower rates of clopidogrel was known (n 8,429). In multivariate analysis, restenosis were observed with the Liberté DES. pre-treatment with clopidogrel was an independent predic- Several trials evaluated new DES technologies with tor of early reperfusion (OR: 1.51, 95% confidence interval: biodegradable polymers or polymer-free stents. These new- 1.31 to 1.74, p 0.0001) and improved clinical outcome. generation stents were designed to improve the safety profile Conversely, the PRAGUE-8 trial (167) randomized 1,028 Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
2088 Dixon et al. JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Year in Interventional Cardiology June 2, 2009:2080–97 patients with stable angina to pre-treatment with 600 mg platelet aggregation and restenosis. Park (180) reported a clopidogrel 6 h before catheterization versus selective registry of 3,099 patients undergoing successful DES place- administration after initial angiography showed the need for ment who were treated with triple (n 1,443) or dual (n PCI. Pre-treatment with a high loading dose was associated 1,656) antiplatelet therapy. After adjustment for selection with increased bleeding risk, but no difference in ischemic bias (multiple high-risk features were more common in the end points. However, this study was underpowered given cilostazol group), triple antiplatelet therapy was associated the low event rate (0.8%). with reduced stent thrombosis and MI. Lee et al. (181) Other studies have shown that 600-mg loading doses of randomized 400 diabetic patients treated with DES to clopidogrel achieve stronger platelet inhibition compared receive triple (with cilostazol) versus dual antiplatelet ther- with conventional regimens (168). Even patients on chronic apy. Triple antiplatelet therapy significantly reduced angio- clopidogrel therapy have improved platelet inhibition if graphic restenosis at 6 months (8.0% vs. 15.6%, p 0.03), reloaded with clopidogrel (169). Moreover, the ARMYDA 9-month TLR (2.5% vs. 7.0%, p 0.03), and MACE (Antiplatelet therapy for Reduction of MYocardial Damage (3.0% vs. 7.0%, p 0.066). during Angioplasty) Reload trial (170) showed that ACS Bivalirudin. Several studies examined the use of bivaliru- patients on chronic clopidogrel therapy benefited from din during PCI. Bivalirudin was found to be cost effective 600-mg reload. The primary end point of 30-day death, MI, compared with UFH and GP IIb/IIIa (182). One-year or TVR was significantly reduced in the reload group (7% follow-up of the ACUITY (Acute Catheterization and vs. 18%, p 0.035). Urgent Intervention Triage Strategy) trial found similar Clopidogrel hyporesponsiveness continued to be an im- rates of ischemia and mortality but a trend for higher rates portant topic in 2008. Gori et al. (171) showed that dual of MI in the bivalirudin arm (9.3% vs. 7.8%, p 0.06) nonresponsiveness to both aspirin and clopidogrel was compared with UFH and GP IIb/IIIa (183,184). infrequent (6%) but identified patients at high risk of DES The ARNO (Antithrombotic Regimens aNd Outcome) thrombosis or death. Studies utilizing the Accumetrics (San trial (185) randomized 900 patients undergoing PCI to Diego, California) device (a more rapid and specific measure bivalirudin versus UFH 100 /kg; both groups were pre- of P2Y12 responsiveness) found that pre-PCI (172) and treated with clopidogrel and had immediate sheath removal post-PCI (173) platelet reactivity was associated with and closure devices. Bivalirudin was associated with a MACE. Increasing the clopidogrel dose in patients who reduction in major bleeding and improved net clinical were resistant to the first 600-mg load (vasodilator- benefit. The NAPLES (Novel Approaches for Preventing stimulated phosphoprotein index 50%) was found to be or Limiting Event Study) trial (186) randomized 335 safe and improved clinical outcomes (174). diabetic patients pre-treated with clopidogrel to bivalirudin Although a number of factors may influence clopidogrel versus UFH with tirofiban. At 30 days, ischemic events were hyporesponsiveness, Trenk et al. (175) found a genetic pre-disposition that influenced the cytochrome P450 – similar and bleeding was reduced in the bivalirudin arm. dependent conversion of clopidogrel to its active metabolite. Feit et al. (187) reported similar results from subgroup External influences may include smoking, which increases analysis of diabetic patients from the ACUITY trial. active metabolites (176), or medications, such as the proton The ISAR-REACT 3 trial (188) randomized 4,570 pump inhibitor omeprazole, which decreased the antiplate- patients pre-treated with 600 mg clopidogrel to UFH versus let effect of clopidogrel (177). bivalirudin. Net clinical benefit was not different between Prasugrel. More potent or more-rapid-acting oral anti- the 2 groups, but bleeding was lower with bivalirudin (3.1% platelet regimens seem to be superior to conventional dual vs. 4.6%, p 0.008). antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin. In the Finally, given concerns about the early increase in isch- TRITON–TIMI (TRial to Assess Improvement in Thera- emic events observed in bivalirudin patients not adequately peutic Outcomes by Optimizing Platelet InhibitioN with pre-treated with clopidogrel, Cortese (189) reported a study Prasugrel–Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) 38 trial of 178 patients requiring complex PCI who were random- (178), prasugrel plus aspirin was superior to clopidogrel plus ized to conventional versus prolonged (4 h post-PCI) aspirin with regard to stent thrombosis (1.13% vs. 2.35%, infusion of bivalirudin. Bleeding rates were similar (87% p 0.0001) and the primary end point of cardiovascular radial access), but reduced post-PCI MI was observed with death, MI, or stroke (9.7% vs. 11.9%, p 0.0001). the prolonged infusion. Significant advantages of prasugrel were observed regardless Fondaparinux. Mehta et al. (190) pooled the OASIS of whether patients received DES (n 5,743) or BMS (Organization to Assess Strategies in Ischemic Syndromes) (n 6,461). Because prasugrel was associated with more 5 and 6 trials comparing fondaparinux with heparin (or bleeding than clopidogrel, a landmark analysis (179) found enoxaparin) and reported a beneficial effect in patients that net clinical benefit favored prasugrel both early (day 0 treated with an invasive (cardiac catheterization) strategy. to 3) and later (day 3 to end of trial). However, among patients undergoing PCI, there was a Cilostazol. Triple antiplatelet therapy (adding cilostazol to significant increased risk of catheter thrombosis with clopidogrel aspirin) has previously been shown to reduce fondaparinux compared with enoxaparin (OR: 3.98, 95% Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Dixon et al. 2089 June 2, 2009:2080–97 Year in Interventional Cardiology confidence interval: 1.74 to 9.09) and compared with UFH excellent review article on contrast-induced acute kidney (OR: 8.98, 95% confidence interval: 1.14 to 71.43). injury, covering pathogenesis, risk assessment, prevention, No antithrombin therapy. The CIAO (Coronary Inter- and management of CIN. ventional Antiplatelet-based Only) study (191) randomized 700 stable angina patients with uncomplicated lesions who Peripheral Vascular Disease were pre-treated with aspirin and clopidogrel to heparin versus placebo. Catheters were flushed with heparinized AHA Conference on Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease. saline (up to 100 times per procedure) and procedure times Proceedings of the second AHA Conference on Atheroscle- were short (mean 11 min). Bleeding and clinical events were rotic Vascular Disease were published in 2008 (201–209). The reduced in the no heparin arm, suggesting that antithrom- report includes 8 excellent summaries of areas that were bins may be unnecessary in highly selective, simple elective addressed at the symposium, including nomenclature for ath- PCI cases. erosclerotic vascular disease, screening, magnetic resonance and Patients on warfarin. There are few data regarding man- computed tomographic imaging, stroke intervention, carotid agement of PCI patients requiring long-term anticoagula- artery revascularization, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, tion with warfarin. Karjalainen et al. (192) reviewed out- lower-extremity revascularization, and renal artery disease. comes in 241 PCI patients (80% femoral approach). Mean Readers are referred to the proceedings for detailed informa- international normalized ratio at PCI was 2.2 0.5. Access tion on these subjects. site complications and major bleeding occurred in 5.0% and Carotid disease. There has been controversy about the 1.2% of patients, respectively. These data suggest that safety of carotid stenting. Gurm et al. (210) performed a uninterrupted anticoagulation is a reasonably safe approach meta-analysis of 5 trials with 2,122 patients undergoing in carefully selected patients. Rossini et al. (193) studied stenting or endarterectomy for symptomatic carotid disease. outcomes in patients requiring triple therapy compared with There was no difference in the risk of 30-day mortality, dual antiplatelet therapy alone. As expected, bleeding was stroke, or disabling stroke among patients randomized to more frequent in patients with triple therapy; however, this either strategy. In another report, Iyer (211) presented excess risk was seen mostly in patients with an international 1-year outcomes of the BEACH (Boston Scientific EPI: normalized ratio 2.6. A Carotid Stenting Trial for High-Risk Surgical Pa- tients) trial, which evaluated high-surgical-risk patients Contrast Nephropathy undergoing stenting with the Wallstent plus FilterWire embolic protection device (Boston Scientific, Minneapo- Results of 2 randomized trials evaluating the effect of lis, Minnesota). At 1 year, the primary composite end sodium bicarbonate infusion for prevention of contrast- point occurred in 8.9% of patients; this rate was nonin- induced nephropathy (CIN) were published in 2008 ferior to outcomes in similar patients after surgical (194,195). Both trials enrolled patients with stable renal endarterectomy. dysfunction (creatinine clearance 60 ml/min) undergoing Two trials investigating new embolic protection devices coronary angiography or PCI. Compared with saline infu- for carotid artery stenting were presented at the Transcath- sion alone, there was no difference in the incidence of CIN eter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference (212,213). The with bicarbonate in either trial. A 1,307-patient meta- EPIC (Evaluating the Use of the FiberNet Embolic Pro- analysis by Hogan et al. (196) suggested a possible benefit of tection System in Carotid Artery Stenting) trial evaluated bicarbonate; however, this study was limited by marked the FiberNet (Lumen Biomedical, Plymouth, Minnesota) heterogeneity and probable publication bias, and did not Embolic Protection System (212), whereas the EMPIRE include data from the largest randomized trial by Maioli et (A Multicenter Registry Evaluating Neuroprotection Dur- al. (195). Kane et al. (197) provided a report emphasizing ing Carotid Stenting with a Novel Flow Reversal System) the importance of minimizing contrast dose in patients with trial evaluated the GORE (WL Gore and Associates) Flow renal dysfunction, and showed a very low rate of CIN in Reversal System (213). Both studies showed a high proce- those who receive ultra-low-dose contrast. Harjai et al. dural success and low rate of stroke and major adverse events (198) compared the value of 4 different definitions for CIN at 30 days. commonly used in studies and found that only 2 (serum Schofer et al. (214) assessed the timing of embolic events creatinine 25% and serum creatinine 0.5 mg/dl) were after carotid stenting with serial magnetic resonance imag- consistently predictive of clinical outcomes. Based on these ing; 20% of patients had ipsilateral injury at 3.5 h. Of note, data, a novel nephropathy grading system was developed to 17% of patients had further evidence of emboli occurring predict 6-month events. Stone (199) reported findings from between 3.5 and 18 h after embolic-protected stenting, of a trial evaluating systemic cooling to prevent CIN. involving both hemispheres. Causes of late embolization Unfortunately, only 136 of the planned 400 patients were remain unclear but may be related to manipulation of enrolled because the study sponsor became insolvent. Cool- catheters in the aortic arch. ing was safe and well tolerated, but no benefit of hypother- Lin et al. (215) provided a report on feasibility and mia was observed. Finally, McCullough (200) provided an outcomes after endovascular recanalization for chronic cer- Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
2090 Dixon et al. JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Year in Interventional Cardiology June 2, 2009:2080–97 vical internal carotid artery occlusion. Successful recanaliza- bundle branch block and atrioventricular block after percu- tion was achieved in 35 of 54 patients (65%). Two patients taneous valve implantation (224,225). In the series by Webb had a stroke (4%), and vascular complications occurred in 3 (225), 7 of 123 (5.7%) patients required a permanent patients, including 1 late pseudoaneurysm, 1 carotid- pacemaker. In another report, Babaliaros et al. (226) re- cavernous fistula, and 1 extravasation. Finally, Levy et al. ported the use of balloon aortic valvuloplasty to help size the (216) published a comprehensive review on the treatment of annulus before valve implantation. Zegdi et al. (227) provided carotid artery disease. important observations regarding post-deployment character- Renal stenting. Cooper et al. (217) investigated whether istics of a self-expanding valve stent in 35 patients under- adjunctive use of an embolic protection device (Angio- going surgical valve replacement. In bicuspid valves, the Guard, Cordis, Miami, Florida) or GP IIb/IIIa receptor stent was often distorted and underdeployed, which may inhibitor (abciximab) during renal artery stenting would influence valve results and durability. Chiam et al. (228) and improve renal function. At 1 month, a decline in renal Webb (229) provided nice review articles on transcatheter function was observed with stenting alone, stenting with aortic valve implantation. Finally, Vahanaian et al. (230) embolic protection, and stenting with abciximab alone. published a position statement on transcatheter aortic valve However, with combination therapy no change in renal implantation from the European Association of Cardio- function was noted. Thoracic Surgery and European Society of Cardiology. The Mahmud et al. (218) reported a novel angiographic document summarizes current techniques and results, as method for assessing renal microvascular perfusion—the well as recommendations for patient selection, performance renal frame count and renal blush grade. Both parameters of valve implantation, and evaluation of procedural results. were impaired in hypertensive patients with unilateral renal Mitral valve repair. Sorajja et al. (231) reported a novel artery stenosis, and improved after stenting. Reduction in method of percutaneous mitral valve repair in which an renal frame count was associated with a blood pressure annulus reduction device is implanted into the myocardium reduction. at the posteromedial mitral annulus via the coronary sinus. Superficial femoral artery disease. Two studies published A significant reduction in mitral annular area was observed, in 2008 investigated use of paclitaxel-coated angioplasty which persisted at 3 months. Compared with other coronary balloons to limit restenosis during endovascular treatment of sinus technologies, this technique may be advantageous femoropopliteal disease. Tepe et al. (219) randomized 154 when the coronary sinus lies superior to the mitral annulus, patients to a paclitaxel-coated balloon, uncoated balloon and also may lessen risk of injury to the circumflex artery. with paclitaxel dissolved in the contrast medium, or un- Pulmonary valve replacement. Lurz et al. (232) published coated balloon alone. At 6 months, late lumen loss (the results with a percutaneous pulmonary valve in 155 patients primary end point) and the rate of revascularization was with pulmonary conduit stenosis or regurgitation. Most significantly lower in the group treated with the paclitaxel- coated balloon. No benefit was seen with paclitaxel in the patients had tetralogy of Fallot. Valve implantation was contrast medium. In another smaller randomized trial, achieved with a very high success rate, and freedom from similar benefits were also observed with a paclitaxel-coated reoperation was 70% at 70 months. balloon (220). Patent foramen ovale (PFO). A randomized trial of PFO closure in 432 patients with migraine (STARflex device, NMT Medical Inc., Boston, Massachusetts) (233) found no Structural Heart Disease difference in cessation of migraine headache, and patients in Percutaneous aortic valve replacement. Percutaneous aor- the implantation arm had more serious adverse effects. tic valve replacement has emerged as a promising new treat- Taafe et al. (234) performed a randomized trial in 660 ment option for aortic stenosis. Grube et al. (221) reported patients comparing 3 PFO closure devices. Excellent out- outcomes in 136 patients treated with the CoreValve (Core- comes were achieved with all devices; however, patients Valve Inc., Irvine, California) prosthesis. Procedural success treated with the Helex (WL Gore and Associates, Flagstaff, with the third-generation valve was 91.2%, and there was a Arizona) devices were more likely to have a residual shunt at low rate of death, stroke, or MI at 30 days (14.7%). A 30 days compared with the other devices. In another study, marked improvement in functional status was observed. A Hildick-Smith et al. (235) reported that many PFO closure case report (222) of a patient who died 425 days after procedures can be performed safely with fluoroscopy alone. implant of a CoreValve showed ingrowth of tissue covering Alcohol septal ablation (ASA). Three articles in 2008 the lower part of the valve situated in the LV outflow tract. addressed outcomes after ASA for hypertrophic cardiomy- Schofer et al. (223) published results of a first-in-man study opathy (236 –238). All studies showed a reduction in LV with the novel repositionable prosthesis in high-surgical- outflow tract gradient with ASA and improvement in risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (Direct Flow Med- functional class. Death occurred in 1% to 1.4%, and pace- ical, Santa Rosa, California). Valve implantation was maker implantation was required in 8.2% to 26%. In the achieved in 12 of 15 patients and was associated with a Mayo series, the procedural complication rate was higher reasonable safety profile. Two reports described new left than that in matched controls who underwent surgical Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010
JACC Vol. 53, No. 22, 2009 Dixon et al. 2091 June 2, 2009:2080–97 Year in Interventional Cardiology myomectomy; however, 4-year survival was similar between 14. Lev EI, Kornowski R, Vaknin-Assa H, et al. Comparison of the predictive value of four different risk scores for outcomes of patients both groups. with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction undergoing percuta- neous coronary intervention. Am J Cardiol 2008;102:6 –11. Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Simon R. Dixon, 15. Di Mario C, Dudek D, Piscione F, et al. Immediate angioplasty versus standard therapy with rescue angioplasty after thrombolysis in Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, William Beaumont the Combined Abciximab REteplase Stent Study in Acute Myocar- Hospital, 3601 West 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073. dial Infarction (CARESS-in-AMI): an open, prospective, random- E-mail: email@example.com. ized, multicentre trial. Lancet 2008;371:559 – 68. 16. Danchin N, Coste P, Ferrières J, et al. Comparison of thrombolysis followed by broad use of percutaneous coronary intervention with primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment- REFERENCES elevation acute myocardial infarction. Data from the French Registry on Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (FAST-MI). Circu- 1. King SB III, Smith SC Jr., Hirshfeld JW Jr., et al. 2007 focused lation 2008;118:268 –76. update of the ACC/AHA/SCAI 2005 guideline update for percuta- 17. Denktas AE, Athar H, Henry TD, et al. Reduced-dose fibrinolytic neous coronary intervention: a report of the American College of acceleration of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treatment Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice coupled with urgent percutaneous coronary intervention compared Guidelines (2007 Writing Group to Review New Evidence and with primary percutaneous intervention alone. J Am Coll Cardiol Update the 2005 ACC/AHA/SCAI Guideline Update for Percuta- Intv 2008;1:504 –10. neous Coronary Intervention). J Am Coll Cardiol 2008;51:172–209. 18. Ellis SE, Tendera M, de Belder MA, et al. Facilitated PCI in patients 2. Antman EM, Hand M, Armstrong PW, et al. 2007 focused update with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 2008;358: of the ACC/AHA 2004 guidelines for the management of patients 2205–17. with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a report of the American 19. Le May M. A safety and efficacy study of Integrilin facilitated PCI College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on versus primary PCI in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction Practice Guidelines (Writing Group to Review New Evidence and (ASIST trial). Paper presented at: Transcatheter Cardiovascular Update the ACC/AHA 2004 Guidelines for the Management of Therapeutics 2008; October 15, 2008; Washington, DC. Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction). J Am Coll 20. van't Hof AW, ten Berg J, Heestermans T, et al. Prehospital initiation Cardiol 2008;51:210 – 47. of tirofiban in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction under- 3. Stone GW. Angioplasty strategies in ST-segment elevation myocar- going primary angioplasty (On-TIME 2): a multicentre, double-blind, dial infarction: part I: primary percutaneous coronary intervention. randomized controlled trial. Lancet 2008;372:537– 46. Circulation 2008;118:538 –51. 21. Saia F. Facilitated Angioplasty with Tirofiban or Abciximab (FATA 4. Stone GW. Angioplasty strategies in ST-segment elevation myocardial trial). Paper presented at: Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics infarction: part II: intervention after fibrinolytic therapy, integrated 2008; October 15, 2008; Washington, DC. treatment recommendations, and future directions. Circulation 2008; 22. Mehilli J. Abciximab in patients with AMI undergoing primary PCI 118:552– 66. after clopidogrel pretreatment (BRAVE-3 trial). Paper presented at: 5. Le May MR, So DY, Dionne R, et al. A citywide protocol for American College of Cardiology; March 30, 2008; Chicago, IL. primary PCI in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. N Engl 23. Thiele H, Schindler K, Friedenberger J, et al. Intracoronary com- J Med 2008;358:231– 40. pared with intravenous bolus abciximab application in patients with 6. Aguirre FV, Varghese JJ, Kelley MP, et al. Rural interhospital ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous transfer of ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients for percuta- coronary intervention: the Randomized Leipzig Immediate Percuta- neous coronary revascularization: the Stat Heart Program. Circula- neous Coronary Intervention Abciximab IV Versus IC in ST- tion 2008;117:1145–52. Elevation Myocardial Infarction Trial. Circulation 2008;118: 7. Flesch M, Hagemeister J, Berger H, et al. Implementation of 49 –57. guidelines for the treatment of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarc- 24. Gurm HS, Smith DE, Collins JS, et al. The relative safety and tion: the Cologne Infarction Model Registry. Circ Cardiovasc Inter- efficacy of abciximab and eptifibatide in patients undergoing primary vent 2008;1:95–102. 8. Holmes DR Jr., Bell MR, Gersh BJ, et al. Systems of care to improve percutaneous coronary intervention. Insights from a large regional timeliness of reperfusion therapy for ST-segment elevation during off registry of contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention. J Am hours. The Mayo Clinic STEMI Protocol. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv Coll Cardiol 2008;51:529 –35. 2008;1:88 –96. 25. Kini A, Chen VH, Krishnan P, et al. Bolus-only versus bolus 9. Chakrabarti A, Krumholz HM, Wang Y, et al. Time-to-reperfusion infusion of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors during percutaneous in patients undergoing interhospital transfer for primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Am Heart J 2008;156:513–9. coronary intervention in the U.S. An analysis of 2005 and 2006 data 26. Stone GW, Witzenbichler B, Guagliumi G, et al. Bivalirudin during from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry. J Am Coll Cardiol primary PCI in acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 2008; 2008;51:2442–3. 358:2218 –30. 10. Jneid H, Fonarow GC, Cannon CP, et al. Impact of time to 27. Kukreja N, Onuma Y, Garcia-Garcia H, et al. Primary percutaneous presentation on the care and outcomes of acute myocardial infarction. coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction. Circ Cardio- Circulation 2008;117:2502–9. vasc Intervent 2008;1:103–10. 11. Krumholz HM, Anderson JL, Bachelder BL, et al. ACC/AHA 2008 28. Jensen LO, Maeng M, Thayssen P, et al. Clinical outcome after performance measures for adults with ST-elevation and non–ST- primary percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting and elevation myocardial infarction: a report of the American College of bare metal stents in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Performance infarction. Circ Cardiovasc Intervent 2008;1:176 – 84. Measures (Writing Committee to Develop Performance Measures 29. Shishehbor MH, Amini R, Oliveria LPJ, et al. Comparison of drug- for ST-Elevation and Non–ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction). eluting stents versus bare-metal stents for treating ST-segment elevation J Am Coll Cardiol 2008;52:2046 –99. myocardial infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv 2008;1:227–32. 12. Masoudi FA, Bonow RO, Brindis RG, et al. ACC/AHA 2008 30. Hannan EL, Racz M, Walford G, et al. Drug-eluting versus bare-metal statement on performance measurement and reperfusion therapy: a stents in the treatment of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial report of the ACC/AHA Task Force on Performance Measures (Work infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv 2008;1:129 –35. Group to Address the Challenges of Performance Measurement and 31. Mauri L, Silbaugh TS, Garg P, et al. Drug-eluting or bare-metal stents Reperfusion Therapy). J Am Coll Cardiol 2008;52:2100 –12. for acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 2008;359;1330 – 42. 13. Glaser R, Naidu SS, Selzer F, et al. Factors associated with poorer 32. Grines CL, Goldstein JA, Safian RD. Should we routinely use prognosis for patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary drug-eluting stents for acute myocardial infarction? Let's wait and intervention during off-hours. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv 2008;1:681– 8. see. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv 2008;1:137–9. Downloaded from content.onlinejacc.org by on July 22, 2010


text:
Sprint abandons T-Mobile bid
US wireless carrier Sprint has decided to abandon a bid for rival T-Mobile, viewing the massive tie-up as unlikely to win regulatory approval, the Wall Street Journal reported.
US wireless carrier Sprint has decided to abandon a bid for rival T-Mobile, viewing the massive tie-up as unlikely to win regulatory approval, the Wall Street Journal reported.
French telecom upstart Iliad's founder said Friday that the company's offer for US-based T-Mobile is "real" and that he is open to working with partners on a deal.
The Wall Street Journal took some of its computers housing news graphics offline after they were hacked, publisher Dow Jones & Co said.
Gotham City Research lists no physical address or telephone number, never signs its reports and does not identify any personnel.
Amazon, a company of seemingly boundless ambition, appears to be venturing into yet another market: smartphones.
Apple has reached an out-of-court settlement with a group of US states who had accused it of conspiring with publishers to fix the prices of e-books.
US medical-device maker Medtronic is in advanced talks to buy competitor Covidien, based in Ireland, for more than $40 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
As climate change has become a more prominent public concern, some scientists have worried that it might distract attention from related environmental problems, such as the global loss of biodiversity. In an article to be ...
US telecom service firms Sprint and T-Mobile were nearing a deal valued about $32 billion and likely to be scrutinized by anti-trust regulators, US media reported Wednesday.
(Phys.org) —The amount of "hedging" language—words that suggest room for doubt—used by prominent newspapers in articles about climate change has increased over time, according to a new study by the University of Colorado ...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
View from the office #biitme #recordstore #tonar #aiaiai #nagaoka #zvox #vinyl #music (at Biit Me Record Store)
Need a way to wing it?
View from the office #biitme #recordstore #tonar #aiaiai #nagaoka #zvox #vinyl #music (at Biit Me Record Store)
ZVOX rolls out new Platinum Series models
You might want to play closer attention to ZVOX as they intend to deliver theater-quality, 3-D sound through the simplicity of a pedestal design as well as single-wire connectivity. In other words, there will be a trio of new models that will make up the Platinum Series in 42″, 36″ and 30″ widths, which will in turn, be able to accommodate up to 80″, 70″ and 60″ televisionsrespectively. Each of…
For individuals that can locate discounts, they could be an outstanding method of spending less. Coupons can also help you save significantly, but you should make an endeavor to hunt them down. It does not matter how you need to spend less once you make online purchases this information will educate you on the best way to handle it. Read on to coach yourself to help you save time and expense. Internet retailers should never ask for a security security number therefore, if an individual asks for yours, never provide it. No store needs that information! A web site that asks to get a social security number is probably a scam. Leave the page immediately and locate a professional site to create your purchase. Before purchasing coming from a seller, check their reviews. This will assist make certain you will receive what you are actually expecting to obtain. A seller consistently rated low as time passes has to be avoided. If you're an Amazon.com shopper, take into consideration Amazon Prime. The membership is simply 79 dollars, and also you get considerably for your investment. Membership entitles one to free 2-day shipping and discounts on expedited shipping. Additionally, it is possible to stream a bunch of movies at no cost. Which means a lot more money saved. Online coupons are a fun way to save cash when you shop online. You can get online coupons to your favorite retailers by entering "discount code" and also the retailer's name in the search engine box. They could be at no cost shipping or even a certain percentage off. When you are interested in internet shopping opportunities, restrict your pursuit parameters to the people stores that just have a web presence. Although Google is a superb website for doing a search online retailers, you will likely encounter a lot of results that you will not make sure what type in the first place. A search site including ShopStyle.com provides you with the web only results that you simply seek. Due to the advice presented here, it is possible to build yourself in to a bargain-hunting dynamo inside the internet shopping world. The convenience of shopping on the web shouldn't have a premium price. Apply the guidelines here in your life so you can get good quality discounts.
Speaker bars are multiplying like crazy. Most TV speakers are pathetic, but the Zvox's 555 Sound Base gives you a amazingupgrade in sonic fidelity
Sound bars are multiplying like a bunch of crazy rabbits. TV speakers sound terrible, but the Zvox's 555 Sound Base offers a definiteimprovement in sound quality
Speaker bars are multiplying like crazy. TV speakers sound terrible, but the Zvox's 555 Sound Base gives you a definiteupgrade in sonic fidelity
Speaker bars are multiplying like crazy. Most TV speakers are pathetic, but the Zvox's 555 Sound Base gives you a amazingupgrade in sonic fidelity
Our Z-Base 420 sound bar delivers wonderful, room-filling home theater sound – without a bunch of boxes, lots of wires and a big price tag. Only 3 3/8" high, 28" wide and 14.5" deep, the 420 fits under your TV. There are no external speakers, subwoofers…
Found inside a dead #zVox speaker: two sealed back drivers linked by an air hose. #janktastic #stereo #wtf
ZVOX 325 High-Performance Single-Cabinet Surround Sound System http://ping.fm/G5HHF
The Zvox Z-Base 420 offers an uncluttered look and solid sound at a budget price, but its quirks might give some buyers pause.
Stations on stations. This has been the setup at my place for a long time now. Friends just bring their #xbox over, hook it up to a TV and go! @hyperxlethal and I love what we do! #destiny #destinythegame #gamehouse #gamerhouse #setup #tv #xboxone #samsung #benq #xbox360 #ps4 #halo #bose #zvox #polk #scuf #legend #legendary #letsgo #inevitable #gaming #gamer #nerds #fps #pvp #pve #multiplayer #competition #community by knlghtreiter_
Vizio introduced its first-ever pedestal-style sound bar at CES 2014, looking to compete with similar models from Bose and Zvox.


text:
Town Square
Another local Shell gas station bites the dust
Original post made by whatever, Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park, on Mar 12, 2014
Chavez Market can't be too happy that this new convenience market is moving in next door.
Comments (2)
a resident of Atherton: other
on Mar 12, 2014 at 7:25 pm
Most of the Loop neighborhood markets in place still sell gas, but with the added convenience of a upscale market. Loop isn't really competing with Chavez if they are selling Cobb salads, lattes and craft beer, things you cannot purchase at Chavez.
If they want to attract techies, they should put the can recycling trailer at another location, and there wouldn't be so many homeless patrolling the local streets for cans either.
Web Link
a resident of Atherton: Lindenwood
on Mar 12, 2014 at 8:14 pm
Who remembers when that was a Richfield gasoline station? And Chavez was Key Market.
Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.
Trust But Verify
By Laura Stec | 4 comments | 1,087 views
Play Ball! College Season Begins - Applications Live
By John Raftrey and Lori McCormick | 1 comment | 733 views
The Four E's--State Transportation Investment Challenges
By Steve Levy | 1 comment | 500 views


text:
Narrow your search
Hitchbot was trying to make its way across the US, relying on the kindness of strangers. This weekend it was found beheaded. This is why we can't have nice things, America!
The electronics titans square off in a tangled tale of mobile technology, centered on Apple's iPhone and iPad, that delves into where one company's designs end and another's begin.
Windows 10 delivers a refined, vastly improved vision for the future of computing with an operating system that's equally at home on tablets and traditional PCs -- and it's a free upgrade for most users.
Pricing not available
Three ways to install a clean version of Windows 10 onto any PC.
The voice assistant would answer your calls with customized messages and then transcribe your voice mail into text, says Business Insider.
There's a switch you'll need to enable before you can get Cortana's attention from across the room.
Worlds better than Internet Explorer, Edge is the newest way to go online with your Windows 10 computer. But can it beat Firefox and Chrome?
Ready to move on up to Windows 10? Here are all the steps you need for success.
The operating system is being launched to current Windows 7 and Windows 8 users in phases, so the number of devices now running Windows 10 will rise steadily in the coming days as more users get access to the platform.
The S6 Edge+ would be a larger-screened version of the regular S6 Edge as Samsung battles to regain lost market share and sales.
Nintendo's revenue was up 21 percent as the company tries to dig its way out of third place in the game console market.


text:
That time of year
The week's best editorial cartoons
America's fancy new fighter jet stinks at fighting. And the U.S. Navy doesn't care.
Why Netflix is never wrong
How angry populism engulfed American politics
The U.S. economy grew 2.3 percent in the second quarter
Bernie Sanders superfans are drinking Vermont maple syrup cocktails now
Jon Stewart dishes on that 'secret' meeting with Obama
Flyers for John McCain


text:
Ghana's mixed fortune as a dumping ground for e-waste
Who is to blame for the rise of ISIL?
16 Mar 2014 04:47 GMT | Africa, Niger, Nigeria
At least seven people were killed and dozens more were injured in Nigeria's capital Abuja after thousands of panicked jobseekers stampeded during a government recruitment drive at the national stadium.
The stampede happened on Saturday as thousands gathered to apply for jobs with the immigration department in Abuja stadium.
One witness said the stampede broke out as applicants surged towards a central stage. They said only one entrance to the 60,000-capacity stadium was open. It was unclear how many people were inside at the time of the crush.
"I cannot even imagine the number of people that stamped on me," said survivor Rosemary Ogida. "I just remember being picked up by three men."
The young woman, who had regained consciousness at the hospital but could barely move her left leg, told AFP she was desperate after having lost the original of her university diploma in the stampede.
No official toll was given, but an AFP journalist at the scene counted seven dead and dozens injured.The recruitment drive was being held at several stadiums around the country on Saturday. Unemployment is a particular challenge in the west Africa country with an estimated 37.5 percent of people aged under 25 out of work, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
President Goodluck Jonathan's Peoples Democratic Party said it was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the deaths of "young citizens who were at the exercise not only to secure jobs but to be allowed the opportunity to contribute towards the development of the nation".
Source: AFP
Goodluck Johnson appoints former general, Aliyu Gusau, to role critical in battle against Boko Haram in northern states.
Politics, Africa, Nigeria, Boko Haram
The leadership of Pope Francis has contributed to growth, despite continued competition with evangelical churches.
Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments
are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct
or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and
global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in
accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.
Relatives of inmates killed while in police custody demand justice and investigation into the deaths.
Asia, India, Human Rights
Migrants from Calais refugee camp risk their lives in continuous attempts to cross into UK under the English Channel.
Europe, France, Refugees
A year after truce collapses El Salvador gangs seek new path to engage government in another truce process.
Poverty & Development, Latin America, El Salvador
Cuba offers free sex change surgeries and government-sanctioned Pride marches, but activists say more change is needed.
Human Rights, Cuba, Fidel Castro
Backed by Arab coalition assault, forces fighting with loyalists of exiled President Hadi take back al-Anad in Lahej.
War & Conflict, Middle East, Yemen, Houthis
More than 2,000 believed to have died so far this year trying to make the desperate journey for a better life in Europe.
Human Rights, Immigration, Europe
How nurturing chickens is helping elderly communities combat loneliness and associated mental health problems.
Health, Europe, United Kingdom
Travelling from village to village in northern Argentina, one man works to find lasting solutions to endemic problems.
Business & Economy, Environment, Latin America
A four-part series that reveals how a secret pact formed a cartel that controls the world's oil.
Business & Economy, Middle East, Iran
After days on a crowded boat crossing the Mediterranean, one Syrian refugee family strives for a new future in Austria.
War & Conflict, Syria, Immigration


text:
In 1980, the first edition of the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" was released by the United States Department of Agriculture with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Since that time, the guidelines are updated every 5 years, reflecting new information about nutrition, food, physical activity and health. The goal of these guidelines is to improve our health.
The 2010 edition included dietary guidelines for those who are at increased risk for chronic disease; nutrition-related diseases.
37 percent of Americans have cardiovascular disease.
34 percent of U.S. adults have hypertension.
36 percent have pre-hypertension.
11 percent of Americans age 20 and older have diabetes.
35 percent have pre-diabetes.
41 percent of the population will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.
50 percent of women and 25 percent of men, 5 and older, will have osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
34 percent of American adults and 18 percent of adolescents are considered obese.
Those are some stunning statistics, aren't they?
Food for thought. For the fully skinny from the U.S.D.A. read on!
Spread the word … NOT the icing!
wise * fun * utterly useful
For the best in wellness and weight loss wisdom, visit Janice:
Join Janice's Kick in the Tush Club!
Interested in Life and Wellness Coaching? Write Janice for F*ree Consult (janice [at] ourladyofweightloss.com]
click here to see all of our uplifting newsletters»
Search This Blog
About Our Lady Of Weightloss"Janice Taylor is a 'kooky genius'"
~ O, The Oprah Magazine
Janice Taylor is a Weight Loss Coach and Certified Hypnotist, author, artist and motivational speaker. She is the author of Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal and All Is Forgiven, Move On: Our Lady of Weight Loss's 101 Fat-Burning Steps on Your Journey to Sveltesville (publication date May 15, 2008). Janice is also the creator of the popular e-newsletter Kick in the Tush Club and a 50-pound big-time-loser.
Books By Janice:
Janice wants to be your friend!
Sign in to connect with her.
Join the Kick in the Tush Club in the Beliefnet community!
Recent Posts
- How to Be Eccentric, Clunky and Chunky.
- Green Tea helps to …. Burn Fat NOW!
- Does NAMBY-PAMBY Fit You? -or- Buy a Doormat; Don't Be One!
- Puzzled? Time to Send a Weird, Phallic & Prickly postcard to a friend!
- How to Buy, Eat, Store the Thirst-Quenching Pomegranate
- How to Survive the Exhausted Modern World
- 9 Steps : How to Move from Fear to Love
- The 3 Deadliest Weight Loss Words
- Take a Bach Break. Lose Weight… Sometimes it's just that simple!
- Morning Chew: The Epictetus Cure


text:
Talks with Anna`s team was good: Congress
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Softening its stand, the Congress on Saturday said, the meeting of Anna and his team with Sonia Gandhi to discuss the draft of Lokpal Bill was positive.
The Congress General Secretary, Janardhan Dwivedi addressed a press conference here, soon after Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal finished their meeting with the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi.
"Talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. Anna Hazare kept his final points in front of Sonia Gandhi with full respect and the talks with Anna's team were good, however he did not say anything about the fast," Dwivedi said.
He further added, "This is a coalition government which is running under the leadership of Congress, so whatever points have been kept would be thoroughly discussed within the leaders of the government and the final decision would be taken on a mutual agreement."
However, Janardan Dwivedi did not disclose the points discussed by Anna Hazare and Sonia Gandhi. He said, "The time is not appropriate to discuss the points. This is a democratic country and everyone has the right to keep their views but whatever will be finalized by the government, the Congress party will accept it and the same is being expected from other civil society."
More from India
More from World
More from Sports
More from Entertaiment
- Why did you choose Smriti Irani as HRD minister? Congress leader asks PM Narendra Modi
- Watch video: The epic battle between 'Machli' tigress and a 14-foot-long crocodile!
- Rajnath slams UPA for coining 'Hindu terrorists', Congress accuses BJP of playing politics on terror
- India, Bangladesh swap border enclaves, settle historic dispute; people rejoice
- 'Remembering Dr APJ Abdul Kalam' - President Pranab Mukherjee's photo tribute on Twitter


text:
JessicaLasVegas's Mom Answers Activity
JessicaLasVegas is a star in these topics:
Baby > Breastfeeding (1 helpful answer)
Everyone tells me horror stories about childbirth. Should I ask them to stop?
Most recent answer (07/24/2015):
yesposted by rayma00
Can I be going into labor, and not know it?
Most recent answer (06/30/2015):
You can actually. I skipped my whole first stage of labor without knowing i was in labor. When i got to the hospital i was 4 centimeters ...posted by winterreign
Should I try for a vaginal birth after having a c-section?
Most recent answer (06/01/2015):
the only reason I had a C-section with my son was because my ob/gyn didn't want to answer my questions that I had. the paper that she...posted by skkm726
How can I produce enough breast milk for my baby while working full-time?
Most recent answer (03/03/2015):
I got an herbal tea from GNC that tastes great and helped me produce enough milk, it's called healthy nursing by secrets of tea, I ac...posted by amandinecrimpton