Medscape Conference Coverage, based on selected sessions at:

TCT 2008: Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 20th Annual Scientific Symposium

October 12 - 17, 2008; Washington, DC

This activity is not sanctioned by, nor a part of, the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. Conference news does not receive grant support and is produced independently.

Conference News

US Physicians Eager for Corevalve Trial After European Results

New data from 18 European countries on the fully percutaneous aortic valve speak to low 30-day mortality and improved valve function sustained over the longer term. So why the hold-up in the US, where nary a feasibility study has been conducted?
Heartwire, October 27, 2008
Provisional Stenting Wins in Bifurcations: BBC ONE

Provisional T-stenting using the Taxus stent, instead of the crush or culotte techniques, is associated with a lower rate of death, MI, and target vessel failure at one year, results from the BBC ONE trial show.
Heartwire, October 23, 2008
COOL-RCN

The COOL-RCN investigators used a catheter that essentially acts as an "intravenous refrigerator," cooling the body from the inside out, but it failed to decrease the risk of acute kidney damage caused by iodinated contrast agents.
Heartwire, October 22, 2008
CMS Denies More Coverage for Carotid Stenting

Critics say the CMS should have waited for pending publications of the SAPPHIRE, CAPTURE 2, and EXACT data before announcing its decision, especially as new results from PROTECT, EMPIRE, and EPIC indicate that stroke, death, and MI rates are continuing to decline.
Heartwire, October 22, 2008
PREPARE at TCT

An embolic-protection and aspiration device delivered proximally to the lesion in primary PCI results in better immediate microvascular flow in STEMI patients compared with primary PCI alone. Although the immediate benefits did not hold up over time, investigators believe the early reperfusion will translate into better outcomes.
Heartwire, October 20, 2008
Nuts And Bolts of DAPT

Device companies contacted by heartwire about their role in the Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Trial say nothing has yet been finalized about trial funding or "in-kind" sponsorship. Hammering out these details may yet jeopardize the $100M DES trial.
Heartwire, October 17, 2008
European Data Raise Safety Questions About Endeavor Stent

In a comparison with the Cypher stent, SORT-OUT III showed an increased risk of MI and stent thrombosis with the Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent at nine months, while two-year registry data suggest an increase risk in all-cause mortality. While everybody urged caution in interpreting the findings, experts say the results are a warning signal.
Heartwire, October 16, 2008
HORIZONS AMI

In addition to reducing TLR rates at 12 months, the Taxus stent was equivalent to its bare-metal counterpart in terms of major cardiovascular adverse events, including death, MI, stroke, and stent thrombosis, report investigators.
Heartwire, October 16, 2008
20,000-Patient DAPT Trial Announced

Eight companies have agreed to sponsor the study, selecting the Harvard Clinical Research Institute to command the 33-month, $100-million dollar study. The announcement effectively shelves CODA, the dual antiplatelet study first proposed by Duke but rejected by the necessary industry funders.
Heartwire, October 16, 2008
Fractional Flow Reserve in FAME

Investigators report that fractional flow reserve-guided PCI reduced the risk of death, MI, or repeat revascularization by 30% and death or MI by 35%, when compared with the current practice of using angiography to guide stenting decisions.
Heartwire, October 15, 2008
SYNTAX Subset Data

The analyses can be viewed only as "hypothesis generating," since SYNTAX was negative. But the data suggest that in low- or intermediate-risk patients with left main disease, DES and CABG are both "reasonable" options, but in three-vessel disease, only the lowest-risk patients should be considered as candidates for DES instead of surgery.
Heartwire, October 15, 2008
Cypher, Taxus Equal in Left Main Disease: ISAR-Left Main

Both types of drug-eluting stents performed similarly in left main subjects, leading to two-year outcomes comparable to those from CABG registries.
Heartwire, October 15, 2008
Transfemoral Data From PARTNER EU and SCORE

High survival following transcatheter valve placement via the transfemoral approach reflects increased operator skill and lower-risk patients than the transapical arms of the study, experts say.
Heartwire, October 14, 2008
Catania Stent in ATLANTA

Investigators reported no cases of stent thrombosis at 12 months in patients implanted with the stent, as well as no adverse clinical events, despite stopping dual antiplatelet therapy at 30 days.
Heartwire, October 13, 2008
Carotid Stenting Registry

Investigators caution that the data are preliminary, but the 30-day risk of stroke and death observed in clinical trials is lower when more experienced operators perform the procedure.
Heartwire, October 13, 2008
MI Risks/Benefits Neutral

Leaders of some of the more provocative DES studies in recent years seem to agree that other factors may be contributing to the apparent survival benefit with DES seen in recent registries but that it is at least safe to conclude that risk of death or MI is not increased with their use. But many also argue for a bigger role for bare-metal stents.
Heartwire, October 13, 2008

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