TCTMD’s Top 10 Most Popular Stories for April 2017

Two tales of the challenges faced by the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) topped our list for April 2017, followed by a feature story exploring the potential role for palliative care in the TAVR decision-making pathway. Several stories from the American College of Cardiology 2017 Scientific Session in March made their way onto this month’s list, as did two stories from the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) 2017 conference that has just wrapped up in Prague. Cardiogenic shock, conscious sedation in TAVR, and same-day discharge after PCI round out this month’s most popular stories.

If you’re craving more great content from April, check out Heart Sounds, our monthly podcast that lets you listen to parts of the interesting interviews conducted for TCTMD in the month gone by.

Absorb BVS Use Restricted in Europe

The CE Mark approval remains in place, but only centers participating in formal registries should be using the bioresorbable device for now.

Scaffold Thrombosis Concerns With Absorb BVS Echoed in AIDA Trial

Rates of definite stent thrombosis were fivefold higher with the newer technology, but some experts are still hoping to see benefits over the long term.

Living or Leaving: Does Palliative Care Deserve a Place at the TAVR Table?

Some say palliative care should be part of the heart team, while others worry it might discourage patients from getting life-saving treatments.

DECISION-CTO: PCI Stumbles for Stable CAD Patients With Chronic Total Occlusions

In a blow to interventionalists, the results did not show a benefit of the procedure over medical therapy alone. But hope remains.

Score May Ease Risk Stratification in Acute MI-Related Cardiogenic Shock

The tool could be used to guide early management decisions or to identify ideal patients for clinical trials, researchers say.

Is Atherosclerosis an LDL-Cholesterol or Immune Disease? The Answer May Be Both

Experts at the annual EAS meeting tasked with arguing these two theories ultimately agreed that the answer is not black and white.

MitraClip Commercial Experience at 1 Year Sheds Light on Progress and Lingering Concerns

STS/ACC TVT Registry data demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the procedure, but mortality remains high overall.

Conscious Sedation in TAVR Cuts Costs by 25%, Boosts Patient Satisfaction

TAVR without general anesthesia should become the norm for transfemoral TAVR, a single-center study suggests. “Buy-in” from the heart team is key.

EAS Consensus Document Strives to Banish Skepticism Over LDL Cholesterol’s Causal Role in Atherosclerosis

Data from more than 200 different studies show consistent linear and dose-dependent relationships “unequivocally,” confirming causality, authors say.

Same-Day Discharge After Elective PCI Grows More Popular but Still Not the Norm

Views on what constitutes an “appropriate and safe length of stay” vary, a new survey of interventional cardiologists in the US, Canada, and UK shows.