Background—In patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may cause thrombus dislodgment followed by reduced flow and impaired microcirculatory function. We prospectively compared conventional PCI to a strategy of additional pretreatment using the X-sizer thrombectomy system. Methods and Results—Sixty-six patients (51 [77%] men; 54.9 9.9 years) with ACS...

INTRODUCTION According to the current guidelines for treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) should be performed within 90 min of first medical contact and total ischemic time should not exceed 120 min. The aim of this study was to analyze compliance with STEMI guidelines in a tertiary PCI center. METHODS This was a prospective single-...

BACKGROUND The results of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for saphenous vein graft (SVG) disease are limited by distal embolisation and no-reflow which occurs in 10-43% of cases. AIM To examine the role of a new protocol of adenosine administration during PCI in SVG on immediate angiographic results and clinical course. METHODS A prospective, single-centre, randomised placebo-contr...

Background: Angiographic flow measurements do not define perfusion accurately at a microvascular level, so other techniques which assess flow at a tissue level are to be preferred. Objectives: To compare intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) with other methods of assessing microvascular reperfusion for their ability to predict left ventricular function at one month after acute ...

BACKGROUND Experimental studies have shown that ultrasound contrast agents enhance the effectiveness of thrombolytic agents in the presence of ultrasound in vitro and in vivo. Recently, we have launched a clinical pilot study, called "Sonolysis", to study this effect in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction based on proximal lesions of the infarct-related artery. METHODS/DESIGN In ...

AIMS Previous studies have suggested that intravenous administration of adenosine improves myocardial reperfusion and reduces infarct size in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. Intracoronary administration of adenosine has shown conflicting results. METHODS AND RESULTS In a prospective, single-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, we assessed whether selec...

BACKGROUND The morphological and functional differences between arteries and veins may have implications on coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) survival. Although subjective differences have been observed between radial artery (RA) and long saphenous venous (LSV) grafts, these have not been quantified. This study assessed and compared the flow characteristics and in-vivo graft flow responses of...