Dec-05

Dear Readers, This issue of the Journal of Invasive Cardiology includes several interesting research articles, some of which are followed by commentary from members of our advisory board. We have also included selections from the Journal’s special sections, Adjunctive Therapy and Clinical Images. In addition, you can find our December issue case reports directly on www.invasivecardiology.com. I encourage you to visit the website to read the interesting and informative case reports we have chosen to complete this issue. A complete list of the online case report titles can be found on page A8. In the first research article, Dr. Yuji Ikari and associates from Tokai University School of Medicine in Isehara, Kanagawa, Japan report their study of factors that are associated with backup force for a guiding catheter used in the left coronary artery in transfemoral or transradial interventions. They found that backup force was associated with size of the catheter, the angle on the reverse side of the aorta, and the contact area. Dr. Bernhard Meier of the editorial board has written a commentary to accompany the Ikari et al. article. In the next original article, Dr. Dale Tavris and collaborators from the Food and Drug Administration and the American College of Cardiology, have provided results of Phase II of their study on the risk of local adverse events following cardiac catheterization by hemostasis device use. They showed that there was variation in the outcomes of the devices analyzed and found that women have almost twice the risk of men for local complications. Dr. Gionata Molinari and collaborators from Verona, Italy present their study of the safety and efficacy of the percutaneous radial artery approach for coronary angiography and angioplasty in patients aged 70 or greater. They demonstrated that the radial approach was safe and effective in the elderly, primarily due to a reduced risk of vascular complications, especially in view of the age-related diseases which often affect older patients. Drs. Shahid Aziz and David Ramsdale have addressed the topic further in the accompanying commentary. The next original research paper, submitted by Drs. Farhan Aslam and James Blankenship from the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, reports their study on coronary artery stenting in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. They demonstrated that these patients had excellent results in-hospital and good outcomes at six months after their procedure. Dr. William Chu and collaborators from the Division of Cardiology at the Washington Hospital Center, present their research comparing drug-eluting stents versus repeat vascular brachytherapy for patients with recurrent in-stent restenosis after failed intracoronary radiation. Although they found that both approaches were associated with excellent immediate outcomes, patients who were treated with intracoronary radiation therapy had better long-term outcomes. In the last original research article, Dr. Jorge Belardi and colleagues from the Instituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires, present their work evaluating the potential of using a novel flow-occluding sensing catheter with intravascular thermographic assessment in human coronary atherosclerotic plaques. They concluded that the new catheter appeared to be safe and feasible for the assessment of human plaque temperature heterogeneity. Drs. Daniel Steinberg and Neil Weissman from the Cardiovascular Research Institute/Medstar Research Institute of the Washington Hospital Center have provided a commentary to accompany the Belardi et al. article. Two of our special sections and a case report are featured in this issue of the Journal. In the Adjunctive Therapy section, edited by Dr. Deepak Bhatt, Director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Drs. Jeffrey Moses and Prediman Shah from the Columbia University Medical Center in New York and Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, have provided an excellent review of the use of enhanced long-term antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting. In the Clinical Images section, edited by Dr. David Rizik from Scottsdale Heart Group at Scottsdale Healthcare Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, Drs. Rizik, Dowler and Villegass present fascinating images of identical twins who presented with identical coronary disease. The authors point out that not only were the coronary lesions nearly identical, but the pattern of angina and symptoms were strikingly similar as well. We have included a case description of a bilateral coronary ostial stenosis following the Bentall procedure in a patient with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia that was successfully treated with PCI. It is my hope that each of the articles in this issue of the Journal provides cardiovascular healthcare professionals with information that improves the daily care of their cardiac patients. Sincerely, Richard E. Shaw, PhD, FACC, FACA Editor-in-Chief