Editor`s Message

Dear Readers,

In this issue of the Journal of Invasive Cardiology, we are introducing two new special sections. The first new section is dedicated to covering advances in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and the section editor is Dr. Howard Herrmann, Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Interventional Cardiology Program and Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The second new section is dedicated to advances in radial access technique and the section editors are Dr. Samir Pancholy from the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Dr. Tejas Patel from the Smt. N.H.L. Medical Municipal College, Sheth V.S. General Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. I believe that these sections will further the goal of the journal, which is to provide state-of-the-art information that will support clinicians in the effective management of patients with cardiovascular disease.  There are many selections in this issue that I hope readers will find useful in their clinical practice to promote more effective treatment of cardiovascular disease patients.

In the first original research article, Dr. Akihiko Takahasi and associates from the Department of Cardiology, Sakurakai Takahashi Hospital Oikecho, Suma-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Japan, present their research study on the use of the buddy balloon technique for the final kissing balloon dilatation after crush stenting of the left main coronary artery. In the next selection, Dr. Eiji Ichimoto and colleagues from the Department of Cardiovascular Science and Medicine, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine in Chiba, Japan present their analysis of the mechanism of edge restenosis after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation. Next, Drs. Gaurav Alreja, Diogo Bugano and Amir Lotfi from Baystate Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine and the Department of Internal Medicine at the Hospital das Clinicas da Universidade de Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil present a meta-analysis of randomized trials on the effect of remote ischemic preconditioning on myocardial and renal injury. Next, Dr. Mariano Brizzio and associates from the Valley Heart and Vascular Institute in Ridgewood, New Jersey report on their research evaluating the use of the VerifyNow platelet inhibition test to reduce blood usage in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Dr. Sandeep Nathan from the University of Chicago Medical Center has provided a commentary to accompany the Brizzio et al article. Next, Dr. Sathyadeepak Ramesh and collaborators from UT Southwestern and VA North Texas Healthcare System in Dallas, Texas present the results of their in vivo study comparing Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound. In the final original research selection, Dr. Byeong-Keuk Kim and colleagues from the Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine and Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea report on their research study looking at the use of optical coherence tomography evaluation of in-stent restenotic lesions with visible microvessels.

To initiate our new TAVR special section, we are including an original research selection from Dr. Michael Daly and colleagues from the Heart Centre, Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, United Kingdom. In this article the authors describe the short-term results of their use of palliative balloon valvuloplasty in select high operative risk patients, some of whom go on to have TAVR. Dr. Saif Anwaruddin and Howard C. Herrmann have provided an editorial commentary to accompany this article. The special section for radial access technique advances begins with two articles. First, Drs. Lori Vales, Sanjay Cherukuri, and Tak Kwan from the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and Beth Israel Medical Center in New York describe the transradial measurement of trans-valvular pressure gradient in the setting of mechanical aortic and mitral valve prostheses using a coronary fractional flow reserve guidewire.  In the second article, Drs. Ji-Hoon Kim, Gee-Hee Kim and Keon-Woong Moon from St. Vincent’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea in Suwon, South Korea present a case showing the successful transradial retrieval of a broken catheter fragment during transradial coronary angiography.  

This issue also contains a comprehensive review article submitted by Drs. Vindhya Hindnavis, Sung-Hae Cho and Sheldon Goldberg from the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in which they present an examination and review of saphenous vein graft intervention. 

In the “Brief Communication” section,  Drs. Nuri Akkus, Saurabh Rajpal and Sajata Agnani from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana report on their successful use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor,  heparin and IABP during PCI in a post-neurosurgical patient with STEMI and cardiogenic shock due to very late bare metal stent thrombosis.

In the “Clinical Images” selection, Drs. Nazanin Azadi, James Niemann and Joseph Thomas from the Division of Cardiology at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California show images of a case of cardiovascular collapse highlighting the utility of the LUCAS Mechanical CPR Device.  

Articles published in our “Online Exclusive” section this month include an unusual valvular complication after coronary catheterization, transcatheter closure of a large aortopulmonary window with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension beyond infancy, the utility of FFR and OCT in deferring coronary stenting for myocardial bridging, demonstration of a novel use of a Guideliner catheter for selective coronary angiography to visualize the distal LAD after left internal mammary anastomosis, two cases showing the use of the Cook Zenith aortic endografts to repair Fontan Baffle stenosis and fenestration, a case showing the usefulness of the Corsair micro-catheter for the treatment of a chronic total occlusion and a case demonstrating the use of OCT in the treatment of coronary bifurcations. These selections can be found on our website (www.invasivecardiology.com) along with patient video in some cases. You will also find past issues of the journal on our website. Follow our links to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn where you can discuss these articles and related topics with other readers and contributors.

Sincerely,

Richard E. Shaw, PhD, FACC, FACA
Editor-in-Chief