Unstable Angina

CHICAGO — Three months of dual antiplatelet therapy after PCI may safely balance thrombosis and bleeding risk in both patients with low and high bleeding risk, compared with 1 and 12 months of DAPT, according to new data.

PHILADELPHIA — In patients with acute MI who had successful PCI and underwent imaging to assess plaque composition, diabetes raised risk for poor outcomes but the difference was not related to plaque, according to a presentation.

In patients with ACS who underwent PCI with a drug-coated balloon, an antiplatelet therapy de-escalation strategy was noninferior to 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy, researchers reported at EuroPCR.

ATLANTA — Intravascular ultrasound-guided PCI lowered risk for target vessel failure vs. an angiography-guided approach for patients with acute coronary syndrome, a speaker reported.

ATLANTA — Telehealth visits with CV care teams initiated when patients with prior ACS experienced concerning symptoms reduced unnecessary readmissions, guided them when seeking emergency care and reduced CV events, a speaker reported.

Experts agree that whether statin-associated adverse effects are real or not matters little if a patient cannot or will not take the statin because of the symptoms they describe.

Registry data from Finland show a rapid increase of recurrent CV events and deaths within the first 6 months of an index CV event, underscoring the need for comprehensive secondary prevention, researchers reported.

For patients with unstable angina or non-STEMI referred for coronary angiography, the use of fentanyl as an analgesic for chest pain slowed the absorption of ticagrelor, resulting in greater platelet reactivity compared with lignocaine.

In ACS, low-dose colchicine plus standard medical therapy for 12 months resulted in a lower, but statistically insignificant, rate of the composite primary outcome vs. placebo and standard therapy, a speaker reported.

Icosapent ethyl therapy provides robust cardiovascular benefits in statin-treated adults with type 2 diabetes, with large relative and absolute risk reductions in first and total CV events, study data show.