American heart journal
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American heart journal · Nov 2009
Comparative StudyAchieving routine sub 30 minute door-to-balloon times in a high volume 24/7 primary angioplasty center with autonomous ambulance diagnosis and immediate catheter laboratory access.
In primary angioplasty (primary percutaneous coronary intervention [PPCI]) for acute myocardial infarction, institutional logistical delays can increase door-to-balloon times, resulting in increased mortality. ⋯ Interhospital transfer remains slow even with rapid institutional door-to-balloon times. With autonomous ambulance diagnosis and open access direct to the catheter laboratory, a median door-to-balloon time of <30 minutes day and night was achieved, and >95% of patients were reperfused within 1 hour.
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American heart journal · Nov 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyDesign and rationale of the WOEST trial: What is the Optimal antiplatElet and anticoagulant therapy in patients with oral anticoagulation and coronary StenTing (WOEST).
Long-term oral anticoagulant treatment is obligatory in patients (class I) with mechanical heart valves and most patients with atrial fibrillation. When these patients undergo percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting, there is also an indication for treatment with aspirin and clopidogrel. However, triple therapy is known to increase the risk of bleeding complications. Unfortunately, there are no prospective data available to resolve this issue. Nevertheless, it all comes down to finding the ideal therapy in patients with indications of both chronic anticoagulation therapy and percutaneous intervention to prevent thrombotic complications (eg, stent thrombosis) without increasing the risk of bleeding. ⋯ No prospective randomized study has yet addressed the issue of optimal antiplatelet therapy in patients with chronic oral anticoagulant therapy undergoing coronary stenting. Therefore, the WOEST trial will help to define new guidelines for patients with indication for chronic anticoagulation who need coronary stenting.