A major clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine is examining whether the timing of a procedure to open blocked heart arteries affects outcomes for patients having a transcatheter aortic valve implant.
The TAVI PCI trial, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress and published by the New England Journal of Medicine, is looking at patients who need both a transcatheter aortic-valve implantation (TAVI) — a keyhole procedure to replace a narrowed heart valve without open-chest surgery — and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure that opens blocked or narrowed coronary arteries, usually using a small mesh tube called a stent. Many patients needing a new heart valve also have coronary artery disease, so clinicians regularly face the question of whether to treat the arteries at the same time as the valve, or at a separate appointment.
The trial was shared at ESC Congress by the European Society of Cardiology, one of the world’s largest gatherings of heart specialists.
Results and detailed methodology are available through the New England Journal of Medicine. Patients in Kent who have questions about heart valve conditions or coronary artery disease should speak to their GP in the first instance, or call NHS 111 for non-emergency medical advice.
Source: @NEJM
Heart Valve Surgery Trial Looks at Best Time to Treat Blocked Arteries Quiz
5 questions