In the treatment of larger narrowed blood vessels, drug-coated balloon catheters have been shown to deliver lasting and effective outcomes. Their minimally invasive nature makes them a viable alternative to stents. These findings, from a research team led by cardiologist Professor Bruno Scheller at Saarland University, have now been validated by an international study involving over 3,300 patients.

For many decades the axiom ‘the more you gain, the more you lose’ has dominated thinking on luminal enlargement after balloon angioplasty in the coronary arteries, with the fear that a certain amount of arterial dissection carries the likelihood of restenosis later down the line. However, in recent years the advent of drug-coated balloon (DCB) technologies has opened the door to the idea that coronary dissections may not, after all, have to be a cause for alarm, and in fact present the opportunity for effective drug delivery to treat coronary lesions.

A one-month course of dual clot-preventing therapy followed by a single clot-prevention medication for the remainder of the standard 12-month regimen in adults with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who received a coronary stent was as effective as one year of continuous dual therapy for preventing stroke, heart attack and death.

Sous couvert d’économies budgétaires, le ministère de la Santé prévoit de radier, dès 2026, plusieurs dispositifs médicaux de la liste en sus. Une décision unilatérale dénoncée par le Snitem, les professionnels de santé et les associations de patients, qui fustigent une concertation bâclée et l’absence d’analyse d’impact. Tous alertent sur les risques pour la qualité et la sécurité des soins, la liberté thérapeutique et l’accès à l’innovation.

Interventional cardiologists gathered at the meeting also heard from Philips, which examined the treatment of additional blockages in heart attack patients, and Penumbra, whose study compared mechanical thrombectomy plus blood thinners to anticoagulation therapy alone for patients with pulmonary embolism.

A sirolimus-eluting balloon was found to be noninferior to conventional stenting in separate trials of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), suggesting these devices might replace the usual stent-based strategies in de novo lesions and for in-stent restenosis.Each of the noninferiority trials, presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2025 meeting, were characterized as “long-awaited” and “landmarks” by experts not involved in the studies. Patients in the SELUTION DeNovo and SELUTION4ISR trials were randomly assigned to receive the Selution SLR drug-eluting balloon (MedAlliance an affiliate of Cordis) or a control of usual care. The device is currently available in Europe but not in the United States. 

Additional findings include: Significant reduction in Target Vessel Failure (TVF) (p=0.048) from six months through two years in prespecified landmark analysis Substantial clinical benefit for high-risk patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) (p=0.018) from six months through two years in prespecified landmark analysis.

Coronary calcium is present in up to 30% of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and is a key contributor to procedural complexity and suboptimal short and long-term clinical outcomes. While several balloon-based devices are available for calcium modification, direct comparisons remain limited. These devices vary significantly in mechanism of action and cost, underscoring the need for head-to-head evaluation.

Results from the first randomized clinical trial in the United States to compare a sirolimus-eluting balloon (DEB) to control group consisting of drug-eluting stent (DES) and balloon angioplasty (BA) for the treatment of bare-metal and DES in-stent restenosis (ISR) deemed DEB to be noninferior to conventional therapies. ISR after DES implantation occurs in 4-8% of patients within one year and continues in over 1% of patients annually. In addition, more than 10% of PCI is due to ISR. The approach to treatment of ISR includes the use of DES, DEB, BA, or coronary artery bypass surgery. However, there are limited randomized data examining the use of drug-coated balloons compared with other conventional approaches for ISR, and no approved sirolimus-eluting balloons in the United States. 

A new drug-eluting balloon can perform just as well as the standard treatment for patients with coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) undergoing repeated percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). These breakthrough findings of an international clinical trial led by a Mount Sinai researcher could transform the way this patient population is treated. This is the first U.S.-regulated, and largest randomized, trial to compare a balloon coated with the drug sirolimus against the current standard of care for ISR, which includes both repeat stenting and balloon angioplasty. It could lead to a safer and simpler alternative for patients who need repeat PCI.

Stents kommen zum Einsatz, um Verengungen von Blutgefäßen zu beseitigen, das Gefäß zu stabilisieren und damit Schlaganfällen und Herzinfarkten vorzubeugen. Das Implantieren schädigt jedoch die Gefäßinnenwand, zudem wird ein körperfremdes Material in den Körper eingesetzt. Beides kann zu einer erneuten Verengung des betroffenen Blutgefäßes beitragen. Forscher des Fraunhofer IAP wollen das verhindern – mit speziell beschichteten und sich auflösenden Stents.

Both randomised clinical trials demonstrated positive outcomes that met primary endpoints for the Selution SLR drug-eluting balloon (DEB) compared to the current standard of care in treating de novo and in-stent restenosis (ISR) coronary lesions. The results highlight Selution as an alternative to drug-eluting stents (DES), offering physicians the ability to minimise the need for stents, the company said in a press release highlighting the results.

A new drug-eluting balloon can perform just as well as the standard treatment for patients with coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) undergoing repeated percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). These breakthrough findings of an international clinical trial led by a Mount Sinai researcher could transform the way this patient population is treated.

“Endovascular thrombectomy has transformed acute ischaemic stroke care, with onset-to-puncture [OTP] time widely recognised as a critical determinant of outcome,” the authors write, outlining the backdrop to their study. “However, emerging evidence suggests that in-hospital procedure time—from arterial puncture to final recanalisation—may have an equally or more significant impact.”

Face à la possible suppression du remboursement des stents, plusieurs praticiens du CNCH ont récemment alerté sur les conséquences majeures de cette mesure. Pour rappel, les stents sont des dispositifs médicaux implantés dans les artères et sont facturés en sus du tarif du GHS. La réforme envisagée prévoit d’intégrer le coût des stents directement dans le tarif des GHS, ce qui entraînerait la suppression de leur remboursement spécifique. 

Le ministère de la Santé prévoit de nouvelles économies sur les dispositifs médicaux à hauteur de 160 millions d’euros, en particulier dans le domaine du cardio-vasculaire. Les industriels sont vent debout.

For patients with compromised limb viability, such as acute and chronic limb-threatening ischaemia, or severe functional impairment that does not improve with exercise training, lower extremity revascularization is recommended. Given the complexity of PAD management, a multidisciplinary vascular team is required to achieve the best individualized treatment. Further research efforts should focus on reducing ischaemic events and health disparities and on optimizing the implementation of GDMT and exercise therapy, as well as improving the quality of life in patients with PAD.

This consensus sought to standardize study designs and endpoints for clinical trials involving drug-coated balloons, including defining angiographic, intravascular, and non-invasive imaging methods for lesion assessment, alongside considerations for post-revascularization pharmaco-therapy. The concept of ‘blended therapy’, which advocates for combining device strategies, is also discussed. This paper delineates study types, endpoint definitions, follow-up protocols, and analytical approaches, aiming to provide consistency and guidance for interventional cardiologists and trialists.

CD47-VE-Cadherin-Mfp-5 (CD47-VE-M) fusion protein was synthesized for the first time. CD47-VE-M coatings promote endothelial repair, suppress macrophage phagocytosis in vitro. Dual-functional stent accelerates endothelialization and reduces restenosis in vivo.

Serruys discusses results of the TRANSFORM-1 study*, where it was shown that after treatment using the SeQuent® Please NEO (B. Braun), a paclitaxel DCB, dissection volume was not associated with late lumen loss, showing in fact an association with late luminal gain. “The more you dissect, the better the result is in the long-term, which is a bit counterintuitive because we were always afraid of dissections previously,” says Serruys.