Editorial
Renal sympathetic denervation: rationale, evidence and future implications
Posted on : 27 April 2012
Hypertension is a global problem affecting approximately 1 billion people (2000 estimate) and this number is set to increase by a further 500 million by 2025... Read more
Rationale and evidence base for the peripheral vascular use of drug coated balloons (DCBs)
Posted on : 27 March 2012
Paclitaxel, derived from the Pacific yew, demonstrates a ?class effect? regarding its impact on restenosis, with favourable results for paclitaxel-coated balloons in four randomised trials of ?standard? angioplasty (PTA) versus angioplasty with DCBs and for paclitaxel eluting stents (the Cook Zilver PTX) versus PTA or bare metal stents in the superficial femoral artery. Nevertheless, the efficacy of DCB angioplasty may be dependent on the dose and formulation of the active coating... Read more
A brief history of inferior vena cava filters and analysis of current devices
Posted on : 22 March 2012
It is estimated that 259,000 caval filters will be inserted in 2012. This growth has been driven by rapid evolution of filter design over the last decade. However, the principle of preventing lower limb venous thrombi embolizing to the pulmonary arteries by interrupting blood flow in the inferior vena cava was established in the 19th century... Read more
A brief history of EVAR and current devices
Posted on : 24 February 2012
The number of endovascular aortic repairs (EVARs) performed worldwide has increased exponentially since its inception at the start of the 1990s.... Read more
Navigating the narrow straits of device regulation
Posted on : 07 February 2012
Several medical devices have hit the headlines in recent months. Most recently the story of PIP breast implants has played out publicly in Europe and the USA, and prior to this, the debate about the ASR hip and other metal on metal implants... Read more
