NEWS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bobbie Boyd, Director of Public Relations
& Community Outreach
Advanced Cardiac Specialists
Cell Phone: (602) 570-7069 E-mail:
bobbie.boyd@acs-im.com
ADVANCED CARDIAC SPECIALISTS’ (ACS) ORIGINAL RESEARCH
WORK SELECTED AS FEATURED RESEARCH BY AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
ACS Received this Rare Honor for the Second Time
Gilbert,
Arizona (November 12, 2006) - Advanced Cardiac Specialists’ oral presentation
at the 2006 Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association, in
Chicago November 12-15, 2006, was selected for presentation in the “Featured
Research” section of the scientific meetings. This is a rare honor reserved for a handful
of outstanding papers each year, based on their content, clinical relevance and
scientific content. ACS’ presentation
was selected from amongst over 20,000 presentations belonging to nationally and
internationally recognized academic universities and medical schools.
This
is the second such honor for Advanced Cardiac Specialists. Their first “Featured Research” presentation
was in 1997, at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions held in
Orlando, Florida. In addition, the
abstracts are published in the November issue of the American Heart
Association’s journal Circulation.
This year’s Featured Research presentation was titled, “Impact of Percutaneous Intervention on the Clinical Course and Outcomes in Diabetics with Coronary Heart Disease and Left Ventricular Dysfunction”. Approximately 35% of patients hospitalized with heart failure are diabetic. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common cause of heart failure in diabetics. The prevalence increases further among patients with more severe heart failure. Currently, limited and conflicting data is available regarding the effectiveness of coronary stent procedures (called percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI) performed on diabetics with Coronary Heart Disease and LV systolic dysfunction (inability of the left lower chamber of the heart to pump blood).
Advanced Cardiac Specialists’ study
suggests encouraging results. ACS’
experience demonstrates that successful coronary stenting results in positive
outcomes in diabetic patients with advanced heart failure. Effective salvage of the heart muscle, by
removing the blockage and returning blood flow through the coronary artery,
appears to be key to improved event-free and absolute survival in these
patients.
From January 2000 through February
2006, ACS physicians performed coronary stent procedures on 382 diabetic
patients with LV systolic dysfunction.
Procedural success was 96%.
Incidence of in-hospital adverse events, such as acute reclosure of the
vessel or patients requiring coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), was
low. At one-year follow up, there was
marked improvement in symptoms and signs of heart failure. The incidence of emergency room visits and
hospitalization for worsening heart failure was low. Incidence of stroke, the need to re-open the target vessel and
death were low.
Discussing the rationale for the
remarkably improved clinical outcomes in these patients, ACS’ study concludes
that PCI strategies may be especially rewarding in diabetic patients with
advanced HF. Effective myocardial
salvage appears to be the key to improved event-free and absolute survival in
these patients.
The
study was conducted by Advanced Cardiac Specialists’ Department of
Cardiovascular Research. The authors of
this retrospective study are Robert M. Siegel, M.D., Medical Director, Ambika
Bhaskaran, M.D., Medical Director or Cardiovascular Research, and their
colleagues. Advanced Cardiac
Specialists’ Research Department continues to contribute consistently and
substantially to the global body of knowledge used to improved treatment
options and quality of life for, not just their patients, but patients
worldwide. Advanced Cardiac Specialists
is a statewide Cardiology and Internal Medicine practice based in Phoenix.