Cath Lab Digest

rNAPc2 is a small protein that was originally isolated from blood-feeding hookworms and is currently manufactured as a recombinant protein for clinical use. The mechanism of rNAPc2 involves inhibition of the protease complex Factor VIIa/Tissue Factor, which is responsible for the initiation of the process leading to blood clot formation. Currently, rNAPc2 has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in close to 500 patients and volunteers studied to date, which includes a Phase II study in 293 patients undergoing total knee replacement where rNAPc2 was shown to safely reduce the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by over 50% compared to a contemporary historical control with the low molecular weight heparin enoxaparin. A second Phase IIa study demonstrated that rNAPc2 could be safely added to standard therapy with unfractionated heparin, aspirin and clopidogrel in 150 patients undergoing elective PCI. This study also demonstrated that rNAPc2 suppresses the formation of thrombin for at least 36 hours following a single administration, compared to standard therapy alone, in which thrombin generation continued unabated.

TransVascular, Inc. Reports First Successful Clinical Application Of the CrossPoint TransAccess Catheter

TransVascular, Inc., has announced that its CrossPoint® TransAccess® catheter was utilized clinically for the first time in the United States on October 4, 2002 at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California. The CrossPoint catheter is a dual lumen catheter designed to facilitate the placement and positioning of catheters within the peripheral vasculature. The CrossPoint TransAccess catheter incorporates JOMED’s IVUS imaging technology for integrated visualization during the procedure.

The product performed exactly as intended, allowing the successful completion of a peripheral procedure that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to complete otherwise, stated Dr. Jim Joye of El Camino Hospital, The CrossPoint will allow interventional cardiologists and radiologists to successfully complete a higher percentage of their peripheral cases thereby reducing the frequency of patients being referred to surgery.

TransVascular will be gradually expanding the number of centers utilizing the CrossPoint TransAccess Catheter over the next six months, as manufacturing capacity increases to meet the expected demand for the product.

Diet, Exercise Said to Help Heart in Three Weeks

As little as three weeks of eating healthily and exercising can significantly lower a man's risk of heart disease by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol.

Eleven obese men who signed up for three weeks of eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables lost a little weight but, more importantly, lowered blood pressure. The men also took a brisk daily walk.

This is the first study to show that this type of diet and exercise can reduce oxidative stress, lower blood pressure, and improve risk factors for other chronic diseases in a very short time, R. James Barnard, a professor of physiological science at the University of California Los Angeles who led the study.

During the three weeks, the men got fewer than 10 percent of calories from fat, 15 to 20 percent from protein and 70 to 75 percent from whole grains, fruit and vegetables. They could eat all the whole-meal bread, pasta, fruit and vegetables they wanted. They also walked on a treadmill for 45 to 60 minutes a day.

Barnard's team tested the men's blood for cholesterol, glucose and insulin measurements, all associated with heart disease, at the start and end of the program. They measured blood pressure, nitric oxide availability and looked for the presence of charged particles called free radicals that can damage blood vessels and cause heart disease.

Nitric oxide helps to relax blood vessels, reducing blood pressure, and higher levels can help prevent clogged arteries.

After just three weeks, the seven men who started out with high blood pressure had normal blood pressure.

Overall, the men reduced their cholesterol by an average of 19 percent, blood pressure by 14 percent and free radicals by 28 percent. Insulin levels plunged 46 percent and glucose fell 7 percent.

Medical Educational Facility Broadcasts in Live, High-Definition Format at Emory’s Carlyle Fraser Heart Center

In an area where only the entertainment and sports industries have experimented, today, medical education takes a front seat as physicians at Emory's Carlyle Fraser Heart Center transmit live, high-definition images from the operating room to health care professionals across the country.

Our new technology is like nothing the medical community has ever experienced and allows for enhanced medical education, says Angel Leon, MD, chief of cardiology, Emory Crawford Long Hospital. The high-definition quality provides images that are clearer, sharper and more vibrant than the current standard.

The Heart Center has remote-controlled, high-definition cameras mounted in cardiac surgery operating rooms and catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories. In addition, live, diagnostic images from physiologic monitors, fluoroscopy, positive emission tomography, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology can be viewed in high-definition format during invasive procedures.

The Heart Center's conference room has dual screens that enable an audience of 35 to learn by comparing simultaneous images of both inside and outside the patient's body. Or, in the case of a remote audience, images can be transmitted live via satellite to anywhere in the world.

Two-way audio communication allows physicians in the Heart Center's procedure rooms to interact with colleagues, health professionals and students around the world.