Announcements

New clinician research summary available on adjunctive devices for acute coronary syndrome

A new clinician research summary on the comparative effectiveness, benefits, harms, and safety of adjunctive devices for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is available from the Effective Healthcare Program of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). PCI is a common procedure to open the coronary arteries in order to improve blood flow and relieve the symptoms of ACS such as chest pain and shortness of breath. Current evidence on changes in health status and unintended side effects is too limited to draw conclusions about the benefits and harms of using one type of adjunctive device over another. However, there is evidence that catheter aspiration thrombectomy reduces the occurrence of major negative cardiovascular events, distal embolization, and the "no reflow phenomenon" and improves ST-segment elevation resolution and coronary flow. In addition, evidence does not support benefits from mechanical thrombectomy or embolic protection devices, which also prolong procedure time.
This summary is accompanied by a continuing medical education activity and faculty slide set to further assist clinicians, researchers, and other health professionals in decisionmaking. This set of resources is based on the research review, Adjunctive Devices for Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
To access the summary and other materials that explore the effectiveness and risks of treatment options for various conditions visit AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program Web site at http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov.