Over the last 35 years, there has been dramatic progress in the technology and applicability of percutaneous techniques to treat obstructive coronary heart disease. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has a considerable evidence base and it is firmly established as the most common procedure used in the invasive treatment of patients with coronary heart disease in the UK. This set of guidelines aims to address specifically issues relating to PCI and not the growing subspecialty of structural heart disease intervention. It is not intended to provide a review of the entire evidence base for coronary intervention. The evidence base relating to PCI is extensively reviewed in international guidelines and the British Cardiovascular Intervention society endorses these guidelines and their updates. The guidelines presented here focus on issues pertinent to practice within the UK and set out a recommended template to ensure optimal delivery of patient care.

The successful administration of a combined general and epidural anaesthetic to a patient with Brugada syndrome is reported. A review of the literature is presented.

Our data suggest that a large aortic annulus, high preprocedural transaortic gradient, and use of the self-expanding valve predict moderate-severe AR after TAVI. Such a degree of AR is associated with a significantly worse outcome with the balloon-expandable, but not with the self-expanding valve. Further studies are needed to verify this and explore potential mechanisms.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has taken the world of cardiovascular therapies by storm. The possibility of implanting aortic valves without recourse to sternotomy or cardiopulmonary bypass has been embraced by cardiologists, surgeons and patients alike as a revolution in management. First performed in 2002 by Alain Cribier, the technique has exploded into common use during the last three years, such that over 20,000 implants have now been undertaken worldwide. This article discusses complications of TAVI, their avoidance and management.

This is a repository copy of Prosthetic valve endocarditis following transcatheter aortic valve implantation.