In comparison with DP-DES, BP-DES significantly reduce LLL and LST rates, without clear benefits on harder endpoints. The efficacy of BP-DES in preserving lumen patency seems larger for sirolimus and novolimus DES.

Our present meta-analysis showed that BP-DES when compared with DP-DES significantly reduced LLL and TVR but without clear benefits on mortality, MI and LST rates. (Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01466634).

Circulation Journal Official Journal of the Japanese Circulation Society http://www. j-circ.or.jp rug-eluting stents (DES) are a major advance in interventional cardiology, but evidence in favor of their use in aortocoronary saphenous vein graft (SVG) disease, a common "off-label" indication for DES implantation in daily practice, is controversial. SVGs have a high occlusion rate 1,2 and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with bare metal stent (BMS) implantation was the preferred treatment for SVG lesions 3-5 until the availability of DES, although the results were far from optimal. 4-7 DES are well known to be effective in reducing target vessel revascularization (TVR) in native vessels, 8-10 but concerns about a higher risk of late and very late stent thrombosis have been raised. 11 Nevertheless, the degeneration of SVG is quite a different phenomenon compared with progression of coronary artery atherosclerosis in native vessels. 12,13 Therefore, the outcome of DES in native coronary artery disease cannot be directly translated to this different clinical setting. 14 Previous nonrandomized studies as well as a few randomized controlled trials suggested that DES could substantially reduce the rate of re-intervention in SVG disease, 15-38 but reported data on mortality are conflicting 39 and biased by low statistical power. 14 Editorial p 261The aim of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of both randomized and observational studies, comparing DES vs. BMS treatment in patients with SVG disease.

Preoperative echocardiographic evaluation of patients with isolated CABG demonstrated that left atrium volume measurements were independently correlated to the occurrence of POAF. Further investigations should focus on the opportunity to target prophylactic antiarrhythmic treatments to patients with large left atrial volumes.

Levosimendan is one of the documented pharmacological agents used in the management and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure; it is a novel inodilator agent which enhanced myocardial performance without changes in oxygen consumption. The combination of positive inotropic and vasodilator effects of levosimendan relates to its Ca(2+) - sensitizing and K(+) channels opening effects. Levosimendan has been proposed, in the recent past, to be non-inferior and may have some advantages to standard inotropes; further possible indications for levosimendan have been described, in some observational studies, such as a perioperative use, cardioprotection, cardiogenic shock, sepsis and right ventricular dysfunction. The ability of levosimendan to improve myocardial function without substantially increasing oxygen consumption may appear paradoxical but is possible via improved efficacy not only with regard to the effects on the contractile apparatus of the cardiomyocytes. The aim of this review is to describe the pharmacological characteristics of levosimendan and its clinical applications. The patent review data regarding the use of levosimendan are also discussed in this review article.