Interventional Cardiology

Welcome to this issue of Heart International. As ever, we aim to provide our readers with the latest developments, insights, and evidence-based discussions in cardiovascular care. This edition is particularly poignant, as we begin with a heartfelt tribute to an influential figure in interventional cardiology and a cherished member of our editorial board, Dr Richard […]

Forty-seven years ago, Andreas Gruentzig introduced ‘percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty’ (PTCA) as a new approach to treating symptomatic occlusive coronary artery disease.1 The mechanism of balloon angioplasty (BA) formed the foundation around which newer equipment and technologies were developed, including plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA), bare-metal stents (BMS), drug-eluting stents (DES) and drug-coated balloons (DCBs), each […]

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a frequent finding on echocardiography, with detection rates reaching up to 86% across the different ranges of severity, with moderate or greater TR being reported in at least 6–8% of patients.1–3 The prevalence of TR increases with age, affecting >4% of people above the age of 75 years, with women being more […]

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of mortality and morbidity in adults worldwide.1 Coronary angiography (CAG) is the gold standard method for evaluating atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD).2 It is conventionally performed via the trans-femoral (TF) route. Recently, however, the trans-radial (TR) route has become the preferred way.3 The TR route offers better procedure comfort, shorter hospitalization […]

We are sorry to announce the death of one of our valued editorial board members, Dr Richard Heuser (November 17, 1950–May 23, 2024). Richard R Heuser, MD, FACC, FACP, FESC, MSCAI, was an internationally recognized cardiologist, inventor, educator and author, and was a diplomat of the American Board of Cardiovascular Diseases and the American Board […]