Browsing by Author "Bozinovic, Nenad (56614042000)"

Serbia's interventional community has been facing the multifaceted challenge of an ageing population with cardiovascular diseases as the primary cause of death nationwide, coronary artery disease (CAD) being the most prevalent subset. The following two fields of activity have marked the trajectory of progress in the field of interventional cardiology in Serbia: first, the expansion of the infrastructure, mainly through the opening of new catheterisation laboratories across all of the country's administrative regions, which has resulted in better accessibility to coronary interventions for the general population; second, the creation of national platforms for continuous education, training and the promotion of clinical research in interventional cardiology, with close programmatic links to European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI)-based educational initiatives, including the curriculum for interventional cardiology. As growth seems to be inherent to the concept of progress, we report here on the expanding numbers of coronary interventions in the period between January 2010 and December 2015, and the early experiences with structural heart interventions in Serbia. © Europa Digital and Publishing 2017. All Rights Reserved.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a non-traumatic, non-atherosclerotic layering of the coronary artery wall due to the presence of a subintimal hematoma or an intimal tear with the creation of a false lumen that compresses the true lumen and restricts or obstructs the flow. Patients with SCAD and preserved coronary flow are treated conservatively according to the general recommendations. However, percutaneous coronary intervention should be considered in patients with artery occlusion and/or refractory ischemia. Stenting is associated with increased risks comprising stenting in the false lumen, in-stent thrombosis, and/or stent malappositon as well as antegrade or retrograde propagation of the intramural hematoma. Intracoronary imaging is of great value both for the diagnosis and treatment of SCAD. There is rising scrutiny on the use of cutting balloons in acute coronary syndrome caused by SCAD. The idea of using cutting balloons is to fenestrate the intima and drain the intramural hematoma. Our review presents an analysis of 17 published cases of cutting balloon (CB) use in SCAD. What is encouraging is that of the 12 published cases, in 11 Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 3 flow was established with this technique, and TIMI 2 flow in one, without subsequent stent implantation. Four patients received a stent after the CB use, while one patient underwent CB angioplasty after hematoma propagation caused by stent implantation. In all cases, patients were asymptomatic at follow-up, with TIMI 3 flow. © 2023 The Author(s).