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(Circulation. 2006;113:1045.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Issue Highlights

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	ACHIEVING RAPID DOOR-TO-BALLOON TIMES: HOW TOP HOSPITALS IMPROVE COMPLEX CLINICAL SYSTEMS, by Bradley et al.

 
Guidelines currently recommend rapid door-to-balloon times (<90 min) for reperfusion with percutaneous coronary revascularization in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In this issue of Circulation, Bradley and colleagues report on a qualitative study using in-depth interviews with clinical and administrative staff at 11 hospitals that experienced outstanding improvement in door-to-balloon times from 1999 to 2002. The experiences of these hospitals suggest that innovative program development within interdisciplinary teams that includes specific goals, engages senior management, and provides detailed data feedback with a nonblaming, patient-focused approach can serve as a foundation for efforts to improve door-to-balloon times. See p 1079.

	MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING–GUIDED BALLOON ANGIOPLASTY OF COARCTATION OF THE AORTA: A PILOT STUDY, by Krueger et al.

 
Percutaneous intervention for congenital heart disease has become a major component of reparative therapies for many congenital cardiovascular abnormalities. These procedures are often long and repeated and have high radiation exposure. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a major imaging modality for preprocedure and postprocedure evaluation. In this issue, Krueger et al, in a small pilot study, describe successful interactive real-time MRI-guided percutaneous aortic coarctation intervention in 5 patients. The technique, results, safety requirements, and proximity to the traditional catheterization laboratory are detailed. The potential for interactive real-time MRI to guide invasive procedures is an important advance in this field. It should allow continuous monitoring of soft tissue structures during the intervention and significantly reduce radiation exposure. Further validation of this approach will be important to substantiate its role in percutaneous interventions. See p 1093.

	CORRELATES AND LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF ANGIOGRAPHICALLY PROVEN STENT THROMBOSIS WITH SIROLIMUS- AND PACLITAXEL-ELUTING STENTS, by Kuchulakanti et al.

 
In the drug-eluting stent era, stent thrombosis remains a serious procedural complication with significant adverse . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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