CARDIOVASCULAR: Tuesday, September 4th - European Society of Cardiology Congress, 2007, 1-5 September, Vienna, Austria

Tuesday, September 4th - European Society of Cardiology Congress, 2007, 1-5 September, Vienna, Austria 1. Drug Eluting Stents: Higher Late Mortality in STEMI Patients Than Bare Metal: GRACE Registry Findings GABRIEL STEG, Hôpital Bichat, Paris COMMENT: FREEK VERHEUGT, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen REFERENCE: Hotline III, number 709 The GRACE registry looking at over 60 000 patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction has shown that patients live longer if they receive bare metal stents than if they get drug eluting stents. Gabriel Steg presented these latest data at the ESC meeting in Vienna. Sarah Maxwell discussed the findings with him. 2. Looking for Atherosclerosis in the Legs Could Save Lives CURT DIEHM, University of Heidelberg COMMENT: FREEK VERHEUGT, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) can be diagnosed easily by a test using the ankle brachial index (ABI) and its presence can indicate a high risk of myocardial infarction. Curt Diehm explained his findings to Derek Thorne, while Peter Goodwin got expert comment from Freek Verheugt. 2. Heart Attacks Drop After Smoking Ban in Ireland EDMOND CRONIN, Cork University Hospital REFERENCE: Abstract 3506, European Society of Cardiology Congress, 2007, 1-5 September, Vienna, Austria Study data that support banning smoking in public places were unveiled at the ESC congress by a team from Ireland. After the smoking ban in 2004, admissions for acute coronary syndromes dropped, and lead author Edmond Cronin explained the significance of his findings to Derek Thorne.