Positive results from study of PressureWire (St Jude Medical) in PCI patients

Results of the FAME II Trial demonstrate patients with FFR-guided stenting that use PressureWire (technology used to measure blood flow restriction in the coronary arteries), from St Jude Medical, plus the best available medical therapy had superior outcomes to those treated with medical therapy alone. Results revealed this yielded an 86 percent relative risk reduction for unplanned re-admission to the hospital with urgent revascularization in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

The FAME II Trial examined the role of Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) in the treatment of stable coronary artery disease in one or more vessels. FFR specifically identifies which coronary narrowings are responsible for obstructing blood flow to a patient�s heart muscle, and is measured using PressureWire FFR measurement technology. The randomized trial compared percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) guided by FFR plus the best available medical therapy (MT) to MT alone.

Data was published online in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented during a Hot Line session at the ESC Congress 2012 (European Society of Cardiology. See: "Fractional Flow Reserve�Guided PCI versus Medical Therapy in Stable Coronary Disease." Bernard De Bruyne et al. NEJM August 28, 2012 (10.1056/NEJMoa1205361).