Every issue, the Editor-in-Chief selects one to three articles that are particularly interesting or have important implications in interventional cardiology. Here are the picks for this issue.

Endothelial Function After ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Patients With High Levels of High-Sensitivity CRP and Lp-PLA2: A Substudy of the RESPONSE Randomized Trial

JJ Kandhai-Ragunath, B de Wagenaar, C Doelman, J van Es, HT Jørstad, RJG Peters, CJM Doggen, and C von Birgelen

The combination of high levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase-A2 (Lp-PLA2) was recently shown to correlate with increased cardiovascular risk. Endothelial dysfunction is also known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular events. This substudy of the RESPONSE trial involving patients with recent ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and primary percutaneous coronary intervention found that those with high hs-CRP and Lp-PLA levels had no more than numerical differences in endothelial function that did not reach a statistical significance compared with all other patients.

Impact of Robotics and a Suspended Lead Suit on Physician Radiation Exposure During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

RD Madder, S VanOosterhout, A Mulder, M Elmore, J Campbell, A Borgman, J Parker, and D Wohns

Reports of left-sided brain malignancies among interventional cardiologists have heightened concerns about radiation exposure. This study found that utilization of a suspended lead suit and robotics significantly reduced radiation exposure to the chest and head of operating physicians during percutaneous coronary intervention.

Lipid-Core Burden Response to Stent Implantation Assessed With Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Intravascular Ultrasound Evaluation in Patients With Myocardial Infarction

M Noori, P Thayssen, KT Veien, A Junker, KN Hansen, HS Hansen, and LO Jensen

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a new method to identify lipid core plaque (LCP). This study used NIRS to assess LCP and vascular response in 25 patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) to examine whether LCP was compressed or redistributed during percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation. They found that lumen enlargement was caused by vessel expansion, plaque compression and longitudinally plaque redistribution.