Interventional cardiology 2018: the year in review

In the year 2018, the field of interventional cardiology continued to grow following 2017’s celebration of its 40th anniversary. Clinical trials comparing new stent technology with ultrathin biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents and currently used stents seem to converge towards the same clinical safety and efficacy level. The introduction of new stent technology led cardiologists to challenge the need for early dual antiplatelet treatment. The new technology, with wire-free physiological non-invasive assessment, is gaining ground and computed tomography provides cardiologists with a revascularisation strategy for coronary artery disease. The transcatheter treatment of valvular heart disease opened a new era of intervention, with two trials on edge-to-edge mitral valve repair reporting conflicting results. Device treatment for hypertension returned showing its efficacy in sham-controlled trials. The aim of this review is to summarise the main results of the prominent trials in interventional cardiology in 2018: presentations from EuroPCR, ESC, AHA, ACC, PCR London Valves and TCT meetings, as well as manuscripts published in the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, European Heart Journal, Journal of the American College of Cardiology and EuroIntervention. The majority of this article was presented at Gulf-PCR 2018, Dubai “Year in Review 2018”. The slides presented are available on the following website: https://www.pcronline.com/Cases-resources-images/Resources/Course-videos-slides/2018/GulfPCR-GIM-2018-Year-in-review-interventional-cardiology.