Needles in Our Technology Haystacks: Defining Efficacy Is Easy, Characterizing Complications Is the Challenge

Abstract

In this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, Rhee et al address an interesting aspect of technology development—the delineation of device complications in an era of accelerating innovation. They specifically sought to validate longitudinal stent deformation (LSD) as a design-dependent complication, pooling data from several studies using precise definitions, and longer periods of evaluation to overcome what they cite as shortcomings of prior studies.