Cardiology news: award winning coverage by heartwire

Heart failure

"Tetherless" power-transmission technology could radically change LVAD therapy

Feb 3, 2012 11:00 EST

New wireless technology used to power implantable ventricular assist devices has the potential to make them far safer than ever before and bring the therapy to patients at earlier stages of heart failure than are currently recommended.

Interventional/Surgery

CMS draft of proposed coverage for TAVI

Feb 3, 2012 09:30 EST

The CMS has issued a draft of the conditions under which it will provide coverage for transcatheter aortic-valve replacements, as the technology begins to be rolled out in the US.

Features

The flap over flavonoids

6 COMMENTS - Feb 2, 2012 15:15 EST

The field of flavonoids and polyphenols continues to attract a massive amount of interest, from researchers and the public alike. But can health really be improved by eating chocolate and drinking red wine?

Interventional/Surgery

US "roadmap" for TAVI rollout published

1 COMMENT - Feb 1, 2012 15:00 EST

A new US expert-consensus document on transcatheter aortic-valve implantation aims to smooth the rollout of this new technology stateside.

Restenosis similar with carotid stenting or surgery: CREST

Medscape Medical News

Feb 1, 2012 13:30 EST

At two years, carotid restenosis is infrequent and appears similar whether patients were treated with carotid stenting or endarterectomy.

Interventional/Surgery

"Valve-on-a-stick" transaortic TAVI offers alternative to transfemoral route

3 COMMENTS - Jan 31, 2012 15:15 EST

A growing number of centers, especially in Europe, are trying a third route for transcatheter valve implants in select patients. Instead of threading the device from the femoral artery or up through the left ventricular apex, they're deploying it directly through the aorta.

Interventional/Surgery

PARTNER CAP data show transapical outcomes improve with practice

Jan 31, 2012 10:15 EST

Only 104 of the 799 high-risk patients in the PARTNER A trial of the Sapien transcatheter valve were treated with the transapical approach, so it can be considered to be only the preliminary experience with this technique. Now data from 822 patients in the continued-access protocol are available.

Interventional/Surgery

SYNTAX, FAME trials influence update to PCI/CABG appropriate-use criteria

2 COMMENTS - Jan 30, 2012 17:35 EST

The document somewhat expands the appropriateness of PCI in some patients with left main coronary disease, among other indications.

Interventional/Surgery

Women do better after TAVI, hints small study

Jan 30, 2012 16:00 EST

The first foray into possible gender differences in presentation and outcome among patients undergoing TAVI for severe aortic stenosis hints that women may fare better than men after this procedure.

Interventional/Surgery

ASCERT: Better survival for CABG vs PCI in some high-risk patients

2 COMMENTS - Jan 30, 2012 14:00 EST

The ASCERT study, a unique collaboration between the CMS, ACC, and STS, compares survival rates with bypass surgery and PCI in over 190 000 patients.

Interventional/Surgery

Surgeons insist TAVI reimbursement rollout won't be repeat of carotid-stenting debacle

Jan 30, 2012 09:00 EST

Now that the FDA has approved a transcatheter aortic valve, cardiac surgeons and cardiologists are working together to put all of their ducks in a row to secure national Medicare coverage for the procedure.

Brain/Kidney/Peripheral

More data needed on carotid atherosclerosis, CMS advisers agree

Jan 27, 2012 12:30 EST

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee met to once again discuss the latest available evidence on different treatments of carotid atherosclerosis, and the only clear message was these questions remain a moving target.

Arrhythmia/EP

Riata Summit insights: Vigilance key to following functional but "recalled" ICD leads

Jan 27, 2012 10:00 EST

UPDATED // Most attending the recent Riata ICD lead summit felt that fluoroscopic screening of Riata recipients was a reasonable thing to do, at odds with some recommendations; remote monitoring has its limits here, say VA data.

Brain/Kidney/Peripheral

Proximal balloon superior to distal protection in carotid artery stenting

1 COMMENT - Jan 26, 2012 17:45 EST

Proximal balloon-occlusion devices do not cross the lesion before it is stented, which helps to significantly reduce embolic load in the brain during the carotid procedure, according to researchers.

Murmurs

Cardiologists flagging woeful patient care say they paid with their jobs

7 COMMENTS - Jan 25, 2012 15:30 EST

An echocardiographer and cardiac surgeon who say their jobs were axed in retaliation after they lodged numerous complaints of substandard patient care at a county hospital in Santa Clara are suing some of their former bosses, including two other cardiologists. The plaintiffs also claim they suffered severe harassment as a result of expressing their concerns. The defendants' attorney says the case "is hotly disputed."

Medscape Medical News

Pay for SGR repeal with war savings, say medical groups

3 COMMENTS - Jan 24, 2012 15:45 EST

A letter to Rep Dave Camp from 110 medical societies admits that war savings from military pullbacks are a "budget gimmick" but says they could retire SGR debt, another budget gimmick.

Thrombosis

PLATO: PPI analysis "raises flag" but should not change practice

7 COMMENTS - Jan 24, 2012 13:00 EST

A new analysis of the PLATO study has found that use of a proton-pump inhibitor was independently associated with a higher rate of cardiovascular events but that this was apparent in both the ticagrelor and clopidogrel arms. The finding is likely due to confounding and should not precipitate any change in advice on this subject, says the lead author.

Interventional/Surgery

Cardiologists accused of defrauding Medicare by performing unnecessary cardiac procedures

43 COMMENTS - Jan 23, 2012 16:30 EST

A new whistle-blower lawsuit filed in US District Court claims that five cardiologists from two medical practices in Erie, PA defrauded Medicare by performing unnecessary cardiac and vascular surgeries and interventional procedures between 2001 and 2005.

Clinical cardiology

Gifts, pep talks have some success post-PCI and in hypertension

Jan 23, 2012 16:00 EST

Some of the first research showing that positive affect interventions—including phone calls to bolster self-affirming thoughts and small gifts—generate some success in post-PCI and hypertensive patients has been published. An editorialist describes the work as "innovative" and calls for many more studies of this kind.

Arrhythmia/EP

"Recalled" Riata ICD leads: Brainstorming conference aims for guidance

4 COMMENTS - Jan 20, 2012 13:30 EST

The lead failures can take years to manifest with inappropriate shocks or a variety of other issues, or they may not cause problems at all. There could be more agreement on how to manage the patients after today's Minnesota Heart Institute Riata ICD Lead Summit.

Interventional/Surgery

Lower mortality rates at two years with transradial PCI, Italian registry shows

6 COMMENTS - Jan 19, 2012 16:45 EST

In a propensity-score-matching analysis, the mortality rate at two years was 8.8% among patients treated via the radial artery and 11.4% in the femoral-PCI patients, a statistically significance difference. Transradial PCI was also associated with a significantly reduced need for vascular surgery and blood transfusions.

Interventional/Surgery

FFR shows benefit in FAME II; enrollment halted

12 COMMENTS - Jan 18, 2012 12:00 EST

An interim analysis of the FAME II study shows a significant benefit of fractional-flow-reserve-guided stenting plus optimal medical therapy over and above optimal medical therapy alone; as a result the data safety monitoring board has said no further patients should be randomized to medical therapy alone.

Thrombosis

Contemporary look at VTE after joint surgery

Jan 17, 2012 16:00 EST

One in 100 patients who have knee-replacement surgery and one in 200 who undergo hip replacement will have a venous thromboembolic event in the hospital, despite receiving modern anticoagulant prophylaxis, a new review shows. These numbers will help inform patients and clinicians, say the authors, but an editorialist notes that to get a better picture, it will be necessary to look at a longer postsurgery time frame.

Interventional/Surgery

BRIDGE study published: Cangrelor suited for important antiplatelet niche

7 COMMENTS - Jan 17, 2012 16:00 EST

The intravenous antiplatelet with a very short half-life is the ideal candidate for bridging patients on clopidogrel or other thienopyridines to surgery, the authors say.

Interventional/Surgery

Thoracic endoprosthesis gets traumatic transection approval

Jan 16, 2012 11:30 EST

The FDA has expanded approval for the Gore TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis to include treatment of "life-threatening tears or ruptures of the aorta."