Week in Review: The first heart surgery of its kind | An exclusive look at robotic AVR | FDA approves new drug | PPM after TAVR

The entire robotic procedure was performed through one small incision. Surgeons originally recommended the 73-year-old patient undergo open-heart surgery, but she requested a less invasive alternative. 

The Mediterranean diet, named after the traditional eating habits of Greece and Italy, was once again linked to multiple cardiovascular benefits. The focus of this latest meta-analysis was adults over the age of 60.

It's early for RAVR, but the minimally invasive technique has already started gaining momentum as an alternative to both SAVR and TAVR. We spoke to Vinay Badhwar, MD, one of the world’s leading voices in robotic heart surgery, to learn more.

Landiolol, sold by AOP Health under the brand name Rapiblyk, is an intravenous treatment designed to start working right away.

PPM is still relatively common after TAVR, especially among patients with a small aortic annulus. What can be done to minimize the risk of PPM? Does valve type play a role? Researchers explored those questions, and many others.

Intravascular lithotripsy is still a safe and effective frontline preparation tool when PCI patients present with calcified nodules, a new two-year study confirmed. Researchers focused on stent expansion and luminal gain, among other key data points.

TAVR is a go-to treatment for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis in much of the world, thanks in large part to the hard work of research teams that never stop looking for new, innovative ways to make the technology more effective.

This was a moment years in the making for interventional cardiology. A total of 164 training programs participated, and 94% of applicants secured a position. 

Targeting aortic regurgitation with TAVR valves built to treat aortic stenosis may be the only option a cardiologist has—but valves designed specifically to treat AR are linked to much better outcomes, according to a new meta-analysis. Edwards Lifesciences recently acquired the two companies at the center of this study, JenaValve and JC Medical.

The news comes at the end of a busy year for Cleerly. The company says it will use the funds to grow commercially and generate more evidence in support of its FDA-approved technology.