Week in Review: FDA's alert about J&J heart pumps | $71M in fraud | A new obstacle for heart patients | Lead approved for LBBAP

This represents the latest in a series of safety concerns associated with the Impella platform. The FDA said it is still reviewing the matter and will keep the public informed as new details become available. 

UnitedHealthcare now requires patients enrolled in certain Medicare Advantage plans to receive a PCP referral before seeing a cardiologist. On May 1, the insurer will start denying all claims that do not include the necessary referral. UnitedHealthcare argues that "stronger PCP engagement" is good for patient care, but many stakeholders disagree.

The years-long scheme involved sending kickbacks to physicians who ordered unnecessary transcranial doppler exams. Two conspirators have now been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay substantial fines.

AI has shown the potential to transform patient care. However, there are more details to consider than many health systems and policymakers realize. 

The next-generation device includes a stylet-driven lead and a fixed helix. It was designed and developed specifically with LBBAP in mind. 

Both treatment options were found to be effective in a new meta-analysis of nearly 20,000 patients.  Surgery, however, had the most substantial long-term impact.

Many experts still recommend SAVR over TAVR for patients younger than 65 years old with severe aortic stenosis. However, transcatheter treatments are growing more and more popular when these younger patients require a valve replacement.

The efficiency adjustment cuts introduced in the 2026 MPFS are based on assumptions many doctors believe to be false. The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and other medical societies are pushing back.

The newly cleared CARA System from Cara Medical was designed to help clinicians before and during a variety of cardiac procedures. It provides a personalized 3D map of the patient's cardiac conduction system and then overlays that map onto live fluoroscopic images.

Cardiovascular disease is already the No. 1 killer among women—and new projections from the American Heart Association suggest things are going to get much worse. There are certain things that clinicians and patients can do, however, to help reverse this trend and save countless lives.