The public has more confidence in the American Heart Association than it does in the FDA, CMS or any other federal health agencies. 

Several U.S. medical societies have collaborated on a new report advocating for better safety standards in cardiac catheterization labs. As one cardiologist described it, clinicians have shifted from "accepting risk" to "expecting better."

More than 2,000 cardiologists are required to participate in the new payment model. According to CMS, the long-term goal is to track and reduce the high healthcare costs associated with treating heart failure.

The Heart Rhythm Society's advocacy arm is monitoring such issues as prior authorization, outpatient payment policies and cancelled research funding. 

Novo Nordisk will be selling the new 7.2-mg dose under the brand name Wegovy HD. The FDA's decision fell under a new pilot program intended to grant certain companies improved access and quicker approvals. 

Ethylene oxide is an odorless gas used to sterilize pacemakers, leads, stents and many other medical devices. Long-term exposure, however, can cause cancer. The Biden administration made it a priority to reduce ethylene oxide emissions, but many critics thought those cuts were too extreme.  

The updated recommendations represent a collaboration between the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and several other U.S. healthcare organizations. 

While the Trump administration is pushing to accelerate clinical AI adoption, SCAI has emphasized that physicians must guide how the technology is implemented and governed.

Multiple cardiology societies responded to an HHS request for public feedback by outlining some of the current barriers to wider AI adoption. "It is essential that any policy frameworks must reaffirm that clinicians—not algorithms—remain at the center of patient care," ACC President Christopher Kramer, MD, said. 

Researchers noted that these requirements are more common for Black and Hispanic patients, creating a critical barrier to guideline-recommended care.

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.