Moderate aortic stenosis linked to a significant risk of death—should earlier interventions be considered?

Large peridevice leaks after left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) are incredibly rare and not associated with a greater risk of adverse outcomes, according to new research published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology.[1] Smaller residual links are more common, however, and associated with a risk of thromboembolic and bleeding events.

Researchers tracked data from more than 12,000 moderate AS patients who originally participated in one of 25 different studies. While the findings seem to suggest earlier treatment could be beneficial for certain high-risk patients, additional research is still required.

‘A giant in medicine’: American Journal of Cardiology editor steps down after 40 years on the job

William C. Roberts, MD

William C. Roberts, MD

William C. Roberts, MD, has long been one of cardiology’s leading voices, contributing to more than 1,600 academic articles and working in a variety of roles for the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and National Institutes of Health.

Surgeons behind historic pig heart transplant to share their story at HFSA annual meeting

The most successful case to date of a pig organ being transplanted into a human occurred back in January, when specialists at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore transplanted a modified pig heart into 57-year-old David Bennett. The FDA approved the heart transplant transplant through an emergency authorization typically reserved for experimental procedures seen as a patient’s last chance at survival. Bennett did die of heart failure two months later.#pigheart

The modified pig heart that was transplanted into 57-year-old heart failure patient David Bennett at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore in January 2022. Image courtesy of the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Multiple specialists involved in the procedure, including the surgeon who transplanted the pig heart, are scheduled to speak at the conference.