Stryker announced on Feb. 1 it is voluntarily recalling certain Lifepak 15 monitor/defibrillators over an issue which may cause the devices to lock up and not deliver potentially life-saving therapy. The company reported there have been six patient deaths after delays in therapy related to this problem.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, could lose its Medicare funding if it doesn’t shape up after a recent inspection found serious problems at the institution, The Tampa Bay Times reported.

A handful of hospitals have implemented mandatory screenings of medical professionals older than 70 to tease out which ones should retire, reduce their workloads or transition to roles outside of patient care. But far more institutions don’t have any such processes in place.

Statin therapy reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events across all age ranges, even among people older than 75, according to a meta-analysis published in The Lancet.

Cardiovascular hospitalizations in Louisiana rose sharply after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005—an increase that seemed to disproportionately affect black patients—Tufts researchers reported in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Rates of CVD in the U.S. are climbing for the first time in decades, the American Heart Association announced Jan. 31 in its annual heart and stroke statistical update. The organization also said nearly half of the adult U.S. population has some form of heart disease.

A new study in JAMA Cardiology found the most avid exercisers—averaging eight hours per week of vigorous exercise—showed greater levels of coronary artery calcium (CAC). Nevertheless, they were less prone to dying over the average follow-up of 10.4 years compared to participants who exercised less, suggesting they can safely continue their workout regimens. 

Current conversion ratios may be underestimating the long-term cardiotoxicity of common chemotherapy agents like mitoxantrone and overestimating the cardiovascular risk of anthracyclines like daunorubicin, researchers reported in JAMA Oncology Jan. 31.

Patients deemed ineligible for transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) who don’t undergo subsequent MV repair have poor clinical outcomes compared to those who are cleared for the procedure, according to a study published in the January edition of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

General Electric (GE) has changed its original strategy and will now aim to sell nearly half of its healthcare unit, GE Healthcare, according to GE CEO Larry Culp.