A recent study compared intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for procedural guidance of left atrial appendage occlusions. Both approaches proved to be safe and effective, with no increase in procedure-related complications arising with ICE.

The business of cardiology was at the forefront of discussion at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) Cath Lab Leadership Boot Camp in May. Speakers focused on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), bundled payment models and value-based reimbursement. Here are a few of the lessons attendees took back to their practices.

Why has the uptake of adjunctive diagnostic procedures like FFR, IVUS and OCT been slow? On the other hand, is there really a need for interventionalists to move beyond angiographic guidance?

Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) today announced that the Resolute Onyx(TM) Drug-Eluting Stent (DES) met its primary endpoint of Target Lesion Failure (TLF) at one year for the treatment of coronary artery disease in extra-small vessels. Results from the RESOLUTE ONYX 2.0 mm Clinical Study were presented today as a Hot Line/Late-Breaking Trial Session at the 2017 EuroPCR Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC): Cardiovascular Intervention.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) today announced positive safety and efficacy rates of the WATCHMAN™ Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) Device from the EWOLUTION registry presented during a late-breaking clinical trial session at Heart Rhythm 2017, the Heart Rhythm Society's 38th Annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago. Data confirmed that the WATCHMAN device had a high implant success rate and was effective in stroke reduction for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF), including those patients deemed unsuitable for oral anticoagulation.

The role of some cardiac device makers is evolving in the cath lab as they expand from selling products to providing services and solutions. It's a trend that is likely to continue globally.

Patients at Terrebonne General Medical Center (TGMC) now have access to safe, high-quality interventional cardiac exams with the installation of Toshiba Medical’s InfinixTM-i Sky +. TGMC, a nationally recognized healthcare organization and home to one of the most advanced vascular interventional practices in the country, is the first healthcare provider in the United States to install the Infinix-i Sky +.

McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan, has renovated its cardiac catheter lab and has begun using Abbot Vascular’s Absorb naturally-dissolving heart stents, reports the Oakland Press.