Cardiac Surgery

Cardiothoracic surgery includes coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), heart valve repair or replacement, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement, heart transplant, assisting in minimally invasive transcatheter valve structural heart procedures such as TAVR, left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion, septal myectomy, surgical ablation for arrhythmias, and reconstruction of the heart in congenial heart disease cases. 

Dual antiplatelet therapy after CABG linked to a key benefit—and a key risk

A two-medication strategy after CABG surgery reduces the risk that grafts will fail, but it also increases the risk of serious bleeding. As one surgeon said, "the benefit comes at a price.”

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FDA announces a new recall of more than 23,000 batteries for Medtronic’s HVAD system

This latest recall was initiated because electrical faults could cause the batteries to stop working, which leads to a risk of serious injury or death.

When kidney cancer invades a patient’s inferior vena cava (IVC), robotic-assisted radical nephrectomy with IVC thrombectomy is a safe and effective alternative to open surgery, according to a new meta-analysis published in the Journal of Urology.[1]

Robotic IVC thrombectomy: A safe, effective alternative to open surgery

A new meta-analysis of 28 different studies confirmed that robotic-assisted radical nephrectomy with IVC thrombectomy is a safe treatment option for kidney cancer.

Cardiologists make history, becoming first to use FDA-cleared retrieval device to remove a heart tumor

The historic procedure took approximately 30 minutes, and the patient went home that same day. 

American Heart Association and Joint Commission launch new Comprehensive Heart Attack Center certification

The new certification, based on recommendations published in Circulation, was developed to signal that a facility offers cardiac surgery and primary PCI at all times. 

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, but UMMC specialists had been “

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

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

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Cardiac surgeons gaining procedural volume despite TAVR making up 84% of cases

A decade ago, when TAVR was first cleared by the FDA, surgeons had concern about losing business. But unexpectedly, TAVR has helped also gain heart surgery cases. 

The Harmony pulmonary valve was among the devices involved with the FDA Breakthrough Device Designation program that gained more rapid market clearance. The FDA graph shows cardiovascular devices leading the types of devices involved in the program.

Cardiovascular devices lead FDA Breakthrough Device Designation program

The FDA said cardiovascular devices make up the largest number of technologies accepted into the Breakthrough Devices Program, and several are on the list of the first 50 in the program to gain market clearance.

Around the web

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

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