The FDA announced another Class I recall for HeartWare, this time citing damaged alignment guides or connection pins in its ventricular assist system that potentially could cause the pump to stop. The recall affects 1,763 devices.

Patients with acute decompensated heart failure who had severe congestion during and after hospitalization had an increased risk of mortality and morbidity, according to a post-hoc analysis of two clinical trials.

After one and four years, older patients with heart failure were more likely to be alive if they received cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) compared with a group who received only an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), according to a registry analysis.

Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized for heart failure were less likely to be readmitted within 30 days if they were referred to hospice care, according to an analysis of data from Alabama hospitals. Within six months of hospital discharge, most of the patients who had died were not referred to receive hospice care. 

 

Nearly one-third of patients who were hospitalized with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction died during a follow-up period of 49.5 months, according to a randomized study.

BOSTON—A novel approach known as baroreflex activation therapy led to a 30 percent improvement in New York Heart Association  classification and an increase in quality of life among patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction who had failed previous therapies.

The FDA issued a Class I recall on a component of the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System. This latest recall targets a splice repair kit that fails when exposed to excessive force.

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced important new data presented during the Heart Rhythm Society's (HRS) 36th annual Scientific Session supporting improved outcomes and cost-effectiveness of the CardioMEMS™ HF System for the management of Class III heart failure patients.