An analysis of eight surgical subspecialties at Johns Hopkins hospital found that more than 80 percent of the variability in 30-day readmissions was due to individual patient factors. The overall readmission rate was 13.2 percent, including 9.6 percent of patients who underwent cardiac surgery.

Cook Medical recalled more than 38,000 of its angiographic catheters in the U.S. after receiving reports that the catheter tip may split or separate from the catheter. Of the 26 reports, 14 resulted in adverse events.

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSII) (CSI), today announced that it has received FDA clearance for its new ViperWire Advance® Peripheral Guide Wire with Flex Tip for their Peripheral Orbital Atherectomy Systems (OAS). The new guide wire provides physicians with improved flexibility, navigation and ease-of-use—particularly in hard-to-reach, tortuous vessels—when treating arterial calcium associated with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Improvements in door-to-balloon times have helped to push down mortality rates and boost outcomes for MI patients, the New York Times reports in part of a series on cardiovascular care in the U.S. The article includes educational slides on heart attacks and PCI treatment.

Eleven hospitals in New Jersey that do not offer cardiac surgeries onsite are seeking to perform elective angioplasties on an elective basis. The state currently allows 18 hospitals to perform the procedures.

Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, announced that the FDA has granted conditional approval for a U.S. IDE clinical trial to investigate use of the HeartMate PHP acute catheter-based heart pump in patients undergoing a high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention.

Awards presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2015 Scientific Sessions in San Diego recognize outstanding SCAI members for their ongoing contributions to the field of interventional cardiology, the Society and patient care. Honorees span a broad spectrum of practitioners, all of whom have demonstrated a commitment to excellence throughout their careers, helping to shape the Society as well as the lives of patients and mentees.

As the healthcare environment changes, interventional cardiologists and cath lab professionals have many reasons to be optimistic about the future of the specialty and their ability to help patients live longer and feel better, according to James C. Blankenship, MD, MHCM, FSCAI, MACC. Dr. Blankenship was inducted today as the 39th president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) during its 2015 Scientific Sessions.