Structural Heart Disease

Structural heart diseases include any issues preventing normal cardiovascular function due to damage or alteration to the anatomical components of the heart. This is caused by aging, advanced atherosclerosis, calcification, tissue degeneration, congenital heart defects and heart failure. The most commonly treated areas are the heart valves, in particular the mitral and aortic valves. These can be replaced through open heart surgery or using cath lab-based transcatheter valves or repairs to eliminate regurgitation due to faulty valve leaflets. This includes transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Other common procedures include left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion and closing congenital holes in the heart, such as PFO and ASD. A growing area includes transcatheter mitral repair or replacement and transcatheter tricuspid valve repair and replacement.

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OR equipment failures higher for cardiac surgeries

Equipment failure accounted for more than one in every five errors that occurred in the operating room (OR), according to an analysis published online July 25 in BMJ Quality & Safety. A drilldown into type of operation found total and equipment-related errors were higher for cardiac procedures than for general surgical procedures.

ACE inhibitors may slow cognitive decline in dementia patients

Centrally acting ACE inhibitors may slow cognitive decline in patients with dementia, a team of researchers from Ireland and Canada found. The standardized test scores of patients who took CACE-Is decreased more slowly than patients who did not, and they improved in patients who just started treatment within the past six months.

A big but reversible problem

Obesity does not discriminate by age. Today’s youth and elders—and all ages between—have seen the problem expand. What will reverse the trend?

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A Heavy Heart: The Staggering Cost of Obesity

As a risk factor for a host of diseases, obesity contributes to upticks in hypertension, diabetes, heart failure and other conditions. Specialists and hospitals treating these patients face challenges that range from adapting interventional and imaging procedures to acquiring supersized equipment. Is there a way to turn the tide? Bariatric surgery offers one strategy.

Sodium Reduction Remains AHA Priority

The IOM report affirms that the available evidence on associations between sodium intake and direct health outcomes is consistent with population-based efforts to lower excessive sodium intakes.

Vorapaxar accepted for standard review by FDA

The FDA has accepted a New Drug Application submitted by Merck for the cardiovascular drug vorapaxar.

Discontinuing statins may increase Parkinson’s risk

People who stop taking their lipophilic statins may be at higher risk for developing Parkinson disease (PD) compared with patients who continue their lipid-lowering regimen, according to population-based research from Taiwan.

JenaValve raises $62.5 million in venture funding

JenaValve Technology, Inc., a privately-held, venture-backed developer, manufacturer and marketer of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) systems for the treatment of aortic valve disease, announced today that it has raised $62.5 million in a Series C venture round.

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