The FDA issued clearance for the 4 Fr 1.25 Solid Diamondback 360 Peripheral Orbital Atherectomy System to treat patients with peripheral artery disease.

From 2001 to 2011, the rate of emergency department visits for ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) among adults decreased 35 percent, while the percentage of visits that resulted in admission or transfer to a hospital increased 10 percent.

Research puts the value of lower extremity revascularization in nursing home residents with peripheral artery disease in doubt. Overall, 82 percent of these patients at the one-year mark were nonambulatory or had died.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filed a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) for the prophylaxis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients who have had primary elective total hip replacement surgery. If approved, this will become the fourth indication for PRADAXA.

Upcoming coding will allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to adjust for stroke severity in quality measures, the American Stroke Association’s council reported in its spring update. It was one of several highlights that the council described as sea changes.

The needle for door-to-needle times for thrombolytic therapy in stroke patients hasn’t dropped much over a decade, according to a study published online March 31 in Stroke.

Patients receiving telestroke care may wait as much as 18 minutes longer for treatment, but safety outcomes may be as good as standard, vascular neurologist stroke alert care. 

Researchers comparing patients given rivaroxaban or low-molecular weight heparin in a hospital setting found that use of rivaroxaban correlated to a 27 percent reduction in hospital admissions among patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT).