When couples attended smoking cessation programs together, their odds of quitting were nearly six times higher than for people who attempted to kick the habit alone, according to preliminary research presented April 12 at EuroPrevent 2019.

Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) significantly reduced the risk of 90-day mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke compared to medical therapy alone, according to a meta-analysis of 10 randomized trials cited in the 2018 update to American stroke guidelines.

Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure with the Watchman device was associated with low rates of stroke and bleeding events in high-risk atrial fibrillation patients over a two-year follow-up period, according to a real-world analysis published April 3 in Circulation: Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia.

Compared to warfarin, all direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) were associated with fewer cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes in a study of Medicare patients with both nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and heart failure. But apixaban appeared to offer the best balance of protecting against these events while minimizing bleeding risk.

Two papers published March 25 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology make the case for training other interventionalists, including cardiologists, in performing mechanical thrombectomy to increase access to the emergency stroke treatment.

A hospital system in North Carolina launched on March 26 the first Federal Aviation Administration-sanctioned program allowing drones to make routine commercial package deliveries. Blood samples will be flown one-third of a mile from one WakeMed Health and Hospitals facility to another building on its Raleigh campus at least 30 times per week, the Associated Press reported.

While accident victims in the U.S. are uniformly taken directly to the most advanced trauma center nearby, the protocols for where to shuttle stroke patients vary widely by state, according to a recent article by Stateline.

The FDA’s preliminary investigation into the long-term safety of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents revealed those devices are associated with a 50 percent higher risk of death than control devices used to treat femoropopliteal artery disease.