The use of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may not be a one-size-fits-all option for heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction patients. A study published in the Aug. 14 issue of JAMA found that undergoing CRT debrillator (CRT-D) implantation with a QRS duration of 150 milliseconds or greater and left bundle-branch block (LBBB) is associated with better outcomes than undergoing CRT-D with a shorter QRS duration or no LBBB.

Southampton Hospital hosted a ground-breaking ceremony on August 12, 2013 to celebrate the beginning of its new Audrey and Martin Gruss Heart and Stroke Center and to honor the Gruss’ extraordinary gift of $5 million to the new facility at the Hospital.  When completed, the Center will provide stroke treatment and carotid stents as needed and will consolidate a broad spectrum of new and sophisticated diagnostic and treatment capabilities with existing cardiovascular programs and services. 

While it is known that hypertension increases the risk of stroke, it is unclear which associated risk factors may predict its occurrence. Research published in the August issue of Hypertension found that retinopathy may be one of those predictive risks.

Cardiologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center are launching a new study in an effort to improve the treatment of a very common form of heart disease in the Asian population.

Patients with heart failure may have a lower risk of dying if they are treated by high-volume physicians, according to findings published online Aug. 7 in Circulation: Heart Failure. The study found an association between high physician volume and lower mortality among heart failure patients, which was especially strong in lower-volume hospitals and for physicians who are not cardiologists.

Although warfarin is widely used to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), previous research has found the discontinuation rate to be high. In a study published online Aug. 6 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, researchers found that a newer drug, dabigatran, resulted in better persistence rates in patients newly diagnosed with nonvalvular AF.

Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) who undergo femoral-popliteal bypass may be more likely to need additional intervention than patients treated with angioplasty and stenting, researchers found in a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery. Patients requiring bypass, they hypothesized, may have more severe disease.

President George W. Bush’s recent brush with PCI offers an opportunity to educate the public about the need—and sometimes not the need—for coronary angioplasty and stents.