The routine use of extended noninvasive cardiac-event monitoring after an acute stroke improves the detection of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) and anticoagulation rates, according to a study published online July 30 in Stroke. This approach can help better prevent strokes and should be included in guidelines for investigating AF after ischemic stroke, according to the authors. 

Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX), a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, has announced that its subsidiary Hotspur Technologies, Inc., which Teleflex acquired in June 2012, received FDA 510(k) clearance to market the company’s ARROW® GPSCath® Balloon Dilatation Catheters in Higher Rated Burst Pressure (RBP) and 80 cm lengths. These novel products enable multiple vascular procedures to be performed with one dual-function catheter, potentially reducing procedure time and expense for both patients and medical professionals.

eCardio Diagnostics, a leader in remote arrhythmia monitoring services, has promoted John H. Untereker to President, effective immediately. He will remain COO.

Patients hospitalized with acute heart failure receive variable and often substandard care, even when they are part of a randomized clinical trial, researchers reported in the July 30 edition of Circulation.

When it comes to managing severe carotid disease accompanied by coronary artery disease, staged carotid artery stenting and open heart surgery (OHS) yielded significantly better outcomes the first year after treatment compared with combined carotid endarterectomy and OHS (CEA-OHS) and staged CEA-OHS, according to a study published in the Aug. 6 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

More than 202 million people worldwide are living with peripheral artery disease (PAD), a number that has increased 23.5 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to research published online Aug. 1 in The Lancet. The writer of an accompanying editorial told Cardiovascular Business that agencies should unite in an effort to prevent PAD.

The state of Texas designated September 1 as its annual Texas Blood Pressure Day, an event created to make the public aware of the importance of monitoring blood pressure and the cardiovascular risks associated with hypertension.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is often considered a “man’s disease,” but in fact, it is the leading cause of death in both sexes and kills more women than men. Despite the trends, providers are not as likely to suggest preventive measures for women, according to a paper published in the June issue of Global Health. Women, the authors found, face other challenges in the fight against CAD as well, including factors specific to their sex.