Up to 10 per cent of patients with high blood pressure are resistant to treatment, which puts them at increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks. Clinical trials show that catheter-based renal denervation reduces blood pressure in patients who do not respond to conventional drug therapy.

Messy. That is how a bioengineer once described the environment within the human body to me. Many implantable medical devices are an achievement in ingenuity that overcomes “messiness” like biocompatibility, blood and torsion. But few are indestructible or 100 percent fail-safe.

Anne M. Gillis, MD, president of the Heart Rhythm Society 
and a professor at the University of Calgary, discussed highlights of Heart Rhythm 2013 that starts May 8 in Denver and how the scientific sessions continue to evolve.

Most operators prefer a right radial approach for PCI, but left radial access offers some advantages that have begun to win over converts.

A 68-year-old gentleman was recently referred to me by his cardiologist, who had heard a carotid bruit on a routine exam.

No longer requiring certification in general surgery prior to certification in vascular surgery created several training pathways.

Cook Medical is recalling its Zilver PTX Drug Eluting Peripheral Stent after receiving complaints about delivery system tip separation. Two adverse events, including one death, occurred in cases where a tip separation was reported.

Since the FDA’s approval of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in 2011, improvements and scientific evidence have continued to mount.