Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is cost-saving across nearly all age groups, regardless of whether patients are found to have hypertension on the initial screening, according to a study published in Hypertension.

Patients who present to the hospital with cardiogenic shock (CS) and are treated with an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) are more likely to survive if the device is implanted within an hour of CS onset, according to research published in the American Journal of Cardiology Dec. 4.

Mylan Pharmaceuticals expanded its voluntary drug recall to include all unexpired valsartan-containing products in the U.S., the FDA announced Dec. 4. The action joins a host of other recalls over the last few months related to carcinogenic impurities being found in angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), a class of medications used to treat hypertension and heart failure.

A study presented Dec. 6 at the EuroEcho-Imaging 2018 conference in Milan adds to the debate over the "obesity paradox," finding that acute heart failure patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 23 or higher had better survival over nearly three years of follow-up than those with a BMI below that threshold.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture rolled out its final rule on school nutrition standards Dec. 6, allowing schools to ease up on whole grains, permanently serve 1 percent flavored milk and take their time reducing sodium levels in school lunches.

Liraglutide was associated with a 10 percent reduction in major cardiovascular events for patients with type 2 diabetes in a real-world population, offering hope that the cardioprotective benefits observed in randomized trials translate to regular clinical practice.

Heart patients who suffer Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) could face longer hospital stays, poorer outcomes and more than $150,000 in hospital bills if they’re undergoing chemotherapy simultaneously, researchers report in the American Journal of Cardiology.

The FDA is amending its label for alemtuzumab, a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and leukemia, after 13 patients reported cases of ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke or arterial dissection related to use of the medication.