Researchers have identified a gene, called MeXis, that helps remove cholesterol from blood vessels. Senior study author Peter Tontonoz, MD, PhD, and colleagues found mice lacking MeXis had nearly twice as many blockages in their blood vessels as those that had normal levels of the gene.

DUBLIN and VIENNA — February 15, 2018 — Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), the global leader in medical technology, today announced that new data from its at-home pediatric study of the MiniMed(TM) 670G system in patients 7-13 years of age were presented at the Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD) 11th International Conference in Vienna, Austria. 

Short kids grow up to have a higher risk of stroke, according to a study of more than 310,000 Danish schoolchildren with up to eight decades of follow-up.

The self-expanding Centera transcatheter heart valve has received CE mark approval, device manufacturer Edwards Lifesciences announced Feb. 15.

PETAH TIKVA, Israel, February 15, 2018 — DreaMed Diabetes, developer of diabetes management solutions, announced today that it received CE Mark for the Advisor Pro decision-support platform for assisting healthcare professionals in the management of Type 1 diabetes.

New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) occurred in 18 percent of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) but just 0.1 percent of those receiving PCI, according to an analysis of the international EXCEL trial published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. What’s more, the patients who developed NOAF within a few days of surgery were at a 3.02-fold risk of death and a 4.19-fold risk of suffering a stroke over the following three years.

American snowboarder Shaun White won the Olympic gold medal in the men’s halfpipe Feb. 14—a date which, fittingly, coincided with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Awareness Week.

A day after announcing the FDA’s expanded approval for cardiogenic shock associated with cardiomyopathy, device manufacturer Abiomed said its Impella 2.5 and Impella CP pumps are now indicated for temporary ventricular support during high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) regardless of a patient’s ejection fraction.