Essential Medical received an investigational device exemption (IDE) approval from the FDA on Aug. 1 to begin a trial for its X-Seal 6F vascular closure device.

People in low-income countries are seeing rates of high blood pressure increase faster than higher-income countries, even while their levels of hypertension awareness and treatment are actually on the decline. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is requiring some beneficiaries with atrial fibrillation to consult two doctors before they can use the Watchman device, the Wall Street Journal reports. The newspaper noted that the agency is implementing the shared decision-making approach and making sure doctors take patients’ preferences into consideration.

Learn how to improve and save lives of high-risk and emergent patients in need of revascularization.

Viva Physicians, a non-profit organization devoted to vascular interventions and medicine, announced the late-breaking clinical trials for its annual conference. The meeting will take place from September 18 to 22 in Las Vegas at the Wynn resort and casino.

It turns out social media isn’t only a way to waste time. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), social media and the use of mobile devices have the combined potential to speed up access to cardiovascular care and ultimately save lives.

Willow Short, a 2-year-old who underwent a heart transplant when she was a few weeks old, was found dead in her Pennsylvania home in an apparent murder-suicide, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Her parents, Mark and Megan, and two siblings also died.

Researchers from aPennsylvania State University and Texas Tech University received $299,954 in funding from the National Science Foundation to conduct a study examining the best practices for treating patients following cardiac surgery.