One quarter of patients with atrial fibrillation who were at a low risk for stroke were prescribed oral anticoagulants, contrary to guidelines. The results appeared online April 13 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

A randomized trial of patients undergoing complex cardiac surgery found that the duration of red blood cells stored for transfusions was not associated with a significant change in the Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score seven days after the operation.

The FDA has allowed Direct Flow Medical to expand its pivotal trial to include high-risk patients, more centers and comparison with a commercially available transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) valve.

Sports-associated sudden cardiac arrests (SCAs) were rare among a group of middle-age people in the northwestern U.S., according to a prospective, population-based study. Of the SCAs that occurred between February 2002 and January 2013, 5 percent were sports-associated.

Almost half of operators who responded to a survey on occupational health hazards in the cath lab reported they experienced at least one orthopedic injury, and more than one in 20 limited their case load because of radiation exposure.

Cardiologists trying to navigate the proper course of care for cardiac patients who might benefit from percutaneous mechanical circulatory support received a helping hand in the form of a consensus statement published online April 7. The document provides a roadmap for physicians until there is sufficient high-level evidence to inform guidelines.

Medtronic plc today announced the first patient enrollment in the GOLD AF Registry, a first-of-its-kind, prospective, observational clinical study of its Phased Radiofrequency (RF) Ablation technology for treating patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). The multicenter registry will provide real-world insights into the procedural use and treatment outcomes of the Pulmonary Vein Ablation Catheter® (PVAC) GOLD, multi-electrode ablation catheter and other catheters that comprise Medtronic's Phased RF technology.

A phenomapping analysis of patients hospitalized for heart failure found that heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is a heterogeneous disorder and contains mutually exclusive groups with similar characteristics.