Clinical

This channel newsfeed includes clinical content on treating patients or the clinical implications in a variety of cardiac subspecialties and disease states. The channel includes news on cardiac surgery, interventional cardiologyheart failure, electrophysiologyhypertension, structural heart disease, use of pharmaceuticals, and COVID-19.   

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FDA approves investigational study for new smaller SynCardia Total Artificial Heart

SynCardia Systems, Inc. has received FDA approval to conduct an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study on the effective use of its 50cc SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart.

Limb function, sensation not impinged by radial artery access

Chalk another one up for transradial access. According to results published online March 26, patients undergoing catheterization via the radial artery had no significant change to limb function and sensation, assessed by cold intolerance, was not adversely impacted.

FDA clears CoreValve for valve-in-valve treatment

Medtronic snagged another victory for its CoreValve device with expanded FDA approval of its use in valve-in-valve procedures in inoperable and high-risk patients.

Benefit of percutaneous heart pumps murky despite skyrocketing use

The use of percutaneous ventricular assist devices (PVADs) has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, but a study published online March 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine casts doubt on their overall benefit, given the high costs and mortality rates.

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Following STEMI PCI, discharge after 48 hours as safe as 3 to 4 days

Short hospital stays following PCI may be safe for older patients with STEMI. However, researchers caution stays of less than 48 hours may increase risk for 30-day mortality and major adverse cardiac events.

First fully-implantable micropacemaker designed for fetal use

A team of investigators at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California have developed the first fully implantable micropacemaker designed for use in a fetus with complete heart block. The team has done preclinical testing and optimization as reported in a recent issue of the journal Heart Rhythm. The micropacemaker has been designated a Humanitarian Use Device by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The investigators anticipate the first human use of the device in the near future.

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Hospital volumes influence ECMO outcomes in adults

Annual hospital extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) case volume may influence mortality, particularly in adults, according to an analysis of international registry data. 

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Stroke risk may be high for some patients with heart failure but no a-fib

While guidelines warn against giving anticoagulation to patients with heart failure but without atrial fibrillation, there may be some evidence that a subgroup of these patients may be at increased risk for stroke and could benefit from additional therapy.

Around the web

Several key trends were evident at the Radiological Society of North America 2024 meeting, including new CT and MR technology and evolving adoption of artificial intelligence.

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.