Patients aren’t the only ones impacted by destination therapy left ventricle assist device (LVAD) implants. Caregivers should be part of decision-making and they need support and tools to help them process the change, according to a study.

Interventional cardiologists, vascular surgeons and others in the U.S. now have a cornucopia of treatments for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), thanks to recent FDA approvals for drug-eluting stents and drug-coated balloons. But using these devices is no slam-dunk. Questions about patients and payments make some physicians hesitant to incorporate them into practice.

The American Stroke Association’s 2015 International Stroke Conference held Feb. 11-13 in Nashville, Tenn., likely lifted many spirits with findings that supported new therapies and identified opportunities to improve patient care.

The cath lab is itself high-tech but some reports generated by its physicians still rely on old-fashioned dictation and transcription. Structured reporting offers a way into the present.

Ethicon today announced positive new data from the clinical development program for EVARREST Fibrin Sealant Patch. More than 92 percent of patients treated during aortic reconstruction surgery with Ethicon's EVARREST achieved hemostasis on the first attempt within three minutes and maintained hemostasis throughout the duration of the surgery, compared to 33 percent for those treated with Baxter's TachoSil patch and 46 percent for those treated with the standard of care, manual compression with or without an additional topical absorbable hemostat. The results of the Phase II study, as presented on Saturday at The Houston Aortic Symposium in Houston, TX, demonstrate the potential of EVARREST as an adjunctive hemostatic agent in this challenging setting.

To test or not to test? It’s a challenging question. With implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) technology now providing more efficacious and frequent shocks, some electrophysiologists have begun to question whether standard threshold testing is necessary for all implantations.

Many cardiac surgery programs support early extubation of suitable CABG patients once they enter intensive care, based on clinical and economic benefits. Now some hospitals have shifted extubation to the cardiac operating room (OR) for a wide range of patients, young and old, with good results.

Hospitals and health systems across the U.S. are answering the mandate of the Affordable Care Act to cut unnecessary costs. Florida Hospital Cardiovascular Institute in Orlando, a member of the Adventist Health System, is a hyperachiever—having cut more than $5 million thanks to a fully integrated, RFID-based inventory management solution deployed across their 13 interventional labs. If improving inventory management isn’t part of your arsenal for supply chain savings strategy, it’s time to take a closer look.