A multi-disciplinary writing panel led by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association has begun work on a new guideline for the management of hypertension to update 12-year-old recommendations.  Nine additional medical societies have signed on as partners in the effort.

Increasingly, physicians and scientists are discovering the complex connections among genes in the body that influence disease. These discoveries will enable personalized treatments in an emerging area of science known as network medicine.

Draping a lead apron over patients during transradial PCIs reduced radiation to operators but it almost doubled exposure to their patients. Still, researchers argued that the benefit to physicians outweighed the risk to patients.

French researchers suggest that with the right transcatheter aortic valve, the right approach, local anesthesia and minimal complications, patients can be discharged early with no added risk. 

In a real-world setting, patients with non-STEMI (NSTEMI) treated with fondaparinux had lower rates of death and major bleeding compared with low-molecular weight heparin, according to a study published in the Feb. 17 issue of JAMA.

Despite growing waiting lists and national efforts to increase the use of available donor organs, the rate of hearts accepted for transplantation has decreased significantly since 1995, a study found.

The FDA has made a voluntary recall of two peripheral infusion systems into a Class 1 recall.

LifePoint Hospitals reported that it may face fines and liability costs from investigations into improper interventional cardiology procedures at two of its hospitals.