With Medicare penalties now at 3 percent for 30-day heart failure readmissions, many hospitals are eager to find opportunities to improve outcomes. Based on a study published online Jan. 13, discharge summaries might fit the bill.

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) may benefit patients by reducing stroke risks in the long term, but recent data suggest that they may not be living long enough for that benefit to bear fruit. According to a study published online Jan. 12 in JAMA Neurology, 32 percent of elderly CAS patients died within two years of the procedure.

In close timing with the FDA’s approval of edoxaban for reducing the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, researchers reported that an agent reversed edoxaban’s anticoagulant effect in a phase 1 study.

Improved PCI procedural methods have not changed bivalirudin’s edge over heparin, according to a study published in the Jan. 6 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The FDA followed the advice of its advisory panel and added another novel oral anticoagulant to its approved drug list.

The ability to function with heart failure and a patient’s acceptance of his or her condition may go hand in hand. A Polish study used illness acceptance screening to reveal patterns in patient responses to quality of life surveys.

The price for cardiac revascularization keeps rising while the need for procedures appears to be in decline. Go figure.

Patients who arrived at the emergency department with acute heart failure syndromes and mildly elevated blood glucose levels may be at increased risk for death or hospitalization within the first 30 days, according to a study published online Jan. 7 in the European Heart Journal.