Bioresorbable drug-eluting scaffolding appears to be safe and effective in patients with iliac and femoral artery lesions, based on six-month results in the first-in-man ESPRIT trial presented Jan. 22 at the International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy in Miami Beach, Fla. 

Using implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD) was more effective than not using ICDs at lowering the risk for mortality and SCD, a meta-analysis published online Jan. 21 in Annals of Internal Medicine found. However, evidence from multiple studies was too weak to suggest a mortality or SCD benefit among different subgroups. 

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced that the Phase 3 GAUSS-2 (Goal Achievement After Utilizing an Anti-PCSK9 Antibody in Statin Intolerant Subjects-2) trial evaluating evolocumab in patients with high cholesterol who cannot tolerate statins met its co-primary endpoints: the percent reduction from baseline in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at week 12 and the mean percent reduction from baseline in LDL-C at weeks 10 and 12. The mean percent reductions in LDL-C, or "bad" cholesterol, compared to ezetimibe were consistent with results observed in the Phase 2 GAUSS study.

Patients who present with heart attacks during off-hours may have worse outcomes than patients who seek treatment during regular hours, according to an analysis published online Jan. 21 in BMJ. Patients with acute MI had higher mortality rates and STEMI patients had longer door-to-balloon times.

Covidien pulled the plug on its renal denervation initiative, citing “slower than expected development of the renal denervation market.”

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced that the Medtronic SureScan(r) pacing systems - the first and only pacing systems in the United States that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - are now approved for MRI scans positioned on any region of the body. Patients implanted with the Advisa DR MRI(r) or Revo MRI(r) SureScan pacing systems now can have MRI scans without positioning restrictions, including the chest area, which previously had been restricted.

Modifications in many of the cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) currently used in clinical practice were approved through processes that did not require new clinical data, a study published in the Jan. 22-29 issue of JAMA found.

Coronary anatomic burden is a better predictor of death, MI and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) than ischemic burden among patients with coronary artery disease and evidence of myocardial ischemia, a study published online Jan. 15 in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions found.