Tailoring antiplatelet therapy based on a person’s genetic information may be a cost-effective strategy when using prasugrel and ticagrelor after PCI, a study published online Feb. 17 in Annals of Internal Medicine found. In addition, the study found that ticagrelor may be cost-effective for all patients without the need for genotyping.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) added a nationwide review of cardiac catheterizations and heart biopsies to its 2014 work plan. The work plan spells out federal priorities with a focus on reducing waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid programs.

This week two corporations, CVS Caremark and AT&T, made announcements that likely will help boost their images with consumers.

The FDA takes an average of 7.3 years to finalize rules that determine its regulation process, a study published in the February issue of Health Affairs found. Rules associated with cost-benefit analyses take the longest to review, and longer review times often mean the final rules are less stringent than the ones proposed initially.

In yet another indicator that demand for cardiologists is on the rise, a survey of patient wait times for five specialties in 15 major metropolitan markets reported an uptick for cardiology in 2013.

Ventricular assist devices (VADs) may lower the risk of mortality, but not readmission, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Hospitalized patients who receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) multiple times are demographically different from their hospitalized counterparts who receive CPR only once, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine. They tend to be younger, nonwhite and treated in non-teaching hospitals. Survival is also poorer and hospitalizations tend to be higher.

Compared with traditional surgical hemodynamic support measures, percutaneous cardiac assist devices (pVADs) are less invasive and result in better outcomes, shorter lengths of stay, better survival rates and lower cost in patients with cardiogenic shock, according to a study published online Jan. 13 in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.