Care Delivery

This channel includes news on cardiovascular care delivery, including how patients are diagnosed and treated, cardiac care guidelines, policies or legislation impacting patient care, device recalls that may impact patient care, and cardiology practice management.

Surgical devices recalled after 17 serious injuries—FDA warns of possible shortage
Vessel harvesting devices from Getinge have been recalled due to pieces breaking off during medical procedures. In some cases, surgeons were unable to retrieve the broken pieces.
Cardiologist demand is on the rise—can hospitals keep up?
Demand for inpatient and outpatient cardiology services is expected to increase significantly in the next decade, putting hospitals and health systems in a position where they need to plan ahead or risk falling behind.
Self-expanding vs. balloon-expandable TAVR valves: How they compare after 5 years
SOLVE-TAVI focused on the long-term impact of selecting different second-generation transcatheter heart valves and anesthesia strategies for transfemoral TAVR procedures.
Payment cuts and beyond: Key takeaways for cardiologists from the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals.
Cardiologist loses medical license over years-long fraud scheme
The New Jersey doctor already admitted to collecting more than $1.9 million in false claims from 2017 to 2022. He is also under investigation for an unrelated charge of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact due to an alleged incident with a patient.

TAVR utilization skyrocketed over 5-year period, improving survival for older AS patients

The study focused on patients 65 years old and older who underwent treatment in one of 21 high-income countries.

November 10, 2023

ChatGPT tackles hypertension: Popular AI model a helpful resource for patients with high blood pressure

The study's authors communicated with ChatGPT-4 in both English and Japanese, noting that it appeared to struggle more with the complexities of the Japanese language.

November 7, 2023

FDA announces Class I recall of nearly 2,000 catheter kits

Medical facilities and distributors have been advised to immediately discontinue the use of these devices due to a significant labeling issue.

November 7, 2023

Lawrence Faucette, the pig heart transplant patient who died after six weeks.

Second patient in history to receive a pig heart transplant dies after 6 weeks

Lawrence Faucette, the second patient to ever receive a genetically modified pig heart, died on Oct. 30. “He can never be forgotten," his wife said in a statement.

November 1, 2023

‘More dangerous than useful’: 1 in 5 coronary stents implanted by cardiologists are unnecessary, wasting $800M per year

A cardiologist-led think tank tracked data from more than 1 million procedures, exploring the clinical and economic impacts of implanting low-value coronary stents.

October 31, 2023

PARTNER 3, Evolut and more: TAVR takes the spotlight in 4 late-breaking clinical trials at TCT 2023

All eyes were on TAVR during the first round of late-breaking clinical trials at TCT 2023 in San Francisco. Researchers shared key updates related to devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, Boston Scientific and JenaValve Technology.

October 25, 2023

Radial access shows potential to ‘revolutionize’ care for peripheral artery disease

Radial access provides interventional cardiologists with a safe, effective alternative to femoral access during peripheral artery interventions.

October 20, 2023

Amazon Pharmacy is now delivering medications by done

Amazon Pharmacy now delivering medications by drone, promising orders in 1 hour or less

The new service is now live in College Station, Texas. The drones use a series of sensors and cameras to remain stable and navigate around obstacles as needed.

October 19, 2023

Around the web

Health Imaging

Use of AI opportunistic screening in CT for cardiovascular disease

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

Health Imaging

New imaging protocols proposed to curb rise of cardiovascular infections

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Care Delivery

Surgical devices recalled after 17 serious injuries—FDA warns of possible shortage

Cardiologist demand is on the rise—can hospitals keep up?

Self-expanding vs. balloon-expandable TAVR valves: How they compare after 5 years

Payment cuts and beyond: Key takeaways for cardiologists from the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

Cardiologist loses medical license over years-long fraud scheme

Around the web