Some faculty are up in arms over the handling of a sexual misconduct case that involved the former chief of cardiology at Yale School of Medicine. The investigating committee called for kicking the physician out of his leadership post but the provost rejected the advice, according to the New York Times.

Dignity Health will pay $37 million to settle claims that 13 of its hospitals knowingly overcharged Medicare by performing elective cardiac procedures as inpatient rather than less costly outpatient services.

“I will be talking through the drone now. Please put down the phone.” Sounds like sci-fi, but a graduate student at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands built an aerial “ambulance drone” that can transport a defibrillator to treat people in cardiac arrest. The drone’s communication system includes a web cam that emergency personnel use to instruct bystanders. See the drone and supporting cast here.    

An acute ischemic stroke intervention turned a simple text system into significant improvements in door-to-needle times for one center, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in Stroke.

The National Institutes of Health has launched a clinical trial to assess the effects of aspirin and cholesterol-lowering drugs, or statins, on preventing cardiovascular disease in people with long-term HIV infections. This group, which includes people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) as well as "elite controllers" who can limit the virus without ART, have a higher risk of developing heart disease and stroke compared to the general population. The study is funded by NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Lowering blood pressure might be as simple as encouraging hypertensive patients to check in. In a study published online Oct. 28 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a community-outreach program improved hypertensive blood pressure after six weeks using web portals and personalized care.

The American College of Cardiology today announced 35 selected hospitals that are pioneering a team approach to keep patients healthy and at home following admission for heart attack or heart failure. The hospitals from across the country are the first participants in the ACC Patient Navigator Program, which is the first program of its kind in cardiology and supports national efforts to reduce unnecessary patient readmissions.

Martha Weinman Lear, author of “Heartsounds,” published a second book more than two decades later about her own experiences with heart disease. In “Heartsounds” she castigated the medical community for callous care of her husband during a protracted heart illness. As described in this New York Times book review, “Echoes of Heartsounds” chronicles a much improved hospital environment.