Location, location, location. Patients with acute MI who mistakenly were admitted to noncardiology departments were more likely to die before and after discharge than counterparts treated in coronary care units, according to a subanalysis of the DEF-AMI study. Their mortality risk was almost twice as high.

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) released an update of the appropriate use criteria (AUC) calculator tool for aiding clinicians in decision making. Updates to the app expanded the options for appropriately treating patients who are candidates for diagnostic catheterization or heart failure imaging. 

Facebook is exploring the development of health-related social networks, including communities for members who share an illness and forums for maintaining healthy lifestyles, according to Reuters.

A risk prediction tool unveiled in the 2013 American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association cholesterol guidelines took another broadside hit with an analysis that tried to explain the difference in actual vs. calculated risks. The most recent salvo used data from the Women’s Health Study.

The goal: To reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The management plan: Assess the patient, guideline limitations and options. In this editorial, a director of a preventive cardiovascular medicine program explains how new lipid recommendations can guide care.

The medical technology company Becton, Dickinson & Co. (BD) will pay $12.2 billion to acquire CareFusion, a move that is expected to broaden the range of products offered to hospitals and software used for medication management.

A cardiac rehabilitation program delivered to patients in small urban or rural communities beat standard care for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The initiative required less than eight hours of staff time per patient, potentially making it a cost-effective way to treat remote patients.

Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia given a monoclonal antobody had a 30.9 percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations after 12 weeks in a study published Oct. 2 in The Lancet.