Cath Lab

The cardiac catheterization laboratory is used for diagnostic angiograms and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Cath labs have also seen expanding use in recent years for transcatheter structural heart procedures. Some hospitals also share these labs with other subspecialties for catheter-based procedures in electrophysiology (EP), interventional radiology, peripheral artery disease (PAD), carotid and neuro interventional procedures and vascular surgery.

Vendor payments not responsible for rising popularity of LAAO procedures
Consulting fees and other vendor payments do not appear to be directly influencing U.S. physicians to implant more Watchman devices. Researcher Alexander Kolomaya, MD, discussed his team's findings on this topic.
FDA warns that certain coronary imaging catheters are being removed from market over safety concerns
A catheter sheath detached during use and was left in the patient’s body. It was successfully removed, but the FDA said it is now evaluating the potential risk to others going forward. There is no official recall at this time.
Family of heart patient who died awarded $45M after suing health system for negligence
The 55-year-old patient woke up experiencing chest pain one morning and an ambulance was called. He was dead just a few hours later. His family's lawsuit argued that delays in care, communication errors and other issues were directly responsible for his death.
FDA clears new device for enabling access to the heart’s surface without an exposed needle
CardioVia's ViaOne technology includes a blunt-tip needle that remains concealed to help interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists treat cardiac arrhythmias with a reduced risk of perforation or any other complications.
Choosing left radial access in the cath lab helps cardiologists limit radiation exposure
Using a left radial artery approach in the cath lab exposes interventional cardiologists to significantly less radiation than a hyper-adducted right radial artery approach. The difference is substantial enough for researchers to declare LRA "the primary access site for cardiac catheterization."

No antithrombotic therapy after TAVR? New research highlights potential benefits

The study, published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, focused on data from more than 3,500 TAVR patients.

Corindus, acquired back in 2019, is now Siemens Healthineers Endovascular Robotics

The company's most well-known product within the industry is the CorPath GRX System, a second-generation robotics solution used by interventional cardiologists during PCI and other interventional procedures.

Juan Granada discusses new cardiac technology AHA22.

VIDEO: 2 key technologies to rapidly advance cardiovascular care

Juan Granada, MD, president and CEO of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), shares his thoughts on two key areas of technology advancements in cardiovascular imaging and neuro-interventional care for stroke.

Boston Scientific to acquire majority stake of interventional device company for $523M

Acotec, founded in 2008, designs and distributes a wide range of medical devices used in interventional cardiology, including drug-coated balloons and thrombus aspiration catheters.

New risk score helps identify high-risk PCI patients

The risk assessment tool could help health systems and researchers alike determine when patients face greater odds of post-PCI complications.

Interventional cardiology to join the Match in 2025

It is an announcement many interventional cardiologists have been waiting to hear for a long time.

An updated look at the latest self-expandable and balloon-expandable TAVR devices

Researchers have completed a new analysis of the Evolut Pro and Pro+ devices from Medtronic and the Sapien 3 Ultra devices from Edwards Lifesciences, sharing the results in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

FDA changes indications for Impella RP heart pump after dramatic shift in mortality rate

The Impella RP System is still associated with significant benefits, the FDA said, but there are certain high-risk patients who should no longer be eligible for treatment.

Cath Lab

Vendor payments not responsible for rising popularity of LAAO procedures

FDA warns that certain coronary imaging catheters are being removed from market over safety concerns

Family of heart patient who died awarded $45M after suing health system for negligence

FDA clears new device for enabling access to the heart’s surface without an exposed needle

Choosing left radial access in the cath lab helps cardiologists limit radiation exposure