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."

Brijeshwar Maini, MD, FACC, structural heart cardiologist, national and Florida medical director of cardiology, explains his decision to leave clinical practice in the near future to become a full-time cardiac device manufacture business owner. It is a path several prominent cardiologists have made.

VIDEO: How this cardiologist became a full-time inventor and entrepreneur

Brijeshwar Maini, MD, explains his decision to leave clinical practice to become a full-time cardiac device business owner. It is a path several prominent cardiologists have made.

Mitral and_tricuspid transcatheter valves Evoque and Intrepid were discussed at TVT 2022.

VIDEO: Advances in transcatheter tricuspid and mitral valve technology

Anita W. Asgar, MD, director, transcatheter valve therapy research at Montréal Heart Institute, discusses advances and new technology for mitral and tricuspid valves at the 2022 Transcatheter Valve Therapies (TVT) meeting.

Patients can safely undergo noncardiac surgeries after TAVR without a long delay

However, the study’s authors did find associations between suboptimal TAVR procedures and adverse outcomes.

The Corvia Atrial Shunt is designed to address elevated left atrial pressure (LAP) heart failure patients.

VIDEO: Overview of intra-atrial shunts to treat heart failure

Cardiologist Peter Fail, MD, discusses the idea of using shunts to form a passage that enables the left atrium to decompress at rest and during physical activity. The goal is to lower left atrial pressure in heart failure patients.

Radiation exposure during structural heart procedures much higher for echocardiographers than cardiologists

The new analysis focused on transcatheter edge-to-edge repair and left atrial appendage occlusion procedures.

A transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure being performed at Intermountain Healthcare. Image from Intermountain Healthcare

AFib patients more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure or bleeding following TAVR

The study, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, included data from more than 900 TAVR patients. Overall morality was 22.7% among patients with AFib and 14.4% among patients without AFib.

Biolimus-coated balloons can effectively treat small-vessel coronary artery disease, new first-in-human study confirms

Researchers compared the new-look drug coated balloon with an uncoated balloon, publishing their findings in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Tracking TAVR’s impact on gastrointestinal bleeding symptoms

TAVR patients with gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) were linked to longer lengths of stay and a higher risk of acute kidney injury than patients without GIB.

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