Heart Failure

Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump as much blood as the body requires. This ineffective pumping can lead to enlargement of the heart as the myocardium works harder pump the same amount of blood. Heart failure may be caused by defects in the myocardium, such as an a heart attack infarct, or due to structural issues such as severe heart valve regurgitation. Heart failure can be divided into HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The disease is further divided into four New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes. Stage IV heart failure is when the heart is completely failing and requires a heart transplant or hemodynamic support from a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

LBBAP limits hospital readmissions after TAVR
Left bundle branch area pacing is associated with better long-term outcomes than traditional right ventricular pacing when patients require PPMI after TAVR, according to new research in Heart Rhythm.
FDA approves Boston Scientific leads for left bundle branch area pacing
Boston Scientific's INGEVITY+ pacing leads were originally approved by the FDA back in 2019. They can now be used for LBBAP, a new alternative to biventricular pacing.
JACC editor excited by progress during a 'very important moment' for cardiology
Harlan Krumholz, MD, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, explains some of the key technology and treatment trends he has his eyes on.
FDA approves Biotronik lead, catheter for left bundle branch area pacing
LBBAP is a relatively new alternative to biventricular pacing. The FDA's decision was based largely on data from the BIO-CONDUCT clinical trial.
Surgeons make history, perform world’s first fully robotic heart transplant
The procedure, which lasted roughly two and half hours, was performed on a 16-year-old patient with end-stage heart failure.

Caption Health gains FDA clearance for AI-powered ejection fraction software

The original software first received FDA clearance back in 2018. This updated version, Caption Health has said, is easier for clinicians to use.

July 24, 2020

What cardiologists know, and don’t know, about genetic testing for heart disease

Such testing typically makes the most sense when patients have a confirmed diagnosis of an inherited cardiovascular disease or an abnormality has already been identified.

July 23, 2020

Treating heart failure during a pandemic: 3 key recommendations

A new commentary in Circulation: Heart Failure offers a first-hand account of how one facility embraced telehealth and faced the pandemic head-on.

July 17, 2020

MRI detects heart failure risk in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy

About 40% of individuals had scarring patterns on their heart muscle visible during imaging, which was associated with a greater risk of suffering a major cardiac event.

July 16, 2020

COVID-19 leads to sharp rise in stress cardiomyopathy

Stress cardiomyopathy—often referred to as broken heart syndrome—was up significantly in March and April 2020.

July 9, 2020

Catheter-based heart failure treatment gains breakthrough device designation

preCARDIA announced that its catheter-based system for acutely decompensated heart failure has received the FDA’s breakthrough device designation.

June 23, 2020

Specialists share experience prescribing a historically expensive cardiovascular medication

Tafamidis received FDA approval in May 2019 for the treatment of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). It has a list price of $225,000 per year.

June 18, 2020

Machine learning predicts drug cardiotoxicity

Machine learning is playing a key role in predicting all major forms of drug cardiotoxicity, potentially helping reduce late-stage clinical trial failures.

June 10, 2020

Heart Failure

LBBAP limits hospital readmissions after TAVR

FDA approves Boston Scientific leads for left bundle branch area pacing

JACC editor excited by progress during a 'very important moment' for cardiology

FDA approves Biotronik lead, catheter for left bundle branch area pacing

Surgeons make history, perform world’s first fully robotic heart transplant