“It is your responsibility to be the patient’s advocate,” one expert explained. “We, as the nurses and technologists, have to speak up when we see something that isn’t right.”

Transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure has been a mainstay in congenital interventional cardiology for decades, but changes in the standard of care have resulted in catheter-based treatments overtaking surgical procedures. 

More and more care teams are treating BAV stenosis with TAVR instead of surgical aortic valve replacement. Self-expanding and balloon-expandable valves appear to have their own benefits—as well as their own risks. 

New Hampshire-based Conformal Medical plans on using the funds to enroll more patients into an ongoing clinical trial. 

Treatment with the device is consistently safe, but researchers still think more data is required before reaching any conclusions about its efficacy. 

Competition was once fierce between interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, but that has changed over the years. "It is absolutely a partnership," one veteran surgeon told Cardiovascular Business. 

Instylla's Embrace Hydrogel Embolic System minimizes bleeding risks during the embolization of hypervascular tumors in the peripheral arteries.

Because of this risk, which has been associated with 120 serious injuries, Boston Scientific is updating the instructions for use of several Watchman access systems.