Frailty assessments are a good value for their money in older patients considering CABG, according to a study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, but a limited geriatric consultation workforce could curb that benefit in real-life practice.

Urine flow rate-guided hydration, as opposed to left ventricular end-diastolic pressure-guided hydration, could prevent more complications in CKD patients who are at a high risk for contrast-induced kidney injury.

Results from the late-breaking TWILIGHT trial suggest that, among high-risk patients who have undergone PCI and completed three months of dual antiplatelet therapy, it’s safer to continue treatment with ticagrelor alone rather than add aspirin to that cocktail.

A shortened, three-month course of dual antiplatelet therapy might be a safer bet than 12-month treatment for patients at a high risk of bleeding after PCI and implantation of a drug-eluting stent.

French company Robocath announced Sept. 24 it had successfully completed its first two in-human coronary angioplasties performed with assistance from its R-One robotic platform.

Five-year results of the ABSORB III trial suggest that, while target lesion failure and scaffold thrombosis have remained apparent in patients implanted with bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, the poor outcomes associated with BVS seemed to subside after three years, when the stents had completely dissolved.

Annual hospital PCI-related mortality rates might be unreliable measures of a center’s performance, according to work published in JAMA Cardiology, proving unhelpful for identifying high-quality care in a study of 67 New York hospitals.

The need for surgical bailout in heart patients undergoing TAVR is low, according to research published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, but when it is performed outcomes are poor, reaching 50% mortality at 30 days.