Vascular & Endovascular

This channel includes news on non-coronary vascular disease and therapies. These include peripheral artery disease (PAD), abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysm (AAA and TAA), aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism (PE), critical limb ischemia (CLI), carotid artery and stroke interventions, venous interventions, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and interventional radiology therapies. The focus on most of these therapies is minimally invasive, catheter-based procedures performed in a cath lab.

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‘Inadvertently reversed’ mortality data further muddy debate on paclitaxel PAD treatments

In the latest twist in the debate over the long-term safety of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents, a correction published Feb. 19 in Circulation said the five-year mortality results of the Zilver PTX randomized trial were “inadvertently reversed”—and that uncoated devices were actually associated with better survival. 

Startup selling blood from young donors crumbles under FDA scrutiny

A startup that sold young donors’ blood to consumers in several states with the goal of treating conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease has apparently shut down in the wake of an FDA statement that the blood-infusion technique has no scientific merit.

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Artificially sweetened drinks linked to increased risk of stroke

Women who consumed multiple artificially sweetened beverages per day, including diet sodas and fruit drinks, were significantly more likely to die or suffer ischemic strokes over an average follow-up period of 12 years, according to an observational study published Feb. 14 in Stroke.

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‘Physiological age’ a better predictor of survival than chronological age

Physiological age based on exercise performance is a better predictor of long-term survival than chronological age, according to a study of more than 126,000 patients at the Cleveland Clinic.

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Paclitaxel-coated devices found safe in new study—but the debate isn’t over

Paclitaxel-coated devices were found safe for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery revascularization in a JAMA Cardiology study published Feb. 12—the latest installment in a continuing debate over whether drug-coated stents and balloons raise long-term mortality risk in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

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Swedish study spotlights the high eventual price of early physical unfitness

A study of health outcomes among more than 1 million men who enlisted in the Swedish Armed Forces decades ago has thrown into sharp relief the connection between poor health habits in adolescence and chronic disabilities later on in life.

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Telerehab as effective as clinical therapy for restoring functionality after stroke

Home-based telerehabilitation is just as effective as traditional rehab for restoring arm function in stroke survivors, according to late-breaking science presented at this year’s American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference in Honolulu.

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Andexanet holds up as antidote for factor Xa inhibitors

Andexanet alfa (Andexxa), the only FDA-approved reversal agent for factor Xa inhibitors, was successful in mitigating bleeding events associated with that class of anticoagulants, researchers reported Feb. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.