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.

‘Fundamental for all patients’: Exploring the benefits of palliative care for stroke survivors
Approximately 800,000 strokes occur each year in the United States alone. A majority of people survive, due in part to key advances in patient care over the years, but they often go forward without receiving the long-term help they need to recover and thrive.
Advancing AI for vascular surgery will require a commitment to data integrity
For artificial intelligence to truly transform care, the healthcare industry must address certain challenges. Jens Eldrup-Jorgensen, MD, a veteran vascular surgeon and member of the Society for Vascular Surgery, explains in a guest editorial.
Industry concerns over paclitaxel-coated devices may have put PAD patients at risk
Back in 2019, the FDA issued a warning about the use of paclitaxel-coated devices when treating peripheral artery disease. The agency took back that warning in 2023, but it appears to have made a significant impact on patient care.
Genetic predisposition to depression increases CVD risk in women, but not men
The heightened risks were even seen in women who were never diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. It remains unclear why the same trend was not seen in men.
Clopidogrel vs. aspirin: Tracking the chronic maintenance period after PCI for different risk groups
As more high-risk patients undergo PCI, what is the best antiplatelet strategy following an initial event-free period of DAPT? Does it change after complex PCI? Researchers aimed to answer these questions, and many others, with new findings published in JAMA Cardiology.

FDA: ‘Rare but serious’ risk of stroke with MS drug alemtuzumab

The FDA is amending its label for alemtuzumab, a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and leukemia, after 13 patients reported cases of ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke or arterial dissection related to use of the medication.

December 6, 2018

Mesh-covered carotid stent associated with low 30-day stroke rates

Patients treated for carotid stenosis with a new mesh-covered stent demonstrated stroke rates of 1.1 percent at 30 days, suggesting the device could help overcome one of the previously reported weaknesses of carotid artery stenting.

December 5, 2018

Arizona patients successfully receive the world’s first bioconvertible IVC filter commercially offered in US

BTG plc (LSE: BTG), the global healthcare company, today announced the first patients outside of a clinical trial have been successfully implanted with the BTG Sentry device – the world’s first bioconvertible IVC filter.

December 3, 2018

Risk calculator predicts mortality for PAD patients using EHR data

An automated risk calculator derived solely from variables in an electronic health record (EHR) accurately predicted five-year survival in a community-based cohort of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), researchers reported Dec. 1 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

December 3, 2018

Statin, antiplatelet prescriptions lag for PAD patients at risk of stroke

Heart patients with symptoms of peripheral artery disease (PAD) continue to see low rates of prescriptions for antiplatelets, statins and ACE inhibitors, despite those drugs’ potential to prevent against major events like stroke, according to research published Nov. 15 in Stroke.

November 16, 2018

Severe migraines could signal elevated risk for AFib, stroke

A decades-long study of patients who have migraines with visual aura has linked the painful headaches to an increased risk of experiencing atrial fibrillation and, to a lesser degree, stroke, researchers report in the online edition of Neurology.

November 15, 2018

Algorithm leans on patient-reported variables to predict mortality

A machine learning algorithm that predicts five-year mortality among patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) makes the case that patient responses to questionnaires can be just as informative in risk stratification as clinical characteristics and lab measurements.

November 12, 2018

How Snapchat saved a stroke patient’s life with 12 minutes to spare

Social media app Snapchat has been credited with saving 39-year-old Darnisha Ladd’s life after a recorded video helped physicians diagnose the young stroke survivor, allowing them to administer life-saving medication with 12 minutes to spare, the Omaha World-Herald has reported.

November 9, 2018

Vascular & Endovascular

‘Fundamental for all patients’: Exploring the benefits of palliative care for stroke survivors

Advancing AI for vascular surgery will require a commitment to data integrity

Industry concerns over paclitaxel-coated devices may have put PAD patients at risk

Genetic predisposition to depression increases CVD risk in women, but not men

Clopidogrel vs. aspirin: Tracking the chronic maintenance period after PCI for different risk groups