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.

FDA clears single-use, fully disposable endovascular robotic system
The new Liberty System allows users to remotely deliver and manipulate guidewires and catheters during peripheral endovascular procedures.
New York cardiologist headed to prison—DOJ says he paid for referrals, performed unneeded procedures
"Today’s sentence sends a deterrent message to doctors and the healthcare industry," according to a DOJ statement. "If you abuse patient trust for profit, you will face justice."
Abbott’s dissolving stent picks up a key approval
It's another big victory for Abbott's bioresorbable stent for BTK PAD.
FDA announces new recall of self-expanding stents due to risk of ‘serious harm’
The Class I recall includes more than 26,000 vascular stents from Boston Scientific. These devices have been linked to a risk of potential resistance when the stent delivery system is being withdrawn.
Cardiovascular device approvals continue to lead the FDA's Breakthrough Device Program
Cardiology is number one in FDA Breakthrough Device designations at 218, the highest number out of all other clinical categories. This includes 16 new devices cleared in the past year.

Paclitaxel-coated devices linked to late mortality in PAD treatment

The use of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents in the femoropopliteal arteries of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) was associated with relative mortality increases of 68 percent and 93 percent at two and five years of follow-up, respectively, according to a meta-analysis published Dec. 6 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Stroke patients see similar odds of readmission with thrombectomy, thrombolysis

About 1 in 8 patients who received endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke during a two-year period in the U.S. were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, according to an analysis of the Nationwide Readmissions Database published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Vascular & Endovascular

FDA clears single-use, fully disposable endovascular robotic system

New York cardiologist headed to prison—DOJ says he paid for referrals, performed unneeded procedures

Abbott’s dissolving stent picks up a key approval

FDA announces new recall of self-expanding stents due to risk of ‘serious harm’

Cardiovascular device approvals continue to lead the FDA's Breakthrough Device Program