Cardiologists, electrophysiologists, surgeons and patient representatives all worked together on the updated guidelines, which were published in both the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Circulation.

The collaboration is part of the Cleveland Innovation District, a more than $500 million public-private partnership for advancing medical research.

Interventional cardiologist David Kandzari, MD, performed the procedure just days after the device received full FDA approval. 

"This practice has been adopted by multiple organ-procurement organizations and is used on thousands of organ donors each year, without ever having been rigorously studied," one researcher said. 

The deal could also include additional clinical and regulatory milestone payments in the years ahead.

The COVID-19 pandemic shaved 2.4 years off U.S. life expectancy, and the population has yet to fully recover from the setback. 

The research will focus on ways to improve the utilization of electronic resources among heart failure patients and the doctors who treat them.

Avidity Biosciences, a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company, is expanding its ongoing collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb to identify new cardiovascular therapies.