Clinical

This channel newsfeed includes clinical content on treating patients or the clinical implications in a variety of cardiac subspecialties and disease states. The channel includes news on cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, heart failure, electrophysiology, hypertension, structural heart disease, use of pharmaceuticals, and COVID-19.

Update to Johnson & Johnson PFA platform gains FDA approval
The Varipulse PFA platform originally gained FDA approval in 2024. According to Johnson & Johnson MedTech, this update was put in place to help the technology provide better patient outcomes going forward.
FDA approves Bayer's finerenone to treat wide range of heart failure patients
Finerenone, sold by Bayer under the brand name Kerendia, is now approved in the United States for the treatment of HFmrEF and HFpEF. The drug has already been used for years to treat patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes.
FDA details multiple Class I recalls for Edwards Lifesciences surgical devices
Edwards Lifesciences has recalled more than 61,000 medical devices due to the risk of a small piece of wire becoming exposed. No patient injuries have been reported at this time.
CMS proposes Medicare coverage for renal denervation
This proposal, if finalized, would dramatically increase patient access to renal denervation. Both Recor Medical and Medtronic have shared their excitement over the news.
ASE shares new recommendations for evaluating LV diastolic function, HFpEF
The new guidelines detail the use of echocardiography to evaluate patients for a variety of conditions.

NIH study reveals COVID-19 brain fog may be from immune response

The condition of brain fog that some COVID-19 patients experience could be caused by an immune response to the virus.

“We need an answer now”: Cardiologist awarded $2.3M to study cannabis use and heart health in people living with HIV

The four-year analysis will use cardiac MRI scans to closely monitor the heart health of people living with HIV who regularly use cannabis to treat their symptoms.

VIDEO: The state of TAVR in 2022

Michael Mack, MD, a key pioneer in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), explains the history of TAVR and where things are headed.

COVID-19 a leading cause of death in US, topped only by heart disease and cancer

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in both 2020 and 2021, according to the National Institutes of Health.

A transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure being performed at Intermountain Healthcare. Image from Intermountain Healthcare

AFib patients more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure or bleeding following TAVR

The study, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, included data from more than 900 TAVR patients. Overall morality was 22.7% among patients with AFib and 14.4% among patients without AFib.

Do image-guided corticosteroid injections impact COVID risk?

Patients who received an injection had an infection rate of 2.2% at 4-month follow-up. In comparison, the infection rate for the general population in Massachusetts was 7.5% during the same period.

Leadless pacemaker technology moves toward dual-chamber pacing

Leadless pacemaker technology is expanding its ability to treat more patients with dual-chamber pacing.

Some neurovascular imaging studies are overutilized in stroke triage

Triaging patients with stroke-like symptoms using MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) could reduce the cost burden associated with unnecessary neurovascular imaging procedures.

Clinical

Update to Johnson & Johnson PFA platform gains FDA approval

FDA approves Bayer's finerenone to treat wide range of heart failure patients

FDA details multiple Class I recalls for Edwards Lifesciences surgical devices

CMS proposes Medicare coverage for renal denervation

ASE shares new recommendations for evaluating LV diastolic function, HFpEF