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.

Report: UnitedHealth rewarded nursing homes for delaying hospital transfers
Citing evidence from documents and interviews, the Guardian released an exposé accusing UnitedHealth of directly influencing the day-to-day operations of some 2,000 nursing homes, resulting in patients not receiving necessary emergency care.
FDA wants new heart damage warnings added to COVID-19 vaccines
COVID-19 vaccines are associated with a very low risk of myocarditis and/or pericarditis, primarily in young adults. The long-term impact of this risk has been the subject of many studies and debates over the years; one side says that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks, and the other side says that even the smallest risk of heart damage is too high.
Early TAVR or SAVR in asymptomatic patients linked to improved survival, reduced costs
Researchers explored data from more than 24,000 AVR patients, presenting their findings at EuroPCR in Paris.
Work begins on first ATTR-CM study of its kind
ACT-EARLY is testing the hypothesis that treating asymptomatic carriers of a pathogenic TTR variant with the drug acoramidis could delay amyloidosis from developing.
FDA outlines stricter ‘evidence-based approach’ to COVID vaccinations
The FDA is revising its approach to COVID-19 vaccine approvals, moving away from the previous trend of treating boosters like annual flu shots. Health researcher Vinay Prasad and Commissioner Martin Makary argue in the New England Journal of Medicine for more rigorous data requirements and additional clinical studies to justify future inoculations for those under 65.

Protein boosts heart attack recovery, could be a game-changer for patients

There are approximately 20,000 proteins in the human heart—and one of them, if administered as a drug, could help patients recover more quickly following a myocardial infarction.

CMS forms independent commission for COVID-19 response in nursing homes

CMS has announced the members of the independent Coronavirus Commission on Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes, as the agency is seeking an independent review and assessment of what happened at nursing homes across the countries when COVID-19 hit.

FDA approves new fast-acting insulin for type 1 and type 2 diabetes

The approval was based on data from two phase III randomized, treat-to-target studies.

Hospitals are already treating COVID-19 patients with common steroid

Hospitals in the U.S. are already using dexamethasone, a commonly known steroid that’s readily available and inexpensive, to treat COVID-19 patients without waiting for confirmation of preliminary results from a British study that found the drug can greatly improve survival.

Infective endocarditis after TAVR: 4 key findings from a new study of 7,000 patients

Infective endocarditis is a relatively rare complication of TAVR, but the infection can be fatal when it does strike.

Specialists share experience prescribing a historically expensive cardiovascular medication

Tafamidis received FDA approval in May 2019 for the treatment of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). It has a list price of $225,000 per year.

Significant portion of COVID-19 may be asymptomatic

Between 40% and 45% of COVID-19 infections could be in people who display no symptoms of the illness, according to an analysis by Scripps Research published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The top 10 hospitals for pediatric cardiology care

Such attributes as patient outcomes, efficiency and available resources were used to develop the list, which includes a tie at No. 10.

Clinical

Report: UnitedHealth rewarded nursing homes for delaying hospital transfers

FDA wants new heart damage warnings added to COVID-19 vaccines

Early TAVR or SAVR in asymptomatic patients linked to improved survival, reduced costs

Work begins on first ATTR-CM study of its kind

FDA outlines stricter ‘evidence-based approach’ to COVID vaccinations