Oregon Health & Sciences University might have a chance to revive the heart transplant program it shuttered last August after all four of its cardiologists left the institution, according to reports from the Oregonian and Oregon Live.

Diabetes mellitus continues to be linked to higher all-cause and CVD mortality in patients living with the disease, according to work published in the Journal of the American Heart Association Feb. 19. But some of that risk could be mitigated by controlling cardiovascular risk factors, and diabetes-related deaths are down overall.

In the latest twist in the debate over the long-term safety of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents, a correction published Feb. 19 in Circulation said the five-year mortality results of the Zilver PTX randomized trial were “inadvertently reversed”—and that uncoated devices were actually associated with better survival. 

The American Heart Association announced on Feb. 20 it launched a series of quick online reference tools for physicians and their patients who struggle with high blood pressure, including a list of four of the most common mistakes hypertensives can make on a daily basis.

A study published Feb. 14 in the American Journal of Cardiology suggests obese patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) fare better in terms of mortality and stroke events than their non-obese counterparts—a finding that’s in line with the much-contested “obesity paradox."

A startup that sold young donors’ blood to consumers in several states with the goal of treating conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease has apparently shut down in the wake of an FDA statement that the blood-infusion technique has no scientific merit.

Individuals undergoing cardiac surgery might benefit from a pre-scheduled postoperative cocktail of intravenous (IV) acetaminophen and either propofol or dexmedetomidine, according to Harvard researchers who found the common painkiller could reduce in-hospital delirium in older patients.

The Pascal transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) system has received its CE mark for the treatment of patients with mitral regurgitation, device manufacturer Edwards Lifesciences announced Feb. 19.