New ultra-thin drug-eluting stents (DES) are associated with a 16 percent reduction in target lesion failure (TLF) at one year compared to thicker-strut, second-generation DES, according to a meta-analysis published June 26 in Circulation.

School programs that provide fresh fruits and vegetables and limit the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) could prevent an estimated 22,383 deaths due to cardiometabolic disease each year in the U.S., researchers calculated in a study published July 6 in PLOS One.

About two-thirds of patients older than 65 who experience a myocardial infarction die within eight years, according to a new study—and nearly half die in that timeframe even if they receive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

In a study of nearly 25,000 children, those whose mothers adhered to five healthy lifestyle factors carried a 75 percent lower risk of obesity than children whose mothers had none of those habits.

Norepinephrine seemed to be a safer vasopressor than epinephrine for patients with cardiogenic shock following acute myocardial infarction, according to a small randomized trial conducted in France. Significantly more patients given epinephrine developed refractory cardiogenic shock, causing the study to be stopped early.

New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests an association between black postmenopausal women who are carriers of apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) genotypes and hospitalizations for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The findings, however, do not support an association between APOL1 genotypes and coronary heart disease, stroke or mortality.

Boston Scientific plans to acquire Cryterion Medical, a company developing a single-shot cryoablation platform to treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib). Already an investor in the company, Boston Scientific will purchase the remaining 65 percent stake for $202 million in up-front cash.

A federal investigation into the potential overuse of primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) appears to have made hospitals more judicious in their use of the devices, according to a study published July 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.