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.

CMS proposes Medicare coverage for T-TEER
CMS has proposed covering tricuspid TEER for patients who present with symptomatic tricuspid regurgitation despite optimal medical therapy. The agency still has questions about the available data, however, and is seeking public comments as it makes its final decision.
Quality of care for heart patients does not improve in first year of ACO participation
Researchers tracked patient outcomes through the use of 15 performance measures related to hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
Routine interventional procedure may present new endometriosis treatment option
Known to be extremely painful at times, many women with endometriosis consider flare-ups of the condition to be debilitating.
Boston Scientific finalizes Bolt Medical acquisition as FDA clears company’s IVL technology
Boston Scientific hopes to officially launch its new IVL system in the first half of 2026.
Early pregnancy blood pressure patterns tied to hypertension risk years later
Researchers show certain blood pressure patterns during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to develop into hypertension later in life.

Hospital discharge with oral antibiotics safe for stable endocarditis

Patients hospitalized with endocarditis can be safely switched from intravenous antibiotics to oral medication about halfway through the course of treatment, according to a randomized trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Birth through assisted fertilization linked to higher hypertension risk

A new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests children born through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are at an increased risk of developing arterial hypertension early in life.

Weight-loss drug lorcaserin demonstrates cardiovascular safety

Lorcaserin was associated with significant weight loss among overweight and obese individuals without compromising cardiovascular safety, according to a large, randomized trial published Aug. 26 in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Munich.

Patients with new-onset AFib at greatest risk for complications after TAVR

Cardiac patients who develop new-onset atrial fibrillation (AFib) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are at a higher risk for complications like stroke, myocardial infarction and death than those whose AFib was established before the procedure, researchers report in the current online issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Lawsuit: Surgeon left needle inside patient during open-heart surgery

The family of a Tennessee man who died in 2017, one month after open-heart surgery, is suing TriStar Centennial hospital, alleging the surgeon left a needle inside his body.

Utah man credits smartwatch for saving his life during heart attack

A Bountiful, Utah, man is claiming the heart rate tracker on his smartwatch tipped him off to a serious problem that otherwise could have resulted in his death, Fox 13 in Salt Lake City reported this week.

Left atrial fibrosis could be to blame for increased risk of arrhythmias in endurance athletes

A prevalence of left atrial fibrosis in endurance athletes could explain their increased risk for arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to data presented this week at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Munich.

Drug-coated balloons as effective as permanent stents for unblocking small arteries

Late-breaking results of a trial presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)’s 2018 meeting in Munich suggest a removable balloon is as effective as a permanent stent in unblocking small arteries.

Clinical

CMS proposes Medicare coverage for T-TEER

Quality of care for heart patients does not improve in first year of ACO participation

Routine interventional procedure may present new endometriosis treatment option

Boston Scientific finalizes Bolt Medical acquisition as FDA clears company’s IVL technology

Early pregnancy blood pressure patterns tied to hypertension risk years later